#p.p.s. i am so slow at answering stuff like this because it takes me a long time to organize and express my thoughts properly

[dreamaze]

wings i read all ur tags !!!! (lucky me being online rn hehe) and i could just agree with you a thousand times over 😭😭😭 like not to be a nerd but this whole thing does stem from the idea in theatre that really happened in the 19th century (male leads/romantic heroes becoming tenors nearly exclusively) and accommodating scores and it just swept over pop music a century later to this day. the idea that tenors > pleasant sound and baritones > bad sound is so ridiculous. (ok nerd time over) and the fact that i still have to wait for bts songs comfortable in tae's range (boy in luv not withstanding and even that pushes it) as well as in his solos is absolutely baffling. i love the way they all distribute lines among each other but it is unbelievable that the usual pattern goes jk's lines > tae's lines when they are not close in range. not to mention that while vmin songs are always sweet, they BOTH talked about how tough it is to sing together. even namjoon mentioned how the rappers have a hard time to adjust to the high vocal line keys (which weren't as high in earlier songs). like in general just let lower voices get their time to shine. very few groups do this (well) but it's 2k21 and we deserve those low notes and beautiful songs for that baritone range too !!!

Al, I went to school for ('classical') music (composition) so these nerd hours are ALWAYS OPEN. And I'm really glad to have someone to discuss it with because it's kinda been plaguing me ever since I started listening to BTS. (I don't listen to much pop music in general, so they were initially a pretty big anomaly for me.) I honestly hadn't thought about how the characterization of tenors as the romantic protagonists in theatre/opera vs. the side roles or antagonists being relegated to lower voice types has manifested in contemporary pop music, but it makes a lot of sense! The dichotomy is so outdated, and the only real bad sound is forcing singers way out of their natural range. (And I have a minor beef with how this also translates to pop singers not developing their chest range because everything is written higher, higher, but I will set that grievance aside for now because part of that is also a genre/style thing.)

this got long so here's a cut to spare everyone else --

I completely agree about the line distributions, and this comes back to the laziness, for lack of a better term, or flat-out indifference in the actual composing process. It should be natural forethought to accommodate your bari's range in the melodic material, rather than always force him to cycle through the same line rotation that the tenors are covering. There are obviously some exceptions in BTS songs (after they moved beyond those early stages of rough belting, which ?? hm, potentially unhealthy for different reasons if not trained properly). Like the ending of Sea is one of the most beautiful and gutting moments to me out of any of their songs. I will also throw out there, before I forget, that the deliberate choice to have Tae sing at the top of his register can be very effective. Specifically, I am thinking of his line 'Kill me softly' in the bridge of Blood Sweat & Tears. It is strained, particularly in that era of recording, but it works because it feels like a conscious choice that both reflects the text and heightens the drama of that moment. But for the most part ... again, it seems like the majority of his assignments are out of convenience to the tenors and to spare the composers the challenge (???) of writing something that is just a little different. And it's not like he would never share lines, because there is overlap between his range and a lower/mid tenor. I suppose the real frustration from me is that with a little bit of creativity and intentionality, this shouldn't be that difficult??

It broke my heart a little when he said that Friends was really challenging for him because I love vmin as a duo. I really wish it was easier for them. I get that the genre is a bit of a limiting factor here because the harmonizing is never going to be that complex. But their parallel octaves in Blue & Grey are SO BEAUTIFUL and showed to me at least that there are ways they can make it work. (Also side note, I think B&G is one of their strongest and most thoughtful instances of line rotation, bless u Tae.) And it's been a little while since I've listened to it, but their Fix You cover was also a fantastic example of how they can all (rap line included!) harmonize comfortably when the key is a little lower. (Rant topic for another time since I'm already rambling too much here: also, why such a hard division between vocal and rap lines?? Give them all good vocal training, it will help their voices grow whether they're singing or rapping! HOBI VOCAL LINE WHEN *ahem* anyway~~~) I love the tenors, I really do, but quite frankly they would benefit just as much from strengthening their lower ends. I think Jimin said parts of B&G were challenging for him because they were so low, but I once listened to his lowest phrase like 10 times in a row because I couldn't get over how striking it sounded. (probably wasn't even the whole phrase, it may have just been the pick-up at 3'02", that's how obsessed I was!! I had to stop myself from doing it again just now.)

I've been rambling a lot and should pipe down now, but I guess I will end with: please, composers, treat your baris more equitably! Also I can't wait for KTH1 because he is finally going to be able to shine in his element without making a tenor cry.

P.S. I am always here for more conversations like this (with anyone!), and to Al specifically, if you ever want to share some theatre recommendations with me, I'd be honored. ♡

[ryainmin]

WTTC - Chapter 01: What in the What?

What the What? – Chapter 1

 “I really want to see you guys too, Mom, but if that big snow storm is coming in, I don’t want you guys to get stuck here,” I say to my mother over the phone, while pulling up in the driveway.

“Are you sure, Honey? You know I love to travel. Plus, I miss you and little Ezra.”

“I’m sure, and we miss you too,” I say as I pull into the garage. “Hey, Mom? I’m going to call you back once I get settled in, okay?”

“Okay, baby. Well, I love you.”

“I love you too, Mama.” I press ‘End Call’ and set my phone in the cup holder. I turn my car off and let my head fall back on to the headrest as I let out a heavy sigh. Another holiday alone without my family, I guess. This past Thanksgiving, I couldn’t make it back to The States, because the head chef at the restaurant I work at, got very sick and needed me to stay and help.

I slip on my beanie and wrap my scarf around my neck. I swing open my car door and hop out of my SUV. Before I closed the door, I pressed the button on the stirring wheel to open the trunk. As I walk around the SUV, I opened the rear driver’s door to let Little Ezra out.

“Come on buddy, let’s get this stuff and get out of the cold, yeah?” He looks up at me and seems to nod and tilt his little head to the side. “You’re cute, you know that?” Ezra perks up and follows me to the back of the car and waits for me to grab the bags. I swing several bags over my shoulders and pull my two very large rolling suitcases out of the back. After closing the trunk, Ezra and I walked out of the garage and to the front porch. I punched in the code for the front door, and pushed it open. The motion sensing lights flicker on as Ezra walked through the door and into the living room. A small smile appears on my face as Ezra hops up on the couch.

“Stay right there buddy, okay? I’ll be right back,” I say as I shut the door and head toward the stairs to the second floor.

I slowly, but surely, drag the heavy suitcases up the stairs to the master bedroom to the right, just pasted the ‘extra blanket’ closet. I dropped my backpack, three duffel bags, and the two large rolling suitcases just inside the bedroom door. Tiredly, I slug my way to my very large king-sized bed and fell face first on it. 

In the distance, little feet came trotting up the stairs and barged into my room and hopped up on my bed. Ezra buried his self into my side and whimpered.

“Are you tired, little buddy?” Ezra’s breathing slowed as he fell into an exhausted sleep. “I guess you were,” I said kissing the top of your head.

I slowly and carefully peeled myself off my very comfortable bed and began to unpack all the bags and suitcases. I slowly fill in my walk-in closet, leaving out a dark red tank top and a pair of black sweatpants. 

I gather my left-out clothes and headed to my master bathroom, with my toiletries bag in hand. Looking over my shoulder to make sure the Ezra was still asleep, I walk into the bathroom connected to my bedroom and went directly to the shower.

I turn on the water and adjusted the temperature with the touch screen monitor built-in the shower. Once the water was perfect, I stripped out of my warm clothes and stepped into my rainfall shower.

Nathan, my friend who takes care of my Gangwon Mountain property, told me about the tenants he rented my chalet out to. Apparently, it was a group of seven or eight guys taking a short winter vacation. They were originally supposed to stay at a resort in Yonpyeong; which is not far from here. However, those guys were found out or something. Apparently, this place was the only available house that was far enough away from other civilization.

According to Nathan, the group of guys, only left about 45 minutes before I got here. If they took the long way down the mountain they are going to have a hard time getting to the bottom with the snow coming in.

I blindly grab the shampoo from the shelf and squeeze some into my hand. I lather my thick, black curly hair, being careful not let the shampoo run in my face, more importantly, my eyes. I rinse my hair and condition it. Rinsing my hair one more time, I turn off the water and step out of the shower, grabbing a towel.

I towel dry off and quickly put on my clean clothes, I look at myself in the mirror and watch the water droplets fall from the tips of my hair and on my tank top. I pick up my dirty clothes and walk back into my room. I throw my clothes into the hamper by my clothes door. 

I get up on my bed, being careful not to wake up Little Ezra. My phone starts to ring and I quickly reach for it and answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, my Strawberry Pop-Tart, are you settled in yet?” My mother greeted me. 

I gave a little laugh, “Yes, Mama. Everything is put away and organized, just like you taught me,” I say remembering that my mom is super OCD.

“Good. Well, I called your father and told him that we wouldn’t be spending Christmas in Korea this year,” she sighed, “I have to say, he was very disappointed.”

“Yeah, I am too. I miss you guys,” I say getting off my bed, and walk around my room. “It’ll be a year in March. A year since I’ve seen you and Daddy,” I said wiping a tear away from my eye.

“I miss you too, Baby.”

I walk out of my room and was headed toward the stairs. “I was really looking forward to your famous meatloaf,” I expressed with a smile.

My mom lets out a little giggle on the other end of the phone. 

I begin to descend the stairs. “So, what are y-.” I stop dead in my tracks on the sixth step from the bottom.

I stare into the living room with my mouth hanging slightly open.

As I stare blankly into the family room, eight pairs of eyes are staring back at me.

“Rya! Is everything okay? Rya!” My mom says with a panic in her voice.

“Uh…”

My mind goes completely blank, not knowing how to answer my mom. Standing in the middle of my living room is JYP’s GOT7, looking just as startled and confused as I felt.

Everything seems to be moving in slow motion. My eyes land on Mark and Jinyoung first. They both are looking at me with slight curiosity. I move to BamBam and Jackson, who are both standing behind the couch, holding their phones as if they were about to take a selfie. Youngjae was half hidden behind Mark, but by his body language, I could tell that he was a little nervous. Yugyeom was almost towering over everyone, looking a little lost; bless his little heart. My eyes met JB’s. I had to do my best to not look away from his gaze. His face was blank and his eyes were cold. I guess what people said about first seeing or meeting him were true.

My eyes wandered to the eighth pair of eyes. He was about 5’10” (178 cm) and weighed about 325 pounds (147 kg). In all honesty, he did not look very friendly, and the longer he stared at me, the more uneasy I felt.

“Rya...!” My mother’s voice rang in my ear.

“Yeah...?” Was all I could come up with.

“Is everything okay?”

I nodded my head, then realizing that my mom couldn’t see me. “Yeah… I just saw a really big spider in the living kitchen room.”

My cheeks instantly warmed up as my face turns a rosy red. I hear a muffled laugh from the couch. I turn to look and spot Jackson’s shoulders shaking, with his hand covering his mouth.

“Hey mom, I’m… gonna call you back. I have to kill this spider, okay?”

“Al-alright Honey,” she said worriedly. “Call me back as soon as possible okay? I love you.”

“I will. Love you too. Bye!” I quickly hang up the phone and stuffed it into my sweatpants’ pocket.

I look from member to member, my eyes meeting the youngest and tallest member of the group. As we made eye-contact, he gave me a smile, shy smile. My heart begins to race, and my vision becomes a little blurry.

What?

What the what...?

How was the first chapter? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Whether you liked it or not, please leave a comment telling me how you felt about this chapter. Thank you for reading! ^_^ P.S. I forget to mention this in the Bg Info, but there will be Korean speaking-ness in this story. P.P.S. I do don’t speak Korean, I can barely speak English and it is my first language. Ha. Ha. So, for the non-English, I had my BFF Google Translate help me out.. SO… Yeah…

[hopen4e]

Fem!Japan x The Netherlands

NAMES: Fem!Japan = Sakura Honda; Netherlands = Mogens Govert

Netherlands visits Nyo Japan to coax her into opening her country borders. He doesn’t like the idea of America getting to her first. Poor sweet Sakura doesn’t know how persuasive Mogens can be. One-Shot. Based on Episode 2 of Hetalia: The World Twinkle Specials (Dub)

Japan had diplomatic regulations with Britain, Spain and Portugal, however, after closing her country Mr. Netherlands was the only one with whom she continued the trading relationship.

At the beginning of the 19th c., ships from Western countries started loitering around Japan’s borders, so Mr. Netherlands decided to let Miss Japan know exactly what was going on.

Sakura had always had great respect for Mogens, and knew she could rely on him to give her honest information. It seemed that she had special regard to him and always looked forward to their meetings. Little did she know, his respect for her ran much deeper than that. He was in love with her. This petite Japanese girl, had been on his mind for a very long time and he had sworn to tell her nothing but the truth and protect her from harm in any way he could. Sadly, she was an extremely shy person and felt really uncomfortable with physical contact, which made it harder for him to engage something abrupt, since he was afraid that he might frighten her with his huge rough form and she would never approach him with the same gentle smile as before.

There he was again, striding towards her home, with his trusty pipe in his mouth and a bouquet of colourful fragrant tulips.

The news Mogens was carrying was nothing new to Sakura. He just made an excuse to visit her, strengthen their bond and try to get closer to her. He wanted to become special to the beautiful girl. Everything Sakura was as a person was beautiful to him. Thoughts of her were entrenched in his mind and he was dominating her in most of them. He tried hard to push those lascivious thoughts out of his brain, but her small figure came haunting him over and over again. He cursed at how weak he was when it came to her and sped up.

When he finally arrived he was greeted by a maid.

“Wercome! Oh, Mr. Netherrands, I am sorry to say…you came so far…but Miss Japan…is not feering werr! Do you mind coming back on a different day?” The maid blushed at the handsome Dutch man and lowered her gaze. He wasn’t having any of this bullshit today! He was tired of waiting. He shoved the bouquet into her hands.

“Shut your mouth and get to work! I need tea, a cute little cake and Japan. Right now!” His brutish response only excited the usually reserved maid. What woman could resist a well-built European savage, anyway?

“I can ret you see Miss Japan, but with arr this stuff going on, she is a rittre more dericate than usuar. So, prease, be courteous…and by courteous I mean nice!”

“Delicate? Has she been hanging out with Austria?” Mogens knew Sakura was cute and baby-like, but he was also aware of her fighting skills. When it came to combat, she kicked ass like a true honorable warrior. The maid gave him what he ordered and quickly explained the situation as she led him to Japan’s room.

“Hey, Sakura! I have come to discuss something with you. May I come in?” He knocked twice and stood outside her door. He suddenly stiffened when he heard weeping. Anger was building up inside of him and his chest hurt. He didn’t wait for a response and swiftly opened the door.

“Shut the door! No sunright, prease!” Sakura wailed in discomfort and wrapped herself in her blanket like a cocoon. Mogens blushed when he caught a glimpse of her bare shoulder. She wasn’t the type to reveal much of her skin and she was very strict and careful about how she dressed.

He gingerly placed the tray with the tea and cake on the small table beside her futon, and sat himself cross-legged. He scrutinized her for a moment, taking a pull at his unlit pipe. The maid’s words echoed in his mind. He didn’t want to stress Sakura out, so he decided to listen to the maid and take it slow. He put his pipe on the table and sighed deeply before taking a sip of the tea.

“This tea is bitter, Ja?” Mogens was impatient to start a conversation already.

“What brought you here today, Mr. Netherrands? I bet it is not the tea!” Sakura finally sat up to face him and peeked out of the blanket. “You seem to be under pressure. Are you under pressure, Mr. Netherrands?” When her eyes met his, she noticed some tension and felt the need to ask how he was. She was always so sweet, polite and caring, it made him want to jump her and shield her from the rest of the world. He blushed and looked away as indecent thoughts flooded his mind once more. For now, he would have to teach her to refer to him by his first name, at least!

“Please, call me Mogens…Oh, Ja…about that, what…” This was his chance to begin the topic that would slowly lead him to her heart…and later her bed, but he knew Sakura pretty well to guess he would have to wait some time before anything spicy happens. Unfortunately, she had a feeling they were going to talk about the situation with her borders, so she turned away from him again and covered herself with the blanket.

“I am sorry I have become rather sensitive to the worrd opening.” She whimpered and shivered a little. That damn blanket was in his way! He rubbed his forehead to calm town.

“Look, try not to loose it, but according to the information I’ve been given, America is heading in your direction and since he’s young and cocky he might be aggressive!” He was concerned about her well-being and had a bad feeling about Alfred. Sakura didn’t budge.

“Of course I understand, ever since my king was defeated I had a feering something of this sort would come to pass. The worrd around me has been changing, so it is onry naturar for me to change arong with them.” She sounded a bit lamentable.

“This is no surprise then?” He raised an eyebrow at her calmness.

“Not rearry!” Sakura loosened up a bit and the blanket uncovered her shoulder again. Mogens was now confused and aroused at the same time. Wasn’t she afraid at all?

“Then open your…” He was about to tell her for the hundredth time to reconsider opening her country but she covered herself again and clutched the blanket. He had had enough and decided it was time to stop fooling around. He wanted her now! He wanted her to know his feelings and finally get an answer to his agonizing questions.

Mogens grabbed the blanket and uncovered Sakura with one swift motion, yanking it away to the centre of the room. What was now revealed in front of him was the enchanting peachy cuteness from his fantasies. She was wearing a pink kimono-like sleeping robe with blue petals sewed at the ends of each sleeve. He had a second to stare at her fragile figure before she tried to cover herself.

As Sakura was about to scream at Mogens for disrespecting her privacy in such a way, he quickly covered her mouth. The touch of her soft lips against his palm filled him with desire and he wondered what they would feel like pressed against his own. Alas, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pain in his abdomen. She had Hiza Geri-ed his stomach and it took all his being to stifle a cry. He groaned in pain but instead of letting her go, he pressed himself even harder and went on top of her so she could not use her legs. She might know Karate but he was way stronger and bigger than her, and this time her agility couldn’t help.

Mogens had no intention of going beyond this position (at this point) because he didn’t want to hurt her or force her into anything. The reason why they were in this situation was because she startled him when he received the blow to his now aching belly and freaked out.

Sakura was goggling at him and both were breathing heavily.

All of a sudden, the door opened to reveal the maid.

“Excuse me. I brought tea and more cute cake for you.” She was smiling cheerfully until she saw the awkward position they were in. She shrieked, dropped the tray she was holding, and screamed. “What do you think you are doing? You said that you would not upset her!” The maid rushed to their side and started pulling Netherlands away from Japan.

Eventually, after the “small” incident , Mogens was able to apologize and explain his behaviour to Sakura. She accepted his apologies and shyly listened to his devoted and passionate declaration of love. Her response was not quick and she said she needed some time to think about it.

1854

“Hey, Mr Netherlands!” One of Netherland’s messengers ran towards him waving a letter.

“Stop yelling, what is it?”

“Japan has accepted America’s repeated demands to open the country, they signed an official peace treaty.” Mogens was a bit jealous of the American. Both of them were silent for a moment.

“Mr Netherlands?”

“Mm…?” He was staring off into space, thinking of various ways to destroy the annoying runt, unaware of the good news which awaited him.

“Sir, Miss Japan has sent you a message as well.” His eyes lit up and he pulled the letter from the man’s hands, tearing it open.

Letter:

“Dear Mr. Govert,

I put a lot of consideration into your confession last week, and despite what happened between us when you last visited me, I have come to the decision of accepting your heartfelt emotional attachment to my person.

I sincerely hope that my response is not belated and there is still a chance for us to meet again and talk the matters over.

P.S.: I did not entirely dislike our little scramble during our last encounter.

P.P.S.:Please, excuse my immodest statement!!!

Sincerely yours,

Honda Sakura”

This girl…this magnificent pure hearted girl just announced her feelings for him in the cutest letter ever! Mogens was speechless. He reread the letter six times and was overjoyed to see that she wanted to meet again.

Who knew a little roughness on his side could lead her into his arms?!

Sakura received many letters and flowers that same week.