#needed about 5 more mins of screen time for each costume | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pasteljeon · 5 years

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Nymphet Garden: Prologue

Prologue: White Heather - Calluna vulgaris is a flower native to Northern Eurasia and America with a history of being very versatile as it was used in nearly everything from household items like brooms and baskets to flavoring drink like beer. The plant is immersed within Scottish folklore as they believed that the soft blossoms only grow where faeries have been and that owners are blessed with good luck and protective powers. It means that ‘wishes will come true’ and that is what happened when the boys met you.

➟ Based off this request: I’d like to request a multi-part fic with the reader being a solo!idol and the bts boys perhaps being big fanboy of hers? I’d love to see your take on this. I’d love some down and dirty smut too please! from @/stxrlxghtsora

➟ Summary: He was just a fanboy, they got dragged into it, and so blooms your love story.

➟ Pairing: OT7/Reader, non-idol!BTS, idol!Reader

➟ Warnings: uhh, this is basically a short smutfest with a loose plot (reverse ynwa style), including, but not exclusive to: switch!reader, switch!ot7, overstimulation, oral (m&f), edging, cuckholding, bondage, breathplay, daddy kink, noona kink, some hot jealous fucking, 3somes

➟ Length: 6.8k

➟ In collab with @/sugarcookiesandsins - please give her some love! ♡♡

➟ Notes: We spent a literal 8 hours on this first part sdhjsk we hope you all enjoy and look forward to the next parts! The following chapter will be posted on Jae’s blog, @/sugarcookiesandsins so please keep this in mind! Links will all be reblogged.

“Please.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Hyung!” Yoongi groaned, throwing his head back to glare at Jimin who eyed him hopefully from across the couch. The boys were already crowded at the door, shoes on and looking rather excited themselves despite their reluctance earlier that week. Jimin, the source of exposure, had his hands clasped together and amber irises blown out pleadingly. They were practically glowing, and it was lethal, at least, to everyone except one Min Yoongi .

“Just get Taemin to go with you guys. You know I hate public places and that venue is going to be packed. I can’t stand another twenty thousand you’s screaming in my ear,” Yoongi grumbled.

“I’ll get you that new studio equipment you wanted,” Jimin wheedles. His bank account would suffer, but it would be worth it if Yoongi went to the concert. Having the iconic Bangtan Ensemble was what he wanted, after all, for attendance at his favourite idol’s concert tonight. Besides, he had spent good money on these tickets. He could have used it to replace the speakers in his dance studio or his worn sneakers, but no. He had single handedly paid for 7 front row tickets, and damn it to hell if he wasn’t going to get his money's worth.

The aspiring composer squinted at the younger suspiciously, but Jimin only beamed back at him. “Please, hyung? I really want us all to go together!”

With a drawn out sigh, Yoongi swung his legs over the couch and grabbed his jacket. “Fine. But you owe me. I better see that ASR 88 sitting in my room by the end of the year.”

Jimin winced inwardly but nodded eagerly. As long as he got all of them to go, then any future pain would be worth it. Besides, he was sure that after that night, Min Yoongi would be thanking him for dragging his ass to this concert. “It will, don’t worry.”

Twenty minutes and a bus ride later, Jimin still couldn’t believe that he was actually here, standing a couple feet from the stage where his future wife would soon be singing your her heart out. He had their wedding planned and everything, she just didn’t know it yet. Looking to his right and left, he was happy to be surrounded by his closest friends, even though he knew that what he had promised some in exchange for their attendance may be a little out of reach for his. He would deal with that later and focus on the now. Besides, there had to be extra shifts he could pick up at work to make up for the huge dent in his expenses.

Suddenly, any stress he had melted away as the familiar piano of your intro played over the speakers of the venue. The screen on stage lit up as the video began to play. He had seen it so many times, Jimin could probably watch everything with his eyes closed, but he still kept them locked on your features as you played your role in the video, your skin looking softer then it had ever looked on either his phone or his computer. The screams never stopped. The boys were sure they were going deaf wincing as pitched voices echoed around them. Still, they were at a concert. What did they expect?

Jimin had been lucky enough to snag tickets to the GA area and they rushed in to secure a position at the front. Camping was prohibited so it was a fight to the death to get into line as early as they were permitted. They lounged around on the ground, joking around as they patiently waited for the actual performance to begin.

It was almost an hour later when you came onstage yourself, decked in the familiar attire from your debut song. The boys shot to their feet instantly. It was an upbeat tempo that got everyone dancing and screaming the lyrics as you executed the choreography to perfection just like Jimin had seen in live performances.

Taehyung was jumping up and down next to him, yelling something indiscernible over the roaring of the crowd. “What?” Jimin yelled. Taehyung pulled him closer, shouting, “She’s really good! Where can I buy her album?”

Jimin grinned, telling him he would send the link when they were home. One down, five more to go. Taking a quick sweep around, he spotted Namjoon and Hoseok jamming out near the barricade. Seokjin was nodding his head along to the beat enthusiastically to the right of him, and even Yoongi looked impressed in spite of his reservations earlier. Jungkook was hooked the moment you walked on stage and opened your mouth. The music major was a sucker for a voice as angelic as yours, his jaw dropping so low Jimin feared the fireworks would fly right into it. He smiled to himself. Jimin 1 : Bangtan 0.

The concert ran for two hours, though there were breaks in between where you were offstage changing outfits and videos promoting your tour theme ran on screen, or you’d walk forward and speak to the audience. Jimin swore his heart stopped beating when you knelt in front of him, smiling directly at him as you sang a line to one of his favourite songs off your older albums. God, you were perfection. You sent him a heart and he swooned, mouthing an I love you. Jimin ignored Taehyung’s boisterous laughter, having noticed the exchange.

“You’re so whipped for her, Chims,” Taehyung cackled. Jimin flushed, still singing along.

He still didn’t forget to check his phone periodically, eyes flying to his notifications at every vibration in his pocket. Before the concert, you had done a vlive during the soundcheck when you announced the raffle that would make one group of people very lucky indeed. In between songs, you explained to an enraptured crowd that you would be drawing for the winners of backstage passes. Those that purchased in groups of 5 or more tickets were grouped together and solo purchases were randomly assigned to groups. Thankfully Jimin had purchased all seven tickets so when he checked the website, he was happy to find them all together in group number 713. He had watched the entirety of the livestream, including where you draw from a hat that was part of a costume set.

“... 713!” He swallowed. “Um, Tae?”

“Hmm? Yeah?” Taehyung said absentmindedly, eyes glued to the screens as a new teaser began to play.

“We won,” Jimin said slowly. His palms slickened and he shoved his phone into his friend’s face, his knees already quivering at the thought. “We’re going to see ___! Backstage! In person!”

Taehyung blinked at him uncomprehendingly. “Oh fuck!” Jimin screamed. His voice was swallowed easily by the crowd but now he could barely focus on the remainder of the concert, feeling dizzy and feverish.

“What’s going on? Is he okay?” Seokjin yelled over from the side. Taehyung smirked, making an O with two fingers and shoving another into it, eyebrows wiggling.

Jimin stepped on his foot so hard Taehyung had to squat and massage it for the entirety of your next song. The 95 liner sighed happily, returning his attention to you, eyes glazing over dreamily.

Jimin was practically vibrating with equal parts fear and anticipation. “Oh fuck, oh fuck,” he whispered, pacing before the door. “This is really happening. Oh fuck!”

Namjoon placed a hand on his shoulder, concerned. “You alright there? Should we leave?”

“NO!” Jimin almost shouted. “No,” he said again, shaking his head furiously. “I need all of you there. Besides, we won together. It’s not just me.”

“Don’t worry so much hyung,” Taehyung grinned. “Chims is just excited to meet my future wife.”

If he wasn’t in public, Jimin would have tackled him, but instead he just shot him a glare that could burn hotter than the sun. “It’s not good to lie, Taehyungie.” His voice was sickly sweet saccharin, that Taehyung knew he would be sleeping with one eye open for the next couple days. He had been witness to Jimin taking revenge on Jeongguk for breaking a speaker, and there was nothing he had wished for more than to be the last person in the sights of Park Jimin.

Before anyone could say anything to diffuse the situation, the security guard they had shown their tickets to came out from behind the door with 7 pases dangling from his hand, lanyards colored to match the tour’s theme with writing indicating both your name and the name of the tour in bold letters. Behind laminated plastic were the very things that Jimin had dreamed about: backstage passes. He had read enough fanfiction to imagine a lot of things, each one riskier than the last, painting his face a bright red. Clearing his throat before speaking, he grabbed one once the security guard held them out. He flipped it over in his hand multiple time making sure it was real. Finally assured that it would not get ripped from his hands, he pulled it over his head letting it hang where everyone can see it.

“Miss ___? Your guests are here.” The guard knocked on an ajar door, the mirrors and rows of clothing indicating it was probably your dressing room. Jimin choked on his own fucking saliva when you turned around from where you’d been speaking to a staff member. You were patting yourself down with a towel, wiping off sweat from your neck as you walked forward.

“Hello! I’m ___. It’s wonderful to meet you all,” you said warmly, voice melodic though a little raspy from exertion. You’d changed into casual clothing and removed the heavier aspects of your makeup, caring less about your appearance than how comfortable you were. Shit, you were even more beautiful barefaced. Jimin tugged at the collar of his shirt, the room suddenly stifling.

“H-hi! Your name is Jimin!” He stumbled over his words, immediately wanting the ground to swallow him whole. Great. The one time I meet my all time favourite idol and I fuck it up. Go figure. He groaned inwardly. “I mean - My name is Jimin,” he gulped. “And it’s really such an honour to meet you.” He nearly smacked you as he stuck out his arm.

You giggled, eyes crinkling as you regarded the man. His hair was tousled, looking like he’d run a hand through his thick locks several times in anxiousness and you noticed his body trembling slightly, fingers shaking as he shook your hand. He wet his lips, plump and pink and you concluded he was quite handsome.

In fact, all seven of them were. The one next to Jimin let out the deepest laugh. Ah. You noted. One of those whose face did not match what you’d expect his voice to be. “Don’t mind him, he’s just extremely nervous. I’m Taehyung, this idiot’s best friend,” he said cheekily, stepping up to take your hand next.

“Namjoon. Your performances were lovely. I loved the lyrics. Did you write them?” He looked like he wanted to take notes at your response.

“Hello, I’m a thief and I’m here to steal your heart.” Cue windshield laughter. “I’m Seokjin, but everyone calls me Jin.”

“H-hello. I’m Jungkook. I really like your voice! And um, your dancing. It was all very good.” Heavy blushing.

“I’m Hoseok! Your choreography was sick! What kind of concept are you going to be using for your comeback?” This one had the sunniest grin, making you recoil just a bit so you could shield your eyes from the blinding effect.

“Yoongi.” He didn’t say much, but you could tell it was his natural character. He was quiet throughout the entire exchange, though his eyes were sharp and watchful as he examined you.

Jimin, bless him, was still fluttering around awkwardly, clearly wanting to convey everything he’d been harbouring for years now that he had an opportunity, but he kept tripping over himself and ended up staring at the ground for most of the conversation, looking disappointed and frustrated.

Namjoon and Hoseok chatted animatedly with you, discussing choreography and the elements of music like mixing and editing. From what little they knew, you also composed most of your own songs.

Seokjin cracked jokes here and there, Taehyung popping in periodically and Yoongi simply listened attentively. Jungkook spoke timidly, asking a few burning questions and his smile was surprisingly sweet, bunny like and bright.

Forty minutes into their visit, your stylist tapped you on the shoulder, murmuring something as she passed.

“Ah,” you said apologetically. “It looks like our time is up. I really enjoyed meeting you all. Best of luck with your own careers! And,” you paused. They looked at you inquisitively. “I hope to see you all on the billboards one day. From the sound of it, you all have immense talent and potential.”

Taehyung nudged Jimin frantically, jerking his chin at you. “Do it now!” he hissed.

“U-um. Please, will you sign my album?” Jimin thrust it in front of you with trembling hands, bowing his head deeply.

He almost regretted his question as you turned to him and unleashed a wide smile that could put Hoseok's to shame, at least in Jimin’s eyes. He was the cutest of the bunch with his rosy cheeks and nervous habit. “I would love to,” you said with a grin as you motioned to a staff member to bring you a marker. Once the black ink was in your hand, you proceed to make your signature on the cover of the album, directly below the tite and accomapnying infomation. Below that you wrote a cute message. ‘Thank you for coming to my concert cutie!’ with a little heart and kiss.

It was simple enough, but Jimin felt his soul leave his body as you gave the album back to him, fingers grazing each others’. Smiling again at him, you got up and enveloped his body in a hug, a small gift for being a fan as well as a farewell. Jimin thought he would die of happiness again as Taehyung brought him back to reality by poking him in the side. You were hugging him! Over your shoulder, Jimin saw Taehyung motioning to your body and he understood the message. He wrapped his arms around your frame, squeezing a little. You pulled out of the hug a moment later, still with that smile as you said your goodbyes. Jimin could only stare, eyes dreaming of you as you said your departing words to the others.

On the way home, Jimin lay limp against the window, letting the cool glass dispel the heat that he felt after leaving the venue. He was still on an adrenaline high after the backstage experience. The other boys were in various stages of drowsiness after the concert since it had run late, not including the time that they spent with you backstage.

Still, all the boys were feeling the same symptoms. Doctors have termed the disease ‘idolstruck’ as most seem to become infected after meeting their idol. They were all lost in the image of your smile as you talked to them, face illuminated by the lights of the venue. The same smile that someone has when they are doing what they love. The boys were truly happy for you, and they were happy for themselves for agreeing to go with Jimin to this concert.

They had heard him a million times squealing from the confines of his room and knew the reason behind it. Still, they had left it alone, not really bothered by Jimin’s fanboying unless he spontaneously decided to take over the living room big screen to curl up on the couch and watch you participate in variety shows. They would walk in to see him smiling stupidly at your image on the television as it reflected in his eyes. Previously, they would all just shake their head and walk out, but now they were considering asking him if they could join him. They went home silently, and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit pillows.

Until the sun came up, they dreamed of you, angel eyes and all.

The next morning, not a single person was awake before noon as they took advantage of the weekend and slept in. Still, hunger affects the strongest of us, and soon enough the boys made their way into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they planned the quickest strategy to get back to bed. Almost as it it was magic, they locked eyes in the kitchen and burst out in smiles as they thought of the reasons they slept like the dead. The first one was your concert, and all other items on the list were only subpoints to this main header.

“Did that actually happen?” Jimin was the first to voice their thoughts, he was still sporting sweater paws as he had not worked up enough to care that he had slept in another boy’s shirt, not that anyone else was too quick to call him out on it either.

“It did Jimin,” Namjoon may have also looked sleepy, but he was still more awake compared to the rest of the boys since he had gotten a whiff of the coffee he was making.

“That was amazing. She was amazing.” Jeongguk was still hung up by the memory of your voice. Sure, he had been forced to listen to it with Jimin, but he had always put it down to really, really damn good vocal editing. He was in awe last night when your voice sounded exactly like the songs on the album as well as your ability to belt out the lyrics while still keeping up with choreography that was fast-paced and technique oriented.

The coordination with your back-up dancers made Hoseok's eyes shined as he remembered a 5 minute period when you demonstrated a difficult section that he liked, laughing as you recounted memories of mistakes that left the boys unsuccessfully stifling their laughter at your predicament.

“Hey Jimin.” Seokjin hid his face behind a mug of tea as spoke, half in embarrassment and half in relief as the tea woke him up slowly. “Can we have a variety show marathon tonight?”

The week following passed by in a blur. The boys consumed your content like Jungkook drank banana milk - every chance they got, they were glued to their phones, laptops, TV to watch you laugh, dance, sing and talk.

“Guys,” Namjoon said solemnly. “I think we have a problem.” It was Friday, with all the boys sprawled over couches and lying on their stomachs as your newest Run! episode played on screen.

The past few days had been stressful. Jungkook had finally finished the demo he’d been fretting over for his final project with some help from his hyungs - though they fared no better. Yoongi and Namjoon poured over a new collaboration with an indie artist that had just signed them, spending hours cooped up in their studio. Taehyung had all but disappeared, travelling to different ends of the city for material on his photography initiative. Seokjin had been on and off as well, working for his father at his company whilst finishing his Master’s. Hoseok and Jimin were instructors at one of the best dance studios in the city, but Jimin had recently taken up a part-time job at a nearby cafe to pick up some extra cash to fulfil his end of the bargain for Yoongi.

“Hyung, I think we’re addicted,” Jungkook said absentmindedly as he reached for the bowl in the middle of the table. Various snacks were poured into it, and given the state of their lean, well-muscled bodies, they could afford a day off. They burned through calories quick enough as it was.

“Holy shit,” Jimin exclaimed, interrupting their conversation, leaping to his feet. His eyes widened as they flew across the screen of his phone. “She’s holding a contest. Guys, this could be our chance to see her again!” His heart fluttered at the thought, beating fast.

“Contest?” They flocked him like birds, jamming together instantly. Even Yoongi dragged himself over, looking mildly curious.

“It says you can either do a song or dance cover. There’s a winner for both. The prize is being able to shadow her for the production of her new music video!” He explained, showing them the post on her Instagram. “It’ll give us a chance to see what it’s like to film in a setting like that and how the whole process works!”

Taehyung perked up. “You think they’d let me shadow the filmmakers instead?”

Jimin nodded. “They’re usually in the same room so it’s up to you really. You can ask about the editing process, maybe they’ll let you in on that as well.”

“Let’s do it.” They stared at the speaker in shock. Yoongi shrugged. “What? It sounds like a good opportunity. She’s part of a pretty big entertainment company. We could check out the equipment.”

Seokjin cackled. “Like you’re really going for that. I saw your browsing history and I’m pretty sure you have more tabs saved on ___ than Jimin at this point.”

The composer flushed hotly under the disbelieving looks his friends shot him and scowled at the older man. “It’s for science,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “Obviously.”

“Uh huh,” Hoseok said skeptically. “Didn’t you fail science in fifth grade?”

Yoongi hissed at him. “Fuck off, Hobi.”

“Let’s split up,” Jimin suggested eagerly. “Tae, Jin, Yoongi and Namjoon can do a vocals cover. Hoseok, Jungkook and I can do a dance cover.”

“Is there a limit to how many people can win?” Namjoon asked doubtfully.

“Nope, just everyone that was involved in the production.”

“I’m in,” Jungkook offered. Taehyung agreed readily. They all turned to Yoongi.

He sighed loudly.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Fine, you little fuckers. I’ll go along with you but if we lose, don’t come crying to me.”

Jimin ruffled his dark tresses, pushing back his bangs as he chewed his lower lip nervously. He whirled around the cafe, picking up plates and delivering dishes. One hand rested on his pocket periodically, as if anticipating the buzz.

“You okay there?” Jimin turned to Kai, a barista and an old classmate who eyed him with amusement from behind the counter. It was near closing time, clients trailing out as the hour ticked by.

He nodded quickly. “Yeah. I’m just waiting for the results. They’re supposed to come out today.”

“Ah,” Kai made a noise of understanding. “For ___’s contest right? Coups mentioned something about that. I think he entered too.”

Jimin clutched his phone tighter. Shit, if his other friends were contestants, they had to start praying. They were all extremely talented.

His phone vibrated quietly in his hand. “Good luck,” Kai sang as he picked up the disinfectant to start wiping the counter down.

Jimin gulped, swiping left.

Congratulations Jimin! Your cover is the winner of ___’s Shadow Set contest. Attached are the forms and details to the event. Please ensure all members of your group have completed these prior to attending.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

“Holy sh - ”

“So who were the lucky winners?” You hummed, looking up from your laptop. Your manager walked in, handing you the rundown of the shoot’s schedule.

“Who else? I knew they were something special.” She laughed but agreed. Sifting through the documents, you smiled down at the papers as Jimin’s voice played through your speakers.

“Jimin!”

“Hobi-hyung!”

The two ran at each other, jumping into a hug as they screamed incoherently at one another. “We won!” Hoseok promptly broke into a dance, grinning widely.

A groan. “Not this shit again.” But the dance managed to wrestle the composer down before he could escape. “We won hyung!”

“Yep, heard you the first time,” Yoongi muttered, rubbing his ear.

“I’m going to see her again,” Jimin said excitedly, eyes glimmering as he did his own little victory dance as he raced to print out the forms for the boys to fill out. The others were not as vocal in their excitement (except for Taehyung and Hoseok), but each was excited in her own way to see their favorite idol outside of there screen of electronics.

You sadly stood in the center of your practice studio as you finally got a break from the events of the day. It had been business as usual as you entered to the chatter of your back up dancers and the staff. Following your usual breakfast of a smoothie, you set up in the center of the room to practice the new choreography for your next mini-album. The company had decided to try a new theme this time to test the proverbial fan base waters.

Most of your themes had been powerful messages of believing in yourself or softer ballads that accompanied pastels and picnic. For the first, and maybe last time, you were doing a sexy themed performance. It was darker than before too, the lyrics angstier and centered around heartbreak. There was plenty of couple dance routines mixed in with the floor technique and your outfits were no less sexy. Plenty of fishnet and shorts with crop tops, that you had mixed feelings about. On the plus side, you would no longer be sweating buckets during performances; skinny jeans and t-shirts were hotter than you’d think when dancing under the lights. Still, you were still relatively on the younger side of the age spectrum, and thinking of the revealing costumes still made you cringe. Either way, you were starting to enjoy this new persona, it was confident and powerful.

Still, it seemed that it would have to be pushed back. One of the main dancers had broken their leg and was out of commision for a month or so. He was your main partner throughout the choreography and it would difficult to get a new dancer to replace either a back-up that moved forward to to replace the main. Not only that, the dynamic had to be pretty comfortable between partners or the flow was choppy. She had danced with Kyungin since she first debuted, so even if they were not partners before, they still knew each other to be comfortable with some of the choreography.

__ didn’t want the release to be affected by this set-back but it seemed like they had no choice.

“What do you want to do?” Your manager had pulled you to the side as the crew continued to set up, though slower as they waited for your decision.

“We don’t have anyone on the call, do we?” You tapped your chin thoughtfully. She shook her head ruefully. “No, but I should’ve. This is on me.” Then your eyes trailed to the boys at the side.

The seven boys had come trotting in obediently, lead by your manager, wide-eyed as they took in the logo of your company in big illuminated letters. This was the same sign they had seen in the background of every choreography video they watched, mesmerized by every twist and turn of your body and particularly interested in the moment when your lose shirt flew up when you jumped. Boys would always be boys.

You giggled at their expression, the small sound pulling their attention to your form. You had ended practice only moment ago, moving away from the new to practice the old as most of the staff went to the hospital. Thus your form was glistening with sweat, much like the night you first met them after to concert. Making you way over to them, you snagged your water bottle from a nearby table to replenish yourself.

You many be an idol, but you were still a woman so you felt their eyes very clearly on you as you tilted your head back to allow the cold liquid to run down your throat. You felt their eyes trace a stray drop that had escaped you mouth as it ran down your skin, tracing every curve and dip, much like men did with the woman they loved.

You smiled devilishly. Maybe this contest would be more fun than you thought, especially with these boys around. This concept had introduced to the character of the dominant female, and it was starting to become you more that you would ever care to admit.

Then you realized the reason they were here; they wanted to see the life of an idol, to shadow you with this next comeback. Now, with a dancer missing, you wondered if there was even gonna be a comeback. Unless….you took a long time looking at the boys who you had dubbed mentally to be the dance line.

You had seen their submission, they were very good at what they did so perhaps you could give one special treatment. You turned to you manager and raised an eyebrow? Tilting your head in their direction. The boys were silent, watching. The three who were under scrutinization sweated. Something serious was up if the managers expression was anything to go by. Looking back and forth between you and the boys, you manager nodded once, so quick it would be easy to miss, before stalking out the door towards the elevator. She had things to discuss with the CEO.

On the other hand, you turned to the boys with a smile and motioned for them to follow you. The eight of you walked through the halls towards the large conference room. You would be taking them to your personal studio, but the Shadow Contest was now up in the air after the loss of a dancer, so you still had to protect the interests of the company. The answer that you manage got would determine the future of these boys.

“You’re sure about this? You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” you told him gently. Jungkook shook his head, smiling. “I want to, ___-noona.”

Oh. Oh, you liked that very much. “Okay. Let me call over my choreographer and he can teach you the steps for the first part that we’re filming today. It’s not too intense or long. Do you think you can learn it in the next three hours?”

At that, Jungkook grinned. “Definitely. I’ve done worse, trust me.” He shrugged off his sweater, passing it to Hoseok. Underneath, he wore a plain white tee that shifted as he moved. Mmm. It surprised you to noticed that he packed some hard muscle, visible through the thin material. He was lead off centre, where they set to work immediately.

“Yoongi, Namjoon,” you called. They stood to meet you as you approached. “Would you guys like to meet my producers? I heard they’re working on something new today so if you’re interested, I can take you there.”

They looked at you, mouth agape. “No way, seriously?” Namjoon was the first to recover. “Please, that would be such an honour.” Yoongi nodded rapidly. You gestured them to follow through a separate door.

Jimin glowered at the youngest from where he sat with Taehyung, pouting. “Why didn’t she choose me?” Hoseok had wandered over not long after to observe Jungkook and the choreography.

“Because you’re too short pabo,” Taehyung flicked his forehead. Jimin sighed, melting back into his seat. He fiddled with Jungkook’s jacket, looking a bit put-out.

You returned shortly, and with your own outfit on for the video shoot. It was definitely more revealing than any of the outfits the boys had seen you in before. Even the makeup did not make it any better with a red lip and smoky eyes that made you more alluring. Combine that with your stage presence and it was a lethal combination to anyone remotely interested in girls.

You noticed the look on Jimin’s face and wanted to pinch his cheeks. The sweet boy was pouting as he clutched onto the jacket Jungkook tossed his way. He looks unbelievably small and child-like with his pastel sweater contrasting the leather of the jacket which looked big on his frame.

Smiling softly, you made a guess at the reason behind his disappointment and smiled at the jealousy. It was no secret that he was your biggest fan among the boys with his name always being used for the group as a whole. You walked towards the two men, grinning as they met your gaze.

Jimin smiled at you, red-faced as he dragged his eyes up your legs and torso, to stop on your face. Taehyung, though not as physically prone to show his feelings, still tensed at the sight of you in front of him. Since the concert, he had looked into you more and fallen deeper into your fandom, even dabbling in fanfiction as he cuddled his pillow, pretending you were the one there beside him. You would be the one greeting him when he came home, you were the one that made him coffee when he stayed up late to complete assignments.

“Having fun boys?” Both felt shivers run down their spine at your voice. It was smooth and sultry, the kind of voice that suited the theme perfectly. They could only nod in response, too distracted by your charisma.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m still me.” You grineed, teeth on display. For a second, __ the idol was gone and was replaced with __ the girl. This was the you the boys loved, the personality they saw on the variety shows with her twinkling eyes and kind heart. The girls who was not afraid to laugh or get messy in the kitchen having the most domestic of argument debating how much water should be added to the rice pot. This was the girl they saw when you looked at them and this was the girl they fell for when you appeased their fears, sitting next to them dishing out bad jokes that put a smile on both their faces.

Your stylist ushered Jungkook in a chair and you watched rather amusedly as she fussed over his hair, applying light makeup and rifling through the closet for clothing his size.

He changed quickly, tugging on the suit and smoothing over the wrinkles. You cocked your head, drinking him in. “You look good.” Jungkook blushes. “T-thank you.”

“Nervous?” You asked. He nodded, looking a little overwhelmed. “I’ve never been in a professional shoot before. But,” he hesitates, peeking up from his lashes to peer at you shyly. “I’m glad it’s with you, noona.”

You wanted to coo at him, he looked so sweet smiling up at you like that. “Thank you for doing this. We really appreciate it.”

He reddened, rubbing his neck. “I’m glad I could help.”

“Ready?” The director called. Jungkook nodded at you, retreating to the shadows as he waited for his cue.

“Take one.”

The music started. It was soft, a little haunting. You glided in, steps light as you walked to the throne set up in the middle. As the line quickened, you mouthed the first line as you took a seat, leg crossing over the other.

Jungkook strode in, one hand in his pocket, the other slicking back his hair as he made eye contact with the camera.

He knelt before you, taking your hand and dusting a light kiss onto the back of it. You tipped his chin up, the camera zooming in as you grazed your manicured finger across his chiselled jaw. You swore you felt him shiver beneath your touch, his eyes fluttering closed as your cool breath whispered across his ear.

He turned, ripping himself from you as he stood, feet planted apart and expression tormented. You snaked an arm around his upper body, tapping down the expanse of his chest. You pressed yourself to his back, staring at the camera with lidded eyes as you sang.

He twisted away from you as soon as the bass dropped. Stepping behind you, it started. Oh God, did it start. His movements were powerful, sharp and clean. His hands trailed up your legs resolutely, his hips rolling against yours. Though your pelvises did not touch, you could feel his heat through the fabric of his suit. Then the bass backed out of the tune slightly as your vocals became the center of the song, commanding the attention of all, including Jungkook. You gripped his body and brought it surely in front of you, pushing him gently to his knees as you gazed down at him, simpering at the expression on his face. The next part harkened back to your debut song as you controlled Jungkook like a puppet, your arms and his body moving in sync as his expression emulated the idea that he was at your mercy in all possible ways. Then the dynamic of the song switched again, the base entering as Jungkook took control of the situation. His popping showed him breaking out of your control as you struggled to maintain your power over him. In the most risque move yet, he turned you so you back faced the camera as he pulled gently on your hair, following his lead and the choreography, you bent backwards until you were looking at the camera upside down, still singing along to the track echoing from the speakers as his mouth came down on your neck. From the frontal angle, it looked inappropriate but he was doing nothing more than just shifting the angle of his head.

Still, Jungkook could almost feel your skin beneath his lips and temptation set to to trace the same path that the water droplet took the other day when you first met them at the studio. You were glistening the same way too, the sheen of the sweat making your skin shine like diamonds under the powerful lights. Then you pushed him back as the second verse started, already tired of dancing to his beat.

The music cut off just as he fell to his knees, the power balance shifting as you gained the upper hand. Sweat dropped from his fringe as he brushed it back, panting. You helped him up, breathing heavy yourself. Jungkook took it gratefully and gave you a tired grin. “How was that, noona?”

“Wonderful,” the director boomed before you could say a word. “No need for a reshoot. We can use this footage. Maybe even raw. Good work, ___-ah! And Jungkook-ssi, that was excellent. I should hire you permanently.” He gave a wink before whisking away.

“He’s right,” you said, smiling. “You did really great. Thank you once again. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Ah, it was nothing, really. If anything, I’m the one honoured I get to work with you,” Jungkook said awkwardly, a light hue dusting his cheeks as he looked down.

Staff came hurrying over, distributing towels and water bottles. Jungkook wandered off to greet his friends who had been watching with wide eyes. Namjoon and Yoongi had returned halfway through the scene and were now in similar states of awe.

“Guys,” Jungkook gulped. They all stared up at him dumbly. “I think I’m in love with her.”

“No shit genius,” Namjoon hissed, slightly jealous that he wasn’t the one getting to touch you. Jimin felt the same way, giving over an expression that was somehow pouty and hateful at the same time.

Hoseok could only watch the vacant dance floor, still dumbfounded as his mind failed to comprehend what he had just seen. You and Jungkook dancing together, running your hands over each other. Still, he was not the type to be overly zealous. He would get his chance when the time came. So all he could do was clap Jungkook on the back, perhaps a bit harder than necessary and shake his head. “You lucky, lucky bastard.”

Following the end of the first day shooting, your company treated everyone to dinner at a barbeque place. You had a table to yourself with the boys and more than an hour was spent eating, drinking and laughing as the boys told you more about themselves and they found out more about the girl behind the screen.

It didn’t hit the others as hard as it did Taehyung, Jungkook and Jimin, but the feeling crept on them slowly like night swallowing the day, unnoticeable until the very end. They saw the separation between the you that they saw on stage and the you that was the real you, without the managers and company and staff. This was the you that they never realized would captivate them, but you did. And against what seemed like impossible odds, they interested you.

As the boys walked home that night, Yoongi muttered a single phrase that they thought summed up the whole situation pretty well.

“I’m so fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.”

Jungkook walked straight into a pole.

#bts #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #jungkook x reader #hoseok x reader #jimin x reader #namjoon x reader #taehyung x reader #yoongi x reader #seokjin x reader #sub!bts #sub!jungkook #sub!jimin #fluff #bts fluff #non idol au

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overthinkingkdrama · 5 years

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Exit Rant: Mr. Sunshine

[This is intended to be a spoiler free review of Mr. Sunshine but it may include a few minor spoilers throughout. It’s also long as all hell. Enjoy.]

Wow, here I am with my Mr. Sunshine review and it's only...*looks at wrist despite not wearing a watch* nearly three months after the final episode aired. Totally in keeping with this blog's commitment to publishing consistent and relevant content *manic laughter*.

The truth is, even if it hadn't been bad timing schedule-wise, Mr. Sunshine was going to be a difficult drama for me to review. This drama has so much to recommend it in terms of beautiful production, epic scope, unique period setting and blockbuster cast. There is something conceptually mesmerizing about Mr. Sunshine that engaged my basest fangirl and aesthetic sensibilities, but the actual experience of watching the episodes does not live up all the premise promises. What Mr. Sunshine delivers as a drama is, paradoxically, less than the sum of it's parts.

Let's focus on the positive first.

The cast in this drama is god-tier. You're rarely going to find an ensemble cast like this outside of Chungmuro. Your first, second and third leads all can and have headlined films and dramas of their own, and a lot of the stars here (like Kim Tae Ri of The Handmaiden fame) have critically acclaimed film pedigrees.

There's a lot to say about the actors and the performances, and there's no way I'm going to get to all of it. The extended cast is large and exceptionally great, and I'm not going to be able to remember and talk about everyone by name, so I'm going to have to limit myself to the main cast.

It's really the cast that moves heaven and earth to make this script work. To the degree that sometimes it felt that each actor lived in their character and lent flesh and texture where the writing let us down. Kim Tae Ri, played Ae Shin with so much fierceness and unshakable dignity that I couldn't stop cheering for her, even when the plot sidelined her character for what felt like episodes at a time.

For many people, the rousing showstopper performance of the drama was Yoo Yeon Seok as Gu Dong Mae. Early in the life cycle of the drama I recall hearing that Kim Eun Sook got herself embroiled in some controversy because people felt that the Japanese-sympathizer Dong Mae was far too likable considering his political ideology. Some hasty shuffling was done and rather than being characterized as a bald-faced fascist, Dong Mae became more of a freewheeling mercenary gangster-type. This was a positive change in my opinion. I don't want to retread what has already been said (a lot of it by me) about Dong Mae, but YYS has never been and may never be as interesting or as sexy as he was in Mr. Sunshine, in my opinion. He plays the morally grey character with edge and blazing charisma and, if nothing else does, makes the drama worth checking out.

Information broker and enigmatic owner of the Glory Hotel, Kudo Hina, as portrayed by Kim Min Jung and (my personal favorite) and the soulful Hui Seong, born into a blood-soaked privilege he can't escape, played by Byun Yo Han, wonderfully round out the cast and are, if anything, tragic underutilized by the plot. The only person here who perhaps underwhelms is Lee Byung Hun as the titular main character. I don't have strong feelings about him as an actor or as a person one way or the other. I've enjoyed some movies he's been a part of. I do feel that visually he looks too old for baby-faced Kim Tae Ri, but I'm almost used to that kind of thing in Dramaland. His performance is perhaps meant to be restrained--nigh on repressed--but it comes off as a bit bland and wooden. Which isn’t to say he’s bad, and I feel Eugene had a lot of potential to be a very interesting character just...decidedly less interesting than everyone else.

A lot of praise has been heaped on the way this drama looks, and I will agree, it’s a very pretty show. Personally, I disliked how heavily color graded certain scenes, especially outdoor scenes were. I found it a bit distracting and it took away from how otherwise gorgeous some of the scenery in this is when the sky is tan or everything in a scene is tinted blue for some reason. But the production deserves a lot of credit for creating a full and lived in feeling world, for the beauty of the sets and the costumes, the sheer attention to detail, and the way they used all four seasons to set the tone and give you a sense of the passage of time.

And let me just state that during Mr. Sunshine’s run I was decidedly obsessed with it. I posted about it, I talked about it to my friends, I talked several of those friends into watching it with me...and a few of those people still speak to me to this day. When I start criticizing it here in a few seconds, know that doesn’t mean I didn’t get a lot of hours of enjoyment out of this drama or that I think I’m too good for this show. I’ve seen 4 of Kim Eun Sook’s dramas so far and this is easily the best one. It’s not just better than Goblin, DOTS and Heirs, it’s miles better. Is that everything? I think that about covers it.

Now for the bad stuff...

I’ve said this in the past in relation to Goblin, but it bears repeating: Kim Eun Sook is good--possibly even great--at creating singular, iconic story moments and absolute rubbish at developing a cohesive plot that builds tension over multiple episodes and pays off in a logical way. At the time I said it I was basing it off of relatively little experience with her writing, but I’ve seen the pattern repeat itself two more times since then and I’m increasingly convinced that I’m a genius.

I do believe there are extenuating factors that account for the poor pacing of her dramas. The number of episodes and the episode length might not be within Kim Eun Sook’s control and she’s not responsible for poor editing either. Both Goblin and Mr. Sunshine suffer a lot because of bloated run time, and maybe that’s the network’s fault but it leaves plot feeling thin in places, even like it’s futilely spinning it’s wheels waiting for the next important event to come along.

With Mr. Sunshine the issue wasn’t even that there wasn’t enough interesting plot or character backstories to fill 24, hour plus episodes, possibly even more, it was that at times it felt like the drama flatly refused to delve into the interesting details, preferring to leave us miserably treading water in the doldrums of the story. It felt like we had to beg and wait for even morsels of backstory about certain characters--the drama was especially mum regarding Kuda Hina’s history--while the two leads endlessly mooned over one another. How many scenes did we need to watch Eugene and Ae Shin soulfully stare at one another?

Mr. Sunshine never successfully builds momentum until the last 2 or 3 episodes of the run. And while there is a lot of lip service paid to guns and glory and sad endings, but much of the drama feels like it's milling around with hands in pockets waiting for the tragic curtain call. Even the badass sniper heroine is frequently sidelined. It feels like the story remains stubbornly in the set up phase, one step forward and two steps back. It's as though Kim Eun Sook has all of these wonderful toys--great characters, huge budget, interesting time period/setting--and she simply doesn't know what to do with them.

Consistently my frustration with Mr. Sunshine was its inability to effectively incorporate the extended cast into the plot. It feels like all characters exist in separate bubbles waiting for their turn to have a scene. Those scenes are interesting but maddeningly brief, and then they are shuffled backstage once again until it's once again time for their requisite 5-10 minutes of screen time per episode.

This problem is especially present in the main cast with Dong Mae, Hina and Hui Seong. And that is what is so deeply exasperating about this drama, because there is just enough good peppered in to keep me invested, so many great elements poorly employed. It makes one want to take KES's script away from her and take it home and fix it yourself, because you just know she's not treating it right.

When calamity comes, and it does, it feels disproportionate and somewhat unsatisfying, because the build up didn’t do it justice. The drama ends with a rousing crescendo, but it feels that the individual character arcs were never allowed to reach their full potential. I’m not one to shy away from tragedy, but it left me feeling rather empty.

I wish I could a finer point on it than that, but it’s a murky issue to me. I know I’m not connecting with the story as much as I want to, but it’s hard to put my finger on the exact reason and that just adds to my frustration with it.

I stand by my assertion that this is still the best KES drama I have watched. Thought admittedly I’ve still only seen 4 of them, this one shows the most promise and, I think, the most growth. But it’s not there yet. I don’t know if I could ever watch it again, but I’m glad I watched it once. If for nothing else for the fantastic performances of several old and new favorites. I give Mr. Sunshine an 8.5/10, which is probably too high considering everything I’ve said about it up to this point. However, it’s just too strong in terms of overall production and cast for me to feel good about rating it any lower.

#Mr. Sunshine #mister sunshine #kim tae ri #byun yo han #yoo yeon seok #exit rant #exit rave #kdrama review

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evilispretty-dead · 5 years

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so roommates part 1.2.3.

Fandom : Vikings

Shipping: ivar/Alex and Anyha/Freya (oc) Rating: M with explicit contents in later chapters Alex walked into the reading room finding somewhere to sit to get ready ready for the days seance that needed to be filmed, after about 20 mins the room field up he smiled at his co-stars as they all sat down “have you heard man their a new girl starting to day” James said as he sat next to Alex “mmm no I didn’t! do you know who she is ? And I didn’t think we was meet new characters” James snorted at Alex “they are bring back freya but I don’t know who they casted as her” with that the director walk in the room and handed out script out “is Anyha not here yet we must wait for her” 5 mins of waiting there was a knock at the door then step in an girl with long flowing dark brown hair “so sorry am late my flight got delayed” the director just look at her and smiled “no it ok Anyha it good that you made it , everyone this is Anyha and she will be playing freya” everyone said their hello and the read though was on it way. After it was all done everyone when to hair and makeup and costume to get ready for the day … Alex walk inside to costume trailer to get his Ivar costume on then slowly made his was over to hair and makeup , today hair and makeup was simple for him today just and bit of mud and having his hair slicked back nothing to big and he was happy for it . As Alex walking in to the trailer he saw Anyha sitting in the far side of the trailer nodding off in the Chair“must had a long flight” Alex voice made Anyha jump a little then smiled at seeing him “no not really, flown from Manchester so no that bad just didn’t sleep well hehe” Alex sat down next to her and laughed with her “wish I had that , I got in yesterday form Denmark” Anyha just smiled at him “well am all done so I will see you on set Ivar” she said with a wink as she walked away. Tammy that was doing Alex hair giggled “what” Alex look at her in the mirror “nothing I just know who am putting my money on” Alex blushed “you still all play that betting game still , have you won money yet ?” Tammy shakes her head to say no “so you going to tell me what you bet for” she smiled and taped the side of her nose to let you know that she wouldn’t tell “their all done” Alex got up and made his was to set where he could see that Anyha was going over her lines with Alexandria, James , marco and David “ok think I got this I really don’t want to mess this up”she laughed and Alex could hear the anxiety in it “just breathe and think that you know us all of your live” they all looked at him “Alex is right” Alexandria said as he help Anyha up to hear horse getting ready to ride in on action, everyone got to their places Alexandria and Anyha walk of the it was just Alex ,James,Marco and David left . Seance The sound of horns made the brothers look up from what they was doing in the blacksmith’s hut “who do you think that could be” sigurd said as he put done the axe he was shaping “don’t know nor do I want to know” ivar said as he carried on hit the hammer on the hot metal that landed on the anvil as Ubbe stand lean Against apost , the sound of horse got closer and closer to them “the gods you really do look like young Ragnar Ubbe” he look up at the person sat on the black horse but could not see their face , as they got down and removed the hood from the head “Freya! Gods you have grown more beautiful than that last time we saw you” as he spoke all of the brothers came to see, Freya made her way to hug Ubbe and then look at the all “how you all changed but still so the same” she hug all them but when she got to ivar her smile light up more “ hello ivar I see your eyes are as blue as ever” ivar blushed “I see you still as short as ever” fraye just stick her tongue out at him turning to look back at Ubbe “where is Björn and Ragnar I need to speak to the king and it would be nice to see Björn as well” ivar turned away to go back to his work with a sour look on his face ,hvitserk saw this and looked down “him and father are out with the hunting party so they won’t be back till later so you could stay with us and we can find something to do” “yes I could just let me go say hello to aslaug as it would be rude of me to not” she smiled taking the rand of the horse “ivar will you be compiling me as well” she smiled over her shoulder hoping that he would say yes but ivar cold voice “no” fraye smile dropped and then she nodded and walk away. End scene The director called cut and everything stopped “that was brilliant take all of you well done Anyha not bad for you first job” she blushed and looked away “now we are just going to shoot you walking about for a bit and then you all can take a break” they moved the cameras so that they could get shots of Alex and the rest of the camera crew set up for the shots of you and the other brothers walkabout as you may you way to the next set . As they was filming what they wanted with Alex ,Alex made his way to see what Anyha was shooting just watching her work was amazing “that all for today ,those of you how are staying for night shoot get some rest and overs go home” those who was leaving give hugs out as Anyha walk up to Alex he smiled “hey before you go I would like you out for drinks on Friday just to welcome you into that casted” Alex slip some paper in to Anyha hand “my number if you need to call it off” “thank you” she smiled and walk away . Marco jumped on Alex back “so what was that about ?” Alex look at him “I invited her out for drinks with all us on Friday” he wolf wished “it not like that man” Marco dropped down “yer yer , your a dog man I know you so well” he winked at him Alex shook his head ,Marco did know him well like that back of his hand. The next day they was filming when Ragnar give his blessing for Björn to marry fraye as it had been interested to ragnar after her father die back in season 2 as back then, they showed that fraye and Björn was in love each other, but later in the day they would be filming in the grand hall having a big party over the news of the wedding. James and David walked in to the food tent and they could see Anyha sat at the far end with over the ear headphones on as it look like she was going over the song she would be singing later today as she was eating her food “ do you think we should go sit with her ?” David asked James just nodded his head as they got their food then made their way over to Anyha , she look up and smiled at them taking the headphones off “hey” they sat down “hey getting the song down” “oh yer ,trying to get it right but I feel like am miss saying the words as am not good in Old Norse” she giggled “it not something they teach you in uni” they laughed “that is so to , I feel bad for you as it easy for us because most of us speak danish or have grown up around it”david said“ the own language i know is Italian” Anyha said “like don’t worry about it some of the other cast can’t , it was funny watching Travis mess up his lines”james said as he looked up as Alex , Alexandria and Katheryn walk in “well I know someone who good in old norse and singing” Anyha and davie look at him David had a small smile on his face “oh yer who” with that both James and David shouted Alex over Alex ,Alexandria and Katheryn made their way over to the table “yer” Alex said “someone need some help with norus” “oh ok what do you need help with” Anyha looked sheepishly at him “I feel like i’m just not getting the pronunciation wrong” “ahhh well I can help you after we eaten , we can go somewhere quiet and work on it” “thank you so much” everyone when back to eating and laughing about stuff , Katheryn smiled as she watch all the new young actors get along it made her happy “Anyha am looking forward to work with you in the next shoots” Katheryn said watching Anyha go all red “really it should be me saying that to all of you, never in my dreams did I think I would of been acting on Vikings” the boys watched her then it was Marco that spoke up as he stood behind Anyha as she jumped and looked like a child getting told off “why that? You know what your doing but I will say the jumpiness makes you easy to prank” Anyha turned round to look at him “am not always like this, it just that am nervous” they all laughed “well soon you won’t have to be” Alex said eyeing Anyha Alex and Anyha walk back to his trailer as she was sharing one with Maude and she was asleep at the moment so they couldn’t go there, Anyha look at Alex the spoke in a soft voice “thank you so much for helping me” “no it fine” the smiled at each other … starboy started playing Anyha pulls her phone out of the belt of her dress she was wearing “dan it kid” Alex looked at her “what up is you don’t mind me asking” she looked and smiled “so my middle sister is staying at my flat in London and she just sent me this” she showed him her phone on the screen was a picture of what look like a bean bag had exploded “oh shit that a mess” “ yes it is but I can say I didn’t think this would happen , my staffy don’t like it when I go away and he don’t like it when I send my sister to look after him” just then another pic came through and it was a picture of a blue gray staffy hiding under something “well he looks sort of sorry” “ haha blue never sorry for stuff like that but I love him to much” they walk a talked a bit more then they was at the door of his trailer “come on let this song down and then it should be dark then we back filming”she nodded as he held the door open for her “ why thankyou prince ivar” her smile hides something but Alex couldn’t see what “never been called that” he said stepping in behind her. They sat down and Anyha played the song that she was meant to be singing later today “I think this song so beautiful and just something about it I love” alex closet his eyes and let out a sigh “eivor trollabundin is a beautiful song, do you know what it about?” She looked up as him , he still had his eyes closed “funny I don’t but I would love to know just so I can bring the emotion she feeling to the song” Alex slowly opened his eyes “ it about being spellbound and that she can feel in her soul, something about a Wizard doing it but most people are not going to know that so they will think it how Freya is spellbound by Bjorn in some way” she nodded to him “ they want me to make it look like she warning off other Women but at the same time that she would give him everything, they gave me creative rights to put my feeling on it” Anyha got up and hit play on the music slowly started moving to it , Alex watch her the got up “ your meant to be sing it to him but your movements are not saying that” Alex walk close to her “may I” nodded her head Alex placed his hands on her hips and moved with her “their we go, show love but then at the same time show Björn why you will be his wife” he stepped back to look at her just as Marco and David crashed through the door “ David! You fucked it man” Alex just looked at them “what are you doing” Anyha asked looking between the boys, marco childish Grin grow “well you see” “ Marco was trying to sneak in without you seeing and Throw water at you and Alex but I pushed him down that how we ended up here” Marco shakes the water out of his hair , him and David got up and shaved each other “I have to say Anyha just watching what you did with Alex here I can’t wait to see you do it Bjorn hehe for a priestess their a lot of sin about fraye” anyha just when red “what you trying to say” with that Marco and David ran for it as they look on Alex’s face said that he was going to kill them . After everything that had happened with Marco and David they was on their way to set “you all ready ?” Anyha was humming away to herself nodding her head Seance The party was in full swing , music and laughter could be hear from outside the grand hall , the doors to the hall was pushed open as Bjorn and Freya step in all smiles. Ragnar voice called out “everyone one in two days my oldest son will marry the lovely and I must say strong fraye and I could be more happy to see this” everyone cheered “skal” , Lagertha walk her way over to her son and his soon to be wife “my son I am happy for you and fraye” she looked at her taking her face in her hands kissing her cheek “I now put my son life in your hands” fraye took Lagertha hands “I would give my life for him and I would do everything for the son of Ragnar” Lagertha ran her hand over fraye face and brushed some of her hair over her shoulder “ I know you will and I hope I get to see the day you have children” “mother !” Lagertha smiles at him “a mother can hope can she not” with that Bjorn pulled them away from Lagertha , they danced about for a bit then the song change and Freya’s handmaiden puller her away from Bjorn “don’t worry” she whipped , her and her handmaiden dancers then Freya started sing “Trøllabundin eri eg eri eg Galdramaður festi meg festi meg Trøllabundin djúpt í míni sál í míni sál Í hjartanum logar brennandi bál brennandi bál” Bjorn watch her dance about then pulled his to dance with her the other brothers got up to dance with them , ivar eyes was on freya swaying hips and she made her way to him “you know I can’t get up” he said with venom in his voice but she smiled and still taking his hands “ do you not trust me” ivar blue eyes look in to her dark eyes as she smiled before he could say something Bjorn and Ubbe pulled him up “what are you doing put me down” ivar spat “shut it ivar she wanted to dance with you” he looked at her but didn’t say a word just holding on to her as his brother let him go “see not so bad” “just this once I will let this go” ivar said in to the shell of her ear . Later on Bjorn can up to freya “my love we should go to bed” pulling her out of the grand hall End scene

Cut was called and the director when about his job leaving the cast to talk , Alex smiled as most was on about tonight “hey you still coming out to night ?” Anyha nodded her head as she undid the Ties at the Front of the dress she was wearing “oh yer I will be their” “see you at drunken imp then at 8” “never been there , I had in my head that we would been going to a club” “oh yes we will be going to the clubs but we meet their as it in the middle of where most of us live and it easy to get to” “ oh then I will see you there at 8” kanthan walk up to them “come on Anyha we got to have some photos done then we can go” Anyha smiled as she walked away from Alex and the rest of the cast , Alex watched as kanthan play with some of her hair and push her hearing them laughing as the walk off “so everyone drunken imp 8 tonight” he said as he walk of to his trailer to get ready to go home .

Anyha looked at herself in the mirror playing with her hair getting it to sit in the right place “their that looks good” slipping on her heels she smiled and walk to the door… at the pub she looked around to try and see someone but couldn’t see them but then she heard Marco laughing and followed the sound of him , walking up to the table some one wolf whistled at her “damn girl” kanthan said pulling her into a hug “ you look amazing to Kanthan” kanthan spines Anyha around so she could get a look at her in her black jeans and blood red low cut top the hole outfit hugged her in all the right places , a cool voice spoke behind them “Anyha what you drinking?” Looking at him he didn’t look like Alex with his hair down , black leather jacket and skinny jeans “Ermmm shock me” she winked at him with that a evil grin made it way on to his face “Alex don’t think about it” Marco said outing his hand on Alex’s shoulder “don’t know what your talking about man” and with that he was on his way to the bar “hope you can drink Anyha because Alex like to try and make people sick” a sexy smile played on her lips “oh I can drink, I used to drink called the grim reaper most people drank it at the start of the night coz it get you fucked” sit in down with everyone they chatted as Alex made his way back with a tray of shots “take your drink , oh James said he will meet us later something about the wife” everyone grab a shot “skail” knocking back the drinks everybody was having fun . Alexandria girlfriend walk over to Anyha “hi am Alexandria girlfriend” “hi Anyha nice to meet you” the girls chatted for a bit “so who thinks we should go to that new club oh’Riley’s” “I heard it could some good officials and bar staff do tricks or something” Marco said everyone was happy to go “let me tell James that we will be their” making way to the club the boys was messing about and the girls was just chatting as the made their way “ so why didn’t all the cast come out ?” Anyha ask “oh they had night shoots to night but they may come out later” Marco came running back to them and grab Anyha putting her over his shoulder “I got her man” Anyha was hitting his back as he ran off with her “Marco so help me god put me down” “oh no Alexandria ,alex when did authstan get to her” everyone laughed as he span around making her scream “put me down!” “My wife I will save you” Alexandria said making a grab for her but Marco moved running off some more , then out of nowhere Travis was holding her upside down Marco span round to say something but dubbed over laughing “father for save yet again” Travis had his arms around her middle making her fold “Travis you're my hero but could you put me down” but be for he put her down there was a stinging pain in her ass as Maude slapped her ass “ahh fuck knife hands” Travis put her down and she straightened up and brushed her in to place “well that a nice ass to touch” she giggled as they saw Anyha red face , Katheryn saved her by hitting Travis “she a baby don’t spook her off” she grabbed Anyha and walked off “sorry forgot to let you know it their way of welcoming new people” “no no I get that I just don’t know how to act about it all” they could see the club come in to site, marco and Alex was messing around as the walk up to the club “hey do you have vip booths here?” The door supervisor nodded “good” with that they went in but as Anyha want to walk in sorry mama boss says your not aloud in” Anyha look at him all confused “but I never been here” “oh but I know you to well Anyha” stepping out for behind the door supervisor was a man with short ginger hair and green eyes with a shit eater smile on his face “ fucking Kyle O’Reilly what the hell are you doing here” “ that no way to talk to your old boss is it miss king” Anyha jumped at him and hug him “ so what make you vip now” still holding her up with his hands under her bum , his head tilted up to her “yes vip me now hehe just started working on Vikings” she smiled down at him. Letting her drop to the flood “well then Vikings come in and if miss king here can still do her old bar trick I promise that you can all drink free for a year and have free vip” the cast cheered but that meant now all the pressure was on anyha , she glared at Kyle as if he had just kick her dog but then stopped as some hands crept around her waist and head laid on her shoulder “Anyha I think you can do it , I don’t know what it is but I know you can do it” Alex cool and husky voice spoke in her ear marking her shiver as he spoke “ok Kyle your on but I want it filming that you promise” with that Kyle nodded and walk back in to the club and the cast followed him . At the bar Kyle stored behind he watched Anyha as she looked the bar over “will it hold me and you know my rule” “ yes and yes clean bar means clean tricks , dirty bar means dirt tricks or in your case no trick” he said as he wiped that bar down “dirty tricks I would like to see that” Marco shouted out , Anyha eyes flashed evilness as he look at him then her eyes was back on Kyle “ok some one film this please all of it so he can’t get me done” she giggled with that she started to take her shoes of as Marco filmed “Kyle o'reilly ask Anyha king to do her old tricks that she did when she work for me and if she can do then it means the cast of Vikings get free drinks and free vip for a year” he said in sarcastic Tone of voice , shaking hands with Anyha she hope up on to the bar as he poured her a shot “1st do my elbows have to touch the bar?” She looked at him “yes” Anyha huffed “fuck this may go wrong” the shot glass was put behind her ,with a stretch Anyha leaned back in a crab putting her hands on the bar and lowered herself so that her elbows touched, taking the shot glass with her mouth pushing back up so that she was back on her hands and flipping over knocking the drink back “done” loud shouting and wolf whistles happened she did a little bow , another shot was pored and put behind her “this one wins the free drink for a year and don’t forget to drink it when you do the handstand” “yer yer boss” Anyha said with some sassiest shaking her arms out “do I have to do this with the snap?” Kyle look up at her and his face said yes with a huff she she did a walk over bit stopping in a yoga postures with one leg straight and other was bent over her head , taking the drink in her mouth the straight leg touched the bar and with one snap movement she was standing again holding the shot glass in her hand “fuck you kyle” she smiled handing him the glass “ well iris lied to me and you win” Anyha drop to her knees “what you still talk to my baby sis” nodding his head “she sometimes works the bar in London for me , money for her” smiling at him she looked over shoulder to see shocked faces at what she had just done if you can do that I want to find out more of what you can do” Marco said winking a Alex , Alex just looked away from her with a little blush on his cheeks.

Anyha smiled as he when to hope down from the bar but looked at the floor “this will hurt” she said under her breath Alexandria and David was their to help her down “thankyou” anyha said “it fine” putting her shoes back on it was Alex that drop to his knees to do up her shoe for coz she was fighting with it , smiling down at him “you don’t have to” “ I have a sister so this is nothing to me” he smiled up at anyha standing up to his full high this was the first time she got to see how tall he really was. Her breath stopped as she looked at him “thank you” looking away from him The drink started flowing a lot faster when they got sat in the vip bit , Alex sat next to anyha now and then his hand would brush her leg but she didn’t think much of it, Marco kept looking between them that would go back to his chat with Travis “well look who showed up”

#so roommate #part 1 #part2 #part3 #ivar lothbrok #ivarxco #alex høgh andersen #fanfic

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guardianofjunmyeon · 7 years

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I’ve Got You (part 15)

Pairing: Jongdae x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Canon AU, Smut

Description: You work for SM as it’s public relations specialist, and Jongdae is one client that you have to deal with far too often. Sometimes though, he isn’t all that bad.

A/N: I lied, the smut is going to happen next chapter, i got distracted with Jongin lmao

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21.

The sight of the sheer number of messages takes you off guard and you find yourself quickly hiding your phone in your lap. You look across the table to see if the other boys caught wind of your utterly obvious and plain weird behavior. Minhyuk is busy looking at his own phone (thank the heavens), but Jongin gives you a look that makes you uncomfortable. Strange. He’s acting…strange.

What the fuck is Jongin hiding?

“What’s wrong?” he asks with a lift to his voice, unfitting of the question, that immediately puts you on edge. He knows something. He knows something and you don’t even know how to pull it from him without being too obvious.

“Emergency,” you say smoothly. You hold up your locked phone with its black screen. “I’ll be back. I need to make a few calls.”

He rests his cheek on his palm and smiles knowingly as you scurry out of the door. The breath you take in is shaky. Fear fills you. At what the messages contain. At what oblivious-ass Jongin has knowledge of. Maybe it isn’t about Jongdae. Maybe he thinks you have a different secret boyfriend.

God you wish.

You sit at one of the tables outside and open the string of messages you received with a pounding heart. As soon as the messages appear you sage in relief.

Most of them are pictures. Selfies and scenery from throughout the day. Between every few pictures there’s words describing what he was doing.

He sent you updates while he was with Minseok.

Something inside of you tugs miserably as you read his words.

Jongdae:

>I got you a really pretty jacket! I told Min it was for me:3

>Update: he didn’t like the jacket I bought:(

>We’re waiting in line waiting for food and im bored, why aren’t you answeringgggg????

>helloooooooo

>wah! I see you and jongin! Stop annoying the mascots you nerds

>youre having more fun with jongin than you ever do with me, im jealous

>meanie

>And youre ignoring me. Youre the worst girlfriend in the world

>I’m kidding, you’re amazing. I<3u don’t hate me

After that it’s just cute pictures of him and Minseok and a few creepy grainy pictures of you Jongin and Minhyuk laughing behind one of the 400 people in Batman costumes. The heart in his last word message admittedly makes you feel…some kind of way. He wasn’t serious when he sent that why are you acting like he just proposed to you?!

You hold a hand to your racing heart and take in a breath before calling up the man who’s spent all day sending you messages even though you haven’t responded to a single one. Maybe you are a terrible girlfriend.

It rings for a long time and you assume he won’t answer (as he probably shouldn’t because you’ve been a shitty girlfriend and wow you can’t believe you actually missed all of his messages) but right before it goes to voicemail he picks up.

He huffs into the phone but says nothing.

You sigh. You deserve this. “Hi…” you murmur softly.

“Oh you managed to find time to talk to me now?”

Excuses roll off your tongue as soon as you hear his voice. “I can explain ok! So I put my phone in my bag as soon as we were leaving the hotel because I didn’t want it to get stolen or anything, right? And I didn’t think that I needed to check it. You didn’t even look in my direction this morning so I didn’t think that you’d even send me anything so-”

“Wait, I thought you wanted me to ignore you. Wasn’t our whole plan to not be caught around each other? Limiting interactions was your idea you know.”

“Yeah okay but-”

“Is that a whine I hear in your voice? Aw my baby wanted me to talk to her. My heart is fluttering.”

“Stop teasing me you-”

“Don’t worry baby. I always want to talk to you. I had to try so hard to pretend you weren’t there.”

You bite down on your lip to keep from smiling. Why is he so good at making you feel like mush? “Don’t call me baby. I’m older than you,” you mutter childishly. His laugh rings in your ears bright as ever and suddenly everything in the world feels right. The heart from that one message he sent you surfaces in your mind once more. You wonder if he was using it lightly, or maybe it was a casual way of...saying those three words without actually saying them.

You’re afraid to ask him.

“Are you still with Jongin? I want to see you…”

You shake away your thoughts and look inside the pizza place to see both Jongin and Minhyuk eating away at the food you forgot you even ordered. “Oh shit, yes. We’re eating pizza, but we’ll be back at the hotel in 30 minutes or so. I’ll see you then?”

“Alright. Hurry back!”

You glance at the two boys eating as you distractedly finish your conversation. “Yeah, okay. Love you, bye.” You hang up your phone and stuff it in your bag once again.

One step towards the door and you realize what you said.

You’re literally…a dumbass.

When you walk to your table Jongin gives you weird looks. Funny looks. Eyebrow raises and secret smiles that seem to hold too much knowledge. Your face feels hot from embarrassment. At the words you accidently said to Jongdae and now because of Jongin’s looks.

This has been the worst 10 minutes of your life. “Uh I need to head back to the hotel. Can we wrap this up and go?”

Minhyuk nods and takes a long sip from his drink as he tries to finish it off. You keep your eyes trained on him as you try to pretend you don’t feel Jongin staring you down from your periphery. Never in your life have you wanted to escape a situation so bad.

It fucking sucks that you’re leaving one embarrassing situation just to go to another. What the fuck were you thinking when you were saying bye to Jongdae? Did you forget you were talking to him? Did your mind switch to its response mode when you talk to you parents?

Dumbass. Dumbass. Dumbass.

Maybe you can feign illness and stay locked in your room for the rest of the night listening to Jennie rattle off any and everything on her mind.

Jongin pays for the food and you all travel back as a group stopping occasionally to take more pictures. You don’t mind, seeing as it gives you time to sort out your thoughts.

As soon as you are within the hotel’s lobby you make a run for the elevator (alright more like a brisk walk) so that you can go back to you room and wallow in worry. Unfortunately, Jongin catches your sleeve again and you’re forced to stay with him and Minhyuk in an awkward and silent ride up the elevator. What the shit does Jongin want from you!?

You and Minhyuk’s floor arrives, but Jongin keeps his hold on your shirt. Giving up any ideas you have of escaping, you stay at his side as Minhyuk walks out. He makes it two steps before noticing that you aren’t following.

You wave sheepishly as he looks at you in confusion through the closing elevator doors.

“Jongin what the hell?” your words are genuinely confused as he forces you to sit at the edge of his bed.

His arms cross over his chest. “Minhyuk likes you,” he says uncharacteristically monotone.

You scoff and cross your own arms over your chest. “How would you know? And besides, even if he did why are you even telling me?”

“He’s my friend and I’ve known him for a long time now. I just know; I can see it.”

A huff escapes you as you take in the information. Minhyuk is cute, and maybe you would have found interest in him if you’d known this like…last year.

But now it doesn’t matter. You could care less. It’s not like you’re stringing him along or anything. “I don’t like him like that. You don’t have to worry about either or us dating or anything if that’s what you wanted to talk to me about.”

His arms fall to his sides as he narrows his eyes. The look he’s giving you is one filled with what feels like frustration. As if he’s waiting for you to say more than what you have. When you blink innocently he groans. “I know you aren’t going to date him. Minhyuk likes you, but Jongdae hyung likes you way more,” he finally spills.

That catches your attention. Your eyes widen at his words and you feel like a deer caught in headlights. He knows.

Taking note of your frightened expression, the young idol flaps his hands around happily. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. You and him are really cute together,” he goes on to sit down beside you and pushes your shoulders while giggling like a toddler. “How long have you dating? I thought you hated him! We all thought you hated him! Is he-”

You shove him away from you in horror. “What do you know?” you ask in a whisper. How the hell does he know!?

“I know that you like him, and he likes you and you’re dating and you’re in love and you’re both the cutest couple in the company.”

Stuck between wanting to deny it all, or, pulling out more information from the boy beside you who is too happy about your relationship for it to be considered healthy, you run a hand down your face. Should you deny it or just accept that he knows?

“How long have you known?” you voice comes out shaky and tired, but if he notices he ignores it.

The bed bounces and as he wiggles excitedly in his spot. “How long have I know that he likes you or how long I’ve know you were dating?”

“Both…”

He sits up straighter and smirks. “Well…I’ve known that he liked you since like 2 years ago because after Luhan left he started doing dumb stuff on purpose so that he’d have to go to your office-” you fucking knew he was doing that shit on purpose! You’re really going to castrate him for putting you through so much shit. “-and I had an idea that you were actually dating for a few weeks now. He looks at you differently now, and you act different around him.” When did he get so perceptive? How many others know about you both? “I only know for certain because I saw his texts on your phone when I was getting my wallet out of your bag at the pharmacy.” He finishes with a bright smile and you feel your stomach sinking. “So…” he says expectantly.

Waiting for you to tell him all about it as if he’s your closest girl friend, he blinks patiently. You shake your head. “I’m…not telling you anything. It’s already too risky with you knowing and…please can you just forget you even know about this? We’re trying so hard to keep this from accidentally getting out. I don’t want his career to suffer because of me. I don’t want any of your careers to suffer because of another dating scandal.”

His soft smile makes you feel terrible. Having to desperately hide your relationship feels shitty, but preserving their reputation means more to you than anything else. “You really like him don’t you?”

You stand from you spot and nod sadly. “Yeah…I do. I need to go now,” you murmur shyly. Admitting to some else makes it feel too real. You rush out of the room and debate whether you want to go to your own…or to Jongdae’s.

Unconsciously you’re pulled in his direction as your feet take you to his door. When the door pulls open and his face appears in front of your own, you feel less worried about Jongin knowing of the two of you. You don’t care that he knows you like his group member.

You like him so much that it hurts. So much that the risk of it all is putting enough pressure on you that you could die. But you keep going forward for him.

Because you like him.

No.

Because you love him.

#exo #kim jongdae #chen #exo fanfiction #exo imagine #exo fluff #chen fluff #chen imagine #jongdae imagine #jongdae fluff #jongdae ima

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theconfusedmaiden · 7 years

Text

The EXO’rDium in Manila Day 2

After 1 year and 1 month, the kings are back in Manila!! Exo’rDium in Manila! The boys are back with 2 nights concert. Dated February 25, 2017 for the first day and February 26, 2017 for the second day. It was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. And guess who's freaking excited? Phixo!! Me!! EVERYBODY!!

Last year, I was in the Lowerbox B, day 2. This year, after so much "Kakuripotan" and “Iponing”,(Thank you 13th month and freelancer.ph!) I was able to purchase the VIP Seated Ticket! Costy? Yes! A LOT! But that was just some of the things that I did for them, even I can't believe it.

And so the nights of the concert came! Sadly, as in SUPER SAD AND FRUSTRATING, Zhang Yixing/Lay won't be able to attend the concerts again. It really broke my poor fangirl heart. I thought that I'll be able to see my love this time but no. Reason, the producer said it's because of his other commitments. Just goes to show how hard working my baby is! However, my guess would be because of some 'politics'. One thing is for sure, It's not his fault! Stop blaming him guys! Let's just wait for the right time that we'll be able to witness his handsomeness in person.

Going back to the concert. I really tried my best not to spazz what's happening from day 1. I promised not to open twitter but then again, I failed. hehe I really got hyped with all those videos uploaded. Guess what, the morning of Feb 26, 2017 my mom saw me smiling right after I woke up. I did it unconsciously. hehehe

My friend whom I met at last year's concert, Raine, also came with me this time. Due to traffic and slow walking people, it's already 4:30 when I got in the venue. Raine, got there first. When we got inside, the coliseum is almost full already! And the stage is sooooo much closer than I thought!! *But my phone camera make it seem like its far. Sorry. hehehe

The concert started at exactly 5:30 pm. I sooo love the opening VCR!! They crowd got soo hyped up!! The opening VCR seemed like it lasted for 10 mins. It's soo cool. I got the "W" feeling after I saw the comic book effects on the video.

And so the concert began!! Wooooohhh!! It's only the first song but I already got tired. I shouted as much as my lungs can take! It's not just me but everyone inside. I couldn't even hear their voices because of the screams!

I didn't get to take a picture of the very first part because I forgot to when I saw them. I don't know what to do first, to capture the moment or to watch the moment. The result:

SAARRREEEHHHH!!

When I finally got to see them clearly, I automatically counted the members present. I know. I know. I just wish that Lay would surprise us that night. Whatever!

The first set of songs include the remix versions of MAMA, Monster and WOLF. I love the remix versions especially the monster because of Baekhyun’s solo dance! PH EXO-Ls cheered for him all through out that part! (Byun Baekhyun!! Byun Baekhyun!! Byun Baekhyun!!)

Here are some of the shots I took from the first set of songs. I didn’t took a lot because I’m busy fangirling. hahaha

MENT TIME!! As usual, the screams were sooooooo freaking loud!! The members introduced themselves in english. It was so fun hearing them speak in english. They were all so excited with the concert! Chen and Kai looked so hot because of their sweat. They were all so hot nowadays!!

However, Baekhyun saw some fans got injured on the standing side. He said on his ment that when another fan got injured, they'll stop the concert. NO!! They asked everyone in the standing area to take a step backwards. Thankfully, they followed them nicely and they didn't need to ask them again.

When it's Suho's time to speak, he was working so hard to finish his ment in english and in the middle of his speech, he paused for a short time. The crowd cheered for him louder! He's so cute! He even took a bow after the screams.

Now it's the second set of songs!! The sexy songs! LOL. They were supposed to have a rain on stage but they didn't push it through, maybe because of the space. The second stage includes White Noise, Thunder, Playboy and the most anticipated Artificial Love! But the stage is still full of their sexy body waves and godly voices.

Here are some snaps!

Kai needs to stop winking and doing a finger heart while he’s covered with sweat. It’s a fangirl’s death!

BUT! Here's the highlight of the second set of songs. The Artificial Love crane Dance!! Woop Woop!! I managed to take a video of Baekhyun in this dance. Here it is:

youtube

Sorry for my voice. As you can hear all I got to say is ‘Oh My god’! hihihi Don't need any explanation.

VCR TIME!

I couldn't forget this VCR! It's because the very first frame is Lay's face! He's so cute! He's so handsome! He's such a boyfriend material! I love seeing them having fun by themselves. I wish they also have a time to party like that by themselves. Just having a lot of fun together.

The sang Unfair with this cute stage set up.

They are wearing all white and their skin is so white so the result from my camera:

Jamming Time! Chanyeol is in charge of the guitar. That curly haired giant was so hyper playing with his guitar that Suho needs to stop him for them to start. Cute! The first song they sang is the good old Hawak Kamay by Yeng Constantino. After a few lines, Suho reminisced the time when they forst sing this song. It was 4 years ago from the DKFC concert. Just about their debut year. They promised to sing a new Filipino Song when they come back next year.

Chanyeol played the acoustic versions of their songs (My Lady, My Turn to Cry, Moonlight, Call Me Baby, Love,Love,Love and Lady Luck) and just like the whole time, PH Exo-Ls sang along with them. I don't care if I got the lyrics wrong, as long as there is melody. HAHAHA! They even let us sing some parts alone. Here are some of the snaps.

They sang What If during this part (but I’m not pretty much sure).

When they were singing, the background shows their serious faces. I didn't forget to take a photo of Lay with the rest of the members. I take a photo everytime he appears on screen.

Here are some of the snaps of the next stages which includes Tender Love and Love Me Right.

The Vocal Line, D.O., Chen, Baekhyun and Suho were left to sing in the middle of the stage. They sang One and Only and Stronger.

Chen's voice is so lovely. He's slowly climbing up on my already ruined bias list. My heart still flatters when I hear them sing live. It's surreal.

Fun Time! Haha. The VCR for their next stage is adorable. The VCR where their heads were huge. All of them are so cute that I wanted to make them into a keychain. Hahaha But D.O. role is the cutest. He's a sleepy head!

Here’s some pics of them with their cutie cutie costumes.

Cutie little Baekhyun dropped his little red hat.

I didn’t get to take too much picture with this stage because this was the time when I stared at their faces one by one. They all look like an angel. Especially Chanyeol, who all throughout this stage is so hyper! He keeps on shuffling and running around each member. I wonder how can they be so cute and handsome and hot, all at the same time.

For the next VCR, the first frame showed ChanBaek riding a motorcycle going to the stadium. While the other members are preparing for the concert. I remember a shot of Lay while sleeping, Kai while having his hair blow dried and the beagle line being beagles.

I thought that all they’ll do for the whole VCR but hey! There’s more! The VCR prepared by the Dance Line! (Kai, Sehun, Lay). I didn’t got to take a full video because I wasn’t prepared. Here’s some part from the VCR. I started capturing on Lay’s part. I remember this performance during one of the awards night last 2016.

youtube

After that, the next set of stages are the, as I call it, “Handsome Stages”. All their stages for their songs like Overdose, Transformer and Lightsaber! Here are some snaps:

I managed to take a video for the last part of their performance for Lightsaber.

youtube

Time for their ment! And this ment is the longest! The only members left were Suho, Chen, Kai and D.O. Chanyeol, Xiumin, Baekhyun and Sehun went backstage to change costumes. They were all wearing just plain black shirt in which they all look hot. (like all the time)

This time, Suho revealed that a lot of them were injured from the first day of concert. He said it was a secret but he also said that they were all healed by how much crazy(in a good way) PH fans are.

Here are some tiny bits that I remember from what they said. D.O. said that he discovered new Filipino food that he likes, ‘Lechon Manok’. He said he didn’t have a chance to taste the pork but he will the next time they come back. Suho also enumearte which places in the PH he wants to visit and it includes Boracay etc. (haha can’t remember). He also asked Kai about what places in the PH he thinks is popular and guess what Jongin said. “Yeogiyo” (This place) (this place is now the most popular).

The leader-nim noticed the fanproject a while ago and he asked for a sample banner. He asked some fans on the standing area for a copy. Like what happened last concert, he held it up and showed it to the members. He also asked us what does the alibata written means. Even though they can’t understand what we’re saying (Imagine thousand of fans explaining at the same time, how would you understand a thing?). They just concluded that it means I Love You. Which is quite right because the alibata written in it is “Iniirog Kita, Bes”.

This time, Baekhyun, Chanyeol Xiumin and Sehun were left on stage while the other went backstage. Baekhyun kept on talking about how crazy PH EXO-Ls are. He once again asked us to stomp our feet and so the whole coliseum sounded like a whole battalion running from somewhere. They were amazed about how passionate we are.

The fans chanted “PHIXO” after that. We are expecting for him to remember us from the concert last year. He named us “PHIXO” last concert after seeing some fans dance from the standing area. Again, they didn’t got to understand what we’re saying. Gladly, after several minutes of chanting, Baekhyun finally understood. “Ahh, Phixo! Philippine EXO!” Finally guys! Finally!!

Now it’s time to party!! Sehun, Xiumin and Chanyeol thought us on how we’ll respond with their next song. “Katchi Katchi Hae!” (Do It Together).

Chanyeol asked us to stand up and just get crazy! You know it’s about to get really crazy! The song is not yet commercially released and it’s just exclusive for the EXO’rDium Concerts! It’s just like Drop That but with a different feels! The Rap Line nailed it! Everybody was on their feet, jumping cheering and getting crazy!

After that Chanyeol had his solo stage with his Electric Guitar skills!

Soon after, the members went out to party with us! Chen, why do you have to show up wearing a muscle tee? Don’t you know how much hot you are with your biceps?! But thank you for showing it, though.

LET’S PARTY!! The fans partied with their songs like Full Moon, Drop That, Let Out The Beast, Lucky and Remix version of Run. Imagine partying with the boys! It’s really unforgettable and we didn’t even feel tired after all!

We finally got time to relax for a bit when they went off stage. It was also several minutes and we seemed to miss them already. We started chanting “E-X-O!”

It’s now the ENCORE STAGE which means the concert is about to end. NO!!! The boys came back wearing their white baseball jersey shirts! They sang Cloud 9, Growl and Lucky one!

I love seeing them goof around while playing with the toys on stage. The one that caught their attention is the moving puppy stuffed toy. Xiumin even played with it while performing. Chen placed it on the side when they were going to dance.

They’re in the middle of their performance but see how Chen and Xiumin look at the little moving puppy.

And here you can see Baekhyun lying on stage. In which Chanyeol also did after their Tender Love stage.

For these songs, they were just roaming around the stage to get close and wave to the fans. The fans threw some stuffed toys on stage and the stage became messy! Hahaha For Lucky One here’s a video a Suho getting all hyped up dancing alone! Our funny Leader everyone. And you can also see how ChanBaek danced together at the back.

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Here’s how they ended their stage for Lucky one. One of my favorite pictures I’ve taken.

Now, time for the last MENT! NOOOOOOOO!!!!

How time flies when you’re having too much fun! All of them said their thanks to us. Suho asked us to anticipate their comeback here next year! YES! YES! YES! Kai said that their 2 day concert in the PH will be unforgettable for him and the members as well.

Baekhyun said that all of them really got crazy that night. Proof? He just sang “I Believe I can Fly” while wearing a pink butterfly wings and a cute white hat. Chanyeol played so well while wearing an Iron man Mask and he pretended to fly and run around the stage. Suho also said that when all of their fan gather in one place he can easily locate where the PH EXO-Ls are. YEP YEP YEP![Filipino fans are one of the best crowd you’ll ever see in the world! And that’s a fact, even Steve Harvey from the Ms. Universe will agree! Hahaha]

The leadernim really got curious about the banner and he maybe asked the Filipino staff backstage about it and for the last time all of the members shouted “Iniirog Kita, Bes. Manila!” We all got Bes-zoned. hahahahaha

Now it’s really their last stage. They sang Angel for the last time. The members roamed the whole stage waving to every section of the coliseum. The member who’s very diligent about waving at every fan he could is the Maknae, Sehun. I even thought that I got an eye contact with him and Kai.

All throughout the concert, we sang all of their songs, from the very first up to the last one) together with them and they even asked us some time to sing it louder! During the VCRs, we also sang their songs even if it’s just instrumental. Now, tell me how dedicated we are the whole concert! hahaha

Before saying Goodbye, they even asked for a picture together. YES!!!! I finally have a picture with them!! hahahaha (as of writing, they still haven’t uploaded the photo) Here’s how they posed for it from my perspective.

Finally, here’s their last moment on stage:

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Yes, it’s me screaming from the background. And again, sorry for my ugly voice. hahaha

I love how Chanyeol screamed “Mahal Ko Kayo!” so long! and As you heard, they promised to come back! Sehun stayed on stage until the screen closed.

Bye boys!! I already miss you big time!! And don’t worry, I’ll be there with you again, next year! I promise! I love you guys!!

PS. I wrote this as detailed as I could because I want it to be properly documented for my future reading, when I want to reminisce the moments I had with them.

PPS. All the photos and videos I used are all mine. The pictures are blurred and unfocused, I know, but don’t bash, my phone doesn’t have a good quality camera.

Sharing with you my edits.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

from your forever fangirl,

-theconfusedmaiden

#EXO #BestConcert #ExordiumInManila #Day2 #February 26 2017 #PH EXO-L #PHIXO #fangirl #theconfusedmaiden

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itsleay · 6 years

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HYYH BeiJing Live and connection to Burn The Stage

I’ll discuss why i think the incident in Beijing’s live is linked to the birth of Burn The Stage

So from all the fan accounts I've seen regarding july 23 2016 HYYH Beijing live, we can sum them up to:

1. RM fell ill; through BH's announcement he suffered a heat stroke and the company? decided to not let him back onto stage and proper medical care should come in first

2. Due to a loss of member mid performance, no one else in the team was able to fill RM's spot so part of the performance was lacking due to missing part. and BH / BTS did not seem to have a backup plan in case a member fell ill.

3. During the concert at one point the venue had a blackout (screen + lighting for 30 mins)

4. Venue also had very poor sound system so there was a lot of audio problem as well

5. Weather was humid and it was an open arena

6. Fans claimed poor fan/idol interaction, idols facial expression weren't well. Some ex-fans felt they were not respected and decided to leave the fandom

7. Concert was cut short it was suppose to feature 26 tracks but in stead they only did 11 and the concert ended in an hour and half with a 30 min time frame where the venue wasn't even functioning

8. Afterwards, fans sent their frustration towards the event holder and BH

9. Couple days later, each member posted weibo selfies on BH's official china weibo account

10. Fans demanded that BH should take responsibility and not let the idols themselves become their shield for their failure to put on a proper concert. Some ex-fans says the idol themselves are fakers because during the concert they showed poopy face and even worse expressions when the handshake event was held. the same idol was pointed out multiple times by different anonymous poster that he had the worst facial expression

11. The event holder said in their letter of apology, they'll send verified ticket holder photo card of BTS as a form of apology but apparently u have to pay ur own postage fee.

12. Many fans cried at the end maybe due to sadness or frustration who knows?

Now....from a bystander POV...no comment actually

XD o wait I do have comments.. hmm I think the boys weren't happy not because they belittle Chinese fans.. which some people claim because of the tension between Korea and China due to the installation of ZADD (I think that’s what it’s called) but due to the fact of how poorly the event organizer arranged the concert. Honestly, all the mishap will really annoy anyone plus on top of the weather.. and the fact their teamie fell ill i think it puts alot of burden on the performer. Maybe if they were better at hiding their feeling or put on that professional smile then people wouldn't complain but... yeah.

For example, if we look at a more recent event the Lotte Concert held back in June 2018 It’s similar situation happening again. Some people said did you not see how JJK look like he was so done and the members weren’t enjoying their performance, etc? Well the Lotte concert was a mess too. They got interrupted mid way. Asked to restart because, there are still audiences entering the arena. Then the stage for airplane didn’t get set up properly, the mic stand props were not in place. RM had to go grab it from the side mid routine. And then the staff asked them to cut their performance short. You could tell from some member's facial expression they weren't happy but, i don’t think it's due to the fans but to the situation and the lack of respect for performers in general. Now you can argue that the other groups who were there didn’t show a I’m so done face. Who knows? maybe some people are just better at hiding their discontent and others not so much, and we all know JJK is not someone who can hide his emotions well, to borrow many ppl’s word “that boy is like an open book”

Now.. unto some .. common practice in china..so.. as u all know or don’t know

TO DO BUSINESS IN CHINA! U HAVE TO HAVE CHINESE TIES!

Yes...basically if u're a foreign company.. person who wants to do something in china you cannot just waltz in there and be like hey book me this venue i'm gonna hold a concert and sell tickets. No it doesn’t work like that. The way the Chinese government set up its policy to protect local business and industry is... if you want a piece of this market? well guess what, you gotta work with the chinese locals. This is why u always see X company along with some Chinese company whenever they venture into china. Correct me if i'm wrong on my international.. business knowledge department but i'm pretty sure i’m not too far off. So yeah..here comes the problem..some.. event holders..are SHADY AS HELLLi mean even Chinese artist could sometimes get scammed by the event holders if they ended up partnering with the wrong people and as much as i wanna say China is developing, improving, becoming better but.. to be honest..>.> <.< there's still a lot of stuff we're lacking especially when it comes to ethical.. business attitude.. and.. yeah ethics..... let's not be reminded of how eggs can be made out of plastic and be sold on the market..or the poisonous baby powder/ milk incident..or small business food delivery .. yeah so many stories... Anyways i think when BTS held their concert in Nanjing the event holder was actually good but, the Beijing one..questionable..equipment failure is just i dunno lack of professionalism in my opinion?

K now..about the fans complaining about BH and BH announcing why the concert ended early and the boys posting on weibo...

I see these type of scenario very often from various idols.

Incident A happens, in this case, idol, the company's asset fell ill.

Situation A: the show must go on !!!

Reaction A. idol still performs B. the company ask the idol to put their health first and stops the show. Some fans feel they didn’t get their worth of content for the amount of money they spent for this trip others agree with the company that health takes priority. And some feels like mishap happens but you should have better PR management to try to resolve the discontent. Now maybe many years later something controversial comes up. Fan goes: Look at company A forcing their idol to keep performing when their health is in jeopardy, what blood sucking vampire evil company, inhuman working environment. They’re slaves for the company! Sometimes these are true accusation.

Or look at company A compare to company B they let their idols take break they care about their health etc etc, they’re so good!

Anyways both side of the argument will give u different stories but no one really knows the real truth and this is why... i think burn the stage came about.

Because if you think about it, BH has always included lots of backstage clips for the fans to see, episodes, bombs, contents that comes with dvd etc etc etc but we usually see the before and after. But not the during. However, What did burn the stage showed us? they showed us the during portion Bts preparing for the contents, their situation during performance, the hectic transition backstage during lives. They even said it themselves we want to show more of us what we do and what goes on. Something even more revealing, even though we've always shared to our fans what's happening but we still don’t show a lot of the things because we choose not to. But this one we will show more maybe not all but we will show more. And i think burn the stage is an answer to the event that happened in Beijing. Because at some point some fans even doubted BTS did rehearsal for the show and just showed some before concert selfie and that's why all these falling ill, costume too warm, heat stroke, and technical difficulty happened.

Let's be honest no matter what the company or the boys themselves say, without video record ppl can always debunk them however they want. People can put words in their mouth and even with video ppl can still put words into other ppl's mouth but at least u have something physical to show for people to just see hopefully through an untainted lens.

In burn the stage, we see what happened to kookie he also had a heatstroke/ lack of oxygen due to high altitude and the intensity of their live. He , himself decided that he wanted to keep performing because he didn't want to disappoint the fans because it could be the last time they get to see their fans since they don’t know if they will be coming back. Maybe he’s always thought like this or all the backlash from Beijing made him realize this, or it’s a combination of both? But lets’ assume they know about the comments that C-Army said after the poor live in Beijing, I’m pretty sure it has impacted him in some way or another. And in way, probably a good one, mild one that puts his health at risk.

We also see the dilemma RM faces: to continue or to call it. We also hear RM mentioned about his incident in Beijing. He didn't say it specifically in his interview. All i remember was he said it was the first time the concert got cancelled because of me.

I didn't know what he meant back then until i researched into the reason why BTS stopped posting posts for their Chinese army on weibo and i came across this concert account from fans. To be honest the sub at that part in Burn The Stage sounded like he had a mental break down and he couldn’t stand on stage so the concert got cancelled. But now i think it was mistranslated..the msg was probably more like this: In the past a concert was cancelled because of me. Because i also fell ill and i was afraid to stand on stage again fearing that the same thing would happen again and that criticism might flood to the company and the group like last time. Who knows? I need someone to actually translate properly..to sub properly..o yeah and the Chinese army were so loud to the point that even Soompi and Allkpop posted articles on the Beijing Concert mishap, though not in detail. It doesn't leave a good impression for the group.

When the idols apologize the fans atk the company, when the company puts a statement the fans still attack the company. Maybe if BH had a better PR department then many there would be less controversy but oh well, what’s done is done.

To me burn the stage was the boy and the company’s way to give answer, their reply. They don’t try to explain themselves away. They try to just show it, this is what we do, this is what happened, Interpret it the way u want but this is what it is. You want to know why sometimes we look awkward on stage? well because we just had a fight 10 mins before the show started. You wonder why Jin looked kinda funny with his interaction with V or no interaction at all? Well there's your answer. Want to know why a member looked really tired in a one of the performance? Well because they did 4 dance routine and a solo routine right after. Which all members commented that your’e crazy for doing something liek this. How do you even do it? That and burn the stage was a good marketing product to be honest. Ppl always want to know what's going on back stage. So in a way it tells the fans what is going on, it tells the media what is going on.

This is how I feel about Burn the Stage. It's a very bangtanie thing. It is similar to Cypher if u think about it. They don’t make announcement towards their haters, they don’t try to say hey you don’t say this. It’s defamation. No, they answer you from their music, from their actions. It's just like how Kookie said, “Twitter has many harsh words sometimes i want to say something but i know i can't. Same thing like what RM said, “I want to be more truthful I don’t want to pretend but my role and identity doesn’t allow me to do something like that. But this is their answer. They're sharing their stories and lives to help others to let others see that we're just like you, we may have different lives but the problem and hardship we face isn't all that different,they may come in different forms , different delivery but in the end their core essence of the hardship is the same.

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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Hyperallergic: The Violence of the British Slave Trade, as Told Through the Sea

John Akomfrah, Tropikos (2016), single channel HD color video, 5.1 sound, running time: 36 min., 41 sec., editions 2/5 + 2 APs. (© Smoking Dogs Films, image courtesy Lisson Gallery)

MIAMI — In Gaston Bachelard’s Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter, the philosopher writes, “A being dedicated to water is a being in flux…Water always flows, always falls, always ends in horizontal death…For the materializing imagination, death associated with water is more dream-like than death associated with earth: the pain of water is infinite.”

Water and Dreams was a literary inspiration for John Akomfrah’s 2016 film, Tropikos, an experimental costume drama in which the sea — dark and green, penetrating and impenetrable — returns, over and over, like a refrain. Sometimes waves cross and interlock like hands, frothily passing over patches of concrete. In other scenes, the sea is an uncomfortable vista that white Elizabethan figures gaze upon, imagining worlds beneath and beyond. When a young black man wades into the water to examine a seashell, the waves encase him, a briefly protective sheath. Booted feet and gloved hands approach him from behind, and though what comes immediately before and after is obscured, the unspoken danger is obvious.

Water is, for many, a kind of conduit, either to places where they seek refuge or find themselves captive. Death is the constant risk, undertaken by choice or by force. In a conversation with Maurice Stierl about his 2015 film, Vertigo Sea, Akomfrah referred to the shared experiences of sea-faring migrants: “All of them, at some point, would have to face this question of an encounter with the sea that could prove fatal. And the fatality, I suppose, is defined partly by whether you have any choice in this journey or not.”

John Akomfrah, Tropikos (2016), single channel HD color video, 5.1 sound, running time: 36 min., 41 sec., editions 2/5 + 2 APs (© Smoking Dogs Films, image courtesy Lisson Gallery, photo by Jack Hems)

Tropikos, now on view at the Pérez Art Museum Miami and curated by Diana Nawi, was initially screened at Lisson Gallery as part of a trilogy of films showcasing troubling histories: the brutal consequences of empires, migrations of the religiously persecuted, and, in Tropikos, the United Kingdom’s role in the development of the slave trade and the inherently formidable power of the sea. These violent histories are presented as dreamy, amnesiac memories, lurid visuals that imagine the encounter between Europeans and Africans in the 16th century without revealing the details in full (like a dream, we are left to interpret the half-told stories). Bachelard would argue memory is poetically linked to water; in another interview, Akomfrah stated, “Amnesia is a constant sea. We swim in it all the time.”

In Tropikos, water becomes a contentious liminal space, placid but inherently dangerous. An experimental series of one lavish mise-en-scène after another, the film is mostly stripped of dialogue: we begin in Plymouth Sound, England, 1554, with slow, meandering shots of silent Elizabethan explorers, their ilk — specifically a red-lipped woman and a preternaturally blonde man — and a few African men, usually in robes but sometimes in the same finery as the white royalty. Other chapters are set on the coasts of Sierra Leone and Guinea.

John Akomfrah, Tropikos (2016), single channel HD color video, 5.1 sound, running time: 36 min., 41 sec., editions 2/5 + 2 APs (© Smoking Dogs Films, image courtesy Lisson Gallery)

We are led, segment by segment, to 1567 and to more characters, who stare at each other, at dead chickens hanging from trees, at bulbous and strangely illuminated tropical fruits, and at the sea — always the sea — with an indefinable tension. The movements of the British grow increasingly languid; when they and the robed black men survey the water, it’s clear that the sea is what introduced the former to the latter — and what brought the latter, unwillingly, to the home of the former. Tropikos is a deck of tarot cards distilled into cinema: profoundly still scenes draped with stark items, each allusively imbued with deep symbolism and hinting at a clandestine narrative.

Throughout, a faceless narrator with a raspy voice paraphrases — and eventually recites in full — monologues from Shakespeare’s Henry V and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. “But pardon…the flat unraised spirits that hath dared / On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth / So great an object,” says the voice, and two black men, in white and pink, walk forth along a concrete platform, great beings suddenly objectified. Milton’s quote, repeated every few moments, is foreboding, as he warns Adam and Eve of their eventual fall from grace:

O Hell! what do mine eyes with grief behold? Into our room of bliss thus high advanced Creatures of other mold—Earth-born perhaps, Not Spirits, yet to Heavenly Spirits bright Little inferior—whom my thoughts pursue With wonder, and could love; so lively shines In them divine resemblance, and such grace The hand that formed them on their shape hath poured. Ah! gentle pair, ye little think how nigh Your change approaches, when all these delights Will vanish, and deliver ye to woe— More woe, the more your taste is now of joy.

John Akomfrah, Tropikos (2016), single channel HD color video, 5.1 sound, running time: 36 min., 41 sec., editions 2/5 + 2 APs (© Smoking Dogs Films, image courtesy Lisson Gallery)

Near the film’s end, a black woman appears amid fields of wheat, and it is her presence — stoic, elegant, and quietly forlorn — that provides context for Milton’s words: she and the men from the Guinea coast are, in the eyes of white explorers, the “creatures of other mold,” graceful and divine. Even among these bright, lush tableaux vivants, one gets the sense life in Plymouth is colorless and oppressive, and the spoils of the explorers’ pillages — African statuettes, pearls, lush fruits, and people — are the stuff of their dreams. The colonizers and their dreams are as sinister as they are romantic, satisfying both a greed and a perverse need in their hearts. The African men and women who traverse the coast have endured the waterways as passages to an unholy hell.

Tropikos is actually shot in Plymouth and Tamar Valley, England, where early English expeditions to the African Guinea coast departed from in search of goods and gold, and became enmeshed in the transport of slaves to the Americas. Captain William Towerson brought enslaved Africans to Plymouth to display as exhibitions, and Tropikos reimagines this fate. Throughout the film, a vessel is shown — perhaps leaving from the Guinea and Sierra Leone coasts — carrying objects and food, as well as African men, who either stare plaintively at the water or, when donning the Elizabethan clothes of the period, boldly at the unknown future.

In another repeated scene, the white explorers and white woman sleep on swaths of blankets, surrounded by paintings, jewels, and bowls of the same objects found on the vessel. They are dreaming of other futures, and in fact Tropikos itself is a kind of dream, a hypnagogic exploration of the sea’s brutal subconscious. But the African characters are not often shown dreaming, their heads never surrounded, like visions, with the plundered spoils of cruel exploration. Instead, there is only the continuous motif of their approach toward the water, their gazes unwavering. It was the sea that led them to a sorrowful fate. It is also their only route home.

Tropikos continues at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (1103 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, 33132) through August 27.

The post The Violence of the British Slave Trade, as Told Through the Sea appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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andranikolayi · 7 years

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A CAT scan of the Contemporary Subconscious

for The Attic Magazine

Potentially Everything

In recent years it seems that festivals have become the dominant musical events. While it would be rather pointless to add to the debate about the extraordinary surge in festivals, traveling to more and more events and seeing the similarities in tone and programming, one cannot help but wonder – what makes a festival special?

Rewire is a discreet but dense affair in the experimental/dance music hybrid in The Hague, not a very obvious choice when it comes to the Netherlands. The picture-perfect surroundings and walking-friendly size of the city made for a very pleasant festival destination.

While Rewire could be compared to the Unsound/CTM family, it is not an overtly music and contemporary arts festival, nor is part of the SHAPE network, carving a more distinct path. Despite not having an overall theme, subjects such as activism, feminism, nostalgia and emotion in music ran like a red thread through the programming. Adam Harper’s excellent essay The Music of the Body, published in the festival booklet was a very helpful starting point in this respect.

Rewire is certainly a place for discovery: featuring 45 min live sets and having the venues at about 5-10 minutes walking distance from one another with the schedule slightly overlapping, one could potentially experience a significant dose of every act.

This system worked pretty well between the Paard and Prins 27 venues across the street from each other, but going any further one felt the need for a bike, as AGF confessed to literally “running like a child” after her talk, in a failed attempt to catch Pharmakon’s set.

Regardless of those glitches, the three days were perhaps my most action-packed musical vacation.

Tulip Fields, Feminism and Improv

After spending a couple of days in Amsterdam, I took a rideshare to Den Haag, rushing through the flat fields populated with the occasional cattle and monochrome strips of tulips. Armed with my press bracelet, the city was starting to morph into the magical festival bubble as I ran into my friend Max and the rest of the Horse Lords on my way to the Korzo Theater.

Missing the Forest Swords talk right on the nose, I spent some time in the festival-dedicated-area of the lobby and putting together my plan for the evening.

As the doors finally opened, I was really happy to see my long lost festival sister Amy, a happy coincidence creating a shift in my usual festival narratives, resulting in a more gynocentric experience. Together with her colleague Holly, our new female-journalist-power-group was born. It was the perfect setting for exchanging impressions and making those though choices between conflicting acts.

Our journey began in Paard II, the smaller room of the venue, with a dose of saccharine syncopated beats by Jessy Lanza. I fell in love with her childlike, pitch-perfect crooning when first hearing The Galleria, in collaboration with NYC producer Morgan Geist. Her solo work, while less club friendly, is infused by the same pop sensitivity coupled with heart-on-sleeve emotion and offbeat naïveté. On stage she was a pure sugar rush, enveloping the entire space in her sweetness. Struggling to get closer for some shots, I had a joyous run-in with activist and female:pressure ambassador AGF, adding another piece to the sisterly puzzle.

Across the street in the dark, cozy stage of Prins 27, the New York trio Zs had just begun their set. A fluttering guitar intro was filling out the space, just as a slowed down tribal drumming started, juxtaposed with doomy saxophone howls and computer glitches by a special first-time guest performer, evolving into a delirious cacophony, seeping in and out of chaos.

Coming back later to the venue for Horse Lords, I arrived in the middle of an all-enveloping, hypnotic, sinuous saxophone solo, emphasized by Max Eilbacher’s signature abstract electronics. Their second piece started off with quiet guitar finger picking, as the rest of the band was slowly joining in, soon turning into a full-on percussive explosion, with saxophonist Andrew Bernstein joining Sam Haberman on drums and Max picking up the bass. It was a nice change of pace to see them play with the dynamic and explore more meditative moments framing their more rhythmical passages.

Trances

Back at the Paard, the main hall was packed, resonating with the shoegaze chords of the Slowdive reunion, which transported me straight back to high school.

At the smaller stage, the crowd was anxiously trying to find a spot for the Forest Swords performance. The place was filled to the brim, with a line forming at the entrance. Luckily I had found a comfortable refuge by the staircase, with a great view of the performers in front of a large projection of a black and white photograph featuring a group of horsemen, bare-chested, riding into the sea. His majestic, dark yet danceable elegies and full-bodied beats were making the space almost claustrophobic, rending the room upstairs into a giant resonating box, with overwhelming bass, climaxing with the familiar refrain of Dagger Paths’ Miarches. After first seeing him in Paris back in 2014 and more recently on the big stage at Unsound, it was refreshing to experience this more intimate, focused performance.

Popping back into Paard I, Blanck Mass, the solo project of Fuck Buttons’ founder Benjamin Jonathan Powers, took us on a journey to the glitchier side of trance with stroboscopic, organic visuals bordering the grotesque. It felt like being transported into a scene from Enter the Void.

This brief excursion was the perfect palate cleanser before GAIKA, although one might argue that nothing could really prepare you for his confrontational, full-on performance. Once he was on stage, the real party started – there were young girls in the front row weaving their hands in pseudo-oriental fashion, bodies swaying to the infectious beats. Behind the contorted figure of the performer, armed with the microphone, a large, Viking-looking metalhead was assuring the backing vocals, together with a DJ. It was a powerful, raw display of emotion coupled with an uncontrollable desire for dancing.

Norwegian duo N.M.O provided the healthy dose of analogue techno workout from the middle of the crowd, crystallizing in the collective catharsis we’ve all been waiting for, complete with sweaty drumming and a Jérôme Bel-esque performance moment when the guy in the Sudden Infant shirt doing 20 air pushups as the sample instructed.

Arca’s DJ set, coupled with Jesse Kanda’s visuals, was one of the most fascinating instances of crowd work I have ever witnessed. He had the roomful of people in the immense space of Paard II fully in his power, toying with our emotions from pumping techno to Destiny’s Child and even a traditional Urdu song, while baby owls, fish guts and African puppies were staring back from the screen. As if he wanted to make us dance, then make us feel guilty for dancing, in a highly nuanced realm between abandon and discomfort. I would have loved to experience the more performative, outlandish costumes side Arca is famed for, but the overall effect was still utterly poignant.

Disturbance

Saturday started with a morning visit to the AGF/Kubra Khademi rehearsal; the meeting between the two artists happened a couple of years back online, after Antye read the story about the Afghan artist’s brave performance against female harassment in Kabul, which lead to her arrest and current exile. After meeting several times, over the years, the two artists developed ZANSUSPENSION, premiered at the festival.

The show was a highly moving interdisciplinary moment, featuring Kubra descending into the space in a body bag over AGF’s organic textures. Displaying strength and vulnerability, their collaboration seemed like the most natural thing in the world for both performers.

Skipping on the ensuing talk, I rushed to the Grote Kerk for Jayce Clayton aka dj/Rupture’s tribute to the late African American gay composer Julius Eastman. His minimalist piano pieces were resonating in the gorgeous space, the acoustics emphasizing the otherworldly nature of the score. It was a sublime, transportive moment. Jayce framed his tribute with a tongue-in-cheek self referential piece, a humorous and clever commentary on the role of the performer.

Sonic Sisterhood

Rushing back to Paard II, I was faced with a thick crowd blocking the entrance; I could hear Pharmakon’s world-shattering drones from the hallway. Entering the womb-like space covered in red light, I could finally hear her thanatic, visceral screams. Hers was a possessed, consuming performance, oscillating between electronics and her rolling on the floor with punk audacity, before surrendering to pure anarchy and descending into the confused but enthusiastic crowd. It was a good choice of programming to have Wolf Eyes play right before and set the tone.

Later on, I spotted her at Prins 27, looking very un-demonic with her blonde tresses and biker jacket. We were all waiting for Moor Mother’s set. Antye and Kubra joined us in the front row.

Behind a computer screen and two microphones, Moor Mother started off with a series of texts about black identity on an ambient background, with interjects on a toy theremin. About ten minutes in, things went 180 and I witnessed the most punk rock performance of the festival – she put on a fat grime beat, grabbed a microphone and started pacing and staring down the crowd, while rapping about protests and slavery, before jumping into the crowd for “Deadbeat Protester”.

It was an intense marriage of politics and club culture that would have made DJ Sprinkles proud.

Although the much anticipated club night was about to start in Paard II, it was SØS Gunver Ryberg’s dark blend of masterful analogue techno back at Prins 27 that helped ease out the crowd from noise into club mode.

Booking a series of headlining DJs in the small space of Paard II after all the other performances ended was a miscalculation on the part of the organizers, especially when selling extra tickets especially for the night, leading in general chaos and a frustrating amount of queuing.

Once again, it was the ladies who ruled this portion of the night as well, Aurora Halal’s live maze of kick drums and meandering beats leading the crowd into a beautifully orchestrated collective delirium.

The Swedes of SHXCXHCXSH went full darkness, but Helena Hauff’s gorgeous mix of Chicago, Detroit anthems and a hint of acid offered the perfect finale for this emotionally charged evening.

Although Croatian Armor, dressed in neon reflective active wear, delivered an eerie, subtle emo ambient set from behind a live palm tree and Swans had a kaleidoscopic, rich set, it was the ladies who shone through day two.

Sun Through Stained Glass

Sunday, as music festivals’ dynamics work, was the day of mustering all your strength to power through the rest of the event, moving in a dream-like state of bliss coupled with physical and emotional exhaustion.

I must have turned off three alarms before crawling out of my waterbed in a suburban villa framed by a large empty field with three wind mills and a goat farm (as bucolic as this may sound, it also meant I was staying real far), before making it back to the city.

Wandering between the various venues, I was too antsy to really settle on anything; however, back at the Lutheran Church, Dutch veteran collective The Chi Factory offered exactly what I’ve been looking for – a spot-on New Age ambient trip, complete with nature visuals and a floor full of beanbags. I took a seat among the rest of the audience dozing off while the last of the afternoon’s sunlight was creeping through the stained glass windows.

After his relaxing detour that made my inner hippie glow with joy, I stopped by The Grey Space to check out the Bertus Gerssen photo exhibition, after learning that many of the shots were taken in the infamous Villa K, a musician’s squat in the rich coastal Scheveningen district, which also happened to be my home for the evening. Instead, in front of the building, a crowd of about 40 people, carefully aligned, were standing still and looking straight ahead, wearing white scarves, while a text about guerilla warfare was blasting from the speaker, all to the confusion of both festival goers and passer-by. It was a performance orchestrated by the Das Ensemble Ohne Eigenschaften.

The highlight of the evening and personal festival discovery came from the British duo These Hidden Hands, whose deep, sleepy drones slowly built over more fleshed out beats, then burst into melody in a moment veering on the sublime.

Back in Paris, a friend of mine commented that now “Jeff Mills comes to Europe to do his artsy projects”; to be honest, I’m usually skeptical of these live electronics and classical instrument collaborations, even if it’s between Jeff Mills and Tony Allen – it usually can be amazing or notoriously bad. Despite the two musicians being true masters, technical virtuosos in each of their field, this second meeting of the minds on stage was everything I feared it would be – a major let down. With the exception of perhaps 5 minutes when Jeff’s beats were erring on the more melodic side, nicely filling out the space alongside Tony’s drumming. The rest of the set was rather tinny and flat.

This result could be pinned on the limited rehearsal time due to budget issues. Then again one must argue about the catch 22 of bringing the main headliner to a festival in order to sell tickets yet not facilitate said performer to be at their best and debate the relevance of booking such potentially problematic acts in the first place.

The North Sea

The next day, with my feet in the sand, I was pondering over the intense three days. Looking back at the program, it seemed like the festival managed to touch on some major issues in contemporary society, while addressing the audience’s fears and desires on a more subconscious level. There was talk about activism and political engagement, a lingering penchant for ‘90s’ nostalgia and a proclivity for the darker sounds of the electronic spectrum, those that seem to capture the looming global tragedy, as if they had compiled a collective CT-scan that revealed our late night thoughts.

Its diverse, seemingly erratic choice of artists was actually making sense; I was very pleased with the way they addressed the burning topic of 2016 – women in electronic music. Instead of making a point out of booking female performers, they were seamlessly integrated into the lineup, offering a glimpse into a much needed new reality in which female musicians and DJs are simply referred to as musicians and DJs. As Jo Kali argued in her essay from the festival booklet, “feminism demands a radical cognitive adjustment, not just balancing numbers.”[1]

Enveloped by the calming sound of the North Sea, I could not help but think back at all the exchanges and support I received from fellow feminists during the festival, be it sharing experiences of odd sleeping arrangements with male hosts on tour, or the casual inappropriate touching by random men from the industry or simply Antye and Amy buying my broke ass a drink. Being surrounded by all these wonderful ladies was certainly a privilege.

Although the festival took place the same time as the Rush Hour Weekender, which catered to my usual musical obsessions, I’m happy to have had this rather challenging festival experience.

I believe Rewire has found a tremendous formula for luring club people into the more underground realms of the electronic music spectrum. And, if nothing else, telling your friends you’re a 15 minute bike ride from the beach is always a good argument.

[1] Jo Kali, p.42 There is no “single” woman, Rewire 2017 booklet

Rewire festival took place March 29th-April 2nd 2017 in The Hague

analogue photos by the author @feralnoise

#rwr17 #rewire #rewire festival #agf #kubra khademi #jessy lanza #helena hauff #aurora halal #reviews #festivals #the attic mag

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