#and B. it was for a performance of a specific song she had to do for her final in that class

[tj-crochets]

Thanks everybody! What I have learned so far is the difference between sight reading and just like...playing music, and also that I should have specified: The people I knew who played instruments in high school were all in the marching band

Hey y'all! Weird question time, this time music related, specifically for people who play any instruments*: When playing a song**, do you normally memorize the song and then choose what to play from a variety of songs you've memorized how to play, or do you play by sight-reading sheet music? edited to add: my mom always called it sight reading, but apparently sight reading is just reading sheet music for the first time as you play it? I mean, I do that too, but I thought it meant playing any music as you read it, even if you've read it before, as long as you haven't like specifically memorized it *probably besides instruments where you play a chord at a time like guitar or ukulele but I might be limited by my own skill level on those so idk

**not a song you wrote yourself or are improvising, a preexisting piece of music written by someone else

[spanktony]

prologue. | WHERE DO YOU SLEEP? — YU JIMIN.

𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀 — y/n, a rising music producer, has built her dream career while keeping her personal life under wraps. karina, aespa’s leader, is preparing for a huge comeback with a mini album produced and written by the one and only y/n.

karina knows this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and she has to nail it. the only problem is, she may be a bit distracted by her producer.

something about their connection feels different—like maybe it's worth the risk of prying eyes. but how much will they give up to chase after what they want?

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 — none.

𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 — 1.3k

𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲— dude, i've been writing this series like crazy to the point im almost finished. and i HATE the first 3-4 chapters because they're kinda boring bruh. but happy new years guys! enjoy!

taglist — open!

series masterlist. main masterlist. next.

the first few months back in seoul were nice.

actually, more than nice, it was everything you hoped for after being on the road bouncing from city to city.

you had just gotten off a mini u.s. tour, with a big emphasis on mini because it was only around seven cities in total. but even that small stretch was a whirlwind of airport terminals, crowded venues, and late nights in hotel rooms that all started to blend together.

you had missed seoul, specifically your grandmother's house, because that is where most of your childhood memories took place.

born in new york, you were adopted by two of the kindest people you'd ever known. your parents met in the city, fell in love, and decided to start a family through adoption. your mom, who was korean, made sure you spent every summer in seoul with your grandma so you could stay connected to your roots—learning the language and culture firsthand.

it was her way of preserving what mattered, and you were grateful for it. those summers with your grandma was something you'd cling onto till eternity.

your parents did an amazing job of raising you—big props to them.

now, at 22, you were five years into your career in music. producer, singer-songwriter, performer—if it involved music, you were all in.

things had moved fast: two grammys out of the four nominations, three spotify 1 billion streams plaques that all hung proudly in your studio, and countless music festivals under your belt. you had done everything, from coachella to lollapalooza to bonnaroo and a slew of others.

though you were proud of all you'd achieved, the constant performing was beginning to take its toll. you needed a break from the spotlight, from the endless cycle of promotions and tours. you loved the hell out of your fans, but man you were tired.

so, when you told your management you wanted to step back from performing and focus on writing and producing, they were hesitant. they had their plans for you, but they knew better than to argue when you were so adamant. they respected your decision, and now here you were, doing exactly what you wanted. helping others create music, being behind the scenes rather than on stage, where you could breathe easier.

after months of your team sending your demos out to various artists, you finally got a callback from smtown. saying you were nervous was an understatement. the nerves had settled in your chest and stayed there, a heavy weight that didn't want to go away.

you had written this demo with a friend a few months ago, and it was one of your favorites. it was a little different from the usual songs you produced, and it was a risk. but when the call came, your team couldn't have been more supportive. you were excited but terrified at the same time.

that brings you to today, a month later, sitting in the lobby of the smtown building.

your legs bounced uncontrollably as you stared at the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes until the meeting started. you were early—not too early—but the wait was killing you. the lobby was quiet, which was unusual since the building was constantly buzzing with artists coming and going. the company was big on privacy, though. they always tried to make sure no one was photographed, and you respected them for it.

your manager sat beside you, cool as always, one hand scrolling through his phone while the other rested casually on his knee. you had known him since you were 19, fresh to the music scene and pretty much a mess. he was assigned to keep your career on track, and while he took his job seriously, he didn’t have the whole uptight vibe that most other people in the industry did. he was cool, collected, and a little sassy, which you appreciated more than you'd like to admit.

"seriously, can you stop moving so much?" he said, not even looking up from his phone. "you're making me dizzy just watching you."

"i'm just... excited," you mumbled, forcing yourself to sit still. "i can't help it."

he rolled his eyes dramatically and shook his head. "excited? you look like you're about to pass out. you do know that they already liked your song, right? they called us in."

"yeah, i know," you replied, trying to shake the jitters. "but, you know... they could change their minds. or something."

"or something," he mimicked. a glare shot his way, one that he didn't seem to mind at all. he was used to your glares. he had dealt with them for the last three years, after all. "please. just relax, okay? i'm sure it'll go well."

you nodded, taking a deep breath.

glancing down at your phone to see your mom's text, smiling to yourself. she always knows how to make you feel at home, even from halfway across the world.

mom ❤️: tell your dad that he's too old for tiktok. he keeps trying to dance.

you snicker. a response from your father quickly comes, adding another grey bubble to your screen from your family's group chat.

dad 💙: tell your mom to mind her own business and to get off my phone!

you slip your phone back into your pocket as your manager taps your shoulder, his hand lingering on your shoulder before he gestures for you to follow him.

you rise from the seat, following behind him as another figure begins leading him. lots of leading. so many twists and turns. and then an elevator, which the three of you step into, where you immediately blow a quick raspberry, the sound loud and a little childish. the corners of your mouth twitch as you try to stifle a laugh.

you glance up at your manager, who doesn't seem to mind the odd noise at all—he's used to you and your little ways. when you look at the other man, he looks surprised but intrigued. you think he's trying not to laugh as well.

stepping off the elevator and rounding a corner of the building, you pull the brim of your hat down a bit more with your right hand, hoping to cover a little more of your face. it's a nervous habit that's stuck with you since the beginning of your career.

your manager, walking just ahead, casts a quick glance back at you. his expression is neutral, but there's a certain glint in his eyes that tells you he's as excited as you are, if not more. the other man—a member of the smtown staff, you assume—keeps pace, a very fast pace, as he's much taller than either of you.

curse tall people and their long legs.

the three of you finally stop outside a room marked 115.

your manager turns to look at you, a smile on his face.

"this is it," he says. "are you ready?"

silence.

karina's eyes are unfocused, staring after your footsteps that are moving further and further away. it's an early morning, and the group has been called into the company's building for an important meeting revolving around their upcoming comeback. it had been a long couple of months since their last project, and everyone was eager to dive into new material.

the sound of her manager's voice, calling her name, pulls her out of her reverie.

"karina?"

she blinks, her gaze snapping back toward the voice that is holding the boardrooms' main door open, awaiting her entrance. karina blinks a few more times, her eyes refocusing as she shakes off the lingering thoughts of the stranger she had just seen.

she's usually good at recognizing people in this building, but she doesn't know who the person is. the black new york yankees hat was pulled so low over their face that she couldn't make out any features.

"karina," her manager calls again, a little louder.

"yes, sorry, i'm coming."

she steps into the boardroom, a small room with a long, sleek table and a whiteboard at the front of the room. several of her fellow members are already seated at the table, along with their managers and a couple of other staff members.

series masterlist. main masterlist. next.

[jamiepaige]

Constant Companions Closeup #2: NOT QUITE THERE

(also on spotify!)

b-b-back once again

Round two of the Constant Companions Closeups - a series of in-depth dives into the songs off of my latest album, Constant Companions! Yesterday was track one, Dyad - today is track two, Not Quite There, featuring the incomparable telebasher!

This one's a bit of a dark horse relative to the rest of the album, but it may very well be my personal favorite song on the entire thing so dammit let's Yap

---

For the uninitiated, this song pulls heavily from a song off my previous album called Gummyworm, both in vibe and by very directly quoting its synth motif.

Both of these songs deal with two sides of the same emotional coin. I actually don't want to go into too much detail about it - I feel like the lyrics spell things out clearly enough - but I will say this:

When it's all you know, it's easy to believe that a love that isolates you, a love that doesn't respect you, a love that hurts is better than no love at all.

You deserve better. There are always people who genuinely want what's best for you, who want you to feel truly loved. It certainly isn't always easy - it's genuinely good if your interpersonal relationships have a little friction sometimes - but love should make your life brighter.

You deserve a love that's fair.

---

The original version of this song was actually intended to be on Bittersweet alongside Gummyworm. The original concept for that album had a whole heady concept involving duality, songs reflecting each other, the two halves basically being reprisals of each other... Ultimately, I'm glad I scrapped that idea, because it was waaaaaay too much for me to manage after a couple years of barely making music. Maybe I'll revisit it someday though?

The drums on this song are sampled from an Instagram post by Louis Cole, where he's doing this crazy one-handed hi-hat blast by holding a drumstick sideways. I'm a drummer and that shit genuinely scares me a little like i dont know how he does half the things he does its fucked BUT. I bring this up because he's one of my biggest inspirations as a musician! I'm really big on jazz in general, in case my love for spicy chords wasn't enough of an indication, but his specific brand of freaky hyperactive bullshit just does it for me.

Seriously, go watch his band KNOWER play their song Overtime. Absolutely insane performances across the board. also Clown Core

This whole song is really just my attempt at matching some of that hectic jazzy energy with my own style of music, so I figured it only made sense to make it another collab with another musician making delightfully frantic jazz bullshit - the legend herself, telebasher! I really am such a massive fan of her work, and I struggle to think of anyone who plays guitar quite like she does. We previously worked together on another Bittersweet track, Asemic Speech, and her guitar work is a major reason why that song is still one of my favorite I've ever released!! She's just built different like listen to this oh my god!!!!

Lastly, since this song was one of the first written for this entire project... it is admittedly a case of me shoehorning the album's leitmotif in after the fact. It's a little forced when it shows up in the backing vocals! But, the choir of vocal synths during the guitar solo served an additional purpose - my own voice doesn't show up on the album again for another four entire songs, and this would've otherwise been the only song on the entire album that didn't feature any vocal synths. Thus did I attempt to bridge the gap, as it were. Hopefully it makes the final product feel more natural!!

Either way, that's all for today's post.... i think.... which means that tomorrow.... we're gonna rot.... for clout

[venuscnjunctpluto]

Astro pt. 5

(I think it’s part 5😭)

* As a Venus conjunct pluto, Im so jealous of my cousins w Venus trine Pluto. They can easily become popular and have women drawn to them without as much drama.

*gemini rising babies are so much fun they smile so much as babies (shoutout to my niece and little cousin🥰)

* i have sun conjunct Neptune and people have compared me to a fairy

*cardi b has venus in the 8th (and a Scorpio venus i think) and she paid to get two strippers offset cheated w beat up. Scorpionic women + cheaters are a baddd combination.

*gwenyth Paltrow recently got body shamed and told to eat but shes also has a Pisces rising. They usually are very thin or have fragile looking bodies

*first house is also personality and my experience w Pluto in 1st people they are very very dominant. They’re friends follow them around, they’re used to getting their way, they have eyes on them at all times which can give them bad anxiety.

*Mars in the 2nd house men have some niceeeeeee voices like they’re so deep you can pick their voice out in a crowd

*I’ve seen Chiron in 11th be bullied as kids and grow up and become bullies. Also they might have a traumatic relationship with being in front of a camera. (Avoiding recording themselves or taking pictures)

*Virgo risings have some cool moms (sag in 4th)

*also Aries in 11th can get told they do too much on social media (posting too much or over sharing)

* I notice famous women who people claim are everywhere (basically overexposed) or in too many roles for actresses usually are Lilith dominant. (Ex: Jennifer Lawrence, GiGi Hadid, Megan thee stallion, Anne Hathaway) are they overexposed or are y’all just jealous?😭

*venus in the 1st can lead to jealousy it’s not always love and admiration. For ex: my friend saw this guy around our dorm and thought he was cute so she followed him on ig. Mind you a lot of girls in our dorm thought he was attractive (he had pluto in 1st) and many talked about him😭 well my friend saw his gf on his page and obviously left it alone but his gf picked her out of all the girls who lusted after him to be threatened by. Well his gf was an early degree cancer Venus and my friend has a Gemini Venus at 19 degrees so her Venus was in my friends 1h. She was clearly bothered by my friend specifically following him because she found her to be attractive.

*Three girls who talked about me behind my back and tried to bully me all had Aries venuses. One had my rising conjunct her Venus exactly.

*ONCE again mercury pluto are liars idk if it’s because they think they can get away w it or what but Sza has a conjunction and my good sis lies for no reason

*aqua Venus women are usually bisexual or lesbians

*Doja cat is a good example of Uranus-asc. I have a tight orb sextile and I’ve worn adventure time doc martens, strawberry earrings, bright orange hair. Think of Harper from wizards of waverly place.

*a good song for that aspect is “Secrets” by Mary Lambert. “I rock mom jeans, cat earrings, extrapolate my feelings”😮‍💨

*sun conjunct asc could make someone resemble their father or act just like their dad and I think Doja does resemble her father a lot

* also she has Saturn in 5th and her father was an actor/performer. Also she complained about working too much and many people w this aspect feel like the fun is delayed and comes after work or they very strict on themselves in fun environments. Let loose yall💕💕

* my favorite mercury sign is Taurus😭 they have beautiful voices but the way the cuss people out is so iconic to me (ex: azealia banks)

*it’s messy to bring him up after doja but idgaf😭 Joseph Quinn has mars conjunct Uranus. A lot of eddie munson’s mannerisms were erratic and I think mar-Uranus plus his aqua placements made eddie so great at the role.

*also I notice a lot of heartthrobs or men twitter went crazy for at some point have aqua placements (timothee chalamet, Harry styles, Justin Bieber, Joseph Quinn, Noah centineo, Pedro pascal) it’s opposite of Leo so I think people keep forgetting the attention magnet can go for aquas too esp online.

*since i mentioned the show another example of Venus-Neptune synastry could be Mason and Alex. All the art references, him hiding what he really was until he couldn’t, and the fears of cheating and deceit.

*a mix of Virgo, libra, and Leo can make someone the person who tries to help everyone. They will bring you food if you haven’t eaten and also lecture you but it’s coming from a good place. I think people forget how sweet Leo placements can be (ex: Bella hadid for someone who grew up w money she’s very humble and you can see this in multiple instances. For example sza thanked her for helping fix her hair at the met gala)

* she also have Venus conjunct ascendant which I think makes someone’s Venus traits stand out. I’ve noticed people w Venus square their ascendant don’t really openly express love for people and can even get called “cold” esp by family members.

*She also has Saturn in the 7th which could mean dating older partners or partners w cap placements. The Weeknd was older than her and he has a cap Venus + mars.

*certain placements can get away w a lot. Chris brown has a history of abuse yet women seem to still support him (moon conjunct Venus). He also has mars opposite Uranus which is a temper problem indicator

* fixed risings 🤝 pixie cuts/bobs (ex: Marilyn Monroe, Halle Berry, Zendaya, demi Lovato)

[lady-arc-art]

THEORY: “Welcome Home, my son…”

For a while I wondered why puppets are used specifically to help tell the story of this ARG? Then it was brought to my attention from another Welcome Home fan that maybe there are some parallels to the story of Pinocchio. In versions of the story, Geppetto had a real son that passed away and from his grief he created a wooden puppet that looked like his son, who would later become Pinocchio.

I also think it kind of is that way because there’s a big emphasis on family and children/babies in this update. With Howdy’s family coming over for the Homewarming, Julie and Frank trying to get everyone to be quiet so they don’t wake up the flowers and bugs that are hibernating (which is something parents do when they don’t want any loud noises that could wake up a sleeping baby), and the commercials targeted towards children, also Frank singing a lullaby and Wally singing a song about children going to a place called Toy Land and never leaving.

Then it hit me, sorry if any of this sounds fanfic-y or if I’m reaching a bit, but this is what think could be going on.

In the early-mid 60s, Ronald Dorelaine was a children’s entertainer, specializing in puppetry. He ran a troupe with some of his other puppeteer friends called “The Playfellow Puppets” and they would put on little puppet shows as part of the children’s theater slot at the local community centers.

The cast of characters included (and in order of creation): Julie Joyful (she was the first created since she’s a simple hand rod puppet), Frank Frankly, Eddie Dear, Sally Starlight, Howdy Pillar, and Poppy Partridge.

Since a part of me feels like almost everyone else was created before Wally and Home also it would make sense if Poppy was kind of “new” since she’s the most complex puppet to operate.

Ronald Dorelaine had a young son who would often tag along during his father’s performances, and his son’s named was Walliford, but sometimes his dad would call him “Wally.” Walliford was very fascinated with his father’s work and the characters he created, and one of his favorite things to do was draw and paint, hoping that someday he would create something when he grows up just like his father. Walliford even helped Ronald come up with a new character for “The Playfellow Puppets.” Barnaby B. Beagle. A blue dog that was inspired by one of his son’s drawings.

Which would explain this.

Ronald’s puppet shows started becoming so popular that it even started gaining attention from producers of a local tv station (sort of similar to PBS) where they offered Ronald the idea to turn his puppet show into a television series. Ronald took up on the offer, and the show began to develop. However a tragedy would soon happen….

Ronald was a heavy smoker (hence why there is a a big emphasis on cigarette ads in the recent update):

One day when trying to discard a cigarette before Ronald had to leave the house (possibly to go to a last minute meeting with the producers that would be helping him develop his new tv show). However he was unaware that the cigarette was still lit, and it set a fire to his home. Ronald was safe because he wasn’t in the house at the time of the fire, but his son Walliford was nowhere to be found and his body was never recovered so he’s presumed dead.

(Probably hinted at when Home’s eyes turned red in the commercial compilations)

I also think maybe Eddie’s puppeteer was a witness or somehow involved with this incident (possibly because he agreed to watch Walliford while his dad went out) since I noticed during his breakdown, everything turned bright red and Eddie looks like he feels guilty about something, hence why he’s sweating and Home appears to be starring him down as if he did something.

From his grief and in order to cope with the loss of his son, Ronald created a new character as a tribute to him. Wally Darling, and from there the plot of the show changed. The show would now be about a neighborhood, all of the previous characters would be neighbors with Wally Darling, who would now be the lead of the show. Ronald also added some traits that were present in Walliford, such as his love for art and his friendship with Barnaby (who was Walliford’s favorite of the group) for the new Wally character.

Then for a last minute edition, Ronald included a sentient home for Wally to live in. The Home was meant to keep Wally the puppet safe and to watch out for him, which was something he wasn’t able to do for his son.

Hence why the title of the show changed to “Welcome Home,” since to him he wanted it to feel like his son now has a second chance at life and he’s finally back home where he belongs. Almost like saying “Welcome home, my son.”

However none of this was enough for Ronald, even though he created a new character to keep Walliford’s memory alive, it was hard for him to find a puppeteer to play Wally because it wasn’t the same. All he really wanted was his son back and he would go to whatever means necessary even if it means going to the extreme. He later came across “the entity” and made a wish for Wally Darling to become real (like how Geppetto wished for Pinocchio to be real and The Blue Fairy brought him to life). And with that his wish came true. Wally was now sentient without the use of puppeteer.

I kind of believe this to be the case because Wally to me feels like the odd man out, everyone else feels lively and zany since they’re real people, while Wally just feels like a blank slate, with the way he speaks sounding very monotone. Here there was a bit of an innocence to Wally since he’s always learning things for the first time and asking questions about certain concepts and feelings, since he was literally a puppet brought to life and “the baby” of the group. However the producers, and parents watching the show didn’t think it was odd since they thought Wally was like this since he was meant to be a character that children can project themselves onto.

However what everyone didn’t know is that the entity that helped bring Wally to life manifested it’s way into the show possessing The Home puppet, and since Wally had no one attached to a real person playing him, the entity used Wally as a vessel to carry out their agenda. Day after day, the show started to go more and more off the rails, but what was really happening was through Wally the entity started to brainwash each of the puppeteers into believing that they were the actual characters, possibly by using the sleeping pills advertised in the commercials, or there was foul play on Ronald’s end and he gave all his puppeteers the sleeping pills to “put them out of their misery.”

By 1974, Ronald tried to put a stop to the entity, and he had no other choice but to end the show and destroy all the evidence that it ever happened. Ronald himself also began to slowly disappear from the public eye and he hasn’t been seen since then.

For years “Welcome Home” has gone on being a lost media, until now.

That’s not the end of story, because it turns out the real Wally Darling, Walliford Dorelaine, is actually still alive, but he has amenesia from the incident and he was no memories of his previous life. Doesn’t know what his real name is (it probably started with a W) or who his parents were, which is why he was never brought back to Ronald. By the time Walliford grew up, his friends started talking about this mysterious puppet show that was on TV years ago called “Welcome Home” which was kind of like Sesame Street, but they all thought it was some kind of urban legend. Then suddenly Walliford started getting all these tattered artwork and pictures of merchandise from the show they were talking about, and he showed it to his friends and together they formed The Welcome Home Restoration Group to try and uncover the mysterious Welcome Home show.

Walliford however started experiencing strange feelings both physically and mentally. There were times when he doubted if the show was even real, but whenever he did have any doubt, he had dreams and hallucinations of Wally Darling trying to communicate with him through the phone and he also starts seeing all these strange video clips from the show itself sprinkled throughout the website that he and the team built. The team however started growing concerned for Walliford thinking that he “lost his mind” so they kindly tried to distance themselves from him while they are trying to rebrand the site after seeing that Walliford was trying to communicate with what he believed to be Wally Darling haunting the site, before they shut it down.

This only caused Walliford to create his own website with his own evidence, since it seems like his own restoration team is starting to mistrust him, and now he’s going to get to the bottom of this all by himself.

But what they all don’t know is that Walliford’s connection to “Welcome Home” goes much deeper than that, as it’s in his blood.

[jhilsara]

I Can See You

Pt. 1/ Pt. 2/ Pt. 3/ Pt. 4/ Pt. 5/pt. 6/Pt. 7/Pt. 8/Pt. 9/ Pt. 10/

Pt. 11/ Pt.12/Pt.13/Pt. 14/Pt.15/Pt.16/Pt.17/END

Mariana Jimenez-Watson or MJ works in a normal pub living life paycheck to paycheck. Nothing exciting happens to her except the occasional drunk getting thrown out. She's 24 working away and finds a wrench thrown into her very boring life. His name is Hobie and she thinks maybe, a little excitement isn't awful. In fact she might start to crave some change for once.

Small moments of Hobie meeting his world's MJ. AKA I made an MJ variant and I think she's neat.

Chapter 13

Hobie’s over and they’re both just lounging on her couch. It’s a rare day she has off and so far, nothing crazy has happened to set off Hobie’s police scanner. He had been coming over more often. When he's not at her flat, she’s managed to wiggle her way onto his house boat a time or two. It’s nice for them to hang out and it not be at her place of work. Not that she doesn’t enjoy the pub, but she can’t have any intimate moments with Hobie.

Not that she’s trying to be intimate with Hobie, but they’ve definitely been touchier as of recent…

By touchy she means actively kissing her friend, who she doesn’t think she’s dating and doesn’t want to ask if they are. Mostly because she doesn’t know how she would even want him to answer.

Which is why instead of over analyzing her feelings for her best friend she’s instead choosing to push it under the surface and try to just enjoy the moments she does have.

She’s laying on the couch but her legs are drapped on top of Hobie’s. One of his hands sits in between her thighs, just holding her in place. His other hand is lazily drumming a soundless tune on her leg. His attention only half on the television playing in the background. His full attention is really on her as she tries to curate a perfect playlist for them.

“Should I organize it in a specific order or just let it shuffle?” She asks mindlessly as she’s scrolling through her music.

“It’s a classic mixtape if ya plan it out yea? Make the order matter right?” He hums to her in suggestion.

“Mmm I didn’t think about it like that. Oh!” She has an idea and sits up to look at him better. “What if we did it like a real mix tape? Side A and Side B, but like we curate one side each.” She says with a bright smile.

He nods in agreement, “I like that. So that’s ten songs each yeah?”

She makes a small noise of satisfaction and plops back down. “Let’s put them on a separate playlist and we can share them together when it’s done, it’ll be a surprise.” She suggests.

They had been doing this for the past couple of hours, just sharing music. MJ suggested they make a playlist to share with each other. It’s escalated into this mixtape.

She’s tapping away on her phone scrolling through song after song, “I don’t know if it’s harder or better that I only get to pick ten songs…” She murmurs to herself.

Hobie’s just watching her with a small smile tugging at his lips. It’s a real peaceful moment between them.

“Choices, choices, choices.” He whispers back leaning toward her.

She looks up from her phone to see him hovering over her with a smile. She pulls her phone against her chest.

“No cheating! It’s not fair if you look before I’m done. That ruins the point of sharing music.” She says giggling.

He rolls his eyes but backs away, keeping his hands on her thighs. “Fine fine, I won’t look.” He leans back into the couch and starts tapping an unknown rhythm against her leg.

Her face scrunches up as she looks through her songs, trying to find the songs she relates to. She is nervous about sharing her stuff with him though… Hobie actually writes and performs music. It’s a small added pressure she wasn’t expecting.

Hobie moves one of his hands to grab her cheek, making her look up at him.

“Relax, you’re thinking too hard about it.” He tells her in a soothing voice.

She rolls her eyes but gives him a soft smile, “I know but, I don’t know, I feel like I’m thirteen and you’ll be hyper critical over my music taste.” She mumbles.

He looks at her with a straight face, “I will be hyper critical.” He says in faux seriousness.

“Oh, piss off!” she laughs shoving him away. She readjusts herself to sit up and face him. “That’s not helpful.” She jokes.

He rolls his eyes, “MJ it’s fine. Whatever you put on there won’t change how I feel about ya. Relax.” He gives her a toothy smile and musses her hair.

She bats his hands away and frowns, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

He grabs her waist and pulls her to his lap, wrapping his arms around her and slotting his head on her shoulder. “It’s fiiiiiiiiiiine promise.” He presses a kiss to her cheek drawling out his words. 

She turns to look at him relaxing into his hold. She hums in satisfaction at his response.

“Okay, I need to get up or I’ll get sleepy like this.” She tells him starting to wiggle.

He groans in response and locks his arms around her, “Too late, I’ve trapped ya with my superior spider strength.” He tells her jokingly.

She laughs and tries to worm her way out of his hold. “That’s not fair!” She groans in response pushing down on his arms. Which are definitely not budging.

He just grunts as a reply and keeps his hold on her, his laugh vibrating down her back. It sends a chill through her spine.

She opens her mouth to respond to him but before she can they both hear the buzz of the police radio. Hobie sighs and shoves his face into her back, groaning in annoyance.

They both listen in and catch something about a break in down a block of locally owned storefronts.

He releases his grip on her, “Can’t steal from the giant corporations like the rest of us, gotta be the mom and pop shops.” He mutters under his breath.

She just chuckles in response and turns to face him, giving him a soft kiss.

“Guess you better go then tiger.” She says softly.

His face heats up, “That’s new.” He chuckles a bit looking down at her.

Her face burns red, “Do you not like it?” she asks now a little embarrassed.

“No, no, no! I liked it, just different is all.” He chuckles nervously.

“Oh my god, okay, go go! Moments over.” She covers her face in embarrassment.

He smiles and tugs her hands away pressing a soft kiss to her, “It’s cute, like it.”

He pulls away quickly and backs up to her balcony, pulling on his spider mask, “I’ll be back, promise.” He tells her shooting a web and diving off her balcony.

She rushes over to door and shouts after him, “You better come back!”

She sees him wave back to her before he’s gone from her sight. She sighs and fidgets for a moment before walking back to her couch.

She opens her phone and starts shuffling through her music.

Hobie comes back to her flat, tired and with a sore back. Upon entering he notices she’s laying on the couch. He tries to not make much noise and peaks over the couch to see her passed out, phone in hand and music softly playing.

He gives a soft snort and gently pries her phone from her hands. He opens it and sees she’s been meticulously crafting her portion of their shared mixtape. He grins to himself and starts the playlist from the start. He’s too enamored by the thought of her sitting here the whole time fussing over what songs she was going to pick, it has him grinning from ear to ear.

He sits and listens to the playlist in order, it only take around forty minutes, give or take. He sits on the edge of the couch running his hand lazily through MJ’s hair, she doesn’t move except to turn over once.

She’s a deep sleeper and he’s thankful for that right now. He’s crafting his half of the mixtape as the music pours from her speakers. He’s jotting them down in his head. It’ll be a pleasant surprise when she finds it.

Once he’s done listening he takes her phone and adds his own half. Some songs are easy to add, others he had to think on a little bit. One just makes him chuckle a bit and he doesn’t hesitate to add it.

He finishes adding his half and looks over it, checking it one last time to see if he wanted to make any changes.

He nods to himself and sets her phone down. He looks over to MJ on the couch and decides she should probably be in her bed, it was late.

He picks her up gently, nestling her in his arms. She makes a small noise but doesn’t wake up. She squirms for a moment pressing her face into his chest, searching for his warmth. He presses a soft kiss to her forehead and walks her to her room.

He lays her down and she rolls off of him easier than normal. She sighs and nuzzles into her pillow, getting more comfortable.

He covers his face turning away for a moment, finding the moment too sweet. He leaves her room and goes to take a shower. He knew he was going to stay at her place the moment they were lounging around all day. Her flat was just so comfortable…she was comfortable.

When MJ wakes up she’s in her bed and she feels strong arms around her waist. She turns to look over her shoulder and sees Hobie pressed against her. He’s wide awake and grins as he sees her looking at him sleepily.

“G’mornin’ sunshine.” He murmurs.

“What time is it?” She asks, her words slurring together groggily.

“Probably around one in the morning. Maybe later?” He whispers to her.

She sighs and nods her head. She wiggles herself so she’s facing him and wraps her arms around his waist bringing him closer to her. She shoves her face into his chest and mumbles something under her breath.

“What was that?” He asks amused.

She mumbles again, voice still too low and words mushed together for him to know.

“Missed you.” She says more clearly, looking up at him, face red.

He grins and moves one hand to pinch her cheek. “That’s cute, say it again.” He teases.

She groans and puts her face back into his chest, “Not happening.”

“Aww c’mon? You’re so cute when you get like this.” He grips onto her waist and rolls them so he’s on top of her. He looks down at her, with an amused smirk.

Her face is flushed as she looks up at him. “Stoooooop you’re so-” she rolls her eyes.

“So charming? Funny? Delightful?” He lists off with a chuckle.

She groans, “More like annoying.” She replies.

“Ouch!” He holds his hand over his heart in fake pain. He drops his weight onto her pinning her in place. “Ya wound me! My ego, it’s crushed!” he groans in pain.

She’s laughing but also shoving him off of her, “You’re the one who’s crushing me!”

“Guess I’ll just delete my half of the mixtape then, if I’m so annoying.” He goads grabbing for her phone.

She sits up and snatches it away from him. “What?! You added to it?” She’s immediately opening up her music and looking through what he’s added.

He’s smiling at her and shrugs his shoulders, “Ya had it open when you passed out.”

She whips her head to look at him, “Did you listen to it?” her eyes are wide as she looks at him, almost embarrassed.

He scratches the back of his head, “I did, couldn’t resist.” He leans forward to look at her closer, “Came back and you were napping phone in hand, music playin’… All I could see was your scrunched-up face trying to find the perfect songs.” He grins cheekily at her.

She shoves his shoulder lightly. “Can we listen to it together?” She asks softly.

He throws his head back and groans playfully. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her back down to lay in the bed. Nuzzling his face into her neck.

“So cute…” He mumbles into her. His breath fanning her neck, sending a shiver down her back.

“Hobie…” She drags out his name, almost in warning.

He hums and peaks up at her, “You’re just so cute, can’t help it.” He presses a kiss to her neck.

He pulls back and plucks the phone from her hand and presses play on the playlist. He moves her phone to her bedside table and drags her under the covers with him to snuggle. He slots his head back against her neck, arms clinging tightly to her waist. She in turn wraps her arms him and interweaves their legs together into a knot of limbs. Their breathing evening out as they listen to the music together.

They fall asleep to sound of each other’s hearts and shared songs.

Spotify Playlists can be found here: Mariana / Hobie

Please do not come for the music choices I made, I spent way to long on them and I stand by them. I will not take criticism on this, I will cry. I will add art to them later, but collectively this is about an hour of music.

Tag List: @missshelleyduvall

Message if you would like to be added to the tag list!

[aihoshiino]

Man, I think you gotta re-read from chapter 81 if you really think Ruby faced no consequences for the black hoshigan arc and hasn’t grown at all since. Like, she’s utterly alone (as a consequence of her own actions) and actively suicidal by chapter 121. The “The End” panel in chapter 121 is the genuinely cruel recompense for Ruby’s actions in the preceding 40 chapters; she’s in part isolated herself, in part driven her friends away, to the point where she’s seeking out Marina for a long-shot hope at ANY connection whatsoever. And the word of literal god, basically the authors’ mouthpiece, tells/shows her that it is hopeless, there is no such connection, she is completely alone.

And even after she re-establishes her connection with Gorou/Aqua and reopens herself to her relationships with her other friends and family, there are wounds on those relationships. Mending those wounds is the entire point of her sub-arc with Kana from 133 to 137. Also, notably, that’s where the real growth comes: where she is forced to dig into the depths of both her own and Ai’s psyches, acknowledges the emotions she finds and forces others to acknowledge them as well, and then finds a way to move forward with Kana specifically.

Notably, I think this is the specific area where we know she has surpassed Ai, at this point. Look back at those four pages of the performance in 159: while Ruby is clearly the focus, taking up roughly half of the total space on those pages and the center position in any shared panels, Kana and Mem are clearly each taking center stage as well for some songs, and the affection between the three is visible. In comparison, in how many of the panels in which Ai appeared did we ever see her teammates’ faces? Did we ever see her relinquish the stage? We know her friendships with the old B-komachi had essentially dissolved by the time the twins were born, Aqua tells us as much at the end of the prologue.

Sorry to say that I actually re-read the ch80-123 recently (I was trying to feel out how a hypothetical third season would be paced) and if anything, seeing just how many interesting ideas it sets up and fails to meaningfully iterate on just made me feel that even more strongly. What you've laid out in this ask is a good idea for the structure of BH Ruby's arc but if that was Akasaka's intent then the execution is so insanely botched that it is fundamentally absent from the work itself.

Like… there's no way for me to say this w/o sounding like i'm hitting you with an UM ACKSHULLY 🤓 but the idea that BH Ruby was even passively abandoned by her friends is just not supported by the text. We do see the beginnings of Kana's sense of inferiority towards Ruby take root just prior to Scandal starting up but this is framed as being emergent from Kana's own existing low self esteem (though admittedly triggered by Ruby wanting to add Mimi to B-Komachi). Moreover, it's more or less the same as how her feelings towards Ruby are framed during the Movie Arc, where Kana's jealousy is said to be a response to Ruby being "blessed with natural talent […] special and different from [her]". There is no textual connection drawn between Ruby's clout chasing and her behaviour towards Kana and Mem and Kana's sense of rejection and Kana never treats Ruby poorly as a result. Not only that but when Ruby is seen hanging out with Mem and Kana across those arcs, they're chatting and bantering like always and Kana is even actively supporting and mentoring Ruby in the immediate leadup to Ruby going to try and see Marina in ch121. In the actual text of the story, what leads to Ruby's breakdown is the physical and emotional stress and exhaustion of her massively overpacked schedule - something which is itself Miyako's fault, as explicitly called out by Kaburagi and Ichigo - and her lingering issues with Sarina's abuse and abandonment being quite literally triggered by her engaging and empathizing with material depicting Ai's abuse and abandonment at Ayumi's hands.

Outside of B-Komachi, the most we really get from her school friends that there's any cracks in their friendships is that little internal musing from Minami about Ruby getting tangled up in the "dirty world of adults" but that both comes before Aqua's assertion that BH Ruby is causing strain in her relationships and is clearly spoken out of affection and concern for her. Frill actively reaches out to and supports Ruby during the interpersonal audition way past Aqua's note about cracks and is basically the reason Ruby gets the role of Ai over herself or Akane.

Ruby is by no means abandoned by anyone. She is actively, effusively supported by everyone in her life the entirety of her BH arc. Even the one relationship she does end up fracturing - her and Aqua's - is repaired lickity-split as soon as the past life reveal happens and any tension in B-Komachi is reset to zero as early as 124 with no real nod to of any issues BH Ruby caused. In fact, the issues BH Ruby causes are never so much as acknowledged by the narrative, let alone addressed or worked through. When Kana is, finally, allowed to express any discontent to Ruby during the RBKN conflict, she is not actually permitted to confront her with any of Ruby's actual wrongdoing and is instead just mad that Ruby is more popular. This conveniently shifts the focus away from Ruby's behavior and so rather than having to actually address it, Ruby can simply graciously forgive Kana for being in the wrong and not do any meaningful work on the tension that exists in their relationship. The narrative absolves Ruby of responsibility, sparing her any genuine reckoning or growth.

You brought up B-Komachi as a point of comparison and as a place where Ruby has surpassed Ai but not only do I feel like these are apples and oranges, I also just feel like it's further proof that Ruby is not being allowed to learn and grow because the narrative excessively coddles her. Both Viewpoint B and 45510 explicitly say the issues with the group in a professional capacity are explicitly said to be the result of management excessively favouring Ai and not something she herself did and in Spica, we even literally see her attempt to surrender her center position to one of the other girls all while actively working hard to take steps to put them all in the best possible light even when she does have to be the center. And while there are interpersonal issues in B-Komachi, these are presented as two-sided failures to connect that Ai is actively show trying to resolve - Viewpoint B shows her approaching and reaching out to Kyun when she sees her feeling upset and the entire point of 45510 is Nino's utter revulsion and rejection in the face of Ai's vulnerability.

Not only that but like… Ai's behaviour never damages or endangers anyone's career! Gen 1 B-Komachi was certainly not a good environment for anybody in it, but everyone in it was still part of Japan's biggest and brightest idol group and enjoyed all the fame and money that came with it. Ruby, by contrast, very much did endanger the career of an entire TV show's worth of people and stepped on Kana and Memcho's backs in order to further her solo career. She is never so much as asked to examine this behavior or face any consequences for it and when we do finally see her express any sort of remorse or regret for her behaviour, it's all exclusively focused on how bad it felt for Ruby, personally to do bad things and how sad she, personally is that she decided to be shitty to people and then Aqua just wholly absolves her anyway. She never attempt to make amends with or even express concern for the people who she might have hurt in the process.

Because of this, both the Ai-Nino/Ruby-Kana parallels and the attempts to uplift Ruby as an idol 'surpassing' Ai fall flat. At no point past the Mainstay arc do we ever see Ruby correcting for Ai's mistakes or better handling situations that Ai had flubbed, mostly because she never gets a chance to. Her career as an idol is propelled along by the narrative failing to place any roadblocks in her way and rather than showing us Ruby's strength of character by letting her overcome social, structural and societal issues that troubled her mother, she is simply arbitrarily unaffected by them in any way that manifests in on-panel action taken by her.

This is what I mean when I say Ruby learns nothing—because the narrative, past a certain point, never challenges her or holds her accountable for her behavior in a way that would allow her to. Ruby is portrayed as a passive beneficiary of favorable circumstances, with any challenges she faces being swiftly neutralized by forces outside of her control or influence. This is not only frustrating to experience as a reader but ultimately diminishes the impact of her success as the story has begun presenting it.

[miorrtae]

NEWS FLASH ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི TAEYEON SMAU

NF 03 (half-written)

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As the girls just wrapped up a relentless dance practice session. Excitement buzzed in the air; the CEO had hinted at a special surprise today. The girls couldn’t stop speculating what it might be.

The practice room door creaked open, and in walked Lee Soo-man, the CEO himself, with a small, petite woman in tow. As she stepped into the light, gasps filled the room. It was Taeyeon, the legendary leader of Girls’ Generation.

“Girls, I’d like to introduce you to Taeyeon. She’ll be mentoring you for the next few months,” Lee Soo-man announced with a proud smile.

Taeyeon, dressed in casual chic with her signature black hair falling softly around her face, gave a small, shy wave. She looked slightly unsure, glancing around the room as if seeking approval.

The members were starstruck. YN, in particular, couldn’t take her eyes off Taeyeon. To her, Taeyeon wasn’t just an idol; she was the epitome of beauty and talent. YN felt her heart race but tried to maintain a composed exterior.

Breaking the silence YN, stepped forward and bowed deeply. “It’s an honor to meet you, Taeyeon sunbaenim. We’re huge fans.”

Taeyeon smiled warmly, though her shyness was evident. “Thank you. I’m really excited to work with you all. I hope I can be of help. Or at least not make things worse,” she added with a dry chuckle.

The girls nodded eagerly, still somewhat in awe. YN managed a polite smile and a slight nod, her admiration tucked behind her calm demeanor.

“Why don’t we start with introductions?” Taeyeon suggested. “I’d love to know more about each of you. Unless you’d rather hear about my embarrassing debut stories. Those are always fun.”

As the girls introduced themselves, Taeyeon listened intently, her gentle demeanor putting them at ease. When it was YN’s turn, she took a deep breath and spoke with a steady voice. “I’m YN, the main vocalist and leader of Noémie. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sunbaenim.”

Taeyeon nodded appreciatively. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, YN. I’m looking forward to hearing your voice. No pressure or anything.”

YN felt a warmth spread through her at Taeyeon’s words, but she simply nodded again, keeping her feelings well-guarded.

With the initial awkwardness fading, the session turned into a lively conversation about music, performance, and dreams. Taeyeon’s initial doubts about mentoring vanished as she saw the passion and dedication in Noémie’s eyes. But she couldn't keep her eyes off of one specific girl.

Taeyeon continued getting to know the girls and casually sharing amusing and self-deprecating stories from her early days. “I once tripped on stage and pretended it was part of the choreography. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.”

The girls burst into laughter, feeling more relaxed. YN, though more reserved in expressing her admiration, couldn’t help but smile widely at Taeyeon’s humor.

As the discussion flowed, Taeyeon noticed the girl, Yn, was quieter than the rest. Her presence was subtle yet striking, a calm amidst the energetic chatter of the others. Taeyeon saw herself in Yn’s reserved demeanor, recalling her own early days of uncertainty and quiet determination. She also noticed how the other girls looked to Yn for cues, indicating her role as their leader.

Taeyeon took a deep breath, gathering her courage to speak directly to Yn. Despite her years of performing, one-on-one conversations still made her nervous, especially with someone new. “So, Yn,” she began softly, “what’s your dream when it comes to music?”

Yn looked up, slightly startled to be the center of attention. She hesitated for a moment, then spoke just as quietly, “I want to create music that touches people’s hearts, like your songs do. I want to be able to express emotions that words alone can’t.”

Taeyeon gave a small, understanding smile, her eyes reflecting a mix of nostalgia and admiration. “That’s… that’s a beautiful dream,” she managed, her voice gentle. “It’s not easy, but it’s worth every effort. What kind of music inspires you?”

“Ballads,” Yn replied without hesitation. “The way they can convey so much emotion with just a voice and a piano… it’s powerful.”

“I can see why,” Taeyeon nodded, feeling a little more at ease. “Some of my favorite songs to perform are ballads. They allow you to connect deeply with your audience. Do you, um, write your own music?

Yn nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I do. I’m still learning, but it’s something I’m passionate about.”

“That’s great,” Taeyeon said, her voice a bit steadier. “Keep writing, keep practicing. The more you put your heart into it, the more your music will resonate with others.”

The session continued, filled with shared experiences and advice. As they wrapped up, she made a mental note to pay closer attention to Yn’s progress. There was something special about her, something that reminded Taeyeon of her own journey.

Before leaving, Taeyeon approached Yn, her shyness returning but determined to offer support. “If you, um, ever need any guidance or feedback on your music, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Yn’s eyes widened with gratitude. “Thank you, Taeyeon. That means a lot to me.”

Taeyeon nodded, feeling a sense of connection. “I was a leader in my group too. It’s a big responsibility, but it also gives you a chance to shape the group’s direction. If you ever need advice on that, I’m here.”

Yn smiled, her admiration for Taeyeon clear. “Thank you. I’ll remember that.”

As Taeyeon walked away, she felt a connection had been made, not just as a mentor, but as someone who understood the unique challenges of being a leader. She knew that this was just the beginning of something meaningful, both for Yn and for herself. The future looked bright for Noémie, with Taeyeon by their side.

taglist + @gtfoiydlyj @sewiouslyz @xen248 @mineige @yjiminswallet @saysirhc @pandafuriosa60 @yeri-luvr

[xohyeona]

LOVE, PATIENCE & ADMIRATION.

SUMMARY. some of the significant moments of aeri and kaleina’s journey through produce 101

AUTHORS NOTE. here it isssss @urmykrushhh i’m so sorry this took forever 😭 BUT!! i really enjoyed working on this. i kinda filled in some blanks, like their audition performance, kaleina & kiyeon’s relationship, etc, but hopefully i got this somewhat accurate of the girls’ journey. btw i got a lot of inspo for this fic from the greatest by billie eilish, literally had that song on repeat

hearing the news of being sent to produce 101 brought on two different reactions from aeri and kyungja. for aeri, it only erupted her nerves even more, the threat of having to compete against on hundred other girls for a debut worried her. kyungja, on the other hand, took this as another opportunity; a solid chance to make her dreams come true in case she couldn’t debut under bighit.

having the title of “bighit trainees” alone already gave them a higher up. shocked stares and whispers filled the room upon the girls’ entrance from compliments like, “they’re so pretty” to questions such as, “since when did bighit even have female trainees?” to comments about how kyungja looked a bit familiar.

aeri and kyungja could feel a mixture of awe and tension when they walked into the room, however their smiling faces never faltered, making a good impression. cheetah let out a sudden sound of surprise while looking through the girls’ profiles, kyungja specifically. she did a double take, whispering to bae yoonjung sitting next to her before turning her attention to kyungja. “kyungja, your sister is an idol, correct?”

kyungja sheepishly smiled, “yes. my older sister is girls generations’ kiyeon.”

as soon as she said that, they entire room filled with gasps and surprised looks. so that’s why she looked so familiar.

“are you going to perform a girls generation song?” jang keunsuk asked.

“no, no,” kyungja laughed, comically waving her hands in protest. that was a discussion before entering the show, what song they would perform. aeri suggested run devil run or mr. mr. but the younger girl detested the idea. of course she liked those songs and she knew that promoted herself as juyeon’s younger sister would garner lots of attention, but she didn’t want to do that. she didn’t want to use her sister’s popularity to get herself ahead. she was gonna get there on her own.

finally, aeri and kyungja were able to perform. deciding to be confident and make a strong impression, the girls performed i am the best by 2ne1, which received praise from the judges and contestants. jeA complimented aeri on her vocals but told her that her dancing needed improvement. kyungja received praise for her rapping and dance ability and was asked to freestyle, which only put her in higher graces with the judges.

“i’ll announce the rankings now,” jang keunsuk exclaimed, holding the microphone close and looking down at his papers, “trainee jang kyungja, A.”

kyungja smiled and sighed in relief as all of the other trainees clapped for her. nobody really excepted anything less.

“trainee yamamoto aeri,” keunsuk continued, leaving a long pause before announcing her ranking, “B.”

though she was slightly disappointed she received a lower rank than kyungja, she still smiled and nodded, clapping for herself along with the other trainees.

“thank you.” the girls both bowed and walked off stage. as the two walked up to their seats, finally, they held hands and smiled at each other in encouragement; a silent saying of “we got this.” they were already off to a good start and while the only place you can go after being at the top is down, it seemed unlikely at the moment.

kyungja almost doesn’t believe it when a staff member hands her her cell phone. her eyes blink rapidly and she looks at the female staff skeptically, “really?” she asks while being urged to take the phone. she slowly takes it, in fear that the staff will change her mind and instantly take it back. when she’s told to make a phone call to someone important, she immediately thinks of one person; kiyeon.

“hello?”

“oh thank god you answered,” kyungja dramatically sighs in relief, basically throwing her entire body against the wall. she really didn’t think her sister would, being already a debuted idol and kyungja being so busy training, it’s been a while since they’ve had the chance to really talk.

kiyeon lightens up hearing her baby sister’s voice, “kyungja-yah! are you okay? how are you? aren’t you still doing the show?” she floods kyungja with multiple questions, but it takes a moment for kyungja to find an answer. she didn’t realize it until now, but she really needed to hear her voice.

kyungja lets her body slide down to the floor and holding her knees to her chest. “don’t worry, i’m not eliminated yet,” she jokes, though the threat of possibly being eliminated never leaves her mind. “they gave us our phones to call someone, so i decided to call you. sorry if you’re busy.”

kiyeon hums, “you know i’m never too busy when you need me. what’s on your mind?”

the younger sibling sighs, feeling the weight of kiyeon’s words. what is on her mind? besides constantly practicing and working hard to not be eliminated, kyungja had very little time to process her feelings.

“i’m tired,” she knows that for sure. probably not just physically, but mentally too. kyungja has been doing this for a long time, six years to be exact. she loves this, she really does, but goddamn does she need a nap and a couple hours to herself.

“that’s okay,” kiyeon tells her. “you’ll get tired a lot doing this job. but don’t let yourself be tired for nothing.” kyungja tilts her head in confusion, raising her eyebrows.

“if you really want this kyungja, use that tiredness to find the strength to push through. don’t let it go to waste.”

“but also, don’t overwork yourself and get sick, you need to be healthy too.” kiyeon quickly adds, but kyungja smiles and laughs, “got it. thanks unnie.” her words replay in kyungja’s mind and she finds herself feeling a little better, more determined if anything.

“you got this, kaleina.”

“aeri is the center?” jeA asked.

as the concept evaluation round of performances were just a few days away, led to aeri and the rest of her team practicing yum-yum. cheetah and jeA, who were monitoring the performance, were quiet for a moment as the girls completed the routine. tension filled the room with the girls out of breath and nervous, worried about what they will say.

“what happened? aeri, you messed up once and suddenly your face looked scared for the rest of the performance. you looked like you didn’t know what you were doing.” cheetah scolds. her tone isn’t harsh, but aeri can practically hear the intimidation in her voice. in respond, she could only nod and let out a soft apology.

“don’t apologize. just fix it, okay?”

after what seemed like forever, kyungja and aeri meet up in an empty practice room. since performing the signal song, they’ve been on separate teams. it’s been a while since they’ve had the free time to talk.

“you okay?” kyungja asks, taking a seat on the floor next to aeri, who’s leaning against the wall. aeri, who only hums, watches her sit. the two sit in a comfortable silence for a moment.

“i think i’m in trouble,” aeri laughs, though serious. “i’m worried about this performance.” she actually worried about a lot of things right now; the fear of being eliminated, the public audience slowly beginning to turn on her, but this upcoming performance weighs heavily.

“let me see.” kyungja declares, and aeri looks at a bit taken aback. “you have the music, right? let me see you do it.” she gestures for aeri to get up. the older girl hesitates for a second before grabbing the music player. kyungja was one of the best dancers she’s ever met. if anyone could help her, it would be her.

as aeri plays the music and begins to dance, kyungja looks at her intensely. it’s a look that makes aeri believe she’d be a good judge if she wasn’t a trainee. as the song reaches the chorus, kyungja suddenly stops her.

“relax. you’re so tense, it’s why you’re off beat. it’s causing you to move too fast. you might be thinking too much, which i completely understand, but it’s not helping you.” aeri nods, intensely taking in everything she’s saying. she understands, but how is she supposed to relax? they’re not exactly in a calm situation right now. it almost makes her feel worse.

kyungja seemingly senses aeri’s worries. “here, close your eyes.” again, aeri looks at her confused.

“close your eyes, turn around, and do the choreography. it might be easier if you make yourself believe you’re alone.” she can read the skepticism written all of aeri’s face, but her stance doesn’t change, staring at her until she decides to do it.

“okay,” aeri draws out, slowly turning around and closing her eyes. she doesn’t really understand how this method is supposed to work, but kyungja’s the only dance expert in the room right now so she’ll go with it.

the music begins, and aeri takes a deep breath. she starts to dance, and oddly enough, her body feels calmer. she’s not looking at anyone and therefore, doesn’t feel the stress of being judge, even while knowing that kyungja is right behind her. she goes through the entire routine, not completely perfect, but better than the first time. as the song closes out and aeri completes the final move, kyungja smiles and softly claps for her. “see? that was better, right? how was it?”

aeri turns back to face her and smiles and nods, slightly out of breath. “yeah, i think that was better. now i just have to do that with my eyes open.”

“come on, just practice a few more times like that and you’ll be okay. you got this aeri.” kyungja encourages, and while it doesn’t make aeri’s worries completely go away, it leaves some hope in her mind.

kyungja sent a warming smile towards aeri, attempting to lift up the older girl’s spirits. aeri reciprocated, but as the names of other trainees began to be called and less spots became available, her worries only grew.

kang mina in 18th place, zhou jieqiong in 19th place, jeon soyeon in 20th place, jung eunwoo in 21st place. aeri’s eyes were squeezed shut and her fingers tightly crossed. she had to be next, please let her be next. she knows the public hasn’t been in favor of her recently, but if she just had one more shot, she’d do better. all she needs is one more chance to prove that she deserves a spot and─

lee soohyun in 22nd place.

the tenseness in her body slowly eased. her fingers uncrossed and her eyes slowly open as the realization hit her. she didn’t make it. her mind starts to spin, going over everything she did wrong or could’ve done better; how she could’ve done better.

will she have another chance after this?

sure, there were still plans for bighit to debut a new girl group, but in this industry? everything is uncertain. aeri’s eyes began to well into tears, but she quickly blinked them away at the sight of kyungja, who had a look of pity on her face. all of their encouragement of making the group together was suddenly down the drain.

“it’s okay.” aeri mouthed to kyungja, hoping to make the younger girl feel better. she shouldn’t be sad, kyungja still has a chance.

although regrettable, she can’t change the past. she did what she did and this is what happened.

days later kyungja would find herself in the same position, surrounded in the mist of the remaining girls, all anxiously waiting for their fate. it was the final. after months of rigorous practicing, tough competition, and stressful eliminations, things were coming to an end.

names began to be called, painfully slowly might i add. from lim nayoung in 10th place to jeon somi and kim sejeong in 1st and 2nd. only 11th place remained. kyungja stared at the tv screen displayed in front of the girls, jumping in surprise seeing her face appear along with three other girls.

kyungja couldn’t even find the words to speak when asked how she felt. a million thoughts ran through her head, she could barely think straight. 14th place was announced, then 13th; neither of which were her.

no pressure, right?

now, it was between her and yeonjung. a top tier vocalist versus a top tier dancer. it was anyone’s game at this point, either one of them. kyungja didn’t know how much longer she could be patient. her hands were shaking and she could only stare at the floor. when she heard the words, “starship, yoo yeonjug,” she let out the huge breath she had been holding since the beginning.

one spot. kyungja was one spot away from making the lineup of i.o.i. just one. she walked over and hugged yeonjung, who had bursted into tears, reassuring and congratulating her. no matter how disappointed in herself she was, these were still her friends and colleagues. she was happy for yeonjung. though, she could help turning away from everyone else to wipe her tears after letting go of her.

‘don’t let it be for nothing.’ kyungja heard kiyeon’s words in her head. she won’t quit. there was still hope for her at bighit. she’s gonna go back and continue to work hard for her dreams. she won’t let her struggles be for nothing.

[clovesnz]

Personal update:

I AM A CHANGED WOMAN AFTER SEEING G/IRL I/N R/ED IN CONCERT (AND ON THE FIRST MF DAY OF PRIDE MONTH)

I only knew four of her songs but I felt like I had to do it because it was at a venue I like and it was just too good to, as a gay, be able to see GIR on June 1st. But I legit almost didn’t go. I’M SO GLAD I DID.

The opening band was The B/eaches, also v gay and kinda gave M/una vibes who I love. They had a hot butch bassist in a muscle tee, my weakness. Two of them kissed. The drummer gal was in this low cut corset top. Fucking end me it was real hot tbh

The woman at the bar (who sold me water cause I don’t drink lmao) called me “hun” and said she liked my hat

M/arie is a really amazing performer and I kinda fell in love w her throughout the night. She is like, so stupid and dorky, but then will get all snazzy and suave and sassy in her fuckin suit and vibe out and head bang and ohhh my god

I cried at the songs I did know because they all mean a lot to me and just hearing everyone screaming the lyrics and umgh 😖😭

SHE SANG THAT NEW GAY B/ILLIE SONG AND THE WHOLE AUDIENCE SCREAMED IT

She’s actually v hot oh dear

Okay now the craziest part 😭😱….

SHE SPOKE TO ME SPECIFICALLY

She was asking where something was in the theatre and I was right by it and I was in a very visible spot to her and I pointed and she said “oh yeah I see you girlie!” and she said it like I was being cute tryna help and I aldjshshhd 🫣😫

Also the hotel I’m staying at is SUCH A VIBE and honestly also kinda queer. I have to be up in six hours to bus home but I’m so pumped aghh and don’t want the night to end. ljfhhfdsd. maybe I’ll delete this later if I come to my senses and realize this doesn’t really belong on a snz kink blog

[hsslilly-blog]

i love names. blair (marina stewart) and claire (marie swanson) have extremely similar names and it is a bit. i thought it’d be really funny if their names sounded alike since pixelberry wants you to believe it’s the same mc for both games (it’s not. and pixelberry is stupid). but my thought process was something like this:

blair -> blàr means both "plain" and "battlefield" in scottish gaelic which i think it’s fun. i know the plain in question is a synonym to “meadow”, but i don’t think that’s the first thing that comes to mind. it wasn’t to me at least. anyway, i think these ideas work opposite to each other. which i think it’s reflective of blair’s personality. they’ve very meek and affable but at the same time they have temper issues, especially when they’re pushed too far. bhlàir is also a traditionally masculine name in scotland, which is interesting for a highland family.

marina -> this is an anglicised form of their middle name “maired”. which would be margaret, but can also be used in english as marina. it means "from the sea", and blair comes from the sea. but it’s marina because of saint marina, also known as the great martyr marina. and there's also saint margaret of scotland -> religious themes are very present in blair’s character + i really play with the idea of them giving themselves too much for people in detriment of their own well-being. it’s a curse.

stewart -> traditional scottish surname. either guardian of the house or steward. for the latter i like the meaning of someone who takes care of. i mean it makes sense. right. berry high and stuff. and people. and they become a psychologist later on. also it makes their dad’s name james stewart.

so basically their name resumes what i wanted from their character/what they are. often, the first thing you give to a person is your name and blair doesn’t just give you their name; it’s a microcosm of everything that comes after, and what you should expect. as for claire:

claribel -> i wanted a shakespearian name, but not one of the more obvious ones; i wanted something more subtle. it would show her (and her mother's) connection to the stage. so i picked this one from the tempest, and i think it's only mentioned in passing. in french, claribel is clara + belle, bright + beautiful and yeah, that's claire. her nickname "claire" specifically means "famous" in latin.

marie -> this is a recent development! i wanted a middle name for her and harley suggested marie. in french it means "star of the sea". like blair, she was also born in the seaside. what convinced me, though, was the relation of marie to mae (mary) west, one of my inspirations when redesigning claire.

swanson -> got this from gloria swanson. at first, of course. it's an anglicised (scottish) form of a swedish surname. it may have originated as a nickname for a graceful person (like a swan. yeah. that's it). i thought it fit claire's upbringing in upper class. it also fits her kinship to blair, in a way. plus i really like how it sounds like swan song -> i don't know if i've made it obvious in my other posts, but claire has a strong theme of the obsessed artist going on.

claire is a starrrrr. every part of her name is connected to the performing arts in one way or another. it's her destiny, really. kinda like nominative determinism. you can't name your daughter famous star and not expect her to be a famous star, sorry. her dad didn't think through here.

that's it. of course, it's not exactly an A to B thing. their characters informed their names, and vice versa. i already had their personalities consolidated by the time i redesigned/renamed them, so this wasn't a hard thing to do.

[pumpkinsy0]

Instrument/band purly au headcannons???

If that makes sense

im basing this off my experiences w music classes i hope we r all rockin w that

i hope i read this right and u meant band as in band class and not BAND band😢😢

•ok so their music class had units where they did different instruments each unit there was piano, guitar, then drums, and then after those main ones they dabbled into other ones

•if theres one instruments haitians gonna cling to its guitars, ik that was curlys fav unit, pony was having a bit of trouble w all of em

•they can both read music sheets well, thats not the issue here, they can grasp that part pretty easily bc they drum on each others thighs/knees to tap out the beat, the problem is PLAYING those bitches

•pony CANNOT play the piano, he could NOT understand how to play that thing, for the life of him, even if u paid him to play twinkle twinkle little star he’d tell u to keep ur money to save himself the embarrassment

•curly CAN play the piano he just doesnt like to cause its boring as shit to him, every other thing tho he loves playing and is constantly fiddling w em

•however curly was just annoying as hell on the drums so he was pushed to stick w guitar, he kept doing that “ba dum tsss” shit w the drums when something happened and nobody could take it anymore

•pony hated the drums bc it was always so loud and it pissed him off so bad, he was so happy when curly was taken off those drums man😭

•they both teamed up a lot when it was time to just practice, they did get the job done tho, its not that the class was THAT hard or anything, theyre both pretty artistic, the would rlly just fuck around and laugh, they did practice, but they got it pretty quick so they didnt spend too long on it

•when it came time for everyone to come together to practice the song as a whole, pony and curly were giggling to themselves bc more chances than not they sounded like shit all together, these mfs sounded tone deaf, but other times they just cringe bc they cover songs they actually like and its just completely fucked up

•they HATEEEE performing in front of everyone, angela doesnt take the music class they take, she takes chorus (more like is forced to) and she always SPECIFICALLY looks out for curly to laugh in his face

•once the teacher held a recital and tim, soda, and darry showed up and tim was like rodrick in greg’s talent show, just recording for blackmail later on, darry and soda was supportive but that didnt make pony any less better he wanted to DIE on stage

•dont even get them started on the wind instrument unit.

•would this REALLY b papercut if i didnt say that curly would use this class especially to flirt w pony with little to no restraint bc he could just tell the teacher that they were so close bc he was trying to teach pony the proper hand placements and he was so near his ear bc it was loud as hell🤨🤨🤨

•pony would fuck w the cowbell lowkey, its simple and he doesnt have to put that much effort, curly is just fucking w the tambourines pretending hes in church or somethin

•taking those instruments home was hell on the both of them, neither of them bring fucking backpacks to school so holding the instruments around felt so weird to em

•usually darry doesnt allow the bedroom door to b closed when curlys around, but bc theyre “practicing their instruments” he allows it BUT he does pop in more frequently to make sure they do NOT match each others freaks

•that dont stop curly though he WILL get kissed in that room one way or another, if theyre kissing and they hear the door knob jiggle, they just quickly pull away and pretend they r discussing the music sheet

[rorytunes]

Merry Christmas!!!

I was just wondering— how much do you know about the bootleg record His Master’s Voice - Bowie and the Spiders From Mars’ Last Stand? I can’t find many details about it online and you seem like you’d be wise on the subject

I’m flattered you thought to ask me, but I really don’t know much at all - but I have done some research upon seeing this ask. Not sure exactly what you want to know, but hopefully these crumbs of research give you some info that you aren’t already aware of?

It's a press of the famed 1973 concert where Jeff Beck plays for some songs - the performance in question is last Ziggy Stardust concert, at the Hammersmith Odeon. This is the same concert at which the 1979 documentary was filmed. The bootleg features some little throw-ins at the concert, including a cover of Love Me Do.

The key here, the bootleg-necessitating key here, is Jeff Beck. I believe he was unhappy with his performance on this night, which was being filmed for the doc. Hence, he requested that the footage of him would be removed from the final cut of the film. The footage in question actually wasn't officially available until 2022's Moonage Daydream documentary.

This would not stop people recording the audio themselves at the concert. Thus, TAKLR's Bowie And The Spiders From Mars' Last Stand - His Masters Voice became popular in bootleg circles.

And hence, the second key is TAKRL, or The Amazing Kornyfone Record Label. TAKRL was one of the first bootleg record labels in America. Apparently, they were active from 1973 to around the late 70s. This page has a tracklist for the album, as well as a few quotes from TAKRL. And some moderately goofy comments. You might also be able to find info on other Bowie bootlegs on this site.

For those who'd like to listen, there's an upload of the vinyl to Youtube. Notably, the uploader redacts an intro placed on the B-side before Time, which is apparently something called "Orgies A Tool For Witchcraft" by a Louise Huebner. Apparently she was the only "officially appointed Official Witch in the whole world". You can't find much about her, but I did find an upload of a 1969 album - Louise Huebner's Seduction Through Witchcraft - that seems to include the intro in question. I haven't listened to it at all so I really don't know what it's about. Anyways. Odd little tidbit that the bootlegger chose to add.

Can't figure out the significance of the His Master's Voice reference. Doesn't look to be associated with the HMV label as far as I can tell, and I don't know if TAKRL had any other bootlegs with the reference. The most common album cover I can find is this, but this second one with the iconic His Master's Voice image was hanging around on an online vinyl shop. I'm mostly including it because I just think it's a bit funny

TLDR: 1974 bootleg recording of the final Ziggy Stardust performance (3 July 1973). Featured Jeff Beck.

Personally, I think the Rock'n'Roll Suicide performance is a highlight.

I hope this helped in some way, and didn't just regurgitate stuff you knew already. Thank you for asking! I love researching these sorts of things. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will do my very best to answer. Merry Christmas to you as well!

If anyone else has any info, feel encouraged to share.

[madlyn5ever]

Okay here’s my Prom Dates (Hulu) thoughts:

I’ll try not to include spoilers

Nine out of ten, again mostly cause of the vomit and the more not my thing moments (there were only two so not terrible but I’m asexual and they’re not for me) and also that b!ood scene which was actually fantastic (as a whole) I just, that specific moment if you know you know.

I liked the ending because it really felt genuine (well, as genuine as that whole thing could be but I really think it was) it wasn’t pushing for one specific type of happy ending that you assume they’re gonna do or everyone should have, but you also feel a sense of completeness.

Like, the story rounded itself out okay I think. I kind of had an idea of specific key things cause of the trailer but it was still a sort of nice surprise.

(It did kind of stop to load at one specific point and every time I rewound it did it right there so, I don’t think I missed anything but there could be a ten second section I missed which is fine cause the moment was a transition anyway)

Second Cousin. Just- second cousin.

One of my favorite lines -out of context for spoilers sake- was “here’s the hundred dollar bill my Bubbie gave me for my graduation”

(I just watched it and I can’t even remember if that’s the line but it’s was basically that)

It obviously had a Julia Lester so that’s a win on its own, there’s not much out there to watch of her except binging HSMTMTS for the seventh time (which is lovely but I have adhd and that’s not always a practical choice), and even the random guest appearances of Nick shows and the one Netflix show (I get bored and look through IMDB of random actors sometimes to find jems, and my sisters two credit page cause it still boggles my mind that they named a goat after her)

are fifty/fifty on finding if you’re specifically looking for her (and unrelated to this movie but saylor too whats up with Netflix only having two random seasons for each Nick show on there? I do have paramount but my nostalgia trip childhood tv show rabbit hole is not for the shared family account)

Honestly I need her to be in more things because this was great. Unfortunately it’ll probably take a while considering things are just getting up and running again after the strike, but I’ll gladly wait for more of her.

Also the Ginny and Georgia girl was in it?? I only watched a bit of that show cause my sister said to so I only know that Sav from Degrassi is in it but I’ve heard things about Ginny from tik tok doom scrolls and it’s kind of crazy to see her here.

It’s like “Rihanna, what are you doing here?”

I liked the dog? She looked fluffy like my bunny Rocky.

I especially liked that one scene (again the one with the kind of horrendous b!ood moment) just, -sort of spoiler- all those frat guys and she just happens to be there.

I particularly liked the song. It was a ten out of ten fake medium okay performance from an actual broadway musical tony nominee actress and I loved every second of it.

All in all, I loved it. Even the Italian guy.

[lgcmanager]

FABULA MISSION 014

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

the start of the new year meant that there would be a lot of exciting news in store for the girls, so when EUNSOOK and JOOHEE gather all of the FABULA members, it’s evident in EUNSOOK’s face that she’s excited for what she’s about to tell them.

“i’ve just finished my meeting with the higher-ups and it seems like the first half of the year will be a very busy year for us. but if everything goes as planned, the latter half of 2025 will be a rewarding time.” EUNSOOK smiled as she glances at her files to see what would be the first bit of news she wanted to share.

FABULA COMEBACK & PREPARATION FOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

“we’re well aware that FABULA had a comeback just a few months ago but the company has decided that we should start preparing for another already. JOOHEE will be giving you the lyric sheets but i will e-mail all of you the files so you can look through it in-depth. and the company thought of giving a small nod to our beautiful HAYOUNG by having the next comeback be on APRIL, specifically on APRIL 13.” EUNSOOK chuckled in amusement as she recalled hearing from one of the creative team members that APRIL 13 so happens to be the expected date of the full moon.

“i do have to point out that there is one song missing in the files that JOOHEE gave you. the reason for this is because the song is currently a work in progress and actually needs some input from a particular artist who will be featured in the song. some of you may have noticed in FABULA’s discography that we’ve had some legacy artists take part in the creative aspects of the songs especially the V&A members. so for this particular b-side, all of you will be meeting V&A’s LEE YUSHIN in the next few weeks to help record the song.”

the album list for this comeback is the following:

NOT LIKE YOU

BAD GIRLS R US

WHIPLASH ( TITLE TRACK )

RED LIGHT SIGN, BUT WE GO

2 RINGS

IGLOO

VAY ( FEATURING V&A’S LEE YUSHIN )

ON MY BIKE

TOUCH

the lyrics distributions can be found over HERE.

as EUNSOOK mentioned, sometime around FEBRUARY ( whenever schedule permits ), FABULA will be meeting with YUSHIN to record “VAY”. due to YUSHIN’s producing experience and his contribution to the song, he will be present during the recording to provide feedback and advice for the girls.

in addition to that, while FABULA will be releasing ‘TOUCH’ in the same APRIL comeback, that song will be re-released as a single later on in the year to coincide with their U.S. concert tour. when the single is released, the music video for ‘TOUCH’ will be released as well.

U.S. CONCERT TOUR & SPECIAL STAGES

“while we still have some time before the concert tour, we recommend all of you to practice on FABULA’s discography along with the versions that you’ve been working on for FABULA’s MUSIC BOX. we’ll finalize the set list for that in the upcoming months, but we do have an assignment for all of you. for three of our performances, we’ll be grouping all of you into pairs and each duo will give us some suggestions on songs that they would like to perform for the concert.”

the pairs will be arranged based on AGE, so for reference it would be as such:

PAIRING #1 - OH EUNHYE & SEO NINA

PAIRING #2 - MOON HAYOUNG & NOH AREUM

PAIRING #3 - CHA SORI & LEE MINJI

for this there are some rules to consider when suggesting the songs & pairing names:

all of the songs suggested must be either songs released in the lgc verse (eg. legacy artist songs) OR songs released BEFORE FEBRUARY 2023 irl.

songs don’t have to be strictly duets, but ideally for lyrics distribution, it would be best if the song was from an irl group consisting of 2-4 members ( or soloist ). also the songs chosen don’t have to necessarily match fabula’s concept, but it’s recommended to pick songs that would match well with the pair’s personalities/images. it’s optional as well to include the reasoning behind each song, but it does help with finalizing the chosen songs.

ic wise, the FABULA members will be working on the songs around MARCH when the coaches have decided on the song but ooc, admin a ( cloud ) will notify the members what songs were selected.

for the pairing names, you can base it off their names and/or commonalities they share! just know that it’ll be a public pairing name that will be used in the future and/or by the fans.

when you have chosen your THREE songs, please send all of the suggestions to admin a ( cloud ) before MARCH 8, 2024 11:59PM EST. if you have any questions related to this task, please message cloud about it!

WORKSHOPS & ASSIGNED TEAMS

“with the coaches watching all of the idols’ year end performances, the coaches have noticed improvements with all of the girls. many of you are already heading in the right trajectory, so most of their comments say to continue working on what you’ve been doing. however, with the comeback and concert tour happening in the upcoming months they want some of you to prepare for what is to come, especially SORI. like before, they are aware of your DANCING capabilities and congratulate you now for your improvement in terms of PERFORMANCE and ACTING. but with so much focus on those areas and not enough on SINGING and RAPPING to make a noticeable difference, they are concerned that while you’ll stand out when it’s your turn, the second you sing or rap, you might stand out in a not so good way. and i mean this in that the concert tour will be ALL live performances so the audience will want to hear your vocals. some of the fans have heard a bit of that last year with the university and waterbomb festivals, so we have to live up to those expectations.”

EUNSOOK looked at each of the FABULA members and explained, “balancing with all of the projects going on is lot of work, but luckily with the current members and their skill sets right now, some areas might not be as challenging as one might expect.” EUNSOOK turned to EUNHYE’s direction first as she continued on, “to help cover some of the work, we’ll be splitting the group into two teams; the entertainment team and the creative team. maybe over the next few months we’ll give better names to those teams, but this is the best way to explain it. anyways… EUNHYE, since you have quite a lot of experiences on this based on your time as a FABULA and LGC GIRLS member, you will be the leader of the ENTERTAINMENT team. the ENTERTAINMENT team will focus more on the U.S. concert’s speeches/ments and U.S. promotions. this means that while all or most of the FABULA members will be a part of it, this team will contribute more in that aspect. so this can range from them having to speak with the U.S. audience after certain performances to having more of a say in terms of what channels and segments you think would best suit FABULA’s international promotions. HAYOUNG will also be joining in your team since she has some experience in this field as well, especially when it comes to the newer forms of variety content. and the last member to join this team will be SORI, since we want you to get more comfortable and gain some experience in this field. good news is that you can learn from both EUNHYE and HAYOUNG, but don’t rely on them too much, okay?”

the manager then turned her body slightly towards the other three FABULA members. “NINA, AREUM, and MINJI will be in the CREATIVE team. your roles might not be as prominent now in the first few weeks, but it will be leading to the concert tour. while the ENTERTAINMENT team handles the ‘front side’ of the media, you three will be handling the ‘behind the scenes’ aspect. since MINJI has knowledge and experience with CHOREOGRAPHY while NINA is more skilled in terms of producing, it felt right to have AREUM in this team since she can do both of it! NINA will be the leader since she’ll have more responsibilities in the upcoming months, but it’ll still be a team effort from the three of you. once we get some details finalized, i’ll be sending in your assignments. but for now, do take this month to take some CREATIVE ( lyric composition, music composition, choreography ) workshops while you can! as for EUNHYE, HAYOUNG, and SORI, it is optional to take CREATIVE workshops to help with the other three, but in the case of HAYOUNG and SORI, both of you are busy so it might be difficult to attend them. on the other hand, EUNHYE, you can join them in the creative workshops if you want, seeing that the last comeback has captured your interest in this field.”

for NINA, AREUM, and MINJI, your tasks will be given sometime around MARCH or APRIL and will be a separate part of the FABULA MISSION. however, the one thing that is worth hinting is to review fabula’s discography carefully. ;)

SKILLS TO WORK ON

during the next three months, all of the FABULA members will be asked to reach the following goals:

CHA SORI:

+20 SINGING ( REQUIRED )

+5 RAPPING ( REQUIRED )

+10 PERFORMANCE ( REQUIRED )

+10 MCING/HOSTING OR +5 VARIETY & +5 MCING/HOSTING ( REQUIRED )

+10 ENGLISH ( OPTIONAL )

LEE MINJI:

+10 CHOREOGRAPHY ( POP/HIP HOP/STREET ) ( REQUIRED )

+10 MCING/HOSTING OR +5 VARIETY & +5 MCING/HOSTING ( REQUIRED )

MOON HAYOUNG:

+15 MCING/HOSTING ( REQUIRED )

+5 VARIETY ( REQUIRED )

+4 ENGLISH ( OPTIONAL )

NOH AREUM:

+15 CHOREOGRAPHY ( POP/HIP HOP/STREET ) OR +10 CHOREOGRAPHY ( POP/HIP HOP/STREET ) & +5 CHOREOGRAPHY ( CLASSIC ) ( REQUIRED )

+5 LYRIC COMPOSITION ( REQUIRED )

+10 MCING/HOSTING OR +5 VARIETY & +5 MCING/HOSTING ( OPTIONAL )

+10 ENGLISH ( OPTIONAL )

OH EUNHYE:

+10 ACTING ( REQUIRED )

+10 MCING/HOSTING AND/OR VARIETY ( REQUIRED )

+20 LYRIC COMPOSITION ( OPTIONAL )

SEO NINA:

+10 LYRIC COMPOSITION OR +5 LYRIC COMPOSITION & +5 MUSIC COMPOSITION ( REQUIRED )

+20 KOREAN ( REQUIRED )

+10 MCING/HOSTING OR +5 VARIETY & +5 MCING/HOSTING ( OPTIONAL )

for the ones that gives you two options ( eg. +10 mcing/hosting OR +5 variety and +5 mcing/hosting ), you have the option to pick which one would best suit the muse. the ones listed as “optional” also means that it’s not mandatory and it won’t have a negative effect if you don’t complete them but it’s a guide in case you do finish the other requirements listed for your muse ( or something to work on in the next few months ). if ALL of the members completed their REQUIRED point goals ( they can earn the points from any events including this mission ) before MARCH 22, 2025 11:59PM EDT, everyone will be given additional rewards in the next term.

LUNAR NEW YEAR GREETINGS

a couple of days before the LUNAR NEW YEAR ( JANUARY 29 ), all of the FABULA members will be dressed up in traditional clothing and record a lunar new year greeting for all of the fans which will be posted on FABULA’s youtube channel.

HANTEO MUSIC AWARDS

the last music awards show that the group will be attending for the season will be the HANTEO MUSIC AWARDS, which will be happening on FEBRUARY 15-16. FABULA will be attending the awards show on FEBRUARY 15 and will be receiving one award ( POST GENERATION AWARD ). they will be performing “OOTD” and “ICE QUEEN” for that show as well.

BIRTHDAY LIVESTREAM

during this term, there will be a birthday livestream for AREUM ( JANUARY 15 ). for AREUM, she will be eligible to do OPEN EVENT 009 ( BIRTHDAY LIVESTREAM ).

FABULA ANNIVERSARY

“last year FABULA was busy so we weren’t able to have a fanmeeting to celebrate the group’s anniversary. however, this year we were lucky to prepare a fanmeeting for the korean fabelles. this will be happening on FEBRUARY 22, which so happens to be the day of the anniversary. there will be two fanmeetings for this, one in the afternoon and one at night. both of the events will have the same set list, so i hope none of you have forgotten some of the songs you’ve been performing for the year end ceremonies!”

before the fanmeeting, the FABULA members will be asked to help create a “welcoming gift set” that will be placed underneath each of the fans’ seats. the set will consist of photocards ( individual and group ), fabula logo button/pin, and one item that can be made by the member themselves ( eg. food, drink, snack, coupons to brands they model for, etc. think of gifts that idol groups would give during isac )

and in no particular order, here are the list of songs that FABULA will be performing for the fanmeeting:

ANTIFRAGILE

BADDIE

BBB

COOL

HOW YOU LIKE THAT

HYPNOSIS

ICE QUEEN

LUCID DREAM

OOTD

WOULD YOU RUN ( FABULA VER. )

since this is a FANMEETING, there will be more talk and game segments for the FABULA members to interact with the audience. prior to the fanmeeting, fans will submit questions in a form of post-its regarding the idol’s time in fabula, any interesting stories they’ve experienced ( either through past/public events or just simple day to day interactions with other members ), and member superlatives/who is most likely to ( eg. “who is most likely to give the best advice”, “who is most likely to have read the most books”, “who has the best fashion sense”, “who is most likely to win in arm wrestling”, etc. you can be creative with the question/superlative! ) there will also be a dance challenge game where they will be given various dance challenges to try and do on the spot.

at the end of the fanmeeting, there will be a photo op and hi-touch event for a few of the lucky winners ( as a reminder, the interactions with the fans during this time are very short )!

Q1 SCHEDULES

JANUARY 7: korea brand awards [ ALL ]

JANUARY 9: intimate note ep. 6 release [ NINA ]

JANUARY 13: korea musical awards [ MINJI ]

JANUARY 13: lador cf release [ AREUM ]

JANUARY 18: intimate note ep. 7 release [ EUNHYE ]

JANUARY 20: fabula’s music box ep. 1 [ VIDEO RELEASE ]

JANUARY 21: hello82’s ‘smarty pants’ ( guest appearance ) [ APRIL ]

JANUARY 23: intimate note ep. 8 release [ EUNHYE ]

JANUARY 25: date lottery season 4 ep. 13 release [ MINJI ]

JANUARY 27-FEBRUARY 2: seollal & holiday break [ ALL ]

JANUARY 31: agents of mystery ( recurring guest; eps 1-3 ) [ APRIL ]

FEBRUARY 3: fabula’s music box ep. 2 [ VIDEO RELEASE ]

FEBRUARY 8: date lottery season 4 ep. 14 release [ MINJI ]

FEBRUARY 15: hanteo music awards [ ALL ]

FEBRUARY 17: fabula’s music box ep. 3 [ VIDEO RELEASE ]

FEBRUARY 19: ‘17’ song release ( song feature ) [ NINA ]

FEBRUARY 22: fabula’s 3rd anniversary & fanmeeting

FEBRUARY 27: ‘forgive me’ cover release on fabula’s youtube channel [ APRIL ]

MARCH 1: date lottery season 4 ep. 18 release [ ASTER ]

MARCH 3: fabula’s music box ep. 4 [ VIDEO RELEASE ]

MARCH 4: ‘on clap’ song release ( song feature ) [ ASTER ]

MARCH 15: date lottery season 4 ep. 19 release [ ASTER ]

MARCH 17: fabula’s music box ep. 5 [ VIDEO RELEASE ]

MARCH 20: ‘to. x’ cover release on fabula’s youtube channel [ APRIL & AREUM ]

MARCH 31: fabula’s music box ep. 6 [ VIDEO RELEASE ]

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

PREPARATIONS: continue a past thread ( doesn’t matter if it’s a FABULA member as long as it started between OCTOBER 6-JANUARY 4 ) with an additional 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines, 2 posts per each mun ) OR start a new thread ( cannot be related to any of the other events going on in Q1 ) with 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines, 2 posts per mun ) written during this term for +10 POINTS IN ASSIGNED SKILL(S) ( please refer above to see the point goals and what they are asked to work on ) ! ** can be done up to two times **

FANMEETING: for this, you have two options. A.) write a 300+ word headcanon post about preparing for the welcoming gifts and/or any important moments that happened to your muse during the fanmeeting. B.) submit a completed netizen article to lgcmedia about your muse and the fanmeeting. this will NOT take a netizen credit, so for the form please put “fabula fanmeeting” so that we’ll know the article is for that. please make sure to create a private post of your submitted netizen article in case the article posts after the event’s deadline and link it to the points form. completing this will earn you +5 POINTS IN ASSIGNED SKILL(S) ( please refer above to see the point goals and what they are asked to work on ) and +3 NOTORIETY ! if you choose to go with the article option, you cannot pair up with other muses.

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:fabulamission for the tasks. you have until MARCH 22, 2025 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ FABULA MISSION 014 - PREPARATIONS: +10 ( assigned skill(s) that the muse is asked to work on ) [ LINK ] ** can be done up to two times ** - FANMEETING: +5 ( assigned skill(s) that the muse is asked to work on ), +3 notoriety [ LINK ]

[nalascat]

I JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY!

When you realize Barbie and the Rockers have like TWO original songs AND they mostly sing 60s songs despite being an 80s band....like Barbie must still be stuck in her British Invasion days with Francie and the like because she's singing stuff like the Beatles..... in the 80s. (Also she's a thief, taking these pre-existing songs and claiming them as her own).

Hmmm, riddle me this: How many songs has Barbie and her band stolen over time? I wonder....

Cover Bands Do Exist!!! (also this ask is super old I am so sorry)

But, you pose an interesting question- how many of the songs we see connected with the Rockers are Rockers songs?

Starting with the cassette and record that come with the Barbie and the stage respectively, THOSE are original songs !! The cassette has (Side A) The Rockers Theme/Dressin' Up and (Side B) Born with a Mike/Stretchin' It. The record that comes with the stage is just a 'live' performance of The Rockers Theme.

These are all original songs, as far as I can tell! Looking at photos of the tape, there are copyright Mattel stamps underneath each song- so at least the songs connected to the DOLLS are her own, which should be pretty important.

Next up, let's take a look at the two Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade performances. The first of the two, they perform Born with a Mike- which is on the Cassette above.

Then, the second performance is of a new song- Reachin' for the Stars, our FIFTH original song for the Rockers. Looking it up (using the Special's credits) it's originally written for the Rockers.

There is also one more tape, if you would like to count it, that comes with the Sensations Doll- WHICH has THREE more songs- (Side A) Everybody's Dancin' (Dance Mix) and (Side B) Boppin' Away/I Like it - which brings our count to SEVEN !!

NOW! To where you are likely drawing these conclusions from- the Barbie and the Rockers Specials, both Out of this World and Rockin' Back to Earth.

A good portion of the songs in the special are voiceover songs, aka songs sung not by the band but played over scenes in the special. These COULD be sung by the Barbie VA, but we don't exactly know who sings all of them- the VA spread is odd in the specials, as we only know who plays Barbie specifically, and it doesn't say who performs each song.

(This note could also be made about the rest of the songs in general, because at this moment, I have no clue who sings any of them- I have seen no notes or clues to anyone.)

Here's our collection of songs throughout the special! Three of which are specifically Mattel-published Songs. Barbie and the Rockers/Dressin' Up/Best Friends. These songs are the MAIN ones it seems- or the most important and the ones that are used most often. Reachin' For the Stars also appears.

Everybody Rock/Rockin Back and Blue Jean Boy, upon further research, originate in this special. That leaves the final count of songs in this special to be 5 Barbie and the Rockers songs, and 6 from other places/bands.

That leaves our final count to be 9 official Barbie and the Rockers Songs. Compare that to the 6 that she "steals" aka covers in the special.

We don't have any proof of her "stealing" these songs. As I said before, cover bands DO exist- Smash Mouth was one at first, and that's how they got their start!! Bands do covers all the time.

ANYWAY. thats all i wanna say there. it was fun researching this !! thank you for giving me the chance ahha