#the Korean part they added is fire

[chlorinecake]

🎙️ star-crossed lovers 【 薄幸な恋人 】 ⛦

summ✩ry While collabing with your girl group and Enhypen for a special stage, forbidden feelings spark between you and the main dancer upon dorming together

p✩iring idol!niki x popstar!reader ✩ requested ✩

-> PART 2 HERE

genre band au, fluff, secret romance cw swearing, mild bullying, the word ‘sexy’ like once, kissing, girl drama, reader is younger than Niki wc 4.4k

“Ugh,” Serenity groaned as the hairstylist applied yet another thick layer of chocolate brown hair dye to her scalp.

“This gig better bring in some serious bank, because never in my life would I willingly collab with those overrated wannabes,” she exclaimed, taking a frustrated sip from her vanilla latte.

“Hey, people used to call us wannabe's, too, you know,” Haerin said quietly as she tucked her hands under the UV light.

“Yeah, you should be more mature about this, Serenity... like I always say, professionalism triumphs pride," you added, only half-engaged in the conversation as a certain online article caught your attention.

As the band leader, you were always in charge of everything, so Serenity and Haerin were used to you talking to them this way...

“I’m just glad that we're getting exposure,” Haerin smiled, thinking of the countless nights you and your group spent practicing routines and writing songs for auditions, "it's not often that artists like us get opportunity's to perform internationally."

“For real,” Serenity cheered, “Riot Grrlz for the win!”

The three of you put your hands out to make a circle, “Riot Grrlz for life,” Haerin exclaimed, forgetting that her nails hadn't fully dried yet.

"Whoops," she giggled, just as Jade, the oldest of your group, made her way from the bathroom.

“What took you so long in there?” Serenity asked cheekily, “I thought we were gonna have to call the fire department.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Jade returned, taking a seat beside Haerin so she could get her nails done, too.

“You were talking to the enemy, weren’t you,” Serenity accused.

“No, Ren, I didn’t go behind your back and sell my soul to the devil for fame.”

“Not that enemy,” Serenity grinned, “I'm talking about Mr. Six Foot Moon Eyes.”

“Oooooo,” Haerin amused, pulling your attention away from your phone.

“Ugh, let it up guys. My crush on Sunghoon is long gone, especially now that we’re gonna be working together. Besides, I would never act so recklessly over romance.”

“Who said anything about reckless romance,” you teased, unintentionally giving Jade a full view of the article your were reading on your phone.

"Nobody,” she began, “but I’m surprised you even heard that over all your internet-stalking.”

You were scrolling through a K-Pop news feed when you came across a post.

It was titled: "Enhypen Rumored By Netizens To Be Collabing With THIS Rookie Western Girl Group."

"Shush," you whisper-yelled at Jade, "unless you’re trying to get our record deals pulled!"

Just last week, your management team made you and your group sign a contract of secrecy, swearing silence regarding unpublicized business projects and associations: this included your upcoming collab with Enhypen that Jade nearly just spoiled.

Although, in all honesty, the blog's use of the word "rookie" bothered you more than potentially breaking any contract rules.

"Relax, boss, it's practically a ghost town in here," Jade defended, drawing your attention to the near vacant salon space.

Ding.

It was an email from your manager.

He wanted to inform you all that your chauffeur would be ready around 2:45am to bring you guys to the airport.

"Jeez," you mumbled to yourself, "looks like I'm not getting much sleep tonight."

“Shit,” Serenity whined, “I haven’t even made enough time to brush up on my Korean yet!”

“Luckily me and Haerin here are bilingual baddies,” Jade giggled, giving the cat-eyed girl a fist punch.

“Ahh, watch my nails!!”

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Your company's fashion crew was experimenting with different concepts, assigning each of your members an individual color to permanently represent: Serenity was teal, Jade was purple, Haerin was white, and you were pink.

Some time passed, an you and your group arrived in South Korea around 3:00pm.

Thanks to the fashion tech your management team hired, it wasn't obvious that you and the girls had been in and out of sleep for the past 13 hours.

You couldn't help but stalk the headlines about your group, as rumors about your Enhypen collab continued to spread like wildfire.

So much for swearing silence and secrecy, you thought to yourself.

South Korean pop media had already seemed to build a vendetta against your group, given that you were young, talented, and most importantly, from the states. The xenophobia of most K-netizens was disheartening at best, but you understood that hate was a part of success.

Besides, you were living the dream of many engenes at the moment — most of them would sell their siblings to be in your shoes right now.

“Ahh! This is unreal!!” Jade cheered excitedly in the back of the limousine. You guys had just left the airport around thirty minutes ago, after getting past the pesky crowd of paparazzi.

“I know right? Korean McNuggets slap way harder than back home,” Haerin added while munching on the salty snack.

“Don't get too comfy, Rinnie. We will leave you here,” Serenity joked.

You hadn't even realized the radio was playing until a certain guitar riff blared from the ceiling speakers.

"Oh hell no," Serenity immediately cringed, covering her ears as you, Jade, and Haerin exchanged knowing look, bringing imaginary microphones to your mouths in unison.

It was Enhypen's song Blessed-Cursed, Jay’s voice singing "We go!" over the radio.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, GO!!" The three of you cheered, obnoxiously dancing to the choreo while sitting.

Memories of your group (minus Serenity) binge watching music videos at sleepovers resurfaced in your mind.

Usually, you'd only listen to throwback hits like Britney Spears or Rihanna, mostly because Rnb and Pop beats inspired your own art.

Still and all, Blessed-Cursed was one video that the three of you fell in love, way before your upcoming collab was even a thought.

"Don't get mad when I start recording you clowns," Serenity threatened, thoroughly amused by your behavior.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Upon arriving outside the Hybe Building, a trio of body guards guided you and your girls to an office room where the seven boys stood awkwardly around a large table.

Part of you still couldn't believe this was all actually happening, despite it being right in front of you.

“Hello! We are Enhypen,” Jungwon bowed as the guards exited the room.

Jay visibly cringed at his leaders words, “I promise we were told to introduce ourselves like that. Please don’t judge us.”

“Well, uhm… H-hi,” you stuttered, feeling a bit nervous, “We are the Riot Grrlz. It’s a pleasure being able to work with you all.”

Niki, the tallest of the boys, caught your attention immediately as he greeted you with a peace sign.

Was he always this cute?, you thought to yourself.

That’s when a lady dressed in all black barged through the glass door on the other side of the room.

“Sorry to interrupt… well, not really. Me and the Enhypen boys are already well familiar with each other, but you ladies can call me Kim,” she greeted, waltzing into the office as if owning the place.

She was a fast talker, so you knew you’d have to pay attention to what she was saying or else you might miss something.

“I hope you made use of each others time and gathered everyone’s names? Phone numbers?”

”We were just in the middle of that before you came in, Miss Kim,” Sunoo clarified.

“Very well then. You have a total of 15 minutes to lock in dorming arrangements. As you’ll see on this clipboard here…”

She paused mid-sentence, holding the clipboard dumbly.

“God, can one of you take this thing already?”

“Oh- sorry,” Heeseung chuckled nervously, taking the clipboard from the fiery woman.

“As I was saying, there are four rooms for the eleven of you to somehow divide. And no, just because you’re all hormonal young adults, none of you get a free pass to break the no-dating rule.”

“No-dating rule? What is this, a detention center,” Serenity mumbled.

Kim cleared her throat, feigning a smile as she glared at Serenity with narrowed eyes, “This is a place of utmost professionalism, Princess Land of The Free. If you have a problem adhering to the rules in place here, you are more than welcome to leave.”

“A-and after that? The fifteen minutes, I mean,” Haerin blurted out shyly.

“All of you will meet back in the main lobby, where you will be guided accordingly.”

Miss Kim turned of her black boots, beelining to the door with powerful strides, “The timer starts now” she called out, closing the door behind her.

And with that began your group discussion of rooming arrangements. Unfortunately, though, things didn’t get off to a particularly nice start.

“Are you effing kidding me?” Serenity asked rudely, screwing her eyes toward a now annoyed Heeseung, “Why can't we just get separate hotel rooms?!?”

“Look, there's no perfect way to go about this," he sighed, crossing out the roommate pairs you all had just agreed on. "So you either humble yourself, or sleep in the bathtub for the next two weeks."

“Really guys, the math is simple,” Jake started, “There’s eleven of us and only four rooms to choose from. Nine of us will be divided in groups of three, and the remaining two will share the last room together.”

"Cool! Me, ____, and Jade can share the first room together!" Haerin obliged with a smile.

"Perfect, and where will I go?" Serenity questioned, mocking Haerin's excitement.

"The bathtub, right?" Jay teased, provoking Serenity to argue with him.

Meanwhile, you attempted to make peace with everyone willing to listen, “Guys, I agree with Jake. We need to make a decision quickly before Kim gets back.”

“Right. Everyone in favor of room number 1, provide a show of hands,” Heeseung said, Jay and Jake raising their hands with him.

"And for room 2?" Jungwon initiated, raising his hand with Jade and Haerin.

A pout formed on Jade's face once she realized that Sunghoon wasn't in the same pair as her.

"3's the magic number, I guess…" Sunghoon offered, Serenity raising her hand with him.

Now it was just you, Sunoo, and Niki remaining.

"I'll group with 3, too. All of our name's start with "S," so it just makes sense that way," Sunoo joined shyly.

"Welp, now that leaves the final room for me and..."

"Me..." Niki spoke with a deep voice, flashing a mysterious half-smile-half-smirk that you knew would haunt your mind later.

"Me and me... the odd one's out! Wow, that's actually perfect!" Jake cheered just as the lady in black strut back in.

“Times up,” she said, taking the clipboard from Heeseung to analyze the finalized dorming plans.

“Hmm, interesting,” she mumbled to herself, tucking the clipboard under her arm.

You all made your way down to the main lobby, just as Kim instructed.

One of the security guards mentioned that Hybe suggested a dinner outing for your group and Enhypen as a way to end the night before you started work the next day… or maybe it was mostly a way to officially confirm the rumors about your collab.

Upon arriving, everyone sat at separate tables, divided according to who they agreed to room with.

Although Niki seemed quiet at first, you and him were giggling the babies the entire time you ate.

“Poor Jungwon. He’s gonna be sandwiched between Jade and Haerin for the next two weeks, his biggest fans,” you joked.

“Nah, Sunghoon and Sunoo have it way worse. Serenity’s attitude is enough to send me running,” Niki chuckled, shaking his head.

"Speaking of running, how come you were appointed leader over your group even though you’re a baby," Niki teased.

"Not you baby-shaming me! I was born in 06', you've barely got any experience on me."

"I've had an entire YEAR to catch up on things, for your information."

"Things like what? Potty training?"

"Pfft, probably..." he replied, going quiet for a second before continuing, "If you ever need help, though, I don’t mind practicing with you after hours.”

"Sounds like fun, but that might be past my bedtime," you pouted playfully, taking one of the fries off his plate.

"Hmm."

"Hmm what?"

"Nothing, I just didn't take you as the type to follow rules," he smirked, taking a sip from his soda.

"I guess it depends on what rules we're breaking. Whether it’s worth it or not."

"So rule breaking is a “we” thing now, huh?"

"Probably..." you smiled, the cool breeze of the foreign air sending shivers down your spine.

Or maybe that had something to do with Niki?

Before you knew it, it was time to head back to your dorms for the night. You knew rehearsals in South Korea were taken a lot more seriously than where you're from, so you needed all the rest you could get.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Day one was easy.

The main focus was recording voice samples in the studio, experimenting with different harmonies, and training your vocals as needed.

Now you were on day two, which started with a quick vocal session, leading into the dance rehearsal warm-up right after. After stretching, the studio was split in half, girls taking the left side and boys taking the right.

You all wore numbers on your back. This way, there wouldn’t be any confusion when any of your were being called.

Niki was assigned number eleven, and you had number one.

According to Jake, the numbers were disseminated based on skill level, and out of the 11 of you, that made Niki first place… and you the very last.

As rehearsals went on, your placement was proving to be true.

You were struggling to keep up with the choreography and it was really starting to bug you.

"Are you feeling okay," Niki asked as you sighed for what sounded like the hundredth time.

"Yea, I'm fine, it’s just this footwork is a bit tricky," you admitted.

“Aww, the smallest number for our most inexperienced contributor,” Serenity teased, making a pass at both your age and inability to get this one move right.

“I may be the youngest out of all of us, but I was appointed head over our group for a reason,” you snapped back.

“Yea… and it still shocks me to this day,” she mumbled, Jade and Haerin pausing to listen now.

You scoffed at her ignorance, putting your hands on your hips, “As if you could lead the Riot Grrlz any better.”

Serenity gave you a look that made you wanna drop here right there in front of everyone.

You never understood why she always had an attitude over the simplest things, and given the current work setting, your tolerance for her bull crap was at an all time low.

“Right, the Riot Grrlz. “Rookie Western Girl Group,” huh? And you expect me to be proud of that?”

“With pride of lionesses, of course,” Jade pitched in, leaning down to fasten her shoelaces.

“We should really keep working on our routine, guys,” Haerin mumbled quietly, causing the raging brunette diva to roll her eyes.

Meanwhile, the boys seemed to be getting along rather well with their part of the routine, completely blind to the chaos brewing at their left.

And by the boys, I mean all of them except Niki and Jake, who were both too distracted by your girl drama.

Way to go embarrassing myself again, you thought to yourself

“You’re new to this sort of training, aren’t you,” Jake asked curiously.

“What, did my shitty dance moves give it away?”

You know it wasn’t Jake’s fault, but you were started to doubt your abilities as an artist and performer.

Even Serenity felt as though you were letting your group down.

“You’re not a shitty dancer, ____,” Niki answered, walking closer to you.

“Yeah, Niki’s right. You shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Jake added.

“Exactly! Just focus on your strengths,” Serenity pitched in, “your vocals, for example. You might ruin the dance routine, but at least you’ll save all the high notes with Heeseung.”

It was clear that you and Niki were equally fed up with Serenity’s toxicity.

“Okay, can everybody clear out for a moment," Niki clapped, causing everyone to back up against the walls almost instantly.

He pulled you by the hand, turning you to face him as he called out to Sunoo, "Put on a random dance track, real quick. Something upbeat, please."

“Gotcha!”

Turning back to you, Niki took your chin in his hand, making your eyes meet his. “Just follow my lead, okay?” He whispered, taking off the bracelet he wore before sliding it on your wrist, “Do you trust me?”

“Niki...” you started, not sure of what he was trying to do.

“I need you to feel the music, ____. Let it control you," he said, stepping away as a short remix of "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls blared from the radio.

You could hear an amused Serenity and Sunghoon chuckle a bit at Sunoo’s choice of song, but Niki remained serious.

His gaze met the ground before he started freestyling to the song, letting his mind and body get used to the rhythm as he flowed to the beat. You stood awkwardly beside him, not feeling up to dance at the moment.

He caught sight of you standing and nudged your shoulder, "Loosen up, ____," he smiled, finally starting to feel the song himself.

You started by mirroring his movements at first, adding a few steps to make it fit your own style more.

"See? Now you're getting it," he encouraged again, pulling you toward him so you could dance together.

Your friends and the boys cheered you and Niki on while you two danced as if choreographed.

The track ended with Niki's had on your waist, both of your chests heaving from all the action.

Haerin's jaw dropped as she struggled to find the right words or any words to say, “That was…”

“Sexy!” Heeseung smirked while playfully fanning himself, making Niki turn his face in embarrassment.

You could feel your own face getting hot now, too, especially with everyone staring.

"Relax, Rinnie, you're acting like you've never seen a guy dance with a girl before," Jade chuckled.

"N-not... n-never like THAT,” Haerin said with a shocked face, “____, you're amazing!"

"Thanks," you smiled shyly, eyes falling back the bracelet Niki put around your wrist.

"Keep it... it's a good luck charm," he replied softly.

"Alright, alright. You guys can loosen up each other's buttons on your own time," Serenity snapped, interrupting everyone's gawking.

"Right... On second thought, it’s time for our break," Jay called, handing you and Niki a rag for your sweat.

"Great job, you guys. See you in 20," Jungwon added.

"Come on, girls," you chirped, picking up your gym bag as you took a sip from your water jug, heading towards the studio exit.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

The rest of the day continued according to your work schedule. One vocal practice followed the other as the initially difficult routine felt more natural with each retake.

You also made a stop by Hybe's fashion team, getting your measurements taken so they could design your outfit for the upcoming stage.

Although this was a work trip, you were having a blast in Korea so far. You liked getting to work with the new people and trying different foods. You especially liked being roomies with Niki.

He was super talented, chill, yet flirty at the same time.

No wonder his fans go so crazy over him, you thought to yourself.

“Hey, ____,” Niki called out, jogging to catch up as you made your way from the dance studio after going back to get the pair of headphones you forgot near the water cooler.

“I wanna show you something…,” he announced, “Well, a thing I like to do.”

“Mhm, and what’s that?” You asked playfully.

He chuckled, “Just a thing that I can’t get away with while in idol mode. My secret escape... Are you interested?”

You meditated on his words before answering, considering the early curfew outlined by both your managers, and how it was already 8:00 at night, “It’s getting pretty late, you know… Is it gonna take long?”

He giggled again, this time leaning into you. “Only if you’re indecisive.”

The sounds of your sneakers tapping against the shiny tiled floors bounced off the hallway walls.

Like you said, girls would sell souls to be in your shoes right now: there’s no way you were gonna pass up on a chance to hang out with Niki…

A chance to explore this reckless romance.

“Ok, let’s go, but we have to be back by midnight,” you agreed.

“Ok, Cinderella. We’re not too far from where I wanna show you,” he beamed, fighting the urge to hold your hand as you followed him out of the Hybe Building, clashing into the night.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

The place was reminiscent of a skate park, graffitied ramp-like walls cupping you and Niki in the surface of the arena.

There were a few other people present, but they seemed more wrapped up in their own little worlds to even look your way…

The moon shined behind the thin clouds of the sky, basking you and Niki’s skin with an ethereal glow.

“This is it!” He gestured with open arms, “my secret escape.”

You tucked your hands in your pockets as it was a bit cold out, “A shared secret place?” You corrected, pointing out the tiny groups of people hanging around.

Niki pushed the hoodie from over his head, revealing his two-toned mane, “I guess you could say that… they’re all idols, here. Just like me. They get why I do this.”

“Why you do what,” you inquired, stepping over a few random rocks that decorated the path.

“Why I dance,” he answered almost immediately, looking you in the eyes, “for myself.”

He took a few steps away from you, swaying to the music that rippled from one of the mystery people’s carry-radios.

Like earlier, you mirrored his moves at first, adding your own adjustments based on intuition.

Feeling.

You had so many more questions to ask, but in this moment, you focused on Niki and the way he moved.

The small groups of people developed into a crowd within a matter of seconds, joining you and Niki along with the music.

Although everyone was doing their own thing, in a strange way if felt harmonious.

Some people danced calmly, others were more wild. Either way, you were starting to understand what Niki meant.

Being able to express yourself away from prying eyes, scornful comments, flashing cameras, or a number 1 sign on your back was invigorating.

The music was still going when Niki grabbed your hand and pulled you to the side, a soft look taking over his features.

“Kiss me,” he whispered, staring into your eyes.

“W-what?”

“I just need to know that what I’m feeling right now is real.”

You took his face in your hands, trying to make yourself feel more in control of the situation, “Niki, I don’t think we should do this. Your manager outlined pretty strict rules.”

He paused before responding, “Remember what you said at the restaurant the first day we met?”

His grip on your hands remained delicate despite how strongly he felt for you.

“About us breaking rules together… only if it’s worth it.”

“Exactly,” he smiled, leaning in, “I knew they didn’t call you a riot girl for nothing.”

His lips connecting with yours like a puzzle piece, both your hearts fluttering as if they’d grown butterfly wings.

You felt like your world was spinning at twice its original speed, but at the same time, the moment felt still.

Niki tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he braced a hand at your waist, pulling you closer before finally letting go.

“I like you, ____. Like, a lot,” he confessed, taking in the dreamy expression displayed on your face.

Your mind went blank.

“Say something? Please,” he urged, taking your hands in his.

A smile wavered over your features as you kissed him back on the lips, feeling as though you both stopped breathing for a moment.

“I like you too, Niki. But isn’t this pretty risky?”

“You said so yourself, risks don’t count if it’s worth it,” he nearly whispered.

“Well,” you began, still holding onto him, “if we’re gonna do this, it has to stay between us… no one else can find out.”

And just like that, you were now secretly dating your roommate / coworker / Enhypen’s main dancer and maknae / one of K-pop’s most sought after It-Boy’s, all in a three days.

Great.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

You and Niki made it back to you dorm rooms undetected. It seemed like everyone else was either too tired or too busy to notice that you two were out for so long.

Unlocking the door to as quietly as possible, you and Niki took light steps, trying not to disturb anyone or draw attention to yourselves.

Once the door was closed, you both bust out in a fit of laughter for reasons you didn’t understand nor cared to understand.

You didn’t need a reason laugh when Niki was around… it’s kind of just something that started to happen over the last couple days.

“What’s your secret to performing so well?” You asked him, both laying face-up on the lower bunk bed together.

“Hmm, I feel like nervousness is a strength. It pushes you to go forward in a sense…”

“Yeah… I get that. Sometimes, I feel like being calm is dangerous. It puts you in a safe space, when performing should be all about taking chances.”

“Right,” he agreed, resting a hand over his stomach, “Speaking of chances, they’re precious, you know? I never just assume I’ll get another opportunity to dance.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Like…” he sighed, trying to find the right words, “Every time I get on stage… in front of those lights… in front of my fans… I perform-”

“As if it’s your last…” you answered for him.

“Yeah, that,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “You know, it’s really nice talking to someone who gets me… the dancer part of me.”

“Of course, it’s really nice talking to you, too, Niki,” you smiled softly.

Breaking the calmness of the moment, he sat up in his elbows, meeting your face.

“Top or bottom?” He asked, referring to where you wanted to sleep for the night.

You crawled over his body, climbing into the upper bunk of the bed and laying down to finally rest.

“Good night, number 11,” you teased, snuggling into the mattress.

“Rest well, number 1. Big day tomorrow.”

🎙️ For my baby, @microwvdstrawb3rri3s, I hope it was worth the wait ~ And yes, before you ask, there will be a second part 💕

⛦ Additional tags for my fellow Niki enthusiasts: @fanficfactoryfoxxx @nikisblkgf @yourmomscuntis2tighy @nikimeows @kimjiho1 @nikipedia07 @nishimuradaniel

🎙️ Feel free to check out more fun reads on the pinned post at my home page ~

@ashgonedash, I still felt bad about forgetting to tag you earlier 👑 so here you go, my love :3

Update: THANK YOU ALL SM FOR 400 NOTES!!

[roo-bastmoon]

Things needing immediate attention in MUSE era...

We have GOT to diversify streaming platforms. Last year as a present to myself I went ahead and purchased a premium family bundle (for 6 email accounts each) for YouTube/YT Music, Pandora, and Spotify--plus a premium Apple account hooked up to Stationhead, and I currently have free trials going for Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon. Premium streams are essential for charts.

Every day I make clicking through playlists on all these platforms as part of my routine: before breakfast, at lunch, and before bed at a minimum.

We also need to be very diligent about voting. Once I sat myself down and took the time to download the apps, set up accounts, and watch a few YouTube tutorials about how to do it, it's actually pretty easy and usually only a once or twice a day sort of thing.

Then there are the polls that have unlimited voting. That is a numbers game, a war of attrition. So while I wait for my lunch to heat up? I vote. Stuck in a waiting room for an appointment? Voting. On the phone with someone who is just gabbing away? Uh huh, mm mhm, but clickity click, I'm voting the whole time. I aim to hit that Vote button about 100 times a day. All told, takes less than 5 minutes.

Also our boy just posted on Insta after 126 days of silence. Please interact with the story and show him the love!

All in all, I think we really need to get into a routine where we fire on all cylinders. Streaming parties, funding parties, outreach & hype parties... We are hyper-focused on Spotify and YouTube videos and that stuff is absolutely important, but it leaves too many gains on the table. Let's use every tool in the box, okay?

Finally, I want to wrap up this post with gratitude:

I know I encourage you guys a lot to push yourselves and work hard, and I don't mean to come off as your taskmaster, but rather as a cheerleader.

We took a mostly Korean song with an insultingly low level of promo, plus no ads, no playlisting, no radio, only one version, with less than a full week to chart, which dropped during a major US holiday -- and it's very likely it will land on the Hot 100. That is...outstanding.

If nothing else, Jimin will see that he's loved and appreciated and we have his back. Whatever the assholes online try to say about vpn and bots and other bullshit, it was your blood, sweat, and tears that gave Jimin his well-deserved seat at an otherwise unwelcoming industry table. I'm so grateful to you and to this community for that.

We all know that Jimin is organic, authentic, and uniquely talented, and therefore isn't even in competition with anyone else. But we can still get him some good wins. What we do for him, we do out of love--not obligation or bragging rights. His music and his artistry are a source of JOY!

WE ARE OFFICIALLY IN OUR MUSE ERA!

We have two weeks to study up and get premium accounts and gather all our energy to support a whole album. How lucky we are to be so well fed and loved.

FIGHTING!

[l33bang24]

OMG It’s You…(Part 8)

YouTube!Fem reader x Stray Kids

Summary: Y/N’s YouTube channel is taking off after her reactions to Stray Kids MV God’s Menu. Now she’s making videos nonstop along with working a full time job. What would happen if she got offered a job of a lifetime and met the boys of her succession?

⚠️Warnings⚠️: reader feeling down, crying, people pleaser, (orange is Korean being spoken)

🏷: @laylasbunbunny @weirdowithaphone @silverstarburst @jusanontstuff @anxiousskylar @drewsandsebastianswife @amararosesblog @niaalove (Taglist open)

Series Masterlist

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Previously on OMG It's You…

Third Person POV

Y/N never imagined that she would be summoned to the conference room at her workplace, especially by unfamiliar individuals not from the United States. Nevertheless, they were seated on one side of the table, while Y/N found herself on the other, facing a stack of papers with the word "CONTRACT" emblazoned across the top.

“Are you interested in collaborating with us?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/N’s POV

I have also been content with working in the evenings as I am a natural night owl. I also inherited punctuality from my father and typically arrive at work at least an hour early to have time to eat and fully wake up before my shift. Although I don't love my job, I am grateful for it as I have been in worse situations previously.

As I was about to start my shift, my boss sent me a text asking me to call immediately. I quickly dialed the number and waited anxiously as it rang. When my boss finally answered, they informed me that I was needed in the conference room in Building 1 right away. My mind raced as I wondered if I had done something wrong. I couldn't think of anything that would have led to this sudden summons.

I can feel my anxiety starting to creep in. “I'm not aware of what’s going on, Miss Y/L/N. I’ve just been told to inform you to come up here. It’s the conference room facing the front of the building.” I nod, but then realize they can’t see me. “Okay, I’ll be up there shortly.”

As we bid our farewells, my body starts to rebel. My heart races, my head throbs, and my hands tremble. I grab my belongings, preparing for the worst – getting fired. The short ride to Building 1 feels like an eternity as I battle my escalating anxiety. Upon parking, I make my way to the main entrance. Climbing the stairs, I unexpectedly encounter our CEO at the top. If my anxiety was bad before, it's now off the charts. I attempt to calm my racing heart, but it feels like it's about to burst out of my chest.

“Good Afternoon Miss Y/N," she said with a bright smile. I did my best to smile back, but my nerves were evident. "I'm sorry to call you up here, but there are some people who would like to talk to you." I froze up again, but this time for a completely different reason. "So then I'm not getting fired?”

"Oh heavens no! You're one of our top employees!" I let out a breath I was holding, then I remembered what she had just said. "Wait, who's here to see me?" She beamed and said, "Why don't you go see for yourself? It's the last door to your left. Take your time. Your boss knows where you are. Just let them know when you're done." I thanked her and took a few deep breaths. ‘I wasn't getting fired, but who could be waiting for me?’

As I walked to the door and opened it, I was greeted by a group of people I had never met before. To my surprise, they were all from Korea. I flashed a smile and said hello, and they returned the gesture, acknowledging my presence. After introducing themselves, I took a seat at the opposite end of the table.

"I'm sure you're curious about why we've come to see you." I chuckle softly. “I couldn't help but feel like I was getting fired today," I admitted. "We're sorry for the inconvenience. We came earlier this morning, but we were told you didn't start until later, so we had to leave and come back.” one of the ladies added.

“It's alright. I never imagined someone would come looking for me at my workplace.”

“I'm pretty sure you got a call from us a few weeks back," I nodded. "Yeah, I did. I did send an email in response later, but with work and the channel taking up most of my time, I just haven't had the chance to get back to you.”

“The channel is the reason why we're here.” I look to them in confusion. “In South Korea, you are one of the most popular channels. We have a diagram to show you.” They gave me a diagram that shows all the most watched people and/or channels in South Korea and I'm within the Top 5. Looking to the side, I see all the names of the people who are also listed along with the dates of when this was recorded.

“We've been keeping an eye on your channel for a while, and we're enjoying your content. Have you ever calculated how much you typically earn from your videos?" I pause and meet the man's gaze. "It all depends on the views I get. It can range from $150 to $500 per day and $5,000 to $9,000 per month. It varies based on the video.”

“How much are you pulling in at this job?”

"This job has the potential to bring in (your weekly earnings/twice a week) before taxes, and around (your weekly earnings/twice a week) after taxes. Any overtime you put in could really boost those numbers!" He nods in agreement and shifts his gaze to a stack of papers sitting on the table.

The conversation took an unexpected turn as the women across the table revealed their intentions. "We're here to offer you a job with us," one of them stated. I couldn't hide my surprise, "You want me to work for you?" The room filled with laughter as one of the ladies replied, "Yes, we would like you to work for us. We know it may seem surprising to you, but to us, it's quite simple. You see, there are multiple companies, including Music Industries like JYPE, who are interested in hiring you. That diagram we have isn't just to tell you that the majority of your viewers are in South Korea. It's to show you how popular you are in South Korea. In a sense, you could be just as popular as K-pop idols, if not more."

As I heard those words, I felt like my head was about to explode. The thought of being as popular as K-pop idols seemed too far-fetched to be true. However, as I glanced back at the diagram, a part of me started to see how it could make sense. After all, numbers don't lie. When I looked up again, I noticed that everyone around me had gentle smiles on their faces.

“So, what exactly are you hiring me for?” The gentleman to the far left speaks up. “That’s where I come in,” he begins. He proceeds to outline their proposal to bring me on board as a full-time content creator. The position would require me to relocate to South Korea and would come with a dedicated space for shooting videos. This would be a significant upgrade compared to the limited space I currently have in my room. Additionally, they offered me a part-time editing role when I'm not creating new content. Both positions came with generous compensation, but the amount they were willing to pay for my videos was almost beyond belief.

"Wait, $9,000 to $15,000 per video?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My eyes must have nearly popped out of my head. Typically, a video with 150,000 views a day would earn around $620 to $1,035. On top of that, they were offering to pay me for each video, in addition to my regular YouTube earnings. It was hard to wrap my head around why they would offer so much. Finally, I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I asked the one question that had been consuming my thoughts all along.

“Why does it feel like everyone is trying to fight over me in some way? I mean, take a look at this diagram." *Showing them the diagram* "I get that I'm supposedly very well known over there, but why pay someone so much for videos that never get paid that much?”

The gentleman positioned in the center let out a small sigh before responding. "Due to your widespread popularity, everyone desires to have you working for them. It's a way of demonstrating that 'My company has become even more popular now that I have y/c/n working with me.' That's essentially what it signifies."

"So, essentially, that's your intention here. You want to have me under your company name to help your business expand." They all nod, and I turn my gaze to the left. "But what guarantee do I have that another company won't come along and offer me a better opportunity? What about that?" Before they can reply, I speak up again.

“Listen, I appreciate the offer, but I won't engage in this if it's solely about gaining popularity. I value my worth as a human being and refuse to be objectified or treated as a trophy. If I decide to pursue this, it will be on my terms. I'll only associate with a company that respects me as an individual, values my content creation, and allows me to work on my terms. I might consider additional projects in my spare time, but my integrity as a content creator mustn't be exploited. I seek a professional partnership without the need for flaunting or seeking fame.”

“We are committed to supporting your growth. Rather than simply showcasing you, we want to nurture your potential within our company. Your creativity and dedication could lead you to a producer role here. If necessary, we are open to adjusting the contract terms to better suit your needs. We envision a promising future for you, not only within our company but also in your personal life.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four days have passed, and here I am at my grandparent's house with most of my immediate family. We're gathered around, discussing the contract I've been revising with the company. They've been cooperative, working with me to include what I want and exclude what I don't want in the contract.

The updated contract sparked a lively discussion, or rather a heated debate, among my family members. Initially, they were all thrilled when I shared the news. Well, almost all of them. The mood quickly soured when I mentioned that I would have to move to South Korea.

“Why do you need to move? Can't you just remain here?”

“Why are they offering her such generous compensation?”

“It's likely a ploy to entice her into joining their team.”

“Have you considered the potential risk of experiencing a similar episode to your last one at WD? You've never had the experience of living independently, and the one time you did, you struggled to fulfill your financial obligations.”

“How are you planning to support yourself? Will the income be enough to cover your expenses?”

I excused myself and made my way to the back porch, hoping for a moment of peace. As I sank into the couch, I couldn't shake off the feeling that things were spiraling out of control. Just a few days ago, I had left the conference room on cloud nine, but now everything seemed to be falling apart.

It's tough to admit, but I've always been a people pleaser. I've spent my life doing what others thought was best for me, even when it made me unhappy. When I finally mustered the courage to pursue my passion and start my own channel, my family didn't support me. It was disheartening, and almost made me give up before I even started. However, with the encouragement of a few close friends, I found the strength to pursue my dreams. And now, I'm proud of how far I've come.

As I reflected on their questions and concerns, I found myself contemplating aspects that hadn't crossed my mind, such as the possibility of this opportunity being a scam. My once-envisioned dream job now seemed to be losing its luster. Just as my thoughts started to spiral, a familiar figure emerged to join me outside. I desperately needed to avoid any further negative discussions about the situation. Surprisingly, it was my stepmother (or someone equally close to me). Despite not being my biological mother, she has consistently been my pillar of support when others have fallen short.

“Hey there, are you holding up okay?" I give a small nod. "I'm hanging in there, I guess. I get why they're worried about this, but every time I start feeling a little hopeful, they shoot it down. I even spoke to the company about delaying my relocation, but they refuse to listen. It's like they don't hear me at all." I pause, looking at her, struggling to hold back tears. "Just once, I wish they could be happy for me. I'm finally making progress in my life, and I just want their support, not their doubts.”

As tears streamed down my face, my stepmom did her best to wipe them away. She pulled me close, and it was as if all the emotions I had held in for so long came rushing out. After I finally composed myself, she gently pulled away and looked at me with concern.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with you Y/N. You know your grandparents and your dad adore you and would do anything to see you happy. I've always encouraged you to pursue your dreams and not let anyone hold you back. I still stand by that. I understand they may not be thrilled about you moving away, but if it means living the life you've always envisioned, then go for it. You know we'll always be in your corner, no matter what. Our collective wish is for you to find genuine happiness. Don't let their words steal your joy, okay?" With a nod, I couldn't help but smile a little brighter.

When we returned inside, everything had calmed down. They expressed their happiness for me and their concern about me being so far away. My stepmom even seemed to have said something to them before she emerged, as she winked at me when I turned to her.

I thought long and hard about it, but in the end, I took the leap and reached out to the company, letting them know I was ready to dive in. Within a week, I had the contract in hand, and soon after, I was receiving payment for the videos I'd already uploaded. Two weeks later, I handed in my notice at my job and officially transitioned to working full-time from home. I made it clear that I wanted to secure a place in South Korea near the company before making the final move, ensuring all my belongings were shipped across the seas.

In just one month, I'll be making the official move to South Korea! I couldn't be more thrilled about this incredible opportunity!

[gacha-incels]

relegating the project moon/limbus ongoing situation as simply “drama” is incredibly reductive. perhaps it could have stayed this way had KJH not capitulated to the DCinside misogynists’ “femi” witch hunt. by firing her (let’s be real, they’ve been coy about it because they’ve lawyered up but we all saw it happen) for deleted tweets expressing support for pretty standard women’s rights issues in korea, PM has inserted themselves into the ongoing national conversation regarding female worker’s rights. This is why there have been multiple news articles surrounding this and unions have commented on it. These people aren’t trying to take potshots at PM from the peanut gallery, they have a vested interest in making sure this situation cannot happen in the future. This isn’t only about vellmori, her case doesn’t exist in a vacuum. As I said, it’s more like her case has been added to the overall conversation rather than the unions adding themselves into her sole conversation. This is one of the reasons they’re trying to pressure PM directly.

It’s ridiculous to compare the current protests to what the DCinside males did. It’s easy to do so you don’t have to think about it of course. For women in korea, it’s not just something they can pretend isn’t happening, it’s part of their reality. This isn’t just “drama” it’s something that effects them directly. In regards to thinking “both sides are bad” I’ll repost a reblogged reply I made here.

Sadly the reality of horrific and often times fatal misogyny in south korea that this situation is now a part of is ignored by many, downplayed or brushed off again by “both sides are bad”. In a lot of “explanations” of the situation for example the writer will try to explain megalia & korean feminism in detail but more vaguely reference why these women are trying to push back. So the reader will emotionally react to some harsh sounding statements or actions from women but feel less for the more vague or flat statistics presented of misogyny in the country. I also believe people are desensitized to misogyny in the west so when they read these “extreme” sounding statements from women they see it as a “both sides are bad” situation instead of an oppressed group fighting their oppressor. If the things men actually wrote about women, the femicides, molka, extreme rates of domestic abuse and cases like the Nth room were described in detail to give westerners a fuller picture of what Korean women are dealing with I think there could possibly be less western centrist opinions. Well this is what I’ve been seeing at least, it’s frustrating to see some women’s extremely harsh words for example compared to the physical and sexual violence epidemic there by men as “both sides are wrong” so I wanted to say something. What woman has done anything on par with Nth room? I’m not going to judge their activism tactics as I don’t live there, but it’s frustrating to see the two “sides” compared like they’re both the same in terms of extreme actions.

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: October 2023 ~ 

☔️ Happy November!!! 🍁

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post! 

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 Sasaki to Miyano - October 1st (Japan)

🌟 If It's With You aka Even If I Fall In Love With You - October 5th (Japan)

🌟 What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2 - October 6th (Japan)

🌟 Boys Like Boys (dating reality show) - October 9th (Taiwan)

🌟 Lucky Love - October 15th (Thailand)

🌟 GMMTV2024 lineup event - October 17th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 One Room Angel (manga adaption) - October 19th (Japan)

🌟 Bump Up Business - October 20th (South Korea)

🌟 My Dear Gangster Oppa - October 26th (Thailand)

🌟 The Camp Fire (part of Y Universe) - October 29th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 Shadow - October 31st (Thailand)

Monthly likes/dislikes

👎🏻 my rant of the month goes to the delulu ON stans and their fucked up actions like how messed up do you have to be fr. no idea where these peoples' common sense went but I hope this doesn't affect Kidnap in the long run. I'm excited for the show and I hope they can overlook the bullshit. I'm sure Ohm is used to it by now anyway but leave Leng alone ffs. big sigh.

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Dear Kitakyushu - Coming 2024 (Thailand/Japan)

🎥 1000 Years Old - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Perfect Propose - Date TBA (Japan)

🎥 That Year 162 Rainfalls (novel adaption, by the author of HIStory: Trapped & Kiseki: Dear to Me) - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 High Demand - Coming 2024 (Thailand)

🎥 The Hidden Moon - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Eu Is Love - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 OMG Vampire (from the director of Dear Doctor) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Dead Friend Forever (a BOC original) - Date TBA (Thailand)

Other news from the BL world

❗️ FortPeat (Love in the Air) were announced as the leads for MeMindY's upcoming BL Love Sea. The drama will air in 2024.

❗️ BossNoeul (Love in the Air) were announced as the leads for MeMindY's upcoming BL The Boy Next World. The drama is considered a TharnType-spinoff surrounding Phugun & Cirrus and will air in 2024.

❗️ Dear Kitakyushu was announced as the first Thai-Japanese crossover BL movie. Mark Siwat and Uemura Souta will star as the leads; shooting has already begun. The film will air in 2024.

❗️ After rumors spread about an upcoming Thai adaption of the Korean BL Semantic Error, the author of the original novel came forward and negated the rumor.

❗️ The author of the adapted BL novels Triage and Manner Of Death announced that her novel Euthanasia will be adapted soon. It tells the story of a doctor who advocates euthanasia and becomes a suspect when mysterious deaths occur. One of the victims is the mother of an inspector who was battling cancer.

❗️ The first part of the GMMTV2024 lineup event was held on October 17th. The following BLs were announced:

We Are (starring PondPhuwin, AouBoom, WinnySatang, MarcPawin)

The Trainee (starring OffGun)

Summer Night (starring Phuwin & Dunk, with BL side cp)

Only Boo (starring SeaKeen)

Ossan's Love Thailand (starring EarthMix)

My Golden Blood (starring JossGawin)

Wandee Goodday (starring GreatInn)

My Love Mixup (starring GemFourth)

-> After initial confusions, GMMTV confirmed Kidnap to be a BL as well. The show stars Ohm Pawat and newbie actor Leng Thanaphon. This announcement however caused fans associated with the OhmNanon ship to protest publicly in the form of multiple LED ads across Bangkok, as well as public letters of complaint, shitstorms on Twitter and collective harassments on social media towards Leng. Neither of the actors nor the company have released a statement about the incidents yet.

❗️ Korean model and actor Nam Yoon Su was announced as the lead actor in the upcoming KBL Love in the Big City. Further details are yet to be announced.

❗️The Korean BL Unintentional Love Story is getting a spinoff revolving around the characters HoTae and DongHee. Filming is set to begin soon.

❗️ At the streaming event for the final episode of Love in Translation, the mains Daou & Offroad announced they will star in a movie together in 2024.

❗️ After winning the Be On Cloud reality show The Hidden Character, actors Ta Nannakun and Copper Phuriwat were offered the lead roles in the original Be On Cloud series "Dead Friend Forever", which was written by Sammon. The genre is described as 90's teen slasher horror. Filming has already started and the show is set to air on December 23rd.

Upcoming series & movies for November

👉🏻 Twins - November 3rd (Thailand)

👉🏻 Last Twilight - November 10th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Middleman's Love - November 10th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Beyond the Star - November 11th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Playboyy - November 16th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Pit Babe - November 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Wheels and Axle - November 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Bake Me Please (starring Ohm Thitiwat) - November 19th (Thailand)

👉🏻 7 Days Before Valentine - November 22nd (Thailand)

👉🏻 VIP Only - November 24th (Taiwan)

👉🏻 The Sign - November 25th (Thailand)

👉🏻 For Him - November 30th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun - November 30th (Japan)

👉🏻 Boy of God - November TBA (Thailand)

👉🏻 Wuju Bakery - November TBA (Thailand)

👉🏻 Online in Love - November TBA (Philippines)

[pommunist]

I already felt like this but reading Forest's statement just reaffirms it for me. The treatment of the Koreans on the server just feels so emblematic of the character of qstudios. They built up a crazy amount of hype regarding the addition of the Korean cc's, the teases for their inclusion was heavily tied with the hype built around the reset given the cultural references. Only for them to join a server that is going through a major internal crisis (because god forbid qstudios let's all the precious hype they built up go to waste by waiting),  a singular fluent admin whose got constantly ignored by the higher-ups and then unceremoniously fired, and poorly accommodates for their timezone in it's events- leaving them behind as soon as they became 'old news' for the next big things- it kinda reminds me of how the french are treated on there.

They care more about flare and attention over putting in the actual work to make an enjoyable experience for everyone- just rush into new thing after new thing and leave everything else behind with nothing but empty promises and a bad taste in their mouth. (it even kinda makes me think of the feds and all of their abandoned buildings lol)

I care a lot about the server, I just wish it was anyone but qstudios running it.

This is the kind of thing that could’ve been shrugged off as « oh well they underestimate how many admins speaking the language they would need, they forgot to amenage events taking the new timezone into account, mistakes happen ! » IF ONLY IT WAS THE FIRST TIME.

PT, FR, and KR speakers all had very few admins sharing their languages on the server side of things, leading to the admins having to multitask like crazy, and the updates accounts for these languages also were understaffed, leading to the communities being sometimes sidelined.

FR speakers complained a lot at the beginning that the events were happening at 2/3/4am for them only for the same thing to happen to korean speakers, finale was at 4 am ????

I understand that with the addition of people from Korea, the timezones covered a huge part of the good making hours fitting everyone difficult but then only add more people when you’re ready to accommodate them ? Not even talking about events, without more ccs from timezones close to them, Korean ccs would have had the fame fate that Spanish ccs had at the beginning of the server aka logging on when almost no one was online.

7 months since the last time they had added people and this is how the new community is welcomed ? 😭 God this pisses me off because I know a lot of korean fans were so hyper by this only to be left feeling disappointed.

Like a lot of things, Qstudios had a good idea that they thought would give them hype, and then forgot that they needed to work on making sure the idea was well executed.

don’t worry the pommunist customer service worked its magic, don’t forget to leave us a 5 stars review o7

[natlacentral]

Forget The Haters, Avatar Live-Action Star Elizabeth Yu Is Our Princess Azula

When Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbenderannounced that newcomer Elizabeth Yu was cast as Princess Azula, some fans of the original Nickelodeon cartoon immediately took to social media to complain. Some thought she looked too innocent to play the Fire Nation princess, an antagonist in the Nickelodeon series that takes place in an imagined world with people who can master and manipulate the different elemental energies of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Others lamented that her face wasn’t angular like Azula’s is in the cartoon, or that she looked too young for the part. (An especially odd critique considering, though never specified, Azula’s age is believed to be 14. Yu herself is now 21; she was 19 during filming.) But when it comes to the fan reaction, the young actor is completely unphased. “I’m a hit with the kids,” she jokes to Refinery29, adding that she doesn’t take it personally. “I think anybody playing this part would’ve gotten some kind of backlash.”

Yu is confident that when the show premieres February 22, fans will see the live-action show is doing more than recreating the cartoon. In the original, Princess Azula, the ambitious daughter of the Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim), doesn’t appear until Season 2 when she emerges as a new threat to the Avatar, the boy with the power to control all four elements and unite the nations against Ozai’s dictatorial rule. In this iteration, Azula is a recurring character, allowing fans to see her in a brand new light. “It’s an origin story for her,” Yu says. “It’s this foundation being laid out for a lot of things to make sense when we eventually pick up where we first met her in the original series.” So if you were worried Yu’s Azula had lost her villainous edge, don’t be. Yu describes her as “a girl boss,” but “evil.” Still, she says, “Azula is my baby girl, she’s my boo thing. I love her.”

Not only is she unbothered by the early reactions, she’s not at all nervous when thinking about how the show might be received by hardcore fans. Instead, the actor is more concerned with what her two younger sisters will think. The actor has seen Asian American representation grow from Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody — “All I had growing up was London Tipton,” she says, giving a shoutout to star Brenda Song — to recent Oscar-nominated films, like her 2023 favorite Past Lives starring Greta Lee. As half-Korean, Yu is proud to be a part of this current shift. “The idea that my little sisters are going to be able to watch TV and movies, and the likelihood of them getting to see someone that looks like them is so much higher, is such a win. It’s so healing to know that we’re creating an industry where little girls — little anyones — can feel like that.” 

The fact that Avatar: The Last Airbender stars Asian actors is arguably the new show’s biggest break from the original series. When the cartoon first premiered in 2005, it only featured a few Asian and Asian American voice actors, despite the fact that it took place in a world inhabited by mostly Asian and Indigenous peoples. When the beloved series was adapted into a widely panned live-action film, The Last Airbender (2010), the cast also remained mostly whitewashed, save for members of the Fire Nation, who were depicted as South Asian. Now, two decades after the original’s debut, Asians are finally getting a seat at the table. “It’s monumental,” Yu says.. “It’s so important to be able to see yourself in stories. That’s what storytelling is about.” 

Yu’s confidence is impressive, especially considering Avatar: The Last Airbender is only her third credit on IMDB. She gives off the air of an old pro. And in some ways, she is. Born and raised in New Jersey, she’s been auditioning for acting roles since she was 16. She’s also been dating Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo since they were 15. They currently live together in New York City with their three cats, and she’s had a front row seat to his rise to global celebrity. Though she insists she has always tried to keep their careers separate from their relationship, she admits, “Getting to see someone with such a huge heart navigate this industry is the best advice that I could be given.” She adds, “We’re both still trying to figure it out, and it’s really cool to be able to do it together.” 

She continued to audition throughout her last years of high school, though “it was a struggle,” she says. During her senior year, she debated whether or not to go to college or commit to acting full time. In the end, she stuck with her passion. Then, in December 2021, just months after her high school graduation, she booked Avatar. “‘Oh, thank God,’” she recalls thinking. “I’m doing what I should be doing.” She has since gone on to appear in the Oscar-nominated May December, opposite Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton.

It wasn’t until her fourth and final audition came around that Yu finally learned what role she was fighting for. “It was insane. I cried on the phone with my mom.” Months later, she was standing on the Fire Nation set next to the legendary Daniel Dae Kim in full armor and regalia, acting between bursts of flames. (“Before they’d call action, they’d be like, ‘Pyro!’ and the flames would ignite from these sconces on the walls. It was insane.”) And though she admits acting opposite Kim was intimidating at first, it was also pretty damn cool. “Who wouldn’t feel like the baddest bitch in the room sitting next to Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai?” 

It sounds lucky, but her road to Azula had more than a few bumps. First, there was the fact that she didn’t know what project she was actually auditioning for. “They sent this completely fake, made-up storyline for this fake TV show. I was auditioning for a character named April,” she explains. After getting a callback, she hit the internet to do some sleuthing. “I became an FBI agent trying to figure out what I was actually auditioning for, because I was like, ‘Something about this does not feel real,’” she says. When she realized that it might be an adaptation of Avatar, a show she watched growing up, she couldn’t believe it. (“I was like, ‘No way. That is definitely not what I’m auditioning for.’”) Then there was the “minor car accident” that she got into right before her first callback. (She made it safe and sound and “did the damn thing!”). 

As for what big names she hopes to work with next, Yu is open for whatever comes her way. For now, she’s got her eyes set on a not-yet-confirmed Season 2 of Avatar, which she hopes will include Azula’s time on Ember Island with her brother Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) as well as some of her character’s famous lines. “I’m really excited to go into a second season and finally do these iconic line reads that Azula has,” she teases, adding, “I quote them all the time to myself. There’s this one scene in the original where she says, ‘Do the tides command this ship?’ And she’s basically threatening this soldier that she’ll throw him overboard if he doesn’t do what she says. It’s just so badass.”

Live action or not, Princess Azula will always be badass.

[bloodpen-to-paper]

PSA regarding cultural exchange and internet culture. Its a rant but its something that needs to be said

I'm already seeing the Qsmp admins calling for understanding and patience with the announcement of the Korean CCs that will be joining, and it frustrates the hell out of me that any of it needs to be said because people on the internet are so poisoned by cancel culture that this opportunity to engage with Korean culture is beginning with stress.

Its an issue that extends far past this server unfortunately, the modern standard for morality on the internet is insanely unrealistic and honestly very anti-human. So many people, most people actually, do problematic things in life and make mistakes, which is completely normal. Its how we are and how we're supposed to be, its how we learn and grow. But having someone get dogpiled/harassed online and potentially even risk losing a career for saying or doing something vaguely problematic that they should be encouraged to learn from is so incredibly harmful and makes the online place more toxic than communal.

There's a legitimate line to draw between something we should encourage someone to reflect upon and a genuinely irredeemable act, and if you can't tell the difference you then shouldn't be speaking about it online. To all the people who dramatize an easily fixable situation, you're part of the problem of people not knowing how the fuck to act when there's miscommunication, differences of opinion or people doing/having done something problematic but not ill-intentioned. Genuinely good people are being either pressured off the online space or terrified to ever make a mistake because people who don't touch enough goddamn grass are so drama-addicted that they make a situation negative when it literally never needed to be. You're toxic and you're making everyone else toxic, the problem is not the person who accidentally said something offensive in ignorance but is willing to learn from that, nor the person who misunderstood a situation and could be convinced to reflect on their actions, the problem is you, adding unnecessary fuel to the fire and blowing shit out of proportion when it could be resolved so much easier. If you're someone who does this, I hate to sound like a boomer but holy shit you should be ashamed of yourself. There's enough bad in the world as is, stop posting and do better.

And here's the funny part, and I don't care how many people this pisses off: current online cancel culture is xenophobic as fuck. People in different cultures have different ways of life, and though that doesn't necessarily excuse some of what goes on in other nations, the current standard for "dealing" with culture clashing takes no account to how someone's culture can make them act differently than you, and they shouldn't be demonized for it even if some of what they do isn't the best. People from multi-ethnic backgrounds, especially children of immigrants, understand that some of our parents say the most cancellable shit imaginable but are still good people at heart. Strangers online wouldn't understand that at all, and their need to complain about everything online with such hostility and lack of nuance would and is doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing; instead of getting people to see different perspectives and learn why their behavior can be harmful to others, thus encouraging them to do better, online witch hunting either drives them away from wanting to interact with anyone, and/or actively pushes them further down problematic avenues where they aren't demonized for harmful behavior.

I am so sick and tired of everything thinking cancel culture is normal, because it is so incredibly not. Its exhausting seeing the same thing play out over and over as someone who's actually interacted with people of different ages, gender and ethnicities, and who knows what these people are like in their hearts, while also knowing the internet would eat them alive without a second thought to who they are or why they act the way they do.

People say and do problematic things, it doesn't mean they're bad people. It means they're human. I encourage everyone to remember that.

[yersina]

a linguist plays chants of sennaar (pt 4)

[pt 1] [pt 2] [pt 3] [x] [pt 5]

we're getting close to the end, guys!!

disclaimer: can't promise that i'll have any insights that a layperson wouldn't have, this is kinda just me thinking through the grammar of the language out loud haha.

this post covers the fourth language and will contain spoilers! it also assumes that you know what the symbols mean already.

additional note: i went and added alt text to my previous posts in this series! sorry for not having them before :)

numbers!!!!!!!!

before i get into anything else, i think i might as well start with numbers, which are the most unique part of this language and really leans into the portrayal of this society as mathematical and scientific lol. like the arabic numeral system, this number system is base 10, which we can see from the ruler. whether it’s base 10 or not isn’t super relevant to the gameplay or the language, i think?? except that it mimics the arabic numeral system, so it’s familiar to us. i am not a mathematician or logician or what-have-you, so i wouldn’t know—my expertise does not lie in this area lol

we only have evidence in the game for numbers with up to 4 digits (one on each side and end of the center line) so we don't know how the alchemists would've represented really big numbers. however, the placement of the four numerical digits around the central line suggests to me that this language might have a system that counts by four digit placements, rather than three. (to clarify: in western cultures, we often count and represent numbers in groups of three: thousand (1,000), million (1,000,000), and so on, with a new word for each set of three digit places. in many east asian languages, large numbers are represented in groups of four instead (examples that came to mind were chinese, japanese, and korean, but that’s just what i’m personally familiar with; there certainly might be others). in chinese, we have 万 (10,000) and 亿 (100,000,000), single words instead of “ten thousand” and “hundred million”. the word for million is “hundred-ten thousand” (百万).) since this language naturally seems to represent numbers in groups of four, that's my suspicion. unfortunately, the addition-only calculator in lab 2 only goes up to 9999, so we don't know what happens at five digits; my best guess is that the center line changes (maybe becomes two lines instead of just one, since one line also represents 0?), but obv there's no guarantee.

moving on from numbers, this language is relatively consistent when it comes to visual representation of linguistic categories: verbs have an open circle, locations have the sideways u/semi-circle deal, and people have a triangle-plus-line element to them. interestingly, “fear” once again is more of a noun than a verb in this language in terms of appearance. at this point, i’m inclined to think that this a quirk of the developers, rather than the language; even though fear is often used as a verb in the language itself, its appearance denotes that it’s primarily a noun, which may indicate that the game developers also thought of it as a noun first and verb second.

other interesting combinations of elements/radicals in the language include “mine”, which combines the radical for location and the triangular feature of scientific elements/materials (i.e, “the location where you can find materials”). the word for “seek/want” and “laboratory” share a radical, which suggests that that radical means something like “answer” or “curiosity” or something like that. another fun thing i noted is that the word for “alchemist” shares a similar shape to “i/me”, which might be indicative of a thought like “i am an alchemist”, and that those two concepts are linked, culturally or historically. i also think it’s interesting that “fire” and “fear” visually look more similar to each other than the other nouns—again, could possibly indicate something about how the alchemists conceptualize them? they obviously live in an environment where they encountered monsters that were scared of fire, and they in turn were scared of the monsters—i wouldn’t be surprised if it were the case that these were connected in that way.

i’ve been trying to figure out if this language has a particular pattern when it comes to representing words with an open circle vs dot, but so far i can’t find anything. might just be random/artistic choice!

this language once again returns to the pattern of being SVO, with plural suffixes rather than prefixes like the warrior language. in fact, i would say that grammatically, especially in terms of sentence structure, the warriors and the alchemists seem to be the most similar. no verb-initial languages in this game i’m afraid, haha.

one more language to go!!

[digipigichopshop]

Twisted, Chapter 2 (Feat. Yuqi & Miyeon of (G)I-DLE)

A/N: Oh, look who's back from the dead!

Lord help me it's been a while, and this draft has gone through many iterations to become what y'all see now.

What was supposed to be a 2-part story has become a 3-part story- When will it come out? *shrugs*

Big thanks to @sooyadelicacies for co-writing this with me, @worldsover, @ggidolsmuts, @midnightdancingsol and Bethel for all the edits.

Tags/TW: Degradation, Foot Fetish, Masturbation, CNC

"While we wait, Daddy, would you like me to carry on? Or have I been too much of a killjoy for you? If I've been a naughty little brat, don't I need to be punished?" Miyeon crudely pouts, sliding her arms under her legs as she offers her feet to you. 

"You deserve nothing from Daddy for being such a brat. We will wait here and you’re not gonna get anything from me."

Miyeon sulks, swinging her slobber-covered feet from the edge of the table as she gradually comes off her high.

You hated disciplining your pets like this, but you weren’t going to let Miyeon have her way with you that easily.  

“But Daddyyy~” A long, drawn-out whine signals the start of a “Miyeon Tantrum”, and she’s one diamond-studded tiara and poofy godmother dress away from completing the spoilt princess look.

"What's wrong, Miyeon? Don't like it when you're denied pleasure? This is what your bratty attitude gets you." 

But before you can tease her any further, the sound of a pair of slides slapping against tile accompanies an arrival outside the door. 

Knock Knock Knock 

"Come in." You say nonchalantly, and Miyeon’s gaze is directed away from yours to the doorway. The doorknob clicks to reveal a bubbly blonde-haired chick with her head down, happily texting away on her phone.

If casual, oversized tees had to go on the runway, she’d be the perfect model. Donning a punk-rock tee stolen from one of her recent promotions, she strutted her way into the room like she owned the building. The sleeves were chopped off in a way that loose strings of fabric would occasionally stick themselves to her shoulders, drifting tendrils of white and black teasing at her porcelain skin. Her black sports bra occasionally peeks every time she lifts her shoulders—a shimmer of obsidian through the coarse grey geode, while her track shorts disappeared and reappeared under her oversized tee as she walked, the obscene thoughts popping into your mind stoking the fire in your loins.

Her curly blonde locks were hastily tied up in a messy ponytail, yet the way it swung along behind her added a sort of intangibility to her already stunning appearance. Fae-like eyes bore an unparalleled sharpness that turned onlookers into stone as they couldn’t keep their eyes off her. If the eyes of basilisk weren’t enough, her ethereal radiance and intoxicating hourglass figure were almost as if she’d been ripped straight from a Korean Manhwa. 

"Hi, Oppa! Why’d you call me here on such short notice?" she says, momentarily distracted by the glimmer of Miyeon’s exposed thigh alongside your sweat-drenched shirt.

“YUQI?” Miyeon’s exaggerated reaction startles you, but Yuqi coolly greets her with a “Yo, wassup.”

“Aren’t… Isn’t… YA OPPA!” The high-pitched pterodactyl screech reverberates through the room like a stun grenade. “When you said “coworkers”, I thought you were calling in Hyuna-unnie or like, one of CLC’s members, or, or, or—”

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Silly little brat. Just because I give you a lot of attention doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be giving your other bandmates some attention too.” Yuqi slides behind you and rests her arms around your shoulders. You whisper something into her ear before sharing a chaste kiss, much to Miyeon’s shock and awe.

"Daddy normally likes being with only one, but there's two girls in the same room! I assume... you're the one who fucked up...?" Yuqi teases.

Miyeon’s expression quickly darkens. She stomps her foot, but the carpet provides little more than a soft thump to her little tantrum.

"Yuqi-sshi! How long have you been doing this with Daddy? How many others are there?" 

"That's for me to know, baby girl. And if you get invited to things with other girls, you'll meet them in due time.” You say, carding your fingers through Yuqi’s hair. “Let this be a lesson to you. I will treat you well, spoil you, and pamper you, but only if you behave and only if you follow Daddy's orders. Don't forget your place – and remember...it's an honour and privilege to have my time.”

You tilt Yuqi’s head to face you, before hooking a finger under her chin. "Now Yuqi, baby girl… Miyeon here doesn't believe you could pleasure Daddy better than she can, that your feet could ever be better than hers."

Yuqi snickers, leaving a kiss on your forehead before running to grab a chair from the corner of the room. She places it right next to Miyeon’s chair and plops herself down. "Fuck it. I’ll show this princess what a real one can do."

You could sense Yuqi’s stage persona flicker to life, your gaze dictated by her every movement. Yuqi had your eyes puppeteered right where she wanted them, a “not-so-Scarlet Witch” toying with the scarlet running through the veins in your loins. Your eyes trailed her soft, tiny hands down her porcelain legs, movements lithe and delicate; yet each born of deadly precision and careful thought. She runs her fingers over the faux fur of the bridge of her slides, settling them before her pastel blue toes as she splays them for your viewing pleasure.

“I got a new pedicure with the money you gave me last month~” she coos. Her teasing has your cock shooting to attention, angrily demanding its release ever since Miyeon decided to play the brat card on you.

Yuqi provides the perfect complement to your raging erection, dangling one of her slides off the tip of her toe, occasionally slapping it against the arch of her foot. The sound of her slide drives you insane, your cock straining itself towards Yuqi’s sole, desperate for even the slightest touch of her milky skin.

But not even a minute later, Yuqi decides she’s had enough and lets the slide fall off her toes. Your eyes follow the piece of rubber footwear as it plummets to the floor, only to follow it back up as Yuqi picks it up with her toes, shoving it in your face. 

“Come on, Daddy. You know you want it.” 

A deep breath is all it takes to have you fully entranced under Yuqi’s spell, the warm, moist and most importantly– pungent scent of Yuqi’s rubber slide fills your nostrils. There are faint hints of the jasmine perfume that Yuqi sprays to mask her odour, but the sweet, almost acidic aroma of her sweat quickly overpowers it. 

"Such a good girl, you're one of Daddy's favourites you know…” You hum, taking in another deep breath of Yuqi. “I’m in love with those pastel blue toes of yours, baby girl. But I’m still hooked on that electric pink polish you had last month. Change it back for Daddy, Hmm?”

"As long as Daddy keeps paying for all my pedicure sessions, then sure," Yuqi says. “I can’t believe that little bitch back there doesn’t want to play nice. I’ll give her something to run her mouth about.”

“Don’t talk shit about any of my pets–” Your sentence is cut off by an involuntary moan that breaches your lips. Yuqi’s pastel blue toes lift your stiff cock, as she gives it a tight squeeze between her arches. 

“Or what, Daddy? Seems like you’re enjoying yourself too much to care~” 

Yuqi's nimble little toes are like a cat's claws, pawing and teasing at your shaft in no time. Unlike Miyeon's long, slender soles, hers are smaller and shorter, so she has trouble keeping your cock up when she's stroking it with her toes alone. But unlike Miyeon– who went straight with her arches, Yuqi's humble toes take the lead, wrapping themselves around the head of your penis to flaunt the polish you liked so much.

Groaning, you appreciate the difference in Yuqi's technique. Yuqi was always top of her class – her unyielding perseverance was a notable characteristic often highlighted in her yearly reviews. Even as a trainee, her competitive edge was what consistently drove her to the top of her class, beating out trainees with several more years under their belt during her initial debut. 

Mix that with nymphomanic bloodlust, and you have the recipe for the perfect one-night stand– tempestuous carnal desires bound beneath dirty blonde hair and pixie features, an overwhelming want to satisfy both her partner and herself.  

Yuqi's feet rise in a crescendo of pink before diving back towards your balls, their dexterity apparent through the lithe motions of her toes. 

Oh, how your inner thigh twitches when Yuqi presses her legs against them– How your breath hitches as she squeezes your cock tightly– How your fingers drum patterns on your lap to keep it all in–

Yuqi hasn’t earned her load yet. She hasn’t earned the privilege of getting every inch of her body drenched in your cum. Her feet would be the first place you’d ruin, followed swiftly by her plump lips and then her milky white facial features.  

As her toes trace circles around the tip of your cock, you’re reminded of Yuqi’s ever-adapting dance routine. Each session with her was unique– there was always something new she wanted to try, no doubt excavated from her occasional forays into adult websites when her unnies weren’t watching. Either that, or it was something a little birdie of hers had told her– something that had driven you crazy during their sessions that Yuqi simply had to try. 

But between waves of euphoria reverberating throughout your very being in time with Yuqi’s strokes, watching Miyeon’s cocky expression dissolve into sheer stupefaction and jealousy has you certain that this form of blackmail was perfect for this undeserving pet of yours.

Trying to one-up the diva certainly had its perks, Miyeon’s eyes lit aflame at the sudden competition. Fury? Envy? Her Carnal Desire to be where Yuqi was right now – milking her Daddy just like she milked his bank account for all her expensive gifts? You couldn’t care less about what Miyeon was feeling. To you, it translated to a smug, shit-eating grin slapped all over  your face

“Yuqi-ah… You’re one of the most intelligent, yet painfully stubborn people I know! How did you even get yourself into this? How are you so okay with being used by him? How are you even OK with the fact that he was about to fuck another girl just before you came?” 

Yuqi flinches at the last comment like she’d taken personal offence over what Miyeon had said. 

A drawn-out huff of indignation escapes your teeth, as Yuqi’s temporary pause has you plummeting away from your climax, you being edged for exposition once again.

Yuqi’s strokes grind to a halt, her office chair creaking as she adjusts herself

“Miyeon-sshi, oh Miyeon-sshi…” Yuqi teases, massaging her thighs from her little “workout”.

“You don’t know anything about what Daddy is like behind the scenes.”

Yuqi’s been around Soyeon too much, you think to yourself. An abrasive remark that created an air of tension so thick you’d be hard-pressed to not pull up your pants and run right now.

But this was a catfight you simply could not miss. 

“Well, princess– if you must know, I walked in on Daddy here having a little one-on-one with Shuhua during promotions.” The mere mention of that name has Miyeon tense, her eyebrows furrowed as she shifts uneasily in her seat. Miyeon tries to interrupt, but you raise your hand to silence her.

“They were hiding in a small little cubbyhole backstage, right behind the main platforms. At first, I thought Shuhua was huddling together with him because she was cold– her face was so flushed and she was panting so much. Her eyes were glossy and unfocused, and the amount of sweat beading off her face made it look like she’d just run an entire marathon in her stage outfit. We made eye contact when she rested her head on his shoulder, and from her feverish joy, I could tell that they were more ‘Cuddling’ than ‘Huddling’”.

“One of my favourite pets, yet also one of my most needy.” You chime in.

“Shuhua didn’t need to tell me anything.” Yuqi resumes, “Even though she caught me, she let me watch the rest of her show with you, Daddy. You forcefully hoisted her by her waist, leaning against one of the steel supports before driving your–”

"You still haven't explained why you're ok with being one of his many side bitches, though." Miyeon interrupts.

“That’s easy.” Yuqi laughs, crossing her arms. “He’s the only man I’ve met who made me orgasm three times consecutively. Other than his impressively deep wallet, his cock is pretty impressive too.” She snickers. 

"Whenever Daddy asks me to come over, it's always because he's having a hard time getting off. Maybe the girl is too inexperienced, or she's just shy, or simply being uncooperative." 

"I don’t get to see anyone much outside my schedule, so when there’s a good fuck around–” Yuqi rests her head delicately against the inside of your thigh, baby-doll eyes staring straight at your eager cock as precum beads and oozing streaks down your tip. “I can’t say I’d pass up the opportunity.”

“I’ve had enough of your bullshit.” Miyeon finally breaks, caving into peer pressure. “Daddy likes me more, right? I’ll prove to him I can be a better fuck for him than you.” 

“Game. On.” Yuqi responds, leaning back in her chair.

“Wait.” You hastily lay out the rules of this mini-competition before you get torn to shreds by the two rabid cock-hungry cats.

“Whichever one of you can make me cum first will get to fuck me first, OK?”

Both competitors nod, and the first stone is cast as the two find their footing– wrapping their soles around the shaft of your cock– Yuqi’s playfully small when placed next to Miyeon’s long and slender complements. Miyeon’s feet move in tandem with Yuqi’s strokes, the long-awaited parousia of your rapture that was withheld for much too long.

You lose yourself in the warmth of twenty toes feverishly serving their Daddy’s demands, each unique entity’s loving twitches and caresses translating to waves of pleasure that slam through your body like a devastating riptide. You can't help but groan in pleasure as the two girls aggressively match each other’s rapidly hastening pace. If it wasn’t for your glistening spit lubricating their feet– Well, you weren't sure how you’d explain the carpet burn on your cock to your secretary.

Gasps both needy and desperate fill the room as sweat beads down both Yuqi and Miyeon’s brows, the former a zealot consumed by her fanatical lust for Daddy’s sweet cum, and the latter struggling to keep pace with the sex-crazed maniac.

“Holy FuCk~” A half-groan, half-whimper saturated with euphoria slips past your lips– much to the amusement of the blonde-haired girl in front of you.

“I’m doing good! Right, Daddy?” Yuqi cheerily yelps, “You’ll fuck me next, right? Choose me over the spoilt little brat? That’s what you called me in for, right? Right?”

“No! Daddy’s gonna fuck me next! I was here first!” A pompous retort befitting none other than the princess herself, drawing out an apathetic eye roll from Yuqi.

“You wanna get fucked?” Yuqi shoots back, and it takes you a second to recognize the devilish glint in her eye.

“Girls… Don’t figh–”

But before you get a chance to retort, Yuqi steals the breath from between your teeth with a tight squeeze of her soles.

Yuqi’s finally done playing around and pushing all of Miyeon’s buttons, and a soft squelch followed by a drawn-out gasp herald the start of the real competition.

Sometimes, the best buttons to push–

– are often the hardest to reach.

Miyeon’s hips buck at the sudden pressure on her swollen sex, Yuqi’s nimble fingers repeatedly diving in and out of her at a pace that matches her strokes of your cock. She quickly loses her grip on your cock, every desperate attempt to bring her legs together met with two fingers that refuse to give in. You can tell Yuqi’s experience with this from the way she thumbs with Miyeon’s clit, and it's evident through Miyeon’s glassy, unfocused gaze that she’s too keyed up to offer any real competition.

Yuqi manages to maintain both her speed and composure, fingers and toes working overtime to push her victims over the edge. The button of her shorts undone, you revel in watching Yuqi playing with herself right in front of you, shades of pink reflected behind the palm of her right hand. You feel her strokes growing frantic, losing any kind of true cadence as she divides her attention satisfying both Miyeon and her Daddy. The room falls deeper into a perverted symphony, everything so slick, wet and sloppy it’s impossible to put a source to. 

“Fuck, Yuqi– I’m close~”

“Cum for me, Daddy! Please!Please!Please! Shower my feet with your cum! Paint my cute little toes in your sweet sweet honey! Show this little slut how much more you love me over her!”

Miyeon opens her mouth in retort, but Yuqi’s already seven steps ahead, retracting her fingers from Miyeon’s soaking pussy. Her complaint is replaced with a whimper of subservience as Miyeon bucks her hips, her pussy clenching against empty space as it tries to fuck what isn’t there. 

“Fuck…Fuck~ I fucking love it when you do that~”

“I love you so much, Daddy! My feet are yours! My whole body is yours! My whole life is yours! Cum for me, Daddy! Cum for me!” Yuqi huffs, the urgency in her voice apparent as she throws her head back. 

“D– D– Daddy~” Miyeon’s barely coherent, her face flushed with a heat she’s clearly unable to control.

Yuqi’s stroking reaches a terminal pace, a careening velocity marked by spasmodic movements and soaking thighs, slick staining your felt chair cushions as she brings you your prize for running Miyeon’s marathon.

A strained groan signals your arrival, and you squeeze Yuqi’s ankles with a vice grip, the pleasure so intense you miss the first squirt of cum staining the wrinkles of her soles. Yuqi milks your entire load until your thrusts peter out, post-coital exhaustion a weighted blanket you breathe hard against. You feel the sticky flow of semen barrelling out the head of your cock as it clings onto every surface in reach, your cock slapping your thigh in a comedic fashion when Yuqi removes her feet from the equation.

“YES! YES! YES! I WIN!” Yuqi holds her feet up for her audience of two to admire. Translucent streaks running transverse over her arches glisten under the lights, cloudy strings of you webbing between her toes as it falls to form glassy puddles on the table below.  

“No fair! She cheated!” As expected, Miyeon takes a while to process the outcome. Marks from Yuqi’s provocations are laced like toxin behind her angry gasps for air; moisture dapples her messy hairline as her cheeks burn aflame with a rosy blush. The distinct irritation in Miyeon’s voice makes it clear she’s in the same predicament you were in earlier– all keyed up from the stimulation but coming just short of release.

“I refuse to accept this!” Miyeon shrieks, slamming her fist on the table; the sudden outburst causes both you and Yuqi to flinch.

What you didn’t expect though, was for Miyeon to fling herself off her chair and between your legs, her hands harshly squeezing and stroking your cock in a desperate attempt to renew your vitality. The short duration between your orgasm and Miyeon’s attack on your penis makes each stroke of hers feel like sandpaper scraping against your shaft, your sensitivity tuned to the max.

“Ah– Fuck! Get off me, you slut!” You swat Miyeon’s hands away from your cock, and before she can jump you again, Yuqi tackles you to the table in what can only be described as a “Frenzied act of Aggression”. Thighs against thighs, her hands pinning yours. The little devilish glint in her brown eyes evolved into a ravenous wildfire, threatening to consume all within her frizzy, flaxen inferno. When she adjusts herself on your body, you realise she’s missing her panties– likely burned to a crisp from all the friction she’s causing (not like you really cared anyways)

You’re in such close proximity that the heat of Yuqi’s body pulses with every breath of hers, lust scrawled on her skin like a map to her heart, her bloodstream annotated with notes of erotic passion marred by your fingers wrapping around her wrist. Run your hands along her arms like you’re plotting a graph of crazy against sexy, Yuqi constantly toying with that line like a jump rope every time you meet her.

“Daddy, this means I can have you for the rest of the night, right? I can fuck you all I want?” There’s that wildfire again, cinders crackling and sparking like a live wire, sin dripping with each word like venom, fangs bared as she marks your neck in little nibbles, her saline skin brushing against your cheek. A soft hum to answer her query and Yuqi’s back to devouring your neck like Dracula’s horny cousin.

You turn your head to give Yuqi better access to your neck, flinching as her love bites leave behind patches of saliva with tingling with unrequited love under the frosty chill of the air conditioning. Miyeon’s chair is surprisingly vacant, but Yuqi’s continued assault on your neck drags your attention away from her absence.

“Daddy’s satisfied with your performance today, Yuqi,” stifling a laugh as she squeals, “you let me paint your soles in my cum, and now I’m feeling generous.”

“You like to mark your prey, right?”

A series of eager nods follows.

“Then my body is all yours. I want you to fuck me up so badly– use me like your toy. I want to see you go fucking wild, I want to see your love for me, I want to see your love for Daddy, all of it. Down to the last–”

“That’s if he can take his eyes off me.”

You look over to see Miyeon’s elegant figure splayed precariously across your coffee table and couch, void of any clothing– her expensive dress and skirt tossed in a crumpled pile adjacent to your clothes rack. Miyeon lazily toys with her panties in her hands, legs crossed with her soles on full display.

“If you’re really so keen on getting fucked like a rabbit by that girl, what’s stopping me while I have some fun by myself? After all, you said it yourself:”

“You always take what you want.”

[ateez-himari]

NEW K-DRAMA: WHERE WE FALL

Warning: Talks of survivor's guilt, and reference to dark thoughts

[Sunshine Duo taking on Heart Wrenching Roles]

On September 29 a new Korean drama series made its way onto the big screens starring two idols from K-Pop group ATEEZ, main dancer Jeong Yunho and lead vocalist Min Himari.

When nineteen year old Aerin (Min Himari) finds herself as the sole survivor of a mysterious house fire that claimed her twin brother's (Lee Do Hyun) life due to a late practice that had kept her from going home, she can't help but to feel as though she should have died with him, as though she should have saved him. Despite countless therapists reaching out after the tragedy it seemed as though nothing or no one could pull her through this case of survivor's guilt nor help dissipate the visions of her brother appearing in her daily life all the way into insomnia inducing nightmares. Once a bright presence she begins turning to seclusion and unhealthy activities to distract herself from the overwhelming grief, much to her best friend Jae-Won's (Jeong Yunho) despair. The more he reaches out to her, the angrier Aerin begins to get with him and the further she pushes him away, her actions growing in recklessness by the day. But Jae-Won refuses to give up on her. Will he manage to save her...or will she drag him down with her when she finally falls off the deep end ?

The bandmates appeared in the magazine 'Singles Korea' in order to promote the series where they later met with an interviewer who talked with them about their experience. When asked about the difficulty of portraying a character with such a dark and complex story, Himari said "I was really nervous at first because I wasn't sure if I could convey such a complex mental health struggle so I monitored every scene very closely to make sure I had every detail down."

Much like the maknae, Yunho shared similar feelings of nervosity regarding his role by stating "Even though it wasn't my first acting project, the concept was much darker than Imitation's so I found it to be a really intimidating role. The longer filming went on though, the easier it became to sink myself into the story and my character."

(Spoiler ahead)

The pair agreed that one of the most memorable scenes was the last argument in which Aerin steps onto her apartment's balcony ledge only to be stopped by a horrified Jae-Won, leading the girl to finally break down in front of her best friend after a few moments of protest. In their opinion the key point in this part of the drama is the embrace they share, Jae-Won's hands running down Aerin's body in order to comfort her whilst she clings on to him for dear life, pulling herself as close as possible to the man who had so desperately fought to save her. "Even after the director yelled 'cut', Hima(ri) was still holding on to me and crying, that's how emotional the scene was" said Yunho. "I found this very...draining in a way because I found many similarities between our experiences so the story took me over completely. At the end I had no idea why I was crying, I just couldn't stop." Himari added.

Something that a lot of fans are most likely wondering about whilst watching the series is how everything was filmed despite their tour's grueling schedule, not to mention side activities. According to both actors this project had been in the works for quite a while now so they had filmed majority of it prior to their schedules, what little was left being filmed on days off. Himari's view on it is "Even though it was a tiring project at times I feel like it was worth every moment because it was an amazing experience. I'm also very proud of what we created and I hope the fans will enjoy it too." To this, Yunho agreed and continued with "I'm glad we got to see it through to the end and am really thankful to be given an opportunity to take on a more challenging role. I personally can't get tired of the story no matter how many times I had read and monitored it."

Finally it was noted that they also had quite the romantic tension throughout the series, one that even ended with the two of them sharing a kiss amidst their tears. The strong on screen chemistry was explained by Himari "It was slightly awkward at first to be close in such an intimate manner but I feel comfortable with him (Yunho) and we're very close in real life so we managed to work through it." They both recalled being flustered whilst reading the script and having to film this scene more than any others as they kept shying away or laughing. Yunho said "Having her on my lap was already very...strange but then when production said we had to kiss we couldn't seem to keep our composure."

Overall the hard work and emotions put into this series by its actors is sure to capture viewers' hearts to bring them into a rollercoaster of emotions. Stream 'Where We Fall' on Netflix.

[inzaghisgirlfriend]

Rewatch!

Step into a time machine with me, if you will, and let it whisk us back to March of 2021.

Simpler times, then, n'est ce pas? We're but a year into a global pandemic, and I am clinging by a thread to my sanity and, without knowing it, mere weeks away from my first covid vaccine and the freedom and return to normalcy it will immediately and entirely provide* (spoiler, this did not pan out 100%).

I have joined twitter, as one does, out of desperation, because tumblr is a dumpster fire everyone is fleeing from for a site that isn't being ruined by a poorly-effectuated rebranding, unchecked hate, weird algorithm issues, and corporate nickel and diming. Funny how those things come full circles sometimes...

There, as here, I am following a lovely person who makes exceptional gifsets and has extraordinary taste in television (ifykyk). Her timeline has begun to fill with odd gifs of besuited and beautiful Korean people and otherwise context-free shouts into the void like "sexy lawyers" and "murder hornets!!"

Understand that, while it seems insane now that I've watched roughly 40 and would have to physically restrain myself from doing something embarrassing should I meet the man, there was once a time in my life when I had never watched a Korean drama nor even heard of Song Joong Ki.

As time goes by, though, my terror and confusion on twitter give way instead to a persistent feeling of intrigue and envy.

Because I realize there is a lot of shouting. And amongst other people with exceptional taste. I have been trapped in my house with the same people and walls and 8 meals and 23 minute walk around the block I'd seen and done and lived for the last year. So the appeal of disappearing through the tv to a place with hot people dressed up nice in a place I'd never thought much about before grew and grew. Even if there's trained murder hornets there.

So I open a shady-ass site with a seriously committed ad server Netflix on my phone and curl up and watch, stunned, the absolute best fucking 20 minutes of any TV intro I've ever fucking seen.

We're now nearly 3 years beyond that point, and I've met exceptionally interesting and funny and brilliant people and seen the most gorgeous gifsets and fanart you can imagine and read a ridiculous amount of fanfic (and written perhaps a little here and there, give or take 750,000 words) and headcanoned every possible scenario you can imagine and even flew to the other side of the world and stood in the middle of Seoul, not only amidst the pigeons of 'Geumga Plaza', but also between the parted legs of a building-high cutout of Song Joong Ki.

But I've never, ever rewatched the show in its entirety from start to finish.

So, with that in mind, away we go. A second time.

[karenandhenwillson]

The usual aftermath

Right now, the people who started this are experiencing backlash. Dealing with public posts condemning their behavior in sometimes not very polite way and dealing with anon messages. I can't say I have much sympathy for them.

As already said, they have stated several times that they don't think a call out post is bullying. But the thing is, you can't control what the mob will do with your words, your anger, your outrage. They'll run with it and they'll hurt people.

A friend brought up a good comparison: Imagine a person pulls the fire alarm in a busy building as a prank. Maybe a mall or a big business building. There is no fire, but no one knows that. There'll most likely be a panic, there will be chaos—and among all of that there will be property damage and the busier the building the more likely there will be injuries or even people dying. The person who pulled that fire alarm as a prank will be held accountable for paying the first responders who were deployed because of the alarm as well as any damage done during that panic in most countries, I'm aware of even if they never even saw the people who got hurt or who actually did any of the property damage.

Your call out post is you pulling the fire alarm. You are culpable for anything that happens afterwards, even if you have no chance from the very beginning to control the crowd.

Me saying "You brought this onto yourself" does in no way mean "I agree or support this behavior". I did repost some things on Tuesday, one of them has a phrase used in it that when I first read it, I only found it amusing and kind of fitting. I have in the meantime read a post by one of the people addressed by that phrase that's making me think a little differently about it.

As communication has been one of the things that's just completely lacking in this situation, I'll not just vague post about this one thing. The phrase goes along the lines of "the white women who started this and their token POC so they can claim they talked with POC about their accusations first".

I completely understand why any person who'd have to feel addressed by the word "token" feels hurt by it, probably horribly hurt. I've added to the tags on my reblog of this post to state I don't agree with that specific phrasing but still with the overall message. It's not a phrase I'd adopt personally, not even before I saw the thoughts shared by one of the people addressed by it.

There is a but, though. And that but is the situation as it openly presents itself to everyone who is not part of the group who created the call out posts about the artist. As far as I know there were three of them. And one person talking to the artist privately but also commenting openly on one of their posts before the call out posts. All four of these people have stated to be White at one point or another. So what everyone seeing the call outs could see was four White people attacking an artist who turned out to be Korean. 

The same people who loudly shouted into the fandom they wanted to make the fandom safe for POC were in the process of that "protection" attacking a POC. Whatever might have been said or might have happened in private in some DMs or on a Discord server, no one seeing the call out posts has any chance to know about it. So no one seeing them cold see POC raising some concerns and their friends supporting them even if that might have happened somewhere in the background.

So when I read the above mentioned phrase first, I found it fitting because all we had seen at this point were some White people harassing a POC, trying to lecture that POC about how they were allowed to perceive the coloring of the skin of their own race, and claiming there were POC voices in the background but no one could really be sure about it. It was an instance of me not taking the time to think about the people on the other side of the comment, which very clearly was a mistake.

I talked with someone involved in this whole debate about the uncertainty of how to support POC voices, of elevating their voices, without stepping out of our lane. A couple years ago I talked with some POC RL friends about this. After very long consideration and calling one of them earlier, I've decided to share what they told me:

Elevating POC voices means being at their side when they speak up. Sometimes that just means literally standing beside them giving whatever physical comfort they are comfortable with while they voice their protest. Sometimes that means listening to their (open) protest and then taking those words and expanding them, building on them. It doesn't mean speaking up when they don't feel like speaking up for any reason (of which there can be many, speaking up is exhausting). It doesn't mean taking their privately shared words and carrying them forward in an attempt to fight their battle for them. Especially not if they don't feel to be in a place to fight any battle at all.

I'm aware that's the opinion of a very small group of people compared to the world. But it's what my friends told me they wished how I and others would act with and for them. So, I'm living by it. And I’m trying to do it with everyone, no matter their race. I believe that me not deleting my reblog but adding a tag pointing out that this phrase is not okay is living by it, is carrying forward the openly shared words of a person who got hurt.

I very much hope this situation will die down now. And that maybe at least some people on both sides will learn from it. My DMs are open. I've not blocked a single person so feel free to write me. I'm of course reserving the right not to response if I get the impression you are coming at me in bad faith or if your tone is disrespectful. I'll not be answering any asks about this topic. That wouldn't be helpful in giving this situation a rest.

[celestial-sapphicss]

nobody asked but I'm finally watching the gmmtv 2024 part 2 trailers and hence some incoherent thoughts

ossan's love thailand: KAPOOK 😍. I haven't seen the original ossan's love but this seems like an HR Violation. how come two people like this lousy person???????? what is this show LMAO it seems so unhinged (not in a good way yet?) but i have my trust in Au!!!!!!!

leap day: WHAT THE FUCK OMG. GUN HELLO

the heart killers: joong khao brothers HM. now this show is hidden agenda pls. there is going to be so much angst here im still so hurt from only friends but another jojo project, interesting 👀

friendshit forever: someone needs to be fired for these names. MOOK LOOKS SO PRETTY. ngl i thought this was a GL until new showed up but boy did the trailer take a dark turn. listen im all for this betrayal angst but isn't it a little cliche to have girls fight/backstab because they're jealous of each other? maybe i misunderstood the trailer hm.

perfect 10liners: how are forcebook back in uni again???? but enemies(?) to lovers???? perthchimon roommates HAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAHHAAHHAAH. oh i loved MarkJunior in cherry magic!!!? how much is jittirain making i just want to know. seems very cliche but i eat it up every time. also new siwaj!!!!!!!

us: GL GL GL GL BRAIN GOES BRRRRRRR. pining delicious 🤌 angst delicious 🤌 cinematography reminds me of an indie production somehow. 2 FON KANITTHA GLs YEAH GIVE THIS SHOW TO ME RIGHT NOW!

hide & sis: PIPLOY & JAN & GAWIN. FUCK YES. this is giving the player vibes and i dig that. gotta love fucked up rich people. who is directing this though?

thame - po: is this the lykn dance group? PLEASE NOT THE Y/N FANFIC. cute

breakup service: GODJIIIIIIIIIII. it's giving midnight motel vibes. but hmmmmmmmmm

revamp: im not really a wabi-sabi or vampire girly but im always here of villian kay!!!!! & santa my beloved 🫶 the vibes are immaculate.

sweet tooth, good dentist: who is deciding these names????? but also MARK & OHM YAY. the fanfiction of it all smh. jittirain strikes again. not mark singing the last twilight ost pls. this doc is So invested in this patient im sure he follows his lives. FLIRTY MARK MY BELOVED!! ALSO VIEW & JIMMY HELP. if this isn't sappy as fuck what's the point. also the Pepzi, the AD for bad buddy is directing this, nice 👀

the dark dice: love the annual supernatural weird-high school gmmtv shenanigans. 'loser like me' and its Gemini, be for real pls. PRIMMMMMMMMM. I don't really understand what's happening with the plot smh but it's a LOT

the ex-morning: exs to lovers and a hell lot of pining and angst? yes. i didn't get firstmix but I'm happy with this. also the meta commentary also GODJIIIIIIIIIII.

scarlet heart: THE CAST ?????? TU, TAY, NANON, PERTH, FOURTH???????? I'm here for it. i haven't seen the Chinese or the Korean version but the teaser sure is interesting AND FON KANITTHA

14 shows DAMN GMMTV

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: B-52 Stratofortress lands in South Korea for the first time

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/17/2023 - 08:35am Military

The U.S. Air Force is celebrating the 70º anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea alliance with a huge demonstration of air power at the 2023 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) this week, and a B-52H Stratofortress made a full landing on the Korean Peninsula for the first time today, according to all known reports.

Also during the exhibition, scheduled from October 17 to 22 at Seoul Air Base, USAF will exhibit eight other types of aircraft through static displays and aerial demonstrations, according to the Pacific Air Forces, including: F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, KC-135 Stratotanker, U-2 Dragon Lady and E-3 Sentry. Other U.S. military aircraft include CH-47F Chinook, AH-64 Apache, F-35B Lightning II and E/A-18 Growler.

The famous nuclear-capable B-52 bomber carried out two overflights at the event before landing at Cheongju Airport, 140 km south of Seoul.

“These overflights, air demonstrations and static displays, including the landing of the B-52 on the peninsula, are part of our ongoing commitment to promote peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean peninsula,” Major Rachel Buitrago, director of Public Affairs of the 7ª Air Force, said in a statement.

The B-52 Stratofortress, known as BUFF, is the main cruise missile carrier of the U.S. Air Force. The H model is now the last variant of the Stratofortress, which has been in service since the 1950s.

Although the B-52 has never landed in Korea, it has carried out several recent exercises near or over the Korean Peninsula. On June 30, several B-52s from Barksdale Air Base, along with South Korean F-16, F-15E and F-35As and KF-16, conducted a joint overflight of the country.

Then, on July 13, the long-range bomber was accompanied by F-16 and three F-15K aircraft of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) for a combined air training session over the peninsula. This exercise followed North Korea's allegations that it launched a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on July 12, capable of reaching the continental territory of the United States.

North Korea continued to carry out numerous missile launches this year, including the most recent test in September, when it fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off the eastern coast.

“We still face ongoing challenges from North Korea, including its dangerous and destabilizing missile testing program, and others that would undermine the rules-based international order,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in April when he welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol who was visiting the Pentagon.

Austin and President Joe Biden pledged to intensify joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, including those with nuclear-capable resources, such as strategic bombers or submarines with ballistic missiles. Last week, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan made a stopover in Busan, South Korea.

“2023 marks 70 years of alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea - an alliance that has proved to be solid in the face of challenges over many decades. It is among the most interoperable, capable and dynamic bilateral alliances in the world," Lieutenant General Scott Pleus, commander of the Seventh Air Force and deputy commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea, said in a statement.

“We are honored to demonstrate our commitment to this partnership through our U.S. participation in Seoul's ADEX 23 as part of our ongoing commitment to promoting peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean peninsula,” Pleus added.

This biennial exhibition, the largest of its kind in Northeast Asia, presents aircraft, ground equipment, air demonstrations and attracts aviation and aerospace experts and defense personnel from all over the world.

Tags: Military AviationBoeing B-52H StratofortressKADEXROKAF - Republic of Korea Air Force/South Korea Air ForceUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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O

[goodbyeapathy8]

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the Sewolho Tragedy (세월호). 10 years since the day I have so many thoughts still, and the grief and anger that bubbles up but... there is one thing that I cannot forget and that still causes me incredible amounts of anger.

In the aftermath, it became clear that there were multiple fuckups on multiple levels by the government in the rescue operations as well as the accident happening itself.

Grieving parents began hunger strikes.

And somehow... somehow the grief over their dead children became a political issue, not a humanitarian one.

A group of conservatives called the ilbe, took it upon themselves to demonstrate some of the worst hatefulness I've seen from people. TW below for hate against grieving parents.

During the hunger strikes, they ate in front of the parents.

If that wasn't bad enough, they specifically ate fish cakes.

Why fish cakes?

The ilbe "joked" that fish ate the dead schoolchildren and that now they were a part of these fish cakes.

And it never stopped.

Ilbe members continue to harass parents who (rightfully) continue their activism to this day.

Most people outside of Korea don't know or remember this. What they remember is only the beauty of Korean people, protesting in the millions and successfully impeaching President Park Geun Hye who was missing for 7 crucial hours after the accident. ("Fun" fact? A lot of 4B movement activists regard her as their role model. Yes. Still. In 2019, feminist group WOMAD even took out an ad in Times Square to demand her release from prison.)

The fish cake incident was why I wasn't shocked when I saw various videos online of Zionists doing or saying similarly hateful things about Falasteen and Palestinians.

To take a humanitarian issue and twist it into a political one.

I have a lot of feels when people praise the efficiency and technological "forwardness" of Korea when I think of the Sewolho. Because it wasn't the first or last tragedy created by corruption and greed - it is one of MANY manmade disasters (Seongsu bridge collapse, Sampoong Mall collapse, Daegu subway fire, Itaewon Halloween crush, etc etc).

Korea is always one misstep away from yet another infrastructure disaster.

It is a complex country, like any other. There's no conclusion to this post because I struggle with complicated feelings regarding my home country and my own family but I wish people acknowledged the nuances more than look at it with rose colored glasses.