#and since they’re during different seasons brother 1 diligently plays both

[little-pondhead]

I’m not too fond of doing certain chores around the house, but I certainly won’t complain if I’m asked to do them. In fact, sometimes I’m delighted to do these chores, but only if I’m pissed off at my siblings. Why, you may ask?

Because I’m an adult. Under the nitpicking gaze of my mother, I have long since perfected these chores despite any feelings I may hold. So when I’m really pissed off and want to be petty, I’ll do the chores so well, my mother will see the results and nag the others to keep up with her standards.

Psychological warfare is the best when the opponent doesn’t even know what you’re doing.

[iamsonyeondone]

heir!svt // boo seungkwan

♥ fluffy!

♥ 3k words

this cutie full of sass and just overflowing love is the heir to his mother’s infamous jeju tangerine company

yeah people might think, oh thats nothing

but hoo boi they’re the no. 1 selling jeju tangerines in korea

because they’re so sweet just like the boo family :O

and sometimes they even import their goods worldwide, ITS THAT GOOD

back to our boo

he may seem pretty eccentric, especially when he’s around seokmin or soonyoung, but he’s also a sweetheart who takes care of his juniors and friends

like he will always remind them of their worth and sometimes get really clingy

but of course his sassy side is one of the many reasons that people love him too!!

they find it funny whenever he goes on a savage strike and literally drag anYone

like he doesnt care who your parents are, he will drag you down to hell

but everyone knows he doesnt mean it half the time, but when he actually does, it will bring shivers down your spine

since his well-loved among the students, he’s literally friends with everyone

especially the younger ones because he like to feel like an older brother and feels proud when his juniors look up to him

this is so soft fk

but he also has his moments where he wants to be taken care of too so he simply just joins his closest group of friends aka the big bunch of thirteen boys

people wonder how the heck they seem so close when all of them could form a class

anyWays, onto you

so theres two groups of people when it comes to seungkwan

1) you’re friends with him or 2) youre not

lucky you, you drop in the first category because if you dont, you’re just a sad outcast who doesnt like the cutest squishy boy

but even if you were friends with him, you werent as close to the extent where you guys hang out often

its the little greetings you guys say to each other in the hallways that keeps this acquaintance going

and its not like youre scared of him or anything

in fact its a little bit more than that

you’ve always admired him for being such a positive light in Pledis High along with his friends

and he’s someone that you aspire to be like - to be fearless and firm in yourself as well as be a pillar of strength for everyone else around

but you’re just that shy student who stammers during presentations because being in the center of attention scares the living heck out of you

he’s practically your aspiration

and its pretty difficult to get close to someone who has 46389392 other people to choose from to hang out with

but thats just you overthinking it because seungkwan has been wondering if he should just ask you to join him for lunch

on the other hand, seungkwan sees you as someone who works diligently behind the scenes

yeah sure you might not be able to lead people in a group project or voice out your opinions

but you do research like a mad scientist and quietly lead the group to an A for a project by leaving notes for improvement in their files

hell yeah he sees you, he sees potential in everyone

but its also because he thinks you’re pretty cute when you get so into the textbook that you’re literally inches away from kissing the pages

but he threatened vernon not to tell you that because he cant just mAke A MoVe

he wants to get to know you more first, about your favourite colour or what you think about when you daydream in class or how your brain manages to store so much information about general facts

most of the random facts you remember is from snapple bottles but no one needs to know that

so yeah maybe boo seungkwan is a little bit Whipped™ for you h a h a a little bit???

like every other day when seungkwan passes by your class, he sees you in your seat scribbling on your notes with furrowed eyebrows and your bottom lip between your teeth

and you just tugged on his heartstrings because how can someone look this good while doing something so,,, normal

and vernon has to snap him out of it

“dUde you’re really not making this crush thing any less subtle,”

and seungkwan nearly wants to hold him in a chokehold and make him regret his words

but when he takes another glance at you, you’re staring back and he’s quickly covering up his slightly blushed cheeks with a little wave

while you shot a shy smile towards him and waved back

and that simple action of yours just saved vernon from being suffocated

which also makes seungkwan say fuck it and ask you to join him for lunch or a study session after school that day

he wasn’t able to catch you at lunch that day, probably because you felt more comfortable in the quiet and cool library of the school

so when he sees you preparing your things to leave the school, he jogs right after you and nearly slams himself into your locker door

“hi! yn right?” he asks you, as if he’s never repeated your name in his mind every time he sees you

“y-yeah, what’s up?” you inquired back, zipping up your backpack and closing the locker door shut

“i was thinking, if you had the time, if you could join me on a study session today,”

and as much as you want to confirm his words, the way he looks at you with the hopeful sparkle in his eyes confirmed itself

boo seungkwan was asking you to hang out, and he chose you out of everyone else

“oh,, im free but i have a curfew so i hope you dont mind if we dont stay out too long,” you mustered every ounce of courage you had as you slung your bag over your shoulder

“great!! i know just the right place for us to study at,” he smiles, taking the spot next to you as he guide the both of you out of school

throughout the walk to the study spot seungkwan had planned, he had been talking about the stories about his friends and the way they have been annoyingly him lately - but of course they did it out of affection

“they say i pout alot when i get angry but i dont pout that much >:((” 

and as he whined about the statement, his lips indeed formed into a big sad pout just as his friends had said

as you tried to hold back the giggle, that is until he brows began going up and down in frustration like a rollercoaster

and that was the trigger 

you burst out laughing, covering your mouth even though it was too late to cover up

while he looked back at you with a confused look - although his chest felt entirely different

the way your eyes turned into crescent moons when you smiled really wide as well as the way your voice sounded harmonious to him

“i’m so sorry,, it’s just that,, your friends are totally right. look at you!!” you attempted to catch your breath while you held your phone to him, the front camera had indeed showed him the pouty face his friends had mentoned

“even you too??? but its not that bad right?” seungkwan looks back at you with pitiful puppy eyes and a part of you melts at the adorable sight

“no its not bad!! its actually pretty cute,” you reassured him, still recovering from your laughing fit

cute?? did you just call boo seungkwan cute??

he’s smile starts to radiate and his cheeks turn bright red from being flustered

but you were too busy chuckling at the accidental selfie he had taken on your phone

before he could even mention the compliment, the both of you had reached the cafe, swinging the door gently as you entered first while he followed behind you

you guys grabbed a spot by the corner, it being one of the best place, as recommended by seungkwan himself

“i’ll order the drinks and you can start studying first,” he shoots you a kind smile before sliding out from his chair

“oh yeah, what would you like?” he inquired, quickly giving him your normal order before he went to the counter

the place was beyond amazing and you werent sure how you havent seen it before when the shop had been placed near the school

the calm and soothing ambient given by the soft jazz playing in the speakers and the bright light illuminating the place was not glaring either

as you began flipping through your notes and your textbooks, seungkwan arrives with a tray of your drinks as well as slice of cake on a plate

“we didn’t order cake but the owner of the shop gave it to us on the house. maybe its because i’ve become a regular,” he chuckled, rubbing the nape of his neck after he had placed the tray to the side

“really?? ah we should thank them,” you turned towards the cashier where a man with circular glasses had a smile plastered on his face

and is that a,,, thumbs up?? did he just mouthed ‘good luck’?

“i think he wished us good luck for our exams since exam season is coming up,” but when you turn back to face seungkwan, he has his hand motioning back and forth across his neck, mouthing something along the lines of “shh”

“you actually know him?” you inquired, catching his attention as he nearly cracked his neck from turning too fast

“o-oh yeah sure! i come here pretty often remember? besides, we should really start studying before its too late,” he laughed nervously, slipping back into his seat and fetching out his required materials

and hour pasts and the pain in your neck starts to grow from facing your textbook from a weird angle, making you stretch in your seat while it captures his attention

“10 minute break?” he asks with a knowing smile as you nodded a little too enthusiastically, immediately regretting your decision while you held your drink in your hands, taking a few sips every so often

“did you get a lot done? i barely got the english practice questions done,” he sighed, taking a sip from his own cup

“yeah i guess. i managed to finish my english assignment too so i can help you if you want!” 

“reALLy?? ugh you’re a life savior yn. but enough of studies for now, LETS DIG IN,” he excitedly exclaims, placing the sliced cake between the both of you and handing a dainty small fork that matched his

your eyes sparkled in delight when you tasted the light whip cream along with the soft and spongy cake, eliciting giggles from seungkwan as your shoulders danced in elation

“you’re too adorable,” seungkwan complimented you on instinct

and its only when you look at him with wide eyes that he realized his action

“a-ah am i too straightforward?? i’ll stop if its uncomfortable,” 

but that compliment had brought a shy smile to your face, tinting the edges of your ears while you shook your head

you were slightly confused then - was your heart racing because you were with someone you admired, or was it because you began to see him in a different light

in a span of a few hours, seungkwan was more than you had assumed and you really meant that he was more than just an embodiment of positivity and sassiness

you werent sure what words you would exactly use to describe him now that you knew him a little more

but it was definitely not in a way where you saw him as an aspiration any longer

and more on seeing that smile on his face

“yn? yN? are you really sure its ok?” and that cute pout is on his face once again

“y-yeAH its totally fine!! we better finish this cake quick, my curfew is in another hour,” you smiled apologetically before taking another bite

“it’s alright, we can study together again if you want to,” 

and minutes just as fast as the time the both of you had spent together

in a split second, you had arrived at your door - although with many times you had reassured him you would be able to walk home alone, seungkwan wouldnt budge an inch

“i guess i’ll see you at school tomorrow?” he questioned, a small shy smile on his face

and as the both of you waved goodbye and went your separate ways, neither of you could wipe the wide smiles on your faces

days turn into months and a year felt like it had passed in a blink of an eye

so many things had happened during that period of time

without a doubt, you had become one of his closest friends (but others think otherwise when they see you two linking pinkies in the hallways)

and as we all know, all 13 boys came as a package, so it was only a matter of time until you met all 13 of them

it was a chaotic meeting, having to meet all of them at once made remembering names wayy more difficult

but after a while of getting to know them, you had grown accustomed to their personalities

like that one time that the noticeboard fell off the wall for some reason and you immediately thought of mingyu

you turn around and mingyu is standing right beside that noticeboard, with his entire body frozen into place

or like that one time seungkwan was telling about a prank that happened to him and asked if jeonghan was in charge of it and he just goes yEAH AND I GOT MY HAIR DYED BLUE FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK

and seungkwan was relieved that his friends had accepted you as a person

because they can get pretty protective of each other #squadgoAls 

but also because he wouldnt know what to do if they didnt like you when his crush on you is mAssive

it has grown to the point where he’s so close to confessing, but he never knows the right time to do so

on the other hand, you had begun to see him more than just a friend

the way he looked so worried when you had a little papercut on your finger

or when he stopped the other boys from teasing you because he feels this weird sense of anger boiling in the pit of his stomach

its called jealousy but boy has a little bit of a problem seeing it as it is

and anytime seungkwan initiates skinship with you, you feel your body heat up but its not to the point where you feel its overwhelming??

its more like this comfortable warmth that you can never get enough of

the kind of feeling you dont get with anyone else

and that was the moment you had finally accepted the fact that it had grown into a full-fledged Crush

either of you is still oblivious to each others feelings but its wayy to obvious to everyone else that theres something else brewing than ‘just friends’

but your thoughts and doubts get the best of you

because what if seungkwan is just this nice to everyone else?? i mean he did help out most of his juniors with their homework

and its normal seeing him hold hands and hug his other friends

and it kind of has your hopes lowered but it didnt hurt having a harmless crush right??

they come and go anyway

but seungkwan’s crush on you hasnt gone ever since his heart raced at the sight of you with the widest smiles

and he wasn’t planning to ignore it either

as per normal, the both of you walked into the cafe the both of you now frequented together, ordering the same drink but a different kind of cake to try every week

its come to the point where you guys have nearly tried every pastry there was in the cafe

but this time, seungkwan doesnt take out his notes or his pencil case with the matching tangerine keychain which you had gotten for him as a gift while your similar keychain hung on your bag

“what’s wrong?? no assignments this week?” you questioned, debating if you should finish yours alone

“well,,, not quite actually. but i felt like we needed a little break from studying since exams are over,” his eyes remain glued to the cup of iced americano in front of him 

which was weird since he would usually shoot you that warm smile you’ve grown to love so much

“is there anything wrong?” you had held onto his arm instinctively, thinking that maybe he just needed a little push to tell you whats on his mind

“i dont want to scare you or anything, so you dont need to answer back if you dont want to,” he rubbed the nape of his neck, playing nervously with the end of his hair

you nod along for him to continue, letting your hand linger on his while his eyes glanced towards the skin contact

“do you,, see me as anything more than a friend- you really dont have to answer it if it makes you feel-”

“yeah, is there something wrong with it?” you answered with a tiny bit of confidence

meanwhile your feet was bouncing under the table and your cheeks had already turned as bright as the red velvet cupcake between the both of you

and you answer shuts him up quickly

and it had been the first time he had looked back into your eyes ever since the both of you had stepped into the cafe

and they still look as sparkling as ever, if not, even more than you have ever seen them

his lips slowly curled into a bashful grin, accompanying his flushed red cheeks

“then i guess its appropriate to ask if,, if you’d be my,,,lover?” the term rolling off his tongue sends shivers down his spine

but when you bring his hand towards your lips, placing a quick peck, he nearly explodes and shortcircuits

“how could i ever say no?”

a/n: im so soft for seungkwan??? like i would squish his cheeks all day if i could o k also as per usual i’ll proofread this tomorrow morning because i can never get as inspired when it isnt 3 in the morning oops

[im-youngmin]

[TRANS] 170727 Wikitree Interview with MXM

On the 19th, I met MXM at Wikitree’s office in Seoul Jeong-dong. The two of them sat down first with a company representative and were in the meeting room. The moment I opened the door and came in, I was greeted with Youngmin and Donghyun who were wearing white and black.

Q: I feel like your lives probably changed a lot after ‘Produce 101 Season 2’.

Youngmin: It’s all new experiences… Right now, we’re recording, talking about our album jacket and concepts, and discussing team names too~ (Q: Is your concept white and black?) Haha. Ah. These are just our own clothes… But we fit well like that ^_^ Hahaha.”

Q: It seems like the two of your preferences are similar. Your hairstyles are very similar too.

(Both nod at the same time)

Youngmin: I think the way we dress is really similar~ Ah, I like hip-hop or street brands, but Donghyun usually liked dandy or somewhat casual looks, but we would look at clothes together and say ‘This is pretty. That’s pretty too’, and it naturally became similar.”

Donghyun: Ah, yes (infinite nodding)

Q: Then I’ll ask a question about your unit. Your unit name!!

Donghyun: Our CEO (In a very quiet voice)

Q: How do you like it? Your unit name?

Youngmin: It’s nice. I like it. The meaning is very deep, so I really like it and I think it fits well with our situation…

Q: What do you think the reactions of fans will be after your unit name is revealed?

Youngmin: Uh~ What is this. I think they’ll think it’s really random. Because they would have had to been prepared by thinking ‘Ah! That’s right, it was this’ from what we’ve shown, but… To be honest, we were given the team name suddenly while we were preparing too. I feel like fans will feel some way because it’s something fans didn’t expect at all either. But like any other team, it’s awkward at first when a team name is shown. I think the best way to think about it is for us to gradually fit into these clothes and look more natural.

Q: What were some other names that were candidates?

Youngmin: Just going with Brand New Boys as is… But I think it became MXM almost instantly.

Q: Fitting with your name, I feel like this single will be something different. When I think of Brand New, I think of hip-hop, so please introduce your single.

Youngmin: Although we came out with the team name of ‘Mix and Match’, our album name is UNMIX. I don’t know if you have seen it, but our tendencies are very different. Our characters too. We’re showing the chemistry between two people like that. Even in the album, it’s just us for the first time… After being separated from the Brand New Boys friends and only showing our sides on ‘Produce 101’, we have to now show this side. Also, many people seem to be curious about how we will do both hip-hop and be an idol, but our basic motto is to have a motif of being bright like an ‘idol’, but show a variety of genres in music without having any restrictions… We worked hard in putting a variety of genres in this album in order to show the feeling of ‘Oh~ You guys can do this too?’.

Donghyun: (Nod nod) (Sparkling eyes)

Q: What kind of song is your debut single?

Donghyun: They’re not completely different tracks. One song (GOOD DAY) was written by Lee Daehwi and one song (I JUST DO) was written by me and a producer helped. I played it before during a V App. If you look at it one way, the lyrics can seem like it’s talking about love, but in another way, it could also be words I want to say towards fans.”

Q: Then what are the words you want to say most to fans right now?

Donghyun: I’m always thankful, so… Thank you for supporting and loving me, and I will work hard. Something like that.

Youngmin: We’re giving back…. We used to be trainees with an indefinite plan, but we didn’t even imagine that we would receive this much love. So I’m infinitely thankful towards all of the love right now. But rather than just be thankful, we had strong thoughts in wanting to give back in any way possible, so by giving back with this song~ and this album in general, we are also introducing by saying ‘Our music is like this’.

Q: I heard that you filmed a lot of photoshoots and advertisements?

Donghyun & Youngmin: (Confused) No. That’s ㅠ

Q: Then is there a photoshoot concept you want to do?

Youngmin: Since I normally enjoy hip-hop, I want to do a photoshoot that gives off somewhat of a hip-hop feel. Something really hip-hop-like ㅋㅋ (Is excited and happy)

Donghyun: Since it’s summer right now ㅋㅋ Something summer-like?! Coolly~ I’ve always wanted to try it and honestly, if given the opportunity, I think I can work hard in anything and do well. (Bows)

Q: What about for advertisements?

Donghyun: This is… to be honest… (acts shy) something only top stars do, but since we were trainees, maybe when we do well. Something like a coffee commercial. Ah! Or a ramen commercial too.

Q: Ah, Donghyun likes eating, right?

Youngmin: He’s 1st place in eating among Brand New ㅋㅋㅋ. If someone sees him eating, they end up wanting to eat to. I don’t really have an appetite, but when I see Donghyun eating, I feel ‘Oh, I want to eat too’.

Q: Then a question. If Donghyun had to pick between Spicy Crab Stew or Fried Rice, what would you choose?

Donghyun had the most serious look on his face and couldn’t speak for a bit.

Donghyun: Um… This is a really hard question. ㅠㅠ

In the end, he wasn’t able to pick.

Q: There’s a program that idols go through once they debut, but what kind of program do you want to go on?

Both at the same time: If you just call us, we can go on any show~

The representatives there started to applaud. When I asked “What program?” once more, they answered.

Donghyun: I want to go on something tasty like ‘The Expedition of Food’. Or ‘Tasty Guys’ ㅋㅋ Or ‘One Night Food Trip’!! Did I really only say eating things ㅠㅠ

Youngmin: For me, ‘Running Man’? Something with games or sports. I’ve also never traveled before, so I think a travel program would be good too. Rather than a talk show where I have to talk ㅋㅋㅋ

Q: What do you think will have changed the most once you debut?

Youngmin: My life itself has already changed. But in my thoughts and mind, the feeling that I’m a trainee is still strong. So I always introduce myself as a trainee.

Donghyun: The pattern is basically the same. It was always the practice room to the dorms, but coming to an interview like this is a change. It feels like an event forms one-by-one? And I receive sunlight during the day too.

Q: Seems like the two of you don’t have that much of a difference in height.

Youngmin: Around 1 cm difference?

When I saw them in person, the heights of these two exceeded 180 cm. Donghyun was happy in saying that he grew. He seemed to be the happiest at this time during the interview.  

Q: Do you know Chinese? (A video of them speaking Chinese recently garnered interest)

Youngmin: (Whispers) No. I’m diligently memorizing it right now. Because we just started studying. I normally started studying Chinese characters on my own, but now we’re doing it at the company. But for now, all I know is how to say my name.

The two of them whispered for a long time as they talked about the Chinese phrases that they memorized recently.

Q: Then your skills in Chinese are pretty much the same, right?

Youngmin: You can just think that we have none ㅠㅠ

Donghyun: Ah

Q: You use a dialect in your speech, right? Your accent is a bit unique.

Youngmin: I’m a mix of proper and dialect where when I usually try to speak in a Busan dialect, it doesn’t work, and when I try to speak in a Seoul dialect, I can’t. I wanted to fix my dialect when I was 20 years old, so I kept only using proper speech, but since I wasn’t able to use my Busan dialect, my speaking amount decreased. So I thought ‘I don’t like that. Let’s just talk’, and now I’m using dialect again, but this isn’t even Busan dialect nor is it proper speech. It just ended up that way.

Q: Daejeon (Donghyun’s hometown) doesn’t have a dialect, right?

Donghyun: It doesn’t really have…

Youngmin: No, but ㅋㅋ Donghyun has his own Donghyun dialect. He can pronounce the ‘ㄹ’ sound, but he has an accent on it ㅋㅋㅋ

He showed me an example by saying ‘lemon’ and ‘lens’.

Donghyun: My ‘ㄹ’ sound is on top. Lemon. Lens. But it’s not just me. My twin brother is like this too. Our parents can do it well though. It’s just the two of us.

Q: Youngmin said that he doesn’t really have an appetite, but is there a dish you enjoy eating these days?

Youngmin: I do eat well, but I can handle being hungry well. I ate a lot in middle school and high school, but while exercising, I thought that I shouldn’t eat and that became a habit, so even if I’m hungry, I don’t think ‘Ah~ I want to eat that’.

Donghyun, who was next to him, said: “He’s a person I can’t understand.” And Youngmin replied with, “Donghyun really doesn’t gain weight compared to the amount he eats.”

Q: What’s your drinking capacity?

Both of them looked at each other and said: “Our drink capacity is a bottle and a half of soju.” They said that they couldn’t drink alcohol at all recently.

Q: Do you drive?

Youngmin: Yes! I know how to drive. (Proud expression on his face)

Donghyun: I don’t have a license ㅋㅋ

Q: Also, I saw Youngmin the moment I came in, but it seems like you’re not layering your T-shirts lately?

Youngmin: I normally do it, but when I wear two layers like this, I don’t do it and since it’s hot, if I’m wearing only a T-shirt, I layer it. But on a day like this where I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt, I don’t layer. I actually layered clothes since I was in elementary school. To be honest, I didn’t know there would be such a big reaction to it. I think about the point color when I layer.

Donghyun: He seems to have a lot of interest in clothes and cares about it a lot. When I see hyung, I think ‘He’s a hyung who layers a lot’. Thanks to that, I layer a lot too.

Q: What about Youngmin’s item of affection, your necklace?

Youngmin: This is similar with the layering, but because my neck is long… Donghyun probably thought of the nickname ‘Alpaca’ because my neck is long too.

Donghyun: His neck was part of it too, but it’s because he looks somewhat soft. (T/N: This phrase doesn’t have a direct translation, but just imagine a cloud.)

Youngmin: I don’t wear V-necks either. That’s also a reason why I do layering. If I look in the mirror and my necklace isn’t there, I feel sad. I like accessories too. I have a piercing and I’m always wearing a bracelet.

Q: Will Donghyun follow his hyung?

Donghyun: Nope! (Straightforward) ㅋㅋ Necklaces are uncomfortable for me. I feel like they don’t suit me.

Q: If you had to choose between layering or your necklace?

Youngmin: Ah~~ Hoo~~ (He didn’t speak for 10 seconds) I have a method. If I don’t wear a necklace, I have to do layers. And if I don’t layer, then I have to wear a necklace ㅠㅠ In the end, he chose the necklace for just the summer.

Q: Your tastes are very different, but do you not fight?

Youngmin: Because we have a large difference in our age…

Donghyun: One day, I will ㅋㅋㅋ

Q: Donghyun. Do you have any plans in making abs?

Donghyun: I like exercising. I have plans to make abs. I used to have them, but they disappeared since I haven’t exercised lately ㅠㅠ

Youngmin: Now all that’s left are the remains.

Q: I heard you guys have cute acts saved up, but when will we be able to see them?

Donghyun: I feel like I know what you’re saying. When we did V App for the first time, fans asked us to show cute acts, but we didn’t really know how to do the ‘jeojang’ cute action, so we said we would show it at another time. I’m guessing that’s what they want to see the most…

Youngmin: There’s something I’ve been researching lately, but ㅠㅠ It’s really a big research for me… I am doing it, but to be honest… ㅠㅠ I can’t think of any. Because I’m not really! good at doing cute acts. Because I’m a Busan male of 3 brothers. Even so, I still show the most cuteness to my parents at home, but I also don’t really talk at Busan either. My older and younger brother don’t really talk either, so my family was very surprised about me going on this route. Because I’m completely not the type too… But I’m definitely trying right now.

Q: I feel like Donghyun will have a lot of cuteness though? (The two of them started bickering for a long time)

Youngmin: He’s good at it~

Donghyun: I’m good at it, but showing those cute acts is hard

Youngmin: But he’s still good at it

Donghyun: No~~~

Q: Is there an artist you like these days?

Donghyun: I like Crush sunbaenim these days. Also Madilyn Bailey, Ed Sheeran, and Jason Mraz.

Youngmin: The style I have fallen into is Sik-K. Because I like hip-hop like that, I enjoy listening to types like Crush sunbaenim and AOMG sunbaenims. Also Drake and GoldLink.

Q: What’s your favorite movie genre?

Donghyun: I like space! Sci-Fi movies. Actually, I’m not picky about genres, but I watch space movies often.

Youngmin: I like movies with a twist or a moral. I like movies that make you think about it once more even after it ends.

Q: Donghyun, fans have a lot of interest in your hair, but do you like having your forehead covered or having comma hair?

Donghyun: I still prefer comma hair. The reason behind that is when I first showed myself, I had comma hair and fans like it a lot too. That comma hair.

Q: Donghyun, why did you cross-dress as a girl for your graduation photo?

Donghyun: I did some musical when I was younger. At that time, I cross-dressed. My friends were talking about it and suggested for me to try cross-dressing again and that they would lend me a school uniform, so they made me wear it. I was forced to, but fans seemed to like it.”

Q: Where is Gomdongie? (T/N: Donghyun’s MCM bear from Ma Boy)

Donghyun: Ah~ Gomdongie is always sitting at the edge of my bed ♥ I’ll bring him out next time.

Youngmin used to not have dolls on his bed, but he says that he has a few now. And said, “I placed ones I received as gifts.”

With the question about Gomdongie, MXM’s interview came to an end. As soon as the interview was finished, the two of them smiled brightly and took their take-out coffee that they were holding and happily went outside. All that was left in their seats was the heart to become a fan ♥

original post: wikitree.co.kr translation credits: @woojinprk

[ddrkirbyisq]

I make a wish, send a star, and pray,

I listen, share, and feel,

But can we ever truly understand each other's suffering?

I've finished A Link to the Past!

I was looking forward to this one for quite some time -- it's a bit of a crime, really, that I don't remember having fully gone through this game, though I do certainly remember all of it.  It's one of those numerous games that I played during the golden ages -- during my elementary school times, when we literally had three or four boxes full of NES and SNES cartridges for us to pick from.  You could call me spoiled, but having access to all of those titles really had a big impact on me.  Unfortunately I was also younger at the time, and as such was less mature both in terms of my gaming prowess as well as my diligence, so a great deal of these games I may not have actually played through all of the way.  Even the ones that I didn't, though, I usually had watched my brother play through.

It's refreshing to finally go back to these beloved classics, though it's debatable whether I should really call it "going back", as you really could argue that I've never left this era at all.

Anyways, Link to the Past was really fun!  I think there's an obvious comparison to be drawn between Link to the Past and Link's Awakening and I think in this regard everyone has their own preferences.  Link's Awakening probably sticks out as a favorite to a multitude of people (though it's completely overshadowed by people's love of Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, and Wind Waker), but it's really hard for me to enjoy anything more than a proper SNES game.

Zelda games have an interesting challenge of trying to toe the line between complexity and momentum -- dungeon and world designs need to be interesting enough to actually make you think and explore, yet if they're too complex it leads to a feeling of being overwhelmed and losing your inertia.  It's been a while since I last played Link's Awakening, but I think this is one of the main points that I think ought to be compared between the two games.

I found the dungeons in LttP to be...quite refreshing, actually!  It actually hit a pretty sweet spot for me where I needed to spend some time revisiting/scouring some areas in search of something that I missed, but in the end was always able to get through things after enough effort and diligence.  There definitely weren't as many unique puzzly mechanics compared to the dungeons in Link's Awakening (remember carrying around the ball all around Eagle's Tower???), but I think the dungeon layouts themselves were a little more "satisfying".  I think a big part of this is actually just due to the simple fact that because there's more screen real-estate, you get these bigger rooms and longer corridors with a lot more visual and spatial differences compared to each other, whereas in Link's Awakening ALL of the rooms are the same size and shape.

You also get these large "hub" rooms, as well as rooms that have both a foreground and a background, which provide a lot more interest in terms of parsing them.  I quite enjoyed this aspect.

The overworld, as well, feels a lot more open and bigger (which it is), and I'd echo much the same sentiment about the freedom of navigating the space -- again due to the fact that you don't just have a fixed camera, but rather have screens that pan around.  Everything feels a lot more open, a lot more cinematic, which of course all makes sense.  It's a landscape rather than a small jigsaw puzzle.

The dark world / light world aspect of the game was actually pretty cool, and I found myself picking up on a lot more of the environmental clues hidden around in various places of the overworld than my 10-year-old self.

In the end I think a lot of it is going to come down to preference.  I watched a pretty good video comparing Oracle of Ages vs Oracle of Seasons and it seems like despite these two being "sister" games there is a ton of difference between the focus of each one -- with Ages being puzzle-focused, and Seasons being action-focused.  The dungeons in Link's Awakening I think (?) require you to keep track of a lot more things at once -- in general I found them to be much more mentally taxing.  In LttP the dungeons are more interesting to =explore=, but they're also simpler to actually get through and navigate for the most part.  Again, I think a big part of this is simply due to the room design -- what would be a single room in LttP could get split into 4, or even 6 rooms in Link's Awakening.  There's all of these different rooms everywhere so traversing the entire dungeon just takes longer and you need to remember many more areas in your mental map.  I think this is why in LttP I found myself rarely ever bringing up the actual dungeon map, but in Link's Awakening I remember using it all the time!  So the pacing is a lot different here.

In the end I think I can say what we all knew already -- LttP is probably still #1 in my heart.

Now that I've finished the game proper, this also opens up the whole door of.....Lttp randomizer!!!  We'll see if I start diving into that world....

I got myself some ballet slippers!  I'm not sure how often I will actually end up using them, but I'd like to give them a try, as they just...have a different aesthetic that I enjoy.

That's all for now really, this post was mainly a celebration of LttP :)  It really wasn't any less enjoyable despite the fact that I'm already somewhat familiar with all of it.

[megadarkbouquettidalwavethings]

Phil Neville: England women head coach sorry after ‘sexist’ tweets criticised

Neville has been appointed on a deal until 2021

New England women’s head coach Phil Neville has apologised for past controversial tweets about women.

The ex-Manchester United defender, 41, was named Lionesses boss on Tuesday but was accused of making sexist comments on the social media site in 2012.

In one tweet, he suggested women would be too “busy making breakfast/getting kids ready” to read his messages.

Neville said his comments were not “a true and genuine reflection of either my character or beliefs”.

Sports minister Tracey Crouch called his past remarks “ill-advised”.

Former England full-back Neville takes over from Mo Marley, who had been in interim charge since Mark Sampson’s sacking.

In a statement released by the Football Association, he added: “I am fully aware of my responsibilities as the England women’s head coach and am immensely proud and honoured to have been given the role.

“I am now looking forward to the future and will work tirelessly to try and help bring success to the team.”

It is understood the FA was aware of Neville’s tweets before his appointment.

FA urged to charge Neville

Campaigners have criticised the appointment of Neville, who has coached at former club Manchester United, Valencia and England Under-21s but has only managed one game – at Salford City, a team he co-owns.

And equality group Kick It Out has asked the FA whether it will level a disciplinary charge against Neville for appearing to make “misogynistic and sexist comments”.

Meanwhile, sports minister Crouch said: “While it is not my job to pick England managers, the FA needs to ensure that it has transparency around the process so that fans and football stakeholders alike are confident in it.

“It is right that Phil Neville has apologised for his ill-advised, historical remarks. Sexism of any kind must not be tolerated.”

Neville deleted Twitter account

Neville’s appointment produced a mixed reaction, and after saying on Twitter how “proud and honoured” he was to take on the role, he quickly added “see you all soon” after past tweets came to light.

In posts dating from 2012, he had said: “Morning men, couple of hours cricket before work sets me up nicely for the day.”

When people responded asking whether he would address women, he clarified in another post: “When I said morning men I thought the women would [have] been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making beds-sorry morning women!”

Other users picked up on comments Neville had made when interacting with his sister and with his wife – and one in which he joked he had “just battered the wife”.

After those posts gained thousands of retweets, Neville then deleted his account, which had 1.6 million followers.

Neville’s contract runs through to the end of the 2021 Uefa Women’s European Championship campaign.

But he will first lead the Lionesses – ranked third in the world – at the 2019 World Cup in France, where they will be among the favourites.

‘Kick in the teeth’ – Appointment criticised

Kick It Out chief Roisin Wood said the organisation had serious concerns over the appointment “of someone with no record of management or experience in women’s football” and would be making representations to the FA.

The Women’s Sport Trust said: “To see a high-profile, former professional footballer virtually parachuted in to such a significant role in football without the level of experience required, undermines the coaching pathway and will be a blow to hundreds of football coaches, both male and female, currently working towards their badges at all levels.”

A statement from the Women In Football group said it felt like “a kick in the teeth to the team” and added that just 17% of professional sport coaches in the UK were female.

But the England men’s manager Gareth Southgate told the BBC there had been “a very thorough process around applications and interviews” for the women’s job.

“I guess, how do you get that experience without an opportunity? I wish him well, first and foremost,” he said.

“Hopefully for them now, as a team, everybody can start focusing on the football and how they progress.”

Neville (left) was part of David Moyes’ backroom staff at Manchester United and stayed when Ryan Giggs was appointed interim manager in April 2014

Neville was also backed by his former United team-mate Ryan Giggs, recently named boss of the Wales men’s team despite limited managerial experience.

“That’s what you’ve got to come to terms with when you get these sorts of jobs – a bit of flak – but all I can say is I’ve known Phil for a number of years, and he’ll do a really good job,” he said.

Analysis

BBC sports editor Dan Roan

Yet again the FA are under fierce scrutiny over a managerial appointment that threatens to become another farce.

In 2016 the governing body faced questions over its due diligence when Sam Allardyce was sacked after just one match in charge of the England men’s team following a newspaper sting.

Last year Mark Sampson was dismissed as England women’s manager for “inappropriate & unacceptable” behaviour with female players in a previous role. That – along with the crisis sparked by Eni Aluko’s racism allegations against him – meant the appointment of his replacement was crucial. The FA simply had to get it right.

Yet here we are, with Neville incredibly forced to apologise for sexist and ill-advised tweets – including one appearing to make light of domestic violence against women – on his first day in the job.

The FA needs to explain why – if they knew about these tweets before hiring him – they failed to foresee the controversy they would inevitably generate. And both they – and Neville himself – might want to front up and explain themselves at a proper press conference before the situation spirals out of control.

‘Lack of suitable female candidates’

The former Manchester United and Everton midfielder played 59 times for England and has won 10 major trophies, including six Premier League titles.

But his first taste of women’s football will involve taking on the top two teams in the world – United States and Germany – plus France, in the She Believes Cup, starting on 1 March.

Predecessor Sampson was sacked from his position following evidence of “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour” in a previous role.

Under Sampson, England reached the Euro 2017 semi-finals, losing to eventual winners the Netherlands, having come third at the 2015 World Cup – their best finish at the tournament.

Former England women goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis would have preferred to see a woman appointed as his successor, but believes there were no suitable candidates.

“I think they shouldn’t hire someone just because they’re female,” she told BBC Radio 5 live.

“Phil Neville doesn’t have that senior level management experience but what he does bring is pretty unique.

“He trained and played as a top-level player in an era when Manchester United won everything. He has that level of excellence that the players will thrive on.”

Phil Neville met the England team at their training camp at La Manga in Spain this week

Another former England goalkeeper, Pauline Cope-Bonas, was far more critical of Neville’s appointment.

“He got it because of his name,” she said. “No disrespect to him and I’m sure he’ll go on to do a good job purely because he’s got world-class players there. They don’t need to be coached, they just need to be managed.

“A lot of people are disappointed because probably he hasn’t been to a women’s game. He’s never worked within the women’s game and that’s the crux of it.

“It is different. We deal with emotional things, women have women’s problems, monthly problems, relationship problems. “

Former England defender Danny Mills called it a “left-field” appointment.

“What has happened to the FA Player Pathway? St George’s Park was supposed to be promoting coaches from within,” he said.

“Phil has never been a number one anywhere else before. He’s now going into a team that’s third in the world. How can he just jump above everybody else?”

What are Neville’s credentials?

Neville, who has a Uefa Pro Licence and lives in Valencia, was an assistant to England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce in their disappointing 2013 European Championship campaign.

He joined David Moyes at Old Trafford, where he lasted the 2013-14 season, despite the Scot being sacked.

His next top-level coaching job was at Valencia in Spain’s La Liga, where he was appointed coach in July 2015 and left soon after brother Gary was dismissed as manager following a run of three wins in 16 league games.

Neville’s experience and knowledge of the women’s game is understood to be limited.

Emma Hayes, Nick Cushing, Laura Harvey and John Herdman all dropped out of the running

Who were the other candidates?

The FA was keen for a woman to replace Sampson but was forced to look elsewhere after early potential appointments dropped out of the running.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes pledged her future to the club, and former Arsenal head coach Laura Harvey took up a new role with the Utah Royals in the US.

Englishman John Herdman was also a contender prior to being named head coach of Canada’s national men’s team after more than six years in charge of the country’s women’s team, and Manchester City boss Nick Cushing was interviewed but signed a new contract with his club.

Marley also applied for the role having spoken of her desire to give the England players “stability”, but later withdrew from consideration.

Marley will now return to leading England women’s development teams, including taking a squad to this summer’s U20 World Cup.

During her time in charge, she led England to victories in World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kazakhstan – in which they scored nine goals and conceded none – as well as a friendly defeat by France.

The post Phil Neville: England women head coach sorry after ‘sexist’ tweets criticised appeared first on Breaking News Top News & Latest News Headlines | Reuters.

[psychotherapyconsultants]

How I Learned to Find Purpose in Life

By all accounts, I had a normal childhood: loving mother, father, brother, a cat, enough to eat, a comfortable place to sleep, and no major illnesses to speak of. That all changed when my father died suddenly from a major heart attack when I had just turned 13. My loss was so great that I was nearly unable to function, even considering that a teenage girl doesn’t have that many responsibilities. The despair and heartache I felt were almost indescribable, although my grief was probably no greater or lesser than what others feel who lose a loved one. Worst of all, I felt lost. That aimlessness and anguish continued for years as I both sought to overcome it and find purpose and meaning in life.

The journey toward stability, an overall sense of well-being and finding and embracing purpose in life proceeded in a fitful fashion, sometimes with great progress, while other times either at a stalemate or falling a bit backward. What helped me find purpose? Thinking back over the years, I’ve arrived at this list of things that clarified the path and smoothed the transition.

1. I became a voracious reader.

My fondness for reading was a natural result of my father reading me bedtime stories. After the shorter children’s books, he graduated me to longer ones. I eagerly anticipated each night’s installment and looked forward to what came next. As I coped with his loss as a teen, I turned to books for solace. They did not disappoint, but rather allowed me to immerse myself in times and places where I could grow and learn and experience life without pain.

I found a list of the 100 greatest books ever written and began to read them one by one. Some of the world’s greatest authors became my constant companions: Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Chekov, Camus, Sartre, Shakespeare, Balzac, Hesse, Steinbeck, Tolstoy and more. Realizing that many others had searched for purpose in life aided my own search by making me feel less alone in my struggle.

2. I learned to appreciate nature.

It sounds too simple to say that learning to appreciate nature helped me find purpose, yet, it’s true. Nature, in this sense, is all-encompassing, for it includes walking in nature, gardening, picking wildflowers, watching birds and animals go about their way, helping harvest the truck garden we cultivated behind the house, noticing what happened during the four seasons and such.

Nature never stagnates. There’s always change. Things grow and bloom and die, only to return. This circle of life impressed me with its deep-rooted symbolism. There is a purpose to everything, and everything has a purpose. This gradually became evident to me and formed a foundation for my growing self-confidence. To this day, whenever I feel unsettled or uncertain what decision to make, taking a walk in the nearby nature trails is often enough to clear my mind and help me choose.

3. I found travel liberating.

Just as nature served me well, so too did travel. We had always taken lengthy summer vacations when I was growing up, although those were few and far between in the years immediately following my dad’s death. I had caught the travel bug, however, and still love the planning and anticipation as well as the trip itself.

Not only does travel introduce new sights and sounds, it opens new experiences. You see things in a different light. You also notice that people in unfamiliar surroundings must cope with similar problems and situations as you do back home. There’s something strangely comforting in knowing that you’re not alone in trying to find your way, to deal with life’s everyday stressors and challenges, and somehow find the good that’s often hidden in the negative.

4. I began searching for my strengths.

After wandering somewhat aimlessly through my 20s trying to figure out why I was here, even with two small children who depended on me, it occurred to me (with the help of my therapist) that I had things I was good at. Instead of focusing only on my weaknesses and failures, I began a tentative search for my strengths. This took some time, as I wasn’t practiced in identifying anything good about myself. In addition, suffering from low self-esteem meant a slow step-by-step growth process.

Once I figured out what I took pride in doing, what made me feel alive and happy, I recognized that these strengths were my core. I’m curious, hard-working, creative, diligent, persistent, reliable, cheerful, friendly, optimistic and encouraging. Putting all these into my purpose in life proved a challenge, yet I was determined to do so.

5. Writing: The end — and the beginning — of the journey.

I must say that I’ve been writing stories since those days long ago that my dad read me stories at bedtime. The first ones were simple tales, eventually becoming more elaborate and lengthy. I’d write after reading, often trying to emulate the style of the author whose work I’d just read. My first collegiate essays were much too wordy, returned to me by the professor with a lot of red ink. I took journalism classes to learn to write more succinctly, getting to the point, following the rules of journalism. This helped my prose writing as well.

After graduate degrees, I still wanted to learn more about writing, taking up screenwriting classes and getting a master of fine arts degree in screenwriting. To me, writing sums up my purpose. It’s what I do, what I live for, what makes me feel alive. If I can provide comfort, relate an experience that makes others laugh, stop and think, challenge themselves, learn something new or make a connection, it is more satisfying than anything else except being with my loved ones.

I truly believe that life is better when you live in the present, not spending time worrying about the past or being anxious about the future. Play to your strengths, for they’re the real you that you can capitalize on, the get more out of experiences, make wonderful memories, and ensure that you have the personal capital to enjoy a satisfying, purposeful life.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/07/25/how-i-learned-to-find-purpose-in-life/