#he’s also named after one of my favourite Japanese composer/musicians

[thisis-mairo-whodis]

Yay more house garb and my other newish oc Daisuke Moto. who I made on whim to fill a spot in the fanfic story and lore.

And he never left my mind so here is Daisuke in my au he is the Hotarubi captain a third year when Mairo, Subaru and Zenji are first years.

Daisuke is a sleep deprived, tall lanky, gloomy looking, easygoing captain who try’s to act cool for his fellow class mates but really is a bit of a dork and he loves making jewelry. Though he is all of this he is pretty studious and has no problem running the houses needs. As he did for a while by himself. He has dark blue black hair and dark green eyes he’s 6’4 (193cm)

His stigma gives him the ability to make people, and anomaly’s alike to fall asleep for a short period of time. (Can’t sleep well himself) His artifact is a smoking pipe which he can use to create a toxic smoke which cause the victims lungs and eyes to burn horribly (like smoke can) but it can render the person impaired by it.

I’m not the greatest at clothing so this is the best I can do for the house uniform of the two. I hope I can get better and do more detail later on that would be nice.

[maulie-dyke]

A Small Lumberjanes Fic

So, I was thinking about the headcanon I sent to @luminouslu about Jo’s past, and I made myself sad. Thus, I wrote a fic. I’m not new with The Lumberjanes, but I am not the most confident with my writing of the girls, so this is the first time I’m posting a fic for this fandom. (I have 3 others in the works now!) I swear the flashbacks are supposed to be in italics on mobile why does Tumblr hate me.

Fic under the cut:

It had been six years. Six years that included some interesting revelations, from Jo coming out to her dads as trans three moths before camp, to said camp, which she was currently being allowed to leave for two days with the rest of her cabin. Sitting in a seat in Ripley’s family’s van, she stared out the window and remembered.

Mothers’ Day, 2014.

Climbing out of Uncle Alan’s car, she she watched as April, surprisingly carefully for a seven-year-old, pulled a box out of the passenger seat. Reaching behind her best friend, she grabbed the vase of flowers and envelope still on the seat, and nested them into her arms, along with her lunchbox from school.

“Come on, Alex! You’re so sloooooow!” April shouted from the steps.

“I’m coming!” she replied, climbing the few stairs leading to the front doors of Group Health Central Hospital.

Following April inside, she reached the receptionist desk and grinned.

“Hi, Ms Betty, how are you?” The greying receptionist smiled at her words, an odd expression on her face (She would later find out Betty thought she was adorable).

“Hello, Alex, April. Here to visit your mother, Alex?”

At Jo’s nod, Betty reached for a clipboard and a pen.

“Since it’s regulation, you still have to give me your names, first and last, please,”

Looking at April, a silent understanding passed between them.

April spoke up, “April Burnett, ma’am.”

Following April, she added, “Alexander Sakiyaki. Do you need it spelled?”

“You’re here every week Alex, I think I know how to spell your name.” Betty made that weird expression again as she filled out the paper in her clipboard, “You can go on back, you know the way.”

Laughing, she raced April through the halls to her mother’s room. Reaching the door, they stopped to catch their breaths and compose themselves before knocking on the thick white door.

“Come in!” a voice, a bit rough, but still musical, called.

While April walked in calmly, with a bit of bounce in her step, Jo ran in full speed and jumped to hug the woman sitting in the armchair by the window.

“Mama!” she shouted, laughing as she was peppered in kisses.

“Alex, April, hello darlings!”

April waved, a grin splitting across her face. “Hi Aunt Kyoko! Happy mother’s day!”

Scoffing, Kyoko opened her arms more, bringing April into her hug as well.

From her place tucked into her mother’s side, Jo spoke up, “We brought you some things!” Sitting up, she grabbed the flower vase and card from April, and presented them to Kyoko with a flourish, at the same time as April with the box.

“Thank you, darlings!” Opening the card, a pile of glitter fell on the Asian woman’s lap to reveal the classic slogan of the holiday. After reading the card and admiring the flowers, she opened the box.

“Look! They’re cookies! We decorated them ourselves!” April pointed at the cookies, half covered in glitter and mermaid scale like designs, one with a shaky Japanese character written on it, and one, pristine, almost perfect flower. “Uncles James and Leo did that one.”

“They’re wonderful!” Kyoko said. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, “To be honest, I like yours the best.”

April and Jo beamed.

“How did you and Papa get married?” Jo asked, out of the blue.

“Let me tell you a story.”

April and Jo sat expectantly at Kyoko’s feet, star struck as she began her story.

“Many years ago, at a museum in Paris, was my first ever art show as a professional. I was bored out of my skull, having to talk to so many stuffy business people. Then, I met a man who was charming, funny, nice, and incredibly good looking. I asked him out to lunch, and he complied. At said lunch, I confessed to him that my parents (who were pretty famous business people in Japan, at the time) were expecting me to marry a nice, rich MAN so I could continue the Sakiyaki familial line. I continued with the fact that, as a lesbian woman, I had no plan to do so. The man laughed, and added in he was gay, with a partner back in America. We quickly became friends, so when my parents pressured me into getting married, I married him, with consent from his boyfriend. A year later, I had a baby, a small boy with a head full of hair and very long fingers, that we named Alexander Hiroki Sakiyaki. Then, we got divorced so your Papa could marry Dad, but we still lived together because we were best friends, like you two. The end.”

After a few moments of silence, April blurted out, “You went to Paris? Did you meet Emilie Agreste, the famous actress?”

About an hour later, Kyoko was teaching April how to draw while Jo worked on a project.

Hearing a small bang, then an ouch, Kyoko looked at her child.

“Alex, love, what are you doing?”

“No! You can’t see yet, It‘s a surprise!” Jo leaned over her project, glaring at her mother. “You’ll get to see when you come home! When is that gonna be?”

“Saturday, love. The doctors say I’ll be well enough to go home then!”

Cheering, April and Jo jumped up, bouncing around the room in a hug.

“Mama’s coming home on Saturday!” was all anyone passing by heard.

Two days Later, 2014

It had been a nice day, sunny and not too warm, to get prepared for Kyoko’s move back to the house. Leo and James cleaned and redecorated her bedroom while Jo ran around finishing her project for her mother.

Nice until the phone rang, at least.

Jo watched silently as Leo answered the phone.

“Hello? Yes, this is him. Oh...oh my god.” her heart froze as the normally so composed man’s hand went to his mouth and tears filled his eyes. “Yes, I’ll tell him. And Alan and April, they deserve to know too. Email me the papers and I can send them to you.” hanging up the phone, her father just stood there, hand over his mouth. Sighing, he bent down to Jo’s level and took her hand.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but mama won’t be coming home this Saturday, or any Saturday.”

“Friday?” Jo asked, her heart still frozen.

“No. She’ll be coming home never, love.”

Her eyes widening, Jo dropped her Papa’s hand and walked to the door in a sort of daze. “Nope, nope, nope, nope...”

Now halfway down the long driveway, she startled when her dad picked her straight up off the ground.

“I’m so sorry, buddy.”

She buried her face in her dad’s suit jacket and cried.

Present Day

“Jo! Jo! Jo! Jo!”

A voice broke her out of her thoughts. Ripley’s voice, presumably, as the small girl bounced in the seat behind her.

“Where are we going? Is it somewhere fun? Is it-” The blue haired ball of energy was cut off by Jen, who had placed a hand over Ripley’s mouth.

“Why don’t you leave Jo alone, Ripley? The place we’re going is not fun, it means a lot to Jo.” Jo looked at Jen, then, silently thanking her. “Also, we’re here.”

Once the Roanokes, Jen, and Ripley’s parents were out of the van, Jo started down the familiar path that she had walked on this day for the past six years. Her dads falling into step with her, with April holding her hand tightly, Jo spoke up.

“It’s my mom’s birthday. I want you to meet her.”

“If we’re meeting here, why are we in a graveyard?” Ripley had broken free from her mother’s grasp, and was now bounding along behind Jo.

She heard Mal and Molly go to shush the 12-year-old, but waved them off.

“We’re in a graveyard because she died a few years ago. When I was seven.” she looked down after her statement, kicking at rocks on the path as a silence fell over the group.

“We’re here.”

Her mum’s grave wasn’t anything fancy, just her name, years she lived, and an engraving of her favourite flower on a basic stone tombstone.

After a few moments of silence as the rest of the Roanokes digested this information, Molly spoke up.

“I bet she was amazing.”

“She was. She would have liked you guys.”

“She taught me how to draw, how to be a good investigator, and how to use a sword. She was the greatest.” Jo sniffed, fighting back tears as April grabbed her hand and guided her to sit down in front of the tombstone.

“I bet, wherever she is now, she’s smiling at you, glad her beautiful daughter has such good friends.” her dad said, placing a hand on her shoulder (the most he could do, with all the Roanokes hugging Jo at the same time).

Tears freely dripping down her face now, Jo nodded slightly.

Maybe it wasn’t okay. But it would be.

//END//

A few things explained for clarity:

The idea behind Jo’s mom being said to go home on one day but not doing so was shamelessly taken from My Neighbor Totoro.

This is in the same universe as Miraculous Ladybug, but only because I don’t know of any famous french people besides musicians.

This was completely un-beta’d, so if there are any mistakes they are all mine.

I based the years off of this present year, hence Jo’s mom dying when she was seven, in 2014. Jo in this fic is 13, as one of the writers for Lumberjanes has stated the only one with a concrete age is Ripley (12), but all the other girls are somewhere in between 12-14. 

Jo’s deadname is entirely headcanon.

Thanks for reading my long, rambling thoughts!

XO,

Nath

[a-damson-in-distress]

The Protégé 3

Pairing: MadaSaku

Plot: In search of a new cellist for his prestigious orchestra, an infamously feared maestro stumbles upon a young rising star.

Note: I pray to Baby Jesus that none of you were ever in an orchestra, because I have no idea if what Madara says towards the end sounds even remotely like conductor-talk. I do still know what a bunch of the terms mean form my time as a pianist, but again, I was never in an orchestra and I have no idea if a conductor would use them this way. Also, I kind of sort of perpetuated myself in this chapter, or at least my office number lol. 3.201 is the number of my own office at university and the way Madara describes it (”all the rooms are labelled” etc) is a literal word-for-word copy of how I describe the way to my office when I’ve got people coming in for an appointment. 

And last but not least, here are the links to the pieces mentioned in the chapter: Brian Tyler - Sleight of Hand and Ludovico Einaudi - The Taranta Project . Introductio ad Regnum Tarantulae, Choros, and Taranta are my personal favourites of Einaudi’s album, but I posted a link to the entire album, because it is A.MA.ZINGGGG. If you only want to check out the three songs mentioned, you should search for the songs separately though instead of listening to the album version I posted above, because some of the recordings on the album are live versions and the studio recordings simply sound better.

I’m suuuuuuuuuuuuuper excited to hear your opinion on this chapter as well as the music. None of my friends or family like the sort of music that I incorporate in this story, so I’m incredibly excited to share these pieces with you and anyway asoiwjefoijsdf so yeah, bye.

Sakura was standing in front of the mirror in her hotel room scrutinising her seventh outfit. She was supposed to be at Mr Uchiha’s office at the New National Theatre in two hours, and she had already spent the last 45 minutes deciding what to wear. She couldn’t for the life of her come up with a decent look, since the majority of her wardrobe was very girly, all bright colours, soft lace, and flower prints. Given her fashion sense – or lack thereof, Sakura never thought that she would ever regret not owning a lot of stylish and sleek pieces. In the past, she never felt the need to buy formal and impressionable clothing, since the orchestra provided that for her whenever they were required to dress a certain way for public appearances. But now, Sakura would kill for a nice pant suit, or at least a blouse that didn’t have this person is clearly colour blind written all over it.

Groaning in frustration, the young cellist slipped out of her pastel pink dress and turned to the myriad of clothes strewn across her bed. Her gaze landed on a white shirt her friends had gifted her when she was sixteen years old, right after winning the first Grand Prize at the Rostropovitch Cello Competition. The shirt showed a picture of her instrument in the middle with the words Cello: Everyone Else Is Accompaniment below it. Sakura smiled at the memory. She loved that shirt, and she loved all of her other clothes as well. She felt most comfortable in dresses and skirts and pretty little tops with unicorns and ice cream cones and flowers on them.

But she couldn’t turn up to a meeting with one of the world’s greatest conductors looking like she burped sunshine and farted rainbows.

As she went through her pieces of clothing looking for something more mature or at least subtler, Sakura thought back to the email Mr Uchiha had sent her two weeks ago. He always seemed so poised and mature and suave, even in his correspondence. In the maestro’s presence – physical or digital – Sakura always felt like a naïve little schoolgirl asking her strict and intimidating headmaster for directions to the cafeteria. Thinking back to what she had written, she felt incredibly stupid for asking him what to do next. But then his reply came through, and Sakura couldn’t have been happier.

 Dear Ms Haruno,

at the risk of sounding smug, I have to say you made the right decision. But then again, I expected nothing less from you. As for what happens next – there’s no need to worry, I will take of everything for you. Allow me to lead the way. I am your maestro now, after all.

 Sincerely,

Madara Uchiha

 Sakura got his reply at 1:20 in the morning and naturally, she was so over the moon she didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. Luckily, the following days went by in a blur. She had to sign lots of paperwork for Kyoto Concert Hall, find a new tenant for her flat, answer a bunch of emails from a bunch of strangers from the New National Theatre, go to a total of four farewell-parties organised by her former orchestra’s musicians, and finally say goodbye to her beloved Maestro Senju.

In the meantime, Mr Uchiha had booked her a flight to Tokyo and a hotel room in which she was free to stay for a few weeks while looking for a place to live in the capital city.

Now, two weeks later, Sakura was about to sign the contract that would change her life.

But first, she needed to change her outfit.

Madara saw her walk up the grand staircase, eyes wide with wonder, soaking up the modern and sleek architecture of the New National Theatre. The architect had worked with glass a lot and had installed windows and glass walls wherever he could, so the entire building was bathed in a natural light.  Everything was understated and subtle, yet tasteful and aesthetic at the same time – all pastel colours and typical Japanese minimalism.

Amidst the rather chiselled, sophisticated, and mature look of the theatre, the young cellist stood out like a sore thumb with her bubblegum-pink hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, her white camisole top with lace applications, and the dark-green culotte pants, which she tied above her waist with a pretty little bow.

Madara decided to give her another moment to savour the view while he retreated to his office. He glanced at his watch and noted with satisfaction that she was over-punctual. She still had fifteen minutes to spare before their scheduled meeting, which gave him another fifteen minutes to force all the inappropriate teasing he thought of when he saw her to the back of his mind. Though Madara had thoroughly enjoyed rattling Ms Haruno during their previous encounter, he had to be absolutely professional now – this time he was in his territory, after all, and he had a reputation to uphold. Namely that of a tough and relentless hard-ass conductor, who didn’t feel a thing at the sight of some young musician’s awe-struck eyes staring up at him as if he were her personal god and saviour.

The maestro took a seat at his desk, turned on his speakers, and opened the playlist he created for the upcoming tour. Clicking on the desired music file, he let the sound of Ludovico Einaudi’s Taranta envelop his office as he started jotting down notes on the corresponding sheet music.

Einaudi’s Taranta Project was one of the more experimental parts of the repertoire he was planning for the tour. Frankly, he would not have even included it if Ms Haruno had not agreed to join his ensemble. The compositions Madara chose featured a strong focus on strings, and he simply couldn’t imagine his orchestra performing such avant-garde pieces without a cellist who showed the same level of passion and eagerness to experiment as the composer himself.

The conductor was torn from his thoughts when he heard a knock on his office door. He lowered the volume of the song to a barely audible minimum and summoned her in.

Madara watched his principal cellist open the door and hesitantly step into the room. Her gaze roamed around his spacious office for a second before resting on him.

“Ms Haruno, welcome to Tokyo,” he said as he walked around his desk to approach her.

The maestro noted another blush tainting her cheeks before she stretched out her hand to shake his. “Thank you, Mr Uchiha. You have no idea how excited I am to be here.”

As he gestured for her to take a seat on the grey leather sofa, Madara heard her ask, “That was from The Taranta Project, wasn’t it? Is Einaudi going to be part of our tour programme?” Madara leaned back in the armchair to Sakura’s right and crossed one leg over the other. “That depends. How do you feel about opening with Choros?” He watched her eyes sparkle with excitement.

“I love that idea. But if you decide to perform the entire album, we could open with Introductio and just stick to Einaudi’s original order. It’s softer than Choros and would also set a better mood for Taranta. Though Choros would be more appropriate if you want to go with a darker, more mature concert.”

Madara narrowed his eyes and stared at the pinkette with a pensive gaze. How could someone so seemingly shy and unobtrusive hide so much excitement, passion, and energy? The way her eyes lit up at the mention of Einaudi’s pieces and the way she enthusiastically talked about the things she loved made Madara decide to ask her about her opinion more often. When she realised he wasn’t answering, her eyes widened in shock and she quickly clasped a hand over her mouth, before lowering it just enough to allow herself to speak. “I’m so sorry, Mr Uchiha. I didn’t mean to criticise your choices or tell you what to do. I-I just… got carried away with the excitement and everything,” she stammered, fixing her gaze on her lap before letting out a shaky breath. “I’m really nervous, in case you didn’t realise.”

The maestro studied the cellist for another moment, before murmuring, “Why are you nervous, Ms Haruno?”

She slowly raised her head again to look at him, and Madara had to actively restrain himself from staring at her teeth nervously biting her bottom lip. Instead, he watched her pull a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

“Because… it’s you,” she breathed weakly.

Well, that piqued his interest.

“Care to elaborate, Ms Haruno?”

The young cellist turned her gaze away from him, now resting on her lap again where she was watching her fingers play with the ends of the ribbon she tied above her waist. “Well… it’s probably silly to you, but you’re… you’re sort of my favourite conductor and a huge role model and just – I don’t know, being in the same room with you freaks me out, let alone the thought of playing in your orchestra. Not – not freak out in a bad way,” she fixed him with a frantic gaze, hands waving in front of her in defence, “I’m not saying I’m so freaked out I can’t perform in your presence, just like – you know, a nervous and excited sort of freak out, the sort that makes you annoyingly self-conscious and turns you into a giant perfectionist, because you desperately want to please your idol, and so…,” Sakura let out a long sigh and turned her head away in embarrassment, before laughing anxiously, “and now I need to stop rambling. Anyway, I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes with my suggestions about Einaudi’s album.”

As soon as she stopped talking and started biting her lip again instead, Madara had to remind himself to keep calm. He found her adorable in a harmless sort of way when she was nervous and flustered, but when she was biting her lip, she instantly became a danger to his sanity and his firm conviction that hooking up with one of his orchestra’s musicians was a terrible idea.

The raven-haired conductor cleared his throat to force himself out of his inappropriate line of thought and asserted, “You have nothing to worry about, Ms Haruno. I wasn’t offended by your remarks in the slightest. To be honest, I was simply astonished at first, since none of my musicians usually dare to speak their mind or give me suggestions on anything. It was a pleasant surprise, though. I think I should ask for your opinion more often.”

The pinkette’s shoulders visibly relaxed as her lips spread into a grateful smile, and Madara noted with satisfaction that he was the put who put it there.

“Now, before you meet with our lawyer to sign the contract, I wanted to give you the chance to talk things through, answer any questions you might have. I believe you had enough time to read through it all. Was there anything you’d like to discuss with me?”

“Um, yes, actually. Though not so much about the contract per se, that was probably the most precise contract ever drafted. But um,” he watched Ms Haruno lick her lips with such a fascination as if he were witnessing the birth of Jesus Christ himself, “I did have a few questions about the repertoire and the pieces you’re considering for the tour. I noticed there were a few compositions for a string quartet with a heavy focus on the cello, even some cello solos. I was just wondering if it’s maybe a bit early for me to be featured so heavily. I am the youngest member of your ensemble, after all, with the least amount of experience. I’m basically a rookie compared to your other musicians.”

“Let me assure you, Ms Haruno, that you are by no means a rookie in my orchestra. None of my musicians think that, especially not me. And I would never assign you anything if I wasn’t absolutely certain you could rise up to it.”

The doubtful look in her eyes didn’t waver. “I believe you, and I really appreciate your confidence in me. It’s just – I’m worried that I might get off on the wrong foot with the others if I get so much attention right from the beginning. Maestro Senju didn’t give me a solo piece until I was with the orchestra for a year, and even then, some people got really jealous and upset. I just want a smooth start without any bad blood.”

Of course, Madara mused, he sensed there was a deeper reason behind her uncertainty. He knew that she knew how good she was and that she could perform those solo pieces in her sleep. Her hesitance had nothing to do with her doubting her musical prowess, but everything to do with her kind disposition, almost too kind for something so competitive and cut-throat as Japan’s classical music scene.

Madara decided then that it was good he had taken such a liking to her. The cellist was right – if she wasn’t careful, his musicians would eat her for breakfast. Lucky for her, the big bad wolf of a conductor harboured a teeny-tiny musical crush on her.

“Ms Haruno, you are the only person in my ensemble that I have personally pursued. Everybody else had to audition, but not you, because that’s just how good you are. I’m not going to leave you unnoticed in the background, that would be a waste of and insult to your talent. That being said, the tour programme isn’t finalised yet, so we can talk about changing bits and pieces, depending on how well our rehearsals go. But if I’m satisfied with your performance, you will take centre stage. And if anybody has a problem with that,” Madara was just about to finish his sentence with they can come to me but refrained from doing so when he realised how inappropriately possessive it sounded. “Then you should just be happy about the fact that older and more experienced musicians feel so threatened by someone so young. If anything, their jealousy is a compliment. Trust me, knowing you’re better than others is a great confidence boost,” the conductor added with a smug grin.

Her melodious laughter echoed through his office which only made his smirk widen. When she calmed down, the pink-haired musician started biting her lip again, this time probably to stop herself from grinning. After another moment where Madara allowed himself to simply enjoy her carefree happiness, he added with gentle encouragement, “Seriously, Ms Haruno, don’t worry about what others think of you. Our profession was and always will be highly competitive, and you will always make enemies no matter how kind you are or how many cookies you bake for your colleagues. Don’t ever allow other people’s inferiority complex to rain on your parade.” Madara looked at her intently, his eyes softening as he murmured, “You’re too good for that.”

A deep blush spread across her face, and her doe-like eyes stared up at him with that look of wonder and admiration that made him want to shower her with compliments, if only she would keep looking at him that way. If he hadn’t known any better, Madara could have sworn her gaze rested on his lips for a split second before meeting his eyes again.

The maestro had to physically force himself to look away. It got increasingly difficult to remain professional with all the adorable blushing and fidgeting. Here he was, a 39-year-old man who loved old Scotch, vintage cars, self-assured women, and everything else that was ripe and mature in this world. And yet this young naïve little thing who was so nervous she was basically shaking in his presence, staring up at him like a lost lamb looking for shelter, stirred up a protective instinct in him he never knew he had.

Change of subject, Madara reminded himself. Right fucking now.

“Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, Ms Haruno?”

Please say no, please say no, please say no, please say –

“Yes.”

Fuck.

The conductor raised an expectant eyebrow while forcing his expression to relax in an effort to mask his internal struggle. He wanted her to stay for all the wrong reasons, so he needed her to leave for all the right ones.

“About your list of rules,” Sakura started off hesitantly.

Dear God, please don’t mention rule number five.

The fingers of Madara’s right hand dug into the armrest as he prepared himself for the worst.

“There was this one part where it said that you as the conductor choose our concert outfits. I was just wondering what fabric the clothes were made of. Because Maestro Senju tried it with velvet pant suits once and we all got a horrible rash, supposedly because of some chemicals they used to dye the fabric. I know it’s silly and fabrics should be the least of your worries, but honestly, the rash was so annoying we had serious trouble concentrating on our performance. So I just wanted to make sure the clothes are… you know, normal.”

Madara released a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, and his fingers relaxed their grip on the leather of the armrest.

“I don’t know what fabric they’re made of, but I know it’s not velvet, and I know nobody has ever gotten a rash or experienced any other bad reactions. But don’t worry, everybody wears their concert outfits for the dress rehearsal, so should you feel uncomfortable in any way, we can still make adjustments before the actual concert.”

A small smile spread across her lips, and she nodded in finality. “Great, thank you. Then that would be all for my part.”

He replied with a nod of his own and stood up from his armchair. As Madara lead the cellist to his office door, he reminded her of her next appointment, “You’ll see our lawyer Mr Hatake next. He’ll go through the contract with you and answer any legal questions you might have. His office is on the third floor, in the Legal Department, room number 3.201. All the rooms are labelled and have door signs, so you really can’t miss him.”

The pinkette shot him another grateful smile. Madara offered his hand and when she took it, he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Welcome to the jungle, Ms Haruno.”

The conductor opened the door of his office and sent her away with a devilish grin.

“So you’re my boyfriend’s replacement, huh?”

Sakura looked up from her sheet music and was met with the face of a gorgeous blonde staring her down with a haughty look.

“Excuse me?”

Sakura took in the person in front of her and realised then she was also holding a cello case. The blonde stepped closer and took a seat right next to her.

“Shikamaru Nara. He was our principal cellist,” the musician explained while opening her case.

“Oh,” it dawned on Sakura. Of course. Some of her former orchestra’s musicians had hinted that the only reason Maestro Uchiha was able to take on a new cellist was because he kicked out the last one.

“You must hate me now, too, huh?” Sakura shot her fellow cellist a half-hearted apologetic smile.

The blonde to her left scoffed. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because I took away your boyfriend’s seat in the orchestra. You could have still played together.”

“Please,” the woman made a dismissive gesture with her hand, “that idiot was never coming back.”

Sakura looked at her incredulously and prodded, “So you don’t hate me?”

The blonde cellist shot her an amused grin, which immediately released some of the tension Sakura was feeling. “I don’t hate you, silly. It’s not like you were actively involved in getting him kicked out. And the Maestro was bound to replace him at some point. So relax, no hard feelings.”

The pinkette laughed awkwardly before offering her hand. “I’m Sakura Haruno. It’s nice to finally meet another cellist of the ensemble.”

A smile tugged on the blonde’s lips as she shook her hand. “I’m Temari Sabakuno. Welcome to Tokyo.”

“Thanks. By the way, what did you mean with your boyfriend wasn’t coming back? I assume every musician would fight tooth and nail for a place in Maestro Uchiha’s orchestra.”

“Not this idiot of a musician,” Temari scoffed while adjusting her endpin. “To be honest, we were kind of hoping to get caught. We were both tired of sneaking around, and Shikamaru was already looking for an excuse to quit. He’s not the most ambitious person, you know, so he wasn’t planning on staying much longer.”

“Why didn’t you leave with him?”

“Because unlike him, I don’t want to stare at clouds all day. I want to conquer the world,” the cellist proclaimed with a proud grin. “No but seriously, I really did want to stay. Maestro Uchiha gave us a choice – either break up and stay in the orchestra or one of us leaves. It was a no-brainer, really. I still get to do what I love with one of the world’s greatest orchestras, and Shikamaru can just chill.”

Sakura felt a smile tugging on her lips. Even though Temari was a virtual stranger, for some weird reason, she was still happy that everything worked out well for the both of them and that – most importantly – the blonde didn’t hold a grudge against Sakura.

That was at least one person in the orchestra who was nice to her so far. The pinkette’s gaze roamed around and took in the many musicians scurrying around the stage and readying themselves for the rehearsal. Some of them had introduced themselves, others only smiled and nodded in her general direction. And then there were those who didn’t even deem her worthy enough of a single glance. A part of Sakura felt shunned, and yet another – albeit smaller part – proud. As Maestro Uchiha had said, everybody else in his ensemble was so much older and so much more experienced than her. What did it say about them if they felt threatened about someone so young?

Not that she needed a lot of encouraging from her conductor – she knew she deserved her place in his orchestra – but for some reason, being praised and complimented by Maestro Uchiha felt so much better than being praised by anybody else, even her previous conductor. Sakura couldn’t wait to show his entire orchestra what she’s got and to prove to her Maestro that he made the right decision in choosing her.

The chatter suddenly quieted down as their conductor entered the stage.

Sakura noticed that her Maestro had a penchant for wearing three-piece suits in dark colours. He never failed to uphold the suave and refined appearance he was known for, though sometimes he would discard his suit jacket and roll up his sleeves for a more relaxed look, like he did for rehearsal today.

The pink-haired cellist had to remind herself not to stare too much. Her Maestro was illegally handsome, but he was still her Maestro.

He tapped his baton against his music stand twice to signal the whispering flautists to quiet down. Once he had everyone’s attention, he let his cold and calculating gaze roam through the rows of musicians who were all expectantly looking up at him. It was clear to Sakura that Maestro Uchiha demanded everyone’s undivided attention and that he had no problem commanding each and every one of this 73 musicians with nothing but silence and a good old-fashioned intimidating stare.

“Before we start with our first rehearsal for the upcoming tour, allow me to address the elephant in the room. As you all know by now, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra has got a new member as of this April. Ms Sakura Haruno joined us from Kyoto Concert Hall and will fill in our vacant spot of principal cellist.”

Maestro Uchiha’s eyes rested on her for a fleeting second as he spoke her name. Gone was the teasing and relaxed conductor she talked to in his office four days ago.

This was not Mr Uchiha.

This was Maestro Uchiha.

Calculating, in control, and completely in his element.

“Now, let’s show Ms Haruno how well we can all work together. We’re starting with Brian Tyler. Everybody take out your sheet music for Sleight of Hand. Strings, I want you to remember the sudden crescendo at the beginning. Flautists, I want to hear a seamless transition from staccato to legato between the fourth and fifth bar. Once Ms Haruno begins her pizzicato in the seventeenth bar, I want the violinists pianissimo as well as Mr Uzumaki with the xylophones in the eighteenth bar.”

This was it, Sakura thought excitedly. She usually never felt such a thrill during rehearsals, only at concerts. But this was a rehearsal under Maestro Uchiha. She felt goosebumps spread across the entirety of her skin as she readied herself and her instrument. Glancing up at her new Maestro, she caught his intense gaze. He gave her the slightest hint of a smile.

And then, he raised his baton.

“From the top.”

[and-then-yoi-happened]

As I promised in my follower celebration post, I wanted to spread some love through a fic rec post! And now I finally came around to make it! ＼( ˵´ ♡｀˵)／

I’m sorry for not going into detail what I loved about them here or leave comments here, because I’m trying to keep the post’s length under control. All of these 17 fics (and 2 comics) deserve a commentary and a detailed recommendation post of their own and I hope I’ll find the time to do that for all of them one day.

Please share this post (and the love), so more people can see the recommendations. Also if you start reading some of these, please consider leaving the writers a Kudos and maybe even a comment. We writers love feeling recognised and cherished! It motivates us to write on ♡ The order in which I name the fics is random.

My Top Three Favourite Fics (all Multi-Chapters):

Listen, I love all three of them so much. I binge read them all when I found them. They all made me feel so many things and I might have cried now and then while reading any of them (for different reasons). Those are fics I would reread - I don’t even know how often. They are just so incredibly well done.

Empty Spaces Between Stars (WIP) by astudyinrose [ E | creator choose not to use archive warnings (mind the notes to the chapters!) | Victuuri | canon universe / AU canon divergence / fake relationship AU | 17/? | 185k ] Summary: Victor gets just as drunk as Yuuri at the Sochi Banquet, and they disappear together after the dance-offs. They wake up the morning after with rings on their fingers, and pictures of them kissing after getting married the night before are all over the tabloids... but neither of them remembers a thing. They decide to stay married for a while for the sake of Victor's sponsorships, and in exchange, Victor coaches Yuuri through nationals...

Dance of the Red Death by Strange and Intoxicating -rsa- [ M | no archive warnings (no MCD, despite the story dealing with AIDS, so read the FAQ and the tags first!) | Victuuri | canon universe / AU canon divergence | 11/11 | 80k ] Summary: Find something to live for.Viktor Nikiforov loved too much. What begins as a cough morphs into something that takes the shape of an unseen monster hiding in his very blood.  With the Russian government scrambling to sweep under the rug the worst of a crisis that's been thirty-five years in the making and a society that sees his disease as a death sentence, Viktor is left with figuring out his own way to survive.It starts as a way to escape— a youtube video of music and color and light, but quickly becomes something he never expected when Yuri Katsuki teaches him that surviving is not living. Yuri teaches him that living is taking the jump into unknown and accepting all that comes with it.This is not a story of anger. This is not a story of fear. This is not even a story of pain. This is a 21st Century love overcoming the obstacles of the 20th Century's politics of fear.This is a story of life. Complete + Epilogue + FAQ

Come Out of Hiding (I’m Right Here Beside You) by osaki_nana_707 [ M/E (not rated by the author) | creator choose not to use archive warnings (check the tags & notes!) | Victuuri | Music AU / Actors AU / Broadway AU | 33/33 | 84k ] Summary: After forgetting the words to his song during a vocal competition as a teenager, Yuuri Katsuki decided singing was not for him. Instead he went to NYU to study English. He never expected Viktor Nikiforov, Broadway star extraordinaire looking to direct his first production on the stage, would ever find his up-and-coming lead... in him.

Humour/Comedy (oneshots):

All of them brought me to tears, made me wheeze and lose my voice completely - that’s how much I had to laugh. If you have difficulties with second-hand embarrassment and it ruins the fun for you, then maybe skip “Bottom’s Up”.

Nikiforov’s Law by LavenderProse [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | CSI AU | 8.1k ] Summary: “I’m a garbage monster,” Yuuri tells Phichit, staring at Viktor through the glass walls of the lab. Viktor has not been in the same room with him since what the denizens of the lab are now calling The Belle Isle Incident. “He looks at me and he thinks dumpster decomp and swamp. I hate my life.” “You’re a very pretty garbage monster,” says Phichit, watching a centrifuge work. “A garbage monster he wants to fuck.” Yuuri Katsuki is a dime a dozen CSI with the Detroit Crime Lab who has never had a conversation with Detective Viktor Nikiforov that did not end in disaster. He's beginning to think that the entire universe is conspiring to make him a fool in front of handsome blond detectives. The universe is doing nothing to prove him wrong.

The Unknown Unknown by opalish [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | Superhero AU | 7.4k ] Summary: Yuuri never meant to become a supervillain.  These things just happen to him.

Night is Young and the Music’s High by opalish [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | post canon | 3k ] Summary: “Best press conference ever,” the Japanese Nationals silver medalist says when asked.  “Ten out of ten, would medal again.” “I would die for Katsuki-kun,” Minami declares, with terrifying sincerity.

The Katsulanont Guide To Life (series of oneshots) by xylophones [ G/T | no warnings | Yuuri & Phichit (friendship) | pre canon | 4.2k / 3k ] Summary: College life shenanigans brought to you by Yuuri and Phichit!

Bottom’s Up by lucycamui and cryingoverspilledvodka [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | Sochi GPF banquet | 3.3k ] Summary: At the Grand Prix banquet, Victor’s been asked to sign an autograph for a very enthusiastic fan. Unfortunately, there’s a distinct lack of paper around. Fortunately, Yuuri has a suggestion. Alternatively titled, “Ever Seen An Ass So Fine You Had To Sign It ‘Mine’? or "Autograph Me (Wherever You’d Like)”

Canon Universe (oneshots): 

Here’s some Fluff-therapy coming your way ღゝ◡╹ )ノ♡

Pink Leopard Print Pajamas by thishasbeencary [ G | no warnings | Victor & Yuri P. (friendship) | pre canon / developing friendship / cute tiny Yura and Victor fluff | 3.3k ] Summary: Yakov told Viktor that he had to socialize with more skaters. He didn't mean the ones who were too young to even compete as juniors. But he wasn't going to stop his top skater from inviting ten-year-old Yuri Plisetsky over to spend the night. He just... sort of thought that Yuri would refuse.

The Boy Who Watched by Rosie_Rues [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | pre canon | 12.5k ] Summary: Despite the fact they've been competing in the same competitions for years, Victor Nikiforov doesn't meet Katsuki Yuuri until the Sochi Grand Prix Final. On the other hand, there's a boy who's been watching him for years and Victor's desperate to know his name.In which Victor pines, everybody drinks too much, and Yakov deserves a sainthood for putting up with these idiots. Basically, it's a decade's worth of near misses, misunderstandings, and pure obliviousness.

Something So Wholesome About You by crossroadswrite [ G | no warnings | Victuuri | canon divergence AU / Vicchan lives | 3.5k ] Summary: It was supposed to be his year. He was supposed to-Celestino stops talking and squeezes his shoulder. Yuuri looks up at him, opens his mouth to say something when someone says his name. He freezes, holds his breath for a full second against the painfully familiar voice, not daring to hope. Then, very slowly, he turns towards the source, eyes going wide with disbelieve. “Mari?” (Or: in which Vicchan lives, Yuuri doesn't quite fail and doesn't quite get drunk, but manages to accidentally woo Victor Nikiforov anyway.)

The Way to a Man’s Heart-Shaped Smile by La_Temperanza [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | post canon | 6.1k ] Summary: In fact, it’s probably faster to list the foods that Viktor doesn’t like than all the ones he does. Except, Yuuri realizes one evening after he and Viktor are sharing a platter of gyoza and play-fighting for the last one--which Viktor wins, only because he cheated by tickling Yuuri’s ribs--he doesn’t know the answer to that, leaving a huge gaping hole in his Viktor Nikiforov database.This obviously needs to be rectified. (Or the one where Yuuri seduces Viktor with food without realizing it.)

Alternate Universe settings (oneshots):

A wild mix, but all are highly recommended!

Duetto Appassionato by astudyinrose [ E | creator chose not to use archive warnings | Victuuri | classical music AU / musician AU | 9.9k ] Summary: Yuuri Katsuki, 23, has been the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s ace pianist for the past two years. Victor Nikiforov, violinist extraordinaire and living legend of the orchestral world, is the guest soloist for the DSO’s winter series. He asks Yuuri to play a duet he composed, titled On Love: Eros. Basically, this is shameless smutty musician au one shot (it was supposed to be a PWP, but I couldn’t resist adding in some plot) based on the Yuri!!! On Concert art that just came out. Enjoy!

Puppy Love by minsyah [ T | no warnings | Victuuri | neighbors AU / meet-cute | 15.7k ] Summary: Vicchan has a crush on their neighbor across the balcony, and so does his owner. Yuuri, certified Dog-Dad™, will do anything for his beloved poodle—even if that means constantly embarrassing himself in front of his devastatingly attractive neighbor.

Send Your Cutest Delivery Boy by domokunrainbowkinz [ G | no warnings | Victuuri | college AU / meet-cute | 2.5k ] Summary: Victor orders pizza and puts "send your cutest delivery boy" in the special instructions box, and Domino's does, indeed, send their cutest delivery boy. Based off this.

If This City Will Bloom by RennieOnIceCream (Hitsugi_Zirkus) [ G | creator chose not to use archive warnings | Victuuri | magical realism / Flower Spirit!Yuuri | 9k ] Summary: “Viktor, do you know what cherry blossoms mean?” “What they mean?” Viktor tilts his head, surprised at the sudden question. “They can mean beauty. Or a good education. Cherry blossoms generally bloom around the time the new school year starts.” Yuuri’s eyes are unwavering on Viktor, and the colors shift in the dark irises again. “But they also mean impermanence.” Impermanence -- transient. Not lasting forever.The word sends a ripple of fear through Viktor. (Or, the story where Viktor accidentally brings home a cherry blossom spirit from Japan, and his life and heart are turned upside-down.)

A Midwinter Night’s Dream (part one of a series, I’m still praying it gets continued) by persephoneggsy [ G | no warnings | Victuuri | fairy AU / fantasy AU | 7.1k ] Summary: Victor Nikiforov, Prince of the Fae Realm, meets a young blue fairy and thinks nothing of it. But then the years pass, and he meets him again.

Comics:

Because why not?!

My Reasons (WIP) by adreamorasong-art [ T (maybe E in the future) | no warnings | Victuuri | canon compliant / canon retelling ] This is an amazing comic series by my friend Mari. She draws in realistic style and completely retells season 1 (with added, missing scenes).

Bright Star by butleronice [ G | MCD (but apparently not what one would think) | Victuuri | galactic AU ] There is an accompanying fic. (I haven’t read that one yet.) Summary: Yuuri is a star, sparkling brilliantly in some far reaches of the galaxy. One day, his lonely life is changed, when a dazzling and brilliant comet enters his orbit.

Unfortunately I barely had time to read anything lately and my to-read list is... scaringly long by now. I’m thinking of making a similar post to this one, but with fics that I can’t wait to read! Anyway, you can find even more fics in my ao3 bookmarks, which I use to recommend fics. If you want to, you’re more than welcome to read my stuff as well. (ღ ´◡`)ノ♡

[lessattitudemorealtitude]

21 Things Tag Game

Thanks, @rebelsfromstars​ for the tag :)

Nickname: Don’t really have one. Well, there’s Lama, which is the acronym for this account, but not much else. Not gonna lie, in real life I wish people would call me AJ, but that’s not gonna happen X’D

Pets: There’s Wolfgang, my cat. He’s been my baby since I was 13. And my mom has just gotten a new puppy named Cäcilie, which you might have noticed, since I’ve posted some stuff about her on here. (Yes, all our pets are named after composers).

Height: 5′3″ ish

Last movie I saw: Does Bandersnatch count? It’s a strange ‘choose your own’ adventure black mirror thing on Netflix. It was... okay. Kinda railroaded you. Besides that, I just saw Into the Spider ‘Verse which I LOVED.

Last thing I googled: “Umlat a” (Yes, I literally just googled it to write out Cäcilie’s name properly. Also, I misspelled umlaut...)

Favorite musician: Honestly, I don’t really have one. I listen to Skillet a lot. Beethoven seems like too easy an answer...

Song stuck in my head: "Breath of Life” by Florence and the Machine

Other blogs: None 

Do I get asks? Occasionally. It’s pretty rare. 

Blogs following: 33

Amount of sleep: Sometimes I get 3, sometimes I get 10. Getting in between is rare. 

A show/book/game you’ll always love: Rebels, clearly. I actually have a lot of shows I re-watch regularly. Buffy, Angel, Bones, Supernatural, Avatar Last Airbender... 

What I’m wearing: Jeans and t-shirt

Dream Job: Writer. This stuff I do for fanfiction? If I could either write books for existing worlds or write my own fiction and reliably live off that income? I would gladly do that. 

Dream trip: I’d love to go back to Japan. Particularly Kyoto (Already been to Okinawa and Tokyo). I want to go with my husband. 

Favourite food: Sushi? Probably sushi...

Play any instrument: Piano, cello

Languages: English and a bit of Japanese. ペラペラじゃなくても会話をできます. And then bits of other languages. I always make a point to learn the basics of any country I go to. (So French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Finnish... Actually, Finnish is a lie. I could NOT get my mouth around those words...)

Favorite songs: Don’t really have any. There are a lot of songs I particularly enjoy, but nothing that sticks out from the crowd for me. 

Random Fact: Matlab sucks. Why can’t everyone just use R?

Describe yourself with aesthetics: ... I’m not gonna lie, I have no idea what that means.

I’m tagging: Hmm, rebelsfromstars already tagged a lot of people I talk to with any frequency. So let’s say @fraz3212, @roguelibrarian, @theangelofangst, and anyone else who wants to join in :)

[astrotranslations]

ASTRO for Marie Claire (2017 February Issue)

Cha Eunwoo

Greatest interests recently: Japanese, the drama <Goblin>, driver’s license Your favourite lyric amongst ASTRO’s songs: It’s a part from 'Fireworks'. 'I want to secretly leave a little memory on your cheeks that have flushed red'. They’re pretty lyrics which tug at your heartstrings. The drama of your life: <Rain Man>. My brother came to mind and I cried throughout as I watched the movie. A special habit: I bite at my fingernails when I get restless The member who possesses the charm you’d like to parallel: Moonbin. The charisma he shows off on stage is cool. If you were to express your personality in one word: Simple yet complicated Things you’ve got to be sure to bring along (with you) on the regular: Mobile, wallet, notebook, pen, glasses, contact lenses, cologne Your childhood dream: Prosecutor, judge, doctor, etc.. It changed frequently. What you would like to do today if tomorrow was the end of the world: After enjoying the last supper with my family, I want to find a spot in the remote countryside that will become my final resting place and then decorate it Recent cause of worry: Having failed the driver’s test Your hangout: The bathhouse at Seoulleung station A dish you’re confident of making: Instant noodles Phone wallpaper: ASTRO’s logo A place you want to really have a holiday at: New Caledonia Something I keep obsessing over unknowingly: View count on videos and digital ranking A recent moment where you felt the most happy: When I stand on stage, when I see myself on TV, when the people around me cheer me on Your life’s greatest escape: Having gone to watch a movie alone late at night not too long ago What you personally think of as your charming point: Honesty and earnestness. I’m also nice (laughs). An animal you think resembles you: A bear An aspect (of yourself) you’d like to fix: I think too much and I get cold feet Ideal type: A girl who’s wise and kind-hearted. Someone bright who makes me feel good when we’re together. If you were to go on a date on Valentine’s Day: I want to spend some alone time with her as we have fun camping in the peaceful forest Someone you want to see as of right now: My dad No.1 on your bucket list: Receiving 20 licenses

Yoon Sanha

Your first plan for the new year: Building my body. It’ll probably take a long time (laughs). Your favourite lyric amongst ASTRO’s songs: Lyrics from 'Star'. 'You’re in my millions of thoughts and even in my unclear future. You’re shining brightly in this moment too. Thank you for being my bright light.' A song you’ve been obsessed with lately: Crush’s Beautiful The person you’d like to meet in this lifetime: John Mayer. He plays the guitar really coolly. The musician you must keep up to date with: Ed Sheeran What you think you rank no.1 at amongst the members: Cuteness and beagle-ness, my skills in playing the guitar The member who possesses the charm you’d like to parallel: JinJin hyung who’s really considerate How you imagine ASTRO to be 10 years later: I dream that we become a team who performs worldwide Things you’ve got to be sure to bring along (with you) on the regular: Oriental medicine which I’ve been consuming lately A power you want to possess: The ability to stop time A job you think you would’ve landed if you hadn’t debuted: A guitarist or a composer When you last had a good laugh: I’m in fits of laughter all day when I’m with my members Recent cause of worry: Maybe because I’m experiencing puberty but I’m getting a lot of pimples on my face The menu you often order at a cafe: Strawberry smoothie, sweet potato latte A dish you’re confident of making: Rice with soy sauce A recent moment where you felt the most happy: When I welcomed the new year as a member of ASTRO What you’d like to do on your soon approaching birthday: I want to go to a ski resort. I’ve never gone skiing before. Presents you’d like to receive from your members: The latest computer model Your charming point: Cuteness and shamelessness A modifier you’d like to attach to ASTRO’s name: A team that makes you feel good by just looking at them What you fear of: Ghosts. I think I’d pass out if I bump into one. If you could have any three wishes granted: 10 billion dollars, an additional 50 wishes, fans’ health What you’d like to buy at some point of time: My own snazzy guitar, an electric kickboard Your reaction when you meet a girl who catches your fancy: I’ve never had that experience before but if one day I were to meet her, I don’t think I’d be able to take my eyes off of her

Rocky

Your favourite track amongst the songs you’ve released: 'Star' which was included in our 3rd album. I was happy being able to write the lyrics for the rap portion that will be incorporated into the song. Greatest interests recently: The anthology I’m currently reading. I happened to read it by chance but I’ve become absorbed into it. Thoughts you think of on stage: I want to connect with the audience and relish in the moment together A song you’ve been obsessed with lately: Akdong Musician’s album <WINTER> The drama of your life: <Step Up>. Watching the dancers inside the movie, I thought about how I wanted to live like that as well. The person you’d like to meet in this lifetime: The 25 year old me who has become a famous world star A peculiar habit: My skin’s on the dry side so before sleeping, I have to put on a facial mask, then apply cream and spray some mist for me to be able to go to sleep What has changed after debut: I think I’ve gotten ore cautious What you think you rank no.1 at amongst the members: Choreographing. I personally made the choreography for several released songs. What I do when the standby time drags on: I’d monitor our stages or I’d search for and watch performance stages from foreign artists How you imagine ASTRO to be 10 years later: I hope that at that point of time I’ll be with my members always enjoying ourselves no matter where we may be, just like now A power you want to possess: Spiderman’s abilities Your childhood dream: World star A job you think you would’ve landed if you hadn’t debuted: A dance teacher or a musical actor Your favourite food: Every dish my mum makes Food that you hate: The cucumber that goes inside kimball A place you want to really have a holiday at: If it’s a place with tons of gras then anywhere’s fine A recent moment where you felt the most happy: Fansigns Your charming point: Manliness An animal you think resembles you: Baby dinosaur An aspect (of yourself) you’d like to fix: My Gyeongsang-do dialect that sometimes pops out of nowhere Your reaction when you meet a girl who catches your fancy: I’ll be just smiling on the inside What you fear of: When I become lethargic Someone you want to see as of right now: Family

Moonbin

Your first plan for the new year: Building my body Your favourite lyric amongst ASTRO’s songs: 'I’m more excited when it’s the weather you like' from 'Colored' off our 3rd album Thoughts you think of on stage: Let’s enjoy to the best we can A song you’ve been obsessed with lately: Chainsmokers’ Closer The musician you must keep up to date with: Justin Bieber The person you’d like to meet in this lifetime: Usher A peculiar habit: I hit the side of my neck when I get flustered What you think you rank no.1 at amongst the members: Running and knowledge on history If you were to express your personality in one word: Fire. I get keyed up easily. Your childhood dream: A martial artist who uses swords Something I keep obsessing over unknowingly: Maintaining my muscles What you would like to do today if tomorrow was the end of the world: I’ll run straight to the house my family’s at and just as I usually would, I’ll loudly shout, "I’m home." The day you last cried: I was talking about how I felt at our mini live which was held not too long ago when I started to cry. Your hangout: Practice room Your own way of relieving stress: I exercise for an extended period of time Your favourite food: Kimchi stew A dish you’re confident of making: Pancake A place you want to really have a holiday at: Santorini, Greece What you fear of: Spiders, criticisms from people If you could have any three wishes granted: To be good at singing, making all the people I meet like me, becoming courageous enough that I don’t get cold feet no matter what it is that I’m facing What you’d like to buy at some point of time: An Iron Man suit Ideal type: Someone who eats well and smiles easily Your reaction when you meet a girl who catches your fancy: I’ll suddenly get quiet and I wouldn’t be able to make eye contact If you were to go on a date on Valentine’s Day: We’d watch a movie then swing by a delicious bakery No.1 on your bucket list: To live happily

JinJin

Greatest interests recently: Fashion style. I want to earn a lot of money later on and buy fancy clothes to wear Your favourite track amongst the songs you’ve released: 'Star', 'Your Love…' A song you’ve been obsessed with lately: Ariana Grande’s One Last Time The musician you must keep up to date with: Sia A movie you watched recently: <Master>. I’ve watched it about two times. The person you’d like to meet in this lifetime: GD sunbae-nim A peculiar habit: I pick my nose (laughs) The member who possesses the charm you’d like to parallel: MJ hyung. It’s charming how he laughs. What you do when the standby time drags on: I write rap lyrics Things you’ve got to be sure to bring along (with you) on the regular: I make sure to have on me my cologne. My sense of smell is on the sensitive side. Your childhood dream: A singer, a drummer The day you last cried: On our rest day, I was lying down all alone since I was sick when I started to cry Recent cause of worry: I want to be good at composing Your own way of relieving stress: I listen to music loudly or I write lyrics The menu you often order at a cafe: Iced americano A dish you’re confident of making: Carbonara rice cakes What you’d like to do on your birthday: I want to go on a trip with my members to the beach Presents you’d like to receive from your members: A Porsche (laughs) Your charming point: My eye smile An aspect (of yourself) you’d like to fix: My short height. I want to grow a little taller. If you could have any three wishes granted: My height to be at 181cm, all the clothes in the world, not quite sure about the last wish Your life’s greatest escape: On the 1st of January in the year that I became an adult, I drank alcohol with my friends Three things you’d take with you to a deserted island: A camping kit, a fire steel, shampoo in big volume Ideal type: A girl who smiles easily Your reaction when you meet a girl who catches your fancy: I’ll smile when we first make eye contact, keep my eye on her for a little more then I’ll approach her first and strike a conversation Someone you want to see as of right now: My older brother No.1 on your bucket list: I want to hold a concert this year

MJ

Your first plan for the new year: Go on a diet Your favourite track amongst the songs you’ve released: A b-side track off our 3rd album, ’Colored’ A song you’ve been obsessed with lately: B2ST’s 'Ribbon' and 'Butterfly' The drama of your life: <Lord of the Rings>. Smeagol’s image was shocking so I can’t forget it. A person you’d like to meet: Rain sunbae-nim A peculiar habit: I shake my legs before I go to sleep If you were to express your personality in one word: Happy virus How you imagine ASTRO to be 10 years later: I want us to show off songs and performances that screams of our own color Things you’ve got to be sure to bring along (with you) on the regular: My members (laughs) Your method of stress relief: I sleep Your childhood dream: An architect A power you want to possess: Time travel What you would like to do today if tomorrow was the end of the world: I’ll release a song that I personally composed and wrote lyrics for A place you want to really have a holiday at: Hawaii. I want to see the clear sea What you’d like to do on your birthday: Going camping with my members The menu you often order at a cafe: Persimmon juice Your favourite food: Raw fish and sushi Your hangout: The Hangang Park Phone wallpaper: A group photo of ASTRO An animal you think resembles you: A duck If you could have any three wishes granted: To go back to the past, to travel to the future, to be reborn as a genius musician Three things you’d take with you to a deserted island: My smartphone, wifi, food provisions Ideal type: A girl with a pretty smile If you were to go on a date on Valentine’s Day: Scuba diving and confessing Someone you want to see as of right now: My family No.1 on your bucket list: To win no.1 on a music broadcast

Scans by: MyDeer_0330

Translations by @99pmh​ Take out with full credits

[gessvhowarth]

What Are The Best Dance Shows In London This Spring?

While the spring season may seem less razzle-dazzle compared to last winter's big hitters (a la Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes or Akram Khan’s Giselle), don’t be April-fooled. There's still a wealth of gems up the city's dance sleeves. In this case: a few seasoned favourites, along with a host of inventive (and topical) premieres. Here's a few of our top picks.   Ballet on a bigger scale Marina Minguez as the Fairy Godmother in My First Ballet: Cinderella. Photo by Ash. Look out for Kenneth Macmillan’s devastatingly dark Mayerling at the ROH, based on the true story of the mysterious double death of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and the 17 year-old Mary Vetsera in 1889. The genius of Macmillan's choreography lies in its ability to convincingly present lead character Rudolf with apprehension and discomfort. Listen out for music by prolific Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (Years of Pilgrimage). SS Publicised as the first ever abstract three-act ballet, George Balanchine’s 1967 creation Jewels also returns to ROH. Emeralds features art nouveau lampshades set to music by Gabriel Fauré; while Rubies utilises a jazzy Stravinsky score and a rich set. Diamonds dresses the dancers in white, and employs Tchaikovsky's Polish Symphony No. 3. SS The English National Ballet School heads to the Peacock Theatre for its sixth year with My First Ballet: Cinderella, enabling children as young as three to experience a classic ballet production. This reimagining of the popular fairy tale promises all the delicate steps and ravishing costumes of the traditional ballet, with the addition of a narrator and an adapted musical score allowing little ones to follow the proceedings. PE Jewels (Royal Ballet): Royal Opera House, 1-21 April 2017. Tickets: £4-£100 My First Ballet: Cinderella (English National Ballet and English National Ballet School), The Peacock, 11-22 April, Tickets £10-£25 Mayerling (Royal Ballet): Royal Opera House, 28 April-13 May 2017. Tickets: £4-£100. Mixed bills Pina Bausch's Le Sacre Du Printemps. Photo By Ulli Weiss. Not seen in the UK since 2008, Pina Bausch's iconic Rite of Spring (Le Sacre Du Printemps) is performed with a live Stravinsky accompaniment by the English National Ballet Philharmonic. William Forsythe and Hans van Manen also add to this hotly-anticipated triple bill, putting a spotlight on Tamara Rojo's English National Ballet this season. LS Considered by some as "the world's most popular living dance maker", Matthew Bourne takes audiences on a set of entertaining New Adventures this April at Sadler's Wells in celebration of his company's 30th anniversary. From a tour of Gay Paree in The Infernal Gallop to post-war vignettes featuring pas de deuxs and pastoral clog-dances in Town and Country, Bourne gives audiences a taster of his earlier works, and a clear reminder of his raw talent. The ROH showcases two new mixed bills that are not to be overlooked. One contains the first revival of David Dawson's The Human Seasons, Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain of 2005 and a piece by Crystal Pite that is so new it doesn’t even have a name yet.  SS The other features the first revival of Christopher Wheeldon's Strapless; The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, a classic work by modern master William Forsythe (that has not been seen at the Royal Ballet for nearly 15 years); George Balanchine’s Tarantella and a new work by Liam Scarlett set to Sergei Rachmaninov's brilliant Symphonic Dances. SS Ballet Black's Triple Bill — first presented at Barbican in spring 2016 — delighted a new generation of dance fans with an uncharted bold style of choreography. Artistic director Cassa Pancho commissions the triple bill once more, blending international dancers of black and Asian descent with edgy pieces from the likes of celebrated British choreographer Michael Corder and South Bank Award winner Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (who gives Red Riding Hood a surprising twist). Barbican also brings Julie Cunningham — whose performances with Michael Clark Company have won her a Critics' Circle Award — back for a double bill that utilises dance and spoken word to explore gender and identity. Expect a hip hop-influenced reworking of an ancient Greek myth and tracks by Anohni (Antony and the Johnsons) offering a contrast in the artist's dynamic approach. Julie Cunningham & Company with Julie Cunningham, Alex Williams, Hannah Burfield and Harry Alexander. Photo by Stephen Wright. Ballet Black Triple Bill (Cassa Pancho): Barbican, 2-4 March, Tickets: £16-£30 Julie Cunningham and Company - Double Bill (Julie Cunningham Company): Barbican, 8-11 March, Tickets: £18  The Human Seasons / After the Rain / New Crystal Pite (Royal Ballet): Royal Opera House, 16 – 24 March 2017. Tickets: £3-£50. Pina Bausch/ William Forsythe / Hans van Manen (English National Ballet): Sadler's Wells, 23 March-1 April 2017. Tickets: £12-£55. New Adventures (Matthew Bourne) Sadler's Wells, 3 April-8 April 2017. Tickets: £12-£45. The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude / Tarantella / Strapless / Symphonic Dances (Royal Ballet): Royal Opera House, 18-31 May. Tickets: £3-£100. Dance with a twist Wayne McGregor's Tree of Codes. Photo by Joel Chester Fildes. Inspired by Jonathan Safran Foer's book of the same name, Sadler's Wells associate artist Wayne McGregor's Tree of Codes comes to London following critical acclaim at last year's Manchester International Festival. The cast includes soloists and dancers from The Paris Opera Ballet and Company Wayne McGregor, with sets by Olafur Eliasson (think back to "that sun" at Tate Modern in 2003), and a score by Mercury Prize-winning Jamie xx. Ex-Royal Ballet prodigy Sergei Polunin brings Project Polunin to Sadler's Wells, where he aims to create new dance works through the collaboration of artists, musicians and choreographers for both stage and film. This triple bill includes the world premiere of Narcissus and Echo, a piece co-created by Polunin in collaboration with composer Ilan Eshkeri, who wrote the music for Polunin's biographical film Dancer, and photographer and artist David LaChapelle. A re-enactment of Casanova is brought to the stage by Northern Ballet — who in February won Best Classical Choreography at the National Dance Awards for their version of 1984. Don't miss a sultry, custom score from film composer Kerry Muzzey, played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia, and designs from the Tony and Olivier award-winning Christopher Oram. Prepare yourselves for a fresh take on 18th century seduction. It wouldn't be a dance season without Akram Khan. In a much anticipated return to Sadler's Wells, the artist performs in his tale of home and heritage — Desh — which first opened in 2011 to great praise. Stories spanning both Britain and Bangladesh (the homeplace of his parents) are brought to life by Oscar-winning visual artist Tim Yip, Olivier Award-winning composer Jocelyn Pook, writer and poet Karthika Naïr and slam poet PolarBear. Akram Khan in Desh. Photo by Richard Haughton. Tree of Codes (The Paris Opera Ballet, Company Wayne McGregor): Sadler’s Wells, 4-11 March, Tickets: £12-£45 (look out for dates, most shows sold out). Project Polunin: Sadler's Wells, 14-18 March, Tickets: £12-£60 (look out for dates, most shows sold out). Dancer (featuring Sergei Polunin): in UK cinemas Thursday March 2 (with an exclusive satellite Q&A March 2). Casanova (Northern Ballet): Sadler's Wells, 9-13 May, Tickets: £12-£45 Desh (Akram Khan): Sadler’s Wells, 31 May - 3 June, Tickets: £12-£45 Making a statement Darren Johnston's Zero Point. Photo by Darren Johnston. Avant-garde artist Boris Charmatz allures audiences with an after-dark, off-site dance experience — danse de nuit — whereby six dancers move by "a palpable sense of urgency", taking into consideration events such as the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, where people operate within a probable sense of danger. Stirring duo Project O revisit how dance can explore, heal and challenge the violence and oppression that haunts our society in Voodoo (presented at Sadler's Wells as a two hour spectacle with four back-to-back showings). Experience two women's attempt at tapping into their individual and collective power, and communicating with the past, present and future.   Barbican gets eclectic, or perhaps electric, with Darren Johnston's Zero Point that fuses digital imagery with meditative choreography. Hypnotic light and video projections promise to fill the stage-space, along with an ensemble of Japanese dancers. Canadian composer and pioneer of experimental electronic music Tim Hecker provides an additional energy to power the piece. The Place takes on Rosalind in a collaboration with Korean dancers and artists. Spearheaded by James Cousins, who in 2012 won the New Adventures Choreographer Award selected by Matthew Bourne, the show (as part of The Place's explosive dance season) tells the story of one woman's pursuit of enlightenment via the wondrous nights of a big city. Cousins prods audiences with the question, "Do women still need to take on stereotypical masculinity in order to find equality in our modern world’? Rosalind (James Cousins Company): The Place, 15-18 March, Tickets: £12-£18 Voodoo (Project O): Sadler's Wells Lilian Baylis Studio, 12 May, Tickets: £17 danse de nuit (Boris Charmatz): Sadler's Wells off-site location, 17-20 May, Tickets: £20 (£15 concessions)   Zero Point (Darren Johnston): Barbican, 25-27 May, Tickets: £16-£30 Additional writing contributions from Sam Smith (SS), Lise Smith (LS) and Phillipa Ellis (PE).

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[monkeyandelf]

New Post has been published on https://www.monkeyandelf.com/2017-end-of-year-edition-in-depth-drowned-in-sound/

2017 End-of-Year Edition / In Depth // Drowned In Sound

Articulate Silences, Ambient Sounds is back. It’s a whole year since the last edition of this column, for which I can only apologise. I’ve been writing about music for around a decade now, usually for little or no monetary reward, and 2017 was the year in which I briefly gave up (almost unconsciously) in the midst of other stresses and strains. Leaving the mind-numbing time and energy black hole that is London in favour of the best city in the UK beginning with the letter “L” (that’s Leeds, obviously; sorry Leicester and Liverpool, I love you both too) in August was a turning point, providing me with a renewed enthusiasm for listening to – and writing about – new music. I fully intend the column to get back to being (semi-) regular again from this point on. If you make or release records that might be suitable for inclusion then email me at avantbland@gmail.com. I simply do not have time to reply to all my emails, but if you send me something clearly labelled as being for this column I will listen to it and – if I like it – I will write about it. You can also get in touch with me on Twitter, which I check more regularly, at @benjamin__bland. For now, have a round-up of some of this year’s highlights. This is nowhere near definitive, but it’s an insight into my favourite ambient releases from the last twelve months or so. I hope it provides you with some suitably contemplative listening material as 2017 bleeds into 2018. See you on the other side.

—

If I had to identify an ambient MVP of 2017 then it would – undoubtedly – have to be the folks at Eilean Records. Eilean has been going for four years now, and almost everything they release is extremely high quality (both musically and in terms of the presentation). 2017 might have been Eilean’s best year yet: sixteen releases, sixteen gems. Listen to them all. The newer releases have not received enough listens from me yet to identify which are my favourites, so I’ll make my life a little easier for now by highlighting the label’s first four releases of 2017. The first of those, Daniel W. J. Mackenzie’s Every Time Feels Like The Last Time, is a work of haunting modern composition, which culminates in the particularly heavenly ‘Smokey Quartz and Our Skin’.

Every Time Feels Like the Last Time by Daniel W J Mackenzie

Equally haunting, like a half-remembered dream brought back to life through stuttering tape recordings, is On The Brink, a collaboration between Josh Mason & Nathan McLaughlin, two masters of texture who both deserve to be far better known than they are.

On The Brink by Josh Mason & Nathan McLaughlin

Old Articulate Silences favourite Monolyth & Cobalt (aka. Matthias van Eecloo, who also runs Eilean) is bowing out (from this project at least) with the brilliant The Dunen Diaries. This is effectively a two-part release, with the second half being a selection of collaborations that build perfectly upon the beautifully elegiac foundations of the record’s first half. Essential.

The Dunen Diaries by Monolyth & Cobalt

9T Antiope’s Isthmus has been something of a revelation for me. This Iranian duo – composed of Nima Aghiani and Sara Bigdeli Shamloo – arrive with a sound that’s somewhere between Grouper’s hazy atmospherics and Jenny Hval’s deliciously unhinged feminist agitprop. The swooping violin loops of closer ‘Telophase’ – which might also tide over those who, like me, spend most of their lives waiting for a new Portishead LP – bring the record to a genuinely soul-stirring conclusion.

Isthmus by 9T Antiope

As long-term column readers will know, two of the most consistent ambient musicians operating today are also from Iran: Siavash Amini and Porya Hatami. Siavash’s latest release, TAR (Hallow Ground) is a storming follow-up to 2015’s Subsiding, which – if you missed it – is one of the best releases of the last decade or so. This new effort is pretty much on a par, reaching a coruscating high point on colossal second track ‘Rivers of Tar’.

SIAVASH AMINI – TAR by Siavash Amini

Porya’s new album, Monads (LINE), might be his most hypnotic effort to date, despite seeing him leave behind his previous focus on melodic ambient composition in favour of a work fitting the microsound focus of the LINE imprint. I’m often fairly ambivalent about work that fits in this category – “ambient glitch” for want of a better term – but this definitely resides in the upper tier of the style.

Monads by PORYA HATAMI

Sarah Davachi’s All My Circles Run (Students of Decay) might just be my favourite LP – of any genre – released in 2017. This is a step in a new direction from Davachi, who has previously impressed largely through her mastery of analogue synths. Here the attention is on electroacoustic composition, but the result is still recognisably Davachi’s. There’s a tonal warmth here that is unmistakably reminiscent of last year’s brilliant Vergers whilst still offering new textures.

All My Circles Run by Sarah Davachi

All My Circles Run’s focus on acoustically-generated sounds rather than on synths may mark something of a departure for Davachi, but thankfully there have been plenty of other places to get a dose of analogue goodness in the last twelve months. In fact, one need look no further than the debut full-length from Téléplasmiste, the duo of Strange Attractor Press head Mark O. Pilkington and Coil/Cyclobe collaborator Michael J. York. Frequency Is The New Ecstasy (House of Mythology) is a truly delightful synth-fuelled trip to a higher plain.

Frequency is the New Ecstasy by Teleplasmiste

The late-arriving trump card, in terms of synth-tastic outings, however, turned out to be Gardener’s sublime A Place Where Nothing Was, the first release from sometime Gnod member Alex Macarte’s new Golden Ratio Frequencies cassette label. An utterly captivating mix of synths with tape loops and field recordings from former Make Noise Synthesizers employee Dashiell Lewis, this certainly marks out Golden Ratio Frequencies as a label to follow closely in 2018, and Lewis one to look out for in the future.

A Place Where Nothing Was by Gardener

Another unmissable late release, Timo Kaukolampi’s I (SVART) is – at least in part – a tribute to former Pan Sonic/Ø legend Mika Vainio, who – as I’m sure most readers will know – sadly died earlier this year. This is a really remarkable first release, with Kaukolampi establishing himself as a gifted creator of widescreen spectral soundscapes. It’s a shame it turned up so close to the end of the year, thus running the risk of slipping through the net.

1 by Kaukolampi

Paris-based Japanese sound artist Tomoko Sauvage has been working with water for a decade now, exploring its sonic properties through the use of hydrophones, which transform the water’s various ripples and drops into music. Musique Hydromantique (Shelter Press) does feel genuinely musical, with Sauvage exploring her subject’s responses in various acoustic environments, each of which generates beautiful minimal soundscapes.

Musique Hydromantique by Tomoko Sauvage

Mary Lattimore, of course, works not with water but with the harp. In some ways, however, the effect is much the same. Lattimore’s is adept at creating pieces that manage to transcend their minimalist focus on a sound source, blossoming into captivatingly evocative multi-level compositions. Collected Pieces is technically a compilation of offcuts from recent years, but that certainly doesn’t make it uneven. In fact, for those unfamiliar, this is an essential introduction to an essential contemporary artist.

Collected Pieces by Mary Lattimore

Leyland Kirby’s The Caretaker project is winding towards its conclusion, and 2017 saw the release of the second and third stages of the mammoth closing statement, Everywhere At The End Of Time. Kirby’s sonic exploration of the progress of dementia, Everywhere At The End Of Time is already a work of enormous significance, only set to become more and more heartbreakingly effective in 2018. You can subscribe to the work for a mere five pounds via Kirby’s own History Always Favours the Winners imprint on Bandcamp.

Everywhere at the end of time by The Caretaker

Followers of Kirby may also have noticed that he slipped something else out this year, the astonishing (free!) gift that is We, So Tired Of All the Darkness In Our Lives. The title sums it up.

We, so tired of all the darkness in our lives by Leyland Kirby

For a more comprehensive (seventy-five track) round-up, including bigger names – not least the predictably fantastic new records from 12k guru Taylor Deupree and from Wolfgang Voigt’s GAS – I’ve created a (ten and a half hour!) Spotify playlist of other highlights from the year. I hope it leads you to many more discoveries.

I must, alas, finish the column on a sombre note. Not only did we lose the legendary Mika Vainio this year, but we must also recognise the passing of the enormously talented young Swedish composer Marcus Fjellström, who sadly died in September, just a few months after the release of his last record, Skelektikon. RIP Marcus and Mika. You will both be missed.

Skelektikon by Marcus Fjellström

Onko by Mika Vainio

Articulate Silences, Ambient Sounds will return in 2018.


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