#Professional Studio Monitors

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i do believe.... that i Understand obs enough to use its base functions now...

[aaryan-mwa-blogs]

Top 10 Must-Have Pro Audio Gear for Aspiring Musicians

Being a musician sometimes requires you to change your gear to really make a world of difference in your creative journey. Are you laying down tracks in your bedroom, performing gigs in local venues, or just jamming with friends? In any case, sound matters. Here's our list of the top 10 must-have pro audio gear items that bring quality into your sound and performance. So, let's get going!

1. Audio Interface

An audio interface is quite simply the bread and butter for any musician. It acts as a bridge linking your instruments to your computer, allowing you to record high quality audio. First priority for an interface: several inputs and outputs, low latency, good preamps. A good audio interface will make your recordings sound professional from the start.

2. Studio Monitors

Good studio monitor speakers should be able to reproduce accurate sound. Studio monitors are not the kind of speakers you normally use; they're there for you to make the right decisions concerning your mixes by providing a flat frequency response. You will produce better mixes and actually have a great listening time.

3. Microphone

A good studio monitor has to sound accurate. Monitors are not speakers one normally listens to-the speakers are there for you to make the right decisions regarding your mixes by giving a flat frequency response. You will produce better mixes and actually have a great listening time. 

4. Headphones

Any serious musician requires a good pair of headphones. In recording, closed-back headphones are best, as they do not leak sound. Open-back headphones are good for mixing and listening to your tracks in a more lifelike way. Quality headphones will help you to get the nuances of your music that you miss when using low-grade gear. 

5. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

You choose your DAW - this decides how you will produce and edit your music, such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, or FL Studio. Most DAWs come with a lot of in-built instruments and effects, which are usually more than adequate to start composing tracks from. Justifiably, it might have a steep learning curve, but for those producing real music, the investment will be rewarded by the great work they produce.

6. MIDI Controller

A MIDI controller is a great addition to any aspiring artist, especially if you plan to make electronic music. It allows you control virtual instruments and software in your DAW. Pay particular attention to devices with pads, knobs, and faders to make working with it easier. 

7. External Hard Drive

A musician will collect much data-music files, samples and projects. It is quite savvy to invest in an external hard drive for all your files so that they can be well organized and backed up. Fast read and write speeds on the hard drives are key; This equipment will see to it that your creative process is uninterrupted and that any data loss would come as a surprise.

8. Pop Filter

If recording vocals, you'll definitely want a pop filter, which is just an amazing small but great bit of kit that can help so much to significantly improve your sound. It will remove the plosive sounds such as those that make "p" and "b" sounds, that create distortion in recordings. Very cheap and made a massive difference to the sound quality on a single's vocals. Simple addition to your setup could lead to professionally sounding recordings.

9. Cables and Stands

While cables and stands may not be the sexiest gear items, high quality often makes a big difference. Good cables are an investment, and you can be sure your signal comes through clearly, starting with your XLR and instrument leads. Then there's your mic stand and, sometimes, your music stand. These can really make a record more enjoyable and effective: they don't have to be expensive.

10. Acoustic Treatment

And last but not least, think of putting in acoustic treatment for your recording space. By this, I'm certainly not suggesting you need to soundproof your room entirely, but some bass trapping and a few acoustic panels will do much in the way of changing the sound quality coming from your room. You can now enjoy recordings and mixes that sound much more precise. Here comes acoustic panels, bass traps, and acoustic diffusers: These will work to improve the quality in those rooms. 

Summary

Investment in good quality pro audio gear is required to make superlative music as a budding musician and ensure that your talent shines through. Each one of the products mentioned above is part of your creative process-from recording to mixing and performing.That's why, when you finally want to make these purchases, it would not be a bad idea to visit the audio equipment shops like VIP PRO AUDIO which can provide you amazing choices. Such shops tend to help clients make the best choices depending on the type of production they intend to have. And with the right piece of equipment, you'd be off to good musical directions! Gear up and keep it creative-the making of music is a beautiful journey after all.

[charlesmwa]

How to Choose the Right Studio Monitor Placement for Your Room

IntroductionYou finally got your hands on those shiny new studio monitors. Now what? Do you just place them anywhere in your room and hope for the best sound? Not so fast! Proper placement can make a huge difference. Let’s have some fun with this while we guide you through setting up your monitors for optimal sound. After all, we’re aiming for sweet audio, not a noise disaster.

1. The Magic TriangleHere’s the deal: You, my friend, are the key player in the "audio triangle." Imagine drawing a line from one monitor to the other and then one from each monitor to your head. Voilà! You’ve got a perfect triangle. This ensures the sound hits you right in the ears—not somewhere behind you, or worse, under your chair.

2. Keep Your Ears Happy (Monitor Height)Your monitors should be at ear level for that perfect listening experience. It’s like eye contact, but for your ears. If your speakers are too high or low, the sound might miss your ears entirely. And unless your ears are on your knees, height matters.

3. Beware of the Walls!Never shove your monitors up against a wall unless you want your bass to sound like it's bouncing off a trampoline. Give them some breathing room so the sound can spread evenly. It’s all about balance here, not a bass-heavy mess.

4. Get Creative with StandsNo stands? No problem. Stack up those old textbooks or grab a few solid crates. Just make sure your monitors are stable and aimed toward your ears. DIY isn’t just for furniture, it works for sound setups too!

5. Test Your SetupPlay some of your favorite tracks and walk around the room. Sound a little off in certain spots? That’s your room telling you the monitors need adjusting. Keep tweaking until the sound feels like it’s giving you a personal concert.

Conclusion Great sound starts with great placement. With the right monitor setup, you’ll hear your music the way it’s meant to be heard. So, take a little time to experiment and get it right. Your ears—and your mix—will thank you later!

[wiseturtleturtle-blog]

For podcasts and Recording

[yvesette]

── ☆ 𓂃 ⁺🎤 . sex w/ MARK LEE in the studio !!

PAIRING: MARK LEE x f!reader - after practice, you check in on your boyfriend’s recording session only to grow needier at the sight of him.

- [genre: smut , idol!au, lwk softdom!mark, lots of praising]

[quick note !!:] i saw the idea of mark recording your moans in the studio one time and i cannot remember who the life of me said something abt it but this is my take on it

— ⊹₊ ⋆

under the dim, intimate glow of the recording studio's ambient lights, mark lee, sits hunched over the soundboard while you’re on the couch, listening to the playback of his latest track. the faint hum of the equipment is the only noise cutting through the quiet tension in the air.

mark, the ever-professional, taps his fingers rhythmically on the desk, lost in the sound. you, on the other hand — still dressed in your clothes from dance practice, can't help but steal glances at him. his focused expression, the way his eyes narrow slightly when he listens intently, the way his hands were moving…you were enamored with your boyfriend.

the track fades out, and he turns to you with that boyish smile that always makes you shy. "what do you think? sounds good, right?"

you nod, your throat suddenly dry. "yeah, it does. you did great, as always."

you couldn't shake the feeling of longing that gnawed at your insides as your boyfriend’s attention was consumed by the intricate details of the track. mark was clad in nothing but a basic hoodie and a pair of sweatpants and his hair was tousled in a way that made him look effortlessly pretty.

there was something about him right now that was turning you on.

it might have been the way his muscles flexed beneath the fabric of his hoodie, maybe even the way his hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over the console and he’d absentmindedly run his hand through it in frustration.

you felt yourself staring and sensed an opportunity for a much-needed break for mark.

you approach the boy, who was deeply engrossed in his work, and sigh — wrapping your arms around him from behind. you rest your head against his shoulder as a silent plea for a break and when your only response is his hand caressing yours for a quick moment before going back to work, you groan.

“markkkk,” you whine, whispering into his ear. he replies with a hum, and you sigh, resorting to your next plan.

you begin to trail kisses down mark’s neck, each one lingering a little longer than the last — hoping to distract him from his work. he shifts slightly, clearly enjoying the sensation but still absorbed in his task.

"mark," you murmur between kisses, your voice low and suggestive, “i’ve had schedules all day, i need you right now.”

mark pauses looking up from his work for a moment, “what do you mean?”

you let go of your grip of him from behind and move to where he’s facing. with a deliberate motion, you swing your leg over his lap, settling yourself on top of him — blocking the monitor and playing with his hair. mark’s brow furrows until you lean in closer, your lips brushing against mark’s as you speak — your voice filled with longing. “i mean i need you…mark….”

mark’s eyes widen in realization, “oh…” he feels your warmth against him and finally understands. his hands immediately find your hips, his grip firm but gentle.

the studio door is locked, and the soundproof walls offer a rare bubble of privacy in your idol lives - where

your lips meet in a soft, exploratory kiss. between the two of you, there’s a silent conversation of desire and longing that speaks volumes without a single word. the tenderness is lost and the monomer becomes more intense. it’s a dance you've done many times before, yet each kiss gives way to an insatiable hunger. mark’s body relaxes into you and your hands roam freely, tracing the curves of each other's bodies with a fervent urgency, as if trying to map every inch of skin.

you can't help but begin to trail soft, teasing kisses down your boyfriend’s neck, mindful of the pressure of your lips. you want nothing more than to leave marks, to claim him as yours and him the same to you but you’re far too aware of the public’s probable reaction to visible bruises.

witha teasing smile, you reach for the hem of mark’s shirt, parting your lips from his collarbone to lift it over his head — revealing his physique beneath. you still got shy and almost giddy at the sight of your boyfriend’s bare chest and you felt the heat rising in his cheeks, a telltale sign of his growing flustered state. you feel him pressed against you, confined below and you roll your body into him, his hands grip tightly at your waist at the movement and he groans. your hand moves from stroking his hair and slips lower, tracing a path down his abdomen, you can feel the tension in his muscles coil tighter, his breath catching in his throat at the sensation. you glance up to meet his eyes, searching for any sign of his reaction and he looks at you with tired but desirable eyes.

your hand continues its descent, slipping lower and lower until you’re under his boxers and taking him in your palm. mark can't help but revel in the power you hold over him, in the way your touch leaves him breathless and wanting. he stares at you as you grasp him and he lets out a curse — eyes shutting tight for a quick moment and jaw clutching. you murmur to mark, urging him to relax and he yields to your gentle touch — helping you break his sweatpants and you kneel bellow the chair between his legs.

one hand of his hand finds yours, fingers intertwining in a gesture that's as comforting as it is thrilling. you can feel the callouses on his fingertips, a testament to his dedication.

you lock eyes with mark, and as you lean in closer, your breath warm against his skin, it sends a shiver down his spine as anticipation courses through you both.

“god, you're so pretty," mark sighs, holding up your hair in a makeshift ponytail. his voice is thick with lust as he looks down at you and you think to yourself how fucking attractive this man is.

you kitten lick his tip while holding the base of him and his breath catches in his throat, a low groan escaping his lips as you explore him with your tongue — sending shivers of pleasure coursing through his body.

you take mark into your mouth, savoring the taste of him as you work your way up and down. you revel in the sounds of his pleasure, the way his breath hitches and his fingers clench in your hair and he mutters curses under his breath. he continues to watch you work, eyes clenching shut occasionally his hips twitching upwards deeper down your throat. “‘feels so good,” you whimper at his words, “fuck baby stop i’m not gonna be able to last much—,” his voice gets caught in his throat and you come off of him with a lewd pop.

you take a moment to breathe to yourself before, with heated urgency, mark helps you up and guides you backwards to the sofa against the wall behind you with his lips finding yours and his hands finding your waist. you stumble back, lost in the intoxicating heat of his touch, until your legs brush against the edge of the couch, and he gently lowers you down onto the soft cushions.

mark’s lips brush against your ear, his voice a soft murmur as he whispers sweet nothings, his words sending shivers of pleasure down your spine, “so fucking perfect, my perfect girl…” you feel yourself grind against his thigh at those words and with gentle hands, he slowly lifts your tank top over your head, revealing the bare expanse of your skin beneath.

mark bites his lip and cocks his head to the side, “i could look at you forever, jesus…”his mouth finds purchase on your skin, kissing along your collarbones while you thread your fingers through his hair, guiding him to your tits. he suckles gently on your nipple, sending waves of pleasure coursing through you. one hand massages the other and you can't help but release a soft, breathy moan, the sound escaping your lips involuntarily.

mark’s lips glide down your stomach and he moves to settle between your legs, each kiss leaving you gasping for more. his hands slide down your hips, deftly removing your sweatpants and tossing them carelessly to the floor.

with a hungry gaze, he spreads your thighs carefully, his touch making your hips convulse forward looking for any sort of friction. mark’s eyes linger on your flushed face, a small smile playing on his lips as he takes in the sight of your desperate arousal. his fingertips trace the edge of your underwear, feeling the dampness seeping through the fabric and earning a whimper from your lips. you loved when he took his time with you and he loved it even more ryan you could imagine.

"damn," he breathes out, his voice low and breathy, "you're already so wet for me, baby." his words send a rush of heat to your cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and arousal flooding through you. but beneath it all, there's a longing for more of his touch.

he slowly peels your panties away from your skin and lifts your leg to throw the fabric to the floor. without wasting a second, he eagerly buries his face between your thighs, his lips and tongue delving deep, tasting your essence with every fervent lick.moans escape your lips as you watch his fervor increase. mark pauses briefly to look up at you, his eyes glazed with desire, “’tastes so good…” he kisses your clit, “‘could stay here all day just tasting you.” his words send a thrill through you, the intensity of his desire mirroring your own. with each stroke of his tongue and each groan into your center, you grip his hair tighter - soliciting a low moan from him into you that makes you lose yourself as the pressure breaks and your vision grows fuzzy.

mark allows you to come down from your orgasm, his lips brushing against your skin in soothing caresses. when you open your eyes, he’s moving up and gazing at you with adoration. he leans in to press a soft kiss to your lips, allowing you to taste yourself on him.

your lips part, “fuck- do you have a condom?”

the boy rolls his eyes at you and sits up to grab his wallet from his discarded pants, “is that even a question…?” he digs the wrapper out and holds it up for you to see and you smile.

with a sly grin, mark reaches for the condom, his movements deliberate and confident as he rolls it onto his length and hovers back over you. you wrap your arms around his shoulders, gripping his back and knowing you’re bound to leave nail scratches that will get his friends to tease your boyfriend relentlessly. he positions himself at your entrance, teasing you with the tip of his hardness, tracing circles against your slick folds and you throw your head back with a moan.

“please,” you whimper, voice filled with desperation, “i need you mark please…”

without a word, mark thrusts into you, eliciting a gasp of surprise and pleasure from your lips. a searing heat washes over you, igniting every nerve ending in your body as he bottoms out inside of you, your boyfriend moans a breathy exhale. his face grows closer to yours and you swallow each others moans as he thrusts in and out of you quickening his pace with every thrust.

“so fucking tight…” he breathes into you.

with a breathless pause in your kisses, you gaze into mark’s eyes, a thought crossing your mind, “please,” you almost whisper, “let me ride you.”

mark’s thrusts stop and he pulls out as his eyes widen at your request but he’s in no position to deny you and your words make him bite at his cheek to contain a low moan, “shit — oh my god please.”

with a shared look of anticipation, you and mark adjust your positions. he sits up and gently props you onto his lap, his hands tenderly guiding your hips as you slide down onto his length. as you envelop him completely, a low groan escapes his lips, his head falling back in ecstasy at the sight of you taking him in, muttering how “‘fucking tight” you are. mark’s arms wrap around you in a tight embrace, pulling you close to him as you straddle him. with each movement, his hold on you grows firmer, and his lips chase yours. you lose yourselves in the rhythm of your action with your arms wrapped around his shoulders and his pulling you impossibly close to him.

the sound of your moans mixes with the rhythmic beat of the music still playing in the background as you shout his name continuously.

his mouth moves right against your ear, talking you though it by muttering sweet nothings paired with curses — how beautiful you are, how amazing you feel, and fuck- how lucky he is that you’re his.

you swallow a breathe, unable to contain the overwhelming sensation coursing through your body.

"i’m gonna come," you moan, your voice filled with need as mark starts thrusting his own hips up into yours. you hit your breaking point and lose yourself in the throws of your peak, leaning your head down against mark’s shoulder and trying your best to continue the rhythm you’d made so he could finish but feeling you clench around him, mark’s own release followed swiftly. a reactive moan escaped his lips as he found release after you.

the two of you come to your senses, and with a tender smile, mark gently lifts you off of him, his touch lingering. as he sets you down beside him on the sofa, he presses a soft kiss to your cheek and praises you, saying how well you did.

he reaches for the condom, disposing of it carefully before returning to your side

the world outside the studio ceases to exist, leaving just the two of you in this stolen moment. the thrill of secrecy, the fear of discovery, only heightens the intensity of your embrace.

the room was filled with a comforting silence, broken only by the soft hum of the city outside the window. make held you close, his hands gently tracing patterns on your back, grounding you in the afterglow of your shared intimacy.

“stay right here okay?” he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead before slipping out from under you. he grabs a handful of tissues from the side-table and helps you clean up, wiping the remnants of your shared passion away.

you and mark slip back into your clothes and you nestle into his chest. you’re exhausted from both dancing and your activities now with mark and feel yourself grower more sleepy by the second.

after a few moments of blissful silence, mark’s eyes suddenly widened in realization. he lifts his head slightly, a look of amused panic crossing his face, “dude, I think it was recording."

you blinked, momentarily confused, “what?”

he jolts up from the couch and practically runs to the monitor at his desk.

“shit- the mic… i think i accidentally left it recording from earlier when i was messing with some new track ideas."

a burst of laughter escaped your lips, both embarrassed and amused. "seriously?"

mark slips his headset over his head and nods, a sheepish grin spreading across his face as he scrolls through audio files and clicks the last one, “yeah, seriously — oh my god listen to this…”

you pout, “mark, no way you can’t be serious.” you rush over to his side and he hands you the headset. you press the device against your ear and hear your vulgar, pornographic chants of mark’s name from earlier over the verse he’d played for you. you felt your cheeks heat up, but you couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

you bury your face in his chest, pulsating with laughter. "please tell me you're not planning to release that.”

he kissed the top of your head, still chuckling. "don’t worry, this one's for our ears only. it lowkey sounds fire though…”

[pinkpuffballdude]

god. it's still so funny that Techno was out here with his fucking blue snowball and ten year old laptop and single monitor while his dad is repeatedly like "son. I have a professional sound studio. please. please let me kit you out." and he's like "nah"

[pedritomosquito]

All Choked Up (Ch 1)

MINORS DNI

Summary: You're shooting a fight scene with Pedro that involves choking--you know where this is going.

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Actress!Reader

Word count: ~4.1k

Content: SMUT, Minors DNI Blog, thigh riding, choking, handy, general steaminess

You had been called in for more shooting after working for a month on The Last of Us as various clickers. You were going to be doing another fight scene, but this time as your normal human self. Wardrobe had just finished with you and one of the PA’s was escorting you to set to be approved by Craig and Jeremy. It looked like they were in between takes of a scene with Joel and Ellie. Pedro and Bella were both sitting on set pieces, laughing and sipping at water. 

Craig and Jeremy are crowded around a monitor with several other producers watching the latest take. The PA introduces you and suddenly all of them turn around, examining you. Craig greets you.

“Great to see you again! Thank you for joining us.”

You have to hold in a laugh, because ‘thank you for joining us’? As if you wouldn’t have thrown yourself into fucking LA traffic to be here?

“Thank you for having me,” you smile instead.

At the sound of your voice, you see Pedro perk up out of the corner of your eye. You pretend not to notice his gaze.

“This looks great,” Craig approves. “Can I see it without the scarf?”

The PA unties your neck gaiter.

“Yes, perfect,” He nods. “Thank you Jennifer,” He dismisses the PA and sends you on your way, “See you on set!” 

Interesting costuming detail for Craig to be so particular about, but whatever. The PA starts to usher you back towards the wardrobe department.

You hear Bella call your name and you turn, giving them a happy wave. Pedro gives you a wave too. 

“Tomorrow–You, me?”” You playfully point between him and yourself, “we’re squarin’ up!”

“No way!” Pedro replies, looking dare you say excited to hear the news that you’d be working together.

“See you at rehearsal!” You call as you slip out the door.

—--

The next day you have stunt choreography for the fight scene in the evening. You dress in a cute matching Lululemon knock off set and report to the rehearsal studio on the lot. The three stunt coordinators are there to greet you and you stretch out until Pedro arrives.

He’s in a tight workout t-shirt and gray sweatpants. Not the gray sweatpants dear LORD.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” one of the coordinators teases, “And ten minutes late, no less!”

“Fuck off, Phillip,” Pedro laughs as he approached, “I’m old and I’m tired.”

“That’s your excuse every day,” You prod.

“Well it’s true every day,” Pedro complains. 

“Ready to beat the shit out of each other?” You smirk.

His laugh makes your stomach flip flop.

“Absolutely.”

The stunt coordinators demonstrate the choreography first and you have to make sure your jaw doesn’t hit the floor.

Your character stands yielding a prop knife and his character rushes at you, grabbing your arms. You struggle like that for a beat before the knife gets knocked out of your hands. He keeps his grip on one of your arms as he punches you across the face, then shoves you back up against the wall. Both of his hands come up to your neck and you fight against him until you pass out and he drops you on the floor.

You have always been on your best behavior around Pedro. The poor guy has women thirsting after him at every turn and you don’t want to add to his suffering. You have your own private thoughts about him–many of them not PG rated. But you are there to do a job, to be a professional. You never really allow yourself to entertain any of those thoughts beyond simple fantasy.

But he is about to choke you against a wall.

That alone has you entertaining several new thoughts.

“Alright, how do you guys feel about that?” Phillip asks.

Pedro just nods with a small “great.” He does this stuff pretty much every day so you’re sure none of it phases him.

Phillip looks to you and you must be a bit too wide eyed.

“You look a little uncomfortable,” Phillip notes kindly, inviting you to speak.

Pedro’s concerned expression knocks the wind out of you.

“No, no,” You assure them, “It just looks amazing and I’m hoping I wasn’t padding my resume when I said I had stage combat experience.” You give a little giggle to sell it and god bless being an actor because they all buy it.

“No worries, you definitely got this,” Phillip assures you.

Phillip had not been lying–you pick up the sequence just fine. When it comes time to run the fight with Pedro, you are feeling confident about the choreography but not much else. You mark through it, slowly going through each motion to practice. 

You’re pretty sure you black out when he slides his hands under your chin. He is slow and careful and he barely even makes contact with your throat but just the idea, the notion that he could so easily, makes your insides scream.

He eyes you closely making sure you are okay. You feel safe. Somehow that makes it even worse. 

You go through some notes and run it one more time slowly before kicking it up to full speed. 

The intensity of doing it in real time causes an adrenaline storm. Pedro’s hands are all over you, all power and tight gripped. You desperately hold it together so you won't forget what you’re doing.

The way your back hits the padded wall forces the air from your lungs. Before you can even get a breath in, Pedro’s inches away from your face, hands around your neck. Heat spreads across your cheeks all the way down to your chest. You are sure the shock is written all over your face and you swear Pedro’s eyebrows furrow just a fraction. You take the moment of embarrassment as a good cue to drop to the floor out of his grip. 

“That looked great!” Phillip approves, “How did that feel?”

You nearly choke on your spit at the question. 

“Good,” you manage to squeak. 

You catch Pedro side eyeing you and force yourself to look anywhere else. You bend over and fiddle with your shoelace out of sheer desperation to hide your face. 

“Yeah,” Pedro echoes, “Good.”

You can hear the smile in his voice and want to leap out the window. 

“Alright, let’s go full out this time,” Phillip says, “Add the acting, the drama, I want it all. Let’s take it from the line before so we can get the timing down.”

You and Pedro square up, getting into position.

“I’m not going down easy,” You play with a quirked eyebrow.

“Bring it,” He challenges.

You both slip into character and you raise your knife.

—-

“Great work, guys!” Phillip chimes, “See you on set tomorrow.”

“You drive here?” Pedro’s voice appears next to you. 

“Yep,” You reply, adjusting your bag on your shoulder and pushing open the door. The cool night air glides a chill down your arms. 

“Let me walk you to your car,” He offers, “ I just need to grab my stuff.”

“Oh, okay, yeah, that’d be—that’d be great,” You stumble over the words with a smile. 

It’s a short walk to his trailer

“What’s been your favorite project you’ve worked on?” He asks. 

“I always thought it couldn’t get any better than Mandalorian but honestly I think this show might be my new favorite.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, everything on this show feels so… real. Mando was all soundstages and green screens. Last of Us really feels like we’ve been dropped into an apocalypse,” You explain before cautiously adding, “And I’ve gotten to work with you a lot more.”

“You like working with me, huh?” Pedro asks as he playfully bumps his shoulder into yours, the shadow of a teasing tone in his voice. 

You can’t find words for a moment, pausing with your mouth parted. You might as well put all your cards on the table. “Yes,” you finally reply with a small laugh, “I do.” 

You can safely toe the boundary of friendship here. You figure he wouldn’t read into it if he wasn’t interested.

Wait. Are you interested? Oh fuck. Of course you’re interested.

Pedro pauses for a fraction of a moment as you arrive at the trailer, looking at you. Before you can say anything, he pulls open the door and holds it for you. You climb inside and he brushes past you as he enters.

“When you showed up here on set,” He says, “I was really happy to see you again.” He sits down on the cream colored loveseat. 

So he isn’t just ‘grabbing his stuff’ after all, you guess.

You join him, trying to remember how to sit like a normal human being.

“I thought you were lying when you said you remembered me,” you reply honestly. 

“God no,” Pedro chuckles. His gaze on you intensifies, flitting down your body for a moment, his voice dropping a bit lower. “Couldn’t forget you if I tried, sweetheart.”

You suck in a quiet breath. Your mind begins to swim in the suddenly thickening air. How has he managed to make himself so clear in just a single uttered sentence?

He seems to search your face. You realize he’s looking for reciprocation . This isn’t the time to toe the limit at all–it’s the time to cross the line entirely. 

The line between colleagues is drawn for good reason, you try to remind yourself. But all logic dissolves in the simmering heat of how he watches you from the other end of the couch. 

Fuck the line. What line? Never heard of one. 

You switch on a new part of yourself, cocking your head.

“You aren’t too forgettable yourself,” You reply with a soft smirk, making sure to regard every inch of him. 

That is all it takes from him to start closing the gap between you, stopping just inches away. He reaches out and slides your bag off your shoulder in slow motion. You stay frozen as it thuds to the floor. The way his eyes never leave you makes your breathing pick up. 

“You can leave right now, I won’t hold it against you,” He says quietly, “We can go back to before and I will never try this again.”

You can’t imagine a worse fate. You shake your head desperately. 

“Tell me you want this,” he says, eyes glued to yours.

“I want you ,” You whisper.

His lips easily find yours as you feel a hand lace into your hair and another around your waist. The softness of his lips makes you forget to set yourself into motion, too busy melting into it. You finally remember to reach for him, placing a hand on his chest and the other on the side of his neck. You splay your fingers over his bare skin, brushing a thumb against the stubble on his jaw.

His fingers graze over your scalp as he gently grips a handful of your hair. It makes your jaw fall open and he takes the opportunity to lick into your mouth. You grab a fistful of his shirt to pull him closer. 

His hand travels up the center of your chest, curving over your collarbone and back down your side. 

He is either being a tease or far too respectful. 

You take his wrist and guide him to the bottom hem of your tank top, sliding his hand underneath until his fingers come to the elastic of your sports bra. You pull the spandex up out of the way. 

His fingertips skate lightly over the bare skin before he cups you, rolling your nipple between his fingers. 

You whine against his mouth, arching into his touch. Your head tips back and he kisses down your neck before returning to your mouth. His lips become more insistent, the pressure of his hands roaming your body more firm. You shift to pull your leg up under you on the couch, needing to get closer to him. He untangles his hand from your hair and does you one better, reaching down, grabbing your ass and pulling you into his lap until he has you hovering over him, his knee between yours. 

You pull off your tank top and your sports bra. 

“Fucking gorgeous,” Pedro murmurs breathlessly as he attaches his mouth to your nipple.

“Fuck,” The word punches out of you and your hands fly into his hair. His mouth is all heat, tongue working in circles and flicks. You imagine his face between your legs doing the same and you shudder at the mere thought.

He grabs your hips and speaks against the skin of your chest.

“Sit.” 

He pulls you down firmly onto his thigh. 

“Good girl.”

A gasp helplessly escapes your lips and he has you all figured out. He fails to suppress a smirk and you have half the mind to admonish him, but any attempt is interrupted by his mouth returning to your tit.  

He guides your hips to grind against him. The feeling of your wet leggings sliding over his sweatpants drags against your clit just right. You whimper against his temple. He tugs your hips forward again as he flexes his thigh into you and your whimper becomes open mouthed, a moan buried in his hair.

Your hips start to roll on their own accord, chasing down the friction.

“That’s it,” He says softly, licking up your chest, “Make yourself feel good, pretty girl.”

You let out a stilted sigh, dropping your head and sucking the skin beneath his jaw. You reach your hand down and press over the crotch of his sweats. You inhale sharply when you feel him already hard underneath your palm.

“You know how hard it was to control myself, hm?” He questions, voice strained as he pushes himself up against your hand, “Keeping everyone from seeing how much I loved having you pinned up against that wall?”

“ God , that was good acting,” you moan.

“Yours needs some work,” he taunts, “‘Could see it all over your face, querida. Bet you were wet for me, weren’t you?”

“Whole time,” you nod desperately. 

He drags his fingers up your chest and wraps his hand around your throat. 

“Oh fuck,” tumbles from your mouth. 

“This what you wanted, sweetheart? My hand wrapped around your throat like this?”

“Yes,” you whimper. “Fuck, keep talking,” you beg, moving faster in his lap. 

“You like the sound of my voice, huh?” He prods, “Like it when I tell you how good you are while you fuck yourself on my thigh?”

You only nod with a whine, reaching under his waistband and taking his cock in your hand. You nearly whine again when you feel how thick he is. 

“Fuck,” he groans, his hand tightening just a bit around your throat. 

The squeak he receives from you in response is equal parts innocent and filthy. 

He uses his free hand to shove his pants and boxers down his hips, exposing his cock in your fist. 

You pump him slowly, watching the precum leak from his slit. You release him, pausing your own movement to dip your hand into your panties. You slide two fingers into yourself, gathering your wetness, and return to his length.

“Jesus Christ,” he swears, his words trapped in the back of his throat as you wrap your slick hand around him. His hand tightens on your neck and he thrusts up into your hand, jolting you back into your own rhythm. 

Your free hand is slipped under the neckline of his shirt, placed on his chest to steady yourself. The skin there is firm and radiating heat. You can feel his heart beating as fast as yours against your palm.

“You gonna cum like this?” He asks, “Such a needy girl, making a mess on my thigh?”

“Yes, fuck, yes, god yes,” you babble. You’d say yes to practically anything he could ask of you right now, anything to stay in this moment.

Every word he speaks, every shift in his touch drives your fist around him faster.

“ Fuck you feel so good,” He says through gritted teeth, hand now trailing down your throat, curling his fingers to skim his nails over your delicate skin, “Doing so good for me.”

“Please, please, Pedro–” you blindly plead.

He squeezes his hand, tightening the grip on your neck. It’s hardly enough to affect your breathing, but it fuels the tension growing in your hips all the same. Your motions begin to stutter.

“That’s it, querida,” He hums, “That’s it.” 

“I’m gonna–” your stutter, “I’m gonna cum.”

He presses the pad of his thumb against your clit and every bit of air deserts your lungs.

“I’ve got you. Cum for me.”

Pure heat sparks and sets you ablaze, flames rolling down your body as you cum, cries forced from you.  

“ Good girl , there it is. That’s a good girl,” He grinds out the words, pushing himself harder up into your fist. “Fuck, that’s it, fuck ,” A strangled noise catches in his throat, stripes of white painting your hand and his shirt as you ride out your high.

You lean forward to collapse against him, pressing your head to his shoulder, and you both try to catch your breath. He wraps his arms around you, fingers absently tracing over you back.

“Thank you,” you sigh.

“ Thank you ?” He nearly giggles, “Jesus Christ, all I did was sit here!”

“Then you’re welcome,” you breathe, “Like, very, incredibly, definitely welcome literally any time.”

His laughter bounces against your chest. 

“Don’t go making offers that are too good to be true, now,” he warns, and you can feel his grin against the side of your neck, “I can’t take the heartbreak.”

So you’re not the only one who wants this to be more than a one time thing. Fuck yeah. 

“Any. Time.” You repeat, whispering in his ear. 

——-

Coco is setting up her station next to Stephanie and Jess for the afternoon. The hair and make up department is an integral part of The Last of Us because of the extensive clicker-fication process. Coco always jokes with Pedro that she has the easiest job out of everyone–make a man, who is already gorgeous, gorgeous. Not much to do there, just upkeep on Pedro’s gray hair and ensuring he’s grimy enough for an apocalypse. 

You walk into the room bundled in a scarf and find Jess’s chair, greeting her. You had never met before and you were a little nervous. Coco, on the other hand, you’d talked to a few times. 

“Okay, so, I might have screwed up a little ,” You admit to Jess, immediately piquing the curiosity of the women around you. You were about to make Jess’s job a bit harder. 

“Oh?” Jess says. 

“So, um, I get uh–strangled, in the scene we’re shooting today so there’s going to be a lot of focus on… my neck…” You preface hesitantly.

Coco whirls around.

“You didn’t,” She gasps, scandalized.

You grimace apologetically as you unwrap your scarf.

“I did.”

There’s no way they could possibly know that Pedro put the hickey blooming dark purple on your throat unless they’re mind readers, but still. You’re paranoid that somehow everyone will know what you did last night with Pedro. 

Could see it all over your face, querida.

“You have girl bossed too close to the sun,” Coco shakes her head while Jess and Stephanie giggle.

You cover your face with your hands.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jess laughs, “You’re hardly the first actor to need some hickey cover up. Happens all the time–we’ll get you fixed up.”

Jess does an excellent job as promised and your neck looks pristine.

You thank her endlessly and slip out the door to go to wardrobe.

Just a moment later, Pedro speeds into hair and make-up, greeting Coco and plopping down in her chair.

“I need a bruise covered up,” he says simply. 

“How’d you hurt yourself this time, old man?” Coco asks.

“Uh, it’s not exactly that kind of bruise,” he replies sheepishly. He pulls down the turtle neck he’s wearing, revealing the hickeys he’s sporting up his neck. 

Coco, Stephanie and Jess all exchange a look. Stephanie is desperately trying to suppress a smirk and Jess has to turn away to contain herself. 

You and Pedro are none the wiser that you’re totally busted. 

“ Pedro ,” Coco scolds him playfully. 

“I know, I know,” he sighs. 

“Pass me that concealer, Jess?” Coco asks, “We’d better get started. This might take a while since someone decided to sell his body last night.”

“Oh shut up,” Pedro waved her off with a bashful chuckle, “Vete a la chingada.”

“Pedge, I’m immune to your spanish insults. I don’t speak Spanish.”

“Allow me to translate: fuck. off.”

“Never.”

—————-

You're sitting on the sidelines of the set, absently going over your script and blocking. 

“Hello you,” a low voice rings next to you. 

A smile climbs onto your lips and you keep your attention on the pages. 

“Fancy meeting you here,” you chime.

“Come here often?” 

You giggle, finally looking up at him, but your breath is stolen. God , he looked so good as Joel. 

“Querida, your face,” he chuckles, “we talked about this.”

You pause for a moment and realize what he’s implying. You must be blushing. Or drooling. 

“I have no idea how I have an acting career,” you murmur.  

He’s laughing and you can’t help but be reminded of a ray of light. He’s like a bright beam, reflected and refracted into a spectrum of color, streaking boldly across a sunlit room. Maybe you didn’t understand how someone could be ‘beaming’ until now.   

He looks like he almost starts to reach out to touch you, maybe tuck a stray hair behind your ear or place a hand on your waist, but he aborts the movement. 

Phillip approaches you and you break from your trance. 

“Hey guys!” He greets, “how about a quick dry run fight before shooting?”

“Sounds good,” Pedro nods as you agree. 

Someone from the props department appears with your fake knife and you thank them. 

You do a slow motion run through, making sure the spacing and blocking is perfected for the set pieces around you. 

The full speed run is just as intense as the first time you had tried it the night before. You’re panting on the floor by the end, and Pedro extends a hand to help you to your feet. You look up at him from underneath the fan of your lashes and he stares down at you all the same.

“Alright you definitely have the choreography down!” Phillip sings his praises and declares you both ready for filming. 

“We’re going to start shooting in just a minute here,” Craig informs the room. 

Jess is there, coming over to touch up your make up one last time and the guy from props reappears, returning the discarded knife back to you.

“You and Pedro have us sharing the good setting powder,” Jess laughs to herself, taking some onto her brush before Coco steals the container with a smile as she passes by.

It hits you all at once.

You left hickeys all over Pedro last night, didn’t you? You look over and see Coco brushing the powder over the side of his throat.

“ Jess, ” Your eyes are blown wide.

She pauses, regarding you with confusion for a moment until the realization appears on her face.

“Oh! Don’t worry, we’ll never tell. Makeup artists take an oath of secrecy,” She explains. “ However ,” She adds, “I am living vicariously through you. Just full transparency.”

“Fair,” you reply a bit distantly, still watching Pedro.

—-

Coco goes over to Pedro and starts on her final touch ups.

“You know,” she says quietly after a moment, “The weirdest thing happened earlier.”

“Yeah?” Pedro asks, suspicious of her playful tone.

“Yeah,” she replies, “A minute before you came in asking us to cover up your hickeys, your scene partner came in needing the same thing.”

“That is… quite a coincidence…” He agreed slowly.

“I’m glad one of us had sexcapades last night,” she assured him, “all I did was watch tv.”

“Please never say ‘sexcapade’ ever again,” Pedro muttered.

“Look, if you’re going for subtlety–tone it down,” She advises, “You look like you’re about to jump each other’s bones, not kill each other.”

“Fuck, it’s that obvious?” He asks.

She just replies with raised eyebrows and a smirk. “But–hey,” she says sincerely, “Good for you, Pedge. You deserve it.”

“Stop–” He swats her away with an embarrassed smile, “Making me blush. Joel doesn’t blush.”

“Go get ‘em tiger,” She pats him on the back before leaving.

A/N: Tell me what you liked most! I wanna know what my beloved slutty lil readers enjoy!

Chapter 2

[dewdropdinosaur]

Falling for You

VOX x READER Summary: You are Vox's assistant and maybe tripping isn't so bad in the work place. Warnings: None. Just Vox being egotistical(I tried to keep it canon but I am sorry if it's not exactly) and lots of pining. Keep in mind that REQUESTS are OPEN!!

Vox stepped out of a black limo and stood up, revealing his seven foot figure as a crowd of demons rushed over to either take pictures, ask questions, or get an autograph…which he had completely ignored all their attempts to try with a disgusted look on his face. Stepping out of the limo along with him, clutching your pen-pad you strode beside him as he walked into the large VoxTech building. 

You knew he had secretly enjoyed the attention he was getting very much from the crowd. It made him feel powerful. You swore you could have seen him flash a light blue toothy grin at times.

“Sir, Zestial, your 3 o’clock is waiting in the 10th floor lounge to discuss recent sales and advertisements on 666. And your 4 o’clock canceled so your 6 pm is now moved to that slot. Valentino wants you to visit his studio apparently he is pissed and oh Velvette is having none of it—”

“Relax darling, I’ve got it handled.” Vox smirked down at you, cupping your chin in his hand in dominance. You breathe out a heavy sigh once he removes his hand, hiding a small blush that graces your cheeks hoping he didn’t notice. He does though, always has. The way your eyes light up when you look at him, the small tint of color that reaches your nose when he compliments you, he sees it all. And he loves it. 

Entering the elevator, you press the button for the 10th floor; relaxing as the metal doors close shut and you are away from the loud crowd. It continued like this for the rest of the day. Meetings, interviews, coffee break(that was more like a coffee second than the actual 30 minute lunch session), writing reports, adding to Vox’s calendar, writing more reports, making sure Valentino doesn’t blow up another employee…and so on and so forth. 15 hour days were now your specialty after working with Vox for so many years and yet some days still drug on longer than one would have appreciated. 

Sitting at your desk outside Vox’s office, the small light of the lamp illuminated the darkened area. You rub your eyes in exhaustion, peeking at the monitor to see it read ‘1:26 AM’. Deciding that five hours of sleep was better than none, you switch off your monitor and stack your paper reports neatly on your desk for later that day. Flicking off the lamp, you knock softly on Vox’s office door and allow yourself in. 

“Sir, I just finished up. I’ll see you at 7 AM.”

“Mhmm, another late night?”

“Could say the same for yourself boss.”

“Y/N, it’s past work hours. You know how I hate paying your overtime.” 

“And yet, without fail, I see that nifty little add on each week.”

“Well, you are one of the few competent assholes in this place”

“Was that a compliment sir?” 

“Don’t push your luck darling.”

Vox turns his chair around to face you, a large cup of coffee steaming in his hand as he sips it with a smirk. Crossing your arms with the chuckle, you liked this banter. You and Vox had always had a good working relationship, sassing each other back and forth while still toeing the line between professionalism and flirting. Taking a step forward, you stop right in front of his desk.

“You know me Vox, I am always pushing the envelope. So, was it a compliment?”

“Ah yes, always so pushy. Really shouldn’t be a quality you brag about.”

“But it’s why you like me~. The pushing, always getting what I want to know.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny the fact that you may have more tact than most in this shithole.” 

Biting back a laugh at his playful attempt at professional language ruined by the vulgarity, you place a hip on the desk; sitting casually. The large aquarium was a nice backdrop and you could see why Vox spent a lot of time here. Other than working himself to the bone to maintain his image/the company or hunting down the Radio Demon on any available CV camera, looking into the aquarium was a nice activity you assumed he might partake in. 

“Something on your mind Y/N?” 

Snapping your head back to his and reality, you offer a sheepish smile and a shake of your head. 

“No, no. Just admiring the aquarium.”

“It is pretty nice, I built it myself. Should have seen it, it didn't take more than a week.”

“Truly humble boss, truly humble.” 

“Now is that any way to speak to your employer?”

“My apologies. I didn't realize stroking your ego was in my job responsibilities.” 

Standing up from the desk, you accidentally catch your foot on the wires underneath. Bracing for the impact, it doesn’t come. Instead, you are caught as a small yelp leaves your mouth. Looking up, Vox has caught you with one hand; holding you in a dip. The world freezes for a few seconds as you take a moment to look at his face, the feeling of his hands on your hips, it all felt…right for some reason. 

Clearing his throat, Vox pulls you up and removes his hand. You could have sworn you saw a small flush on his screened face before he spoke. 

“Tch, women. Always falling for me.”

“Again…really humble boss.”

Heat still crept onto your cheeks as you long for the feeling of his hands on your waist, how warm they felt, how safe it made you feel. Adjusting your blouse, you excuse yourself and walk home; mind running with all the possibilities and recounting every second of the encounter. 

Little did you know, Vox was doing the very same. Replaying the event on his monitors, reviewing every second and every flush of your skin. The way your eyes widened and looked up at him with such hope, it made his circuits buzz a little. He wouldn’t deny it, he had always found you attractive. Definitely helped in meetings with other Overlords to have a pretty face moderating. But he would be wrong to say that was the only reason. You were hardworking, almost as driven as him and that is saying something. You flowed effortlessly around the office, directing everything to its natural and needed space. And the way you smiled for the camera, gosh he wished you would smile at him like that. That pretty pearly white smile. 

Looks like this might not be the professional relationship it had started out to be. Neither of you wanted to keep it professional anyway. 

[kaciidubs]

KACII BABY COMPOSER CHAN IS STUCK IN MY HEAD i miss him so much, like imagine walking in on him hard at work<3 he's such a genius and so fucking professional :( and and hes so focused :( and and he's wearing his black hat :(

its so hot and i wanna sit on his cock

and that rhymed which is even better :(

anyways, love you kacii baby<3

ESTEE BESTIEE PLEASE, COMPOSING MODE! CHAN IS SUCH A CONCEPT!! Girlie i miss him too it's insane :((

You come by his studio for a surprise visit, ready to offer him a quick lunch date when you hear the rhythmic ticking of the digital metronome and see his hand flexing around his mouse as he edits a track.

He's working, of course.

And honestly you should have called beforehand, but you don't always get the chance to see your lover doing what he does best, and you're honestly excited to watch him now.

He pauses mid-movement and turns to you with a look of confusion, "Baby? Hey, what're you doing here? Did I forget a date or something?" A flash of worry streaks across his face, "I mean- Not that I'm not happy to see you! I love seeing you, it's just-"

"You didn't forget anything, Channie, don't worry," you cut off his rambling with a smile, letting the door close behind you as you walk toward his chair, "just wanted to pop in for a visit and see what you and the boys were up to."

A soft, relieved smile grows on Chris' lips and he tugs you closer into his bubble, his hand wrapped around yours with a light swing. "Ah, well, I'm a little in the middle of making a track so I won't be as entertaining as I usually am - if you wanna find the others-"

"Can I watch?"

"Huh?"

You raise your free hand to twirl a stray curl that's sticking out from underneath the brim of his black cap, "I wanna watch you - I'm not in a rush, plus I can't remember the last time I actually got to see you make the next Stray Kids masterpiece."

His eyes crease as he laughs that little high pitched giggle you've always loved, a tiny squeak accenting the end as he tilts his head away. "Masterpiece is a stretch, but you can watch me if you want to - if you get bored and wanna leave, I won't be offended."

Taking that as your offer accepted, you pull up the spare computer chair and sit next to him, watching diligently as he readjusts his hat and fluffs up his hoodie before hopping right back into the world of tempos and samples.

And, honestly? You love it.

You love seeing the shift from your giggly, adorable boyfriend to the focused, goal oriented leader of the fourth generation; the unwavering focus of his eyes on the computer screen in front of him as he drags and drops various sources with abbreviated file names you couldn't even begin to guess.

Once he's edited the background beat to something you think he may be pleased with - for now at least - he slides his midi keyboard over and plays with a few chords, his long, pretty fingers dancing along the ivory-plastic keys.

It's intoxicating, truly, the way he licks his lips as he finds the progression he's looking for, but struggles to navigate where it ends - the soft huff when he plays it over and over so his short term memory won't forget the notes.

Slowly, you've gone from watching him make music to simply watching him, studying him in his element, observing him and the habits you've seen in other settings. You can't help but squeeze your legs together, your breathing subconsciously slowing as you watch his adam's apple bob when he swallows, the column of his neck stretching as his head moves to search the large monitor.

"I can feel your eyes on me, baby girl." He murmurs, a sideways smirk tugging his lips, "You're gonna burn a hole into the side of my face, you know?"

"Can't help it," you breathe softly, eyes now tracing the sharp angle of his jaw, "you look so fucking sexy when you're making music."

A squeak of confusion resonates from him as he makes a change in the file, "Really? I'm just sitting here, what's so sexy about that?"

Usually, if he were truly busy, he'd pass off your fueled comment with a shy chuckle, but a few hours have passed and he'd gotten a lot further than he expected - a short break was definitely earned.

"The way you look at the screen, like nothing else exists around you, and the way your hands move when you know you've got something good going and you can't waste a single second," licking your lips, you tilt your head slightly, "or the way you bite your lip when you're really into whatever thought's running through that genius brain of yours- just makes me wanna..."

"Wanna what?" He turned to face you, lidded eyes flicking between your own lust-fogged irises and your slightly parted lips. "Wanna what, baby girl?"

Tugging your bottom lip between your teeth, a rush of heat washes over you under his intense stare.

"Wanna sit on your dick and have you record some sounds of our own."

[taeminsung]

♡ ˚⁎⁺˳ ── FU in my head..

pairing ||  hyunjin x reader summary || accompanied by you in the dance studios for hours only led hyunjin to have unvoiced wishes for you to fulfill. genre/s || angst. suggestive. mina’s notes ||  sorry not sorry. i may do part 2. please enjoy ♡ 

The beat seemed to reverberate in Hyunjin’s chest as he watched you dance in the mirror. He had promised Minho that he’d be in the studio to help train the backup dancers but never would have dreamt that you would be one of them. As Hyunjin tried to watch the other dancers, his eyes always seemed to come back to you, the way your hips moved perfectly in time. It had been months since he first met you at Music Bank while you were performing with another group, immediately becoming obsessed with the way your body moved.

At the present, he watched your lips move wondering what they would taste like. Hyunjin hyung? Felix gently elbowed him. Sorry I think I zoned out, can you say that again? Hyunjin quickly reacted, trying not to act strange. Was it obvious that he was staring at you? Probably but he would just chalk it up to he was monitoring your moves because the part before the chorus needed help. Would it be a complete lie? Absolutely. But anything to get him out of the suspicion of the other dancers.

Hours ticked by and yet here he was, still watching only you, committing the way your body moved to memory. What was he thinking? You came here to do a job, and he was sitting on the couch drooling over you. Yet, he couldn’t help it. There was something about you that was capturing him in your atmosphere and not letting him break free. Was it the way that you danced? Like calling to like? Or maybe it was fate giving him the littlest of piece an olive branch to find his other half. In truth, he wished it was fate because knowing that you existed in this world and weren’t with him would devastate him.

Days later in the late hours of the night, with others leaving to get much needed rest, he went to grab his stuff to go home with his members, only to catch you in the mirror, making your way back to the center of the room, clearly determined to get more practice in. Without a further thought, Hyunjin turned back to control the music, waving his members off with the promise that he’d return home at a somewhat reasonable time. Struggling for what to say, but he didn’t know if you could tell that, he let the music again fill the studio, focus trained on you.

It could have been because he was exhausted or because you hadn’t left his head since he first saw you in their practice room. Instead of monitoring you all he could think about was you taking him closer, slowly taking his clothes off while he finally learned how your lips tasted. Oh, how he fantasized. He would never ever let you know that he liked to fuck you in his head. It was his dirty little secret that he kept close to his chest, not even letting the members know of his fantasy of you. The kind of things that he would rather leave unsaid.

As he tried to pay attention to reality, he couldn’t let his mind wonder to those dirty wishes that crossed his mind. You touch him when he’s lonely in his bed. Fingers starting tangled in his hair, trailing painfully slow down his chest to where he wanted you most. How he was do desperate to scream but held his breath instead. Feelings your lips leave warm kisses across his chest and toned stomach, teeth grazing his skin every once in a few kisses. He craved the way you made him feel hot in the cool air of his room. What he would give to make his fantasy a reality. Sometimes all he did was fuck you in his head.

When the music abruptly ended, his eyes caught yours, a small smile pulling at the corner of your lips as you waited for him to clearly give you a correction. Did you feel it too though? This gravitational pull towards him like he did with you. He really hoped that this wasn’t one-sided, but he could see the way you maintained professionalism with how you talked with him and the members. Are you as obsessed? Pleading with his eyes, all he needed was just a little sign, and he’d confess. He’d take you back to the dorm and make all of his daydreaming come true in moments.

from mina with love ♡ ˚⁎⁺˳ ── thank you for reading! ♡ requests are open.

[muddy-water-1997]

𝖠𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖡𝖾𝗇𝖾𝖿𝗂𝗍𝗌

𝖳𝖶: 𝖨 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗒 𝖻𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖾𝗒𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁! 𝖲𝖬𝖴𝖳 𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦. 𝖯𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗄, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗌𝗈 𝖼𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗑 𝖧𝗒𝗎𝗇𝗅𝗂𝗑

Chapter 12 - How Can I Help?

The appearance itself went off without a hitch. From Billie's little private office organised for you, you monitored the show’s progress and used the quiet space to tackle the significant stylist issue.

“You’re not listening to me,” you spoke assertively to the stylist's assistant on the phone. “If I don’t have the outfits for Felix and Hyunjin at that studio by 1 PM, it’s not just your job; you’ll be losing... Oh, do you think you can speak to me like that? Where’s your head stylist? Put them on the phone.”

A soft knock on the door snapped your attention back to the room. The door tentatively opened, revealing Hyunjin and Felix on the other side. You quickly ushered them in, and they closed the door behind them.

“You have them call me back within the hour, or we’ll have more than an issue,” you growled into the phone before abruptly hanging up. Turning your attention to the two men in the room, you offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that. I’m a completely different person when things don’t go my way at work,” you chuckled. “What can I do for you boys?” you asked, raising an eyebrow in their direction.

“That was…” Felix started, glancing at Hyunjin with wide eyes.

“Fucking hot,” Hyunjin finished, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

You blinked, taken aback by their bluntness, and then burst into laughter. “Well, I’m glad my meltdown was entertaining for someone,” you said, shaking your head. “Seriously though, what’s up?”

Felix rubbed the back of his neck, his initial surprise giving way to his usual cheerful demeanour. “We just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything from us for the shoot later. And also to say thanks for handling the outfit situation. We know it’s a lot.” They slowly made their way over to your desk, pausing on either side of you. 

Your pulse quickened as Hyunjin's voice became sultry, his hand gently grazing your cheek. The cool touch of his rings sent a thrilling shiver down your spine, igniting a fire within you. “You work so hard for us…”

Oh god, not again. With Felix and Hyunjin joining the list, it made five out of the eight boys who had made advances towards you in the last 48 hours. Despite the overwhelming attention, some of you couldn't deny the intoxicating allure of their flirtations.

You found yourself leaning in, unable to resist the magnetic pull of Hyunjin's presence. His closeness sent waves of desire coursing through you, the lines between professionalism and temptation blurring in the heat of the moment. You hardly noticed Felix’s hand gently caressing your shoulder.

Your breath hitched as Felix echoed Hyunjin's sentiment, his hand tracing a tantalising path along your collarbones. The gentle touch sent a rush of heat coursing through you, and you found yourself leaning into his touch, craving more of his intoxicating warmth.

"Maybe we could help you relax a little?" Felix's suggestion hung in the air, his gaze locking with Hyunjin's, their silent communication sparking a fire of anticipation within you.

With a soft exhale, you closed your eyes, allowing yourself to surrender to the moment, to Felix's touch, without the weight of being watched. His fingers danced delicately over your skin, coaxing a sigh of pleasure from your lips. In this intimate bubble, with the world outside fading into obscurity, you allowed yourself to bask in the intoxicating allure of their presence.

Every touch and caress was a symphony of desire, and you found yourself lost in the heady rush of sensation. Despite the risks, despite the consequences, in this fleeting moment, you couldn't deny the allure of their touch, the yearning for more.

Hyunjins lips found the sweet spot behind your ear, leaving a trail of kisses and nips to the skin. Unlike the other three men you’d been intimate with, they were much more gentle, almost ethereal in how they handled your body. Worshipping each crevice and curve as they explored what made you tick. Felix’s hands started exploring the curvature of your breasts, light squeezes sending electricity through your body; you couldn’t help but moan in response to their touches.

“I’m trying so hard not to fuck you sensless right now.” Felix’s low voice had found its way to your unoccupied ear while Hyunjin continued his mission of kisses across your collarbones.

“You smell good enough to eat, beautiful”, Hyunjin muttered against your skin. Your legs instinctively open in search of cold air against your increasingly hot centre. Felix’s hand quickly replaced the chilly air, his thumb pressing immediately on your clit before pulling away.

“Do that again… Please,” You begged him desperately. “Fuck, Please Felix.” Your begging earned a gentle chuckle from Huynjin, who was still exploring the skin he could expose without undressing you. Felix happily obliged, your hips lifting off the seat beneath you for more pressure. He gently pulled your underwear to the side, his fingers now tracing over the bare skin.

“Channie Hyung was right,” Felix turned to Hyunjin. “She is needy.” Your heart pounded as Felix's words sank in, the implication hitting you like a sledgehammer. Before you could even process his comment, Hyunjin's lips captured yours in a searing kiss, effectively silencing any protests that threatened to escape.

The sensation was electrifying, sending shockwaves of desire coursing through you. Despite the lingering unease at Felix's words, you couldn't deny the overwhelming pull of Hyunjin's touch and his lips' intoxicating taste.

As he pulled away momentarily, a mischievous glint danced in Hyunjin's eyes. "Quiet now, princess," he whispered, his voice sending shivers down your spine. "We wouldn’t want anyone hearing us in here. The door is still unlocked."

His words sent a thrill of excitement through you, the forbidden nature of their actions only adding to the illicit allure. With a wordless nod, you leaned in eagerly, surrendering to the heat of the moment as Hyunjin's lips found yours once more. Felix gave a little warning before inserting two fingers inside you; his hands were not the biggest of all the men you had met, but he was skilled with them. The curve he had managed to hit your soft spot without even trying.

You were grateful for Felix’s lips replacing Hyunjins when they did, catching the moans falling out of your mouth as he continued the skilled pumping of his hand, driving you wild. Hyunjin had taken it upon himself to take two fingers, cover them in your slick and start rubbing your clit for extra stimulation. The feeling of both men on your pussy was intoxicating and was quickly pushing you to the edge.

“Thats a good girl, come undone for us baby. Relax into it.” Felix’s words were enough to send you reeling and clenching around his fingers as both men helped you ride your high for as long as possible before the overstimulation kicked in.

“You look so beautiful when you come,” Hyunjin smiled, peppering small kisses all over your face as Felix looked for something to get you cleaned up with. “Enough emotion there to have me up painting this evening.” Your brain could not form a sentence until Felix bought you a glass of water, helping you take a sip.

"I... what just?" You struggled to find the words, your mind reeling with confusion and questions. What had Chan said? How did you end up in this position? Before you could vocalise anything, another knock on the door jolted you upright in your seat, instinctively trying to smooth your features into a semblance of composure.

“Ms. Y/N, the cars will be ready in 10. I also have the stylist on the phone. You asked them to call you back, but they couldn’t reach you?” Billie's voice cut through the haze of your thoughts, snapping you back to reality.

Shit. The remainder of your responsibilities hit you, and you hastily composed yourself, trying to push aside the tumultuous emotions swirling inside you.

The two men on either side of you leaned in, kissing softly on either of your cheeks before heading for the door. Their actions sent a jolt of conflicting emotions coursing through you, leaving you reeling in their wake.

“Not all mirrors are one-way mirrors, Y/N,” Felix's parting words echoed in your mind as he winked, followed by Hyunjin's playful smile.

Fuck.

NEXT CHAPTER

𝖶𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾? 𝖳𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗆𝖾! 𝖬𝗒 𝗂𝗇𝖻𝗈𝗑 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗎𝗒𝗌! 

𝖶𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗃𝗈𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗀 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍? 𝖣𝗋𝗈𝗉 𝗆𝖾 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝗋 𝖣𝖬!

[sirfrogsworth]

The Curse of Artistic Vision

I think being an artist comes down to developing an image in your head and then feeling compelled to manifest it. Sometimes you are able to improve upon that image in your head. Or you end up with something different that you like better.

But sometimes, for various reasons, you can't quite make that image a reality. And I don't know if other artists feel this way, but it feels like heartbreak every time. Not quite on the level of an incident of human decoupling, but it definitely sticks with you for a long time.

Sometimes I am limited by the current state of my skillset. I just haven't learned enough and gained enough experience to take a photo like the one in my brain.

And sometimes I am limited by my body, which puts huge restrictions on the amount of energy I can dedicate to crafting a photo.

I feel my knowledge and experience has never been at the level I am currently at. I think I have the *potential* to shoot just about anything I can imagine. Which is a cool feeling. I also feel like my image editing and manipulation skills are at the highest they have ever been. Which means anything I can't do in-camera, I can achieve in Lightroom and Photoshop.

But I just don't have a lot of energy to capture photos right now. And I am very limited by how much physical effort I can dedicate to the photographic process. Which is very frustrating. I'm hoping if I build a new studio in the house that will help a lot.

In the meantime, I have this library of images I took before 2017. Many of them I was not able to achieve my artistic vision.

But... I came close.

Which means on many of these old images I can use my editing skills of today to achieve what I could not back then.

And so I have started a huge re-edit project where I go back and realize my images as I wanted them to be.

I had this idea for an image of someone in the middle of a dark forest in an open field reading a book and the only illumination was a lamp that seemed to be plugged into nothing. It popped into my head and it just seemed like a cool photo to create.

In July of 2016, my friend Ryan was visiting and we decided to try it. We even rented a big fancy 50 megapixel camera for a few days. I had never used a professional level camera and it was my birthday and I wanted that experience.

I even had this cool idea to hide a flash in the lamp so it would look like it was illuminated.

The resulting image was not anything like I had in my head. And for some reason, I edited it super bright, and you can barely even notice the cool lampshade flash trick. If you lower the exposure of the RAW file there is a well-defined circle of light in the grass, but it is hard to see in the 2016 edit.

Where is the dark background? Why didn't I underexpose the background to make it look like night or sunset? I knew how to do that back then. I totally could have crafted the photo in my head at that time.

But then I noticed I only took like 8 photos of this scene. And I *always* overshoot. I took 300 photos of a bridge recently.

Then I remembered what happened. We moved a giant rocking chair, a lamp, and lighting equipment to the middle of my neighbor's yard and by the time I was ready to take the photo, I was about to pass out. I believe it was very hot as well.

And so the above was the best I could do under that circumstance. My body limited my artistic vision. And this has been bothering me for years. Sometimes I will think back on this photo and how cool it looked in my head and I will feel that heartbreak again.

When I look at the RAW file... it is actually much better than my edited image.

Which makes me curious why I made it so damn bright. My best theory is I had a monitor that was slowly dying and I didn't realize how dim it got because our eyes are so good at adjusting, and it's possible all of my images from that era were overly bright because I was overcompensating for a dying display.

That fancy camera (Canon 5DS R) was a dream to work with. And having so many extra megapixels to play with is such a joy. People say you don't need more megapixels these days, but when you are doing high level image manipulation, having as much information as possible makes it a lot easier. Especially when making complex selections.

So, I've got a good start. I have a lot of pixels to play with. I was almost certain I could manifest my vision with modern knowledge and tools.

I'll start with the baseline edit in Lightroom. I'm not going to worry about the sky, as that will need to be swapped for my nighttime aesthetic.

The circle of light was there! It was just hiding in my bright exposure. So that's neat. And when you lower the exposure of the background, the lampshade trick presents itself as well.

At this point I was getting excited because I could see the potential. I just had to find the right sky. This one looks perfect.

Okay, it is time for the big reveal.

Did I finally get this image out of my brain and into reality?

I DID!

I don't know if people will like this or find it artistically interesting, but Ryan and I were both very happy with the new version.

Also, I think Ryan's purple shoes really steal the show.

Though I had one idea that was never in my head originally.

Should I try it?

I still haven't decided on the fireflies yet, but Ryan and Katrina like them.

I can't state how nice it was to work on a 50 megapixel photo from a full frame sensor coming from a 10 year old camera with 4 stops less dynamic range and 24 megapixels.

This is zoomed in to 100%!

And the image doesn't even get soft at 300%.

Sorry, I got caught up in the megapixels.

And there is one detail you'll probably never notice unless I point it out, but I completely rebuilt the lampshade because I overexposed it.

I always say small details add up to big results. Plus I had to use some creative problem solving to figure out how to recreate a lampshade and I always enjoy that part of the process—where you don't know how to do something and then you figure it out. Very satisfying.

In any case, my brain feels better now. I feel like I was able to settle something that has been bothering me for ages. And I am grateful I was able to realize my artistic vision—even if it took 8 years.

Here is the before and after. It's fun to switch back and forth.

On to the next photo. And it may involve a furry little orange friend.

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.08.05] AERA x Yuzuru Hanyu: 24.8.12-19 No. 37

person in focus

"After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well."

A session with photographer Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year. In a long interview exclusive to this magazine, he talks about the ideals he pursues.

Writer: Takaomi Matsubara

Professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu

Born December 7, 1994 in Sendai. 2009 Won the Junior Grand Prix Final at age 14. 2010 Became the youngest Japanese male to win the World Junior Championships. 2011 While practicing at a rink in Sendai, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and he had to live in an evacuation shelter. The rink where he was training was temporarily closed. 2012 First participated in the World Championships, coming in third. 2013 Graduated from Tohoku High School. Enrolled in a correspondence course at the Faculty of Human Sciences at Waseda University, studying human informatics and cognitive sciences. Won his first Grand Prix Final. Won four consecutive titles thereafter. 2014 First Asian gold medal in men's figure skating at the Sochi Olympics. First World Championship win. 2017 Second World Championship win. 2018 Second gold medal in men's figure skating at the Pyeongchang Olympics. 2020 Won his first Four Continents Championship, becoming the first man to win all major international junior and senior competitions. 2022 Participated in the Beijing Olympics. In July, announced his professional career. The ice show "Prologue" was held in Yokohama in November and in Hachinohe in December. 2023 In February, the ice show "GIFT" was held at Tokyo Dome. In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In March and April, he appeared in the ice show "Stars on Ice" (Osaka, Iwate, Yokohama). In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Miyagi, Niigata, Kobe). In November, the ice show "RE_PRAY" tour began at Saitama Super Arena. The following year, it was held at SAGA Arena in Saga in January, Pia Arena MM in Yokohama in February, and Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi in April. 2024 In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Aichi). On September 15th, he will be performing in the "Noto Peninsula Reconstruction Support Charity Performance Challenge" in Ishikawa Prefecture.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been two years since he made a new start as a professional figure skater in the summer of 2022. In 2024, he led three successful ice shows: "RE_PRAY" (Saga, Yokohama, Miyagi performances), "notte stellata" and "Fantasy on Ice".

The shoot with Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year began with a cheerful greeting from each other, "Thank you for your continued support this year," and "Thank you." When she said to him, "You're still as young as ever!", Hanyu replied with a smile, a little embarrassed, "I'm almost 30."

"Move freely."

With those words, he made expressions and gestures as he pleased.

Various scenes were set up in the vast studio. Hanyu, who changed costumes and was photographed in each scene, moved and made expressions freely, sometimes under instructions and sometimes as if he was imagining (creating) a story himself. The people watching repeatedly let out gasps of amazement as the images were displayed one after another on the computer monitor. It was nothing short of amazing how he instantly exuded various moods - from boyish with a hint of innocence to cool and seductive.

His creativity was not limited to the way he behaved as a subject. When the BGM was played during the shoot, his body naturally responded to the music, and he also requested songs himself when he saw the costumes. There was also a moment when he saw a prop that had been set up and asked, "Do you have one more of these?" This revealed his high level of creative awareness.

The shooting has completed.

"Thank you very much," he said, and there was something light-hearted and cheerful about it. After a year, what he showed in the studio was a more mature and expressive side to him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exclusive interview with this magazine

[In pursuit of a distant ideal]

He is now in his third year as a professional figure skater. Reflecting on his days of taking on unprecedented challenges, he spoke about what he has gained from them and what the future holds.

Photo: Mika Ninagawa    Writer: Takaomi Matsubara

Yuzuru Hanyu, the journey continues

hair & make up: Noboru Tomizawa  styling: Masataka Hattori costume: NEEDLES    BED j.w. FORD    YUKI HASHIMOTO  prop styling: Ayumi Endo

Yuzuru Hanyu started out as a professional figure skater in 2022. In his first professional ice show, "Prologue," he performed the first solo ice show in history. He skated for nearly two hours, with a structure that richly conveyed his skating career. Following "Prologue," he then performed a solo show at the Tokyo Dome for the first time in history, "GIFT." The ice show filled the gigantic venue, which had never been seen before.  After "Prologue" and "GIFT," he held the performance "notte stellata" in March 2023, which was filled with thoughts and prayers for March 11. It has been a year since our interview last summer, following those three performances.

Changes in the "depth" of thinking

"When I was interviewed a year ago, it had just been a year since I turned professional. I had a desire to grow and learn more specialized things. In the year since then, I think that my technique, expression, and many other aspects have changed. Among them, I feel that I have had many more opportunities to think about expression. I have been thinking about expression even in my daily life. I think that the way I think about my show, the way I think about each program, the depth of those things has clearly changed." He talks about what triggered the change in the past year. "First of all, I had to spend more time thinking about writing a new ice story after GIFT and also about my own performance.” The new ice story was "RE_PRAY", under the title "ICE STORY 2nd".  It opened on November 4, 2023 at Saitama Super Arena. It was performed in Saitama for two days, on that day and the following day, and in the new year it was performed in Saga on January 12th and 14th, and in Yokohama on February 17th and 19th, for a total of six performances in three cities. After the premiere in Saitama on November 4th, Hanyu said the following. "First of all, I myself have learned from games, manga, novels, and various other sources, about what life is all about, how precious life is, and other similar things that everyone else roughly feels.

In games, the concept of life is really light in a sense, and you can repeat it, so you can use characters to do all sorts of things and push forward with curiosity. If you apply that to the real world, you might be a person who has the drive to grab hold of dreams, or conversely, from a different perspective, you might be a very terrifying person. But if you could do it all over again, I'm sure people would try it."

24 hours a day, always skating

In this story with a game motif, the question of "choice" is often depicted. We make choices in our lives, even if we are not aware of it. What if you choose a different option than the one you originally chose? Or would you choose the same option? This story asks the audience, which serves as an opportunity to reexamine their way of life. Of course, just like "Prologue" and "GIFT," the fact that this story was completed and received with overwhelming acclaim was due to the performance of Hanyu, who was the sole performer. And even after six performances, he did not try to stay in the same place. He continued to evolve. There were many evidences of this growth at the final performance of the Yokohama show, for example. The movements in the performance of "Chicken, Snake and Pig" where he moved forward as if resisting the shackles. The performance of "Megalovania", following a silent performance without music with only the sound of his edges resonating, was more integrated with the music than in previous performances. Not only in the production aspects, but also in the details of Hanyu's performance itself, there were traces of refinement here and there. After the Saga performance, Hanyu spent his days preparing more rigorously for the Yokohama performance.  "Of course, I trained and restricted my diet. Well, how should I say it, there are 24 hours in a day, but I spent the entire time on nothing else but skating. In other words, skating was always present, 24 hours a day.” "That's right. To put it simply, it felt like I was spending every day just working on 'RE_PRAY'." The reason he spent all his time facing skating was because he had regrets about the Saga performance. "After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well." However, the standards of frustration have changed from when he was a competing athlete.

Still not enough

"Gradually, the focus is shifting from scores to an evaluation. If something technical that I had planned didn't go well, then my evaluation vector changes and my perspective shifts. I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in Saga, so I was simply disappointed." After spending 24 hours focused on skating, the Yokohama performance came. After the final performance, he said, "I feel a sense of accomplishment like winning the Olympics." While he felt a sense of fulfillment, he wasn't completely satisfied. He also felt that his ability had not yet caught up with what he wanted to do. "So I feel like there are still things I need to study more. Of course, I think I'm evolving. I think I'm getting better. But I still feel like it's not enough. As I keep digging deeper and deeper, my ideals become higher, and the things I want to express are becoming more and more specific. The more my ideals become more concrete, the more I feel like I'm not catching up." He is aware that he still has areas where he needs to improve, especially in the finer details. This is something he realises now, which he didn't feel this way when he was competing in the sport. "It's impossible to realise this when you're a competitive athlete. After all, if you can jump, you win. To be honest, if you couldn’t jump, there was no point in talking about it, as the outcome of the competition was pretty much decided by how many types of quadruple jumps there are and where you put them in the program. For example, what memories do you have of this song, the background of this song, what is the story you want to express, how will the story and the song fit together, or what meaning is in the choreography, to be honest, there’s not much room to think about them. You have to complete all your technical elements in one go in the four minutes of a competition (free skate), so that's all you can focus on."

A world not in first place

Win the match. In a competition, that is set as a goal. "Since I had already achieved that, there was no way I could go any higher. If you think about it in the world of competition, I won first place, so even if I tried harder, I couldn't get any higher than first place. In other words, I just tried to see how long I could maintain that first place position.

But in the world I'm in right now, even if I think I'm in first place, it may not be. It’s a place where I can think, "I'm still at the bottom". When I look at the various works of art or technically excellent things from around the world, I feel that there are still many things I can't do, so I think that I still have a long way to go." When he moved from the world of competition, which was fixed in a sense, to a new world, it was no longer a confined space. However, whether one knows its vastness or not, whether one feels that there is an endlessly wide world out there, is up to the individual. So even though the world is infinite, some people only notice a limited space. Or, there are those who limit the space themselves.

Right now, Hanyu thinks, "I still have a long way to go." He feels like he's at the bottom. This is because he knows that the world is endlessly vast. The reason he feels this way is because he has the ambition to move forward without being content with the present. So instead of seeing the place he has arrived at as the end point, he knows that there is still space to go beyond that.

Ideals evolve

"I may have surpassed the ideal I had a year ago. But the sense of distance between me and my ideal is probably the same as it was a year ago. For example, if the distance between me and my ideal a year ago was 10 meters, it may be 10 meters, no, 11 meters now. That's how I feel. I'm living and experiencing life, I see information every day, and in the midst of that, my ideal evolves. My ideal gets further and further away. But at the same time, through what I have seen and experienced, I'm sure I’m also one step closer to my ideal." Then, after a short pause, he continued with a smile. "As long as I want to, I think I can continue for the rest of my life." The skater is still on his journey, striving towards the ideals he has built with his own will. 

Source: AERA issue 24.8.12-19 No.37, pg 9-15 Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0D89L6LS2

[accio-victuuri]

winter solstice happiness 🥟❄️

aside from their studios posting very close to each other, which is something we will now be monitoring lol. seriously. they just did it last 12/15 and now again? hahahahahaha! i like the idea tho that some are saying, how this is a reward for bxgs who are working hard for these damn weibo tickets! anyway, here are other things we have noticed from today.

nothing serious, just good old clowning! ✌🏼

last time i talked about people knowing what songs wyb is listening to, so fans are saying it’s wyb’s qq music and those who are friends with his real account can view some of his songs & playlist. they said he is listening to the following tracks:

interesting choices. cause isn’t wyb supposed to be into rock music lately? so why is he listening to this kind lately? we do know tho that xz prefers this type as well, so maybe wyb is playing this while he is with xz. 🤍

from the caption in ybo’s post “looking at everything”. this has actually been talked about before, but xz and xzs are fond of using the world everything/all things. so it’s 👀 when we saw it. of course the whole song and concept of wyb’s new single may be different and have more meaning as we get the lyrics and all that. but this one tiny thing is interesting.

there is also the bit in the preview that mentions loving the old & new. does this mean his “old” and “new” self since there has been changes in wyb’s life and who he is the public eye. some are comparing this to xz’s interview where he said there are 2 xiao zhans. again, this is a very early interpretation based on a small fraction of what we will have when we get the song but it’s fun to speculate 🤷🏻‍♀️

i’m personally curious tho why it’s moved to 12/29 when it has always been 12/30 release date? i guess we will have the answer at the right time.

I also already mentioned this one, in C position is this b&w photo. We all know how WYB is fond of taking b&w photos lately so this is making me happy. Most likely not taken by WYB of course but the b&w that stands out in the middle is 🤍. He is also using the fan wyb gave him and then his phone where you can see that he is still using the card case. Maybe they used it as a break from all the professional photos in the grid but ofc our turtle brain is telling us otherwise.

fans are also joking around cause xz’s photos show the left side of his face. which is his “good side”? sure. but why not the right? don’t you want us to compare it from this one???? 🤣🤣🤣

ANYWAY, WE ARE SO LUCKY! BXGs have it real good. WYB’s new song on 12/29 and in between we might have some LOCH wrap content. Then for NYE, hopefully XZ will go to Dragon TV as rumored. WYB on the other hand will be with CCTV and then Hunan TV. It’s gonna be busy for us before the year ends! Let’s gooooo!!!!!! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

source.

[zilabee]

Derek Burrell-Davis - memo to BBC (May 67): “I had a satisfactory two-hour meeting with all four members of the Beatles Group this evening…..I don’t think it is over-stating it to say that they are enthusiastic about their participation in the ‘Our World’ programme and fully aware of the responsibilities they carry. Their approach is extremely professional and they are in complete agreement with the basic idea, which is that they are undertaking a recording session in the Number One Studio at E.M.I., Abbey Road. They cannot yet forecast what they will be doing in any great detail, but they propose writing a new number. Since this number will be heard in 30 countries, they are going to write the lyric in basic English. They suggest that they should use such words as “Hello, love, you, me, us, them, together, we”. They are wondering if it might be possible to use some of those words in different languages and are receptive to the idea that words such as “love”, “together”, etc. might be shown on large cards at appropriate moments in several languages”.

The BBC/broadcasters briefing meeting on 4 June 1967 to co-ordinate the international co-operation for the Our World Broadcast

The lyrics sheet given to the cameramen before broadcast. They were not impressed. On being told the Beatles wrote the music, they only asked "did they write the words as well?"

“...the day before, the doors were thrown open for a free-for-all picture session, at which I managed to have a quick word with — PAUL: Someone’s just asked if I’m leaving the group. And there seems to be another rumour I’m moving. Both are very wrong. I’ve just finished my house and like it a lot. No, I haven’t bought a kilt yet. GEORGE: We will do a TV show before we do a film. Nothing new to tell you about the film project. No script yet. RINGO: My garden is looking great now. Got some of my building men to help the gardening contractor and everything’s okay. JOHN: This song will be our next single. This TV show will give it a nice send-off.

Indeed, with some 6,500 TV workers and 1,000,000 miles of telephone wire working for the disc, it couldn’t be bad!” - - Andy Gray, NME

“When the musicians and TV crew took a meal break the Beatles tried out the musical instruments left lying around [...] Ringo and George try the trumpets, whilst Paul has a go at the trombone and John plays Jack Emblow’s accordion. In the background, in the left side far corner, the large weight box on the back of the Mole Crane is visible, with one of the white painted Murphy TV monitors on its trolley over on the right of the picture.” - - David Taylor, Postfade

“The BBC want a live trail”, Derek told me suddenly over my intercom. No one knew this had been planned, in fact to this day few people seem to know that such a promotion ever took place. [...]

“I had a few words with each of them in turn. What was the song called? Whose idea had it been? (“His”, they said, pointing to each other). And then I put the question to John that was intriguing me. Ninety-five percent of all popular music is in 4-time, but there was more than a hint of unfamiliar 7-time in “All You Need ls Love“.

“Did you know your song was in 7-time?” I asked. I still remember the cool, serious look he gave me as he replied, “Yes, I know”. Then he indicated Paul, adding “- but blame him”.

“Paul himself, alert as ever, noticed how, against my own instincts, I was trying to inject some breezy gaiety into the proceedings. He spoke encouragingly in my ear. “Yock it up, Steve ! ” he said. He knew that it was my preference to be in the narrator’s box doing a technical job, rather than “yocking it up”. I duly yocked.”

“This was the biggest group in the world, but when they went to the canteen, it was just four guys having a cup of tea. Underneath it all, these were ordinary guys who were in a band.” - - David Magnus (photographer)

“There was a real party atmosphere, similar to what we had witnessed during previous real ‘happenings’, but Richard and I were struck by how visibly nervous John was, which was quite unusual for him: we’d never seen him wound up so tightly.” - - Geoff Emerick

“I did sense that John in particular felt rather apprehensive the nearer to transmission we got. However George seemed to be enjoying the moment, while Ringo and Paul showed no apprehension whatsoever.” - - David Magnus

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Almost this entire post is stolen from postfade.co.uk, written by David Taylor. It's a wonderful write up because it's only actually interested in the cameras used and the technical setup, but it's so interested in those that it covers every moment in glorious detail and pulls together lots of quotes. If you're interested in the ins and outs of outside broadcasting, oh my. There's a cut out diagram of the OB scanner van, and they've taken the video of the entire broadcast and marked up up to show the different camera shots and cuts and equipment used. There's a bit where they read in a book that some of the broadcast wasn't live, and so the author tracks down who wrote that and he says he copied it from Mark Lewisohn, so they track down ML and ask him why he wrote that and ML can't remember but says 'I wouldn't have written it down if there wasn't evidence for it', which they think is a bit weak, so they decide not to believe it. It's nice to see them belittling ML's lifework because they want to believe in the magic of live outside broadcasting, the same way we do when we want to believe in love.