#its so mindblowingly clear and intense...

[devillexi]

The boys getting pounded by their boyfriend. But he is gentle and patient at first. But how intense does each boy like it and how they react when their boyfriend spills his load in him?

((Oh God, I got raunchy with this one because I tried to be descriptive about how intense they would like it. And I tried to tap into how they would respond on being creampied basically by their boyfriend. But I hope you guys enjoy despite this raunchiness because my face was burning from both how hot i think it was and how hilarious imagining them having ahegao faces!))

Osomatsu:

Osomatsu definitely likes it hard and deep. The deeper he can get his boyfriend in his ass, the better. Oso wouldn't really mind his boyfriend cumming inside him. As long as boyfriend cleans him up because he just got his back blown out.

Karamatsu:

Kara's level of intensity depends on if you're fucking or making love. When he's making love with his boyfriend, he likes it slow with gentle caresses but with just the occasional hard thrust and fast pace. Now when it comes to fucking, whether it's a quick fuck or whatever kind of fuck, he likes it when his boyfriend is giving it to him hard and fast. And its usually when they're fucking that Karamatsu will let his boyfriend cum inside and basically creampie him because it's hot like that.

Choromatsu:

First off, the sex would have to be mindblowingly good for Choromatsu to even consider his boyfriend cumming inside him. His boyfriend would have to strike up a deal so good that Choro can't refuse. Got VIP tickets to Nyaa-chan? "NYAA-CHAN!? *clears throat* You can cum inside, but you're cleaning me up afterwards?" That's what he would say. As far as intensity goes, he likes it semi-rough where if his boyfriend has him in the missionary position with his legs up, spread wide I might add, and is just pounding away. Choro also has a sensitive spot on his thighs so when boyfriend squeezes that spot, it would make him have a dry orgasm.

Ichimatsu:

The intensity definitely depends on who is in control. Of course, it's always rough when it comes to Ichimatsu. But if his boyfriend wanted Ichimatsu to beg, he would definitely go the slow route, telling him he's gonna fuck him how he wants to fuck him. Now if Ichimatsu was in control, he's in control of his own pleasure. When it comes to cumming inside, it also depends. Ichimatsu would definitely edge his boyfriend. Plus if he came without his say so, he'd definitely edge his boyfriend for some hours or until his boyfriend is begging to release.

Jyushimatsu:

Listen if you are Jyushi's boyfriend, you have to be prepared for some looooong nights. Especially since Jyushi likes it fast and deep so your endurance must be high or you're just so goddamn good at dicking down that you can wear Jyushi out without going for so long. Know all of Jyushi's sweet spots and he'll be done in an hour or two. As for cumming inside, Jyushimatsu doesn't mind because that's hot.

Todomatsu:

Now I consider Totty to be somewhat of a power bottom. His intensity of pleasure is all according to how he wants to be fucked. And when it comes to cumming inside him, he loves it when his boyfriend is basically begging to cum inside him when Totty's on top and riding. And if his boyfriend begs right, he'll let him do so.

[official-brennivin]

Until Dawn review

I’ve recently finished my full playthrough of Until Dawn and after going through the main story of the game multiple times and experimenting, I’ve compiled my thoughts! This action-visual novel was extremely interesting to play.

Firstly, the game is marvellous in terms of atmosphere. The sound design, acting and music all create a very strong mental image of the cold environment and the intensity of the action sequences. This game has hit the nail on the head in terms of tone and setting. The environments are crafted wonderfully, and a lot of the gameplay segments feel relatively realistic. When a character pulls off a feat, it’s never unfeasible or totally impossible in real life. When a character is hurt or feels the cold, they react in a pretty normal way. The choice of a ski lodge during winter as a setting really enhances the tension of the story, and even with occasional slivers of dark humour the tone is very much under control. I never felt like my immersion was broken because the game became “too ridiculous” and this can happen with action-VN games. From the moment the opening theme started and that intense and overpowering “Oh Death” started playing, I was hooked. It was amazingly put together.

The decision to use the wendigo as the antagonistic species was a bold move. It’s not often that we see the wendigo adapted to games or films, and I think the decision to use them instead of werewolves or some other cryptid was extremely creative. I already have an interest in wendigo from playing RPGs and reading myths about them, so seeing them in media always makes me happy. The wendigo were also animated in an extremely masterful way. They’re absolutely terrifying. The gory deaths they cause are extremely creative and intense, and they pose a very real threat. One wrong move and the wendigo can easily be the end of you. Those that know me through this blog are aware of my penchant for creative and unique gore, so naturally this made the game very captivating.

Onto the game design, I thought that even though there were a lot of playable characters it was handled quite well. No matter who I was playing as I never felt like I switched control too quickly, or like it was jarring. Each segment was introduced with care and getting into each character felt organic. I do wish that the game was not divided into arbitrary chapters, though. The reason I say this is that whenever I wanted to collect an item I’d missed I had to replay an entire section of the game right from the beginning. Other Action-VNs and even regular VNs either allow you to skip segments of dialogue you’ve already been through or to jump into different sections of a chapter to get to specific points more quickly. Having to play through an entire chapter again just to get a totem that is right at the end of the chapter is very tedious. This did make the game frustrating at times, as the gameplay is so unforgiving and precise that it’s very easy to make mistakes and miss the item you’re looking for. That means starting the whole chapter again and again.

The game is difficult, and I like that about it. It doesn’t hold your hand and doesn’t give you arbitrary button presses all the time. The quick-time inputs feel natural because the button that you will have to use often corresponds to a direction. (for example, if you’re climbing then triangle will be used while launching yourself upward whilst X and square will be used to control your legs) Sometimes, the best thing to do is also nothing - not acting on a quick time event can save your life, if the action is too dangerous. This was also very well-implemented.

My absolute favourite game mechanic is the “stay still” mechanic. Wendigo can not see you if you stand still, so the game requires you to hold your controller very still to avoid detection. Not only is this a very unique way to use motion controls, but it’s also very well-tied into the lore. This is an example of an innovation that pleasantly surprised me. The tension it creates is unparalleled by any other horror game mechanic I’ve seen. The first time I encountered it while facing a wendigo, my heart raced. I genuinely felt fully immersed in the fear of the situation. This was an amazing choice that ultimately made the game for me.

I also loved how the game adapted to me as a player. During the “therapy” segments of the game, while you’re being psychoanalysed by Dr. Hill, the decisions you make influence the game you’re playing. The fears that you express towards Dr. Hill will impact the scares used in the game. This is really interesting and I was really pleasantly surprised by it as well. Games that adapt to your psychology are far and few between, but I think analysing the fears you have and changing the content accordingly makes for a really unique experience for each player. I loved this personal touch.

The characters in this game are fantastic. They’re all very balanced and unique. Not one of them is an all-round likeable person. They all feel like very real young adults with flaws and their own motivations. The way they react to certain interactions is very natural and organic, and I’m really impressed by how well they are characterised and developed. Throughout the story their emotions and experiences feel very relatable and human. Their personalities are all so unique and fun that I found myself quickly latching onto certain characters such as Chris, Josh and Jessica. I really cared about what happened to them, and the way they were written influenced the way I played quite a lot.

My feelings about the dialogue are complicated. On one hand, I love that it was written as a homage to corny 80s horror films. That was a great touch. However, some lines felt off. Sometimes characters would say things that didn’t feel natural. For example, I don’t think it would be typical for an 18-year-old boy to call his girlfriend “hon”. I also didn’t like Mike’s little “oh hell yeah” catchphrase whenever something suggestive happened. Talk about cringeworthy. The dialogue corresponded quite nicely to the characters’ personalities and was believable for American suburban teenagers, but there were points where it felt a bit jarring. Another thing that stood out to me as irritating is that Mike makes a pretty tasteless homophobic joke at one point and it’s not addressed as bigoted - the other characters just kind of let it happen. It’s only one short moment, but I hated it. Whilst the dialogue is quite flawed and I can see a lot of players finding its corniness annoying, it had its charms.

The acting in this game is phenomenal, and it’s clear that the actors had a great time working on it. Everybody on the cast of this game loved being in it, and believed in the project’s creative vision. The facial and physical acting is extremely well-performed. The voice acting is spot on, and they portray their young and naive characters very well. Rami Malek did an especially good job at portraying Joshua Washington, as the role had a lot of emotional range to it and I can only imagine how much work he put into that performance. I also want to mention Peter Stormare’s portrayal of Dr. Hill, which was mindblowingly intense and extremely intimidating. He is a phenomenal actor and the way he pulled off the character’s mystery and powerful aura was amazing.

Overall, while there are times that the game feels corny or unappealing in its dialogue or slightly tedious to replay, it’s very worth playing for those that enjoy horror and/or action-VNs. The very first playthrough is always an intense experience. Even my partner, who normally hates action-VNs enjoyed it purely because the horror was that effective. This game was a really unique experience, and one of the better action-VNs I’ve played. If you haven’t played it and you’re interested in experiencing a creative and wild horror plot with very interesting execution, go ahead! I highly recommend it.

[playernumberv]

Upcoming Games I’m excited for!

What better way to celebrate my love for games than by literally listing down all the games I’m eagerly waiting to play? What better way to cure my disappointment in TLOU2 than to look forward to other games that (hopefully) won’t disappoint? 

So here we go, a list of games that I’m either actively excited to pre-order and play, or at least to keep in mind and await more information about before I decide whether I’ll play it. I hope I didn’t miss out anything, but I’ll edit this post if something comes to mind that I’ve accidentally left out. Several of the games below are multi-platform games that are also releasing on the Xbox, but as I’ve noted in my introductory post, I’m only interested in the Switch and the PlayStation, and hence I’ve opted only to include the consoles I’m interested in below.

Let’s go!

1. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (N. Switch) - 14 July 2020

After something as dark and miserable as TLOU2, a nice and chill farming simulator may be exactly what I need, even more so because it’s a remake of the first Harvest Moon game I played and loved on the GBA when I was a kid. There’s something about the series that’s incredibly charming and lovable, and I’ve had countless hours of fun on later Harvest Moon (or Story of Seasons) games as well. It’s been several years since the last mainline installment, so I’m eagerly excited for this!

2. Ghosts of Tsushima (PS4) - 17 July 2020

TLOU2 (I just can’t stop talking about this, can I?) has, to be perfectly honest, shaken my faith in games - the one game I thought could never possibly fail me has failed me in the most miserable way possible. But I nevertheless await Ghosts of Tsushima with great enthusiasm, and I hope it will be a more satisfying exclusive. Trailers for the game have looked astoundingly good so far, and an open-world samurai action game simply sounds like a lot of fun, not to mention how absolutely gorgeous the rendition of feudal Japan looks in this game. I don’t expect this to be GOTY-worthy, all I expect is that it’d be a blast to play - and that’s really all I need from this particular title.

3. Marvel’s Avengers (PS4) - 4th September 2020

I’m expecting that this will just be a decent game rather than an excellent one, but I’m prepared to be surprised (and hopefully not disappointed). Really, though, an AAA Avengers game is a must-play for me even if it’s just sub-par. I’m going in with no real expectations - to expect the game to do better than the well-established MCU seems to be a fool’s dream. As long as it’s decent fun, I’ll be content!

4. The Legend Of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV (PS4) - 27th October 2020

Of the remaining games this year, Cold Steel IV is probably the one I’m most hyped for. I love this series - it’s an extremely compelling and fascinating JRPG, with a gigantic cast of characters who are all very, very charming and likeable. I love JRPGs, and I daresay this shines as one of the best JRPG series out there. Cold Steel III was my personal GOTY last year - I don’t believe it was reported to be GOTY in any official outlet, since it’s such a niche game - and I absolutely had a blast on it. It ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that has left me yearning for more ever since, and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on Cold Steel IV.

5. Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4/PS5) - 19th November 2020

I think it’s no understatement to say that this is the gaming community’s most anticipated - or should I say, breathtaking - game this year. It’s on this list, but realistically, I probably won’t play it. I get severe motion sickness from first-person games, regrettably. However, CDPR is of such renown that even I cannot ignore this game - I’m closely watching it, and pondering the possibility of enduring literal nausea in order to play this absolutely monumental game. 

6. Bravely Default 2 (N. Switch) - TBA 2020

I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m a huge fan of JRPGs, and I damn near screamed when this was announced for the Switch during The Game Awards 2019. The 3DS is a treasure trove of excellent JRPGs, and ever since the Switch was launched, I’ve been eagerly anticipating Switch versions of many JRPGs I loved on the 3DS. Bravely Default is one such game. Boasting a charming art style, an excellent turn-based battle system, and music so good that one could die for it, Bravely Default is truly a gem in the world of JRPGs. Bravely Default 2 is exactly the kind of game I bought a Nintendo Switch for, and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on this one.

7. Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS4) - TBA 2020

The Yakuza series is an excellent masterclass in storytelling, but I have mixed feelings about a sequel. Yakuza 6 has wrapped up Kiryu Kazuma’s story to utter perfection, and I’m not sure whether a sequel starring other characters will be quite as charming. That being said, Judgment blew me away with its incredulously well-crafted detective story, so much so that I ended up liking this spinoff more than any Yakuza game. If the same hands that crafted Judgment are making this follow-up to the Yakuza series, I trust the studio to surprise me pleasantly.

8. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) - TBA 2020

What more needs to be said, really? Marvel’s Spider-Man is perhaps the most accomplished superhero video-game ever. In a year (2018) of gigantic games such as God Of War and Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man nevertheless stood out with an excellent superhero story written with the joyousness and intensity of a classic Marvel movie, accompanied by well-designed game-play that was a lot of fun. It is a truly generation-defining game, and I absolutely cannot wait to play its follow-up (sort of) on the PS5.

9. Watch Dogs: Legion (PS4/PS5) - TBA 2020

Honestly, I didn’t like the previous games in this series at all. However, the concept behind Legion seems genuinely creative and fresh, and hence I’m willing to give this a chance. Certainly I will not be pre-ordering this, but if it turns out to be decent, I’d surely give this a purchase post-launch.

10. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (PS4/PS5) - TBA 2020

Again, the previous Assassin’s Creed games have been either hits or misses for myself. I’m not much a fan of Ubisoft-style open-world gameplay, although it does the job well enough to make for decent fun. Valhalla looks fascinating based on early trailers, though, so I’m definitely keeping a lookout for it.

11. Kena: Bridge of the Spirits (PS5) - TBA 2020

I don’t know enough about this game to be certain if I’ll be playing it yet, but suffice to say that its announcement trailer really charmed me. I’ll be keeping a lookout for more information about this game for sure.

12. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (PS4) - TBA 2021

I only got introduced into this series with Ys VIII a few years ago - and what a wonderful game this was! I couldn’t help feeling like I’ve lost out from not being acquainted with this series for so long. Ys VIII took the trope of being “trapped on an island” and executed an amazingly gripping narrative based around this. I remember buying Ys VIII purely because I had nothing better to play, and I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. Unsurprisingly, I can’t wait for Adol’s next adventure in Ys IX.

13. Tales of Arise (PS4) - TBA 2021

It’s been 3 years since the last mainline Tales of game (Berseria, which happens to also be my personal favourite in the series), and I’ve eagerly awaited a new installment to this series since then. I love JRPGs with all my heart, and the Tales of series - with its charming skits, endearing characters, and enjoyable storylines - is one of the series I’ve loved for a long time. Regrettably, it was recently announced that Arise would be delayed due to COVID-19, but whenever it does come, you can be damn sure I’m playing it at launch.

14. Horizon Forbidden West (PS5) - TBA 2021

Horizon Zero Dawn is a heavily acclaimed video-game that I personally didn’t enjoy as much. I thought the story was a little dull and couldn’t seem to get into it. Even so? I’m incredibly excited for its sequel. I do hope to be more engrossed by its narrative the next time around, but if nothing else, the game just looks too bloody gorgeous (yes, yes, I’m superficial) for me to not be excited to play it. Good Gods, how do graphics that good even exist!?!? And I even thought that graphics on the PS4 were already absolutely gorgeous! Just give this to me and melt my damn eyes already.

15. Pragmata (PS5) - TBA 2022

This game looked seriously fascinating, not dissimilar to how Death Stranding looked fascinating and intriguing as hell. Again, too little is known about this game for me to have a clear opinion about it, but whatever little we know of Pragmata suggests that this could be an incredibly unique and innovative game, so I’ll be keeping a lookout for more information about this one.

16. Returnal (PS5) - 2020

Another game which I don’t entirely have a clear opinion of yet, but which heavily intrigued me with its announcement trailer. At this point I don’t have much to say about it other than that I’m looking forward to more information about it, so let’s see how this one turns out.

17. Scarlet Nexus (PS5) - TBA

This honestly looks unexpectedly excellent. I love the anime-style graphics in this one, and the game-play looks flashy and entertaining as well, though there’s not much information on its story currently. I’m not quite ready to say that this is a game I’d pre-order yet, but I’m keeping it in my radar since it seems like exactly the type of game I’d love. 

18. Shin Megami Tensei V (N. Switch) - TBA

At this point, it’s a little hard to be hyped for something which I know next to nothing about... but realistically? Come on, it’s Atlus. I waited an eternity for Persona 5 - and look how completely, utterly, and mindblowingly good that turned out. I know without any doubt that I’d be playing this at launch whenever it does release. Given the complete lack of any information on this game, my hype levels are currently rather dormant - but you can be damn sure that I’d explode with hype when Atlus finally gives us some more details about this game.

19. Bayonetta 3 (N. Switch) - TBA

I enjoyed Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. So I’m going to play Bayonetta 3. That’s... all there is to it, really. I don’t think the games are particularly special or meaningful - they’re just fun. And honestly, that’s all games need to be sometimes. Not every single game needs to be a narrative masterpiece or a phenomenal accomplishment, after all.

20. Untitled The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel (N. Switch) - TBA

BoTW was indeed phenomenal, albeit just a little overrated in my opinion (this is probably where I ought to put up shields against pitchforks). As far as game design goes, this game is truly revolutionary. It’s quite literally breathtaking - the world feels genuinely organic, and there’s a sense of freedom its open world grants that few if any other open world games manage to replicate. I do feel that the game would have been even more compelling had it been accompanied by a stronger narrative (I acknowledge however that story isn’t the point of these games), but regardless, I cannot deny just how good the game design here is. Whenever its sequel comes, it has earned a day-one purchase from me.

21. New Story of Seasons (Probably N. Switch?) - TBA

Nothing is known about this game other than that it exists. For the same reasons that compel me to play Story of Seasons - Friends of Mineral Town, I’d very likely play this game whenever it hits. In fact, part of me is even more excited for this than for the remake. The remake is primarily an enhanced version of an old game, after all - I’m very interested in seeing what new things they bring to table with this one.

22. Project Athia (PS5) - TBA

Since this is a Square Enix title, I predict that we probably wouldn’t be hearing anything about this game for another eight years or so, at which point the actual title of this game would finally be announced as Final Fantasy Re:Birth HD 3.14159, with a change of director to Tetsuya Nomura. Jokes aside, I was blown away by the teaser trailer of this game shown during the PS5 event - in fact, of all the games shown at the event, this was the one that got me the most hyped. A potentially-compelling female protagonist in a gorgeous-looking fantasy world with magic and monsters? Honestly, say no more. I’m pre-ordering this and playing it at launch.......... when it releases in 2050, probably.

23. Project Re Fantasy (???) - TBA

Of the five games I’ve given a 100/100 to, Katsura Hashino was involved in three of them (I know he wasn’t directly involved with Persona 5 Royal, but I think it still counts since he directed Persona 5), so you can imagine just how much I respect this guy’s works - and you can also imagine just how much I love JRPGs in general. We know nothing about this Project other than that it exists, and god knows how many years away this is from release. More importantly, I simply cannot wait to see what Katsura Hashino would do in a fantasy context. The Persona games are fundamentally rooted in magical realism, and Project Re Fantasy marks his first (if I’m not wrong?) foray into a true fantasy world. I simply cannot wait to see what he’s going to do. In fact, the mere fact that Katsura Hashino is in charge of this project is enough to earn my complete trust. I have absolutely no doubt that this game will be phenomenal (then again, I said the same thing for TLOU2 and look how that turned out...).

24. Final Fantasy VII: Remake Part 2 (PS5) - TBA

This isn’t formally announced yet, but we know it’s coming eventually. I very much loved Final Fantasy VII Remake - it wasn’t perfect, but it was really enjoyable despite its flaws (I say this as someone who has not played the original Final Fantasy VII). Being a JRPG fanatic, I think it’s unsurprising that I’d enjoy this, and it’s even less surprising that I’d be painstakingly waiting to see what comes next.

25. Sequel to God Of War (PS5) - TBA

This too isn’t formally announced yet, but it’s also pretty obvious that it’s going to be announced eventually. God Of War is, to understate its excellence, a revolutionary reinvention of the series and the genre. The game-play is quite possibly the best I’ve seen in any action game, and that’s just the icing on the cake with a narrative so thoughtfully written and nuanced. God Of War was generation-defining, and if its sequel builds on this, I have no doubt that its sequel will define the PS5 as well. That being said, my excitement is tempered  by anxiety too. A good start doesn’t guarantee a good follow-up, and it cannot be taken for granted that the sequel will be as good as God Of War is. Only time will tell, only time will tell.

This post ended up being a lot longer than I had planned (I’m out of steam writing this whole chunk of words), but it has been rather therapeutic typing this list out and reminding myself that there’s a lot more to look forward to. Until then!

[caliboyjaeffrey]

Crowded (Jinho x Reader)

Rating: PG-13-ish, with some suggestive themes

(A/N) Ayyy it’s been awhile peanuts! Sorry for not uploading regularly, my second semester is winding down and finals are arriving so I have to really buckle down and study! I thought I would give you all a little something something to bide you over until summer comes for me next week lol So, here’s some fluffy w/ some smol spice: JINHO AKA MY PENTAGON BIAS AND HIGHKEY THE MOST ADORABLE AND DADDY-ISH PIECE OF GLITTER THIS SIDE OF THE GALAXY SERIOUSLY HE IS SO TALENTED AMAZINGGGGGGGG. Anyway, please enjoy! 

You'd never thought in your whole life about leaving your small town, nestled in the tall green mountains of the countryside. You were content to stay there and live out your days, maybe start your own shop, become a teacher, grow a garden...who knows, the possibilities were endless. At least, your little naive brain liked to trick you into thinking like that.

Maybe you wanted more.

Your town was hearty and practical, close and tight knit like a brand new sweater. You knew every person's name by heart, and have grown up with the people your age since day one. You'd thought to yourself many times, you'd probably marry and grow old with one of the boys you'd met in preschool. But that all changed when Jo Jinho and his family came tumbling in one hot summer with bright eyes and warm hugs. Of course, the town had met them with the same enthusiasm, happy and ecstatic to have brand new faces after so long. People thought they were there for vacation away from the great bustling city they called home, but shocked everyone when they said they were going to stay. You'd been in your senior year of high school then, their son Jinho a year or two older than yourself. And you were completely head over heels for him. He seemed like a whole different breed of boy from the other country bumpkins who courted you. Not to discount them or their sweetness, but Jinho was something sophisticated, modern, and new. Nothing like you'd ever seen before in your small town world. You lived on the tallest hill in the town, and nestled right at the bottom of it was Jinho and his family. You rolled your bike past his house every evening after school, and he would be sat outside, singing softly to himself and throwing you a shy smile whenever he caught you looking. That's how it started out between the two of you, slow and shy, glances and small conversation, discrete touches and excuses to have one another over for dinner. Then one day you found yourself wearing your prettiest dress and sandals outside in your yard with a glass of lemonade, Jinho suddenly popping up from the hill out of breath. He had given no indication at all as to why he was there, simply collapsing on top of you and pressing the lips that you'd only dreamed about for weeks onto yours. You remember your drink slipping out of your hand and bouncing on the springy grass, trickling down the sides of your leg and soaking your dress. You couldn't care less as you wove your fingers through Jinho's soft hair and tasted everything you'd never had in your life. Jinho had easily swept you away from the other boys of your town and made you his, news traveling fast in such a small place. Both sets of parents could already hear wedding bells and you'd only been dating for a year. Now that you had graduated high school, you weren't sure what exactly you were supposed to do. Jinho, for all his knowledge and worldliness, always suggested staying right where you were. He dreamed of starting a family with you and maybe opening up a shop, a small farmer's market. "I have that picture painted in my head," he would murmur against your neck, lips pressing to your skin like a brand, marking you as his. You'd hum, eyes closed as his hands traveled across your bare skin on one of those rare nights where he would spend the night with you, not sleeping until the sun rose. "But what about being a singer, Jinho?," you'd turn to him, eyes wide and hopeful. That's when he would sigh and smile wryly, "I just don't know if I'm good enough for that to happen." It always broke your heart to see Jinho not believe in the fact he was incredibly gifted, his voice something crafted by gods. He could croon the sweetest lullabies and belt out the highest of notes, no one in any of the towns over could match him. Before his family moved away from the city, Jinho had planned on auditioning for one of those big fancy entertainment agencies that groomed shiny, perfect performers. You didn't want to see a perfect Jinho though, because to you, he already was. Why ruin something that was already fine? "But why not try to audition? Like you said you were going to before you moved," you smoothed your hand over his lean chest, placing a kiss over his heart as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky. He looked down at your quizzically, quirking an eyebrow that you could spot in the white lunar light. He rolled over and pinned you underneath him, trying to regain control of the conversation, "Don't you realize what that means though? If I were to audition and make it, we'd have to move to the city. Leave everyone behind." You could feel every spot where his skin pressed against yours, burning into your body, "I wouldn't mind, because it doesn't have to be forever. I've never been anyway and it's always interested me. I've only ever seen skyscrapers on tv, Jinho, I want to go at least once." He smiled at your words, leaning down and kissing you on the mouth softly, "How about I think about it?" You nodded, lacing your fingers with his, whispering against his lips, "I just want your dreams to come true, Jinho. I want you to do what you love." Jinho felt himself melt at your words as he murmured, "You're my dream, baby girl." You blushed and turned away from his intense gaze with a smile, unable to respond to his genuine adoration. He knew that you felt the same way though, knew that you cared just the same as he did. With cool fingers, his hands trailed to places that weren't so innocent, making your cheeks go rosy for a different reason. His soft voice was playful and teasing, laced with something like lust, "And I do what I love." He kissed down your body, gazing up at you through his lashes, his eyes erotic and dark, "I do her quite often actually." And mindblowingly well too, if you might add.

A few weeks had passed since that conversation and you thought Jinho would never bring it up again. One morning, though, over breakfast and coffee, he cleared his throat and took a deep breath, "I bought two train tickets." You looked at him, confused and lost, "Train tickets...?" It dawned on you suddenly, eyes growing big and mouth stretching into a grin, "Train tickets?!" He nodded sheepishly, chuckling as you rushed around the table to leap into his arms, "We leave early tomorrow. My audition is in the evening that day, so we can't dilly dally." "I can't believe this is happening," you smiled, cupping his cheek affectionately and kissing his nose. "I'm so proud of you, baby." He blushed, but you knew deep down he was eating your praise up, "Let's just hope I do well." "I know you will," you laughed, then smirking at him suggestively as you settled into his lap, "I know you do a lot of things well." He mirrored your smirk, thumbs already tracing hypnotic circles on your thighs, "I think I need some practice before tomorrow though." You leaned in and placed light kisses on his jaw, flushing when you heard him sigh in appreciation. You couldn't wait for Jinho to audition tomorrow, everything felt so right and nothing could possibly go wrong.

The train ride there had been slow and quiet, picturesque views lolling you to sleep until you woke to your boyfriend shaking you. "Wake up, ______," he murmured with a smile, his eyes already weary looking. You were stunned by the sights that met you when you exited the train station, the city was absolutely blinding. Never in your life have you seen so many people, feeling like a single grain of sand on a beach. "Jinho...," you whispered, taking a hold of his hand. "It's so..." "Crowded?," he offered, already tugging you along down the busy street. "Amazing," you replied, eyes wide as sauces as you gaped and gasped at sky scrapers and wonky looking modern art. There were so many sounds, sights, and smells, you almost had sensory overload. "The entertainment company isn't too far away," Jinho said, his grip on your hand secure as his head swiveled around to read different street signs. "It's called Cube something or another, so look out for that." "Cube. Gotcha," you affirmed, nodding at his words and only half listening as you admired everything around you. You and Jinho walked for a few blocks, stopping once at an incredibly aesthetically pleasing cafe for you to grab some coffee, before you reached the agency. Cube Entertainment looked fashionable and sleek alongside the other buildings of Gangnam, blending in seamlessly with its surroundings. "There she is," you sighed, stopping with your boyfriend in front of the building. "There she is," he echoed, tightening his grip on your hand before leading you inside the glass doors. You were both greeted by a handsome receptionist, looking straight out of a magazine as he cheerfully hailed, "Welcome to Cube Entertainment, do you have an appointment?" Jinho let go of your hand for the first time since the train, your fingers cramping as you realized what a death grip he had had on you. You couldn't help but see the way his hands shook as he slung off his backpack and pulled out some papers, "I do. A private audition? Under the name Jo Jinho?" The receptionist looked him up and down with a scrutinizing eye, obviously none too impressed with your boyfriend's appearance. Your blood boiled, making you lean your cheek protectively against Jinho's shoulder as the man looked over his papers and searched him on the computer. Maybe your boyfriend wasn't a giant beanstalk or over six feet tall, but that didn't mean he couldn't kick someone's ass. You huffed, but Jinho looked down at you with a tired smile, calming you instantly. The receptionist spoke up, "Ah yes, I see your name scheduled here. Right on time as well." The man walked out from behind the counter, gesturing toward a corridor, "If you'll follow me Mr. Jo." You went to make a move with Jinho when the man suddenly stopped you, "I'm afraid she'll have to stay outside of the building. Auditions are a private meeting." You instantly felt distressed and so did your boyfriend, who turned to you with a brave face. His voice was uncharacteristically softer than usual, "You'll be okay, right? I'll have my phone on me no matter what, alright?" You nodded, your lip trembling like a child's as you leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll be fine. I'm a big girl after all." "That's my girl," he smiled, leaning down to kiss you chastely. "I love you. Call me if anything happens." "Okay, I love you too," you murmured, watching as Jinho trailed after the man who looked far too annoyed for his own good. You took a deep breath, turning to walk back outside of the entertainment company's building. After the strange quiet of the reception room, you were wholly unprepared for the cacophony of noise that greeted you as soon as you walked out. Construction, car horns, loud music, people talking, it was a madhouse of sound that assaulted your ears and made your pulse quicken. You felt incredibly alone without Jinho with you, and overwhelmed. "Jeez," you mumbled to yourself, searching for someplace that might offer you refuge from the noise for the time being. You don't think you could stand outside the building for one more moment. You searched frantically up and down the street with your eyes for some sort of cafe or shop you could stay in. You decided to try a hip looking cafe that seemed to have a lot of people your age hanging at it. You walked inside hurriedly, having crossed the street at a sprint because cars began to honk at you for accidentally jay walking. You weren't even sure how crosswalks worked entirely, so you had just decided to book it. You couldn't even begin to imagine what Jinho would have done if he saw you do that, he'd probably would have had a stroke. You squeezed into the cafe, heart sinking as you realized how crowded it was. You had no other choice though, it was either this or the chaos of the street, and you'd rather take your chances here. You looked around for a table, finding one suitable enough for you and plopping down there. You weren't sure how long Jinho's audition would last, but he would call you most likely when he was done. No biggie, right? You weren't usually this clingy, but for some reason you felt incredibly anxious not having your boyfriend beside you. Your head was pounding and heart racing as you tried to take in everything that was happening in the cafe. Baristas were yelling behind a counter, coffee bean grinders screamed loudly, and people chattered in a mindless manner underneath all the noise. You took a shaky breath, eyes beginning to tear up as realized it was just as bad in here too. You don't know what your thought process was, but you gathered your things with blurry eyes, intent on leaving this place. You let out a small sob as you ran out of the cafe, looking wildly up and down the street for the Cube Entertainment building. Suddenly, the building had disappeared and nothing looked familiar anymore, everything was blurring together and looking the same. Your heart raced, tears streaming down your face as you ran down the street. You could call Jinho, but what if he was singing? This was his dream and you didn't care if you had a panic attack in the middle of traffic, so long as he could do his audition. You wouldn't call him, not until he called you. You kept running, gasping for breath as you realized you were in a park now. The welcoming sight of trees a beacon in the hurricane of sensations. You collapsed behind one of the tall trees that lined the sidewalk of the park, your back leaning against the scratchy bark was a comfort. You couldn't stop crying though, no matter how hard you tried to plug your ears, the sound wouldn't go away. You were suddenly hit with an idea. You rummaged through your bag, pulling out your headphones and popping them into your ears. You pulled out your phone and plugged them in, searching quickly to find what you were looking for. The moment you heard Jinho's voice come through the speakers, you calmed down. You were playing a recording you had taken of Jinho singing at your last birthday, his voice smooth and happy. You wiped at your tears, wanting them to stop, wanting to be stronger for your boyfriend. You couldn't help but bury your face into your hands, wanting above all for Jinho to help you.

After what had felt like hours, your phone began to ring, and you woke up from your numbing trance to see your boyfriend's name on the screen. You answered instantly, voice cracking as fresh tears of relief spilled down your cheeks, "J-Jinho?" "_______?! Where the hell are you?," he asked, his voice full of worry. You bit your lip, realizing how angry he sounded as you stuttered, "I don't really know. One moment I was at a coffee shop and the next I ended up in a park-. Please Jinho, I'm so scared and I don't know where to go-" "Stay right where you are," he commanded, curt and short. "I'm coming to get you." "Okay," you replied, but realized he had already hung up on you when the line started beeping rhythmically. He was completely furious no doubt, but what were you supposed to have done? It was probably twenty minutes before you saw Jinho walking down the path, eyes frantic as he searched for you. He looked like a wreck, clothes and hair askew and his bottom lip worried between his teeth. You instantly ran toward him, coming out from your hiding spot behind the tree, "Jinho!" "_______!," he gasped as you leaped into his arms, holding you in an iron grip. He buried his face into your neck and you felt the moisture of his cheeks as tears fell down his handsome face as well. "I was so scared Jinho, I'm so sorry," you wept, digging your fingers into the soft folds of his sweatshirt and relishing the fact he was there with you. "Why didn't you call me?," he exasperated, holding you out at an arm's length. "I told you-" "I know," you stopped him, looking down at your toes in shame. "But I just couldn't Jinho, I didn't want to ruin your audition!" "Nothing matters more to me than you," he said firmly, his eyes hard as he cupped your face. "Not money, not a stupid audition, not anyone else." You smiled, kissing him once on the mouth before pulling away and looking at him earnestly, "And that's why I didn't call you. Because you matter the most to me, Jinho, and that includes your dreams." Your boyfriend looked at you with eyes so wide they swallowed you whole, he looked completely shaken by that statement. He pulled you close again, his lips brushing against your ear, "Thank you, baby girl." His voice was soft as velvet, "You're the first person to really believe in me." He kept you there, his arms on you tightening, "I have good news." You held him just as tight, toes curling in anticipation and smile already spreading wide, "And what's that?" He finally leaned back, looking at you with eyes full of happiness, "I passed the audition. I've been put into a project called Pentagon. It's still not definitive and we can't tell anyone but-" You cried out in joy, Jinho picking you up and spinning you around as you both laughed and cried again. You grabbed your boyfriend's face and peppered it with kisses, connecting your lips to any exposed skin. The kisses started out chaste enough, until Jinho got it in his head to take control of it himself. Soon his tongue had slipped into your mouth and the kiss was no longer innocent. You let out a small sound of surprise, making his hold on you tighten. He pulled away with a groan, looking down at you in adoration and lust, "Baby, I need-" You were already nodding, tugging him along, "What hotel were we staying at again?" "Already on it," he replied, his grip on your waist tugging you close, so you were never too far away. With your exhaustion gone and joy pouring from your heart for Jinho, you decided that some celebrating was definitely well deserved. And he certainly deserved a reward or two after his audition...and for all the trouble you have him.

[thetechnews24-7-blog]

Overlooked sound configurations: Digital minimized tape An account of digitalization, Britpop, underhanded promotions, and, at last, better beer.

The rise and fall of the advanced smaller tape remains a healthy lesson for tech titans—it demonstrates how you can get about everything right, yet still bomb gravely. Like Britpop, whose 1993-1996 prime parallels DCC's short life, the arrangement ascended with much buildup, a couple brags, and a nervy advert or two....only to fall because of an impeccable tempest of showcasing intrigues, tight-fisted PRs, and sparkling new opponents.

In one route in any event, DCC was an extremely overcome move—in the former decade, Dutch combination Philips had effectively propelled the billion-offering CD design, in addition to CD-ROMs, and the start of CD-I. Obviously, the sum total of what this had been done in conjunction with Japanese Sony. However for its computerized tape wander Philips suddenly chose to desert Sony and entered a totally new union with a best in class Japanese firm: the Kadoma-based Matsushita (the Japanese mammoth that is currently known as Panasonic).

Their joint mission was to make an excellent advanced recording medium that would be moderate, in reverse perfect, conceivably convenient, helpful both in recording studios and locally—but additionally be a configuration that punters would have the capacity to purchase prerecorded tapes for; ideally in the a huge number of record stores that then still existed.There are two fundamental reasons why Philips didn't simply pick to push its fresh out of the plastic new CD-Rs as a definitive home/studio organize; right off the bat CD was just 16-bit—not exactly appropriate for the most noteworthy of hello there fi, or for the all the more requesting outside the box studio. Also, besides, CD-Rs then were still genuinely costly to make, and mindblowingly costly to purchase, notwithstanding when bought discount at expert studio stores. A studio design once disclosed to me how he chose to cut some CD-Rs for his better half's birthday—a gathering of their most loved tracks, normally—path back in the mid 1990s. The cost now for a clear CD-R can be as low as 2p for every unit. The cost then, including the copy, was an eye-watering £200 (nearer to £450 in this day and age)— and that was for only a solitary CD-R. A decent CD copier could cost you thousands in those days.

DCC appeared the consistent approach to bring top-quality sound into the world's front rooms—with a framework that could even now play the countless simple tape tapes that shoppers officially claimed around the world, and which they and their folks had been utilizing since the 1960s.

So in what capacity can old-style tape ever be computerized? The appropriate response is very straightforward. Computerized data is recorded or "set down" onto the attractive tape as digi code, much the same as it is engraved onto a layer on a CD or DVD. The player then peruses the code off the tape as it goes through the heads, and translates it over into a sound music stream.

The tech was truly great for the time. The 18-bit computerized tapes had two stereo sides of four tracks each and were up to a hour and a half long. The decks themselves could even now play ordinary tapes that may have been purchased 20 or 30 years prior.

Furthermore, DCC recorders could track from an advanced source utilizing the S/PDIF standard at 32KHz, 44.1KHz or even 48KHz. When recording from simple, it must be at 44.1 and, on account of the low tape speed—4.8 cm for every second, according to the old tapes—the bitrate that could really be accomplished was to some degree limited.To attempt and compensate for this, Philips made another sound pressure codec, like MPEG-1 Audio Layer or mp1. It was given the moniker PASC (Precision Adaptive Sub-band Coding). PASC could bring down the bitrate of a CD recording of, say, 1.4Mbps directly down to the immeasurably diminished bitrate of only 384Kbps, a genuinely amazing pressure rate of roughly 4:1.

Numerous intellectuals even trusted that PASC yielded a superior nature of sound than the 5:1 pressure accomplished by the ATRAC pressure framework utilized by Sony's new MiniDisc design (more on that later). Philips fanboys would brag that a DCC recorder could recoup all the missing information from a DCC tape regardless of the possibility that one of the eight sound tracks was totally muddled, or if the majority of the tracks were totally mixed up more than 1.45 millimeters of tape.

The DCC tape itself was indistinguishable in size to the more established organization, with the principle distinction being that it just had spool gaps on one side, in addition to it had a perfect sliding steel way to secure the tape when it wasn't in contact with the deck's two nine-track heads—which recorded and played back the computerized data that the deck then transformed into sound signs.

Furthermore, the subsequent sound could be really damn great, if on occasion somewhat cool. I saw one DCC deck being utilized for mixdowns for the Britpop band Panic at the Acid Jazz studios in London's Denmark Street in 1995—and this was, I later discovered, a transitory stop-hole measure on one specific end of the week. Be that as it may, even this demonstrated DCC's potential; no genius studio in those days would have even considered a mixdown to a conventional cassette.So, what turned out badly with DCC?

Hello fi makers, for example, Marantz, Optimus, Technics, and America's Radio Shack quickly joined Matsushita and Philips in turning out an assorted scope of DCC decks—and the Spanish TV advert (installed above) for the last's first machine brought on a tad bit of media discussion with its, ahem, innovative utilization of normal substances.DCC propelled in late 1992 with significant record marks, for example, Warners and EMI being allured into issuing a genuinely extensive variety of prerecorded DCC tapes—everybody from Diana Ross to Lou Reed to the then-energetic new young men U2—and things quickly looked ruddy. There was a whirlwind of a couple of thousand deals, and some response on the "prosumer" studio advertise. Philips looked set to make a fortune. Be that as it may, cash, entertainingly enough, turned into its first obstacle.

The principal issue to hit DCC recorder deals was the general population's response to the cost—just into four figures in today's cash. The DCC playback-just decks were less expensive, actually, yet a non-recorder invalidated the general purpose of the activity for most hello there fi oddities and music mates—and positively for anybody with a free or home studio. In the mean time the UK was itself blundering towards Black Wednesday, a subsidence, and loan costs of 15 percent. A terrible time for a private company, similar to a studio, to get cash. The costs far from sham Britain were lower, obviously, however even in the US the value spread of the DCC range was a genuinely weighty $600 to $1,700.

This underlying stun was aggravated, in the UK in any event, by a foolhardy bit of advertising penny-squeezing. The showcasing men were regularly hesitant to give out—or even loan—the main influx of DCC recorders. To give one case: at the time there were nearly 75 full-time, low maintenance, and independent writers keeping the IPC music titles out and about, these being NME, Melody Maker, and Vox magazine. These mags had add up to retail offers of more than 350,000 (when the last paid issues of NME hit the newsagents a year ago, their flow had dropped from quarter of a million to well under 25,000). Assist deals went to opponents, for example, Q, Mojo, and Word. The majority of these had by then swelled into vast productions that surveyed the entire media field—singles, collections, gigs, books, recordings, movies, PC recreations, and hello there fi.Yet the PR men Philips enlisted grudgingly apportioned an amazing aggregate of two audit DCC decks for the entire of IPC and its staff and specialists. In the event that Philips' turn specialists were attempting to get music and way of life journos to truly cover the new stable sensation they were doing it in excessively tightfisted a way.

Besides, DCC decks soon started to get a terrible notoriety for head-obstructing. In the event that you were simply playing DCC tapes things ordinarily wouldn't be excessively dangerous with the playback head, however cleaning it needed to occur increasingly regularly. Or, on the other hand on the off chance that you adhered to utilizing old simple tapes then, once more, things were tolerable.

In any case, the general purpose of the DCC deck was that it could record carefully and after that play computerized and simple tapes; yet when you did that and exchanged tapes consistently, you could wind up utilizing a head cleaner on a hourly premise (I compose from intense experience). Some portion of the issue was that the record and playback heads were fixed, as with a simple deck, which gave more prominent strength yet brought on more drag and a greater development of oxide—which is the reason the staple of expert sound studios, DAT recorders, utilized a turning drum helical output framework similar to those that been utilized by VHS and S-VHS players. DCCs utilized astounding tape obviously—Philips got that privilege—yet even the well done will inevitably lose rust as tapes get worn and, with DCC, they appeared to get worn speedier.

Another, lesser, misfortune came when punters found the most difficult way possible that DCC decks never should be demagnetised—and on the off chance that you used a tape demagnetiser, the heads would normally be harmed or even discounted.

These issues could have been overcome if the field had been clear—and the business figures higher—however they weren't on the grounds that, for all intents and purposes from the begin, DCC had a genuine opponent: Sony and its new MiniDisc format.Just as VHS wasn't exactly in the same class as Betamax yet won the race, so MiniDisc, with its constrained ATRAC pressure framework, wasn't generally up to DCC's measures in entirely sound terms, yet at the same time triumphed. Also, however MiniDisc wasn't in reverse good with anything, it was a considerable measure littler, less expensive, and speedier. As a magneto-optical circle based information stockpiling gadget, it had no enormous cleaning issues either.

The light that consumes twice as splendid...

In the most recent week of November 1995, amid the HCC Dagen PC expo in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, Philips exhibited the DCC-175 convenient recorder, a machine that could be associated with any IBM-good PC utilizing a connection link. The DCC could be controlled by the PC and it was, as it were, the trailblazer of each.