#if they play bts at all then it's one of the three english songs

[licorishh]

I AM IN A HAIR SALON AND THEY'RE PLAYING BUTTERFLY BY BTS ARE YOU KIDDING????? A WHOLE SONG??? IN KOREAN???? ARE YOU FOR REAL YOU ARE MESSING WITH ME NAAAAHHHHG

I DON'T CARE THAT IT TOOK AN HOUR AND A HALF TO GET HERE SOMEBODY HERE HAS FANTASTIC TASTE I'M COMIN' BACK

[solarwynd]

Jimin really is the new BTS. Actually no, he's the old BTS. Jungkook is new BTS, in the sense that he's a perfect representation of everything that went wrong with BTS starting with Dynamite (and he's actually worse). But Jimin is that old BTS that made people fans in the first place. Cause no one became a fan because of the english songs. Yes, people discovered the group through those songs since they were playing everywhere, but all that did was introduce people to BTS and make them check what else they had to offer. And what they had to offer was what made people fans. If the rest of BTS's music was the same as the english trilogy people wouldn't have stuck around.

Armys have this thing where they pretend like someone liking BTS but not liking most of the members as soloists is a crazy, unfathomable thing. But as someone who likes BTS as a group and, despite being continously uninterested, continues to give the members at least a few listens whenever they released something, I can tell you that what BTS offers with their music and performances is not being offered by any other member expect Jimin. There's definitely pieces of the group in all their individual carrers, but it's either not enough or it's not the good pieces (like with Jungkook).

Cause what do people love about BTS? It's their songs, those songs that were a good balance of being people's taste (so more pop leaning or if a different genre than at least something exciting) while still being of good quality and having enough depth for fans that like thinking about and discussing the meaning of songs. It's also their performances of those songs (which, of course, first requires having those good songs), is having full intricate choreographies and a lot of energy on stage.

When you think of all of that – easy to like but not basic and shallow songs with impressive performances – then what members of the group are offering that? Go down the list, one through seven, and tell me if any other member expect for Jimin has all that? I'm not asking if any other members has something good to offer, I'm asking if they have the specific things that made fans became fans in the first place. Let's see:

Rapline: Armys aren't rap fans. Rap enjoyers? Maybe. But rap fans? No. They like rap enough to have a few verses of it every song, but not enough for it to be the whole songs, the whole album. And the attempts rapline have made with genres other than rap have somehow been even less armys's taste. Their performances are also lacking. It's fine if you wanna see someone just rap, but armys want dancing too. J-hope really could've had something here but for some reason he refuses to actually dance to his solo songs.

Jin: Now, to be fair, we haven't really seen what he has to offer as a soloist, so he could surprise me. But is he likely to? Probably not. He'll probably have an album made up of mostly ballads and no dancing.

Taehyung: His music is boring. I'm sorry, but even his fans lowkey don't care about it. Also, they can scream all they want about him being a danceline member but I have yet to see him actually make use of that position. Taehyung's appeal is his looks and that's all.

Jungkook: Mister Dynamite himself.

Continuing with the rest of my accidently sent incomplete ask. I think I was talking about Jungkook? He's doing what BTS was doing with the english songs. That stuff is definitely popular I'll admit, but does it make for a good foundation for a whole carrer? Cause BTS could get aware with it since they already had that foundation, but Jungkook doesn't. You can't have your entire discography be Dynamites, Butters and, god forbid, PTD's. Fans are gonna get sick of it eventually. I mean armys already did after PTD, three songs in and they were ready for it to be over and for BTS to go back to how they used to be before 2020. Jungkook is currently getting away with it because it's just one solo album that gives armys the records they like while they wait for BTS (what they're actually fans of) to come back. But if he wants an actual solo carrer, he's gonna have to step up eventually. So as you can see. None of them are really offering what fans want. So why should people who became fans of BTS for those specific reasons be forced to be fans of the other members as soloists when they're not giving them what they want. I'm not a fan of people out of obligation, I'm a fan because I genuinely enjoy things. And Jimin is the only one whose solo work I genuinely enjoy. Sorry not sorry 🤷

.🎯

[tiedyeflannels]

Never Did, Now I do

Namjoon x reader

Also known as: The five times you blew a kiss to Namjoon and the one time he finally blew one back.

Word count: 3.2k

Masterlist

A/N: Hi!!! I'm here with a Namjoon fic!!! I got inspired to write this one after watching an edit of Namjoon lives so... Anyway, the text that's "italicized" and in quotations, is dialog in English. Hopefully that makes sense... I hope you enjoy!!

one. - The earliest memory I have of him was when we were 6. 

It was a random afternoon when my parents decided to take me to the park. I was happily playing by myself when someone bumped into me.

“Hey, watch out!” I turned to look at a boy with an apologetic smile that showed his dimples.

He bowed slightly.

“Sorry! I just wanted to know if you wanted to play together because I saw that you were playing alone,” he wondered, scratching the back of his neck.

“What if I was happy playing alone?”

He nervously looked to the sides.

“Well, sorry for bothering you then,” he said as turned like he was about to run away before I grabbed his arm. 

“Hey, I was just kidding! I would love to play with you, um…” I trailed off.

He perked up, “Oh, it’s Namjoon.”

I held out my hand for him to take. “My name’s Y/n! Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand.

We must've been playing for quite a bit of time before our parents called to each of us, saying that it was time to leave. We both groaned, but promised that we would play again when we saw each other. My parents called me again and I started to jog over to them before stopping and blowing a kiss to him. Something I saw my parents do a million times to say ‘bye’.

“See you later, Namjoon!”

two. - I remembered doing it again when we were 13.

“Aren’t you nervous,” I asked as we entered the underground cafe where the rap circle was bound to take place after checking in.

He shook his head as he marveled at the people gathered in front of the stage and the stage itself.

“Nope, why would I be,” he asked looking at me. I gave him an ‘are you serious right now’ face.

“Um, because… I don't know… You’re going to perform in front of people who have been doing this way longer.”

He chuckled, “The way I see it, I’m here to learn, not teach. Those who teach should be the ones that are nervous.”

He smiled brightly, showing off his dimples. I nodded as I took a deep breath.

“Are you nervous for me?”

I shook my head, “No, there’s just a lot of people.” 

“I think you are,” he teased as I looked away.

He placed hand on my shoulder, garnering my attention.

“Y/n/n, there’s no reason for you to be nervous. I’ll be just fine. I have you here to support me and my amazing mind.”

I rolled my eyes, smiling. “Okay,” I nodded.

Moments later, someone on the loud speaker announced, “Coming up, Runch Randa!”

I started clapping with the crowd and looked over to Namjoon, who wasn’t clapping, but smiling and that’s when it hit me.

“Wait, that’s your stage name?”

He nodded.

“Are you gonna keep it when you’re older?”

“Is it bad,” He questioned.

“No,” I shook my head as he chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something better later, but I’ll keep using this one for now. Plus, I’m not sure I’ll like doing this,” he said, gesturing to the stage.

I watched the person currently performing on stage.

“I’m sure you won’t get enough,” I smiled.

As they finished up their song, we walked over to the stage.

“Thank you for being here.”

I smiled.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss this for the world! You’re gonna kill it, Mr. Randa,” I cheered.

He smiled before he took the stage. He took the mic and then looked over to me. I blew him a kiss for good luck before he looked forward with determination and started his song.

three. - Another time when we were 19 and he was about to debut on the big stage with BTS.

“I’ve gotta visit more often,” I said, walking into the green room.

“Y/n!” The guys called out as Namjoon turned away from the wall to look at me.

“Happy debut day, you guys! I’m proud of you all,” I said as I walked around and gave them all a hug.

I saved the best for last and stood in front of Namjoon.

“Congrats on debuting, Joonie! I got you something,” I said, holding up the gift bag with black tissue paper sticking out.

He took the bag and looked at me with a confused face.

“It’s nothing too big! I just wanted to get you something,” I said as he placed it on a nearby table and started to open it.

He pulled out a leather bound notebook with a leather strap wrapped around it to keep it closed.

“Y/n/n…” he trailed as he looked at me. I smiled at his reaction.

“If you open it, there’s something written on the inside of the cover,” I pointed out.

He did as instructed, pulling the strap apart and opening the book.

He read aloud, “‘To: Namjoon, Wherever we are, no matter how far apart, I will always be rooting for you! - Y/n’.” 

I looked at him expectedly, “Do you like it?”

He quickly pulled me into a hug.

“I absolutely love it, thank you,” he whispered, nuzzling into my neck.

We pulled apart after a moment and I watched as he put the notebook back in the bag and set it by his things before walking back to me. 

“BTS, you’re on in five minutes,” one of the stage managers called.

All the boys got up, ready to perform.

“We gotta go, but I’ll see you later,” he said and I nodded as he started to walk over to the other members. 

Right before he was going to walk out, “Namjoon!”

He looked back and I blew him a small kiss.

“Good luck out there! I’ll be watching from the sides.”

He smiled and nodded before leaving with the others for their debut.

four. - Again when we were 22 and they were leaving for their Wings world tour.

“I’m not late, am I,” I asked running up to the group that was about to leave for their Wings tour.

Some of them were giving the managers their bags, so they could put them in the trunks and the others turned to look at me.

“What’s that,” Taehyung asked, pointing to the three bags I was carrying.

“Oh right! I brought you guys some food because I wasn’t sure if you’ve eaten since it’s really early,” I said, handing a bag to Tae, Yoongi, and Jin as the rest gathered around.

They all said their ‘thank you’s as they started to dig through the bag, taking out some of the food I packed for them.

I smiled, “Of course! I wanted to see you guys off, but I can’t do it at the airport so I had Namjoon text me when you would leave for the airport.”

I looked at him and he nodded.

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Hobi exclaimed as he brought me into a hug which led the others to hug us effectively making a group hug. 

“Take care of each other and have a safe trip! I’ll see you at your last concerts,” I said, pulling away from the group.

The managers let them know that they would have to leave soon and that they should get ready to leave. 

We all said our ‘bye’s before they started to get into one of the cars.

That left me with…

“Y/n,” Namjoon said, grabbing my attention as I turned to look at him.

I hummed in response.

“Thanks for coming to see us off.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss this for the world… Though, it’s super early,” I said through a yawn.

He smiled.

“Plus, who’s gonna remind you to make sure to not lose your passport.”

He laughed, “That was one time!”

“Doesn’t matter! Knowing you, you would probably lose it again so make sure to give it to Yoongi or Jin,” I teased as a smile grew on my face.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he said, pulling me into a hug.

“I know, but I’ll see you when you come back.”

I pulled back, holding both of his hands and looked at him.

“Look at you, going on your first long-term tour! I’m so incredibly proud of you, Joonie,” I smiled.

He pulled me back into the hug, holding tightly. “I’m really gonna miss you, Y/n/n,” he whispered.

I tightened my hold on him, too, “I’m really gonna miss you too, Joon.” 

We stayed like this for a bit before Jin yelled, “Namjoon, the managers said we have to get going soon!”

He quietly groaned in frustration and I laughed as I pulled away because I know that he rolled his eyes.

“Please be safe and stay healthy. If you ever need anything, I’ll always pick up, okay?”

He nodded.

I nodded too before sighing, “You should get going.”

He nodded once more before he started walking toward the cars with the other members. He was about to get in when he looked back at me. He waved to me and I smiled as I blew him a kiss and waved before he got in the car and closed the door.

five. -  The last time was when we were 25 and I had to leave for a while.

“Are you sure that you’re going to be okay,” Namjoon asked, taking the last bag out of the trunk and placing it on the ground.

I smiled at his concern.

“I’ll be okay, Namjoon.”

“I’m just making sure.”

“Trust me, I’m not one to lose my passport unlike some people,” I teased.

“You’re never gonna let that go, are you,” he rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. 

“Nope,” I shook my head and he sighed, accepting his fate.

He walked up to me, rolling the suitcase over and handing it to me. I placed my bag strap over the handle and let it rest on the top of my suitcase.

“Remind me again, how long are you going to be gone,” he asked. 

I rested my hands on the handle of the suitcase as I thought, “Hmm… two, three years maybe.”

He groaned, “That’s so long…”

I chuckled, “It’s not that long. Three years can pass in the blink of an eye.”

He nodded and sighed lightly, “I know, but I’m gonna miss having you around all the time.”

I pushed my suitcase to the side and walked up to Namjoon, pulling him into a hug which he immediately returned.

“I’ll be back before you know it. I promise,” I whispered, nuzzling my face into his neck. 

We stayed like this for a few more moments, then I gave him one last squeeze before pulling away from him and taking out my phone to check the time.

“I should get going before I miss my flight,” I said as I grabbed hold of my suitcase.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” 

I smiled sadly at his question. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to stay here, with him, but my job had offered me an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up so I agreed with the clause that it wouldn’t be a permanent relocation. 

I started to back up, so I could put some distance between us.

“I’ll text you when I land, okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded.

With that, I turned and started to walk away. I was about to go through the doors to the airport, but stopped and turned to face Namjoon before blowing him a kiss and waving goodbye.

He smiled as I turned to leave him for a while with a promise that I’ll return soon.

~

It had been two and a half years since I moved to the US. 

Namjoon and I haven’t kept in contact as much as I thought we would. When I first moved, we always made it a point to text each other a couple of times a week, but we both started to get really busy so we couldn’t talk as much.

Now here we are, barely talking to each other unless it’s a holiday or birthday. Though, I always made sure to keep up with what he was up to and that meant watching his lives. 

I saw the notification when I opened my phone once I put my stuff down after I got back from work. I tapped it to open it up as I placed it on the kitchen island and propped it against the closest object.

I went to the fridge to grab the leftover take-out from the other day and proceeded to put it in the microwave to heat it up. At the same time as me starting the microwave, the live finally loaded and I could hear Namjoon talking.

I watched him just talk for a bit before the microwave beeped, signaling that the food was done heating up so I walked over and took it out, then went to get a fork out of the drawer before going back to the island so I could start eating. 

After a while, I saw a specific comment: Oppa, why do you blow kisses at the end of your lives?

He must’ve seen it too because he answered, “Because you guys ask.”

I smiled and he continued, “And because someone very close to me did it all the time for me, but I never did it for them. I haven’t seen them in a while and I kind of regret not doing it back all those years, so now I do it for you.”

After a bit, he started to say ‘bye’ to Army before blowing a kiss and turning off the live. I smiled sadly as I pressed the home button and turned off my phone, thinking about what he said earlier.

I sighed when I got up and put my dishes in the sink, ready to go to bed, hoping that I would be done with my job in America soon, so that I could go back home…

~ Two months later ~

“Congrats, Y/n!”

I looked up from my computer to see Lyn standing over my desk, grinning like a maniac.

“What do you mean, Lyn,” I questioned, tilting my head to the side.

“Well, you know how you always say that you want to finish up here so you can go home? Now you can!”

I shot up from my seat once those words left her mouth.

I looked at her in disbelief, “What, really?!”

She nodded happily, “Yep! Everything was finalized earlier today and they just sent out an email stating that everyone from the Korea branch is good to move back starting next week.” 

I smiled brightly at the news. I finally got to go back home, where my family and friends were, where Namjoon was.

one. - When we were 28 and he finally blew one back to me.

I was walking with a staff member through the halls of the concert venue that Namjoon was set to perform within the hour. It took a few minutes before we arrived at the “Artist Room”.

The door was open, seeing that there was staff frequently going in and out of it so I peaked my head in.

He was sitting on the couch, hunched over, and writing in a journal with a frustrated expression on his face. I quietly chuckled when he shook his head and scribbled over what he just wrote before sighing. 

My gaze fell to the journal and after a few moments, I realized that it was the journal that I gave him all those years ago. I remembered that he once told me that he explicitly uses it to write lyrics, which makes sense watching him right now.

“Do you always write lyrics before a performance,” I questioned.

His head shot up to look at me and he dropped his pen, whatever he was writing was forgotten. I smiled as I walked further into the room, stopping a few feet in front of the coffee table as he stood up. 

He quickly rounded the table, scooping me into a hug and spinning us around. I laughed at his excitement before he stopped and set me down.

He backed up and looked at me with a small smile and surprise in his eyes. “What are you doing here?!”

“Well, I couldn’t miss my best friend’s first solo concert, now can I?”

He pulled me back into a hug before he said, "I'm sorry."

“For what,” I chuckled confusedly.

“For not trying harder to keep contact with you.”

I hugged a little tighter, “It’s not your fault that we were both super busy. Plus, our timezones weren’t exactly the nicest.”

He pulled back, “Wait- ‘weren’t’? Does this mean…” 

I happily nodded.

“Yep, I was cleared to move back last week so some of my things are still on they’re way, but I’m back for good!”

A giant smile made its way onto his face, showing his dimples as I told him the news.

We just stood there, looking at each other until a staff member tapped me on my shoulder and told me that I should head out soon for the performance. 

I nodded and sighed, “Well, I should probably get going. I got front row tickets, so I’ll see you after your performance.”

I started to back away from him, but grabbed my hand right before I was about to leave. I looked at him with curiosity.

“Will you go out with me,” he blurted out. 

My eyes widened in surprise at the question, “What?”

“You leaving for so long made me realize how much I like having you by my side. It was hard not being able to call you just to talk about random things or accompanying you to get ice cream at 2 a.m. because you were craving it, but didn’t want to go alone. It broke my heart when I let you go, but I don’t want to make that mistake again so… will you go out with me?”

I looked at him and saw nervousness overtake his face, but there was still hope in his eyes.

I couldn’t say that I didn’t feel the same way because I did. I couldn’t imagine not having Namjoon in my life and the time that we spent apart made me realize that I wanted to be with him, too.

So after a few seconds of deciding I smiled and nodded, “I would love to.”

He smiled and was going to say something, but I held up a finger in front of him to stop him.

“BUT right now you have a performance, so we’ll talk about this afterward, okay,” I raised my eyebrows.

He nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you after the show,” he said as he let go of my hand.

I backed up a bit, ready to take my leave before a thought popped in my head.

“Oh right!” I blew him a kiss, “Good luck out there, Joonie!”

With that I turned around and almost through the door, until Namjoon called my name.

I looked back at him and he finally blew a kiss back.

[sageistri]

And Neva Play has plummeted under 3 million and it took them exactly three days. Army can swear up and down how many ever times they want that “they are SO BACK”, they are nowhere close to back. Without a devoted solo fandom base, without a song the fandom loves LOVES, without pure spite to motivate them, they have simply lost their ability to chart. Hopefully hotties in the US are doing a good job buying and streaming, because ARMY aren’t.

I wonder what the 2025 comeback would look like. I am sure they would get whopping debut numbers and then two days later this? Gawd.

Doing moderately good in the US is always expected from Megan and looking at army's recent track record the US spotify performance and apple music entry is thanks to her. Which means armys haven't done much beyond the first day spotify numbers.

Honestly bts's future chart performance depends on what they come back with. I think they would have the advantage of the whole world tuning in out of curiosity so it's all left to them not to fumble it by actually releasing something good.

For them to have a song that will outlive the first week hype, I think they need to have a thorough re-evaluation. It needs to be a mix of what made the audience like their pre-dynamite music and what made those English songs popular.

So basically they just need a really really great song that also has mass appeal. They need to let jimin pick the songs I think lmao.

But in all seriousness there's only so much a fandom can do alone especially when the song isn't even something that generally appeals to them. No one can convince me that majority of the fandom unless the ones who genuinely enjoy rap and Megan's music (which isn't a lot) are enjoying this song. Most of the hype around the song was just "ooohh it's Megan and bts" and "his voice sounds sexy". Most of the authentic streams and support came from Megan's own listeners not armys (those that did tune in) And maybe the song did not stick with those listeners beyond the first day so that's

It's dropping on Spotify but not apple music, and rap stans use apple music mostly, and the fact that the song by Megan's standards is still kinda struggling on apple music means it hasn't exactly reached a wider audience or her casual listeners haven't tuned it yet.

[bts-siyeongeun]

www.yeonix’s-profile.com

────────── THE BASICS.

birth name : kim yeonu (김연우)

nicknames : korean hinata shouyo , prodi-g , mr “he’s large but i’m in charge”

birthdate : october 15th , 1995

age : 29 (korean age) / 27 (international age)

zodiac sign : libra

birthplace : daejeon, south korea

hometown : yuseong-gu , daejeon , south korea

current residence : gangnam-gu , seoul , south korea

languages : korean (100% - mother tongue) , english (85% - expert) , japanese (50% - general knowledge) , mandarin (30% - amateur)

────────── PHYSICAL TRAITS.

height : 5’5 ft / 165.1 cm

eye colour : black

natural hair colour : black

modifications : piercings , tattoos

blood type : o negative

faceclaim : woozi (seventeen)

────────── CAREER INFO.

stage name : YeoniX

debut date : june 13th , 2O13

positions : main rapper , sub vocal , face of the group

current state : pursuing solo activities

active years : 2O13 - n/a

agency : bighit music ; hybe

trainee period : 3 years

representative emoji : 🦊

voice claim : woozi (seventeen)

rap claim : changbin (stray kids)

────────── PERSONAL INFO.

mbti : enfj-t

family : mother , father , younger sister , younger brother

positive traits : receptive , reliable , passionate , altruistic , charismatic

negative traits : unrealistic , overly idealistic , condescending , intense , overly empathetic

────────── HIS TRIVIA.

he was born in yuseong-gu , daejeon , south korea.

his family consists of : mother , father , younger sister , and a younger brother , but he doesn’t keep in contact with his mother as much as the others.

education : daejeon juan elementary school , daejeon oesam middle school , korean arts high school , global cyber university.

he is transgender ftm ( female to male ) and was outed against his will in 2O15 after a series of childhood photos arised of him dressing and looking like a girl.

yeonix has always had a passion for making music ever since elementary school. he had his own little hip hop band where he was the main rapper and they would often play at talent shows.

he was very popular with the girls in school because he often broke out of gender norms and outdid a lot of boys in sports and music.

he was easily scouted by the big three and various agencies after a video of him and his hip hop group playing at a talent show was uploaded online.

he chose to go with bighit after finding out they wanted to debut a hip hop group.

he was the second member to join bighit after namjoon. yeonix and rm have known each other the longest out of all of the members , excluding the jeon twins.

j-hope said yeonix drinks a glass of milk at least twice a day. he thinks it will make him taller over time and the members always encourage this thought process , telling him he seems taller every now and again. (14.09.16 vlive)

yeonix says the body part he is most confident about on himself is his biceps.

he says one good thing about his height is that he can be carried around by the other members all day. yeonix is actively the member who has to use his feet the least because of this.

initially , the other members didn’t know yeonix was transgender until he was outed.

his favourite colour is gold.

when asked to rank the most attractive member , he said that rm was exactly his type , but the jeon twins come at a tied second place. he thinks rm is the most attractive member in bts.

he is described as a ‘ musical prodigy ’ for his all roundedness in music. he can play many instruments , produce , and compose songs , as well as write lyrics.

he has 22O songs attributed to him as a songwriter and composer as of 2O23.

his favourite number is ten.

he is a great cook but doesn’t like to do it often unless it’s for himself. one of his love languages is when he cooks for someone else to show his gratitude.

he assisted with the production of many of txt’s songs such as ‘ blue hour ’ and ‘ 0x1=lovesong ’ being amongst the most notable ones.

he said he often checks his hashtag on x to see the type of content army posts about him. (19.08.22 weverse live)

he was nicknamed ‘ korean hinata shouyo ’ for his incredible ability to defy gravity. he can jump the highest within bts.

he went to high school with jimin and v. the three boys were said to be the ‘ radiant trio ’ amongst their peers.

yeonix was diagnosed with panic disorder towards the end of 2O16 and regularly goes to therapy for it. this disorder is exacerbated when he’s alone or under immense stress.

in the dorm , yeonix is in charge of keeping the toilets clean.

hobbies : working out , writing poetry , learning to play various instruments , reading , going on walks.

he knew he wanted to be a rapper after coming across hip hop duo outkast. he has all of their albums to date.

he is deemed the scariest member within bts and is considered the second leader of the group after rm.

yeonix’s motto : “ not everything is a lesson. sometimes you just fail and that’s okay too. ”

when they were living together in the dorms , yeonix said he would often scare the other members unintentionally because they would come into the kitchen to fill up their water bottles at night whilst he was there eating a snack without any lights on.

he is the father to two pet dogs. one is a maltipoo and the other is a german shepherd whose names are lucky and cham respectively.

people’s first impression of yeonix is that he’s a charismatic sweet talker. everyone always gravitates towards him and he is said to be the life of the party.

yeonix is ranked as one of the best rappers in kpop. he stands amongst others such as zico , g-dragon , and fellow members suga , rm , and j-hope.

yeonix’s ideal date : “ i wanna go to the gym together and work out. then after that , we can go to my house and learn a cute dance cover , maybe do some karaoke too. and when we’re really tired after such a long day , we can cuddle up against each other and fall asleep. that would be my ideal date. ”

💬 — other members about yeonix.

rm : “ i like to think i know him very well. he may only seem cute to some people , but there’s a multitude of sides to his personality. he’s built his career , his love , everything , from the group up. he’s a real fighter. i admire him. ”

v : “ he’s like a mix of old and young combined. sometimes i’ll see him and i think he could easily fool others into thinking he’s the maknae , but then his serious face intimidates me. he could be the hyung type too. he’s an all rounder in every way. ”

suga : “ the first time i saw him , i had to pause for a second. it was like looking into a mirror. we have very similar faces , but then i found out about all of his talents and i thought, ‘ this guy is way beyond my level ’. some people just have that gift. you can’t rival it. ”

s!nea : “ even though he’s younger than me , i feel like a lot of what i know comes from him. what it means to be a good idol , to be resilient , to be humble , all of it comes down to learning and i think he’s a great example of that. he tends to be the glue that holds us together in a lot of situations. ”

jungkook : “ he always looked out for me when i first joined the company. not that he doesn’t now , but i really want to return the favour towards this hyung. i want to protect him with all i’ve got. ”

jin : “ ah, that guy? he thinks being cute will get him out of trouble. he makes these silly sound effects and then smiles at me… i have to tell myself , ‘ aish , seokjin-ah , you can’t lose this battle. ’ it’s like a war zone out there. ”

j-hope : “ he’s way too cool , honestly. for someone of his talents , i don’t think the kpop category is enough to contain him. he’ll prove his international worth. he’ll outdo all of us. i don’t doubt it. ”

jimin : “ i think we’re the closest. we went to high school together and he was very popular then. seriously , it was like everyone wanted his attention. i have to take certain measures now when we’re around strangers. he’s too in demand. ”

dex : “ i have huge respect for hyung. he’s been through a lot but he never lets it keep him down for too long , you know? i look up to him in that way. he’s the embodiment of what it means to be a bulletproof boy scout. ”

in the dorm , he used to have a room to himself , but it was always raided by the other members. (180327: bts’ j-hope & jimin – more magazine may issue)

yeonix’s ideal type is someone who will love all parts of him equally. he wants someone who is attentive to their surroundings and is soft hearted underneath a firm persona.

[svt-nari]

꽃 — the first mini album, by nari.

release date: 2023/05/25

tracklist:

play (ft. RM of BTS) *title | lyrics by nari & rm. composed by woozi, bumzu, nari. arranged by bumzu & nari.

dream of you *special track | lyrics by nari, woozi, joshua. composed by bumzu & woozi. arranged by nari & bumzu.

love me out loud | lyrics by nari. composed by nari & bumzu. arranged by bumzu.

ah puh! | lyrics by nari & woozi. composed by nari. arranged by woozi.

california dream | lyrics by nari & yunjin. composed by nari & yunjin. arranged by nari & yunjin.

flourishing *outro | lyrics by nari. composed by vernon, nari, woozi. arranged by bumzu & woozi.

the mv:

album contents

outbox: 1ea

cd: 1ea

photocards: 2ea of 4ea | random

poster: 1ea

signed polaroid: 1ea of 4ea (limited, first press only) | random

photobook: 1ea (78 pages)

postcard: 1ea of 2ea (only pre-order) | random

weverse benefit: 1ea of 2ea (hologram photocard) | random

album preview:

— she was the one who actually decided the design.

— it has only one version per nari’s own request.

— she knows about carat’s broke asses

— she helped with all the preparations and even signed 5k+ polaroids just for the album.

— each polaroid has a different message even though some might repeat due to her low creativeness.

— nari was really satisfied with the result and she was even more happy when fans praised her hard work!

— also, her most iconic photocards were made in this era. such as ‘nari bread’ and ‘nabi nari’, are her - now - most famous and desired photocards.

the concept photos:

— she had three photoshoots with similar but different concepts for the album.

— the first one had a more renascentist touch, the flower blindfold was actually her idea as she loved the thought of it on the final result.

— ended up being the main concept and being put as the album cover.

— the second concept is the fan’s favorite. people LOVE nari with some nabis on her hair!!!

— she loved this so much that she decided to put it as her weverse profile for fan’s enjoyment.

— she adores the last concept.

— she always wanted to do one of those ‘wet photoshoots’. she had so much fun (even though she freezing half of the time.

— she was the one who choose the clothing for this photoshoot.

album facts:

— the mv was filmed during seventeen’s tour. they filmed it in various different places, it doesn’t have a specific place.

— most of the dresses used by her in the mv were design made just for her.

— the members used to visit the mv sets a lot, nari was super happy that she wasn’t alone during it.

— she wrote all of the songs, she had some people co-writing with her and she felt really proud of the ending result.

— nari was so happy when rm accepted her invite to participate in the song without a second thought. he even wrote his rap part by himself.

— ‘play’ became a hit really quickly due to its addictive and fresh sound, the choreography (even though it’s quite difficult) was well accepted and turned into a challenge on tiktok.

— some songs, like ah puh! and love me out loud, were made a long time ago. she always wanted to release it and found the release of her first mini album the perfect opportunity to do so.

— for the production part nari only wanted woozi and bumzu to do it. she also participated and was really excited to work with the geniuses once again.

— the choreography was created by kim eun-ju and lia kim, nari also participated but it was mostly done by them.

— she was even more happy when her idea of an mv for dream of you got accepted by the company. nari sang the entire song in english, the main reason why it’s a special track.

— her solo album sold over 480k+ album while on the pre-order period. it got to 785k+ sales on the first week.

— one of the fastest selling female soloists, people were really impressed by her fame. she was expected to sell hundreds of thousands but netizens were still surprised by the amount.

all rights reserved © svt-nari, 2023

[tomorrowxtogether]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER has made a name for themselves in the US

A look at TXT’s success on the Billboard 200

2023.03.28

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s 2019 debut album, The Dream Chapter: STAR, entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 140. The following year, minisode 1: Blue Hour hit 25, and 2021’s The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE went up to number five, representing a steep jump. After their 2022 release minisode 2: Thursday's Child rose one slot higher to number four, they released their fifth mini album, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, on January 27, and it was then that the group finally topped the chart. The albums charted thanks to first-week sales totaling 39,000 copies (The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE), 65,500 copies (minisode 2: Thursday's Child) and 152,000 copies (The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION). TOMORROW X TOGETHER has risen each year as though progressively climbing a set of stairs, improving upon previous sales each time.

The reason for their steady growth can be worked out by looking at each album’s performance on the Billboard 200 following the second week of their releases. The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION was number three in its second week and then 10 and 12 in its third its fourth weeks, respectively. TOMORROW X TOGETHER has become one of only two K-pop boy bands to have stayed within the Billboard 200 top 10 for three consecutive weeks. The other group, of course, is BTS. Just like people keep on buying BTS albums even after the week they’re released ever since the group became popular in the United States, the same is true about TOMORROW X TOGETHER. Although it covers performance outside the US too, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s performance on Spotify’s Daily Top Song Global chart gives an even clearer picture of how the group is growing. A look at the chart shows the lead single of The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE, “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” (feat. Seori), charted at number 89, and the album’s B-side, “Anti-Romantic,” charted at 127. When minisode 2: Thursday's Child was released the following year, every track made it to the chart, including the lead single, “Good Boy Gone Bad,” at number 81. “Sugar Rush Ride,” the lead single for their most recent album, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, entered 43 places higher, debuting at number 38, while three other tracks off the album were in the top 100 and the remaining song was number 112. Going off the steady album sales figures, we can see that more and more people are listening to TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s songs, and some of them become big enough fans to buy the group’s follow-up albums. 

Min YeSl, head of the BIGHIT MUSIC marketing team, placed particular meaning on the fact that the song “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” off The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION is “going viral on TikTok all by itself.” The song is neither the lead single off the album nor is it all in English, but it entered the Spotify Viral Chart for the week of February 20 this year at number 47. Even though there was no marketing push behind the song, user-generated content related to “Tinnitus” became popular and interest in the song continued well after its release. “It’s mostly dance videos,” Min explained, “and there’s lots of reaction videos like, ‘I didn’t know this was K-pop,’ and, ‘I lied about it being a K-pop song and played it for my friends/family.’” Two years ago, “Anti-Romantic” was also popular on TikTok and played a major role in promoting TOMORROW X TOGETHER to the world. While the lead singles go to elaborate lengths to capture TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s identity through the outfits, music videos and performances, songs like “Anti-Romantic” and “Tinnitus” are tracks that make the group’s music more approachable, creating a larger entry point into the world of TOMORROW X TOGETHER for listeners around the globe. Min pointed out that one of the reasons “Tinnitus” has been so popular is the “Afrobeats genre.” Kim Yoo Young, a representative at the HYBE 360 Overseas Distribution Business Team, explained that “Afrobeats is becoming very popular in the market, to the point that Billboardrecently created a separate chart for the genre.” TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s music is based on the subgenres of pop that are popular at a given moment, and is steadily appealing to more and more people. Min also stressed that the group’s music has “continually found commonality within the North American music market, such as through collaborations with salem ilese, iaan dior and Coi Leray.”

“The people in charge of album distribution in the US also said TOMORROW X TOGETHER is ‘all over TikTok’ and they’re ‘basically TikTok kings,’” Kim’s explained, showing how TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s songs were able to reach overseas listeners, including those in the US. Music written around global trends spreads on TikTok and other platforms that have a strong influence on the music industry through various video challenges. Although this is one of the main avenues for music to become popular lately, TOMORROW X TOGETHER is different because they are particularly active on TikTok themselves. TOMORROW X TOGETHER has more than 20 million followers on the app and member YEONJUN is famous from his strong presence on the platform alone. TOMORROW X TOGETHER is there on TikTok interacting with the app’s representative Generation Z user base, and the group releases the kind of songs Gen Z are into right now and want to do challenges based off of. This may be why TOMORROW X TOGETHER, who was called the “next big thing” by the media when they first debuted, has become “a voice for today’s” generation and the “it band.” According to the Korea Customs Service, the US is the third-largest importer of K-pop music. As of 2019, statistics showed that 40.8% of K-pop listeners in the US had been consuming K-pop for more than five years. “There are few artists in the US who can sell more than 100,000 physical albums,” Kim said, “so it’s an opportunity for people in the US pop music industry to start getting interested in K-pop.” Park Yun Joo, head of the HYBE AIC3 team in charge of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s global promotions and PR, explained that, in the US market at the moment, “K-pop is no longer just a niche because the larger public beyond the fandom is coming to listen to K-pop little by little.” BTS formed their fandom, ARMY, in the early days of the group’s entry into the US market, helping make K-pop more widely known in the country, and later became the most successful artist in the music industry—not only in the realm of K-pop, but in the whole world. As a result, Kim said, “Now there are K-pop corners everywhere in offline music stores, including Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and indie stores across the US. There are more and more stores that only have K-pop in places with a large population that consume K-pop, such as New York and LA especially.” In this new era, TOMORROW X TOGETHER is growing its fanbase by continuously and gradually approaching not only longtime K-pop fans but also those who found out about K-pop through BTS. This might explain why TOMORROW X TOGETHER is increasingly appearing in major media in the US, starting with their appearance on MTV’s Fresh Out Live, live performances on The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Late Late Show with James Corden, and making it out to the red carpet at the AMAs (American Music Awards). The group is making K-pop’s ever-growing realm their own, with music, messages and a social media presence that all resonate with Gen Z around the world.

After attracting more and more attention to themselves in the US with their albums, songs, TikTok and appearances on talk shows and at awards ceremonies, TOMORROW X TOGETHER brought everything to fruition at Chicago’s famous music festival Lollapalooza last July. Their performance at the fest, which attracted attention even before the show when they became the first K-pop group to be in a main time slot, was proof positive of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s popularity in the US. During the show, the audience broke into song, singing “Anti-Romantic” together, and even though the festival isn’t set up for typical K-pop fan participation, a considerable number of the audience were holding up their light sticks. “Industry officials on the scene said things like, ‘It was really attention-grabbing—I think the group will be even bigger next year,’” Park recalled. The resounding response to TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s performances like the one at Lollapalooza have stirred up even more buzz and only solidified their popularity further. Speaking to social media posts, Min said that “TXT ranked third in the amount of buzz after j-hope and BTS while Lollapalooza was going on.” In other words, the performance not only helped “in terms of awareness for local media and industry people,” but also served as a chance to “unite and solidify the fandom.” She also pointed out that “sales of old albums increased after the tour and Lollapalooza.” Clearly, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s amazing performances alongside a live band have made people who were already somewhat interested in TOMORROW X TOGETHER into proper fans. Since their debut, the group has made steady inroads with the American public, proving with their onstage skills what makes them the “it band.” And the popularity the group has created for themselves throughout the entire process led to them appearing on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC. Park pegged their appearance on the show as another important moment for TOMORROW X TOGETHER, saying, “The New Year and Thanksgiving season is a major season not just for music fans but for everyone. Just like going to a party or watching a parade, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is a show that everyone who lives in the US watches to celebrate the New Year,” she said, explaining how “TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s appearance on the show proves their popularity.” 

minisode 2: Thursday's Child was number 192 on the Billboard World Albums Artists year-end chart in 2022, making it the only K-pop album to chart after BTS’s Proof. According to the US Year-End Music Report for 2022 released by Luminate (formerly Nielsen Music), minisode 2 sold 227,000 physical albums, placing it third in the US in terms of album sales. Although the album also came in at number four on the Billboard 200 with 65,500 copies sold in its first week, the report shows that it continued to perform well in the long run. minisode 2 was released in May last year but continued to chart on the Billboard 200 until after Lollapalooza for a total of 14 weeks. In addition, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION has topped the 200 since its first week on the chart and continues to be popular. “The album did very well in its second week,” Min said, “and I think this is an indicator proving how popular the album is.” Steady performance well into their albums’ release periods and their continued sales growth proves the steady climb TOMORROW X TOGETHER is making, and The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION’s number one on the Billboard 200 is evidence of the group’s popularity. It’s been the case throughout TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s history: The group started out young and embarrassed by the horns growing on their heads. At some point, they reckoned with the devil’s temptation, luring in their fans all the while. Now, the fourth-generation boy group has shown the world they really are the “next big thing,” and that’s how they’ve made a name for themselves—right at the top of the Billboard chart. 

[curio-queries]

Run BTS: 057 | BTS Chef part 1

Original Air Date: 01 JAN 2019 Episode Length: 24: 28 Total Parts: 2 YouTube English Subtitles: No Title Song: Idol

Synopsis: The guys are divided into three teams. They begin by competing in minigames to earn first pick of ingredients for a meat and pasta dish.

Production: The cooking episodes are always an easy concept for the show. These ones are the most forettable for me though. The minigames were fun and well-chosen. I do still think the prod team uses the info graphics as too much of a crutch. Does anyone actually try making these recipes? lol

Endearment: The guys absolutely are trying to keep the energy up on thjs episode but there's just something that doesn't feel very natural. Maybe because they had such a long hiatus from the show and just had full schedules but they seem like they're having to try just a little more than usual with this one.

Winner/Loser: see final part

Best Cheater: none

Member Moments:

RM: Is it just me or was RM looking extra tall next to yoongi during the opening.

JN: Jin is so hyped for JK on his team and all of their play boxing

YG: Yoongi absolutely using their advantage at the minigames to get exactly what he knew he could work with.

JH: Hobi being savage to Jimin again talking about needing to play smart

JM: Jimin's iconic merengue moment

V: Poor V, he wanted the italian food ep and things just kept falling a part for him

JK: JK absolutely killing those egg whites. i do think he would have won if he was paying attention to the end goal of the race and not just the mixing.

Bonus Content: I liked the bonus bits better than the main episode. The Jimin and Jin boxing moment was cute

CQ Rank: 2.5

(CQ Eval Date: 26 MAR 2024)

Check out this post for my Masterlist of all episodes and descriptions of how I'm evaluating these.

Previous Episode: 056

Next Episode: 058

[peachjagiya]

Fri(end)s had SUCH radio potential. And it has gotten some play (Organic King) but if BH had actually pushed it for radio play, it could have been dominating.

I could even see the gimmick of playing him and JK back to back or in the same segment.

Ok lil secret about me: I have been doing radio in the UK as a side hustle since I was 15 so just under 30 years, god I'm ancient. Note: I do primarily behind the scenes stuff now. So I love radio discussion.

I gotta say I was BAFFLED but also unsurprised. I was really excited when I heard it because I was like ok yeah Layover was so niche, so jazzy but this is RADIO-Y.

The current hits stations (Capital, Radio 1 in the UK) should have been picking it up. A high profile artist with a fully English song (which unfortunately matters 🙄) that isn't like an overtly niche genre? It should really be there!

I don't think I'd have expected it to go to the A or B playlist, honestly. A playlist is usually reserved for like a couple of the HUGEST songs. Regular play during the day, once every couple of hours though it varies station to station. B playlist would be maybe three times a day.

I am not certain but Seven peaked at 3 in the UK charts and I think it was B playlist on Radio 1. Again, not entirely sure.

C playlist is likely once a day and that's where I'd expect Friends to go.

But it's currently not on Radio 1 or Capital playlists at all. 🙃

The trouble is current hits radio stations want to play what's popular and not what could be popular with support. There's no taking a chance on a great song anymore. Radio used to set the trends, now they follow them according to what's popular on tiktok. It's kind of sad.

Also kind of terrible marketing by the radio stations?! Everyone knows ARMY supports people who support us. I think they're fools not to play music with such high profiles and dedicated fanbase.

I think there's a reason and I think it's racism. Kpop artists fight a battle to be seen as anything other than kpop. I can only speak about the UK but I was literally in a store the other day trying to check prices on Face album and it took me ten minutes to realise Jimin wasn't under J. He was literally just under K-pop. As were BTS themselves. Like all of kpop was one artist! When they're fighting that kind of silliness, the songs aren't being judged on quality or voice or genre. They're just kpop and that's a niche radio isn't investing in despite kpop being made up of many genres and styles. Korean isn't a genre, UK music industry 😐

That said, Jungkook did pretty well with a peak in the top ten for all three singles from Golden. So how come he got decent play? I think that might come down to the very commercial sound - absolutely not a critique, I love it - of his music.

But I also think Tae is fighting more internal issues of general nonsense from his label. Basically it's an uphill struggle and I'm so proud of what he has achieved despite those issues. 💜

Ooh I loved answering this. Thank you, anon! 💜

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

What's the point of th's supposed popularity if no one is listening to his music? He's basically an influencer at this point. The Kardashians have more ig followers than Beyonce and Taylor Swift, but they could easily lose those followers, unlike Beyonce and TS, who have the most loyal fan bases in the world. Quality over quantity, honestly.

Wdym his instagram likes don't matter???!?!?!

I think it has to do with everyone's obsession with "GP". Kths started that conversation around some grammys red carpet, I don't remember what year it was when they said "locals" kept asking if taekook were a couple. That's the first time I remember being taken aback and confused about this "gp" and "locals" validation. Then it was because he was in that kitchen show and they all went "omg gp darling this, gp darling that". And it hasn't stopped since solo era started. Do you have any idea of how tired I am of reading "gp" - take a shot everytime you go on army/solos spaces and read those letters.

Nobody cared about "gp" when BTS got all those billboard hot 100 positions and streams thanks to the huge fandom. As I've said before, BTS had a huge fandom for a while but only became somewhat "popular" (as in, random people would know about them - oh sorry, I meant precious GP would know about them) after butter or maybe my universe. Mind you, I've never in 6 years heard anyone in real life say "BTS". Literally Never. Meanwhile I just started this new job a month ago and I've already heard 3 different groups of people of all ages talk about Taylor. I've got students umproptly coming up to me and say "Miss, I've been listening to Taylor Swift songs to practice my English".

You'll see.. kpop fans are stereotyped as white, chubby/obese high school girls with blue hair who spend too much time online daydreaming about celebrities and have no life and get no sex. The truth is that some fans -even if they themselves are white chubby blue haired girls- are obsessed with not being associated to that stereotype. They don't want Taehyung's fans to be some miserable, lonely losers. They want him to have "LOCALS" admiration and respect. When the members opened their own ig accounts, those interactions were a gateway to that, mostly because instagram is you know.. theee place for the skinny, tanned, successful, pretty LOCALS.

I've always thought the whole obsession with "gp" and "locals" was so stupid. There's absolutely nothing wrong in having a big fandom. That's literally how BTS came to be what they were until last year, and armys weren't praying and begging for "gp" support. Taylor gets the numbers she gets because yes, many people around the world know her name and willingly listen to her music; but also because she has a huge ass fanbase. She's been building that fanbase for more than a decade. Three years ago, if you listened to Taylor you would've been considered a pathetic, lonely loser too.

At the end of the day, all this popularity talk it's just fans' own insecurities and their itch to distance themselves and the idol from the image of a "fandom" because they know what everyone thinks of people who are part of fandoms. Ironically, most BTS fans started out as people who didn't know anything about kpop -gp- and two years later they're getting hit tweets calling Jennie a lazy slut and saying "my fave is so popular amongst locals."

Taehyung stans clung to his ig interactions because they thought having the likes of "locals" made him more important or better in every way than the other members. However, in music, it's always better to have a huge fandom that will make eight hours long playlists of your song and play it multiple times a day -investing their own money and time on you- than it is to have random people liking your ig posts. And if what I'm saying it's not enough, take his china bar activities as an example. They bought almost a million albums; there's no 800k "locals" that would've bought his album.

[upismediacenter]

SIRENA: K-6 Students Perform at UPIS Variety Show 2024

UP Integrated School (UPIS) K-2 and 3-6 students exhibited their talents at the Variety Show last May 22 at the UPIS 7-12 Gymnasium.

A total of eight performers from Grades 3-6 performed in the event. Each one was given three to five minutes to show their talents to the audience. The performances were evaluated by the judges Mr. Joseph Tablizo from the Social Studies Department, Ms. Alexia Metrio from the Practical Arts Department, and Asst. Prof. Diana Caluag, our Assistant Principal for Academic Programs.

The competitors from Grades 3-6 showed a variety of song and dance numbers. Anica Gail Lopez from 4-Labanos dedicated her performance to God and sang the Christian worship song "Wala Kang Katulad''; Marco Bonganay from 4-Patani sang "My Favorite Girl" by Justin Bieber; and the Whitebored Band, consisting of Ulan Rico on drums, Lucas Dionisio on piano and vocals, and Caleb Kwe on guitar and vocals, performed "Raining in Manila" by Lola Amour and "Believer" by Imagine Dragons. Meanwhile, a student from 5-Arayat, Jared Alexander Lagrimas sang “Miss Miss” by Rob Deniel.

Lastly, Mikkel Caia Odulio from 6-Amethyst sang "Yellow" by Coldplay; The Shooting Stars duo, consisting of Vivienne Madamba and Sue Anne Giannan from 6-Amethyst, sang the English version of the Japanese song "Goodbye Sengen" by Wonderlands x Showtime (originally by Chinozo); Allyssa Sarenas from 6-Sapphire sang the English version of the Korean song "Only" by Lee Hi; and lastly, drawing the Grades 3-6 performances to a close, was Jam Brian Edmundo Sumayo from 6-Sapphire played the guitar while singing "Say You Won’t Let Go" by James Arthur.

In addition to the eight main performers, there were also five special performances by students from Kinder to Grade 2. A group called Power 5 consisting of Grade 2 students Cris Paculanang II, Aya Maria Villamayor, Zion Zingapan, Alexard Espino, and Aya Martheen Abaigar performed a dance number on the song “Kinang Pilipinas" by Shine Philippines. 2035 Band, a group of Grade 1 students— Francesslyn de Leon as the drummer, Macy Parlade as the vocalist, Luke Zaide Santos as the guitarist, and Mary Elisabeth Martinez as the pianist—performed “UP Naming Mahal” and “Dynamite” by BTS. Francesslyn de Leon from 1-Pipit played the keyboard while singing “Sana'' by Jolina Magdangal, Zandro Edwin Patnongon from 1-Kalaw sang “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Amstrong, and lastly, Danielle Sheyla Ulaso from K-Liryo sang “Speechless” by Naomi Scott.

Following the last special performance, the winners were announced. There was a Championship Award and Crowd Favorite Awards for the 3-6 performers and the K-2 performers. Whitebored Band bagged both the Champion award and the Crowd Favorite Award for Grades 3-6. The K-2 Crowd Favorite award was given to 2035 Band.

The members of Whitebored Band expressed their happiness and sense of victory for winning. They thanked their parents for supporting them all throughout their rehearsals and for paying the reservation for the studio where they practiced. They also thanked their teachers and their advisers for supporting them and encouraging them to participate. They also said they miss Jsam Samudio, the band's supposed vocalist, who wasn’t able to attend due to illness.

“We really miss him and we wish he were here with us to perform on stage," said Lucas.

This year’s Variety Show proved to be a success, overcoming numerous scheduling challenges posed by the extreme heat and suspension of face-to-face classes. According to Pamunuan ng Kamag-Aral (PKA) 3-6 President, Ethan Lakip, the biggest challenge in organizing this event was the unforeseen changes to the UPIS Week schedule due to the recent high heat index. This caused the original date of the Variety Show on April 17 to be moved to May 10, and eventually to May 22. He also added that due to the suspensions announced by UPIS, the original 4-day UPIS Week was streamlined to one day, forcing them to reschedule some events and cancel other events such as TALAYTAY: K-2 Palarong Pambata, 3-12 Sports Festival, TALISIK: 7-12 Trivia Competition, and ATLANT-ISKO: Club Wars.

Despite these hindrances, the Variety Show was able to push through and the students from Kinder to Grade 6 were able to showcase their talents.

//by Aisha Timbal

[1eos]

Re: your post about the kardashians/bts being pop culture slaughter:

Respectfully, this take makes no sense. Are you basing your idea of BTS on the three english singles they’ve released in their 10 year career? If so, then I can understand how you might come to the “soulless pop” conclusion, but you are leaving out 99.9% of their actual work in saying that, making your point invalid. Also, I severely disagree with you using BTS specifically to make the point about music nowadays being “all about numbers”. A much better example of this would be the rise in tiktok songs which are solely designed to be promoted on tiktok and get 30 second clips played on the platform for views. BTS fans only work so hard for streams because in the beginning, BTS weren’t recognized. They were cut out of performance shows, their performances were blacked out by fans of other groups to make it seem like they were performing to empty audiences, they purposefully trended other artists to make any attempt BTS made at promoting their music unsuccessful, and routinely called into KOREAN award shows to dispute results or argue against them winning anything. This isn’t even taking into account the fact that while BTS have a significant western following and have since the start, they’ve only really gotten tangible recognition from the western music industry recently. Even when they were first becoming popular their main recognition here was by numbers (albums sold leading to their positions on the billboard charts) or solely for online influence because of their fans (top social artist awards) and not to do with their music. Even now a lot of the awards they win in America are based on the fact they’re Korean and not due to their actual music. (i.e. only being nominated in “best k-pop artist” category rather than for anything related to the actual music they put out). 

Also, to your point about cultural appropriation- I want to ask, can you point to specific examples? I’m more than willing to have a dialogue about this issue because it’s obviously nuanced and I’m never going to think I am 100% correct about it but I’d like to hear where you’re coming from. Is it the clothes? Is it because they rap? I’d like to ask what you’d have them do instead. They have routinely paid homage to the black culture they take their musical style from and never shy away from hip hop and raps roots. In fact during their early years they had a whole series about going to LA and learning about hip hop culture from real hip hop legends like Coolio to become further educated on where the style originates. They have an entire song dedicated to them loving hip hop and naming black hip hop artists where they got inspiration and who they admire (it’s called hip hop phile). Would you have them stop rapping or stop making hip hop? Would you have them stop delving into soul? If that’s the case would you have every non-black artist stop making soul or RnB or hip hop music? These are genuine questions. I just don’t understand where you are drawing the line. Where is your line between appropriation and appreciation? Is any non-black artist who delves into these genres only bad if they become famous because of it?

Also take issue with your comment about how no one can sing because they’re fitting into corsets or whatever. Have you listened to actual clips of BTS singing live without backing tracks? Of course everyone has their own opinion but they are FAR from objectively bad singers. (Jungkook actually appeared on the korean version of masked singer and almost won. I understand that’s one member of 7 and he’s the main vocalist but to say they all can’t sing is incorrect, and even though the other vocal members don’t have those accolades they are still quite talented.)

To me your take seems severely misinformed, it seems like you are assuming A LOT about BTS based on your own opinions about “new” k-pop (again, BTS aren’t really “new” and are only a year younger than the group you seem to be a fan of. If a decade old is new then we have very different time barometers. LOL.). It seems like a lot of your take is rooted in the notion that BTS came from a “k-pop factory” (which in itself that idea is a bit. well. it’s not a KIND take to put on the korean pop music industry and singling out BTS while not mentioning any new american pop is crazy to me sorry) when they in fact came from an indie label and the only reason anyone knows who their company is now is BECAUSE of BTS. BTS saved their small company from bankruptcy by singing about themes their target demographic in korea (teenagers at the time, because THEY were teenagers) actually cared about (being pressured by the adults in your life to have a “dream” even though no one knows what they want at that age, the rigid school system present in their country- in general their theme as a debut idol group was essentially “stick it to the man” which isn’t a very mainstream premise and definitely wasn’t back then. no mainstream pop or idol group was singing songs like that.) and created a following and then continued to change and grow their message to speak to their audience as both they and their audience aged. To say they are bad just because they became incredibly popular discredits their artistry and frankly discredits many artists who have found fame. 

now you know damn well i'm not reading this shit 😭😭😭😭😭 DEPLOY THE LOSING GAME

[abyssal-ali]

held together, our hands became a map

Pairing: Jason Todd x Stephanie Brown

Rating: M | WC: 12.1k + notes | Masterlist | Ao3 | CW: sexual harrassment, light violence, kind-of forced marriage (both want to marry the other but they don't think the other wants to), sexual content

A/N: Finally watched Bridgerton and was immediately inspired. Of course. You’re welcome. Thanks to Bold for letting me rant in her DMs and listening to me ramble about this fic<3 I wrote this in about three days and I’m really proud of myself so I hope y’all like it as much as I do :D Thanks to Boldly and HouseOfKings for betaing<3

Greetings, fair reader. I am the foremost reporter of Gotham society’s deepest and darkest secrets, the enigma that provides the ton with all the scandal they need to continue their gossipy lives. Let me tell you about two subjects of mine that I am finding most difficult to uncover a smear on their names. Miss Stephanie Brown is being sponsored by Duchess Grayson for a season in Gotham's finest society. She's looking for a man who is decent and decently wealthy (she has parents to take care of, after all; she's not choosing to trade love for money just because she's poor). The Duke of Altheban is new to town and most certainly isn't looking for a bride, but something is drawing him to one young lady against his will. Everyone has dark truths, and none more so than those who live in the glitz of high society. I will reveal their most hidden mysteries by the end of the season, or my name is not, Lady Gotham

-The title is a line from Love Maze by BTS. It’s kind of the theme song for this fic and is really catchy, if you want a new bop to listen to. English lyrics here. -There’s probably going to be some historical inaccuracies in here. Sorry not sorry. -I definitely played around with canon a lot, but canon can’t keep their story straight so at least I’m doing better than them, even if by doing so I mess up their canon :p -This is set in 1810. -It’s not a no-capes AU but it’s also not a Gotham by Gaslight AU (besides being set 80 years earlier). There’s some Bat-shenaniganery going on that’s not recorded in the fic but they haven’t revealed themselves to me yet. Just assume watered-down GbG AU, I suppose. Primitive crime-fighting stuff, some smarts being involved, and the basic tragic Bat-story & subsequent adoptions etc. -Jason died. I don’t know how. Or when. Or why. It just happened. Maybe I’ll figure it out in another work ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ -There was/is no TimSteph. They’re friends at best. -I meant for Cass and Duke to be in here (which sparked a whole breakdown trying to figure out what to call someone literally named Duke) but somehow they never popped in, besides one line where ‘Thomas’ [surname] is mentioned. The rest of the Bats aren’t really there, either, minus the minor Dick/Babs appearances. This is not a Batfam fic, this is a JaySteph fic. -I really like Babs’s character, and I dislike the ping-ponging in canon between making her disabled or not, so I kept her as her current(?) self, Oracle. No I don’t know how it happened or how she survived with the medicine of the day. This is fiction, shhh. Side note: Wheelchairs from the 1800’s looked more comfortable than I was expecting. -Don’t bother figuring out ages. Jason and Steph are in their early/mid-twenties and the rest of it is *waves hand* -I looked up Regency wedding traditions and wrote as accurately as I could. -More notes about the fic & my research at the end. (Side note: This was 12,000 words exactly in my docs, where did the extra 46 come from?! I was proud of that round wc ;-;)

Dearest Reader, 

As you may know, the belle of the season is Miss Adelia Elliot, who broke onto the scene with a high compliment from the queen of Gotham herself, Selina Wayne. But let us not be so hasty to secure Miss Elliot as the season’s incomparable, for there has emerged another young lady from the ranks of the season’s debutantes.

Miss Stephanie Brown, a previously unheard-of young lady, has caught the eye of the most eligible Lord Duma. Will this debutante with unforeseen connections consider Lord Duma her match, or will she set her sights higher, with the backing of the inestimable judge of character, Duchess Grayson of Bludhaven? 

Only time will tell. Let us speculate on the matches that may be made, for there appears to be blossoming a most fruitful season. However, let us not be swept away by the opening chords. There is still room for even the most nimble of societal maestros to slip.

We hope to be spared any slips by the illustrious Lord Damian Wayne at tonight’s soiree at Wayne Manor, the event that I am sure we all can acknowledge will kick off the season with refined festivity.

The youngest son of our very own darling Prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Lord Wayne has been studying music at the Geneva Academy of Music for the past several months. 

I look forward to seeing you all at his event, utilizing your finest feathers and weaponized words to glamour yourselves in an attempt to snag one of the elusive, prized sons of the finest founding family of this city.

Your closest friend,

Lady Gotham

Stephanie tossed the pamphlet onto the desk in annoyance. 

“Is that the newest Lady Gotham newsletter?” asked Babs from the corner, where she was reorganizing her bookshelves after acquiring several more volumes.

“Yes.” She flopped onto the sofa, swinging her legs over the armrest. “Speculating on Adelia Elliot and my presentations and guessing who is going to marry who–the usual gossip,” she waved a hand in Babs’s direction. “She did end on a rather tongue-in-cheek note, though. Perhaps the lady is not as satisfied with society as I first thought.”

“Time will tell,” said Babs, unknowingly echoing the words of whom she was speaking. 

Reversing the direction of her wheelchair, she steered over to the desk Steph had left the paper on. She looked over the pamphlet briefly before returning her attention to her friend.

“This reminds me, which dress are you planning on wearing to Damian’s recital tonight?”

“The green one, I was thinking.”

Babs sighed as she caught sight of Lady Gotham’s penultimate line. “Imagine you marrying one of Bruce’s sons.”

Steph snorted indelicately. “Damian is too young, even if he does have something of an eye for me, you’ve married Grayson, and Drake and I would never work out.” She shivered at the thought. 

“I suppose I’d get along decently with Thomas, but he’s also rather young. I really don’t know what the writer was implying with her thinly veiled speculations. And she says we use our weaponized words!”

“Just ignore the gossips like you always do, Steph,” advised Babs. “And sit properly, please.”

“Because it’s that easy,” she rolled her eyes, moving to a more acceptable pose. “I admit I find myself quite intrigued as to this evening’s happenings. If Lady Gotham is among us, will she attempt to stir up the theatrics among the ton?”

~~~

A grunt escaped Jason as he turned, letting the punch roll off him. It still hurt, despite knowing how to take hits. His opponent danced back, bringing his fists back up into a guard position. 

Jason moved back, luring his opponent over, before releasing a series of quick jabs and punches that forced his opponent to concede defeat. 

“Alright, I get it, you’re stressed about your debut. What’s the matter, worried that you might not have any ladies dropping their handkerchiefs around you?”

Jason snorted, climbing out of the ring to get his towel. “You know I’m not looking for a lady yet.”

Waylon raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “You’re going to need a lady sooner or later.”

“Well, I choose later.” Jason yanked his cravat into a passable knot. “I’m worried that the family that’s practically Gotham’s royalty is going to dig into this mysterious new Duke of Altheban and destroy my plans before I’ve even had a chance to start.” He straightened his jacket and tapped his pockets to make sure everything was still there.

“I’ll see you later, Jones.”

“Enjoy the party, Todd–I mean Head.”

Jason waved his hand, not looking, as he headed out of the boxing centre.

~~~

In the velvet darkness of Gotham past 7 p.m, Wayne Manor presented a glittering vision as its lights reflected off the multitudinous baubles out on display for the soiree. Gilded and not-so-gilded carriages flowed from the portico to the stables in orderly succession.

Nimble fingers tripped lightheartedly over pianoforte keys as the star of the night, the newly-returned Damian Wayne, displayed his polished skills in a rousing performance.

“Ah, Head, there you are, my fine fellow!” 

Jason nodded politely as an enthusiastic Roy Harper dragged him over to the group of young men congregated close to the doors of the formal parlor. “Gentlemen, this is my good friend Head, the Duke of Altheban. Head, these are my friends. This rogue is Aleksander, Lord Duma, and here is…”

Jason tipped his head shortly. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, gentlemen.”

Babs stopped her wheelchair abruptly, causing Steph to bang her knee on the back. “Ow, Babs-”

“Look, Steph, I am perfectly capable of getting myself to the parlour without your assistance. I will be fine for the entire evening, in fact! You should not worry about me and instead fill your dance card–with names that are not a part of the hosting family’s roster.”

Steph sniffed. “Fine, I will dance with one person who is not a Wayne or Wayne-adjacent. One .”

Babs sighed. “Thank you. If you see Dick before I do, could you direct him my way? Thank you.”

“Alright. Have fun, Babs.”

“I will,” Babs smirked, wheeling herself into the festivities and parking her chair in the best spot to get all the gossip.

Steph looked longingly at the refreshments table, then headed resolutely in the other direction, promptly bumping into a masculine chest. Her handkerchief fluttered to her feet, jarred loose from where it had been tucked into her glove by the impact. 

“Oh, my apologies, I did not see you there, My Lord.”

He nodded stiffly, bending to collect her handkerchief. He rose and handed it to her, making sure their fingers did not brush. “It’s quite alright, it’s getting rather crowded in here. My fault, I’m sure.”

“No, no, that was my fault. I was caught in the sorrow of leaving those delicious-looking tarts behind me and did not see you for the tears in my eyes. Hence, the handkerchief,” she dabbed at her eyes dramatically.

The man’s stiff posture relaxed a little at her good-natured theatrics, his lips quirking up in what some may describe as a small smile. (Steph personally described it as the look of a hunted man relieved to find she was not his hunter–or huntress, as the case may be.) “May I escort you to those delicious-looking tarts, then? I hate to see a lady cry, especially when it can be easily remedied.”

“Thank you, that would be delightful. It’s not rude to eat a dozen of the things if a gentleman brought me one a dozen times, correct, My Lord?”

“Indeed, it would be far more rude to refuse his devoted attentions.”

“Lovely,” chirped Steph, taking his arm. “I do think it would be awful if Lady Gotham reported me rude in her next issue. I must take care to avoid all pretenses of the word.”

The man–whose name Steph still didn’t know, and also had never seen before, and did not know who could properly introduce them–poured two crystal cups of punch. “Would you care for some, my lady?”

“Thank you. The tarts are delicious but they do leave one thirsty.”

“Ah, Miss Brown.”

Steph turned to see Lord Duma approaching her, a polite but fixed smile on his face. 

“Lord Duma,” she half-curtsied. “How are you this evening?”

“I am doing well, Miss Brown. I see you have met the ton’s latest import. Duke Altheban,” he nodded his head.

Steph cursed inwardly at her earlier social faux pas. To be fair, the only other dukes at this event she was already acquainted with, and she certainly didn’t expect this man to have a title that required a different address than ‘my lord’.

The man nodded back. “Lord Duma.”

“Ah, His Grace was just procuring me some punch, like a gentleman, before I fainted of thirst. We haven’t even been formally introduced.” 

Hopefully the Duke would forgive her slip and have mercy on her unnoble self, now that he knew she was unaware of his status. To be fair, he had not seemed the type to be overly cognizant of his title–much like the Waynes, she supposed. A refreshing attitude, indeed.

Lord Duma took her hint. 

“Oh, I must introduce you, then. Miss Brown, this is Jason Head, the Duke of Altheban; Your Grace, Miss Stephanie Brown.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Brown.” Duke Altheban bowed over her hand. “So, Lord Duma, are you tired of Harper’s stories so soon?”

He laughed. “Once you’ve been here a season or two, you’ll have heard all of Harper's stories. Besides, I heard that the young Wayne is finishing his performance soon and that the musicians would soon start the dancing. I had to make sure I reserved a spot on Miss Brown’s dance card.”

Steph smiled politely back at him. “Thank you, Lord Duma. Your forethought has indeed awarded you a chance to put your name on my dance card.”

“I would like to also reserve a spot, if I may, Miss Brown.”

Steph turned to the Duke, somewhat surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for lords to take interest in courting untitled young ladies, but dukes were considerably higher ranked than lords and rarely courted or married outside of their titles. 

How interesting. She’d enjoy getting to know more about him as long as he let her.

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

~~~

Lord Duma was a fine dancer, and Steph enjoyed their turn around the room, but dancing with Duke Head was something else entirely. They fit together perfectly, in such synchronization that they seemed to be floating over the dancefloor.

“You are a wonderful dancer, Your Grace.”

“A dancer is only as good as their partner, I’ve been told.”

Steph smiled, mentally recording the feel of his large hands over hers, the faint smoky scent of his cologne, the soft swish of air as it flowed over her exposed skin. Dancing had always been a passion of hers, but it was difficult to find partners with whom she connected so well.

“What you were saying earlier, about a Lady Gotham,” said the Duke. “I did not know there was such a title here.”

Steph answered his unasked question. “Lady Gotham is a pseudonym for some author who has recently begun to write about society’s banalities and scandals. The ton is quite invested in both the papers she prints and the mask she wears. No one knows who it is, and so far it is one of the season’s biggest topics of conversation.”

“Ah. Thank you for explaining, Miss Brown.”

“It is quite alright with me if you address me as Miss Stephanie or Miss Steph, Your Grace.”

“As you wish, Miss Stephanie. You seem rather…how shall I put this…distant from society. Aside from Lord Duma and myself, you have not danced or talked with any acquaintances.”

Steph laughed. “I am not well acquainted with most of the ton, Your Grace. I am a miss, not a lady, and I am not in the habit of associating with double-faced, backstabbing socialites. I prefer intelligent conversation, even if I am here to find a husband, but it truly seems like the two are mutually exclusive.”

He barked a short laugh, pulling her infinitesimally closer. “It does seem that you are either doomed to marry or become a book-loving spinster, does it not? As if you cannot marry and love books, or be unmarried and detest the things.”

“Indeed. My sponsor for the season is happily married, and she has one of the largest libraries I have seen.” 

She twirled, coming back to the duke’s arms. 

“I suppose I am simply setting my sights too high. She had a better beginning than I, and she already was acquainted with her husband; their families have always been friendly. And that is not in the cards for me. If I must marry for my family’s sake, then I will have to set aside dreams of love and books and loving books. Such is the way of life,” she mused sadly.

Duke Altheban twirled her again. “Surely someone here also loves books, at least? They are lords and barons, they have to have studied. Speaking purely hypothetically, what about the Duke of Bristol?”

“Tim?” Steph laughed. “No, it would never work between us, for many reasons.”

“Oh, you’ve met?”

“A time or two,” she grinned. The last strains of the music faded away, and the sudden rush of chatter from the dancers surrounding them made talking difficult.

“Time for another tart, perhaps, Miss Stephanie?” asked the duke, leading her over to the quieter refreshment table. 

“If you offer it to me, I’d hate to refuse, Your Grace-ooh, waffles!”

“I take it you like the pastries?”

“Very much. The chef here always makes the best cream to eat with them.” Steph groaned as the treat hit her taste buds.

The duke followed her lead of spooning the cream onto the waffle bite and eating it. “That is quite good. Oh, hello, Harper.”

“Stephanie,” nodded Roy, turning back to the duke. “You really must come with me now, Jason. You’re finally here and we can fulfill all those adventures we spoke about on our European trip!”

“Very well. Miss Stephanie.” He kissed her fingers in farewell.

Her fingers tingled from the press of his lips the rest of the night. 

~~~

“That was fast,” laughed Waylon the next week after Jason ended their spar.

Jason glared at him from under the fringe of his hair. “You can shove whatever else you want to say right up your-”

“Did you see what Lady Gotham wrote about you?” interrupted his friend/investee.

“No, what?” he grumbled, curiosity piqued.

Waylon pulled out the paper and balanced his spectacles on his nose. 

Clearing his throat, he read eloquently, “‘ There is nothing the ton likes more than talking about themselves, unless it is talking about others. 

‘The most common question heard at the Waynes’ soiree was ‘Who is the Duke of Altheban’? He was certainly well-acquainted with several of the lords of this fair city, but no one–except myself–knows more than these three facts: firstly, the duke has spent the last several years traveling the continent and making connections for his merchant business. 

‘Secondly, he originally hails from the land of Nanda Parbat, where his dukedom is located. 

‘Thirdly, he is a most desirable catch, being young, rich, and single, of which only one of these attributes society truly considers necessary. He is also reportedly an excellent dancer, although sparing with his partners.

‘But, fourthly, the duke is looking for something in particular from this season and this society. Could it be a wife? A new business partner? Whatever it is, this author is sure that we all are eager to learn more’ .”

Jason dropped his head into his hands in frustration. He’d forgotten just how vicious society’s gossip was. Whichever event he next attended, he was surely going to be flocked even more than he’d been at the soiree.

And he was back to his problem. Miss Stephanie Brown. A poor young socialite who was looking for a husband, all details which should have made him flee instead of being drawn to her. Yet she had been a breath of fresh air. Even after she learned of his status, she did not change her behaviour, and had given him the most pleasant conversation with a woman who was not married or related to him he’d had in…ever. She’d openly admitted she was looking for a moneyed husband, which he could not blame her for, and clearly cared for her family, considering what she was willing to give up for them.

She clearly had more dimensions to her than most of the other young ladies had dresses, and he desperately wanted to explore more of them. 

“-son!”

“Hm?”

“Wow, you have it bad.” Waylon shook his head in mock sympathy. “What’s the lady’s name?”

“Ste-what young lady?”

Waylon looked at him, unimpressed. “The one you’re thinking about and can’t stop thinking about. I’d like to meet this woman who’s managed to make you reconsider your stance on marriage this fast.”

“I’m not reconsi-” Jason paused, realisation washing over him, and swore violently.

Waylon patted him on the shoulder and laughed, the traitor.

“I’m not marrying her!” he yelled after the boxer.

He laughed louder.

~~~

Steph knew that she was being impractical, but didn’t particularly care. She’d have to live with her practicability soon enough, she was going to take this moment while she could to daydream.

The babblings of a baby roused her from her thoughts of dancing with Duke Altheban, and she peeked into Emma’s carriage.

“Hello, darling. Have you woken up from your nap, sweetie? I knew the fresh air would be good for you, and look at that! You’ve finally slept longer than an hour!” She cooed to the baby, turning the carriage to head home. “Yes, I imagine you’ll be hungry rather soon, I’ll get you back, never fear.”

The afternoon stroll in the sunlight had done both Emma and Steph good, the fresh air giving them both an appetite. Once Steph had gotten Emma fed and back in her crib, she started making the evening meal, feeling the beginning pangs of hunger in her stomach as well.

The door opened just as she’d finished setting the table and she greeted the arrival with a small smile. “Good evening. Emma’s been walked and fed and is now asleep, and supper is ready. Wash up and I’ll have it on the table.”

“Thanks, Steph.”

~~~

Jason looked around the Crowns’ ballroom for a familiar head of blonde curls but found nothing. So far his sudden appearance on the ton’s scene hadn’t caused any major questions of his identity; even the Waynes were quiet, though he knew better than to dismiss them simply because he didn’t see evidence of their activities. 

Dick walked in, Babs wheeling herself beside him, nodding politely to acquaintances as they passed. And there, just behind the couple, was Stephanie Brown.

That would explain Stephanie’s familiarity with the Waynes, if Babs was her sponsor, as Jason gathered from what she had shared. He laughed inwardly at the thought of Tim’s immersive nerdiness and Stephanie’s bubbly interests meshing. No wonder she’d laughed when he’d half-jokingly suggested Tim as a solution to her marriage problem.

Jason tapped the side of his glass thoughtfully as he subconsciously tracked her circle around the room.

She needed a husband, and he was going to find her one. He didn’t want to marry, but he could find her someone. She was only somewhat younger than him, which in society’s eyes was fairly old for a debutante–though not for a man, who was always eligible and never shelved with a derogatory title, Lady Gotham had noted a day or two earlier.

She needed a man older than her, which removed several of the more juvenile options, and one who was respectful of women, which sadly removed even more. 

He thought back to what else she had said. Stephanie was looking for money, someone to support her family. He supposed he should figure out just how large her family was first and how much her future husband should expect to pay up, first. 

The best way to find out such information was by asking the woman in question, of course. Jason approached the woman in the lavender gown, holding out his hand in silent question. She turned, sensing him, and accepted with a wide smile.

They moved swiftly onto the floor in time with the quartet, settling into a comfortable rhythm. 

“How have you been, Your Grace?”

“Well, thank you. How have you been, Miss Stephanie?”

“Oh, rather well. I visited a friend yesterday and had a lovely walk in the sun. It seems rather rare for this city, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed, it’s rather a gloomy place. Do you enjoy nature?” 

She moved to another man, then back to him in turn.

“Oh, definitely. Although I must admit, I quite enjoy the comforts of home, meagre as they may be, when there is a blizzard raging outside. My fondness for it does not extend quite so far.”

Jason chuckled. “I can’t blame you for that; I rather agree with you there. Is that your mother?” he nodded towards an older lady with blonde hair curled similar to Stephanie’s.

She smiled slightly. “No, that is Lady Aurora. My mother would never be invited to such an event–I’m only here because the Duchess of Bludhaven is sponsoring me. My mother is a nurse in the Bowery.”

The Bowery. The polite name for the red light district, known for its crime and pleasure houses. A place Jason was intimately familiar with, much against his desire.

“A nurse, how noble of her. It’s hard work, I imagine.” He gently spun her into a twirl.

Stephanie seemed grateful, knowing he knew exactly where the Bowery was but hadn’t let on that he did. “Yes, it is, but she is good at it. I’m proud of her.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

Nothing like asking point-blank–in Jason’s experience, pointed questions yielded the clearest results, since there was nothing to be confused or semantical about.

“No, I’m an only child. My father is… was an entertainer, but he got injured some time ago and is now recovering at home.”

Ah, that was why she needed the marriage. He could read between the lines easily enough. Well, only having parents-in-law to support would be easy enough to sell to a prospective suitor, he supposed. It certainly beat having a dozen siblings to also support.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Miss Stephanie. My father was also injured before he died, and my mother had consumption. It was heartbreaking to see. I wish your father the best.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Your Grace. I shall pass on your wishes to my father. Thank you.” She curtsied and stepped away, clearly ending the conversation.

Jason wished to speak with her more, but he had the information he had wanted.

Surely there wouldn’t be more than one Brown family in the Bowery comprised of a nurse and entertainer.

~~~

Steph cuddled Emma in her arms, cooing at the baby’s chubby cheeks. “You’re adorable, yes you are. The sweetest baby I ever saw.”

Dancing around the room with the baby, making her giggle with high-pitched laughter, lightened the weight on her mind. Nothing else mattered when she was with Emma. 

A man passing by the window had a build and hair similar to Duke Altheban, reminding her of the times they had danced together at the past several events.

“I wish he was courting me, but I know he’s not looking for a bride. And even if he was, it certainly wouldn’t be someone like me,” she told the child pulling at her dress’s neckline. “I mean, look at me,” she laughed.

“But he’s such a gentleman, Emmy. He’s considerate and funny and smart and well-read and respectful and attentive and handsome and such a good dancer–not like Lord Mayburn–and he’s traveled and he speaks seven languages, he told me. Seven, Emma!” She exclaimed to the non-responsive child. “I only know English and passable French, and a few words in Latin and Spanish. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a duke and a successful merchant. He’s the perfect man, Emma…but not for me. But, if I can even keep him as a friend, that would be worth it.

“Do you think it would be strange if I asked him for his opinion on some of the men I’m thinking of flirting with to get them to court me? I wouldn’t want to make him think I’m hinting at him courting me–I’m sure he’s tired of women throwing themselves at him…literally, like Eugenia Sorren,” she shuddered at the memory. 

“But men talk differently around women they’re courting than other men, and maybe the duke would know something that I don’t that could help me with my decision. If I’m going to marry for money and not love, I should at least make sure it’s to a decent man I can be friends with, right? Friendship is the foundation for love, or so Babs says. Yes, I should ask him, but clarify it first so that he knows I’m not suggesting anything,” she decided, nodding her head. “Good chat, Emma. Thank you for your insightful contribution.”

The baby spat up on her dress in response.

~~~

Jason pulled at the button on his glove’s wrist as he stood outside the weathered door opening onto the dirt street. He hoped Stephanie wouldn’t be too piqued with him if she discovered he’d done this.

A woman who looked much like an older Stephanie, only with brown hair and green eyes instead of Stephanie’s blonde and blue, answered the door. Her eyes trailed from his freshly-shined boots up to the crisp knot of his cravat, and slowly widened as she took him in.

“May I help you, My Lord?”

“Are you Mrs. Brown, ma’am?”

“Yes, I am.” She eyed him warily now. Rich folks looking for you was never a good sign, he was well aware.

“Is your husband in?”

“Yes.”

“Is now a good time to speak with you, then? I can return later if it’s more convenient, but I’d like to speak with you and your husband.”

“Now is as good a time as any, My Lord,” she replied, ushering him into the house and taking his hat. “May I take your coat and gloves?”

“Thank you.”

She showed him to the dated front room, where a man sat in a cushioned chair, reading the paper. 

“Arthur, we have a visitor. I’ll go put on the tea while you talk to…” she looked to him for help.

“Jason Head. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr Brown, Mrs Brown.”

Mrs Brown nodded at his polite introduction and headed to what he assumed was the kitchen, leaving him alone with her husband.

“So, what brings you to my humble home this afternoon, Mr Head?” asked the man gruffly, setting the paper aside.

“I understand you have a daughter?”

“Yes, Stephanie.”

“I’ve made her acquaintance recently, and her telling me about her family prodded me to pay you a visit.”

“Whatever for?” asked the man, finally gesturing for him to sit down.

Jason hemmed and hawed for a minute, trying to figure out the most tactful way to phrase it. Talia was always telling him to polish his blunt, sometimes borderline impolite, honesty.

“I wanted to meet the folks that would make a lady like that…” he trailed off, suddenly rethinking his whole endeavour. What was he doing? Meeting the parents of the woman he was trying to find a bridegroom for so he wouldn’t be forced to confront his own feelings for her?

Mrs Brown came bustling into the room a moment later, a steaming pot of tea on the tray in her hands, alongside a plate of baked goods.

He jumped up, taking the tray from her and setting it on the table before heading to the hallway to retrieve his things. “I apologize for disrupting your afternoon. I’m sorry, I’ve just started to feel unwell,  I must leave. Good day Mr Brown, Mrs Brown.”

Tipping his hat at the confused couple, he practically ran to his horse, swinging onto Jericho’s saddle carelessly.

Kicking Jericho into a trot, he made his escape. From behind him, he thought he heard a confused “Your Grace?” being called after him.

He nudged Jericho even faster, heading to the fields in an attempt to outrun his feelings.

~~~

Stephanie ran up the steps to her house, surprised to see her mother in the doorway already. 

“Was that the Duke of Altheban I saw riding by just now?” she demanded incredulously.

“Who?”

“Oh, nevermind. Thought I saw someone I knew. How was your day, Mama?”

“It was good,” Crystal Brown said, closing the door after her daughter. “I was just saying goodbye to this visitor who dropped by unannounced.”

“Hello, Papa.  What’s this I hear about a visitor?” Steph took in the tea tray on the table, pouring three cups. “You even brought out the china,” she noted with surprise.

“He looked important, that Mr Head,” explained her mother.

Steph choked on her tea. “Your visitor said he was Jason Head?!”

“That’s right. How do you know his first name?” asked Arthur suspiciously.

“What was he here for?!”

“I couldn’t really say. He only stayed a couple minutes. Didn’t even have a cup of tea! Said he was feeling ill suddenly–I didn’t even get the chance to say I’m a nurse.”

“He said he wanted to meet the folks of a lady he’d met–you,” said Arthur. “Would you like to explain why we got this surprise visitor?”

“I’d love to explain that but I don’t have a clue, myself,” sputtered Steph. “I never even gave him your address or names.”

“Is he courting you, Steph?” asked her mother.

“No. We’re…friends, I guess. We dance at parties and talk over punch but that’s it. He’s not looking for a wife, and even if he was, he wouldn’t look at me. Foreign dukes don’t marry untitled old maids from the red light district with-”

“Steph, don’t say that about yourself, honey.” Crystal pulled her into her arms. “You’re a catch for any-did you say he’s a duke?”

Steph nodded. “Lady Gotham says he’s close with the royal family of Nanda Parbat, that’s how he became duke there.”

“A duke in my home! I never thought I’d see the day!”

~~~

Jason cut the connection to Talia’s two-way magical communication stone and sighed. She’d helped him through facing his feelings for Steph (she was much better at that than Waylon), and now he had a directive.

Back to the Browns’ it was.

She was at a friend’s house for the afternoon, but she had accepted an invitation to the Dumas’ ball that evening.

Jason thanked Crystal for her help and headed back to Jericho. The day was sunny but not too warm, so he decided to enjoy the fresh air a little longer and plot out what he would say when he saw her.

For a moment, he thought he was so invested that he was imagining seeing her, but no, there she was in all her glory, walking down the street…pushing a baby pram.

“Miss Stephanie!”

She glanced around, then up, surprise covering her face. “Your Grace?”

“May I join you?”

Her eyes flicked from the pram to Jericho to him, then she nodded slowly.

He slid out of the saddle and strolled beside her, leading Jericho along the edge of the street, such as it was.

“What are you doing here?”

“I…was just out for a ride after I visited your parents. I wished to speak with you, but you were out. This was pure coincidence.”

“It’s a lovely day for a ride,” she agreed, subdued.

“Are you alright? Not overcome with heat?” Jason bit back any more comments, recalling that women did not take the concern as such.

“I am fine, thank you.” She glanced in the pram, then back to him. “Not going to ask?”

“I didn’t think it was my business to ask.”

“This is my best friend’s baby, Emma. Sarah died in childbirth.” She turned to him. “Not a happy or comfortable story, I’m sure. Her father is working, so I often take care of her.”

“Who cares for her when you are busy?”

“One of the neighbours usually looks in on her. She’s a very easy baby,” Steph smiled, cooing at the child.

“How old is she?”

“About eight months.”

“You like children, then?” he asked, very much hoping she did.

“I do. What about you?”

“I love them, and they tend to like me, I find.”

Steph turned to a small house and opened the door. “I’ve just got to feed Emma and put her down for her nap. Would you like to wait in the parlour?”

“If it’s not an imposition. I can-”

“No, no trouble at all. Her father should be home soon and we can talk while you escort me home, if you don’t mind?”

“That sounds delightful, Miss Stephanie.” He tossed Jericho’s reins to a boy standing around. “Want a job?”

“Yes, mister,” he nodded, gap-toothed grin wide.

“If you make sure my horse here doesn’t run away in the next while, I’ll give you two more of these, what d’ya say?” He placed a shiny coin in the boy’s hand, smiling at his awed grin and ruffling his hair. “I shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

Jason made himself comfortable on the sofa in the parlour, watching Steph move around the kitchen heating up milk for Emma with smooth, oft-practiced movements. The house was small, with one hallway connecting the foyer, kitchen/dining room, parlour, and bedroom. With all the inside doors open, Jason perused the house at his leisure, often pausing to watch Steph instead.

She fed the baby, burped her, and put her to rest in the bedroom. 

The faint sound of a lullaby drifted to Jason’s ears, and he closed his eyes to focus better on her song. She had a lovely voice.

Once Emma was asleep, Steph closed the door and joined him in the parlour. “I often leave supper for Emma’s father. Would you mind joining me in the kitchen while I prepare it?”

“Certainly not. Would you like my help with anything? Fetching wood for the fire, perhaps?”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary.”

Steph deftly spun a cast-iron skillet on her palm and Jason noted to be very careful around her, especially when she had a possible weapon in her hands.

“So, how did you find my parents, Your Grace?” she asked, slicing potatoes. 

“I asked around. I have some contacts in every part of the city, I imagine, and I knew yours were in the Bowery.”

“Then, why did you find my parents?”

“I wanted to meet the people you loved enough to give up your own love for.”

Steph’s knife paused, then resumed its slicing, slower than before. “And that’s all?”

“That’s the meat of it.”

She turned to the stove, her back to him,  tossing the potatoes in with a healthy chunk of lard.

Jason had just begun to worry she’d decided never to speak to him again when she turned, shaking the potatoes onto a plate before immediately turning back around to cut something up..

“I suppose it’s none of my business. Thank you for waiting for me.”

“You’re more than welcome.” He resumed his seat on the sofa, glancing out the window at the sun setting on the horizon. Someone walking up the path caught his eye.

“There’s a man approaching,” he called to Steph.

“That’ll be Dean; I’ll be ready to go in a minute.”

Jason heard the door open, the sounds of someone coming in and making themself at home quiet. The man walked straight into the kitchen.

Steph greeted him cheerfully. “Good evening, Dean. Supper is warm in the oven, and Emma’s sleeping. I’ll be out of your hair in a moment.”

“Thanks, Steph, it smells good. But what if you don’t get out of my hair?”

Jason stiffened at the tone. He didn’t like how familiar this Dean was being to Steph, but he chalked it up to mere jealousy. The sight of Dean grasping Steph’s wrist, however, was something more than jealousy.

Steph saw him stand and silently asked him to stay back. He nodded, acquiescing for the moment, but stayed standing.

“What do you mean, Dean? It wouldn’t be prope-”

“Oh, come on, Steph, who cares what’s proper? Proper is for the snobs. You and I both know that no matter how much you end up in those society papers, you’ll never be a real lady. You’re from here, Stephie, you know no one gives a damn about us. No one would care about us and our ‘property’.”

Propriety , Steph mouthed to herself. “Dean, let go of me. You’re not doing yourself any favours by disparaging my ladylike reputation.”

“Oh look at you, Miss Brown,” Dean mocked, “all snooty with your fancy words. You think you’re better than me, huh? Just ‘cause your Duchess got your back? You think you’re better than Sarah was?”

“No, I do not. Sarah was better than me and she was certainly better than you. Social status has no bearing on a true gentleman, Dean. For the final time, I will not sleep with you, nor will I marry you so you can sleep with me.” Steph pulled her knife from behind her back and held it to Dean’s chin, leaning into his personal space. “Let. Me. Go. Now.”

Shakily, the man released his grip, practically flinging her away from him. “You crazy whore!”

“And never call me that again.” Steph tossed the knife at his chair, the point embedding itself in the wood between Dean’s legs. 

She brushed her loosened locks out of her face, straightened her dress, and approached Jason with a smile. “I’m ready to go.”

He grabbed her hat and cloak and escorted her as quickly as he could out of the residence.

“Are you okay, Miss Stephanie?”

The cool twilight air was refreshing, cooling his overheated blood from watching the altercation. He walked calmly beside Jericho, collected from the kid and given double the pay since the time had extended. 

She nodded and gave him a small, fake smile. “I will be. His words don’t hold much weight, but even a single sheet of paper can cause you to bleed.”

“You handled yourself remarkably back there. If I may ask, how did you learn to throw a knife that accurately?”

“My father worked as an entertainer at the circus for several years,” she explained. “I became friends with many of the performers there and during the quiet times, many of them taught me their specialties. I had an affinity for the knife tricks and acrobatics, among others.”

“A woman of many talents, indeed,” he complimented with a surprised grin. “Is it safe to leave Emma there?”

“She will be fine for the short term. I’ll go get her and her things in a day or two once he’s calmed down and bring her home.”

“Would you like an escort?” He saw her look and hastily added, “In case there is more luggage than you can carry when you’ve also got the baby?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, that would be very helpful. Thank you.”

“I live to serve, my lady.”

~~~

The next week, Jason barely saw Stephanie at all, as she was occupied with caring for Emma and getting her settled into her new home. She had turned down several invitations, and Jason began to wonder if he should even bother attending the last few events of the season at all.

Then Steph showed up at the Waynes’ Summer Celebration Ball, the event that heralded the beginning of the season’s end.

She looked beautiful in her new lilac dress, the blooms entwined in her updo. Jason bet Babs had a hand in that.

She was popular tonight, and Jason didn’t get a chance to dance with her or even talk before her card filled up and she was handed around.

Doing his best not to lose his temper at something so beyond their control, he headed out the open patio doors to the garden, enjoying the quiet from the boisterous event and the beauty of nature. He still preferred it on Stephanie.

He didn’t know how long he’d been brooding in the gardens (far too long and far too much like his previous father figure for his liking) when he noticed a flash of lilac in the maze.

“Miss Stephanie?” He followed her, only catching glimpses of the silk as he headed deeper and deeper into the maze.

As he walked, the layout came back to him. He could see the path Steph had been taking, and he knew a shortcut. Granted, he’d grown both in height and width, but he’d been very careful not to lose his flexibility along with his scrawniness. If he just cut through…

His arms came out, supporting Steph as she ran into him with a muffled shriek.

“I apologise for scaring you, Miss Stephanie. Are you quite alright?”

“No,” she panted. “Dean…after me…”

“What?” His head jerked up, looking around for the odious man.

“He was following me, I tried to lose him, thought you were him,” she breathed, not moving away from his hold.

“I’ll have Wayne’s men spread out and look for the man, okay?” he said, brushing a loose curl behind her ear.

She nodded, smiling up at him gratefully, before suddenly realising their position and jumping away. “Oh, my.”

“My apologies, Miss Stephanie. I’ll escort you back to the ballroom and then find Wayne.”

He tucked her arm into his and headed down the quickest way out of the maze.

“You seem to know this maze quite well, Your Grace.”

He shrugged. “I’m good with directions.”

~~~

Jason did not call Wayne’s men. Jason headed out to the grounds alone..

Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, letting the velvety scent of Alfred’s roses, the mingled perfumes of the party, and the rich scent of damp earth fill his nose.

The hoot of an owl sounded deep in the woods behind the Manor, blending with the chittering of bats flying about eating bugs and the muted strains of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony from the ballroom. 

Light tremors under his feet told him that someone was approaching him. He inwardly snickered. Trying to be stealthy, the fool. He was trained by the League of Assassins, who lived–nay, thrived–in the shadows.

He turned, unable to see his companion’s face as they were backlit by the Manor. “Is that you, Harper?” he drawled, striking a match and lighting a cigar.

He didn’t care for the things after…well, after , but sometimes a man needed a cigar to light to see his companion’s face.

“You’re not Harper,” he said brilliantly, lifting the cigar to his lips.

“You bet your lily-white ass I ain’t,” snarled Dean Smith, the glow of Jason’s cigar reflecting on the silver blade of his knife. 

“No, you’re Dean Smith, widower of Sarah Smith and father to Emma Smith, employee at the My Alibi saloon, where you apparently take supporting your job a little too seriously. You’re also someone who insulted the woman I intend to marry, and I don’t take that lightly. She’s too good for you to even look at her, nevermind propose you touch her.”

“Oh, what are you going to do, my lord?” Dean bowed mockingly. “I saw you at my house with her. So she’s too good for me, but not too good to take your lordly c-”

Jason punched his lights out in one blow. Apparently Waylon might have some truth to his words of having a thicker skull than average.

He put out his cigar and pocketed the knife Dean had dropped. Sauntering up the hill to the ballroom, he caught one of Bruce’s footmen’s attention. 

“There’s an uninvited guest having a little snooze out in the garden. Bring him to the Commisioner, please, and tell him to hold him overnight for disturbing the peace. Thanks.”

Humming the final bars to the Symphony along with the musicians, he opened the patio doors and entered the ballroom.

The chatter died instantly as everyone turned to look at him. He looked back in confusion. He was sure no one had seen him punch Dean, and anyways, he was a duke and Dean a commoner. No one here would care, he sneered inwardly.

Steph’s watery blue eyes met his from her place in Babs’s arms and she shook her head minutely. He frowned a little, confused. He knew she hadn’t seen him punch Dean out, and he was fairly sure she’d praise him for it, anyways.

He missed the punch thrown his way by a blur of black and blue.

~~~

Steph rubbed her thumb nervously over Jason’s, his hand between hers. His eyelids fluttered and his gorgeous teal eyes stared into hers. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled back. “You’re awake.”

“What happened?” He sat up, running his free hand along his facial features. “ Ow .”

She winced in sympathy. “Sorry about that.”

“You did this?” He turned to her in disbelief. “Did I do something?”

“Did you do something?” came an echoing growl of disbelief from the doorway.

Steph winced again. “Dick, stop .”

“No, I will not.”

“ Dick . Let me explain. In peace ,” she gritted out. “It’s the least you could do after punching His Grace out and making a big deal out of nothing !”

Dick huffed and opened his mouth to retort, but subsided at her fierce glare. 

She turned back to Jason.

“I am so sorry for him. What happened was that Lady Adelia Elliot was getting proposed to by Lord Duma in the garden and saw me, alone with you, in the garden, and then loudly announced that the garden was the most lovely, romantic spot to get engaged in, and she hoped we had found it to be like that as well, which, of course, meant that society is convinced that I am compromised and a whore and we should get married to get back in their good graces. But not too fast, because that would mean I’m with child. Which is ridiculous, I mean, in the garden ? All wet and pokey? No, thank you.”

Jason huffed a laugh. “Thank you for that explanation. So I assume that blur that was the last thing I saw was Duke Bludhaven over there protecting your honour?”

“More or less,” she admitted. “I am so sorry for this mess.”

“Nonsense, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have followed you knowing what society would think of it. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation. As a man, my reputation is much less delicate than yours, and I sincerely apologize.”

Dick snorted from his doorway, the heavily implied ‘you should be’ hanging in the air.

“Steph, can you give me a minute with His Grace?”

She sighed but nodded, removing her hand from Jason's. “You get one free punch,” she stage-whispered as she left, leaving him with a smile on his face.

It was the least she could do after being part of the cause of this fiasco.

~~~

“What happened out in the garden?” Dick demanded immediately, taking Steph’s chair as soon as she was gone.

Jason straightened his position on his chair in response. How do you like being the little brother now, huh?

“I was outside, enjoying the fresh air in the gardens, when I noticed Miss Brown entering the maze. I followed her, as I had been intending to speak with her this evening. When I found her, she told me a man she knows had been following her. I escorted her back to the courtyard. I stayed out longer for a cigar and saw a commoner with a knife. He threatened me and insulted her, so I punched him and had one of Wayne’s men take him to your father-in-law.”

Dick stared at him, measuring his words.

“Are you interested in courting Stephanie?”

“I was attempting to get her attention tonight to talk to her about that. I would like nothing more than to court Stephanie Brown with the intention of marriage.”

Dick nodded once. “Good. Your timeline is moved up; you will marry her once the banns are read.”

“If she says no?” Jason asked curiously.

Dick sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “She won’t.”

Jason raised his eyebrow but dropped the subject. Nodding curtly to Dick, he exited the small study he’d been sat in while he was unconscious.

Alone, he ran his hand over his nose and jaw once more. Thank goodness for Lazarus-enhanced healing; he could feel the bruises already beginning to fade. With a sigh he dropped his head to inspect his boots.

How was he going to break the news to his lovely bride-to-be?

~~~

Dearest gentle Reader, 

Nothing is more sought-after by society than a scandal, which is the lemon to our tea, the butter to our bread, and the very reason I picked up my quill.

I have picked it up once more to inform you all of the latest scandal, which has set the whole ton abuzz.

The Waynes’ annual Summer Celebration Ball last night was a veritable goldmine of news. Lady Adelia Elliot is engaged to be married to Lord Aleksander Duma, a fine match indeed. 

But the true scandal comes from the revelation Lady Adelia shared with the ton as she announced her engagement, namely, that Miss Stephanie Brown and the Duke of Altheban were seen in the garden together, unchaperoned.

Rumours have been shared with many that the protegee of the Duchess of Bludhaven has borne a child out of wedlock, with sources saying they have seen her with an infant many times.

Thus, it is to my surprise that I share with you the news of the Duke’s engagement to Miss Brown. Perhaps he has not been so recently appeared in our midst as he would have us believe?

Steph threw the paper across the room. A hand caught it in its fluttering descent. She turned in surprise. “Your Grace?”

“Good afternoon, Miss Brown,” he bowed over her hand politely, then turned back to peruse the paper.

“Please, don’t-”

“I already know what they are saying, Miss Stephanie. It appears even being a man and a duke does only so much for my reputation.”

She winced.

“I wonder if I accidentally slighted this Lady Gotham somehow? She certainly does not pull her punches,” he shook his head.

“I am sorry that you are put in this mess because of me–and because of Dick. I can try and reason with him, to let you out of whatever ridiculous plan he’s cooked up to attempt to salvage my–our–reputations. It’s been sensationalized for the papers, of course–they’re even saying we’re engaged, for goodness’ sake!”

Jason coughed. “Yes, about that…I came here to ask you to come somewhere with me.”

She paused, then shrugged and drew closer to him. “Where?”

“Do you know how to ride?”

“Yes.”

“Lovely! There’s a beautiful spot I’ve found that I’d like to show you.”

“It’s not like our reputations can get worse,” she decided. “Lead the way, Your Grace.”

The ride was peaceful, with only Jason and the sounds of nature to torment her. The green grass, the texture of the trees, the birds wheeling through the air, the smell of fresh sea breeze all painted a lovely picture.

Jason nudged her horse to the left, towards a short copse of trees. They arrived at a large flat stone, spread with a blanket and cushions, a basket sitting in the midst.

Jason slid off Jericho and offered her his hand to dismount her horse, Spoiler.

“I thought you might like a picnic.”

“This is lovely.” She took in the preparations and the view, realising that this was the type of thing a man did for the lady he was courting.

“Your Grace…are you courting me?” she asked slowly, unsure which answer she wanted to hear.

He looked up from the wine he was pouring into two glasses, the white streak in his hair failing into his eyes. He looked so casual and comfortable there, and her heart did a funny beat.

“What if I am? Would you accept it?”

She settled onto one of the fluffy cushions, picking at a bunch of grapes. “If this is about the scandal…”

“It is not.”

She decided to take his word for it and popped the grape in her mouth. The lunch went smoothly, the two of them easily settling into their usual conversation comfortably.

Then Jason pulled out something from the basket. She was sure they’d exhausted its contents and opened her mouth to politely refuse.

Then he revealed his hand and looked up at her earnestly. “Stephanie Brown, will you do me the honour of marrying me and becoming my wife?”

Her mouth snapped shut, unsure what to say. His steady smile made her want to melt and agree to anything, but she didn’t want to jump into what would be the rest of her life.

“Are you sure? This isn’t something Dick is making you do? I assure you, I will not be hurt if you retract your proposal.”

“My proposal has nothing to do with Duke Grayson and what is currently in the papers,” he assured her. 

“Then, yes, I would be honoured to marry you, Your Grace.”

He slid the gold ring onto her finger, the light catching and playing on the amethyst set in it. “Now that we are engaged, you must stop calling me ‘Your Grace’ and instead call me Jason.”

“I will, but only if you drop the ‘Miss’,” she replied.

“Deal, Stephanie.”

“Deal, Jason.”

They shook on their first decision as a couple.

~~~

The next couple weeks, Steph barely saw her new fiance, occupied as she was with wedding planning and looking after Emma. That was another thing she needed to talk to him about.

Babs hadn’t been married that long ago, and she still knew all the best places to get the best deals for all the preparations, which was a huge help to Steph, who did not frequent the places that duchesses did.

Oh, she was going to be a duchess. She couldn’t stop the nauseated anxiety she felt, wondering if she had completely ruined her life beyond repair.

She really needed to talk to Jason.

“Steph, the duke is in Dick’s study, asking for you.” Babs told her, breaking her attention from the fabric swatches for her wedding breakfast’s napkins.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Babs. Everything on the right here I’ve already dismissed.”

“I’ll have it removed, then, and replaced with some tea. Or would you like me to send it to the study so you can have it with His Grace?”

“I’ll ask him if he’s got enough time for tea,” Steph replied. “Just have it brought here and I’ll come get it if he does.”

Babs nodded in response and Steph headed out of the drawing room to the study down the hall.

She paused outside the door, hearing her name.

“-marry you. You were quicker than I expected, Head,” Dick sounded almost pleased.

“It’s not what I wanted, but I’m an opportunist; I couldn’t let the situation go to waste,” Jason replied. 

“I’m pleased you did the right thing. Steph deserves what you can offer her.”

There was some sound from Jason but Steph didn’t listen, opening the door with a firm click. 

~~~

“Babs said Jason was here,” Steph said neutrally, but Jason couldn’t tell if she’d overheard what he and Dick had been talking about or not. “Is there something we needed to discuss, Your Grace?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not right now,” he replied slowly. 

“Then it’s good to see you. I hope everything is going smoothly on your end, and I’ll see you in the church on Tuesday.” 

He bowed his head as she left, turning back to Dick with a bewildered expression.

“Babs was very short with me when we got married, too. They’re busy planning the wedding breakfast, after all.”

He nodded, but thought it was a little more than that. He needed to speak with her privately, but they hadn’t had a moment alone, never mind a moment, since they were engaged.

~~~

Steph opened her window, frowning. Jason stood below, waving at her with a smile, dropping a handful of pebbles behind his back into the garden.

“It is nearly midnight, what do you want?” she called in a loud whisper, too tired and put out to care about niceties.

“I’m sorry it’s so late, but will you come down for a minute so we can talk, please?”

She huffed and closed the window. They were getting married in ten hours, what couldn’t wait until then to say? Unless…they weren’t getting married?

She threw her robe on, yanked the tie shut, and speedily tiptoed down the steps, avoiding the creaky ones, to the side door, where Jason was waiting.

“Thank you,” he said when he saw her. “I needed to ask you what you heard when I was talking to Grayson in the study.”

“Why?” she looked at him sternly. “Is there something I need to know?”

“No. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t misunderstand a fragment of conversation you didn’t have context to.”

“Tell me, then, what were you talking about before I came in?”

“Grayson was thanking me for proposing to you so quickly, and I was refusing his thanks because I did not do it for him.”

That sounded rather rehearsed . “Well, then, sounds like everything’s clear,” she crossed her arms. “Anything else to say, Your Grace?”

“We’re alone, can’t you call me Jason?”

“I am capable of that, yes.”

“You seem angry at me, but I don’t know why. If I did or said something, could you at least tell me so I can apologise or attempt to fix it?”

She huffed at his rational words. “I’m being unfair. Just let me hold this grudge for ten more hours, okay?”

He gave her a perplexed look but agreed.

“Oh, I also wanted to speak to you…would you mind terribly if I brought Emma with me?”

“Of course not. I assumed you were part of the same parcel, I have a room already prepared for her.”

“You do?” she asked in disbelief.

“I’d show it to you, but I’m afraid that would be even more scandalous than what we’re doing right now,” he grinned. 

She punched his arm.

“Ow!”

“I’m sorry, did it actually hurt?” she gasped, running her hand gently over the spot she’d hit.

“No, it’s just a little sensitive from my boxing earlier.”

“You box?” She tilted her head. “I could see that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t mean anything by it, I just- your figure-”

There was no way to save herself, and she gave up with a blush as he grinned at her, pleased.

~~~

Babs was Steph’s witness, and Roy stood with Jason, the rest of their handful of family and friends filling the two front rows of pews in the church. The ceremony was short and simple, and the congregation headed to the fancier wedding breakfast held in the Graysons’ manor, in lieu of the bride’s house.

The couple were bounced from person to person, receiving well-wishes and advice, most of which they ignored. 

Finally Babs gave Steph the signal to leave, and she breathed a sigh of relief at the escape. 

Jason handed her into his carriage, then sprang in after her, still holding her hand.

They waved the remaining well-wishers off and headed to Jason’s home.

His home turned out to be a small (compared to ones like the Waynes’ or Kanes’) manor on the edge of the city, about halfway between the Waynes’ and Graysons’ and the Browns’. He had bought it before he even met her, but Steph still found it a happy convenience. Maybe it was a sign they were meant to be together.

“I apologize, there are very few servants around, since it was just me here and I don’t need much help,” explained Jason. “Feel free to hire whomever you think we need.”

“I grew up being the servant, Jason,” she reminded him. “I think I’ll manage with who you have now. Babs did recommend I get a maid now that…now that I’m a duchess; it’ll make things easier.”

Jason made an agreeing noise. “I had your things delivered already, so they should be in your rooms already.”

She glanced at him but he didn’t appear to notice, continuing the tour. 

“I don’t use this wing much, but it’s in good shape if you want to have it turned into a music room or something.”

The tour continued, Jason pointing out his most-used rooms so she could find him easily. She enjoyed this peek into his life, measuring all the things he’d furnished his home with. It wasn’t nearly as fancy and pretentious as some of the other nobles’ houses, but seemed more lived-in and arranged for comfort and ease. If this was the bachelor touch she’d heard about, she couldn’t fathom why society hated it so.

Various items from his travels were scattered about, interspersed with weapons from different cultures and paintings and artwork from a range of eras. “You have lovely taste,” she complimented.

“Thank you. My mother would be proud to hear that–she taught me most of what I know.”

“Is your mother still alive?”

“Oh, yes, she’s quite well back in Nanda Parbat. I was meaning to ask you, what do you think about travelling to Altheban soon?”

Steph blinked. “I think that sounds lovely. How soon is ‘soon’?”

Jason hesitated. “Within three weeks?”

“That’s doable, then,” she agreed. “I won’t bother unpacking much of Emma’s or my things, then.”

“Where is Emma?” asked Jason.

“My mother said she’d keep her for the week until we got settled in, so she wouldn’t be in the midst of all the mess.”

“Oh. Thoughtful of her.”

~~~

Steph paced in her room, the continual breeze of her stride making the candles flicker every time she passed. She should’ve taken Babs up on her offer of a temporary maid until she found one herself. Now she was stuck in her dress, trying to figure out a way to get out without asking her brand-new husband for help.

Stupid fancy dresses.

Expelling her pride with a long sigh, she headed to the door separating her from Jason. It opened to reveal him shirtless, his back to her as he appeared to be fiddling with his pants.

She stepped back into her room, an apology on her lips, when he turned. “Did you need something?”

Her hand dropped from her face. “What happened?” she gasped, taking in the marks covering his body. She’d helped her mother often enough to know those were scars, and they weren’t easy to get.

“It’s nothing,” he shrugged, reaching for his discarded shirt.

“It’s not nothing,” she insisted. “Who hurt you?”

He took her hands in his, lowering them from tracing over the marks and facing her with a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, Steph. I’ve been in some…situations…of my own volition, and this was the price I paid. They’ve been healed and treated by a professional. I appreciate your worry, but I’m fine. I’m sorry, I should have warned you.”

“No, it’s my fault, I should have knocked. I apologise.”

“What did you want?”

She tore her gaze away from his well-defined chest muscles to meet his concerned teal gaze.

“I…my dress is too difficult to get in and out of,” she muttered. “Could you…?”

She turned her back to him, brushing her hair over one shoulder.

He took a breath and stepped closer. His fingers brushed against her neck as he brushed some stray strands out of the way.

She could feel his body heat behind her, warming her through and igniting a fire in her belly. Each accidental touch as he undid the buttons, each gust of air over her shoulder, every cell he touched as he undid the laces only stoked it higher.

The dress and corset loosened as the bands of anticipation tightened around her chest.

Her dress pooled around her ankles as it finally slipped free.

Jason released a long breath behind her. She barely felt the graze of his lips on her bare shoulder before they were gone.

His warmth moved away. He cleared his throat. “All done.”

She turned to face him, holding her breath. “Will you kiss me?”

He nodded once, shuffling forward so their toes touched and wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her to him. The other trailed up her arm lightly, raising the small hairs and making her shiver in anticipation.

Her eyes slid closed as his face drew nearer, and then his lips met hers. Softly at first, tentatively, feeling her out. She pushed back, determined not to let this be the only kiss they shared. The fire in her spread through her veins, making her wrap her arms around his neck and pull him into her. 

The arm around her waist tightened, and he deepened the kiss, his fingers curling around her neck and kissing her back with just as much passion.

They finally separated, gasping for air, eyes dark and mouths panting. 

“Do you really wanna do this?”

She nodded vigorously. “Do you?”

He snorted a half-laugh. “Look at you, of course I do.”

Then he pulled her closer and proceeded to kiss any further remarks out of her head.

Steph ended up naked as the day she was born on the bed, underclothes spread over the room, watching in fascination at just how fast a man could undress when he was truly motivated.

He looked up and returned her grin with a hungry one of his own. “Ready?”

“For whaaa-Jason!” she exclaimed as he grabbed her ankles and pulled her down the bed.

He grinned up at her surprise, head bracketed by her knees. “Hold on to the duvet.”

“For whaaa-Jason!”

He knelt between her thighs, licking at her core like a man starved. She grasped a handful of bedsheets, throwing her head back in pleasure as his nose bumped against her clit with every movement of his head, his steady ministrations quickly building her pleasure up to unbearable heights. She fell with a loud gasp of his name, hand flying to his head to grip his hair instead of the sheets.

He pulled away, licking his lips in a manner far too indecent, and gave her a pleased look. She scooted up the bed to lie against the pillows, and he joined her on the other side.

“Come straddle me,” he said, pulling her hand toward him to kiss her fingers.

Affection shone from his eyes, and she felt herself melting even further.

Settling over his hips, she leaned forward to kiss him softly, her fingers tracing the raised skin on his chest and arms. “Is it very dangerous in Nanda Parbat?”

“It’s probably the safest place you’ll be in the world,” he told her between kisses. “I think you’ll like it. You’ll fit right in, with your knife throwing.”

Steph thought that raised a few more questions, but then Jason was nibbling on her neck and she decided they could wait for later. The fire inside her had been temporarily held under control when he gave her that orgasm, but it was steadily burning hotter again.

She shivered as Jason’s warm hand brushed lightly over her belly, the sensitive skin there not used to touch. He moved to her legs, running his fingertips teasingly up her calves to her knees, then her thighs.

His head dipped even lower as his mouth found her breasts, heightening the flames within her. He still seemed so composed, even with her kissing up his neck and teasing his nipples.

She wanted to make him burn just as much as her.

His fingers trailed up to the apex of her thighs, finding her still thoroughly wet. One slid in, making her gasp in pleasure. Yes, that was what she needed. She felt so empty.

“More,” she told him breathily, nipping his earlobe. He added a second, finding her sweet spot and rubbing in just the right way. She shifted so the angle was better, feeling her orgasm coiling in her lower belly. 

Her hand trailed down his chest, uncaring, until she reached his rather erect cock. His fingers paused as he let out a pained sound. 

She wrapped her fingers around him slowly, stroking him at the same pace he was using on her. He added a third finger, stretching her nicely. 

Abruptly he pulled his fingers out of her, leaning back to see her. “Please stop, or I’m not gonna last,” he asked, his other hand stilling her wrist. “Can I-”

“Please,” she begged, missing his fingers already. She could only imagine what his cock would feel like inside her.

Settling herself over it, she slowly slid down, relishing the look on Jason’s face. There, now he was showing how unravelled he was feeling. She took him until their pelvises met, swaying her hips teasingly.

Jason groaned. “Steph, please, don’t tease.”

Feeling too wound up and close to orgasm to be bratty, she began setting a steady pace. His fingers gripped her hips as an anchor as he began to thrust up to meet her. Her temporarily delayed orgasm came building up with a vengeance. 

Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she came with a cry of his name; he followed after her.

They lay in each other’s arms, content to be skin-to-skin as they caught their breath.

Steph hummed contentedly as Jason ran his fingers up and down her spine. 

“Was that good for you?”

“Of course it was–I orgasmed twice. What about you?”

“Better than good,” he kissed her quickly, then lay silent for a while. Finally he took a deep breath. “I know you married me because of the situation, but…do you think you could love me one day?”

Steph blinked rapidly at him, surprised at the sudden deep talk and the implications of the question.

“I didn’t marry you because of the situation,” she finally said. “Although that was certainly a part of it. I am already halfway in love with you, Jason. I know I’ll love you.”

“Really?”

She nodded definitively. “Really. Could you love me ?”

Jason kissed her softly, full of feeling. “I do love you. It’s hard not to, believe me, I tried.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but decided to drop it, snuggling further into his chest. “Would you have married me if we hadn’t been forced to?”

“When I was looking for you in the garden that night, it was to ask you if we could talk. I wanted to propose to you before…that, although it didn’t happen in the way I’d hoped,” he sighed.

“It’s not what I wanted, but I’m an opportunist; I couldn’t let the situation go to waste.”

Steph recalled his words from the study, context helping it make more sense. She kissed him thoroughly. “You make me happy, Jason Head.”

“You make me happy, Stephanie Head.”

Dearest Reader, 

As the season comes to a close, so too does the Duke of Altheban’s stay with us. We wish the duke and duchess and their newly adopted daughter safe travels as they take their leave, heading to the Duke’s native lands in Nanda Parbat, where they are sure to have many more adventures. We hope to see the Head family back in our midst one day.

With the season over, so I too shall disappear from your lives, gone but I hope certainly not forgotten. Until next season,

Adieu.

Lady Gotham

A/N 3:

-Thank you for reading and to @jaysteph-events for hosting this <3 -Join the JaySteph Discord (18+)! -The Duma and Elliot families are from DC canon as Gothamite socialite families. Duma is Polish, so I used the Polish spelling of Alexander for Lord Duma’s name. I couldn’t think why that had a nice ring to it until I remembered Alexandre Dumas, the author. He’s a few decades later, though, so there’s no overlap between him and my character. -Nursing wasn’t exactly the respected career it is now, since it was pre-Florence Nightingale. Jason, having trained somewhat [my hc] with (Middle) Eastern healers, who were more advanced and hygienic, would have more respect for nurses. -Jason’s horse is named Jericho, not after Deathstroke's kid, but after the make of Jason’s primary guns. I’m pretty sure Jericho 941s didn’t exist in 1810, so I used the name for his horse instead. -I was listening to Beethoven’s 5th as I wrote the scene where it’s playing in the background. Classical music is surprisingly fun background music for a scene where a character gets punched in the face :) And to those of you curious about if the 5th symphony existed in 1810, yes, it did–I looked it up: Beethoven wrote it in 1808. -I purposefully left this somewhat open ended so I can come back and write more in this AU when I want, such as Steph meeting Talia and the Bats finding out Jason is their Jason. -If there’s something I left unclear or you’d like to know more about some scene or read a specific future scenario, please leave a comment!

[usedpidemo]

what's your kpop journey ? (how you got into it, your first groups and biased, your opinion on kpop before etc.)

I was extremely young when I first got into K-pop. Nobody by The Wonder Girls was the first viral song I've remembered (the English version), and then Fire by 2NE1 was everywhere too. Props to Dara, she definitely played a huge role in bringing K-pop to mainstream Filipinos everywhere.

Not to go full old man yells at cloud, but back when people still had cable TV, MYX usually played K-pop MVs and they were often topping the charts. SNSD to BigBang, and of course, 2NE1. A little Fiction by Beast, then EXO changed the game with Wolf and Growl. That was my only source of K-pop before the advent of streaming and the accessibility of YouTube. I definitely remember enjoying BigBang's music the most, they had this insane stretch where Blue, Bad Boy, and Fantastic Baby all topped the daily charts and were like 1-2-3 at one point, so they were my de-facto boy group. Still is, even to this day :<

After 2013, I suddenly stopped listening to K-pop and watching MYX as a whole, and became a hater (I was one of those people who was curious as to why BTS was everywhere circa 2017-18). Then 2020 hit, everyone was stuck indoors for months on end, and boom, here comes another YG group pulling me back in for good—Blackpink was everywhere that year. Three comebacks, a documentary, and then the online concert. I've expanded my taste since then, both past and present, but it's been a wild ride. So regardless of how you feel about Blackpink's success or YG as a dysfunctional company as a whole, I have a lot of personal sentiment and bias towards their idols and artists as the catalyst to converting me into K-pop. I hope they get their shit together, and that Baby Monster and Treasure live out the glory of their seniors.

[halfseoulco]

Indigo — RM: A review

Published Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 — Released on December 2nd, 2022, Indigo had to sit for almost three weeks before I actually pulled myself together, put in my earphones for the highest quality listening experience, and dove into the inner musings of one Kim Namjoon, also known as RM of BTS.

Introduction

Even before listening, I knew I would like Indigo. Actually, I knew I would love it. RM as a solo artist makes music with the kinds of soundscapes that I tend to prefer; and with the concept photos and teasers that were being released, my first thought was that Indigo would be a deeply emotional album.

I wasn’t wrong but “emotional” can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The night Indigo and the music video for its title track, “들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower) (with youjeen)”, were released, the unanimous consensus on the timeline was collective crying. I confess I judged the entire album preemptively by “Wild Flower”, especially after the small snippet I heard playing in the background of SUGA’s drinking show, SUCHWITA (슈취타), where RM was the guest—and that made me want to put off listening to Indigo even more.

Diving Headfirst into Indigo

On Tuesday, December 20th, I received my Weverse Exclusive book and postcard editions of Indigo and decided that I had put off listening long enough. I listened through the album twice, consecutively; and the initial listen-through quickly established that sad was not necessarily the dominant underlying emotion throughout. As a matter of fact, I found Indigo overall to be an album of pure vibes; and while there are certainly elements of melancholy, it is an album that is rooted strongly in self-reflection and introspection. Moreover, Indigo is—certainly as RM intended—an album for the people (ARMY) and not the charts.

One thing to take note of is that only two songs on the record do not feature a guest artist—and RM chose to depart from convention and use “with” instead of “featuring” to indicate his collaborations. It makes sense—RM is very much so a people person, someone who likes to discuss ideas and thoughts with others. It also shows the great respect he has for the other artists, all of whom are well-known in their own spaces. He also chose to put “들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower)” towards the end of Indigo instead of towards the beginning, which is where artists typically put their title tracks.

Concerning “Wild Flower”

Speaking of “들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower)”, I have to devote a considerable amount of time to addressing it. First of all, the Korean title is “들꽃놀이” (pronounced deulkkotnori) as a clever play on words with the Korean word for “firework”, which is “불꽃놀이” (pronounced bulkkotnori). “들꽃” does mean “wildflower” but combined with “놀이”, it translates more literally into “[wild]flowerwork”. You do hear “flowerwork” being used throughout the song but the play on words between “들꽃놀이” and “불꽃놀이” doesn’t quite make sense in English the way it does in Korean. The contrast between the two concepts is conveyed beautifully in the music video with the flower fields and the nakhwanori (낙화노리), which are traditional Korean fireworks.

Second of all, if I had to designate any song on the album as sad, I would say that all of its sadness is contained in this one song. I’m not even sure “sad” is a strong enough adjective to describe the emotionality of “들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower)” in its entirety. And maybe the type of sadness is unique to the listener but all I know is that I’ve listened to it six times since Tuesday and I’ve sobbed like a baby every single one of those times. No small part of it is thanks to youjeen (조유진) and her fiercely expressive vocals but also because of the lyrics—which are, in some ways, reminiscent of “Black Swan” [by BTS]. RM has to reconcile the two sides of himself: RM of BTS and Kim Namjoon, who is ultimately someone who wants to live life simply rather than the grand extravaganza he’s been experiencing since BTS’s road to fame began. There is also no small degree of humility here in that RM thinks of himself as not a big deal when surely most people can agree that he is a very big deal. This is reinforced visually in the music video, where you see the contrasting images of RM in the flower fields and RM on stage; and it conveys a powerful message that many people who face a certain level of pressure can understand. More so than sympathy, there is a deep, deep empathy to be felt—and sometimes with deep empathy comes deep sadness.

Thirdly, going back to youjeen, her voice blows my mind. It’s strong and well-supported from deep within her chest; and you can feel her channeling the necessary emotions like the fate of the world depends on it. Different voices add different colors to songs and the color of her voice is so perfect for “들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower)”. I don’t think RM could’ve found anyone more suited.

Conclusion

The inner workings of RM’s mind are fascinating and Indigo is truly a masterpiece for the ages. Nine out of ten of the songs went directly onto my nighttime playlist, as I found “Change pt.2″ to be a little aggressive but an interesting interruption in the overall flow of the album. My favorite songs, aside from “ 들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower) (with youjeen)”, are “All Day (with Tablo)”, “Closer (with Paul Blanco, Mahalia)”, and “Hectic (with Colde)”. I feel deeply privileged to have been able to listen to something that RM crafted so carefully and purposefully to share with fans—and I don’t think Indigo will be leaving my ears or my heart anytime soon.

GENIUS LAB USA RATING: No shame, I’m on my grave.

Indigo Track List:

Yun (with Erykah Badu)

Still Life (with Anderson .Paak)

All Day (with Tablo)

건망증 (Forg_tful) (with Kim Sawol)

Closer (with Paul Blanco, Mahalia)

Change pt.2

Lonely

Hectic (with Colde)

들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower) (with youjeen)

No.2 (with parkjiyoon)

[anyways-wonderwall]

Album of the Week #71

Psy 9th

(2022)

by Psy

Overall Rating: 6/10

TL;DR: This album is just lacking the magic that his previous hits had, and he’s left hanging on to the magic of his guests. 

(I have to say though, this is a pretty gnarly album cover, 9/10)

Overall Thoughts

Speaking of old kpop stars, have you ever wondered what happened to Psy? Man comes out with one of the greatest songs of the century, makes kpop a household name, releases a followup that does not do as well, then he isn’t heard from again. That isn’t from a lack of effort, since 2012 he has released three albums, and done songs with will.i.am (?),Snoop Dogg (??), and Ed Sheeran (??!!?) and tons with super big name kpop stars. In this album though he collabed with a member of BTS which means we’re now reminded he exists. 

This album was a clear attempt to come back into the public consciousness and this time it worked. The big song (“That That”) with Suga from BTS shows the fun Psy that we know with great horns and a super infectious melody. The only thing its lacking for me is a super good chorus, this one is just too stagnant and simple, lacking something that would push it into being a song I would actually seek out. 

He spends the rest of the album collabing with different big artists, many of which have recently joined the label he started as a kind of safe haven from the harshness of the big 3. The songs with Crush and Sung Si Kyung are pretty boring examples of what I call “Chinese Supermarket Music,” a crawling ballad that seems to never end and is sung by someone that is giving a little too much. “Sleepless” with Heize left a lot to be desired for me as I absolutely love her as an artist and was annoyed he used her (like almost every other guest artist in this album) as just someone to sing the chorus while he raps the verses. “GANJI” featuring Jessi thankfully breaks this pattern, with a “screw the haters” song that’s kind of funny to imagine Psy singing. Especially when you add the fact that Jessi is the most stereotypically New Yorker you can imagine, with all of her English words in the song toting a New York accent. The song is a little abrasive but if that’s your thing then it’s pretty good. 

My favorite off of the album is “Now” with Hwasa (one of my favorite kpop artists of all time) which I applauded for being so authentically 80s, with period perfect synths and a sense of drama that can only be possible in the early 80s. While it turns out it was TOO authentically 80s, as its a cover of “When the Rain Begins to Fall” by Jermaine Jackson, and the only thing they changed was the language of the lyrics. I mean I’m glad they introduced me to the better original version, but that’s the thing, the original is better! C’mon Psy!

Now there are Psy solo works on this album obviously, but honestly none of them are that good. All of them seem to call back to a 2010s era of pop that we’ve all moved on from, with “Hello Monday” just sounding like a 2015 hit that everyone moved on from a week later, and “Everday” being a song that would be playing over a lasertag game from my 12th birthday. The only song that is memorable is “Celeb” but its too simple and is just lacking the substance to be a single.

Listen, I write this all as a Psy lover. Someone who measures their time as BGS and AGS (Before and After Gangnam Style) and listened to this album the day it dropped. This album is just lacking the magic that his previous hits had, and he’s left hanging on to the magic of his guests. 

Next week's review: ダンサブル (2017) by Rhymeste