#*:･ LET YOUR DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT 〈 * SELF PROMO. 〉

[rookierebel-blog1]

          i  have  loved  the  stars  too  fondly  to  be  FEARFUL  of  the  night               independent  bodhi   rook   /   written  by  HANNAH.

[messiisgodibeliveinhim]

Just Another Rant

Okay, so why do NCTzens have a hate boner for Taeyong??? It's so f*cking weird, it doesn't make sense.

Taeyong has been under NCTzens' microscope since his debut. Everything he does is dissected and twisted into something its not. No other member of NCT or any group (except maybe Jennie from Blackpink) is treated this way by the group's fans. NCTzens want Taeyong to be the villain so bad, that they're willing to stoop as low as dehumanizing, body shaming and wishing d3ath on him. NCTzens dislike him, some even hate him and they're not very subtle about it.

Now, I'm not saying all NCTzens are TY antis. I have moots on Twitter who dont stan him, but are incredibly respectful towards him and acknowledge his talents and hardwork. If you're one of them, then this rant is not about you. But i will say this, if it isnt all NCTzens who anti Taeyong, it's most of them.

It started with Lines and Screentime distribution for NCT songs and mvs. Now, i agree that Taeyong used to get a little more lines and screentime than the others at first. But instead of calling out SM, most of you targeted Taeyong saying he deliberately stole the said lines and screentime from his members so that he'd get to shine more..... Really???

Next, when he was announced as a member of SuperM, NCTzens were clearly upset it wasn't Johhny or Jaehyun. Do you wanna know why??? No, they didnt talk about talent. Instead, they wanted Jaehyun/Johhny instead of Taeyong because SuperM is a group targeted at the western audience and Jn & Jh knew to speak English better than TY..... Okay.

And it keeps getting worse.

-NCTzens saying that TY goes into the recording studio to record his solo songs, by LOCKING OUT the rest of NCT, so that they wont get to record their solo stuff.

-That TY is SM's Golden Boy cuz he 'gETs a LoT of SoLO pRoMos anD cENter TiMe', completely refusing to understand what 'SOLO PROMO' means or see how overworked and mistreated he is by his own company.

-When TyongFs praise TY about anything, NCTzens always, ALWAYS insert their faves in the post. Like, go make your own post maybe???

/Trigger Content

-NCTzens saying that TY dances like he has a sq*irrel in his pants, raps like d*g, looks like a skeleton etc etc. And these are just mild stuff i mentioned here. NCTzens are so much worse when it comes to body shaming and dehumanizing him. And when we call them out for it, thay have the audacity to say that its a JOKE and we're STUPID for not having 'A Sense of Humor'....

/End of Trigger Content

-NCTzens saying that TY's main dancer/main rapper/main visual/leader/center positions should go to their faves cuz their fave 'iS So mUcH beTTeR aT TheSe pOsiTIOns'. Yeah.... sure..... NCTzens rarely talk about the positions other members have , but are really obsessed with Taeyong's.

-NCTzens still denying that Taeyong is NCT's leader and that he's really good at it. Just yesterday, a Wayzennie (also a TY anti) started spewing sh*t about Taeyong's leadership. And their arguement??? That they have 'lEAdeRsHiP eXpEriEncE iN UnI, WoRk aND ouTsIDe wOrK' and that makes them an expert about leading a 23 member global kpop group, who had a rough start what with their controversial 'unlimited' concept and experimental songs. Sure, Jan.

(Also, the thing where some Wayzennies are still not accepting that TY is the leader of whole of NCT, cuz Kun is WayV's leader..... Seriously, though its not that hard to understand. Kun IS and WILL remain the leader of WayV, a 7 member group. That's a fact. But when the subunits (127, Dream and WayV) come together for projects (ex: NCT 2018 and NCT 2020), Taeyong becomes the overall leader. But since these Wayzennies are still on their WayV not being part of NCT agenda, they're simply ignore this. Go figure.)

- Oh, but when some other member in NCT messes up, it suddenly becomes Taeyong's responsibility cuz 'HE'S THE LEADER'. Funny, how NCTzens change narratives quickly. Also, weird how, according to NCTzens, NCT members suddenly can't think for themselves even though they're grown adults and need Taeyong to take the blame for them. Haha.....

-Also, NCTzens guilt tripping TyongFs from canceling NCT Beyond Live tickets when they got to know that he was injured and wont be participating in the concert a little too late, cuz "Taeyong, as a leader, would be sooo upseeet that his group wont be getting TyongFs' money and he'd feel sooo guiltyyy that y'all are getting refunds of your OWN money that YOU CHOSE to spent and its not my business at all. But damn, y'all are sooo selfish!!!!"

-NCTzens posting about how overjoyed they are that TY is injured cuz that means their faves get to shine..... "Look how MY FAVE killed TY's part" "MY FAVE ate Taeyong up" "Should've put MY FAVE in the OG line up instead of Taeyong" "MY FAVE made TY's part as his own" "Thank god, MY FAVE got to show off his talents, now that Taeyong isnt here". God, if i were one of the Neos whose fans say sh*t like this, it would've felt like a slap to my face. Honestly, tell me, do y'all really think so low of your faves? Do you really think they cant shine even with TY being on stage? They absolutely can, but you're focus is not on them, is it? Way to embarrass yourself.

-NCTzens blaming Taeyong for NCT's slow rise to fame because of the false rumors/allegations pinned on him by nasty people. They say Taeyong was the sole reason for NCT not being liked by many, not because of their confusing/complicated concept or the music. Yeah, you heard me. NCTzens are not above victim blaming and pointing fingers, cuz they are not ready to accept the fact that Taeyong was the one who carried the group on his back all the way.

-And how they can't stand the fact that TY gets praised by proffesionals or non-fans or locals. A dance analyzer analyzed 127's Kick It and at the end stated that Taeyong was the best dancer in 127. And what did NCTzens do. They bullied the analyzer to the point that they deleted the video, just cuz their fave was not named the best. A reactor reacts to Taeyong's Long Flight and the comments on the videos are along the lines of 'Hey, MY FAVE'S also has a solo song too. You should definitely react to that' or when they're tryna be subtle (but not really), they go 'Taeyong is soo good but you should also check out MY FAVE'S blah blah blah'

Hell, even when TyongFs say 'Taeyong is very so creative, by coming up with BDLI Jungle Gym concept and the MAW chandelier thing. He's literally an Idea Bank', and NCTzens go 'All the Neos are idea banks' in the same post.

When TyongFs say 'Taeyong is the really so handsome. NCT's main visual', they go 'All the Neos are main visuals'

Lmao, just 3 days ago, someone commented 'Taeyong is cute' under a tiktok video and an NCTzen just couldn't help but fume about it and went 'All Neos are cute'🙄

Like seriously, this is sooo annoying. Make your own goddamn post about the rest of NCT, ffs! Why do you to insert anyone else in a Taeyong tweet? Literally, can't let Taeyong have a moment for himself.

-Recently, Taeyong released 2 solo demo tracks on SoundCloud- Dark Clouds and Dark Clouds Remix (check it out here: https://soundcloud.com/eh_ovo_taeyong). And NCTzens being NCTzens started those who never even promoted Kun's SoundCloud before started promoting it under every TY tweet on the same day. Now, i don't have a problem with them promoting Kun's SC. But they could've done it any other day or made their own tweet about it. But doing it under every TY promo tweet and on the very same day? Really??? And some of them had the audacity to say that TY was getting free clout from Kun cuz Kun followed him on SC.....😑😑😑

-NCTzens have this weird belief that TY is getting solo promos and is being pushed by SM. What on earth are they talking about? Taeyong being center, main rapper and main dancer of the group is not solo promo. Him being in SuperM is not solo promo. Him opening Instagram and SoundCloud is not solo promo, but self promo- which means HE'S promoting himself, not SM. Solo promo is usually provided to the artist by the company in the form of photoshoots, accepting brand deals, releasing the artist's solo music etc and SM isnt doing sh*t for Taeyong. All they're doing is overworking him and milking him for money. That's it. And i want NCTzens to understand that.

And the list goes on and on and on. This weird hate boner NCTzens have for Taeyong is so bizarre to me. All Taeyong does is sing, rap, dance, talk cutely, take care of his fishes and play games with Baekhyun. And this somehow gets NCTzens mad. They constantly discredit him, try to make him seem less than what he actually is, insert everyone else when someone is talking just about him, make him seem like a villain by twisting his words or actions and making it into a big deal.... *sigh* Its so unbelievable how low NCTzens can stoop. And it gets tiring real quick.

N E Ways, this is everything i wanted to rant about and damn, this turned out to be too lengthy. Now, if you havent followed Taeyong on his Instagram, please do @eh_evo_nct. Stream Long Flight, his one and only solo station. And please look forward to BaekhyunxTaeyong collab on Taeyong's SoundCloud.

Ciao!

[thedailyrindblog-blog]

Ten Minutes with NoEXIT

In case you missed the memo, boy bands are back. Left and right, boy bands have been reuniting, and this doesn’t exclude British boy band, NoEXIT aka Derek Mcnally, Mark Jeremy Barry and Stephen Adel Burns.

We had a chance to catch up with them after a 15 year hiatus and asked the trio a few questions about their careers, families, and upcoming album.

NoEXIT will be touring across the US in the upcoming months, so make sure to grab your tickets and  check out their new album Powerstation coming October 11 via Topanga Creek Records.

Tell us about how you became NoEXIT and your first few years as a group.

We got together in 1996, a long time ago now. We were just playing with different bands. It was more of a hobby at the time. We met in Liverpool, you know, going to different shows. One thing lead to another and we decided to start our own band together and that was the beginning of it, really. We said, “Alright, let’s take it seriously” and we all just quit what we were doing at the time and said “Let’s just get together and lets do this,” and we took it completely serious and we locked ourselves in a bedroom for about six months, just writing and singing everyday full time, all day and that’s how we did it. I remember being in college at the time and having a bunch of exams to do and just walking out.

What made you take that leap of faith?

We were in it, we were gonna give it 100% and we all committed. We moved to Liverpool and lived in a house together and we just wrote songs. We believed in what we were doing as well. We thought we were doing something different, something unique to us and we believed in it. We thought, “if we’re gonna do this, we gotta give it everything, even if it’s for a year or two.”

What does fan engagement look like now compared to when you first started out?

Well fan engagement back then was in person, there was no social media. We were on MySpace and everything, but now it’s great because now it’s a touch of a button you can engage with potentially millions of people. It’s great for us, especially because we don’t have to be together; one of us is at home, or LA or wherever. We try to post and share and interact with fans as much as we can. It’s important because the fans that were there for us back then are still with us now and we massively appreciate the support we’re getting up to this day. It’s a direct line of communication for all kinds of reasons, you know: picking singles, albums, we can post questions like ‘what’s your favorite song?’ You can get a lot out of social media. We wish we would’ve had it back in the day. Back then you had to go to every city to do TV promo.

In the 2000s, I was saying in an interview I did that I had a diary in which I wrote everyday and I found out we did a total of 180 flights that year; it was like every corner of America. We’d get up in the morning and be in one state then another state doing a photoshoot then we’d be on the tour bus overnight driving through the desert, it was surreal. It was constant, it was just nonstop for 3 years.

Would you change anything from those early days?

No, no. It was amazing! It was just a different time. But you know social media and the way people interact with fans has changed. You had to be on the road and physically go to each state. It was living out of a suitcase for months.

If you could give your younger selves advice, what would you say?

“Don’t have that last drink on the road!”

“Get some sleep.” I think it’s crazy because back then we were going out, we were making the most of it, enjoying it, but we were still sensible to a point.

I’d say to my younger self, “just take it all in.” Last time around everything was moving so quickly and we didn’t really get to absorb it. It was the airports, the venue, then the airport again, we didn’t have enough time to process everything. It was like ‘where’s next, where’s next, where’s next, let’s get it done.’ Ticking every box that we had. I’d say to my younger self, don’t take it for granted because one minute it’ll be here, the next minute it won’t.

I’d say to my younger self, don’t take it for granted because one minute it’ll be here, the next minute it won’t.

Do you feel like you did take it for granted?

You know what, I did to a point, I mean I appreciated it but I was 22 years old. What an amazing experience to have in the world. Now cause I’m older, we got kids, you know it’s weird. It seems like a dream because we’ve had that amount of time away from it. There was a focus on other things: family life, kids, and al. It wasn’t quite the right time to get back together with the lads. Now it’s like we’re enjoying it more because we appreciate it more. We’re getting that second chance that not many bands get. We did vanish for 15 years, so to come back and do shows and to have Good Morning America want us on there, it’s amazing.

During those 15 years, were you still playing music? What did you need during that time in order to come back?

We all did different things, fitness, music, one of us was in a band, did our own thing, family and stuff, and before you realize it 15 years had gone by. We got offered some cool reunion shows previously, but it just didn’t feel right at the time. It felt like we were forcing it. We decided to get back together and do it all ourselves, have full control, have our own team. Instead of someone saying ‘You’re gonna get back together, you’re gonna have a full itinerary and full schedule.’ That was important this time, especially with family. We wanted to be in control, it’s not like we were mistreated before or anything, but we were out there for three or four years non-stop and this time we wanted to be in control of the tour, schedules, and stuff like that.

We decided to get back together and do it all ourselves, have full control, have our own team.

Musically, how would you say you transitioned over the years?

I think we’ve all transitioned. We’re definitely better musicians, better singers, better songwriters. We’ve all transitioned lyrically especially. We’ve always had really catchy songs and melodies, but lyrically it’s matured a bit. We’ve obviously experienced a lot more in the past 20 years, so we have a lot to write about.

So what does the future hold for NoEXIT?

Were always gonna continue to write music and perform. We’re not gonna be taking a break anymore. We’re just gonna give it our all, perform, write music, record great songs, create a bigger fanbase and reach out to the people that still don’t know we’re back together yet. There’s so many people that aren’t aware that we’re back together so we’re just gonna continue doing what we’re doing. We’ll write an album every year if we can, and do bigger tours, and if any songs become a hit… (which we do want, I mean what band doesn’t?). We’re really enjoying it, not that we didn’t enjoy it last time but we’re really enjoying it this time. That’s the main thing, as long as we’re enjoying it, doing it together, we’ll be around for a long time.

How about your families? Do you talk with them about the origins of NoEXIT?

I’ve told the guys this story: my oldest son, got an Ipad. He says to me, ‘Dad, what was that band you were in?’ I said to him, “NoEXIT” and didn’t think anything of it. Then I was walking past his bedroom and I hear our song playing and I hear him singing. He got a guitar for Christmas and I showed him a few chords and then again I walk past his bedroom and I hear him playing my song.

For me, I have a two year old son and a seven year old son as well. I’m never going to force music on them, but I’m always playing music around them. When we’re in the car I’ll play them stuff from NoEXIT. I hope they do follow my footsteps because they can sing, they actually can sing, and I’m not being a biased dad, but (the seven year old) he really can sing. There’s something there. Knowing what music has done for me, it’d be great for them to do it as well. I’m hoping to be a great role model for my kids. The seven year old is taking it in but not as much as he would in the next three or four years, but he’s happy; he’s proud. All our families have been supportive. I play the new songs in the car all the time and my son goes, “Daddy put “Bullet Train” on!” Now they love “Wolves,” and they’re singing, they know the words. They sing the songs to their mum. It’s a great feeling.

What does your creative process look like? Do you write together or individually?

We all write individually and write together, and co-write. For this album, we did some of it in Los Angeles and some of it in England, in Yorkshire and Liverpool. We just do whatever we need to do to get it done. We swap and send ideas back and forth from Los Angeles and England. The great thing now is with the internet, you can collaborate with anyone around the world, at anytime. We just shot videos the other day, one of us filmed our bit in LA, the other in another place. We put the files together and many thought we had filmed the whole video together.

Walking down memory lane, what was it like to perform songs like “Back Here” and “Out of My Heart” to million and millions of screaming fans?

It was amazing, it was a different time. You can see things working correctly when you go to a show and everyone’s singing along. We have nothing but great memories; like the tours we did with Britney Spears and NSYNC at the height of their career. Giant stadiums doing two or three nights in a row. It was just surreal. We were then able to do our own and sell out a House of Blues tour. Just looking back, it was pretty mental but so enjoyable.

Just looking back, it was pretty mental but so enjoyable.

How do you get over those nerves when you walk out to face a stadium-sized crowd?

I remember we did our first show in London, I was sweating and dropping picks. When it’s smaller crowds it’s harder because it’s so intimate. When it’s a sea of people, you’re not really connecting with anybody. The first few shows we were all nervous. It comes with experience. Even now, we’re not going out on stage totally relaxed. We still get nervous. We still get butterflies. When we just did Good Morning America, we felt the adrenaline.

Were you at all nervous to come back after all that time?

Well, we’ve still been singing and performing. Stephen was doing shows with Train and if anything, the feeling that we get now instead of back then is different. We really take it in. When you’re on stage and the fans are connecting with you and you can see that they’re really getting into the performance; I’m getting a better feeling of that now than I used to. I can’t describe it. You get lost in it on stage. You get lost in the music, in your own world. It’s a great feeling.

I can’t describe it. You get lost in it on stage. You get lost in the music, in your own world. It’s a great feeling.

What does it mean to you to be independent?

We need to be independent now and have that control, especially with a family. We [Mark and Steve] couldn’t do this the way we could back then. If someone said ‘get back together’ and we had to do that same level of work like before, I wouldn’t have done it. Family is our priority, family is number one.We can still do the work, but we don’t have to be out [on the road] all the time. Social media frees us up a lot and allows us to be present everywhere. It’s a good feeling. Before social media, all you could do was go on TV or do interviews for magazines. That’s what we were worried about when thinking about getting back together — our control being taken out of our hands. This time we’re going to do it ourselves and we got a great team around us. You guys (The Orchard), a manager, a great tour promotion company working with us…we got a great team. When you do it independently there are obstacles but it’s just about getting the right people. There’s pros and cons. We’re not signed, and we got on Good Morning America and to be able to say that while not being signed… hopefully it will snow ball and that’ll create more interest.

What can we expect from the new album?

It definitely has that NoEXIT sound in the guitars, vocals, and harmonies, but it’s very contemporary in the production. I’d say there’s elements of the first and second album on there, and other elements that no one’s heard yet. The three voices make it sound like NoEXIT. We were a bit worried in the studio, thinking, ‘It doesn’t sound like anything NoEXIT’ then we put the vocals down. Lyrically, we’ve moved forward in the right direction with catchy songs. The old NoEXIT fans won’t be disappointed.

[beneathmyboughs]

45 Questions

LETS DO IT

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with? UH....his closest would be his older brother Seijiro? Who...honestly was also probably the guy he was closest to. But ‘close’ is a relative term in his life....

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like? Non existent. Died or left not long after he was born, he never found out which one. He knows for sure at least that his younger sister’s mother outright left. Seijiro sometimes spoke of her, but he got so wistful Yuji would switch topics quickly. 

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like? MmmmmMmmMBad? Bad. No one saw Yuji as more of a cog in the machine than his father did.

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know? I’ve hinted at something a couple times in his meltdowns, but for now I’m filing that under tasty tasty spoilers. ;3c

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets? Nothing, ahha. On an average day he does not HAVE pockets. Where does he keep his keycard then you ask? You don’t WANT to know. (spoiler: he clips it to his boxer waistband and hands it on the inside of the pants. Comfy.) Though as Piney was a different story. All kinds of mesh pockets in that suit, so like. Deodorant, mini sewing kit, pocket light, water purification tablets, pine? Literal real pine needles for Smell accuracy. 

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams? If he’s comfortable when he sleeps ie out of suit, expect dreamless sleep or flight.  

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares? Heat, immobility and suffocation. Basically all the Piney Suit Woes, which makes sense. Cause he’s sleeping in suit. Sometimes, his family.

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target? Actually it’s public info that it’s a yes! Piney went to a shooting range in at least one of his promos. He had a generic dummy target as his first target, and screamed when the gun went off. It was....tricky to pull off with the gloves on. But there was staff on hand to ensure safety! Looks so stupid it’s hilarious in the clips though. 

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up? VERY MUCH SO. By technicality that is. Yuji grew up piss poor, but as Piney is basically owed royalty to a merchandise kingdom that puts him at celebrity income status. Not that he knows what to DO with it...and he’s too paranoid to willingly hire a lawyer or accountant, go figure. Manager’s going to have to do it all for him, siiigh.

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing? LESS. The cooler his body is the more comfortable he is. Er, that’s not to say revealing fashion makes him feel comfortable but. At this point, his body’s needs like temperature and protection are King and the rest are optional sidequests.

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been? Oh probably when he was outrunning Yakuza enforcers. Fear lasted with him so long it was the sole driving force for 24/7 Piney existing, and feeds into his paranoia to this day!

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been? Lol calm what is that Seriously though maybe...early middle school? His walks home from his jobs were always His Time.

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way? VERY. If he hadn’t already seen so much by now, he’d have fainted dead away after so much as a bad head cut.

Does your character remember names or faces easier? Faces. Names are an active challenge, but a face is forever.

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not? I MEAN YES....? Kind of? He does the poor kid thing of “hoardhoardHOARD” so he’s not exactly ambitious about it as much as desperate but it’s for sure a thing he hones in on. 

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success? Both, but like, with one being the other and vis versa? If he had to be forced to pick though, happiness. Though he still thinks one will bring the other.

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child? OH I ACTUALLY GOT A PIC FOR THIS ONE https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3b/df/4e/3bdf4e06fa64cfe3147f6a624ed5b22e.jpg (Had to post it as a text shitness cause Tumblr’s coding is getting on my last goddamn nerve) It’s a little pudding yellow yellow and brown kitty cat plushie. His Dad took it outta his hands one day when he was in elementary school and sold it for pocket change. Did I intend on making Yuji disgustingly sadstuck? No, no I didn’t. Did it wind up that way? Ahyup.

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others? Ambition, I think. Both deserve praise, but Yuji’s got a soft spot for the underdogs.

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before? MmmmMMMMMMMM HE IS. DESPERATE.  I guess the best way to describe this is like, if he likes you, he may never tell you or admire you from afar, but he’ll know your blood type, favorite kind of cheesecake and daily school routine? He doesn’t STALK, but he’s CREEPY even if he’s not outright clingy. He’s too much, and sometimes people don’t want to deal with a hot mess even if they got the best intentions. Not to mention he plain ass never takes initiative? Or if he does it’s always in a sneaky way? Like, grow a spine and talk to them already. 

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism? Self criticism. Always. A l w a y s. At this point he hardly WANTS to think about himself in a comparison aspect, because when he does it’s just Thanksgiving all up in here with that Roast and he don’t even celebrate American holidays.

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others? Mm, deserve it. Doesn’t mean he’ll accept it quietly. 

What does your character like in other people? People who make an effort/are self sufficient, literally anyone who’s nice to him fwojewoiej. He likes both kindness and wryness, since both are refreshing in their own ways. Blitheness isn’t bad either, pure straightforwardness. 

What does your character dislike in other people? Self entitlement, self important attitudes. Success without effort, smugness. Looking down on others or thinking themselves better than anything or anyone else. Basically, Mean Gurl Tropes. Also, to a lesser extent, being difficult to read or unpredictable. It won’t keep him from befriending people, but it puts him heavily on edge to not know what your angle is. 

How quick is your character to trust someone else? NOT. AT. ALL. If you think he trusts you, 9/10 times you’re wrong even if he DOES like you.

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person? I mean ALL HE DOES IS SUSPECT PEOPLE. ALWAYS. Including and even especially people he’s close to.

How does your character behave around children? As Yuji, he just gets outta there. There’s no reason for him to say. Expect him to disassociate into a goddamn corner if he’s forced to be around though. The Last Thing He Needs. As Piney though, they get along FAMOUSLY. He’s good at reading them and projecting friendly vibes. Now if only he could get some of that charisma for his day to day...

How does your character normally deal with confrontation? AVOID. BEND. BOW. SUBMIT. Anything, ANYTHING to get out of the line of fire, have it be settled and over with, down to bending and scraping. He is not a proud nor sturdy man.

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation? Have you seen this man? He is a noodle. What could he do if he decided you needed to go down, strangle you with his noodle arms? Get real.

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true? Spoiler! But I can say with clarity that it sure as hell did NOT.

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting? Snooty better-than-thou-shit-don’t-stink behavior. That sends an active recoil through him. Also though, as a slime man there’s not too much he can’t stand in the ‘generic things to be grossed out by’ category... he can’t stand blood though? He finds a lot of bodily gross out stuff to be pretty bad. Also, bag/packet food. 

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable. Full room secured with security, where he is literally the only person who can get in. Breezy and allowing natural light in, food or cooking station provided. Someplace soft and good smelling to sleep. 

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable. Anything Else. Extra points for no escape routes, ‘danger’ people, a lot of humid heat and immobility.

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve? MMM SELF DEPRECATING. But like. If he thinks he can accomplish it, he’s willing to improve? Like, he won’t be able to take any steps forward if he decides he is just not the kind of person who would be able to do it. But if it’s a matter of practicality that he improve, he’ll do it.

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method? New method. Time is precious, and plying at old failures wastes it.

How does your character behave around people they like? You ever wanted a ghost assistant who can swoosh in with what you need then swoosh out to be called upon again whenever their name is said? Your wish is his command. He’ll do anything to help you find your happiness.

How does your character behave around people they dislike? His usual jumpiness--literally anyone, he figures, could crush him--but instead of the eyes being jumpy, he settles for glaring at the person and making impatient body language. Might even get fed up enough to gain temporary anger points and chew them out.

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status? STATUS IF HES GOT IT. Honor, who’s she

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat? THEMSELVES. BY A MILE. AN EXTRA TWO IF THAT HELPS.

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)? Yyyyyep. He was snapped at for making a deal out of it though, so he remembers the animal part less and the snapping part more. 

How does your character treat people in service jobs? Deferentially. Honestly. You ever get a customer who treats you like you’re the customer, and honestly you just want him to decide cause that’s your freaking job and also he keeps glancing at you like he’s aware you’re judging him? Him.

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first? Earn it. And he better keep earning it, if he’s ever earned it once. The world doesn’t owe you so much as it’s unclothed backside, so you better work.

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them? As Piney, their Manager Azami-san counted a tad? Especially since he was raw still from cutting his family out of his life.

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them? Spoiler....maybe. ;3c (or I plain ass haven’t thought of this question coughcough) 

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it? Er..............that’s a toughie. It’s not an easy or a hard issue, he just Won’t.  He could also technically speaking say the words without meaning them but? He just. Has no reason to say that?

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them? He’s not sure. All he thinks is that it’s heavily karma/earns based system, and he’d better be ready when the time comes. And oh yeah. TERRIFIES him.

[popliar]

quick thoughts on the bts spotify mixtapes

aka i talk a lot of nonsense

Rap Monster: Careful to play by mixtape rules, but also the most eclectic and diverse mix in terms of genre and time. Bon Iver AND Aphex Twin AND Sade AND Chet Baker. Plus! Pre-OKC Radiohead! I love this nerd sob. I think it kinda reflects who he wants to be, it’s his aspirational self - broad-minded, genre-crossing, able to draw influences from the past as well as look ahead to current/future trends, a little edgy in a geeky way. OR as I think of it - Namjoon as college kid AU: the soundtrack.

Rap Monster’s Heavy Rotations Film - Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy PRBLMS - 6LACK - FREE 6LACK 143 - Musiq Soulchild - Aijuswanaseing I Love You - Lido - I Love You High and Dry - Radiohead - The Bends My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings Karaoke - Drake - Thank Me Later One Mic - Nas - Greatest Hits Swim Good - Frank Ocean - Swim Good CPU - Raury, RZA - All We Need Really Love - D’Angelo - Black Messiah U-RITE - THEY. - U-RITE Baby Blue - King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath The Moon About You - xxyyxx - Xxyyxx By Your Side - Remastered - Sade - The Ultimate Collection Rain - Razah - Rain Cleanin’ Out My Closet - Eminem - The Eminem Show Déjà Vu - TWENTY88 - TWENTY88 Perth - Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Suga: Look at this focus and discipline! Just the adherence to form and theme and its brevity make it stand out. There's nothing like super underground or surprising here and I'm wary of saying this expresses something personal the way Namjoon's does - but this is a good solid 'snapshot of the genre'. Also I'm just so unreasonably pleased both he and Namjoon included Nas.

SUGA’S Hip-Hop Replay N.Y. State of Mind - Nas - Illmatic XX POWER - Album Version (Edited) - Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy New God Flow.1 - Album Version (Edited) - Kanye West, Pusha T - Kanye West Presents Good Music Cruel Summer The Way I Am - Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP Losing Out (feat. Royce Da 5’9) - Black Milk, Royce Da 5’9 - Tronic My Moment (feat. 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Jeremih) - DJ Drama, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Jeremih - My Moment (feat. 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Jeremih) HYFR (Hell Ya F***ing Right) - Album Version - Drake, Lil Wayne - Take Care (Deluxe) This or That - Prod. by Statik Selektah - Reks, Styles P, Termanology, DJ Corbet, Freeway, - Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme Ali Bomaye - The Game, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross - Jesus Piece Bugatti - Ace Hood, Future, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Meek Mill, French Montana - Trials & Tribulations (Deluxe) Notorious Thugs - Amended, 2014 Remastered Version - The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death (Remastered Edition) [Amended] Work Out - J. Cole - Work Out (Clean Version)

J-Hope: Looser adherence to theme and form, maybe a freer expression of personality? Seems like a good mix of stuff he genuinely likes without having overthought it. This is a fun one and I forgive The Chainsmokers because I for real gasped when I saw he included Blue (!), ASAP Rocky's Fashion Killa (!!) and Diddy & Faith's I'll Be Missing You (!!!!). HE’S MY FAVE FOR A REASON YOU KNOW.

J-Hope’s JAM Sunday Candy - Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf Beware - Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, Lil Wayne - Beware One Love - Blue - One Love i - Kendrick Lamar - i YOUTH - Troye Sivan - Blue Neighborhood (Deluxe) Dance On Me - GoldLink - And After That, We Didn’t Talk Fashion Killa - A$AP Rocky - LONG.LIVE.A$AP (Deluxe Version) Talk - DJ Snake, George Maple - Encore Knock Knock - Mac Miller - Knock Knock - Single Cinderella (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) - Mac Miller, Ty Dolla $ign - The Divine Feminine Fakin It (feat. Ofelia K) - Kaskade, Felix Cartal - Fakin It (feat. Ofelia K) Sidewalks - The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar - Starboy さくらん��� - LOVE IS BORN ~13th Anniversary 2016~ - Ai Otsuka - LOVE IS BORN ~13th Anniversary 2016~ I’ll Be Missing You (feat. 112) - Diddy, Faith Evans, 112, Bad Boy’s 10th Anniversary- The Hits Paris - The Chainsmokers - Paris Closer - The Chainsmokers - Closer No. 99 - Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$

Jin: I like how this is split into two halves, like a cassette with a side A and a side B, divided down the middle with some beautifully subtle and understated self-promo - never change Jin!!! At the same time Idk how personal this one is either. The mix of pretty mainstream hiphop with pretty mainstream  top 40 and rnb is solid but very safe. Like he figured out who we expect him & BTS to be, and goodnaturedly played along. (That said there is a lot to be said for playing safe, as we get to the maknae line playlists...)

Jin’s GA CHI DEUL EUL LAE? Lost - BTS - WINGS (LOL I HATE JIN) Weight in Gold - Gallant - Ology Black and Yellow - Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers 6 Foot 7 Foot - Lil Wayne, Cory Gunz - Tha Carter IV (Deluxe) Rap God - Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP2 Black Skinhead - Kanye West - Yeezus Hold On, We’re Going Home - Drake, Majid Jordan - Nothing Was The Same (Deluxe) It’s Definitely You - V, Jin - HWARANG, Pt. 2 (Music from the Original TV Series) (JIN IS THE #1 PROMOTER) Viva La Vida - Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends Fix You - Coldplay - X & Y Kiss the Sky - Jason Derulo - Kiss the Sky Ain’t Giving Up - Craig David, Sigala - Following My Intuition (Deluxe) Party - Chris Brown, Usher, Gucci Mane - Party Love Right Next To You - Karina - Love Right Next To You

Jungkook: He is an adorable baby who loves soft things AWWWW! This is just... the softest mix ever. And I wanna know who got into the Eels first, him or Jimin? Who introduced them to the Eels, of ALL THE BANDS IN THE WORLD? This is way too long and sleepy for me to enjoy for more than a couple of songs at a time, it’s just not my style tbh. But I find it really endearing and genuine. No posturing.

Jungkook: I am Listening to It Right Now DNA - Lia Marie Johnson - DNA ILYSB - STRIPPED - LANY - Make Out I Need Some Sleep - Eels - Meet the EELS: Essential EELS 1996-2006 Vol.1 Beautiful Lies - Birdy - Beautiful Lies Dear No One - Tori Kelly - Foreword Like a Star - Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae Ghost in the Wind - Birdy - Ghost in the Wind What Do You Mean? - Justin Bieber - Purpose (Deluxe) Clouds - Before You Exit - Clouds - Single Lullaby - Arco - Coming to Terms Dream Lantern - RADWIMPS - Your Name. Nandemonaiya - Movie Version - RADWIMPS - Your Name. Heavy Weather - Bilie Marten - Heavy Weather Oasis - Jasmine Thompson - Oasis Boyfriend - Acoustic Version - Justin Bieber - Believe Acoustic Colors Of The Wind - From “Pocahontas” - Tori Kelly - We Love Disney Theme of Mitsuha -RADWIMPS - Your Name. 7 Years - Jasmine Thompson - 7 Years Lost Boy - Ruth B. - Lost Boy Mannequin - Yuna - Chapters (Deluxe)

V: I - I don't know what's happening here and I refuse to acknowledge it. (I LOVE YOU TAE but oh. my. god. 0_0)

V's Join Me Advice - Kehlani - SweetSexySavage (Deluxe) Undercover - Kehlani - Undercover Distraction - Kehlani - SweetSexySavage (Deluxe) CRZY - Kehlani - SweetSexySavage (Deluxe) I Wanna Be - Kehlani - SweetSexySavage (Deluxe) I Think of You - Jeremih, Big Sean, Chris Brown - I Think of You Castle on the Hill - Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill Shape of You - - Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill Piece of Mind - Kehlani - SweetSexySavage (Deluxe) Do U Dirty - Kehlani - Do U Dirty Crash (feat. Pell) - Skizzy Mars, Pell - Alone Together Alcoholics - Skizzy Mars - Alone Together Comb - Skizzy Mars - Alone Together Recognize (feat. JoJo) - Skizzy Mars, JoJo - Alone Together Fantasy (TEEMID Remix) - Alina Baraz, Galimatias, Teemid - Urban Flora (Remixes) I Will Be There - Agapornis, Come & C, ChocQuibTown - I Will Be There Falling Into You (studio version) - Hillsong Young & Free - Youth Revival Acoustic Heart Attack (Snakehips Remix) - Flight Facilities, Owl Eyes, Snakehips - Heart Attack (Remixes) Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy - Songbird Creep - Karen Souza - Karen Souza Essentials

Jimin: Idky but this seems like exactly the sort of playlist a guy his age would be into? It's a fun mix again. AND EELS AGAIN WHY AND HOW. This lacks the period diversity of Hobi's but otherwise seems like a good counterpart. Like. It’s fine. 

Jimin's Joah? JOAH! Pillowtalk - Zayn - Men's Health: Beach Body Workout Motel Pool - Travis Garland - Travis Garland Stayin Out All Night - Wiz Khalifa - Stayin Out All Night Private Show - T.I., Chris Brown - Paperwork (Deluxe Clean) Lot To Learn - Luke Christopher - TMRW I Need Some Sleep - Eels - Meet the EELS: Essential EELS 1996-2006 Vol. 1 Alive (feat. Coucheron) - Kehlani, Coucheron - You Should Be Here You Should Be Here - Kehlani - You Should Be Here The Way (feat. Chance the Rapper) - Kehlani, Chance the Rapper - You Should Be Here Let Me Love You - DJ Snake, Justin Bieber - Encore Mark My Words - Justin Bieber - Purpose (Deluxe) Fa La La (a cappella) - Justin Bieber, Boyz II Men - Under the Mistletoe (Deluxe Version) Coffee - Miguel, Wale - Coffee face the sun - Miguel, Lenny Kravitz - Wildheart (Deluxe Version) Shape of You - Ed Sheeran - Shape of You i hate u, i love u (feat. olivia o'brien) - gnash, Olivia O'Brien - us Lost - Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (explicit) Never Be the Same (feat. Jay Rock) - Ty Dolla $ign, Jay Rock - Beach House EP So Cold - Chris Brown - Graffiti

Overall winner: hyung line by a M I L E.

[ishelpartdeux]

(And everything you need to know about applying for one.)

Gone were the days when we only think of countries other than Southeast Asia as dream destinations. Cheap airfares are now within online bookable reach — with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan amongst the nearby Asian countries we can visit freely. Before booking flights, you might take into consideration that such countries still require us to obtain a valid visa prior to visiting. If you're a frequent traveler and has a good financial standing, securing one would be very easy.

Some would probably ask why I am making this a big deal, but I swear I've been through so much just to get that stamp! After all the hurdle of completing the documents for my visa application, I was able to grace the first quarter of my 2017 with a trip to South Korea! More so, I was able to get a 3-Year Multiple-Entry South Korean Tourist Visa on my first application!

I'll make this blog post as detailed as possible to help my fellow travelers attain that dream South Korean vacation. But before anything else, let me share a bit of my back story.

One of the main reasons why I was holding back my decision to let go of my second job was because of this South Korea trip. Petty, I know! Actually, this became one of my major problems because as per South Korean Embassy: NO WORK, NO VISA! When my friends and I decided to book our flight last June 2016, I had no solid plans yet on leaving my employer. But by the time I was due to apply for a visa, I was no longer an employee!

I've listed below my concerns and how I was able to address them one by one:

I am unemployed. From reading blogs I learned that you won't even be given a chance to submit your requirements because they're very strict about the No Work, No Visa policy. BUT, this varies according to what category you're applying for. This was when I decided to apply as Self-Employed. Unbeknownst to most, Ek and I just started a trading business late last year. Timely it was when we decided to apply for the necessary business permits this January. We've also decided to register the business under my name. It took us two months of tediously going in and out of government offices to be passed on from one district office to another because of erroneous paperwork, incomplete government forms, etc. Boy, was it very exhausting! So when we were able to complete all the requirements for our little business, we both felt so relieved! Aside from the fact that I was able to secure my licenses as a law-abiding Filipino taxpayer, I was also able to apply on time for my visa application. :)

My passport recently expired. You need to have a valid passport that won't expire in 6 months before you apply for a visa; this is also true when traveling to other countries. To make it worse, when I scheduled my online appointment for passport renewal with DFA, I found out I was not able to confirm my schedule via e-mail!!! Agh, so I waited another month and a half for a new schedule. Thankfully, I was able to renew my passport on time!

I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go to Korea. My finances were tight. I was unemployed. My business is new and there were no steady streams of income coming in. Everything changed when I started watching this Korean drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo! The "I was secretly hoping I get denied to spare myself from financial trouble" turned into "Damnit, I must get that visa, go to South Korea and visit Bok's Chicken" real quick! No regrets!

Visa Requirements

Please visit the Embassy's website for the complete set of requirements for each category. I will list the most common ones below:

If you’re an employee

If you’re a business owner/self-employed

If you’re a student/still studying

If you’re a housewife/househusband

If you’re a retired senior citizen

If you’re married to a Korean

Please check the embassy’s website if you can’t classify yourself as one of the above. 

Since I am a business owner, I fall under** SELF-EMPLOYED** category. Here are the ones I submitted:

Application form

Passport picture

My recently renewed Philippine e-Passport

Photocopy of my NEW passport's second page

Photocopy of my OLD passport's second page and the previous stamps on it (These aren't exactly a requirement, but there is a section in the application form asking about travels during the last 5 years so I attached these as supporting documents.)

DTI Business Registration (photocopy)

Mayor's Permit (photocopy)

This is where the fun part begins. I learned from my friend that South Korea is holding a promo for BPI and BDO credit card holders! Luckily, I've had my BPI Gold credit card for more than a year now. Not only did I get exempted from submitting ITR and Financial Statements, I was also qualified to be granted a 3-year multiple entry visa! (And I was! Hay, thank you universe!) So in addition to the requirements above, here are the additional ones I've submitted:

BPI Credit Card (photocopy of front only, NO NEED to photocopy the back of your card for your own security purposes)

My last credit card statements for 3 months (You can submit only your most recent statement, but I submitted the last 3 to be sure.)

BPI Original Bank Certificate (As per the promo, the financial docs were already unnecessary, but since I have it, I might as well submit it.)

Visa Application Process

Once you've completed your requirements, you can now proceed to the embassy. The address is at the bottom of this post. There's no need for an appointment.

After they’ve called your number and reviewed your documents, they’ll give you a claim slip with a tentative release date for your passport (hopefully with visa).

It took no more than an hour for me to submit my application in the embassy. 

Before you claim your passport, write your name and contact number at the back of your claim slip. You may be asked to provide additional documents and/or be subjected to an interview depending on your submitted requirements.

Lastly, pray that your visa gets approved! 

Visa Processing Time 

8:30 am to 11:00 am (Weekdays) – Visa Application 

1:30 pm to 4:00 pm – Releasing of Passports

General reminders and some tips:

You may print out an Application Form (downloadable from the Embassy's website) and have it typewritten like what others did to make it look neat. However, I manually answered mine using black ink, in bold capital letters for a personal touch.

Important: Make sure to NOT have erasures on your form!

You do not need to staple your application form beforehand. They will staple all your documents together after checking.

I used a typical passport photo, the one I wasn't wearing earrings, in white background. My friend submitted hers with a name under her smiling photo, the consul accepted it, too.

Remember to PASTE not staple your passport photo on your application form. I had to buy a glue in 7/11 to find out there are glues available inside the embassy you can use for free!

I put N/A on all blanks items EXCEPT on section "For Official Use Only".

Same with, 1.7. National Identity no. – please put N/A.

For Travel Purpose section, I ticked two boxes: Tourism and Others. I wrote "Vacation with friends" on the blank space provided.

After I got my BIR status updated from 'local employee' to 'self-employed' (the very last step in registering your business in the Philippines), I applied for a visa as early as THE NEXT DAY. This entailed the business permits I submitted were just a month old. This could probably equate to being just a month into your new job for employed individuals.

While there is a common notion that there is a "show money" required when applying for visa, I totally disregarded this one. When I requested for my Original Bank Certificate from BPI, I even had to reduce the amount of money in my savings account to reflect just Php40,000. I've read from other blogs that the money in your bank account must conform to what you've written on your application form (Under section Estimated Amount of Travel Expenses in USD: I put 550-600USD which is equivalent to around Php30,000. I added a margin of Php10,000 as emergency fund.) Please note that THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE, BUT IT WORKED FOR ME.

I have immigration stamps from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, China and Macau. My friend I traveled with DID NOT HAVE ANY stamp on her passport; it was her FIRST international travel, and she got approved!

You can check the status of your application on their online visa portal the day before. I was scheduled to get my visa on February 21. By the afternoon of February 20, the website already indicated my status was approved! 

I failed to get my passport on the scheduled date (February 21, 2017) indicated on the paper the consul gave me. Instead of Tuesday, I went there on Friday (February 24, 2017), but I was still able to get my visa.

Korea Visa Portal

Lastly, my visa is FREE even if I got a 3-Year Multiple-Entry one. I did not pay for anything.

So there you have it! That's how I got my visa and traveled to South Korea! If you have other questions, feel free to drop a comment below and I'll help shed light as much as I can. :)

Republic of Korea Embassy in the Philippines

122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1634

Tel: +632 856-9210 | Fax: +632 856-9008

Website: embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr

Email: philippines@mofa.go.kr

Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30AM-5:30PM

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected with South Korean Embassy. What I have written here are personal experiences which I intended to blog to help those applying for their own visa. Information and facts regarding the application process are as of this writing and may be outdated.

[rookierebel-blog1]

TAG DUMP #1.

[rookierebel-a-blog]

                           ❛ I HAVE LOVED THE STARS TOO FONDLY TO BE FEARFUL OF THE NIGHT. ❜