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mirisss · 2 years ago

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As the Seasons Change Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The one who was a Summer Dream

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Summary: Throughout one’s life, you fall in love with many people, some will stay for a long time and some will be like a passing wind. As (Y/n) is cleaning to prepare to move, she finds some old pictures from when she was young and begins reminiscing on some old relationships she used to have. The memories, the laughs, the pain, they were all things she had to go through to find the love she has today.

In this story, Woozi, Dk, and (Y/n) are the same age and Seungkwan is one year younger than them

(Y/n) is also shorter than all of them, ‘cause I am, and I don’t know how to write for tall people,

Lee Jihoon x afab reader

Wordcount ≈ 7k

Warnings: food, sad, angst, breaking up, some self-doubt, (Y/n) being a bit shy/introverted, Joshua & Seungkwan being protective friends (they’re chill though), some terms of endearment, I think that’s it

Taglist: @jeonghansemotionalsupportsword, let me know if you want to be added

Who do you think (Y/n) ends up with in the end?

Please reblog!

Third person POV

It was a cold and rainy spring day when (Y/n) decided to go up to her loft to sort through the things up there to prepare for her move in a few weeks. Dressed in some sweatpants and a hoodie, she went up there, she didn’t think she’d find anything in particular. She hadn’t been up here since she moved into this apartment a few years ago. The woman began sorting through boxes, thinking of what was to come. She was moving out of her little apartment to move in with her boyfriend. After about an hour of looking through boxes (Y/n) had mostly gone through some old clothes and toys, some mugs and plates, a few lamps, and some other small things she had forgotten about. She went back down to get a bottle of water and then she went back up to the loft. “Let’s see, what’s in this box, it’s so small,” (Y/n) spoke out loud, as the next box in line was a small grey box that didn’t seem like it belonged amongst the other slightly worn-out cardboard boxes, it still looked new yet she could not remember what she had put in it.

(Y/n) sat down on the floor, drank a sip of water from her bottle, and then dragged the box over to her. The box was surprisingly heavy for its small size. She opened the lid and once she saw what lay inside the box, she was very amazed. “I thought I had thrown these out,” The box was full of old pictures. Pictures of her family, her as a child, her old friends, some of her current friends, old pets, from old vacations, and some of her old boyfriends. A few tears crept into her eyes as she saw some of the photos. (Y/n) picked up a bunch of photos that were bundled together by a hair tie, the second she saw the boy in the first photo she knew who it was. Her first boyfriend, her first love. Lee Jihoon.

~ Flashback in (Y/n)’s POV ~

I met Jihoon during my first year of high school. My friends would often describe me as an extrovert because of the way I acted around them, for these moments I would have agreed with them, though the second I was alone I was totally an introvert. I had a hard time making friends, fortunately, in high school some of my friends went to the same school but we didn’t end up in the same class. Two weeks into the semester and our music teacher assigned a project, we were supposed to work on the project in pairs. When I heard pairs, I was ready to cry, I didn’t know anyone in this class, this project was going to suck. “As I said, the project is to be done in pairs, and these pairs have been pre-assigned by me,” My tears dried up in a second, the pairs are assigned, I didn’t have to try and find someone else who looked lonely. “I’ll read out the pairs now, I will also put this sheet up on the board over there in case anyone is sick or misses their name, once I’ve read this out you are free to leave to start working on the project,” Everyone just mumbled, most of the class was disappointed with the pairs being pre-assigned, but not me. Many names were read up and I waited and waited for mine. “Lee Jihoon and (L/n) (Y/n)” Lee Jihoon, I had heard his name before, he was like the star student in this class. Holy hell, I’ve been paired up with the star student, I am so getting an A on this project. Soon enough, all the names had been called out and everyone stood up to leave. The majority of the pairs had already found each other but I was feeling shy and kept pretending to pack up my things even though I finished after a few seconds. “Hey, you’re (Y/n), right?” I was startled but I looked up to find the somewhat familiar face of the star student. “Hi, yeah, I’m (Y/n). Your Jihoon, I presume?” “That’s right, the one and only,” He seemed so easy going and it made me feel a bit more comfortable around him. “So, (Y/n), where would you like to discuss our project? Here? In the hallway? During lunch? Or after classes?” “It doesn’t really matter, I don’t have any plans for lunch or for after school. Or for right now, for that matter. So, whatever is best for you is fine with me” Why was he kind of cute? His eyes crinkled into small moons as he smiled and I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Then would after classes work? We could meet in room P201, I have it booked already,” “That would be perfect, my last class ends at 4 today, how about you?” “Mine ends at 3 so I’ll go and set some things up and you can come when you’re ready,” “Sounds great,” Just as I was ready to walk away, Jihoon stopped me and asked a question that had my heart racing. “Hey, can I have your number?” “Oh, yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” So we exchanged numbers and walked our separate ways to our next classes. Lunch rolled around and I met up with one of my friends, Joshua, to eat together. “Hey there pretty girl,” “Hey there pretty boy,” We both laughed at the bad joke, it was an inside joke from when we were children and an old lady had called us ‘pretty girl’ and ‘pretty boy’, the entire situation had us rolling on the floor laughing and ever since, we usually said hi that way. “So, how was class?” We stepped inside the cafeteria and looked for an empty table. “It was good, we’ve been assigned our first project and we’re doing it in pairs,” Joshua spun me around to face him before he put his hand on my forehead. “Are you sick? Should I call 911?” “What are you doing, stop it, people are staring,” “Well, you’re not crying, or in panic at this whole pairs thing, which isn’t like you, I mean you used to freak out even when you knew you and I or Wonwoo and you would pair up for everything in middle school,” “Oh, yeah. The pairs were pre-assigned and my partner isn’t half bad. He’s actually really nice and he’s like the star student so I’m going to learn a lot during this project,” Joshua pointed toward a table that was empty so we hurried over. “Wow, sounds nice. I’m still surprised that you’re not in a panic mood because you have to work with someone you don’t know. Who is he? Someone I know?” We both began eating as we continued our conversation. “I don’t know if you know him but his name is Lee Jihoon,” Joshua half choked on his food as he looked up at me in complete shock. “He’s like really popular, (Y/n). He has his own SoundCloud and he produces songs, he’s pretty much a professional already,” “Really?” “Yeah, remember the song that Seungkwan showed us a few days ago, the one you said you really liked?” “Um, yeah, the one called ‘Nice’ or something like that, right? The cute and fun one?” “Exactly, Lee Jihoon made that song. The lyrics, the instrumentals, everything. He even sings on it too,” “Wow, but I don’t believe seeing his name as the user who posted it?” “He uses a stage name, he goes by Woozi,” “So I’m basically working with a celebrity?” “I guess so. Anyway, did you hear about this really dumb thing Chan did yesterday?” And so our conversation shifted to focus on other things, namely, our weird friend group.

A few hours later, it was finally time for me to head to room P201 to meet up with Jihoon. My last class ended a bit early as the teacher had some sort of meeting. On my way over to the project room I passed by one of the campus coffee shops and I stopped and pondered over if I should buy a coffee for myself and maybe one for Jihoon. After some discussion with myself, I decided to go for it, if Jihoon didn’t like the drink I got for him then I’d just have to drink it myself. I ordered two [insert coffee of choice], and then I jogged over to room P201 so that I made it on time. I knocked on the door and heard a faint ‘come in’, when I stepped inside I was really surprised. The project room looked as though it was a room in someone’s house, it was personalized with small gadgets, and it was like a full-blown studio. “Hi, sorry I’m a little late. I got some coffee, I hope you’re fine with [insert coffee of choice],” “Don’t worry about being, 3 minutes late, I wasn’t even aware of the time. And [insert coffee of choice], is perfect. Thank you! Let me know what I owe you for it,” “Oh, no, it’s on me. Music isn’t exactly my best subject so I might not be of much help for the project, so I hope the coffee will make up for it,” Jihoon just smiled and waved me over. “Don’t worry about it, maybe I can help you get better. It’s a pair project after all and we’re supposed to help each other. Here, sit down and we’ll get started,” I sat down beside him and from there he began sprouting with ideas for our project, he had around 15 different approaches to it, and if anyone else had explained them to me I wouldn’t have understood but Jihoon was so precise in his explanation that I could follow him without a problem. One hour later and we had already created an outline for our project. After that, we just sat there, talking. I didn’t ask him about ‘Woozi’ but I figured if we actually became friends, then he’d tell me on his own.

We decided to meet up in room P201 the next day too after our classes. Once again, I brought two cups of coffee for us. To my surprise when I walked into the room, Jihoon was waiting for me with a bright smile, the one that made his eyes crinkle, and some snacks laying on the table. “I thought, if you bring the coffee then I’ll bring the snacks,” “Good idea, Ji. Here you go, an iced americano for the one and only, Lee Jihoon,” “So, I just made this beat for the project, what do you think about it?” Jihoon pressed play and a rhythmic beat filled the room, it was really good. I would have never thought of it myself, but it was really good. “Woah! Jihoon, that was amazing! It’s exactly what we need,” “Thanks! I’ll show you how I made it so that you too can answer any question we might get,” Jihoon pulled my chair closer to his and my breath was caught in my throat, how could he just do such a story-book action without a second thought? To say, I didn’t dream about that moment for a few weeks would be a lie. I think that was the day I began developing a crush on him. “Could you explain this part again? I’m sorry that I’m so slow at learning this,” “Don’t worry about it, (Y/n). Really. I don’t mind going through it over and over again, music has been a passion of mine all my life. My parents usually say that the first time I smiled was when I heard music and my first word was apparently music. I don’t know if I believe them but at this point, it seems likely. I’ve actually thought about maybe becoming a music teacher in the future if working as a producer doesn’t work out and now I just get to practice that with you. And I also get to spend extra time with you, which is nice,” He looked away, a bit shy after his little confession. “I like hanging out with you too. And, I think you’d make a great teacher, however, I feel bad for all your potential students,” “Why?” “There is no way you’re gonna fail at becoming a producer. Ji, you make amazing songs. I’ve only heard a hand full but they’re all so impressive,” “Thank you, (Y/n). Hey, would you want to do something sometime outside of working on the project? You know, like friends?” “I’d love to!” That weekend we went to the movies, ate dinner together, and went for a walk as the sun began setting. Autumn was here and the weather grew colder, soon the project would be over and it made me very sad. Thinking that possibly, once we’re finished with the project, I won’t see Jihoon anymore. I tried not to think too much about it and instead enjoy the moment, and live in the present, but it was hard.

On Sunday, I hung out with Seungkwan. My best friend. “Boo, I don’t know what to do. I mean yeah, he asked me to hang out outside of the project, but what if it’s just a one-time thing?” Seungkwan looked over at me with a look that screamed, ‘bitch shut the hell up’. “Girl, you’re not going to know unless 1. you ask him about it. 2. you let the project period end and see what happens. I know you, I know how stuck in that head of yours you can get, but I don’t think you need to worry too much this time,” If I had known back then what I know now, then maybe everything would be different. But that’s a story for another day. “Thank you, Boo. What would I do without you?” I cozied up closer to Seungkwan and he put his arm around my shoulders. We stayed like that for quite a while, I wasn’t ready to let go of my best friend, he was my comfort place. “Wallow in self-pity?” “Seungkwan!” “Sorry, you know I love you. Now, let’s put a smile on that face of yours,” He began tickling me until I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. He was right, maybe I should stop thinking so much, and just let whatever happens happen.

Monday rolled around, the same routine as always. Meeting up with Jihoon in P201 after classes, I brought coffee, and he brought the snacks. Tuesday was the same. Then came Wednesday. Presentation day. The final day of the project. This was it, perhaps the last day I would meet Jihoon. We met up outside the classroom, checking the final touches of the presentation, Jihoon was 100% aware of the fact that the project we had done was way above what was asked of us, I did not know that, so when everyone else presented simple topics I was flabbergasted. Jihoon and I were the last pair to present, thanks to Jihoon telling the teacher ahead of time that we had done something you might see someone studying music at college make. Some of our classmates made fun of us for being such nerds, while others were impressed and shocked at our project, especially with the song that Jihoon had made. It was like deja vu. Once class ended, I slowly packed up my things, waiting for everyone to leave, I watched most people leave in their pairs talking about how the presentation went when suddenly, a voice startled me. “Hey, great job, everything turned out great!” “OMG, Jihoon, you scared me,” “Sorry, didn’t think you’d be so lost in your thoughts,” “It’s okay, thanks by the way, but all the credit should go to you. I just bought coffee and watched you work on the project while you also had to hold lectures on what you were doing,” “Ya, I told you, I don’t mind holding lectures, and you did much more than just buy coffee. You were my muse, my inspiration, and I couldn’t have done it without you,” “You’re just flattering me now, but thanks,” Jihoon had his hand on my shoulder, a bit awkwardly, during these weeks of working with him on the project I learned that he wasn’t the biggest fan of physical touch. So receiving small touches like these, made my heart soar because they were rare and very special. “Could I join you for lunch today?” I did a double take, he wanted to eat lunch with me? “Yeah, I was planning on eating with my friend Wonwoo, I can cancel with him though, he can eat with one of our other friends,” “It’s okay if it wouldn’t be a burden for your friend I can just eat lunch with you and your friend, no need to cancel anything” “I think that will be fine. Just a heads up though, Wonwoo can be very quiet around new people, he’s quite a calm person in general,” “That’s fine, I’m usually quiet too unless we’re talking about music,”

“Hey, Woo. This is Jihoon. The guy I worked with for my music project. Jihoon this is Wonwoo, my friend,” Wonwoo looked up from the book that lay on the table in front of him and looked over to Jihoon who stood beside me. “Hi,” “Hey,” the two boys spoke at the same time and then awkwardly chuckled. “I hope it’s okay that he eats with us,” “Yeah, sure. No problem, sit down,” And from there it was smooth sailing, the two boys got along well so lunch was very pleasant.

A few weeks passed by and the two of us had only gotten closer. I almost always showed up in room P201 after classes to meet Jihoon and watch him work while I pretended to study. I kept up my tradition of buying coffee for the two of us, I never once showed up without two cups of coffee. Jihoon stepped up his game by making sure we not only had snacks in the room but also food. He knew that I would show up at 4.10 pm so he had prepared some cup ramen so that it would be ready at that time. This was very appreciated by me as I was usually quite hungry at that time. Jihoon might not have told me at the time but he really liked having me there, even if I just distracted him with my endless questions and chatter.

I loved watching him as he wrote lyrics, tried out melodies, played instruments, or whatever else he did as he created his songs. One day, as I carefully opened the door I found Jihoon as well as another man that I had seen around school before but I didn’t really know him. The unknown guy turned to me with a kind smile, he was dressed like the typical bad boy, though so was Jihoon. From head to toe in only black, and let us not forget the obligatory leather jacket. I shyly waved to him before looking at Jihoon. “Mm, (Y/n), this is Seungcheol, but you might know him as Scoups. I showed you some of his songs the other weeks, the rapper. And Coups, this is (Y/n),” “Hey, (Y/n). Nice to meet you!” Even though he looked a bit intimidating, the second he truly smiled at me, he looked kind of like a child on Christmas morning. “Hi,” I was feeling shy around Seungcheol because I hadn’t met him before so I walked over to Jihoon and sat down trying to hide behind him. Jihoon leaned in and whispered to me, “It’s okay, Cheol is really nice, and he’s leaving in a few minutes, we just finished up a song we’re collaborating on,” He put his hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. Jihoon said ‘a few minutes’ but it turned into 2 hours. After a few minutes, I began warming up to the bright and nice Seungcheol, he didn’t leave me out of the conversation and even asked what I thought of the song as they played it. Soon enough, it felt like I had known him for years. Later on, I found out that Jihoon had felt a little jealous that I got so close to Seungcheol because he was worried that I would like Seungcheol more than him.

“Bye Coups, I’ll publish the song on Friday. Don’t forget to announce it like last time,” “I promise, I’ll announce it. Besides, Minghao already prepared the post and everything, he’s sort of like my manager or something. He does all that for me since I forgot that one time,” “That’s good, I have to write up a note or something so I remember thanking Hao for all he does,” “Yeah yeah, I forgot ONE time, one time. Anyway, bye Hoon, bye (Y/n)!” “Bye Seungcheol, be careful on your way home,” “Will be!” And so Seungcheol left. “I told you he was nice,” “Yeah, he was, really nice,” “But he’s not better than me,” I just laughed it off as he said that, not thinking much of it. Not long after that, we packed up to go home. I held his hand all the way through the empty corridors, it felt so natural to do it, Jihoon let me do it too, it was nice, I really, really, didn’t want to let go of it, but I had to. “Good night, (Y/n), I’ll see you tomorrow,” “Good night, Ji. See you tomorrow,”

Winter was coming and the weather became colder and colder every day. The best thing was approaching too, Christmas and winter break. I was really looking forward to a break from school, though I was sad cause I didn’t think I’d be able to see Jihoon during the break but I was still excited about hanging out with my friends pretty much every day.

The happiest day for me that year was the day of the first real snow, the snow that fell and actually stayed on the ground for days, not the one that just fell and disappeared before it even landed. It was the day that Jihoon asked me out on a date. I had just sat down on my chair in room P201 when Jihoon surprised me with a weird question. “Hey, have you ever thought anything about my height?” “What do you mean, Ji?” “Like, have you ever thought that I would be better if I was taller or thought I look like a child?” “Um, Ji, you are a child, I am too. But, no. I have never thought anything like that, Jihoon, you are so much more than your height, and if someone can’t see it then they’re stupid, blind, and everything else mean,” “Will you go on a date with me?” I dropped my cup of hot chocolate, fortunately on the floor and nothing got on any of the music equipment. “Omg, are you okay? Did you burn yourself?” Jihoon was fretting over my hands looking over them to see if I got any of the hot liquid on them. “What?” “Are you okay?” “No, or yes, but not what that, what as in what did you ask before that?” “Go on a date with me?” “You, Jihoon, Woozi, want to go on a date with me? (Y/n)? Me?” I looked at him dumbfounded, I couldn’t believe it. “Yes, (Y/n). I, Lee Jihoon, also known as Woozi, want to go on a date with you, (Y/n),” “Why? I mean I’m, me and you’re you” “I want to go on a date with you because you are you. I like you, (Y/n). I have since we first met,” “Really?” “Yes, really. Now, will you go on a date with me?” “Yes, yes I will,” “Okay, how about, the 13th, at 12, at this address?” Jihoon handed me a note with an address scribbled on it. “Alright!” I didn’t say long that day because I had to run him and tell Seungkwan that Jihoon had asked me out.

Jihoon asked me out on the 9th of December, and we still did our usual tradition on the 10th, 11th, and 12th. Nothing changed. Truthfully, it had always felt like we were in a relationship except for the kissing I guess. I was really nervous on the morning of the 13th. The day of our first date. I had asked Seungkwan and Joshua to come over in the morning to help me pick an outfit and calm me down. “(Y/n), my baby has grown up, your first date, and I haven’t met the guy, how do I know he’s good to you?” “Shua, shut up! I’m not your baby, and Jihoon is really nice, he’s so sweet, talented, and good-looking,” “Mm, you could just be blinded by love, he might be a jerk,” “Wonwoo met him, and he approves, maybe I should have asked him to come instead of you too,” “YA! HOW DARE YOU SAY YOU PREFER WONWOO OVER ME!?!?!” “Boo, I never said I preferred Wonwoo over you, I just meant that maybe he would be more supportive,” The three of us laughed it off before Joshua dove into my closet and began pulling out shirts, jeans, dresses, and whatnot. “We’re just looking out for our princess. You know we care about you, but I’m sure Jihoon is a great guy and we’re happy for you,” Seungkwan hugged me before he too began looking through my clothes and discussing with Joshua what would look best on me. “Okay, so it’s chilly outside so we’re going with these jeans, and this sweater, with this coat, and finally, these shoes,” Joshua handed me a bundle of clothes and Seungkwan held a pair of sneakers in his hands. “You sure?” “Yes, now put it on, and if we need to do some changes we will, breath,” Seungkwan always knew what to do when I was panicking. It makes sense, we’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. “Okay,” I changed into the clothes in the bathroom and when I went back into my room the two boys looked over the outfit, then at each other, before they looked back at me and nodded their heads. “You look great!” “Thank you, Joshua,” “No problem, now come on, let’s go, or you’re going to be late for your first date,” “I’m scared,” “I know, but it’s okay. It’s the same Jihoon you’ve met almost every day since the middle of August. Nothing has changed, so just breathe, and remember, he’s the same Jihoon that you’ve gotten to know over these months,” Seungkwan gave me a gentle nudge as both he and Joshua smiled reassuringly at me. I don’t think I would have made it to the date, had it not been for Seungkwan and Joshua.

As I approached the building where the date was going to be, I couldn’t help but laugh. He remembered. As I stepped inside, I immediately found Jihoon standing a few meters inside, holding two cups of hot chocolate, for once dressed in something other than the color black, but most importantly, he had a nervous smile across his lips that just blossomed into a brighter happier smile as soon as he saw me. He was just as nervous as I was. “Hi, you look really pretty,” Jihoon handed me the cup as we now stood in front of each other inside a small and cozy bookshop. One I had mentioned on one of the first days of our project. Wonwoo had been there and it seemed so nice but I hadn’t been able to go yet. But here I was now, with Jihoon. “Thank you, you look really nice too,” “Come on, let’s go look through all the books,” I let out a happy glee as I grabbed Jihoon’s free hand with mine and dragged him along as I began sifting through books and telling him of my favorite ones. We were in there for hours and once the shop was closing we went to a convenience store and bought some ramyun to eat. He really set my standards high, not because we did something fancy but because we did something that meant a lot, something that was special to us. Jihoon even walked me home and once we were outside my house, we stopped, looked at each other, then down to our interlocked hands, and finally back at each other. “Would you want to go on another date with me?” “Of course, I would, Ji. I’d love to,” “Great, ‘cause I meant it when I said I like you, really like you,” “I like you too,” “Would you be my girlfriend?” I was shocked that he asked me, right then and there, albeit, happy too. “Yes,” It almost felt like being proposed to, I know it isn’t nearly the same but for me at that time, it was better.

The remaining days of the semester were spent the same way all other days had been spent by us. The only thing that changed was that we now shared our drinks, occasionally feeding each other a bite or two of our food or snacks, and we sometimes planted a cheek kiss on the other when they weren’t expecting it. We hadn’t had a kiss on the lips yet, neither one was ready for that step just yet, but that was okay. We didn’t need to rush that. I was ready to cry on the last day because I didn’t know if I could see Jihoon during the break. As I began packing up my things, I felt the tears forming, when suddenly, a gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. “Would you like to come over to my house tomorrow and eat dinner with me and my family?” My neck hurt from how quickly I twisted it to look at him. “You mean we can see each other during the break?” “Yeah. I mean, if you want to. We don’t have to,” “No, I would love to. I was worried that you would be too busy during the break,” “I’m not too busy for my girlfriend,” And just like that, he stole my heart once again.

The dinner with his family was really nice. Even if I almost dropped every single bite of my food from being so nervous that I was shaking. His family was lovely and welcomed me with warm and open arms. During winter break, Jihoon got to meet Seungkwan and Joshua too, along with Wonwoo, though the two of them had already met. he also got to meet some of Seungkwan's closest friends, other than me, like Chan and Junhui. For once, Jihoon was really nervous. “I promise, they’re nice, they will probably just interrogate you a little,” “That’s what I’m worried about, what if they don’t like me?” “Hey, Wonwoo likes you, he’s already on your side. And honestly, he’s the hardest one to win over because he’s the most, how should I say this? Unbothered one? like he usually doesn’t care all that much about others. The two of us became friends because we both like reading books and we ended up hiding in the same spot to read books instead of playing with the other children. It took me a week to find out his name, I think he might have stuck around me because that way he wouldn’t have to get to know anyone else. But, he made an effort to get to know you, he doesn’t do that often, so you should feel special,” “Still, what if the others don’t like me?” “They’ll like you, Ji. Don’t worry. If it makes you feel better, then you can invite some of your friends too, like Seungcheol and Minghao,” “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that,”

Two days later, with only one day left until the next school semester was beginning, (Y/n) and her friends arranged a special friend lunch so that her friends could meet her boyfriend and vice versa. Also, now that Jihoon was inviting some of his friends too, (Y/n) could meet them and get to know them, Seungcheol, she already knew quite well though. Since that one day, he had hung out with her and Jihoon in P201 a couple of times so they had spoken quite a lot. (Y/n) had also met Minghao once, when he stopped by the ‘studio’ to give Jihoon a notebook that contained a bunch of song lyrics that Jihoon had written during the years, he had forgotten it at Minghao’s the night before after they had spent hours working on a project. (Y/n) and Minghao didn’t say much to each other that time though, mostly just a ‘hi,’. And lastly, Soonyoung, she had never met. Jihoon said that once she saw Soonyoung she would know who he is, he wasn’t wrong. Kwon Soonyoung is a well-known guy around school, known as Hoshi, a guy who loves tigers, dancing, and being loud. Jihoon was a bit anxious about meeting Seungkwan and Joshua, although he didn’t need to worry, the two took a quick liking to him and just hit it off. I guess maybe it was easier for guys, in my experience girls didn’t usually become friends so quickly. Chan and Jun also hit it off with Jihoon though Jun became closest with Minghao, and Chan with Soonyoung. Seungcheol and Wonwoo quickly bonded over both liking rapping. I was happy, and Jihoon was happy, even if Joshua threatened to haunt him forever if he ever even thought of hurting me and Seungkwan was staring at him with dagger eyes.

Soon enough, winter was over. The snow began melting and the flowers of spring began blooming. Jihoon met my family, who loved him. Everything was perfect. We went on a lot of dates. Picnics, movie dates, convenience store dates, bookshop dates, him trying to teach me how to play an instrument, Jihoon singing his songs to me. Everything really was perfect. We still hadn’t kissed, but it felt like we didn’t need to yet. That kiss was going to be special, it was worth waiting for. Today, I regret not kissing him earlier. If only I had known then what I know now. Our first kiss was special. It really was. But for all the wrong reasons.

Summer was creeping closer. Summer break was just days away, sure it might have been three weeks left, but high school freshman I saw it as only a few days. One warm and sunny late spring Thursday, Jihoon called me just a few minutes after I had gotten home. This was out of the ordinary. This was weird. “Hey, Ji,” “(Y/n). Can you meet me at the park close to the Choi Convenience store?” “Yeah, when? Ji, are you okay?” I could hear how strained his voice was, he was fighting to hold back tears. I knew exactly how someone who was choked up with tears sounded, it was familiar to me because I often felt that way. “As soon as you can, I’ll be there in 5, I’ll wait by the swings,” “Okay, I’m leaving now,” And so we hung up. Our first call since we became a couple that didn’t end with a ‘bye honey,’ or ‘take care, sweetie’. I put down my bag and ran out the door. I ran all the way to the park. Once I reached it I could barely breathe, my lungs were screaming, and everything hurt, but all I knew was that I needed to get to him. To my Jihoon. The second I saw him sitting on one of the swings, my heart broke. There were two rivers of tears running from his eyes, down his cheeks, and some even running down his neck. I had never seen him so broken before. “I hate my dad,” “Why, what happened?” “We have to move. He got some stupid job in [insert place very far away from where you live]. We’re moving, (Y/n),” I couldn’t stand. I fell to my knees. Partly due to my exhaustion from running all the way from home and partly because of what Jihoon just told me. Call me dramatic, but my first love just told me he was moving far away from me, I knew what it meant. We had to break up. We were too young for a long-distance relationship. It just wouldn’t work. “When?” “What?” “When? When are you moving?” By now, my own face matched his, with tears running all over my cheeks. “At the end of July,” “So we still have about two months?” Jihoon looked at me with sadness in his eyes, though I also found a drop of gratefulness swirling around in them. Gratefulness over him not having to explain that after two months, we would be over. “Yeah, two months,” “That’s okay, at least we have two more months,” “(Y/n),” Jihoon got down from the swing, he leaned on his knees in front of me while one of his hands caressed my cheek. “Jihoon,” He embraced me in a hug. He held onto me for a long time. And we just sat there, on the ground, crying, as we hugged each other as close as we could. We might have been children or young teenagers, but what we had was real. So it hurt, it really hurt, knowing we would even have a year together. It felt like someone was dying. And someone was. The me I had been with him. The me who had her first love.

2 months. It might seem like a long time in some situations, while in others it feels like just 2 days. I spent every day with Jihoon. We tried to stay happy and do fun things without thinking of our doom’s day. July 31. That would be the end of us. Our last day. Some days, it worked and we could genuinely enjoy whatever we were doing, others, however, were spent by us hugging or holding hands in silence. We didn’t dare speak, afraid that if we spoke, we would wake up and find that it was just a dream that we were still together. The clock moves forward. Time goes on. Unfortunately. Too soon, July 31 rolled around. That morning, I woke up at 5 am to go over to Jihoon’s house which had been sold, to say goodbye.

“Promise me that you’ll still be here when I come back,” Jihoon held my hands in his own. “I promise,” “Good. I want you to promise one more thing,” “What?” “Promise me, that you’ll move on. And that you’ll be happy,” “Jihoon, I don’t want to -” “Please, (Y/n). Promise me that. Please,” I felt my throat close up, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t speak, the tears that were falling from my eyes choked me up. I tried my best to answer him. “I, I-I, p-promise, I-I do,” I somewhat stuttered through it as I could barely breathe. “I love you, (Y/n)” And then he kissed me. Jihoon kissed me. Our first kiss. Our first and last kiss. “I love you too, Jihoon,” “Come on, Jihoon. We need to leave,” Jihoon looked behind him, toward his family who was getting inside the car, ready to take the love of my life away from me. “I love you, I always will,” He kissed me on the forehead before he let go of me and turned around to walk to the car, and out of my life. I watched them drive away, I felt a part of me die that day. Your first love always stays with you, they say. I didn’t think it would hurt this much.

A few days later, Woozi uploaded a new song to his Soundcloud. I listened to it, letting my tears run freely. It was our story. Our song. He had given it the perfect name. “Right person, wrong time,”. As I heard the lyrics, my heart broke once again. “You were the one person who saw me for who I am, more than just the shell of me, though our time was short I know you are my soulmate. My first and forever love. The summer dream that I don’t want to wake up from,”

#seventeen angst #seventeen woozi #lee jihoon #lee jihoon x reader #woozi #woozi x reader #As the Seasons change #mirisss #mirisss.writings #mirisss.stories #mirisss.writing #Seventeen #seventeen imagines #seventeen x reader #seventeen x y/n #seventeen x yn #seventeen x afab reader #seventeen fluff #seventeen onehsot

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winwxn · 4 years ago

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ikon ideal type reading

requested by @snotgurl

jay/jinhwan

eight of cups: this card is really tricky for me but likely his ideal type is someone he was in a previous relationship with (platonic or romantic), but it wasn't a healthy relationship emotionally. possibly had a lot of emotional stress during that relationship. seems like that's his ideal type but it's really not a good idea for him. this could also be someone who is like that person he was with before. someone who is bad for him, water signs: cancer, scorpio, pisces with heavy scorpio

song/yunhyeong

wheel of fortune: someone he's supposed to meet and be with (soulmate energy lol, or part of a karmic cycle), someone that kind of pushes him to keep going even if things feel slow. night owl, he thinks about cliche situations where he'd meet his ideal type, he seems like a very romantic person, someone who is able to handle his messy/busy life, ready to uncover his secrets, ready to explore with him, fire signs: aries, leo, sag

bobby

nine of swords & eight of pentacles (came out together): someone who has a rough time mentally sometimes. this could be insomnia or depression for example. this is just what he falls for a lot, not necessarily what he looks for in a person. may feel more connected with this person because of his own experience with mental health (himself and others in his life). someone who is very skilled in their job or hobbies. love to work and complete things, usually creative types of things but doesn’t have to be. someone always ready to learn new skills and hobbies. crafty people. earth and air signs: taurus, gemini, virgo, libra, capricorn, aquarius w/ heavier earth energy

dk/donghyuk

nine of swords & seven of wands (came out together): again, typically falls for someone who has emotional or mental health issues, like bobby. with the seven of wands tho, this is someone who has overcome these issues already. obviously mental health issues can come back at any point, but for the most part, this person has been able to stand strong despite their problems. very strong and bright person, someone who shines brighter than anyone else. someone who radiates a lot of energy. fire signs: aries, leo, sag

june/junhoe

four of pentacles: someone balanced in terms of finances. someone who is smart with their money, but also a little bit controlling or possessive. this can be towards him or just other things in life in general. he may want to fix this possessiveness in this person, show them that it’s okay to not control everything. someone stubborn too. earth signs: taurus, virgo, capricorn

chan/chanwoo

son of cups: someone who is very artistic, likely in the music industry as well. very creative and emotionally available thru music. someone who is introverted and thinks a lot about everything. maybe gets lost in their own thoughts a lot. someone with two sides to them - their artistic and stoic side, and their quiet and intense side. likely someone who loves being around water/finds peace near water (ex lakes/rivers/ponds/etc.), water signs: cancer, scorpio, pisces w/ heavy pisces

special: b.i/hanbin

wheel of fortune, three of cups, and the world (all came out together): he’s looking for his soulmate, his life partner, someone who gets him on a spiritual level. someone who is able to help balance him out and help him feel comfortable. likely will start out as friends. wants to be best friends with his significant other and wants his friends to get along with his partner. someone bright energetically, someone that lights up a room. someone who makes him feel like his life is complete, makes him feel whole again. someone who likes to travel or someone he wants to travel the world with, night owl, likes nature, likes to take risks. water signs: cancer, scorpio, pisces but also leo and sag.

disclaimer: i do not mean any harm to ikon, b.i, or any one that i do readings of. this is just for fun and for me to practice tarot as i am a beginner. please be respectful to me, the people i do readings of/for, and others reading my spreads. thank you.

#winwxn tarot #ikon #ikon tarot #b.i #hanbin #b.i tarot #hanbin tarot

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auspiciousinformant · 4 years ago

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Core Character Ranking - No Straight Roads

At this point with the game having been out for well over four and a half months, I figure that with having a small piece of fiction under my belt, and with the fandom having cooled down from the initial release but still hot enough for content to steadily be coming out from the fanbase, now is a good time for me to share my thoughts on No Straight Roads - rather, what I call the Core Characters of No Straight Roads.

I call them this because they are the collective protagonist main characters and antagonistic bosses - not filling up one bucket or another quite satisfactory. I might even make this into a series if anyone cares enough to hear my thoughts on other pieces of fiction. If you’re interested, continue below the line.

Oh, also, spoilers for No Straight Roads if you still care about that.

Disclaimer before continuing onwards - I’ve never actually played No Straight Roads! I’m not exactly a person with enough wealth to throw at my own interests and hobbies, but I feel I’ve absorbed enough through culture osmosis, 100% walkthroughs of the game, and other people’s interpretations of the game to be able to make my own informed opinions on the characters.

Also, this isn’t a “bosses” ranking list - this is a character ranking list. Meaning that individuals are going to be ranked rather than the whole. For example, Sayu will be divided into the four members behind Sayu (hereafter refered to as “Team Sayu”) as well as Sayu herself. This also means I won’t fully go on the gameplay mechanics as I don’t have enough experience with it to make a fully informed decision. I will talk about what I’ve seen though.

With that in mind, we’ll be starting as all of these lists usually do, from the bottom ranking to the top: ________________________________________________________________ 20. Eve

Now, this may come as a shock, but I absolutely despise divas. Eve was entertaining enough, but through her videos she was only relatable and likable to me before she and Zuke broke up. Mostly because I could relate with her self-loathing and her found happiness.

Still... setting someone’s hair on fire? And then being confused as to why that happened? Then completely blaming the victim and using that mistake as fuel to shut out any other potential kindred relationship for the future? I’ve seen people who do that; it’s pathetic at best and annoying to see at worst. Thankfully, due to Zuke, she does eventually come around.

Her music and boss fight are interesting enough I suppose. I like how the perspective changes and I adore when you have to switch over to Mayday and it becomes a fully chaotic mess of limbs, doubt, hatred, and rage. I live for that chaotic aesthetic.

Otherwise, she’s just... the weakest character to me in No Straight Roads.

Maybe she’ll Eve-ntually earn my respect in supplementary materials. ________________________________________________________________ 19. Sofa

The first member of Team Sayu I’m mentioning and he’s this low on the list. Ouch. Not to say that I hate him, the hate started and ended with Eve - he, along with the others don’t really have much of a personality canonically that I can see to judge him on. But in terms of his design, I’ve never been much of a fan of “overweight and silly” outside of Doctor Eggman/

Do not take this the wrong way. I am in NO way fatshaming ANYONE.

I just have never liked that design in fictional characters. See Hifumi Yamada from “Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc” for more on what I mean

Still, he’s a core member of Team Sayu and from the fanfiction I’ve read he’s one of the better characters to write with. Maybe if we got a spinoff or other related materials, he’d go up a few numbers in rank, but as it stands, he’s the weakest of the group.

Sofa-r so good, let’s move on before these puns go too far. ________________________________________________________________ 18. Mayday Yeah. I’m not a huge fan of Mayday herself. Hotheaded protagonists are fine here and there, but she’s so hot-headed I’m surprised that she didn’t have the fire aesthetic as well. I guess with it all being taken by Tatiana, they could only give her a warm color scheme so it wasn’t redundant.

Her gameplay seems fine, if a bit basic. The heavy hitter is also a hothead, who could guess. I kinda like how someone as scrawny and small as her also has the biggest heart and temper. Also the gags that come from her relating to the other bosses are hysterical and make for good protagonist material. Still, outside of her interaction with DK West, Zuke, and Team Sayu, as well as the very end of the game, there’s a lack of enough “heroic” traits that makes Mayday fall flat from just shy of ranking higher.

I don’t have a clever pun, joke, or one-liner for Mayday, so let’s go to the next person in my list. ________________________________________________________________ 17. DJ Subatomic Supernova I have never really liked disco or dance music at the best of times, but I love space. So what happens when you mix something I feel lukewarm to, something I absolutely adore, and combine it with a trait about a person I absolutely also despise?

You get space helmet man who likes fresh ice cream and goes on for minutes about how great he is and how everyone else around him are plebeians - not knowing how pretentious the stage name “Subatomic Supernova” is.

If I had made this list when I had first seen No Straight Roads, he’d be only just ahead of Eve just because I dislike her so much more than I hate egotism of DJ Subatomic Supernova. But he’s now gone higher on the list since he’s grown on me thanks to the fandom and me realizing the game is parodying the stereotypes and the industry of music. Also, Zuke’s drum solo is AMAZING with the EDM version of DJ SS’s theme. He’s even gone so far as to become half of my second favorite paring in the NSR fandom!

Shine on, you funky space man. ________________________________________________________________

16. DK West Ewah! Older of the two brothers by age, younger of the two by maturity. I absolutely love this goofball. His shadow powers are absolutely amazing to watch and while I normally don’t like rap outside of Eminem (and even then only select tracks), he grew on me a lot. He’s so unique and the culture he’s based on from what I understand was researched with a lot of respect and care.

I’ve heard (and seen) that the third fight ramps up the difficulty way too much, but considering that Mayday is attempting to repair a broken household, it makes sense it’d be such a heavy undertaking from a gameplay and story point.

Also DK West Encounter 1 is a smash hit, telling us everything we really need to know between DK West and Zuke while being an absolutely great song that reminds me of Epic Rap Battles of History for anyone that remembers that.

He overshadows his previous competition by a large margin, and I can’t wait to see more of him if that’s possible. ________________________________________________________________ 15. Yinu’s Mom As the real mastermind behind Yinu’s position in NSR, it suddenly makes so much sense as to why a literal child is in such a strict EDM hierarchy like NSR. What keeps her from going above and beyond this ranking isn’t anything more than just the pressure she puts on Yinu to perform. During the fight, and what I can only presume also happens outside of concerts in the universe of No Straight Roads, it seems like she entirely forgets the reason Yinu keeps playing the piano in the first place.

However, I am a huge sucker for family dynamics, and her stopping her assault due to the memories that Yinu was able to drag out of her through the broken piano by playing Heart of the Prodigy is enough to almost enough for me to reach the level of emotional catharsis as the ending of Pixar’s “Inside Out” did for me. And the way she shielded Yinu when they were falling, the gasp of fear that she might not survive the fall - just pure, amazing storytelling through “show, don’t tell”.

I will say, the more morbid part of me that enjoys things like Danganronpa, Your Turn To Die, and Nonary Games, had the thought of “if it weren’t for the fact that Mayday and Zuke also fell from that height and survived (and that this game is meant for younger audiences), Yinu would have became an orphan.”

Mother of the Year award goes to Yinu’s mom for being the most realistic, sympathetic, non-dead mom in fiction. ________________________________________________________________ 14. Yinu I love classical music, but I don’t really like children. Yinu is an exception to my general dislike of children. The promotion that was released before the game was a little eye-rolling, but it was also funny. Fortunately, in the game, Yinu is so much more mature and interesting than the promotional material lead us to believe. The way the piano plays plays in the base version of VS Yinu conveys just how talented she is at nine years old. It’s a shame that it slowly gets covered up by the EDM version as the battle goes on.

But her reasoning for playing the piano, through the photos you get from Yinu’s backstory is all the more reason to respect this literal child. She turned the loss of her music teacher and father into a shining passion for music. The piano being the very memento of her deceased dad - looking at the photos and then realizing what you did in shattering her piano creates a fantastic retroactive look at just how destructive Bunkbed Junction’s revolution really is to people.

We’re not even half-way down the list, and yet we already have great characters like this, so let’s keep looking. ________________________________________________________________ 13. Dodo There’s been a huge gap since the last Team Sayu member. So what makes Dodo so great compared to Sofa? Well, the deep voice that comes from the scrawny, blue man is funny to me. It caught me off-guard the first time I heard it and had me giggling for hours afterwards after I paused the video to regain my composure.

That, and mocap work is hard work. On top of that, though he’s mostly not the face everyone remembers when fans think of Sayu, it takes a lot of talent and self-confidence to dance like a cutesy mermaid despite being a male, at least in my opinion. So I see him as having high confidence, but also being like Zuke in the “chill and mostly quiet” department.

There’s not much else for me to say, since most of Team Sayu doesn’t have blatantly obvious character traits. So let’s move on. ________________________________________________________________ 12. Sayu Sayu herself is... well, not real. It’s like trying to judge any number of the Vocaloid/UTAU voice banks. Sure you can place any number of personalities and messages into it, but in reality she’s just been built as a “cutsie, wootsie, pink mermaid” idol.

Still, the personality that Team Sayu gives her is fantastic. Her fight is annoying, and lackluster even to watch, but her song is amazing in all of its forms, even if for me the vaporwave version is the least effective of all of them - and Analog Aquatics is the BEST lead-up song to it, even ahead of Heart of the Prodigy.

Hatsune Miku? Who’s that? I only see Sayu as the best Vocaloid. ________________________________________________________________ 11. Remi Technically the creator of Sayu in the first place and her designer, Remi seems to be the “all according to plan” type. To think that his passion for art would lead to a career such as NSR, and a close-knit friend group like Team Sayu. It’s something that I’m sure that every artist has had as their goal at one point or another.

I highly respect anyone with the ability to put their artwork out in public, both in real life and as a character. Even so, there are characters I like even beyond Remi, and once again, we don’t have much to go off of for him outside of the very few times we see him in Sayu’s battle.

Almost all of Team Sayu has been covered at this point - heck, even Sayu herself has already been covered. So where’s Tila you ask? Well, we’ll get to that, but not for a while. ________________________________________________________________ 10. Tatiana “Kul Fyra” Qwartz From the very moment we first hear her voice, we can tell she’s all business and order. When we watch all of NSR reject the rock music outright and listen to Tatiana’s speech afterwards? How she seems to disregard her artists own safety and prioritizing undermining Bunkbed Junction’s efforts just because she can’t bear to remember her old bandmates? Wonderfully selfish for a heartbroken character.

Also, for those who hate her time-oriented powers and how weakly linked they are to Tatiana herself? Consider this: She’s almost 50 years old by the time Bunkbed Junction starts their revolution. She’s lived long enough to be anyone in the cast’s mom - probably even old enough to be Team Sayu and Yinu’s grandma. She has only seen a progressive march of time erode at everything she ever loved and cared about.

The blazing passion within her is brought back to her through Bunkbed Junction’s actions, but through a reversal of time and a reflection of her memories. Bunkbed Junction literally shatters the world view that she constructed for herself to ignore the regret and pain that had been slowly eating her up inside without her ever even having fully realized it in the first phase. By the time Tatiana reverts back to using her Kul Fyra form, she’s trying so hard to list any number of reasons to ignore her past and focus on what little time she actually has left to work on the future.

This was a bit of a longer explanation and reasoning, but for a character as amazing and symbolically complex as Tatiana, she absolutely deserves it. And as you’ll see for the next character, this is only a fraction of my love for the characters of No Straight Roads. ________________________________________________________________9. Neon J And here we start with my absolutely favorite characters, the ones I not only enjoy reading and writing about, but that in canon I can wholeheartedly accept them for who they are, flaws and all.

My grandpa was in the navy, and to make a long story short there were some complicated things that happened that required me to live with both him and my grandma when I was really little. So already there’s something that I can latch onto and adore. Even with how cringy Neon J is at the end with him attempting to try to give an epic war hero speech, my grandpa can be the same way sometimes, and that’s okay. They kind of act similarly outside of that as well.

His design is so sleek and smooth, and sometimes I forget that he’s actually a cyborg, unlike his sons boyband creations. Normally I hate the military, war, and what it all represents at a cynical level, but when it’s portrayed in a way like No Straight Roads did for Neon J and 1010, it reminds me of the people who actually join to serve their country and the people in it, despite how few in their countries actually deserve their respect.

And yeah, I can already hear the “blah blah fiction is poorly portraying law enforcement/the military because ect ect”. I disagree. Think of it this way: Neon J is a fun example of what a leader in a military unit is. Not only that, he’s extremely loyal and willing to do what it takes to get the job done - including having a program inside 1010 that makes them explode when they fail to generate the requisite fan praise that’s likely required to keep 1010 merchandise flying off of the shelves and thus prove to the other NSR artists that even robot boybands can be used to help Vinyl City; AND use said robot boyband as weapons to fight off any threats - internal or external.

Also think about what he had to go through to become a cyborg. That means he likely had to replace everything that’s on the surface - imagine what he needed to replace underneath all of that metal. How much of his original body is left? How badly did the war he was involved in hurt him? How many comrades did he lose to try to recreate that feel in a boyband? Aren’t the implications of that so much more grand than the surface level “radar head man is bad representation of military people because he’s silly and ineffective at his job”. Furthermore, tell me of a person in the real world who lost so much of their body they literally had to become a cyborg that has a literal radar for a head.

On top of all of that he’s the second half of my second favorite pairing. Not that is has any major bearing on how great Neon J already is. Is it silly that Neon J tries to give a huge speech at the end when we know Bunkbed Junction is just trying to get to Tatiana? Yes. But it’s fun.

I salute the No Straight Roads team for creating such an amazing character . ________________________________________________________________8. Blue 1010 Robot | Purl-Hew Ah yes, now we start getting to what’s taking up most of the top 10 slots. Kind of funny that not all of the 1010 members are going into the top 5 slots with how much I ranted and raved about Neon J. But I have characters I like way more than most of the 1010 band members.

And yes, I’ll bring this up now since we’re actually talking about 1010, that will apply to all the members of 1010 so I don’t have to repeat myself: I already know that they’re meant to parody boy bands, pop bands, and how similar all of them are and ect ect ect. That doesn’t stop me from going “hee hoo pretty boys” at fictional characters. And, yes, I know they don’t canonically have names, but I’m going with what’s been accepted across the fandom. Also all of their body types are the same: I like them alot. They’re tall, in monochrome (hah, chrome), and the way they bob to the beat in their battle is fantastic and shows they are powered by music as much as any machine is in the universe of No Straight Roads.

Starting off with my least favorite of them, Purl-Hew just reminds me of Garnet from “Steven Universe”, which is not a bad thing. It’s just that outside of what we learn of Garnet, she’s a character I often forget exists. I think it’s honestly the shades and the blue, more square-like hair that makes me draw the comparison. Purl-Hew strikes me as the “cool” one. The one that recites his poetry in coffee shops and is the sensitive boy with a cold exterior. You know the kind of person I’m talking about.

Other than that, I like the 1010 branding on the side of his head. I normally don’t like hairstyles like that, but somehow with how it flows and how non-obnoxious it is, I actually find myself liking the hairstyle. Also coupled with the fact that I see him as the second eldest of all five of them, who likely cemented an identity for himself before the others, makes me like his entirety even more.

A cool dude deserves a cool transition, but since this isn’t a video, a line break will have to do. ________________________________________________________________7. Red 1010 Robot | Zimelu Zimelu is one of the ones that strikes me as the one that’s borderline trying to break free from the rest of the band and become his own artist. The mowhawk, the color red, even to what he’s likely supposed to represent in-universe. Many see him as having anger issues, and considering what 1010 is about coupled with, again the hair style and his color, yeah I can see why.

But I also see him having a somewhat tsundere side. Not overtly fully tusndere as “I-It’s not like I like you or anything!” but more of a “Hey, I got you [insert favorite food] to eat. Don’t read too much into it.” while looking off to the side to avoid seeing your reaction just because he’s not sure if he can handle the thought of him possibly being wrong and then seeing you be disappointed kind of tsundere.

I don’t see a lot of peices of work exploring this concept, and I’d love to see more of it - or heck, even other personality traits that could be lying under the rebellious design of him.

I see him as the middle child of the group, which could also add to the rebellious personality and anger issues. Not sure if anyone agrees with me on this though. ________________________________________________________________6. Yellow 1010 Robot | Haym Okay, so this is a bit weird. Haym is my second least favorite in terms of design, but third favorite because he’s supposed to be the sunny, shy, and sweet one. I see him as the second youngest of all of the 1010 members. Old enough to have experience and understand his purpose, but young enough to retain that childhood-like innocence and sweetness.

I think he’s content about his place in 1010. It’s not that he would slack off or anything, but he’d be the most comfortable with his identity out of all five of them, even years down the line. Where Purl-Hew has to upkeep his identity, Haym is fine just being who he is and happy that the crowd accepts him for who he is.

Also him saying “even your lips, which form that raaaaadiant smile~” made me smile like an idiot and my heart flutter when I first saw him - and don’t even get me started on his pose when he was saying that. So that probably has at least some bearing on his placement in this list. ________________________________________________________________5. Green 1010 Robot | Eloni Haym was weird for me to admit I still don’t fully like his design, but Eloni’s design is actually worse for me. I still don’t like the fact he looks like you could hang him on a Christmas tree or a keychain and not be out of place there. But as I learned more - especially the part where in-universe he’s the least-liked because he’s the prankster type, my heart melted for the guy.

While I myself am not a prankster or a fan of prankster types, sympathetic characters that are generally unliked in-universe for something minor or not their fault is something that will always get me to love a character. There’s also a lot of great fanfiction out there for Eloni, playing with the idea of jealousy, feelings of inadequacy, and the resulting love and support that inevitably follows from a strong supporting family.

Also, I see him as the youngest, and likely the one who thought it’d be a good idea to give everyone reindeer heads for the Christmas event instead of whatever was originally planned. The fans probably loved it anyways, even better than what was originally planned, but never knew it was Eloni’s messing around that gave them the toy-soldier-with-reindeer-heads 1010.

Second best 1010 boy deserves to be in the top 5 for all of this and more. ________________________________________________________________4. Tila Tila? You mean the one girl who only goes “pyun” a few times? The only one of Team Sayu that has any voice lines that are more than sobs, grunts, tremoring fear, and sounds of triumph?

Yes. That character. You want to know why?

First, lets start with her design. She wears an oversized hoodie and glasses - already two things I can relate to. The color contrast is just perfect between her hair, skin, and hoodie. Her design alone to me screams “high-functioning introvert”.

Her one line? Going “pyun” a few times? Absolutely adorable. I wanted to hear her say more lines, and the delivery of them being so uncertain filtered through a microphone to not come out that way as Sayu? She is definitely the shy one of the four of them. Also let’s not forget she’s Sayu’s voice actress in universe. Meaning that VS Sayu is something that Tila is singing.

Also, in the background material for Sayu, she’s the one that apologizes for using Remi’s art for one of her songs, and starts the collaboration with all four members of Team Sayu. It’s her story we follow. Not any of the other four members, though Remi does actually say something.

Though we don’t get much else of her, which prevents her from taking a spot in my top 3 picks, if we got just a little bit more from her, I’d definitely bump her to 3rd, maybe even let her take 1st. As it stands, compared to the rest of Team Sayu and Sayu herself, top 5 is nothing to sneeze at. ________________________________________________________________3. Kliff “No one like’s Kliff! He’s evil and bad!”

I mostly disagree with that statement, politely of course. Does no one like him? Seems that way in the fandom, but I like him. Is he evil? Yes, most certainly. Is he “bad”? Well, what’s the context of bad in this case? A bad plot-twist? A bad character? A bad guide? Not really. Well, except for the last part, possibly, but even then he’s still serviceable.

I mean take into context that Tatiana is Kul Fyra. On a first viewing, after having fought so many people after first meeting Kliff, most people would have forgotten that he, like Mayday, also likes Kul Fyra and was even there for her concerts. People who have insane memory would remember it, but for the rest of us, it probably came as a shock that Kliff would send a satellite into the NSR tower.

But he’s a fan that put Kul Fyra on a pillar, just like Mayday. He’d hoped that rock artists would get her back into rock music, to reignite the fire in her, so that he could enjoy her music again. He even says that he’s still her fan. He questions Tatiana “did my loyalty mean nothing to you?”.

And while yes, she didn’t technically owe him anything, the way that Tatiana shoots Kliff down so coldly after all of his attempts and his waiting - after she shut herself away from any potential future differing opinions and banning rock so she couldn’t remember the heartache - he snaps.

I’m not saying that Kliff was right, or that his reaction was fully justified. But imagine him saying he’ll be the strategic planner of NSR - after all, it was thanks to him that Mayday and Zuke got as far as they did. They knew what was coming ahead of time due to his advice. Mayday and Zuke would just be figureheads. It would be entirely realistic, and not make Kliff entirely evil.

Still, with all the hypotheticals out of the way, having an entirely selfish twist villain like Kliff was amazing. When you go through the entire story knowing how it will end on a second playthrough, suddenly his motives and what he says makes so much more sense.

I want to see (or maybe someday I’ll write) a redemption arc for Kliff. He’s not so fargone that I’d write him off as another villain for the sake of evil, but it would take actual work and effort. It’s something I look forwards to seeing in the far future.

Though he is also fun to see as an antagonist in all of these stories I read about him. ________________________________________________________________2. Zuke On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rank Zuke an 11. From his design, to his animations, to his background, his voice, his lines - everything is an 11/10 for me.

Starting with design again, normally I’d dislike the major contrast such a saturated green against a saturated blue. But there’s other bits in Zuke’s design - his red eyes, the fact that his clothing is a good neutral base to draw away from the chaos of colors of his head - only to lead back into what looks like ultra-comfortable blue-and-green flannel with dark blue flats? It all screams the perfect chill dude to hang out with.

His personality matches too. He’s laid-back, wise, rational, humble, and kind. Almost the perfect man in every way. Though he has his limits, especially when it comes to DK West, and he’s not always the most intelligent at times. Sometimes he takes a minute to put two-and-two together, especially when he’s under pressure and nervous.

And his drumsticks being used as a walking cane when he’s not battling, admitting that it’s NSR property - recognizing that NSR itself is not bad, it just needs change. He doesn’t generally talk smack unless, again, it’s DK West. He probably says less than Mayday does out of the two, but I wasn’t counting. I was just thankful that he was talking at all, attempting to be the voice of reason in situations, telling Eve he was wrong for leaving so suddenly (even though he’s not at fault for his hair being set on fire), reconciling with DK West after Mayday gets them to talk about their feelings to each other - he experiences the most growth over the longest period of time.

In fact, it feels like we’re witnessing Zuke’s entire story through the eyes of Mayday. Sure, Mayday has a stake in the conflict, and a small bit of growth, but none nearly so much as the jolly green giant between them. Heck, he’s so good that he made DJ Subatomic Supernova’s music actually sound good.

If this wasn’t enough, he’s also one half of my favorite pairing. Where’s the other half? Where he belongs of course. ________________________________________________________________1. White 1010 Robot | Rin Look guys, my favorite character of No Straight Roads is finally here. Let me be the ideal fan and give him my utmost attention.

ATTENTION!

Hoo boy have I been waiting to talk about Rin! His design is the one that I love the most despite how simple and obviously pandering it is. I mean come on, he’s got the kind of hairstyle that just screams “typical emo/scene/goth/pop leader” without the sweeping bit of hair in front of the eye like Haym’s or other emo/scene/goth hair styles. He has no unique colors to himself (white and black are technically not colors). Heck, as a robot meant to parody pop/boybands, he technically should be the most bland and uninteresting part of 1010.

But that’s where you’d be wrong. Rin is the one who leads the flirting attempt against Mayday. Rin is the one who is focused on the most of all the 1010 members when the cutscenes play. Rin is the one who’s talking the most in the promotional video for 1010 and No Straight Roads. Even though Zimelu takes up most of the spot in the in-game photo op, Rin is the second most noticable. In the “wefies” the 1010 members make in the promotional video, Rin is front and center.

Rin is the poster child. Meaning he has the most mounting on him of all the members of 1010. And this can manifest in any number of interesting character traits. I’ve already written an (as of posting this review) three chapter fanfic on Rin and his dynamic with not only the other half of my favorite pairing, but also his dynamic with Neon J, and how both Zuke and Neon J view Rin - through what I perceive how Rin actually feels and acts when he’s not on stage.

I could probably do an entire 20 minute review on why Rin is the single-best character of No Straight Roads, both in and out of canon, but I don’t have the tools for it. And as a side note, the guitar solo that Mayday can play over the song is the single-best of all the guitar solos, the second being the one against Yinu - and that deep passion for 1010 is reflected well in the guitar solo.

Zuke may be an 11/10, but Rin is a perfect 10/10 - and I wouldn’t have it any other way . ________________________________________________________________Afterwords Finally, after an entire 4 hours of writing, I’d like to hear your thoughts on all of this, if you’ve made it this far.

What did you agree and disagree with? Feel free to comment if you want.

As for me, I think I’ll continue to browse the work of the fandom, keep an ear out for any future updates or sequels, and rock on with the amazing soundtrack of No Straight Roads jamming loudly in my ears.

Rock on fellow No Straight Roads fans! Or whatever genre you prefer to listen to.

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hshouse · 3 years ago

Note

I will resist, but also :/ on the fact that I’m eyeing a great pair (and I really only need one lol) of Harry tickets on resale. They’re amazing and 1K each and although I’m very lucky that I could afford them, I’m also very much not into paying 5-6 times the price of face value. I also have a pretty good ticket already but these are great. Like amazing unobstructed center view great. Opposite to where I am for my other show so also ideal. I dk how the show will be set up but I’m thinking different sides could be good. I’m not gonna, but I had to share that I really wanna. Really really wanna. My brain is even trying to say it’ll be safer re:COVID because less people around me. 😂 😭

Hi bby,

If it was not a pandemic I would 1000% tell you to get it sjbzakwhai I have never regretted a ticket I bought so if it is not gonna break the bank I say do it. But I totally get the uncertainty that this mess adds to it. Like if I’m paying a fortune I better actually go and not deal w the mess of refunds. Idk. It’s hard.

#I paid a LOT for laneone 2018 and it wasnt even resale #rip when no one knew about it #wkxhishshs I bought it 10 days befor the show because I wanted to see the first us show to see if it was worth it

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hailene · 5 years ago

Text

𝚁𝚊𝚠 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚎

𝚁𝚊𝚠 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚎| 06

𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

(𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮– 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘒𝘪𝘥𝘴, 𝘕𝘊𝘛, 𝘉𝘛𝘚, 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦, (𝘎)𝘐-𝘋𝘓𝘌, 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘰, 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘬)

Genre: angst, racing!au, college!au, gang!au, underworld!au

Word count: 3.6K

ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

00| 01| 02| 03| 04| 05| 06| 07| 08| 09| 10| tba

"These have actually turned out pretty good," Vernon manages to say with his mouth stuffed with noodles.

I nod and take a bite from my portion. The food was good indeed and it had all the right spices. Joshua did a really good job in taking care of the mess Jeonghan and I had made. He didn't whine at all, nor was he mad on any of us. I guess that's just the way Joshua is.

I was sitting in the corner of the living room with Vernon and Seungkwan, with my back leant against the wall. Everybody looked cheerful tonight, probably happy for THE 8 and for the good food. However, I couldn't count thirteen boys. Hoshi was missing, I could tell as soon as I entered the living room. I couldn't spot Woozi's face either. But there wasn't anybody else missing from the ones that I knew. Which could only mean that the third person who was missing was someone I didn't know.

Yuri helped me bandage my burnt hand. Fortunately, Joshua had already told her what had happened so I didn't have to give her too many explanations. I could feel Jeonghan's gaze on me every now and then, though, but I was trying to ignore him. Seungkwan was actually helping a lot. Despite the fact that he seemed really difficult to please, somehow I seemed to be on his good side and I was really relieved to feel that. Jeonghan, for example, was definitely not on the same side.

The boy with a stained shirt from earlier was sitting on the couch, next to Joshua. His name was Dino and everybody seemed to adore him. He was really charming indeed.

"Where is Hoshi?" I eventually ask Seungkwan and he shrugs.

"Should be here soon," Mingyu answers me, being really close to our corner.

"Jeonghan talked to him," Seungcheol points out and Jeonghan throws him a fake smile before shrugging.

"Were all of you at the race tonight?" I ask unsure of anybody will pay attention to me.

Wonwoo shakes his head and the chatter dies down.

"Not really, Woozi, Dino, Seungkwan and I weren't there, for example," he explains and I suddenly feel so thankful to him for actually answering a question of mine, even though it might have sounded stupid.

"It was a really nice race tonight," Vernon says, with hidden intentions, I could tell.

"That's thanks to Eight," Mingyu chuckles. "Well done, dude."

THE 8 simply nods with a light smile on his face.

"I can't believe I had to work over time today," Dino sighs. "I really wanted to see Eight win."

"You'll get plenty of chances from now on, don't worry," Seungcheol says bitterly.

"Is your restriction running out until the deadline?" Mingyu asks and silence suddenly settles in the room.

Seungcheol throws Mingyu a glance before looking at me for a split second and making Mingyu look at me, too.

"Oh, come on, why shouldn't she know?" He asks and I feel a wave of disappointment washing over me.

"It's not like that, don't get me wrong," Seungcheol sighs.

"It's alright, I'm used to this," I wave Mingyu off and he frowns.

"Hey, that's not okay," he says. "As long as you are with us, it's only fair to you to know such things."

Mingyu was one of my favourites, no doubt. He wasn't hiding from me. And he trusted me. He trusted me for nothing, blindly, but he did..

"Mingyu is right," Seungkwan speaks. "Moreover, you never know where the savior will come from."

"I know," Seungcheol nods. "Yeah, although it leaves me just a few weeks to race... but I think I can bargain."

"I knew something was fishy when the JYPs let their low ranks race," Mingyu says. "They knew everybody would get suspended."

Seungcheol shrugs and takes a bite from his noodles.

"There is nothing we can do to change that now, only hope that the leads will be understanding," he sighs. "I would much rather be crashed on the racetrack than in open street, though."

He was talking about Mingyu's injury, I could tell. The latter one sighs.

"At least I am not a top racer," he smiles. "It would have been way worse if this had happened to Han or Eight."

Jeonghan was carefully eating his noodles, without looking like he was paying attention to the conversation, but I knew he was. THE 8 seemed alert though, actually interested in what the others were saying.

"They don't have to know that," Jeonghan speaks and Mingyu smiles for some reason.

I hear the entrance door opening once again and Joshua stands up. He goes in the hallway and welcomes the new-comers. Soon enough, three new figures enter the living room, two of them being familiar to me.

However, my eyes fall on the chocolate-haired boy, with a slender figure and sharp jaw. His eyes were twinkling in the warm light of the living room and his small smile gave me some sense of proximity.

Thirteen out of thirteen.

"Collected everybody," he speaks and even his voice sounded sweet like honey in my ears.

Who was he?

Joshua pushes them towards the bathroom to wash their hands, despite Hoshi's protests that he washed his hands before coming here.

The food wasn't cold yet, lucky them, so it was still really tasty. By the time the three of them returned from the bathroom, Vernon explained me that the thirteenth and last boy was called DK and that he was usually the messenger of the group. Vernon seemed to like him, considering the way he was talking. To be honest, I couldn't see any reason for him not to.

"You must be Emma," DK speaks when his eyes meet mine.

I smile and nod. He returns the gesture and honestly, thank God I was sitting, otherwise my legs would give up on me.

"I'm Dokyeom, but you can call me DK," he says, before Hoshi pulls him towards the table with food.

Everybody seemed very excited for their arrival, even Jeonghan who was actually pouring a glass of water for DK, surprisingly. I guess everybody can have favourites.

Dino joined the three of us on the floor, giving up his seat on the couch for Woozi.

"These noodles have been through a lot to be this tasty," he jokes and I smile.

"The cooks, too," I sigh and he chuckles.

"I can't understand why you insisted to boil the noodles when you can barely put water in a glass without spilling it on the counter," Vernon says lowly and I punch his arm with my left hand.

"I am not that bad, okay?" I argue and he hums with a smile on his face.

"She's definitely better than you, Chwe," Seungkwan states. "You can't even rip the noodle pack without a YouTube tutorial."

Both Dino and I laugh while Vernon sighs, eventually breaking into a smile as well. Vernon wasn't the type to get offended easily, so unlike me. That was probably one of the reasons why we got on so well.

"I've never seen Jeonghan taking care of somebody, though," Dino says and I feel heat raising in my cheeks. "Quite a sight."

"He was making fun of me, not taking care of me," I mutter and Dino chuckles.

"Well, it's kind of the same thing for someone like him," he says and I choose to ignore his statement.

I hear somebody clearing their throat and I look around only to notice Seungcheol looking at me. Everybody seemed to have finished their food by then and the chatter died down. It felt like everybody knew this moment would come, since I was the only one looking surprised by the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"Since it's the first time we're gathering together like this," Seungcheol speaks, looking around the room "welcome to Seventeen, Emma."

I feel some of their gazes on me and I look at them, clearly taken aback by the introduction. I look at my sister who had a small smile on her face.

"So that's your little gang's name," is the first thing I manage to say and some of them chuckle.

"We're way better than a gang," Jeonghan speaks nonchalantly and I throw him an amused look.

"I think you already know everybody around here..." he looks at each of the boys "but you will get to know each of us better since... you'll spend a lot of time with us from now on."

"Because you have to, not because we feel the need of getting new people entangled in our business," Woozi points out and something in his tone makes me sit straight.

"Right," I say in a small tone and my gaze drifts to nowhere in particular.

"The ones that you're likely to see often, excluding Joshua, Vernon and I, are Jeonghan and Hoshi, but yeah... you'll get to spend a lot of time with everybody."

"Lucky you," Jeonghan mutters, gaining a nudge from Wonwoo, who was sitting next to him on the second sofa.

"Now that all of this has been revealed, I think it's fair to answer truthfully to a question of hers, don't you think?" Joshua speaks and instead of a bright joy that I will finally have an answer of choice, a sudden dread washes over me.

A question. Choose wisely.

"Josh is right," Mingyu nods and more people hum in agreement.

Then, everybody looks at me again, waiting for my question. Now that I was given the chance to receive an answer, I didn't know what I wanted to find out the most. There were a lot of unanswered questions that I have pushed in the back of my head these past few days. And right now, under the intimidating stares of fourteen people, I couldn't quite pick one.

Who are they exactly? And why do I feel like my existence depends on the answers I am given?

I frown unconsciously and then look at Joshua. He said they were not a gang, right? However, he wasn't quite specific regarding what they actually were. What is their purpose?

Dozens of questions were whirling around in my head and I couldn't figure out the words of any of them.

"Why Seventeen?" I blurt, head spinning. "You're thirteen people, why do you call yourself Seventeen? Did you kill the other four?"

It was supposed to be a joke, but some of them looked so not amused that I shivered at the thought that I might have been accidentally right. I notice Joshua half-smiling at my question of choice and I mentally pray I didn't waste my chance on something stupid, even though I was pretty sure I did. They could have just googled "gang names" and chose the first thing that came up, why do I have to ask such dumb thi-...

"Thirteen, plus three, plus one," Seungcheol says. "The total is seventeen, therefore the name."

I look at him confused. Great, this is even worse than the google hypothesis.

"Thirteen members, three sub-units, one team," Joshua explains and I finally understand something. "Seventeen."

The others nod silently, some of them diverting their gazes, others looking at me curiously. The logic makes sense... but it doesn't at the same time. What sub-units are they even talking about? Are they an idol group or something?

"Players, Watchers," Jeonghan says before touching his temple with his index finger "and The Brain, hun."

I frown, confused, feeling the heavy stares of fourteen people on me. I was looking at them, but I couldn't see them anymore, as if I was blind, my head suddenly whirling again. There was no way Joshua could make me believe they were not something similar to a gang. There was no way I could still believe this... whatever this is, is something normal. Although I should have known it by now.

Wonwoo, Jun, Woozi, DK, THE 8, Seungkwan, Dino, Mingyu, Hoshi.

Jeonghan, Vernon, Joshua.

Seungcheol.

"Each of us is part of one of those," I hear Jeonghan saying but my mind was already drifting away.

If there was any way back until now, there isn't one anymore.

Whatever Seventeen is about...

...I have no other choice but to be part of it now, too.

It was honestly a miracle I made it to my first course on Monday.

I could barely sleep on Saturday night (I don't know if it had been because of the late dinner or the fact that I could hear Seungkwan and Jeonghan fighting in the living room) and the whole next day, I could barely focus on doing anything. That's basically why I was really close to washing my teeth with liquid soap instead of toothpaste.

Vernon and I had no courses together today, which wasn't upsetting me that much, since I was kind of avoiding everybody related to the... Seventeen thingie. Which, again, was kind of difficult, since I was living under the same roof with three of those people at the moment.

Since I couldn't write with my right hand, I had to type the courses on my laptop today, which wasn't necessarily a problem. However, what was an actual problem was the fact that the device wasn't fully charged and so, by lunch my laptop was dead.

And of course, I had forgotten my charger at home.

That's why I was banging my head against the desk in the library right now. It wasn't such a big of a deal, because I could as well record the courses on my phone. But it was a nuisance and I hated the feeling of helplessness it was giving me.

"Are you okay?"

I refrain myself from hitting my head against the desk for the nth time and look in front of me.

A boy with styled dark-brown hair and loads of silver accessories was looking at me intently. His gaze, despite his cool aura, was like melted honey. His face didn't look familiar to me, but it wasn't much of a surprise, since there were a lot of people studying here and I barely knew a few.

But he was... an interesting appearance.

"Ah, yes, just..." I break off, my gaze diverting towards my laptop. "I've run out of battery."

He looks at my laptop, then at me again, noticing the white bandage around my right hand and nodding as if understanding why I needed the device so much. He then takes off his backpack and rummages through it, only to pull a black cable out of it a few seconds later. My eyes widen, realizing it's a laptop charger, and I look at him surprised.

"Here, you can use mine," he says with a smile on his lips. "It should work for yours as well."

"Thank you, but I can figure it out, I don't wa-..."

"Just accept it, it's alright," he says on a convincing tone. "You can just return it to me later."

He puts the dark cable on the desk in front of me and shoots me a warm smile once again. Normally, I wouldn't accept something like this. But something about his voice and gestures gives me some sense of security.

"Give me your phone," he says, extending his hand in front of me. "So I can save my contact."

I unlock my phone and give it to him, waiting patiently while he types with his ring-filled fingers. I take my time to look at him, trying to figure out what about him made me trust him so easily. For all I know, he could take my phone and run away, hack into my personal stuff or just try to hit on me. I can't trust anybody, as Yuri told me.

So why do I trust him?

"Here," he says, returning my phone. "Just text me when you prepare to head home."

I nod and he smiles to me again, before turning around and leaving me alone. I stare blankly a few seconds before frowning confused at what has just happened. I look at my phone and notice that he saved his number as "Charger guy". I smile.

Maybe sometimes I simply have to accept help without doubting it so much.

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask shyly and I hear Jeonghan laughing at me.

"There is not, at least for now," Seungcheol speaks after throwing his friend an icy glare.

Serves him right.

"Aw are you really going to keep her locked in a golden cage until the end of it all?" Hoshi asks with a playful smirk on his lips, before his gaze falls on me. "I saw you at the race... you like cars, don't you?"

All eyes were on me again. Some of the boys were surprised, some were doubtful. I couldn't blame anybody. My sister probably knew I had a thing for any vehicle ever, I liked the power, the metal glint, the motion and the emotion of it. I liked the poetic side of an engine. But I barely knew anything about it, physically.

"Uh, yeah," I say slowly. "But I'm not an expert or somet-"

"No need to be," Hoshi waves me off. "Jeonghan and I are going to the garage this week, aren't we, Han?"

Jeonghan hums in agreement and sips on his mint tea. Who the hell drinks tea after eating noodles at midnight?

"I bet Jennie and Lisa will adore you," he adds with a smug smile on his face.

"Hoshi, no-..."

"Oh c'mon, why?" Hoshi pouts at Seungcheol. "She needs to experience things, to get a taste of this world. You can't keep this going on forever."

"Yeah, but that's..." Seungcheol sighs.

"Coups, she'll be fine," Hoshi pleads.

Seungcheol looks at me and I give him a small nod, as if telling him that I will indeed be fine, even though I had no idea what Hoshi had in plan to put me through. But I felt like I was ready to get a taste of what this world is actually like.

"I want to go, if that's what you're talking about," I say and Hoshi smiles proudly.

"It's settled then," Hoshi says and the chatter drifts to different fields.

"Be careful," Vernon told me on a low tone.

I look at him with a question in my eyes. He sighs, a tired smile plastered on his lips.

"I'm sure Jennie and Lisa will love you... but they're not the steel queens for nothing."

I open my eyes, trying to steady my breath. The course was almost over and everybody seemed to be impatient for it to end. I fell asleep. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, remembering the conversation we had on Saturday about the garage. Why would I dream about it?

Is it haunting me that much?

Eventually, the teacher dismisses us and everybody starts gathering their belongings, mentally preparing themselves for the next course.

I was waiting for the Charger guy in front of the second entrance of the college. I texted him about five minutes ago and he said I should wait for him here and that he will come soon.

He proved himself to be a life-saver. My laptop charged enough for me to finish typing all of my courses for the day on it. If the Charger guy hadn't showed up back then, it would have definitely been much more difficult for me to get through the day. So I was actually really thankful.

I hear rushed footsteps behind me and I turn around, only to see the Charger guy approaching me wearily, as if he has been running until now. He stops a few steps in front of me, panting. I chuckle.

"I'm sorry... if I made you... wait for too long..." he manages to say between two heavy breaths and I shake my head.

"No, it's fine, don't worry," I say, giving him his charger, which he takes after a few seconds. "Thank you so so much, I owe you one."

He smiles, still slightly panting, and shakes his head.

"It's nothing," he speaks. "I couldn't just leave you bang your head against that desk for the rest of the after-noon."

I chuckle.

"Still, let me know if I can pay you back somehow," I say and he looks at me, as if taking into consideration my offer.

He averts his gaze and grazes the nape of his neck. Was he flustered? It was weird to see somebody with such an aura, all about silver hues and dark clothes, being flustered. I smile.

"Uh, are you possibly taking a digital design class?" He asks and my eyebrows arch in surprise.

"Yeah, I am, actually," I say and his eyes widen, surprised.

"O-Oh, uhm..." he begins, shifting his weight from a foot to the other. "I would need some... uh, help for a project and-..."

"I can help you if you want," I smile and he looks at me surprised once again.

"You don't need to do that if you... don't want to or something, really... it would be more than a pay back..."

I wave him off.

"I like digital design, I am more than happy to help you with it."

He gives up and smiles, his shoulders sinking down as his muscles relax.

"Thank you," he says, then laughs. "Wow, I should really lend my charger more from now on."

I laugh and nod, feeling somewhat comfortable.

"Yeah, anyways..." I sigh. "It was nice meeting you...?"

I extend my hand in front of me, questioningly and he watches me with confusion clearly written across his face.

"Oh," he says eventually, grabbing my hand and shaking it firmly.

His smile was sweet and despite the cold glint of his silver chains, his aura felt warm.

"I'm Minho."

ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

00| 01| 02| 03| 04| 05| 06| 07| 08| 09| 10| tba

A/N: Hello! Are you guys enjoying this story?^^ What do you think is going to happen next? I’d love to hear your ideas! I hope you enjoy reading my works... I would also happily take constructive criticism :D

hailene x

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beingallelite · 5 years ago

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Not only is she one of the leading figures in All Elite Wrestling's developing women's division just four years after first stepping foot in the ring, but she's also done it while completing dental school and starting a full-time practice.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden had the chance to sit down with Dr. Baker to discuss life, the impact of the Wednesday Night Wars on her relationship and the glorious art of professional wrestling.

He also reviewed the best match and promo of the week, took a look at the latest offering from DK Books, tracked the latest battle in the war between AEW and NXT and consolidated a week's worth of wrestling events to catch you up on anything you might have missed.

Join us every week for Off the Top Rope and Bleacher Report's exclusive access to the biggest stars in the sport.

Dr. Britt Baker, DMD, on AEW's Women's Division and Her Crazy Double Life

The trip to Pittsburgh was about two-and-a-half hours each way—and Britt Baker drove it once a week in the summer of 2014, her conscience heavy with guilt. In the fall, she would start dental school at the University of Pittsburgh. Her life seemed settled.

But professional wrestling had a hold on her heart and wouldn't let go. So she got into the car anyway, driving to class at the International Wrestling Cartel to begin her tutelage in the esoteric art of wrestling, a secret hidden from family and friends in her gossipy home town.

"I was so terrified that my parents were going to hate this that I didn't tell them for five months," she tells Bleacher Report. "I was correct. They were less than thrilled. It's not that they were especially discouraging. It's just what every parent would say. 'Britt, you have a guaranteed successful career ahead of you. You've been accepted into one of the best dental schools in the world. You could get hurt in the wrestling ring and your dental career could be done. Do you understand what you're doing?'"

Stubborn as only a highly capable person in their early 20s can be, Baker was convinced she could learn both crafts simultaneously. She took on what might be a truly unique double major: learning to fix teeth by day and pretending to knock them out by night.

"Wrestling kept me sane during dental school," Baker says. "That was the hardest time of my life, and I don't know how I would have made it without the distractions of wrestling to keep me afloat.

"I would be sitting in the back of my dental implants class, secretly watching Raw from the night before while trying to pay attention in class. And when I was on the road doing wrestling shows, the guys that I would train with would help me. Andrew Palace and Darren Genaro would be flashing me notecards to help me study for an exam.

"I'm setting up the ring and we take a break to study. There aren't many friends like that in the world, people who would use their breaktime to help you study instead of going to get a cheeseburger up the road or just taking a minute to themselves. I was so fortunate early on with the people I surrounded myself with in wrestling."

When she's introduced now as "Dr. Britt Baker, DMD," there is a sense of pride. Unlike most wrestling gimmicks built around a trade, Baker comes by hers honestly. And while most wrestling dentists are bad guys, she hopes fans might make an exception in her case.

"It's my favorite part of every match, the moment I hear that," she says. "It's an affirmation. Yes, that is who I am. I am Dr. Britt Baker, DMD, and I'm a professional wrestler. I don't mean to brag or boast, but I love the recognition for it.

"It was hard. I went to school for eight years to be a dentist. Sorry if the person in the fifth row doesn't like it and thinks I should be a bag guy because people hate the dentist. People might not like the dentist, but they do like people who chase their dreams."

Baker was brave enough to chase two. And now, living in Orlando, Florida, with her boyfriend, NXT champion Adam Cole, she maintains what would be a back-breaking schedule for most, somehow maintaining her career in the ring and a burgeoning dental practice without seemingly missing a beat.

"Both of my worlds are very understanding of the other," she says. "I have an agreement with the dental office I work for that we'll be closed on Wednesdays. Because I'll be in whatever city AEW Dynamite is in. And AEW is OK with me flying in super-late Tuesday night after work or even early Wednesday morning. They are also really good at getting me on the first flight back to Orlando Thursday morning. I get right off the plane and go to work. I am still able to work four days a week as a dentist."

Right now, she is careful to keep her two worlds apart. While she'll talk to patients about wrestling if they bring it up, she's aware that many people might find her dual roles off putting. Sometimes, however, what happens in the wrestling ring isn't easily contained in the ring. Take, for example, a black eye suffered recently at the hands of her burgeoning rival, Bea Priestley.

"The black eye was very interesting," Baker says. "I was getting pretty creative just hiding it. I had my mask on most of the day and we use dental loupes, which are magnifying and have a little light on them. I made sure I had those on all day. Because, it's a whole thing. 'Oh my gosh, what happened to your eye?' and 'What do you mean you're a professional wrestler? I didn't know this!' So, I tried to make it an easier day."

While a black eye can be manageable, more serious injuries pose potential problems in both fields. Earlier this year, her parents' worst fears came true when Baker suffered a major head injury at an AEW pay-per-view in Jacksonville, Florida.

"For five days, I could not see out of the outer corner of my eye," she says. "I had no peripheral vision. It was just black. That terrified me. Doc Sampson, our head doctor for AEW, would call me every day. He's an excellent physician. And, every day, I was so frustrated.

"I was starting to wonder if I was going to be OK, but he was very reassuring, explaining that this is a concussion symptom and I would eventually get my vision back. He told me, 'You got hit really bad, really hard, but it's going to be OK.' But people can tell you that all they want—until it actually comes back, it's scary.

"You can't see and you need your eyes for everything. Especially being a dentist, working in someone's mouth and even drilling on their teeth. I was terrified. Obviously, I couldn't work in the dental office when I couldn't see. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen and not safe. So, it was tough.

"But that's the nature of the game in professional wrestling. People get hurt. It's not ideal, but it happens. Accidents happen. It was a reality check reminding me, 'Hey, be careful.' But, at the same time, I love it. And, when you love what you do, you can accept the risk."

On Wednesday, Baker fought Riho for the AEW Women's Championship, an enormous accomplishment for a woman just four years into her professional career with a mere three weeks on television.

"It's very stressful and exciting," Baker says. "It's baptism by fire. You're wrestling in front of 100 people one week and suddenly you're in front of 10,000. I have so much to learn, but I'm in good hands. I feel like I have the best coaches, the best production crew, the EVPs, Tony, everyone who has a hand in this is one of the best people to be working with in wrestling.

"(AEW owner) Tony Khan is super-hands on. He is everywhere and will be texting creative ideas all the time. He's absolutely fantastic. I can't say enough good things about Tony Khan. He makes every person on the roster feel appreciated. He is happy you are part of his company."

There is a lot of experience to lean on backstage at an AEW event, including agents Dean Malenko, Jerry Lynn and Dustin Rhodes. Perhaps the most integral figures for women looking to live up to bold promises about equality and opportunity are Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa, dual-lingual wrestlers who help the contingent of Japanese competitors like Riho communicate with their American counterparts.

"Kenny Omega has a huge role in the women's division," Baker says. "He agents a lot of the matches and he's brought his passion for the Japanese joshi wrestling to our world and it's amazing. I don't have a ton of experience with joshi wrestling, but I love it.

"I'm learning from Kenny by watching how he puts matches together. How lucky can I be? That was one of the selling points for AEW to me when Brandi and Cody (Rhodes) told me he'd have a major role with the women's division. I was a huge fan.

"I was the girl staying up all night to watch Wrestle Kingdom even though I had class the next day. Now I work with Kenny Omega, one of the best wrestlers in the world and a creative genius. Some of his ideas just amaze me. There seems to be no end to his creative insanity."

Baker's rise in the sport comes as Cole reaches new heights of his own in NXT. The two are equally wrestling-obsessed and watch the rival company's competing shows together the day after the events. But Baker admits the dueling Wednesday night broadcasts aren't ideal.

"We are texting and calling each other for encouragement right up until the moment we go out the curtain," she says. "It can be a little heartbreaking when it's the biggest night of his career or the biggest night of my career and we can't be there. Because we're each other's biggest fans and, as a fan, you want to be there and feel the energy. You want to experience it. So, it's a little discouraging.

"But we sit at home and watch each other's matches. We actually watch each other's whole show. We support each other's company. My boyfriend is basically best friends with The Young Bucks, so he's very supportive of All Elite Wrestling."

Baker, like most in AEW, keeps a watchful eye on fan reactions. She's noticed some grumbling among hardcore fans, upset that the promotion hasn't featured women as frequently as they have men. But she urges patience.

"You have to take it with a grain of salt when people, for lack of a better term, bitch and moan about what is and isn't on the show," she says. "Fans are always going to find a reason to grumble. They want one thing week one, you give it to them week two, and then they don't want that anymore. Some fans are very hard to please.

"AEW, we're still so new, so I encourage people to sit back, relax and kind of breathe with us. We're going to give everybody what they want. Sure, there's only one women's match on the show. But maybe there is only one tag team match, too. Enjoy it, let us establish what our brand is, then form your opinion.

"Right now, it's fresh and new. Try to enjoy the ride."

Britt Baker returns home next week on AEW Dynamite as Pittsburgh temporarily transforms into Brittsburgh.

Match of the Week: Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela (AEW Dark)

In AEW storylines, Kenny Omega is struggling to find his way. After losing to Chris Jericho in a grueling bout at Double or Nothing in May, he was unceremoniously destroyed by a debuting Jon Moxley.

It was enough to send Omega into a tailspin, breaking the former IWGP champion mentally and spiritually.

In the ring, though, he is finding his way. Against an opponent with plenty to prove in Joey Janela, Omega raised his game to heights only he can reach. The result was one of the most remarkable matches of the entire year.

It was an unsanctioned bout that didn't count on their AEW records, but the two men wrestled it like it was a pay-per-view main event and not a match on AEW Dark, a YouTube show available for free to anyone.

The bout was a modern twist on ECW, a match filled with high spots, plunder and plenty of both guts and glory. Imagine the very best technical wrestler in the world wrestling Tommy Dreamer in a match where basically anything goes. That was this match in a nutshell—a must-see for anyone who loves wrestling.

Runner Up: Kota Ibushi vs. Evil (New Japan: King of Pro-Wrestling)

Hard Times Promo of the Week: Darby Allin

The first time I saw Darby Allin wrestle, I knew he was a star. Admittedly, I was late to the party. He'd already spent years wowing crowds at super-indies like Evolve, waiting for the opportunity to take his unique energy to a bigger stage.

My first visit to Planet Darby was on a stage so small there wasn't even room for a ring. He and his wife, the wrestler Priscilla Kelly, were taking on another couple in an intergender bar fight. There were maybe 100 people there, and none of them could take their eyes off of Allin and Kelly.

When they closed the match with Priscilla spitting directly into Darby's open mouth, I knew I had to meet him.

His personal magnetism was evident, his weird energy was of the time. He wasn't cosplaying a skateboard kid with a barely disguised death wish. He was that kid on stage and off. Sans makeup and in a sharp black suit the next day, he was every bit as interesting as I'd anticipated.

His energy was even more powerful in conversation, his passion for performing so strong that he couldn't even hope to hide it in a post-modern haze of ennui or irony. Why, he asked, did wrestlers limit their influences to previous wrestling matches and angles? He intended to look all around him to inform his art with the present and not the past.

Although not immediately identifiable, it's this perspective that makes him feel different. Fans are getting a taste of it right now on AEW television.

AEW provided the platform, and Darby used it to make himself the first breakout performer in the promotion's short history. He may not have beaten Chris Jericho for the championship but check back here in six months and we'll count coup then.

Because Darby Allin is a star.

Wednesday Night Wars: Week 3 Showdown Between AEW and NXT

It's Week 3 in the Wednesday Night Wars, as AEW went head-to-head with NXT on national television once more.

The wrestling world has turned its attention to this midweek battle for supremacy and both brands have brought their best.

The result has been a spectacular win for fans. Among the promotions, though, there can be only one winner.

Let's run down each show in the two major categories that combine to create great wrestling television.

Wrestling

As Arn Anderson once said, "it's on the marque." Everything else is built around the action in the ring, and both brands specialize in modern, exciting action.

As is becoming the norm, AEW promised an incredible card and somehow delivered excellence even beyond our expectations.

The best technical match was the barnburner between Kenny Omega/Adam Page and Pac/Moxley. One day after announcing he was still the top performer in the world at AEW Dark, birthday boy Omega teamed with Page to again steal the show.

The Elite beat Pac and Moxley in a slobberknocker that saw all four at the top of their games, a combination of high-flying action and enough storytelling elements to build future matches between the quartet.

But the match we'll all remember was the main event, a star-making performance from Darby Allin, the 22-year-old prodigy who literally wrestled much of the event with his hands behind his back. He gave champion Chris Jericho all that he could handle, even without the use of his hands, forcing The Inner Circle's Jake Hager to interfere and preserve Jericho's reign.

Allin is a star.

NXT has a different approach. Most of the matches don't feel like a big deal, bordering on being simple, competitive squash bouts with obvious winners. They are well-executed, with the winners looking like stars, but it's hard to compare positively with AEW using this approach.

Two bouts stood out: the rubber match between Keith Lee and Dominic Dijakovic and the main event battle of attrition featuring Damian Priest's upset win over Pete Dunne. Lee and Dijakovic have good chemistry, but their clash was marred by a sports-entertainment finish setting up a three-way dance with Roderick Strong next week.

The main event had some mild shenanigans at the end, but it was an excellent back-and-forth contest worth seeking out.

Advantage: AEW

Presentation and Storytelling

This was the best night yet for AEW's commentary team of Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur. The three men are starting to figure out where they fit in and when it's time to hit their spots.

Ross seemed engaged throughout and Schiavone, in particular, always seems to chime in just when he's needed.

There was an excellent vignette that told much of the story I shared in my Cody Rhodes feature piece earlier in the month and set up his title challenge against Chris Jericho nicely. AEW shines here with these videos. Their shoulder programming generally is top notch.

The co-main event set up a match next week between Pac and Jon Moxley and generally made everyone involved look amazing. The main event further cemented Allin as a star of the future while establishing Jericho and The Inner Circle as bad actors willing to cheat to win. Solid, basic storytelling.

NXT did a much better job of building its characters this week and further defining who the key players are and what they're about. Johnny Gargano felt like a big deal for the first time and Shayna Baszler cut one of the best promos I've seen from her, telling a returning Tegan Nox, "Let's be honest, you're running out of limbs to rehab."

When Mauro Ranallo is on, he's one of the best announcers in the sport. An enthusiastic Mauro is a lot of fun to listen to. A Mauro who is trying to namedrop the Brazilian stink bug makes me think about reaching for the mute button. He walks a continuous fine line between excellence and utter disaster.

This show did an excellent job building for next week and teased future bouts such as Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley that have fans salivating. NXT's best effort yet as an overall show.

Advantage: Even

Overall

As good as NXT was, AEW is going to be hard to beat when they are loaded for bear the way they were Wednesday night. No one on NXT can match Jericho, Omega or Cody Rhodes as overall performers, and the undercard wrestlers on TNT are given the time and freedom to make something special of their segments.

Given the opportunity to shine, great talent is always going to deliver something worth watching. So far, AEW has done this every single week.

Winner: AEW

Three-Count: A Look Ahead

AEW Dynamite (October 23, TNT)

Pac vs. Jon Moxley: These two couldn't get along during their tag team match Wednesday against Kenny Omega and Adam Page, and they will settle their differences next week in Pittsburgh. Wins and losses matter in AEW, making this match of particular importance to Pac, who is seemingly close to earning a title shot. Prediction: Moxley emerges victorious after outside interference by a member of the Elite.

Private Party vs. Lucha Bros: Wondering if the Lucha Bros were babyface or heels? Wonder no more. They announced their presence on the villainous side of the ledger with a brutal attack on SCU. They will likely do something equally dastardly to the up-and-coming tag team that upset The Young Bucks in the first round. Prediction: Private Party comes to an end and the Lucha Bros advance to the AEW Tag Team Tournament finals.

SCU vs. Dark Order: We don't know a lot about Dark Order, the one notable failure on the part of AEW's creative team. They've had such a golden touch that the one bust really stands out. Prediction: SCU gets the upset and earns the opportunity at revenge against the Lucha Bros.

#britt baker #kenny omega #joey janela #darby allin #all elite wrestling #aew #posted on: 10.17.19 #article #bleacher report

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kyeommorning · 6 years ago

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SEVENTEEN’s DK Became King Arthur

Dokyeom's first

He is the first member of the boy group SEVENTEEN to do individual activities.

I am very worried and very nervous because I am only doing team activities and then doing individual activities. I'm anxious too. Still, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do such individual activities. I always wanted to try the genre of musicals. I also like to sing a lot. However, I came across a good work called <Excalibur>.

I think being on a musical stage has a special meaning for singers .

I think musicals are attractive in that actors can analyze characters in the play and express them on stage. There are many ways to express your character because you not only sing, but also lead the story and even act. Watching the seniors perform, I was fascinated by their unique pose and stage control. I also thought, 'Can I show off that kind of energy on a musical stage rather than a Seventeen activity?'

Which work made you feel the real charm of a musical?

The last work I saw was <The Man Who Laughs>, featuring EXO's Suho senior. And I saw <King Arthur> because I wanted to get help in preparing this work . The main character is King Arthur in common, but the feeling can be different depending on how the story is told. It is also a work that I used as a textbook to prepare this work. I tried a lot of different things while practicing.

When I practice, I think the atmosphere is very different from when I am with the Seventeen members.

I hide my face a lot. When I'm with the members, I do n't have to worry because we're so close to each other , but musical practice was unfamiliar because I had to do it with seniors I was meeting for the first time. It's okay if we get to know each other, but I'm still very nervous. Still, thank you for encouraging Kai and Junsu sunbaenim a lot.

SEVENTEEN's stage has a musical feel with well-thought-out choreography and composition.

I think that's what you think when you see the stage of 'Pretty'. We used a sofa for the choreography, and we did a lot of facial expressions among the members. SEVENTEEN's stage like that didn't directly help the musical, but thanks to SEVENTEEN, I was able to do musical activities like this, so I'm grateful. Seventeen made me grow.

This is the first time I'm doing a lot of things. Do you tend to give a lot of meaning to ‘first time’?

Being the first time means a big challenge. It's scary and I'm nervous because I have to do something I've never done before. So I may not be confident, but I'm trying to be brave.

<Excalibur> opens on June 15th. What is Dokyeom most afraid of right now?

Every time I work as a team, I feel the pressure of how to make the fans like me every time. <Excalibur> is my first musical work. Likewise, I worry a lot about whether the audience will treat me well. I'm preparing hard, but I'm also worried about whether I'll be able to satisfy everyone.

What kind of character will 'Arthur' be created by Doc?

'Arthur' and I don't think there is much difference. Until 'Arthur' became king, it was normal, and he accidentally drew a sword called Excalibur and became king. I suddenly thought that the situation of becoming a king and not knowing what to do is similar to the way I am now. During that time, I also vaguely wanted to do a musical, but I didn't know that I would meet a big project like <Excalibur>, and I didn't know that I would work with such great and wonderful people. Like 'Arthur', I think I drew the Excalibur sword like fate. Just as ‘Arthur’ is thinking about becoming king, I’m also thinking about how I can show a better side of ‘Arthur’. And above all, I want to do well.

I don't think it's easy to practice musicals while promoting with Seventeen.

I didn't have much time to practice for musicals because I was promoting with Seventeen. I recorded the song I practiced and sang it over and over again while I was abroad. Fortunately, I'm not in bad shape... . I'm still young. haha.

Have you discovered anything new about yourself while doing musicals?

I'm not good at getting angry or yelling. haha. But due to the mood of the song, there is a scene where they sing while angry. I found out that I can do it.

Is there a song you want the audience to pay attention to?

All of the songs are good, but personally, I like the song 'A long time ago in a distant place'. When I listen to that song, I feel very comfortable. I think the audience will feel the same way as me.

You have to digest lines, songs, and choreography for three hours. In particular, memorizing lines doesn't seem easy, is there a method that your seniors have passed on to you?

It is said that the lines and choreography are much more memorable if we practice together than if we practice alone. So we got together today and practiced, and the difference was really big. When you do it together, you can even feel the breath of the other person.

What are Doc's strengths on stage?

It's not a huge ability, but when I go up on stage, I become arrogant. When I say “Let’s go crazy on stage!”, not only me but the other members are all immersed in it. Even if I make a mistake, I'm a little shy. haha.

What kind of work do you want <Excalibur> to leave behind?

I hope the audience and I also have no regrets. In particular, it is important for me not to make mistakes and to do well, but I hope that <Excalibur> will be a good experience and a good memory regardless of the outcome. I want to continue my long-term relationship with the people I met through this work.

#dk #dokyeom #lee seokmin #xcalibur #media #interview #literally just copy pasted the page translation so idk how well it reads

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atiredwitchx · 6 years ago

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Color Correspondences A Master Post

I know I said that I was going to post this yesterday, but real life happened and I wasn’t able to get it together.

The biggest reason it's important to understand how correspondences have been gotten is that they are highly personal from individual to individual. For example. If you use green for a wealth spell because you read in a Buckland book that's what it is but you personally don't associate green with money because money in your country is blue, the spell will fail. So you have to understand why and how someone came to a correspondence conclusion in order to agree and resonate with it...or choose something else for yourself.

So here are a few lists of colors and their meanings.

Phyllis Curott's Colors

White: Peace, purification, protection, the Moon, healing

Pink: The Goddess, women's mysteries, friendship, beauty

Red: Power, courage, passion, love

Orange: Success, healing, power

Yellow: Success, beginnings, inspiration, the Sun

Green: Prosperity, growth, fertility, creativity, money, Earth

Blue: Peace, healing, emotional healing, water

Lavender: Spirituality, meditation, psychic gifts and dreams

Brown: Justice, Earth

Black: Banishing, rest

Gold: The Sun, success, prosperity, the God, insight

Silver: The Moon, inspiration, transformation, intuition, the Goddess

Traditional Celtic Colour Meanings

Amber: develop Witchery skills

Black: ward negativity, remove hexes, protection, spirit contact, night, truth, remove discord or confusion, clearing the mind, meditation

Blue (dark): the Goddess, Water Elemental, truth, dreams, protection, change, meditation, impulse

Blue (light): psychic awareness, intuition, opportunity, understanding, quests, safe journey, patience, tranquility, ward depression, peace, rest

Blue (any shade): health

Brown: Earth Elemental, endurance, animal health, steadiness, houses and homes, physical objects, uncertainties

Gold: the God, solar energy, power, physical strength, success, achievement, mental growth, a skill sought, healing energy, intuition, divination, fortune, warding

Grey: non-nature-type faerie magic (such as communication with the faerie realms), travel to the otherworld, vision quests, veiling, cancellation, hesitation, neutrality

Green: Earth Elemental, Lord, and Lady of Greenwood, herb magicks, nature-type faerie magic (such as blessing a garden), luck, fertility, healing, balance, employment, prosperity, financial growth, courage, agriculture, changing direction or attitudes

Greenish-Yellow: to negate discord, sickness, anger, jealousy

Indigo: meditation, spirit communication, karma workings, learn the ancient wisdom, neutralize another's magick, ward slander

Lavender: spiritual development, psychic growth, divination, sensitivity to the Otherworld, blessings

Orange: the God, strength, healing, pulling/attracting things (not people) to you, adaptability, luck, vitality, encouragement, clearing the mind, dominance

Pink: honor, morality, friendships, emotional love

Purple: power, spiritual development, intuition, ambition, healing, progress, business, spiritual communication, protection, occult wisdom

Red: Fire Elemental, strength, power, energy, health, vigor, enthusiasm, courage, passion, sexuality

Silver: the Goddess, lunar magick, meditation, psychic development, success, balance, wards negativity

Violet: self-improvement, intuition, success in searches

White: the Lady and Lord together, full moon magick, purity, protection, truth, meditation, peace, sincerity, justice, warding of doubts and fears

Yellow: Air Elemental, divination, clairvoyance, mental alertness, intellectual growth, prosperity, learning, changes, harmony, creativity, concentration

Color Correspondences from Buckland

White: Purity, truth, sincerity

Red: Strength, health, vigor, sexual love

Lt Blue: Tranquility, understanding, patience, health

Dk Blue: Impulsiveness, depression, changeability

Green: Finance, fertility, luck, friendship

Yellow: Attraction, charm, persuasion, confidence

Brown: Hesitation, uncertainty, neutrality

Pink: Honor, love, morality

Black: Evil, loss, discord, confusion

Purple: Tension, ambition, power, business progress

Gray: Cancellation, neutrality, stalemate

Orange: Encouragement, attraction, stimulation

Gr Yellow: Sickness, cowardice, anger, jealousy, discord

Now, this isn’t the extent of all color correspondences. This is just some regularly noted, and common color correspondences. For example, notable Wiccans like Gerard Gardner and Doreen Valiente, likely have color correspondence charts out there, but as I myself am not a Wiccan, I don’t have the information on this. The internet is a wild place, and I can only source as much information as I have time for, (I get my information from books, not from google) but this should be a great start for everyone.

Now go out there and make some magick kids.

#witch #witchblr #witchcraft #witches #witches of tumblr #witch mentor #wiccan #color correspondences #master post #mine

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meditativeyoga · 6 years ago

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Make Everyday Noise a Mindfulness Practice

Everyday sounds could be irritating and disruptive -- or they could offer another automobile for mindfulness.

I began my media profession back in high institution, as DJ Captain Kilowatt on a little Leading 40 rock terminal. For more than 30 years, I have actually delighted in forming music, voices, as well as sound results into engaging broadcasts, but my work has had an unanticipated negative effects: I have actually come to be extra conscious noise than lots of people I know.

Thousands of hrs spent in soundproof studios with sophisticated audio devices believe contributed to my keen understanding of the sea of vibrations through which we swim. Consequently, I connect my ears when motorbikes holler by, I retreat from wailing youngsters, and also loud films make me cringe.

Our world is a noisy area, as well as it's obtaining noisier regularly. Statistics verify what my experience suggests: Individuals have actually ended up being so inured to noise that they are actually injured by it. A testing of concerning 64,000 Americans by the League for the Hard of Hearing discovered that between 1982 and 2000, the occurrence of measurable hearing loss enhanced by 15 to 60 percent, depending on the age team. While this suggests that staying clear of unnecessary noise is a healthy and balanced approach, that's not constantly feasible. In my very own adaptation to this truth, I've found a means to transform uninvited sound right into a welcome benefit.

Once a curse, my acoustic acuity has ended up being an useful gift in my reflection technique. I currently use nonjudgmental hearing as a centerpiece for alert, moment-to-moment perception. I let city noises -- from the snarl of mower to the honking of car horns -- play a function just like that of breath, emotion, believed, as well as bodily experience when I look for one-pointed attention.

In a 1999 dharma talk that was offered at the Barre Center for Buddhist Research studies in Barre, Massachusetts, vipassana meditation educator Christina Feldman explained what might occur when we focus on a solitary things of focus, such as sound. This method of purposeful emphasis, she noted, 'challenges our long-lasting routines of distractedness and grasping.' The obstacle comes from the reality that 'despite our intent to apply and also maintain one-pointedness, the mind proceeds to regurgitate its habitual patterns and come to be lost in its own busy-ness.'

Fortunately, as we enable sounds to flow unblocked with our awareness -- without obtaining attracted into evaluation, judgment, as well as choice -- we can come to be superior at resting steadly through all type of stimulations that might otherwise irritate, distract, or disrupt us.

Tuning In to Awareness

In my own technique, the very first step in operation sound masterfully is just to notice just what I am hearing. This involves taking a complete aural stock. In the exact same means that I bring concentrated recognition to the cycles of breathing in my daily meditation practice, I come to be conscientious to what is jumping off my ears, consisting of lots of sounds which I am typically subconscious. As I slow my mind to listen, each ear imitates a huge antenna, collecting perceptions from close to and also far. I undoubtedly observe that every place has its very own 'audio trademark,' as special as a fingerprint.

At house, I am welcomed by just what knows: a humming refrigerator, the fizz of cars and trucks on a close-by road, a ticking clock, a hissing water heating system, breeze-rustled fallen leaves, and also the skittering of birds or squirrels on my roof covering. In a nearby reflection hall I frequent, these audios are replaced by the drone of airplanes, the whine of alarms, the buzz of fluorescent lamps, smothered voices from an adjacent area, and also the clang of pots in the cooking area. Obviously, I always experience the mundane audios of the human body, from tummy gurgling as well as nose sniffling to throat clearing up and itch scraping. With interest, the ceaseless cavalcade of noises becomes a meditation.

To try this kind of attentiveness on your very own, select a time in the house when you are not likely to be interrupted for a minimum of 20 mins, after that think a comfortable seatsed position. Initially, direct awareness to your breath, adhering to the sensations in your body that accompany the process of breathing. After a couple of mins, deliberately and mindfully change the focus to your sense of hearing. Resisting need to call or get included with the different audios circulating around you, merely examine them. Notification just how some noises develop and also vanish rapidly, or are heard just as soon as, while others are consistent and also recurring. Observe the different qualities each sound displays and the level of your need to associate a noise with a mental image, label, or emotion.

As you listen, cultivate a top quality of separated, choiceless awareness that enables this acoustic mélange to pass easily with your awareness, like a cloud drifting silently with the sky. If you locate that your mind has actually been captured by a specific sound, probably expiring right into a reverie caused by it, note the fact that this has actually occurred and afterwards, without judgment, return to a nonclinging recognition of audio. Throughout your first resting, this noting and also letting go could take place lot of times. With practice, however, the events need to come to be much less constant. The essential point is to come to be mindful of your add-on and also create the capacity to launch it.

Once you have actually experienced 'sound reflection' in the house, experiment with it at other locations, such as your office, health club, or college, or while taking a trip. If you make use of public transportation, attempt this practice while commuting. Urban sounds could be sidetracking initially, however several meditators have actually told me that with time, their connections with sounds that when frustrated them moved significantly. I advise you to explore sound meditation on a routine basis for at the very least a month prior to attracting any type of conclusions concerning your own experience. Consider adding it to the repertoire of techniques that help you create a deeper understanding of your very own consciousness.

Simplicity, Peace, and Poise

This sort of attunement is a helpful discipline at any type of time, so to hone your sensory recognition of the here and now moment. It takes genuine initiative to bring the fresh, alert 'beginner's mind' to prevalent sensory stimulations. That's because the alienation from our bodies that a lot of us feel results, partly, from a well-intended as well as deeply set coping method. Confronted with an incessant parade of acoustic justifications, we often tend to lessen our understanding of daily noises unless something appears out of whack. We make use of numerous psychological tricks to complete this, disregarding the ordinary in order to minimize diversion and minimize irritability.

It's easy, obviously, to persuade ourselves that numerous sounds are obnoxious. I make sure each of us could call some pet peeves. Mine consist of trash vehicles at 5:30 a.m. as well as fallen leave blowers during breakfast. I've learned that the more difficult path is not to measure the worth of such audios, however to approve them in a true spirit of equanimity. This does not necessarily indicate we have neutral feelings about such invasions, instead, it means we are not so purchased our memorizing reactions that we could not separate ourselves from such responses.

The Buddha is stated to have actually educated that the crazy get in touch with the world mostly via their physical detects, whereas the sensible seek to understand the nature of those links. As we expand better, some Buddhist scholars suggest, we might progress able to preserve our inner tranquility as well as peacefulness in the midst of whatever experiences challenge us, including unwanted noise. Rather than being swept away by the raw power of a noise or by our identification with just what we think is wrong with the sound, we discover how to allow those vibrations clean over us without disruption. By doing this, we create a clear hearing of our hearts and also minds.

One of one of the most highly regarded contemporary teachers of yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar, resembled this sentiment when he wrote in his publication Yoga: The Path to All natural Health (DK Publishing, 2001), 'The key purpose of yoga is to restore the mind to simplicity, peace, as well as poise, and also cost-free it from complication as well as distress.' In silent sittinged reflection (dhyana) and observance (niyama), as in our asana technique, we are tested regularly by just what our hearing -- as well as other physical sense -- stirs within us. Bringing mindfulness as well as restriction (yama) to our ears resembles bringing mindful attention to our breath, equilibrium, and muscle mass as we move through asanas. Both methods could end up being cars for establishing the health-promoting qualities of clear recognition and also releasing. Yoga exercise utilizes the term parinamavada to refer to the approval of consistent change that parallels this frame of mind. Yet such equanimity is not conveniently available within any contemplative method if sound features as a display, irritant, or diversion.

The wise poet Rumi talked to the human tendency toward irritability and also interruption in his poem 'Just Breath': 'There is a method between voice as well as presence where details flows./ In disciplined silence it opens./ With wandering talk it closes.' Rumi could not have prepared for the modern-day Tower of Babel that generates consistent discord, yet I believe his injunction to listen attentively would be duplicated with much more emphasis if he still strolled -- as well as listened -- amongst us today.

Richard Mahler is an independent author and also instructor of mindfulness-based tension reduction that splits his time in between Santa Cruz, The golden state, and also Santa Fe, New Mexico. His most recent publication is Stillness: Daily Present of Solitude.

#asana #daily meditation #meditation #Vipassana #Vipassana Meditation #Yoga

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stayradadventureteam · 7 years ago

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“Dirty Kanza Waits for No one”

My morning started out too early with an alarm set for 3:30 AM, so I could make it to breakfast by 4:00 AM. I wasn’t sure if this was all a dream, and really happening until I saw the cafeteria crowded with racers having their morning meal. The predicted night storm blew, and the winds were still howling at 5:00 AM, when I walked back to the dorm.

I took off from the student dorm a little after 5:30 AM, following the rest of the red blinking lights headed to downtown Emporia. The dorm was just a few minutes’ pedal to the start-line. It was still dark, windy, and rainy! When I got to downtown, people were huddled under the shelter of the Granada Theater and other shelters. I texted my friend, Leslie, from Colorado about meeting up, but she quickly informed me that there was a 30 minute delay. So, I stood on the side of a building, where I was sheltered by the blowing rain and wind.

Once we all got ready to line up, I got to say hi to another Chicago racer, Rachel Wills. She came with her husband to take on Dirty Kanza. We both agreed that it was a huge accomplishment just to make it to the starting line. We hugged and went our own ways.

I thought it would be wise to wait in the middle staging area. Also, for nostalgic reasons I wanted to stand in front of the famous Granada Theater. I was staged with the same group paced to finish in 14 hours. My new friend, Casey, whom I met and rode with on the previous day showed up with her friend Jamie. We waited together for roll-out and shared our last few giddy moments. Selfies galore! I was all set, except later I realized I forgot to apply chamois cream in my short and to use the bathroom one last time!

The nasty storm washed away the humidity and the heat from the previous day. Roll out was smooth and I was basically pedaling enough to get pulled along by the crowds, hitting my tempo pace. I could stay in these packs because the surface was flat and smooth. It was a little slushy from the rain. Fortunately, there were no pond-sized puddles, like in 2016 when Brandon started his DK following a heavy downpour.

In the first 10 miles, everyone suddenly looked down at their computers because many of us heard the “off course” alert. The organizers made a last minute decision to re-route the course, due to the early morning storm. We followed the mass of riders ahead of us and noticed the flags that were on lined up along the road. That urge to use the bathroom to get rid of the coffee and breakfast waste was nagging in the back of my head. Once I saw a small crowd of locals and pick-up trucks parked to cheering us on, I decided to make a dive behind a parked pick-up truck and relieve myself there. I was back in business and stoked to ride in a cool, overcast morning.

Entering the cattle pens was beautiful, exhilarating, and frustrating for me. You cannot top the landscape with the “Irish spring” green color of the Flint Hills painted smack in the middle of overcast skies. The Flint Hills are majestic as everyone says they are. I felt excited to finally climb hills and work my legs after the many months of training. I told myself that I put in those hours for a reason. Climb those rock hills! At the bottom of most hills, there were small boulders or piles of rocks, sometimes one track line of riding between rocks. This is where I lost my confidence and momentum because I wasn’t sure how my 35 mm tires would hold up. I handled the descents as best as I could and came out in one piece.

Checkpoint #1: Mile 50 Madison, KS.

Getting to check point 1, my drivetrain sounded like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. After riding through some deep puddles and tacky gravel roads, my bike needed a quick rinse. Brandon was able to track my progress by following my Quarq Qollector and him and Nils appeared up as soon as I got my time chipped. Brandon took my bike to get rinsed off while I went to use the bathroom. Thankfully, District Bicycles (Stillwater, OK) offered their bike repair stand and got my bike back to running smoothly. I had some ham sandwich and pickles while Brandon refilled my drinks and food. This time I remembered to apply chamois cream! Brandon warned me that the next 50 miles will put me in the strong sun and heat of the day. He filled a pair of panty hose with ice and I stuffed it under my jersey. My transition took a total of 15 minutes.

Mile 50-100 got challenging for me because the heat and wind picked up, but the ice packs helped to keep me cool. I faced some of the 20 mph winds from the north that I knew I would have to deal with later in the day. At this point, the race became so spread out, that I was alone often. I saw on my Garmin that I had a left turn approaching. As soon as I looked up, I saw a rider on a fat bike immediately take a left turn, and I followed him. It was a steep decline on rocks. It was the wrong left turn! I went back up the hill to where I made the wrong turn. That took about 5-10 minutes to sort out, and I was very frustrated. About 15 miles before reaching Eureka, a rancher in a pick-up truck was offering water from an insulated water jug. That cold water felt so good. I doused my head and chest, and carried a cup of that cold water, so I could taste that for a little while.

Checkpoint #2: Mile 100 Eureka, KS.

Brandon took my bike and Camelback then started to re-stock. He told me there was no time to waste now and to focus on what I needed to do: 1) change into a new short 3) switch to my second Garmin. I was not in any kind of heat exhaustion so I didn’t need to sit down or overhaul from the heat. This year, Checkpoint #2 was not in downtown Eureka, it was at the local high school. I was happy to use a bathroom to change into a fresh short, but quickly frustrated to learn that I had to walk across the school to get to the bathroom. It felt like an eternity following the DK volunteer there and back, but I changed into my second pair of shorts. After I came out, I was ready to go since Brandon had my bike and gear ready for me once again. He even slathered sunscreen on my arms and legs while I put my gloves on. What a guy! I was out again with a fresh ice pack and a fresh mindset to face the next 60 miles. All year and all day I kept talking to myself about this moment. Anything after 100 miles could be a very, very dark place, and I had to be ready for that. I said my Hail Mary’s and I was off.

Miles 100-160

The storm from the morning brought afternoon winds that came from the north reaching 20-25 mph. Once I left Eureka, the course was directed north for the next 100 miles. I remember riding in to 20 mph headwinds in the 2016 version of Almanzo 100. It will nearly stop you dead in your tracks. Wind is part of our lives in Illinois, so for me it was not mentally challenging. I was frustrated that this was killing my speed. I did my best, put my head down, and grinded away. To my surprise, as the hot sun went down, I was feeling better and better. “This is not how these things go!” I was glad to feel fresh as the afternoon went on. I was still climbing hills when I needed to, and grinding when there was a tailwind or flat section. I kept eating what was easy for me to eat and still it digesting well.

I reached the creek crossing, but it was so deep, and even deeper to the right of me. “Am I going to get washed away down this creek?” One rider offered to carry my bike and walk in front me, so I could gauge the depth of the water. I still carried my bike, and then almost slipped when the surface changed because I couldn’t see my feet. After the creek crossing, I joined up with Scott from Kansas. He was going at a good speed, and not wasting any time. We rode together around the time the sun finally set, and it was time to turn on lights. At one point, he started to walk some hills. I didn’t have time for that, and kept on riding. Scott kept up with me, and 2 other men joined us. The three of us rode together, and eventually Scott disappeared. I rode with the other 2 men, thinking that riding as a group in the dark would be beneficial. Soon enough, I went on my own. I had a text message from Brandon “Pick up the pace!” I was using my light at high intensity and it was going to cost me battery power, but I knew that Brandon had a backup waiting for me in Madison. I still had the ice pack pantyhose underneath my jersey, which was now just wet and making me cold. To not have to stop and waste time, I kept it and pedaled harder. The stars were so bright against the black sky--like nothing I have ever seen before. The night critters were making the most curious sounds! I saw an armadillo scurry across the road in front me. Finally, I saw my first sign of civilization – a cell phone tower light blinking, then a house, and sure enough the pavement to town!

Checkpoint #3: Mile 160 Madison, KS.

As usual, Brandon was at the chip timing tent waiting for me, but he had a sad look on his face. He told me I was 12 minutes past the cut off. A DK volunteer was tearing down the tent, and he told me it was indeed shut down. I put my head down on my handlebars and started sobbing. All of the adrenaline, effort, and emotions hit hard at that very moment. I knew I was close in time, but I was not able to stop and check my phone to confirm all of the details. I followed Brandon to where he parked the car, and I saw Scott with his family / support crew who came from Michigan. We talked about that last leg in the dark, congratulated each other, and he offered me a beer. I still had the pantyhose hanging from my jersey and really wanted to use the bathroom, but hung out and laughed with Scott and his family. You still make the best memories even when things don’t go to plan!

I learned many lessons from this experience, and hopefully I will have the chance to return and complete some unfinished business! Never discount what you do to get yourself there. In the end it is a learning lesson and one step closer to success.

-Isabel

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