#Julie performing 'Bright'

[willowfae82]

i feel like we don't talk about 'this band is back (Reggie's Jam)' enough.

how did it come about. was it a song they already had written, if so why. like, before they died they were at the 'peak of their careers'; why would they write a song about 'coming/being back' when they were still at the top.

this leads to my headcanon/theory:

they literally made it up on the spot. like they telepathically communicated the whole thing. because they were so in-tune with each other when they were alive that they could do that. it's why Luke looks to Alex and Reggie as much as he does. he's wanting to make sure they're picking up what he's putting down. i mean their instruments were so intrinsically part of them they could be summoned at will. so it stands to reason that they could do this with their thoughts/selves too.

the fact that it's parenthetically called 'Reggie's Jam' will always get me feeling some kind of way.

[catty-words]

here's how fictional band julie and the phantoms going on a real life tour can still win

[bloodstained-moon]

happy three years jatp shoutout to my bestie who called me after she watched this silly ghost singing show and made me come over to watch it as soon as she finished it

[solibrie]

having big ideas for the space between lately... i kinda wanna try my hand at writing julie and luke's big songwriting weekend... especially since that is presumably the weekend julie caught feelings

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Beastie Boys - Intergalactic 1998

Hello Nasty is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 14, 1998. It sold 681,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, and won Best Alternative Music Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999.

"Intergalactic" was released as the first single, on June 2, 1998. The single reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's third top-40 single, and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, where it remains the band's biggest hit. It received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1999.

The wonderful "Intergalactic" video was directed by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch under the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér. The storyline revolves around a giant robot causing destruction by fighting a giant octopus-headed creature in a city. Various scenes are filmed in the Shibuya and Shinjuku train stations in Tokyo, Japan. Throughout the video, the band wear bright uniforms of Japanese street construction workers. The music video won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

Beastie Boys have sold 20 million records in the US and had seven platinum-selling albums from 1986 to 2004. They are the biggest-selling rap group since Billboard began recording sales in 1991. In 2012, they became the third rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the same year, Adam Yauch died of cancer and Beastie Boys disbanded. The remaining members have released several retrospective works, including a book, a documentary, and a career-spanning compilation album.

"Intergalactic" received a total of 62,4% yes votes!

[chrissssssmut]

NOBODY KNOWS

Monster/ Vampire Kiss Of Life (Natty, Belle, Haneul & Julie) x Male Reader

AN: Hey y'all! I'm back after a hectic week! Actually the week's still hell but hey, I was able to write! Enjoy!🙏

The day had finally arrived. After months of anticipation, weeks of planning, and hours of daydreaming, you were finally going to see Kiss of Life live on their first tour. You’d been a fan since their debut, but nothing compared to the thrill of knowing you’d be in the same venue as them—watching, screaming, singing along. And most importantly, seeing your bias, Natty, up close.

As the concert kicked off, the atmosphere was electric. The energy of the crowd, the pulsating beats, the way the girls owned the stage—it was everything you imagined and more. You lost yourself in the moment, waving your lightstick, singing every lyric, your eyes locked on Natty whenever she took center stage. Then, the unexpected happened.

“We’re gonna bring one lucky fan up here to dance with us!” Julie announced, her voice playful and teasing.

Your heart pounded. The odds were slim, but still, you hoped.

And then—your name was called.

Disbelief turned into exhilaration as security guided you to the stage. The girls cheered as you stepped forward, your entire body buzzing with adrenaline. You danced alongside them, the crowd roaring, and for a moment, it felt like a dream. Natty, with her signature bright smile, leaned close and whispered, "You're really good." As the performance ended, she slipped something into your palm. A note.

“Check it later,” she said with a wink before waving goodbye.

The concert ended, but your heart still raced. The note burned in your hand. Carefully unfolding it, your eyes scanned the words:

Meet us by the Praxton Hotel ;), we’d love to have you again :)) Room 709.

A shiver ran down your spine, excitement laced with curiosity. This was an invitation. A personal one.

Without hesitation, you made your way to the Praxton Hotel. Security was expecting you. With a nod, they guided you to the designated floor, stopping in front of the room. You knocked hesitantly.

The door swung open.

"You actually came!" Belle grinned, ushering you inside.

The room was lavish, dimly lit by golden chandeliers. The members greeted you warmly, their smiles as dazzling as they were on stage. They pulled you toward a grand dining table, an extravagant feast laid out before you.

“Eat up,” Haneul gestured. “You must be starving after all that dancing.”

You hesitated for a second, noticing that none of them had touched their plates. Maybe they had already eaten? Shrugging, you dug in, the rich flavors melting in your mouth. You mumbled a thanks, too engrossed in the meal to notice their intense gazes locked onto you.

The moment you finished, Natty leaned in, her voice honeyed. “Come with us. We have a special room where we like to celebrate.”

Something in her tone sent a shiver down your spine, but you followed anyway. The hallway stretched into an eerie silence as one of them led you to a room at the end of the corridor. The door creaked open, revealing nothing but darkness.

"Go on," Julie whispered, pushing you forward gently.

The door shut behind you. Click.

A chill crawled up your spine.

Suddenly, the dim glow of red neon flickered to life, illuminating the four figures surrounding you. Their expressions had shifted—no longer the warm, inviting idols you admired, but something darker, something hungrier.

“How devoted are you?” Haneul’s voice was almost mocking as she stepped closer.

Your breath hitched. "W-What?"

Natty smirked, tilting her head. “You love us, don’t you?”

You took a step back, but Belle was behind you, her hands gripping your shoulders. Panic set in. You turned, only to have Julie push you onto a chair. Before you could react, Haneul straddled your lap, her fingers tracing along your jawline.

“You look delicious,” she murmured, her eyes flashing something inhuman.

Julie leaned in from behind, her lips brushing against your ear. "We’ve noticed you for a while," she whispered, her breath sending shivers down your spine. "A true fan, aren’t you?"

Natty knelt beside you, running her fingers along your arm. "We wanted to meet you properly, to see how much you really adore us," she said, her lips ghosting over your wrist.

Belle tilted your chin up, her eyes gleaming. "You’d do anything for us, wouldn’t you?" She leaned in, her lips barely a breath away from yours before pulling back with a teasing smile.

Your body felt hot, weak under their touch. Their closeness was intoxicating, their voices dripping with seduction. Every whispered word, every graze of their fingertips sent a rush of anticipation through you.

And then, their fangs emerged.

Terror flooded your veins as realization struck. You opened your mouth to scream, but a hand—Natty’s—clamped over it. The pressure of sharp teeth pierced your neck, and a burning sensation spread through your body. The room spun. Your limbs grew weak.

They took turns, each sinking their fangs into you, drinking deeply. Your strength drained with every second, your vision blurring. You barely registered your own feeble struggles. When they finally pulled away, you collapsed onto the cold floor, panting, your body trembling from the blood loss.

You tried to crawl toward the door, fingertips scraping against the polished surface, but Belle pressed a boot against your hand, stopping you. Your eyes darted up, pleading, but she only smiled before grabbing you by the shirt.

"You’re not leaving," she whispered, dragging you toward another door, this one even darker, even colder.

Your hoarse screams echoed through the hotel room, fingers clawing at the floor as they pulled you into the abyss.

And then— nothing.

Silence filled the air as the girls wiped the remnants of blood from their lips, their hunger temporarily sated. Natty leaned back against the velvet couch, pulling out her phone with a smirk. The others followed suit, scrolling through social media, scanning comments, profiles, and fan accounts.

“Who’s next?” Haneul mused, tilting her head as she tapped on a devoted fan’s profile.

Belle chuckled, eyes gleaming. "Let’s find another loyal one. Someone just as eager as him."

Julie grinned, fingers dancing across the screen. "Maybe next time, we’ll pick two."

The room filled with laughter, low and sultry, as they continued their search.

The hunt had begun again.

Part 2?? LET ME KNOW!🙏

[wonders-of-the-cosmos]

Mariner program

The Mariner program was conducted by the American space agency NASA to explore other planets. Between 1962 and late 1973, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed and built 10 robotic interplanetary probes named Mariner to explore the inner Solar System - visiting the planets Venus, Mars and Mercury for the first time, and returning to Venus and Mars for additional close observations.

The program included a number of interplanetary firsts, including the first planetary flyby, the planetary orbiter, and the first gravity assist maneuver. Of the 10 vehicles in the Mariner series, seven were successful, forming the starting point for many subsequent NASA/JPL space probe programs. 

The name of the Mariner program was decided in "May 1960-at the suggestion of Edgar M. Cortright" to have the "planetary mission probes ... patterned after nautical terms, to convey 'the impression of travel to great distances and remote lands.'" That "decision was the basis for naming Mariner, Ranger, Surveyor, and Viking probes."

Each spacecraft was to carry solar panels that would be pointed toward the Sun and a dish antenna that would be pointed at Earth. Each would also carry a host of scientific instruments. Some of the instruments, such as cameras, would need to be pointed at the target body it was studying. Other instruments were non-directional and studied phenomena such as magnetic fields and charged particles. JPL engineers proposed to make the Mariners "three-axis-stabilized," meaning that unlike other space probes they would not spin.

Mariner 1 and Mariner 2

Mariner 1 and Mariner 2 were two deep-space probes making up NASA's Mariner-R project. The primary goal of the project was to develop and launch two spacecraft sequentially to the near vicinity of Venus, receive communications from the spacecraft and to perform radiometric temperature measurements of the planet. A secondary objective was to make interplanetary magnetic field and/or particle measurements on the way to, and in the vicinity of, Venus.

Animation of Mariner 2's trajectory from August 27, 1962, to December 31, 1962. Mariner 2 · Venus · Earth.

Mariners 3 and 4

Sisterships Mariner 3 and Mariner 4 were Mars flyby missions.

Mariner 3 was launched on November 5, 1964, but the shroud encasing the spacecraft atop its rocket failed to open properly and Mariner 3 did not get to Mars.

Mariner 4, launched on November 28, 1964, was the first successful flyby of the planet Mars and gave the first glimpse of Mars at close range

This archival image is an enhanced contrast version of the first Mars photograph released on July 15, 1965. This is man's first close-up photograph of another planet -- a photographic representation of digital data radioed from Mars by the Mariner 4 spacecraft. Data was either sent to Earth immediately for acquisition or stored on an onboard tape recorder for later transmission.

The pictures, played back from a small tape recorder over a long period, showed lunar-type impact craters (just beginning to be photographed at close range from the Moon), some of them touched with frost in the chill Martian evening. 

Mariner 5

The Mariner 5 spacecraft was launched to Venus on June 14, 1967, and arrived in the vicinity of the planet in October 1967. It carried a complement of experiments to probe Venus' atmosphere with radio waves, scan its brightness in ultraviolet light, and sample the solar particles and magnetic field fluctuations above the planet.

Mariners 6 and 7

Mariners 6 and 7 were identical teammates in a two-spacecraft mission to Mars. Mariner 6 was launched on February 24, 1969, followed by Mariner 7 on March 21, 1969. They flew over the equator and southern hemisphere of the planet Mars.

Mariners 8 and 9

Mariner 8 and Mariner 9 were identical sister craft designed to map the Martian surface simultaneously, but Mariner 8 was lost in a launch vehicle failure. Mariner 9 was launched in May 1971 and became the first artificial satellite of Mars. 

Mariner 10

The Mariner 10 spacecraft launched on November 3, 1973, and was the first to use a gravity assist trajectory, accelerating as it entered the gravitational influence of Venus, then being flung by the planet's gravity onto a slightly different course to reach Mercury. It was also the first spacecraft to encounter two planets at close range, and for 33 years the only spacecraft to photograph Mercury in closeup.

Venus in real colors, processed from clear and blue filtered Mariner 10 images

Mariner 10's photograph of Venus in ultraviolet light (photo color-enhanced to simulate Venus's natural color as the human eye would see it)

This mosaic shows the planet Mercury as seen by Mariner 10 as it sped away from the planet on March 29, 1974.

source x, x | images x

[jammysandwich9]

listen i really like combining fandoms

welcome home drones!

i made a few more drone species eheh...

howdy - disassembly drone with upgrades, his passion became running a bodega in a colony of worker drones. simply put he found more value in getting jokes or stories from drones in exchange for oil from a reservoir

wally - a worker drone with a solver. i imagined him more like doll in the sense that he doesn't develop wings or a tail. he's just kind of there, using his solver to hold a few paint brushes at a time to make pretty extra details on his paintings

barnaby - a heavy drone. they're made for the heavy lifting, like tearing into colonies and the like. however he didn't really care about all that, opting to joke around with workers and just live around the colony

julie - a mini disassembly drone. this is a species by a friend. they're made to get it small spaces like vents or walls in order to infiltrate colonies. these drones are especially hyper, crawling around quickly and generally scuttling around. julie was, like barnaby and howdy, more interested in living with the workers. she generally plays games with any drone she comes across

poppy - a harpy drone, built for faster flying and better navigation. her sensors are usually going haywire, leading one eye to permanently be a warning message. she is very careful with her blades, and they're actually extremely dulled down. she uses her wings' blades as her hands, and can use them with surprising grace, like knitting and sewing. she never had the heart for disassembly drone work in the first place

frank - he's a worker with a passion for bugs. keybugs, floppy disk butterflies, usb beetles- if it scuttles and scares eddie, he's all over it. speaking of eddie

eddie - a shelving drone. like a sturdier worker, made for - you guessed it - shelving! he can carry heavy parcels, which helped his passion for mail carrying become a reality in the colony with his own post office

sally - a worker with a passion for performance. being in a colony with the same ol' drones every day was boring for such a bright, talented drone - so she is the director, star, and writer of many, if not all, plays and shows in the colony. when the disassembly drones arrived with no interest of disassembling anything, she found some of her (mostly willing) stars for her productions

[virtualtadpole]

Behind the blue shorts: How an all-boys Catholic school sparked the origination of Thai BL

(Cross-post from Reddit)

One evening this past July in Bangkok's long-time youth hangout of Siam Square, a crowd was gathering in the street, around an area set aside for busking musicians. The mostly young-adult female audience politely applauded as several high school bands took turns performing, but they were actually waiting for a different act. After some time, the crowd began to stir as members caught sight of some two dozen teenaged boys, all in a uniform of white shirts and bright royal blue shorts, headed towards the gathering. As they filed out onto the makeshift stage area, the boys were loudly greeted with passionate, enthusiastic screams, all too characteristic of fans cheering on their idols.

But these boys weren't actual idols - not yet, at least. They were all brand new actors, yet to appear on screen anywhere. They were the cast of Love Sick 2024, an upcoming remake of the pioneering Thai BL series whose tenth anniversary they were celebrating that day, in one of their first public appearances.

Why, then, would such inexperienced newcomers inspire such fervent devotion?

The Love Sick 2024 boys (and three girls) with their audience (Tia51)

Well, for starters, the original Love Sick series is a quintessential classic of Thai BL, arguably the one pivotal work that kick-started the entire TV genre - which in the decade since has developed into an industry worth multi-millions and recognized as a major cultural export. It still holds a place close to many long-time fans' hearts, and BL, like other phenomena of fandom culture, has been known to elicit very enthusiastic emotional responses from followers.

But the scenes witnessed with Love Sick 2024's actors are actually quite reminiscent of those previously seen during the original's release, when BL series didn't yet even exist as a category. Surely, there must be something else underlying this series' - and its actors' - popularity.

Let's take a closer look.

Love Sick's real-life inspiration

In chapter 21 of the original Love Sick novel, Noh, having taken delivery of the music club's new set of drums and overseen band practice for the evening, spends some time sitting around on the stands along the sports pitch next to the F. Building, wondering how he's going to pay for them. It's not long before Earn shows up to rescue him from his financial troubles, but let's pay attention to the location.

The F. Building Noh mentioned is an actual place - F. Hilaire Building at Assumption College (AC) in Bangkok. It is named after Frère (Brother) Hilaire, one of five French missionary teachers of the Catholic Brothers of St. Gabriel who arrived in Siam in 1901.

In the late 19th century, Siam (Thailand's historical name) was rapidly modernizing in response to colonial pressures. American Protestant and French Roman Catholic missionaries played a large role introducing technological and medical advances, and also established some of the first schools in the country as the royal government introduced reforms to formalize the education system. Father Émile August Colombet, the head priest of what was then Assumption Church, founded Assumption College as a school for boys in 1885, and after a decade of growth, the Brothers were invited to help run the school. A convent school for girls, run by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, was established next door soon after.

While the early government schools mostly served the aristocracy, the missionary schools catered more to the general populace, especially the minority ethnic groups who also formed the majority of their congregations. However, while they are remembered today for their legacy of modernization, the missionaries had relatively little success proselytizing, and the large majority of their students remained Buddhist.

Over time, these schools expanded and grew. The St. Gabriel's Foundation now operates over a dozen schools, as well as a university, and Assumption College is regarded as one of the most elite private schools in the country. Its lengthy list of famous alumni includes names from several of Thailand's biggest business families, as well as major political figures, demonstrating its historic stature and the strength of its alumni network. Today, the stereotypical image of its students is of those coming from wealthy or upper middle-class families of Chinese descent, and hefty donations are the norm for families looking to secure placement for their sons.

AC student Keen (Only Boo!) giving a presentation in 2022 on his team's experience joining a NASA-sponsored CanSat (miniature suborbital satellite) competition. It's not like every school has an aerospace program. (Assumption College, via Workpoint Today)

Brother Hilaire, barely 20 when he arrived in Siam, spent his next 67 years dedicated to the school. He learned Thai well enough to write the foundational Thai textbook series Darunsueksa, which remains in use over a century later. Along with Father Colombet, he is memorialized as one of the school's two most celebrated figures.

Today, the building which bears his name overlooks the school's central courtyard, an assembly ground of red brick facing the apse of Assumption Cathedral, an imposing Romanesque Revival structure nestled in Bangkok's old European district along Charoen Krung Road, the city's first modern paved street. Guests headed to the famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel nearby might catch glimpses through the steel palisade fence of boys in their white-and-blue uniforms playing football in the tiny sports pitch - the very place where Noh and Earn had their conversation in the novel. The stands are no longer there, but were present in 2007 when The Love of Siam was filmed at the school. Also appearing in the film, and the site of Noh's classes in the novel, is the 13-storey school building which now towers over the cathedral in order to accommodate its secondary student body of some 2,500 within the limited historic space. (The primary section had been split to a different campus in 1966.)

The F. Hilaire Building clock, and Kao Jirayu as young Tong in the sports pitch, seen in The Love of Siam (Sahamongkolfilm International)

A nativity play right in front of the cathedral would be epic. However, this is artistic licence, as the school's primary section lies elsewhere. This area is now the red brick courtyard; Noh actually mentions in the novel that the school was undergoing a lot of landscaping projects. (Sahamongkolfilm International)

The Love of Siam may have been one of the first few instances where the wider public got to actually see what things looked like inside the school. Although it was only standing in as a location for the fictional St. Nicholas School, there was something about seeing students in their sea of blue uniform shorts that tickled the imagination. Such was the effect that when Love Sick began serializing as a web novel on Dek-D.com a year later, the Thai subtitle, usually translated as The Chaotic Lives of Blue Shorts Guys, undoubtedly helped fuel its popularity.

But what's so special about these blue shorts anyway?

This might come as a surprise to international viewers who've only primarily seen Thailand through its TV series, where they tend to be over-represented, but school uniforms with blue shorts are actually rather uncommon in real life. Let's look back again to Brother Hilaire's time, to find out more about their origins.

A history of the blue shorts

In the early days of formal education, most schools did not have defined uniforms, and AC students wore a varied assortment of costumes according to their ethnic background. The school first introduced a uniform in 1933, consisting of a white standing-collar jacket with metal buttons bearing the school insignia, blue shorts, a white pith helmet, white socks, and black leather shoes (though the helmet, socks and shoes remained optional). This was similar to a form already used by some royally affiliated schools since the 1910s,* though their shorts were navy or black. The reason AC opted for blue shorts is not recorded, though some writers have postulated that it may have been to reflect the common colour of the raj pattern costume, the formal dress of the time.

A class of AC students, with their teachers, in the 1940s. It's unclear whether the shorts were the school's original blue, or khaki green in accordance with the 1939 law. (Assumption Association, via The Cloud)

The first piece of legislation governing school uniforms came out in 1939 under the Fascist-leaning regime of Prime Minister Plaek Pibulsonggram. Male students in government schools were assigned a khaki green military-style uniform to match that of the government's Yuwachon Thahan military youth movement. Some AC students also joined the movement, though those who didn't continued to wear the white uniform, creating an interesting contrast which we'll come back to later. In 1943, at the height of World War II in Southeast Asia, a new law extended the khaki green uniform to all schools, but it's unclear whether it ever took effect as Pibulsonggram was ousted the following year and the Yuwachon movement was dissolved after the war's end.

In 1949, the old regulation was scrapped and replaced with a new one, which codified school uniforms to the almost exact same appearance we see today: for boys, a white shirt, shorts, a belt, socks, and shoes. But the shorts were to be khaki for all schools, except those who requested otherwise to the Ministry of Education. Assumption, together with its sister Gabrielite schools, were among the first to register exemptions and became the only schools with blue shorts for their uniforms for several years.

In 1961, the national regulation was changed again to allow schools to choose between khaki, blue, navy, or black shorts. As time passed, boys' uniforms developed into the convention we see today: black or khaki shorts for government schools, blue or black for private schools. But given their prominence, the image of the all-boys Catholic school has remained one of the strongest associated with the blue shorts uniform.

Not that it mattered much back then, though. In the pre-digital era, people's exposure to different schools was mostly limited to their immediate locality and depictions in the media. While blue-shorts uniforms did feature in some teen movies and sitcoms in the 1990s,† those works didn't really play into the stereotype, and the 1997 financial crisis soon disrupted most media production anyway.

Attracting attention

Then several things happened. The BTS Skytrain opened in 1999, and Bangkok became much smaller overnight - at least for the middle class. Cram schools moved into building spaces in Siam Square left vacant from the recession, and saw an explosion in popularity. School students from all over now flocked to Siam Square in the evenings, and the video classrooms became something of an inter-school melting pot where one could catch sight of all sorts of uniform styles and colours.

And the AC boys, they very much stood out.

It's unclear exactly when things began, but throughout the years, Assumption students had developed a fashion culture of their own. The school is one of a handful that require leather shoes (as opposed to canvas),‡ and its upper-secondary students usually opted for a certain pointy style produced by a couple of old shops on Charoen Krung Road. They would also have their shorts tailor-modified to be very short - typically 15 inches or less, while uniforms coming out of the factory are usually 18 inches at the shortest for high-schooler sizes - and wear them with waists pulled very low. This was despite the rule book stating, like any other school's, that shorts should reach no more than 5 centimetres above the knee. It's actually a common refrain of experiences retold by AC students and alumni that they'd get into trouble for their shorts and shoes whenever the disciplinarian teacher would inspect their uniforms. But it was also part of the challenge, to stay on top of the fashion of their peers and at the same time get away with it.

This fashion only added to the fact that those vivid blue shorts are very visible, like, even from 100 metres away. So, coupled with the stereotype of them being rich kids with likely above-average attractiveness, these AC boys' uniforms easily caught attention, whether they were entering late into a cram school classroom or queuing for the train at the BTS's central interchange at Siam Station during rush hour.

This group strolling down the streets of Siam Square would surely draw plenty of eyes in real life. (Sahamongkolfilm International)

The turn of the 21st century also saw the spread of internet access, and with the early web came the proliferation of online discussion forums, both smaller ones serving specific groups like schools and larger public communities like the youth-oriented Dek-D. Suddenly, it became possible to peak into some of the conversations kids elsewhere were having and share in the knowledge of their hijinks at school. This, in some ways, helped fuel the fantasy of this exclusive boys' world, filled with good-looking guys in revealing shorts who weren't averse to having physical contact with each other.

The online forums also gave birth to web fiction, which soon expanded to include the emerging Y (BL) genre. Naturally, these trends eventually converged to give us plenty of Y fiction set in all-boys schools. But the epitome of these wouldn't arrive until after The Love of Siam hit screens in 2007.

The Love of Siam was probably the first major work in a decade to prominently feature the blue shorts uniform,§ and this time it was actually used to highlight the Catholic boys' school setting, employing AC itself as the location. Though it appeared only in a few short glimpses, they were powerful images that further inspired fascination with the real-life school.

It might be because it's accurate, or because the film has completely coloured viewer's perceptions, but this scene is exactly how one would imagine things to be like in those Catholic boys' schools. (Sahamongkolfilm International)

Then in 2008, Love Sick quietly began serializing on Dek-D's writers' section. The story's premise was simple, but it so effectively tapped into this collective fascination and quickly rose up the site's readership charts. Its popularity came no doubt thanks to author Indrytime's extremely lively and enjoyable writing of Noh, who narrates the story throughout. But a large part of the appeal is also attributable to the lifelike portrayal of his school life, with plenty of references to actual locations both within the school and outside - including the convent school next door and the numerous shops of Siam Square. The novel also name-dropped some of the school's actual teachers who, in Catholic school fashion, are addressed as Miss and Master, and Noh even mentions specific happenings at AC, like the new belt buckles that had been added to the school uniform for younger students that year. The only thing not mentioned was the name of the school, which was intentionally left blank. So close did the story feel to real life that the author had to emphasize its fictional nature when people started speculating about the real identities of Punn‖ and Noh and tried to identify them with actual AC students.

But the most significant reference to real life in Love Sick by far must be its descriptions of what is clearly meant to be the Jaturamitr football competition - a biennial event between Thailand's four oldest boys' schools: Assumption College, its Protestant counterpart Bangkok Christian College (BCC), and the royally founded government schools Suankularb Wittayalai (SK) and Debsirin (DS). The tradition is a HUGE part of school life at these four schools, which pretty much share this culture of intense collective institutional pride.

These boys and their ball game

It's kind of hard to explain all that the competition entails, but the football is just a small part of it. This YouTube video��looking at the BCC side makes for a nice intro.¶ There are parades, mascots, Thai-style cheerleading (featuring not acrobatics, but synchronized arm movements), and most notably, the spectacular card stunt displays, which involve the entire student body from the lower-secondary years. The students will spend months practising to perfect their card flips, under the direction of the cheering president. Sounds familiar? That's Earn's position in Love Sick.

Fourwheels (Oxygen, Nitiman, La Pluie), wearing the cheering crew overalls that Noh dreams of, addressing the AC crowd in 2017 (AC Ed Tech)

Beam Boonyakorn (Make It Right) as AC's eagle mascot, though it's often teased for looking more like a chicken, also in 2017 (TTaewTaew Twitter)

The card stunt tradition actually originated at AC in 1942, from the aforementioned contrast between the military youth and regular uniforms. A teacher came up with the idea of having the differently dressed students arrange to form the school initials on the stands. This eventually developed into the elaborate displays done today, which use coloured card booklets to create pixels that together form a detailed aggregate image. Crowds of 1,250 from each school, seated opposite the paying audience, are needed to perform these.

Oat Tharathorn (Fourever You) in the card-stunt-performing audience in 2014; note the plates of colour card booklets set on the racks in front of them. (oattrt Instagram)

Such plates appeared in Love Sick 2024's episode 4 behind-the-scenes clip, but didn't show up in the actual episode. They later appeared in episode 5. (Tia51)

Regular fixtures among these displays include school logos, the royal family, and sponsors. There are also have these coordinated sequences with portraits of students and alumni greeting the crowd, which may feature some familiar faces.

A sponsor ad for Est gives way to AC student Chimon greeting the audience in 2017. (AC Ed Tech)

Alumni PP Krit (AC), Ice Natara (DS), Nonkul (BCC), and Sky Wongravee (SK) welcoming the audience, 2019 (AC Ed Tech)

GMMTV's Marc (AC) and Ford (SK) from the same sequence in 2019; Inn (BCC) from before 2014; AC alum Net Siraphop in 2023 (AC Ed Tech; Suankularb Photo Club; inpitar Instagram)

This attention to popular students didn't exist during novel Noh's time, though. Back then, few people followed the event apart from the schools' students and alumni, and football people scouting for young talent. But the 2010s' "cute boy" craze brought a sharp rise in attention from the sao-Y and cute-boy-following crowds, who flocked to the matches, some equipped with huge telephoto lenses to capture not the football action but cute guys in the audience.

BCC alumnus Inn Sarin photographed in the audience in 2014. Photos of him from the event were virally shared and boosted his following and "cute boy" stature. (inpitar Instagram)

BCC cheerleaders Winny Thanawin (2017) and Ping Krittanun (2019) (BCC Jaturamitr)

The origination of Thai BL

In some ways, the Love Sick novel helped lay the foundations for the phenomenon. It gave readers this imaginary connection to the school, which drove interest in seeing what its real-life students shared on social media, especially as Instagram exploded in popularity around 2012. And of course, attractive boys in revealing uniform shorts was already a winning combination in itself (and the fashion soon spread to other schools).

So it's appropriately fitting that things would come full circle with the 2013 announcement of Love Sick The Series, which generated huge amounts of engagement as fans recalled their impressions of the characters and shared pictures of real-life AC students whom they saw as the perfect Punn and Noh.

As it turned out, recent AC graduate White was cast as Punn, and several other AC boys were also chosen for the many supporting characters. Fans readily took to following these budding actors from the moment they were announced, gathering to meet them after acting classes and supporting them through to the last post-series events. It was a revelation in how dedicated such a fandom could be, without seeing even a second of these actors' work.

For the production, though, it could hardly be expected that explicit reference to the real-life school would be allowed, so they named the school Friday College in the series. (Which kind of bugs me. Couldn't they have at least come up with a vaguely Catholic-sounding name? Anyway, they developed it into a brand and it's stuck now.) They did model the school emblem and uniform exactly after AC's (in its 2008 form, before the new belt buckle), and the same uniform was featured in Thank God It's Friday, a 2019 spin-off set in the same universe. However, the school emblem was redesigned for the 2024 Love Sick remake, maybe because the resemblance now felt too close for comfort. (Another detail that bugs me is how the 2014 series had four-digit student IDs, while the 2024 has six. Most real-life schools have five digits!)

While it would have been a dream come true to see the actual original locations in the series adaptation (even if unnamed), this was not to happen. In fact, unlike its sister school Assumption College Thonburi, which served as the location for Hormones and numerous other works, AC seems to no longer be keen on allowing access as a filming location, and hasn't been spotted in anything since The Love of Siam.

Anyway, Love Sick's broadcast was a turning point in several ways. Of course, it most importantly kickstarted the Thai BL industry,** but this also led to a shift in Y culture where shippers turned their focus from real people to actor pairs from series. "Cute boys" from social media were now regularly tapped to join the many budding modelling agencies, who would try to push them as actors and influencers, and AC students attracted particular attention. Make It Right (2016)'s Peak, Ohm and Beam, for example, were all scouted from the school.

AC students Peak, Ohm and Beam, taken by a fan account in 2016. (allaboutpeak Twitter)

The boys made use of their newfound cult. Popular AC students were tapped to promote the school's annual Christmas Fair, which drew an influx of visitors from their followers, who happily contributed to their fundraising efforts. This was much changed from Noh's time in the novel, when the fair was still pretty much an internal event for students and their immediate friends and family.

Turbo (Love Stage!!) promoting merch for AC's 2015 Christmas Fair (turbotb Instagram)

However, this trend, as with the cute boy craze itself, seems to have largely petered out, especially as life was disrupted by the COVID pandemic and the 2020 protests brought about sharp changes in ideology among young people. Another victim of this has been the Jaturamitr competition, which was postponed for two years before taking place again in 2023.†† But it then became the topic of a huge online drama over the compulsory nature of attendance for the card stunt performances (which not everyone willingly enjoyed), and the negative public attention soured the experience for a lot of the students.

These new concerns seem to have influenced Love Sick's 2024 remake. In the novel, during preparation for the football competition, Noh talks about how hard the marching band was practising, and how he and the band leaders felt the need to push them to perfection, in order to uphold the school's reputation. There's a clear institutional pride in the way he says, "I'm sure the young ones understand. (Or if they don't now, they will in a few years.)"

This stands in sharp contrast to Earn's stance in Love Sick 2024, where he says in episode 4, "If the formation fails, the school’s reputation will just take a hit. But the school doesn’t have feelings, does it? It is they (the young ones) who have feelings."

We'll find out in a couple of hours how else they're updating the depiction of the competition, which was one of the highlight scenes in the novel thanks to how detailed it was with insider info of the behind-the-scenes workings at the Suphachalasai National Stadium in real life. It's an unfortunate fact, though, that it's near impossible that any TV production with a normal budget would even come close to the spectacle of the actual event, with its crowds in the tens of thousands. But let's see how creative the production crew can be.

After all, it's the emotional threads that make the real highlight of the story, isn't it?

Footnotes

* These schools had been set up after the English public school model by King Vajiravudh, who himself was educated in England. Vajiravudh College still uses it as its ceremonial uniform.

† One of these was I Miss You 2 (1996), which was filmed at Montfort College in Chiang Mai, another Gabrielite school. Incidentally, The Love of Siam director Madeaw Chookiat was a student there and became an extra in the film, an experience which inspired him to go into filmmaking. He would later base the Nay-Beam segment of Home (2012, one of the most significant mainstream proto-BL works) at the school.

‡ Most other schools allow both, and their students usually prefer canvas shoes. Nanyang, with its iconic green soles, has long been the most popular brand.

§ Actually there's at least Yong Songyos's Dorm (2006), set at his alma mater Assumption College Sriracha, but it's a horror focusing more on the boarding-school aspect. Yong also created a short film dedicated to the school in 2015, starring four Hormones Next Gen actors (no English subs, but there are hardcoded Thai captions that maybe a tool can translate).

‖ Sorry, but I just can't accept the spelling Phun, as it's plain incorrect. The /p/ and /ph/ are supposed to represent different sounds in Thai, but most Thai people don't understand the system as it's not taught in schools.

¶ As an expat, the video creator misses the meanings of some of the things that happen in the video. The yellow chicken is a reference to a Facebook satirist who's said to bring bad luck to sports teams, while the no-banana sign is a response to the angry chant the BCC side was yelling. It's an expletive that rhymes with the word for banana in Thai.

** Isn't it ironic that a genre revolving around a topic so controversial with the Church should be inspired by a Catholic school? But then, as director Madeaw demonstrated in The Love of Siam, religious conflict has always played an important role in driving social issues, while in the case of Love Sick, it's not actually relevant at all.

†† Yet another victim is the Chula-Thammasat Traditional Football Match, a competition between Thailand's two oldest universities which features similar elements of parades, cheerleading and card stunts. It hasn't been properly held since 2020, and when a substitute event was held in 2024, a huge online drama erupted over the student body's decision to alter certain elements.

[oonajaeadira]

@jolapeno is encouraging us all to list the favorite things we've made this year. And @sixhours and @jeewrites are superlative humans and they have tagged me and I am grateful for that!

I'm not gonna lie, y'all. When I'm asked to reflect on what I've created in the fandom this year...well, "depressed" is a word I could use.

But. It's been such a lovely year in the fandom. We were treated to a Fox, a Roman general, a boy-who-never-grew-up, and a penis collector, not to mention the promise of a very flexible scientific-genius wifeguy and sneak peeks of everyone's favorite melancholy apocalypse survivor.

Thank you to everyone who was helping us keep a lookout for nasty folks and helping to combat deplorable behaviors, and thank you to everyone who did their part keeping spirits bright.

And I will be forever grateful for @pedroscouts and @pedrosummercamp ...it literally gave me something to focus on when my days were running away from me and introduced me to some really sassy and hilarious new friends. <3

Still. 2024 put me through a professional and emotional wringer. So. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna list my wins. First, we'll start with what Jo asked for!

PEDRO PASCAL CHARACTER FANFICTION

Okay. So the rules said it had to be a finished project. Playing by the rules, I would have nothing to post. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Poop. So, in the interest of choosing joy, breaking the rules it is!

Fluffbruary Six-Sentence Ficlets - multiple I tried, y'all. I tried real hard. I got through 15! And I was making a new header for each one! And then life got real busy and I had to stop. But I have every prompt assigned and I decided I'm gonna reblog the first half and post the second half this February. I know they're not a popular series, but they make me happy, so they're getting doing!

Leave Off Your Wandering - Joel Technically, I did finish this one, since I had always planned for it to be just the four parts. But at the end of the Winter chapter, I realized it needed an epilogue, so there's another chapter coming. And it's not far off. I may finish it before the end of the year and then it will really not be a lie. But first.....

That Awooo Inside You (Part 1, Part 2) - Fink This may not qualify yet, but the final chapter will be finished before the end of the year. I have it half written and there's a chapter pic ready to go. Proof:

.

And that's mainly it. I did write some pieces for @morallyinept's spooky moodboards as well and really enjoyed that! But that's been what I've been able to do. So to combat the whomp whomp in my heart about it, I include here another list after the tags.

tagging! @katareyoudrilling @secretelephanttattoo @fromthedeskoftheraven @goodwithcheese @walkingaline

And you!

Your Favorite Things 2024 with Jo

PROFESSIONAL CHECKLIST OF 2024

(Pedro girlies can stop reading here. This is solely for me to really take account of and be proud of everything I accomplished this year, but also to let it soak in that I do not want another year like this again.)

JANUARY:

Researched, wrote, developed, costumed and constructed [solo show]

Performed [solo show] in Minneapolis for a limited group

Performed one night in an Off-Book quest slot performance

Performed [solo show] in Tuscon

FEBRUARY:

Prepared for the hellish year to come

MARCH:

Helped to develop new script for [indie company]

APRIL:

Directed new script for [indie company]

Developed, costumed, constructed and performed a short detailed piece for a fundraiser by a company I dearly love and hope to work for

MAY:

Continuance and opening of new script production for [indie company]

Both managing and guest performing in a large fundraiser show for my work

JUNE:

Performing [solo show] in Atlanta

Performing as part of a trio in a long-form improv production in Atlanta

Directing a brand new set of 5 trateau pieces for a company I dearly love

JULY:

Trateau rehearsal continues

AUGUST:

Trateau performances

Huge annual arts event that my work actually centers around

SEPTEMBER:

Travel to Sweden and Finland for work

Travel to Sweden and Denmark for pleasure (first time out of the US since 2019, so it was an accomplishment for me)

Start work on a project that will require me to direct, create, costume, design, manage, market, and help write five separate 60-mintue shows that will all perform within one week of each other

OCTOBER:

Aforementioned 5-show nightmare rehearsals and marketing continue

Performed in all 5 shows

Coordinated an 11-day pop-up market during that same week which included a complete (floor, ceiling, walls) set-dressing of a small room, while being the proprietor and coordinator of all sellers and wares

NOVEMBER:

Died a little inside

Cleaned my studio for the first time in a year

DECEMBER:

Started rehearsals for a show I'll act/sing in this spring, one that will be stress free and a fkn joy and everything that 2024 was not.

[dreamingofep]

Forbidden Love pt. 12💔❣️

Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Prompt: Reuniting with Elvis was supposed to be the highlight of your summer, but with unresolved tensions between you two, things aren't what they seem. [Fem! reader]

TW: cussing, tension, Dom/sub dynamic, bondage, Elvis being a possessive little sh*t😏🤭

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 4.2k

A/N: Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This chapter… this chapter was A LOT to write and it’s all because this man is so damn fine🫠 Just look at these pictures! Please strap in for this part, it’s quite a lot heh. I kinda like him when he’s… you know… upset and bossy… I might be the only one who feels that way I’m suuurrreee😝 🫣 Anyway, hope you like this next part!

💔

July 31st, 1969

The night had finally come. It was Elvis’ opening night. You were so excited to see him perform live. It had been over a decade since you were able to watch him on stage. You had a feeling he was going to be better than you could have imagined. He was full of nerves the proceeding days but something about having you there calmed his nerves slightly.

You sat in one of the center red booths with a few other couples in his circle. You wore a cute black tank and skirt with knee-high boots. Everyone was nice and complimented on how you looked. They were very gracious to you and didn’t ask you any questions about why you were here alone. You were sure they caught wind of what happened but didn’t bring it up thankfully. The audience was buzzing and there were girls giddy with excitement. You were right there with them! You couldn’t wait to see what he would wear and how the bright lights would shine on him.

The thunderous drumroll begins to play behind the gold curtain and everyone turns their attention to the stage. Your skin prickles as the band starts to play the opening riff. The bass of the drum beats loudly against your chest and you’re on the edge of your seat. It takes a few minutes for Elvis to appear and for a second, you’re scared he’s not coming out. He told you how nervous and scared he was to be performing again. He deeply cared what the fans thought about him and didn’t want to let them down.

Your own nerves began to build and just as you thought, he walked from the wings of the stage. You hold your breath when you get a glimpse of him on that huge stage. If you didn’t, you’d be screaming and crying like these other girls here. He looked radiant and had the most brilliant smile on his face. He wore a two-piece, all-black suit with a herringbone pattern on the lapels with a scarf tucked into his top. You had never seen him look so good. And that’s really saying something. The way he walks is like a lethal animal. Those piercing blue eyes make you weak and he is in full command of this stage. Of his stage. If he was nervous, you couldn’t tell with the way he was stalking the audience, prowling as if we were his prey that he was going to take this room down one by one.

He puts his guitar strap around his shoulder and makes his way to the microphone. His deep tenor voice booms through the speakers and you feel your heart pounding.

Well it’s one for the money

Two for the show

Three to get ready now go cat go…

His voice sounded so strong and echoed through the large crowd. Everyone is screaming his name, thrilled to hear and see this man in person. Just like in rehearsals, he brought a new light to these older songs. They didn’t lack any luster and was so unbelievable to hear them live on a big stage.

The show was over an hour of nonstop hits and you couldn’t lie to yourself, you felt flustered watching him up there. The most subtle movements were suggestive and the gritty sound of his voice sent a tingle through you. How he would thrust with the beat of the drums or pull his guitar out and then against his body over and over as if he was in the throes of passion with you. The longer he was on stage, the more you couldn’t help but squeeze your legs together, trying to subside that ache he’s created in you.

He closed out the night with Can’t Help Falling in Love and it was the perfect song choice. One of the guys asks you if you’re coming to the press conference at midnight. You wouldn’t miss it for the world and knew you needed to see Elvis. You wanted to kiss him and show him exactly how he’s made you feel. You didn’t care anymore about the cameras. You weren’t going to hide your feelings anymore.

*

The guys help you get to the large ballroom where the conference is being set up. The room is full of reporters and a few lucky fans. You decide to keep standing against the wall, hoping he will spot you quickly.

At midnight on the dot, a side door opens and in walks Elvis, looking drop-dead handsome. He wore a black suit with nothing underneath the jacket except for a pink scarf fluttering out of it. His hair was fluffy and combed back again compared to the sweaty mess he was on stage moments ago. Everyone bursts into applause as he enters the room and your mouth goes dry. He makes you feel completely entranced by his presence and his god-like looks.

Yet again, he commands the room, his whole body language calm and in control. He starts taking questions from the press and he’s as charming as ever. You can tell he’s enjoying himself and everyone is hanging on every word he says. He was a feast for the eyes. The way he was absentmindedly playing with the rings on his fingers, twisting them back and forth and rubbing them as he answered a question. It was harmless to most but for you, you couldn’t help but think how those fingers would make you cry his name. It kept getting worse when he would bend his leg and rest his knee on the table in front of him, making him seem like he was the most dominant man on this planet.

After everyone had their questions answered, they allowed people to take pictures with him. You were dying to congratulate him and be in his arms again. But there were so many people in this room pushing their way forward to him. You had to be patient and you knew your time would come.

You’re only a few people away and going to squeeze through when you stop dead in your tracks.

You see Dianne wrap her hands around Elvis’ waist and pull him in for a hug. He looks down at her and smiles and pulls her in tighter, kissing the top of her head and posing for the camera. The second the flash goes off, Elvis meets your angry eyes as you stare at him. You couldn’t even fake a smile when you looked at him. All the things he’s been saying to you and how he’ll ‘take care of you’ and ‘do anything for you’ seems like a bunch of shit he made up just to shut you up.

“Hi y/n,” he says low. “So glad you’re here.”

“That makes one of us,” you snap, quickly turning away and heading out the door.

You quickly make it back to the penthouse, being careful that no one is following you or watching where you are going. You were fuming that Diane was here. For a second you thought it could just be you and Elvis for this trip but no, this little act they had going on had to come to Vegas too. You angrily kick off your heels and head for the bathroom, peeling off the jewelry Elvis bought you that feels meaningless now.

Fifteen minutes pass by and you hear the front door of the suite slam closed. You didn’t care who it was you didn’t want to see anyone. The bathroom door squeaks open wider and Elvis stands in the doorway, looking just as angry as you.

“What the hell was that?” He snaps.

“What was what?! I didn’t want to be down there with you two,” you scowl.

“You didn’t need to storm off like that-“ he starts but you interrupt him.

“Why is she here?” You snarl.

“Goddamn it don’t start,” he says giving you a look of warning.

“I’m so fucking tired of her Elvis. She doesn’t need to be here! Why can’t you tell her once and for all you don’t want her here!”

“I’ve told you it’s not that simple! This was a press conference, of course they would ask if I had a girl. I had to act like what I was saying wasn’t a total lie,” he tries to say calmly.

“You could’ve lied still and not had her here that’s all I’m saying!”

“What did you want me to do?! Pull you from the crowd and tell the world how I’m infatuated with a married woman! Is that what you want?” He spats.

“You’re unbelievable, I’m so fucking done,” you mutter pushing past him to get out of the bathroom. You shuffle through the drawers to get something else to wear and turn back to him, anger flowing off of him once again.

“Is anything you tell me the truth? Do you actually care about me?” You threaten.

“You’re kidding me right?” He says flatly.

“No, I have no idea what you think of me anymore. One second you’re promising me the world and treating me like you love me and the next you have another girl around your neck! The one you tell the world you might marry one day! ”

You swear his eyes are on fire the way he’s looking at you, so filled with anger at the words you’re saying to him. “God I can’t believe this has gone on so long with her! Wasting your fucking time. And you probably-,” you say briefly but stop yourself.

“No, what? Come on and say it,” he challenges, taking another step closer to you.

You take a step closer to him too, looking up at him defiantly as you were about to say the same words he told you the first time you’d seen each other after so many years.

“You probably thought of me too, all those years ago, begging for you, while you were in her, didn’t you?” You hissed. His eyes grow wide and looks at you in utter disbelief. He doesn’t make a sound and just stares craters into you.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” you spat, feeling proud of yourself for jabbing him where it hurt.

You’re about to reach for the doorknob when you feel his hand pull at your hip to make you turn around and have you pressed against the door. His other hand tangled in your hair tightly, pulling your hair and making you gasp at the sudden forcefulness. You drop the extra clothes that you had in your hand and look into his fiery eyes.

“You just love to piss me off don’t you?” He hisses in your ear.

“You question my feelings for you? Do you think I fuck anyone the way I fuck you,” he snarls, nipping at your neck.

You meet his heated gaze and your heaving chests touch each other as you stay silent.

“I have no idea,” you say frustrated.

A low growl vibrates from his chest and he puts your hands above your head, holding them there while his body pins you against the door. You hold back the moan your body makes when you feel his hard length pressing into you.

You shouldn’t want him in this moment. You were so pissed off at his behavior that you shouldn’t even be in the same room as him but you couldn’t pull away. You wanted him to prove how much he wanted you. Over and over and over again.

“You’re gonna make me show you, aren’t you? Teach you how to fuckin’ behave.” He says with a roll of his hips grinding into you. You bite your lip to silence yourself and wait for him to look at you.

“I need to show you what it means to be mine hmm,” he threatens.

Your mind screams yes at him. You want his every last ounce of attention from him and make you his. You don’t care how he needed to, you wanted him to show you and live up to his words.

He lets go of your wrists and lets your arms fall to the side. You reach up to kiss him but he backs away, denying you of his touch.

“No, you don’t get to touch me.” He says hotly, unbuttoning his jacket and pulling the scarf from his neck.

“Turn around,” he commands.

You look at him wide-eyed and slowly turn to face the door. You feel him pull your hands behind your back and wrap the scarf a few times around your wrists before tying it in a knot. Your heart pounds as what’s about to happen. You have no idea what he was going to do to you but you had no control either.

You were at his mercy now.

“Go sit on the bed,” he tells you. You do as you’re told and sit on the edge of the bed, crossing your legs. He stands before you shirtless and you watch him unbutton his pants. He doesn’t go any further than that as he puts his hands on your knees and uncrosses your legs, spreading them wide. Your skirt was short so it was easy for him to see your panties. You felt that they were soaked through and hoped he wouldn’t notice the wet stain.

His finger pulls aside your panties and he makes this delicious groan as he looks at your dripping cunt. He looks up at you, sending chills down your spine.

“Who made you this fucking wet?”

“Y-you,” you say quietly.

“That’s right. No one else gets you like this. Because you are mine and can’t deny it. All fucking mine,” he growls as he pushes two of his fingers to your entrance. You gasp at the sensation and look up at him shocked.

“Jesus you’re so starved for it. So starved for my attention hmm?” He asks you confidently.

“No, I'm not,” you say defiantly.

He looks up at you unamused by your attitude and pushes both of his fingers inside of you. You let your jaw fall slack and groan out in pleasure.

“Elvis,” you cry.

“Mhmm, that’s what I thought. So damn needy for me, only me.”

His fingers pump in and out of you, leaving you more and more breathless. He curls his long fingers and makes your hips buck up, hitting the most sensitive spot inside you and leaving you wanting more. He spreads and pumps his fingers, making you more wet for him as time passes. He keeps the same motions for a long time as you feel yourself about to come unglued. Your walls flutter around him and he quickly pulls his fingers out of you.

“No please,” you gasp.

He doesn’t listen to your cry, he unzips the rest of his pants and pulls them down his narrow hips, revealing his hard cock. You shudder at the sight of him. He also looks very needy. Aching for your touch and your pleasure you were so ready to give to him.

He looks into your needy eyes and brings his two wet fingers to his mouth, closing his eyes and licking your wetness off of them. He relishes in the taste of you and you can’t tear your eyes off of this man as you feel the pulsating warmth in your core worsen. He pulls his fingers out of his mouth with a pop and bites his lip when he looks at you.

He looks dangerous.

Just like that animal on stage, he was about to eat you alive.

“Get on your knees, make it nice and wet before I fuck you,” he tells you.

You can’t feel your legs and feel so weak over what he wants from you. You do as you’re told though, sinking to your knees and looking up at him. He holds the base of his cock and taps it on your lips.

“Open that mouth for me,” he orders. You do as he says and your eyes roll back when you taste the salty precum dripping out of him. He pushes his length deeper inside you and grabs a fistful of your hair, making you look up at him.

“Look at me when you take my cock down your throat,” he commands, pushing more of his length inside you making you gag. He pulls out of you as you gasp for air. Your eyes water at the corners and continue to stay still, breathing heavily. You open your mouth again for him, waiting to move. He has a smirk on his face as he looks down on you.

“That’s a good girl. Sucha good girl for me.” He hums as he slides his cock back into your mouth. You let him use you any way he wants until he’s had enough, gagging and drooling over his cock.

He quickly pulls himself out of you and pulls you up by your arm.

“Turn around, bend over the bed, and be good,” he tells you. You felt your body become limp at what he wanted from you. You had never submitted yourself to a man like this, having no control over anything. Especially being restrained…

You try to beg him, “Baby please, I’ll listen-,” you try to reason but he doesn’t let you finish.

“Good, then bend over and let me show you you’re mine,” he hisses, twisting you around and pulling your body flush to his. His hard length pushed against your backside and you both groan. He licks the crook of your neck and up to your ear. You hold your breath and feel every fiber of your being on fire. He then nips your ear and makes you jump.

“Don’t make me ask again,” he warns.

You take a few steps and bend over the bed, resting your chest and cheek on the comforter. You twist your wrists a bit, seeing if you can get loose but it’s no use. The knot was secure. Your heart pounds away and you feel both of his hands tightly squeeze your hips. You feel his head push at your entrance and hear him grunt as he thrusts most of his length inside you. You groan in agony and feel the searing pleasure of your walls squeezing around him.

“Elvis, oh God,” you cry.

He pushes the rest of his cock inside you and he begins to fuck you in long, firm thrusts. You close your eyes and bite your lip, forcing every moan to stay in your throat and not come out. He is letting all of his feelings come out and is very vocal about how good he feels. You’re completely at his mercy and can’t see anything he has in store. His hips move in the best ways and your body relaxes more and more with every movement.

You try to look at him and try to turn your body slightly. He doesn’t like that and his hand is in your hair, keeping you still.

“No, stay right here and let me hear how much you love this,” he says low. His voice sends a chill down your body and makes you moan.

“Yes, baby. It’s so good,” you whine breathlessly, “Please keep moving.”

He moves faster and has you gasping for air. He loves hearing you lose control just as much as you love hearing praise from him.

He lets go of your hair and puts his hand back on your hip, giving him the most leverage. He grinds you into the base of his cock making you feel on the brink of collapse. You couldn’t last much longer at the rate he was taking you. You were already so weak watching him perform that anything was going to put you over the edge.

Your legs were weak and you could feel your walls flutter as he stuffed you to the brink. You whine for him to make you cum, desperate for your release. He doesn’t give you what you want right away. He slows down and sees how needy you are.

“Sucha needy girl. You need to cum? You need Daddy to make you cum?” His voice was low and gravelly. Your heart hammers at what just came out of his mouth. Oh God, you’ve never wanted to call another man that but from his lips?! You wanted to call him that and have him give you anything else you wanted.

“Y-yes Daddy. Please, please give it to me,” you moan. He lets out a guttural groan hearing you submit to him like this.

“That’s it baby, sucha good girl. Keep begging for Daddy, I like it,” he quips, rolling his hips slowly.

He was going to make your heart fly out of your chest. You felt your core flutter around him and barely held yourself back from finishing. You wanted to listen to him though, you knew he’d give you what you wanted if you did.

“Please, Daddy. I need you. I’m begging you to let me cum,” you say breathless.

He picks your body up from the bed so you’re standing and he has one knee on the bed, allowing him to become as deep as he could be inside you. His hips push into you and his hands slither to the front side of you, squeezing handfuls of your breasts. You feel his laborious breath along your neck and the sounds of his satisfaction in your ear. He moves one of his hands down your body to find your aching bud, desperate for touch.

“Cum for me baby. Cum for Daddy,” he groans, thrusting inside you deeper.

Your body listens to him and you come crashing down like waves on a rocky shoreline. Hard and fast. Your eyes shut and your body shudders at the pace of his hips. Your core squeezes around him and he cusses in your ear of how good you feel.

“Fuck… That’s it honey, cum for Daddy,” he grits through his teeth, fucking the daylights out of you.

You’re so overwhelmed with all of this and feel like you’ve been shot into outer space. You’ve never felt so satisfied with what he gave you. His hands slide down to your hips once more when he’s about to finish too. Every thrust became more powerful and sporadic. You couldn’t help but whine and scream his name.

“Yes, you’re mine baby. All. Fucking. Mine,” he grunts.

You groan at that statement and feel his length pulse inside of you. He doesn’t stop and keeps himself buried inside you. He was out of breath and kept his hands on your hips, tightly squeezing you. The sound of the slick between your legs was evidence of what a mess he made you. His hips slow but he doesn’t stop to give you a moment to breathe. His lips kiss the crook of your neck and make you gasp at every touch he gives you.

You feel his hands work the knotted scarf off of you and it flutters onto the bed. You bring your arms to the front of you and brace yourself on the bed, your body tired and trembling. He pulls his cock out of you and slowly turns you around. You cling to his body and see his flushed face.

His eyes are still heated yet soft when he looks at you, his chest still heaving for breath and his hair a sweaty mess once again.

“Don’t you ever think again that I would want anyone else more than I want you,” he says quietly with hurt in his voice, leaning down and kissing you.

“You drive me insane,” he grumbles into your mouth. You can’t help but smirk at him, liking how he gets so flustered with you.

“I know,” you whisper back.

He chuckles at your acknowledgment and pulls you back down on the bed, nestling himself in between your legs. You feel his cock still a bit hard resting at your entrance and he pushes it in. You writhe at the sensitivity and hold onto his back, pulling him closer. He makes a disgruntled sound too and looks at you again, soft and tenderly this time.

“You are all I need. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and more, please don’t forget that,” he sighs.

“I won’t,” you quiver.

“I’ll have her leave first thing in the mornin’. You’ll never see her again,” he tells you sternly. You believe him and don’t doubt him for a second.

He continues to kiss you and cover you with his love. It felt so good and you never wanted him to stop. His hips subtly move and you gasp at the feeling.

“Now just give me a second and I’ll love you nice and slow, all night long if you want,” he murmurs in your ear. You feel like a puddle already and want him all over.

“Yes, please. Please Daddy,” you whisper and you feel his hips buck up into you. You groan loudly and claw at his back.

“Fuck I should have known that would sound so sexy coming from you,” he groans into your neck, kissing you over and over.

“I like being yours,” you tease, softly caressing his hair.

He hums softly and looks up at you with a smirk on his face, “You’re going to make me keep you pinned to this bed saying things like that aren’t you?”

“I don’t think you’d mind that,” you quip, kissing his full lips and relishing in his warmth.

“Uhuh, I don’t.”

•

•

•

Tagging:

@loving-elvis @neptuneismysister@velvetelvis @ccab @presleyenterprise @theresalwaysep

@sillybookmarks @dkayfixates

@ellie-24 @rktismylife-blog.

@myradiaz @tacozebra051

@18lkpeters @flwrs4aust @emma181873

@austinswhitewolf @eliseinmemphis

@everythingelvispresley@chasingwildflowers

@dontwanttoputanything. @ohjustpeachy-

@elvisalltheway101@austinsmutler@kingdomforapony.

@generoustreemystic @claire-elvisgirl

@ashtag6887@burnthheparaphilia @richardslady121

@jaqueline19997

@returntopresley. @iloveelvis @rimartin11@that-hotdog @louisejoy86@misspresley@cattcb @annapresley8

@arrolyn1114 @raginginkedslut @epthedream69

@mh777

@50sexyshadestashionista

@oldhOllywOod @hooked-on-elvis @livelovedilfs

@sloppiest-of-jos @thisis-theway@gatheraheart

@aphroditebabygirl@faeolwen

[thebowieconstricker]

Stagedoor Sparks! (Matthew Patel x Reader) ✨🔥🔱

masterlist link

AN: OH MY GOODNESS YOU GUYS WERE FEELING THIS ONE OKAY-

I’m so glad to see people hyped up for my pathetic pirate boy. Please enjoy and if this goes well I may turn it into a series lol

We’ve got a gender neutral reader, idiots in love, I saw someone say pathetic x pathetic and YES, theater kid lingo, mild swearing, and your favorite cutie pie. ⚠️Also, this is heavily based on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, so spoiler warnings for that if you haven’t seen it! ⚠️ Enjoy!

“Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Musical”, was what the bright lights of the massive sign on your local theater boasted. Recently, your coworker Julie had been telling you about the ridiculous life of this ‘Scott Pilgrim’, ranting about the conga line of characters that filled his (frankly, pathetic sounding) existence. She had also alerted you to this… musical. A musical that had been written about his life.

You sighed to yourself and adjusted your bag. Making your way to the golden, elaborately designed doors, just barely dodging all the paparazzi (why was there so much paparazzi?), you somehow successfully made your way into the main lobby of the theatre. Ivory and gold filled your vision as you observed the plush red carpet that lined each of the three floors. You had visited this theater before, and it’s gorgeous grandeur never failed to amaze you.

Now, you did not at all care about this guy. Yes, you had been silently internalizing every minuscule part of this random guy’s daily shenanigans, but that was because you were being a good friend to Julie! This Scott guy seemed like a tool, and you weren't particularly interested in listening to a…?

You checked the playbill the usher had just handed you.

…THREE HOUR MUSICAL?!? You almost started laughing right there.

But anyways, you weren’t here for this Scott guy.

You were here for musical theater. You had always been drawn to the fantastical world of lights and costumes and music. Plus, this was a community production with actors from Toronto, and you were always happy to support your local theater kids.

As you finally made your way to your seat, you sat down in the plush red chairs and opened your playbill to the cast section. You didn’t see any names you recognized, but one stood out to you.

Matthew Patel - Scott Pilgrim

Obviously, Scott Pilgrim was the lead role, but what really caught your attention was the picture attached to the name. Matthew Patel, you respectfully observed, was mad cute.

The lights suddenly began to dim and you settled in for whatever was in store, keeping a keen eye out for this ‘Matthew Patel’.

~~~ Holy shit, this is the best thing you’ve ever seen.

From the moment Matthew Patel walked onstage, you were absolutely smitten. He wore a bright orange wig that clashed horrendously with his dark skin, and an oversized jacket, but he was the hottest thing you had ever seen. Also, holy shit, Matthew Patel could sing. From the first line, you were completely enraptured by his high tenor belting. As you watched him onstage, you saw literal sparks in his eyes, his excitement and passion for the stage radiating off of him.

At the curtain call, you stood and enthusiastically clapped for each of the cast members, but hooped and hollered for Matthew especially. Even though you knew he couldn’t see you from the stage, you found yourself blushing at the thought of him looking at you.

That’s when it hit you: You’ve gotta book it to stage door to meet this guy.

~~~ Matthew Patel was completely exhausted. As the curtains flew closed, he sighed and turned around to smile at his cast mates. Although he was drained by his performance, he always took this opportunity at the end of a show to look to his fellow caste mates.

And hopefully someone would invite him with their group to an after show dinner.

He walked through the crowd, giving pats on the back and thumbs ups as he made his way to his dressing room. Lots of smiles, lots of “great job!”’s but… no invitations.

Slamming the door to his room he quickly took of his wig and put on his regular clothes, deciding that he would take off his stage makeup at home (aka the makeup he regularly wore but no one cared enough to know that). His room had a window where he could look down at the stagedoor line, the line that had been non-existent since opening night. He didn’t take it personally, since this musical was for a very specific audience of people and he understood that outside of them, no one knew or cared who Scott Pilgrim was. But still, he was onstage. He was singing and dancing and his art was being celebrated. Yes, he was lonely, still, but life wasn’t too bad right now.

As he did every day, he quickly glanced out his window to check for audience members at stage door and, sure enough, no one-

Wait-

Someone was there?

He did a double take and physically walked to the window, his hands placed against the glass and his now quickening breath creating a fog.

SOMEONE WAS THERE??!?!?

From high up in his dressing room, he saw a small figure holding the bright red playbill of his show. They seemed to be moving back and forth on their feet, bouncing excitedly. From so high up he couldn’t see their expression, but could make out what he thought was a smile.

He broke out into a wide smile. Running around his room, gathering his things and throwing them into his backpack, only one thought raced through his mind: He had to get down there.

~~~ As you waited, the cold Toronto air stung against your flushed cheeks. You were still high on endorphins from the show, the songs already worming their way into your head as you tapped your feet in anticipation.

Suddenly, and without warning, a man burst out of the dark black door you were waiting out, out of breath and panting. He was so hellbent on running out the door that he ran right into you, knocking you over!

“AH-“, you both made the same sound as you fell, the man directly on top of you.

“Oh- apologies, ma’am, I uh-“

You would have said a number of rude things to this man but, seeing his face, you were starstruck.

“Matthew Patel?”

His eyes widened in shock. Carefully, he got off of you and onto his knee in front of you. Gently, he took your hand and pulled you up, the both of you now back on your feet.

“You know me?”

You couldn’t help but notice the faint blush on his cheeks.

“Of course! Well- I mean, you know, you’re Scott Pilgrim! You were absolutely incredible up there, just amazing! My jaw was the floor the whole time! I mean, your voice and your dancing and the fight scenes-“

As you rambled on and on, Matthew was unable to snap himself out of the trance you had put him in. Visually, you were breathtaking, so much so he didn’t know how he had ever found anyone else attractive. But more so, you were genuinely complimenting him. He was never complimented on his theater work. He’d get the rare one from his cast mates, but never an outside fan.

Noticing his silence, you suddenly stopped talking.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to rant, it’s just- one theater kid to another, you were so amazing.”

He shook his head at your apology. “No, don’t be sorry. You’re- you’re very kind. Thank you. And I’m sorry again for… running you over.”

You laughed- a leitmotif to rival Sondheims to Matthew’s ears- and looked at him with a goofy grin.

“Would you sign my playbill?”

“Would you like to have dinner tonight?”

The two of you spoke at the same time, and one’s question made the other blush furiously. Matthew’s entire body tensed in embarrassment that he had been bold enough to ask you out like this, not even knowing your name.

You were absolutely over the moon.

“I- uh- yes. Yes, I would love to.”

Your smile got impossibly wider, and the sparks in Matthew’s eyes that you had noted during his performance returned. With a huge grin, he reached out his hand to take your playbill. You handed it to him and a marker appeared in his other hand as he quickly scribbled his signature.

“What’s your name?”

You told him and his blush deepened. He turned back to the playbill and scribbled a bit more, then handed it to you. You squeaked in excitement and looked at what he had written.

To my biggest fan,

(Y/N)

Looking back up at him, you were certain this was the start of something new.

“So… do you like Italian?”

~~~ HEY MATTHEW FANS TAKE THIS FIC! GO, FETCH! This’ll make a lot more sense if you like musicals, so have fun! Like I said at the start, if y’all want more and I’m feeling up to it, I’ll write more! Happy holidays, folks!

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The Two Most Iconic Wheel Standers of All Time.

Hurst Hemi Under Glass

Hurst Hemi Under Glass is the name given to a series of exhibition drag racing cars campaigned by Hurst Performance between 1965 and 1970 across North America and ended with the '68 model year.

Each wheelstander was based on the current Plymouth Barracuda for the corresponding model year. The car was so named because the fuel injected Chrysler Hemi engine was placed under the Barracuda's exceptionally large rear window. The result of the rearward weight transfer was a "wheelie" down the length of the drag strip.

The Hemi Under Glass was developed by Hurst Corporation to showcase their products in the A/FX class - precursor to funny cars. In 1965, George Hurst hired Wild Bill Shrewsberry of Mansfield, OH, an accomplished drag racer who had raced for both Mickey Thompson and Jack Chrisman. After helping to pioneer it into the first wheelstanding exhibition car, Shrewsberry left at the end of the season to pursue his own project.

For the 1966 season, Bob Riggle, who was also from Mansfield, OH and was involved with Hurst as a mechanic and fabricator became the second driver of the Hurst Hemi Under Glass car and campaigned the cars with Hurst as the sponsor until later years when the Hurst Company was sold to Sunbeam. At that point, the car ran without the Hurst logo and was simply known as the "Hemi Under Glass." Riggle's career ended in 1975 with a devastating accident at US 30 Dragway in Gary, Indiana.

Popular model kits of the car were produced in 1/32 scale by Aurora Plastics Corporation and in 1/25 scale by Model Products Corporation. A limited edition 1/18 scale diecast model of the 1966 car is currently available from Highway 61.[1]

Riggle returned to exhibition racing in 1992 with a 1966 injected version of the car and a 1968 supercharged version of the car.[2] The original 1965 car was stripped for its power train and parts in 1967 for the new Barracuda chassis/body style and no longer exists.[3][4]

While taping the June 26, 2016 episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Riggle, with Leno riding in the passenger seat, rolled a newly constructed '69 version of the Hemi Under Glass after turning sharply at the end of a wheelie run. Neither of the men were hurt, but the car sustained significant damage.[5] Leno was riding along to fulfill another item on his 'Bucket List.'

July, 2016, Mike Mantel of New Braunfels, TX was named as the new driver of the Hemi Under Glass. Mantel took over the '68 car which has the longest performing history of any Hemi Under Glass ever constructed and becomes the third official driver in the brand's 50+ year history.[6] Mantel was only 6 years old when the Hemi Under Glass first took to the track. He has a wide range of driving experience from drag cars, road race, and movie cars. Mantel's original hometown is the city of Hawthorne, CA.

Billy Lawrence Golden (December 31, 1933 – September 14, 2015),[1] nicknamed "Maverick", was an American drag racer. He is probably best known for driving the Little Red Wagon A/FX wheelstander pickup exhibition racer.

Little Red Wagon

Born in Shawnee Township, Illinois, Golden joined the US Marines and first became interested in drag racing while at Camp Pendleton.

Golden was given his "Maverick" nickname in the late 1950s by an announcer at a Southern California dragstrip, because he chose to drive an unconventional 361 cu in (5,920 cc)-powered Dodge Custom Royal. He started racing in AHRA Super Stock, driving Dodges for several years. He was one of the first drivers in AHRA S/S to successfully run an automatic transmission. In 1960, Chrysler offered to provide him parts, when he was driving a Dodge Phoenix, powered by a 330 hp (250 kW) 330 cu in (5.4 L) with twin Carter carburetors and cross-ram intake manifold; the car was capable of quarter-mile times of 13.7 seconds.

By 1962, he was a factory driver, driving an S/SA Dodge. At the 1962 AHRA Winternationals, driving his bright yellow hemi "Taxi Cab" Dodge 330, he scored a "stunning" victory over "Dyno Don" Nicholson's 409 cu in (6,700 cc) factory Chevrolet at Fontana Drag City, to take the Stock Eliminator title, Chrysler's only Nationals win for 1962.

In 1963, Golden worked with Jim Nelson of Dragmasters to improve the car, and won seven Super Stock races out of eight events, taking the Midwest Championship.

At the end of the 1964 season, Chrysler proposed Golden drive the Little Red Wagon A/FX pickup. which became drag racing's first wheelstanding truck.

Little Red Wagon's first outing, at the AHRA Grand American event at Lions Drag Strip, was an 11 second pass at 120 mph (190 km/h). The crowd's very enthusiastic reaction prompted Golden to turn the A/FX truck into a wheelstanding exhibition racer, which he developed a steering mechanism for himself, relying on experience from his day job at Douglas Aircraft Corporation. The wheelstander was wrecked in 1969, 1971, and 1975; the third crash was nearly fatal to Golden.

Golden retired in 2003. He died on September 14, 2015.[3]

[pawborough]

July 2024 Check In

Hello, all!

Happy update day! Thank you for your support and patience while we work. This has been one of the busiest times for our team, and we’re making good progress. But it's challenging to share without sounding like a broken record. Lots of coding. Lots of numbers. Lots of items. So little time...!

But first, I must share solemn news. Our backdrop artist, Kzart, has passed away. He died of cardiac arrest just the day after our last update, where we previewed his wonderful work on the Cogwheel Outskirts.

This is a deep and mournful tragedy. Our heart goes out to his family, friends, and loved ones. Kzart was a welcome, cheerful, and bright part of the team, and the loss is devastating. May his memory be a blessing.

We are dedicating our work this month to his memory. We hope to ask your patience while we make decisions for future team members in the wake of his passing.  

To start off, here are some asset updates.

New Icons

We’ve been picking away at icons. Populating the site itself with estimates for cooking, crafting, dailies, site store, and guild play has been a behemoth of a task which has taken weeks of calculating out delicate numbers, drop rates, and seeding tactics. We have an insane amount of spreadsheets. I’m very proud of how much we’ve figured out.

Wild Boar, Bison Calf, Kid, Lamb, Blackbird, Red Squirrel and Brown Hare illustrated by Tybaxel and Remmie

The young animals will be available as plain food in Alpha and part of Beta, but are designed in preparation for our Farming and Husbandry mechanic, explained more in this update!

I’m dying to see the dye icons!

Illustration by Tybaxel

And lastly, we’ve started work on the stone assets!

Harvest Stone, Metropolis Stone, and Luna Stone by Hydde

Above you see the Harvest Stone, Metropolis Stone, and Luna Stone. Paw-carved by catfolk out of various precious stones and the elusive Prismaline—Mewmoia’s magical mineral and the origin of modern magical technology—these stones act as a magical catalyst for sorcerers performing transmutation.  

We also want to note: we see the discrepancy in the Harvest logo and its child assets. While we were working on the visual development, we found that the leaf was not only more recognizable as a symbol, but more reliably adaptable in different simplistic forms. We will be experimenting with replacing the vegetable in the Harvest logo with a leaf.

Recolorings

Recolors continue! This month, we have the Guard set.

Colors done by Emma

New Decor 

We have begun our work on decor!

Our goal is to have a substantial amount of decor befitting every type of backdrop we are starting with. Our first set we are tackling is the Summer Natural set. We have sets known as Sea Faring, City Clearing, Academic, and Winter Natural planned as a starting roster.

Florals by Giulia, lemonade by Jerso, butterlfies by Asp

And here it is put together!

NPC Sketches

Early last month, we shared a preview of the initial sketch for Wheatley and Crowley, the sitewide general store!

Initial feedback included a poor merge of cat-like anatomy and anthropomorphized character acting. We took this feedback, spent another day on visual development for NPCs, and updated our character design visual philosophy!

So, presenting…

And here is how they look on the website!

This sketch is still subject to change as we hash it out, line, and render it, but we’re excited to share what we’ve developed so far!

Wheatley and Crowley were the first NPCs ever developed during pre-production. 

(Just as the Bovine was the first Mystic breed ever developed, and Sugar was the first color palette ever designed!) 

So there is something a tad emotional about making it this far. Seeing them animated and on an actual game UI has been very rejuvenating. We’re nearing the end of this development hole!

So you want to form a team and join the Guild, huh? Meet Maven, your guildmaster. She’s rough, prickly, and can scare the faint of heart. Yet the Guild is dedicated to helping poor cats in need, in the wake of wastebeasts and outlaws terrorizing outskirt villages. You wonder who she is under that thorny exterior…

Maven is a primary character in the ongoing site plot. We have the technology for NPCs to emote during dialogue. Many story-focused NPCs will get this treatment. This means that Maven's expressions will change as you talk to her!

All NPC sketches by Hydde

Everyone knows Winnipeg, the longhair chef from Luna. Introducing his twin sister, Winnifred! Winnifred sells husbandry and farming supplies, including young animals and seeds.

(Note: all 3D assets used for render references are ours, minus the watering can! Credit to Toonz Media Group from Sketchfab.) 

So let’s talk about the farm mechanic!

In Development - Farming and Husbandry

See the initial UIs for our major in-development mechanic.

Plant seeds on plots of land in your camp. Certain plants will raise or lower your soil quality, which in turn will affect how many items these plants yield. It’s up to you as the player to grow a variety of different plants to diversify your soil and get the most yield.

Husbandry will feature the same concept, utilizing livestock as opposed to plants. Grow different animals over time and maintain grass density to get the best quantity of items!

Lastly, some folks were curious about incense, how it works, and its attainment method.

Incense will be craftable, and its ingredients will be farmed! Incense ingredient seeds will be scattered around the game, including as reward drops for gameplay. It will take intentional cultivation to attain an incense item.

Because we had a few users who were curious to the specific ingredients of every incense scent, here is each Borough:

Luna = Lavender and Jasmine Sol = Cinnamon and Fennel Abyssal = Lotus and Sakura  Zenith = Rosemary and Sage Harvest = Basil and Oregano  Cogwheel = Saffron and Turmeric  Metropolis = Patchouli and Vetiver

For testing until farming is implemented, items which would be farmed will be available to buy through Winnifred. 

Cooking and Crafting

Lastly, a peak at the UI for the cook and craft mechanic!

We surveyed the playability of the original grid system and weighed the pros and cons of managing a grid and memorizing recipes in a multiplayer resource game, and ultimately decided that our platform and format doesn’t quite suit the crafting grid playstyle.

Instead, recipes and blueprints are found, added to your collection, and able to be insta-made.

We found the act of users individually adding items from storage to be tedious, and ultimately our original format would end up with users researching recipes on wiki articles instead of engaging in explorative play. While other games have crafting loops which incentivize exploration, the petsite setup as we have built it simply does not accommodate it without serious overhaul. 

But we hoped to preserve some of that magic by including the “add ingredient” feature. Users will be able to discover new combinations by experimenting with add-ons. For example, a pizza recipe could become mushroom pizza by adding mushrooms!

Users may still end up just looking things up, but the mechanic itself is now not ultimately dependent on off-site research.

Peak at this mockup recipe!

We are currently experimenting with how to include the NPCs in this UI format. Fear not that you do not see Winnipeg here. He will be in the game!

This mechanic in general is what we are currently working on! Thanks for sticking by!

And that’s all we have for today. We know that a lot of users are holding out for Mystic breed updates in the demo, and we are working on those. But game playability is taking the highest place for us, as we want to get testing ASAP! So, we appreciate this patience. Moontails, and likely Thumpers, will be here for Beta, but our #1 focus this last month has been the sprint to the finish line for playability in both development and assets. The semi-quiet activity is because we're putting all our energy into this huge milestone. 

Which to mention!

Alpha acceptances have been sent out! If you have not yet, check your email!

We asked those who receive it to reply that they have. There is not a strict deadline on this reply, we simply want to ensure that those who received the email have seen it and are ready to volunteer. We will still be sending keys to everyone who received an email, minus those who are dropping out. If someone is MIA by the time people are registering accounts, we will consider reaching out to other potential testers.

Home stretch, everyone! It’s starting to come together just how much we’ve completed, and the application is beginning to feel real in a way it hasn’t previously. We’re all super antsy to buff it out and get people playing!

Thank you all!

To summarize: We shared icons, Guard set recoloring, decor assets, 3 new NPC sketches, the farm and husbandry mechanic, and the cook/craft functionality.

What to expect next month: Further asset and development updates. Check-ins for how Alpha will be going, timeline expectations in the wake, NPCs and lore. 

[svt-kiki]

( 🖇️ ) PROFILE ⌅ .

───　୨ৎ 　›　𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂　𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎　.　

BIRTH NAME.　kitamura kyoka ( 北村響香 )

STAGE NAME.　kiki ( 기키 )

BIRTHDATE.　july 20, 1995

ETHNICITY.　japanese

BIRTHPLACE.　kyoto, japan ( hometown )

HEIGHT.　170 cm ( 5′ 7″ ) 

───　୨ৎ 　›　𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄　.　

FLUENT.　japanese ⋆ korean

IMPROVING.　chinese ⋆ english ⋆ sign languages

───　୨ৎ 　›　𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐑　.　

GROUP.　seventeen ( 세븐틴 )

COMPANY.　pledis entertainment

TRAINEE.　since march, 2011 ( 4 years )

DEBUT.　may 29, 2015

POSITION.　main dancer ⋆ lead vocalist ⋆ rapper

SUB UNIT.　performance team ( co-leader ) ⋆ svt leaders

NOTABLE SKILLS.　acting ⋆ video directioning ⋆ editing ⋆ stage directioning

EMOJI.　sunflower ( 🌻 ) lion ( 🦁 )

NICKNAMES.　sunflower fairy ⋆ nation’s noona / eonni ⋆ kit kat ⋆ stage queen ⋆ seventeen’s ( movie ) star

───　୨ৎ 　›　𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘　.　

MBTI.　infj ( 2019 ) esfj ( 2022 )

CHARACTER.　calm ⋆ bright ⋆ smart ⋆ kind ⋆ affectionate ⋆ sweet but willing to burn the world to protect the members and loved ones

LIKE.　cooking ⋆ reading ⋆ old movies ⋆ traveling ⋆ organized place ⋆ calming environment ⋆ morning ⋆ sunshine

DISLIKE.　weird smells ⋆ crowd of people ⋆ big noises ⋆ get angry at someone ⋆ physical pain ⋆ suffering of loved ones

───　୨ৎ 　›　𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀　.　

she lost her parents when she was still a baby, and be raised by her grand parents: the parents of kiki’s father. her mother’s family lives in hokkaido and she visiting there time to time.

her grand parents running the small restaurant in town, and that’s why she is good at cooking.

she belonged to the japanese biggest theater company as a child actor, played young nara in the lion king musical ( that's why she got lion as her icon ) and that made her possible to experience the actual stage performance from such a young age.

she is in charge of stage directioning in both performaces and concerts beside the job as a performance team leader with hoshi

directed some of svt’s music video, such as “thanks”, “fear”, “fallin’ flower”, etc.

lyrics of seventeen’s jp songs were written by her. she also writing korean songs' jp ver lyrics as well.

known as a talented choreographer across the kpop. she made choreo for other groups such as loona, the boyz, iz*one and xg.

she got casted when she was 14 in tokyo while the school trip. after passed the audition, she decided to go to seoul after graduating the junior high school.

she can play basic instruments such as guitar and piano. always wanted to be able to play drums though ⸺ and with woozi’s help, she’s now improving slowly.

her appearance is known as cool and charismatic that sometimes being misunderstood as a cold, scary figure ( can be said as “resting cold face” or smth like that ). in fact kiki has bright personality and smiles a lot enough to be recognized that expression as her trademark.

also known as the most ‘handsome’ female idol. her feature is something that makes people imagine that she would’ve been very handsome if she’d been a man. she’s very sweet and gentle to other female idols: helps in the stairs, lends jackets and cushions if they looks like uncomfortable, etc.

she has quite talented acting skills, and recieved several awards. she’s now working in japan, korea and hollywood in future, maybe...

she appeared in tv programs: hit the stage ( 2016, mnet ) and produce 48 ( 2018, mnet ) as a dance trainer

she has an high physical ability, especially talented at basket ball, archery and running event. even she got banned from the female sprint of isac bc always won the 1st and other idols had no chance to touch the trophy ( lol ). instead she joined the male relay race along with the members as an exception ( then grab the 1st place, AGAIN ). she’s also good at winter sports too. ⛷️

(    📁    )   :   NAVI   :  MASTER LIST     

[crimsonmoonlight88]

Digital release slated for July 9th with the Blu-ray and Raw Cut version on August 27th.

The 4K UHD edition features a full-length alternative cut of the film that, through split-screen presentation, shows the final film side by side with a version showing unfinished visual effects to highlight the actors' performances under the CGI.

Titled "Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut," the alternative cut has an optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball, editor Dan Zimmerman and VFX supervisor Erik Winquist.

Additional bonus features include 14 deleted and extended scenes.

Yeah okay I see that bright, glaring red "REC" down there.

RELEASE THE FOOTAGE.