#I think this is from the variety shoot in October

[chalamet-chalamet]

Timothée Chalamet in London ✨✨✨✨

📸 by Angelo Dominic Sesto (IG: dom_sesto)

[rosenclaws]

The Wolverine and His Bunny || Logan Howlett x Bunny Girl!Reader

summary: You and Logan have always butted heads and his constant, condescending reminders of your mutation don't help. It's not until your forced to train together and well, the tension is undeniable

warnings: MINORS DNI, SMUT, 18+ ONLY, fem!reader, rough sex, a variety of bunny themed nicknames (Bunny, thumper, carrots), creampie, manhandling, pain kink (Logan), doggy style, dirty talk, blow job, mirror sex, slight choking, degradation, praise, he plays with your bunny ears oops, enemies to lovers kinda? Logan's a dick at first, teasing, being pinned down.

Don't like it don't read it :)

Halloween Masterlist

wc: 3.7k

a/n: Okay look, I thought this was hot and so I wrote it. Anyways happy October first everyone! Hoping to add my degeneracy to the long list of fics to come. This also ended up being more. angsty than i mean it to be. I think I have an angst problem oops

You hated him so much. He was. He was just a massive dick for no reason and you hated people like that. You get that he was the all mighty Wolverine who was indestructible or whatever but if he could act like a normal person for once in his life that would be great.

He wasn't even the leader of the damn team and yet every one seemed to act like he walked on fucking water. It's not like he was the only one on the team either. He may tell everyone he's a loner and he doesn't need help but we're the X-Men. Not just Wolverine.

It's just not fair.

You had the perfect plan. Planned down to the very second and Logan had to go and fuck it all up. Maybe it was an honest mistake but you highly doubted it. He always had a problem with you. You didn't understand why. The moment you showed up to the mansion he was hostile. Calling you stupid, condescending nicknames because of your mutation while ignoring the part of it that made you super smart.

You were fuming when the team got back from the mission. You stormed right past everyone to get to Logan. They shoot you apologetic looks but you paid them no mind.

"Logan!"

"What's got your panties in a twist bunny?" He leans against the jet hangar door. A cigar already lit in his mouth.

"Don't call me that asshole!" You shove his chest but he doesn't move. Your nose twitching in anger as he just laughs.

"I had a plan Logan. A good plan. A perfect. Plan. So tell me why as soon as you had the chance to, you ruined it!" He scoffs and blows a puff of smoke in your face. Your ears flatten against your head as you wave the smoke away.

"We finished the mission didn't we?." He says with a smirk. If this were a cartoon you'd surely have steam coming out of your ears by now.

"God you're nothing but a slimy little weasel sometimes!" You push your finger into his chest. He pushes your hand away and bares his teeth like an animal.

"You have no idea what it's like to actually be on the field so why don't you tuck your little tail between your legs and run back to the lab."

"Logan! That's enough." Jean scolds him harshly as you turn around and storm out of the room.

You feel tears welling up in your eyes but you force them down. Fuck him, you were an important part of the team. Whether he liked it or not.

It's like he lived to torture you. Ever since the day you told him off he seemed to just. appear. Constantly. Wherever you were he was there too. In the kitchen? He strolls right in for a soda. In the training room? He's already there. All sweaty and grunting and gross. You're outside near the water fountain, guess who strolls right on up. It was like he was stalking you or something.

Your ears perk up as you hear footsteps approaching your classroom. You taught most of the high level classes, the advanced ones for students who wished for more academic classes. So their tests were more complex to grade which is why you were still here so late into the night. Your nose twitches as a familiar scent fills your nose. Without even looking you let out a long sigh.

"What do you want weasel?"

"Now that's not very nice of you." Logan says with a smirk as he sits in the chair across from your desk. He puts his feet up on your desk. Right on top of the stack of papers.

"Can't you go bother someone else? Please. Like anyone else." He grins and you roll your eyes.

"But I just love your company." His voice is dripping with playful sarcasm.

"You're going to work yourself to death carrots. It's not good for you." The truth is he came to try and apologize for the other day but he just hasn’t found the right time. Okay well there’s been good times but he was never able to get the words out. So here he is trying his best.

He stands up and leans over your desk. You have to admit he's certainly an overwhelming presence. His face is inches away from yours, eyes staring into your soul with a wolfish grin on his face. He picks the pen out of your hand and throws it over his shoulder.

"Why not take the stick out of your ass and have a little fun?" Wow, for a second there you almost thought he cared.

"You know what Logan, just leave me alone."

"You know I'm trying to be nice here and all I'm catching is attitude." He growls. You slam your hands on the desk and stand up. Getting close to his face as your ears flatten. "

Nice? You think you're being nice?" You laugh in his face and he pushes back. Papers fly everywhere.

"Fine, work yourself to death I don't fucking care." He storms out of your room and slams your door loudly.

"Asshole!" You yell back. You turn back to see the mess of papers and sigh. Great, now your night got even longer. Logan mutters angrily as he stalks through the halls. So much for trying.

It's been at least a couple weeks since that night with Logan and thankfully he's finally decided to leave you alone. You barely saw him and in a weird way, you kind of missed him. Kind of. Barely. In fact you really enjoyed the peace. Your ears definitely didn't perk up when you heard Logan's voice on the other side of Professor Xavier's office. You push through the door and find Logan looking very pissed off.

"You wanted to see me?" You glance over at Logan who was fuming silently.

"Yes, I think it's time you join the team. On the field." You widen your eyes in surprise. You never considered yourself to be a field agent. Your mutation wasn't exactly built for combat. You were speedy but that's about it. Strategy and smarts were much more your speed.

"I think bringing you out on the field would be an immense help to your battle tactics. As Logan so kindly put it, being on the field is different from watching on the outside." You flash back to the harsh words Logan had said to you a while ago.

Logically it would be helpful for you to observe what missions were like first hand but you don't think you needed to be there. Still to get yourself a suit and be part of the team sounded nice too.

"And since it was his idea, Logan will be your instructor."

"What?!"

"Absolutely not." Charles gives you both a look, one that said to quiet down and you both reluctantly listen.

"I am not a fool,  the two of you need to learn to work together. My decision is final." His tone leaves no room for argument and the two of you leave with scowls on your face.

"Alright thumper, here’s how it’s going to go. Tomorrow. 7am in the training room. Think you can handle it?” He places his hand near your head. You roll your eyes and duck under his hand.

“Yeah yeah, see you then Weasel.”

It feels like this was meant to be a punishment more than an assignment. You get that you and Logan haven’t. exactly gotten along but to stick you together like this? That’s just mean. You showed up right at 7am the next morning dressed in workout clothes. Logan is already there dressed in his little gray sweatshirt, white tank top and sweatpants.

“So you didn’t run away? Good bunny.” He smirks as your face scrunches up in anger.

“Fuck off.” You’re already dreading this. If you could just survive an hour then you could never deal with him again.

"Okay, show me what you got." He stands in the center of the mat. Arms at his side with an expectant look on his face.

"What?"

"I heal bunny, so give me all you got. I need to see what I'm working with here." You take a deep breath and launch an attack.

You weren't helpless by any means but you weren’t on the same level as Logan, even you could admit that. He barely flinched as you darted around the room. Striking him in a few places but he just stood there. It was starting to piss you off. You get that you weren’t the fiercest but he could at least try and fucking help instead of wearing you out like this. You look around the room and see wooden poles used for combat training. He never said you had to just use your hands. You dart across the room and grab one, swinging it hard against his back. To your surprise it completely breaks. Shattering on impact. He grabs the broken half that’s left in your hands and pulls it out of them.

“That’s cheating,”

“No it’s not. I was just using my resources.” He laughs and grabs your wrist. He slowly backs you up until you hit the wall.

“Oh yeah? What you’re gonna find a really big stick out in the field?” He mocks.

“This is useless.” He lets go and walks away from you.

You feel anger bubbling up in your chest. You don’t belong. You’re useless. What good are you to the X-Men? You are sick and tired of hearing shit like this all the fucking time and Logan was the worst about it. You launch yourself at him. Running as fast as you can and jumping on his back. It blindsides him, he tumbles to the ground. He grunts as you start to hit his back hard.

“What is your fucking problem!” He pushes you off and you wince as you hit the mat. You scramble away before he can get up and jump back onto him. Legs straddling his waist as you push his shoulders.

“Why do you hate me so much?! What did I do to you?!” You take a swing and hit him square in the jaw. He looks surprised but shakes it off easily. He doesn’t fight back, more in shock than angry at this point.

“I get that I don’t have metal claws and I can’t move stuff with my mind but I’m part of the team too!” You swing your fist again but he catches it this time. He grabs your other one and pushes you to the ground roughly.

“Fuck off!” You hiss as he crawls on top of you. He’s heavier than a fucking boulder as he practically pins you to the ground.

“No you shut up and fucking listen.” He growls. He still has your hands pinned to the floor. An almost animalistic look on his face.

“You are so infuriating, everything about you drives me fucking crazy. So pretty, so smart, so easy to rile up.” He purrs. Your body feels like it’s on fire. What the hell is he even talking about?

“I say things without thinking sometimes but you, you make it so hard. Always running your mouth.” You squirm under him, trying to get free.

Then. He moans. He fucking moans.

You stop moving and stare up at him in surprise. Then you feel something hard against your stomach. Oh. He’s hard.

“No fucking way.” You say with a smirk. He may be on top of you but right now it feels like you have all the power here.

“Don’t tell me you were an absolute dick because you liked me?” He doesn’t deny it. Instead pressing you harder into the mat.

“Shut up.”

“Couldn’t handle your feelings so you decided to tease me like a fucking schoolboy.” You laugh and try and move your arms but he doesn’t budge.

“You know what I think, I think you need to lose the attitude carrots, I think a nice good fuck would do you good.” You scoff at his words.

“And you think you’re the one to do that? You couldn’t make a girl cum if your life depended on it, Weasel.”

“Is that a challenge bunny? Come on, say it.” He’s hot and horny but he’s giving you a way out.

If you tell him to fuck off he’ll leave and you both can forget about it, but if you don’t. If you say you want this. Well he’ll finally shut you up like he’s been dreaming about. There’s a moment of silence between the two of you. He’s breathing heavy like an animal and you’re studying his every move. Was this a bad idea? Probably. But you couldn’t deny that Logan was hot and right now all you wanted was to suck him off until he was milked dry. Shit.

“You can try, but I bet you won’t even last a minute.” He practically pounces on you. His face is buried in your neck as his hips grind against yours. You gasp as he bites your neck harshly. Eyes fluttering shut as he kisses it better.

“Dreamed of this, my bunny all wet and needy for me.” He nibbles up to your ears. Practically purring at how soft they feel.

“Not your bunny yet.” You bite back. He lets go of your wrists and sits up on his knees. He rips open your bra without the least bit of resistance. Mouth drooling as he stares at your tits.

“Fuck me.” He mutters as he harshly gropes your chest.

His thumb flicks over your nipple and you let out a squeak of pleasure. The last thing you wanted was for him to get an ego but fuck the way his hands feel on you is just so good. They’re rough and calloused and he is relentless in his movements. You almost whine when he stops playing with them, already missing his touch. He sheds his tank top, leaving him in all his muscled glory.

“Like what you see?” He asks cockily as he takes his pants off too.

“You fucking wish.” You mutter unconvincingly. You take your nails and rake them down his chest making him moan.

“You like a little pain don’t you.” You tease, digging your nails into his skin harder.

“Maybe I do.” You yelp as he shreds your pants and underwear to shreds.

“Those were fucking expensive asshole-Fuck!” You gasp as he buries his face into your cunt. His hands locked on your thighs, moving isn’t an option as he practically inhales your cunt.

“Smells so sweet, can always smell you bunny but up close is just. So much better.” You feel yourself start to melt under his rough hold. He’s absolutely overwhelming.

“Maybe later I’ll finally get a taste but right now I think I need to put your mouth to better use.” He pulls you up onto your knees. Stroking his cock as he pushes you down. Shit he’s big but you don’t even react, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

“Come on bunny, open up. Be a good girl for me.” Fuck him if he thinks he’s going to be in charge here. You smirk and take him as far down as you can.

“Fuck!” He hisses, not prepared for you to do that.

“Fuck slow down.” There's a hint of desperation in his voice and you feel a sense of pride. You pull back and spit on his cock. Using your hand you coat it, looking him right in the eyes as you roughly move your hand along his cock.

“I think you need a lesson too,” His eyes roll to the back of his head as you take as much of him as you can.

Choking as the tip hits the back of your throat. You are unrelenting, eating up every little desperate sound that’s coming from his lips. Not so tough now are you Logan you think as you feel him twitching in your mouth. He’s so damn close and its driving him wild. You feel a heavy hand bunch your ears and pull you off.

“As much as I want to come down your throat and watch you swallow it all…” He wipes some drool off your face as talks.

“I need to be inside that cunt.” Then he grabs your face and kisses you, actually kisses you. You’re startled at first but melt into it. His lips are rough and he smells so much like tobacco and whiskey but fuck its intoxicating. He’s big, rough, and so fucking hot.

“You’re soaking wet bunny.” He taunts as he cups your cunt with his hands.

“I bet you’re just aching to be filled. Don’t worry, I can help.” He manhandles you with his crazy strength till you're on your knees facing the mirrors.

“See, you’re just shaking with anticipation.” He grins wickedly as he cups your face and forces you to look into the mirror.

He’s not wrong. He’s big and you can feel his cock nudging its way into your cunt. You’re panting, hair a mess. His hand looks so good around your neck and he looks even more delicious. Your vision blurs as he slides himself inside of you. The air is knocked out of your lungs as you feel nothing but Logan. Head up in the fucking clouds as he gives you a moment to relax, whispering sweet words to help ground you back to earth.

“Is your dick inside of me the only way to get you to be nice?” You ask breathlessly. Logan grunts, not happy that you’re still able to speak beyond moaning his name.

“I can be nice, I can be real nice.” He slides out of you at a slow, agonizing pace before thrusting harshly back in. You claw at the mat as he sets a brutal pace. In and out. Slow and hard. Pulling desperate sounds from the depths of your throat.

“Logan please!” You beg, you need him so bad. Need to feel him, need him to rearrange your fucking guts. “

So polite, now that’s more like it.” He leans in and kisses your neck roughly.

Claiming you as his own in his own animalistic way. He would tease you, continue to pull you apart on his cock for hours if he could. But the truth is he needed you. A deep carnal desire to render you completely fucked out. He leans back, pulling your back to his chest. He guides your hands to his arm.

“Hold on bunny.” Your nails sink deep into his skin, drawing blood as he sets a brutal pace.

Pounding into you so hard you see stars. Fucking hell super human strength and stamina really is a gift. He coos in your ear when he notices you starting to slump in his arms. Your legs burned, he was reducing you to a puddle of nothing.

“You okay pretty? Feel too good doesn’t it.” You nod, words not forming in your brain anymore.

All you feel is pure bliss and Logan feels a surge of pride in being the one to do this. You catch his gaze in the mirror. His eyes filled with pure, raw lust. His face was twisted in focus, brows furrowed and mouth slightly open. His muscles were bulging with every move. You couldn’t stop yourself from look. Watching as he buried his cock into you.

“I know you’re close, it’s okay. I got you bunny.” One of his hands slips down between your legs. He draws tight, harsh circles on your clit making you cry. You’re squirming wildly, it feels too good. His fingers are too much but you don’t want him to stop.

“Shh, that’s it. Just relax.” He sinks his teeth into your shoulder as you come hard.

Your legs can’t stop shaking. Logan tightens his grip on you, keeping you up right as he fucks into you hard. Chasing his own release, thrusting wildly and you fucking swear he whimpers as he stills his hips deep inside. Filling you up and then some. It’s a real shame when he pulls you, an empty feeling overtaking you. He loosens his grip and you almost face plant onto the mat.

“Logan..” You whine and he helps maneuver you to your back.

“Sorry carrots, didn’t mean to let you fall.”

“Don’t call me carrots.” You mumble, still completely exhausted.

“Okay, whatever you say, carrots.” You huff as Logan helps you stand up.

Your clothes are completely ruined but he somehow finds some extra sets of clothes in the closet. When did he even get up? Maybe you were still a little lost.

“Hey, you okay?” He cups your face gently. A slight look of worry in his face.

“Aw, you do care.” You tease. He rolls his eyes but doesn’t let go of you.

“I always cared.”

“Had a real shit way of showing it.” You snort and he just smiles softly.

“Yeah. Guess I did.” To your embarrassment you still can’t exactly walk right. Luckily Logan is right by your side. You mentally prepare yourself to tell people you hurt your leg or something when they ask why you’re limping so bad.

“I still don’t know what I did to make you hate me.” You say quietly as you reach your dorm room. He sighs and gently plays with your ears. It tickles.

“I don’t hate you, I never did. I just. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” He can’t articulate just why he acted the way he did. He wants to, he really does but it just. Doesn’t come out. There's a long history of pain and loss and while you want to know why, an apology is certainly a start.

“Thank you,” He smiles softly, then realizes he’s probably overstayed his welcome. As if you two weren’t fucking in the training room less than 10 minutes ago.

“Do you want to stay?” He hesitates, unsure if this is truly what you want. If this line is ready to be crossed.

“You owe me for ruining my clothes. Just one nap.” He relents, it’s easy when you’re looking at him like that.

“Okay bunny. Just one nap.” He shuts the door behind him, crawling into bed with you.

He feels a rumble in his chest as he sinks into your bed. You’re soft and it feels like he’s meant to be here. You fall asleep quick, body aching and practically screaming for you to sleep. Logan stays awake for a while, just okay with being here. Just one nap he tells himself. 

He’s lying. It’s never going to be just one nap.

[chasholidays]

we're back baybee

Hello friends! After a few years' hiatus, I'm going to once again take prompts for holiday fills. If you're new here, here's how it works.

You and some number of other people fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM

I receive all the responses and close the form on OCTOBER 4 2024 AT 8 AM EASTERN TIME

I use a variety of methods (personal bias, random number generator, chicken innards, etc) to pick from the submitted prompts and get a selection that I feel confident I can complete

On December 1, I will start posting! The fills we be posted by @chasholidays on tumblr and also uploaded to AO3

My planned posting schedule is that I will post TWO fics each weekend day (eighteen fics total) and ONE fic per weekday (twenty-two fics total) for a total of FORTY FICS over the month of December. Depending on how I'm feeling and how many prompts I get, I might decide to do more! But I'm going to commit to 40 minimum and go from there.

For many reasons, I'm not planning to tell people in advance if their fics have been selected or not. So in December, you will either see your fic posted or not, and it will be a surprise! If your prompt isn't selected, I hope another prompt will be something you're excited about

Because I am a human person with feelings, I will give some number of slots to my friends/mutuals without putting them through the RNG. Just FYI

The other thing I want to address is that this year, for the first time in a while, I'm letting fandoms be a free-for-all in terms of prompting! I'm going to have some specific information for my three biggest fandoms from my poll (The 100, 9-1-1, Tortall), but there's also going to be a free response form where you can shoot your shot on basically anything you want. Unlike the big three fandoms, I won't try to make promises about getting a representative sample from the other fandoms, and I'm also going to be more willing to just knock out prompts that don't catch my interest. I think of the other fandom option as high risk/high reward; I might bounce off the prompt completely, but if it tickles my fancy, you'll go directly into the fill pool without having to brave the RNG.

Okay god this is already so long but this is the LAST THING. As is tradition, I'm also offering alternate POV fics and continuations, which I used to call timestamps but that terminology has fallen out of favor and no one knew what I meant so I'm retiring it. Basically, this is an alternate perspective of or a sequel/prequel/some kind of continuation to a fic or series I've already written. You can pick from anything I have on AO3. These will be have their own forms, so if you want one of these, you won't pick a fandom, just provide a link to the story in question and provide some additional info.

Oh and this is one entry per person. If you submit multiple I'll take the first and delete the others, and if you submit too many I'll delete the first one too tbh.

tl;dr: here's the google form again

submit your prompt by 10/4/2024; send asks to @ponyregrets if you have them

[absolutebl]

Hi!

So apparently GMMTV will be announcing their 2024 line up in October!

Which actors do you think will be paired together this time? I feel like Mix and Pond have hinted they will be studying more so maybe not their pairings…. GeminiFourth said they will have a series so definitely them…

I would love to see ThorFluke plus Pawin with anyone and Drake with anyone!

What are your predictions?

Ooooo, GMMTV 2024 Pure Speculation

(remember if it's not data driven I'm historically pretty bad at this, but sure, let's shoot the shizz)

Most Likely

EarthMix - they're reading v burned out (in addition to Mix + school) but they are currently GMMTV's cash cow so I can't imagine GMMTV won't try to put them in something, no matter what Mix said... but it's possible they'll be let rest for most of 2024.

First & Khao - naturally, if GMMTV can find a script the boys like, these two are likely their the biggest pair earners (if EarthMix really are out).

GeminiFourth - of course, the new princes

ForceBook - honestly they are steady, reliable workhorses who visually suit many BL scripts, they seem easy to work with, fun, and game. Not the most charismatic pair and I'm shaky on their range and versatility, but GMMTV clearly doesn't feel that way. I think it's pretty likely they will get something... I just hope it is something interesting. Are they bankable enough for a historical? That's the real question.

Not Sure

JoongDunk - I really don't know, I think they are slightly more likely than not but they keep getting lackluster scripts. GMMTV is more likely to blame the pair than the show. And it is possible they are just a lackluster pair... too.

JimmySea - what happen to (or will happen with) Last Twilight?

I'd like to see Jimmy paired with someone else. He's too charismatic for Sea. To really break us they should pair him with Gun and just burn down the world. GMMTV would never do this, tho.

Least Likely

It's unlikely PondPhuwin will lead out a show. Pond def said something about going back to school. (Which is code for a long break, if nothing else). They're good but less $ than EarthMix so I think GMMTV will back off from them.

OffGun - I'm not saying it won't happen anymore, but...

TayNew - see above

Bright with... anyone but Win.

A queer can dream, tho.

Some noodling

I do think First & Khao were successful enough, and Only Friends will be enough of a sensation, for GMMTV to consider more First Khao style stuff. AKA instead of just dropping a whole pair, GMMTV will try rearranging pairs. Especially for couples that had previously been mostly just sides.

So we can expect Neo, Mark, Marc, Puwin, Aou, possibly even the twins or the Flukes show up paired "experimentally" with different other actors. Some that may genuinely surprise us.

That said, I'd like some more role swapping too.

For example, with Pond away, and him getting older and being SO established in the genre, I would love to see Phuwin play a seme roll. Not sure he has the personality for it in terms of how he's bonded with some of the newer GMMTV talent since I don't watch any of the variety/BTS anymore, but he has the screen presence.

Remember originally Neo & Phuwin had a pairing... I wonder if that would ever happen again.

I would love love LOVE to see Tay paired with someone else. I thought he was a revelation in 3 Will Be Free showing range I'd no idea he had and he's such a big puppy and friendly with everyone. I bet he could get many partners to trust and relax.

Similarly New needs to play a seme. I think he once said he'd rather not do BL with anyone but Tay, but I still think he'd be fun to see.

So New is less likely, but I think we can safely assume Tay would be game. With TayNew it's whether their shipper/stalker fans would "allow" this.

What GMMTV Wants/Needs

I said in the past they needed to onboard new talent and they went for free agents (Joong, Perth). I thought they'd go for whole pairs, and I still think they'd be wise to consider this.

Given they're likely shifting focus on expansion into darker, higher heat, and more gritty arenas (which I think they need to do given the paucity of scripts within their preferred BL style, the tenor of the market, and the aging of their existing stable) what they want is Zee++. Now they can't wrestle him/his pair free of Dormundi, so...

For solos they are looking for:

actors who have lost their pair, have range into dark territory, will do high heat, and can play harsher seme roles (tall a bonus.)

If they're smart they make a play for Bible, but I wouldn't rule out Lee Long Shi. Both actors have a style that fills a niche in the GMMTV stable and are pro enough to work well in a new pair that GMMTV sets for them.

You KNOW they want Bible. How could they not? Can you imagine?

If they go after a pair?

If they're smart as I think they are? They want NetJames. And they might be able to get them, depending on contracts. NetJames has been awful quiet recently, they either are actually finally filming Love Upon a Time or that's fallen through and they're in contract negotiations. YinWar and JaFirst are also tempting prospects, I would imagine. Especially Ja.

It's this "new pair to GMMTV" announcement I'm most interested in, come October.

I think I'm leaving a key high heat pair on the table, but GMMTV also has a specific appearance and acting style they tend to cast for, and not all of the current indy heat pairs have that. Plus their are high value pairs that clearly do not want to sign with or work with GMMTV (OhmFluke for example) so that's a factor.

Finally, you KNOW they want to recreate the magic of GeminiFourth with young talent so I would bet they are actively recruiting high school grade pink milk via auditions, so we can expect one set of totally fresh faces.

Also tumblr ate half this post so I might have missed a few pairs worth discussing, because I had them but it deleted them. Don't blame me, blame tumblr, and leave a comment.

FYI my predictions for 2023 were as follows:

10 GMMTV THAI BL 2023 Predictions (and how I did)

(these are the ones I made last year before their announcements)

EarthMix (yes, 2x)

something with Joong but not paired with Dunk (nope, they tried the same thing again)

dito Jimmy (not sure what's going on there)

what the hell: Lee does a BL (still no, last man standing)

probably a new attempt at ForceBook (yep)

2 set in high school and fewer set in uni (yep/nope)

at least 1 set in an office of some kind and at least 2 set in the countryside (yep/sorta but mostly nope)

one experimental paranormal/alt reality/time slip (yep)

something Friend Zone messy featuring several LBGTQ+ characters and couples and higher heat (yep)

an attempt to resurrect big guns like TayNew (yep - if cherry magic happens) or even BrightWin (nope, they went for OffGun instead, who I had thought were out)

So here's my...

10 GMMTV THAI BL 2024 Predictions

First & Khao lead out something non-school and complex (GMMTV BL grows up)

ForceBook & GeminiFourth get new shows

Phuwin paired with someone else

GMMTV starts experimenting more with busting up and rearranging pairs

What the hell, Tay does a BL with not New.

We see Joong and Perth star in something GMMTV but not BL

GMMTV pulls in at least one established outside talent who plays harsh seme roles and has a more aggressive tone

GMMTV recruits/onboards an established pair who can and is willing to do higher heat

They option something v complex: crime thriller, mystery, suspense, historical even, I wonder if they might be interested in adapting say... Trapped.

JoJo gets to helm another "off brand" show

What I want them to do?

Finally admit that they can take an established script and "make it gay" and just LEAN in. Descendants of the Sun, but gay. Business Proposal, but gay. Home Town Cha Cha Cha... but gay. Thailand has the latent pool and the screen time but they don't have the scripts/stories.

Time to look to Korea and just fill in the gap that Korea is already leaving on the table (by only doing short form BLs).

Korea has the romances. Hundreds of them. MANY of which are not gender dependent.

Can you fucking imagine if Boss & Babe had been that exact cast but GMMTV doing a gay Dali and the Cocky Prince instead? It would have been amazing.

(source)

[noxturnalnymph]

Believer

Dave York x F!Partner(FBI), Chubby Dave York vs Tractor Beam (2.3k)

Summary: Submission for Beef’s October Fic Prompt Challenge - Dave York Made Me Believe:

Someone must be a non-believer (reader or Dave)

The following wording: Dave was not one who liked to be influenced to do anything, let alone that.

The X-files must be mentioned or referenced at least once.

Warnings: spooky pacific northwest vibes, all-around silliness, no sex, references to tall blue vibrating aliens (iykyk) A/N: Thank you to @strang3lov3 for green-lighting this premise and for editing away all my many mistakes. I love you @beefrobeefcal. I told you I would only write about aliens of the Ice-Planet-variety and I think this fits the bill. Happy Halloween!

Dave’s partner simultaneously snaps shut her flip phone and guns the engine, causing the car to lurch forward and the Big Mac he’s holding to slam against his chest. Special sauce dribbles down his tie as Dave shoots her a deadly side-eye.

“That was the division director we met on Tuesday,” she offers by way of explanation, typing in an address in the GPS as she drives, oblivious to the burger collision she’s just caused. “He gave us this location he wants us to check out,”

“Is there a lead on the shipping container theft?” Dave mumbles with his mouth full, as he smushes a napkin to his tie, smearing the greasy sauce further into the fabric. 

“No, it has nothing to do with that, but we’re the only critical incident response unit in the area so he wants us to make contact right away.”

She finishes speaking and then immediately turns her music - an Alanis Morissette CD she’d shoved into the deck - up as loud as she can. Dave has only been working with this agent for a week and even though she came highly recommended, he finds her to be quite irritating. He tries to dab more sauce away from his tie as he finishes his fast food dinner, opting instead to remove the tie completely by the time the car comes to a halt behind a sole forest service cruiser on a long, foggy stretch of road.

“We’re here,” his partner says, grabbing his milkshake and taking it with her out of the vehicle.

“We’re-, where the fuck are we?” Dave says to an empty car as she closes the door and starts walking towards the woods.

Dave exits the vehicle and trudges into the tree-line where he saw his partner disappear, his footsteps crunching on dried pine needles and the crisp air of the approaching evening creeping down his open collar. He wishes he had worn his suit jacket today but since he’s put on a few pounds it doesn't fit him very well anymore, so he left it at the hotel.

He emerges in an eerily still clearing to find his partner standing alongside a forest ranger who appears to be speaking with two hunched figures, huddled under thick blankets. She swivels her head, eyebrows climbing up her forehead as she spots him, and heads towards him with bounding steps. As she approaches Dave grabs the milkshake container out of her hands only to find it empty.

“That was mine,” he grumbles.

“You can afford to share,” she snarks, motioning towards his distended belly. “This is really interesting; see those two girls over there?” she points to the only two people besides government employees in the small field. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Dave mutters sarcastically.

“They’re claiming they were abducted by aliens,” she exclaims.

“Aliens?” Dave repeats.

“Isn’t that awesome?”

“What the-, like little green men, aliens?” Dave huffs, incredulous that they’d be pulled away from a major port theft investigation to be sent to the middle-of-nowhere north of Seattle for this insanity; a couple of local kooks claiming they were probed by space men. 

“Hopefully big blue aliens,” she replies excitedly.

Before he can ask what she means she is practically skipping back towards the small group, and Dave doesn’t have it in him to join. He knows she’s experienced enough to handle this kind of call - a complete waste of his time - and so instead he shuffles around the clearing. He takes a small flashlight out of his pocket to fight against the encroaching darkness settling as the sun dips behind the evergreen treeline.

Flashing his light on the ground he notices the tall grass is still wet from the morning dew, as if the sun didn’t get a chance to touch this little clearing in the woods today. He walks around the edges of it, noting how odd it is that there seems to be a perfectly oval patch of trees missing among these thick woods. As he rounds the circle he approaches the group and can see now that the huddled figures are two women, both pale and shaking. 

He makes eye-contact with the forest ranger - an older gentleman with a graying mustache - each of them giving the other a subtle nod as he passes by. He watches as his partner writes on the small spiral-bound bound notebook she keeps in her blazer pocket. He can’t say she’s not a good agent, she’s been very knowledgeable and thorough so far, but she’s just so-. Dave loses his train of thought as he tunes into the conversation.

“I’m not sure,” the young woman with glasses whispers. Dave spots floral tattoos cascading across her chest before she draws the blanket closer together. “Colette would have had a better view of them since I was face down on the table the whole time.”

His partner - eyes down and still writing notes - turns to the other woman, whose long, dark hair is unbound by the blanket she is bundled in and is gently blowing in the breeze.

“So, how would you describe them? Were they tall, maybe over seven feet? Would you describe their coloring as a shade of blue or steely gray? Did you notice any horns on their heads? Or fangs?”

“Well- Ummm,” the woman stammers.

Dave puts his hands on his hips and gives his partner a look that he hopes communicates the ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ thoughts screaming inside his head. 

Before he can give voice to any of his thoughts he notices the long-haired woman has stopped speaking and is staring at him, slack-jawed. His partner looks back over her shoulder and sees his pissed-off look, mouthing ‘what?’ and then beckoning him forward. He shook his head. Dave was not one who liked to be influenced to do anything, let alone that. He would absolutely not be participating in this charade. His partner turns back to the conversation and since she got no response from the second woman - Colette, apparently - she turns back to the tattooed woman.

“Did you hear them speaking any kind of words you could understand?” his partner questions.

“Actually, yes, but I don’t think you’re gonna believe me,” she answers. 

“What did they say? Maybe you heard a kind of humming or a vibrating resonance too?”

Dave rolls his eyes and sees the second woman still staring at him, her eyes glazed over. He feels like he’s being punk’d, that this trip out to the damp, darkening woods is someone’s idea of a poorly-executed practical joke. Annoyed that his time is being wasted when he could be back at the hotel with his feet up and his pants unbuttoned, he turns away from the group and continues inspecting the area. He shines his flashlight back and forth as he walks, seeing nothing but his shoes getting more muddy with each step.

Suddenly, his light catches on a small, shining piece of silver. Bending over with a huff, he picks it up, turning it over in his hands. It’s a cylindrical shape the size of two of his fingers with a rounded end, like an oversized rivet. He doesn’t think aliens would use such primitive technology and tosses it into the air, chuckling to himself as he catches it and tucks it into his pocket.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees a small light flashing inside the forest that continues beyond the small clearing. He turns to say something to his partner but she’s busy talking and he’s a bit creeped out by the fact that the long-haired woman is still staring at him with heavily lidded eyes, mouth still slightly ajar. He ducks into the dark provided by the heavy tree cover and heads towards the strange blinking.

He continues walking, the light farther away than he initially thought. He has to heft himself over a large fallen tree trunk that spans left and right as far as his eyes can see and then hop a small creek that runs through the low point he’s come across. On the other side of the running water he sees the blinking light, larger now that he’s up close. The only problem is that it’s about 10 feet up in a tree, making it almost impossible for him to see exactly what it is. 

He can’t hear his partner talking this deep in the woods and any leftover sunlight from the opening in the forest behind no longer reaches him. He’s thinking how glad he is to have his flashlight with him as he draws the beam of it up the trunk of the tree to the flashing device. He halts any movement, sucking in a breath when the trembling light reaches it and his eyes grow wide at what he sees. 

The device is being held in tiny hands between two small, yellow, cylindrical-shaped beings wearing what look to be denim overalls, who stare at him with large eyes blinking behind silver-rimmed goggles. One is about two feet tall with one eye and the other is over a foot taller with two eyes and a stalk of hair that sticks straight up. 

They are all frozen in place, staring at each other until he hears a sound behind him, like tiny feet shuffling on dried pine needles. He slowly turns to look back and sees an even smaller two-eyed being holding something out in his hands towards Dave.

“Bah-nah-na?” it asks, in a high-pitched nasally voice.

Dave doesn’t have time to think about how much whoever put him up to this must be laughing, he only thinks about getting the fuck out of there, and he immediately turns and starts running away. He doesn’t scream when both legs go ankle-deep in the cold creek or when he catches a foot under a root, twisting his leg at an unnatural angle. He does, however, let out a loud grunt when he slams his overweight body into the forgotten fallen tree trunk, prostrating himself against the ground, knocking all the wind out of his lungs.

He begins to mutter curses but freezes again when a bright light beams down on him from above, illuminating a blinding circle around him. No fucking way, he thinks. Then he feels it, a force drawing him upwards towards the light. It lifts his arms first, then his legs, his head leaves the ground and he begins to reach out, belly still touching the forest floor, clawing at the ground in a desperate attempt to find something to grab onto.

Twigs and leaves crunch beneath his hands, his futile attempt to clutch onto something failing as his heavy middle is lifted several inches off the ground. He puts his arms and legs beneath him and then - on all fours - scrambles out of the beam of light. It seems to take a moment for the light to find him again, he watches as it zig-zags around the ground, before finally locking onto him several feet away. 

He hasn’t been able to get very far and he’s panting, winded at the physical effort, when the force begins to draw him up again. This time he does cry out, he screams for his partner only for the sound of his voice to be sucked above him, like screaming into the raging wind. He is lifted fully off the ground now, several feet up, and he’s still shouting and pawing wildly at the air.

He hears a metalling ‘clunk’ sound and hears several items drop onto the ground beneath him. Before he can wonder what they are he sees them float past his face, more rivets like the one in his pocket. The light dims for a moment as the force lessens slightly, dropping him halfway back to the ground. When it resumes its upward pull on him it appears to struggle, moving even slower than before. He hears several more clunking noises and then the light goes out completely, the invisible force dropping him back down to the ground.

He lets out another groan as he hits the hard ground once again but this time he doesn’t waste any time, jumping to his feet as quickly as possible and heaving himself forwards. He bursts back into the clearing - now completely dark - and two flashlights point at his red, damp face.

“York, what the hell?” he hears his partner’s voice from behind one of the flashlights.

He heads towards the voice as she moves the flashlight along his body, most likely seeing the evidence of his time scrambling in the dirt and his mad dash through the dark woods. He feels the bones in one of his feet throbbing and knows there are scratches all over his face from branches he ran into during his escape.

“I-, there-, it-, they-”, with each word he manages to get out he stops to take three gulping breaths.

“York, relax, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack, big guy,” she says, as the ranger offers him a canteen of water, which he gladly accepts and begins to swallow down.

“I- I saw them,” Dave finally sputters, the canteen rattling in his trembling hands.

“Who?” she asks, brows knitted together.

“Them,” Dave whispers, eyes wide as he looks upwards at the sky.

“Very funny, York, ha ha,” she says, dripping with sarcasm.

“No, I-”

“I know this isn’t your thing but don’t worry, there’s two other agents who just showed up and they’re gonna take this case off our hands.”

“What? Who?” he says, eyes scanning the treeline in the dark - for people or creatures unknown.

“I dunno, some hot guy and a pretty little redhead. Let’s get back to the car, we can stop at Dairy Queen on the way back to the hotel and get you another milkshake.”

[burning-academia-if]

saw your post on october prompts and im thinking what if lars + 1 (coz i think he's a kind of person thats so organize that he didn't want his hair ruffled but this scene will be cute, him and mc hihi) alsooo rook + 4 smth he does with mc 🥹🥹 idk but i think it's cute!! hihihi

Lars + Ruffled Hair and Rook + walks in the forests!

Lars + Ruffled Hair

            If there’s anything you’ve noticed about Lars, it’s that he’s always well put together. His posture is perfect, his clothes never wrinkled, and his hair never has a strand out of place. In the quiet lull of a late fall afternoon, you sit criss-cross on the floor in one of the music rooms, school notes scattered about, studying the man across from you instead.

            He sits at the piano, feet crossed at the ankles, pencil behind his ear and blank music sheets in front of him. Well, almost blank. From here you can see the pencil marks etched in, with a variety of notes. The song was still in it’s early stages, and based on what little he’s told you about the piece, he was still figuring out whether he wanted a 2/3 or 3/4 time signature.

            You were here because you’d half-jokingly asked to work on school assignments together. It was a surprise when he’d agreed, but it wasn’t a surprise he’d mostly ignored you this whole time. Obviously. This was Lars, after all.

            Still, this is one of the rare moments where you could watch him. The light of sunset spilled through the window and haloed him in warm light, and if you didn’t know him you might have thought he was deserving of his last name ‘Angel.’ His fingers glide around the keys, tapping out a tune you’d grown to know well in the past thirty minutes.

            His focus was so completely entranced on his work, that you could see he’d let his guard down. His expression was almost light, and his posture easy. You couldn’t help the idea that popped into your mind. This might be the only chance you'd have to really catch him off guard.

            Casually, you stood up and stretched feeling your back pop from being hunched over so long, “We should take a break.”

            He barely casts a look your way, easing into a new section of the song. It’s a section he’s kept adjusting, but something about this variation must click as he scribbles it down. You walk over to stand behind him, waiting patiently as he finishes up.

            “You’re free to go,” he states plainly, still not looking over at you.

            You inch a little closer, making a show of peering at the sheet music, “Come on, it’ll be good for you! It might give you a fresh perspective.”

            Lightly, your hand drifts up as he finally turns to look over at where you peer over his shoulder. His voice is even more flat somehow, “No.”

            “Come on,” you repeat, and as he narrows his eyes sensing something amiss, your hand shoots up before he can figure it out. His hair is softer then you were expecting as you ruffle it, a mischievous grin flashing across your face, “It’s good to rest once in a while, you know.”

            This time his hand shoots out before you can react and latches onto your wrist. You give easily as he pulls it away, shooting you a scowl, “God, you’re so…”

            “So?” He shakes his head, and your grin only grows wider as you see the crack in his mask. His hair, once perfectly kept, now has loose strands going awry. The messy look might actually suite him.

            Lars releases you, although it’s with great reluctance, “Fine. We’ll take a break. But only to run out and grab coffee.”

            “Sure!” You chirp, returning to gather your stuff. You can feel Lars staring holes into you, but even still you have a hop to your step. The only reason he’s upset is because you got to him, which means you won this round. “You’re paying right?”

            He says nothing as he starts to leave, not waiting to see if you're following. Even without him answering, you know he will. He always does.

Rook + Walk in the Forest

            The two of you walk a familiar path. When you were kids, the number of times the two of you ran off into the woods at the edge of the park was numerous. As you got older, the visits came to a stop and it wasn’t until later, after you suddenly found yourself enrolled at Vales Grove University, that Rook had invited you for a walk out here.

            It was nostalgic, especially with the leaves turning colors and burning in brilliant shades of yellows and reds. As kids, Rook always had a bad habit of leaving you behind, although you didn’t think he ever meant to. He always needed to be moving in some way and he was always rushing forward without a second thought. Even now, you sense his endless energy in the constant fiddling of his hands or the way his eyes followed every leaf that fell, making it a game to snatch them out of the air.

            He keeps pace with you now, his arm close to your, and your hands so close to touching. In his other hand is a collection of all the leaves he’s caught, and he’s been eyeing a particularly vibrant yellow one that the breeze just dislodged.

            “Having fun?” Rook blinks, an easy smile breaking out on his face as he looks over at you. It also breaks his concentration on his latest prize, and so you pluck it out of the air for him.

            “I was about to say you wished you could do this,” he brandishes his collection like treasure, “But I guess you just proved me wrong.”

            You try not to laugh as you shake your head and hand the leaf over to him, “How many even is that?”

            “…Eleven.” He states after a pause. “Not including yours.”

            “We used to do this as kids, too. We were always competing over something in these woods.” The memories are distant now, stuck in the dreamy haze of a long over childhood.

            Rook nods, before he throws his collection up and lets them cascade over the two of you, “That’s all you need to be friends as kids. Competition and spite.”

            “Still bitter I always won?”

            “You wish you won against me.” The spark in his eyes is so familiar you can’t help but drift closer. Just a centimeter or two, and you feel your hands whisper against each other. Rook must feel it too because his smile goes soft around the edges. “But I guess I can admit it was evenly tied.”

            “You’re such a kid.” He only laughs at this, and your hands touch again and even though the wind is cool and the autumn air has started to develop a chill your entire left side is so impossibly warm you think part of you is still stuck in the dead of summer.

            This feels like a secret, these walks you go on. A world away from everything else where only the two of you exist. Maybe those childhood memories are far from you now, but there is still you and Rook and woods you know so well. So you drift another centimeter closer, and savor the warmth of him beside you.

[drake-walker-appreciation]

Drake's Birthday Celebration!

We have set Drake's birthday celebration for August and hope you'll join us with fics, drabbles, artwork and more! Special thanks to @aussiegurl1234 for the graphic!

The event will take place from August 1st through August 12th of 2023.

RULES:

All mediums accepted! Fanfiction, fan art, mood boards, HC's, whatever you've got!

Must be themed/centered around Drake's birthday and present him positively.

You must tag @drake-walker-appreciation

The deadline is 11:59 p.m. CST on August 12th, 2023.

A couple of important points:

The event is in August, but you may place his birthday in whatever month you HC it is!

Throwbacks featuring Drake's birthday are more than welcome!

Please reach out to this blog, @angelasscribbles or @karahalloway with any questions or suggestions!

We know his birthday, much like most of the PB timeline is nebulous so for anyone interested, here's the thought process about its placement, under the cut:

I think it’s common knowledge that PB’s timeline is total crap.

MC is told that the social season is a “few months” long, but if you follow the actual time stops given in the stoy…. “the next day…”, “a few days later…” etc, then the timeline is two and half weeks-ish. It’s like day 11 by time stops when MC is told that the season is “more than half over” despite the season being several months long. The Apple Blossom Festival is immediately after this, and Drake’s birthday happens during it.

We obviously can’t depend on anything about this timeline to tell us when his birthday falls.

Instead, we can look at the timeline that the actual social season in England follows. There is ample proof that plenty of the details of how royalty and the social season work in TRR are based on England, so this feels like a good option.

Besides, they left us no choice but to figure it out on our own, so any method you chose to use is valid since this is fiction. I personally did a deep dive into the social season in England both historically and in modern times.

The social season is four months long, starting in early April and ending on the Twelfth of August aka the start of the shooting season.

Applewood and the Apple Blossom Festival happen just before the Beaumont Bash, which is canonically the last official event of the social season. Therefore, I place the bash in the first half of August. MC drives from the festival events at Applewood directly to Ramsford so we can assume those activities take place at the end of July or beginning of August.

The next clue comes with the very title of this festival: Apple Blossom Festival. It’s not a harvest festival, so it doesn’t take place in the fall. (Apples are typically harvested in the last week of August and September, some even later, which is after the social season concludes at any rate.)

Apples blossom from early spring to late summer depending on the variety of apple. Most blossom in April or May but since the festival takes place at the end of the season, we have to assume that the Cordonian Ruby is a late-blooming variety. A very late blooming variety. (This is possible because when they bloom has more to do with the temperature of the region than the time of year. Since there was skiing and ice skating in April, we can assume it stays cold there well into spring.)

In conclusion, based on all of the above, I feel confident that Drake’s birthday falls somewhere at the end of July or in the first half of August.

That said, I’m not here to gatekeep anyone's HC’s so with that in mind, even though the event is in August, you may place Drake’s birthday whenever you like in your story. Put it in February, put it in October. The important part is that you have fun with it. That’s it.

Happy writing!

[qnewsau]

Daniel Craig's Queer sex scenes leak before we even get a trailer

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/daniel-craigs-queer-sex-scenes-leak-before-we-even-get-a-trailer/

Daniel Craig's Queer sex scenes leak before we even get a trailer

The explicit gay sex scenes from Daniel Craig’s Queer have leaked online, before the highly-anticipated new movie’s trailer has even dropped.

Queer is the upcoming film from Challengers and Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadanino, based on the 1985 novel by William S Burroughs.

It stars Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey as two men who meet in Mexico City, and out heartthrob Omar Apollo makes his acting debut in a supporting role.

Queer doesn’t have a release date yet but the flick is doing the rounds on the festival circuit. The film received an 11-minute, 44-second ovation after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The hype is insane, and Queer‘s stars have been teasing the film’s gay sex scenes for months.

As more people see the film in US and Europe, naughty cinemagoers are whipping out their phones and spread the explicit scenes on Twitter X.

We’re not going to post the clips here because we don’t want to go to jail. But people are reacting hilariously to seeing a lot of Daniel Craig and Omar Apollo on their timelines.

drew starkey getting topped on my tl okayyy pic.twitter.com/dtKMmn0tvr

— n. (@ungodlymakk) October 9, 2024

almost got scared when I opened the Queer leak in public but then remembered I’m at sweat

— Kyle (@kylemiller_10) October 9, 2024

@hellokrissyj @samia_chow pic.twitter.com/SwD4QRbe5K

— Angel Rod. (@angelfishes) October 9, 2024

drew starkey bottoming scene from queer doing rounds on the tl……. pic.twitter.com/LOGSsRHdhu

— (@peachpanthress) October 10, 2024

omar apollo leaked queer scene saved to camera roll pic.twitter.com/XUMSDFJrRZ

— RooBee (@angelbabybutts) October 9, 2024

queer is gonna leak in its entirety before we have a poster…

— bunny (@chthonicrabbit) October 9, 2024

To everyone who keeps leaking clips from Queer: I genuinely hope you get sued. Like seriously

— mathis (@cinephileslut) October 9, 2024

Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey on Queer’s sex scenes

Speaking to Variety last month, actor Drew Starkey said shooting Queer, he and Daniel Craig were “game for anything.”

“We just were like, “Let’s go for it, let’s have fun,” he began.

“He was a great partner to have in that. I think him and I share that same mentality of just not giving a shit.

“[Luca] was so specific — he wanted us to be as comfortable as possible throughout that process, and we would block off where these intimate scenes would happen. We talked months in advance about what we thought it should be.

“It was also like a dance. We were trying to figure it out. But those were some of the most fun days I think we all had on set — just Daniel and I laughing.”

Daniel Craig said at the Venice Film Festival, “We just wanted to make it as touching and as real and as natural as we possibly could.

“Drew’s a wonderful, fantastic, beautiful actor to work with, and we just, we kind of had a laugh. We tried to make it fun.”

Queer is set in Mexico City in the 1940s

Over in the US, prestige distributor A24 is putting out Queer, and Mubi is distributing the film in numerous countries across Europe. No mention of an Australia release just yet, as per usual.

In Queer, William Lee – a stand-in for author William S Burroughs himself – is wandering Mexico City in the 1940s, fighting drug addiction.

There, he becomes madly infatuated with Allerton, who is battling demons of his own. Allerton toys with Lee, making the gay man even more obsessed with him. The two men later go travelling together.

Director Luca Guadagnino is known for his 2017 gay romance Call Me by Your Name as well as 2024’s very horny tennis drama Challengers.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[beforeiread-studies]

Fashion Magazines in Kabhi Khushi Khabie Gham (2001)

Click here for more fashion magazine identifications.

Kabhi Khushi Khabie Gham (2001) is a cult Hindi movie (Hindi, not Indie, enunciate the H). If you haven't watched it yet, run!

One of the main characters, Pooja, is a university student who is really, really, really into fashion. It makes sense, then, that when she first appears on the screen, she is literally surrounded by fashion magazines.

Next to her lay 8 magazines! All from a variety of publications and not even a duplicate. I'm impressed! Tracking them all down took me a good 2 hours, tho...

Some parameters:

The movie was shot starting on 16 October 2000 and was released in India on 14 December 2001.

The movie is set in both India and the UK, with this scene, in particular, being set in London so I'm assuming most of the magazines will be UK edition.

Ok, now we are ready to start.

From the left:

Harpers & Queen - May 2001

Cover model: Yasmin Le Bon (source1, source2)

This is not, in fact, an Harper's Bazaar issue, because Harper's Bazaar UK didn't exist at the time! According to Wikipedia: "In November 1970, New York City-based Hearst Communications amalgamated it with Queen magazine (which dated from 1862) to form Harpers & Queen. [...] In March 2006, it was renamed Harper's Bazaar, bringing it in line with its international sister titles."

Cosmopolitan UK - June 2001

Cover Model: Alison Meisonne (source)

Harpers & Queen - March 2001

Cover model: Sarah Jessica Parker

Tatler - August 1998

Cover model: Jemima Khan

Elle US - June 2001

Cover model: Fernanda Tavares (source)

You can find more info on the features of this issue on The Fashion Spot. (I think I've found my people)

Vogue UK - June 1998

Cover model: Kate Moss (source)

Harpers & Queen - April 2001

Cover model: Rachel Weisz (source)

Vogue UK - April 2001

Cover Model: Gisele Bundchen (source)

.

In case you need a recap:

Harpers & Queen - May 2001

Cosmopolitan UK - June 2001

Harpers & Queen - March 2001

Tatler - August 1998

Elle US - June 2001

Vogue UK - June 1998

Harpers & Queen - April 2001

Vogue UK - April 2001

This tells us that this scene was shot during of after June 2001.

Most of the magazines are from around that time, but two of them are from 3 years before, 1998! I wonder how they found them? It's not like you can waltz in any store and get 3 years old fashion magazines!

And most importantly, a US edition of Elle?? Of the issue of that same month? How?? They didn't shoot in the US at all!

Click here for more fashion magazine identifications.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Jimin for Elle Korea

"BTS' Jimin graced the cover of the November issue of fashion magazine Elle. The first meeting between Elle and Jimin is even more meaningful as it is a special issue commemorating the 31st anniversary of Elle. 

Jimin, standing in front of the camera, exuded his unique boyish charm by naturally digesting everything from high jewelry, which is a collection of Tiffany's long-standing technology, to the Tiffany Rock collection. 

After the photo shoot, an interview was held. When asked how he felt about accomplishing more things on his own than ever before through this year's solo album release and brand ambassador activities, Jimin said, "I realized how shy I am . It also served as an opportunity for me to realize how much I need to do to grow further in the future. “If you want to approach with confidence, you have to be prepared first,” he answered. 

When asked about his current status, he said, “As always, I am working on songs steadily. “And musically, I want to challenge myself in a variety of genres,” he said, expressing his aspirations as an artist.

Jimin, who sincerely communicates with his fans and shared his thoughts on his first solo career through a recent live broadcast, said, “I want to prove that I can do well. “I will become a really good singer, so please look forward to it,” he said, showing that he is still determined to grow. 

When asked about his plans for his upcoming birthday on October 13th, he said, “Actually, since it is my birthday, I don’t think I should do anything special. The fans are always what make this day special. “I am always grateful,” he said.

My impressions

As Jimin mentioned in his live on 1/9/23, he took time to retrospect and correct any areas that he felt needed improvement. From this, he concluded that he needed better preparation and confidence.

I'm glad that we will get to see this growth in Jimin and see how he is challenging himself in order to continue making music that let's him explore other genres. Im beyond thrilled.

[cloud0818]

RKDD SPOILERS (chapter 93)

I'm the type of person who doesn't like to see spoilers myself, so I'll go ahead and congratulate you on the anime start in October to prevent anyone who hasn't read it yet from seeing it.

You can also check out the official Twitter feed of RKDD's anime here. It is in Japanese, but you can get new information! Voice actors have also been announced!

https://twitter.com/kamonohashi_ron?t=bED52lhmosbSZuSqh7ZnTg&s=09

I'm very shocked at the new episode. idk why, but it makes me want to cry.... I am overwhelmed by a variety of emotions.

All of the recent episodes have been painful developments. But this time...omg...

Even though I am still shocked that Shachi died. I was spoiled by KHR and eldrive, so I'm not ready for someone to die.... Milo shoots them without hesitation....

I must confess here, I really like Milo Moriarty's face. Its also hard fo me that I can't detest him completely. It also shocked for me when if he dies, but can't lose Toto.

Ron was very relieved that he had not killed a single person. He is not a murderer. It is also thanks to Toto that he has been able to get this far without engaging in forbidden activities.

One of the reasons Toto is a suitable buddy for Ron is because of its mental stability. He has a strong sense of justice and action that will not be shaken. He isn't afraid of any dangerous situation.

He knows that Ron has suffered from that disease for long time. He promised at the beginning, "I will support you."

And he says, this time, "I have to stop him".

He needs to bring Ron back as his best friend, and as a police officer he needs to not let get killed.

And this is the second time Ron has been strongly offended. The first time was when Mr. Grizzly died at the observatory, but we still didn't know who did it. But now the culprit is right in front of him, he is the source of all this and Ron can control him.

Wow, could someone help them plz? Or rather, me, please help me.

What does Fin think? I hope she doesn't get involved in any more of this. Will Elmer rush here? I can't wait for the week after next. But I hope have a good rest.

At RKDD, important scenes are often staged like a movie, which is very moving, I love it. Their sentiments are very well conveyed. The way of captivate is wonderful.

Especially, this episode makes me emotional. Is Winter also on this boat? And did she also kiil someone who important? Is there someone further above Milo? I also want to more information for House of Moriarty. I believe that the final episode is far from over. In the meantime, please help me.

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

Carpe Diem - Chapter 9

Pairing: Sketchbook (Kaisa/Johanna)

Summary: Carpe diem: one of the five latim mottos of the arcadist, or neoclassical movement. Literally translates to "seize the day"

Picking up where Locus Amoenus left off, this fic follows the lives of Kaisa and Johanna for a couple weeks as their feelings grow and develop. Updated weekly.

Notes: >:)

Read it on ao3 or read the first installment on this verse or read the second installment on this verse

It was barely past 6 am when Johanna got the message. True, it was probably a little inhuman to shoot someone a text before eight in the morning on a Saturday, but considering that Johanna was usually already awake at that time, it wasn’t like she could judge. That morning was only different because she’d stayed up later than usual with her friends the night before, and the dull pain behind her eyes let her know that her body hadn’t gotten its due of slumber yet.

Even though her brain told her to go back to sleep, she’d already gotten a glimpse of the name on her screen. It didn’t surprise her at all. If anyone out of all the people she knew would be awake at that time, it would be Kaisa. Save for Edmund, of course, but he was probably also still sleeping after their late game and pizza night. What did surprise her was that it was a voice message. Kaisa never sent her those.

She unlocked the cellphone and pressed play on the message, letting Kaisa’s voice, still with a morning roughness that meant she hadn’t woken up long ago, wash over her as she laid back down and closed her eyelids.

“Hey, Anna.” She began tentatively. “Good morning, I hope I’m not disturbing you. I just… wanted to thank you again. For yesterday, and for everything else. You really are very good to me. Tildy thinks so too. And Frida. So, thank you.” 

A smile spread over Johanna’s face. At the same time that she sounded sincere, she also sounded like she was reading from a script. Like she had been rehearsing what to say in her head so as not to forget once she started recording. It also didn’t escape her that apparently she’d talked even more about her to her family, and that Johanna seemed to have their approval.

Her sleepy mind did not manage to pick up on the fact that Kaisa clearly wanted her to know she had that approval, though.

“Also, Frida told me that the Scouts will be hosting a fundraiser today.” She said after what sounded like a deep breath to gather enough resolve. “They’ll be selling out picnic kits. I was wondering, if you’re free, would you like to go with me so we can spend some time together? Don’t worry about it, though, I know we’re all packed with college stuff to do.”

There was a pause. It sounded like Kaisa wanted to add something, but didn’t know what, or if she should.

“Um, that was it. Let me know when you can. Bye.” 

As much as Johanna’s eyes screamed at her to not look at a screen, Kaisa would be able to see that she’d received and listened to the voice note, and she didn't want to leave her hanging. She managed a quick text assuring her that she’d love to, but put her phone on silent before she could get any texts back about what time they’d meet. They’d sort that out later. For now, Johanna went back to sleep with a dreamy smile tugging at her lips.

                                                     ……… 

The weather closer to the town centre was radically different from that on campus. Where at home it had been drizzling slightly, there it was cloudless and the sun shone as brightly as it could for an October day.

After she’d woken up both body and soul, Johanna had made the appointment to be at the green area closest to the Sparrow Scouts headquarters at about four in the afternoon. Kaisa wouldn’t need to be driven there, she’d assured. She’d be going earlier to keep her sister company.

However, when Johanna arrived, Frida was nowhere in sight, and Kaisa was waving shyly at her from the spot she’d picked them under an Ash tree. She’d already set up their picnic, with a variety of baked goods, spreads, fruits and a couple of cold cuts, all on top of a towel that was white with a flowery pattern. There were other people sitting around the park with similar arrangements, but a quick glance told Johanna that Kaisa had brought some extra food with her to add to that which the Scouts were selling in their kits.

“Hi.” Kaisa stood up when Johanna approached her, ready to accept the hug she was greeted with. “I hope you don’t mind, I picked us a basket in advance. I thought you’d like the pattern of this towel that came with it.”

“I do.” Johanna smiled approvingly. "It's very pretty. Did you sleep well?”

“Oh, sure.” They sat down side by side, their backs resting against the bark of the tree. “I was exhausted. What about you?”

“Me too. Except I went to sleep much later than I’m used to. I had to sleep until, like, ten o’clock to get rid of the brain fog.”

After picking up a buttery biscuit, Johanna looked at Kaisa only to find that she’d gone slightly pale. Or more than usual, at least.

“Oh, shoot! I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

Laughing despite the biscuit still in her mouth, Johanna wondered if Kaisa thought most people woke up at six every weekend. Her reaction made Kaisa groan and bury her face in her hands, muttering out a coy ‘sorry’.

“That’s really okay. I found out I don’t mind being woken up by you at all.”

Lowering her hands enough that Johanna could see a roll of her grey eyes, Kaisa huffed. “I’ll make sure to remind you of that when I next need help with an essay at three in the morning.”

Johanna smirked. “Please. You and I both know you never needed my help. You just wanted to have my lovely self near you and didn’t know how to ask for it.”

“Oh, damn.” Kaisa said in the most monotone voice she managed. “Now you’ve unmasked me. Whatever shall I do?”

She shoved her playfully, and they both turned to analysing the food options in front of them. If there had been any doubt left in Johanna’s mind that Kaisa had a huge sweet tooth, it was gone as soon as she saw how her first choices were always the sugariest available. She took an entire half of the (admittedly tiny) strawberry pie as Johanna spread a heap of spiced herb butter over a cracker. The lower half of Kaisa’s face was pink by the time she finished, and Johanna handed her a napkin even if she thought the image was adorable.

“Sorry again for Abigail’s behaviour last night.” She said as she gave her the piece of paper. Since she’d come to the conclusion that the sweet biscuit had been more worth her while than the cracker, she decided to try another sweet food, a piece of the banana and apple bread. It turned out to have been the right decision, the taste rich and cinnamon-y. When she had joined her friends again after having dropped Kaisa off the night before, they had tried to pretend nothing had happened, but none of them had been pleased with Abi. Only Johanna had been truly mad, but even the rest of them had been clearly disappointed by her conduct. In the end, she’d left earlier. No one had asked her to, of course, but she seemed to have sensed they needed some time to forget about it.

“It’s no matter.” Kaisa shrugged, pretending to be more interested in the bizarre amount of pink that had come off of her face on the napkin than in the events of the previous night. “I really didn’t feel any hostility on her part. Why do you think she acted like that, though?”

Johanna took a pause, and a breath. She knew exactly why Abi had said that. The real question was, was Kaisa ready to hear it? 

She’d been giving her what Johanna sincerely hoped were hints for a while now; singing love songs with her, telling her she made her life better, texting her sweet ‘good morning’ messages filled with emojis, arranging this sweet little picnic for them… and yet, she’d never made an actual move. It could be that Johanna had severely misinterpreted everything, and she was simply excited about their friendship. But if there was even a small chance that Kaisa might be interested in her romantically, and Johanna sincerely hoped there was, she’d come to the conclusion that she would have to be the one to take that step.

Well, she better not throw away an opportunity, in that case. Carpe diem, Johanna thought. Let’s see if I actually learned anything from that seminar.

“Abigail isn’t at all mean, but she isn’t daft either. I hope it’s not too self centred of me to say this, but I got the feeling she was jealous of you.”

Her eyes opening wide, Kaisa’s lips parted in surprise as she blinked. “Wait, of me? Why the hell would she be jealous of me?”

It was impressive, in Johanna’s opinion, how someone could both be the smartest person she knew and not have a single brain cell at the same time.

“Well.” As she took a deep breath, her nerves got the best of her, and made her stare forward into the park instead of at Kaisa. “That would probably be because I’ve been trying to flirt with you since we first met.”

When there was no immediate response, or no response at all for the following couple of seconds, to be more precise, Johanna worried that she’d screwed up beyond repair. So then she forced herself to look back at her friend’s face, and try to understand if it was an ‘apologise’ moment, a ‘pretend it was a joke’ moment, or a ‘get this disaster lesbian to understand someone is into her’ moment.

It was that last one. She should have known.

The confusion was evident on her face, like half of her brain was trying to decide if it was a quip she should laugh about, and the other half was processing the implications of her having spoken seriously. Johanna bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling, wishing she could snap a picture of her and then place it side by side with that confused maths lady meme.

“Not to pressure you, but could you please say something? It’s starting to worry me.”

Kaisa’s face seemed to become even more panicked when she realised she was expected to have a coherent reaction to what was happening, and her eyes shifted from side to side like a deer in headlights, looking at every part of Johanna’s face except her eyes. Johanna sighed, a lot more amused than worried now, and placed her hand next to Kaisa’s on the towel. She wouldn't touch her without knowing if she was too overwhelmed for that at the moment, but the invitation was there in case the girl wanted to reach out.

“Kai.” She said, making sure to sound as patient as possible, and thinking of a clear way to word what she wanted to say. “Sorry to put this much pressure on you all of a sudden, but I’ve been crushing on you for a long while now and I can’t actually figure out if you feel the same, or if you’re happy with us being friends. I mean, I am, but I’d love it if we could try something more romance natured. I’ll be pleased with whatever you say as long as we can still be near each other, I just felt like I needed to put this out here so we could be clear with one another.”

Whatever Johanna had been expecting to get in answer, it was not this. Kaisa actually opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she managed to get the words out. Each time she did so, the space between her eyebrows creased further, making her look more baffled.

“You can’t figure out if I feel the same?” Kaisa ran a hand over her hair, staring at the spot between their hands because looking directly at Johanna felt like too much at the moment, and she couldn’t risk losing the minimal amount of rationality she’d gathered by making that mistake. “Are you kidding me? I’ve been mad about you for like, almost a month at this point. I wasn’t aware of it for most of this time, sure, but I have! You don’t think I go around inviting all my acquaintances for private freaking picnics, do you?”

It was most likely not how she should react, but in the face of that sudden bluntness from someone she’d spent so long tip toeing around, Johanna couldn’t hold back a laugh. She hunched forward and buried her mouth in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

“Anna, I’m serious!” Now Kaisa was looking at her, and using her hands to gesticulate too. It only made her want to laugh harder, though out of delight or nervousness, she didn’t know. “I told you I listen to music because of you! That’s the simpiest thing in the history of ever, this isn’t fun! Do you think it’s easy having a secret playlist to listen to when I want to think about you?” 

Johanna now felt her face warm pleasantly, and a fluttery feeling take over her belly. Not wasps, she noticed, but beautiful butterflies making a garden of her abdomen.

Or maybe goth moths, come to think of it.

“Okay, okay, hold on.” She breathed when she got her giggling under control, even if it was hard with Kaisa squinting at her like she was going to send her to sleep on the sofa despite them not even living in the same house. “So what you’re telling me is that, if I wanted to kiss you, that would be alright?”

“Of course that would be alright!” Kaisa threw her hands up in the air in defeat. “Listen, I’m trying to be as direct as I dare with you here-”

She didn’t have the opportunity to finish that train of thought. Before her courage could wane, Johanna leaned forward and pressed her lips against hers. It had clearly been an unexpected move for Kaisa, but apparently also the right one, because after a millisecond of being ice still and trying to process this new development, Kaisa sighed in something that was partially joy and partially relief, and melted into it. 

It was a chaste brush of their mouths, but they drew back only long enough to look at one another with adoration before gravitating back to the halfway point between them where their lips met again. It felt like their blood was replaced with silver and stardust, like fireworks exploded just beneath their skin. Johanna captured Kaisa’s bottom lip between hers, amazed that it was just as soft as it looked, and was rewarded by gentle hands cradling the back of her head and threading into her hair. 

It took them longer than it should have to remember that they were in public, in a place filled with child scouts and their parents, and even longer to bring themselves to care about it. When they eventually did, they leaned back only the distance that they absolutely needed to, their foreheads still leaning against each other, in a way that they could feel each warm puff of breath from the other on their face.

Looking at Johanna like this, face flushed and smiling at her like she was some sort of gift, Kaisa felt caught between wanting to shout her feelings from the nearest rooftop and wanting to cry. Sure, the word ‘love’ hadn’t been mentioned, but she’d just made it clear, through words and actions, that she didn’t, apparently, know how far above Kaisa’s level she was. And since she hadn’t been ashamed to admit she’d fallen this far, maybe if Kaisa was smart she could persuade her to plummet even further. 

It should be terrifying. She’d always thought that she would never be close to anyone in this sense. She had thought she was too odd, too obsessive for anyone to truly be able to enjoy her presence beyond the show she put up for the outsiders in her life. But Johanna truly had. This woman had ever so gently lifted up her mask, inch by inch, and for some reason, decided that she liked what she saw. The thought that eventually she might lift it high enough and see something she couldn’t deal with should send Kaisa running, lest she get too attached and break her heart (and heavens know what else) trying to not be a disappointment. But it didn’t. 

From the very beginning, Johanna had taken everything that terrified her and turned it into something new and unexpected. Kaisa had handed her well written essays on why she was no good for a friendship, why she shouldn’t want to get close, why she was everything she was running from; and in turn, Johanna had picked them up with a smile, thanked her, and turned them into artful origamis which she kept close to herself like battled for trophies.

Kaisa was so afraid. She was afraid of disappointing, of not being perfect, of the future, and of everything she couldn’t control. But she wasn’t afraid of this. And, as long as the reason why she wasn’t afraid continued to look at her like there was something in her that was worth protecting, Kaisa was sure she would be alright.

[kenmochi-toya-eng]

ROF-MAO Spice Interview Translation (May 22, 2022)

ROF-MAO is a male unit consisting four members of VTuber group "Nijisanji": Kagami Hayato, Kenmochi Toya, Fuwa Minato, and Kaida Haru, the four have been active in a wide range of activities, mainly variety shows and music on YouTube. On April 13, they released a mini-album "Crack Up!!!!" containing 6 original songs. SPICE had an exclusive interview with the busy group, which is scheduled to hold another live concert in July. We asked them about their thoughts on their activities.

――ROF-MAO was announced on October 21 last year, and on April 21, it was just half a year since its formation. Could you share with us miscellaneous thoughts about your activities so far?

Kagami: “What kind of scene will it create when we as VTubers do something akin to a live-action entertainment show?” I think this is the concept and theme of each of the videos that are being uploaded now. I feel that it is becoming more and more familiar to us, to our fans, and to the public.

――Like you're getting used to it, or it’s starting to get well received?

Kagami: Yes, that's right. I think people are starting to look at us not because we are "unusual", but because "the four of them went there!", not just fans but also non-fans are gradually acknowledging this in the past six months or so.

――I see. How about you, Kenmochi-san?

Kenmochi: At first I was filled with the fear that I would be made to give "fanservice" because it is a four man group.

――Asked to do fanservice (laughs) How was it in reality?

Kenmochi: I think I managed to get by with just a little bit of that after the reveal (laughs), also, as Prez (note: Shachō–Kagami's nickname) said, there was a strong mood of ‘new movement’ when it first got unveiled, the viewer reaction gave a sense of "Are you going to start something that is not Nijisanji-like?” However, now I feel that we were able to greatly expand the range of what can be expressed without changing the form and groundwork of "Nijisanji".

Fuwa: Personally, I’m surprised that it has already been half a year. I have been enjoying our activities with the same excitement I had when we first formed the group, and I still don't feel like I have been "active for half a year," and that is honestly it.

Kaida: For me, too, the past six months have been very hectic, and my impression is that I have become more involved with many different people. When ROF-MAO was formed, the viewers and even the four of us wondered what kind of unit it would become, but from that point on, it has become known that "ROF-MAO is this kind of unit!", this recognition of ROF-MAO as a unit is now well established. I think the past six months have only been the "prologue" of the group, and it’s been a half year for people to get to know what kind of group we are.

――What are some unforgettable things that happened during the past six months of working together? This could be something from the shows, behind the scenes, etc.

Kagami: I have a variety of special favorite times on the show. One that I particularly remember is the day when we had three outside location shoots, which was a lot of fun. Maybe I didn't mention this, but the "Go-Karting," "No Plan Drive," and "Private Boat" sessions were all shot on the same day. On a day that gave out "Let's have fun in Tokyo all day!" vibes, I was thinking “It's great to have this kind of shooting because of our activities....” in the car that Kaida-san drives.

(No Plan Drive Episode) ノープランドライブ　墨田～お台場付近

――How would Kaida-san describe your most memorable experience then?

Kaida: The Private Boat episode was so much fun that I remember every detail of the shoot. To begin with, I’m not the type of person who enjoys going out for leisure, so I don't think I would ever think of taking on a private boat in my life. Besides, after being active as a Liver for so long, I don't get to see the outside scenery as much, so that time when we took pictures while enjoying the night view was really memorable for me.

(Private Boat Episode) 【屋形船貸切】初心者の一眼レフ写真対決！

――How is it for Fuwa-san?

Fuwa: Well...like you two, I am attracted to outside shoots, partly because I don't usually go outside. I think Go-karting is the first thing that comes to mind in terms of having fun with everyone. The guest times are also a lot of fun, but I do have to pay attention whenever it is with a guest......

(Go-Kart Episode) 【クラッシュ】ゴーカートで日和ってるやついる？いねえよなぁ！？

――When it comes to guests, that reminds of syudou's times as a guest (laughs)

Fuwa: I was quite nervous that time, but I had fun doing it...

(syudou as Guest Episode) 【過去最高の緊張感】絶っっっっ対に失敗できない戦いがここにある・・・！

Fuwa: If I had to name the riskiest/most dangerous episode ever, I would have to say the "Safari Park" episode. Actually, I had to record this episode early in the morning after not being able to get much sleep because we had the "Paranormal Spot Location” shoot late at night the day before, perhaps this was the one time I was the most listless. Kaida was driving and wobbled me around, so I became even more quiet... If you are curious, please do check the episode out.

(Safari Park Episode) サファリパークで運転したら囲まれ舐められ大変なことに……

Kenmochi: If I could add a light story that hasn’t got caught on camera. But one time he fled from the shooting spot by boat at full speed, because of an urgent situation.

――By boat? (laughs)

Kenmochi: Looking back, surely it was a sort of dangerous situation, but I remember well everyone was enjoying the unexpected turn of events and it was a good time. I think it will eventually be made into a video in some form and get released. When it does, I hope you will enjoy it by all means.

Kagami: Actually that part is the one that definitely shouldn’t get released to the public.

Fuwa: Now that I think about it, we might got a little out of our mind too (laughs).

――I'll be looking forward to your weekly updates then, as it made me very curious about it. Now, on the mini-album "Crack Up!!!!" released a few days ago. Placed No.1 on the weekly album chart on both Oricon and Billboard, it was a great place to start off with.

Kagami: Honestly, there wasn’t much reaction from my surroundings to the fact that it got #1 position on Oricon and Billboard, which made me not feel special about it. Isn’t that the case with everyone? How is it?

Kenmochi: When I saw a big advertisement in front of the train station, or when I went into an anime-related store and heard our song being played, I still could feel the "Is this… for real!?” 

Kagami: That being said, there were times when I avoided going to CD stores on purpose, so I may have been completely oblivious to that.

Fuwa: You could also find huge advertisements for the album on station platforms.

Kaida: For me, it's actually the opposite. When I got a call that we had reached #1 on the Oricon and Billboard charts, I thought, "Huh? Could it be that we're actually popular?” (laughs)

Kagami: I see. It feels like the initial Spirit Gun in Yu Yu Hakusho*, it wasn’t only us, but also all the staff involved in this work, who put everything they had into this at one blow, which is why we were able to get such great results.

*(霊丸 / Spirit Gun, Yu Yu Hakusho MC’s signature move as he concentrates his Spirit Energy into his right index finger and releases it as a projectile)

――When it comes to the four of you, it seems that all of you is someone who has shown your passion for music and been actively involved in music even before the formation of ROF-MAO. Can you name one musical artist who has had the greatest influence on you and whom you respect?

Kaida: For me, it was the composer ryo, I was greatly influenced by supercell and EGOIST, including their vocalist.

Kagami: There are many artists who have influenced me, so this kind of question is difficult, but if I had to narrow it down to one person, I would say Moto Fujiwara of BUMP OF CHICKEN. Fujiwara-san is the first vocalist of a rock band that I was into in my life, so I’ll have to mention him.

Fuwa: I also have many favorite artists, but if I had to name one, it would be TAKUYA∞ of UVERworld. One time, I had the opportunity to perform at a live house as a hobby, and I heard from a staff member that he "always gives his all". I learned a lot from his attitude and stance and grew a strong admiration for him.

Kenmochi: Even though I have more opportunities to be involved with many people in the music industry now, I would say it is FLOW, with whom I had the opportunity to perform live together at last year's "Nijisanji Anniversary Eve Festival 2021”. I was able to experience firsthand how these amazing people have been working in this field for many years. In the midst of feeling like I’ve been allowed to stand on a stage that is beyond my capacity, I was shown "how to be on stage" and "where I should aim to be”.

――How did the mini-album "Crack Up!!!!" proceed in the making? Did you record the vocals while the tracks were already in the works?

Kagami: The production itself starts around the end of 2021? That was as far as I could remember.

Kaida: Vocals were basically recorded by two people at a time, with one group consisting of me and Prez (note: Shachō–Kagami's nickname) and the other group being Mochi-san (note: Kenmochi's nickname) and Fuwa-san, and so on. We would proceed in such a way that the first person that records the song would be the one to do the harmonizing, and so on.

――There are a lot of duets and harmonizing in the song, it must’ve been quite difficult?

Kagami: It was difficult.

Kaida: That’s right.

――Kaida-san also had some comical duet parts with Fuwa-san, Isn’t it?

Fuwa: When you say "duet" do you mean that part?* (the talking part in Let’s Get The Party Started!)

Let’s Get The Party Started!

――It's that part for example (laughs), it gives off all over the place feeling.

Kaida: That was me summoning "Imaginary Fuwa Minato" inside me and thinking, "Is this how he would act?" 

Kagami: Ah, I see, now that I think about it, that was recorded on a different day, wasn't it?

Kaida: That song was recorded with me and Fuwa-san in a separate group. I remember we recorded that song at a time when our schedules were quite tight.

――You have assembled a very splendid team of creators, including Q-MHz, KEYTALK's Shuto, syudou, Maeyamada Keniichi (Hyadain), Noi, and MONACA’s Keiichi Hirokawa. Did you get a chance to meet them in person for the actual recording and be given any direction?

Kaida: Everyone was present during the recording. I think it turned out to be a good recording session because they could clearly convey the passion in "this is how I would like it to be”.

Fuwa: Maeyamada-san's direction was so memorable because it’s so fast-paced. “OK!” “OK!” “OK!” It proceeds just like that. That was very interesting because the speed was totally different from the others.

――It looks like everyone was getting on board with what Maeyamada-san was seeking from the start. Now, this is not meant to be demeaning at all, but on the other hand, what song took the longest time to record?

Kagami: For me, it was “Shitteiru Tegami/Familiar Letter”.

Kenmochi:  That was the same for me.

Kagami: In a sense, this song is a literary composition that placed particular emphasis on the singing expressions. We each had our own views with Hirokawa-san's view laid out about the song, and then asked each other, "How should we do it?” We started the recording by singing the same phrase in several different patterns, using different voices and nuances, and the process ended up taking quite some time.

Kenmochi: While the other songs are energetic, this song has a slightly different flavor, so I tried various approaches to the song, such as emphasizing expressiveness in the way I sing it, and it took me a long time to grips the song.

知っている手紙

――I see. Now, please tell us one recommended song for each of the four of you from the songs included in "Crack Up!!!!".

Fuwa: I would recommend listening to any of them depending on your mood, but if I had to pick just one, I would pick "Shitteiru Tegami/Familiar Letter" 

It may seem like a follow-up from their answer (Kagami and Kenmochi's previous answers), but the interplay between the instruments, especially the guitar and bass in the second half, is really cool, so please do give it a listen!

Kenmochi: I would also choose "Shitteiru Tegami/Familiar Letter". I think this song has the "The ROF-MAO you can't grasp unless it’s through music" in it, that can't be conveyed only through ROF-MAO Cram School where we appear. I hope you will give a listen to it.

Kaida: I would have to say "Lack Hack". It is a song composed by Vocaloid P, Noi, with a very catchy intro and powerful grip in it. There are parts of the song where the notes go very high and the structure of the song was also difficult, so I practiced a lot for it at home. On the recording, I felt quite the sense of “I sang it well!”

ラックハック

――Kaida-san in “Lack Hack” is remarkably good (laughs).

Kaida: When we were recording together, Prez praised me so much that I left home with a big smile on my face (laughs).

――How about Kagami-san?

Kagami: I think it's "I wanna! You wanna!”. I simply love the song. The person who wrote this song was Shuto-san of KEYTALK, and of course I knew that he was known to be a band member with a lot of energy but I was surprised to find out later that he used to be a member of “the cabs”, and in that sense, I was deeply impressed.

ROF-MAO "I wanna! You wanna!"

――Shuto-san is well known for KEYTALK, but his work with “the cabs”(note *1) is also great, too.

Kagami: While the song is not something like the cabs, the bass right before the last chorus plays a ridiculous phrase, almost like it’s Billy Sheehan (*2).

――the Mr.Big bassist? (note *2)

Kagami: Yes, that's right (laughs) the part feels really wild as if messing around. During the recording, I was barely able to keep up with the music, and I was doing aggressive shouts from the top to the bottom, to the point where I thought, "Can I really go this far?”  It was fun to record the vocals.

the cabs: A three-member post-rock band that belonged to Zankyo Records from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s and was active with ‘te’, ‘cinema staff’, ‘mudy on the last night’, ‘highsinonasa’, ‘3nd’ etc. After the disband, Shuto focused on KEYTALK, and Kunimitsu Takahashi, who was also a member of the band, is currently working on a solo project "österreich”.

Billy Sheehan: American bassist active on the rock scene from the 1980s to the present. After playing in the Talas and David Lee Roth bands, he made his big breakthrough with Mr. Big and became the center of attention for his super plays. He is still active with various artists and is one of the greatest rock bass heroes with one of the best techniques of all time.

Kaida: When I heard Prez's chorus, I had a feeling that he really had fun recording it.

――Is there anything that you have become more conscious of or pay attention to in your daily life as you work in ROF-MAO?

Kagami: We have a regular ROF-MAO meeting about once a week, we and the staff have to come up with ideas to the point where we are all heaving with frustration to squeeze it out. It would be great if we could come up with various projects from our own ideas, so we start to look at our daily lives and think "This might be useful" or "This might be interesting”.

Fuwa: One thing I have learned in ROF-MAO is that I have to be very careful to get a good night's sleep the day before a recording session. Since the recording sessions sometimes start early in the morning and last until late at night, In fact, I have become much more conscious of this during other on-site recording sessions as well.

――You mentioned the same thing before. (On how the Safari Park episode was shot when he lack asleep)

Kagami: I think it really is such a huge deal for him. There was one time he slept really well, and he mentioned it maybe 13 times that day, "It totally feels different!!”, he kept saying it over and over (laughs).

Kaida: I get that (laughs) When Fuwa-san is listless, he looks like he could actually fall asleep in the middle of recording, so I can see it in his eyes.

――Haha (laughs) Kaida-san, do you have anything to add?

Kaida: I, the same as Prez, have started to look for ideas everywhere, and become more conscious of the video contents uploaded by creators. I also try my best not to get injured. ROF-MAO Cram School involves a lot of physical activity, so even a slight injury can prevent us from doing it at full strength. Of course, we take safety precautions during the recording, but I am very careful not to sprain or injure myself because I am the type of person who is careless and prone to it.

――How about Kenmochi-san?

Kenmochi: Something I become more conscious of, huh… I wonder... If I had to put it bluntly, I'd say that I try "not to be too conscious" of anything. I think being in this kind of showbiz industry sometimes makes you feel like you should give away your own true self for fame, but I’ll still make sure not to act too idol-like, flirty/giving fanservice, and push myself too much.

Fuwa: Like ROF-MAO’s last frontier?

Kaida: The one who wants to keep his beliefs intact and unwavering, right?

Kenmochi: Yeah, just like that.

――To wrap it up, Kuzuha & Kanae & ROF-MAO Three-Man LIVE "Aim Higher" is scheduled to be held on July 27th. I know it is still early to prepare for the event, but we would like to hear your feelings toward the live performance such as "I want to do something like this!” or “I want it to be this kind of live performance!”

Kaida: The strongest image of what I want to do is to show everyone who has supported me so far that "I can now do this!" This will be my first time performing at a live concert, and I am very excited to be able to sing on stage. I would like to experience the heat of the moment, which is something you can't understand unless you are there.

Fuwa: We ROF-MAO, Kanae, and Kuzuha are going to perform as three separate artists, so I imagined this concert as a battle of live performances. I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of performance we will have, and I hope we can give a performance that won’t lose to the other two.

――Thank you very much. Kagami-san?

Kagami: One thing I keep in mind is that it’s my defeat if the audience thinks, "It was good this time, too."

――Defeat? Why is that?

Kagami: I think we are at the point where holding live concerts in Nijisanji is now becoming the norm, in a sense. Except for Kaida-san, if the members who have the opportunity to perform on many live stages cannot excite the audience with something brand new and fresh, there won't be next time. Personally, for me, it’d be better not to consider "It was good this time too." as a passing grade. I want to aim for the live performance holding a certain sense of risk in order to go to a higher level.

――I see. And finally, how about you, Kenmochi-san?

Kenmochi: I have participated in various live performances since the early days of VTuber, and I feel that VTuber live performances have progressed rapidly. This is because not only the performers, but also all the staff behind the scenes, such as the one in charge of lighting, sound, and producers who plan the events, share the same attitude that I can sense from Prez's talk. Even the way we set up this 3-man live concert was quite aggressive, and it was the first time for the four of us to perform in a live concert. We are trying to present something new in terms of performance, and we hope to make it a new experience for the audience as well.

――Indeed, and with that, I'm sure to look forward to the July live concert! Thank you very much to all ROF-MAO members for your valuable stories today!

ROF-MAO: Thank you very much!

Interviewer ・Transcript＝ 草野虹

[rnf-central]

Mario Wonder Direct Thoughts...continued.

Ok...where were we? The Badges right. I think the most interesting thing about the Badges is how to acquire them. It seems you can get them through a variety of mean, but the simplest is just buying them. If you'll recall the Wonder Flower (the glowing flower that transforms the level) also gives you a new purple currency. It seems certain shops in the Flower Kingdom can take them for things like Badges as well as some other stuff. It seems you can even get Wonder Seeds from shops. Wonder Seeds are what you collect after activating the Wonder Flower, and after beating a level. You need them to unlock certain levels. And oh my God! I know we talked about the levels already, but those overworlds. They look so nice! It also contains open areas with a collection of levels that you can play in any order. But I know what we're all...wondering. ha ha. Who is the villa-It's Bowser. Like what the fuck did you expect? It may be new and fresh, but it's still a Mario game. Yeah Bowser wants the Wonder Flower who cares, blah blah. But Multiplayer! That's what we want. Local Multiplayer is the same as always. 4 Players. Assumingly it's as chaotic as always. Though I still haven't seen someone pick another player up. So help me god if that's been removed. Anyway, one thing I can say for sure that is disappointing is sharing a life counter. I don't know. It's not a big deal, I just prefer when each player has their own. But either way I'm sure it'll be as fun as ever. They've perfected multiplayer in Mario Wii, 14 years ago. I'm sure even if it's not my favorite it'll still be good. Baseline minimum. So what else do I have to say? I mean I rambled on so long it's taken me 2 posts to get all my thoughts out. I mean there was some new enemies. They seem fun. We saw more of the Wonder Flower stuff. We didn't get much new info, but did see some more of the wacky ways it changes the levels. Honestly, it just looks like a fun time. I can't wait to get my grubby fingers on this game. If you're interested I will probably stream it, or do an LP on it in some way. I'm super excited for this. It's really been a while since I've felt this excited for a new 2D Mario. Like...Ugh. October 20th can't get here soon enough. Well the Pokemon DLC will hopefully keep me satiated. There was a lot in this direct, and I'm sure I missed something. I mean we never mentioned Prince Florian. Not much to say though. He's the prince of the Flower Kingdom. Nice to have a prince instead of a princess like usual I guess. Though I saw a lot of theories the Flower Kingdom would be connected to Daisy somehow even though it's not Sarasaland. I was kinda hopeful it'd be like a sub shoot of Sarasaland in some way and we'd be able to finally explore the area in a game that doesn't look like...well, a Gameboy launch title. But I always knew it wasn't likely. Womp Womp. But yeah let's end this now. It's gone on long enough and I talked about everything that really caught my eye. Though again, I may of missed some things. So let me know what you guys think of the direct. And what parts you're the most excited for. Thanks for reading my long tangent. I love you all and hope you have an excellent day. Buh-bye!

[nickgerlich]

Fasten Your Seat Belts

Halloween is now in the rear view. The election is on Tuesday. That can only mean one thing: Marketers have been cleared for take-off. Fasten your seat belts, the advertising is about to get fast and furious, and given the lingering uncertainties of the economy, marketers are preparing to pull out all the stops.

At a time when it seems that at least half of the ads we see on TV are for political candidates, that is about to come to a screeching halt in a few days. Come Wednesday the tone of ads is going to change dramatically, from “Vote For Me” to “Shop Here.”

And that is exactly what Walmart is ready to deploy in a big way. While holiday shopping has technically been in season since early October, we still recognize Black Friday for what it’s worth, as well as its cousins, Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday. Walmart is the once-sleeping giant that has come roaring to life the last couple of years, amping its store decor, online space, its Walmart+ membership program, and now advertising.

Its new campaign goes for all the feels, with a nod toward pop culture and commerce. Stir in a little nostalgia, and you have a great recipe. By invoking references to 10 different popular TV shows, it is aiming at multiple demos at once. Some might say this is little different from throwing Jello at the wall and seeing what sticks, but I think in this case it is pure genius.

Dubbed “advertainment,” Walmart’s ads parody these outsized TV series. “Deals of Desire,” the name of the campaign, will appear in a variety of traditional and new media, from TV to TikTok, YouTube, and the catch-all bucket known as “out-of-home.” That refers to billboards, bus benches, kiosks, digital signage, and pretty much anything else that doesn’t fit into a more narrowly defined category.

As it turns out, the very slickly produced ad issues a call-out to Black Friday, but then announces the deals are actually on the 11th through 17th of this month. Details, details. They just want you in the store, and the sooner the better.

Already in frequent rotation is Amazon’s holiday ad, with a catchy jingle and repetitive “whoops” as an invitation to catch the magic they are offering. Even though some folks are still jittery about the economy, surveys reveal that we plan to spend 2.5% to 3.5% more this year than last. Of course, that is pretty close to the current rate of inflation (2.4%), which means the increase is a wash. Could be worse, though, right?

But as others have noted, the key this year is going to be the deals. Sure, holiday deals have been around forever, but coming out of the rocky straits of inflation has left many people weary. Economists say we have officially had a “soft landing,” but I am certain the softness has not been equally distributed. Some people are wearing cushy Hokas, while others are shod with thin-soled Hey Dudes.

Using emotion is always a great move. Last year’s Amazon holiday ad featured shots switching between young and old persons, stirring memories of our youth. Three mature women watch kids sledding down a hill, and then throwing caution to the wind, decide to join them. If it doesn’t send a shiver down your spine, you are just too stoic for me. That was pure marketing gold.

Walmart’s approach this year is decidedly different, yet it hits another nerve. We all have our shows, and their shotgun approach allows it to maximize the possibility of there being at least one in the mix that resonates. If you’re a Bridgerton or Yellowstone fan, you’ll know right off what they’re doing.

And as far as they’re concerned, they’re hoping you get up from your recliner and head to the store in a few days. To be fair, there will be many other voices in the wild calling our names, but I am impressed with this one. It might even get me to go there for more than just shooting photos of groceries.

Dr “I Identify With That” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[pseudodeepwords]

the great gnatssacre of summer 2024

First apartment, October 2023. Landlord-special walls, gray laminate flooring. One bed, one bath, two closets, no pantry. Loud upstairs neighbors. Drafty. Income-based.

Fast-forward the tape.

June 2024. Two years in the only relationship that has lasted more than three months. Over a year since my life went up in a variety of literal flames. The apartment in question is facing an invasion by enemy forces. My kitchen sink has been clogged for close to two months, and my DIY solutions have failed but I'm not sure yet if the apartment complex does plumbing. (As of an additional nearly four months later, the issue has still not been resolved.) A rolled-up mailer for something I don't need or care about is my sword, and it bathes in the blood of the air battalion at length. I'm going to leave for a week. Going to see my partner. I hope that the opposition grows weary of this battlefield, which contains nothing of interest but some cups of watered-down old drinks and a moldy half-loaf of bread atop the fridge.

The week comes and goes, and it is an unexpected light. Think night sky, overcast, pure black velvet when you tilt your head up, and somehow you see a shooting star anyways.

The sky is still overcast.

Upon re-arrival, the troops have mounted. My God, how they've mounted. The placement of three or four homemade gnat traps (apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, dish soap) have culled a reasonable amount, but so many remain. They overwhelm me.

The rolled-up mailer loses its stability, and the smears of dead gnats all over it make it unpleasant to even consider touching. I am lost.

Until I'm not. The blue light traps that plug into the wall go in, and I find a can of what is essentially sprayable mineral oil with herbs and essential oils in it. It creates slick spots on the floors, on the blinds, on the cups that the gnats like to congregate on. It smells like a citronella candle.

That takes me back.

In 2019 or so, I got this car. Brand new Chevy Trax, a mom car if ever there was one. Compact SUV in silver. Got a great deal on it at the dealership because they'd gotten it as a loaner car, and the three thousand or so miles on it meant a discount since it was technically "used," despite only having been there for a couple of months. I named her Roxy. I had a whole ecosystem in the trunk and backseat for hangouts - blankets for picnics or the lake shore, snacks, drinks, and a big citronella bucket candle, to keep the mosquitos at bay.

I still have pictures of her in my camera roll. I loved that car. Totaled it two or three years ago. I miss a lot of things.

I miss shows. The last one I went to was with Will, and when I went into sensory overload and couldn't calm myself down right before the headliner, he offered to take me home and falsely remembered that I had done this at the last two shows we had been to. This was false in more ways than one - there was another, third show, between the two he thought I'd had panic attacks at and this one, that had gone off without a hitch, and if I remember correctly, I was stone-cold sober at that one. I had not been at the other two.

The next most recent one, which had taken place almost a full calendar year before, was probably the best show I've ever been to. Part of me feels bad for saying that, I guess. It was big, and there's an edgy teenage version of myself that didn't get to go to house shows or local gigs who tells me from somewhere behind my brain or heart that I'm a total poser for not valuing one of those higher. This does not change the fact that, even though I've seen artists I probably individually enjoy more, we got great seats in the lawn, it was just the two of us, and I sat there and had the same experience that the artist who's probably personally impacted my life the most had also had at one or several points before, and the surrealism of that was magical.

The one before that, I totally freaked out at. Biggest show I'd ever been to, probably for the most widely-enjoyed band. It wasn't just Will and I; it was also Haz and their partner and the other guy, and that one caused all three of them to be late and didn't ask where we parked, so it was me who had to walk halfway across the stadium-sized field to gather them and bring them back right before the show started, and, already out of breath, a matter of days after feeling the flames that ate my life away at my back, the sun and wind didn't feel noticeably different, and suddenly I was back there, begging God to keep a tinderbox from lighting.

Similar thing happened that winter. Got home, and realized that my view of the sky was the same at the new place as it had been at home, that if I glanced up then there was Orion's belt, and something nearby was burning, and I was back there again, thinking about everything that was no longer mine.

What do I have? Sometimes it feels like nothing much at all, but that isn't true. I have that partner, still, and we love each other dearly. I've still got my friends, including Will, who I don't really believe when he says no more shows together for a while. (If I could convince him he wouldn't mind that the lyrics aren't in English, I'd try to convince him to come with Douglas and I next month, which I still need a ticket for.) I still have my car, and even though she's not Roxy and she acts a little strange and is therefore banned from leaving town right now, she gets me from home to work to dad and back. I still have some gnats smashed against my wall in the bathroom. I still have a clogged kitchen sink. I still have fantasies sometimes that I'll wake up, and it'll be the morning of May 3rd, 2023, and I'll get up out of bed and go to work and eat leftover frozen Korean food. I still have Dad, for now.

Long way of saying, I'll probably never be alright, but I get better. I'm capable of it. And on Friday, when I get paid, I'm putting in a work order for the goddamn sink.