#I was overthinking which colour to give each character and I had like 3 different maps for it

[sydlorr]

So I'm making a Dead Boy Detectives inspired clue game

[akaashisbabygirl]

Words: 2321

Pairings: Sugawara x reader

Warnings: Characters are aged up, dominant Suga, submissive reader, reader is on birth control, oral (giving), restraints (arms and legs), vibrator use, vaginal penetration, slight hair pulling, Suga calling you sweetheart

A/n: holy shit, this is my longest fic yet. I hope everyone is enjoying kinktober so far <3

Sugawara’s kisses were filled with passion and love. His hand on your cheek, holding your soft skin between his thumb and pinky finger. His lips were soft on yours, softer than the feeling of lip balm spreading across your light pink lips. His eyes stared at yours as he pulled away for some air. From the look he wore on his face, you were able to tell that something was up.

Did Suga want to go a little further than usual today? Or maybe he didn’t feel like having sex at all? Or… just maybe, he wanted to try something else.

Suga was nothing like the boy you thought he was when the two of you first met each other. Meeting the quiet, grey haired boy in your first year, you thought he was going to be the quiet type that sits there, plays volleyball and reads books. However, you were wrong. The two of you had started dating halfway through your second year, and only began having sex in your third year. Suga was different to what you expected. Never one would the thought of his freaky side came through to enter your mind.

Not even once.

“Something’s up,” you say, your hand resting on his cheek, “What is it, Kōshi?”

Sugawara was silent for a minute, overthinking his thoughts.

“It’s nothing, baby. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, please. Tell me.”

“It’s nothing you would be into… please, sweetheart, don’t worry about it,” he let a smile fall onto his soft, delicate face.

“You say I wouldn’t be into it… is this something to do with the bedroom?” you ask, curiosity now filling your mind as you wanted to know exactly what he had been thinking about.

“I- yeah…” he admitted.

“Please… tell me,” your thumb began to stroke his face, slowly giving him signs of encouragement.

“I want to try bondage….” He admitted, a slight, rosy, red blush spreading across his cheeks as he admitted the sinful truth.

“Oh…. Bondage…”

“Yes- I’m so sorry. I know it’s kinda weird and stuff for you… we don’t have to do it if you don’t wanna…” he began.

“No… I… um… kinda wanna try it,” you admit.

Suga’s lips formed an ‘o’ shape as the words replayed in his head. You wanted to try bondage?

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt you or anything… I- please don’t feel that you have to do this because I would like to, I don’t wanna force you to do anything you don’t want to do!”

“Kōshi… I’m serious. I would like to try it.”

“R-really? You don’t mind if I like… um… tie you up and use toys on you and stuff?” he asked.

“Yes. I would love if you did that actually. I’ve been thinking about it for a while actually. I wanna see your dominant… dominant side,” you giggled.

Suga could only smile at the way you giggled. It gave him courage, knowing that you wanted to try out the same thing as him.

“Okay… let’s do it,” he smiled.

Suga leaned forward, pressing one last kiss to your lips before getting off the bed. His hands pulled one of the spare drawers open – the same drawer where the two of you kept all your toys.

Sitting himself down on the bed, he let the ropes fall onto the bedsheets.

“I’m going to undress you now.”

You nodded sightly, eyes following how Suga’s hands moved to pull your (his) large shirt from your body. Underneath, you wore small shorts, ones which showed off your thighs to his prying eyes. You didn’t wear a bra, mainly because of the fact that you were lounging around the house with your boyfriend. Unbuttoning your shorts, tugging them down your legs, his eyes met with the dark, lace blue panties you wore underneath. His eyes widened – loving the way your panties wrapped around your hips, adding the colour to your beautiful skin.

“I’m going to leave these on,” Suga said, as his fingers traced over the lace of your panties, “Can you turn around for me?”

Being the submissive one in this situation, you complied with his orders. You turned your body around, your back now facing his front. Your eyes watched as Suga left the bed, moving back to the drawer to pick up a few more items. Did he not have everything he wanted? He came back, holding a black cloth in his hands – a blindfold.

“I’m gonna put the blindfold on now,” he said, his hands moving to tuck your hair behind your head. He removed your sight with the blindfold, preventing you from seeing anything else.

“Hands behind your back, sweetheart,” he mumbled, his soft voice ringing in your ear.

You moved your hands behind your back, feeling as how Suga held onto them, crossing them over one another, the feeling of the harsh rope digging into your skin as he tied knots around your wrists, holding them in place tightly. Suga’s hands moved you, so that your back was now resting against the headboard. You felt Suga pull himself from the bed, hearing his faint footsteps walking to the other side of the room. Was he going to get something else to use?

Lost in your thoughts, you felt the bed dip at the bottom, a warm, soft hand moving in between your thighs, separating them lightly.

“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.”

Your legs spread wide, the wet spot on your panties becoming evident. Suga could tell that you were excited for this – maybe even more excited than he is. He pushed your panties to the side, a low, soft pant leaving your lips as you felt a toy enter your dripping cunt. Suga pulled your panties back over your cunt, hiding it from his eyes. Was it a vibrator?

“Move to your knees,” he commanded, his hands helping you as you tried to pull yourself to your knees.

Sitting on your knees, your hands tied tightly behind your back, a blindfold draped over your eyes, you could only imagine what were to happen next. You felt your body being pushed down onto the bed, Suga’s soft hands coming to your ankles, wrapping the thick rope around your legs, tying them together. A small gasp escaped your lips as you felt his hands move from your legs, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek. How did he get there so fast?

“I want you to suck me off, pretty girl,” he mumbled, his thumb beginning to stroke your cheek once again.

How was that possible? He was still fully dressed.

“H-how…” you mumbled out, unable to move your hands from their tight restraints.

“Use your mouth.”

You could see the smirk in his voice. You moved your face closer to him, as his hand helped guide your face down to his waist. Your mouth shakily pulled his pants down his legs. It wasn’t that hard, mainly because he was standing at the edge of the bed. Even though it took a lot of work, and a little help from him, you managed to pull his sweatpants down his legs successfully, a sigh of relief exiting your lips as you heard the soft material drop onto the floor. your face moved back to help pull his boxers off, with his help, of course.

Suga’s hand held onto your face, bringing your lips to meet with his erect cock.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he groaned lightly as you wrapped your lips around the tip.

Suga has always been someone who was to let out moans rather than conceal them when the two of you were supported by the four walls of your shared bedroom. His fingers dug into your hair, holding tightly on your soft strands as he directed your mouth to take more of him. Your tongue traced along the vein, having him let a soft moan escape his lips. You desperately tried to wriggle your hands from their restraints – but it was no use. Suga had tied them too tight. Your mind started to wonder around the thoughts of why he placed a toy in you? What was he going to use it for?

Your knees dug into the bed as you heard the small click of what sounded like a button, followed by soft vibrations in your cunt. You let out a moan around his length, causing him to groan out.

“Just like that, pretty girl,” he cooed, his free hand moving to stroke your face softly. You looked absolutely sinful with his length in your mouth.

Your panties were drenched by now, your juices leaking through the thin material, able to feel your arousal on your bent legs. You tried rocking your hips back and forth, trying to get some friction onto your mistreated cunt. Your hips rocked back, meeting the back of your foot, just able to grind your clothed cunt on the body part. A soft moan escaped your lips from the sudden feeling.

“Don’t touch yourself… stop doing that,” Suga commanded, tugging on your hair, a slight whimper leaving your mouth.

“That’s a good fucking girl,” his moans were louder.

He was going to cum soon. Unable to see his face falling apart, you could tell by his moans, which began to steadily increase, a loud groan leaving his lips as he came inside your mouth. Suga pulled his length from your mouth, watching as you swallowed his load, taking in how the leftovers dripped from your mouth, down your shin. He moved his thumb to your lips, cleaning the leftover cum from its resting spot.

“Are you going to cum soon?” he asked, his fingers coming into contact with your hardened nipples.

You moaned out louder, feeling the speed of the vibrator increase. He was also desperate to bring you to your climax.

“Rock your hips for me,” he ordered.

Rocking your hips back and forth once more, your clit was finally able to get some attention it had been longing for. The knot in your lower stomach quickly snapped, your cum rushing like a wave, flooding your panties.

Suga’s hands moved to untie your legs. Your legs were free, however, you weren’t able to love the feeling of your legs able to move properly, because your back now had come into contact with the bed. Suga’s hands tugged your panties down, admiring at the way your cum had already stained the beautiful lace of your panties.

“You’ve made such a mess, haven’t you, sweetheart?” he commented.

His lewd comments could only make you blush in response. You let out a whimper as you felt yourself being positioned from your back onto your knees once more, your face coming into contact with the fluffy pillows which decorated the bed. Suga’s hardened cock rubbed against your drenched folds, his hands coming into contact with your hips, a soft whine leaving his lips as he teased you with the head of his cock. Seconds later, he pushed his cock into you, your walls instantly wrapping tightly around him, as drool began to drip from your lips.

“K-Kōshi,” you moaned into the sheets, as his pain began to steadily grow. One of his hands were holding onto your waist, the other tangled in your hair.

“F-fucking me s-so good, K-Kōshi... ohh,” you felt his cock began to slightly kiss your cervix, sudden pleasure pouring throughout your body.

Your knees were dug into the bedsheets once more, the pain slowly exiting your mind as he made you see stars. His hands gripped your waist tighter, drool now falling from your lips onto the pillows below. Your legs became weak, unable to move on their own. Everything had left your mind, your head now only filled with the magical way Suga was making you feel. The position you were in let him hit deeper than usual, your hands trying to free themselves behind your back. You tried rocking your hips back, your ass high up for him to grab onto as he tore you apart. His hand that held yours behind your back began to move, now tracing your stomach, all the way down to your clit, rubbing on your sensitive bud.

You let out moans of pleasure, the familiar knot in your lower stomach building up once more as your mind went blank. Your mind was empty, now only focusing on the way he made you feel, the way his cock would push past your tight walls, tearing you open, or how the way small moans and pants would escape his lips as he tried to continue with the pace he was setting.

“Fuck- I’m going to c-cum… I’m going to cum,” you announced, your body now losing full control, your moans increasing.

“Cum sweetheart,” he demanded, letting out a soft man as he felt you climax around his length.

Suga wasn’t going to last long now, he always would cum after you. His thrusts became faster, desperate to bring himself to his long awaited climax. Letting out a groan, he came inside of you, painting your walls white with his cum.

Slowly, he pulled out, untying your hands in the process and positioning you, letting your back fall flat against the soft sheets as your hand moved to remove your blindfold. Suga watched as your cum, which was now mixed with his, leak from your fucked out hole, before getting up and making his way over to the bathroom to grab a wet cloth to clean you up.

“Can we… you know, try that again sometime?” you asked Suga as he moved the cloth through your womanhood, cleaning you up as best as he could.

“Of course, sweetheart. Is there anything we could change for next time?” he asked, curious to know what you wanted to add in or take out.

“It was… perfect the way it was, Kōshi. Though, next time, I want to be the dom.”

© all content belongs to akaashisbabygirl 2020, do not repost or change

[perfectharmonyloveschaos]

Sora Is the Master of Masters All Evidence

Part 1:

Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Backcover is the first instance that we meet the Master of Masters ourselves without anyone else’s perspective of events and see him as an individual character. From the get-go, the Master of Masters (or MoM as I will be addressing him throughout this theory for simplicity sake) is immediately addressed with heavy respect from his title alone. But, Chirithy also makes sure to mention his “mischievous” nature that we see a lot of throughout all of his appearances from here on. Due to the Master of Masters only being included and planned from Backcover onwards, it definitely seems more than coincidental that all of his similarities to Sora take place in the games technically made after Backcover which I will discuss; Backcover itself, KHX and KHUX, 0.2, KH3 and ReMind.

Both Sora and MoM are introduced as joker, light-hearted characters who use humour to lighten dark situations and comfort people. They hold themselves lightly and make fun of themselves to make others laugh or to lighten the dark of a situation. Sora did this when he comforted Riku by pulling a funny face (“how am I going to face everyone?!”/“like this?”) in KH2 while MoM pretended to question if Invi cared about him when she was overthinking things and getting worried about the events to come (“do you… want me to go?!”)

Both characters share several of the same gestures and body movements, with Sora copying a lot of MoM’s gestures especially in KH3 and ReMind. Both hold their arms behind their heads, tilt their heads or even bodies sideways playfully and poke things to name a few shows off their playful, animated gestures. Both use their right hands when using the Keyblade with Sora holding his in his right hand and MoM summons No Name with his right hand to give it to Luxu.

Along with these personality and movement similarities, we also have the infamous Gazing Eye' glitch found in KH ReMind that 'definitely calls this theory into question. Why does a glitch like this only happen with Young Xehanort, whom we know MoM interacted and met with? Why does it only happen when Young Xehanort uses his time alteration powers if this was simply a glitch in the texture of Sora and the Gazing Eye's eye? Would that not mean that this could be triggered at any other time? And why is it so cleanly done if not to be intentional? This 'glitch' appears perfectly on Sora's eye and doesn't affect any other texture on Sora. If Sora was in fact MoM, would it not make sense for his possibly clairvoyant/prediction abilities to be affected by Young Xehanort affecting time? This would be too difficult go be a simple visual glitch or error of the engine given how the texture of the Gazing Eye appears in both of Sora's eyes perfectly, as well as appearing bloodshot since there would be no reason for Sora's eyes to use the bloodshot texture AND the Gazing eye texture together.

Speaking of Sora’s eyes, this also brings me back to the pre-KH3 release conspiracy theory about Sora’s eye colour changing to green throughout the trailers which people passed off as being the reflections of the environment. This happened several times throughout the game and seemingly meant nothing, but when you consider who Sora was interacting his eye colour changed, him possibly being the MoM explains this. The first time we see this is in Mount Olympus, when Sora meets with Xigbar for the first time since DDD and we see Sora’s eyes have strong green tint compared to Hercules, who also has bright blue eyes that don’t seem to be affected by the lighting. Maybe only the KH original models are affected for some reason? Xigbar’s eyes are also not affected, while yellow, which would definitely show given how intense Sora’s are. Xigbar, is Luxu, so one could assume that anyone connected to MoM would make Sora’s eyes react, yes? Again, we see Sora’s eye go green with others as well. In Kingdom Of Corona, Sora’s eyes are once again green and while it it way greener here than Olympus, Marluxia’s—or Lauriam, who MoM choose as a Dandelion leader and survivor of the war—eyes once again are not affected, nor are any other characters’ like Rapunzel, Flynn, or Mother Gothel. Only Sora. We see this again with Ven when Vanitas is going to kill Aqua in the land of Departure and Sora wakes Ventus up from inside him, Sora’s eyes go green while no one else’s, including Ven and Aqua both of whom have blue eyes, have their eyes affected. And the final past character that is directly tied to the MoM through the dandelions and Sora whose presence affects Sora’s eyes is Ephemer in the Keyblade Graveyard. Ephemer has no reason to come to Sora here, compared to Ventus who he knew in canon and had every reason to help but let die in the previous ending, given that they do not know one another beyond Ventus. And as the camera zooms into Sora, Sora’s eyes gain a slight green tint to his eyes before the centre of his eyes change to a light, greenish blue that is very similar to another Name’s Gazing eye and focuses on his eye not only here, but once Sora snaps back to reality and focuses on the reflection of all the dead keyblades helping them. Here, Sora’s eyes are green again the exact same way that his eyes were green interacting with Xigbar/Luxu and Marluxia/Lauriam, both of whom were tied to the MoM. The green tint and highlight of the colour around his iris is identical to that of the Gazing Eye in No Name, with the environments and how others reacting to them in each of these worlds showing that these events and only these affect solely Sora’s eyes, proving that this is not just a simple light reflection but something done intentionally to Sora’s eyes.

Beyond physical and personality similarities, both Sora and MoM share another quality with only one other individual in the entirety of the KH cast; they are the only ones aside from Xehanort to have held and been the apparent wielder of the X-Blade. While we never see him with it, Nomura confirmed that MoM had had the X-Blade at one point and studied it to create the Keyblade that everyone in KHX used. He used the X-Blade as an example and managed to figure out, through studying it, how to extract the light/power from people’s hearts and shaped their Keyblades which he then trained the Foretellers with. As well as the X-Blade, MoM also had a sort of authority over Kingdom Hearts as well as Ira mentioned that he had given them Keyblades to protect Kingdom Hearts and Ava tried to warn Gula away from summoning Kingdom Hearts since MoM had said it was “forbidden”. Gula decided to try and summon Kingdom Hearts in order to force the MoM to return to set them straight, showing that he held a sense of cautious as well towards it and decided to not use it and lock it away instead. Given that the MoM’s word was seen as gospel, this was more than likely a serious warning and order. And what do we see by the end of Kingdom Hearts 3? Sora, earning the X-Blade and telling Xehanort that using it is wrong and that no one should use its power to change destiny, before closing it to keep the worlds safe. Both characters—with only Xehanort as the other wielder of the X-Blade and exception of this mindset—had this power and chose to not use it but instead locked it away from using it for their own gains.

Both of these characters also shared the same philosophy of destiny despite the power they hold; Sora, who has challenged and even changed his friends’ doomed fates claims that a true leader knows that destiny “beyond his control” and “accepts that”, something that makes no sense with how much he has changed his own destiny and the events written in the Book Of Prophecy. However, the Master of Masters shares these ideals and believes not in changing what is meant to happen, but rather in preparing for what happens after that in order to secure the best aftermath. Why would Sora believe in this given his past, if not to draw similarities between himself and MoM?

The Book Of Prophecies, as depicted in Backcover, also shares connections to what we assume to be the timeline of events surrounding not the the events of Backcover and the Keyblade war, but rather the events of the entire game series timeline. We see MoM looking at the Book of Prophecies through the Cases of the different Foretellers and Luxu, as well as Ira later on in the movie which we can use to create a basic ‘timeline’ of events based on imagery depicted.

We see the MoM look through throughout Backcover, with the ‘Case of Gula’ showing what seems to be the earliest part of the book we see with an illustration of a darkside heartless and a keyblade which would either be the Kingdom Key or Kingdom Key D, placing the beginning of the book at the first Kingdom Hearts game. The reason I think this takes place during KH1 rather than 0.2 is the Sora’s crown emblem being on the page previous to a Darkside heartless, seeming to signify Sora and then his first battle against the darkness either on his Station of Awakening or Destiny Islands, as well as these pages appearing to be nearing the middle of the book which would make sense given that Sora only entered the canon timeline after the whole Fairytale Saga, BBS and 0.2 took place. Then, we see the next page with an image of a shadow heartless, both which Sora fights on Destiny Islands after getting the keyblade and then in Traverse Town where he learns about the darkness or could simply represent all heartless as the most recognisable heartless. The page after this shows another Keyblade which looks like the Kingdom Key again, while the next page is the infamous ‘traitor’ that the MoM rips out and gives to Gula and the page after holding another illustration of Sora’s crown emblem. Given the pacing of events based on the concept of this book depicting the events of Sora’s experiences in KH1, the page detailing the ‘traitor’ may in fact be talking about Riku and his betrayal of Sora by accepting Maleficent's help. The MoM’s wording seems to support this, by telling Gula to “find the traitor hidden among you and stop them before it’s too late”, through Sora eventually learning of Riku’s fall to darkness and possession by Ansem before stopping Riku-Ansem and saving the worlds.

This causes us to question exactly how would the MoM know of Sora's first adventure given that his eye, at this point, hasn't even seen Sora yet? The only logical answer? Because he lived it.

During the ‘Case of Aced’; when Aced, who acts a lot like Sora in KH1, is angry at Ira being chosen to be the new leader and was constantly in Ira's shadow, much like how Sora was undermined by Riku who was seen as the better of the two and originally chosen first by the keyblade. These corresponding at the same time suggests a connection to KH1, Sora, and Aced. Even their whole discussion over why Aced shouldn't be leader seems to, much like his discussion with Invi over keeping up "otherwise you'll be left behind, all alone" seems to cause an unconscious reaction from the MoM. "I know you want it, but that just isn't enough. Any chump can say, 'You! Here's a huge promotion. Good job!' and make you head honcho, but enthusiasm alone doesn't make a great leader." The way this is worded, especially with "great" and not just "good" suggests he has a basis for it, similar to how Sora saw Riku as being better than him. His following line "Ira needs someone like you to give him a push in the right direction" is spoken with anger or bitterness, as if the MoM understood Aced's annoyance at being considered second and feeling similarly in the past, as if he had to act supportive and push someone who was considered better than him in the 'right direction' before. But, his "you need to support Ira'' line is spoken sternly, acting as though he knows from experience that someone like Ira would need the more emotional support of someone like Aced, who uses his heart to decide things rather than "always just thinking and thinking and thinking behind that Unicorn mask of his" as Ira does. Everything said in this scene definitely parallels Sora and his emotions in the first KH game up until Sora decided that his friends were his power and that he didn’t need the keyblade to be strong, something that the MoM understands and acts sympathetic towards Aced about while trying to push him towards the same idea; "you might not be entirely happy with your role, but just know that it's the most important one." There is also a sense of symbolism in this scene with the MoM using his hand to cover the Kingdom Key when telling Aced that he will be Ira’s right hand man, possibly paralleling back to Sora’s own sense of being overshadowed by Riku.

Other connections these two share include the emphasis of their bond with Dream eaters and the Wreck-It Ralph summon from KH3. Both of these two characters show a stronger connection to Dream Eaters than any other characters, with MoM being the ‘creator’ of the Chirithy dream eaters which hold a deep connection to their owners’ hearts and are affected by their owners’ state given that these dreams eaters, like when Sora fell into darkness, fall into darkness with their masters and become nightmares. And what is Sora’s nightmare in DDD? A figure in a dark coat with purple and pink colours and a dark dream eater symbol on their back, much like the MoM and his black coat and the Chirithy nightmare we see in Backcover and KHUX.

[salaciouscrumpet]

Whumptober Day 14

Whumptober Day 14 Prompt: “Fever”

Going with alternate prompt #3 this time, instead of prompt #14 (which was supposed to have been tear-stained). I guess there are some tears in this (and weirdly, not a whole lot of mention of fever?), but the tear-stained prompt as a whole didn’t work for me whereas the fever one was what inspired this, even if the POV character doesn’t really think about fever until the end.

It didn’t go in the direction I had planned and ended up being longer than intended, but this is the way I roll. Eh, I’m not gonna overthink this. It is what it is. Once again this is not heavily edited.

CW: vague and super-brief references to childhood abuse; what might be seen as a brief incident of domestic abuse (but accidental? I’m not sure really how to tag that without being spoilery?)

Characters: Luke, Charlie, Kate

The world had gone all topsy-turvy on Luke. 

When his eyes opened, he was staring down at adobe-coloured tiles about three feet from his face. It took him a long time to sort out whether he was looking at the floor, the ceiling or a wall, but eventually it was the pressure around his face – a cushioned circle that left his eyes, nose and mouth exposed while supporting his forehead and chin – that told him he was facing downward. It took him even longer to realize he was lying facedown on a massage table, his head on the special headrest. 

He didn’t remember going for a massage. He couldn’t remember anything from the past several hours, but he was absolutely positive he wasn’t scheduled in for any sort of massage or physical therapy, despite how often Charlie tried to badger him into taking better care of himself. 

Luke decided this was the worst massage he’d ever had. The room was too bright and way too cold, and there wasn’t soothing instrumental music or nature sounds playing, nor could he smell incense or fancy massage oil. And he knew this wasn’t something Charlie or Kate had set up as a sort of romantic gesture, because either of them would use candles and there’d be a bottle of wine and some nice glasses set along one of the shelves instead of plain white towels and an assortment of feel-good self-help books. 

Instead of music or the sound of waterfalls or ocean waves Luke could hear two people arguing over him, familiar voices speaking over each other in a sort of whisper-shout. Kate and Charlie didn’t sound angry, exactly; more like … scared? And maybe … frustrated? Luke spent a few seconds trying to make out what they were hissing back and forth, but even once he did his current circumstances still didn’t make any sense. 

“—need to know what it was!” That was Charlie’s voice, full of frantic energy. 

“I told you, I don’t know!” Of the two of them, Kate was the one who sounded closer to being angry, but Luke couldn’t figure out who or what she was angry with. He could tell that they were standing very close to him, possibly on opposite sides of where he lay on the massage table. He wished he was facing upwards, so he could see their faces and make better sense of what was going on. “He’s the one who would know! He’s the smart one!” 

Oh, Katie, Luke thought, frowning down at the floor. Intelligence and education was the one area where Kate’s incredible confidence was lacking thanks to her unorthodox childhood. She was smart – he knew that for a fact – but she’d missed out on a formal education. In this instance, however, Luke had the sneaking suspicion they weren’t talking about something she should have learned in history or science, but rather something Luke had been taught as a result of his own unorthodox childhood. Although in Luke’s case, his background was actually fairly standard – for a Knight of Oberon. So-called “normal” kids probably didn’t get educated on the different types of things that went bump in the night, but sometimes Luke thought the world might be benefited if they were. 

“—not saying you’re not!” Charlie hissed, and Luke had the sense that he’d missed the thread of the argument somewhere, because now his boyfriend sounded both frustrated and conciliatory. 

“Stop fightin’,” Luke mumbled down at the floor. Charlie and Kate both immediately fell into a sort of stunned silence. “You’re both pretty.” 

Kate huffed out a startled laugh, but Charlie just sniffed in a way that made Luke wonder if he’d been crying at some point. Or maybe it was allergies. Maybe allergies were the reason Luke couldn’t smell massage oil or incense. 

“How do you feel?” Charlie asked, his voice sounding somewhat wet and thick. 

For a brief moment Luke thought that seemed like an odd question – and then something, possibly just a current of air, moved over the exposed skin of his back and suddenly his world was on fire. 

Pain like the edge of a heated blade seared across his back from the nape of his neck down to the base of his spine. It was hot and sharp and deep, like each individual cut slashed right down through muscle and bone into the very core of him, and he could feel each line as a separate fiery agony. He had never been more aware of just how much skin he had, how broad his back was, how many nerve endings there were and how each and every single one of them could scream out in separate and discordant pain. The only other time he’d felt anything even remotely like this was – 

Fire. 

FIRE! 

Sudden panic swept through him at the familiar agony of flames. He was burnt. He was on fire. He was on fire! 

Luke shot up like he was spring-loaded, lunging upwards and backwards as though the table underneath him was the source of the flames. His limbs were weak and uncoordinated and he flailed awkwardly, lashing out with his fists as he struggled to get away from the pain. One fist – his right – connected with something and there was a muffled grunt, but Luke paid it no heed, too desperate to escape the source of his agony to pay attention to his surroundings. His vision blurred and narrowed, the bright lights going dim and hazy, and as he launched himself off the massage table and his bare feet hit the tiled floor he felt his knees give way. He staggered, flailing again, this time for something to catch him before he fell. The world was swimming. There was a rushing sound in his ears and he collapsed, falling into outstretched arms. 

Charlie’s grip was strong and sure as he levered Luke back up and onto the table. When Luke resisted being settled back onto his stomach on the table Charlie helped him to sit up instead, helping him to lean forward enough that he wasn’t putting any weight on the agonizing marks on his back. 

“It’s all right,” Luke heard Charlie saying, as if from a great distance, “You’re safe, you’re safe. I’ve got you.” 

Luke sagged forward into Charlie’s arms. It hurt, having Charlie’s hands on him, but it felt safe at the same time, the familiar strength and comfort he took from Charlie’s confident touch. After a few seconds resting like that he finally let Charlie lower him back onto the table on his stomach, although he resisted the effort to face down again, and instead propped his cheekbone on the headrest and kept his head turned to one side, facing his boyfriend. Kate seemed to have disappeared from view, and as Luke settled he realized his hand was aching and it was a new, dull pain entirely distinct from the agony of his back. He dangled his hand in front of his face and blinked in consternation at the fresh split over one of his knuckles. 

“Katie-Kate?” Charlie called. He still sounded very far away even though he was standing directly over Luke’s prone form. 

“’M all right,” Kate mumbled, voice muffled. 

Above him Luke heard Charlie fussing and got the sense that this time it wasn’t directed at him. Kate made some kind of demurral, saying softly “It’s not broken, there’s just a lot of blood.” Luke stared down at his bloodied hand and felt his stomach give a sickening lurch. 

“I’m sorry,” he said immediately. Charlie cursed under his breath – Charlie, who seldom cursed. 

“What are you apologizing for?” Charlie asked him, his tone very careful. 

“I don’t know,” Luke replied, feeling miserable and in pain and tremendously guilty because his knuckles were bloody and his hand hurt and he remembered lashing out and now Kate was hurt and he was almost certainly the one who’d done it. “I’m sorry.” 

Suddenly Kate’s face was right in front of Luke’s, and sure enough her nose was bloody and her upper lip looked like it had been split. Her expression, however, wasn’t one of anger or disappointment. She was just calm and unfazed, pale eyes boring right into Luke’s own. 

“I forgive you,” she said simply. Not It’s okay, because it wasn’t – not if he’d actually been the one to hit her. Just I forgive you, because all three of them knew that if Luke had hit her it had been in the midst of panic, that he hadn’t meant to do it, and he most certainly hadn’t been aiming for her. He had just been desperate to get away from the source of the flames that were even now licking their way up and down his back, and Kate had somehow been in the way. Then Kate grinned at him, and the blood on her face made the expression especially ghastly, but she smiled in that broad way that she did when it was just the three of them and she didn’t care about her crooked teeth or her lopsided smile. “I’m fine. I’ve taken worse hits sparring.” 

That was true, but it didn’t make Luke feel a whole lot better. Still, she’d said she forgave him, and Kate didn’t lie. Not to him or Charlie. Not about things that mattered. 

“I’m going to touch your back now, okay, love?” Charlie said, and it took Luke a few heartbeats to realize Charlie was speaking to him. 

“Okay,” Luke said, then changed his mind. “No. No, it hurts.” He hated how weak and vulnerable he sounded, like a child in want of his parents instead of a thirty-something man who’d spent his entire life as a soldier and fighter. But his back did hurt, and moreover, it hurt in a way that was painfully, terrifyingly familiar, and he’d already lived through the agony of that torture once in his life. He didn’t want to go through it again, even with Charlie and Kate there alongside him to support him. 

What he didn’t understand was why it hurt. Had he been captured again? Had the Scions of the Unforgiven taken him a second time, and was their pet sorcerer using blood magic to try and tear his body apart all over again? Or maybe the past ten years or so had simply been a pleasant dream, and he’d never been rescued, and instead he was still there, trapped inside that musty barn with his only his enemies around him. Disavowed by his Order, disowned by his family, with no hope of rescue or escape save death. 

“Oh, darling,” Charlie said, and the tone of his voice was heartbreaking. 

“No,” Luke said again. He tried to push himself up, to get away, but there were gentle hands on his shoulders – well away from the lines of agony that raked their way across his flesh – guiding him down again. 

Charlie’s hands, Luke realized, because Kate was sprawling on the floor beneath the massage table, her face directly under Luke’s. She lay on her back, staring up at him, one hand coming up to wipe the blood away from her nose and mouth. Her dark auburn hair fanned out behind her like a ruddy halo. She stretched up and curled her hands around his wrists, drawing his arms down on either side of the headrest before threading her fingers carefully through his. One hand was slightly sticky with blood and her skin felt strangely cool against his. 

“I’m right here,” she said, gazing up at him. “Charlie’s going to use his magic to heal your back –” 

“As much as I can,” Charlie interrupted with a faint huff of frustration. “I don’t even know what this is.” 

“Charlie’s going to fix your back,” Kate continued with determination, forcefully overriding Charlie’s protests. “And I’m going to be right here.” She gave his fingers a light squeeze, her hands small and pale against his own larger, darker hands. “Squeeze and yell as much as you want. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Luke stared down at her hand, the one she’d used to wipe the blood from her face. It was, oddly enough, the one that held the hand he’d used to strike at her. The blood was a bright, vivid red across their skin, already going tacky and dry. He couldn’t tell which of it was his blood and which was hers, although he was certain the Knights of Oberon would have an opinion on the matter, what with him being descended from a line of Fae-blooded and blessed warriors, and she being the daughter of a demon. Demonic and fairy, their blood all looked the same in the end. 

“Okay?” Charlie asked warily. Luke couldn’t see him, but he could picture his boyfriend’s expression easily: limpid dark eyes narrowed with concentration, lips pressed in a thin line, angular jaw set hard and firm. He was the most beautiful man Luke had ever known, made all the more beautiful when he was focused on his magic, on healing. 

Kate lifted her head up enough to press a kiss to Luke’s fingers, interwoven with her own. “You got this. You’ll be all right.” 

Luke sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, a gentle fan that blew loose strands of hair away from Kate’s face. He nodded, chin pressed against the headrest, the fake leather cool against his skin. The room was cold – freezing, almost – and yet his skin felt sweaty and clammy. Aside from the pain of his back he felt achy, all over, but especially in his joints. It made him think of the few times in his life he had been ill – Knights were seldom sick by natural means, and he’d mostly outgrown colds by the time he was a teenager. But this was like the beginning stages of the flu, where his body was one general ache and the temperature kept fluctuating and all he wanted to do was nap until the worst of it subsided. Except that the worst of it was whatever had been done to his back, and as the pain flared out he realized he could feel each individual slash as its own separate agony. It still felt like searing flame, but also like someone had taken a razor or the tip of a knife and slashed it over him, again and again and again. What made it all the worse was the fact that he couldn’t remember what had happened or how he’d come to be in such a state, and based on Charlie’s frustration and worry Luke suspected that his partners didn’t know, either. 

Charlie stroked one hand through Luke’s hair, and if it weren’t for the knowledge that doing so would put strain on already-sore back muscles, Luke would’ve tried to arch into the caress. Instead he let out another shuddering breath and squeezed Kate’s fingers. She squeezed back again. Her hands were small but solid; he knew he could squeeze as much as he needed to and she wouldn’t flinch, even if it hurt. Not that he wanted to hurt her, but that was the thing about Kate: he wasn’t afraid to. All his life he’d been mindful of his size and strength relative to other humans – either unfavorably, when he’d been a child and at the mercy of the adults in his life, or as an adult he’d been aware of how fragile normal humans were compared to him. Not with her. Not with Kate. 

And not with Charlie, either. The two of them were so different from each other, but so strong in their own ways. Charlie was bright and warm and nurturing, and Kate was sharp and vivid and solid. He would never fathom what he’d done to be worthy of even one of them, much less the both of them.

 “Okay,” he said, the word coming out breathy and shuddering. “I’ll be all right. Let’s do this.” 

Charlie’s fingers carded through his hair a second time as Kate gave Luke another reassuring smile. Luke drew in another breath, and then Charlie’s magic washed over him and he let his partners carry the weight.

[uneven-odds]

autumnal  asks Part 1

Soo the lovely @noonetosmilefor asked me to do this, thx love <3 lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?  -I met him in 2002 when we were 7. I can´t remember what my first impressions of him were. We became friends only in 2005. After that there were times were we talked 24/7 to each other and then there were times were didn´t. But since I moved out in 2015 we became quite close again (we were always close but since 2015 a little bit more). We can talk about everything, we can laugh about everything and we will annoy each other. I´m very happy to have him as my best friend because he always knows what I think or need and he also can cheer me up.  frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say? -  be patient with yourself, it´s ok if it´s not okay because everything will turn out fine. And do your homework on time and not on the very last minute. maple - is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did? -acting. I always loved that. I also was told many times that I´m good at it. I never did it, mostly because I´m too shy and yeah. But maybe someday I will overcome this and I will try it. harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?  - Spencer Reid. He has a tendency to talk about things that no one really cares about and I do that to. Quite a lot actually. He drinks a lot of coffee and loves books and yeah bitch me too. He also doesn´t really know how to talk to people and I have the same problem. I never know how to start a conversation or keep a conversation alive. Especially if I don´t know this person good or just met this person.But like him I care about the people I love and I would do anything for them.

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?  -black jeans and a lot of hoodies. All in blue/dark/grey shades. Also plaid shirts. cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?  -I disliked beans and white cabbage but now I love both. amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have. -I don´t have one atm. fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario? -I think I would do quite well. Or maybe I would overthink every step and that will be my end. jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?  -Lily Collins. spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?  -No. orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.  -to pass both of my exams and be less anxious. crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?  -Maths. bonfire - describe your dream house. -just a small house with my own library and wine cellar. That would be perfect. cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where? -17th century and in france...i don´t really know why... I just love the fashion and hairstyle. cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?  -I miss high school. Everything was sooo easy and I had more time.  cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on? - My eyes. maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.  -ohh I can´t think of anything rn...don´t really had one so far. quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee)?  -Coffe: black  Tea: no sugar and no milk. Sometimes honey. pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?  -No but circumstances and other humans can turn a human bad or good. moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?  -I´m a messy person. My room is always messy but I can find everything. My room is only orderly if I don´t feel good...idk why. But If I feel good my room will be messy. flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date? - Yes. cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have? - Like my hair atm..maybe a little shorter but yeah. So shoulder length and dark would be my fave type of hair. ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life? - Yes.

[rainbowkosmos]

Thoughts on Love Yourself: Tear

i’ve been listening to this album nonstop for over a week now, but I really want to organize some of my thoughts so Here We Go

(this is very long and i’m sorry)

Singularity:

This one has been out for a while and it was slow to grow on me, but now I really like it. it’s dark, sort of haunting, the kind of song that’s good for playing low at 3 am.

“감싸 보려하지만” especially sounds really good.

god this style of music suits taehyung so well. i also think this is definitely a song that is enhanced by it’s music video.

I just wanna talk for a sec about how Namjoon has had a hand in writing all three LY intros so far and how they’re all fuckin amazing

Fake Love:

I love the descending eerie “ding ding ding ding” in the background of this song. It just adds so much character.

whenever i sing this I try to sing “fake love” and then the fanchant “fake love” in the same verse lmao

“love you so bad, love you so bad, 널 위해 예쁜 거짓을 빚어내” is probably my favourite part of the song, it sound so good

also shoutout to namjoon who has two verses in this song and kills them both

jin sounds fantastic on the chorus. he really shines on this song- the way he sings “fake love” is just so pleasing to the ear.

the structure of this song is really weird. like, I don’t hate it, i actually kind of like it, but I wish they had pulled back for an instrumental break after “I just know why, it’s all fake love” and maybe built the song back up again with the “ding ding ding ding”s. it could have used the break in vocals imo.

The Truth Untold

I cried the first time I heard this song and it was 99% because of the rawness of these vocals.

god listen to jin on his first verse.

Jimin sounds beautiful on this song. jimin sounds beautiful always tbh but it’s especially noticeable here, and a lot of my favourite jimin moments from this album are on this track

“you know that I can’t show you me, give you me” i haven’t been fine since i first heard these lyrics

the connection between the first three songs (talk of masks, blooming flowers, hiding oneself) is pretty incredible tbh.

can you believe this is a steve aoki song? i can’t. well done to him for stepping outside the box.

“and i still want you” did????? i ask??????

134340

ngl this is probably my least favourite song on the album, but I can still appreciate it for it’s lyrical cleverness and the frankly amazing flute.

“Us is the plural form of U” i just. really fuckin love namjoon.

I will say, i really like the pre-chorus on this song, the “난 맴돌고만 있어“ bit. it sounds so... adventurous? idk when i first heard this song I was driving through really heavy fog at 3:30 in the morning and i honestly felt like i’d been transported back to the dawn of the dinosaurs and was about to run into a triceratops. anyway, moving on.

Paradise

Okay lyrically, this song is one of my favourites on the album, but instrumentally, it just can’t hold my attention. there’s nothing about it that grabs me except for the “Stop running for nothing, my friend” near the end. as it is, i really love the lyrics, and it has a message that i’m clinging to right now.

“We deserve a life, 뭐가 크건 작건 그냥 너는 너잖어” (whether big or small, you are just you) namjoon is like dr seuss for 20 year olds i love it

“꿈이 없어도 괜찮아” thank u bts this is a message i need rn

yoongi often raps like he’s pulled his verses straight out of my own thoughts and this one is no different. it’s kind of comforting, honestly.

why are he and hoseok turning into the same person though. like on this song and a few others, they trade verses seamlessly and it’s frankly kind of eerie.

this entire album is so cohesive though.

너를 이루는 모든 언어는 이미 낙원에 i kind of really love this line. it’s gorgeous. “every language that makes you is already in paradise”.

Love Maze

I feel like I haven’t explored this song lyrically enough, but I do like it. I especially like how defiant it sounds. Where it’s placed on the album feels very fitting.

“Love ain't a business, rather like a fitness” “Love is a maze damn, but you is amaze” goddamnit namjoon why do i love these lyrics so much

“baby, just don’t give a damn” seokjin.

tbh that’s all i have to say

that really warped sound that becomes prominent in yoongi’s verse is so cool and adds so much character and atmosphere to the song

also the reference to paradise after the last song was actually called paradise is a nice touch and again, makes this album feel like a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.

i’m really sorry. I know the actual lyrics in hoseok’s verse are “와 있고” but it 100% sounds like “white girl” and that’s all I ever hear when i listen to the song.

it’s interesting to me that some people say this song is romantic, whereas others say it’s about the relationship between bts and their fans. what i love about bts’s lyrics is they often leave a lot of things up for interpretation, and i don’t think they’d be bothered by either viewpoint.

Magic Shop

alright this is one of my favourite songs on the album and i have a Lot to say

i have the lyrics to this song saved on my phone so that i can go and look at them whenever i’m feeling down

also if a song is ‘atmospheric’ enough, i associate colours/images with them in my head, and magic shop is one of the most beautiful songs i’ve ever “seen”.

“So show me (I’ll show you)” is gonna be so fuckin powerful at concerts i can just tell

isn’t hoseok’s verse from his thank you in HYYH pt 1? ugh their minds

also hoseok sounds gorgeous here

the little “ey ey“s in yoongi’s verse please i love

and then there’s a reference to The Last here, but it’s written in a much gentler way and with a flip to it. god i love this song.

and then it goes back to hoseok rly quickly before the chorus again and have i mentioned how much i adore the way sope just fits together on this album

there’s something so calming about this song that just quiets my head for a few minutes

“you gave me the best of me, so you’ll give you the best of you” these are my favourite lyrics on the entire goddamn album, they’re just so impactful. a: a throwback to best of me, and b: a reminder to their fans that they should love themselves as much as they love bts (i’m trying, okay).

before we move on, I want to mention that Magic Shop marks a very obvious tonal shift in the album, the previous songs have all been sad, bitter, defiant, dark. there’s a consistent theme of hiding yourself behind a mask and worrying you won’t be loved (by others or yourself) if you take that mask off. in Magic Shop, the tone finally grows vulnerable, they talk of past fears, of using the “magic shop” to trade worries for happiness, and the rest of the album (until the outro) is going to be tonally more upbeat. this is not a coincidence.

Airplane Part 2

i’m not gonna lie, airplane was my least favourite song on hope world, but this? this is a fucking Jam.

the first time i heard this my mouth genuinely dropped open when jk started singing lmao

kings of singing latin pop in korean

okay jin and namjoon trading off lines is one of the most iconic parts of this entire album

EL MARIACHI

EL MARIACHI

EL MARIACHI

and then yoongi and jimin trading lines? also iconic. the rap and vocal lines worked so well on this album and it truly shows on songs like this.

this song ends on what feels like an unfinished note. like the structure here is weird too. is there a bridge?? i don’t feel like there is???

Anpanman

I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH

i remember listening to this for the first time and just laughing through the whole thing bc i was so delighted

this is a song where taehyung sounds very much in his element, but in a different way from singularity

this just feels like classic bangtan to me and it makes me so happy

“keep ballin ballin, still bangtan” there is something about this line that makes me smile so much.

“눈 뜨니 hero but still in 미로” interesting. “still in a maze”- is this a reference to love maze or am i overthinking things.

also this song seems all light and fluffy on the outside until u remember that anpanman was a hero made of bread who gave parts of himself to others to make them happy and then the rapline all get a turn singing “i’m a new generation anpanman”.... i see. pls don’t do what the old generation anpanman did.

even though things have gotten tonally lighter there are still dark undertones here and that comes to a head later in the outro

i fucking love jk’s verse in this song, it might be my favourite of his on the entire album

i stan a band of Nerds

So What

this is a very surface song that i enjoy jamming to in my car, but have no thoughts on it beyond that haha

i laugh every time one of them uses “bae” in a song bc it just sounds... off

“고민보다 Go Go” god i love it when they reference their older songs

this may not have been as surface as i thought it was upon closer examination of the lyrics. idk what i was expecting tbh like, this is bts.

“hope world, let’s go” that’s fantastic

tbh this might be one of my favourite hoseok verses on the album

wait so namjoon’s not saying “i wanna die right now”? i just now figured that out.

the last minute and a half of this song simply did not need to be there

Outro: Tear

i saw someone say that the instrumental for this belongs in a movie score and i 100% agree

namjoon goes the fuck off in this song like holy shit it’s been a while

and then he repeats “you’re my tear” three times, which alone isn’t interesting but is made interesting by the fact that when rapline comes together later, this bit is changed

okay this is my favourite hoseok verse on the album

and then again with the seamless transition to yoongi! god i’m curious as to why they decided to structure their verses like that, as far as I can remember they haven’t done this before and i really like this stylistic choice because they compliment each other so well.

“we thought we dreamed the same dream, but that dream has finally become a dream“ goddamn

this song sounds so raw, like the truth untold sounded raw too, but I really liked that this album had a vocal and a rap line track to showcase how music can sound vulnerable in different ways.

OKAY here it is, one of my absolute favourite pieces of wordplay (that i can understand) on the album

namjoon says “you’re my tear,” just like he did earlier. yoongi follows that up with “you’re my tear” but he uses the other pronunciation, changing the meaning to “you’re my tear (as in, tearing something).” then hoseok comes in and rhymes “fear” with namjoon’s pronunciation of tear. these are god tier (lmao i can wordplay too) lyrics my friends.

god i love yoongi’s verse so much. first the autotune, then the layering of autotune and his lower register (which he’s used so much more on this album and i adore it) like he switches things up so well and he’s such a versatile rapper i’m literally constantly floored by him.

and then there’s another really nice transition from namjoon to yoongi. what i like about bts’s rapline is that hoseok and yoongi sound really good together, but their higher rapping styles compliment namjoon’s deeper voice so well.

i just need you all to know that the first time i listened to this song i was driving at four am and it’s a good thing i was alone bc when yoongi started singing on the bridge i literally shrieked ‘fUCK’ and clapped a hand over my mouth

hoseok was a fuckin brilliant way to finish this album off, he gives this last verse the emotion and speed it needs and i love it. they’re all good at rapping over instrumental pieces like this but there’s something about hoseok (he did it in boy meets evil too) that just drives home the emotion.

and breathe.

Standout Things:

The cohesive storyline within a larger storyline

Love Yourself: Tear is almost what I would call a concept album, which is classified as an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical.” (yes i got that from wikipedia, but the point stands because there’s definitely a concept here.) Love Yourself: Her also falls within the larger storyline of the Love Yourself era (the rise, fall and resolution of love) but I wouldn’t classify that as a concept album in the same way. Sure, a few of it’s songs dealt with the same sort of ideas, a love that was destined by fate, but a few others veered wildly off of that course. Love Yourself Tear remains steady on it’s concept of masks, pain, self love, giving too much to other people and how to be an idol and still love and be loved for your true self. There’s truly a story being told here and I love it.

The metaphors

Kpop love songs usually do nothing for me, but BTS has been getting a lot better at writing them lately, and what I really liked about the romantic songs on this album is that they were explored using metaphors and references to old stories. 134340 refers to both Pluto and Hades to make it’s point. Love Maze weaves a picture of a dark maze with no way out. The Truth Untold references the smeraldo flower. Even the non romantic songs tell a story in a roundabout way- Anpanman and Magic Shop are both for the fans, one is built around a superhero, the other a psychological technique used in therapy to change one’s way of thinking. The writing on this album has matured greatly and it really makes you think about what they’re saying.

Yoongi’s style experimentation

There were a couple times while listening to this album that I had to take a moment to go “wait, is that Yoongi?” I’m rather used to Yoongi rapping in a certain way. his style-   occasionally cocky, occasionally bitter, usually high toned, fast and emotional- is pretty distinct, and for the most part, he ditched that on this album in favour of a style that’s more mellowed out and lower pitched. he experimented with autotune, sound effects and even singing and i think his experimentation paid off, because he was one of the most memorable parts about this album for me.

Namjoon’s writing

Namjoon is a phenomenal lyricist, we all know that, but every single verse of his on this album stood out to me in some way or another. he had a hand in writing/producing every single song on this album, and i could really see his influence all over it. I just love words and well written lines, and there are so many lines on this album, particularly in Namjoon’s verses that just make me stop for a moment so I can just appreciate the beauty.

Magic Shop’s themes

This. Song.

First of all, the concept of the “magic shop” is such a cool idea for a song, and the way they incorporated it is actually really clever? It’s literally a therapeutic song, because it is a real psychological technique and they’re saying ‘we’ll be your happiness, just come to the “magic shop” and trade in your worries, you’ll be okay’. but, it goes further than “we’ll fix you!!!” with the line “You gave me the best of me, so you’ll give you the best of you”. Here, they encourage their fans to find the “best of themselves”. Basically, saying “love yourself as much as you’ve loved me”. god this is so good.

I have to mention that this song just sounds magical. There’s a calming, celestial vibe to it that A: fits with the rest of the album up until that point and B: acts as a bridge between the rather sad first half of the album and the more upbeat second half.

Bangtan’s chemistry

A minor problem I had with a few of BTS’s older albums was the disconnect between members. (not in person, just in their music). They were all singing on the same tracks, but it didn’t always feel very cohesive. Wings especially (although it remains my favourite Bangtan album) felt like a bunch of separate artists got together and decided to make an album (an amazing album and that style really worked for them at the time, but i digress). On this album, BTS finally feels like a band.  Sure, I praise both the rap and vocal line separately for the truth untold and outro tear, but I’ve never heard BTS sound so strong as a group. The rapping and the vocals felt seamless- there were so many times where they rapidly went back and forth between members, or shared lines, or harmonized beautifully. It rarely, if ever, felt like the vocal line ft: rapline, or the other way around. They blend the two so well these days, from Jungkook and Namjoon’s bit in Fake Love to Yoongi and Jimin during Airplane Part 2. I’m honestly delighted at how well this album works as a whole. Those eight years of living and working together have really paid off for them.

Overall: Love Yourself Tear is a beautiful piece of music that shows a more mature side of BTS. It’s flaws- lack of energy in the middle of the album, more autotune than their previous works, occasionally hard to follow song structure- are not even so much flaws as they are stylistic choices that I can respect. It is a phenomenal 2nd part of a 3 part act, and I eagerly await Love Yourself: Answer for the conclusion of this story, and to see where BTS will take their ever-evolving sound next.

Rating: 9/10.

[nesthemonster]

PRETTY EYES

So, is the first thing that I post on tumblr. Let me know my mistakes and if you want me to continue. Pair: lin x fictional character Warning: none Thank you all for the attention, Ve quiero ☄ "Iris, you have to give your neighbor a chance!" Said Sasha as you entered the cafè. "There's no way I could ever go out with him!" You said rising your voice and removing hat and scarf as the place was very hot and cozy."You haven't listened to the music he listens to. At very high volume. At midnight. He will always be 'the guy who tries to catch a Mariah high notes'. Yep. No way I could ever change my mind." "But he has been so damn sweet this morning helping us with the car!" Added Beatrice pinching your arm. You and you friends were at your weekly breakfast appointment: each Sunday you and girls would have brunch to have a little chat and spend some quality time together because during the week between boyfriends, university and a gazillion of other things it was impossible to gather the four of you for more than 10 minutes. Usually you would hit a cute lounge bar on the opposite of the city but that day was so snowy and windy that the girls decided to meet at 'House Cafè'. It was really your home: most of the morning before lessons or evernings you would be at your little table next to the window doing homework, reading or simply relaxing. Theodore and Mary House were like parents and you have witnessed their lives, the lives of their children and granchildren in the last 4 years. You have seen waitresses and waiters coming and going. "At least you'll be always here." As Mary once said. For these reasons the girls forced you to 'cheat' on them each Sunday. "The girls are right! You have to let the world see you! You can't bring clients only to our little place." Said Theodore winking at you the time he witnessed the girls and you fighting about this particular topic. "I said no. It takes more than a pretty pair of eyes to make interested in a boy." You said waving and walking towards the table where Alice was sitting. Unless it was that particular pair of eyes. You were looking at your friend when your attention was caught by the door opening on te opposite of the room. A boy, better, a man entered the room sliding a hand into his short, black hair and smiling towards a group of men sitted nearby. His eyes were beautiful. The whole face. But the eyes were to die for: they were brown, chocolate brown, melted chocolate brown. And they were big. And awake. Awake?! Since when 'awake' is a way to describe pretty eyes? You felt ipnotized. You felt a sense of warmth in the deepest part of your stomach. You completely blacked-out and you would have continued to swim in his features if he hadn't turned his head to you and smiled even more. Was it possible that his eyes were even brighter?! That's when you felt your friends calling your name. "IRIS?! Girl, are you ok?" Asked Sasha right behind you. "I- I'm-.." You were too startstuck and embarassed to formulate a full sentence. HE CAUGHT YOU STARING. As a second grader. "The last time I saw that face was in senior year when Trevor was moved into our class.-said Alice sipping nonchalantly her coffee- WAIT. WHAT HAVE I JUST SAID. YOU HAD A HUGE CRUSH ON THE DUCHE.- and started moving as she was looking for something- WHO IS HE? "Who is he- who? I've lost few passages." Said Beatrice moving next to you and noticing your face being cherry-coloured. "I can't believe what my eyes are seeing!" "Please, can someone pinch me? Iris might have a crush!" Added Sasha sitting on te chair faking a faint. "First of all, keep your voices low or my embarassement won't let me come near this place for the next year. Secondly, I didn't know Trevor personally at the time. Finally, I don't have a crush on nobody." "Honey, please." They said at the same time. "I've been just caught off guard by a boy that entered the bar. A very handsome one." You said sitting down and trying to see without being seen if he was watching you. No such luck. "I was saying something about eyes, and the universe proved I was wron- GIRLS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" You hissed loudly noticing that they weren't paying attention to what you were saying. Fortunately, you may add. "We are trying to figure out which one is the one." Said Alice moving on the chair and stretching her neck. "Is the one with the suit? No, too smart." "Is the one next to the other guy? Nope, they're kissing. Although they are very cute." "That blonde one with the glasses? He's definitely your type. And mine too if I haden't a such wonderful boyfriend yet." You felt your cheeks going redder and redder. A second grader. You were acting as a second grader. "If you stop pulling your necks out, I'll point him out to you. But you have to stop right now." You said while turning the pages of the menu. In 5 seconds they were at their places. "Good girls- you said hiding a giggle and lifting your eyes from the pages and looking for him the room- I don't see him. Maybe he is gone away." A strange feeling in the back of your throat. "No way. I need to see the guy that left you speechless. It's a world record." Beatrice laughed followed by the other two. You were about to said some type of coursing when a voice at your left said: "I'm sorry to interrupt but Mary said that at this table there were two waffle menus. Is it possible to have one?" Now you were seriously questioning the universe about what you did wrong to deserve that. "I think Mary is wrong, but we're not the waffle type. Not that you have to be a type to eat waffle. Maybe it's better if I just give you the menù. Here." You bubbled trying to control the flow between brain and mouth. He laughed. God. All his face smiled. And due to the short distance you could notice the beard perfectly shaped, the thick brows, the purple marks under his eyes, the perfect teeth. And his eyes. The strange thing was that when you looked him in the eyes he wasn't just looking back at you: he was LOOKING back at you, like really looking at you. It's difficult to explain but that was the feeling. " That's very kind of you. Now it's better if I go, I've bother you girls enough. Have a nice day." He smiled and crossed the room to sit as his table where his friends welcomed him with noises and gestures you couldn't fully understand. After few seconds you remembered the presence of your friends and turned to them just to find 3 marble statues. "Girls?" You asked. "I can't believe what I have witnessed." Sasha said. "I think I need a glass of water." Added Beatrice. "Let's try to stay calm... WHO AM I FOOLING?!" Almost screamed Alice. "He's the guy with the pretty eyes. Am I right? Yes, I am. I always am." "Although he has other few pretty things." Said Alice with a certain look. "He only asked for a menù." You tried to calm them, yourself and your heartbeat. "While you were studying the other's face into details. PLEASE." Said Alice on the verge of a crysis. "Pretty lady, now you listen to me. Do. Not. Minimaze. What. Has. Just. Happened. Or I'm going to slap you. He's cute, very cute and polite. He's interested into you: because of six people at that table he came here. He did. And decided to speak to you. If he was scared of you staring at him, he would have acted in a very different way. And you haven't witnessed to the scene from the outside: you would understand why we are in such shock. I'll be honest and say that I've never seen someone looking at you with such sentiment in the 15 years we know each other. So, don't freak out. Enjoy the moment amd do not overthink the events. Did I made myself clear?" She said point a finger to you while you were nodding. "Good. 'Cause I can feel him looking towards you. Now, we'll act cool and order something to eat. Mary!!" She ended raising a hand jn the hair. "I'll always love her, but when she acts like that I truly adore Alice." Said Beatrice. And you know she was right. That's why Alice and you have been inseparable for a decade and a half: she knew what to say before you said a single word, you balanced each other and you couldn't survive on your own. "I've seen you have had someone visiting your table" said Mary approaching you and showing a hidden waffle menù between other five. " You are INCREDIBLE! - Sasha put her arms around the woman's waist- but hey, how did you know?" "Because I know always everything, because I've seen the scene earlier and because the poor guy has suffered enough!" She continued. "Enough?" Asked Alice. "Two months or so." She said patting on your shoulder. "Two months?! What are you talking about?" You needed an explaination.

[chengu99-blog]

Reflection

When I first heard about the UX/UI course from my peers, I was drawn in instantly and knew this would be a course I would enjoy and be suitable for me. Switching majors 2 weeks into the semester was a big decision I made and I’m actually very happy I chose this course in the end! I feel like I’ve learnt so much within this one semester and not just about design, but more importantly how to work in a group. In the beginning, I admit I was little scared of working on a group project as my previous experiences were quite daunting but thankfully, I knew Debbie and Rebecca from last year��s classes so we were able to work pretty well as a team.

In the beginning, it was a bit hard for me to get my opinion across as I’m quite soft-spoken and it sometimes felt like my ideas weren’t as good as others. But as the weeks went by, I adapted to working as a group better and pushed my way through to speak when needed to and gave my own opinions. I know that some ideas might be neglected and debated upon but it’s all about compromising each other and I quite enjoyed these discussions as it was a good learning experience that not only helped us improve our app process but also gave us a valuable insight to the ‘real world’ because not everyone might agree and perceive things the same way you do. From the start of our brainstorming, we came up with many ideas and settled on a car parking management app. We all agreed that public parking in town was a stressful and frustrating issue that many people struggle with on a daily basis so to resolve these problems, our main features and functions of our app will allow users to book a park anywhere at any time without a hassle or worry. In the early stages of wire-framing our prototype, I had no experience with prototyping or creating an interactive screen design, however, the design process in general was easy to catch on with a lot of ideas being thrown out, prototyping then re-evaluating which was a repetitive but fun cycle. Designing our app individually was a time-consuming process as being a group of 3 made it difficult to combine and merge all our designs together however it worked out really well in the end.
 I feel like being in a group of three definitely had its advantages and disadvantages. Being able to share the workload meant we were able to complete the given tasks much faster and time efficiently. Having the majority vote with two people agreeing on something was also a plus as it reduced moments of wasting time being indecisive. Communication outside of class was a factor that went quite well as we all replied fast to our group chat and updated each other whenever someone uploaded work to share on Drive. This would then be passed on to the next member who would finish it off and re-upload for everyone. Our teamwork matched well as we each had certain aspects of design that we were good at. Debbie did an amazing job creating our style tiles and linking up our screens for the prototype, Rebecca’s talent in animating was eye-catching and really enhanced our app’s features while I was better at making our icons and logo, taking notice on details due to my OCD and discovering new programmes we could experiment with. The disadvantages weren’t many in comparison, but it included the pressure of having to do really well with all our tasks and create much more work since we had an extra person. It also involved a range of different ideas being voiced which occasionally was a struggle when needing to explain yourself and your viewpoint in order for everyone in the group to understand. One of our main challenges was designing for a screen and getting used to the idea that what we’re designing isn’t printed, it’s only digitally displayed. It’s so different as coming from designing publications and prints last year, I used 9pt body type yet using a 25pt body type on an app may still appear a bit on the smaller side. In the process of creating ParkPal, it really made me consider how much time and attention is put into every tiny detail from sketching, wire-framing, prototyping, designing and testing it until there’s nothing wrong. As we are on our phones every day, we never really think about why certain things work the way they do. Ensuring that we think about the little things like colour, text sizing, different screen sizes and interactions/ gestures is very important as a slight change could make the biggest difference from a user’s point of view. Colours could appear completely different on laptops vs phone screens without a retina display, text sizing of a 4pt difference could change the whole look of a button and overthinking animations/ interactions we imagined in our heads could easily become pointless and unnecessary. Struggling to choose a prototyping programme was another issue we later encountered as we realised XD was limited in its capabilities to enhance the character of our app so by the time we made a decision, it was too late. Overall, I’m really proud of my team and how our app turned out for this project! It was such an awesome journey and experience to work with a group in creating something that we’re all excited to share with others. I now understand the importance of putting the user’s experience first and through this mindset, I’ve learnt so many new tools and methods over this semester in relation to UX/ UI. I truly enjoyed designing something behind the screen that we could use every day, it makes me feel like I’m on the right path as a designer. Thanks to our tutor, G, for always giving us inspiration and motivation to work past our limits and setting the right atmosphere, I can’t wait for next semester !