#EBB AND FLOW YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS

[kiiseru]

"Don't hold back...share your warmth with me..."

[coffeebeanwriting]

Writing Fight Scenes

Here are a handful of tips on how to write intriguing and strong *no pun intended* fight scenes! 1. Give your character a meaning behind their actions. Are they fighting to survive? Are they the aggressor or the victim? Are they defending someone they love or hunting down someone who hurt them? Makes sure the audience knows why this action scene is important to your character. Unimportant and nonmeaningful actions can be boring!

2. Short sentences. Generally speaking, longer more detailed scenes slow the pace of your novel down. This is because the reader has to take more time to read and absorb all the details. Quicker, brief sentences make the pace move faster because there is less for the audience to read. Most fighting happens quickly and instinctively— without too much thought or anticipation. When things are happening fast, we have less time to take in details.

🏃‍♀️ Fast-paced with minimal details: "He punched me in the cheek, my back molars ripping open my fleshy skin. By the time the next punch came, I was already choking on a mouthful of blood."

🐌 Too many details/thoughts that slow down the action: "His large fist hurled towards me with insane speed. I could hardly believe it. He punched my cheek so hard that my sharp, back molars ripped open my fleshy skin. It hurt so bad, but I couldn't stop the next punch from coming. Blood filled my mouth, the irony taste causing me to choke and for my face to wilt."

3. Use all five senses. When adrenaline is pumping, the body can become hyperaware! Touch and sight are the senses that most people focus on... but don't forget about smell, hearing and, taste. Does your protagonist hear dogs approaching? Do they taste the blood from their busted lip?

4. Don't' slow down the pace by adding too much detail. Try to keep an ebb and flow in your action scene. When the action is happening, keep the details quick and short— no one has time to think about their next move when in the heat of danger. However, you can balance the scene out by giving your character a chance to breathe and think and observe

5. Research/study. Watch famous fight scenes in movies or anime to see what is realistic and what is exaggerated. Pay attention to the pacing or what keeps you on edge. When does the character get a chance to think or come up with a plan? What makes this action scene so enthralling?

6. Consider what is at stake. Stakes always make a scene more tense. What does your character have to lose and how does this affect their mental state? Does it aid in their energy, or does it distract them from the fight?

7. Develop characters/the plot. Consider how this action scene will either further your character in the plot or set them back. Does this scene give them a lasting injury that follows them throughout the story, or do they lose an ally that they desperately loved? How does this affect them moving forward?

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting

[evangelifloss]

Vocaloid Pantheon

Ask and you shall receive lmao!! I needed only one reason to brainrot all over the place so thank you @thalycosa

Hatsune Miku: The Goddess of creation. Top Dog. Think God from the Bible, or the Zeus of today's age (even tho Zeus didn't create the world). Her hymn is "World is Mine" because it is! She created us all. World is hers.

Kagamine Rin: Goddess of the Sun. She rules the day, bringing light to the world. When Miku created the universe, Rin manifested herself from the raw energies of the Sun and was born alongside her Twin, Len.

Kagamine Len: Being born at the same time, Len could have also been the God of the Sun but no two Gods could rule the same thing. A pair of pitiful twins, separated by fate, Miku in her love and wisdom gave Len his own dominion so that he may still be in the Sky with his Sister. He is the Moon God, bringing night to the world and shining bright to guide the way much like his sister. Rin and Len always meet during the eclipses, and they are never lonely despite being rulers of separate domains.

Meiko: The goddess of Celebration. Meiko was actually born before Miku, but had lost her way in the ether! Miku reawakened Meiko and recognised her passion for singing, dancing, and drinking, thus she was given the dominion over festivity. Humans love to hold parties at every chance they get, and Meiko was the perfect fit to rule this unique manifestation of energy. It is said she will bestow favor upon those that offer alcohol to their guests at a party, especially if it includes beer.

Megurine Luka: Goddess of Water. When the first waves crashed against a cliff-face it is said that the first stone to plummet into the stormy waters cracked open and Luka burst through. She controls the tides, the ebb and flow of the waves, and of all the life in bodies of water in the entire universe. Her favorite animal is the Octopus and the legends say that sailors who incur her wrath are met with certain doom from her pet Kraken "Tako Luka".

Kaito: A Messenger God between all the worlds. Communication is a staple part of life, even for the divine and he is a Master at delivering news, words, and stories swiftly. He was found alongside Meiko and restored to the new universe of Miku's design. He can be swayed by offerings of Ice-Cream or other frozen sweets. Sources contradict themselves on his relationship to the other Gods. Some say the old poem "Canterella" is proof of his attraction to Miku, however there are other sources, mostly stories in the form of songs pairing him with Gakupo or Len. The most famous being "Magnet" featuring only Kaito or "Lost Memory" featuring Kaito and Len. It is hotly debated whether "Magnet" was an original Kaito and Gakupo story as another was found where it was about Luka and Miku.

Gakupo: A Warrior God armed with a sacred blade that can cut through anything. Gakupo may seem at first to be a malevolent God due to his affliations with War and Conflict, but he embodies the heroic fighting spirit of soldiers in battle. He favours those that fight with honor but at the same time, greatly values strategic tactics necessary for gaining the upper hand. For some reason, Kaito and Len are often depicted with him with the most famous example being an old vocaloid cult known as "Vanan'ice"

Gumi: A Minor Goddess in the Miku Pantheon, Gumi is a protector of maidens as they journey into adulthood. She embodies both the playful nature of little girls and the maturity of women. She is also associated with wrath, specifically of scorned women and it is said she will assist women who have been wronged into finding justice. There are not as many relics or sources found in reference to the Goddess Gumi but one of the most notable and important artefacts was a written poem "The Wrath of Nemesis" which details a wronged woman's journey in finding revenge. Historians are unsure whether the woman in question is Gumi or if the revenge fulfilled at the end is meant to illustrate the power of Gumi's favor when it comes to upholding justice.

-----

And with that my fun is done LOL. Feel free to add anything vocaloid fans. This post was inspired by horned girl thing's poll where I ranted in tags about miku Pantheon! Go vote for what you want on their poll, doesn't have to be miku!

[pinetree-poet]

WEDNESDAY'S POETRY PROMPTS: 10/9/24 ~ TELECASTER

TELECASTER © 2024 - G. Smith (BMI) ==================== He’s a master, Of the telecaster, Making the music ebb and flow. Fingers flying, Or dying and crying, Screaming fast or whispering Soft and low.

He started playing her when he was eight; In high school she was his Friday night date; They always stayed up way too late. Six strings for calloused fingers. She never told him, “No,” And always showed him where to go; And that made her sing just so. Six strings for calloused fingers.

He’s a master, Of the telecaster, Making the music ebb and flow. Fingers flying, Or dying and crying, Screaming fast or whispering Soft and low.

Folks tried to talk him into a Strat, Told him that’s where the music was at, He said, “If it true, I’ll eat my hat!” Six strings for calloused fingers. He may never be a world-famous star, But he’s happy the way things are. He just wants to keep growing, don’t care about going far; Six strings for calloused fingers.

Slow blues, If you choose; Or shred, Like a metal head…

He’s a master, Of the telecaster, Making the music ebb and flow. Fingers flying, Or dying and crying, Screaming fast or whispering Soft and low.

[elderwisp]

Hi! Can you give a summary of what’s happened in your story to this point for people who want to continue reading but may not have time to catch all the way up? Or do you have a summary linked somewhere? 👀

oke oke so quite a bit has happened and writing a summary would quite literally turn into an essay LMAOO so I was thinking about how TS2 would have brief descriptions for each family so I'll do that for each character and the story as well. If there's any lore u wanna know in regards to a particular character or the lead up to a certain scene, feel free to reach out! <3 oke here we go:

Tessellate is a story about a group of individuals between their early to mid twenties. Each character’s storyline ebbs and flows into one another as it creates a tessellation. There are no good or bad characters, simply people being people making human decisions.

Atlas has always been a bit of a dreamer, using his charm and with to create the narrative that others want from him but no one has quite uncovered who he really is. The artist harbors a bit of a secret and that is that he has relapsed again. Part of why he uses is simply because he likes himself more in that state while the other half has yet to be discovered.

Life is hard being your own critic. Frances always finds herself on the go from one thing to the next. If she's doing nothing, then surely that must mean she's a failure, right? After landing a job as a caretaker, her notion of what life has been the last four years is challenged as she learns what it means to slow down.

Dan finds herself in a perpetual state of being an underachiever. Whether it's maintaining a low GPA, making terrible decisions, or simply putting in zero efforts in creating any new, meaningful relationships. What's really the point of anything she does if it’s overshadowed by a belittling mother?

Kai isn't the best when it comes to trusting others but when it comes to his friends, he'd do absolutely anything for them. Maybe Atlas more than the others. I suppose sharing your first kiss with your best friend gives him privileges most don't have.

After losing his parents in his senior year of high school, Icarus has had to grow up fast if it meant that the people closest to him would make it. Nowadays, he spends his days tip-toeing between reckless freedom and being the person that his family needs. It isn't easy living a double life.

Constantly being taken advantage of at work or at home, Taryn is truly stuck in the whirlwind of the mundane, never really feeling in control of her life. After one fateful night with Atlas, Taryn tests her own boundaries while uncovering the enigma that is Atlas.

Gabriel, Gum and Ares have grouped together as a band after Gabriel and Gum’s main vocalist dipped. Gum has reluctantly stepped up to the plate to take over vocals. Something about being in the spotlight terrifies her. Meanwhile, Gabriel exudes a confident, cheerful demeanor. There are many things he adores such as Kali Uchis, his guitar and meeting new people.

Ares has always had a calm, level-headed demeanor. Being the son of a famous producer and businessman has meant needing to maintain such a professional attitude all the time. After running into an uninterested Daniela, he finally lands his big break when the two share a cigarette at his party. He finds himself being a lot more outspoken around her, as well as curious about her inscrutable nature.

Syx, the best friend of Ares and Icarus, is no stranger to laying out the harsh truths that the people around her need to hear. Being in the food industry requires a keen sense of details and the ability to provide honest feedback. She’s encouraged Icarus to break things off with a toxic ex as well as find better hobbies, however he hasn’t quite agreed to things yet.

Theo recently moved into San Myshuno looking for a fresh start. After accidentally running into Gabriel, the two have a brief conversation outside of their apartment.

[misc-obeyme]

Hola

🐆

Regarding the conversation about the om og cast and their previous sexual/romantic relationships

While it's possible they have had their fair amount of fun before mc I really do believe that at some point they got bored of having any without any emotional depth to the relationship

Like they will try it few times and see there was no actual benefit from it beside the release that they could do themselves without going through the trouble of pretending to like someone

From my personal experience the deeper the relationship the better it feels during sex lol and if these guys love for million years on end after awhile it will get boring

Thats my flow of thought anyway

CC if you're interested I can write you the meaning of the names in the game in hebrew/aramic since it's one of my mother languages, let me know I'd be happy to do so :)

Have a great day and drink some water ❤️

NSFW MDNI (just for discussion of sex, nothing explicit)

I mostly think it's unlikely that they haven't done anything ever considering how old they all are. I very much think that if they're doing hookups or one night stands, it's an "as the opportunity arises" sorta thing. Like I don't think any of them are going out looking for such encounters. (Not even Asmo... I think he probably gets plenty of people coming onto him so if he's interested, he doesn't have to go find someone himself.)

In my opinion, the point of casual sex is that you don't have to pretend to like someone and all that. It's just an encounter where two people are horny and that's it. And I kinda suspect there are less repercussions for such a lifestyle for demons. So it seems likely to me that they would all have such moments come up, especially considering how famous they all are and everything.

But I think that deeper relationships are harder for them. It's certainly a different experience to have sex with someone you love, but most of those guys strike me as very protective of themselves and each other for various reasons. I think some of them have had serious relationships, but I just think they're few and far between.

I'm sure it gets boring after a while. And I suspect a lot of them have other interests that they'd rather focus their energy on. But I also think it probably ebbs and flows somewhat.

The thing is, it's hard to say since they're demons. They might not have the same kind of sexual drive that humans have in general. Maybe it's perfectly normal for demons to never have sex until they find their one and only. Maybe demons mate for life. Maybe they're the complete opposite and have crazy high libidos and need to have sex every other day or they explode. I mean, I'm just saying it can pretty much be whatever you want lol!

In the end, I think it's all up to individual interpretation! I mostly based mine on my own personal preferences. Though now I'm kinda thinking I should get more creative with it, I love the idea of exploding being a consequence lol.

And OH yes, I am in fact very interesting in name meanings! I love information like that, it's fascinating! So if you wish to share, please do!

Ah, anons are always telling me to drink water and I continue to be terrible at it, I swear I'll go drink some lol.

I hope you have a lovely day as well, 🐆 anon!

[monimarat]

So I was reading Vieux Cordelier VII and I thought the metaphors Desmoulins uses are interesting in the context of the language of terror and it’s association with nature and the sublime, specifically in relation to the imagery of things being “frozen.”

In A genealogy of terror in eighteenth-century France, one of the things Ronald Schechter writes about is how the word “terror” was, among other things, tied to the incapacitating awe in the face of natural forces and how related metaphors can be seen in the writing of revolutionaries.

In no. VII, Desmoulins uses that imagery repeatedly to describe what he sees as the impact terror has had on the Republic. I like this passage in particular:

Better would be the intemperance of the language of democracy, the pessimism of these eternal detractors of the present, whose bile pours out on everything around them, than this cold poison of fear, which freezes thought to the bottom of the soul, and prevents it from gushing forth at the Tribune or in writing. Better would be the misanthropy of Timon, who can find nothing beautiful in Athens, than this general terror, like mountains of ice, which, from one end of France to the other, covers the sea of opinion and obstructs its ebb and flow.

The example that Schechter uses in his book is this speech by Barère at the Convention on November 25th, 1793, where he is talking about how terror is intended to paralyze domestic and foreign enemies, but has no place in the Convention:

It is not at all in the temple of liberty, in the center of the Revolution, that terror must live, that courage must be frozen, that speech must be paralyzed; it is not at all here that souls must be timid, energy dulled, and that the character of the free man must be effaced. It is from this sanctuary that terror must go to restrain domestic enemies… and from this tribune that must come rewards and encouragements for the armies of the Republic and fright for the foreign cohorts.

And, of course, there is Saint-Just’s famous quote from the Fragments. I’m including the full thing because I usually only seen the first couple of sentences quoted:

The Revolution is frozen; all principles have been weakened; all that's left are red bonnets worn in intrigue. The exercise of terror has jaded crime, as strong liquors jade the palate. Undoubtedly, it's not yet time to do good. The particular good is a palliative. It is necessary to wait for a general evil great enough that general opinion feels the need for measures to do good. What produces general good is always terrible, or seems bizarre when you start too early. The Revolution must stop when it has perfected public happiness and liberty through laws. Its impetus has no other object, and must overthrow all that opposes it; and each period, each victory over monarchism must lead to and consecrate a republican institution. There is talk of the height of the Revolution: who will set that height? It is mobile. There have been free peoples who fell from greater heights.

[mysticmercurial]

Astro Observations: Duality 🤍🖤(2 of 2)

This is a continuation of the previous Astro Observations: Duality (1 of 2) and will cover the remaining sister signs 😁

✨Fair warning this thread is a bit lengthy compared to the first thread...enjoy :) ✨

CANCER/CAPRICORN - To start, water is memory and earth is how we connect to our Spirit/ancestors/guides. I say this to say they do not forget, life goes on but water and earth remember, they were here in the beginning. Analogy aside, Cancer is often *inaccurately* portrayed as an emotionally manipulative crybaby and Capricorn is *also inaccurately* described as an emotionless rock unworthy of time. In reality Cancer is what people think Capricorn projects; Capricorn is the meat inside of the crab whilst Cancer is the tough outer shell.

The moon, which represents emotions and that which makes us feel stable, finds it's home in Cancer. To feel is human, to error and make mistakes is human. The moon finding it's home in Cancer shows us that Cancer is aware of emotional currents, the ebb and flow of human emotion. They understand that nothing is merely on the surface and that it is okay to feel. Capricorn, on the other hand, is ruled by Saturn the planet of lessons, perseverance and endurance. Saturn often places pressure on his children to do things by themselves or to establish things on their own so they can learn. Emotionally this can cause issues since Saturn doesn't seem to find value in emotional outbursts or tantrums, even though it's in those outbursts and tantrums that real pain is released to make room for growth. Also be weary of looking for lessons by causing issues for yourselves, life will throw you curveballs without you subconsciously seeking them out.

From Cancer, Capricorn can learn that there is peace in freely expressing yourself, you are all you need to validate your emotions. Ultimately, Capricorn has to learn that their repression of emotion is what leads them to rely on the validation of others. Also that emotions are not meant to be rationalized, they are meant to be felt freely and to flow through you like water. From Capricorn, Cancer can learn to assert some boundaries and learn that although they can empathize with someone, that does not mean they always should. Empathy is your superpower but be sure not to allow others to manipulate that gift. To understand someone's pain without taking on their pain would be a good lesson for this axis.

LEO/AQUARIUS - *I have had difficulties analyzing this axis more than the others. I have come to admire and learn more about them so please lmk what you think*

These placements often keep their eccentricities and unique sense of humor to themselves and their chosen people. Consider famous Leo/Aquarius placements like Beyonce, Jason Momoa, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Aniston, Christian Bale; they are all recognizable and garner attention but it can often be unwanted. Beyonce and Christian Bale, as prime examples, both take immense pride in their craft but prefer to keep their home sectors private. I think this is because to a certain extent Leo and Aquarius both find comfort (12H Cancer) and stability (12H Capricorn) in being obscure (12H). This in turn makes people want to know more about them as people are most curious about the things that aren't readily available to them.

Leo is unashamedly themselves in the same way that Aquarius embraces eccentricities and uniqueness in others. Leo placements, at their best, know their worth, are confident and assured. There is an inner sense of knowing when it comes to the house that Leo sits in but also a sense of being seen even when you might not want said attention. Aquarius, more often than not, faced some kind of experience in which they struggled to be embraced for their own eccentricities. This caused them to be for others what they wish they had; Aqua 3Hers might encourage others to embrace being heard and communicating, Aqua 11H might embrace people in their circles that dismiss the status quo and seek individuality amongst a group.

The lesson for these signs resides more in how they present themselves and their creative selves. From Leo, Aquarius can learn that you can't find your people by dimming your eccentricities or making yourself small. The world will feel you and you must embrace that and transmute it into something that works in your benefit. From Aquarius, Leo can learn that every part of them is worth seeing, not just the parts that are palatable or "trendy". There may be a subconscious urge to always remain somehow beyond the trends which, of course, requires you to stay on top of what is trendy. Stop it. You guys are timeless and your ability to make even the most odd things acceptable is your gift. Leos and Aquarius don't dim your light.

VIRGO/PISCES - these sister signs keep themselves away from the masses and at any time can disappear as though they never existed. These people are often in their own world whether it be Virgo busying themselves with their day-to-day responsibilities or Pisces losing themselves in their daydreams or other realms. When I say 'other realms' that can mean TV shows, movies, books, meditation, anything that allows them to slip into another state of being. For Virgo, those responsibilities aren't always the things that should be worked on, but rather things on their mental list that take precedence over everything else. Virgo is a meticulous sign but that often gets misinterpreted to mean productive when in actuality Virgo can become overwhelmed with their duties to the point of complacency or procrastination. Similarly, Pisces can often be seen as one foot in the spiritual realm and the other here on Earth. When they are overwhelmed they retreat to the realm that provides them the most comfort which would be movies, books, vices, writing stories or daydreaming.

When looking at the exaltations of these signs we can further understand their function and lessons for each other. Mercury exalts in Virgo and Venus exalts in Pisces while Venus detriments in Virgo and Mercury is debilitated in Pisces. What we can infer here is that Virgo has no issue learning, assessing and planning but can falter when it comes to relaxing and doing things for self simply because it feels good. Essentially Virgo struggles with incorporating a sense of wonder, luxury and imagination to their lives. Pisces on the other hand has no issue with indulging, doing things only when they feel like it and dissociating from the everyday mundane activities. Where Pisces struggles is finding order within the chaos that is excessive indulgence and excessive wants. The 12H does also does rule dreams, escapism, vices and rehab while the 6H rules daily activities, working out, diet & nutrition etc.

From Virgo, Pisces can learn to organize their time and to add some structure to the madness. While daydreaming is a great way to enhance brain function and overall creativity, doing so in excess can cost you greater things and experiences. You can't avoid responsibilities forever Pisces. From Pisces, Virgo can learn that everyday activities don't have to feel like a laborious chore. Add some fantasy to your everyday life; imagine you are on a cooking show when making your meals, think of taking your vitamins as a potion or tonic. Maybe adding some wonder and relaxation to your day will help with the digestion issues Virgo 🌚. A good lesson for this axis would be not burying your head in the sand whilst also not overburdening yourself to the point of burnout.

Thank you for being patient with me during this intermission between posts😂 As always feel free to comment or ask questions and thank you for reading :)

-- mysticmercurial

[youngbloodbuzz]

it’s been a long time since I’ve found myself in these asks. in the times between chapter 10 & 11, I was here A LOT. I still consider BHAH one of my favorite stories I’ve ever read and I’ve reread it atleast three times. Other chapter have (like 9 & 11 have been read even more than that). Unfortunately, I am waiting probably another year before I read it again (I haven’t read it since Chapter 12 came out) just so I can try to experience it fresh. How does it feel to be a semi-famous-amongst-a-very-niche-audience-and-simultaneously-be-completely-anonymous? Must be pretty exciting. That book someone made also of BHAH!!! It’s perfect and I wish I could swoop to the nearest Barnes and Noble and pick up a copy for myself. I’ve always considered printing out yours and Roman’s story just to have it, but maybe I should take up a certain art of book binding first. Anyways, the reason I came here: I’m reading The Stand by Stephen King right now and it’s 475k words. It’s a monster. I’m nearly done with it, but I’m so ready for it to be over. BHAH was only 100k less and it still felt too soon for it to be over. First off, how the hell did you guys basically manage to write a Stephen King novel just based off a 9 part series? Second, how did you make it so goddamn entertaining? The whole time I’ve been reading this, I’ve just been contemplating what you guys must have went through because seeing the physical evidence of a 400k word novel in book format is insane. You don’t get that same experience scrolling on a screen. So, essentially I just came here to say again how much I love your story and also say how absolutely insane the two of you are. You’ve made a lot of people extremely happy with your story. If only it wasn’t illegal to sell on shelves, I think it would be considered a classic in the LGBT section of the book store. Now I’m signing off. Love y’all. I’ll check back in next year when I do my reread

thank you so much oh my god this is so sweet. honestly every time i get a message like this i'm still so surprised how well loved it is. i personally don't particularly feel like any kinda semi famous fic author lol thobm has such a small fandom after all but it is a first time that something i co-wrote got this much attention

and honestly i have no idea how we managed to write something that long and coherent while still being entertaining and gripping. we both agreed though that (in roman's words lol) that the key to making a long novel not seem like a huge slog is to make sure your plotting is even across big sections (ie/ our massive chapters lol) while still maintaining an overall structure. even having each chapter or pair of chapters feeling like they each have their own little mini arc because usually the past and present would complement each other in some way which meant that we pulled off a good ebb and flow effect

so in other words like...a lot of rambling in the dms and being super obsessed lmao

maybe one day we could officially publish it but no promises lol

@romanimp

[dojae-huh]

Sometimes, when I psychoanalyze Jaehyun, I couldn't help but think how his possible attraction to men is not surprising. Ever since, Jaehyun already demonstrated how his father is actually the leading figure in his life, which may come as surprising because familial norms are used to having mothers as source of comfort (and from the 127 documentary, a lot of the members did not really grow up with good father figures). But from Jaehyun's stories, it is his father that he seeks comfort and guidance from. Jaehyun likes people that are assertive, mature, wise, stable, yet still comforting and gentle. I couldn't help but think how he possibly patterns the traits he look in a partner after his father (Freud, you will always be famous :D), and how Doyoung perfectly exhibited these traits.

Contrary to his image, Jaehyun is not dominant. His recent interaction with Lauv shows that. He is shy and reserved, but his natural softness and smile are enough to make it look like he is sociable. (That's why I doubt his claims of being an E in the MBTI, when he shows major signs of introversion, even Doyoung is more sociable than him and the latter is a proud ISFJ). I remember he was asked if he would like to be a leader or older member of the group and he answered he enjoyed being younger and not taking charge. His personality is chill and ebbs and flows, he prefers someone leading him instead of taking the lead, yet at the same time, gives him the space to be stubborn and be on his own occasionally. I think someone like Doyoung is really a perfect partner from him.

Orientation develops pre-birth.

Jaehyun had his granny. She coddled him a lot in childhood, and wrote letters with commentary on his dancing when he was a trainee. He talked about her a lot during EnNaNa.

I won't pretend I know for sure, but Jae started mentioning his father (and going for advice to him, playing sports) when he talked about himself as a young adult.

Regardless, the father is definitely the more openly affectionate parent. Jaehyun talked about his mother being a reserved person, and how it was a problem for him, several times.

Doyoung is not a very stable person, heh. Based on whom did you write the list of traits? Who are the other people Jaehyun likes for their personality we know of? (bedise GM, who hardly can be counted) Ten, WW and Yuta don't answer the list.

Koreans are in general shy during first meetings. And even men in their 40s can be very giggly or hesitant. Evenso, normally there is more awkwardness and "don't raise your head", than real shyness. While Jaehyun, despite years as a celebrity, has to rely on "bro" gestures to somehow mask how socially inept he is. Lauv, indeed, was a clear case. They both are of similar age, both have similar status as celebs, Jae is a fan and had motivation to give a good impression, charm and forge a friendship for future collabs. And yet Jae retrited immidiently after a hug or an eye-to-eye.

And no, Jaehyun is not an E. Koreans lie about their MBTI-s in general. Some celebs even lie about their birthdates.

This moment with Doyoung and Taemin from 2016 is good for comparison. Doyoung was awkward, but he pushed himself to do what he had to do, play along.

I think JaeHyuk (and JaeWoo, in the past especially) is good at highlighting Jae's non-assertiveness. Haechan literally can push Jae against the wall, heh. And when Jae wants to stand his ground or has his way, he does it with the help of his stuborness and defiance rather than dominance. Jaehyun can't behave in a way as to be perceived by Woo as a hyung (whose word is finite), so he opts to slight agressiveness and cold responces.

I don't know how Jae's father is, but we might see Jae emulating him (as an example most close to him) in his relatioship with Yuta. With Yuta Jaehyun is a protective figure.

I wouldn't say Jaehyun has a chill personality, lol. He is no Taeil. Jaehyun is accepting, that's different. He is very moody though, can be emotional. In 2018 or 2019 neos joked how TaeJae squabbles were their favourite show at that time.

[krankittoeleven]

top ten favorite bands/musicians tag game

Thank you @findusinaweek for the tag. It should be noted that my favorites really do ebb and flow in and out of favor depending on my mood and what's generally going on in my life. This list is in no particular order. I'm not sure if I could ever truly pick a number one favorite.

Puscifer - my super hot take that usually gets me in trouble with certain kinds of music lovers is that Puscifer (and a Perfect Circle) is leaps and bounds better than Tool. Which is not to say that Tool is bad, it's just that I think Maynard's side projects are better. Fight Me. Actually, don't, I have other things I'd rather waste my time on.

PIG - Really, I love anyone that's been a part of KMFDM at one point or another, but Raymond Watts' solo stuff is among my favorites. His music really embodies sex, drugs & rock n roll, uplifts counter culture and points the finger at problematic aspects of government, religion and society. He's also just a really chill dude who is fun to talk to after shows.

Skinny Puppy - Just saw them in concert last night, on their farewell tour. They've provided me with nearly a life time of music. My uncle, who helped raise me, is a huge fan and he played them a lot when I was a kid, which of course led to me listening to them on my own. It's always been our thing to see them live together, no matter where we are, we figure out how to come together to catch them each tour. Glad we could do it one last time.

Pink Floyd - another band that has been providing the backing music to my like like SP. I love that i can find Pink Floyd music to fit just about any mood, but really, my fondest memories of their music is getting stoned and chilling out. xD Saw Roger Waters live a few years ago and I'm glad he still puts on live shows that really embody the essence of Pink Floyd.

Snoop Dog - good music and an amusing dude. Honestly, these days I just really love his middle aged man vibe, and all the silliness with Martha Stewart. But I did grow up in his musical prime and I'm glad I was around the right people at the right time to get into not just Snoop's music, but others in the genre.

Rammstein - I think my favorite thing about Rammstein, aside from their weird, sometimes unnerving, industrial aesthetic, is just that their music has remained consistently good their entire career and that is so hard to do. Like, there isn't an album of theirs I ignore or songs that I skip. Ok, well their is one exception to that and it's Du Hast, but that's because it got sooooo much radio play in the US that I just do not ever need to listen to it again. LOL But other than that, its all pure gold.

Leonard Cohen - I love this man. His music was brutally honest, and really, the world is just a lesser place without him in it. I usually don't get too worked up when famous people die, i think that sucks and feel a little bummed, but when Leonard Cohen died I will admit to feeling something near to destroyed for quiet some time. If you ever think somethings I say or do is referencing Leonard Cohen, I assure you, it is.

KMFDM - One of the ultimate 'rotating roster of musicians' bands that really fueled my teen age and young adult years. I still love them, always will, but I do feel like they were at their best and freshest when different artists were coming and going and contributing to their sound. The music is less unique from album to album now that they have more of a fixed roster.

Low Roar - I had no idea who Low Roar was before I played Death Stranding, so thank you Kojima for dotting the game with their music. Bummer that their lead singer died last year, that's truly unfortunate.

Jazz - yes, I'm just putting the whole genre here because I don't have a particular favorite artist or group. I just like me some good jazz. I played tenor sax for quiet a few years and my inner sax man still lives on inside me.

I will tag @ainulindaelynn @brasideios @akashadarkblade @mini-uzzy @theinkandthesea @liminalspacecowboah @vault-heck @vdk-hellscape and anyone else that wants to!

[raybeansbooks]

Checking Out Instagram as a New User

This past week I had created a new account on the social media app Instagram to see how the algorithm would bend with my engagement of posts and users. When I started, I followed a couple profiles from some categories I determined: following two bands/ musicians I like, a couple artists, a couple authors, a couple political figures, a couple actors, and a couple famous cats because, well, it’s icon of the period I joined the internet as a teen and I’m going to stick beside those furry little dudes.

When I first started using the app maybe a decade ago, I remember the feed being mostly whomever you followed with occasional sponsored or recommended posts. With how much the app and technology has changed over the years, the content I have specifically followed versus not has changed significantly; I now have my feed flooded with ads, sponsors, and recommendations like videos and posts from others related to whom I follow but it didn’t take long to lose my specific follows in the fog. While I can understand how something can get buried if the user I am following doesn’t post frequently enough, it was interesting to see what did show up- sometimes fan-edits or reposts from fan accounts recycling content to make sure my Hozier quota was met but slowly things got more wide in content that the art and music and books were part of the background. I intentionally had to put forth some effort to make sure I was continuing to see my interests. However, this shifted again and incredibly in a way I am thankful for as I went.

Due to my interest in world events and especially what is happening in Gaza, Congo, and Sudan, I have been following and engaging with sharing information from content creators who have done the work to research and inform as well as people who are in the areas of these disastrous events. As a Librarian in a Library space and representing the Library, I unfortunately understand that these are things in my position I have to stay neutral on professionally. To make up for it, my personal engagement is quite high. Now when I refresh or log onto the app, I am seeing information from Turned-Due-To-Events Press Creators and well informed content creators very frequently. I am following a number of individuals whom I am learning and sharing information with daily and am okay with my personal follows from joining the app have fallen back a little as a result.

I am still not entirely knowledgeable of the way social media ebbs and flows as someone who engages mainly through content sharing rather than creation but it’s not hard to see that the content you are given is tailored to who and what you interact with and how. Some engagements are more influential than others. On another note, I don’t know why I am surprised by the negative backlash and comments I see on the internet and social media over simple human rights. It’s something I struggle to grasp. I just don’t get it why people feel they have to make themselves feel bigger or whatever by throwing slurs around or what someone gains from wishing death upon innocents. I know there are aspects of this behavior some are raised with and taught and learned but, I’m not sure… It’s just heartbreaking.

While I still see my silly little cats and some amazing art and music, I am also learning about the world around me and sharing that information and that feels pretty good too. Though like most, I wish I could always do more.

If you are interested in engaging with content regarding Gaza, Congo, and Sudan I recommend the following creators- be aware there is triggering and sensitive content being reported on by these creators:

@ wizard_bisan1 on Instagram and TikTok 

@ motaz_azaiza on Instagram

@ simplysimone on TikTok (note: not who this is linking to on Tumblr)

@ alluringskullworld on TikTok

@ crutches_and_spice on Instagram and TikTok

@ sincerelyawa on TikTok ( Be sure to check out accounts/ creators/ people they discuss and share with you)

Please note that it is up to you to make your own effort in learning and engaging with content like this if there is something you believe in. Be wise in where you put your time and money. Take care of you and yours.

- Ray 12/10/2023

[jhope-jchokeme]

writers in the dark | part 1

summary: you are secretly one-half of a famous author duo. he's an international superstar. when he wants to produce the music for the television adaptation of your book, you jump at the chance to work with him. will you be able to keep yourself compartmentalised, or will your facade crack the moment it's under scrutiny?

pairing: hoseok x reader (nicknamed)

genre: fluff, angst, smut (later chapters)

rating: M [+18]

word count: 3.8k

warnings: list is for this chapter. [ past pregnancy loss | low self-esteem | blood mention ]

notes: i couldn't bring myself to type "y/n" in dialogue, so reader (that's you!) is nicknamed Lulu -- short for Delulu.

links: [ part 2 ]

1 | STRANGERS

Going back to the beginning is hard. There’s a murkiness - a damp fog - that bends the memories until they twist around themselves and they coil and writhe like a snake. They threaten to lash out, venom-soaked fangs at the ready. Going back to the earliest untainted memory? Well, that might prove possible — to a point. Memories are such curious creatures: easily manipulated, quickly lost, nearly sentient in their own right, but always so easy to trigger; a smell, a touch, a taste — anything can spur the mind into forming something to attach to it. That’s probably the easiest part. Recounting that attachment? Well, that can prove futile.

If we’re starting at the beginning, there are few things you need to keep in mind:  one, you have never had the best luck in love; two, while you have a good relationship with your family, they can sometimes be unbelievably cruel; three, while it’s taken you a long time to get to where you are, you are mostly pleased with your trajectory.

All of your memories seem to ebb and flow; the rawest memory you can extract from the distorted static is a small fragment from six years ago, but you can recall it — vividly — as if it were merely hours ago. The striking details: the shock of red blood on white linen, the sickly-clean smell of the hospital, the sea-foam green walls. They stir together, swirling with the sobs (or were they screams?) that emanated from deep within your body.

A touch can spur a range of emotions, namely: anger, repulsion, nausea. A comforting pat on the arm is useless. A hard kiss on the mouth drags the beast from within, moaning and writhing with falsified passion. The grasping of wrists drags the demons out, shrieking with terror showing in the whites of their eyes.

A certain cologne dredges up memories you wish you could bury. He smiled like a waning moon, swept you off your feet. Red blood on white linen. Your walls never crumbled so quickly. That sickly-clean smell of the hospital. You dated briefly, married quickly. The sea-foam green walls. You only held your daughter once she was lifeless, wrapped in pink. Her little eyes are closed, her mother’s tears fall on her face, and the demised child weeps.

Past the divorce, the sorrow, the attempts on your own life, you found your footing again. Rekindled an old friendship that you thought you had let slip through your fingers completely. The two of you were thick as thieves. Part of you — the saddest, touch-starved parts — thought you were in love with her. She was your soulmate, but also your truest friend. While there were nights that you held her hand, and nights where you sobbed in her arms, the love you had for her was a platonic enigma.

But the two of you were always creatives, dreaming up fantasies and fairy tales and stories. Each of you had published before — you had your poetry, short stories, and a novella. She, two novellas and an anthology of intertwined short stories. When she suggested the two of you team up, a fire lit inside you that you hadn’t felt in years.

While neither of you were particularly well known authors, you decided to merge two identities into one, separating collaboration from independent works and thus, Ducky Castor was born. The pen name you two shared was nothing more than two random words. A hoax — convincing the general public you were both one person was easy at first. The first book you released together, one-third of a trilogy, started out quietly. 

“The Moon is My Mother” was a book of little magic, intertwined vignettes of overcoming grief, the balance of magic, nature and the universe, and starting a ten-year war in the name of love. The reception was positive, but mostly quiet. Then, almost as if overnight, the series exploded. One review of the book on the TapTap app from three months ago finally went viral. As if everyone who had bought the book and finally finished it at the same time, decided to share the review and agree.

Earlier that year, it had been nominated for a Graeber-Collins award for “Best New Fantasy.” Just last week, you won the award, and while you both wanted to accept in person, to rub it in the faces of everyone who said you couldn’t, you didn’t want to accumulate a level of fame that felt overwhelming. Instead, keeping up the charade, your literary agent — Alexa — kindly accepted the award on your behalf, reading a written statement, thanking a fictitious family, very real editors, and the musical group who inspired the story with their title track, “Black Swan.”

Which now explains your current circumstance: sitting in a conference room of your publishing house’s London branch, next to your best friend and co-author — Lala. The shoutout to these seven boys was so under the radar, you weren’t expecting them to reach out when they heard about the television adaptation, wanting to produce a few songs for the OST. 

Had you and Lala — sweetly — requested that the first Korean translations of the book be sent to them? Yes. Had you gently referenced them within the pages of your book? Also yes. But, to compare yourselves to the monolith, you didn’t think they’d actually read it.

They’re busy. However often they wondered aloud in videos what their fans did on a daily basis, or what their fans' lives must be like … you also knew they were businessmen. Marketers selling a product. Essentially selling an entire experience. The venn diagram of how these men marketed themselves and how sex-workers marketed themselves was a circle. They would say anything in the most genuine voices, but deep down, you knew they didn’t actually care. Why would they? They were laughing all the way to the bank.

But now, the anticipation of waiting for two of them to show up was going to kill you. 

“Stop bouncing your leg, you’re shaking the table,” your friend teases, breaking the silence.

“Sorry,” you laugh, crossing your legs at the ankle to keep the nervous energy from collecting there. “What time is it?”

Lala taps her phone screen twice, glancing at the time but getting distracted by several notifications. Several moments later, she swipes one of the notifications and begins furiously texting a friend, before locking the screen and setting it back down.

“The time?” you inquire again, a fond smile spreading across your face.

“Oh, shit,” she laughs easily and checks her phone again. “11:11, make a wish,” she jokes. An old, silly pastime, but it helps calm your nerves.

You close your eyes tight, making a silent wish that they show up soon.

“Peanut butter,” you say, and watch Lala’s left eyebrow quirk up as a question mark. “You know, to make it stick.”

Lala’s eyes roll so far back in her head, you can only see the whites. This sends the both of you into a fit of giggles. There were only a few minutes left until the meeting was about to start, but you had showed up grotesquely early — for once — due to your anticipation. You didn’t know which two members you and Lala would be meeting with, but you had a sneaking suspicion one of them would be Yoongi. The other member? Either sad-art-ho Namjoon, or pop-culture-icon Hoseok. You had no complaints or preference either way. All seven members were, to put it bluntly, daddy candidates. 

Your mind-numbing scroll through social media was interrupted by two knocks on the door. Your head snaps in the direction of the noise as the handle turns, your stomach mirroring the twisting motion.

Three men enter the room, two of whom you recognise immediately, despite the face masks: Yoongi and Hoseok. The third man who joins them must be their interpreter. You rise from your seat and smile warmly at them, before realising you’re also wearing a mask and they can’t see your smile, idiot. Hopefully the gesture reaches your eyes.

They greet you with polite bows and introductions, and you mirror their mannerisms, giving a polite bow in return.

“I’m Lala,” your friend jumps in with her own introduction. “One of the head writers for the adaptation.”

As their interpreter translates and they greet her, you prepare to introduce yourself. Just as you open your mouth to give your name, a large group passes by the still-open door, chattering loudly. Hopefully, they hear you give your name.

“… but everyone just calls me Lulu,” is all that you can hear leave your mouth. “I’m the other head writer for the adaptation. Thanks for making the trip to meet with us.”

“Lala and Lulu?” Hoseok asks, the smile reaching his eyes. He must think this is a joke. In a way, it is, but despite the differences between you and Lala, you wanted everyone to know that the two of you were a team.

“Consider LULA the western version of SOPE,” you say with a smile, hoping it doesn’t come across as corny as it sounds in retrospect. Lala rolls her eyes, but the boys smile at you both, and you feel your legs getting weak.

The meeting goes well, the boys asking thoughtful questions and taking notes. There’s one question that’s been burning in the back of your mind since they reached out, and finally with a lull in the conversation, you glance at Lala and this gives you the strength to ask it.

“Did you guys read the book?” you hope the question doesn’t come across as rude, but you know if you try to contextualise it within the chaos of how your mind works, you’ll only dig yourself into a deeper hole. Both boys glance at each other.

“I started it on the plane,” Hoseok admits with a laugh. His carefree demeanour makes it hurt just a little less.

“I read it,” Yoongi says, almost proudly.

“Namjoon read it twice, I think,” Hoseok adds, “He was mad he couldn’t come.”

“Ah,” is all you manage to say. Part of you wants to know why he couldn’t come, but the other part of you knows it isn’t your business. There’s a third part of you that is still a little disheartened that Hoseok only just started the book. He seems to sense this by the way your eyes glaze over.

“I’m almost done with it,” he says, offering a smile. “I just started ‘The Magician’ chapter, with Theodore? The back and forth of the timelines with the upright and reversed interpretations of the major arcana is really well done.” 

You find a smile spreading across your face. He’s almost done with it. 

“I had to explain what the major arcana is to him,” Yoongi says, not looking up from his notebook where he finishes writing a few notes. You still smile behind your mask, you know, like an idiot. 

“You work closely with the author, right?” Yoongi asks, his eyes settling on the space between you and Lala. Your stomach twists — does he know?

“Yeah,” Lala says, effortlessly cool in these situations.

“What can you tell us about book two?”

“What can you tell us about your next comeback?” Lala asks, and that seems to put a stop to the prying questions. They both nod with a smile.

The meeting wraps up after a few more details are hammered out.

“So, we can meet up in the next week or so with a rough demo, and go from there,” Hoseok says, gathering his things up and packing them neatly into his bag. His phone is immediately in his hand, and he’s swiping through apps until he pulls up his calendar. You flip through your planner until you land on that month’s calendar.

“So, book two is launching next week,” you say, staring at the full days of the upcoming week, some of them amended with post-it notes. “And the pilot script is due by the end of the month,” You say as you rearrange a couple appointments and cross off another, making a note to cancel and reschedule them. “I can free up about three hours on Thursday, after lunch. Let’s say from one to four?” you ask, pen at the ready. He gives the affirmative and you block off that part of the day with a flourish and a pink highlighter.

“My Father Wept at Dawn’s First Light” is an excellent sophomore publication from mysterious author, Ducky Castor. Readers will be drawn back by the same compelling, wistful narrative of the struggles of war, love, loss, and magic. This dazzling sequel to “The Moon is My Mother” will keep you turning pages, even after it’s done. – Simon Lionel, Marie Claire Book Club

“Gripping, devastating, haunting.” – Sam Winters, BookBub Magazine

“This book oozes more talent than I have in my entire collection of work. Outstanding storytelling from my new favourite author.” – G. R. Mathis, author of “Windowless House”

“When did publishers start putting reviews on the back of books instead of the book synopsis?” you ask, mouth half-full with a bite of yoghurt. In front of you lies a copy of the second book, the back of the dust-cover full of glowing reviews.

“Whenever you decided it was okay to put your feet on the table,” Lala says, giving you a sideways glance. You smile and pull your feet down to the chair next to you instead.

“Floor,” Lala says.

“Yes, mommy,” you say, cheekily, and set your feet on the floor.

“Reviews on the back of books are just publishers calling consumers and readers, ah, not very intelligent. It’s like a content creator being sponsored,” Lala says.

“No, I know that. But why can’t they put the reviews on the inside of the dust cover? Why are they taking up valuable real estate with an info-mercial of the book?” you press.

“Specifically to bother you,” Lala replies.

Your eyes roll into the back of your head as you lean back over your laptop to finish writing an email. After several minutes of looking for the word you want to use but cannot — for the life of you — recall from the depths of your memory, you close the lid with a soft snap and push it away from you.

“I guess we should get ready for meeting part two,” you say. “Think I have time for a shower?”

“Is it just a hair-and-face shower, or whole body shower?” Lala asks, looking over the rim of her teacup at you.

“Whole body, lite?” you offer.

Lala grunts. “They’re not going to take us on the conference room table, no matter how hard we manifest it, bestie,” she says.

“… Then just a hair-and-face shower,” you say.

“I think dry-shampoo and deodorant would suffice,” she says. “You’re running on Lulu-time today.”

You groan. She’s right. Notoriously late and scatter-brained due to your packed schedule (that excuse only works for the next few weeks, until things settle down), you know that your brain doesn’t process time properly the minute you unplug and step into the shower.

“What if I —" you start.

“No,” Lala says with a bright smile. “Throw it up in a bun with some dry shampoo and take your whore-bath.”

You pout and head to the bathroom to freshen up. Between stretching yourself too thin and general mental health issues, your personal hygiene sometimes fell to the wayside. Once in the bathroom you check the time on your phone. You have forty-five minutes before you have to leave. It’s risky, but you set an alarm for half an hour and start the shower.

You and Lala arrive with only minutes to spare. She’s mad, but you’re clean and that’s good enough in your book. The boys haven’t arrived yet, and you count that as the day’s second little blessing. You quickly unpack your laptop and notebook, and the little gifts you prepared for Yoongi and Hoseok.

You’ve only just set their gifts at their seats when they knock and enter the conference room. Their eyes settle on the gifts with fondness. You greet them with a small bow and gesture to their seats.

“We come bearing gifts for you, as a thank you for the work you’re doing,” you say. “You can open them now, if you like,” you add as you sit back at your laptop. You pull your mask down low enough to take a long swig of your coffee, before replacing it on your face.

Hoseok is the first to settle in and peek into the bag, extracting the card from the tissue paper. The words inside are typed — as if done on an old fashioned type-writer.

Hoseok — J-Hope: Thank you for lending some of your genius to the soundtrack. It’s an honour for me to know that you liked my book enough to help with the adaptation. I had hoped (ha!) that I could have given this to you in person. Alas, my privacy is very near and dear to me. Perhaps one day we can meet and you can tell me your favourite parts, and I’ll tell you my favourite songs. Please accept this gift as a token of my gratitude. Light and love in all aspects of your life, - Ducky

You watch his eyes grow wide as he pulls away the tissue paper, revealing the hardcover, first editions of both “The Moon is My Mother” and “My Father Wept at Dawn’s First Light”. Yoongi’s gift is the same, though his card is different:

Yoongi — SUGA: Thank you for lending some of your genius to the soundtrack. I know it will be a hit, even if the adaptation flops. I never expected my little book of stories to get to this level, but I am thankful for it. While I had imagined giving you this gift myself, the thought of revealing myself to the world seems too great. Perhaps another time. Please accept this gift as my unending gratitude. Love and light in all your endeavours, - Ducky

“I bet those are signed,” you say off-handedly, taking another long sip of your coffee, knowing full well that they are signed. You and Lala signed them yourselves, last night. Each book has a scrawl on the inside title page (Lala’s handiwork), and the name ‘Ducky’ printed beneath it, with a small doodle of a duck-head (your handiwork).

Both Yoongi and Hoseok are quiet for a moment, marvelling at the gifts they received. At some point you wonder if they don’t like the gifts.

“How do we thank her?” Hoseok asks, after a long pause.

“Them,” you gently correct. “You can send them a thank you card by addressing it to the publishing company, or you can hand us the card and we’ll make sure they get it.”

They nod, and after a few more moments of silence, Yoongi clears his throat.

“So, we have a rough demo of the opening track,” he says, clicking on his laptop. “We have two versions, actually,” he amends. “One is just the instrumental, and one has lyrics.” Before you can acknowledge this, he’s opened the instrumental track and handed you a headset. He waits for you to put them on before he presses play.

“This is the instrumental,” he says before your ears are flooded with the soft, rich sound of a cello. You close your eyes to listen to it. Slowly, it crescendos, and various other string instruments layer in with rhythmic runs, percussion marking time. Above it all, two violins swirl a melody; simultaneously a dance and a fight — two separate themes becoming one in harmony. While you don’t know the lyrical version yet, you can imagine the violins emphasising two voices. Somewhere along the way, your musical knowledge from university takes over, and you find yourself conducting an imaginary orchestra until the final notes release their hold and you open your eyes.

You can feel the smile on your face, and a small reservoir of tears pool in the corners of your eyes.

“This is beautiful,” you say, passing the headset to Lala to allow her to experience it. You wait until she sets the headset on the table before you continue your thought from earlier. 

“It almost reminds me of …” you pause to rack your brain for a moment. “Frank Ticheli’s compositions,” you say, recalling the name of your favourite contemporary composer. “Very ‘Angels in the Architecture’ meets ‘Vesuvius’. This is exactly what I envisioned,” you say, using the guise of adjusting your glasses to wipe the tears from your eyes on the sly.

Neither Lala, Hoseok, or Yoongi give any inclination that they know who or what you’re talking about. It doesn’t matter. If they wanted to know more, they’d surely ask. … Right?

“The lyrical version is just me crowing into a microphone,” Hoseok says, trying to remain humble. “We don’t need to show them that,” he adds, turning to Yoongi.

“Why would you deprive me of my favourite vocalist’s vocals?” you ask, grabbing up the headset again. “I want to hear it,” you reassure him as you settle the headset over your ears again. Yoongi presses play and you hear the familiar instrumental rise in your ears, this time joined with Hoseok’s deep voice crooning Korean lyrics with the strings. You needed this version of the track for … deeply personal reasons.

“Can you send me that?” You ask, unabashed, when it finishes. “I want to listen to it again later, maybe with some candles lit and a fancy dinner,” you go on to explain, making a light joke but also insinuating exactly what you’ll be doing later. They laugh, and from there you fall into a comfortable conversation about the track, the adaptation, and the second book release.

“Lulu and I were each asked to read a chapter at the launch party,” Lala says, humbly boasting about the honour you bestowed upon yourselves.

“Oh, that’s exciting!” Hoseok says, the smile behind his mask lighting up all of his features. “When is the launch party?”

“Tomorrow, starts around five,” you say, then lean forward with a conspiratorial look on your face. “We each have a plus one, if you boys would like to join us.” Did you just shoot your shot? Hell yeah you did.

Yoongi and Hoseok look at each other for a moment then nod.

“It’s a date,” Hoseok says, and you can feel your heart melt and pool somewhere behind your stomach. “Where should we pick you up?”

[wastelandbabyblue]

Oh I go so crazy for the “take the man out the city” it makes me feel like I cant sit still the way it starts softer and then it builds and builds until the instrumental is nonexistent basically. His music is just everything. My friends hated gloom and half life when I listened to it in the car around them like making comments hated it so I def don’t get to talk about his shit with anyone. And yes! That lyric with his sister always gets me! Another song that I think is like in my top three of this album is definitely On and On, the way the backing music literally like ebbs and flows like it sounds like how those expanding ball fidget toys look to me if that makes sense? Like liquid flowing through a lava lamp too. And a slow moving vinyl. Like I can imagine a whole music video/what kinda visuals id use for this song and it makes me wish I could do stuff like that. The lyrics, of course, don’t disappoint for even a second. One of my favorites is the “your family is in our thoughts, our hearts go out to you, say a prayer, light a digital candle and then scroll away. ” like holy fuck what a lyric I think like every lyric in this song is just too fucking good. I hope you know I’m probably gonna be like dumping asks like these now in your inbox cause I just need to talk about it somewhere

not my baby gloom!!! is one of his best pls people just don't Get it. I also catch myself singing "god you're a fool, you think these people care for you" at least 6 time a day no joke. his music is so addictingjfkf

omg on and on is a VIBE. the lyrics are spectacular and I love that you can feel how full of it he is, how much he can't stand sm anymore and how things are like the fact he just disappeared from sm and then released That song love that for him so much (and wish that were me. hope that'll me soon)

but can we talk about Fool 'cause him softly singing "look into my eyes and baby whisper fool" lives in my head rent free. I wake up with those lyrics at the forefront of my mind every morning and again I'm just so!!! about the lyrics I love the way he sings about being famous. his mind is just... amazing

anyways any time, anon! I'll love to rent with you about Djo

[theninjamouse]

Ocean on Fire Phantom of the Opera AU Master List (To be added to as I see fit)

Strap in, this is gonna get long. Big thanks to @thaylepo for indulging me and sending many brilliant ideas. 

This is a basic rundown and ideas that would happen at some point in the story. Obviously some things could change or be added but I’ve just got to get this down before I go nuts

Shore and Grillby were childhood friends.

Shore is the child of a wealthy business man, taught from childhood that the arts are to be treasured and appreciated

However, while she may learn instruments and dance and music, she is to take over the family business, not run away to star in the opera like she wants

Grillby's father (he has parents in this au) was a famous violinist who often was called by Shore's father to perform for parties. He wound up teaching Shore fundamentals of music

Little Grillby was a shy flame. Always trailed along behind his father, clutching his tailcoats

Shore saw the tiny elemental and decided instantly: I'm going to be his BEST FRIEND

Queue stuttering, hesitant Grillby being dragged around the manor, getting into all sorts of trouble and adventures. He's a lot more hardy than Shore is, so he rather often found himself acting as a sort of guard dog. He was utterly distraught when Shore fell and broke her arm. Shore teased him about crying because she couldn’t stand to see him so upset

They also learn music together from Grillby's father. First time Shore hears Grillby sing, she grabs his face and screams with delight until the poor little guy is fully bright blue with blushing

Then Grillby's father dies. A family friend takes Grillby away to one of the opera houses to work. Grillby and Shore are 13 and 10 at this point and have spent the last 6 years together. Shore makes Grillby promise to keep singing, to keep the spark of his father alive through music. He promises

They both wait until they are out of sight of the other to cry

Grillby cries every night for the first 3 months in the opera house. As a monster, he is bullied by many of the other students. He mourns his father's passing and he misses Shore to a near unbearable level. The only comfort he has is when he sings quietly to himself in those few moments when he is alone doing his chores

Then he hears a voice, a soft and gentle voice that asks him why such a bright flame weeps. He runs away in fear and hides in his bed

But the voice asks him again and again. 'Why does such a bright flame weep?' Slowly, over the course of a year, Grillby tells the voice his story

The voice says he is the Phantom of the opera house. Grillby thinks he sounds rather young to be a Phantom

The Phantom replies that Grillby is rather young to have such a lovely voice. He offers to teach Grillby. The fire monster agrees upon hearing the Phantom's beautiful and haunting voice

After all, he did promise

15 years pass. Shore has taken over her family business and is finally able to offer herself as a patron to an opera house that has shown remarkable growth over the years, becoming well known in the arts circles

Partially thanks to the star of the show, a humanoid robot named Mettaton. Most of the monsters we know work the show behind the scenes, so having a monster in the lead is a new leap in gaining treatment that is more fair for monster kind as performers

But Mettaton is also a diva. The day Shore arrives with new managers, he throws his tantrum and quits after a rather suspicious accident.

Shore only has eyes for the fire elemental standing frozen with the rest of the crew. She suggests letting him take the lead role. Promising that she knows he can sing.

Grillby is so quiet most assumed he couldn't even talk so naturally protests break out and Shore maybe uses her power as a patron to insist. 'He promised me,' is all she says, looking right at him

So he sings and everyone is stunned at the strength and grace of his voice. The managers instantly whisk him away to prepare for the show

After the show, Shore goes to his new dressing room and they fall into each other's arms. They speak of times past, of the loneliness of being apart. But when Shore says that she wants to take him out to celebrate, he hesitates. The Phantom will not be happy if he leaves, he knows this

But he agrees and she leaves to let him change

Enter in The Phantom. Showing himself for the first time, a figure in black wearing a simple white mask over his face. White hands punched through the palms. Grillby is enchanted, dazed and follows The Phantom into the tunnels under the opera house

*Music of the Night noises*

Grillby has a bit of a Crisis because he genuinely cares about Phantom and they became very close friends as much as teacher and student but this is kind of odd?? A little frightening?

Phantom sees this, backpedals real hard but hides it and sends Grillby back upstairs before falling into bed and screaming into his pillow

When Shore finds Grillby vaguely wandering back into the theater, she goes, uh??? What happened?? Were you kidnapped? I kind of stayed up all night looking for you??

Grillby, still a little in shock because what the heck just happened "Kind of?"

Now that won't STAND

Shore starts digging to find out everything she can about this opera ghost, keeping a close eye on Grillby. There is no gaslighting here folks like in versions of the story that to this day drive me crazy

As Shore digs, accidents start happening. Loose floorboards, unlatched equipment, a falling sandbag or two. Shore catches on pretty quickly what’s happening when she catches just a flash of shadow more than once right before or after these little ‘incidents’ 

Finally plants herself down in the middle of the stage and calls for the Phantom to show his face. It takes a while then she sees a shadow just barely move. He’s up in the rafters, crouched like some kind of bat

“What is your freaking deal?” 

“Why are you trying to take what’s mine?” 

“Yours? He belongs to himself you dingbat”

That makes him laugh for reasons Shore doesn’t get

Conversation happens, a lot of dodging questions, shifting blame. Phantom is oddly charming. For being an attempted murdering/kidnapping jerk

“Are you the one who keeps trying to kill me? The sandbag dropped on my head, the broken trapdoor, the spiders in my hat??”

“Oh my God, I’m not responsible for every little thing that goes wrong in this place. It’s an old building, accidents do happen. 

“The sandbag was me though.”

Grillby materializes just to smack him in the head for that

And so it goes, Grillby and Shore trying to reconnect, Grillby trying to maintain a level of friendship (and maybe more?) with Phantom and Phantom attempting various levels of accidents to get Shore to leave the theater

Until one day he finds Shore on the stage. She’s singing to an empty theater. She’s not...good exactly but...rather unpracticed. He’s startled enough that he stops his evil giggling and untwisting of the hidden trapdoor in the stage to listen. 

He comes up silently, creeping on the edges just out of sight. When he speaks, Shore shrieks and nearly falls off the stage anyway. Her blushing does a weird thing to his Soul. Like a sort of flip flopping squeeze. 

“Well, if you’re going to think yourself worthy of my Flame, you’d better have a voice to match. Let me hear you sing again.”  

Many ‘threat’ filled lessons later-

“Hmm. Maybe there’s hope for you after all” 

“Maybe there’s more to you than a creepy stalker personality.” 

Past the Point of No Return scene happens at some point. I don’t make the rules

Also Phantom and Shore have a sword fight that maybe starts out as anger fueled but rather quickly changes to a pent up Feelings kind of deal

Grillby’s concern is quick to fade and he watches the two idiots dance around each other, wondering why exactly they don’t see how much they actually do like each other. 

It’s also at this moment he realizes fully that he loves them both

“Well shoot, I love these two morons and they love each other but won’t admit it. This is going to be very ‘fun’ to sort out”

Eventually, Shore asks for Phantom’s name. 

“My name...died with the person I was long ago.” 

“Maybe it’s time you reclaim it.” 

His name is Wing Dings Gaster and for countless years he was held by the Void. He doesn’t fully remember how he escaped, nor what he looked like before. All he knows is that his face is broken with terrible cracks and skeletal in only the vaguest sense with a body that ebbs and flows with darkness. When he first stumbled back into the light after the darkness of the Void, people screamed and ran from him. Or worse, they chased him, calling him an omen of death. So he retreated down below the theater and resigned himself to always be a watcher and made a mask to cover his face. 

He was alone for years until he heard young Grillby crying in a corner and sat as close as he dared. It took a while for him to gain the courage to speak to the elemental

Given the fluid nature of his body, it’s easy for him to change his voice to sing. It’s the only part of himself that he can see as holding any worth. 

Grillby was his only source of socialization and he’s terrified of losing him, which makes Phantom a tad bit clingy with some pretty severe separation anxiety 

Phantom is a sad, sad boy who needs a lot of hugs and therapy

Shore is kind to him despite it all (and despite the irritation at the ‘death threats’) 

Phantom finally admits that she was never in any actual danger because he might be a messed up guy but he’s not a murderer. He might have even nudged her out of the way with blue magic a few times to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

Eventually Phantom realizes he no longer wants her to leave. He wants to stand with her and Grillby. He wants to be a better monster but he doesn’t know how to do that so kind of retreats into his lair 

Grillby and Shore have to track him down. And queue the heart to heart, the great Crying Session, the Unmasking or whatever you wanna call it

And they all live an OT3 happy ending, the end