#being a somewhat skilled artist who never tried to be popular

[attyrocious]

im somewhat more awake now and 2% more coherent. anyway this is just personal ramblings but lemme gush about mp100 a little and how it changed how i approach life in general.

in mp100 world, being a psychic is just a stand in for any skill or 'talent' in life. a psychic is given about as much time of the day as being a really good singer, video game player, or in what i can relate to, being an artist.

granted, i wasnt an art prodigy gifted kid, like most i just kept drawing and improving in my own pace but thats not the point of this. anyway, being ahead of the curve art-wise among my classmates, being the artsy kid made me feel special. enter college and post college, and ive been surrounded by fellow artists for the better part of the decade in art school, online spaces, and creatives industry. and just like mob with the espers, ive met my fair share of artists who made their entire personality their art, and valued people (including themselves) by how good they are. no respect for you unless you also draw good and/or have 10k followers in any platform. i've hoped that like mob you can beat sense into them but that's called assault in the real world, so i just kept to myself and hoped to find more level headed people.

the biggest lesson i got from it is that your skill is not who you are, you still have to work on other areas of yourself and be kind to people. you might be the protagonist of your own life, but not everyone else's. i'll endlessly trashtalk them but im very thankful for my gaming crew, the weanoobs, who gives zero shit about my persona as an artist and they mostly care abt what i am to them as their dedicated support player. they're like my own version of the body improvement club. like, they are aware, and theyd support me when i ask, theyre just "oh cool. anyway have you seen the new Morgana skin?" about it

watching mob psycho 100 right now and the funniest part of this show to me is that mobs status as an esper is well known at his school and no one gives a shit. and that would lead you to think that espers are common enough its no big deal to go to school with one but no theyre so rare one of his school friends thought he was the only one. and yeah they still dont really care. imagine how fucking wild it would be to transfer to that school and everyones like 'yeah thats mob hes kind of lame. also psychic or whatever' and when you reasonably respond with 'HES PSYCHIC????' everyones like 'yeah and kind of lame. anyway-' i would go insane. i would go insane!

[starseedfxofficial]

Volume Profile: Unlock Hidden Opportunities in AUD/NZD The Hidden Blueprint: Volume Profile and AUD/NZD Like You've Never Seen Before Are you ready to peek behind the curtains of Forex trading and discover something truly game-changing? Well, let's delve into a nifty little secret: the magic of volume profile analysis on the AUD/NZD pair. Yep, we’re talking about volume, but not the ‘turn-it-up-and-dance’ kind—more like the ‘turn-your-trading-skills-up’ kind. Buckle in, because this is the story of how traders miss what’s right under their noses—and how you, dear reader, can dodge those pitfalls with a mix of humor, hard facts, and downright ninja-level tactics. The Tool That Thinks Outside the Chart When traders first hear about volume profile, they’re often like, “Great, another tool to overcomplicate my chart”—kind of like getting that fancy coffee maker only to realize you need a PhD in barista science to make a decent brew. But here's where volume profile differs: it's like getting that perfect coffee maker that makes it easy and leaves you wondering why you never tried it before. Simply put, volume profile analysis is a powerful way to visually represent where the most trading action happened. It’s kind of like the backstage pass of trading, where you see all the action behind those candlestick moves—you get the juicy details that indicators like MACD or RSI sometimes overlook. Breaking Down the AUD/NZD Pair Now, why focus on the AUD/NZD pair, you ask? Well, my friend, the AUD/NZD isn’t the headliner currency pair, it’s more like that underrated artist who’s been making some bangers but somehow never tops the charts. It's a perfect target for advanced strategies because its movements are often driven by clear and somewhat predictable economic fundamentals between Australia and New Zealand—two closely linked economies that love to outshine each other. And when you understand their dynamics, you’re in the perfect position to master the volume profile like a pro. Where the Real Players Are Hanging Out Alright, time to get to the good stuff. Imagine you're looking at a chart, and you see this fat distribution of trading volume—it’s like a black hole for traders. Everyone’s hanging out here, trying to understand the psychology behind the price action. It’s what we call Point of Control (POC), the price level with the highest traded volume. Think of it as the most popular nightclub in town—if you want to figure out what's hot, that’s where you’d start. For the AUD/NZD pair, these levels can help you spot important price zones—where traders have historically been most interested in buying and selling. Knowing where these levels are isn’t just like knowing where the party is; it’s like knowing when the bouncer takes a break, giving you the perfect time to enter (or exit) without getting trampled. The Trend Bender: How Volume Profile Turns the Tables Now let’s bust a myth: the AUD/NZD pair is often misunderstood as being ‘boring’. Many traders steer clear of it in favor of more volatile pairs like EUR/USD or GBP/JPY. But here’s where you can be the contrarian genius—like opting for a great indie film while everyone else watches the latest Marvel blockbuster. By employing volume profile analysis, you can easily gauge where those silent-but-deadly institutional traders are stacking their chips. When most retail traders are blindly following lagging indicators, using volume profile gives you a laser focus on what’s actually going on behind the scenes. When AUD/NZD Danced Around a Volume Node Here's a real-world gem: back in April of this year, the AUD/NZD pair tested a significant volume node around the 1.0750 level—a level identified by analyzing the volume profile. Most traders were losing their marbles, trying to decide if this was going to be a breakout or a reversal. Spoiler alert: it was neither, and using volume profile analysis, savvy traders took advantage of the balance area and traded in the range, reaping modest but consistent gains. This is where volume profile’s value shines—it’s not necessarily about the big, dramatic breakouts (which can be as unpredictable as betting on which new TikTok trend will last), but more about understanding where prices are happy to linger—the balanced areas where you can trade with confidence. Predict Market Moves Like a Pro (Without the Crystal Ball) Ever feel like everyone else in the market has a crystal ball, while you're there trying to read tea leaves? The beauty of volume profile is that it almost feels like cheating—it provides a clearer, more strategic view of where the smart money is hanging out. Using volume nodes effectively can allow you to understand whether a price is likely to continue its move or if it's about to reverse. In AUD/NZD trading, these nodes work as key psychological levels where large market participants are likely to make a move. And let's be honest—when the big players move, the market follows, like everyone lining up for a food truck without even knowing what's on the menu. The Forgotten Strategy: Using Volume Profile for Reversal Trades Most traders are stuck playing follow-the-leader, hoping for a breakout to ride, but here’s the twist—AUD/NZD actually provides numerous opportunities for reversal trades using volume profile. Picture this: you see a fat volume cluster (meaning there’s been a ton of action there previously). Price moves back into that area, and instead of blasting through, it just...stops. It's a sign that the big guns are taking a pause—an invitation for you to get in on a reversal trade. Reversal trades are like a surprise party—most of the time, they happen when nobody expects them. With the volume profile, you’re the one planning the surprise, not the one awkwardly standing in the dark waiting to yell 'SURPRISE!' at the wrong time. Where Most Traders Fail: Ignoring Volume Context Let’s talk about a common mistake: ignoring volume context. It’s like trying to understand a movie without the subtitles. You may catch the action, but the story goes right over your head. With volume profile, you aren’t just watching candlesticks dance across a chart—you understand why they’re moving the way they are, and more importantly, who's behind the moves. In the AUD/NZD market, ignoring volume context often means getting tricked by fake breakouts or running out of steam halfway through a move. But once you have volume on your side, you’re no longer guessing. You’re dancing along with the price, step by step, and, unlike your uncle at a wedding, you actually look good doing it. Your Action Plan If you’re serious about trading AUD/NZD using volume profile, here’s your action plan: - Identify Volume Nodes: These are your key support/resistance zones. Treat them like hidden treasure—they reveal where the real action is. - Track Institutional Activity: Use the volume profile to follow the money. When you know where the big traders are setting up camp, you’ll be in a far better position to make moves. - Watch for Reversal Patterns: If price returns to a major volume level and stalls, get ready for a potential reversal. - Utilize Trading Tools: Optimize your trades with tools like our Smart Trading Tool to automate and manage your lot sizes effectively. Last Words of Wisdom (with a Touch of Humor) Trading AUD/NZD using volume profile isn’t magic—it’s all about understanding the dynamics behind price action. And yes, it might just feel like unlocking a secret code the next time you see price stalling at a volume node. Like a hidden menu item at your favorite diner, once you know it, you’ll wonder how you ever traded without it. If you want to take it a step further, consider joining our community at StarseedFX. Get access to daily insights, advanced methodologies, and connect with like-minded traders who understand that success isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter. And maybe laughing a little along the way. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated   Read the full article

[pyrefell]

Helllo!!! I’m loving your headcanons so far!!!

Do you have any general personalities descriptions for your boys yet?

a of all, bsdaifjkbfjkowp thank you!!! b of all, im sorry this took so long?? i rewrote it like 3 times & it still might change bc im indecisive. also it turned into a lil bit of a headcanon post. i hope its understandable?

once again i am struck with the fact that the boys need nicknames. hmm.

UNDERTALE:

Sans: Guy who is deliberately and unabashedly Cringe. Overall, fairly laid back. However, he still prefers to maintain distance between himself and most people. It was already a natural facet of his personality but it was exacerbated by the Timeline Jank. People tend to forget he’s as smart as he is, they don’t think he’s stupid, they just mostly know that funnyman side of him. If you're a dick to Papyrus, he's gonna be a dick to you.  

Papyrus: Things are so exciting and fascinating to him, even the most mundane things. Despite seeming completely oblivious to things that seem completely obvious, he's very smart and deceptively cunning. Even though he knows how people see him (a big loud child) and he doesn't get quite the reception his brother does, he knows he'll win them over one day! He tries to avoid thinking about how lonely he actually is. It’s fine. He knows Sans is dealing with something (he won’t tell him what) but he figures he doesn’t need much else on his plate.

UNDERSWAP:

Sans: In this post, I mentioned that he's kind of always naturally been the more outgoing brother and that he's taken on this much more outgoing and bubbly persona as a result of the impact the timelines have had on him. He's competitive in a more aggressive way (maybe not quite the right word to use but), by which I mean he's kind of a sore loser sometimes. Also? He's a huge flirt, he's pretty skilled in the art of flustering.

Papyrus: Also in this post, I said that he's pretty chill until the conversation turns to something he's passionate about, then he reaches True Papyrus Volume Levels (and Chaos Levels). He is fairly relaxed, yes, but part of it is compensating for how awkward he can be. He gets embarrassed really easy, even something as small as misunderstanding something that was said. However! He’s a pretty popular artist online! Though he uses a pseudonym, being recognized and talked to by a stranger in public is not something he would look forward to.

UNDERFELL:

Sans: He’s cruel and crude, that’s kind of his whole thing. He’s not really the best at keeping a hold on his temper (though there’s a few other factors at play there). Keeping up the whole tough guy persona is the number one priority thus he doesn’t deal much with his emotions or inner turmoil or any of that other crap. Like US!Sans, he’s a flirt, except his flirting is mostly crude comments and jokes. And yet, somehow it works? Guy who is a disaster. He’s oddly nostalgic, mostly about his relationship with Papyrus. He wishes he could have been a better brother, but it seems like their relationship is too far gone.

Papyrus: He also doesn’t have the best control of his temper but he has an image to keep, one of a cruel and cold Royal Guard Captain. He didn’t used to be like this, but it’s necessary for his survival. He’s still surprisingly empathetic, something that could never really be beat out of him. HUGE perfectionist nearly to the point of it being debilitating. He oscillates between hating how weak he is and desperately wanting to be able to be weak. While he acts prideful about his ‘work’ int the Royal Guard, he is genuinely prideful about things like his cooking. Often to the point of arrogance.

SWAPFELL:

Sans: He’s seen as very cold and calculating, well-spoken. But he also knows when and how to turn on the charm. That’s how he’s even made it this far in life, it’s vital to his survival. He can also be very prideful, particularly in his position as Queen Toriel’s right hand and in his ability to remain cool in high stress situations. He’s well aware of how overprotective he is with Papyrus, he’s terrified of how cruel the world is and terrified that he’s stunted him to the point of not being able to cope with it.

Papyrus: He’s deathly shy. If it were safe/a good idea to use his own brand of shortcuts to get out of situations, by god would he. He, like his non-Fell counterpart, thrives in the relative anonymity of being online. Past that barrier of shyness, he’s excitable and surprisingly jovial. He tries to find some reason to be at least content, he thinks it helps Sans worry less (even if it doesn’t really). He’s actually pretty mischievous, though only dares to pull pranks on his brother.

HORRORTALE:

Sans: Horribly cynical and jaded. He’s working on it, even if he doesn’t particularly want to sometimes. He’s not home, so to speak, most of the time. He’s easily frustrated by the gaps in his memory, then he forgets why he’s frustrated and gets even more upset. He’s naturally very wary of everyone else and again, very much prefers to keep distance between himself and most everyone he comes into contact with.

Papyrus: He definitely tries to hide everything behind a happy demeanor, he tries to fix everything for just about anyone (especially his brother) without any fuss and tries to make it seem like he’s totally fine. There’s also this sense of jadedness, he tries to curb it but sometimes it still slips out. He still tries to act like himself, like he’d been before the Famine, but it’s exhausting and he’ll eventually come to terms with the fact that he’s no longer the same.

HORRORSWAP:

Sans: His competitive nature has morphed more into him being more of an aggressive hothead (though not quite to the level of UF!Sans). He’s really self-conscious about his new stutter and bringing it up frustrates him the same way treating him like a child had before. He has terrible mood swings, he can ruin his own day over nothing and it kills him. He’s really trying to get better, but he still has a hard time being honest with people.

Papyrus: He’s gotten pretty cynical since the Famine, he puts part of the blame on himself (if only he'd just been brave for once), even though he knows there's not really a whole lot he could have done. He’s even quieter than he used to be, he’d prefer if he could just fade into the background. He hates how much he stands out in any crowd and tries to avoid going out at all costs. The only one who can get him out is Sans because at least they can ignore everyone else and concern themselves with each other.

HORRORFELL:

Sans: He’s...mean. Like. He tends to be a major jackass. He can’t help but think well, humans aren’t exactly gonna wanna know a monster, much less him. And hey! Might just help keep his newly expanded family safe! He ain’t complainin’! He’s really just bitter about how things have gone for him and his brother (and about how things will likely go in the future). For as many dark jokes he makes to Frisk and Aliza, he’d be the first one to come to their rescue, he’s just that kind of friend.

Papyrus: He’s fairly quiet these days, but don’t think he’s not going to find some way to give you some kind of attitude. He’s been putting a lot of work into taming his anger, which is no small task considering everything. He still has his moments, but he prides himself in being able to cool off and keep himself somewhat calm. He still hasn’t been able to do much about his perfectionism, in fact it’s gotten worse, but he’s trying. And he, like his brother, is extremely protective of his little family, and god help anyone who dares try anything.

A B-Bonus????

UF!Comic Papyrus: (he’s the only one with a nickname...lol) Reggie here struggles a lot with who he is as a person, is he more Sans? More Papyrus? An even 50/50? Or is he someone else entirely? He’s introspective and hyper aware of his mannerisms, particularity in the ones he deems too Sans-like or too Papyrus-like. He’s not exactly the nicest, partially as a mechanism to keep people away (it’s just...easier that way). Reggie keeps to himself most of the time. He’s not shy though, he’s more than willing to speak his mind, even if it comes out more crass than it was intended.

[aegialia]

self-indulgent reflection on being on tumblr

so i recently hit 1000 followers on here and this blog has existed for almost exactly 8 years, so i wanted to ramble about tumblr and my experience of it for awhile. under the cut so definitely feel free to ignore this.

i started this blog right around when i was fourteen and had just started high school. at that point, i was out to my parents (and no one else) as bi, i had an inkling i was Struggling with something but i had no idea what and felt like i couldnt actually acknowledge it, and i had left leaning but very vague politics. tumblr definitely has shaped my journey around sexuality/gender/mental health/politics, both for good and for ill. 

for good: 

seeing other ppl talk about being lesbians helped me realize i could be a lesbian w/o being a traitor to the concept of bisexuality. hearing trans ppl talk about their experiences and explaining non-binary stuff and dysphoria helped me understand what i was going through 

i don’t like talking about my mental health stuff in detail on here, but suffice to say, i was Going Through it in high school. i’m still going through it now, but i am in a much better place (thank you medication and 7 years of therapy!). seeing ppl talk about the weird, dumb, awful parts of mental illness let me acknowledge that i was going through those things too, that i wasnt like evil for feeling like that, that i could change. people talking about adhd/autism was particularly helpful---being able to identify why i’d always felt like my brain just didn’t work right is the first step in the (ongoing) process of not hating myself for the way my brain works

politics is definitely the area where i think tumblr was the best for me. i got exposed to so many opinions i definitely wasn’t hearing in school, from intelligent, well-read people who could articulate theory in ways i could understand. tumblr didn’t give me my politics and i didn’t learn everything i know about theory from it, but the communities of people i was around pointed me in the right directions. tumblr was also a good place to learn how to react to criticism. this doesn’t seem to be most people’s experience, but getting called out over minor things on tumblr genuinely helped me learn how to take a step back, look at my behavior, apologize, and try to change, which, as it turns out, is a helpful skill irl as well

for ill:

wrt sexuality and gender, it’s probably pretty obvious someone who’s journey is ‘cis bi girl -> cis with a million different microlabels -> nb w a million different microlabels for both sexuality and gender -> nb butch lesbian who’s not super into romance’ would have some bad times on tumblr. the bi circles i was in made being a lesbian seem like an immoral choice, the ‘’’mogai’’’ (or whatever u wanna call them) circles made me feel like i had to divy up and perfectly label every aspect of myself in a way that really wasn’t helpful for me, the lesbian circles i was in made me feel like being a lesbian was about ending up in a monogamous butch/femme cottagecore relationship and that there was something wrong with me for not really wanting that. to be clear i think microlabels can be very helpful for people/a monogamous butch/femme relationship is a perfectly fine thing to want, they just didn’t work for me. im very very glad ive reached a point in my life where i dont feel the need to stay up to date on the latest discourse and am more focused on finding a way to exist that is comfortable for me and supporting my community irl. 10/10 would recommend to everyone

not going to get deep into it, but social media is. not good for my brain in general. i still enjoy using tumblr, but these days im pretty careful to step back from it frequently and treat it as an occasional hobby. 

the cons of political stuff on tumblr are probably also very obvious. there are some just awful discussions on here and the culture surrounding the way we handle bad behavior and justice and accountability and working to become a better person and make up for the harm you’ve caused has historically been fucking awful and trying to unlearn it and find new ways to engage with this stuff is exhausting. 

for all that i’ve changed over the course of having this blog, this blog has stayed pretty fucking static. i started out being super into diana wynne jones and the iliad and those are still two of my biggest interests and things i talk about the most on here. there are definitely specific things that have petered away (i started this blog almost entirely to keep up with good omens fan stuff and i pretty much haven’t touched it since the miniseries came out, i haven’t sought out pacific rim/supernatural/elementary/mcu content in years), but im still pretty much interested in the same things. i like relatively small fandoms, i like weird side characters, i like to be a grumpy child playing with my toys in the corner. when a fandom im in gets popular, i tend to stop engaging with it entirely (hello rqg/tma/good omens/enola holmes!). i dont think its a pretentious ‘i liked it before it was cool’ thing so much as a ‘people get Weird and awful when a fandom hits a certain level of popularity and there’s too much content and i really, really hate the bad faith arguments larger fandoms tend to spawn’ thing. i’ll consume content from big fandoms, but i pretty much refuse to actually engage with them at this point.

one of the stranger parts of my experience of tumblr is the social side. i’ve never really known how people make friends online---how do you go from liking each other’s posts and occasionally replying to them to actually being friends who communicate off social media? i’ve had conversations with ppl on tumblr and i’ve had sort-of friendships that are contained to tumblr where i’d like to get to know them better, but i’ve never figured out how to do that. my best friend’s job is pretty much to make friends/connections on the internet (she’s an activist and artist), my dad knows people everywhere in the world from twitter, and i’m just sitting here like a little old grandpa who doesn’t understand how you can have internet friends. 

at this point in my life, i’m fine with this, but this has made me feel real fucking bad in the past---like, if everyone online, even the ppl who say they’re weird and brainbad in a similar way to me, can make friends on the internet, what’s wrong with me? particularly in high school and my first year of college, when i was just horribly lonely all the time, it made me feel super disconnected and like there was something fundamentally bad about me. these days, i’m a lot chiller about it. i use social media to engage with stuff i enjoy and share my thoughts about it. it’s okay that my social difficulties extend to me not knowing how to use the internet to socialize.

on a somewhat related topic, it’s wild that i have 1000 followers. obviously, that’s not an actually super large number and a huge number of them are probably bots or inactive. if you post consistently for eight years and follow lots of people, like i do, it’s not a surprise to end up with this many followers. it is also, thankfully, the sort of followers that are not fans. probably most ppl following this blog dont remember why they followed and dont know anything about me or my interests. this sounds like its meant to be depressing but it’s not. i like that my way of engaging w the internet lets me do pretty much whatever i want and no one will care. the mere concept of being. like. tumblr famous in any capacity, even just in one community/fandom, is viscerally horrifying to me. 

i really enjoy the space i’ve created for myself on here. on one hand, going back through my blog is obviously embarrassing and full of hating my past self. on the other hand, i now have a very nice collection of things i enjoy in this blog. i like seeing what i’ve been interested in and (when i’m in a good mental health place) i like to be able to remember how i thought and talked about the things i loved when i was younger. im not at the place in my life where i can love a younger version of myself, but sometimes i can laugh at zir with a level of fondness. 

i’ve always been paranoid about sharing details about my life on here (and the fact that my parents have always been able to see it certainly contributed), so the version of jack on here is a carefully curated version, who’s super enthusiastic about the things they love, was very conscientious about apologizing and trying to do better when ze messed up, and tried to be polite to others. that’s a younger version of myself that i’m closer to being able to have compassion for than the version i find in essays and poems and memories. 

i’m starting grad school in ten days and i’m still using the blog i started when i began high school. tumblr has helped me in a lot of ways and hurt me in a lot of ways, but i still have to admit that it’s been a significant factor in shaping me. i’d be incredibly embarrassed to admit that irl, but it’s true. other than my family and like one friend, this blog is one of the only things that’s ‘known’ me since i started high school. i’ve changed so much in that time and im glad to have this weird little record of myself throughout those changes, even if i’d probably warn my younger self away from tumblr if i could go back in time.

tl;dr i have had a mixed experience on tumblr and i have mixed feelings about that experience. no idea if anyone read any of this very long, very rambling internet memoir

p.s. fun facts about this blog:

i’ve never changed my icon or blog title

i recently got a second version of the poster i got my blog title from. i chose my blog title by looking at what was hanging on the wall directly in front of me. 

my original url was gloomthkin. this was not, as you’d probably assume, an otherkin thing. i had literally no idea what otherkin was at that point. i’d just learned the word gloomth from a bill bryson book and thought it would be cool n edgy to be the child of the quality of gloom. i changed my url after i learned what otherkin was and realized everyone probably assumed something about me that wasn’t true which i hated (not bc i had an issue w otherkin, just bc i don’t like ppl thinking untrue things about me)

during my good omens days, i once sent a tumblr ask to nail guyman which, in retrospect, was kinda rude. i stand by the content but id never send an ask like that now. he replied to it privately in a way that so deeply embarrassed and shamed 15 year old me that i’ve never gotten over it. i still get nervous and embarrassed when i see anything about him or his books

[tiramisiyu]

Tears of Themis: Lu Jinghe’s Birthday - NPC Interviews Part 1

Translation Masterlist

Event Story: 6.13 Decision to Compete | 6.15 Personal Instruction | 6.17 Building Block Dolls | 6.19 Participating in the Competition | 6.21 Birthday Celebration

Event Story Interviews: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Interview 1 – Employed Woman

MC: Hello, I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition and contacted you regarding this previously. Is this a convenient time for you?

Employed Woman: It is, I’m on lunch break right now. It would be great if it were quick.

MC: Then let’s start.

START QUESTIONING

⊳ Reason for competing

MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?

Employed Woman: Building blocks is my hobby outside of work, and I just casually signed up when I saw news about the competition. There’s no special reasoning.

 ⊳ Competition Theme

MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?

Employed Woman: I’m quite interested, and this theme also has somewhat of a relation to my work.

MC: Your work is…?

Employed Woman: I am an auction appraiser and focus on artwork appraisals, particularly oil paintings.

 ⊳ World-Famous Artworks

MC: If so, you must know a lot about world-famous paintings, right?

Employed Woman: Yes. To me, there is life in each painting, and they each record individual, different stories – for example, Hogarth’s “Marriage A-la-Mode” series, which uses six thematically linked paintings to depict the tragic arranged marriage between one from an impoverished noble family and a merchant’s daughter.

MC: Thematically linked paintings? Like a manga arrangement?

Employed Woman: Yes. Hogarth was one of the first artists to do linked drawings, and was known as a pioneer of linked drawings.

 ⊳ “Z”

MC: Do you know of “Z”?

Employed Woman: Of course I do. “Z” is the most popular painter in our auction house, and each painting goes for a high price. He adopted Rembrandt’s art style, is skilled in portrait arts, and is known as the “Little Rembrandt” in the art world. It’s a pity that he hasn’t come out with any new works for a long while. Who knows if something happened to him…

 ⊳ Things she wants to say to “Z”

MC: If you had the chance to speak with “Z”, what would you say?

Employed Woman: I would want to ask about “Z”’s true identity. He’s so mysterious and has such artistic talent – maybe he’s the descendant of some ancient noble family. That’s how it always goes in the novels – running into a mysterious man by chance and setting off a beautiful romance…

MC: Uh…

END QUESTIONING

 MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.

Employed Woman: No problem, goodbye.

MC: Goodbye!

Interview 2 – Gong Yuze

Gong Yuze: Miss Lawyer, hello.

MC: Gong Yuze? Are you also participating in the building blocks competition?

Gong Yuze: Yes, I just happened to have time these days.

MC: I’d like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition. Do you have time?

Gong Yuze: Of course.

START QUESTIONING

⊳ Reason for participating

MC: Gong Yuze, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?

Gong Yuze: Because Qiaoqiao’s gotten into building blocks recently. Whenever she starts fiddling with the building blocks, she’ll become very quiet. I wanted to try competing to maybe get a prize for Qiaoqiao, since it’s a limited-edition set, one of a kind in the world.

MC: (So that’s why…)

 ⊳ Competition Theme

MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?

Gong Yuze: I haven’t tried making similar building blocks works before, so I’ve got to hurry and practice.

 ⊳ World-Famous Paintings

MC: What do you know about world-famous paintings?

Gong Yuze: I like Millais’ “Ophelia” a lot – I saw it in an art collection before, and it left a deep impression on me. Innocent Ophelia floating in the water, looking like a mermaid singing, having finally shaken off this tragic world. Millais displayed the classic scene from “Hamlet” in vivid detail.

 ⊳ “Z”

MC: Do you know of “Z”?

Gong Yuze: I do, it’s that famous painter. Each one of his paintings get auctioned for sky-high prices. I once went to one of those auctions, and I still remember seeing everyone vying to bid as if it happened yesterday. I remember that the painting ended up… getting bought by a top figure in the business world.

 ⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”

MC: If you had the chance to speak with “Z”, what would you say?

Gong Yuze: “Z” hasn’t come out with new works for a long time. Some say that this indicates that he will be resigning from the painting world. I hope that, no matter what decision he makes, he can follow his own heart.

END QUESTIONING

MC: Okay, that’s it for the interview. Thank you for your cooperation.

Gong Yuze: No problem. I’ll head home now; Qiaoqiao’s waiting for me.

MC: Okay! Say hi to Qiaoqiao for me.

   Interview 3 – Young Livestreamer

MC: Hello, I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition. I contacted you regarding this previously. Is this a convenient time for you?

Young Livestreamer: I remember. Hurry and start – I’ve got to rush back and livestream in a moment.

MC: Livestream?

Young Livestreamer: Yes, I’m a building blocks livestreamer.

MC: I see.

START QUESTIONING

⊳ Reason for participating

MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?

Young Livestreamer: My fans asked me to. They said that I was so good at building blocks that it would be a pity if I didn’t participate.

 ⊳ Competition Theme

MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?

Young Livestreamer: I’m sure that no matter what the theme is, I’ll be able to nab a prize. I’m confident about it.

 ⊳ “Z”

MC: Do you know of “Z”?

Young Livestreamer: “Z”? Is he a popular livestreamer these days? I don’t think I’ve seen this name on the ranking boards.

MC: He’s an artist…

Young Livestreamer: I see.

 ⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”

MC: If you had the chance to speak with “Z”, what would you say?

Young Livestreamer: No matter what profession it is, it must have taken significant effort to earn his accomplishments. I’ve been livestreaming for over three years, and I’ve never stopped streaming once. I’m sure that “Z” is just like me, someone who perseveres.

 ⊳ Building Blocks Livestreaming

MC: What do you usually livestream about?

Young Livestreamer: Lots of things, such as making building blocks models, holding timed competitions with other livestreamers, and so on. Although, my fans enjoy seeing me reconstruct portraits with building blocks the most. As long as I have a photo, there’s nothing I can’t reconstruct.

MC: It sounds very impressive.

END QUESTIONING

 MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.

Young Livestreamer: No problem. Young miss, remember to check out my livestream site – I start livestreaming each night, right at 7pm.

MC: S-sure.

Interview 4 – Pirate Actor

MC: Is that young man acting as a pirate?

 START INSPECTION

⊳ Eyepatch

MC: (He’s even wearing an eyepatch. How dedicated!)

⊳ Compass

MC: (Is that a compass hanging in front of his chest? It’s made very exquisitely. It’s so golden and shiny – looks very expensive.)

--

MC: (Turns out that this Mister Pirate is also a participant in the building blocks competition. I should hurry and interview him.)

END INSPECTION

 MC: Hello, I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition and contacted you regarding this previously. Are you dressed as… a pirate?

Pirate Actor: That’s right, I just finished acting in a cultural festival drama and didn’t have time to change yet. Let’s start.

START QUESTIONING

⊳ Reason for competing

MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?

Pirate Actor: To experience a role. I’m an actor in the city drama troupe. Our next drama is based on Austin, the father of building blocks, and it depicts the story of a genius young man who invented the building blocks. I’ve never dealt with building blocks before, so I wanted to take this chance to experience the feeling in the competition, to prepare by putting myself into the character.

MC: Are you playing the male lead?

Pirate Actor: I’m just a candidate. There’s another competitor aside from me, so I’ve got to try even harder.

  ⊳ Competition Theme

MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?

Pirate Actor: I was about to head to the bookstore and buy some related books to do research and prepare for the competition.

 ⊳ World-Famous Artworks

MC: What do you know about world-famous paintings?

Pirate Actor: I actually… don’t know much about famous paintings. Acting is where my specialty lies.

 ⊳ “Z”

MC: Do you know of “Z”?

Pirate Actor: That artist? I know him. Lots of my friends are his fans, including me myself. As Z’s never revealed his identity publicly, everyone has varied opinions on where he comes from. Some say that he doesn’t care for fame and fortune; some say that he’s causing hype on purpose. But I feel that, regardless if he makes his identity public, he’s the most popular artist right now.

 ⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”

MC: If you had the chance to speak with “Z”, what would you say?

Pirate Actor: I hope that he can focus on art without being affected by the world outside. To an artist, refining one’s works is the most important, as is for an actor.

 END QUESTIONING

 MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for your cooperation.

Pirate Actor: No problem. When the play goes public, do remember to come see it, miss.

MC: I will!

Interview 5 - Photographer

MC: This young man’s holding a camera?

 START INSPECTION

⊳ Camera

MC: (The camera he’s holding is the newest edition from Pax. Is he a photographer?)

⊳ Hair

MC: (His hair has highlights – it looks really fashionable… He’s probably someone working in an artistic field.)

--

MC: (He’s also a participant in the building blocks competition. I should hurry and interview him.)

END INSPECTION

 MC: Hello, I would like to interview the participants of the building blocks competition, and contacted you regarding this previously. Is this a convenient time for you?

Photographer: Yes, feel free to ask.

START QUESTIONING

⊳ Reason for competing

MC: May I ask, why are you participating in this building blocks competition?

Photographer: Because of my hobby. I’m a photographer for building blocks.

MC: A photographer for building blocks?

Photographer: Yes. I use building blocks as materials to take some creative photos. For example, using building blocks to make miniature sceneries, then using the camera to record them to depict different stories.

MC: How interesting. This is the first time I’ve heard of this profession!

 ⊳ Competition Theme

MC: Do you have any thoughts regarding the theme of this competition, “A Reconstruction of World-Famous Artworks”?

Photographer: I like this theme a lot. I believe that famous works should not disappear with the passing of time. They can reappear in life using different methods.

 ⊳ World-Famous Artworks

MC: What do you know of world-famous artworks?

Photographer: I actually prefer photos over artworks.  

MC: Why?

Photographer: Compared to artworks that include subjective elements, only photos can display a situation most objectively.

MC: (Sure enough, he’s got a very different point of view…)

 ⊳ “Z”

MC: Do you know of “Z”?

Photographer: I do. He’s an artist that I’ve paid quite some attention to for these past few years. Apparently, he’s going to be an evaluator for this competition. If that’s true, it would be great – “Z” has never shown himself publicly. I’m really looking forward to meeting him.

 ⊳ Things he wants to say to “Z”

MC: If you met “Z”, is there anything you want to say to him?

Photographer: Actually… I recently heard some rumours that “Z” might have given up on art. Though I don’t know why, I hope he won’t give it up. With his talent, persisting on the road of art will definitely lead him to become an amazing art master.

END QUESTIONING

MC: That ends today’s interview. Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed.

Photographer: No problem, see you around.

MC: See you around!

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Italy brings the rock’n’roll youth of tomorrow to Rotterdam 2021

It’s the final day of doing my yet again botched attempt at a review series and I’ve been dying to post my gigantic write-up for my newly beloved Italy, at the top of the bookies, darling of all hearts, ready to rock Eurovision, and even more! Vai vai~

ARTIST & ENTRY INFO

Representing them this year is Måneskin, a band made up of four - singer and possibly the hottest motherfucker to grace the planet Earth Damiano, guitarist Thomas, drummer Ethan, and the cherry on top - bassist Victoria, whose half-Danish heritage is the reason Måneskin is called Måneskin (= Moonshine). They thought of this name at a “battle of the bands” that they won, thinking they might as well change it to something different, but in the end... say it with me now

They have known each other since highschool, made a band in 2016, won the “battle of the bands”, started out making a living as buskers in the streets of Rome, from which they gradually grew through playing small gigs, and later tried out for X Factor Italia season 11, on which they came 2nd.

They went on to release an EP titled after their debut single of the name of the song above, including some of their X Factor covers, and later on got to get big through releasing an album, getting it certified all kinds of goodnesses, having singles from that album be popular, even releasing a documentary of themselves... they’ve done so much in life and they’re only 20-22 years old... aw man, the life is just ahead of them, for them to be so young and win Sanremo on their first try. (And I’ve always wanted them for Eurovision ever since I was aware of their existence, because their music is very nice, and they just feel like charming human beings. So imagine my joy seeing them announced for Sanremo 2021? And them WINNING months later??? man what kind of luck do I have even if just for a year lmao <333)

“Zitti e buoni”, the last song title alphabetically this year, is purely of the band’s making, and the lyrics are talking about not abiding the rules in general, how they’re out of their minds but they’re not like “them”, and how people talk but don’t know what they’re talking at all.

REVIEW

IT’S A PRETTY CRAZY GOOD ROCK SONG AMEN HALLELUJAH OPRAH WOOOOOOO

wbk I love it. Yeah sure it might be composited of something that sounds like standard rock riffs and what not, but it’s the ENERGY that goes into it that gets me more excited for this than for Finland, a fellow rock song of this year’s final.

Damiano’s vocals have the specific kind of rockstar tinge to them, and they’re very complimenting to the song. The way he says everything is beautiful, the “e buonasera signore e signori” line in particular is just a moment that shows the beginning of power somehow, I don’t know. The chorus is great, eventhough it’s just one line repeated but it changes the pronoun each time (going from “I’m out of my mind” to “you’re out of your mind” to “we’re out of my mind”) - MAGICAL.

And the bridge. YES, the bridge. Along with the outro it’s the best part of the song. The chord progression. The lines repeated on that bridge. The emotions going on. The delivery of the lines of the emotion. It’s a convincing little bridge, to the point that it sounds just as great with violins! Wish they brought one, because according to Love Love Peace Peace, nothing screams winner quite like a violin.

God damn to the Måneskinsters pump this song up to the maximum. It was originally a ballad song, and I think that’s for the better for them to present it as a rock song, because a Sanremo ballad in a pool of Sanremo ballads... unless it stands out according to demoscopic & press juries, and there seems to be a no better option at hand that could make them stand out other than just sending a classy ballad, it just fizzles out in a spectacularly lame fashion. Måneskin’s one real shot through was with a song that would make them stand out, and they did it, and they’re here.

Everyone has put in their work, their passion, their skills into this, and it shows off in spades. Måneskin themselves are fantastic and chill human beings, who too, just like Flo Rida, get to enjoy how crazy amazing Eurovision experience is. And for that I salute them with my whole heart. Whatever they do tonight on Eurovision, they’ll leave a lasting mark in it. And for a good reason.

Also an Italian Eurovision edit that doesn’t suck, once again, yay! (In their defense, they didn’t have a whole lot to work with, so they released theirs early - just a few trimmings here and there, and a lyric change so that they skate by EBU easier with their anti-swearing policies. Gahddamn swearing~)

Approval factor: FUCK YES Follow-up factor: The funny thing about this is that last year their entry is about making noise but the song was a love ballad, this year it’s a song titled “shut up and behave” while dressed in a loudest motherfucking musical setting lol. Fuck the rules! It was solely on the Sanremo’s last year’s winner Diodato not to send an entry he thought that would fit for Sanremo, and that’s good on him - he can return next year replenished as all hell, and maybe aim for the trophy again? wishful thinking? aaaa. Anyway on a personal scale “Zitti e buoni” is a marvelous follow-up from “Fai rumore”, even if skipping 2020 entirely, especially after “Soldi”, which was already a fab follow-up after “Non mi avete fatto niente”, and even from “Occidentali’s Karma” on. And so it is subjectively a good follow-up. Italy SLAYS. AQ factor: As I write this, the odds are very much in their favour, if not a little bit too persuaded over the fact that Måneskin gave a good rock performance and knew what they would be doing, or it’s just that the Italians like overbetting for their acts way too damn much. But nevertheless, I just wanna hope for them to break the expectations people set on rock songs in Eurovision and SMASH themselves a victory. Or a top 2. Or a top 5-10. Anything will do, goddamn.

NF CORNER

Well, I promised that I will talk about Sanremo in a NF corner, because this is the first year I actually cared to watch it myself, unlike when I would’ve sided with someone whose reviewing style I love in not caring to watch it, and usually just check all the songs on the last day lol.

One thing about Sanremo that I sorely underestimate is that a handful of artists on there can come across as very versatile, and the one song you loved of one genre they presented several years ago, can be completely different and leave you baffled for days if you’re not very familiarized with their discography and the Italian music scene in general. Which now I’m going to pay an extreme amount of attention towards following Sanremo 2022 on out because hot damn did I never see gems like Willie Peyote coming!

Did I call him a gem over his entry? Yes, somehow. Am I even sure if I’m being serious?

I think I can somewhat agree when I say that for the international fam watching Sanremo at least, “Mai dire mai (La locura)” was a major expectation destroyer, at least for the crowd whose main lookouts in a lineup like this years were Ermal Meta, Annalisa, Arisa, etc. You know they’re gonna bring a ballad, and their ballads are usually decent, but what about the unexpected? That’s where a handful of acts, including Willie, comes in for me. The bass hooks in the second the song starts. The beat is minimalistic but strong enough to slap. The steady rap flow is mesmerizing, paired with that somewhat specifically Italian(?) vocal timbre. The chorus is greatly catchy, and it is a sung chorus, with this song still being largely a rap song. The electric-esque guitar soundwaves interspersed throughout the song are magnificent and magical, and on the chorus they even make a constant melody riff that repeats and may get annoying on multiple listens, but I still adore them. I really love the bridge as well and all that goes into it. A fantastic surprise of the season for me personally.

Now I figure that the lyrics may hinder the enjoyment for some, especially the points raised in some lines that may seem questionable and shady (if this went to Eurovision and got a “twerking” comment on Youtube, I will not be surprised if the description of choice is “patriarchic twerking”), but am I supposed to be fully offended at some points of it if I’m not its target audience, although I see some of what I do nowadays in those lines? “Mai dire mai” is probably dedicated to the Italian media and the Italian trends and what not. I’m not even disappointed it didn’t win, because if it went to Eurovision, it would’ve likely been met like a lesser “Occidentali’s Karma” - catchy song with lyrics that fly over listener’s heads which might as well be very accidentally mocking how we live our lives.

“Mai dire mai” has just less of a memorability-in-history value and no memorable gimmicks (Francesco had a gorilla, what is it visually going for on Willie’s performance?), besides, it would’ve suffered even WORSE post-Eurovision-edit than OK has - a lot of the bits and bobs that pass me by but when I notice them they make a really great entry, but other than the (presumably copyrighted) removal of a sample from a TV series (spoken by a fish character, nonetheless), what else is there to remove???? With Eurovision’s rules specifying that brands (Spotify, TikTok) and swearwords (lots of the good old Italian ones that Italian radios would digitally scratch out to emphasize that there were a LOT in the second verse) can’t be sung live, the song loses some of its lyrical charm. And you can’t just go around the song like Francesco Gabbani chopping off entire verses full of content full of witty lyrics and a reference to Chanel in order to present the more lyrically singable-along-to lines and not let go of the long chorus to whom his gorilla can dance to. “Mai dire mai” is RIFE with lyrics, that’s what a rap song is. It would have absolutely fallen apart.

Also no one paged it as a potential Eurovision winner during Sanremo, at least seriously, and it doesn’t have much that would have clicked with the future Eurovision generation and contestants when they would be asked to name their favourite Eurovision song of all times. In a world where from Italy they really like “Grande amore” and “Soldi” and even sometimes could name “Occidentali’s Karma”, is there really a place for “Mai dire mai (La locura)” over “Zitti e buoni”? Who would be naming that song as their favourite of all time? If you raised a hand, you lie to yourself, because that would’ve been me.

Now I don’t know how many of the Tumblr fam would draw ire at me putting out paragraphs worth of me being ultra positive towards this song, because as I’ve learned, there’s an ironic and unironic audience for Mr. Peyote on Tumblr especially, but for me I guess it was pretty worthy, also a thing I was finally able to yell off my chest since, and now I finally said it, I will continue streaming “Mai dire mai (La locura)” in peace.

He might’ve not won Sanremo, but his song won the equally important Mia Martini Critics Award, and also, my heart. Rest in broken shards of the Boris aquarium, my sweet cynical prince~

Måneskin were my 2nd after him so I’m equally happy they won. But what about my other favourites?

• Extraliscio ft. Davide Toffolo - Bianca luce nera A diluted version of the liscio genre, still makes for a very fascinatingly catchy and swaying song with lots of great instruments that are violins and a clarinet. What I figure is kinda a love song. Their performances were also great, with lots of dancers on stage and a genuinely great fun to be had, and you may remember them more after their performance in cover night, which was titled “Rosamunda”. They were the ones with their main singer’s guitar spinning for whatever reason that was there to make their song catchy, I guess.

• Lo Stato Sociale - Combat Pop A little bit of a far cry from their glory heydays with 2nd place in Sanremo 2018, but they returned with an equally banging song and an amazing set of performance chaos they brought in each and every time - dedicating their first night’s one to making a performance to not forget (and being the ones of two to reference the great Bugo&Morgan incident from last year, the other being Willie Peyote), the second competitive one was for referencing politics, and so on.

• Colapesce & Dimartino - Musica leggerissima Sweet melancholic song with the shades of Sebastien Tellier kinda sound, this song may seem jolly at first, but the especially melancholic undertones denote that there’s something else going on. It’s actually about depression, as that’s what the term “musica leggerissima” (very light music) means. But it still found a heart in Italian listeners and the Italian world finally woke up to how great Antonio Di Martino and Lorenzo “Colapesce” Urciullo are, and a handful of viewers were slightly heartbroken to see it not place in the superfinal top 3. Who knows if they would’ve actually won over Måneskin. I just know that their rollerskater girlie is so damn fine~

Bugo has also returned but I think his redemption arc started off the wrong foot, as his return entry, “E invece si”, was a bloated showtune ballad and got obnoxious to listen to at part. I declared to myself that night when I first heard the new entry that regarding on what made “Sincero” great, I side with Morgan.

And a special shout out to Ghemon, whose 2019 song was more than just a “purple rose” unlike I noted on a last proper Italian entry review. I don’t know what expectations I had for him, but I certainly wanted to love “Momento perfetto” more at the first listen, which was also somewhat of a show-tuney piece, but with a bit more funk and pizzazz, also Ghemon was VERY much vibing with his song, and that made me feel great for the few other performances of it that I saw the following days. It’s definitely a grower song, and around 2 months after Sanremo I fell into a bit of a rabbit-hole of his earlier music discovering, and I may be a bit exaggerating but, give Ghemon a bit more of acknowledgement and a stellar enough song, and with a little bit of magic touch, I can maybe see him lifting the Golden Lion trophy one day. Don’t ask why. (also lovely music video for his 2021 entry, which replaces continuous spinning in an aesthetic area to everybody moving their body in a diner (hopefully with everyone in the MV tested and been negative for long enough for the MV to actually happen).)

NF CORNER (NON-COMPETITIVE)

There’s so much needed to be discussed about there. So I’ll restrict myself to the moments that I remember and cherish:

• Rosario Fiorello. Just. Him.

• And the gentleman next to him, Achille Lauro.

tw // body piercing

Belarus 2018 could never

Fiorello and Lauro are perfect matches to each other’s worlds of imagination, and I was more than ever glad to see so much creativity coming from each one of them, a host and a nightly interval act respectively.

• Once again, “Rosamunda Medley” by Extraliscio, I didn’t watch the cover night in its entirety but I think it’s good enough of a medley if it got a 3rd place from the cover night from the orchestra!

• Sanremo Newcomers section of this year. I liked or vibed to almost every song out of the 8, and I’m decently happy with the winner, but if there’s one big shoutout I really want to make, is to “Regina” by Davide Shorty, for it’s such a cozy funky little love song that always makes me happy when I hear it. My personal winner preference, but I don’t mind Davide getting 2nd! For as long as he gets to place 1st in a future main Sanremo event hihihihihi

• Diodato proving himself to be a dance king at the beginning of his “Che vita meravigliosa” performance, my good Twitter friend made a bunch of videos where he dances to a lot of songs, as per request, check them out and you won’t forget it.

• Since Sanremo 2021 got rid of the audience as per COVID regulations and much to Amadeus’s dread, there ended up quite a handful of audience related memes. Such as the penis balloon et al.

• Remember when Sanremo 2021 audience was supposed to be whisked away in a cruise ship for safety measures? Pepperidge Farm remembers

• SESSO IBUPROFENEEEEEEEE

The guy that sang this song actually has the same birthday as me, so in my eyes, I feel like he has some charm to it. I’m biased lol sorry

There’s way too many more but I am afraid of flooding my post beyond your readability interest. Let’s hope that, in an event of Italy’s victory or non, we’ll get to see an even more iconic event of Sanremo emerge come the future. <3

ANY LAST WORDS?

Måneskin’s big goal was to rock Eurovision, and I think they’ve greatly accomplished that by just... doing what they do best, and that is, rocking. They leave energy lasting for days.

In bocca al lupo, fam. You’ll nail it, and even if you don’t win, Italy shouldn’t not hail you as national heroes after it’s all over.

[cheonsans]

★ ＸＸ

ｔｈｅ ｆｉｒｓｔ ａｌｂｕｍ

XX, or 01, is the debut album from Superbia Entertainment’s duo, X2. It was released on October 21, 2015, and featured the title track chill. Unlike traditional idol group debuts, there were no member teasers released. Instead, 15 second clips of each song were posted on Superbia’s instagram feed two weeks before debut, and a cryptic link that led to a website that was entirely blank and white other than XX and ARE YOU READY? in black, plain font in the center of the webpage. A few inventive fans inspected some of the code on the site, and found more information leading to a second webpage that linked to X2′s official instagram, which was hidden under a nondescript handle. Even still, no photos of the members were released, and although a new photo was posted every day (later revealed to have been taken by RJ), anything that featured a human face was intentionally censored with a glitch effect. A few people guessed that Junsik would be making his duo debut after his solo career (under the name J.SK) kinda fell off the map.

(playlist link)

As the debut date grew closer, the Instagram started becoming more and more cryptic, featuring obscure quotes and graphics, which later were revealed to be hints about the members themselves. Numbers such as the coordinates of their birthplaces and heights were scattered throughout the graphics, and many potential fans on social media figured out that the key to figuring out the numerical code was the word “ready.” After that, things were a lot easier to decode, and the day before the proposed date of their music video release, a teaser was finally posted of each member, with their names.

Even during Junsik’s solo career, he did everything he could in order to avoid showing his face to the public, not wanting to sacrifice his privacy just yet. His teaser was more cryptic than RJ’s to reflect it, but both of them were photographed in a room that seemed to be entirely constructed out of metallic silver, down to the floors. Rj was posed sitting on the edge of a table, a relaxed smile on his face. His style was simple - a hand-painted denim jacket with wave designs on it, jeans, and expensive-looking white sneakers. He wore a baseball cap with the same wave design, hair black and styled slightly messily. Junsik was photographed lying down on a metallic silver couch, an open book draped over and hiding his face. The book cover once again had the wave design on an otherwise solid blue background. The words “RIP BARTHES” were on the bottom part of the cover, a clear reference to the French writer, and in particular, his essay, The Death of the Author. All that could really be seen of Junsik was that his hair was black as well, though his short-sleeved grey tee displayed his tattoos, which a few people recognized from photos that were allegedly of Junsik during his solo works, though they were never confirmed to be him.

TRACKLIST

chill (title) / insp. crush & sik’s song of the same title

cereal / insp.crush & zico’s song of the same title

half moon / insp.dean & gaeko’s song of the same title

bout u / insp. jeebanoff, kvsh, and olnl’s ‘about you’

what 2 do / insp. dean & crush’s song of the same title

hug me / insp. crush & gaeko’s song of the same title

hands on u / insp. dean & anderson .paak’s ‘put my hands on you’

down / insp. sik-k & crush’s party (shut down)

2 much / insp. loco & dean’s ‘too much’

ERA NOTES

The music video editing was very artistic, featuring inventive transitions. Some examples were a glass of silver paint being knocked over, and the camera going into the spill to cut into the next scene, as well as plenty of glitch effects, and upside down cuts of the members seemingly on the ceiling while singing and rapping and seated.

Junsik didn’t dance at all in the music video, but there are a few cuts of RJj dancing a bit in a room with solid blue walls, silver paint slowly dripping from the tops of the walls to the floor. He later released a video of the full choreography, and tutorial videos in English, Korean, and Japanese.

RJ definitely got more screen time, but that was Junsik’s preference. Although he seemed comfortable behind the camera when his face was shown during the music video, he seemed obviously uncomfortable during interviews, especially next to baby twenty-year-old RJ all bright-eyed and eager to talk as much as possible.

After the chill MV was released, both of the members were featured in interview-style videos, where they introduced themselves and spoke more about who they were and their decision to distance themselves from the music, referencing Roland Barthes’s theories on the death of the author, and how by removing the context from a piece of art (whether auditory or visual), the true essence of the music can be gleaned. RJ spoke at length on how someone might have preconceived notions, for example, on his skill or lyrics if they had known his age and lack of experience beforehand beforehand. Both discussed how Korea’s music industry is so image-oriented that what they did was risky, but ultimately created the intrigue they needed around their music. When asked why RJ chose to reveal his face sooner than junsik, he commented that although it made him nervous, he needed to do it in order to prove to himself that he could do it.

RJ took it upon himself to translate almost everything he said into the three languages he knows, and Junsik joked around with him about showing off, but the easygoing and good-natured affects of the two were well displayed in how they interacted with one another onscreen.

A live performance version of hands on u was released, and once again, more dance from RJ. Junsik teased him about how he should have just debuted in an idol group if he wanted to dance, and RJ did unfortunately receive a bit of controversy for his eye roll and disgusted expression at the suggestion.

They got off to a bit of a rocky start with further controversy right from the beginning as pictures of RJ were leaked that showed him drinking underaged predebut, but he apologized, and claimed his friends were drinking but he wasn’t while with them. (Which was a lie, and he was much more careful from there on out).

During an interview, junsik was asked how he felt about debuting again, especially with someone so much younger than he was. Junsik literally looked the camera dead in the eye and said “it beats going broke.”

So yeah maybe RJ was fully convinced Junsik hated his guts for the first like eight months of working together.

As some of the tracks are explicit, the English curse in chill was censored with “messed up” rather than “fucked up”

RJ was clearly uncomfortable with the amount of recognition he received right off the bat for being able to sing, rap, dance, model, and produce at his age. He tried often to keep bringing up how talented Junsik was in interviews and to divert the attention away from himself, but it made him come across as dismissive and ungrateful...which led to more difficulty for the poor thing, so debuting had its ups and its downs for both of them. RJ spent the first few months after debut stressed as hell and grappling with how difficult it was to maintain a good image, as everything he said and did was so harshly analyzed. 

A few people recognized RJ as a dancer from some dance videos and covers, as well as a back-up dancer for a few groups. In fact, he went somewhat viral a few months before XX’s release for being “the hot backup dancer” for a popular soloist, though no one really expected him to be a trainee about to debut himself.

[fhjskfgh]

❛ it takes grace to remain kind in cruel situations. ❜

COURTNEY EATON? No, that’s actually PERSEPHONE TOOTS-HOOKUM from the NEXT GENERATION ERA. You know, the child of TILDEN TOOTS and DAISY HOOKUM? Only 21 years old, this RAVENCLAW alumni works as a BARMAID and is sided with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. SHE identifies as CIS WOMAN and is a PUREBLOOD who is known to be TIMID, GUARDED, and SELFLESS but also FOCUSED, INSIGHTFUL, and LOYAL.

links: stats, pinterest character inspo: amy santiago (brooklyn nine-nine), chidi anagonye (the good place), lara-jean covey (tatbilb), clare (derry girls), leslie knope (parks and rec), topanga lawrence (boy meets world), triggers: miscarriage, missing parents, parental death (implied)

did you ever hear the story of tilden toots and daisy hookum? oh, a tragedy, to say the very least. 

married young, in love from the moment they laid eyes on each other, the world had high hopes for a couple untouched by war. they were peaceful mediators, calm and content in their little word of greenery and love, and they lived well off the back of daisy’s successful book, my year as a muggle, and tilden’s continuing radio show, toots, shoots ’n roots. they had everything they needed - except a little child. [ MISCARRIAGE TW: every month they tried and they tried, and while occasionally it appeared they had been successful, the pregnancy never got further than four months before their world was brought crashing back down around them. END TW ] by the time daisy was 43 and tilden 46, they had all but given up - and that is when they were blessed with their first successful pregnancy, bringing into the world a beautiful little girl whom they loved more than they had ever loved anyone else before.

[ MISSING PARENTS; PARENTAL DEATH TW their beautiful baby girl, now named persephone, was four years old when they left her in the hands of tilden’s parents and went on their first trip together alone since persephone’s birth, never to return again. disappeared off the amalfi coast, a headline in the muggle papers and a small paragraph on the fifth page of the daily prophet. people cared, but not enough. they were famous, but not enough. and in a world once again being overtaken by purist ideals, what did it matter if two muggle sympathisers were gone? so be it. move on.

tilden’s parents were devastated and tried everything in their power to get a committee out to find the couple, but no one would listen to two old freaks with not enough money to their name. after a suspiciously quick investigation, daisy hookum and tilden toots were presumed dead and the world moved on. END TW ]

persephone toots-hookum, with a heart too big and eyes too wide for the cruel and unforgiving world she was about to be shoved into, moved in with her only grandparents (mr and mrs hookum having both died long ago). they quickly inherited the money from the toots-hookum household, enough to keep the new family of three comfortable in a small cottage not far from dublin, ireland. they raised little persephone with her parents up on a pedestal, unattainable kindness, intelligence, creativity and wit spilling from every new story seph heard. daisy hookum and tilden toots were heroes in the house that seph grew up in, and she treated them as no less.

with no ties to the pureblood society on the toots side and having practically been shunned on the hookum side for daisy’s decision to live as a muggle for a year, persephone and her grandparents lived in a limbo that separated them from the rest of magical society all throughout seph’s childhood. she grew up lonely, learnt how to entertain herself with a long book or a well-strategised game of chess with her grandfather, and oh did she learn how to hate blood purity. in all the stories of the fantastical daisy hookum and tilden toots one thing was always abundantly clear - they would never stand for blood purity and they were willing to die for that cause. and it was not just blood purity that seph’s grandparents hated either - no one at the ministry had been willing to stick their nose out to find their beloved son and daughter-in-law, and they couldn’t help but hold resentment towards everyone for not caring enough for two people who had brought nothing but love to the world.

these stories and this hatred bred paranoia in poor little persephone - she, herself, was a witch after all, and she would eventually have to attend hogwarts along with all the other wixen. what if one of them had ties to the people that hurt her parents, presuming they had been hurt? what if they hated her as much as they presumably hated them? what if she was destined to be alone forever because no one could love the daughter of muggle sympathisers?

of course, none of this was true, and though she was quiet and somewhat withdrawn, persephone would grow to find love within the walls of hogwarts. in fact, hogwarts was where persephone learned how to unlock her full potential - how to follow in the footsteps of her great mother and father. having been sorted into ravenclaw the moment the hat laid rest on her head (the same house as her mother), persephone embraced her innovation and creativity that had been cultivated in the quiet household of her childhood. she might not have been as book smart as her mother or as quick with a wand as her father, but she was clever and strategic and more than belonging in the house of the ravens. she would lace flowers together into a crown and smile at anyone that passed her in the halls and sit quietly in the back of the duelling club’s meetings, taking notes with the fury of someone who wanted to make a difference in this world.

persephone flew through her years at hogwarts with all the grace and determination that one had come to expect from her. she did well for her classes, she was respected on the quidditch team, and though she might not have been the most popular girl in school (in fact many people hardly noticed her) she was happy and content, proud to have those she called friend close to her. her grades were high enough and her skills polished enough to get her into any job she wished for once she graduated - the only problem was, she had no idea what she wanted to do.

persephone liked to draw, but not enough to become an artist. she liked to fly, but not enough to become a professional quidditch player. she liked to volunteer with the healers in the hospital wing, but not enough to become a healer. nothing felt like enough to her - all this talent and kindness and sweet smiles and she didn’t have the passion to fuel it anywhere.

feeling discontent with where she was in life and pressured to actually do something, persephone joined the daily prophet as a junior journalist, deciding that maybe she could take after her mother - maybe she could write. and for a while, she was quite good. she started out with small fluff pieces that simply filled the pages and moved quickly onto heavier pieces that made it closer and closer to the front page, displaying the skills she had inherited with her mother by moving ever so quickly into investigate journalism.

and as soon as it had started it seemed it was over. she was warned not to tell a soul of why she’d been let go, but she longed to scream about it. persephone had gotten too good, she’d gotten too nosy, and as soon as she had laid an article on the editors desk detailing the corrupt nature of the ministry in one of most bold investigative pieces yet, she was let go. she was threatened, albeit lightly, to keep her mouth shut. and if she were anyone else, this might’ve gone right over her head. but she was fired a year ago now and still everyone (including her closest friends and family) believe she left of her own will. she’s not scared, that would perhaps be the wrong word - she’s cautious. persephone is careful and methodical and knows that a revolution cannot start in chaos if you wish to win. she wanted a revolution so bad when she was working for the prophet and she went about it the wrong way - a part of her is guilty for what she did, and so she keeps her mouth shut. her findings were blown up in a quiet corner of the department of mysteries and now she’s the only one who really knows.

she’s been working as a barmaid for the last year and frankly she hates it, but persephone has never been one to complain. at least she has a job, she says, at least she has a roof over her head. once again she is discontent with where she is at in life, even if she refuses to admit it. she has no idea where to go, what to do, and she’ll continue serving the drinks she refuses to sip if it gives her an income. she hates it but she won’t complain - it’s not in her nature.

the timeclash came as a shock to dear old seph. in all her investigations into the ministry, this one had not come up - that they might fuck up so badly that people disappear and those from the past suddenly reappear. because of course it’s the ministry’s fault - she knows it in her gut. a part of her feels that itch that she felt working for the prophet again, that itch for the revolution, to speak up, to put the ministry under a microscope and expose them for what they are, for what they’ve done. but the other part of her couldn’t care less about investigation - what if her parents are here? her personal heroes, her knights in shining armour. what if they’re here, walking around, the same age as her with bright the smiles of someone who doesn’t know they’re going to die soon. she wants to find them before anything else - family comes first, after all.

[rubldus]

📖+ gimme that "actually an actor for K" you love so much

ACTOR AU

            Ueda Naoko, twenty-two, was born and raised in Osaka prefecture by a Japanese father and a British mother. A seasoned actor, he’s been on screen and jumping between commercials and background roles since he was a child. His first major television role was for a drama series he acted in at age ten, and ever since then he’s been doing fairly well in the entertainment industry. You may recognize him from other popular shows such as Bungou Stray Dogs or Free! Eternal Summer. He’s currently popular among casting agents because of his unique natural orange hair, a trait passed down from his mother’s side, and his general personality. 

            An inherently dorky sort, Naoko (or ‘Nao-chan’) loves to laugh, especially at himself. He tries hard to keep himself from being changed by the stress and harshness of the entertainment industry, and does that by using humor- which as a result makes him a pretty approachable person. An easygoing attitude has caused him to get along well with whichever cast and crew he is a part of at any given time, though the K project cast are some of his favorites because many of them are right around his age. He gets along famously with Fushimi’s actor, for example. He often credits his ability to reach a likeness with Yata to Fushimi’s realness, and talks about in interviews the type of support he feels from his actor. Because they’ve had so many scenes and just generally spent so much time together, they’ve developed a good relationship outside of work as well and meet up every once in awhile. 

            Besides that, he gets along fairly well with Awashima’s actress. The two dated for awhile, but because of conflicting schedules and different locations they ended things. They still get along well however, and in fact he plans to be at her Okinawa wedding taking place in the spring. Finally, he rather enjoys spending time talking to Kokujōji’s actor, who’s actually a musician in his day to day life that’s friends with the director, and was roped into his role as the gold king as a result. Naoko enjoys him because it’s rare to meet such a mature seasoned entertainer, and he’s been pleasantly surprised by how progressive the man seems to be. Due to his influence, Naoko has even taken up the piano as a decompressor in such a hectic life. He greatly admires the type of existence the other lives, and shows his support for his music career whenever able.

                                            .Further Information.

X He has fun on set by pranking the cast and crew, most times alongside Fushimi’s actor. Despite that, he’s very grateful to the people he works with, and he never forgets a birthday.

X He’s obsessed with adding on cutesy honorifics to peoples’ names, such as -pyon, -pi, -nyan, -tan, etc.

X He gets type casted quite a lot because of his petite stature and bright hair. Usually as either a more violent type or a timid goof. He doesn’t exactly mind, though he’d like to expand upon his skill set if at all possible.

X Yata has grown on him quite a bit since he started with the show. He thinks he’s a pretty cute kid, albeit fairly misguided. He has no problem with acknowledging character flaws.

X He and Fushimi’s actor are constantly making fun of the way their characters interact. Both of them think it’s surely the most ridiculous thing they’ve ever seen, like little kids keeping this long standing rivalry because one of them took a favorite toy. Those takes when they have fight scenes always need to be redone the most times, one of them will always exaggerate a line or facial expression and get the other laughing.

X He loves his fans, but despite being friendly he’s actually somewhat shy when faced with any level of adoration. He’s the type to most likely deflect compliments onto his castmates. They know the drill.

X He and the rest of the crew are all pretty protective of Sukuna and Anna’s actors. Whenever it feels like they’ve been shooting too long, they’ll put a stop to it and make sure the kids are well rested. And when meeting with fans, they always make sure nobody crowds them. Even though Naoko doesn’t know them very well, he still remembers how scary it could sometimes get to be a child actor- so he tries to exercise a little extra empathy towards them.

X He thinks the kid who plays middle school Yata (Tsuyu-san) is the cutest thing ever. He’s probably had the poor guy FaceTime every member of his family in an effort to fool them. That aside, they get along very well. Naoko’s given him a lot of advice on how to navigate the business and what to do with certain job offers. An honorable mention must be brought to the table for the boy who plays middle school Fushimi- Naoko thinks he’s just as adorable and that both of them definitely have the potential to go places.

X He’s incredibly ticklish- it always takes a solid extra thirty to forty minutes for the make-up artists to paint his HOMRA tattoo because he loses his mind every time the instruments touch his skin. What makes matters worse is they often have to redo it because of all the falls Yata takes throughout the series.

X Speaking of falls, he does his own stunts. It’s resulted in him rolling his ankle once or twice, but he’s pretty okay at skateboarding. His older sister taught him when he was younger, so he knows a few things.

[iwillgiveyoumyhappiness]

이승협, Lee Seunghyub

anonymous asked:

hello sweetheart! can i request a prompt from prompt list#2, 22 and 13 with Seunghyub from N.Flying if that possible of course?

Group: N.Flying (엔플라잉)

Member: Seunghyub

Prompt: “Have you lost your damn mind?”, “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice”, “Kiss me”.

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The small restaurant you worked at wasn’t the most popular place in the world, and that was true enough. But a person who had spent any amount of time there knew that it was a special place, filled with scented candles, enchanting wall-art, addictive appetizers and pretty fantastic fresh-brewed coffee.

It was a place where artists came and drew on the walls as they pleased, leaving pieces of their passion behind on the pale surfaces. It was a place where students came to study in peace and laugh over good food. 

It was a place where businessmen came to wind down after a tiring day, and it was a place where the staff was more like family than anything else. It was a place where you worked—not because it was necessary—but because you genuinely liked it.    

That’s why it was always such a shame when people disrupted that calming environment. 

There were twelve regulars at that restaurant that you worked at. 

The three trainees from JYP that always came for breakfast and lunch. You didn’t know what they usually did for dinner, but you hoped that they ate well. They were nice boys with positive attitudes and a butt-load of talent. 

They’d given you a mini-concert before, just for practice. 

The woman who’d been going through a messy divorce, but stayed unbelievably strong for her kids. She talked about them so fondly, so you knew she would make it through all right. 

The grandma and grandpa that had been coming there every Tuesday since they got engaged there over forty years ago. Although that’d been before your time, they told you the story in such detail, it felt like you had seen it for yourself.

The stock manager with a sharp tongue, but kind eyes. He knew how to complain about the serving portions, but he also knew how to tip very well and always ask how your day had been.

The childhood friends that had moved from Incheon to study in Seoul. You just knew that they would end up together one day. It was the way that they looked at each other, filled with tenderness, distant adoration and a certain shy hesitance.  

The brother and sister that were trying to reconnect after being separated for a long time. They were still a little awkward with each other, but they were getting better every day. They’d even found a common interest in musical theater. 

And finally, the aptly named: Question Mark Man. 

You didn’t know much about him, but he’d always been interesting to you. His schedule was somewhat erratic, but he made sure to come in at least once a week. He always kept a low profile, had never told you his name, never made a big fuss about anything and always sketched on the wall in the far-back corner.

He’d been coming for about three months now.

He was tall, handsome, charming and a complete mystery. You didn’t even know what he’d been working on so diligently for the past three months. It looked like a person, but it was hard to tell who it was. He added a new piece every time that he came. 

The first day he came, he’d drawn a very rough outline. 

The second day, he added more detail to the body. 

The third day, someone had drawn over part of the arm, so he had shyly asked you to reserve that spot for him and only him. You’d accepted. 

The days went on, and the drawing only got more and more detailed. All he did now was hesitate to finish the face. He had started multiple times, but he’d always end up erasing it and starting again, insisting it was never quite right. 

“It has to be perfect,” he’d said one day.

You had chuckled at him. “Must be a pretty special drawing then, sir.” 

You’d studied him for quite some time now. Everything down to his bright eyes, skilled, lovely hands and heart-stealing smile. 

“You’re obsessed,” your co-worker had once told you. 

You had politely told her to go screw herself. “He just makes me curious,” you argued. “If I got to know him, he probably wouldn’t be my type.”

But today, there he was again, sitting in the far corner, drinking a cup of hot coffee. As always, he slaved over that drawing. 

“It looks like he’s actually making progress today,” you mentioned to your co-worker. 

She playfully smacked your arm. “Stop staring! You look like a psychopath.” 

“Wow,” you scoffed, though a smile played on your lips. “Rude.” 

She shrugged. “You know me.”

“Unfortunately,” you joked. You both laughed before parting ways. You focused yourself on the mundane task of rearranging the menus, trying your hardest to keep your attention off of the Question Mark Man. You didn’t want your friend’s prediction to come true. 

‘Suspected stalker’ certainly wouldn’t look very good on any future resumes. 

Your ears perked up hearing the familiar jingle of the rusty old bell that hung over the door. You looked up at the man that’d just entered. After being at this for a while, you had gotten to be a pretty decent judge of character, just based off of first impressions.

This guys didn’t give off a very good one. 

He was well-built and he wore ripped jeans, a shirt with slightly too deep of a V-neck, one-too-many earrings in one ear and a worn, leather jacket. His hair was brushed cleanly (rather nerdy-looking, compared to the rest of him) and you could see a book-bag hanging loosely off his shoulder, almost like he was trying too hard to be cool. 

First impressions could be totally wrong, and he still had the eyes of a kid, but something felt off about him. Not usually the type to come into this place. 

A highschool student playing hooky, perhaps? 

You shook it off, giving him a polite bow. “Good afternoon! Feel free to sit anywhere you like and I’ll be with you in a minute.” You recited the spiel perfectly, a pleasant smile on your face. 

The man—or more so, boy—gave you a once-over. “Will do,” he replied a smirk playing on his lips. 

You groaned internally. “Oh, great,” you grumbled under your breath. “This is gonna be fun.” You grabbed a menu, setting aside your uneasy thoughts.

The customer’s comfort always comes first. It was basically a law in the business of serving. 

“Hi,” you said, trying to sound as naturally friendly as possible. “Anything I can get you?” 

The boy propped his chin up against his palm. “Yeah, there is actually,” he answered smoothly. He gestured behind him. “You see those guys outside, waiting by the door?”

You glanced to the front window. Sure enough, there were four of five boys, similarly dressed, peering in through the window, seemingly making playful jabs at each other. “Yeah,” you said. “And what about them?” 

“Well, those are my friends,” he said, “and they dared me to come in here and kiss you.” 

You almost laughed. “I’m sorry—what? Could you repeat that?” 

“They dared me to kiss you,” he chuckled, giving a charming smile. “Crazy, right?” 

You nodded exaggeratedly. “Yeah, actually, it’s pretty crazy. Borderline disgusting.” 

His smile dropped a little. “That’s a little harsh.” He shook his head, trying to ignore the discreet insult. “So! Do you think you’ll help me? I actually have a lot of money riding on this. Not to mention, pride.” 

You gave a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, I guess I’m just not in a very giving mood today. I don’t really feel like helping you save money. Or your pride, sir.”

He frowned. “What?”

You shrugged. “That’s just the way life goes, I guess. But! If you’d like, you can still order something and I’d be happy to get it for you—”

He stood up, grabbing your waist. “Oh, come on,” he said. “What do you have to lose?” The other boys could be seen hooting and hollering from outside. 

You pushed his hand away. You were done playing nice. “I’m sorry, sir, but you need to leave.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Listen here—” 

“She said it was time for you to go, I think.” 

You recognized that voice immediately. It was the same voice you’d been hearing once every week for the past three months, whenever he ordered his Americano and biscuit, or when you made pointless small-talk together.

You were so grateful for that voice. The voice of the Question Mark Man. 

You felt a warm hand wrap around your waist. You tried to jump away, but he held it firmly. Not in a threatening way, but protective. 

“You asked what she has to lose,” the familiar stranger began, “and I have an answer.” He flashed that signature smile. “Her boyfriend’s temper.” 

Your jaw dropped, as well as the boy’s. This was the kind of scenario you’d only seen in dramas, and now it was happening in real life. You weren’t quite sure if it was surreal, or insane. 

He leaned in close to your ear. “Kiss me,” he whispered.

Your eyes widened. “Are you out of your damn mind?” you hissed back in a hushed tone. “We don’t even know each other! Besides, he wouldn’t even buy that—”

He cut you off by placing a chaste kiss on your cheek, never once breaking eye-contact with the boy. 

Despite his brutish outward appearance, the boy flushed a bright red, slowly backing away towards the door. “I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered before running out. 

The mystery man chuckled, still so close to you that you could feel the vibrations. “I think he bought it okay,” he said, slipping his arms away from your waist. “Sorry I kinda had to man-handle you back there.” 

You were still dazed and confused, your eyebrows furrowed. “It’s... fine,” you finally settled on. “It’s fine. Why did you help me, though? You didn’t have to do that.” 

For a moment, he looked a little shy, shuffling his feet. “Well... I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” 

Now it was your turn to be embarrassed. Your cheeks lit up immediately. “Oh my gosh,” you stuttered. “I’m so sorry about that. I swear I’m not—”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me,” he interrupted with a small grin, “but I guess you haven’t seen the way I look at you.” 

You were left confused again. “Excuse me?” He gestured to the far back corner. Your eyes followed where his finger pointed, eyes widening in wonder.

He’d finished it. The three-month-awaited art piece was finally done. 

And it was you. 

At first, you wouldn’t believe it. That was far too pretty to be you, wasn’t it? The hair was too nice, the smile was too princess-like, the eyes were too emotional. That couldn’t be you...

Yet it was. 

You slowly looked back at him, flattered and shocked all at once. “Well, okay then,” you laughed. “To whom do I thank for the amazing likeness?” 

He gave a giddy smile. “Seunghyub,” he said. “Lee Seunghyub.”

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N.Flying is one of the most fun and extra groups I’ve ever had the pleasure of stanning, so writing our multi-talented leader in this type of setting was very different for me. Different, but fun. We all want a potato in shining armor, don’t we?

Hey, Anon! Thanks for the request! I had so much fun with it and I hope you love it a lot. Feel free to stop by anytime! 

[rkdaehwi]

TRIOS PERFORMANCE PART I : PERFORMANCE

MGA5 contestant #5042 Sohn Youngjae MASTER KEY Performing Blooming Day - EXO-CBX { 00:02-00:50 & 01:07-03:17 } Partner: Yoo Taeyang { @rktaeyang } & Kim Hyojin { @hyojinrk } Outfit: White shirt & Jeans

“ Strength does not come from winning ; your struggles develop your strength ”

Another week had come to pass, and with it he still managed to survive in this hell hole of stress, watching every word you said and the competitive aura that resided amongst people. From duos to trios there were now even more people to keep track of and coorperate with and while that in and of itself was no big problem for Eric it also meant having to pay attention to even more needs. It was in this that he came across the biggest struggle in the means of his assigned partners. Eric was a dancer by heart. Granted, a girl group cover artist, but he had expanded his repertoire for the sake of the competition. Yes, he could sing -- he could even rap by now if he really wanted to but that was not where his true strength lay.

Some time back he had stated that he just wanted to make it further this year than he had last year, but now that that was true, now that he had gone from being in the midst of one hundred talented individuals to only the last thirty remaining ones, there was no doubt about it. He wanted to see how far he could go from here on out. And darned be if he didn’t want to end up getting signed from this thing. Dowoon had jumped ahead of him already, and Eric couldn’t let that be as it was. There was no time for dillydally -- young he may be, but he was a boy of great plans and a future he was desperately intending to pursue.

Naturally this all meant that by now he only wanted to show the best of his capabilities. Being paired with Yugyeom last week had been a blessing in that sense, for he got to show something that best enhanced his skill level. When Taeyang had introduced himself as a dance teacher, Eric had been thrilled to say the least: someone who was good enough to teach others had to be an amazing partner for this kind of thing, and he was already plotting out their stage of grandeur when Hyojin had pointed out a very trying obstacle: the fact that he wasn’t a very good dancer.

At once Eric could feel his plans crashing to the ground, and while he assured the guy that it was okay, that they were going to figure it out somehow, he still couldn’t help but feel uncertain. Even worse did it get when they started looking at song choices -- “you think you’d be able to do something like this?” ; “if we make the choreo easier, maybe this one?” -- and Hyojin’s very expression had been enough to tell that he didn’t believe in himself as much as the rest of them tried to in this particular matter. Big trouble had come about.

By no means was the song they eventually had decided upon an easy one, and Eric had a feeling they all knew that much, but he left training Hyojin to Taeyang: that was, after all, his job wasn’t it? He himself was just some random teenager who had only just started high school, he knew nothing about teaching and helping others like that. He had tried to, once, when Taeyang had gone for a break leaving only him and Hyojin and Eric had very confidently stated that “you go into the chorus with a bang! and then, like, swoosh, and and you get the feeling of pow!” to which it seemed like his sudden student didn’t understand a word of.

More than once, Eric had found himself staring longingly at the other group where Yugyeom was practicing in and sighed to himself. “Man I wish we could have got one more dancer...” Not necessarily the same person he had worked with before, but just someone, someone who knew the steps more easily, someone who could perform a more fluid dance performance. Instead he was left feeling bad for putting someone in a zone where they didn’t feel comfortable, but at the same time Eric had to consider the fact that he couldn’t disregard himself for someone else, not if he wanted to make it further. Which was why he was slightly upset with the fact that they had to change the choreography, but instead of being vocal about it, he simply mulled over that on his own.

Come the day of the filming, Eric was nervous to say the least -- a strange feeling he didn’t often feel, and one that he didn’t enjoy very much. It was simple enough to do something on his own, but putting his fate in the hands of other people was so much different. Eric was a person who could do anything he wanted as long as he himself believed he could: that was how the world worked to the teenage boy. So the fact that something could so easily influence the outcome of this performance was kind of terrifying and overwhelming.

There was nothing else to do now but hope. Hope that Taeyang had managed to work well enough with Hyojin; hope that their choreography wasn’t too simple; hope that they made no obvious mistakes while on stage. For the first time Eric felt as though he couldn’t focus on his peers at all, his entire train of thought being on the performance, and he was wearing a complex expression on his face until it finally became their turn after what felt like an eternity. Suddenly the rush of adrenaline hit him and Eric had to tell himself to remember the smile -- the perfect smile that showed nothing of the emotions that lay beneath. He wasn’t very good at lying, but instead of focusing too much about it, he tried to pay attention to the fact that he would go on stage again soon, that he would do something he absolutely enjoyed soon, and that made it much easier to feel genuine happiness.

As he stood there side by side with his seniors in life, Eric joined in on their shared introduction, sappy and corny as ever, but he found amusement in those kinds of things. “Unlocking your hearts, we are the Master Key!” If there was one thing he was good at it was thinking up bad catchphrases for these groups it seemed, but that was half the fun. And to make it even better, they continued with a move that had been popular some years back. “We’ll store all the national viewers in our hearts!” He was going to play the fact that he was the youngest remaining participant as far as he could and score those cheap cute points. Honestly he didn’t find the whole thing the slightest bit embarrassing, and that was possibly one of his strengths: performing cutesy acts without the slightest bit of hesitation.

With Hyojin and Taeyang taking their spots on the chairs they had brought along to the middle of the stage, Eric took his position to the side, ready to slide in once his lines came up. Taeyang had done his best in rearranging the choreography and simplifying it while still keeping its original intention somewhat intact and catering to the individual person’s skill. In a sense Eric thought the guy was absolutely amazing. For a long while he didn’t have to sit down, and he much appreciated that: although the intention was noble, cutting off the majority of the legwork by including chairs was harsh on the boy who just wanted to show his very best. Instead he danced as hard as he possibly could on the parts that didn’t include a chair.

The chorus was kind of corny, and as Eric sang to the audience “can I be your boyfriend can I?” he thought it kind of amusing. The way he saw it they all represented a different boyfriend image. Eric was the innocent, youthful puppy love kind of boyfriend. Hyojin was a more mature person but gave off a sweet vibe to him while Taeyang somehow seemed like a wild and sexy type of guy. It felt weird to admit it, but that was definitely how he saw his partners. He thought the song fit them well despite the fact that he himself had never been someone’s boyfriend, but he couldn’t say that he wasn’t starting to feel curious about that whole love scenario.

As the song came to a close, Eric felt a bit more relieved than he had done before the performance started. With Hyojin being the better vocalist of them all he had been in charge of line distribution and figuring out whose voice colour best fit in which part, and although he was kind of sad about their third member because he didn’t get to dance properly, Eric also had to admit that there was no way he could have done stuff like that on his own. He just sang because he liked singing over rapping: he didn’t actually know much of the technical stuff behind it. Running back to his seat with bubbly steps Eric only realised too late that his ‘seat’ was still on the stage, and with a loud “whoops!” he quickly ran back to get it before sitting down again and waiting for the show to be over.

[harbingham]

                   Harry took one look at the survey && rolled his eyes. What a waste of fucking time. As if they were all going to BOND because a survey supposedly confirmed they could be  f r i e n d s  . Or at the very least good roommates ?? Whatever. Harry quickly wrote his name, crossing out the rest of the questions with EASE. Besides, they knew who he was already.

          Instead, cursive letters inked the paper — If you put me with someone annoying, I’ll make sure the trip is absolute hell. Ending the sentence with a thick period, annoyance festering as it usually did with life’s POINTLESS trifles.

                    The usual smug smirk dipped over his lips, carelessly turning the questionnaire in without a second thought.

so yeahhh, because my son is the way he is ... i filled it out for him bless up. why do i love harry bingham when i fucking hate him ?? idk fam, idk.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Harold Theodore Bingham PRONUNCIATION: H EH - r uh l d   th EE - uh - d aw r    b IH  ng-uh m   MEANING: estate ruler  /  army leader  REASONING: Harold was his great-grandfather’s name, while Theodore is is father’s name that’s been passed down for quite a while as either a first/middle kinda deal NICKNAME(S): Harry, Har ( though he doesn't like it  ) Bingham, Pretty Boy PREFERRED NAME(S): Harry, just Harry unless you want a punch or a mean remark bless BIRTH DATE: April 13th, 2001 AGE: 18 ZODIAC: Aries !! GENDER: Male PRONOUNS: He/Him ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Heteroromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual NATIONALITY: American ETHNICITY: wonder bread

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: West Ham, CT HOMETOWN: West Ham, CT SOCIAL CLASS: Upper/Close to the 1% FATHER: Theodore Bingham † MOTHER: Karen Bingham SIBLING(S): Stacy Bingham ( 12 ) BIRTH ORDER: Harry, Stacy PET(S): In the Bingham household ?? Never. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: He’s surrounded by family, they usually always have at least two reunions a year. However he’s never felt close to them ?? So he’d never list their names here really. He’s only somewhat close to his immediate family. Though, he was close to his nanny growing up if that counts bless PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: it’s a list of like ... relatively short lasting relationships, hookups, && one night stands, until his most recent, kelly, which is probably his longest lasting one ?? ARRESTS?: Technically, on record, none :). He’s definitely been caught like, trespassing, underage drinking, && drunk driving lbh ... but yeah, no record. i hate him. PRISON TIME?: N/A

OCCUPATION & INCOME

SOURCE OF INCOME: intern at parent’s company  /  his parents CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: he doesn’t really like it tbh, but it’s done his family well so after college he definitely plans to continue the legacy && make if flourish even more. PAST JOB(S): n/a SPENDING HABITS: *throws money in trash can* MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: the gold ring with the bingham family insignia his father gave him when he turned 13 ( made him feel like he finally belonged you feel )  though he’d tell you it’s everything he owns ... i hate him

SKILLS & ABILITIES

TALENTS: bringing people together ( or apart ), lightening the mood ( or you know, fucking it up too ), banter, racing, fixing cars SHORTCOMINGS: oh honey — saying shit he doesn’t mean, his own arrogance, addictive personality, emotional invulnerability, aloof nature, shall i continue ?? LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: English, French, Italian DRIVE?: Hell yeah JUMP-STAR A CAR?: Yes CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: Yes, but he’d rather pay someone to do it before ever doing it himself RIDE A BICYCLE?: nope catch me crying SWIM?: Yes PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: Does learning the recorder in 3rd grade count ?? PLAY CHESS?: Yes BRAID HAIR?: Yes ( Stacy made him learn since he was the only one home most of the time ) TIE A TIE?: Yes, his father practically taught him that in the womb. PICK A LOCK?: nah. he’s more into the jump the fence, break some glass, make a fucking scene, kinda trespassing

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: Alex Fitzalan EYE COLOR: dark brown, specks of gold in natural light HAIR COLOR: Chestnut Brown HAIR TYPE/STYLE: Curly && wavy, his hair texture kinda varies by each strand unless he properly styles it ... which he does when feeling okay GLASSES/CONTACTS?: No, but he definitely likes the aesthetic of glasses sometimes. Like bet money on his ivy interviews he wore glasses ... did i mention i hate harry bingham ?? DOMINANT HAND: Right HEIGHT: 5′10″ WEIGHT: 140/150ish lbs ??? BUILD: Slender Muscular EXERCISE HABITS: it’s rather irregular and depends heavily on his mood. if he’s in a good/okay mood then a few times a week. otherwise it’s hard to do much of anything, let alone work out you know. SKIN TONE: light with pink/tan undertones TATTOOS: none PIERCINGS: none MARKS/SCARS: small dark birth mark near his right, outer ankle. shoulders/back && cheeks tend to get rather freckly in the summer && he hates it. some random cuts && bruises from blacked out drunk/high escapades, the occasional hickey bye. NOTABLE FEATURES: dimples when he actually smiles, white af teeth, the hair™ USUAL EXPRESSION: either completely unamused or smirking tbh CLOTHING STYLE: designer, preppy — think polos, ironed pants, or cuffed skinny jeans, all paired with some boat shoes. sometimes when he’s not feeling so great he’ll wear a plain tee/hoodie JEWELRY: gold pinky ring ( mentioned above ), apple watch on occasion ALLERGIES: long haired cats BODY TEMPERATURE: runs hot 😏 DIET: no such thing, boy’s metabolism is fast, the lucky son of a bitch. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: N/A

PSYCHOLOGY

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral TEMPERAMENT: Choleric  /  Melancholic ELEMENT: Fire MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: Anxiety, Depression, Toxic Masculinity 👀 SOCIABILITY: Moody™, but very social. Popular™. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: um ... he tries ?? it’s not good though, nope. PHOBIA(S): autophobia ( fear of being alone ),  atychiphobia ( fear of failure ) ADDICTION(S): coffee, opiods, alcohol, etc DRUG USE: yes please ALCOHOL USE: yes please PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: if provoked yes, or if he feels the need to protect/stand against something.

MANNERISMS

QUIRKS: easily annoyed, rolls his eyes a lot, has a comeback for almost everything ( even if it’s just a fuck you ) HOBBIES: cars, racing, sailing ( learned from his dad ),  HABITS: drinking, swearing, pills, drinks coffee every morning NERVOUS TICKS: furrowed brows, pacing/unable to stand still, hand twitching, squinting eyes DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: Money, Perfectionism, doing the Bingham name justice FEARS: Being forgotten, Isolation, Losing the rest of his family/the few he cares about, Death, Fatal Illness POSITIVE TRAITS: Charming, Adventurous, Witty, Ambitious, Assertive, Protective NEGATIVE TRAITS: Moody, Enigmatic, Cocky, Prideful, Destructive, Sarcastic, Stubborn, Impatient SENSE OF HUMOR: sarcastic, dark DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: he fucking literally fucking says fuck every fucking other fucking word :D CATCHPHRASE(S): fuck you cassandra, fuck off, fuck you, fuck me, fuck that, we’re playing fugitive tonight

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: Racing  /  Sailing ANIMAL: Otters BEVERAGE: any && all alcohol™ ... or secretly strawberry hi-c don’t @ him. BOOK: never let me go by kazuo ishiguro CELEBRITY: Margot Robbie COLOR: Navy Blue && Dark Gray DESIGNER: Balenciaga && Ralph Lauren FOOD: loaded fries FLOWER: blue stars GEM: Sapphire/Diamond HOLIDAY: halloween MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: he has a lot of favorite cars, but his black maserati ( aka the fugitive car ) is probably his favorite. he also likes helicopters MOVIE: Fight Club, The Wolf on Wall Street, The Breakfast Club MUSICAL ARTIST: blackbear, Drake are two of his go-tos, though the list is long QUOTE/SAYING: “Just do it.” boy bye SCENERY: nothing like overlooking a long wooden dock into a bright blue lake surrounded by trees  SCENT: cedar, sandalwood — anything kinda woody/musky ?? bless. SPORT: golf SPORTS TEAM: his father always rooted for the yankees, so he roots for the yankees TELEVISION SHOW: Mad Men WEATHER: cloudy with just a bit of sun peaking through, bright blue sky — not too hot, not too cold. VACATION DESTINATION: anywhere near a body of water, though he’s particularly fond of lake como in italy cause there’s a bit of everything ?? mountains, the lake, beautiful architecture, etc :’)

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: living that ‘american dream’ baby GREATEST FEAR: peaking in high school, being forgotten/not wanted (yet you push people away boii water u doing ?!), being vulnerable ... again there’s a long fucking list MOST AT EASE WHEN: in a fast car, living that reckless™ lifestyle LEAST AT EASE WHEN: realizing what a dumbass he is && having to apologize for it BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: getting into brown && columbia off some actual merit && not just money wow BIGGEST REGRET: not really being there for his dad near the end bc that would mean being vulnerable && saying goodbye coming on this fucking trip MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: losing the student body president position to cassandra BIGGEST SECRET: which one you want honey ?? TOP PRIORITIES: for everything to stay the same  /  go back to the way it was  :) :( :) :(

[crazy-hand-official]

on hole

ok so this posts been a long time a comin’ but i finally feel like im drunk enough to talk about (and never shut the fuck up about) one of my favorite bands... Hole

hole’s music has meant a lot to me since i picked up Live Through This at some boring ass used cd store that also happened to sell erotic fantasy novels about good fathers. but anyway. holes music is for women with bad fathers. women who are kind of fucked up and angry about it, too. women who have trauma and scars and are kinda gross. women who were wronged but somehow by the grace of god empowered in the face of their horrible experiences. 

or at least it feels like that, dont it?

that was the main appeal of hole to me, anyway. i fell in love with this album around the second or third listen through. i was like, damn, shes pissed. it was so refreshing to hear a woman just screaming out her frustrations. how cathartic must it have been to be able to not only get it out, but also be taken somewhat seriously? of course hole never got the recognition they deserved. im of the unpopular opinion that they were waayyyy better than nirvana. without sounding kinda sappy... you know what fuck it im not apologizing to any of u. hole totally made me embrace womanhood. it influenced my own, much beloved way to just exist. 

but also i guess i just really love tunes. 

ps im not here for the courtney killed kurt debate lmfao!!

ok so heres the part where i write my onions about their four studio albums 

Pretty On the Inside

their first album and admittedly, my least favorite (that doesnt say much because i still really enjoy it). its sound is much more abrasive. love employs her most guttural screams in this one, but ill get to that. to its credit, its the most experimental but many interpret it as amateur guitar screeches and song bits just hashed together. and maybe theyre right! but what band doesnt have that not-quite-there-yet first album? its an unrefined, beautiful mess. A song title or two is spelled wrong. Garbadge man is one that comes to mind. and for some reason, its just... fitting. its an artistic mistake left in and its so dumb but thats the fun in it! thats the punk in it! they dont give a fuck so why should you? this album is a messy bitch. 

track im gonna nut about: mrs. jones

this song is apparently about a back alley abortion, and its just as brutal. love is screaming, just guttural sounds and expletives and nauseating lyrics. when i first heard it, i was absolutely entranced in the atrocity of it all. shes sweating, panting. i will follow you down the sick drain

other favorite tracks: teenage whore, good sister bad sister, pretty on the inside

Live Through This

their most popular album also happens to be my favorite! the start of it all...

i havent shut up about this album since day one because i just like it so much! she refines her skills and just comes out with a successful album that ties an array of horrible themes and wraps them up in a pretty pink bow. its soft aesthetic covers the dark, sickening themes that make the album. rape, anorexia, self harm, self hatred, violence, abuse... the list goes on. someone i one knew asked me why women with bipolar disorder and bpd love hole so much and i had to bite my tongue but to be brutally honest we probably like it because love had the nuts to scream about taboo themes that are so hurtfully common in our lives. just like how the depressed rally behind the smiths. oh that and the musics awesome. but anyway, the cover is a beauty queen the moment shes crowned. its supposed to represent someone who has fought, clawed, and fucked her way to the top. but look! shes the queen! shes the beauty queen! everyone will finally love her and treat her with respect! and all she had to do was sell her soul. all she had to do was get abused over and over to the point of breakdown. but she made it, didnt she? i mean, look how pretty the crown is!

favorite track im not gonna shut up about: i think i would die

im gonna be super lazy and just copy and paste what i wrote up one time when i talked about this song before:

wait nevermind i cant search for my post through my tag because tumblr is broken. something about breastmilk? ill update once i find it lmao. 

other favorite tracks: violet, softer softest, miss world

Celebrity Skin 

i dont have as many onions on this one. supposedly, love didnt want this album to become ‘the widow album’, but theres a song or two about kurt’s death snuck in there. this albums loud, but not nearly as angry as the first two. in fact, when shes not singing catchy pop tunes about how jaded she is, shes being sincere and heartfelt. all in all, its a fantastic album and my second favorite that hole has to offer. 

favorite track of the album: heaven tonight

ive heard two stories about what this songs supposedly about. on one hand, people say its about two lovers. the girl wants to lose her virginity to the guy, so she drives (recklessly) to his house and dies in an accident. she’ll never grow old, she’ll go to heaven tonight. on the other hand, i heard that love just wanted a fun song to sing to her daughter, frances bean. either way, it makes me want to dance. so idk if its about teenagers fucking or about a little girl who just needed a song, but its cool.

other favorite tracks: awful, celebrity skin, reasons to be beautiful

Nobody’s Daughter

years later, hole released their final album. when i first heard it, i was disappointed. the first track was great, but then.... i noticed her voice had deteriorated significantly due to her smoking and other vocal abuse. and i thought, damn, i really wish she released this when she was younger. she sounds normal when she screams, but i guess to compensate when singing softer parts, she does this kind of weird weird thing when enunciating that... ok i cant pinpoint or describe what exactly it is but it kinda sucks. ‘honey’ is the only hole song that i dont like very much, and its the best song to use as an example when trying to explain how her voice got all fucked. now, we cant all be bowie (whose singing voice only got better after years of smoking). but still. 

anyways, i listened to the album again, and i mean really listened to it. and actually! the smoker voice is the beauty of it! its a woman who is past jaded and past giving fucks about anyone or anything. its songs from a woman of experience. and she still sounds badass! her voice is so rough, she sounds like she could still fuck anyone up. its exciting. 

favorite track to get all sappy about: letter to god

i really found an appreciation for this song. this is a song about someone who cant be saved. and isnt that fucked up? youre so bad, so hated by all of those around you, but no one can hate you as much as yourself. and you try everything to pick yourself up but just nothing works. and everyone has their two cents in what they think will help you. but youve tried every med in the book and youve tried this and that and the other thing, and you come to the conclusion that you just cant be saved. youre drowning. so what do you do? you turn to god, a supernatural all-mighty being. but shit, i hope he can help you. because if he doesnt, fucking nothing ever will. so go write him that letter.

  i never wanted to be the person you see

other favorite tracks: nobodys daughter, skinny little bitch

and thats what i have to say about that!

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON DIVINITY’S LEAD VOCAL CHA NARI...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Lily CURRENT AGE: 23 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: Koala T. SECONDARY SKILL: Modeling

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S):  Alice (she is called this by some fans because she has always seemed somewhat out of place in the topsy-turvey world of Nightmare), Nana (an affectionate nickname from fans that stems from her cute nature). INSPIRATION: Nari was inspired to become and idol by the idols of her youth. She generally avoids talking about her childhood, but when she does it is to mention how much joy it brought her to see classic idol groups perform. They seemed so happy, so glamorous. From a young age, Nari imitated them, dancing in front of her TV. As she grew and it became clear she had a striking resemblance to a member of Diamant, it seemed that Nari was fated to become an idol the way she’d always dreamed. Nari worked hard in her teens to make that future a reality. SPECIAL TALENTS:

make up — Nari is well known for her skills as a make up artist. On variety shows she is sometimes asked to do the make up of male cast members or guests, to amusing results. She has also recently started her own beauty channel where she makes videos on different make up looks.

aegyo — Nari is always ready and willing to perform cute actions, even when others around her might seem reticent. She takes pride in her ability to be cute.

japanese  — As Nightmare’s audience expanded internationally, Nari, with no small     effort, learned Japanese in order to communicate with her international fans. Nari occasionally performs covers of Japanese songs as well.

NOTABLE FACTS:

Nari has a striking resemblance to a popular member of Diamant. It is commented on nearly every time she goes on variety shows or is discussed in the media.

Nari is known for being a fan of second and first generation girl groups such as Jubilee and Genie. Diamant is by far her favorite and she is quick to sing or dance to their songs when asked (and even when she is not).

When asked, Nari often alludes to her ideal type being a member of Titanium but     refuses to clarify which member, exactly, it is.

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

As Nightmare transitions into Divinity, Nari wants to use this rebranding as an opportunity to make herself the new face of the group. More so than other members who might have played heavily into the group’s occult theme before, Nari’s softer image fits the new, lighter concept. Nari aims have her sub unit, Eve, succeed in their promotions, as she is featured much more heavily in the small sub unit than the ungainly large group. Additionally. Nari plans to grow her brand through her fairly new beauty youtube channel. She views this as an excellent way to reach current fans and, hopefully, gain more outside the group’s niche market. Her modeling is also a way to build up her public recognition outside of the group.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

Nari doesn’t plan on staying in Nightmare (now Divinity) forever. The group’s shifting concepts and lack of domestic appeal will only grow as a roadblock as she gets older. Nari knows that Koala.T isn’t keen on giving any members solos at the moment, but long term, perhaps after the group inevitably disbands, she wants to have a solo career. After a long, successful solo career, Nari envisions a state of semi-retirement. She will be wealthy, not having to work in order to afford a luxurious lifestyle, but still maintain a media presence so she is never forgotten.

IDOL IMAGE

Before it was Divinity, before it was even Nightmare, Nari was a perfect fit for Koala.T’s expected girl group. She always appeared to be bright and energetic, the trainee most skilled at aegyo. These aspects matched the expected colorful concept. They were an asset Nari wore proudly, expecting them to take her the final stretch to debut. The concept switch to a darker rock sound complicated matters. It was clear that Nari would never be as mysterious and brooding as the concept demanded. Alterations had to be made.

Newly branded “Lily”, Nari’s concept in Nightmare was a compromise more than anything else. No amount of black nail polish and dark clothes would ever completely roughen up her soft edges. The higher ups at Koala.T decided the best course of action was to lean into her attractive looks. Being too cute wouldn’t work; even at her darkest moments she didn’t look threatening. Instead, they tried to tinge the horror concept with some more sexy elements. Subtle suggestibility and bedroom eyes as opposed to baring it all.  Lily couldn’t exactly pull off scary, but perhaps she could be a bit of a temptress.  It wasn’t a perfect fit  — Nari always looked just a touch out of place in the horror-themed mvs, her movements too soft for the harsh choreography — but it worked well enough. Even an occult themed group like Nightmare could stand to have at least one somewhat cute member to balance out the elements that might otherwise be off putting.

The re-branding into Divinity has been nothing if not a boon for Nari. While her cute and pretty image held her back in Nightmare, it is proving to be an asset as the group transitions into a brighter, more mainstream image. While other members might have gone all-in to Nightmare’s witchy vibes, their decision to allow Lily to retain some aspects her cuter persona makes her immediately more accessible to the new concept. There’s very little she’s had to change.

Lily remains a bright figure in the group who plays heavily into her cuteness and desirability. Because of this, Nari has become the perfect face for Divinity. She, like the group, has maintained her core elements through every transition and concept change. Most importantly, Nari knows how to connect with the Korean public just as much as the group’s foreign fans. Born and raised in the south of the nation, Nari’s current image is something of the platonic ideal of a Korean idol. Outgoing, yet pushy, always cheerful, hardworking and beautiful. Nari is more than pleased with this turn of events and hopes to ride this concept change into the highest heights of fame possible.

IDOL HISTORY

Cha Nari was born in Daegu on April 12, 1996. Her parents, Hyejin and Joonho, had little to offer their first and only child. They both worked low-paying, menial jobs and could only afford a small apartment in the city. Still, though their home was humble, it was happy. Joonho loved his wife and daughter more than words could express and did all that he could to provide for them and make them happy. This was apparently not enough for Hyejin.

Less than a year after Nari was born, Hyejin began an affair with a wealthy businessman. He showered her in gifts. Within six months of starting the affair, Hyejin left her husband and one-year-old and never returned. Joonho was blindsided, having been completely unaware of the affair. He was grief-stricken; after all, he had just lost the love of his life, but he knew that he had to push on, if not for himself, then for his daughter. Even more than before, Nari became his whole world. He would do anything, give up whatever, for his daughter.

When she was very young, Nari wasn’t aware that she was poor. She had clothes to wear, she never went hungry, and she always, always had love. It wasn’t until she started school that Nari began to notice that she was different from other kids. Her classmates, she noticed, got new clothes and not hand-me-downs. They didn’t keep the same shoes until they wore holes in the bottom. Their lunches were larger and nicer. They had big birthday parties, got nice, new toys. Slowly, Nari realized just how much less she had. Her father gave her all he could but it would never measure up.

As Nari became a preteen, she became desperate to keep up with her peers. Nari searched for small jobs around her neighborhood to make just a little bit of pocket money. She ran errands, scrubbed bathroom floors, babysat. Nari did anything and everything just to be able to afford a nicer pair of shoes or some meat for her lunch. Her father, who worked nearly constantly to make ends meet, only saw this as Nari taking after his hardworking ways. He didn’t realize just how ashamed of their circumstances she was.

Puberty hit Nari hard. She’d been a thin and gangly child, but she blossomed into a beautiful teen. She became more popular with girls and boys alike. Nari took to lying to her schoolmates about where she lived and what her father did. She even lied and told people her mother had died, not abandoned her. By the time she was old enough to get a proper part time job, most of her classmates had no idea that the tall, beautiful, popular Nari came from such humble beginnings.

It was in her early teens that people started to notice just how much Nari looked like a member of Diamant. It truly was uncanny. Initially, this pleased Nari. Diamant and other idol groups had been her refuge during the difficult, early years of school when she felt lesser for not having money. She would lose herself in fantasies of being rich and famous like the idols. Being compared to one was the greatest compliment Nari could think of. She wasn’t talented at singing or dancing — she’d never had enough money or time to really try at either — but Nari still dreamed of becoming an idol one day.

That dream was always out of reach until, one day, she was stopped when shopping with her friends. The man said he was a scout for a music company, and he’d never seen such a beautiful girl. Surely, she wanted to be an idol. Nari glowed. The man gave her his card. He said that for a nominal fee, he could help Nari become a trainee. That was all that Nari had ever wanted, so of course, Nari scrapped together her savings and paid the man. She did so again a few weeks later when he asked for another payment, and again a month after that. It was only after she’d spent her very last won and gotten nothing in returned that Nari realized she’d been scammed. This revelation changed Nari. She was no longer wide-eyed and hopeful. Her heart had hardened to the painful realities of the world.

Despite such a major setback, Nari was still determined to become an idol. Nari started putting away money for singing and dancing lessons. Juggling her lessons, her job and school was difficult — many days she would only get roughly three hours of sleep — but Nari persevered. After months and months of lessons, Nari auditioned for every company she could find. Midas turned her down. 99 and MSG too. Even Singularity wouldn’t take her. It wasn’t until she auditioned for Koala.T Music that Nari found a company willing to take a chance on her. She was grateful.

As a trainee, it was painfully clear to Nari that she’d been chosen because of her looks, not on the strength of her talent. Nari had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up. Still, she persevered. Nari spent every spare moment she had practicing. She wouldn’t let a little thing like lack of talent get in the way of her becoming an idol. By the time Koala.T began choosing trainees to debut in the group that would become Nightmare, Nari had fought her way tooth and nail towards the top of the pack. She’d never be the best or most talented but Nari’s hard work had transformed her into a more than serviceable singer and dancer.

The group’s initial colorful concept fit well with Nari. She was cute and bright and was an obvious choice. However, when the debut was delayed and the concept so drastically changed, the choice was drastically less obvious. Some members of management if she was too out of sync with the group’s new horror-tinged concept. Her hardworking nature and beauty beat out any doubts but the lack of connection to Nightmare’s theme would haunt Nari through her debut and beyond.

For her part hated the new concept. She’d been excited to dance to bright pop songs like her favorite idols in older generations. Nightmare was just too strange, too off putting. It would scare away the potential fans she so desperately wanted. Still, Nari knew that this would be her only chance to debut and fought to be in the group. Nari was proved right with their debut and subsequent promotions being lackluster but Nari was still happy just to be an idol. Sure, their fans were few and far away, but they had fans. She was on television, on the camera. She was far away from the sad, lonely, poor little girl she’d been not so very many years before.

Promoting in Nightmare was always a struggle. Nari had been right about the concept alienating potential fans. When Koala.T management announced the addition of subunits with more traditional concepts, Nari was overjoyed. Finally, she would get the chance to be the kind of idol she’d always wanted. Beautiful, bright, beloved. Still, it didn’t feel like enough. Really, when one of their members left the group, she could not blame her; Nightmare was clearly doomed to fail, even with the subunits, unless something drastic happened. She started to fear that was the beginning of the end, that everything would be destroyed before she even had a fighting chance. Then, salvation came. Koala T. decided to rebrand into Divinity, leaning into the style introduced into the subunits. She would still be forced to do the creepy-cute occult songs, but far less often. She could showcase her own unique skills, maybe even become part of the mainstream. Now, Nari is happy and excited about the future of Divinity, even more than when they first debuted. The future looks bright and she intends to take full advantage of it.

[junec-c-blog]

♡ HARK —— ! yet another has risen in Purgatory ! the curve of [ her ] face likens them to SOPHIE SKELTON, but don’t be fooled — there is only one JUNE CARTER. upon arrival, they settled in as a freelance musician, and have since aligned to the VIRTUES. it’s written that they’re personable & energetic & independent, but whispered that they’re headstrong & blunt & bossy, so tread lightly. may their heart remain whole. [ jo, she/her, 22, est ]

Hello, friends! My name is Jo and I’m super excited to be here and equally excited to get into June’s character, so I’ve got quite a few pertinent points listed below. As her past is well-known already, I’m mostly going to be doing an abridged version for now, but I might do a more detailed biography on her past later because I just love her that much!

June was born the middle daughter of Maybelle and Ezra Carter in 1929. The family became known for their musical talent, and as a result, she spent most of her adolescence performing Appalachian-style country in multiple groups comprised solely of her sisters and parents.

While she was a decent singer, she was much more well-known for her skills in playing music - namely the guitar and autoharp - and her propensity for comedy. With a sharp wit and smart mouth, the youngest Carter was most definitely the liveliest out of the bunch and became well-known as the heart and soul of the Carter Sisters.

She made it to the Grand Ole Opry by the time she was 21, and this was the environment that she rubbed elbows with the likes of Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and the one and only Johnny Cash. These friendships proved useful for her, and she toured several times with these artists and more through connections made at the Opry and beyond.

June married once at 21, and while she did get a daughter and multiple popular country songs out of her union with acclaimed singer Carl Smith, the marriage crashed and burned. Considering a good portion of those who listened to her music were devout Christians, the divorce sullied her reputation and left some to label her as a ‘sinner’ for allowing such a thing to happen. She married again, this time to a police officer by the name of Edwin Nix, but she faced the same fate yet again. Understandably, this left her somewhat more cynical and hesitant to put her heart on the ringer again when it came to romantic love.

Try as she did to deny it and keep him at an arm’s length, June developed quite an affection for Johnny through their work together that eventually turned to love. Thanks in part to her failed marriages, his issues with addiction, and her generally stubborn nature, it took years for the two of them to get together and even more past that for her to accept a marriage proposal from him. Their love, as she characterized in Ring of Fire, was just as exciting as it was painful for her, and despite their occasionally tumultuous relationship with each other, he was (and still is) her best friend and the only one who truly held her heart.

Once she finally agreed to marry Johnny in Ontario at nearly 40, she never looked back. The two married, had a child, and continued to make music together until she died in 2003 from complications following surgery.

Now that she’s in Purgatory, things have been simultaneously far easier and much harder for June. Here’s what I’ve got for her as far as that is concerned:

Overall, what you see with June is what you get. While she may be far wiser than she was as a young woman trying to make her name as a star, her love of life, goofy nature, and general humility hasn’t wavered.  Granted, she’s just as fiercely independent as ever, determined to do things on her own as she wants to and often unwilling to sway when she’s set her mind on something. She takes no shit, and while she’s by no means crass or rude, she’s also not one to allow people to walk all over her.

June closed her eyes being pushed back to an operating room and opened them young, rejuvenated, and dead. The fact that she’d passed without getting to say goodbye to her beloved husband was devastating and the four months between her death and his own were excruciatingly lonely. As guilty as she feels to admit it, she was almost glad to know that he’d died if only because it meant that she got to have him with her again.

Johnny’s obviously still the love of her life. She simply doesn’t have eyes for anyone else - due in part to years of  and adores him just as much now as she did in her youth

That doesn’t mean, however, that they don’t have their issues. She gets as frustrated and angry with him as ever, thanks in large part to her take-no-shit attitude and constant worry over the fact that he may be slipping back into bad habits. She bickers often when she feels slighted and shuts him out when she’s at her worse, a classic defense mechanism considering the years of hurt she carries on her shoulders to prevent showing vulnerability.  

Considering her propensity for humanitarian pursuits and generally good nature in life, it’s obvious why she’s aligned with the Virtues. All she wants out of this second chance is the opportunity to live a peaceful, idyllic life and make up for lost time, but that doesn’t seem as easy as she originally thought it’d be.

She tried to find a ‘regular’ job. Really, she did. But music had been her entire life from the tender age of ten to her deathbed, and there’s nothing that really sets her soul aflame like carrying a tune and strumming at that autoharp did. She carries odd jobs, performing at little holes in the wall and offering the occasional lesson or two when the moment strikes, and that’s perfectly okay with her.

Her greatest fear is losing her Johnny, whether that be to the alcohol or drugs or even to the arms of another woman. Early on, she’d hoped for a relatively peaceful second life, but nowadays she’s spent a good amount of her time fretting and fussing at him that she almost feels more like a mother than a wife at times. Considering the time and devotion she spent in life to getting him clean and sticking by him despite his misdeeds, she’s willing to do it all over again if it’s for him even if that means being overbearing at times.

I think that’s it for now, but knowing me, I’ve probably missed something that I’ll have to double-back on later when it comes to mind. That being said, feel free to throw anything my way in terms of plots, as I’m all about interacting with as many people as possible! Again, I’m so excited to be here and even more excited to get started, so bless you all!

[conoscenze]

annaliese // annaliese & ida.

Finally, after a long, agonizing period of time since I’ve announced her “presence”, I come here and slap on the blog Ida’s full info. Keep in mind that she is a fairly new character, and as such she might be developed differently from what’s written in here as of now---but it’s still a start, so let’s skip pleasantries and just jump into it.

Who’s sister Ida, the nun whom Annaliese looks up to and is basically watched over by most of the time?

1 // basics.

Full name is Ida Baumgartner.

Though she seems to have some vague Dutch ancestry, her family has been located within Germany since generations; this makes her full German.

Like Annaliese, she was born in Thuringia. However, differently from her, she’s from Apolda (located in the Weimarer Land district, which geographically surrounds Erfurt’s territory).

Ida is 37 years old, and has been in the convent since when she was barely 20. She’s ten years older than Annaliese.

Birthday is May 2nd.

Besides being nun by definition, Ida has, with time, taken upon the cloistered life. This means she spends all of her time within the nunnery’s territory, rarely stepping outside of it. She never goes beyond the the forest surrounding the structure, as well.

She occupies herself with studying and copying antique sacred scripts; despite being a rarely practiced (or required) activity since quite some centuries, Ida has always found it rather intriguing and relaxing. Consequently, as the job requires, she has developed excellent and precise skills in graphics (such as layout and copying Gothic fonts freehanded) as well as in figurative arts, more specifically miniatures.

Considering she likes to delight herself by reading old Latin manuscripts from time to time, she is fairly well-versed in the language itself. (Her knowledge of it isn’t academic, however.)

Other pastimes include praying, occasionally helping in the kitchen, and resting. From time to time, she helps with the convent’s small crops.

If asked, she will say she is heterosexual. However, she hasn’t explored that sort of aspect all that much, if at all. Ida is merely disinterested.

A lot of nuns in the convent admire her. She is far from being the oldest and / or the wisest, but her very severe and persevering lifestyle is often found worthy of praise.

She acts humble about this specific deal, but deep down, she’s aiming to become Mother Superior.

2 // personality.

Ida starkly contrasts Annaliese on all fronts. The most evident difference is reflected by her poise: if the latter tends to be overwhelmingly energetic and, to some extent, even immature, Ida in everything and anything reincarnates the stereotype of the cloistered, pious, sapient nun.

Though she seems indifferent and cold, Ida is very obviously a woman with a heart of gold. She hardly ever happens to think anything genuinely hostile in regards of anyone.

That, of course, doesn’t mean she isn’t irritable. In fact, she can be quite grouchy if you approach her during one of her aforementioned activities. Amongst the nunnery often hangs the heavy, stern warning not to disturb her whenever drawing, studying or praying.

Going by this rumor, Ida’s not fun to deal with when she’s furious. It is best not to test her.

Beyond the diamond and steely surface, Ida can sometimes reveal herself to be somewhat shy. A lot of nuns in the convent know her because of her general popularity, but she herself knows less than a third of the women that populate the building. Annaliese is the only girl she can say she really knows, besides a couple of other peers. In her words, approaching new people is “an hassle”---in truth, she is just much too awkward at handling first encounters.

She is a very private person, and dislikes sharing whatever she produces / is doing / thinking with people she doesn’t particularly care about.

Very good at picking up subtle signs and oddities in others’ behavior.

Before becoming a nun, Ida was an arts and psychology student. This explains her aptitude for artistic fields, as well as her good reading on whoever she may encounter. She is far less expertised in the second than she is in the first, though.

Ida is very religious, and strongly holds close to her heart the word of God. She isn’t a fanatic of any kind, but most of her beliefs and values heavily take from the Bible and the New Testament. Yet, here and there, her own faith doesn’t exactly match with that offered by the clergy.

She claims that she doesn’t like wasting her time teaching things she already knows, but it’s painfully obvious to everyone that it is a lie. Else she wouldn’t be so careful and gentle with novices.

Ida has a very good visual memory. Almost any face she encounters, she will remember.

If you wrong her, you need to keep in mind that she is going to be the jury, judge, and executioner of the situation. There is no situation she’s more fearful in, than one in which you perpetrated in her regards something which she deems unacceptable. Ida, paradoxically, never forgives and never forgets---especially if said something is considered absolutely deplorable and inexcusable. In the case in which you are right and she is wrong, all is well. Ida will apologize and that’s the end of it.

Very skeptical in talking about her past life---the one before closure. Not even Annaliese has managed to hear more than snippets of it.

3 // physical.

Ida is no spectacular beauty, even if she does retain some odd characteristics. Her body type is chubby, soft, and curvaceous; her lack of exercise and rich diet are contributing factors to this (not that it is that much of a big deal to begin with).

Chestnut brown hair / mint-shade green eyes, sparse and thin brows, bulbous nose, and fairly thick lips. She looks just about her age, the signs of time beginning to mark, if ever so slightly, her visage.

Her hair is neck length, straight, and often kept into a low bun. Her fringe parts towards the right. Despite being almost always beneath her veil, it always manages to maintain a thick and soft texture. Stray hair are a common occurrence.

A particular sign she retains, which can be only seen without her veil, is that she is missing her left ear’s lobe. Ida is unwilling to disclose the reason behind this, making her past even more mysterious in the eyes of the other nuns.

She’s 149cm tall. (Heavily advised against is making fun of her height.)

Whenever she’s not wearing her religious habit, Ida can be seen with thick, comfortable sweaters and ankle-length skirts. It’s rare for her to don anything body-adherent. Her sense of style is basically a grandma’s.

4 // ida and annaliese.

There isn’t much of a story to be told, despite the fact that the two know each other ever since Annaliese has started to properly live within the community. From that very moment, Ida has begun monitoring the younger girl, and to some point she even acts as a parent, rather than a simple mentor. While Ida can clearly detect Annaliese’s good intentions, she cannot deny that she finds her ways none short of unsuited for a proper Benedictine nun.

Even so, she can’t bring herself to force Annaliese to change out of her ways. Ida would never admit it, but she finds the girl’s energy and excitement soothing, in a way, even in the moments in which she manages to get on her nerves. Annaliese’s different and more active way of preaching belief and religion is also something entirely new to Ida; she finds it very refreshing and more synchronized with nowaday’s youth. Unsurprisingly, Ida herself was the one to suggest Annaliese the path of the sister.

They have an overall stable companionship, which can be hardly defined as a proper friendship, but that is also too much deep to be merely tagged as an acquaintanceship. It’s an odd, unnamed sort of middle ground. They both obviously care for each other, still.

Annaliese always tries to get Ida out of her shell, with little to no results. She will steadfastly attempt, and will take baby steps, if that’s what’s required. Annaliese simply wants Ida to make more friends, since she doesn’t have many.

Unbeknownst to Annaliese, Ida actually has sensed that something might or might not be weird with her. It’s not that difficult to tell, given that the younger girl is terribly excellent at being an open book; but Ida has particularly managed to understand that it’s not just general clumsiness. Ida is but a mere human (?), so she can’t say for sure what it is---still, her suspicion remains. She’s also the only one to have noticed the scars on Annaliese’s palms. So far, though, Ida prefers to abstain herself from making any bold accusations.

5 // ida and ... ?

Ida could be considered the perfect nun. However, there’s something odd about her aura, something weird lingering in the air around her. It’s a presence that no mere human can see---nobody but her. A fruit spawned from a badly-sown, ill-natured seed. A pact with no positive premises that she pursued in her younger years, going against all fears, with the expectation for said outcomes to outdo the predictions.

Alas, it’s not the case. Her egoism took the best of her, and Ida was blinded. Now, she’s forced to deal with her own selfish decisions.

A creature is attached to her, bound by unbreakable chains. Ida knows she won’t go to Heaven, which is why she does her best to detach herself from the material things that made her pursue such a crooked path in the past. But what is this thing? What whispers in her ears, tries to tempt her into further corruption?

It’s not for anyone else to know. Lest they get involved in something that she must carry alone.

Not a demon, but not an angel, either. Something in-between. In a staggering, unstable limbo.

Even in if physically powerless, it tries to get hold of the people that get close to her.