#and his guitar parts were really good in this one like he’s improved sm I’m so proud of him 😭

[fairyofshampgyu]

he’s literally so beautiful and handsome

[comments-on-kai]

[ Youtube ] Jongin’s viral Tempo fancam hits 1 Million views on YouTube as impressed Muggles/Nonfans continue to share opinions on EXO & Kai’s skills  and discuss his merits as a performer

- this is seriously daebak...of course he dances very well but it feels like he truly understood this dance not just by his movements but it's like he's expressing his understanding of the choreo with his whole body, and they say you can't beat someone who enjoys what he does and he sincerely looks very happy and joyful.I had no idea how the 4 minutes (of watching the video) passed by I think I didn't take my eyes off it and watched it till the very end

- first off Kai has a really great physique...usually with people who are tall you can't help but get the feeling they're flailing around because they have to give more strength to compensate for the length but Kai knows very well how to use his body and he's very good at controlling his strength and he doesn't miss out on any parts especially the tips of his fingers and toes. His facial actings are of course great but the best things is how it's visible how happy he is on stage and how much he loves dancing

- It's the first time I got goosebumps while watching a Male Idol's fancamㅋㅋ  Seriously it's like he danced with his body and music becoming as one. I immediately felt why even from before people were always going on about EXO the moment I watched this video...his pride on his dance is really incredible

-  I watched this fancam a week ago and was hugely knocked over by it that I was cooerced into becoming an EXOL,, recently for the  first time since I was born I'm doing what they call "streaming". You're the first man to ever make me stream..GodKAI -->{Reply) Hello, I see you again here. So what is this "streaming"? I'm thinking of personally going to buy the album tomorrow. Recently I've been feeling like I'm reborn again.

- Previously all idol dancers don't really care about facial expressions and appeared on broadcasts showing off their footworks and poppings while dancing...but after Kai, if you look at recent idol dancers the trend has now changed and they are mindful of expressions and doing the dance like an art piece

- EXO members are good at dancing overall so it is not easy to stand out (among such members) but when watching the whole group fancam my gaze always goes towards Kai. Isn't it incredible how he could attract so much attention just by dancing? Truthfully I'm somehow who don't really hold any special opinion on dancing and I don't really feel anything when I see people who are good at dancing but when it comes to Kai's stage I watched with my mouth agapeㅋㅋ I don't have anything to say except to express my awe at his power of control over the stage and his expressions ...

- I hope Kai can come out as a Solo. The incredible thing about Kai is he has a hot physique being taller than 180cm but he's  also really good at dancing. There are many idols who dances well but they are filtered out here. With outstanding physical qualities yet so good at dancing that's a huge talent. Also he already has the talent but he's also very good at expressing it.Usually Idols shows off their talent by winking or making fatalistic expressions at the camera and those are usually done towards the camera or the usual audience or fans but Kai even with his face covered up by the hat he could still deliver his facial acting. He didn't do (the expressions) on purpose but because he's in a state of enjoying his dancing that made it possible.

- I'm from another fandom but this is worthy of acknowledgement. His physical, his technique, his dancing line, his power and even his sense,,,, there's Michael Jackson's tehniques and dancing lines as well as Rain's power and physique as well as his very own sense (in this)... seriously SM, if you listen to the MR-Removed, the vocals are so far above the level of what it's known to the public..even me myself, all this time I thought EXO is successful merely due to the fact that they were from a big agency and avoided them.. it's such a waste that people are not listening and watching just because they are idols from SM. From watching the videos recently I finally learned about it. Even when EXO has reached the top position all this while they never stay idle and individually keeps making effort and constantly practicing and it's so cool how their skills keep on improving.

- for real...I wondered how cool could he be (that people are talking about it) and watched it...seriously I can't close my mouth

- one of the reason I'm proud to be an EXO fan...we have Kai in our EXOㅜㅜ

-An all-rounder. He has very good strength, his lines are beautiful, he doesn't miss out on anything in his interpretation of the beat and has good actualization. He sinks down at the place that needs it, he has dynamics and there is no unnecessary movement. When he needs to move, he transfers all of his body in balance. It's easier to say but for people with with a lot of strength, it's actually harder to control it... He arranges his dance lines (when his body is) in a relaxed state and the strength needed to do this might be smaller but in a situation where you have a lot of strength, to rearrange and be in a standstill wouldn't it use up a lot of the muscle strength? It might look easy when you're watching but in no way is it easy to execute. (this is why when the dancing line is beautiful, you hear people say someone is good at dancing but is just dancing lightly. On the contrary, if you have a lot of power, it's not easy to achieve that beautiful dancing line. For example when rolling the hip in a wave but to cope with the powerful strength (of the dancer), the parts that shouldn't be moving would move as well or rebounded in reaction. Because when the body is tensed up, the body center that is supposed to be moving it's not being shifted and instead the strength went into the next move (T/n: and the dancing line doesn't look beautiful this way, which is opposite of Jongin's dancing; he has a lot of power yet his dancing line is still beautiful) The optimum of studio dancing. To have those line beautifully arranged and the dynamics so well interpreted, it had to have happened in front of a mirror, but because (he) makes it looks so easy it looks like he was simply born with it. But if you think about it, in the world of art and physical education there is nobody who doesn't make an effort. Everybody in this field works hard. The real talent is making it look like all those hard work and endeavours were something you're born with.

- EXO's choreography is not easy but even while Kai's moves are light and clean and fall into place perfectly he is also acting for his expressions .. how much did he practice to achieve that level of relaxed confidence I'm this close to revering himㄷㄷㄷ Just thinking about how he figured out the choreo and danced it to match the song Tempo makes me breathless but isn't the way he puts the expressions there also such a geniusㅠㅠ I want to see his appearance as a solo too...it would look so cool if he has some professional dancers behind him and come out with a big scale performance I think he could fill the stage even if he comes out alone

- wow seriously from the beginning I went "Heok" as I watchㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ so it wasnt just me who thought of Michael Jackson..wow seriously the goosebumps

- A group I already knew about. A member I knew could dance, I had no idea I would be knocked down by his dance like this; everyone says he's good at dancing so should I give it a watch? and I was caught unaware and was totally hooked! The dance is of course good but his facial expressions are seriously attractive. Perfect even to his outfit,

- Wowㅋㅋㅋㅋ Saw this by chance and now I've watched it for more than 20 timesㅋㅋㅋㅋ  just by looking at this stage the next person after Michael Jackson is Kai! I'm a 35 years old ahjussi but I think he's very cool ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's like watching Ronaldo and Messi's trippingㅋ he's really good!

- Even a man like me thinks Kai is sexy..

- Fvcking cool..wow that strong jaw and the movement of muscles and the confidence in his facial expressions, the physical beauty that's easily near to perfection. I received the sacred feeling that's similar to watching the scene of Angus Young's possessed guitar playing (T/n: Angus Young is the lead guitarist of legendary rock band AC/DC). This kid's expressing " I'm fvcking happy I could die" with his whole body on the stage. Hell I'm a man what the fvck am I doing analysing something like this.

- personally Call Me Baby is a song that I like and even in that music video his expressions were already something else..and when I saw the mv for this song what I felt was...that he danced like he has a metronome mounted in his body. He's good at dividing the beats and has great rhythm.. And he puts on his expressions on top of all that, seriously... and this friend looks happy when he's dancing...very cool!

- truthfully Kai's face isn't my style but when he's wearing the hat his angled jaw? is so attractive and I dont know if it's because he's so good at digesting the stage he looks so handsome...I gasped when he took of the hat

- to be honest when watching Kai's on stage it's not simply that he looks cool and danced well but he carries an artisan's spirit with his skills, expressiveness and control of strength and speed which are achieved through mastery, and everything is high-class, but there is something more to him that can't be explained. Because of this, even the people who watched him experienced a catharsis and will watch him opened mouth and in pure ecstasy. Truly nobody can imitate the aura of someone who sincerely loves, enjoy and gives his efforts for the stage. That's why I'm envious of Kai he's like a person who holds both talent and happiness. I hope he flies even higher because from the way I look at it Kai's potential is still endless

- I have no words for his dance and expressions they are the best and his defined muscles are so prettyㅜㅠㅠㅠ

- The 3000 comments are creating another piece of art

- this isn't just at the level of good at dancing, his very aura is somewhat already different

- I watched this by chance as it appeared on the main page and after that I've been watching it every day. The videos that I watch once every day recently are this video and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody live in Montreal video. They both make my heart beat in a similar flow.

- I'm from another fandom...I've know from before that Kai is a good dancer but from watching the fancam this time around he's really amazingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ he's sexy, great at dancing and he's really cool. It must feel great for Kai fans and EXO fans to stan him. Also I think that there might be people who have never watched this video but I bet nobody will ever watch it only once if they've seen it

- It's like he's doing a completely different dance and song on his own where are the limits of his skillsㅋㅋㅋ the Tempo stage is a place of practice for him to grow his skills of dancing and facial actingㅋㅋㅋ seriously Kai is hard to express with words I'm amazed everytime I see him

- does he have a separate choreography of his own the difference of level is felt

- he's singing with using his body

- so I watched this by chance cause this was the suggested video and now I can't escape from it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- everybody says Kai-nim's Tempo fancams are daebak so I'm going through the vids and every time I watch one I could only say "this is crazy" ㄷㄷ seriously daebakㄷㄷㄷㄷ daebakㄷㄷ wow....!

- so Kai...is this kind of person...his dancing and expressions are almost at a spritual stage

- I'm not even an exol whats with the addiction to this video?

- I'm a senior who just sat for CSAT exam a week ago...thank God i watched this after exam was over..this is.. EXO wow..so this is EXO..ah this is..

- this isn't Kai doing a dance it's actually the dance doing a Kai

- before he gets older let him release a Solo!

- an Idol who's fancam is worthy of watching...an Idol that makes me search for his fancams. personally I think he's the most attractive among idols and a character that will go for a long run. Even during the parts that aren't his he never lets go of the tension and was wholly participating at every moment..yes an Idol should be great at stages..I never get bored..especially Kai does every stage differently I keep looking for it

- what kind of drug is this video? i still want to watch no matter how much I've watched it...I'm not EXO fan but his dance and expressions are so sexyㅠㅠ I've no idea how many times I repeat watching thisㅜㅜㅜㅜ💛

- to be exact it's 20 days now since I've been reporting to duty here everyday...before I start my day at work I'll watch it and whenever there's free time I'll watch the video and check out the comments...it's become a habit now I feel empty if I don't watch it and no matter how much I watch it it's always refereshing and thrilling

- I'm not used to being a fan of entertainers but this is really Daebak..from the dancing lines to the expressions and his own individuality on top of that too

- I think I know why EXO fans stan them..

- Michael Jackson?

- look at his expression at 0:46 to match the screaming sound..ㄷㄷ.. for real Kai isn't just good at dancing he's totally great for the whole stage ...what would he have done if he wasn't a celebrity

- he's so good at dancing to the point I had goosebumps..

- he's like a professional dancer ㄷㄷ he's so very good at dancing

- Kai looks exactly like when the Beast from Beauty and the Beast turns into the Prince...fvck so sexy

- this is like a scene of a movie where a man who is in love with dancing goes on stage and enjoying the dance he felt the happiness to his heart's content.

- first off all Kai has a body that is different from the regular person it's like a body that was born to be dancing. of course he dances very well but his body is naturally a beautiful and impressive body

- I'm a man too but I think only one word will be enough..amazing

- For a group to do well, leadership is very important and within EXO the members who all have incredible talents are not just emphasizing their own selves individually instead they prioritize the team and perform their respective parts and it's very attractive and gives you a feeling of reliability. Kai who dreams of a solo since debuting does not rush (to do it) but instead shows a side of him determinedly  improving himself. The side of him who stood back and calmly ensure an internal stability first even with having a huge fandom is very fine. If he was all about imposing his own self forward I don't think it would be possible for this kind of teamwork for EXO and such results. This is why I'm looking forward even more to Kai's solo that will come out someday. Anybody who watches him can tell that he is a genius with a striking presence but the way he remains steadfast as he tacitly performs his share of responsibilities to the point of receiving the trust and respect of his members, there is no way you wont feel touched about it. For someone like this who actually have everything, if he fell into narcissism and arrogance and only thought of himself individually, it would've been hard for the team to do well. -->(Reply) Your words touched my heart...Kai...I will be supporting you~

- It's very surprising how even with the popularity of a top idol who has reached the peak with 7 years experience he is still a mysterious existence to the public and his image is not at all consumed and he is still giving us a lot to anticipate. With a strong fandom globally and now expanding his contact with the local market,the future of the 7-year idol singer Kai is something I'm very much looking forward to. I think he is a rare and a unique character. I'm supporting you!

- I who keep watching Kai-nim dancing for countless timesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋseems like we are all in a tranceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ( I'm just happy to find out others are just similar to me..)

[kashifcci]

Mug Shoot Project

Visual narratives brief - We had to create 1 photo that explained the story of how our specific most wanted face was arrested. It had to explain this through the visuals and art direction of the photo. It also had to include an icon which represented why the figure was imprisoned

I was placed in a group with Fabiana and Leri. We decided to chose Jimi Hendrix as our chosen character. Jimi Hendrix was a famous guitarist and artist who was widely popular during the sex drugs and rock and roll era. He often had a problem with alcohol and drugs and one day ended up being arrested in a airport for the possession of drugs. “ Jimi Hendrix is now experienced, in the worst way. He was busted May 3rd at Toronto International Airport for allegedly “illegally possessing narcotics.”

References

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jimi-hendrix-busted-in-toronto-197468/amp/

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-12/four-songs-that-prove-jimi-hendrix-was-the-ultimate-guitar-hero/8697146?pfmredir=sm

It all started with a concept. We wanted to really conceptualize the idea of Jimmi and the general aesthetic of the time. i.e. the rock and roll era, the tie dyed shirts, the headbands. It was important that we captured the feeling of the Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll era. In preliminary decisions I brought the below images to the table, I wanted to use the below background as a backdrop and then somehow fit the model into the holes of the background and then edit it to make it seem like the background was interactive with the model, after several discussions we felt like as a whole my idea was too confusing so we decided to scrap it, we decided it would take too much time to edit it and create the whole background, we’d prefer to redirect that energy elsewhere. 

We had a meeting to plan out our general ideas for the icon and shoot. We wanted to aim for a icon which really showcased the reason and the story behind our photo. In our case it was Jimi being arrested in a airport for drug possession so we wanted to that to be shown in the layering of our icon.

One of the images we made which we were going to propose as our icon, we thought it would be interesting because it involves the reason why Jimmu was arrested. (Heroin) but also had some style and design to it. We wanted to make sure the icon was inclusive of the reason without it looking weird or rude. I felt like we had to be quite sensitive with how we handled the topic specifically because it was to do with drugs.

We decided to do some art direction for our scene. Below is a list of the stuff we wanted to create for the scene.

*What went well - we were very artistically inspired with the ideas we had for the general art direction, originally we had a very tentative idea of what we wanted to do but as we went on it became clearer to us.

*What could of been improved - even though we had lots of ideas, as we were going a long we found that we lacked the resources to bring a lot of those ideas to fruition, which was incredibly frustrating! For example our original idea was to make a airport from scratch but in doing so we needed to find materials that allowed us to do so which would be quick and easy and without making a lot of mess, after searching we found that there weren’t really any materials which could do so, my idea was to bring some plastic chairs into the scene and create some stands using cardboard we found but after doing so we found it look incredibly unrealistic.

My job was to go and find the clothes for the shoo! I wanted to make sure I found clothes that really emulated the vibe and feel of the era which sex drugs and rock and roll, after a lot of searching I managed to find this really kool shirt, I decided to bleach the shirt cause I felt like it made it more authentic and gave it a more genuine feel, Jimi was always in his shirts so I think this look gave the model a more believable look.

Shoot day.* We organised some of our class mates to be our models and one of Leri’s friends. We decided to keep the concept simple and decided to have the image be Jimi getting arrested in a airport with 2 security guards holding him back. We also aimed to show in the image Jimis drugs falling out of his bag or pocket. We were taught how to use the cameras and we practiced long shots and close up shots on the models. I found using the camera quite difficult because of my eyes, I also found to quite hard understanding the instructions on how to use the camera. Below are images of our shoot. My focus that day was to creatively direct the shoot, I decided on the lighting and the overall stance of the models, which I found very enjoyable! I kept on running up to the models and at one point had to do some acting exercises with them to make them loosen up and look more realistic which I never thought I would end up doing! It made me realise that being a creative director is not just about making the overall aesthetics look nice but also you will find yourself having to do things that you would never think you would need to do to get the best results for the shoot. I also kept on having to drop a bag on to the floor in between the flashes to get the look that drugs fell out of Jimis pocket. I ended up finding a plastic bag and pouring sugar into it to give it that realistic look of drugs!

After are shoot we had to chose a final icon out of 3 we sketched to have in our final image. We decided to go with the guitar shaped one. I originally wanted to go with the long syringe but after much consideration we decided that the guitar shaped one was a good representation of the era Jimi had come from. Below is also the final image. We tried to put the icon on to different parts in the photo and a lot of places it looked really unrealistic. So we settled with it being on the bag, almost like a token of sorts. I found editing quite easy, I originally wanted the image to be sideways to give it a distorted look but my peers felt like it didnt look realistic so we settled with putting it in black and white, I think the most difficult thing about photoshop is learning how to add layers to a pictures whilst retaining the image quality and making sure everything as whole looks realistic. Overall the assignment was enjoyable, I felt like me practicing creative directing the shoot was fun and is something I definitely would like to explore in the future, it feels more multifaceted and I feel like I’m properly exploring what creativity means to me. I believe this assignment gave me a good insight on what and how to work on briefs as a group and how to listen and adapt to each other’s opinions

[onenightandgone]

Gone: Chapter Eleven

It’s strange how our fears know us better than we know ourselves.

Reader x Sehun Angst

‘Where is she?’

You looked up from your phone as Jonesy burst into Joanie’s small apartment in a whirlwind.

‘Kid.’

You braced yourself for the slap, the kick, the physical punishment you deserved. Instead, you opened your eyes to her arms slung around your shoulders.

‘Jonesy?’ you wondered out loud. ‘Aren’t you still mad at me?’

She pulled back from the embrace and popped down on the mat beside you.

‘You? No. Your brother? It’ll definitely come to fisticuffs,’ she said. A defiant glint shone in her eyes. ‘I should have realized all along.’

You took her arm in yours to reassure her.

‘You don’t have to apologize to me,’ you admitted. ‘I deserved to be yelled at.’

‘No, no, don’t worry, I wasn’t going to,’ Jonesy smiled at you. ‘I just don’t blame you anymore.’

She let out a loud breath and cuddled you up to her side like she used to when you were a child.

‘I know what it’s like,’ she explained, ‘to be on your side of things. Back when we were in college,with your sister. Deep inside, I felt awful – I screamed at myself to stop – but I turned it all off. It broke her, and it was all my fault. All I had to do was use my fucking head to make everything turn out differently,’ Jonesy ran her fingers through her tangled hair in a struggle to find the right words. ‘I never got the chance to tell her how sorry I was,’ she inhaled sharply, ‘how sorry I am. But, kid, you’re my second chance to make things up to her. I don’t want to let things go again when I could have done something to fix them.’

Jonesy wrapped her arm around your shoulders. ‘Audiowish might be in the past, but, kid, nobody can break us up. You got that?’

You exchanged another embrace in place of words, letting each other go before the tears could come. You had had enough of crying for forever.

Your life almost felt right again. When you got Jonesy back, you felt like you had found a long lost treasure, a part of yourself. You felt almost together again.

Almost together, except for the deep hollow inside of you that ached longingly for him. It was there, leaking, cracking, itching, your attempts to push it down were like trying to hold back the ocean tide with duct tape. You focused on every word Jonesy said, every syllable, anything to distract yourself.

‘So what’re you gonna do now?’ she asked pointedly.

The words ‘I don’t know’ teetered on the brink of your mouth before your phone buzzed in your hand.

It was JB.

               ‘Hey, you, want to come over and play? ;)’

               ‘I’ll be there in 30.’

You couldn’t help the smile that stole onto your face as you replied.

‘I have an idea,’ you said. You gave Jonesy a synopsis of how you met JB while getting ready to go.

‘And your tree doesn’t mind?’ she inquired.

‘Tree?’ you puzzled.

‘Weren’t you getting really close with one of the trees? The less tree-ish one? You know I don’t know their names!’ Jonesy paused for thought. ‘Shorter hair, smaller eyes, looked like he was judging everyone all of the time?’

‘Are you talking about Sehun?’ You wished and hoped to avoid this topic, but boyfriends are the inevitable things that friends like to know about.

‘That’s the one! What happened with him?’ She took on an excited tone.

‘Jonesy,’ you said impatiently, ‘do you really want to talk relationships with me? Is this really happening?’

‘You’re right, you’re right,’ she backed down. ‘I take it that it didn’t end well then?’

You stared at your guitar case blankly as you struggled to formulate an answer. You tried to turn off the memory of the way he called you name as the elevator door slid shut, the way his chest shook against your back as he cried. The pain was too great, you had to forget.

‘Not for him,’ you replied succinctly. ‘I wasn’t good for him.’

Jonesy knew you well, that you would talk more when you were ready to. She nodded without offering commentary.

The walk to JB’s studio was much longer than the car ride had made it seem. You struggled to not whack other pedestrians with the hard black case slung over your back.

You were three blocks away when your phone rang shrilly from your pocket. You read the screen and instinctively declined the call. Sehun’s ID faded to black.

There was nothing to discuss.

A minute later your message inbox began filling up.

               ‘Where are you?’                ‘Can we talk?’                ‘Are you ok?’

You typed out the beginning of a reply, but then thought better of it, quickly deleting it. Your phone rang again insistently, Sehun’s ID displaying brightly. He wasn’t giving up.

‘What is it, Sehun?’ you answered. You focused your attention on the cracks in the pavement beneath you, trying not to scratch at the emotional barrier you had constructed.

‘Y/N-ah! Where are you? Are you ok?’ his voice betrayed his panic.

‘Yeah, I’m ok, don’t worry,’ you replied, doing your best imitation of a calm person.

‘Where are you?’ repeated Sehun.

‘Outside,’ you said with sarcasm.

You heard a loud clunk as Sehun put his phone down on a hard surface, and then him swearing in the distance.

‘Y/N-ah! What did you do to Sehunnie?’ Chanyeol asked as he picked up the phone.

You couldn’t say anything before you heard a loud impact. Chanyeol yelled, ‘OW!’ as Sehun hit him and tore the phone away from him.

‘Where are you staying?’ Sehun clarified with a false calm.

‘At Joanie’s. Why?’

‘I have to make sure you’re safe, that’s why!’ his voice rose in frustration. ‘Why do you have to make everything difficult? I want to take care of you, Y/N-ah!’

His concern broke through the focus you had built up to protect yourself. Tears sprang to your eyes as you came around the corner to JB’s studio. You tried to say something, but a sob escaped instead. You covered your mouth with your hand to avoid attracting any sort of attention on the street.

It made everything worse.

‘Are you crying? Y/N-ah, talk to me, please.’ Sehun’s voice softened. You felt the ghost of his thumb run along your cheekbone. He couldn’t know that all you wanted was him.

‘No,’ you sniffled without meaning to. The timing was impeccable.

‘You are crying! Tell me where you are, ok? We’ll come get you, where are you?’ Sehun sounded increasingly worried. You wanted nothing more than to see him, to see his face, to feel his warmth surround you.

‘No, no, it’s ok, I’m ok,’ you forced yourself to say. You hung up and turned off your phone before he could call you back.

You tried to hide the evidence of crying before reaching for the door handle, but JB blocked the way.

‘Why are you crying?’ He bent down to your level to look straight into your eyes. You shook your head and wiped harder.

‘It’s ok, just life, you know?’ You tried to smile.

He wordlessly pulled the door open for you to enter, keeping the silence until it closed behind you.

‘It’s ok to cry, I don’t mind,’ JB said.

You didn’t want another of your friends to be worried about you, so you deferred.

‘I’ll be ok,’ you told him, stooping to unpack your guitar. ‘Let’s do music.’

The musical afternoon with JB was magical. You chose one or two of your favourites to record and he spent time overlaying electric beats and rhythms matching the pacing and lyrics of the songs. He had a natural flair for it, even suggesting some changes and improvements where he thought they would be useful. You spent the other half of the time adding your acoustic rhythm to some of JB’s work, mixing in your vocals soulfully.

The week flew by as the hours in the studio burned away and the wealth of album-worthy in the small studio balanced out. You felt excited by everything that you had accomplished together.

Sehun sent you at least one message every night, if he didn’t have time to try to call. You didn’t pick up if he called, but you let him see that you had read his messages.

At three on Thursday afternoon, you and JB agreed that it was time for a break. You set your aim on a nearby café and hoped that the rain would hold off long enough to get there and back.

‘I know it’s not my business, but did you sign with SM?’ JB asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

‘No, it wasn’t right,’ you shook your head.

‘Ok, good. I think we’re on to something with this collaboration,’ he said. ‘I’m going to give it to my company when we’re done, tell them about you.’

‘I’m sorry, you what?’ you laughed incredulously. Your ears were definitely deceiving you.

‘I’m going to give the mixtape to JYP with your name on it. They need to hear what you’re capable of,’ he clarified. ‘Everyone should hear this.’

You admired his confidence in you, and you wished you could share it. No one had heard your own personal productions before. The thought produced a flood of nervous butterflies in your stomach.

JB noticed and squeezed your shoulder in support. He smiled warmly, resting the hand on you as you walked side by side.

When you got back to the studio, JB had you pick out a few of your favourites from the new tracks you had produced together. He put them on a flash drive, locked up the studio, and walked you back to Joanie’s.

‘How’s the new music coming?’ Cliff asked as you entered the apartment.

‘We’ve got enough done for a mixtape,’ you told him. You grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. ‘JB’s going to give it to his company producers to listen to.’

‘That’s so great, Y/N,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘When do we get to hear some?’

‘If it were just up to me, you would have already, but JB is the other half of this,’ you shrugged.

You plopped yourself down on the mat in the living room to check your messages. Three unread.

Chanyeol sent the first one:

               ‘Y/N! We miss you! Well, Sehun misses you more. You should come visit us!’

The second message was an unexpected one from Junmyeon:

               ‘If you’re free this weekend, come visit us. It would be really good for Sehunnie to see you.’

He had listed their address in the next message, asking you to keep the location a secret from the public. His messages worried you though. Was something wrong with Sehun?

The last was, of course, from your Sehun:

               ‘Y/N-ah, how are you today? I hope I can see you soon. I love you.’

The l-word was new, shocking. You stared at the screen until it timed out, unlocking and staring at it again in a cycle. Your fingers moved by themselves as you replied to him for the first time since you had left your brother’s apartment.

               ‘I love you too.’

You dropped the phone like it was on fire, amazed at what you had just done. The reality of the words sank in deep, but you knew that they were true.

He didn’t try to call that night.

The next morning you woke to your phone ringing loudly. The sleepiness slowed down your thought process. It didn’t sound like your alarm. But who would be calling?

‘H-hello?’ you said. Trying to say words out loud without caffeine in your system was exceptionally tricky.

‘Good morning, sweetheart,’ came JB’s voice from the strange device beside your ear. ‘Come down to the studio as soon as you can. There’s someone who wants to meet you.’

You mumbled a response.

‘Let me know you understood!’ JB’s voice grew sharper.

‘I-I got it,’ you managed. ‘Studio, soon, today. Okey doke.’

‘Don’t go back to sleep after I hang up!’ he demanded. In only a week, he had figured out your loglike sleeping pattern.

You rolled out of bed and got ready, as ordered.

The small studio was usually empty except for the two of you. The sight of five extra people sitting wherever there was space to sit was jarring. You took a big gulp of your coffee. They were all dressed exceptionally well, intimidatingly so. You looked down at your torn jeans and ragged sweater and blushed.

‘Y/N!’ JB called you over.

He stood next to a tall executive-type. The stranger looked you over once, but smiled approvingly afterwards.

‘Y/N, this is Park Jinyoung, he owns the company,’ he introduced.

You bowed politely.

‘Jaebum played me some of the tracks you produced together,’ he explained. His countenance was harsh; it made you nervous. Here came the judgment. ‘It’s been a while since we’ve had such a collaboration come from our company. We would be pleased if you’d be part of it.’

He held out a stack of paper, neatly stapled and tabbed. You took it from him with a shaky hand. The word ‘CONTRACT’ was printed in bold lettering at the top. You knew what your eyes were looking at, but your brain refused to process it.

‘You’d be working mostly as a producer. I see you as a great creative force in our future. Of course, when there’s time, you can release these collaborations with Jaebum,’ Mr. Park appealed, trying to sell you on his company.

The idea of having your own workspace again, of being creative on a daily basis, was incredibly inviting. You still perused the contents of the contract carefully however, sipping your coffee as you went.

Mr. Park had gone off to discuss matters with his advisors, JB stayed by your side as you read.

‘You can’t tell, but he’s actually really excited about you,’ JB said. ‘I haven’t seen him try to sell JYP to a signee that hard in a long time.’

Ten minutes later, you had written your name carefully at the bottom of the last page. You had officially signed as a creator and producer with JYP.

You rushed back to Joanie’s apartment, bursting in with a huge smile on your face.

‘I got a job with JYP!’ you announced excitedly, before you took in the scene before you. The smile melted off your face.

Joanie and Jonesy sat at the small table in the tiny living room across from Junmyeon and Sehun. You stood stunned at the unexpected scenario.

Sehun got to his feet rapidly and was over to you in two strides. Before you knew it, you were in his arms. You had braced yourself to resist, but once you felt his warmth, you felt like you were breathing for the first time in a long time. You laid your head against his chest to hear the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat. Sehun kissed your forehead and buried his nose in your hair.

You heard the sounds of people leaving as quietly as they could, although Jonesy didn’t try at all. The door slammed shut behind her.

He unravelled from you moments later. His long fingers brushed hair behind your ear. He looked in your eyes with all seriousness.

‘Don’t ever run from me again,’ Sehun said. You rested your hands on his chest, taking comfort in his strength.

‘It wasn’t about you,’ you explained. ‘I had to get out of there, away from my brother. I didn’t have time to stay.’

‘Talk to me about it then. Tell me what’s wrong! You scared me - I thought I was losing you,’ he said. He pulled you back into his chest, tucking him to you like he was afraid that you would disappear.  Your eyes fluttered closed to soak in the moment. You immersed yourself in the love that he offered you so graciously and allowed yourself to love him in return.

You reached up and pulled Sehun’s face down towards yours, carefully placing your lips on his, kissing him gently. He responded in kind, holding you tighter against him as he moved against you. The heat he gave off burned through your body. The kiss deepened further before you pulled back with a wavering breath.

‘You haven’t lost me,’ you whispered. ‘You could never lose me.

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve (M) 

[wordsbynicangeles]

WITH CONFIDENCE PH TOUR

August 26-28 | SM City North EDSA SkyDome, SM City Fairview, SM City BF

With Confidence live at SM City Fairview. The pop-punk up-and-comers have brought better weather to the country throughout their entire Philippine tour in August.

I’d hate to admit this now but I had taken With Confidence at face value when I first took notice of them earlier this year-- that was when they released their first full length album Better Weather last summer under Hopeless Records, and I thought to myself, “Oh, you know, they’re just another pop-punk band…” I’m not gonna lie though— even as I had such presumptions, I actually thought that they were pretty interesting, in all fairness, at first listen.

But it wasn’t until SM Malls and PULP Live brought the band to the Philippines to play a couple of shows in August that I paid more attention. After having been fortunate enough to have a couple of conversations with them during their stay here, I came to realize that there really is something more to Jayden Seeley (vocals and bass), Iñigo Del Carmen (guitar), Luke Rockets (guitar), and Josh Brozzesi (drums) other than their infectious brand of pop-punk and catchy-as-hell choruses.

With Confidence live at SM City North EDSA SkyDome

I was fortunate to have had the chance to ask them a few questions and we got to talk about their recent Warped Tour experience, Better Weather, and a bit about their music video for “Voldemort”, and so on. What I really appreciate about the guys is that it all felt like an actual conversation (as interviews should!), more than a mere question-and-answer exchange. They have always been so down-to-earth and accommodating, and eager to strike conversations with anybody who came up to them for a little chit-chat. Ask any of their fans who got to meet them during their meet-and-greet sessions throughout the tour, and they will agree when I say that the guys are just as charming off stage as they are when they’re playing.

I’ve found that this is even more true after the show-- backstage, I was quietly observing the guys as they packed up their gear. They didn’t have roadies nor a tour guy/manager (no crew whatsoever apart from ours at PULP Live World) with them throughout these shows, and I casually asked Josh if they did handle all their gear by themselves. “We’ve always been a DIY kind of band,” I recall him saying, after which he went on and on with a lot of other stories until he got to expressing his excitement about how cool he thought it was for them to be traveling to play all of these shows. “I mean, we’re in the Philippines!” Josh said, and for them, that’s pretty crazy. Before coming to the PH shows, With Confidence joined the Vans Warped Tour for the first time ever, an experience they described as incredible and surreal, having been able to play alongside bands they grew up listening to like their now-labelmates Sum 41 and New Found Glory.

PULP Crew x With Confidence

The band likes to take their time and improve, Josh said, and not play to 20,000 people in one night at this very moment in their career or be an overnight success like, say, their friends and fellow Aussies 5 Seconds of Summer. They really just want to play as many shows as they can in different places, now that they’re doing this full-time, after quitting their jobs in Australia. And then Josh came to a point where he apologized for being too talkative and resumed packing up. Meanwhile, Ini was walking around giving away doughnuts backstage, and Jayden and Luke were checking out fan gifts. See, they were pretty fun people to have around!

All of these quick but meaningful conversations gave me a deeper understanding of the band and how they work, in the same manner that he, along with the rest of the band, gave me a broader perspective of Better Weather during our pre-show interview. Working on their major label debut, they say, has been a different and more challenging venture compared to when they released their two self-released EPs Youth (2013) and Distance (2015) which were mostly responsible for their rise in popularity. I did pen a review of Better Weather three issues ago, but it wasn’t until I had these chats with the band that I saw the album in a much better light.

“Back in the day, we’d sometimes start at nothing and just jam. Sometimes we’d start with a riff… it takes a lot longer that way. We didn’t have the luxury [of time]. When we started the band, there [used to be] no deadlines for anything, it was just fun,” Josh told me. “It was for the better!”, added Luke, when Josh said that this kind of put some pressure on them as a band. This isn’t to say though that With Confidence is the type of band that’s in this just for the fun of it all. Sure, fun’s a part of it and they do sound quite like they’re having fun, but of course that’s not the entire picture.

This is probably why it’s easy to lose sight of how bravely they’ve tackled more serious subject matters like depression in some of their songs—here’s a band that’s not afraid to dig deep and get personal. “Both ‘Keys’ and ‘Voldemort’ are two very special songs off our album that both deal with heavier topics, one is in a happy way, one is in a more reflective way,” says Luke, and this really makes you think about how much thought they’ve given into writing such songs, and not just aim to sound as good as any other pop-punk band out there. There’s a greater purpose of actually sending a message that’s compelling; to tell a meaningful story through their songs chock-full of catchy tunes.

With everything that I’ve gotten the chance to know about the band, I can’t help but look forward to the many things that lie ahead of them. What I like most about With Confidence is how they’re not rushing to conquer the world stage—they’re taking their time and that’s quite alright, as they continue to make waves across the globe. After touring the Philippines, the band has returned to Australia for their own headlining tour, and is slated to tour UK/Europe as well. Things are definitely looking up as they set out to bring Better Weather to more crowds, and we at PULP aren’t losing our confidence in the band as they make more waves wherever their music takes them.

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Note: This exclusive coverage has been published on PULP Magazine’s October 2016 Issue (Issue # 182)