#Musician Emotions Architect

[guzhufuren]

A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows

The guide includes a show’s basic summary; main genres/tropes/themes and official streaming links (additional info on how to watch at the end of this post)! You can find some content warnings in the reply section of this post. Shows are listed by countries, numbered by the order I recommend watching in, not by rating. All shows have happy endings unless specified otherwise. The list will hopefully be updated regularly (last updated on 04/04/2024, 98 queer shows in total).

Most shows are about mlm, I specify with coloured notes those that are focused on wlw, polyamory, aromantism/asexuality, etc.

Tumblr does not allow large texts or more than 30 images per post at the moment, so you can click on every country’s list to expand them and view them fully in a separate post. You can access this guide in a google doc here.

Thailand 🇹🇭 (full list here)

1. KinnPorsche mafia boss/bodyguard; action; kidnapper/kidnapee side couple

Kinn, a son of a prominent mafia head, is ambushed by an enemy, and meets Porsche, a bartender who comes to his rescue for a price, thus beginning their reluctant relationship as boss and bodyguard, which soon turns into something more.

iQIYI

2. Bed Friend friends with benefits; office setting; trauma

King and Uea work in the same office. After a company outing ends in a drunken hook-up between them, Uea and King agree to keep seeing each other on a strictly physical basis. With no strings attached, will these two be able to keep things between them simple and carefree or will their emotions eventually get the better of them?

Uncut 18+ on iQIYI or GagaOOLala or cut on YouTube

3. The Sign reincarnated lovers; fantasy; thai mythology; police

The story of the love between Phaya and Tharn who used to be mythological creatures Naga and Garuda in their past lives, and were forced apart. But fate intervened, and two men were reincarnated in new bodies. Now, they work together as partners in the Special Investigations Unit to uncover violent crimes and supernatural mysteries while their love is tested by mystical forces and past enemies.

YouTube

4. I Feel You Linger In The Air period drama; time travel; bittersweet

Jom, an architect overseeing the renovation of a rundown villa, continuously dreams of a man he's never met. When a twist of fate transports Jom to Chiang Mai in the 1920s, he assumes the role of a servant to the affluent young master Yai, the mysterious man from his dreams.

GagaOOLala or YouTube

5. You're My Sky sports; university setting; coming of age

Thorn, a young basketball player follows his senior Fah to university as a result of the promise they’d made — to become national basketball champions. However, to his dismay, he finds that Fah has already given up on basketball. --- Aai has to work in pairs throughout the semester with San, 1 year footballer; in order to receive a scholarship to study in Japan, Ai must be willing to do everything to get an A grade. --- Track running requires the compatibility of the team members to be very high. Vee, who became the new racquet 4, has to speed up training to fit in with the team as quickly as possible, especially with Dome, spending extra time together to train. Is love actually a major obstacle on the path of being an athlete?

Viki

> more tv shows from Thailand

GMMTV Thailand 🇹🇭 (full list here)

1. My School President high school setting; secret crush; school president/rebel musician

Gun is the head of his high school music club. Tinn is a school president and Gun's long-term rival. The Principal wants to disband some of the school’s “useless” after-school clubs, especially the music club. Per school rules, the student council president is the one who has the power to dissolve clubs. Gun is now at Tinn’s mercy, so he attempts to do whatever he can to persuade his rival not to cancel the music club. Little does he know, Tinn actually has a secret crush on him. Could romance brew as Gun makes a desperate attempt to secure the future of his band?

Viki (MSP) & YouTube (Our Skyy special 33-40) & YouTube (special)

2. Moonlight Chicken adult romance; age gap; deaf character

Jim is an ordinary guy running a chicken rice diner. One night, he meets Wen when he stays past closing drunk. Brought together by fate that night, intangible feelings arise. Neither can stop thinking about the other despite Jim's efforts to remain unattached. Jim also takes care of his nephew Li Ming, who is falling in love with Heart, a deaf teenager who is practically kept under house arrest by his affluent parents.

YouTube

3. Not Me revolution; freedom fighters; secret twins

When his twin Black is viciously attacked and subsequently left hospitalised in unconsciousness, White is unable to endure the harm done to his brother in silence. He learns Black was a part of a gang of anti-capitalist freedom fighters, and it was one of them who betrayed him. White disguises himself as Black to discover which one of them betrayed him and put him in a coma.

YouTube

4. 23.5 wlw; high school setting; secret admirer

Ongsa moves to a new school and meets Sun, a cute popular girl who she immediately falls for. However, she decides to approach Sun in instagram dms under the pseudonym Earth, leading Sun to believe she's talking to a guy. But Ongsa does not want to lose the opportunity to talk to Sun, so she decides to keep the fact that she is a girl a secret and continue talking as Earth.

YouTube

> more tv shows from GMMTV Thailand

Japan 🇯🇵 (full list here)

1. Cherry Magic!   mind reading; secret crush; office setting

By still being a vіrgin at 30, Adachi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people's minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s not proving to be helpful to him. But that all changes when he accidentally touches their office’s most perfect guy Kurosawa, who he learns has romantic feelings for him.

WeTV (Cherry Magic) & no international streaming of Cherry Magic The Movie is available to my knowledge, so watch on bilibili or KissKH

2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!)   misunderstanding; high school setting

Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she's written the name of another boy — Ida — on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!

Viki

3. Our Dining Table food; child character

Salaryman Yutaka finds it difficult to share meals with other people. However, his life starts to change when one day, his cooking attracts the attention of a young boy named Tane and his older brother Minoru. The two brothers are impressed by Yutaka's cooking skill and invite him to their house to cook together. Yutaka's dreary life begins to change, and soon he finds himself looking forward to the meals he shares with the Ueda siblings together, as well as developing a taste for romantic feelings.

GagaOOLala

4. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat wlw; neighbours; self-discovery; food

Nomoto loves to cook, but tends to make too much food and has no one to share it with. Luckily for her, turns out her neighbor Kasuga has a big enough appetite for the both of them.

No international streaming available, translated to english by Furritsubs, S1 & S2, watching instructions provided, please support translator on kofi.

5. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun high school setting; relationship exploration

Takara is a good-looking popular guy in class, while Amagi is a simple but bright and pure fellow classmate. The two begin to date in secret after Amagi's blurted out confession.

Viki or GagaOOLala

> more tv shows from Japan

China 🇨🇳 (full list here)

Most chinese shows are adapted from explicitly queer novels, the shows are undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part is censured. The only exception is number 4 on the list, it is not censored.

1. The Untamed period drama; fantasy

An epic fantasy led by a problem child who comes back from the dead 16 years later in order to fix the broken world he left behind — and finally unite with his soulmate.

YouTube

2. Word of Honor period drama; fantasy

The leader of assassin organisation Zhou Zishu quits his position in pursuit of freedom with drastic measures. In his travels, he meets Wen Kexing, the leader of Ghost Valley who wants nothing but revenge. The two become entangled in various machinations within the martial arts world, and eventually become soulmates instrumental in each other's redemption.

YouTube & Special Episode on Tumblr or DailyMotion

3. Couple of Mirrors wlw; period drama; socialite/assassin

You Yi is a kind-hearted socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei, a lonely female killer disguised as the owner of a photo studio.

YouTube. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 12 timestamp 28:02.

4. Stay With Me enemies to lovers; high school setting; unconventional families; slow burn

Su Yu is a high school student who lives with his single poor father. Su Yu gets a new classmate Wu Bi. The two clash right from the start, and after getting off on the wrong foot, their explosive relationship takes a turn.

YouTube or GagaOOLala. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 24 timestamp 05:00. OR watch the full thing and look at this post after

5. The Spirealm inside of a video game; mystery; fantasy; horror-ish; hopeful ending

A game designer Lin Qiushi is transported inside of a game he recently played, and now he must go through 12 horrifying survivor game doors to survive in the real world. Inside his first door he meets Ruan Nanzhu, a mysterious man who offers him to team up.

The show was taken down from streaming, download files here and subtitles here.

Various WLW mini web-dramas here.

Various WLW short films here.

South Korea 🇰🇷 (full list here)

1. Love for Love's Sake inside of a video game; high school setting; healing

At the age of 29 Tae Myungha finds himself transported into a fictional video game, and now 19 years old, he meets Cha Yeowoon, who is in the darkest moment of his life. And a translucent window appears where he receives a mission — to make Cha Yeowoon happy.

iQIYI (better subtitles) or GagaOOLala

2. Semantic Error enemies to lovers; university setting

A serious programmer and a rebellious artist clash over a school project. Their animosity keeps escalating to new extremes, defined by petty pranks and feisty arguments.

Viki

3. Love Tractor farm setting; farmer/city musician

Sunyeol, a city man with zero ability to survive in the countryside, comes to his grandfather's rural home. In front of him appears Yechan, a passionate and kind young farmer. While learning about rural life and assisting with farming tasks, Sunyeol gradually finds himself drawn to Yechan's warm and straightforward nature, while Yechan helplessly falls for Sunyeol.

iQIYI

4. Our Dating Sim high school friends to lovers; office setting

After 7 years, Lee Wan meets his first love, Shin Kitae, in a gaming company. When they were best friends in high school, Lee Wan was in love with Kitae. But he ran away and disappeared after confessing his feelings to Kitae after graduation. When the two of them begin working on a new dating simulation game and get more immersed in the project, old feelings are rekindled.

Viki or GagaOOLala

5. She Makes My Heart Flutter wlw; bar setting; niece and aunt dynamic

The extroverted Gang Seol is hired by her aunt Jung at her only-women bar. Even though they are both lesbians, they seem to be worlds apart and have very different love stories.

YouTube

> more tv shows from South Korea

Taiwan 🇹🇼 (full list here)

1. History3: Trapped mafia boss/policeman

The story of a police officer who becomes trapped in the underworld, as he develops feelings for a gang leader.

YouTube or Viki

2. Kiseki: Dear to Me mafia; age gap

Bai Zongyi, an exemplary high school student with dreams of becoming a doctor, is one day unexpectedly drawn into the world of a charismatic and mischievous gangster Fan Zerui, who blackmails him into taking him in and treating his wounds. Just as their love story begins to unfold, Fan Ze Rui's criminal life catches up with him. On the other hand, Chen Yi and Ai Di are two orphans who grew up in the gang together. Ai Di has always loved Chen Yi, but Chen Yi only notices their boss.

Viki or GagaOOLala or YouTube

3. My Tooth Your Love dentist/chef; trauma healing

Bai Lang is a successful bistro owner with an severe fear of visiting the dentist... until a toothache forces him to come face to face with the handsome yet cold dentist Jin Xunan.

Viki

4. Anti Reset android/human

When Chu Yi Ping, an emotionless man, dislocates his hand in an accident at school, his uncle gives him Ever 9 as a caretaker, an experimental intelligent robot that his company is secretly testing.

Viki or iQIYI or GagaOOLala

5. History2: Crossing the Line sports; high school setting

When an injury sidelines a high school senior from the volleyball team, he develops feelings for a recruit.

YouTube or Viki

> more tv shows from Taiwan

Philippines 🇵🇭

1. Sleep With Me wlw; radio; disabled character in a wheelchair

A science textbook writer with a sleep disorder meets a wheelchair-using radio host who runs the midnight shift. This chance encounter at the radio station quickly sparks their interest in each other.

GagaOOLala

---

You can watch many shows for free on YouTube, and watch others on the streaming websites by setting VPN to one of the countries in the list. In other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality), Dramacool or get files from MkvDrama. Enjoy!  🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[evillemons]

YOONGI’S IDEAL TYPE (SUGA pt. 1)

~ a manifestation of his ideal girlfriend. Continuation into part 2 and part 3. Masterlist here.

Key words: kindhearted, open-minded, witty, natural, outgoing, independent, authentic.

Her personality:

• Yoongi’s ideal type is tricky because he is so open-minded and non-judgemental that I truly see him attracted to a huge variety of different people (including both men and women - although for the sake of this article I will use she/her).

• I see her as very witty. She would keep up well with his banter and goofy remarks.

• He would definitely be drawn to someone expressive and funny, with a dry or sarcastic sense of humor.

• She may or may not be formally educated, but she would undoubtedly be intelligent in her own way.

• Her career could be just about anything, as long as she has a passion for it. She might be a teacher, indie musician, scientist, artist, or architect. It is unlikely that she would be famous (although I don’t see him discriminating over someone who is if they are compatible).

• People might fight me on this - but I truly see him enchanted by someone who is vibrant and outgoing rather than laid back and nonchalant. She is one of those extroverts that loves to adopt introverts; they would find themselves balancing each other (I think if she were too introverted, he would get bored and the relationship would lack dynamic).

• MBTI: ENTP - the debater type is a perfect match for him. I could also see him falling for an INFJ or ENFJ due to their magical people skills.

• She would need to be genuinely kind, authentic, and empathetic. Lack of respect for people would be a deal breaker for both of them.

• Generally low maintenance, independent, and self-sufficient.

• Out of all the members’ girlfriends, she would be the most likely to use heavy profanity. He would probably find it funny and use it alongside her.

• Loves to hang out with her friends and has a wide social circle. She would not like someone who is possessive or discourages her from going out.

• She is just as open-minded as Yoongi. She would never judge him (or anyone) for his sexuality or preferences and encourage him to be open with her.

• Maybe a little argumentative. Not in a degrading way, but she would be strong-minded and unafraid to engage in healthy debate.

• Probably not overly-affectionate (at least in public); Yoongi seems to get overwhelmed with direct expressions of love.

• I don’t see him with someone flamboyant or extravagant in their personality or style. She would be humble and understated.

• It would be a huge bonus in the relationship if she loved music.

Her looks and sexuality:

• I really don’t have much to say in regard to looks. He is 100% the type to choose a partner based on personality, regardless of what they look like or where they come from and he has said this many times (he is truly a special angel).

• He might be a little skeptical to enter a relationship with someone outside of his cultural comfort zone, but would find himself inevitability falling for her.

• With Yoongi though, she would definitely need to speak Korean and be respectful and knowledgeable of Korean culture. He seems to struggle a little with speaking other languages (like, he seems to understand English perfectly but not speak it) and a language barrier between them would be a huge dealbreaker.

• I could see her as more on the casual side. Even if she likes fashion, she might dress more sporty or in street style clothes.

• If she wore makeup, it would be very natural and quick.

• Her body type could range from slender and athletic to curvy. I think he would enjoy a woman’s body no matter what and appreciate her features as they are (as long as she is healthy).

• She could be older or younger (but not much more than +/- 5 years). Age is not important to him, as long as she matches his emotional maturity and wisdom.

• Height wouldn’t matter either, although he might secretly like if she is taller than him (remember how shy he was around Taylor Swift in that one video?).

• Like Jungkook, he might be attracted to someone more androgynous or edgy, but would still like someone feminine and girly too.

• She could very well be bi or pansexual. He would not care about her sexual orientation or dating history at all.

• She may have lots of tattoos, piercings, or none at all. As long as they suit her style and are somewhat tasteful.

[finleycannotdraw]

can u recommend some bands? i think i like ur music taste and i am terrible at finding music

ty :)

of COURSE I can <3 you’ve probably heard of some of these, but maybe there’ll be some you haven’t! I don’t know what you already like, so… here we go :)

Hozier. Yeah this was always going to be first on the list I’m currently listening to basically nothing else! He’s an Irish folk/soul/blues/etc idk musician who uses a lot of religious and mythological themes in his lyrics and has a lot of songs that include social justice commentary.

The Amazing Devil is a folk rock band with an incredibly unique sound. Their songs are incredibly emotional and have an awesome fantasy vibe going on—plus there’s two singers, and they often sing independently from each other, which is something you don’t see often!

Good Morning Bedlam is a bluegrass band that I’ve gotten into recently! They’re sort of like… a mix of the amazing devil and the crane wives?

The Crane Wives, while we’re at it, and

The Oh Hellos. they’re fairly similar and I don’t have a ton to say about their stylistic differences, but they’re all definitely worth checking out!

Florence & The Machine. Most people have heard of them but I always like to recommend them anyway

Alec Benjamin, if you’re into softer indie music! He has a lot of different styles of lyrics, but his voice is consistent, so he’s great to listen to if you’re looking for that sort of variety.

Chxrlotte doesn’t have a lot of music out, but I’m a big fan of the music she has released, including the ones about Good Omens! The others are more angsty which I love too.

The Family Crest is an orchestral indie pop rock band, which blows my mind. I can’t believe orchestra isn’t a more utilized tool in popular lyrical music, because they do it so well.

Good Kid is actually my brother’s favorite band, and I love them too. They’re also indie rock, but they have a very distinctive style and are easy to get into! Plus they haven’t released a shit ton of songs like some other artists, so it isn’t overwhelming to explore their discography.

Jonatha Brooke is an artist I only know about because my mom liked her music a lot in the 90s, but she’s got a super nice voice and has some awesomely relatable lyrics. I especially recommend her album Ten Cent Wings!

Midlake is a super melodic folk rock band. I’m obsessed with their album The Courage of Others, which has a melancholy vibe that’s super easy to get lost in.

Palaye Royale is harder rock than anyone else on the list so far, but they’ve got an awesome style. Unique voice and definitely darker themes in their lyrics.

Tears for Fears is a pop rock band that I love because my dad does. (My parents are musicians—I trust their music taste).

Toad the Wet Sprocket got their name from Monty Python, but PLEASE go listen to the Architect of the Ruin EP. You will not regret it. Also the song Something’s Always Wrong is like… entrenched in my very being.

Elbow is a band that I never see in fandom circles, but they’re definitely not obscure. Check out their album Little Fictions! They’re kind of like Midlake.

Will Wood ranges from chaotic and fun (The Normal Album) to absolutely soul-crushing (in case I make it)! Sometimes even both at the same time!

(I would’ve also put Paramore, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and other rock/pop punk bands I like on there, but I assumed you already know them.) (If you were looking for harder rock or metal, let me know, because this list is not that.)

If you want more genre-specific recs or even album/song recs, don’t hesitate to ask!! Music is the fuel of my soul.

[thejadevampire]

In the vibrant city of Verenthia, where the sun painted the sky with hues of orange and pink at dusk, four friends embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever. Henrique Lorca, a passionate artist with a fiery spirit, often found himself lost in the world of colors and canvases. His best friend, Gerhard Fra, a meticulous architect, was known for his intricate designs that blended tradition with modernity. Dino Classico, the charming musician, could captivate anyone with his melodies, while Dali Delico, an eccentric inventor, had a knack for creating whimsical gadgets that left everyone in awe. One fateful evening, as the four gathered at their favorite café, they were introduced to a woman named Elara. She was unlike anyone they had ever met—her laughter was contagious, and her spirit radiated warmth. Each of the friends found themselves drawn to her in different ways. Henrique admired her zest for life, Gerhard was captivated by her intelligence, Dino was enchanted by her love for music, and Dali found inspiration in her creativity. As the weeks passed, their friendship blossomed into something deeper. Elara, with her kind heart, encouraged each of them to pursue their passions. She would often join Henrique in painting under the starlit sky, offering her insights that transformed his work. Gerhard would sketch out plans for a community art center, inspired by her vision of bringing people together. Dino composed a symphony in her honor, his melodies echoing the joy she brought into their lives. Meanwhile, Dali crafted an extraordinary device that allowed them to capture moments in time, preserving their memories together. However, amidst the beauty of their growing relationships, challenges arose. Each friend wrestled with their feelings for Elara, uncertain of how to express their love without jeopardizing their friendship. One evening, they gathered in Dali's workshop, surrounded by his peculiar inventions, and decided it was time to confront their emotions. With hearts racing, they shared their feelings for Elara, each expressing how she had touched their lives. To their surprise, Elara listened intently and revealed that she cherished each of them uniquely. She loved Henrique's passion, Gerhard's intellect, Dino's music, and Dali's creativity, but she also understood the importance of their friendship. In that moment, they realized that love could take many forms. Instead of competing for her affection, they chose to support one another, forming a bond that was stronger than any romantic pursuit. Together, they created a beautiful collaborative project—a festival celebrating art, music, and innovation, with Elara as the heart of it all. As the festival unfolded, the city of Verenthia came alive. Artisans showcased their work, musicians played in harmony, and Dali's inventions amazed the crowd. Elara stood at the center, surrounded by her four friends, each contributing their talents to the celebration of creativity. In that moment, they understood that their friendship was a masterpiece, a blend of colors and melodies that would forever echo in their hearts. As the sun set on the festival, casting a golden glow over Verenthia, Henrique, Gerhard, Dino, and Dali knew they had created something extraordinary—not just for Elara, but for themselves. Their journey had taught them that love, in all its forms, could flourish in unity, and together, they would continue to inspire one another for years to come.

[lovethatmakingcoffee]

Small town au stuff

Philza is kindhearted yet oddly knowledgeable and mysterious resident who seems wiser beyond his years and may or may not be a witch. Especially questionable is that giant ass hat of his. Maybe a witch. He is retired and has a suspiciously large income, and somehow knows how to fly a plane?!! Maybe a retired vet or spy? Its undetermined. Or maybe just your basic crop duster. He does talk about potatoes a lot for some reason.

Foolish, your local cop and sheriff. The heart throb of the police department and kind of the definition of abuse of power (but only when its funny). He'll probably let you off for speeding or doing donuts in corn fields. His previous job was the town's major architect, which he still builds sometimes, but wanted to harass random people as a police officer for a new temporary occupation.

Quackity, the emotional weirdo teacher who's got attachment issues out the wazoo. He is sweet, but spirals sometimes. Its been rumored that he's been beaten up by Phil's kid for reasons unexplained.

Wilbur, of course, the aspiring musician. Gets confused a lot for other famous people, but plays at events when he's home. Loves his kid, but has been gone for most of the year and feels insecure for not calling her as much.

Jaiden, the town's lawyer who is rolling in it. She wins a lot of her cases and maybe does some of the illegal legwork to prove her client's innocence or the accused guilty. She does a lot of investigating with Foolish and has a key to the polices archive room. She has gotten noise complaints about her two loud birds.

Forever, a new resident along with the other Brazilians who all live in his giant pink Barbie house until Cellbit moves out to get married. Forever quickly gains popularity among the town's residence and becomes mayor of Quesadilla Town. He has been chasing after Philza this whole time, but there are whispers that he has a thing for the local pastor.

Badboyhalo, the priest, which Forever has remarked that's probably the strangest one out of the town's peoples names but it fits. Bad is a strangely wealthy and knowledge priest. His face is always masked by shadows and a hood. He always appears out of nowhere and seems to derive amusement from spooking the other residents. Forever thinks that's cute.

Roier, from Jaiden's platonic roommate to Cellbit's husband, man has never had a job and is just a trophy roommate/husband. Always physically fit, the life of the party and if the town had a best looking competition, he'd be at least top 5. Spends his day working out and is often seen on long runs in the woods. He may or may not be the one always finding weird things on his runs. Like a random artifact or an unfamiliar body.

Cellbit, town's journalist. Always looking for clues on the strange going ons and always has one of those huge boards with photos, tacks, and red thread. Man hardly sleeps and is running on six cups of coffee a day. Get him some water.

Fit, he owns of course Fit's Fitness. The sexiest personal trainer in the county and has a prosperous business. Him and Phil are somehow friends, and he weirdly seems to know things he shouldn't. Has been seen fraternizing with the weird agents that come through town and cover stuff up.

Baghera is another school teacher in Quesadilla town. She is the funnier one but also there seems to be an immense sadness to her. She avoids any special agent from the Cucurucho Factory.

Etoiles is a mysterious vigilant who fights suspicious figures and deadly monsters in the night. He's kind of the ex machina of the town and can be found lurking in the back alleys. He may or may not be a clerk at your local giftshop.

Cucurucho is an interesting and strange character, a business man in a white suit wearing a bear mask at all times. He runs the Cucurucho Institution along with its factory and seems to hold some bizarre legal authority over the town. He also has connections in the hospital and school and all around is just a sketchy person. He has many of his underlings do his bidding around town and they have been seen dumping chemicals in the river and interrogating certain residents.

Pac is your new local gym teacher and has stolen the town's physical trainer's heart. They've been having a cute shy will they won't they. It's extremely obvious to the whole town. He is best friends with the mad scientist science teacher Mike. And they get up to shenanigans. And for a gym teacher, the guy sure is smart and knows a lot of ways to build things. He's like the ultimate package!

Missa is Phil's platonic husband who is always away on business trips. He shows up into town for about a week then has to head out again to do business related business. He is jealous of Phil's love interests but also won't deny how hot they are and that also makes him insecure.

Charlie is the troubled baker/conessieur in town. He always has a creepy smile about him when you ask what's in his food, but he's just screwing with you and its actually delicious. He has been seen dragging huge lumpy bags with red liquid pouring out of it and swears it's just strawberry jam. Turns out if you licked the floor, it is. His favorite dessert to make is green jello.

Tubbo is the weird little mechanic that is always putting bizarre attachments to your vehicle and making odd do dads in his spare time. No one knows where he got his mechanic license, but no one mentions that he's probably doing this illegally cause of his sweet deals.

Mouse is a famous vtuber who may be working with the occult on the side for the funsies. Is she running a cult? Perhaps. But it would be funny if she did. Anyways she has a lovely home and gives lots of her money as donations to less sketchy hospitals.

[yoki-loves-stars]

i heard the words techno centric au 👀 i'm listening

the moment which i desired but was never prepared to face came...

this is very messy but...

an AU where Tech is immortal and every now and then he meets the same 3(4 if you count Kristin) people. They all look the same, have the same names, act the same, treat him the same, but have different stories, perceive him differently and most importantly don't remember him.

there is also no way for him to find them. He watches them die and tries to look for them as time passes, but he never can find them. They are always the ones to find him first no matter what he does. So he just has to wait no matter how hopeless it is.

First he met Phil. For Phil he was a son, a comrade, a follower, a friend. He taught Techno a lot and gave him the ideals to live with and to stand for. Phil was the only one who Techno once told about his immortality, about Phil's past lives. The lives of him being a warrior, a leader, an artist, an architect, a loving father and an angel of death. All these lives he had a soulmate, Kristin, and sometimes Techno wondered if she's also immortal, but never asked.

He met Wilbur then. Wilbur was a brother, a leader, a friend, a musician, a traveler. Tech liked to change his story just to see how would it change Wilbur. Sometimes he liked to play an older brother role, sometimes they were twins, sometimes he was younger, sometimes he was just a friend of Phil's, but Wilbur always treated him with the same taunting smile even though Will himself always was changing.

He spend time with these two the most. If he could he would give his life for them, but he couldn't, so instead he would give them the world, slaughter anyone who'd stand on their way, that he could do.

He met Theseus last and didn't think of him much. He thought that this child was yet another mortal and was quite surprised to see him once again as time passed. He was already so used to Phil and Will and now he had to put up with someone new, understand their habits, understand them. Tommy had the most serious roles for the most unserious person to ever exist. But he did treat Techno with a huge amount of respect.

the AU doesn't focus on SBI that much thought, but on Techno's life without them. Slowly he realises that he doesn't really understand who he is as a person. He's been the blood god, a soldier, a warrior, a prince, a leader, a follower, a brother, a son, a friend. But in between that? Before Phil found him centuries ago? He was nobody. His life came to constant waiting.

(Another thing to mention is that as immortal he doesn't really change visually either. He looks like a young adult, people usually think he's in his 20s.)

So he decides to try and become someone. He travels, learns to farm, to cook, craft, (there are things taht he could do already but they weren't a choice but a necessity during wars) write, study. He finally settles down and find a place for himself. He learns how to handle grieve, trauma, loneliness, old habits, voices and his own emotions.

During that time he encountered other people too. Some became his friends, followers and students, some became his enemies. Also Floof is here :D

And then his soulmates find him once again

i apologize for the rambles. I also apologize if this post has an unbearable amount of mistakes I started writing it at 1am

ill see if i have any art of this AU but i probably don't...

i always can make more tho😼

tech is one of my comfort characters ever (i also want to add that he's anything but cold here. he's always laughing and taunting and joking)

[rikastrology]

Mediastrology - Joel Miller (The Last of Us)

Used the show birth date September 26 1987 (+ noon as his hypothetical birth time & Arlington TX as birth place from his bio)

Ardhra Moon

Whenever I picture Ardhra Nakshatra, I think of monsoon clouds. From the distance they look weightless, hovering miles above us, yet weigh tons and can bring havoc.

Ardra's lord Rudhra, described in texts as "frightening to behold", balances on this thin line between destruction and preservation. One is just as likely to drown from the summer rains as they are to be saved by them. Ardhra is, like the monsoon, inevitable. Like rains uncovering buried objects, they always end up getting to the root of the matter.

Rudhra natives tend to be courageous, with piercing gazes and a hefty dose of sarcasm. They tend to be more cynical than the people around them, often assuming the worst will happen as a coping mechanism. Their lives, like cloudbursts, often change drastically over short periods of time.

Uttara Phalguni Sun

According to David Frawley's writings, Uttara Phalguni placements tend to be noble in nature, at least to their allies. Ruled by Surya, they're headstrong and set in their ways.

At worst, they can be proud, arrogant, overly critical, and resentful. Additionally, this tendency towards hubris often ends up being their downfall. Uttara Phalguni suns especially have the karmic task to learn humility and to rely on others.

Chitra Mercury

Chitra's Lord Twashtar (the celestial architect) governs organized production, and tend to be better doers than talkers. These placements make great creators of any kind, such as artisans, mechanics, musicians, carpenters, etc.

Chitra placements (especially Mercury!) are known for speaking without thinking haha. Not very good at verbalizing their emotions, even to themselves.

Chitra's are also fighters, I like to call them the "David" placement relating to the David and Goliath story. They tend to be underdogs, and often have issues with authority figures (unless they are the authority figure in question).

Another important Chitra theme is their love for their children. Chitra's central desire is "To have wonderful children" and their lives often feel bleaker without them. This energy can of course present in many different ways irl, such as through pets, cared-for objects, vocations, students, or being a fantastic aunt/uncle/older sibling/mentor for another's children

Anuradha Rising

Anuradha is all about sacrifice - what we can do to serve the people around us. However, these individuals can sometimes develop a sense of resentment for their constant sacrifices. They might ask, "why is it always me taking care of them? why can't they meet me in the middle?

The perfect second-in-command, they're better at taking orders than giving them. Even when Anuradha risings end up taking supreme leadership, they often secretly defer to others for guidance, and most cool-voiced, charismatic Anuradha placements often have imposter syndrome behind closed doors.

Anuradha's power is worship, and worshiping something placed high above necessitates belief in something far below. Anuradhas fear shadows behind every corner. Anuradha placements are often their own worst critics, and are known to be "wrathful in defeat".

[sdindev]

202310271453

In the wondrous realm of the mind, where neurons dance to the tune of thoughts, we embark on a journey through the cosmos of knowledge.

Our quest delves deep into the heart of cognition, where neuroscience unlocks the mysteries of our mental symphony. But this is no solitary exploration; it's a waltz of interconnected ideas.

Imagine, if you will, a thought in motion, a neuron firing, setting the stage for what we call the mind. It's a captivating performance, an intricate ballet where every step taken by your thoughts orchestrates the dance of consciousness. As thought evolves, so does the mind, a conductor of the body's orchestra, directing each note with precision.

But what lies beyond the confines of the self? As the mind extends its reach, we glimpse the vast outer-firmament, a macrocosm awaiting exploration. It's a canvas for us to paint our thoughts and emotions, where inner meets outer, and microcosm embraces macrocosm.

Now, let's transition to the world of programming, where functional reactive programming becomes our musical score. Like a grand symphony, it harmonizes data and actions, creating an enchanting melody of software development. As we delve into the intricacies of code, we find beauty in the logic of systems.

Ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek, languages steeped in history, guide us through the wisdom of antiquity. Their words resonate like ancient incantations, connecting us to the past. A linguistic bridge to forgotten eras.

Paracelsus, the alchemical maestro, takes us on an alchemical journey where matter and spirit converge. The essence of transformation, both in the laboratory and the soul, unfolds before us. His teachings serve as our guide.

And in the digital realm, we meet Philip Wadler, a luminary in the world of programming languages. His insights into functional programming provide the tools to craft elegant and efficient software. Unix, the operating system that powers the digital world, becomes our playground.

Quareia Josephine McCarthy invites us into the mystical world of magic, where intention and ritual become catalysts for change. Her teachings merge with the essence of our thoughts and actions, empowering our rituals for transformation.

Now, let's shift our focus to the realm of data, where vector databases store knowledge like ancient scrolls in a library of the mind. This modern-age wisdom repository becomes a vessel for our quest.Venture into the digital landscapes of MUDs, where storytelling takes a digital form. It's a place where we merge the ancient art of storytelling with the modern realms of code and creativity.

As we seek the alchemical parallels in the Hebrew language to the periodic table of elements, we unravel the hidden mysteries of creation. The building blocks of matter interweave with the essence of ancient language.

Our fingers dance on mechanical keyboards, each keypress a tactile pleasure, like a musician playing an instrument. The choice of keycaps becomes our artistic expression, a tactile symphony of keystrokes.

Dr. Joe Dispenza guides us into the territory of the mind's potential. With every thought and intention, we mold our reality. It's a powerful reminder that we are the architects of our destinies.

Vim, the text editor, becomes our quill, crafting the narratives of code. It's a tool for those who understand that precision and efficiency are the keystones of programming.

In the realm of productivity and flow, we journey with the Flow Research Collective. Their wisdom helps us unlock our peak performance and harness the tides of creativity.

Now, let's embark on epic adventures in the world of RPGs, where stories and characters are woven with code. Sublime Text becomes our spellbook, casting enchantments of efficiency over our code.

As we dive deeper into the labyrinth of the self, we realize that the ego is but a shadow, a character we control in the grand narrative of existence. We transcend definitions and become the authors of our own stories.

Sam Ovens, the master of entrepreneurship, shares his insights on building businesses. It's a journey where we blend creativity and strategy, forging empires in the digital age.

Carlo Suares takes us into the world of mystical symbolism, where every letter holds a universe of meaning. We decipher the secrets encoded in the very fabric of reality.

Eric Elliott's expertise in JavaScript shines as we navigate the digital landscape. It's a world where code becomes the paintbrush, and the canvas is the browser.

Kyle M. Yates invites us to explore the philosophy of consciousness. It's a journey into the depths of the mind, a quest to understand the essence of being.

J. Gresham Machen and Page H. Kelley lead us through the pages of academia, where knowledge is both the key and the door to understanding. It's a place where ideas are born and nurtured.

John J. Owens shares his wisdom on intention, catalysts, and the art of ritual rehearsal. It's a magical journey where we learn to wield the power of intention to shape our reality.

Connoisseur Nic Vapes introduces us to the world of e-liquids and vaporizers. It's a sensory experience where flavors and aromas dance on our taste buds, a symphony of vapor.

Mikhaila Peterson, the advocate of a holistic approach to health, guides us through the world of adaptogens and natural remedies. It's a journey of vitality and well-being.

Green coffee, a treasure trove of antioxidants and energy, fuels our quest for health and vitality. It's a brew that awakens our senses and energizes our minds.

Analog technology, a realm of nostalgia and craftsmanship, takes us back to a time when machines were tangible and repairable. It's a world where we appreciate the art of the mechanical.

Cannabis, a plant with a history as rich as it is controversial, becomes a canvas for exploration. It's a journey into the depths of herbal wisdom and the science of cannabinoids.

And in the digital world, Redux.js, a state management library, becomes our companion as we navigate the intricate dance of data flow. It's a tool that empowers us to create robust web applications.

These are the passions that fuel our journey, the pillars of our education. We are both the teachers and the students, on a perpetual quest for knowledge, self-improvement, and mastery. As we continue to explore this tapestry of passions, we invite you to join us on this extraordinary odyssey.

[jeonsfrvr]

high-end (jjk) : zibermuda

→ summary: jungkook is a best-selling erotica novelist living in a lavish neighborhood. He spends his days cruising on yachts, tasting the world’s most expensive wines, and fucking bar-staff. But, as soon as you move in next door with your fruity cocktails, tight bikinis, and odd philosophies, his hobbies shift. To put it plainly; you’re sex on legs and he wants to write about you in his upcoming novel. But first, he has to get to know you inside and out. 

→ genre:smut, fluff, angst (erotica-novelist!jk, architect!reader)

→ words: 13,050

Let’s get one thing straightened out; rich people love to do rich people shit. Whether it be deep-throating oysters in the coastal towns of France, raiding designer stores, or pretending to relate to the lower class, they do it and they do it often.

Jeon Jungkook is guilty of most of the above. At 25 years of age, he lives in a multi million-dollar house situated in the privacy and luxury of the Hills. His neighbors live just as lavishly; some actors, some dentists, and some wealthy by marriage. Their problems seem bizarre to the average person, but respectfully, problems are problems. If you’re feeling off about something — even if you’re standing in your ten-acre garden and can’t seem to decide where to build your own personal water park — you still have a problem.

Jungkook has a problem of his own, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

How the fuck did he get so rich and where do I sign up? You might be thinking to yourself. He writes about the intimate and explicit details of sex. Each of his novels revolve around a successful individual dealing with life’s obstacles and ultimately leaving their imprint on the world. The sex scenes are a by-product of the power play. There’s a lot of power in sex, there’s a lot of love in his heart for life and its obstacles, and there’s a lot of money in publishing well-written (debatable), fantasy-driven erotica novels. 

To say he was born with a silver spoon sticking out of both of his ears would be a bit of an overstatement, but not too far from the truth. His parents are the masterminds behind a multi billion-dollar tech company that develops security software. From day one, they drove the tech-fantasy into their sons head, and even though they persuaded him to graduate college with a Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science, things took a different turn once he stepped foot into the real world; he grew a little too cocky with his qualifications, social status, and good looks, and so spent his time entertaining a rowdy bunch of people, partying, having insane amounts of sex, drinking whatever was handed to him, snorting blow off bars, and everything else the champagne life entails.

And then, like most young people, he was inspired by a short-lived summer romance. She was an aspiring solicitor, beautiful, confident, and determined, but her determination made her use people like dental floss. She bat her eyelashes a thousand times, said anything to grow her network, and lied like it was a 9-5 job. But, as much as it hurt him, he never grew to hate her. There was something about her — maybe it was the way she could tame every doubt in his mind, or the way she built herself from the ground up — that made it clear that she knew the world was hers. She was the inspiration behind his first novel.Similar to how musicians write an array of emotional lyrics and dedicate music videos to ex-lovers, he too found a way to tell stories. The difference is that he never writes out of spite.No matter how many chapters of heartbreak he could write, he believes it to be wholly unproductive. He sees the good and the fun in others or he doesn’t see at all.

He knew many fine publishers through his parents, so it wasn’t long before he was an official published author with a new network of literate friends. His novel was a quick success thanks to his advertising team. They worked their ass to the bone to gain a cult following for him. Posters were on bus-stops, library walls, retirement home notice boards, and even on the ‘Do Not Feed the Ducks’ signs at parks. If the ducks and the elderly weren’t already into sexy, but also kind of odd novels, they sure as hell are now.

He was crowned the king of erotica just a week after his first publication.

The average Joe appreciates a little sex every now and then, but this isn’t a story about average Joe’s. It’s about filthy rich savages who can’t get enough of it; in every position, at every time of the day, at every setting. They put rabbits to shame. For all intents and purposes, Jungkook is one of these rabbit-shaming savages. He loves dubious, sweat-inducing, vulgar sex with loose women; MILFS, teachers, models, lawyers, doctors, bartenders, and even the neighbor living in the colonial mansion opposite from him. She’s forty-three years old, freshly divorced, and had been a fan of his writing since the very first publication, so she thought ’what the hell? I’ll just knock on his door, crack open a bottle of wine, and gush about how much I love his work. Maybe I can work on my game, too.’ She came for conversation, but never thought that he’d be spelling it out with his tongue between her thighs.

When it comes to conversing with him, there’s often tension, whether sexual or just plain enlightening, and a tipping point. He always says the right things to aid out unlikely confidence within people; a type of confidence that makes a person say what they truly mean and want. He likes to ask unlikely questions and do unlikely things, sex aside.

Back to his problem, though; writers block. He’s lacking very specific inspiration, but this is where you come into play. He was curious about you from the very moment he saw you chatting with the driver of the movers truck. You’d been standing outside your new house with your summer dress and broad-rimmed hat, and he’d been curiously scoping out his new neighbor from his window. It’s not uncommon for him to feel such curiosity toward a successful person, nor is it rare for him to adapt and characterize them for his novels. Only the devil knows what kind of woman you are. Maybe you’re a teacher of fine arts, a model, a marine, a police officer, maybe you married into wealth, or even a decoy sent by the FBI. He learned many years ago to not judge a person by their cover.

It was only yesterday that he saw you standing on your driveway with a shadow cast over half of your face, and if he hadn’t been preoccupied with avoiding various voicemails and bickering with his lawyer over the phone, he would’ve introduced himself. Today, though, he plans on doing just that. In fact, he’s already half-way down the stairs with a free schedule and the brighter side of your face clear in his mind.

The staircase banisters are glass panes adorned with silver hand-railings, and each step is a thick, hand-cut slab of grey marble. The steps cascade from the second floor to the kitchen, where contemporary wine racks have been built underneath. Stocked on the racks are hundreds of bottles of imported red wine, white wine, and limited edition champagne taken from events and given to him as gifts. Most, if not all, are purely decorative. He prefers whiskey.

Bright, white spotlights are tucked underneath floating wall dividers to brighten up the home and most, if not all, of the walls have been coated in a light grey paint. A theme of dark wood runs true to his home; dark counter tops, coffee tables, and sculptures. His home is very much an open plan, quite like himself.

Money has never been an issue for him, but it’d be foolish to say that wealth is what got him here in the first place. He has always been smart, has always known the right people, and has always been ambitious to the core. You could give him nothing but an empty bottle, and he’d soon be the best-selling bottle maker in the country.

Jungkook takes a few moments to pick out an expensive bottle of wine — a house-warming gift, if you will — before heading outside. The sky is a pretty shade of blue and almost void of clouds, except for a single cloud spread across the sky like a stroke of white paint. He knocks on your door three times and checks his Rolex after waiting an excess of fifteen seconds. Almost a minute passes before the front door swings open to reveal your shadow-free face. You have light, complementary makeup and a small smile adorning it. If he were younger and a little more naive, he’d drop to his knees.

It’s 4:48PM on a Sunday, yet you have a half-empty, strawberry cocktail in your hand. It’s 4:48PM, yet he has an expensive bottle of wine in his. He already likes you.

“Hello.” You say with those strawberry stained lips. Something about you suggests that you’re a little bit introverted, but it’s definitely not the cloud-white bikini and black, sheer cover-up wrapped around your figure. “I don’t suppose you’re the pool man?” 

“No, but I can take a look if you’d like.” He smiles a true Hollywood smile. “Your neighbor. To the right.”

His home is the biggest in the neighborhood. Many of the other homes are half the size, but just as lavish, including your own.

“Y/N.” You offer out your hand for him to shake and he does so without hesitation. “Architecture is my forte, but that’s not usually the first thing people guess.”

He tells you his name and you repeat it back in a way that makes him raise his eyebrows ever so slightly. And, as you invite him inside, you size him up; from his broad shoulders, slim waist, to his surprisingly perky ass. What is it with men and winning the genetic jackpot for good asses and eyelashes?

You’re not the only one, though. He’s already taken note of your half-naked body, ring-less fingers, and the dimples in your lower back. Your house smells like clean laundry and fresh paint, and an array of gin, brandy, vodka, and whiskey bottles sit on a silver platter on your marbled kitchen counter, right next to a bouquet of deep pink Dahlias. He places the wine bottle nearby, slightly defeated by the wrong choice of drink.

You’re not a wine-drinker, he notes. Cocktails are your best friend.

“Thank you.” You say, genuinely, as you inspect the brand and age of the wine. It looks expensive and by the looks of him, it has to be. “You really didn’t have to bring me anything.”

“I would’ve brought you a pie, but I can’t bake to save a life.” He humors. “You’ll get one, though, just not from me.”

The sun is far too warm to keep the conversation strictly inside. Summer has always been your favorite time of the year.

“What do you do, by the way? I don’t think I asked.” You inquire as you step past the large, glass sliding doors and wander around the great length of your swimming pool. Sundays are the only days where you have the time to lounge around in a bikini and drink cocktails before 5PM, so you make the most of it.

“I’m an author.” Even for someone like him, he’s never seen such a huge personal pool. Are you coaching the Olympic swimming team or something? He can just about picture you lounging on an inflatable pool float, skin wet and glistening in the light.

"What kind of stuff do you write?” You ask with your drink in one hand and his full-attention in the other. “Let me guess.. Science fiction? Business advice?”

His tan skin, wavy hair, and aura yells — practically screams — ‘leisure’, so he could easily be mistaken for a businessman with a habit of visiting the Bahamas every weekend. That’s not far from the truth, to be fair. He isn’t one to shy away from self-indulgence.

“Erotica.” There’s no hidden shame behind his confession, nor is their a flicker of embarrassment. He owns it, just like he owns that white, button-up shirt and that dark, ruffled hair. He’s physically fit, too, thanks to his interest in recreational boxing and high intensity training.

“Erotica?” You repeat, way-off, but entirely captivated by this strange man. “So, you’re addicted to sex?”

Cheeky, he notes.

You tap your finger against your glass and drink in everything about him. The longer you look, the shyer you feel. What’s that about? You’ve never been one to shy away from a hot, single neighbor; that is if he’s actually single and not just a cocky husband of a woman who deserves a whole lot better. There’s something very intimidating about him. He carries himself like nothing in this world could bother him or make him stutter over his words.

He likes that you asked that. It gives him incentive to ask you the same thing. “Aren’t you?”

“We’re living in the hills, Mr. Author.” Your laugh strokes his ears like soft velvet. “I’m sure everybody around here is in some sort of sex ring.”

He touches the bottom of his chin and your eyes linger there for a few moments. His face is perfectly symmetrical; sharp jaw, deep brown eyes, pretty pink lips. A small mole sits directly under his bottom lip, too. “You free Thursday evening, Y/N?”

“Could be.”

“Could be.” He repeats, amused. “A friend of mine opened up a bar down on boulevard. Real fancy shit. They serve $1,000 diamond cocktails and everything else pretentious. I’d like to take you.”

“Sounds fun.” You agree without much hesitation. “I get home from work at 7.”

And that’s how Jeon Jungkook meets you for the first time. He doesn’t stay for too long, though, because he prefers to pace himself. Too much of a good thing isn’t good for anybody. You’ve only spoken to him for twenty-five minutes, but he’s already so intrigued. You’re two years his senior, graduated college twice; first with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, and the second time with a Master’s in Architecture. You love what you do, but you hate where you work, even though it’s one of the best studios in the city. Interior and spacial designs interest you the most, but your boss compresses what you’re allowed to do out of fear that you might be better than he is. Jungkook can already tell that you’re better than a lot of people, especially your boss.

“I won’t be mad if you pour that wine down the sink, honestly.” He wanders past your front door and eyes the way you ever so slightly lean your hip against the door frame. “I mean it.”

You laugh, knowing damn well that that very thought crossed your mind just moments before. “See you Thursday, Mr. Author.”

He heads back home, but catches you again from the same window he’d seen you from yesterday. He observes, slightly hypnotized, as you bend over to place a cocktail glass on the concrete nearby the pool. The sheer fabric of your beach kimono rides up your lower back, revealing the curve of your ass and the white bikini thong clinging to your skin. And then he notices his own novel in your hands. The coloring of the front cover suggests that it’s one of his older novels. He then wonders if you already knew who he was and are just a really convincing actress. You didn’t, really, but his novel was stuffed into a box of books that you had just started to unpack. You recall a friend gifting you the erotica novel for your 25th birthday, but you never even read the blurb. It’s been gathering dust at the back of shelves for two years, but now you just have to know what it’s all about. 

Not expecting much, you flick through a few chapters until you land on a random sex scene. You drink in every word like it’s a new cocktail flavor, tasting the incredibly lewd descriptions of wall sex shifting to wet, shower sex. The way he describes each scene has your imagination firing up like an old truck. You can picture each water droplet sliding down the two bodies, the hand print left on the main character’s thigh, and the thick, misty air in the bathroom. A little warm in the face, you flip the novel and peer at the image of Jungkook printed just above the blurb. He’s wearing that same Hollywood smile.

Monday rolls around far too quickly. You bid farewell to your bikinis and cocktails until next Sunday, and head to work with armfuls of files.

Your boss, David Woods; a man with a passion for development and architecture; ushers you to his large office before you can even make it to your desk. He’s tall and lean; at-least 6′1; with a short quiff that he feels the need to gel back. His hands are abnormally large and disproportionate to his body. Pressed suits, solid-colored ties, shiny shoes, and white button-ups are all that he wears in fear that he could be mistaken for anything other than a rich man.

A dark oak desk sits toward the further end of the room, closest to a blue-grey wall and a painting of something dark and abstract. There are countless awards for god-knows-what lined up on his bookshelves, and a prayer plant is sat on the left side of his desk in a tall, gold vase. If it weren’t for that plant doing regular plant things, the air in here would reek of death.

He takes a seat at his black leather chair and places his big hands on the desk, grinning wickedly at you. The gold light fixtures match the thin, gold necklace that’s half-tucked beneath his button-up.

“A little birdie told me that you’re planning to open up your own studio.” He interrogates. Woods has never been one to mind his business, let alone speak to another human being without a condescending tone. “When was that? Sometime this year?”

“A little birdie?” You’re not afraid to call him out on his blatant dishonesty. “You look through my laptop when I’m at lunch.”

“The company’s laptop.” He corrects. He’s amused by your boldness, but if you squint, you can see the irritation behind his pale blue eyes. “You know how I feel about my people taking clients from The Woods. It’s not good for business.”

No, he’s not talking about literal tree-dominated land, although he does a good job at making people feel as if they’re lost in such a place. The Woods is quite literally him and anything he owns. Once you step foot into the building, you’re in The Woods territory. There’s a difference between being proud of what you’ve made for yourself and being an overbearing asshole who thinks he has a say in everyone and everything.

“I’m just trying to help you out, Y/N. You know that’s all I’ve ever done for you.” He says as condescending as ever. “I just don’t think you’re ready to be your own boss.”

“I’ve been ready for a while.” There’s no reason for you to say this out loud, because, well, both of you are already aware of it. You’re his best. You draw in clients like no other, have a network exceeding 500 professionals, and are a complete realist. You could run five successful studios, but with the right investors, you could run one of the best in the country. “If it’s clients that you’re worried about, don’t. I won’t steal from you.”

“Oh, but you’ve been stealing from me since I let you in these doors.”

Loyalty is a big thing for Woods, but he holds it against people to an extreme extent. He interferes with personal lives, often ordering people to cut ties with others he holds a grudge against or because they don’t ‘fit his vibe.’ If you have an ugly pet, he’ll refer you to the nearest pet sanctuary. If your wife or husband is an under-performer, has one too many blemishes on their skin, or can’t bear a child, he’ll introduce you to somebody he deems worthy.

You leave his office with a plunging feeling in the pit of your stomach and a need for fresh air.

The receptionist greets you as you walk past and toward the revolving doors. She’s a woman in her mid twenties with a noticeable French accent. Light highlights run through her shoulder-length, brown hair. She’s fond of wearing sneakers to work as it makes the train commute a lot more comfortable for her feet, she likes ice-cream scented candles, cats — that’s evident by the few cat hairs stuck to the sleeve of her blouse —, and keeping up with local gossip. She’s good at her job, reliable, and always greets people with a warm smile, even Woods. She’s no-doubt the glue that holds this place together and prevents people from strangling each-other to death.

“Long day?” Mylène, the French receptionist, asks even though lunchtime has yet to hit.

“You could say that.”

“11:11AM.” She says like it means anything to you. “That’s an angel number. I’ll make a wish for you.”

From Monday to Thursday, you work and you work and you work. You have countless meetings with new and old clients, draw up elaborate designs, revise old designs, and visit various construction sites. Your desk grows littered with pens, pencils, cuts of fabric and woods, and random slithers of wallpaper prints. During your lunch breaks, you often grab a coffee with old college friends and colleagues, making the effort to really nourish relationships.

Thursday rolls around faster than usual and you find yourself sitting at a bar with Jeon Jungkook at 8:48PM. He’s wearing a black button-up shirt with a slight satin finish, rolled at the sleeves, black dress pants and shoes, and a Rolex around his wrist. His well built chest strains slightly against his shirt, as do his biceps. You’ve come straight from work in a deep blue pencil dress. There’s not a single casual tee or distressed jean in sight, only high heels, neutral colored ties, gorgeous dresses, and styled hair.

Soft, white down-lights shine from the ceiling above the bar table, illuminating whatever vibrant drink the bartender has served to a customer. Pleasant jazz hums from cleverly hidden speakers. The atmosphere couldn’t get any more intimate. You often find yourself at bars like these after a shit day at work with a drink in both hands. There are specific things that make a shit day, but your boss is always the garlic and onions behind recipes like those.

Jungkook orders a scotch on the rocks and takes the first gulp like a parched man. You order yourself a strawberry-mint gin and tonic.

“What got you into writing?” Is your first question of the night. “I’ve heard that the industry is hard to get into. A friend of mine was rejected dozens of times and told that her plots were all wrong.”

He ponders carefully before settling on an answer. “Life and its shit. I’ve been rejected before, but that’s just how it is out there. Wouldn’t it be boring to be right all the time?”

You chuckle at the notion. “My boss begs to differ.”

Writing — putting your thoughts out into the world for crass feedback — isn’t an easy thing to do. It’s often praised as brave; to open yourself up to such interactions with people who should have zero impact on your self-worth because, they’re, well, complete strangers with a different set of values, literary interests, interpretation skills, and are often just doing their job as a well-paid shit-stirrer.

A handful of people get a kick out of sharing anonymous, hateful comments. Jungkook deals with those kind of comments every day of his life, but if there’s one thing that he’s learned by being in the public eye, it’s that opinions aren’t facts. It’s important to take them and then let them go. Hell, you even have the power to build your own foundation with the bricks people throw at you. His life is his. Your life is yours. It’d be a very big mistake to see your life in eyes that aren’t yours.

People are always going to be cunts with zero regard for other people’s feelings. The difference is that you and him know the difference between being a decent human being and being that. That’s something to take pride in.

“Sure, but how do you deal with criticism?” You ask, intrigued by his extraordinary life. He’s so young for the empire he’s amassed. Sure, he’s two years your junior, but he could teach you a thing or two. “Do you rewrite or try somewhere else?”

He swirls the whiskey in his glass and watches as it glisten beneath the lights. Amusement is written all over his face, but there’s something foreign wavering in his eyes. “I deal with it by sitting in my mansion and not changing a fucking thing about myself.”

“Touché, but wealth isn’t everything.” You challenge. “A lot of people learn to love the money, but hate themselves.”

“I don’t hate myself.” He says and you believe him. “Not always. I try to hate the choices I make instead of hating myself for making them.”

“Smart. You’re your own best friend.”

“I’m never going to know somebody as well as I know myself, so why not? I am my own mind. I know what I’m thinking at most times of the day.”

He makes an interesting point, but you can’t help but challenge it further. “Then again.. you see yourself, but you also don’t see yourself. There are some things that I know about you that you don’t know about yourself. For instance..”

He holds his glass with a limp wrist, listening attentively. “Enlighten me.”

“Well.. I’m sitting in front of you and I can observe the expressions that your face makes during our conversation. You don’t always realize that you’re making them, but you can’t carry a little mirror with you and check what your face is doing all the time. Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“I’ve never thought about that before.” He says with a smile. “You’re a bit strange, aren’t you?”

His answer disappoints you slightly, but you don’t bother verbalizing it. He can tell you feel this way by the slight lowering of your eyebrows. Only, you don’t realize yourself that you’ve taken on this expression. Funny, he thinks to himself. Ignorance was bliss.

You both discuss your the past few riveting days that you’ve had; you speak about your boss in the kindest way possible, and he speaks about the people he recently met in only good tones and smiles. He doesn’t ever poke fun at another persons flaw, or their dress choice, or their intellect. He could sell anyone any product, no matter how shit it actually is, with that talent. You find yourself laughing and cringing like he’s an old school friend. It’s a nice feeling.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve done?” You dare to ask with your straw poking at your bottom lip. You’re on your third gin and tonic.

“The worst thing?” He repeats, amused by your formidable question. He could list a few things that’d shift the mood, but he isn’t ready for you to meet the skeletons in his closet, to evaluate the bad decisions he’s made, or to sympathize with the people he’s hurt.

“Yeah, you know-” You take a sip from your drink before returning it to the bar. You’re in a prying mood. There’s something about him, maybe it’s the way he looks at you with those big brown eyes, that makes you want to try your luck. “The naughtiest.” 

The naughtiest? He thinks to himself. Maybe it was when he bent his lawyer over her desk and showed her what ’taking it from the back’ really meant, or when he fucked a prestigious critic for a better review on his novel. He’s been everywhere, done a little bit of everything, and a little bit of everyone. To choose just one naughty thing would take a weeks worth of contemplation, but then, something of value comes to mind and he leans closer to whisper it into your ear; something so filthy that it makes your breath catch in your throat and your posture improve.

As he speaks lowly, his breath tickles your neck, sending goosebumps down the length of your arms. If you were slightly more sober, and some may argue — smart —, you’d recognize them as warning signs.

“And then..” His voice is intoxicating and has you hooked on every syllable that falls from his lips. He smells like a delicious mix of whiskey, vanilla, and pine. And, during the most telling part of his confession, he runs his palm from your knee to your upper thigh, taking the fabric of your dress with him.

You definitely took him as the promiscuous type, but this is far beyond anything you’ve ever heard before. When he pulls away, your skin is engulfed in an arousing heat. A warm flush had been crawling it’s way up your neck, but has well and truly settled between your thighs. "That’s pretty naughty.”

“Think so?” His confident tone arouses you more. You’re wet. That’s clear to the both of you. “I like the way you’re looking at me.”

You’re way too lost in his eyes and consumed by the feeling of his fingers tracing small circles against your thigh. Your eyes are probably begging for something, a portion of your bottom lip is probably caught between your teeth, and your chest is probably rising and falling quite quickly. “What way?”

“That way.” His eyes flick to your mouth, and then, just like that, his lips are on yours. He kisses you slowly at first, gently sliding his tongue against your own and relishing in the warmth and wetness of your mouth. He craves you; from your bashful smile to every inch of your body that always seems to be wrapped tightly in designer. He wonders what sounds you’ll make when he fucks you, whether or not you prefer to go slow and make love, how wet you’ll get you with just his fingers, and if your panties are thin and lacy and riding up your ass.

He hates wondering, so he takes you home. You unzip your dress and let it fall to the hardwood floor, and he pours himself a whiskey on the rocks. His curious eyes roam all over your skin, from your hardened nipples to your bare thighs, as he guides your lower back against the kitchen counter. Every touch against your skin makes you shudder, whether it be the pads of his fingers or the grey marble of the countertop.

“Look at you. Fuck..” He says, mostly to himself, as he rolls your nipple between his fingers. Your eyes flutter shut at his touch. 

He runs his palm up the curve of your ass and hooks his fingers underneath the band of your panties, tugging it tight against your pussy. The feeling of your skin burns into his memory, and as he looks at your face, really looks at it, he knows he hit the jackpot; your face is as beautiful as your voice, your voice is as beautiful as your mind, and your mind is as beautiful as your body. To him, you’re fucking faultless. He knows he’ll be on his knees for you before the night is over.

The ice sitting in his glass glistens beneath the kitchen light and it gives him an intriguing idea. He wants to see you come undone, to make you so stimulated that you can’t pinpoint where the feeling is coming from. He takes an ice cube between his lips and presses it against the side of your neck. You gasp at the feeling of the ice running against your skin; so cold that it almost stings. Your fingers grasp at the fabric of his button-up as he drags the ice past your collarbone and down to your nipple, pressing it firm against the bud until your back arches away from the counter. A thin sheen of water maps out exactly where his lips have been.

Just like he knew he would, he sinks to his knees and tugs your panties down your thighs and off at the feet. The ice melts in his mouth. His lips are still cold and wet as he presses a hard kiss against your pussy, and the feeling draws a startled gasp from your chest. He spreads your folds with his fingers and teasingly drags his tongue against your pussy hole. His nose digs against your clit as he licks into you. His own saliva coats his chin, and at one point, drools from your pussy to the hardwood flooring.

“Right there.. Like that. Fuck!” You sigh as he alternates between sucking and licking your clit, and curling two fingers inside of you. He touches you right, really making the effort to listen to the sounds you make and taking note of the way you squirm against his mouth.

He licks your pussy and digs his fingers into your ass until your moans double in volume and your breathing turns rapid, and then he stands to steal your breath again with a deep kiss. You fumble with the buttons of his button-up as he fervently kisses you. The pace of the kiss is erratic and you find it difficult to keep up. He bites and sucks on your tongue until your lips are swollen.

His body is dreamy and something you’ve been curious about ever since he turned up in that tight, black button-up; wide shoulders, slim waist, defined abdomen and pecs, and small nipples that harden slightly as you run your hands over his skin. You tug on the zipper of his pants and reach beneath for his cock. It’s stiff and warm in your hand.

He lifts your leg and wraps your thigh snug around his bare waist, eager to feel you. A relieved sigh falls from both of your mouths as he sinks into you. He pulls your hips flush against his own, delving deeper and filling you up until he can’t any more. You feel so warm and wet wrapped around him. It couldn’t be any better.

“You feel so good.” He praises and he means every word. “So fucking good..”

Similarly to the first kiss you shared, he starts off gentle and slow, but is quick to lose himself in the moment and set a quick pace. His pecs and abdomen flex as he bucks his hips against yours over and over again. The sex has you in a trance. Moans drool from your lips, your nails rake across the back of his neck, and your head grows increasingly dizzy. Your lower back digs firmly into the counter top as he fucks you against it, and profanities fall from his tongue in arousing moans. You can’t imagine your night getting any better.

The sex migrates from the kitchen counter, to the doors of the pantry, and finally to the nearby couch. He sinks onto, almost into, the couch as you straddle his lap. Nothing else is running through his mind aside from you; the feeling of your wrapped tightly around him, the sight of your parted lips and low eyes, the sound of your pretty whines and stuttering breath, and the bounce in your tits as you sit on his cock over and over again.

“Oh my.. god. Oh my-” You chant in desperate whispers. “Fuck..”

He reaches for your tits, squeezing the flesh and pinching your nipples between his fingers. Your skin is delicate beneath his touch; he almost feels like he could break you at any moment, but you’re proving to be a bigger girl than he made you out to be.

You come twice that night; once on his cock and the other on his tongue. You’re breathless when it ends and it takes you many, many more moments spent in his arms before you can gather your thoughts and clothing.

Jungkook has had enough sex in his life to understand that sex is never perfect and that’s a very normal and human thing. Sometimes it takes a few different touches and manoeuvres to turn somebody on, and other times it’s a walk in the (water) park. Sometimes he’ll laugh while he’s balls deep in somebody because one of them made a funny noise. He might miss their mouth and accidentally kiss their chin. He might come too early or too late, lose his erection halfway through because a bizarre thought crossed his mind, or even fall asleep before he can take his pants off because he’s had a little too much to drink. Sometimes sex is boring, or silent, or just an itch that needs to be scratched. But he saw no fault in the sex he just had with you. His mind didn’t wander, but his hands definitely did. He liked everything about it; from the sounds you made to the way you slipped your tongue into his mouth. He still sees zero faults in you.

Woods hands you the client on Friday morning. Just like that. He strides to your desk and slaps down a file full of various sketches, building plans, and contact details. You flip through the pages with an abundance of enthusiasm as he glares down at you. He wants you to stay at the studio and he’s hoping that this will buy your confidence. That’s what this is.

“Don’t disappoint me.” Is all that he says.

You meet with those clients on the very same day, introducing yourself and chatting about various design ideas over coffee at a nearby cafe. They’re a married couple in their late fifties and as rich as ever. They carry themselves well and decide on a budget in the millions. They want to build a retirement home for themselves; somewhere secluded and surrounded by gorgeous scenery, open plan, modern, lots of light, white and elegant decor.

“Plants.” The man adds as you’re taking notes on an iPad. He’s handsome; short, dark hair, well-built figure, pretty brown eyes, and a soothing voice. “Lots of house plants. They make the air better.”

“Actually..” The woman adds as the meeting comes to an end. She’s as attractive as her husband; pretty eyes, shiny black hair, and delicate fingers. “We’re heading to a literature event tonight and the venue is exactly in the style we’re looking for. Why not come? It’s a nice excuse to get you out of the office, isn’t it?”

You accept with a smile. Who are you to turn down free champagne during a weekday? You’re not much of a reader, not because you don’t like to read, but because you rarely have the time. Regardless, you put on your nicest dress and your nicest heels, and adorn your face with pretty makeup. 

The venue is stunning; high ceilings with expensive chandeliers, white Victorian walls, indoor ivory hanging from aged wooden beams, huge windows that allow the sunlight to pass through. It really is beautiful here. The other guests are dressed to the nines; shawls, glistening dresses, designer ties and suits, and priceless shoes. As you’re looking around and sipping on a glass of complementary champagne, somebody all too familiar catches your eye. He notices you just moments after and comes bounding over with a handsome smile on his face.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Jeon Jungkook, your neighbor and the man you had literal sex with the other day, joins you by the table of champagne glasses. A huge chocolate fountain and a few vases full of white flowers are sat on the table, too.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, a bit taken aback by how good he looks; black blazer over a tight high-neck sweater, black dress pants, and shiny shoes. His hair is styled neatly and pushed off to one side.

“I was invited-” He quirks an eyebrow. “-to the author’s events because, believe it or not, I’m an author. Why are you here?”

“Right.” You breathe out all of your tense energy in one, long sigh. With little conviction, you gesture toward the middle-aged couple who are enjoying champagne with a slightly younger woman. “Those are my clients. They want a home in a similar style to this. They didn’t have to invite me, but it’s nice that they did. Could’ve just googled this place or visited later in the week..”

“My parents?” He asks, unaffected.

“Your parents?”

He points two limp fingers in the direction of the same couple and you can’t help but remember the feeling of them between your thighs. “The pretentious looking couple, yeah, my parents. I was so sure you were the type to read through my Wikipedia page and draw up my family tree.”

Small world, you think to yourself. It seems like every rich person knows all the other rich people in this world. They all meet at some point, buying and selling parts of themselves in the good name of business. The world makes the strangest connections sometimes.

“If you ever feel nervous, just remember this.” He says. “Their son writes sex novels, so nothing can really disappoint them any more than that. You’ll give them what they want, though. I’ve seen some of your work.”

“They don’t support you?”

“They do. My mom tells people that I write about science and the order of the universe, though. She’s still holding out hope that I’ll suddenly want to work at their company. My dad doesn’t really care.. as long as I don’t overdose on some yacht in Cancun.”

Jungkook’s eyes drag from your exposed neck and arms, to the curve of your ass. Your glittery dress is as amazing as everyone else’s, maybe even better. The soft skin of your back is exposed and a delicate string of jewels runs down your spine. “You look nice, by the way. Really nice.”

The opportunity for mingling comes to a close once a young man — about the same age as Jungkook — steps up to the mic that’s been set up at the front and center of the venue. He’s wearing round glasses and a black, fitted suit. The guests take their seats at their allocated tables. It comes as no surprise to you that Jungkook is seated at the same table as parents. You sit at the table behind with a few other rich women draped in designer. The eldest woman sat around the table taps your shoulder and compliments your dress.

“Stunning.” She says and you smile.

“Thanks for coming everyone. I’d like to start us off with a passage from my latest self-help book.” The young man with the glasses begins after tapping the mic with two fingers. He’s not nervous, just eager to change at least one person’s outlook. “If somebody doesn’t bring anything positive into your life, let them go. You’ll feel bad and question whether you’ve done the right thing, but just give it some time. Don’t check up on somebody who doesn’t check up on you. Don’t try to keep in contact. Stop associating things, music, and people with that person.”

“Maybe they said something mean and you said something back or vice versa, but in reality, it just doesn’t matter. You were both upset. You’re not defined by a petty argument. People in this world kill each-other, steal, abuse power, and assault the most vulnerable. You’re not a bad person for being upset and saying something hurtful, and that rings true if you feel any ounce of regret. It happened and you can’t change it. Sure, you might’ve had some awesome times and genuinely have love for that person, but if they continuously make you doubt your worth, intellect, choices, values, invade your privacy, and lash out at you for being somebody other than who they want you to be, let them go. You don’t even owe them an explanation or a goodbye. Don’t apologize when it isn’t your fault. Don’t apologize for mistakes that you didn’t make. Don’t waste time reflecting on shit that just isn’t worth it. This world is full of people who you will love and who will love you. Don’t settle. You lose part of yourself when you do.”

And then he nods to the crowd and returns to his seat. An older woman takes his place and introduces a passage from her own novel.

“Lessons in love hurt.” She says. “If there was a class for love, nobody would turn up. We’re not lab rats and we’d all prefer to learn without pain. I don’t ever remember feeling like I’d spend life alone after a math class, do you?” 

Despite Jungkook being the most famous author here, he doesn’t get up to speak at all during the night. All he does is listen to the others and clap once they finish reciting their bit. When the event ends and all the rich people have shaken all the other rich people’s hands, he offers to take you somewhere where they serve a lot more than champagne, and you accept without a hesitating thought.

He drives a black camaro and it smells exactly like his aftershave. You don’t bother to ask him where he’s taking you because you trust that he’ll show you a good time. He drives for fifteen minutes down a busy road before turning a corner and continuing down a narrow driveway toward a federal colonial house. The driveway widens five times it’s previous size, making room for at-least twenty decent sized vehicles. He parks among nine other cars and walks toward the large front door with your hand in his; just in case you trip in the dark with those heels on.

Dim, alternating colors of light emit from each of the windows; floor to ceiling on the first floor, and half the size on the second. A huge lawn surrounds the property and is dimly illuminated by outdoor solar lights that are impaled into the soil. Loud, electropop music booms from the walls of the building. You can practically see them shaking in tune with the bass.

“Where is this?” You ask over the volume. Bunches of balloons are fastened around an assortment of topiary bay trees.

“A happy house.” He lets himself in like he’s been here one hundred times before. He has. This is the one place that he won’t ever outgrow. People do every type of drug here, party for three days in a row, and have boatloads of sex. The police don’t bother intervening because too many celebrities are fond of this place and come often. If offered enough money, even the law can turn a blind eye. “You get very happy here, if you know what I mean.”

The air is thicker inside the building and more difficult to breathe in. It doesn’t feel like a home at all. You can smell weed, sweat, sex, and alcohol. The flickering lights illuminate parts of people’s faces and bodies. They’re chatting quietly, touching each-other through and beneath their clothing, smoking cigarettes, and exchanging saliva in the hallway. Some have multicolored hair, streaks of neon paint smeared on their face, missing shirts, cocaine melted into their upper lip, and a light sheen of sweat adorning their skin.

Jungkook takes no notice. He guides you past the bodies in the hallway and toward what looks like a pumped-up, party-haven living room. Two couches sit opposite from one another and in-between a table that’s littered with empty glasses and glow sticks. It’s hard to see much else.

“I was wondering when I’d see you again.” An older woman comes out of nowhere and engulfs Jungkook in a tight hug. She’s wearing a turquoise jumpsuit, lots of jewellery on her wrists and fingers, and bright pink lipstick. The flickering lights make it difficult to make out the true dimensions of her face, but you can tell that she’s very beautiful. She has yellow neon paint smeared down her neck and arms.

“Huifang, Y/N.” Jungkook takes the joint that she offers him and lights it between his lips. The smoke rises to the ceiling and changes color in tune with the lights. “She’s designing my parent’s old people home.”

The woman steps forward and you expect her reach for a hug, but she cups your face and presses a hard kiss against your lips instead. You’re wide eyed when she pulls away, but her smile doesn’t falter. This is definitely a happy house.

“She’s very friendly.. Ever since the divorce.” Jungkook’s eyes sparkle in the light as he laughs. It’s a playful gesture that Huifang returns by nudging his arm.

“Wow.. Yeah.” You pat your lips and check your fingers for her bright pink lipstick.

Somewhere along the flashing lines, Jungkook vanishes beneath the lights and Huifang pulls you down on the the nearest couch. You’ve never been so bewildered in your life. There’s so much going on that you don’t understand, but the three glasses of champagne that you had previously are doing their bit at calming your nerves.

“You’re free here.” She says. “You can do anything around these people; take every kind of drug, have sex on the tables, commit fraud in the hallway. Nobody fucking cares here and I love living this way.”

She points a manicured finger toward two people sat on a dining table chair. Balloons are tied to the legs of the nearby table and confetti litters the floor. A woman, about the same age as Huifang, has the straps of her dress at her hips. She’s hungrily kissing a man whose lap she’s occupied. The flickering lights make what their doing seem slightly more private, but they’re still definitely having sex. There are other people slumped against the wall, some are on the couch, some are cutting up cocaine on the table, some are walking past the couch and into the back garden, where sex is also definitely being had. It all seems very normal here. It’s like a frat party on steroids and Viagra.

“You and I are from the same spaceship. I can tell.” Huifang says, but doesn’t elaborate until she lights a cigarette between her lips and takes a long drag. “Ambitious as hell when shown a little faith.”

“I wasn’t always like this.” She gestures to her styled hair and the expensive rings on her fingers. “I was dirt poor when I had my son and couldn’t even afford to send him to school with lunch like all the other kids. Selfish, right? I got pregnant when I knew I couldn’t take of my own kid. And then it got even harder; I couldn’t afford to pay for his bus tickets when the school fees starting increasing. Something to do with expensive development in the area. That’s when I knew I was in real shit. I thought about pulling him out and teaching him a thing or two around the dinner table, but what the hell do I know? I dropped out of high school to raise him. I couldn’t teach him half the things a decent school could. All I could do was work unstable jobs.”

In the time it takes her to preface her story, her cigarette burns out completely. She takes a new cigarette from the pocket of her turquoise jumpsuit and lights it between her small, pink lips. “Anyways..” She says with a cloud of smoke chasing each syllable. The lights make her dark eyes look like they’re shifting colors.

“I met him during my shift at a bar when I was thirty-two and he was twenty-one. I couldn’t believe how smart and handsome he was. He spoke like he knew the answers to everything.” She doesn’t point to any man, but you know for certain that she’s referring to Jungkook. “He was interested in my life, so I told him everything. I told him how my parents would frown at me for living how I lived. They were rich, but I didn’t want to live off money I didn’t earn. They didn’t understand and scolded me for being selfish. My son wasn’t ever a depressed or spoiled child and he knew the value of money from a very early age. I guess that’s one thing I could teach him.”

“He wrote about me, you know?” She admits. “It’s a complete autobiography, really. He’s a talented writer, always describing things that others wouldn’t have thought to. And he gave me 100% of the profits he made from it. I refused at first, but he insisted that I deserved it.”

You’re so engulfed in her story that you don’t notice when Jungkook takes a seat next to you until his fingers push your hair away from your neck. His hand is smeared in pink neon paint, which is now glowing in a section of your hair. In his other hand is a clear drink. He offers it to you and you smell it; vodka and lemonade. Classy.

“Having fun?” He leans close to your neck so you can hear him over the booming music. “She’s funny, isn’t she?”

“You could say that.”

He watches as you take a leisurely sip of your drink. Your lips are slightly wet and glisten beneath the flashing lights. “Can I ask you something?”

You give him a playful look, the same one you’ve been giving him most of the night, and he responds by placing a hand on your thigh. The silk is smooth against his palm, but so is your skin as he reaches underneath the skirt of your dress. Huifang isn’t sitting next to you when you look for her.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve done?” Jungkook coos against your neck as his fingers dance against your skin. They inch higher and higher as each second passes. The music grows louder.

You’ve had plenty of sex with ex-boyfriends at questionable places, but you haven’t been touched so publicly before, nor have you been so aroused that you’d even allow somebody’s hand to reach any further than your knee.

Your heart slams against your rib cage and you swallow hard. You can’t find the strength to recite your response in anything other than a quiet whisper. You’re no stranger to sex, but you feel like a virgin again. “The worst?”

He can’t hear you. His hand vanishes beneath your dress, now delving beneath the fabric of your panties and running against your wet skin. You sigh at his touch.

The music and chatter has dimmed around you and the only thing your ears listen for is his voice. “The naughtiest.”

Completely void of shame, he eases two fingers into your pussy until his palm is flush against your clit. You instinctively reach for his inner thigh and dig your nails into the fabric of his pants. He moves, slowly pumping his fingers and rubbing his palm firmly against your clit. You’re hazy and light-headed, completely drunk on his touch.

He takes your earlobe between his teeth before pressing a gentle kiss against the sore skin. “I think I can guess.”

You bite back a moan into a whimper that only he hears. Your pussy aches around his fingers and you instinctively push your hips closer toward his touch. He presses a hard kiss against your neck and drags his paint-covered hand from your neck down to your breasts. A trail of neon pink paint vanishes beneath your bra, where he has your nipple between his fingers.

Arousal drools down his skin as he increases the speed of his fingers. Your hips move on their own, circling and following the rhythm of his fingers. A fire grows between your thighs and you have to really, really focus to not drop your drink on the floor and smash the glass.

“That’s pretty naughty.” You can hear the amusement in his voice.

On Saturday, you work yourself to the bone. Jungkook crosses your mind when you’re alone in your bedroom, but you fall asleep before you can do anything about it. On Sunday, though, you just can’t fall asleep. The thought of his touch and the insanely perverted thing you did in that house full of people lingers in your mind. Things like that would usually repulse you, but you can’t help but ache for it again.

Shamelessly, you touch yourself. You run the tip of your vibrator up and down your pussy, spreading your lips and slicking up the toy. You picture the shower scene you had read in his novel; the hand-print on the woman’s thigh, the slapping sounds of wet sex, and the heavy water flowing from the faucet. You picture his fingers rubbing hard against your clit and easing deep into you, just how he had done on Friday night. You picture the dimples in his lower back as he dips in-between your thighs, his wide shoulders, toned abdomen, his voice in your ear.

A whine falls from your mouth as you delve deeper into your imagination. His sex, his moans, the furrow in his eyebrows when he concentrates on fucking you well, the kisses that he likes to press against your neck. Your back arches off the bed as you draw yourself closer to your climax. You can barely contain yourself. Moans and gasps fill your bedroom. You grasp at the sheets and think of him when you come.

From Monday to Friday, David Woods invites you into his office before you reach your desk in the morning and before you step outside at the end of each day, demanding updates on the rich couple you’re working for. They may be Jungkook’s parents, but they’re your clients. You’re smart enough to know that it’s always best to leave personal-life far, far away from work-life.

“Well?” Woods always begins with.

“Well what?” You always finish with. “They’re happy with how things are progressing.”

Sunday is supposed to be the day that you can dedicate to yourself and to your peace of mind, but you find it increasingly hard to wind down. No matter how delicious your cocktail is, how warm the summers night is, or how pretty the pool looks as the water glistens beneath the moonlight, you just can’t seem to settle your thoughts.

“Rough day?” A familiar voice calls from his second story home. You don’t need to lift your head to know that Jungkook is hanging out of his window with a glass of whiskey in hand and a handsome smile on his face.

“You have no idea.” You call back, making no effort to meet his gaze. You’re wearing a short summery dress and he likes the look of it.

“Well.” He lifts his glass like he’s making a toast to God himself. “I’d like to have an idea.” 

He invites you over and you hesitantly accept the glass of red wine he pours for you. A gin and tonic would’ve been nice, but he’s keen on you tasting this exclusive bottle of wine. You take a tiny sip and are pleasantly surprised. It’s not vinegary like all the other wines you’ve tasted. It’s floral and soft on your throat.

You tell him everything about your ordeals at work; from the first time you met your boss, to the time he told you not to wear a particular color because it ‘washes you out’, and now to his constant breathing down your neck. You want to leave and create your own business as soon as you can, but you can’t leave a client before construction work begins. You’ll look like a fucking idiot.

It feels good to vent and it feels even better to vent to someone who holds zero judgement toward you. The conversation shifts and you ask about Huifang. He tells you that her son recently received a scholarship for university.

“What’s your favorite color?” Jungkook asks as he refills your wine glass for the third time that night.

“Why do you ask?”

He’s amused at your sudden defensiveness. Is it that bad? “Trying to get to know you.”

“I don’t have one.” You say without giving it a single thought. It’s such a simple question, but you don’t want to answer it. There’s something much more intimate about telling somebody your favorite color than, for example, drawing them a labelled diagram of your vagina and asshole. You don’t want to be that kind of intimate. Not now.

“Fine.” He says, smile not faltering. “Mine’s blue.”

You decide to ask him a question of your own; one that you’ve been meaning to ask since that night at the bar. “Nothing in this world bothers you, does it?”

“Things bother me.” He admits. “But I see no point in hanging onto things that I can’t change.”

When midnight strikes, you announce your departure. You pick up the bottle of red wine and make a rightful request. “Mind if I take this? It’s better than I thought.”

“Help yourself.”

You leave and he rolls himself a tight joint. His personal phone rings from the kitchen counter and he picks up after five rings.

“Yes?” He asks, wholly uninterested.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” A pretty female voice murmurs through the receiver. “I’m a few hours behind, so I’m sorry for calling you so late at night.”

His joint hangs loosely from the side of his mouth, the filter growing slightly damp. It crosses his mind that this woman behind the phone may be his first love, but that thought leaves his mind as quickly as it comes. He changed his phone number multiple times to avoid a handful of others, so how could it be? “Who is this?”

“You forgot me already?” Her laugh rings in his ears like a high school bell. It is her. Only she has that laugh. It’s beautiful, but also sort of villainous. “How long has it been? three years?”

“I don’t keep track of time anymore.”

“Because you’re so rich, right? Nothing really matters to you anymore. You can do whatever you want.” He can picture her rolling her eyes so clearly in his mind. That was something she often did when she disapproved. “Money is a nice feeling.”

He doesn’t say anything, too taken aback by the exact same person who used him up like a favorite lipstick three years back. He doesn’t understand why she called him.

“I read your novel, by the way. The one about me.” She cuts the silence with a softer tone. “You made me look a lot better than I’ve been. Why?”

He lights the tip of the joint with an old, silver lighter and inhales the smoke deeply into his lungs. The smoke chases his response and then vanishes into the air. “No hard feelings, right? We agreed on that.”

“Did you mean it?” She switches the topic at the very moment he notices the lights to your bedroom flick on. “When you said you’d always love me? Wait for me?”

“I meant it then.” He admits, his vision and mind softening. He checked out of the conversation just moments before. “But that was then.”

You work like you always do. Jungkook crosses your mind, but it’s far too often for your liking. It concerns you how he easily he can creep into your mind while you’re sitting at your desk, waiting in line for a coffee, or driving home. You always look at his house before pulling up to your own. This isn’t seeming like a no-strings-attached arrangement anymore and that bothers you.

Jungkook is presented with countless opportunities, but he doesn’t sleep with anyone during the time spent away from you. He touches himself to the thought of you a few times; a clear picture of your face in his mind as he runs his fingers over his skin. He can’t help it, but he doesn’t quite know why. He wonders what you get up to at work and if your boss has backed off yet. He hates wondering.

You don’t speak for almost three weeks and that irks him. He writes a lot of his novel in that time, but it’s not enough to ease his mind. He wants to see you, to listen to you ramble about your life, to see that bashful smile. He calls you on a Tuesday night, but you don’t answer. He calls you on a Friday night and you answer after six rings.

“Where have you been?”

“Working.” You hate the effect that his voice has on you. “Where have you been?”

“Working. Wanna hang out?” He asks because he wants to touch you and you agree because you want to touch him, too.

For a change, he knocks on your door and you have sex in your house. The sex is just as good and dirty as it had been the last time, maybe even better; he pulls your hair, pushes his fingers in your mouth, and slaps your ass as he fucks you from behind. He makes you come twice, makes you say his name, and ties your wrists with your own panties. You lick his cock from the base to the tip and coat his skin with your saliva. You hollow your cheeks, swirl your tongue, and run your tongue along his slit, and he fucks your throat until tears prick at the corner of your eyes. The both of you let completely loose and crumble beneath each-other’s touch, but when all is said and done, you immediately start searching for your clothes.

“Are you avoiding me?” He asks as he watches you step back into your panties. He’s laying back on your bed, naked, with a hand resting under his head.

This is where he had his heart broken for the first time; not with his dick out, although, that does come to mind whenever he reminisces, but after being avoided for a period of time. He remembers what his ex said to him; ‘I’m moving away. Away from this fucking city. I’ll call you.’ And then he let her. He let her glance at him only once, get on that flight, and leave his heart on the runway. But he’s not a total idiot. He picked it up and shoved it back into his chest where it should’ve stayed and where healing only comes with time. Even after publishing his first novel, he still felt alone. Money, fame, and sex isn’t everything. He was missing a kind of company where he was allowed to be flawed. And then he met you. You let him say the wrong things, drink too much on a night out, have messy and imperfect sex, and express dissatisfaction even toward his wealthy lifestyle.

You hesitate before answering. Have you been avoiding him? You couldn’t say. You’ve definitely been running from thoughts of him. “No, why?”

“Don’t know. Maybe you’re not.” He doesn’t pull his eyes away from your frantic movements. “I like spending time with you, so it sucks that I can’t see you more often.”

To you, he’s just another contact in your phone book. To him, you’re just company that he’s very fond of. That’s what you’ve convinced yourselves, at-least. Maybe you were both raised the same way; taught to not put yourself in risky situations unless they’ll bring you success and fortune. Emotions are messy and complicated, and feelings of heartbreak aren’t worth the trouble. Sex is fun, but falling in-love isn’t. You go from occasionally thinking about a person, to becoming a vessel for their entire existence. You’ll no longer put yourself first and that can be a dangerous thing. After sex, you can just get up and leave. But, when you’re in-love, it stays with you no matter how far you run.

“I’ve just been busy.” You say. It’s not a lie. “You know how it gets.”

“Yeah, I do.” He grins at you and you feel a huge wave of guilt wash over you. Why is he such a nice fucking guy? Why do you never want to see that smile leave his face?

You can’t hold it in much longer, so you just let it all out. You need to make sense of this. “This is just a friendship, right? We’re clearly friends, but then there’s all of this sex. Really good sex, don’t get me wrong..”

Jungkook knows that he has love for you, but he’s not in-love with you. He could be, though, and that’s something that intrigues him. If you would just look into his eyes a little differently and let him see past the shades of your iris’, he knows that he could fall in-love. Seeing you stand in front of him, now, with nothing on but panties and his shirt makes him wonder. He��s seen what’s beneath, but he hasn’t seen much of what’s even deeper. You don’t talk when you don’t want to. You don’t let yourself be wholly vulnerable around him.

“Why wouldn’t we be friends?” He realizes how that sounds as soon as he says it. You’re just trying to draw the lines and he’s really fucking awful at coloring within them.

“Okay. Let’s agree on friends.. Just to be clear.” You hold out your hand like you’re offering him a life-changing deal. It may not be life-changing, but it’s definitely a one-way deal. How can he refuse? If he does, he’ll lose you completely. If he agrees, he’ll lose you in the way he wants you, but you’ll still be around.

This has happened before, something similar at-least. He should’ve seen it coming, but he gets so lost in your eyes and lost in the way your voice envelopes all of his senses. This is how his life will continue to be; others will do great things and he will be the messenger. Willingly, of course. There’s something quite intriguing about being the pawn in another person’s self-discovery plan. Besides, he’s not leaving empty handed; he gets another plot for his next novel. He gets to feel whatever pain he feels and he’ll make millions out of it. People will do just about anything to succeed in this world, whether it be playing the devil or the fool. Both warrant profit and a status of some kind. 

He wants to ask if you’re sure, but who is he to question your choices? He doesn’t know what goes on in your head, what’s best for you, or how you truly feel about him. Some may say that he deserves to know, but he doesn’t. Nobody in this world is entitled to your thoughts, your body, or your time, no matter what they’ve done for you.

His expression shifts to one of amusement — like he’s saying ‘well played’ — as he takes your hand and shakes on it. You’re one hell of a woman, the most intriguing one he’s even met. There are layers to you that are never-ending, depths that are too dark for him to see in. And, until you hand him a torch bright enough, he’ll appreciate the things that you do decide to show him. “Friends, whatever you want.”

No matter how much it hurts, nobody can force what isn’t meant to be. Maybe time will change the story, but for now, everything is how it’s supposed to be. He won’t force any of his feelings onto you and that’s what will make him a good friend. You’ll just look at each-other, exactly how you’re doing right now, with tight lips. You’ll share the warmth of each-other’s palms and bathe in the silence until somebody picks up their pride and makes the easier decision.

Just because two people love each-other, even in the most platonic way, it doesn’t mean that they’re meant to be together. For some, pain is pleasure. For others, pain is pain, and they have a habit of letting it go along with the person who sparked the feeling. Life is a cycle of giving and receiving pain, but it’s also a cycle of giving and receiving love. Without pain, nobody would know love, and vice versa. 

But, before he can pull his eyes away from yours and be the one to leave, to make that easy decision, you give him that very look; the look that makes him fall in-love with you.

“Purple.” You say, holding onto his hand like it’s keeping you afloat. You feel like you might lose him forever if you let go, like you might drown in the most painful way. You don’t want him to leave. “That’s my favorite color.”

He doesn’t say a word, far too afraid of missing one of yours.

“Not a hickey-colored purple, more like a lilac.” Your eyes are wide and desperate. To be friends isn’t what you want, even if it’s what you said. You know that you’ll never feel what he makes you feel with any other person. Maybe he’ll break your heart into a million pieces, or maybe you’ll break his, but you wouldn’t want anyone else to do it. You’ll never trust somebody like you trust him and that’s important to you. “I didn’t like wine until you poured me some, daises spark up my allergies, my parents have been separated for nine years, but can’t be bothered to divide their assets, so, technically, they’re still married. My friends and I have a Sex and the City marathon every Christmas..”

You succeed in your own studio because that’s what you put your mind, body, and soul towards. You rarely question your identity, femininity, and self-worth, but when you do, you take a step back and take a long look at the empire you’ve amassed for yourself. You cry when you need to, you scream at the ocean when things bottle up, you have the filthiest sex with Jungkook and let him kiss every inch of your skin when you want to be touched, and you allow yourself to be wholly vulnerable with the people that love you. You take a look at the kind friends you’ve made, the supportive clients, investors, and even those who despise you in silence.

And, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, you take a good look at a newspaper article displayed behind the window of a news agency: David Woods, former CEO of Woods Architecture Studio, is under fire for subjecting his employees to bizarre company policies, underpaying, and failing to provide adequate training and feedback opportunities to female employees.

The article displayed on the following newspaper makes you smile just as wide: Jeon Jungkook, author and new-found owner of a whiskey distillery, sold more than one million copies of his new novel in the first seven days, and has achieved the title of Best Selling Author for the third year in a row.

You might be thinking to yourself: did he ever write that odd, sex-filled erotica novel about me? The answer is yes. You just read it.

[caseyboots]

7 Types of Art You Need to Know About

Art game is a universal form of expression that has been around since the dawn of humankind. From cave paintings, to sculptures, to music and literature, art has always been an important part of human culture and history. Today there are seven major forms of art: painting, sculpture, architecture, music, literature, theater and film. 

There are many different types of art. Each one has its own special features that make it different from the others. For example, brush strokes in a painting or the intricate details in a piece of architecture or musical composition. In this article we will explore how each type of art can be used to express different messages and emotions. We will also talk about the history behind each medium and how it has changed over time.

What you mean by arts

It encompasses a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, architecture, music, literature, theater and film. Art is used to convey messages and emotions through the use of color, texture, line and shape.

Art can make people feel powerful emotions and start conversations about social issues. Arts also have a purpose, like architecture which is the science of designing and constructing buildings. Art forms have changed over time and still influence our lives today.

What are considered arts

Art can be many different things. Some examples are paintings, sculptures, buildings, music, stories, and movies. People have been making art since ancient times. It is a way to express feelings and to tell interesting tales.

Painting is a form of visual expression that uses a combination of colors, textures and lines to create images on canvas. Sculpture is the art of creating three-dimensional figures out of materials such as stone, wood or metal. Architecture is the science of designing and constructing buildings. Music is a form of auditory expression that utilizes pitch, rhythm, dynamics and harmony to create unique compositions. Literature is the art of creating stories and poems through the written word. Theater is a physical form of storytelling in which actors, directors and playwrights come together to create performances. Film is a combination of visual storytelling, music, acting and editing that results in powerful stories that captivate audiences. 

Painting – Exploring Color, Texture and Line 

Painting has been used for a long time to make pretty pictures and to show different emotions. Different painters have used different methods over time to show feelings and tell stories. For example, warm colors like oranges and yellows might make you feel happy, while cooler colors like blues and greens could make you feel calm.

Rough textures tend to create more movement in a piece while smoother surfaces have a soothing effect. The use of lines can also be used to create tension and direct the eye in a composition.

Sculpture – Capturing Emotion in Three Dimensions 

The art of sculpture is the physical manifestation of an artist’s creative vision. Sculptors are artists who create three-dimensional works of art. They use wood, metal, stone, or other materials to create their sculptures. Sculptures often have intricate details that tell us more about the artist and their skill level. By carefully crafting shapes, lines, textures and other elements, sculptors can bring their creations to life in an amazing way.

Architecture – Crafting Structures with Purpose 

The practice of architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings. Architects make buildings that look good and are useful. They use different materials and shapes to make houses and other buildings.

Music – Expressing Feelings Through Sound 

The art of music is an ancient form of expression that has been used for centuries to convey emotion and tell stories. Music can be used to evoke feelings ranging from joy and excitement to sorrow and despair. By incorporating various elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics and harmony musicians are able to create unique compositions that can captivate an audience. Music has also been used to accompany theatrical performances and films in order to enhance the emotions of the story being told on stage or screen. 

Literature – Telling Stories Through the Written Word 

The art of literature is often thought of as one of the oldest forms of storytelling. Authors use their words to craft vivid stories that can captivate readers, evoke emotions and impart important lessons. Literature can take many forms such as novels, short stories, poetry, plays and more. All of these mediums allow authors to craft compelling tales that can be experienced and enjoyed by readers of all ages. 

Theater – Performing Stories on the Stage

The art of theater is a physical form of storytelling in which actors, directors and playwrights come together to create performances that captivate audiences. By incorporating elements such as sets, costumes, props and dialogue, theater artists are able to bring stories to life in a powerful way. Theater has the power to evoke strong emotions while also prompting viewers to think more deeply about current issues and social themes.

Film – Capturing Stories Through Moving Images

The art of film is a combination of visual storytelling, music, acting and editing. By combining all of these elements together filmmakers are able to create powerful stories that captivate audiences. Films can be used to illustrate complex topics, evoke strong emotions or even simply provide an escape from reality. Films have the power to take viewers on a journey and explore issues in ways that other art forms cannot.

These seven major forms of art each have their own unique characteristics and techniques, making them distinct from one another. Through the use of color, texture, line and shape each form of art can convey different messages and emotions. By exploring how these forms of art have evolved over time we can gain a greater understanding of how they continue to shape our lives today.

[ntriani]

OQM Playlist: Life during quarantine #15

With this latest Life during quarantine playlist, Nick Triani pays tribute to cinema composer Ennio Morricone, who passed away Illustration: Juulia Niiniranta

Farewell Maestro

Initially, it had a lot to do with my Italian origins, but in a musical sense Ennio Morricone has a place in my heart as one of my all time favourite musicians and composers. It’s been hard finding a musical hero from Italy. Certainly from a pop and rock perspective, Italy hasn’t furnished me with music I feel can hold a candle to music produced in the UK, US, France or Finland – as a rough conglomerate of nations. Morricone changed that perception of Italian music for me many years ago.

The discovery of Ennio Morricone’s music through the Spaghetti Western themes he forged with Sergio Leone‘s expressive cinema, opened a doorway into what I felt was some of the most emotional music ever made by anyone. Morricone’s passing this week at the age of 91 hit me harder than most musician deaths. The universal nature of the tributes paid to Morricone supply a valuable testament not only to his influence as a composer and arranger, but his ability to appeal to the widest of audiences.

The heart of the matter

Back in 2016, Morricone visited Helsinki for a concert and I wrote for OQM at the time ; “Is there a more recognizable composer in music than Ennio Morricone? A scream, a harmonica, Bolero guitars and a violent whip cracking all point to the Italian maestro. Of course the music Morricone composed for those cheap variations on the true American film, Spaghetti Westerns, ring through popular culture as much today as they did in the 1960s. One could also argue that no filmmaker or composer since Sergio Leone and Morricone have managed to marry as magical a line between the visual and the musical as those two did together. Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann come close and if you’re being generous, Steven Spielberg and John Williams are in with a shout. But the choreographic excellence of Once Upon A Time In The West still remains the cineasts high point in sound and vision.”

And whilst I stand by all that, those words don’t convey the pure emotion and heartfelt sincerity Morricone’s music often displayed. As was said by many earlier this week when news of Morricone’s death was breaking, much of his music outstripped the quality of the films his compositions were married with, or at the least elevated those films. But it still doesn’t explain how Ennio was able to bring so much feeling and, once again, the purest expression of emotion from so many of his compositions. As this week’s Life during quarantine playlist plays occasional tribute to one of the highest architects of composition, I can only suggest that those moving soundscapes came from an artist with the biggest of heart’s.

[stylewhiz]

Paris Is Ethereal Enchanting And Esoteric

'Paris is ethereal, enchanting, and esoteric—a realm of  ideals and spirituality'

Paris breathes fire into a past of plentiful happenings and constructs, including an unusual tower designed by Gustave Eiffel, a notable French engineer with a penchant for working with metal. This brave offering excitedly set Paris alight in the rejoiced 1889 World Fair. A global gathering to show off her industrial-age muscle amidst the classical and seemingly beautiful stone structures. They were crafted by artistic French creators, as a collective idealism of bringing into form what lives in the imagination of inspiration. Paris shines like a soul of substance with flashes of brilliance felt and seen in timeless meanderings that set this city apart from other destinations that feature trail-blazing architecture summoned from an architect's soulful vision. The monuments of Paris, France are classy, enticing, and supremely magical. They stir emotions of appeal and attraction like a long-lost lover appearing as if out of a dream. Paris is the art of romance in a backdrop of emotive, intimate connections. People come here to feel and find love where love fills the air like sprinkling stars glistening in the night sky. Paris is the heart of a poet's rhythmical and lyrical narrative. Her demure stance motivates the romance within us all.

'Her sorceress mystique lures you with a promise of amour. You'll feel it in the sweet street cafes or when the Eiffel Tower delivers its nightly light show'

To say Paris is a heavenly space is to feel the essence that sets it apart from other earthly places. We are enthralled with this city of light and feel the presence of greatness intertwined in its heavenly aura of love and liberty when the French fought for their freedom in a war that threatened to destroy magical landscapes. The enemy wanted the Eiffel Tower brought to her knees. Still, her spirit prevailed as France outwitted the oppressor and today she stands in her kismet-style attraction on a popular background overlooking the infamous Seine River. A breezy watery haven for romantic cruises while taking in the stately monuments that line the river banks now officially world heritage sites. The caretaking of Paris ensures this memorable city remains a caricature of her goddess origins as a storyline of intense history when European kings ruled from the Chateau de Versailles with inspired pizazz always fashionable and glamorous causing waves as a metropolis of infinite style and chic. The era of the French monarchs passed as Napoleon Bonaparte revolutionized Pairs and became the first Emperor of France until he was exiled and replaced by remnants of a monarchial brotherhood.

'A stayover in Paris reveals the timestamp of Europe a fascinating ode to old-world customs and construction'

London, England has the Big Ben clock tower a magnificent tribute to Gothic revival design. The Leaning Tower Of Pisa and the Colosseum in Italy are leftovers from a Roman history of gladiator sports and safehouses for cathedral bells. European monuments are endearing and eclectic with weird and wonderful shapes that intoxicate the senses. We love the buildings that bring the past to the present —strutting their architectural strength from many moons ago. Take the Arc de Triomphe a Roman-themed archway designed for victory marches and Napoleon's army triumphs. This ceremonial relic offers a bird's eye view of events and how folk lived in earlier times opening the windows to past Parisian life. The French capital is a creative hub where fashion is classy and unique. People come to see the latest collections and be seen in the flag stores of Chanel and  Dior hunting for the newest look and accessories to enhance their image as well-known musicians, actresses, or best-selling authors.

'Paris-themed gifts are sought after for ceremonious times of the year with elegant decor, clothing, artwork, and iconic Eiffel Tower souvenirs'

Gifts with a Paris theme for the kitchen or bathroom are popular. Paris party decorations and tableware bring the spirit of French eloquence and fun to your wedding, birthday, or anniversary celebration. Mysterious Paris touches the heart with her mesmerizing aura of love and romance while the ascension of Parisian beauty transcends any event with the mystical glow of this cosmic city. Take a bow city of light as you speak the language of love and heart-fluttering monuments. You wrote the book of courtship and stole the show for a venue where couples find eternal love as cupids shoot arrows into the visitors hoping to feel the magic that radiates from every monument, including La Tour Eiffel the reigning princess of Parisian royalty. Paris-themed Gifts highlight the drawing power of this urban sprawl we call Paris. A time-honored realm of antiquity blessed with the spirit of love and light.

Author ~ Linda (Style Whiz)

paristhemedecor.com

[sonampol]

AI Unleashes Limitless Creativity: Turning Imagination into Reality

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the creative landscape, pushing the limits of what we thought was possible. One of the most exciting aspects of AI is its ability to take even the simplest of ideas and transform them into something extraordinary and unexpected. By turning abstract concepts into tangible results, AI is fueling a new wave of imagination across diverse fields such as art, music, storytelling, and business. AI platforms like SoulGen AI and DALL-E are leading the way as collaborators in creativity, helping us break free from traditional constraints and explore previously unimaginable possibilities.

AI: The Creative Partner of the Future

AI is no longer just a tool—it's a true creative collaborator. Platforms such as SoulGen AI and DALL-E are designed to allow anyone to create stunning visuals from text prompts, opening up new creative pathways for people with or without technical skills. These tools are empowering designers, architects, and artists to visualize innovative concepts that might otherwise be too complex or time-consuming to realize manually.

SoulGen AI: SoulGen AI stands out for its ability to convert simple text prompts into vivid, imaginative imagery. Users appreciate the tool’s customization options and ease of use, although some note its occasional struggles with detailed rendering.

DALL-E: Created by OpenAI, DALL-E can generate strikingly unique images from text input, often resulting in surreal and unexpected designs. While it excels at originality, the tool may require adjustments for use in more formal or professional settings.

These innovations enable creators to focus on their ideas rather than the technicalities of execution. The result is a level of creative freedom that redefines what’s possible, allowing imagination to flow unhindered by traditional limitations.

Redefining Storytelling Through AI

AI is transforming storytelling in ways we’ve never seen before. Writers, filmmakers, and screenwriters are using AI models like GPT-4 to develop complex characters, intricate plot twists, and engaging dialogues, making it easier to inject emotion and depth into their stories. AI is also helping directors create and visualize scenes, generate special effects, and even produce entirely digital characters.

SoulGen AI, for example, can create visual representations for book covers, graphic novels, and film projects, helping creators visualize scenarios that might have seemed out of reach otherwise. This technology enables storytellers to bring abstract ideas to life, combining fantasy with realistic elements to create immersive worlds.

AI in Music: Composing the Future

Music composition has traditionally required a combination of technical knowledge and artistic intuition. Now, AI is offering musicians an entirely new way to create music. Tools like OpenAI's MuseNet allow users to compose music across a variety of genres, making the art form more accessible than ever before.

These tools give musicians the ability to experiment with sounds outside their usual style, creating compositions that push their creative boundaries. Picture asking AI to generate a musical score for a sci-fi movie, only to hear a fully orchestrated piece seconds later. With AI, music composition is no longer limited by traditional knowledge—it’s a whole new realm for discovery and exploration.

AI Revolutionizes Business Innovation

AI's influence goes far beyond the world of art. Across industries, businesses are embracing AI-driven tools to drive innovation. Predictive analytics, for instance, allow companies to simulate customer behaviors and refine products before they even hit the market. Retailers are using tools like SoulGen AI to create virtual fitting rooms, allowing customers to visualize themselves in outfits they might never have tried otherwise, all while providing a personalized shopping experience.

From energy-efficient technologies in automotive design to virtual shopping experiences in retail, AI is reshaping industries by making innovation faster, smarter, and more efficient. By transforming concepts into reality, AI is streamlining the process of creative and business development.

Blurring the Line Between Digital and Physical Realities

With the rise of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), AI is helping to create fully immersive, customizable digital experiences. AI enhances these environments, enabling users to experience virtual worlds with astonishing detail. Industries like gaming, online shopping, therapy, and social networking are all benefiting from this fusion of physical and digital spaces.

Interior designers, for example, can now offer clients virtual mock-ups of their homes, allowing them to explore and interact with their future spaces in a highly personalized way. AI adds a layer of customization to these digital realms, creating environments that feel uniquely tailored to each individual.

AI: A New Creative Era

As AI continues to evolve, it is reshaping not only the way we create but also how we think about creativity itself. Will AI surpass human imagination, or will it remain an essential tool that complements and enhances our creative endeavors?

The ability of AI to turn ideas into reality—whether through digital artwork, music, storytelling, or business innovation—is opening up a whole new creative frontier. By eliminating traditional barriers, AI is expanding the possibilities for what we can imagine and create, offering an exciting future where creativity knows no bounds.

Conclusion

AI is transforming the way we think about imagination and creativity. With platforms like SoulGen AI and DALL-E, it is possible for anyone to bring their ideas to life, regardless of technical expertise. As AI continues to evolve, the potential for new forms of artistic expression, business innovation, and digital interaction grows, pushing the boundaries of what we once thought impossible. The future of creativity, powered by AI, is not only thrilling—it’s just beginning.

[freenewsreport]

Quincy Jones: The Producer, Composer, and Visionary Behind Countless Hits

In the world of music, few names command as much respect and reverence as Quincy Jones. Known for his groundbreaking contributions as a producer, composer, arranger, and musician, Quincy Jones has shaped the landscape of modern music. From jazz to pop, soul to R&B, his visionary work has crossed genres, redefined sounds, and propelled countless artists into global stardom. With a career spanning over seven decades, Quincy Jones has produced more than 2,900 songs, 300 albums, and received 80 Grammy nominations — a record that cements his legacy as one of the most influential figures in music history.

Early Life and Beginnings in Jazz

Born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, Quincy Jones grew up in a challenging environment. His early years were marked by hardship, but he discovered his passion for music at a young age. Relocating with his family to Seattle, he began learning the trumpet, which soon became his gateway into the jazz world. During his teenage years, he met Ray Charles, a friendship that would ignite his lifelong journey into music and remain a significant influence throughout his career. Quincy Jones's natural musical talent and relentless drive led him to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, though he left to pursue professional opportunities when Lionel Hampton invited him on tour.

Jones’s early career was steeped in jazz, where he thrived as an arranger and conductor for major orchestras, including those led by legendary figures like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. His skill in arranging complex compositions and blending instruments to create rich soundscapes soon set him apart as a visionary in jazz and orchestral music.

Transition to Hollywood and Film Scoring

Quincy Jones’s reputation in the jazz world caught the attention of Hollywood, where he broke barriers as one of the first Black composers to work in film scoring. His work on the score for Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker in 1964 established him as a skilled and innovative composer, known for blending jazz with cinematic themes. This pivotal role led to further opportunities, including his work on In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, and The Italian Job.

Throughout his time in Hollywood, Quincy Jones challenged stereotypes and opened doors for future Black composers and musicians in the film industry. His film scores were not just background music but sophisticated compositions that enhanced the cinematic experience, adding layers of emotion and depth.

Producing Hits Across Genres

While film scoring was a significant part of his career, Quincy Jones truly found his calling as a music producer. He possessed an uncanny ability to discover, nurture, and refine talent, working with a diverse array of artists. His collaborations have included some of the greatest names in music, from Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin to Miles Davis, and of course, Michael Jackson.

Perhaps most notably, Quincy Jones produced Michael Jackson's legendary albums: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Each album became a cultural phenomenon, with Thriller alone selling over 100 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of all time. Jones’s unique production style — combining sharp arrangements, memorable melodies, and innovative beats — helped Jackson reach heights that few artists have ever achieved. The music video for "Thriller," also conceptualized with Quincy Jones’s input, set a new standard for music videos and remains iconic to this day.

Quincy Jones: The Architect of Pop Music

Quincy Jones success wasn't limited to pop music. He continued to produce jazz, R&B, and soul music with an innovative approach that integrated different musical styles. His 1989 album Back on the Block exemplifies this cross-genre mastery. Featuring collaborations with artists such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chaka Khan, the album bridged multiple generations of music and earned seven Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

Jones’s influence extended beyond his own productions. As the founder of Qwest Records in 1980, he gave a platform to groundbreaking artists like Tevin Campbell and New Jack Swing icon, Teddy Riley. He also produced We Are the World in 1985, a global charity single featuring some of the world’s top artists, aimed at raising funds for famine relief in Africa. This project underscored Quincy Jones’s dedication not only to music but to humanitarian causes, showcasing his ability to bring together artists for a greater purpose.

Legacy in Television and Cultural Impact

In addition to his work in music and film, Quincy Jones left a significant mark on television. He produced The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the beloved sitcom that launched Will Smith’s career. Through his production company, he played a key role in bringing African American voices and stories to mainstream television. This contribution extended the reach of his influence and underscored his role as a cultural pioneer.

Quincy Jones’s career reflects a dedication to excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. He has consistently challenged norms, broken boundaries, and raised the bar for artists across the board. His story is a testament to the power of vision and resilience — qualities that helped him navigate a challenging industry and leave an indelible mark.

A Lifelong Commitment to Social Justice and Education

Jones’s passion for social justice and education has always been a driving force behind his career. He has supported countless educational programs, particularly those that provide access to music education for underprivileged children. His involvement in various causes, from civil rights to health and humanitarian projects, highlights his commitment to giving back to the community and inspiring future generations.

Quincy Jones has also been a fierce advocate for African American artists, calling for fair recognition and representation in the music industry. His influence in this area has helped pave the way for a new generation of Black artists, producers, and executives to find success and acknowledgment in mainstream music and media.

Conclusion: The Lasting Legacy of Quincy Jones

Few individuals have had as profound an impact on music and culture as Quincy Jones. His visionary contributions as a producer, composer, and arranger have defined the sound of generations, while his commitment to social causes and education has amplified his legacy beyond music. From jazz clubs to Hollywood, from hit singles to television, Quincy Jones has proven that true artistry knows no bounds.

In a career that spans more than 70 years, Quincy Jones has not only created countless hits but also set a standard of excellence for future generations. His work embodies passion, resilience, and a relentless drive to innovate, earning him a place among the most influential figures in the history of music.

[noteworthyaudio]

Sonic Sanctuaries: Noteworthy Audio's Quest to Redefine Canadian Living Rooms

In the heart of Canada's bustling audio landscape, Noteworthy Audio stands as a beacon for audiophiles and casual listeners alike. This unique retailer isn't just selling speakers and amplifiers; they're crafting sonic experiences that transform ordinary living spaces into immersive auditory havens.

Noteworthy Audio's approach to home audio retail is anything but conventional. Stepping into their showroom is like entering a meticulously curated gallery of sound. Each product is thoughtfully displayed, not just as a piece of technology, but as an integral part of a home's aesthetic and emotional landscape.

What sets Noteworthy Audio apart is their commitment to education. They believe that an informed customer is a satisfied one. Their staff, affectionately known as "Sound Sommeliers," guide customers through the nuances of audio equipment with the same passion and expertise that a wine connoisseur would discuss vintage bottles.

The retailer's product selection is a carefully orchestrated symphony of brands, ranging from revered industry stalwarts to cutting-edge newcomers. They pride themselves on being early adopters of innovative technologies, often being the first in Canada to showcase revolutionary audio products.

Noteworthy Audio's installation service, dubbed "Acoustic Alchemy," goes beyond mere setup. Their team of experts considers room acoustics, furniture placement, and even the homeowner's lifestyle to create a bespoke audio environment that seamlessly integrates with daily life.

In an age of impersonal online shopping, Noteworthy Audio offers a refreshingly tactile experience. Customers are encouraged to touch, feel, and most importantly, listen to products in real-world settings. Their "Living Room Laboratories" allow potential buyers to experience how different audio setups would sound in environments that mirror their own homes.

The company's commitment to sustainability is also noteworthy. They've pioneered a "Sound Cycle" program, which helps customers responsibly dispose of or upgrade their old audio equipment, ensuring that yesterday's tech doesn't become tomorrow's e-waste.

Noteworthy Audio isn't just riding the wave of Canada's growing interest in high-quality home audio; they're actively shaping it. Through community events, listening parties, and collaborations with local musicians, they're fostering a vibrant audio culture that extends far beyond their store walls.

As we spend more time at home, the importance of creating spaces that nurture and inspire us has never been more apparent. Noteworthy Audio understands this deeply, positioning themselves not just as a retailer, but as architects of auditory bliss in Canadian homes.

In a world of mass-produced sound, Noteworthy Audio stands as a testament to the power of personalized, high-quality audio experiences. They're not just selling products; they're orchestrating a revolution in how Canadians experience sound in their homes, one living room at a time.

Contact Us: Company: Noteworthy Audio Website: https://www.noteworthyaudio.com Mobile Number: 647-964-6683 Address: 51 William Street, King City, Ontario, L7B-1L1

[danielsiegelalonso]

A Crucial Collaboration: Importance of Working with Writers and Producers for Music Artists | Daniel Siegel Alonso

Many times, musicians are seen as solitary geniuses, hunched over instruments or microphones like a mad scientist, conjuring up songs from thin air. But the reality is that behind every great musician is often a team of talented producers and writers helping shape the magic. Sure, the artist is the face and voice, but many of the world’s most iconic songs would never have reached their full potential without the right collaborators. Daniel Siegel Alonso dives into why working with producers and writers is essential.

The Architect of Sound

1. Shaping the Vision

Siegel Alonso draws parallels between a good record producer and a film director — they can see the bigger picture and help guide the artist toward their best work. Take George Martin, often referred to as the “Fifth Beatle.” While John, Paul, George, and Ringo were no slouches, Martin helped the Fab Four push boundaries and realize their wildest musical ideas. From the lush orchestration on “A Day in the Life” to the innovative use of studio trickery on later albums, Martin expanded The Beatles’ sound. His technical expertise and musical intuitions helped their songs transcend into timeless masterworks.

2. Bringing Technical Expertise

Producers understand the nuts and bolts of music in ways many artists don’t. Their technical prowess in the studio is invaluable. While an artist may know what they want, a producer knows *how* to get it. Madonna, for example, has always been a shrewd collaborator. In the 1980s, she teamed up with producer Nile Rodgers for her Like a Virgin album, creating a sound that defined pop music for years. Later, she worked with William Orbit on Ray of Light, a transformative record that brought electronica, Eastern sounds, and trip-hop to mainstream pop. Producers brought cutting-edge technology and new sounds that kept The Material Girl relevant and ahead of the curve for decades.

3. Serving as a Creative Mirror

One of the producer’s most noteworthy roles is acting as a mirror to the artist’s creativity. They’re not there to take over but to reflect the artist’s ideas back at them — sometimes adding a new viewpoint that unlocks a song’s potential. It’s a fine balance of supporting and challenging. The best producers know when to let the artist shine and when to step in to suggest that extra flourish that makes a good track great.

The Master of Words and Melodies

1. Elevating Songwriting

Some artists excel at melodies but need help with lyrics, or vice versa. That’s where songwriters come in, Siegel Alonso says. A strong writer can elevate raw ideas into something versatile. Carole King, for example, started her career writing for others before stepping into the spotlight herself. King penned iconic tracks like “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” alongside her then-husband Gerry Goffin for Aretha Franklin. King’s ability to tap into the human experience with simple yet deep lyrics transformed these songs into timeless anthems.

2. Unlocking New Perspectives

Teaming up with different writers can also help artists explore new perspectives. When an artist is stuck in their creative headspace, a fresh voice can bring new themes, structures, or emotions to the table. Even artists like Beyoncé, who have strong personal voices, often work with a host of top-tier writers to hone and perfect their tracks. Collaboration shouldn’t dilute an artist’s vision — it sharpens it.

3. Expanding Musical Styles

A great writer can help artists extend their style in unexpected ways. Think of Michael Jackson’s working with songwriter Rod Temperton on Thriller. Temperton’s knack for hooks and rhythms took Jackson’s pop sound to new heights, creating one of the best-selling albums. Their collaboration fused pop, funk, and soul in an innovative and irresistible way, showing how a great writer can help an artist evolve without losing their essence.

The Power of Collaboration

Daniel Siegel Alonso notes that what ties all these examples together is the transformative power of collaboration. Whether it’s a producer like George Martin pushing The Beatles to explore uncharted sonic territory or a songwriter like Carole King crafting timeless lyrics for other singers, the right partnership can boost music in exceptional ways.

In the end, music isn’t a solo sport. The best songs, LPs, and careers are often the result of a partnership — a delicate dance between the artist’s raw talent and the expertise of those who help refine it. Remember: the face you see on the album cover isn’t the only genius at work.