#Tropical is because I think that has a distinct vibe too

[illegiblewords]

Darkest Academia, Science Academia, Pastel Academia, Alt, Cybercore, Devilcore, Traditional Angelcore, Soft Girl, Tropical, Nautical, Cabincore.

[moonferry]

OKAY im finally getting around to doing this . so, this is how i think the marriageables would feel to hug.

unfortunately, im breaking this into two parts, so this is part 1/2. if i can remember my alphabet, i'll write these in alphabetical order!!

BACHELORS: HERE !

first up: bachelorettes

abigail: i think she would be rather nice to hug. she's probably somewhat strong - given the fact that she practices swinging around her sword & she ventures into the mines - so you could easily feel protected when in her arms. i imagine she either buries her face in your neck (if she's shorter than you) or she rests her head on top of yours (if she's taller than you). a nice, gentle hug from abigail is a great way to help her unwind after a particularly treacherous journey to the minds. when you hug her, you will instantly be met with the smell of warm apple pie and maybe some sweetness - like a flower. it's not too overpowering, but it's enough to make you feel at ease. abigail's hugs feel like home, like safety.

emily: as the discord appointed "best hugger" of the marriageables, it's no surprise that emily would give particularly good hugs. i think she's very affectionate - even with people she just met, for example, a new farmer who moved into town. being a barmaid, she often listens to people's troubles and tries to offer them support or comfort. i imagine being hugged by emily is like being hugged by a gentle cloud. when she hugs you, know realize that everything is going to be okay. and - because she has a way with people - she often realizes you need a hug before you do, which leads to her running up to you, arms wide open. hugging emily would fill your nose with floral scents - possibly jasmine or hydrangea. i also imagine there would be a waft of alcohol, given that she works at the saloon and handles drinks all night. emily's hugs feel similar to that of a parental figure - full of comfort and warmth.

haley: i don't think haley is a big hugger, to be honest. however, she would gladly hug you if you asked. i feel like her hugs would be neutral, probably very quick. on the other hand, if she really liked you, she might hug you for a longer period of time and do that thing where you both rock side-to-side. these hugs feel like laying on the beach, feeling the warm sand surrounding your body. haley would smell like coconuts (likely a lotion or conditioner) and hibiscus, maybe a small hint of pineapple. she gives me tropical/fruity vibes.

leah: another strong woman! i think leah gives nice hugs, but she sometimes doesn't realize her own strength and accidentally crushes you. obviously, she immediately apologizes and loosens her grip (unless you like tight hugs, that is). her hugs are pretty tight, but sweet nonetheless. it feels like you're being wrapped into the world's best weighted blanket and you don't know if you ever want to leave. leah gives off the scent of fresh pine, maybe some sort flower or forage, and a light dusting of dirt. none of it's overpowering, but she has a distinct smell of earth, of nature. it's calming. leah's hugs feel like sprawling out in a grassy meadow and watching the clouds as you lay on your back and feel the sun gently caress your face.

maru: oh, maru gives amazing hugs. the kind of hugs you find yourself melting into, like a nice pudding. her hugs are ones where you get them once, the feeling lingers on your body forever and you have a longing to receive another one. hugging maru would smell like vanilla, a nice tea, maybe the smallest hint of metal. her hugs are everlasting and follow you around like a shadow. she would absolutely love it if you buried your face in her neck or chest and she would gently run her hands through your hair or massage your shoulders/back. (someone please get me a maru hug asap)

penny: oh my sweet penny. i feel like penny gives pretty good hugs. they're firm, motherly, but also soft. hugging penny would be like laying against a memory foam mattress and feeling it conform to your body. i personally feel like her hugs share the same warmth as a fireplace or hearth - something that signals the heart of a home. that's what penny is, truly, the heart of every home she enters. i believe hugging penny would give off the aromas of old books, of warm vanilla or butterscotch, and mint. hugging penny fills you with an otherworldly comfort and you want to wrap her in your arms and never let go.

[candeathbereal]

Small Astro observations

-Sun conjunct ascendant in synastry is an odd moment for me. Mostly cause as a Leo rising I have met some Leo suns and I have no bad blood for them. It just feels weird because most times the Sun person will mimic the ascendant person in some way. From what I’ve noticed at least. Maybe my Uranus being in my seventh house has a mild affect because Aquarius is all about uniqueness or something along those lines. So naturally I can enjoy the idea of someone doing/acting similar to me but not enough to make a bond with a person. Idk it feels odd for me at least. Other people enjoy it though but maybe it’s just my ego talking idk.

-Pisces suns from what I have seen have either sleepy eyes or something distinct about their teeth. Some people have said that Pisces have fish teeth but that isn't all they can have. Idk I've noticed that most Pisces I have met can have fish like teeth but overall their teeth just has something distinct about them. For instance, my dad has almost no teeth but still chooses to eat steak and all that even though it doesn't seem that easy for him to do. I also think it's the Taurus moon and mars that adds to his stubbornness. You could read this observation for either tropical or sidereal since I've seen the same with some Aries suns (tropical). I myself am an Aries sun but Pisces sun in sidereal and I have a lazy eye and some interesting teeth imo. Mostly cause I have two sharp teeth kinda where you would see vampire fangs but I have a similar moment with two bottom teeth like directly below my other two teeth. There is just a odd sharpness to them that my other teeth don't have. Plus I have always had problems with my teeth to the point that apparently at the age of 12 I had to get most of my back teeth removed (they were baby teeth so they grew back).

-3rd house synastry creates more of a sibling like bond with a person or that person could remind you of one of your siblings (depends on you I guess idk how many siblings people have so yeah). Whereas 4th house synastry has more of a likelihood to remind you of a general family member as opposed to one of your siblings or just a sibling in general. I've noticed that 4th house synastry causes an emotional comfort where you can talk about your trauma or just childhood in general with someone one, but 3rd house synastry is more like a weird assumption that you don't really have to talk about that because somehow it is just accepted that you know it. Again kinda like a sibling moment cause most times you don't have to have deep talks about your childhood with your siblings (at least for me most times). Funnily enough I have fourth house synastry with both my sister and one of my brothers (I have my moon in my sister's fourth house whereas my brother has his moon in my fourth house), so we do have those talks about our trauma and such. Honestly I have always felt more close (emotionally) with them than my own parents. It's an interesting bond for sure for me. I feel very lucky that I have that bond with my siblings.

-6th house synastry is a moment to live through because it can manifest differently based on the planet. I think moon in sixth house causes the most mixed reactions to each other, because the sixth house is all about routine and service. So the moon being there causes a emotional bond for each other through service towards each other. Although it does depend on other aspects of the synastry most times it's a mutual I help you you help me kinda vibe to it. I think it can work out but both parties would have to have some level of emotional maturity or even just a lack of Pluto influence. It's not like it can't work out with Pluto influence but it just would take a lot more work since Pluto is a little cunt who likes messing around with shit so the emotions get fucked around with the most. I can't blame Pluto too much for it since it is a planet all about transformation and obsession and people can control their own actions. Take what you can from what I said.

Anyways I haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd do that real quick cause it would feel wrong not to. I would love to hear you guy's thoughts on this or even anything at all. Feel free to message me for any questions you might have. I can't guarantee anything great or even smart. A veces no tengo sentido. Todavia estoy aprendiendo espanol asi que pido disculpas por mi mal espanol

[syrupspinner]

i completed Paradise Killer

im something of a suda51 fangirl, and when it comes to his games, i think this... what do you mean he didnt direct this. theres literally a Silver Case

my last review was WAY too negative. i hate insulting video games, i respect the medium so much and it kinda hurts to play something i hate. so to lighten my mood im gonna reflect on one of my favorite games of all time

im a predictable bitch. i love vibes, and my absolute favorite vibe is weird trippy dream-like surreal psychedelic craziness. roman sands, starstruck hands of time, psychopomp, vividlope, yiik, fatum betula, yume nikki, you get the idea. stuff that exists beyond our reality with a tenuously consistent but definitely foreign laws of function and understanding. and the visuals? floating heavenly bullshit with a vaguely tropical theme. if you wanted to construct a trap for me just make the interior of the cage look like this (which i wrote out and then realized its kinda the theme of the game?)

you play as Lady Love Dies, who has been exiled because shes just obsessed with investigating things. but theres been a murder in paradise! the syndicate that controls the island has been murdered, right before we were all meant to transition to our pocket reality's new and incrementally more perfect iteration (25th times the charm!). a few of the non-mortals have been held back as suspects, so... go do the investigation thing.

one of the first things you do in the game is return from exile, which is an isolated little apartment far above paradise. this means the game starts with you slowly falling to the game's setting, giving you a birds-eye view of the entire map. its just big and busy enough to make you go "wow" about the open world you get to explore, with every part looking different and enticing. the music swelling and playing you in on the perfect moment to accentuate this feeling of wonderment is masterful. if you do nothing else, listen to this games soundtrack, i cant think of a single song that doesnt hit the mark

the actual gameplay takes the form of first-person exploration. you go to different people and interrogate em, look around for clues, and maybe get a movement upgrade along the way. you can then initiate the trial whenever youre ready. literally whenever. and as long as you have enough evidence to reasonably back up your point, you can convict pretty much anyone of anything, or deliberately hold back evidence to keep the ones you like innocent. that is an amount of freedom im not very used to in detective games, cuz theres no fail state here, just guilty or innocent and the game ends. fucking wonderful

my favorite part of the game is how it approached information. first, on a gameplay level, youre not told anything about the evidence you gather. theres no "this gun... this insignia means that it belonged to the council!" (not a spoiler, i just made that up) or whatever, youve gotta do the detective work of connecting the dots abstractly and ignoring red herrings to specific conclusions. you have to realize what the insignia means, you have to think through the implications of the guns use, and you need to decide if you have enough evidence to reach a conclusion

as an extension of this, since this isnt an isekai or anything, nobodys gonna explain how this weird-ass world works to anyone. its up to you as the player to be receptive about how this world works and choose what to take at face value. like, people greet and say goodbye in specific ways based on what god they were born under, and sometimes they talk about communing with their gods. so youre like oh okay, everyones pretty spiritual, cuz theres a distinction between the gods and the sorta implicitly-devine syndicate. then there is a real physical god you can walk over to and converse with and youve just gotta incorporate that into your worldview real quick. i think this is a perfect genre to do that, since players are going in with the intention of piecing things together. finding out naturally how this world treats humans and how humans treat the world in return is some of the most fun ive had experiencing a narrative

speaking of the narrative... so, im not gonna spoil anything for you. but uh, figuring out exactly how the paradise killing when down and exactly who is responsible for it is so interesting and fun. this case is not straightforward in the slightest, theres so much co-occurring and interweaving. the characters are all interesting and compelling, there isnt a single person i can think of that i dont like seeing on screen.

so is this game just perfect? yeah, kinda. i can see how people might complain about the platforming traversal stuff, but like, theres a fast travel and like 99% of the jumping stuff is option for blood. blood is a currency you use to purchase wallpapers for your sentient briefcase investigation assistant btw. like, that is a sentence i can say and mean, how can you not love this fucking game?

people talk about how 10/10 ratings say more about the reviewer than the game, so im gonna bare my soul and say this is a mandatory experience for anyone who likes to play video games. its definitely not friendly to people who mostly play sports games or anything, but if you have a passion for narratives and you enjoy experiencing unique worlds and unique people then god damn you gotta play this. you just gotta

go here and click buy and play the game. i usually dont bother linking steam pages here unless theyre demos but i wanna make it as easy as possible to get this game

and while youre there wishlist the dev team's next game, promise mascot agency! it looks dope as hell

[ambloom]

I wanna get into precure, do you have a fav or ome you think people should start with?

Ye!! I want to preface this by saying Precure is basically a collection of advertisements to sell children toys, but it's fun head empty activity if you like magical girl stuff. I think it's best to just scroll through the Wikipedia page and pick whichever one looks the most interesting to you, but I'll talk about the ones I like and dislike below:

1. Heartcatch

My favorite season. Great characters, art, feels so incredibly full of love. Character design is by Yoshihiko Umakoshi (Magical Doremi). The stylized animation really adds to the fight scenes. I've seen a lot of trans girls resonate with a particular character and it's fun to keep that headcanon in mind when watching. Theme song plays in my head everyday.

2. Hirogaru Sky

The newest season. Really easy to get into and features a lot of firsts in the series such as a blue main cure, first magical boy on the main team, and adult cure on the main team (she's only 18 though lol). I just wish the fight scenes were more punch-y since the protagonist, Sora, is an athlete.

3. Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode

This one is hated by a lot of people because there's no hand to hand combat, but I feel like it more than makes up for that with the characters and general bubbly vibe. Has a budget Haruka/Michiru cat girl x dog girl couple for the yuri fans. I never skip the transformations.

4. Futari wa Pretty Cure

The original. Fight scenes only went down in quality after it imo. Really distinctive among magical girl shows.

5. Fresh Precure

The art isn't really up to par with other entries, but if you don't mind that it has a character who really tugs at the heartstrings. Invented the concept of a mid season cure (cure joins halfway through) and no one else has done it like her. Truly believe she suffered more than Jesus.

Others I recommend are Star Twinkle, Tropical Rogue, and Suite.

As for the ones I'm like... Eh about..

Go! Princess is a fan favorite. It has a nice storybook feel, dynamic fight scenes occasionally, and the transformations are stunning. But as an Utena fan it felt weird to watch them go "no it's okay to want to be a princess actually! princesses can be strong too!" Very annoying message to see be sent to kids to buy products lol

Yes 5... There are two episodes I think are like the best in this franchise and then the rest was ruined by a chipmunk I wish was roadkill. The romance is between the protagonist and her teacher (who also happens to be the mascot character lol). It's the season that got a sequel that's currently airing with the cast all grown up, but they had to bring that ugly flea-ridden fuck back.

Huggto. The thing is I was spoiled for this and it was a spoiler that made my neurons kind of short circuit so I decided it definitely was not for me.

Sorry, I know I rambled a bit but I hope you have fun! (Disclaimer that this is just my opinion, I'm aware it's a kids show for kids in case green cure anon is following me)

[they-them-that]

Ranking Precure seasons purely on design and concept because I'm up early anyways (least favourite to most) Part 1.

18. Happiness Charge Precure

They're magical girl outfits have the least distinctive personalities with only minor differences from each other. I understand they were going for a Sailor Moon idea with a uniform style but the appearance of the outfits are very underwhelming to me. They're plain even for just overall magical girls, tbh.

17. Doki Doki Precure

It's mostly the hair that throws me off. It's a mixture of normal strands to big blobs. I wish they committed to the stylized hair and got rid of the fringes or else I'm stuck trying to understand how Cure Rosetta's pigtails work that would still make her bangs possible.

I like the overall drop-down dresses but its mismatched appearance feels like a bombardment of layers and shapes that don't mix harmoniously. I wouldn't be against an asymmetrical style if this Precure was heavily alternative but it ends up clashing with the cutesy atmosphere instead.

16. Precure Splash Star

This one is victim to being the first new precures after the original where they barely changed it up. It just ends up being the lesser version of the classic that made itself impossible to not make comparisons.

I do like the idea of Cure Egret's first outfit that lost its uniqueness in the new one just to match with Cure Bright. Cure Bright's outfit does upgrade as the greens in her old outfit didn't match her but it's nice they maintained green as an accent for her new one!

15. Healin' Good Precure

The designs are lovely and elegant, theres nothing inherently wrong with it but it's visually weak compared to its predecessors and descendants. I don't have much to say because there's just not much to say about it, to be honest. It's just kind of generic.

14. Smile Precure

I love the wild and creative hairstyles and the hair wings but that is really the only unique visual aspect to Smile. Also questionable transformation tool that markets wearing makeup to young girls which I know isn't new but still feels patriarchal and groomy. 😅

13. Soaring Sky! Precure

I have mixed feelings. I really dig Cure Sky's design and it's cool for the protagonist to be blue this time! I'm not into the puffy arm bands but the cape adds so much flare! Cure Prisms' softer design bounces off Cure Sky nicely and she looks great!

The other too... I despise honestly lol. It's cool we finally get a boy Precure as a part of the pack and that he isn't stereotypically masculine but his hair and outfit feels so unflattering. Cure Butterfly's outfit has the same issue with Doki Doki Precure and the merged arm sleeves are unsettling to me.

12. Delicious Party Precure

The style is meant to have festival vibes with traditional design elements which is a cool idea! It's a fun burst of colours with a cohesive theme but it doesn't stick in my mind. I wish all the girls leaned more into the cultural aesthetics but besides Cure Yum Yum (who I think is one of the best Precure Designs overall), they're mostly Victorian-esque which should've been unique to Cure Finale. Speaking of her, although I like her design, I also have a gripe with the blonde hair and blue eyes because it feels Eurocentric. And when her normal appearance is dark haired, she honestly feels white washed to me...

11. Tropical Rouge Precure

I love the designs and they gave such a unique concept, I just don't end up feeling strongly about this series. The designs feel a bit busy to me although I do love that Cure Summer isn't predominantly pink. She has a very unique look but other than her, everyone just feels like another iteration of past precures.

10. Suite Precure

Cure Melody and Cure Rythm slay, their designs are perfect! I love the music concept and their appearance bounce off each other just as well as Cure Black and Cure White did. The other girls ruin the cohesion for me, tbh and I don't really like their outfits. 🫤

[shinebrite97]

RFA Scents/Perfumes/Colognes

Nobody asked for this, but I’m posting these anyway~

Yoosung:

Yoosung has admitted to liking floral scents like lavender and cherry blossom

Will usually smell like collagen from a face mask or like citrus multi-cleaner spray

I feel like he grew up using the discount shampoo his mother bought and still uses it now, realizing it’s cheap but smells good, I feel like it’s ocean breeze or some tropical scent.

Zen:

Some might think he smells like a sexy Korean rose

But in reality, it’s a whole lot of tobacco.

He’s very careful to chew gum so his breath isn’t too badly affected, so there’s always a scent of Spearmint when he talks or laughs or kisses.

He does invest in good cologne though, semi-expensive bottles that smell like sage and leather and lavender, but it only mixes with the tobacco. Not bad, but definitely distinctive.

If you catch him at home before he is dressed and sprayed with cologne, he is warm to hug, and his natural scent is almost like black pepper.

He has managed to keep any trace of tobacco smell out of his apartment, and he lights aromatherapy candles now and then when he’s relaxing and reading a script. The best time to be in his apartment is at 10 or 11 pm when he’s playing a cd (because our great grandpappy Zen would definitely have a Boombox or CD player from the pawnshop where he got his dinosaur computer.) and has lit candles all over the place. MAXIMUM COMFORT.

Jaehee:

I feel like she keeps a bottle of coconut-scented lotion of her desk that people come up and use without asking.

Uses whatever brand and scent of shampoo she finds at a convenience store if she knows she ran out that morning.

Probably some kind of hibiscus or lavender-scented shampoo, or a light fruity scent like key-lime or wild cherry as a way to boost her morale on the job.

On her busier days she’ll forget she drank coffee and refuses to chew gum while she’s working because the taste and the action distract her, so when she comes home or the cafe closes for the night, you can always smell the coffee on her breath when she talks to you.

Jumin

He gets gifted different colognes from his father’s girlfriends if they happen to be in his life around his birthday, and instead of throwing them away he will test them out every now and then but doesn’t typically wear cologne.

All of his clothes smell like the designer stores they come from. Like polished leather and crisp edges.

He has a commanding presence and his scent is no different.

However, when it’s a calm morning and he makes you breakfast, you can smell the sweetness on him and it breaks the cold exterior.

Seven

Don’t really wanna do the mans dirty, but this could go one of two ways…

During crunch time, he doesn’t leave the bunker.

Ripe with sweat, exhaustion, and stale soda breath

Sometimes Vanderwood threatens to come in with a gas mask.

At the RFA party, he’s got teakwood vibes. The cologne they’d use in a Hollister back when they used to do that.

Saeran

Vanilla extract and potting soil.

There’s always just a bit of it under his nails, no matter how much he washes his hands, so when he touches your face, you get a whiff of earth. Not bad, but very present.

His breath smells like fruity candy, be it lollipops, gum, or something like jolly ranchers, boy’s always got something in his mouth (anxiety relief)

His kisses are always so sweet.

I headcanon that Saeran doesn’t really like spicy food. After years of pain, why willingly put his mouth through that when sweet things taste good?

[mammoniewins]

no one probably agrees that they smell like this but i’m lonely and want to hug them so let me imagine!1! 😡

what i think the obey me! brothers smell like↴

lucifer totally has that smell that makes you feel at home, like if you’re sad or home-sick, it is just instant comfort if he ever wraps his coat around your shoulders. i imagine he smells like a really strong, smoky cologne; and that smell of your clothes when you sit too close to a fire.

mammon gives me casino vibes, like he probably smells like the seasoning on bar snacks; very peppery, very spicy, very salty. mixed with a strong smell of alcohol and the smell of your hands when you hold coins too long. it sounds bad but it’s probably very comforting.

i think leviathan would honestly smell like deodorant, even if he camps in his room everyday - he probably remembers to spray deodorant before he leaves incase he forgot to shower in his ruri-chan-daze. he probably smells like snacks aswell, like good nachos or popcorn. kinda stuffy, but what you would expect on a movie-night-date vibe.

satan would obviously smell of books, but i feel like he would smell of new books or that smell of a new poster; because he cracks open a new book so frequently. maybe coffee too, because he has to stay alert to put his full attention on his books, or the fire of the library. maybe what you would want your childhood home to smell like.

asmodeus smells delicious, of course. he gives me fruity, floral, sweet. like he should be too overpowering for your nostrils but it’s actually quite faint. the smell of rose water, and tropical products with a hint of a candy perfume. he knows he smells good because he makes sure he smells good.

i think that beelzebub would smell like a restaurant, like the scents are very busy but make your mouth water. possibly chocolate or fried chicken? he never has one distinct smell, except for his jacket - i think that he smells like an old friend, you couldn’t put your finger on it but he always has this heavy denim jacket and beach trip smell.

i imagine that belphegor smells like lavender or fresh linen; similar to what a candle aisle smells like. he probably uses oils or pillow sprays to help him sleep better, so he probably just smells homely - like a baby. something about it just makes you sleepy and want to wrap your arms around him and nod off.

[leftsidebonfire]

Jojo Characters and What I Would Serve Them If They Came Into The Tea Shop I Work At

A series.

Based solely on my interpretation of the characters and the available ingredients I have at my job that I can remember off the top of my head.

Battle Tendency Edition

What I would serve...

Joseph Joestar: I sit inside his cup. No charge. Sir please 🥵 OK no for real. I know he must really like his teas. So if he didn't just order a regular hot tea, this is what I'd make. Firstly, I think this man would want to try so many samples. So after I make little samples so he can try everything on the list, I think I would make him a peach tea. It's peach and raspberry with peach pieces, one of my faves.

I could also see Joseph ordering a cupcake tea simply because it comes with whipped cream and sprinkles, and I dunno, I get the vibe that Joseph secretly enjoys little stuff like whipped cream on a drink if he's not expecting it. 🥰

Caesar Zeppeli: Again, me in the cup please. Hes probably more of a coffee man. But luckily we do have a way to make any milk teas into coffee, so if he ever wanted to try that, I'd be more than happy to make it. However, if he didn't order a coffee (or tried a tea as a coffee) I like to think he would get a German Chocolate Cake (which is basically Chocolate and raspberry. It's a very good hot chocolate drink 😍)

His favorite color is orange. So if he ever got a legit tea, I'd make him something good and tropical 🥺 Pineapple orange. I think he'd like it. And if he didn't, I'd make him whatever else he wanted 🥺

Lisa Lisa: Lisa Lisa just wants black coffee. I feel it in my soul. But maybe on a hot summer day, I could see her coming in to enjoy a nice lemonade, maybe even a blueberry lemonade to cool off and relax.

Suzie Q: Suziieeeee!! This girl is getting cotton candy tea, I just know it. I hate making cotton candy teas because they are really thick and basically everyone who works there thinks they're annoying, but for her 🥺 I'd make her all the cotton candy she wanted. I also feel like she'd be very polite and leave a nice tip. I'd give her a huge piece of cotton candy on top too 🥺

Santana: Tbh he wouldn't care. He just wants blood and power. But I would still make him a tea. I think I'd go for another strawberry (it's the most popular flavor for a reason lmao) Santana gets Strawberry lemon. The lemon is very strong and distinct, and the strawberry kinda looks like blood.

Wamuu: Totally not holding a grudge here for Caesar. Not at all. Definitely not. No, okay, I can do this. Personally, I think he'd be something like the Matcha Vanilla Honey. It's good, a different flavor. It is simple but tasty and they honey is just 👌 Top teir addition. I think he'd like it. I sure hope he likes it, anyway. 😳

Eisidisi: I get vibes from Eisidisi that he would either get the most plain boring tea in the world, or it would be very outlandish. He would come in and either ask for plain green tea with no flavoring, or something very strange no one ever orders like Red Bean (definitely not a favorite of mine. I've never seen anyone order it 😬) Or he'd get something like Cinnamon Bun and I'd be so taken aback by it. But to be honest, I think I'd judge him more if he got Red Bean than if he got Cinnamon bun. Cinnamon bun is good af. And he'd get whipped cream with it. It all depends on the day tho.

Kars: Kars has a refined taste. I feel like he would want something not many people order. I think he'd get Taro, or Taro Vanilla. Taro is kind of hard to describe if you've never had it, but the best I could describe it would be kind of like a sweet potato. It's semi-sweet. It's not my favorite, however it is purple, which I think Kars would appreciate. I also think he'd probably prefer Taro with vanilla so it's not so plain. He may be aloof, but that doesn't mean his drink has to be boring. 😎

Smokey: I really think he'd like Orange Chocolate or Root Beer Float. Idk, its just a vibe. The orange chocolate is my favorite between the two of those tbh. It's especially good as a hot chocolate. Hardly anyone orders the root beer one, so I could see him coming in to order that and I'm like 👀 It is definitely interesting, and I could see him being the reason we keep root beer in stock. Nobody gets it except him, but hes such a good customer we keep it around.

Straizo (because I forgot to put him in the Phantom Blood Post): Tbh, he's probably going for something simple and refined. Spiced Chai tea. Every now and then, he mixes it up a little with Vanilla almond, but for the most part, he's pretty straightforward with his order.

Speedwagon (again): Speedwagon my love. Order whatever makes you happy 🥺 I'd want to give him peach lemonade because it is sweet like him and refreshing, and he just deserves to relax with a tasty tea 🥺 Old Speedwagon has my heart and I love him.

Well that's about it for main characters, but screw it, if you drop a character in the comments that you really wanna see, I'll tell you what tea I'd give em. Next parts shall be out soon. Because this is all I think about at work 😂😂

[thedailyvio]

Every now and then I feel bad for giving 0 context for anything, so gonna quickly summarize my story stuff under the cut

The Traveler’s Found (TTF)

Skye, Gill, Marth, Kydin, Leo, Kira, Krieg, Heiwa, Narcissa, Sebastian, Vadim, Bahemek, Xenon, etc

TTF is hard to summarize because it has 10 story arcs and they all lead into the other, but the plot begins with ‘A wizard terrorist attacks the king of Hou’lu sending two girls on a quest to stop him’ which sounds so simple doesn’t it -sobs-

 Very adventure, political intrigue, slice of life elements

They basically travel all over the world, and I’ll quickly summarize what that’s like by listing each countries major influences

Hou’lu: Italian Renaissance, China

Sunobor: Medieval Germany, Japan, Inuit

Haldon: Folk Mexican, Folk Italian

Lavynna; Byzantine, some inspo from India to structure of things?

Gehinna: Ancient Hebrew

Parappa: Egypt-Germany

North Desert: Russia-Arabic

Harpies (more a tribe): Maasai

TTF of them all gets the most complicated but very incrementally, so it’s the hardest to express much on. But they get a cool hard magic system based on 10 elements so

Also TTF dragons are sentient, intelligent, and morally complex

—

The Miyoré Schism

A prequel to ttf by about 900 years

Faolan, Mien, Enlai, whatever I name the girl, Jiao

The plot here is a bit simpler

What happens when the one who pulls the blade only those Chosen by God can touch is among the race of people thought to be destined to serve?

This focuses largely on the Sha’li of East Hou’lu. As a race they have very distinct white hair, pale skin, and red eyes. At this time in history, monster taming was very common as well, so most the characters have a family or personal monster. Sha’li also have an ability to become “invisible” but in actuality they are lowering their ‘presence’ or ‘noticibility’ to all non-Sha’li

This story draws largely from Tibet for its aesthetics

—

Kingdoms

Ariella, James, Charles, Kiba

I have uprooted a lot about this story and not yet relayed it, but so far

A girl who wanted to become a soldier but was refused strikes out on adventure to do what she can for her country on her own- but to her chagrin gets a tag along

This story likely will have a soft magic system, and is definitely still based on Victorian and Japanese aesthetics. It’s actually a specific era of Japanese history but I can’t remember which. Possibly 16th c?

Despite this, it’s a low tech world.

Most fantasy type creatures/races do show up in Kingdoms, unlike my other stories

Dragons exist in Kingdoms but are universally evil and nobody has ever killed one

—

Magic and Cannons (MnC)

A wip name still

Cusick, Agathe, Romana, Kordell, Levi, Maureen, Ames, Sung-jin

I’m still figuring put the plot to this honestly, but the first bit is definitely

‘A narcissistic man is captured as a PoW and must find a way to escape’

There’s just three countries of any importance to this world, and it’s much less whimsical in nature than the others, being closer to reality in some ways, and having a lot more tech. Though it vibes as subtly cartoony in how characters have slightly exaggerated aspects to their personalities and behaviors.

Delemar is the country Cusick is from and is based on Wild West in many ways, they’re a very independent people which can be good and bad, they also give no hecks about safety and are pretty wild in general

Choson is where Romana is from and they are much more interested in normalcy and order, which can be both good and bad. They prefer reptiles and fish as pets to mammals actually, which feels important to mention. If you know much about history, I suppose it’s clear they draw a lot from Korea for aesthetics.

Choson is also a very mixed population in terms of race, which Delemar is very much not.

Kievan is where Agathe hails from and is based on Russia. In each case I tried sticking to 1850s-1900s ish for my influences of these countries, though socially they are very diff.

Kievan has an affinity for wine and is the only country that appreciates using electricity for power. They have harsh winters, especially compared to the other two countries which tend to be more tropical in climates. Kievan is less developed so far, but they tend towards legalism there, and while that can be bad, they are also the one not involved in a pointless war, so

MnC is what I call glasspunk, Delemar and Choson rely on ‘reactions’ for their energy sources, which I can only explain as ‘you know how if you mix two volatile liquids, they could explode? They harness the energy from such things’

This is possible because their magic system is a type of alchemy which has allowed them a lot of reactions not available to us, and with this they’ve been able to get treated glass which is nearly indestructible, great for containing anything they need.

Magic is still something within the individual, but in MnC the extent of what it does is change the properties of whatever you’re touching with your hands. If you specialize in using this and inventing things based off of things with changed properties, you’re called a mage.

MnC has a lot of strange tech this way, including trains, vehicles, customizeable guns, staves that through weird tech stuff can have sort of elemental effects, etc.

Electricity is not compatible with reactions btw, because it can cause them to explode outside of when they’re meant to, kinda like smoking by a bunch of canisters of gasoline, it might be a lil risky. So societies that use reactions do not use electricity and have things in place to get rid of it, and societies that use electricity don’t use reactions. Combining them can get cool tech, but is inherently risky.

oh whoops I went off there, huh. Oh well it’s not seen as often as the other types of societies/magics I listed so

Dragons in MnC are animals (technically wyverns?) and have been domesticated to be work animals. No fire breath but they do have a strong venom, I think a neurotoxin type?? And the insides of their mouths are orange 👀 oh and the domesticated ones are reflective like mirrors ish

—

Children of the Little Mine (CotLM)

Geno

This is the only one I plan to make a novel, because it’s set in 1950′s-1960′s New York City and I don’t care about those aesthetics at all

I don’t have it planned out very far for plot, but basically a gremlin thief boy of 17 has a strange ability to manipulate how gravity effects him, and seemingly nobody else in the world has this. But one day during a break and entering situation, Geno finds another boy with an ability, and from there they decide to try sticking together a bit to figure out why, and maybe put together a heist against a mafia boss in the mean time (two stealy boys)

This is very close to being historical fiction aside from abilities, which are /extremely/ rare in this world. I’m very inspired by Artemis Fowl and A Separate Peace for tone, and plan to have middleschool boys as my target audience. Though I love fantasy and such, this one’s still a bit close to my heart anyways

Anyways literally nobody asked for this I just do this to myself. I seriously wanna start practicing comic making skills, but I can’t do that too much for a daily thing when I can usually put in an hour at best. I’m trying to find a sweet spot for it all, but it may yet be awhile before I can post literally anything that sheds light on who the heck any of the chars I post are.

I want to though, and I’ve been running this blog for years now, so best to assume it’ll get there someday. I have still written a lot and planned out things, so progress still happens behind the scenes. Aside from the last few months but that’s not uncommon for this time of year. If you actually read this, thanks euchjsd I don’t think many will, but having it here makes me feel a bit better

[boymeetsweevil]

warm fuzzies

Grouping: Reader x Seokjin

Word Count: 6.2k of slice of life? fluff?

Summary: In which Jjangu AND his owner, Kim Seokjin, fall for you

Kim Seokjin is a creature of habit. This is why Jin has been taking the same route every time he walks his dog, Jjangu. This is also why he doesn’t switch routes even when the dog starts to linger outside the door of one particular cafe in the middle of the walk. Jin supposes it’s because it’s a dog cafe, that Jjangu is curious about the dogs who are the cafe’s main attraction. It isn’t until what seems like the dozenth time he feels Jjangu start to pull on the leash at the exact same spot that Jin caves and decides to see what it is exactly that’s grabbing his dog’s attention.

At first, the cafe isn’t anything extraordinary. The inside is clean with a pastel pink color scheme and lots of dark green frond plants to set a tropical vibe. Dogs of varying shapes and sizes wander amongst customers begging for treats or scratches behind the ear. Nothing seems out of the ordinary to Jin, but he still follows Jjangu, who is ignoring the cafe dogs in favor of following an invisible trail frantically with his nose pressed to the ground. Jin finds himself winding around tables, plants, other dogs, and apologizing to customers as Jjangu hunts for whatever it is that makes him stop in front of the shop nearly every day.

You’re scrubbing at a stubborn spot on a table towards the back of the cafe, cursing whichever customer it was that spilled their iced tea and left it there to turn into a sticky mess, when you feel the distinctive brush of tongue on your ankle. If you didn’t work at a dog cafe, it would be unsettling to feel a random tongue at any time. Fortunately, you learned quickly how to tune out overly-friendly dogs when you’re too busy puttering around the cafe to clean. Today, however, the licking seems so crazed that you spare a glance down at your feet.

Instead of any of the usual cafe dogs, you see an unknown, scruffy, white dog soaking the cuff of your jeans with its incessant licking. The dog gives you the creeps, especially since it’s swapped the licking for staring up into your eyes. You eye the leash hanging lax from the collar and look around for a potential owner. A few feet away you see a man hissing in the white dog’s direction. When you lock eyes, the man stops hissing and gives you a sheepish expression before walking over to you.

“Sorry,” he says, and goes to pick up the small dog. The dog proceeds to whine and wriggles in the owner’s arms, trying to go back to you.

“It’s okay, happens all the time.”

“I think my dog is in love with you,” the man blurts out before looking shocked at himself. This is new, you think.

“What makes you say that?” You try to hold back a smirk because you had been so bored and were wishing for something interesting to happen to you just half an hour ago.

“We walk by here almost every day, and he always pulls on his leash trying to come inside. I’ve never really thought much of it until I finally let him drag me in here. He went straight for you. Normally he tries to fight other dogs.” You raise your eyebrows at the statement before looking at the dog again incredulously. The dog is still staring at you like you might have the answer to whatever question dogs want answered in life.

“Well, I’m flattered.”

“Are you really?”

“No. I don’t really know what to say. Your dog is a little creepy, to be honest,” you say before remembering you’re at work and add a quick “No offense.”  

“No, I get it. Sometimes he looks at me like he’s plotting my murder,” he whispers conspiratorially. You toss your head back and cackle, because it’s been only 5 minutes, but you wouldn’t put it past this dog.

“That’s awful, oh my god,” you wipe a tear threatening to spill out of the corner of your eye. “What’s their name?”

“Oh, um, I’m Jin,” he says, flustered, and sticks a large hand out stiffly.  

“I was asking about your dog, but nice to meet you, Jin.” You’re mildly surprised to find that the skin of his hand is smooth when you grasp it. You wonder what type of hand cream he uses.

“Ah, sorry. His name is Jjangu.”

“Hmm,” you sniff, “He looks like a Jjangu.”

“I think so too.” Jin smiles down softly at the dog, who still hasn’t looked away from you, and you catch yourself looking at Jin’s mouth with non-cosmetic interest.

“Well, I’m still on my shift, so I have to go now, but you’re always welcome to come visit me, Jjangu.” You reach over and scratch at Jjangu’s head and ignore the almost reverent look in his eyes. “You too, Jin. We make a mean green tea here.”

From then on, Jin stops by with Jjangu most days and lets the dog follow you around while you tend to the cafe dogs and customers, much to your chagrin. Seokjin sits in the same corner booth every time and smiles as he watches you lecture the dog, marveling at the fact that Jjangu has the decency to look scolded for the first time in his life. You don’t really mind, though. Jjangu, snaggle tooth and all, is growing on you faster than you care to admit. It’s not so bad having Jin around, either. Jin is most certainly a sight for eyes used to chihuahuas and labradors, with his plush lips, big clear eyes, and broad shoulders you want to drape your arms around. And he always comes bearing cheesy jokes and buys the large pastries off the cake rack in the front of the cafe to share with you.

It’s possible, you think to yourself one day as you watch torrential downpour splash across the pavement through the window of the cafe, that you’ve become too attached to Jin and his weird little dog. You were already having a bad day to begin with, but when 2pm comes and goes showing no sign of Jin or Jjangu, you question your professional relationship to them. But only a little bit.

The next day, you’re not so surprised to hear Jjangu’s extra high whines at not having seen you in 48 hours. You are surprised, however, to see Jin standing a bit further away than usual, looking nervous. You wonder if he thinks you’re upset that he didn’t come and quickly school your features into an expression that says “I didn’t miss you that much”.

“Long time no see, Jin.” You bend down to swipe your hand along the length of Jjangu’s spine. “And hello to you, special boy.”

“Yeah, its feels like forever.” Jin looks down at his sneakers sharply. “I’ve been curious about something,” he trails off.

“Shoot.”

“Have you ever been to a dog party?”

“A dog party? Like a dog-themed party?”

“No. Like a party for a dog. Or two dogs, actually.” You catch him wincing as he listens to how inelegant he sounds. You smile, admiring the pretty blush that spreads across his cheeks.

“You would think, but I actually haven’t. Why? Are you inviting me to a dog party, Jin,” you ask with a teasing lilt.

Jin decides it would save him the most embarrassment if maybe he just nodded from now on. So he does.

“Oh,” you blink, “Is it Jjangu’s birthday or something?"

“Yeah. Well, no. Technically, it’s not his birthday until the end of the month, but my friend’s dog’s birthday is soon, so we’re throwing a joint party. I just thought maybe you’d like to come since he’s your biggest fan.” Jin realizes he’s babbling, but hopes you can’t tell. You totally can though.

“I’d love to.” Jin’s eyes widen comically when you don’t reject his offer. He had been worrying that you merely tolerated his and Jjangu’s presence because it meant you got a faithful customer out of it.

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll text you the details,” he says and gives you a small wave before turning to the front of the cafe to leave.

“Jin,” he turns around at that sound of your call, “You forgot someone.” Jjangu sits contently next to you, one possessive paw resting on your sneaker.

“Right.” He flushes as he comes back to pick up the leash.

“You also don’t have my number yet,” you remind him before sticking your hand out expectantly. He hands you his phone and watches carefully as you type your number in.

When Jin finally leaves, with Jjangu trailing reluctantly behind, you feel a bit lighter on your feet even though your shift isn’t halfway over yet. You even catch yourself humming as you scrape an errant poop pile off the floor. Halfheartedly, you remind yourself that Jin only invited you over to a dog party, not to a human party, and definitely not on a date. 

Around 8pm that same day, you receive a text from an unknown number saying “hey its jin”. The smile that appears on your face remains there for an unusual amount of time, but you purposefully don’t think about it.

The day of the party and the details in Jin’s most recent text bring you to a surprisingly nice apartment complex in the heart of the city. Jin didn’t really peg you as a guy with money, but then again, it was one of the few topics you two hadn’t covered yet. Your near-daily interactions were centered around exchanging greetings and then working together to get Jjangu to stop following you when you have to go in the back of the cafe to take inventory. Semi-intimate chats were sprinkled in between those moments. Surprisingly, your boss is calm about the whole ordeal and simply watches, mildly amused, from her spot behind the register.

When you arrive at the door, all the familiarity you’ve built up with Jin dissipates and you’re surprised by how anxious you are. It’s clear that the party is in full swing from the muffled R&B coming from the other side of the door. You briefly wonder if wearing your ‘good cashmere sweater’ is overkill, but it’s too late to worry, because you’ve already arrived and already rung the buzzer.

Jin opens the door a few seconds later and you’re worries are assuaged when you see that he’s dressed nicely too in dark jeans and an expensive-looking turtleneck. He tries to introduce you to the handful of men and women in the main room once he’s hung up your coat but a strange wheezing sound comes from below and you watch Jjangu slowly realize you’re in his territory this time. The next few minutes are funny, but also uncomfortable, as he barks with increasing volume and scampers circles around you, sniffing the entire time.

The rest of the guests laugh it off and Jin begins introducing you again to everyone as the “poor soul his dog has chosen”. It’s cryptic and just ominous enough to be the perfect ice breaker. When you meet Jimin, a friend of Jin’s, you realize his dog Star is the one sharing the party with Jjangu. Jimin is charming and cheeky in a way that has you a little dizzy, especially when he jokes that Jin’s reason for coming to the cafe so often must have something to do with him wanting to see you, not Jjangu.

A few moments later, Jin announces that all the guests have arrived and that he just took the last of the appetizers out of the oven, so the party should officially begin. You all migrate into the kitchen, where you begin chatting with the girl who is dating Jin’s friend Yoongi, and realize maybe Jimin wasn’t really joking earlier.

“We were actually all talking about you before you came in. When Jin was still cooking, earlier.” You try not to look stricken by the confession and lean in casually.

“Oh really. Did Jjangu bring me up or something?”

“No, no. Nothing like that,” she chuckles, “It’s just that Yoongi was complaining about missing his hyung, you know? I guess Yoongi used to drop by to hang out and eat whatever Jin was cooking that day. But since Jin’s been staying at the cafe, the apartment is always empty when Yoongi’s on break. Lazy little thing has to find his own lunch now.”

“I didn’t realize I was starving your boyfriend. Sorry about that.” She brushes your apology off and you feel the tell tale nudge of Jjangu’s wet nose on your ankle. You bend down to scoop him up since it’s his birthday. 

When you stand back up, Yoongi’s girlfriend is speaking with someone else. You awkwardly hold the dog, who has gone nearly boneless since he made it into your arms, and accidentally make eye contact with Jin on the other side of the counter. He hasn’t been talking much since he took on the task of supplying food for both the guests and the two birthday dogs. Holding your gaze, he beckons for you to come behind the counter with him, and you do so gratefully.  

“How are you holding up,” he asks as he slides a tray of still hot tray appetizers over to you.

“Do I look so uncomfortable that you have to ask me that?” You just barely succeed in shifting Jjangu around so that you can pick an appetizer off the tray with a random plastic spoon.

“Yeah, kind of.” At least he’s honest, you muse. And at least he feels bad for putting you in a semi-awkward situation.

“It’s not so bad. I just kind of feel like I’m back at the cafe, and I’m waiting for someone to give me something to do with my hands.” Jin nods at little Jjangu, who has fallen asleep with his snout tucked into the crook of your elbow.

“Looks like he tried to help you with that.” You snort and try not to jostle the sleeping dog too much. 

“I guess. So, I just heard you’ve been forced to abandon Yoongi because of the whole Jjangu thing.” Jin smiles brightly, and his squeaky laugh tinkles in the air around you. He passes the snack tray back and forth amongst the guests while he speaks.

“That’s half true.”

“I actually feel bad, then. You shouldn’t feel obligated to stay and sit at the cafe. Plus, I’m sure that can add up. Financially.”

“Let’s just say money’s not really an issue,” he gives you a look through his peripheral vision to gauge your reaction. You simply nod, checking out the comfortable city apartment. “As for the cafe, I don’t mind walking there. Plus, I don’t think Jjangu would forgive me if we stopped seeing you now.”

“Well, if you’re only coming to see me, I could always…” You stop yourself when you realize the possible implications of what you are about to propose.

“You could always what?” Jin cocks his head and smirks like he knows what you’re going to say. He thinks he does know. He’s very okay with the idea, but he wants to hear you say it.

“I could always come see you--him when my shift ends,” you supply before adding quickly, “That way you could still see Yoongi if you were inclined and you would have more time in the day and Jjangu still gets what he wants.” Cheeks hot, you hide your face from Jin’s gaze by nuzzling a cheek on the top of Jjangu’s head. The fur there smells clean despite his unruly appearance.

“I’m definitely willing to try that out. But if Jjangu stages a rebellion, it’s on you to stop it.”

“And I would. I value the greater good. If I have to put myself on the line, so be it.”

The party continues somewhat smoothly. Wine and beer flows during the rest of the evening and you’re a little drunk when a guy named Hibo (Hobi?) stands next to you and lights the two candles on the bone shaped cupcakes in the center of the table in the dining room. He has the prettiest teeth you’ve ever seen and you tell him, a little wobbly on your feet. He smiles slowly and leans in to say something but Jjangu barks shrilly from the other side of the table where Jin is holding him and watching with a smug expression. Hobi (Hibo?) raises an amused eyebrow, but actually backs off, and you fight the urge to drunkenly lecture the dog like you would a naughty toddler.

Everyone gets quiet and pulls out their phones suddenly and you’re about to ask what’s going on when Jin, also a little tipsy, begins to sing Happy Birthday to Jjangu and Star. His voice is pretty and you wrinkle your brows in concentration, trying to remember if he ever mentioned singing as one of his many talents when he came to visit you at work. You clap when everyone else claps, signaling the end of the song, but you don’t take your eyes off of Jin as you watch him try to get Jjangu to eat a cupcake so Yoongi can snap a photo. He catches you staring when he makes eye contact with you and stretches his hand out across the marble countertop. Numbly, you take the offered cupcake and wiggle it at Jjangu. The puppy hops excitedly out of the chair and scampers across the table to sit politely in front of you. Yoongi laughs at the footage he captures, but Jin flutters over nervously and mumbles about how unsanitary the situation is.

“Sorry, Jin.” You don’t look back at him though, not really sorry, as you hold the cupcake steady for Jjangu. 

In the back of your head, you’re mildly impressed at the dog’s attempt to eat cleanly from your hand, but you’re more focused on the feeling of Jin’s torso pressing against your back. In his drunkenness, Jin decides it would be a good idea to grab Jjangu off the table while you’ve got him literally eating out of the palm of your hand. But he miscalculates and he ends up awkwardly caging you in between his front and the side of the table in his attempt to scoop up the dog, his arms acting as walls making you unable to move out the way. 

You notice that the setup makes it hard for him to grasp Jjangu, and he almost drops him, but you manage to aid him by bringing the dog into your arms. The result is a slightly drunk Jin clutching a slightly drunk you. Meanwhile Jjangu wags his tail at the proximity of his two favorite people. It takes an uncomfortably long time to disentangle because both of you are suffering from decreased hand-eye coordination. You’re both stupid enough to think that the remedy to the awkwardness is more alcohol.

 Once the party winds down and you’re able to leave without causing a scene you’re pretty grateful. Jjangu and Star lie sleeping on their sides like cows on the floor behind Jin’s large sofa, tummies round with treats and tuckered out from being such busy hosts. You slip your shoes on after you toss back the last of your beer, knowing that you’ll need the alcohol blanket as you walk to the subway. The door doesn’t budge when you go to open it and you’re puzzled until you realized Jin’s large hand is keeping it closed. You turn and find him squinting at you.

“Can I help you, sir?” You hiccup a little and it ruins the glare you’re trying giving him. You just want to go home, damnit.  

“Don’t forget your promise. Me and Jjangu want to see you here, bright eyed and bushy tailed,” he yanks a little on the hem of your shirt and you ignore the heavy feeling it gives you in the pit of your stomach, “Right after your shift. M��kay?”

You nod, not trusting yourself not to hiccup in his face, and he stumbles away to talk to Jimin who is lingering on the couch even after the majority of the guests left.

Lucky for you, you’re not hungover the morning after the party, so you go about your normal Saturday routine. However, you don’t have to go to work on Sundays either. This leaves you with the whole day to ruminate over the party. You like to think you’re not oblivious, that you’re pretty good with social cues. But this doesn’t stop you from spending the day wondering if you’re not just projecting your own attraction onto Jin.

He’s into me, you think resolutely as you brush your teeth that morning. 

What if he’s just a really overzealous dog owner, you wonder as you go for a run.

No one would be so nervous about inviting someone to a dog’s birthday party if they didn’t have a crush, you nod to yourself as you scrub your back in the shower.

Maybe he just misses having someone to cook for, you reason dejectedly as you pay some bills that evening.

So why doesn’t he just tell Yoongi to start coming over again, you mutter to yourself while violently stir frying some vegetables.

Why are you like this, you ask yourself as yourself in bed, silently bracing yourself for Monday.

Time is acting strangely as you go through the motions of your shift. The first half of your shift zips by because there are more customers than normal and you’re too busy to overthink anything. Soon, though, you catch yourself looking at the front door around 2 pm and quickly berate yourself for having such a Pavlovian response towards Jin and his dog. It’s not like every time they came they brought your favorite food. You just talked. Although, you wouldn’t call it just talking. 

In the many visits Jin made to the cafe, you learned all sorts of things about each other. You learned he had an older brother, and that they both lived near their parents to help them when they needed it. You learned Jin was getting his Masters in film at a university in the next town over, but he also was also working flexible hours at his father’s firm. In turn, you told him about your goal to get your MBA and how Jjangu wasn’t the first dog to stalk you. By your count, you’ve known Jin and his dog for more than 2 months. You don’t really know what to do with this information, but you try to think of all the possible implications because your shift starts to drag.

When your shift ends, you wish you had packed a change of clothes, but all you can do is fix your hair and remove your apron. You zone out on the ride to Jin’s apartment complex, barely managing to keep your nerves at bay. Being in the business industry means you can’t be scared of meeting new people or of going to new places. So it’s definitely not good for you to be this nervous going to a place you’ve already visited before.  

However, the anxiety diminishes to mere butterflies in your stomach when Jin opens the door to his apartment. Jjangu is doing that weird wheezing thing again, so you humor him and squat down so he can run into your arms. Picking him up, you walk with him into the kitchen area to see what Jin is doing. The countertop has some used bowls and measuring utensils lying out on it and it’s not until your stomach growls at the smell of food cooking that you remember you had to skip lunch and you’re hungry.

“I’m glad you brought your appetite. I’ve been wrestling with this recipe for a while and I think I’ve finally gotten all the kinks out of it. Its you don’t tell me it’s perfect, I’ll cry.”

“K-kinks are okay,” you say stiltedly. Even with Jjangu in your arms, you still feel  out of place.

“I guess you don’t mind when things are a little kinky, then?” You nearly choke on your tongue and when you look up at Jin’s face, you’re expecting to see a good-natured grin, but all you see is a dark, inquisitive look. He’s testing you.

“A little kinky is good. It shows character.” Jin tilts his head at you before a small smile spreads slowly on his face. You pass the test.

“Then while we’re still on the topic of food,” you grin at his teasing and take the long handled wooden spoon that holds steaming broth he passes you, “Tell me what you think of this.”

While you’re not usually a soup person, you really like Jin’s soup. The flavor is complex and robust, leaving a pleasant memory on your tongue, and there’s enough spice leave your lips tingling a little. It’s good and you tell him so, enjoying the sight of him subtly puffing out his chest when he hears that he did well. He adds a few more ingredients and puts on the lid before walking out of the kitchen gesturing for you to come sit with him on the sofa. Jjangu jumps out of your arms and runs in front of you to sit between you and Jin, and you wonder vaguely if this dog is trying to cock-block you.

The two of you sit in companionable silence. There’s soft music coming from the stereo system and the large picture window on the opposite wall shows the rainy cityscape. You’re instantly even more glad you’re in Jin’s apartment and not walking out of the subway station to your own apartment in the rain.

“So,” Jin clears his throat, “I’ve been doing some thinking and I--” The sound of someone ringing the buzzer outside interrupts him. Jin groans while Jjangu stands in your lap and barks at whoever is behind the door.

A few moments later a man who looks a little like Jin enters the living room, with a pissed off looking Jin trailing behind. The slightly older man looks a little surprised to see you. He sits in the love seat across from you and waves.

“Hi, I’m Jin’s older brother. You are?” You introduce yourself, excited to meet another member of the Kim family.

“Oh, I���ve heard about you. You work at that dog cafe down by the shopping district, right? I think I remember Jin saying that.”

“Yeah, I do. I met Jin through Jjangu there,” you joke. You sneak a peek at Jin and are surprised to see him pouting at the other end of the couch.

“No kidding? Jjangu is actually the reason I came here today. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything, by the way.” He sends a sly grin at Jin.

“Well, you were. We were kind of about to talk about something important.” You raise your eyebrows in surprise but don’t say anything because you want to see how the conversation will continue. He chuckles at Jin’s pouty demeanor.

“I’ll be quick about it then. Mom’s ankle has been fully healed for a month, so she doesn’t need you to walk him anymore. She also wants me to tell you to stop hogging him since she can spend time with him now.”

Jin stiffens and turns to look at you immediately, embarrassed. He nods before murmuring that he’ll gather Jjangu’s things and leaves the room. Jin’s brother waits a beat until he’s sure Jin won’t hear what he’s about to say before turning to you.

“Sorry for making you witness that. When my mom slipped and fell a while ago, she hurt her ankle and couldn’t walk with the dog like she normally does. So, Jin volunteered since he has more free time than I do. I guess once you guys met, he realized he had an in with you if he kept walking the dog and he probably told my mom she needed her rest. That’s probably how he got away with stealing the dog for so long. Wow, this makes it sound like he’s using Jjangu. And he kind of is, I guess. Don’t get me wrong though, he loves Jjangu, but he was definitely using him a little.” You bite your lip to keep from laughing at his bluntness. He doesn’t notice and continues.

“Honestly, it’s not even that big a deal since he was probably just going to ask you out tonight and its not like he can’t still do that now. But it would be really nice if you helped patch up his ego once I leave. Jin’s a bit stubborn and a huge perfectionist. He’s probably been planning this for a really long time and I’m sure that if my mom didn’t miss her dog so much, she wouldn’t have sent me here.” He quickly pulls away from you when he hears Jin entering the room again.

“Here’s all his stuff,” Jin drops a small duffle bag a childish huff, ”He might need another walk since he didn’t get his usual one today, but I’m sure you don’t mind some quality time with the dog since I’ve been ‘hogging’ him this whole time.” You want to laugh at Jin’s aggressive use of air-quotes, but refrain when you remember he’s nursing a bruised ego at the moment. Jjangu realizes his time with you is nearly over and kneads the fabric covering your thighs forlornly.

“It’s okay, special boy, you can still come see me at work.” He seems to understand your words and you look at him suspiciously and wonder, yet again, if he’s not just a little man in a costume.

You give Jin’s older brother a nod and he gives you a conspicuous wink before shutting the door behind him, leaving Jin flabbergasted and angrier than before. He stomps back to his spot next to you on the couch and rants, mostly to himself.

“What the hell was that? A wink? He’s so cheesy, it’s like he’s the younger sibling, sometimes. I mean, who just barges in on people like that. He should have called first, then he would have known I had company over. And why does he think that it’s cool to--” He cuts himself off to look down at your hand as it rests over his own. You hold it hand in yours and bring it up to rest lightly on the side of your face.

“Don’t mind me,” you say cheekily. You smile at his stuttering when he tries to remain cool and remember what he was saying before you stunned him.  

“I-I wasn’t really saying anything, I was just mad he ruined this date.”  

“Is this a date?” Your tone is coy as you reach out with your free hand to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles in his shirt around his broad shoulders. He gently extricates his fingers from yours and moves them to the back of your neck at the same time that you wrap your arms around his.

The first things you notice when Jin kisses you are that his lips are incredibly soft and that he smells good enough to eat. You kiss lazily on the couch for a long while, eventually maneuvering each other slowly until you’re seated in his lap and can press him into the back of the couch. His hands migrate from your shoulder blades, down your back, to squeeze themselves into the tops of your jean pockets. Kim Seokjin is an ass man. Go figure.

You reluctantly break the kiss by threading your fingers through his thick and dark hair and tugging lightly. He tries to move to the side of your jaw but you stop him.

“Jin, do you smell that?” He looks dazed and more fucked out than he should for only having gotten to first base. But you reason that it's because this thing between the two of you has been in the works for a long time.

“Hmm?” You feel regretful about having to move off of his lap.

“I think your soup is burning,” you frown sympathetically and watch his eyes grow to the size of saucers. He runs to the kitchen while you follow after him leisurely. You watch from behind his shoulder curiously as he tests the broth before taking it off the burner.

“Don’t worry,” he grins and his cheeks puff out adorably, “The soup is saved. Thanks to you.” His arms snake around your waist again and he shuffles you both back until you can lean against the brushed steel surface of his fridge.

“I didn’t do anything, I just used my nose,” you breezily at the feeling of his warm breath on your neck.

“Well, if we had it my way, this soup would be ruined. Because we’d still be over there for a long time.” Suddenly you feel a familiar stirring in your stomach.

“Jin, I’m hungry.” His eyes take on a mischievous glint.

“Me too,” he mumbles in your ear and walks the tips of his fingers underneath your work shirt.

“No, I’m actually hungry. I’ve been waiting for this soup for, like, 40 minutes.”

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he pulls away and twists to open a nearby cabinet, but keeps a hand rubbing your hip the whole time. “Here, I’ll get you a bowl.”

“Thank you. After though...” He looks down at you hopefully. “Show me your room?”

An hour later finds you waking up from a nap. You blink bleary eyes and stretch your pleasantly sore limbs, taking in the surroundings. You turn to face Jin, who is still sleeping beside you. Propping yourself up on an elbow, you wonder how someone can sleep so beautifully. He looks serene with smooth features and messy bangs. He breathes deeply, one well-muscled arm thrown over his head and the sheets pulled up to slope over one bare shoulder.

You reach out and tease him in his sleep, tickling his cheeks and nose and stifling laughter when he scrunches his face. You relent but soon you realize it’s too quiet. You rack your brain for an explanation and remember that its because Jjangu is gone. Your ankles begin to feel neglected and you feel bad, knowing the little dog will probably wonder why he had to leave you so suddenly. In that moment, you decide that the two of you should try to solve this new Jjangu-related dilemma, so you gently brush his hair out of his face until he starts to stir.

“Wha’sit?” He blinks up at you tiredly and reaches out cuddle you to him. You let yourself be dragged across the bed and maneuvered so his head is pillowed in your lap.

“I’m worried about Jjangu. You think your mom will want to walk all the way over to the café just to let him see me every day?” Jin sits up and his expression slowly changes from sleepy to alert as he realizes the hell Jjangu will raise until he gets to see you again.

“Don’t worry,” he says as he pulls his phone from where it was buried underneath the covers and dials his mother’s number. You wrap a wandering hand around his bare bicep and watch. “Hello, Mom? It’s Jinnie. I have to talk to you about Jjangu. It’s a long story,” he sighs.

You listen to about 20 minutes of Jin’s dramatic story about how both he and Jjangu became enamored with you, but Mama Kim isn’t buying it. Finally, you can’t take it anymore and silently gesture for him to hand you the phone. He does so, eying you suspiciously. You turn on your customer service voice and work your magic.

Like a true business mogul, you get her to settle for Jin walking Jjangu every other day as long as you come to dinner with Jin tomorrow, and every Tuesday night after that.

“Thank you, Mrs. Kim. I look forward to meeting you. Yes, I’ll take good care of Jin. Mhm. Yes. Have a good evening.” You end the call and turn to give Jin a satisfied smirk. “That’s how you get things done, Sweetcheeks.” Jin stares at you with stars in his eyes.

“Amazing. Truly amazing,” he murmurs and wraps his arm around you to nose at the spot right below the hinge of your jaw.

“You’re too easily impressed,” you grin as he rolls you on top of him.

“Maybe…you’re just impressive,” he argues. The witty comeback you had prepared leaves your mind immediately as you feel him push down the neckline of the T-shirt you borrowed from him to mouth at your shoulder.

“You know,” you sigh, “I need to go home at some point today.”

“Do you have to?” His hands smooth down your back to knead at your butt again and you pray that you never get used to the feeling. You huff and move his hands just to see him pout.

“Yeah, I do, actually.” You end up spending the night.

The next morning you wake to the feeling of pressure on your chest. You crack one eye open and stare directly up Jjangu’s snout. He wags his tail when he sees that you’re awake and barks a happy little wake up song. Jin pokes his head through the threshold of the bedroom while holding a pan full of steaming eggs.

“Good morning, Sunshine. Let me know when you’re ready and we’ll drive you to work,” he chirps.

You groan and roll out of bed, wondering if you can handle two puppies when just one was already such a handful.

[dailyexo]

[NEWS] EXO - 170728 Vogue magazine: “Is EXO the Most Stylish K-Pop Band of All Time?”

It is a 90-degree July day in Seoul, and the air is thick with unfallen rain. Still, the concrete steps leading up to the World Cup Stadium are swarming with boys and girls in black baseball jerseys armed with clear plastic ponchos and posters, paper boxes packed with sweet fried chicken and sour pickles. It is the sixth edition of SM Town Live, a summer concert series put on by SM Entertainment to showcase the company’s impressive roster of K-pop stars—icons such as BoA and Yunho of TVXQ, Girls’ Generation and Shinee. Yet the main event is without a doubt EXO, the reigning kings of K-pop, who are there to close one chapter of their career and kick off the next with a new album and look to match.

Calling them kings is controversial. It stirs up rival factions (the band’s new album is titled The War), and internationally, that designation is up for debate. But in Korea, the beating heart of K-pop fandom, the nine-member boy band remains at the top. Last year they won five daesangs (Korea’s biggest music award, roughly equivalent to album or artist of the year), one of which they had won for the fourth consecutive time. The band celebrated its five-year anniversary in April with a live video broadcast that drew 80,000 viewers in less than two minutes. The next month, they played two nights at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium; seating some 70,000, it is the country’s largest venue and only four K-pop groups, including EXO, have ever played there. Both shows sold out in under 30.

For years, their status has remained relatively unchallenged, but it is difficult for anyone at the top to stay there. EXO also struggles with the perception that they are too perfect, a manufactured pop act without much personality. Korean boy groups also have to deal with the country’s mandatory military enlistment policy, which effectively puts a two-year pause on their careers that is hard to bounce back from. It is one reason why this particular comeback is so crucial for EXO, and why they chose to dramatically change course. “Ko Ko Bop,” the lead single and sole video to be released from The War, is the aesthetic opposite of the band’s previous summer single, “Monster.” Musically, it combines EDM and reggae. It is a sun-soaked song with a distinct “tropical” vibe, and that sharp tonal shift is most clearly communicated through the clothes.

The starting point for the video’s style was The Talented Mr. Ripley, specifically the rich, disaffected Dickie Greenleaf, played by a young Jude Law, as he lazes about the Italian coast. “Ko Ko Bop” reimagines the eight singers (Lay, the group’s only remaining Chinese member, was unable to participate in this album due to his “schedule”) as younger, more fashion-forward versions of Dickie. Sehun wears a Saint Laurent Hawaiian shirt from Spring 2017, covered in retro pop surfboards and station wagons; his hair has been dyed and spiked to resemble a Bird of Paradise. Chanyeol has hair the color of tropical punch and has thrown a white Céline blouse with watercolor blooms over a Saint Laurent logo tee; Baekhyun appears in Valentino, a mustard ikat Etro blazer, and a red mullet. A matching pair of palm tree–dotted All Saints shirts make the rounds on almost all members, loosely swapped around to convey the shoot’s trippy, drug-fueled vacation vibe (a bit odd, considering Korea’s anti-drug culture). All said, it continues EXO’s tradition of slowly pushing the boundaries of K-pop men’s fashion.

The band began honing their singular take on style two years ago with the song, “Call Me Baby.” Before that, they were generally clothed in matching suits or tees plucked off the racks of Boon the Shop and other local boutiques, a one-size-fits-all solution that emphasized their uniformity. In 2015, however, they found a way to bring out each member’s personality by tailoring what they wore in each shoot. More importantly, they began to source designers that K-pop stars were not wearing at the time. Back then, when singers wore high-end fashion, they generally went with big name, easily shoppable brands—Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton. EXO reached instead for labels fashion people love: Pieces by Raf Simons, Dries Van Noten, archival Helmut Lang. These were mixed with Korean designers, including custom suits from Heich Es Heich, and eventually, a few items from their personal collections—a surprising move. K-pop bands, EXO included, are known for casting off and slipping on new identities with each album. To let a bit of their personal taste shine through, no matter how small, felt like a change.

It is a sartorial mix that has influenced the rest of the industry and reflects the country’s growing emphasis on individual style, which took centerstage on their Exo’rdium world tour, where the above photos were shot. Below, they reflect on the band’s evolution and their own. Kai prefers simple pieces from A.P.C.; D.O., all-black workwear from American heritage brands. Chanyeol is passionate about streetwear—Vetements, Balenciaga, Supreme, Gosha—and he recently confessed to keeping the tags on his clothes for a month, unable to tear them off. Moments like this are thrilling; they feel intimate and authentic, a real flash of expression through fashion. There’s no better way to begin again.

Sehun

Whose style has changed the most? Kyungsoo [D.O.]. Just look on the Internet—you'll see. Which MV had your favorite look? “Monster.” The music, concept, everything really, really fit me well. Who is your style icon at the moment? I'm really interested in Chris Brown’s fashion.

Kai

Whose style has changed the most? I think we’ve all changed a lot. In my case, since I personally love clothes, I think my personal style has changed to match my age, as time goes on. Which MV had your favorite look? I loved what we wore back in “Call Me Baby.”

Chanyeol

Whose style has changed the most? Sehun. Compared to his style from before we debuted and our early days, it's gotten a lot better, and every day, he puts a lot of thought in it. So much as doing fashion research, and his sense is good, too. Which MV had your favorite look? I think what we wore in “Lotto” was really nice. Who is your style icon at the moment? Kanye West.

D.O.

Whose style has changed the most? Overall, I think everyone’s personal taste has changed. Our members have gotten cooler, bit by bit. Who is your style icon at the moment? The heroes from the Avengers? I guess I want to try that once (laughs).

Xiumin

Whose style has changed the most? D.O. Every day, he goes around in head-to-toe black, but now, he’s moved away from wearing only black—slightly. Which MV had your favorite look? I liked “Lotto” the most. Who is your style icon at the moment? Captain America (laughs).

Baekhyun

Whose style has changed the most? I think it’s me. Because I want to challenge myself by trying different styles. It’s not that I plan to, but I think I do change things up a bit each year. Which MV or performance had your favorite look? I liked what we wore to perform at Mama 2016 [awards show] and to shoot “Lotto.” Who is your style icon at the moment? Because I really like Chris Brown, I want to try his look—he mixes different cuts and fits, and they all look good. I want to be like that.

Suho

Whose style has changed the most? Kyungsoo’s [D.O.] style has changed me a bit. Usually, I don't wear all black clothes like he does. I pay a lot of attention to fashion, and I like to play around with a lot of different brands, shoes, and clothes. But our schedules have gotten so hectic, and I realized that when I don’t have time to sleep, I just reach for simple, comfy, black things (laughs). Which MV had your favorite look? In our “Monster” video, the military-inspired style. It looked a bit more manly, it was comfortable, and the clothes were a bit oversize, which made them easy to dance in. It looked cool. Who is your style icon at the moment? I loved Colin Firth’s look in Kingsman. Once I get a little older, I want to walk around with that kind of clean, gentlemanly style.

Chen

Whose style has changed the most? I think we’re all pretty consistent now. Since we have each found our own personal style and know what we like, I think it’s natural. Which MV had your favorite look? The clothes from “Call Me Baby.” There were so many fun ones. Who is your style icon at the moment? Let’s see . . . I think I don’t know yet. I’ll have to widen my circle!

Photo links: 1, 2

Credit: Vogue.

[laneoahp293-blog]

Forget how to plan a holiday to australia: 3 Replacements You Need to Jump On

What do you think that of when you hear the phrase Australia? Kangaroos, shorelines, and ‘g’day mate’? Well Certainly, Australia does have its fair share of ‘roos, nevertheless the land Down Less than provides A lot in excess of that! We’re speaking awe-inspiring mountains, epic street outings, massive countrywide parks, gorgeous waterfalls…the checklist actually is limitless. We’ve rounded up some top rated Aussie vacation bloggers which have supplied us their recommendations with regard to the most effective places to go to in Australia – and you can be particular that what ever you’re in search of inside your vacation, Australia can present it and a lot more. Keep reading for twenty-four of the greatest sites to go to in Australia!

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

Tasmania

South Australia

Very best spots to go to in New South Wales

one. Blue Mountains

Most effective Destinations To go to In Australia - Blue Mountains

Suggested by Rachel and Jeremy within the Kiwi Pair

If you’re seeking a dose of nature, the Blue Mountains are in your case. Just one.5 hrs within the hustle and bustle of Sydney, it can be visited as a day trip or simply a weekend getaway, according to your vacation time frame. You should definitely have enough time to visit Wentworth Falls. This spot delivers walks of various trouble with stunning sights in the waterfall, and it’s just a brief drive from the main event – The Three Sisters. These well known rock formations would be the spotlight of this picturesque postcard space.

For those who head to Echo Point you can find an epic view of these, or hop on Scenic Environment’s gondola. When you’re there, don’t overlook the Scenic Railway – the steepest passenger railway on the earth! Final although not minimum, Lincoln’s Rock is a necessity. With sights of your vast landscape in addition to a solution little cave ideal for observing the sunset, it’s the very best end for the working day.

Blue Mountains hostels from $17.eighty a night

2. Bathurst

Very best Destinations To Visit In Australia - Bathurst

Suggested by Tara from Wherever Is Tara

Bathurst is one of my favorite places in Australia for so many causes. One of these is usually that my cousins have farms in existence. They let me remain Any time I pass through and bring me to cattle markets, that is a real novelty to me acquiring developed up in the town. One other cause I really like Bathurst is because it is usually neglected by travelers, despite acquiring a great deal to supply. It’s the oldest inland metropolis in Australia and is the website of the original Australian gold hurry.

Visit the T-Rex on the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum, have a spin across the renowned Mount Panorama Circuit. Or just get a cup of coffee from Campos, have a stroll by way of Machattie Park and check out the commemorative plaque from Charles Darwin’s go to in 1836. For a singular working day trip inside the Bathurst region look into the gold rush town of Sofala (it seems like a ghost city and has a fantastic reserve store), or head to the Jenolan caves for a few pure magnificence, limestone-model!

Sydney hostels from $15 an evening

three. Sydney

Very best Destinations To go to In Australia - Sydney

Advised by Rachel and Jeremy in the Kiwi Couple

Sydney is the most important metropolis in Australia – filled with wonderful seashores, enjoyable pursuits and superior meals. Probably the greatest approaches to see The fantastic thing about Sydney is by having a relaxing stroll. An incredible Beach front stroll, and among the best, is from Bondi Seashore to Coogee Seaside. It offers beautiful views of the region’s famous rocky seashores, slender shorelines and sandy seashores. One more well known stroll is along the Sydney Harbour Bridge walkway. The two walks are no cost and so are a great way to enjoy Sydney.

We appreciate getting up higher and seeing towns from previously mentioned. The ideal way To do that in Sydney is by accomplishing the Skywalk at Sydney Tower. At 268 metres substantial, it’s sure to Obtain your coronary heart pumping. You’re harnessed in though so it’s not (way too) Terrifying! And eventually, a must do of Sydney is to take in your heart out. Test a deep fried Golden Gaytime ice product from What The Fudge Cafe, you received’t regret it!

Sydney hostels from $15 an evening

four. Byron Bay

Finest Areas To Visit In Australia - Byron Bay

?@eloisejulier

Advisable by Dane from Getaway From In which

Byron is among Australia’s prime tourist Places but in case you’re ready to place in slightly perform you can even now uncover some more properly hidden gems just out the back from the hinterland mountains. From plenty of waterfalls and swimming holes to outstanding mountains and bush walks this modest area disguise a lot natural beauty. I'd recommend starting off that has a hike to The underside of Minyon Falls for the swim, a hike to the very best of Mt Warning for an incredible sunrise, another swim at Killin Falls then a hike into the Normal Arch. These are typically just many of the most available but there's so considerably more should you’re ready to examine.

Byron Bay hostels from $25 a night

Best areas to visit in Victoria

five. Melbourne

Ideal Places To go to In Australia - Melbourne

Encouraged by Aditi from Diary of the Cusp

Melbourne has secured its spot of probably the most liveable metropolis on the planet the seventh time inside of a row. Most times see a diverse temperature – hail, sunshine, rain, wind – but that doesn’t impede the livelihood of Melbourne. Any supplied day you will discover an party, an show, a songs gig, or possibly a clearly show to relish. You can get access to no cost trams within the metropolis circle to wander throughout without outlaying a buck on transportation. Melbourne is usually a multicultural metropolitan with copious places to eat serving slavering foods and cafes in your caffeine resolve – Melbourne’s coffee is a lot of the most effective on the planet.

Melbourne hostels from $18 a night

6. Wonderful Ocean Road

Very best Spots To go to In Australia - Terrific Ocean Road

Advised by Jack and Jenn from Who Requires Maps

Lorne is a well-liked prevent alongside the Great Ocean Road (also to the Twelve Apostles). It’s the proper location to relax along the seaside, probably Opt for a surf, try to eat some of the finest fish and chips, and enjoy the scenery. Jack is really a surfer and loves to go out to The nice Ocean Highway for a surf. Nevertheless the vacation isn’t finish with no halt in Lorne for any parma as well as a pot post-surf. Lorne also has some attractive walks and waterfalls to discover, like Erskine Falls and Phantom Falls. My beloved, is in case you go in the proper year, you can catch a couple of whales at sunset. Get a wine at a seaside restaurant and take pleasure in the serenity.

7. Mornington Peninsula

Most effective Places To Visit In Australia - Mornington Peninsula

Suggested by Aditi from Diary of a Cusp

Mornington Peninsula is often a peninsula located southeast of Melbourne, just an hour or so drive from the town. It's been an immensely popular day excursion or staycation web site for the residents of Victoria, In particular Melbourne for many years now. Mornington Peninsula has a great deal of to provide to its readers – shorelines, countrywide parks, scenic sights, comforting spas, vineyards, golf classes, mazes, tenting web sites and so considerably more. This myriad of functions plus the transient distance makes it so desirable to go to throughout very long weekends like Queen’s Birthday, Xmas, Boxing Working day, New Year and so on. Sampling some Pinot Noir although inside the peninsula is essential.

Finest places to visit in Queensland

eight. Sunshine Coast

Most effective Areas To go to In Australia - Sunshine Coastline

Advisable by Sophie from Adventures of Soph

The Sunshine Coast has bought to get one of the most gorgeous strips of coastland in all of Australia, boasting lovely, extensive white beaches lined with wellness aware cafes and boutique apparel retailers. Any time you aren’t absorbing the sunshine on among the list of quite a few beaches, you could head out for the hinterland for per day of mountain mountaineering or hop off the beaten observe to discover secluded swimming holes and waterfalls with not a soul in sight. Noosa Countrywide Park and fairy pools is an complete ought to do, just stay away from the midday hurry on the crowds.

Sunshine Coastline hostels from $twelve.50 an evening

nine. Brisbane

Greatest Sites To Visit In Australia - Brisbane

@anitababic3

Proposed by Erica from A woman Who Wanders

Brisbane is my hometown and a location I intend on being for an incredibly long time. Why? As it has anything! Not like its cash metropolis counterparts of Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane delivers all of the benefits at a portion of the cost. Superior on my listing of spots to go to is Southbank, the house of doing arts and Queensland culture and again alley bars and river front dining. Southbank also characteristics Australia’s only interior-city Seaside, a man-created marvel which usually takes you from the hustle and bustle of the city and right into a tropical oasis with glowing waters and white, sandy shorelines.

West Conclude is an additional suburb I really endorse traveling to, with its hipster vibe, insanely excellent coffee and Avenue marketplaces to help keep you buying several hours. For those who’re after a see of the town from your major, head nearly Mt Coot-tha for its amazing 360 views of the town and the encompassing hinterland. I also hugely recommend climbing the Brisbane Story Bridge For an additional Distinctive addition to the trip, since the view is stunning and the adrenalin hurry one particular never to be missed!

Brisbane hostels from $15 a night

10. Gold Coast

Best Areas To Visit In Australia - Gold Coastline

@scottypass

Proposed by Erica from A Girl Who Wanders

Should you’re looking for a vacation spot which includes everything, lookup no additional and get oneself towards the Gold Coastline! With arguably a few of the ideal beach locations in Australia, the Gold Coast is my “go-to” spot throughout the incredibly hot summer months months. But when lazing about on smooth, white sandy beach locations or swimming while in the crystal crystal clear ocean doesn’t get your fancy, the Gold Coastline Hinterland is barely a short drive in the Seaside and has several of the most wonderful strolling tracks and viewpoints in Queensland.

My favorite matter concerning the Gold Coastline is how the vibe is amazingly Visit this website laid back yet also electrical, with locals and travelers alike taking pleasure in the “Sunday sesh” ambiance in the day plus the celebration scene that concerns lifetime when the Sunlight goes down. Should you’re organizing on browsing the Gold Coast whenever quickly, my individual recommendations for the very best sites to visit are Burleigh Heads Beach front as well as Lamington Nationwide Park.

Gold Coastline hostels from $21 a night

11. Airlie Seashore/Whitsundays

Best Areas To Visit In Australia - Whitsundays

@jessea_h

Encouraged by Jack and Jenn from Who Needs Maps

Airlie Seaside is a perfect place to acquire a style of every thing. You could embark on an experience to The nice Barrier Reef, sail on the Whitsundays, eat some of the freshest food straight out from the ocean, and stroll several of the most stunning coastal walks in Australia. Did I point out there are some magnificent beer gardens?

Airlie Seashore is a perfect hub to meet other backpackers which have a hankering for experience. We experienced a lot pleasurable going on a myriad of nautical adventures. We even husked our own coconuts and played with turkeys and wallaby’s to the island. Airlie Seaside is additionally known for its guy-designed lagoon, an outstanding location for beachside/poolside cocktails.

Airlie Seaside hostels from $28 a night

twelve. Noosa

Greatest Destinations To Visit In Australia - Noosa

@emelianjellachas

Advisable by Fanny from Minka Guides

Expanding up, I always read about Noosa from other Australians as this desire coastal desired destination. Getting within the region, I didn’t really realize why until finally I last but not least frequented a handful of year in the past and fell in love. As opposed to many other iconic coastal towns, Noosa isn’t crammed with towering skyscrapers and massive buying malls. The truth is, the area council don’t let any individual Construct increased when compared to the trees, making certain this sub-tropical town retains its amazingly attractive seaside town vibe – even though also becoming an exceptionally preferred put to visit!

The primary Beach front can get very busy with sunbathers, so I’d recommend undertaking a trek by means of nearby Noosa Nationwide Park to one of its wonderful and deserted stretches of sand. A 45-moment wander along the Tanglewood Keep track of requires you to Alexandria Bay, where small, translucent fish swimming during the shallows (and the occasional nudist) are your only company. Complete paradise.

Noosa hostels from $24 an evening

13. Atherton Tablelands

Ideal Locations To Visit In Australia - Atherton Tablelands

Advisable by Sophie from Adventures of Soph

Feel infinite waterfalls, rolling inexperienced hills dotted with dairy cows and rustic, family run cafes. All inside of an hour’s travel from Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands is the proper gateway to the countryside, irrespective of whether it's for every day trip or for a protracted weekend. The ultimate way to see the Tablelands is usually to hop in an automobile, get a location map and just travel. The waterfall circuit of Elinjja Falls, Millaa Millaa Falls and Zillie Falls are usually not to become skipped and if you happen to find yourself there on the final Saturday of the month you should definitely check out the Yungaburra marketplaces.

Atherton Tablelands hostels from $25 an evening

fourteen. Townsville

Very best Destinations To go to In Australia - Townsville

Suggested by Sam from Sam World wide

Boasting palm laden Seaside fronts, a 90% chance of sunshine and warm temperatures all yr spherical, Townsville is definitely an complete must on any North Queensland itinerary. Wander the strand and study abundant WWII history or have a trip to The nice Barrier Reef and dive the S.S Yongala shipwreck – it’s the most effective dives on the earth. And it doesn’t cease there, the city is household to the vivid nightlife, a formidable food stuff scene and easy accessibility to the beautiful Magnetic Island. If you time your vacation correct you’ll have the chance to working experience one of several islands infamous whole moon events!

Townsville hostels from $eighteen a night

15. Cairns

Ideal Spots To Visit In Australia - Cairns

Recommended by Nicola from Polka Dot Passport

There are actually not a lot of locations on the globe in which you can expend your morning snorkelling via a lively underwater playground that is a component of the earth’s most significant one framework of residing organisms, and your afternoon dipping into turquoise h2o holes, canopied by Just about the most various and oldest rainforests on the planet. Cairns is really a gateway not to just one but TWO natural world heritage sites, The good Barrier Reef and also the Daintree Rainforest, which makes it a fairly Exclusive spot to go to. Don’t depart devoid of performing a horse journey together Cape Tribulation Seaside, taking a visit out towards the GBR or likely croc-spotting together the Daintree River.

Cairns hostels from $12 an evening

sixteen. Whitehaven Beach

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Encouraged by Dane from Holiday break From Where

Whitehaven Beach front is a 7km extend of Coastline located in the Whitsundays. It is actually most very easily obtainable from Airlie Seashore, Unless of course that you are lucky more than enough to personal a yacht. The Seaside is preferred with locals and tourists alike but if you decide on to camp there you should have the beach all to your self and just a handful of other Fortunate campers for sunset and sunrise. The white colour of your sand and the amazing blues during the drinking water make this a truly one of a kind place that is consistently sighted in nearly every ‘finest Beach front on the earth record’.

Cairns hostels from $twelve an evening

Finest sites to visit in Northern Territory

17. Uluru

Ideal Destinations To go to In Australia - Uluru

Advisable by Crystal from Castaway With Crystal

Uluru might be Australia’s most recognisable landmark. But this huge chunk of rock is also extremely sacred to the community Anangu Aboriginal men and women below, a place of excellent electrical power. It's the centre of the universe and the house of your ‘Earth Mother’. In the outskirts of Uluru, in little caves, Aboriginal rock artwork is often found that's tens of A huge number of decades old. They're deemed countrywide treasures and Uluru is a UNESCO Entire world Heritage site.

Though you may nonetheless climb to the highest from the rock and working experience the certainly magical sights, doing this is a degree of controversy involving the neighborhood Aboriginal folks as well as countrywide park assistance that manages the region. Because of this, travelers are heavily inspired not to climb. Uluru rises 348 meters higher than the bottom, but the majority of the rock lies underground. It has a circumference of sixteen kilometres and may be walked around in comprehensive using a cleared route.

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eighteen. Darwin

Greatest Destinations To Visit In Australia - Darwin

Proposed by Edit From Edit All over the world

While Darwin will be the capital town from the Northern Territory, it is very compact – but it’s truly a terrific spot for purchasing. In addition, for historical past enthusiasts, it’s a true treasure town Along with the Museum and Artwork Gallery on the Northern Territory and several other aboriginal artwork galleries. Then again, experience seekers can check out the Crocosaurus Cove, the place the Cage of Demise experience offers the thrill of becoming in the same setting, far more precisely inside a Unique cage in the water, together with a 5m extensive croc. Crocodile can even be found on several cafe menus all around Darwin. From crocodile sandwich to croc pizza, The range is huge and very delectable. It preferences somewhat like rooster, but it really arrives at a Significantly bigger selling price.

Using a tour to the Adelaide river gave me the chance to see the procedures of your crocs when they’re planning to attack. Litchfield Countrywide Park is a good place to see crocodiles within their purely natural habitat – as well as it's excellent swimming places Positioned at a superior

[gyrlversion]

(G)I-dle Are Standing Out With Their Self-Produced Sound And Defining It On Their Own Terms

By Taylor Glasby

Before the recent release of their fourth single — the lyrically sagacious, ’90s hip-hop-soaked “Uh-Oh” — the six members of the multinational K-pop group (G)I-DLE felt the prickly onslaught of nerves. Not that this was new; according to Beijing-born vocalist Yuqi, 19, they get nervous before every drop of new material. Their way through it is by communicating with each other. A lot. Not just before a comeback but “almost every day if we have time,” says Thai vocalist Minnie, in English. “Maybe not all six of us every day, maybe just two or three, but we’ll always talk.”

“We often encourage each other before a stage,” Yuqi elaborates, also in English, her long, diamante earrings repeatedly catching the light. “We’ll have a pep talk.” She’s an animated speaker, hands fluidly mapping out the rhythm of her words. The group’s leader, rapper and songwriter, Soyeon, 20, and Minnie, 21, also share this habit, and the latter’s thin metal bangles collide as she talks, filling this beige, windowless room deep inside Madison Square Garden with tiny, bright spirals of noise.

KCON USA

Members Shuhua, Yuqi, Soyeon, Soojin, Miyeon, and Minnie at KCON New York on July 7, 2019

This isn’t their first trip to New York City — they made a fleeting stop last summer for a 3-song showcase — but as they step confidently onto the stage at KCON to the noisy adoration of thousands, it’s easy to see how far they’ve come in just a year since their debut. Each of (G)I-DLE has their own ultra-distinctive presence: Minnie is almost Amazonian, all lithe strength and power; Soojin, 21, oozes a sexy playfulness; Miyeon, 22, is coolly composed; Taiwanese Shuhua’s, 19, etherealness is punctuated by cheeky, knowing glances; Yuqi has a feisty, fighting spirit; and Soyeon’s compelling energy (which saw her effortlessly take down opponents on the 2016 season of Korean hip-hop survival show, Unpretty Rapstar) ignites every move and word.

Their KCON performance consists of “Uh-Oh,” “LATATA,” “HANN,” and “Senorita,” all of which have been penned by Soyeon (alongside some legendary Korean producers, including Big Sancho). She’s written for other idols (CLC, JBJ, SHINee’s Key) and penned four of the five tracks on (G)I-DLE’s second EP, I Am, with Minnie composing its final track, “Blow Your Mind.”

Although Soyeon had been given songwriting classes while she was a trainee, she never intended to be the group’s primary songwriter. “At first, I really didn’t know I’d be writing these songs,” she recalls. “But our debut was getting delayed because we didn’t have a song. So that’s when I thought, I should write our song, and started writing a title track.”

“Because I was a rapper, I’d only written lyrics and verses,” she continues. “I started putting on the beats and melody, then I took a MIDI class and stuff.” Although she appears to have been undaunted by the task at hand, it doesn’t lessen the enormity of the situation — that the reception to, and even the fate of, her group lay in her hands. “I always have pressure,” she concedes with a small laugh and smile, but her arms fold protectively over her body, “because it’s not a solo song — it’s for the team.”

The members are her muses. “She always says my voice inspires her,” says Minnie, who was the main influence for “LATATA.” “I think she knows my voice better than me! She knows how to put it in a way that sounds good. She’s like…” She pauses. A mind reader? Minnie laughs. “Yeah, a mind reader.”

“I usually have lots of conversations with Soyeon,” says Miyeon softly. Soyeon says, smiling at her: “For some songs, I write with inspiration coming only from Miyeon. I get it in various aspects but mostly from the powerful, emotional parts of her.”

Shuhua believes it’s her image and her vibe that helps spark Soyeon’s creativity, but for Yuqi, it’s the other way around; she doesn’t think she inspires their leader as much as Soyeon inspires her. “I prefer to just believe in her. She’s done everything so fast so, from my point of view, whatever parts she gives me, I try to do my best with. I think that trust works for me.”

“She’s been seeing me since trainee period, so she knows what fits me the best, and she writes me that part,” says Soojin, glancing over at her bandmate, who nods. “Soojin has a really cute voice,” Soyeon says, “so I sometimes make her do cute songs. But I also know she expresses sexy well, so I try to give her parts like that, too.”

KCON USA

Their label, CUBE Entertainment, recently gave them their own studio and the girls can be found ducking in to check on progress. “Soyeon lets us listen to a sample or maybe the hook and asks us if it’s OK, then she’ll continue writing,” says Minnie. But Soyeon isn’t one to sit around writing fragments of songs and tucking them away onto hard drives that gather dust on a shelf. “I’ve written so many raps,” Soyeon points out, “but for the team, I write songs for an album. I don’t really have made songs [lying around]. I’m more like, once I write it, I publish it.”

The songs are steeped in their very essence — a girl’s complex, internal house of mirrors that is constantly being broken, assessed, understood, and remade, where one style or sound is never enough to reflect who they really are. And so (G)I-DLE are the enticing tropical beats and coy fingersnaps of “LATATA” and the ominous, warning whistled hook of “HANN.” They’re also the pensive harmonies and slow throb of bass on the R&B-infused ballad “Put It Straight,” the whimsical words painted over the house music of “What’s In Your House,” and even the tango of “Senorita.” Their lyrics push back, they beckon. They can be bored nonchalance or sharpening desire.

Soyeon sees their self-produced sound as a “perk,” since “knowing our members better than any [external] songwriter means we know what we can do best.” There are a number of prominent female idol songwriters (such as Miryo, LE, Sunmi), although they’re primarily from an older generation of idols. Unsurprisingly, they’re not often talked about with the same reverence, or even in the same breath, as male idol writers such as Zico or G-Dragon.

Ask (G)I-DLE if they feel like their status as a female, self-producing group is pushing forward or laying new ground for their generation and they exchange unsure looks, then laugh at each other’s expressions. “I guess… not really,” says Minnie slowly. “The strength of our group is that we make our own songs and we put our opinions into the concepts and everything, but we just want to do something that suits us. We want to show who we are as best we can, and how we can perform.”

Getty Images

Although Soyeon mentioned in a 2018 interview that she was keen for (G)I-DLE not “to be like other idol groups in Korea,” she takes a moment now to elaborate and say that “rather than being different from other groups in a certain way, we’d like to have our own color. Like, [someone saying] ‘Oh, this song must be (G)I-DLE.’ It’s not being different, it’s about standing out,” she says seriously.

However much they downplay their role, (G)I-DLE are already a significant addition to the pop landscape. Soyeon’s shy, slightly embarrassed smile indicates she’s still coming to terms with that line of thought, admitting that winning over a dozen awards in their first year stunned her. “We used to say our first goal was ‘the best rookie award’ and when we actually got it, it was unbelievable,” she says. Minnie adds: “We didn’t really know until we received the rookie awards. That’s when we realized, oh, maybe we can do something. But even now we’re still just trying harder [as a group].”

Their impressive start (118 million views for “LATATA,” 64 million for its follow-up “HANN”) is no small burden on the group who are expected to not only maintain their success but continue growing. “The president of CUBE always says, ‘If you stop now, there’s no spotlight later,'” says Soojin. It honestly sounds terrifying. They laugh, even as they nod in agreement.

But Yuqi knows there’s a middle ground to be struck and she wants to have fun in the process. “Of course, every time we’re successful, then the next time everybody will have even more expectations for us — like, what will their next color be, what will their style be? Instead of getting pressured, we can enjoy it, we just do what we want to do. We show who and what (G)I-DLE is — that’s the only goal for us.”

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[zencribnotes]

Fanfic Questions Meme: 3, 7, 20, 51

3). What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

This is a little tough considering that I kinda don’t really talk or interact with fandom anymore outside of making fanfic or engaging in convos on dreamwidth or some friends on tumblr, so I haven’t personally ever been in like... the “community.” One is that it’s overwhelming and it’s only so much interaction on Skype or Tumblr before the conversation just becomes party white noise while I occupy myself with food or drink. In fact, I think I am/was 99% that person trying to edge into conversations like a kid at the big table (only now I’m older). I was as really awkward kid trying to hedge into the big kids’ table.

But I think that, by virtue of its diversity of titles and age range, the FF community has a lot of good interaction and discussion topics because of being able to compare lore and similarity of themes in a way that keeps for better tracking (and good fanfic). I think that FFXII fandom made the most interesting fic and the FFVII fandom made the most emotionally cathartic ones, for better or worse. The dedicated FF 1-6 people are really dedicated and FFX fandom makes really great lore discussion too. FF comm also has that timeless feel where it’s not really congested with new memetic fandom themes of the day or other TV Tropic vibes, so it always has something for everyone. 

I also like Tales Of fandom because of similar reasons and also its cultivationjoying  the silly things from the games  because the games  all indulge in silly and slice-of-life interactions for character development and expansion which I think allows for more creative flexibility. 

This is obviously barring intense shipping debates. 

7). NOTPS are something that I tend to fluctuate in feeling as I grow older or re-tread stuff, but from FF it’s definitely Kain/Lightning due to the frustrating way Dissidia 012 wrote Lightning in it and her interaction to Kain, and while I understand why it’s mega popular, I have to deal with measure of bubbling resentment in the face of its plethora of fan content as a result of my biased feels. 

I also generally don’t like ships with large age gaps (although Fire Emblem Echoes has definitely made me rethink on that for one pairing), so Auron/Rikku wasn’t really a big thing for me. Mostly because I don’t see it and also because i was 16 when I played FFX and that feeling of squick is not leaving me anytime soon. 

Due to the massive shipping options in the Fire Emblem games, I fear showing my NOTPS might unleash a box of wasps for those who take offense (which I understand as I am viscerally wont to do sometimes), so it’s gonna be the ones whose writing are similar to the above NOTP reasons. 

But in games where the main character is a customizable semi-bland personality self-insert, I actually generally don’t go into Main Character/Other character a lot because I like party members with other party members generally. So actually, I don’t dig into Hawke/Anyone, Shepherd/Anyone, or so on a whole lot. Although this is the opposite for me in the Persona series. However, Male Human MC in DAO gets the distinction of not wanting to ship him to any lady. Mostly because of the relationship dialogue at times. 

Foe-shipping is def not a thing for me. Not unless the foe becomes like Vegeta and becomes this weird ally-rival. 

20). Can’t believe I’m hankering for a 17-year old teenager getting with a 34-year old man in Fire Emblem Echoes. This is like the bane of games featuring teen heroes, so I guess I gotta make age AUs where one is slightly aged up or aged down while keeping that generational thing. Or do that (age)/2 + 7  au. 

I also can’t believe that Dissidia 012 made me think of Laguna/Lightning as a thing. Then again, Raine is kinda like a less intense Lightning without other baggage. 

51). rant time: I can’t believe I am so into a Nintendo game with such fierce devotion as Fire Emblem starting with Awakening and Fates, with the most thought process in the latter, and yet one storyline in the latter is frustrating trash which left me with like a giant bitter aftertaste towards half the entire character roster as a result of that first impression. It’s like a big love/hate divide towards it and yet I can’t stop thinking about it. Why do I have to do the legwork to make the canon better than it is, and also why does it just highlight the weakness of the creators of the fiction to the point that it makes me want to disavow the whole story. And it’s not just this one thing, it’s also a lot of other things. Like, why do we in fanfic land have to do this level of Death of the Author for the sake of better interaction with the text, when sometimes it just shows the weakness of the people who made it. Or even the cultural differences, since in like anime and Japanese video games we have to unpack a text through a different cultural lens which, honestly, 8/10 people just don’t get or if they do just revert to Western dialogue to describe it. Which, y’know, in some situations is a valid route to go through if we go into academic postcolonial theory, but how many times in the decade and a half of my life on the internet where people are being schooled into the basics of anime themes and symbolism and pop culture?  

[daesaurus]

Meaning of flowers in EXO The War teasers

Note: the quality of screenshots is shit, because I used screenshots from YT so if some kind soul would let me use their edits (with credits of course!) it would be amazing and you’d get my love forever. And this is a long post. Really long.

So. We all have seen teasers, the aesthetics are incredible, our boys look amazing and all the songs sound like they’ll be #1 on charts. But there was something that intrigued me.

The flowers.

I mean they could give them just for aesthetics and to get the summer and tropical vibes.

But what if they didn’t?

So I checked all the meanings in the Internet and I have so many tabs opened that it keeps crashing, but I’m writing this post anyway.

(the order of screenshots is random)

So, here on the wall with the KoKo Bop (clever, clever) we can see yellow hibiscus flowers. What the Internet says about it?

This is considered a very feminine flower and so is usually given or worn by women. In North America especially, a hibiscus means a perfect wife or woman.

In Victorian times, giving a hibiscus meant that the giver was acknowledging the receiver’s delicate beauty.

In China, hibiscuses symbolize the fleeting and beauty of fame or personal glory. It is given to both men and women.

The hibiscus is the unofficial national flower of Haiti. A yellow species called the Hawaiian hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei) became the Hawaiian official state flower in 1988, despite it not being native to Hawaii. This is Hawaii’s second official state flower. The first was the red hibiscus (Hibiscus kokio) which was native to Hawaii. Fame is fleeting.

Hibiscus flowers are delicate and very beautiful just as young women appear to be, so hibiscuses often symbolize young women.

White stands for purity, beauty and the female. Yellow is associated with happiness, sunshine and good luck. Pink is not only the favorite color of many little girls. It also stands for friendship and all kinds of love, not just romantic love. Purple is associated with mystery, knowledge and the higher classes. Red is a symbol of love and passion.

Youth, fame and beauty are very much like hibiscus flowers, which have short lives. Although the flowers may die, they do grow back as long as their bush or tree is cared for. Enjoy beautiful moments while they last.

(source)

I’ve bolded the most important things that are the meaning in Asian countries and the colour. Also, the interesting this is that the person who discovered it was a doctor in Roman army, so we have some connection with the war theme. Basically, for me the flower means “we’re happy because of our victiories and we hope for more with your help so take care of us”. (and it's delicious with black tea, really, try it)

There’s also Xiumin with flower tucked in his shirt but I can’t tell what it is, sorry.

Woah, where do I start? Okay, Mr.Mullet Baek looks the simpliest. I believe these are raspberries. Again, what can we find about it? “The blood red hue of raspberries naturally allied them with passion, energry, health and the primal forces of creation. (...) Other associations for red inculde sexuality, good fortune (Japan and China) alterness and happy marriages (India).” Here it is. We have good fortune, passion and energy. It matches the hibiscus flower. But it’s just colour, what does the fruit mean? “In the Victorian Language of Flowers raspberries symbolize the heart or kindness” - If it isn’t our Baek the I don’t know what it is. Also, the raspberries are believed to come from Asia.

Then we have Minseok in blue shirt (I believe it's him because of album details' photos, he wears the same shirt). He has anthurium flower.

“The anthurium flower is known universally as a symbol of hospitality, as this exotic beauty thrives in nearly any location in the home or office. It requires little care other than watering and occasional fertilizing and tolerates a wide range of light conditions. As a cut flower, the blooms are long-lasting and retain their beauty and form in floral bouquets. They are often used in bridal bouquets or other wedding arrangements. As a potted plant, the anthurium plant symbolizes abundance and happiness to the home. It makes a delightful hostess or housewarming gift for this reason. “ (source) White colour of the flower also means innocence and purity. (don't try to fool us, we've seen xiudaddy on the stage, innocence my ass)

I have no idea who's next to him and I can't really recognize the flowers. I only see the white ones, which are clearly lilies of the valley. I don't know the orange and pink ones, sorry. The flower means sweetness (probably because of the scent, it's so beautiful), return to happiness, humility and chastity. It is also said to bring luck in love. And it’s white, so of course - purity. (source, source) The return to happiness is the most important to me. Other flowers also were connected to happiness and I think it matches the songs we heard in the teasers, at least to me.

I tried to find this flower even though I can’t really see it. I think it could be either peony, carnation or eustoma. My best guess is peony, because it has really big meaning in China, especially the red ones. Peony:

Honor, especially for people who are bringing honor to their entire family through success

Wealth and riches

Romance and romantic love, with a particular focus on love between two strangers

Beauty in all forms

Bashfulness and shame (in Victorian era)

“The Peony is most important in Chinese culture. This stunning flower is an official emblem of China, and it plays a big role in many holidays and religious traditions. It’s the flower with the longest continual use in Eastern culture, and it’s tied in deeply with royalty and honor in those societies. The Chinese name for Peony even translates to “most beautiful”.“ (source)

The second guess is carnation, because there are special meanings for this flower in Korea, but I can’t see any to the connection to the mv. Carnation:

Love

Fascination

Distinction

“Korean Culture: The Koreans use the carnation to foretell the fortune of young girls. Upon placing three freshly cut carnations in her hair, the young girl is charged with observing which of the three will die first. If the top flower dies off first, it indicates that the latter years of the girl’s life will be filled with strife. If the middle flower fades first, it indicates she will experience turmoil during her youth. If the lower flower dies and fades first, it indicates that the young woman will face great challenges throughout her lifetime.” Also, every flower has its own meaning, depending on colour. Light red means admiration, dark red love and affection and yellow disappointment and rejection. I couldn’t find orange ones, but the colour itself means energy, passion and enthusiasm. The name of the flower is also interesting, it is believed to come from word “crown”, because it was often used in coronation ceremonies. So, yeah, bit of royal concept here. (source)

My last guess is eustoma, mostly because it’s tropical flower and it naturally comes in orange. Eustoma:

Long and happy life

Contentment and peace with what you already have

Appreciation for peace and joy in your life

Heartfelt emotions towards someone else

Friendliness and congeniality

Portraying an air of charisma and charm

Admiration for a supportive or loving friend

Sweetness and kindness towards others and yourself

The desire to be more outgoing.

(source)

An orange eustoma means love, but not in romantic way, rather friendship as in “I appreciate you as my friend and I want you to know that I love you”. I also bolded joy in life, because it matches other flowers that we’ve seen earlier.We’ll see soon what flower it is. Our cotton candy boy has also a flower on his shoe somewhere, but it’s lily of the valley, which I described before. And I’ve seen that he has different flower in Baekhyun’s teaser, but, again, I can’t tell what it is. It looks similar to the ones that I described before but it’s pink.

Here we can see KoKo Bop burger Baek wearing lilies of the valley again. But I’m more interested in Jongdaes’ flowers. Again these are the ones that I can’t really tell the species, but I’m guessing gladiolus red-yellow hybrid or amaryllis.

Gladiolus:

Strength of character

Faithfulness, sincerity and integrity

Infatuation

Never giving up

Honor, remembrance

As you can hear in the name, it’s connected to the Gladiators, it’s also called “the sword-flower”. These flowers are considerated to come from Africa or Asia. Red means love (what a surprise),  yellow cheerfulness and pink feminity. The problem with this flower is that it’s too small to be the flower on Chen’s chest. But don’t worry, we can see the flower in Chanyeol’s photo (what’s with him and flowers that mean feminity?)

See? The flowers are way too small to be on Chen’s jacket. So we’ll go with amaryllis, which is better because it’s tropical, like the rest, and it’s big enough.

Amaryllis means pride, but in a good way. Red means passion, love and beauty, but in China it’s also a lucky flower. Yellow means happiness, luck and good times ahead. Purple means royality and spiritual side of life. (source)

We can’t forget the most important flower, which is one of the logos. It’s flower called “bird of paradise” and it means:

the 9th wedding anniversary for a married couple

Freedom and the ability to travel, due to the flower’s resemblance to birds in flight

Magnificence, excellence and success

Royalty and a regal bearing

Paradise on Earth

Joy through challenges and successes alike

Faithfulness in romantic relationships

Optimism towards the future (source)

I’ll add more info about flowers after today’s teaser. I’ll also try to include other flowers that we can see in promo photos. For now the mean message is happiness, good luck and looking towards future. So basically “we’re kings and we’ll slay this comeback, hope you’ll be happy with our new album”.