#how do people manage to make pretty posts? I have the creativity of a rock 😂

[unsilencioparami]

You are the light of the world, Husik Ara, tr. by Tathev Simonyan (@/metamorphesque) / Selected Poems, Gabriela Mistral, tr. by Ursula K. Le Guin / The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt / The Love of God and Affliction, Simone Weil, tr. Emma Craufurd.

[alexanderflowerbird]

DAY 17 A good weekend, but not a great weekend for writing lol I was SO busy. I did get a lot done though, I spent some wonderful time with my sister and my niece, I managed to organize my storage unit [I did all the work of going through what I wanted to keep vs what I wanted to throw away only to discover they don't have dumpsters on the property so... that's a problem to tackle another day], I went to the library and picked up some new books, I spent time with many people I love and I got some really cool new pens in the mail. I figured out some more characters for Blood Sun Territory, and I think I have the skeleton of the story all ironed out and ready to go. Back on the horse this coming week! I'm only 8k away from the month goal of 30K, but I'm hoping to over shoot it simply because I'm having a good time writing. But I have an excerpt for you, even if this weekend I've been away from my computer doing in the world things. It's a short little excerpt, just Dolcezza and Malachi talking about an interesting plant and the challenges of the territory and it's ever changing ecosystem. I know how their gonna travel, and more excitingly, I've figured out the little ways in which they begin to fall in love. Teeheheheheheee love making my barbies kiss. Taglist: @theskeletonprior @thelittlestspider @badscientist @tragedycoded If you'd like to be part of my taglist, please interact with this post

Malachi has never seen anything like it. Of course it is possible that he simply isn’t worldly enough, that this sort of enormous blooming cactus could be found outside of the territory existing as it is for a thousand years, sacred and well known to some, foreign and strange to others like him. He grew up in the sterility of the suburbs and grew into something of a city boy, so maybe it’s not this place that’s manifested this odd, entrancing flora, but nature itself and its unending creativity. He starts moving towards it and Dolcezza looks up in time to deter him. 

“Don’t you go over there.” He warns, stooping to pick up a rock that barely fits in his fist. “We all learn the land together, some things get learned the hard way. I’ll spare you that. Pretty, ain’t it?” He says, also looking out on the bulbous, many bodied cactus, its enormous spines reaching out from between hundreds of blue and purple flowers. Dolcezza throws the rock hard and when it hits the cactus, there is a meaty thud followed by the woosh of wings, the flowers dispersing in a burst, fluttering in a swarm. Malachi gasps. They aren’t flowers at all, but insects, their wings perfect emulations of petaled flowers. The cactus’ spines react too, and about a dozen of them fire off from the cactus, launching a few feet before impaling the earth. The swarm divides into masses, fluttering towards the launched spines, but when they seem to find nothing of interest pinned by those deadly barbs, they gather upon the cactus again, settling gently, renewing its beauty from deadly and hostile to elegantly floral. 

“Those butterflies like blood, they hang round the cactus cuz once it shoots somethin’ they can drink up the blood spilt and feed on the kill. They are gorgeous, but most shit out here that might draw ya in with its prettiness is more trouble than it’s worth.” 

“How’d you find that out?” 

“Like I told ya. The hard way. Some horticulturalist fella hired me years back, wanted to study out here and see if any of the new plants had medicinal potential or what have you. Got one of them spikes right through his gut trying to collect the butterflies for study. We both thought they were flowers, at the time.” 

“Did he die?” Malachi asks, reflexively pressing his hand over his stomach in a sympathetic jolt of discomfort. He could’ve taken one of those spikes to the gut too, if Dolcezza hadn’t stopped him. 

“Nah, he had a rough time of it though. Doctor in town has seen more than a war medic by now; before the blood sun most she’d get up to is curing colds, delivering babies- now she’s got much more to do than that any given day.” 

[xtrashmammalstefx]

Pobre Hermosa (A Fanboy x Plus Size Latina Reader x Hangman SMUT!)

Warnings: SMUT, LANGUAGE

Translations: Title- Poor Beauty, Hijo de la...- Son of a..., HIJO DE LA CHINGADA!- SON OF A FUCK!, Perdoname querida- Sorry sweetheart, Lo sentiste?- Did you feel it?, Lo sentí- I felt it, Que hermosa- how beautiful, Te gusta?- Do you like it?, Lo quieres?- Do you want it?, El infierno de amor- The fire of love, Te amo- I love you, Que?- What?, Te amo tambien- I love you too, QUE CHINGADO HACES?- WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?, No estoy enohada contigo, pero tengo que hablar con mi pendejo de hijo- I'm not mad at you but I need to have a word with my fucking idiot of a son, Que pasa?- What's up?, Mi vida- My life.

Notes: Never has writing a smut been so damn difficult simply cuz like the whore I am I'm thirsting over more than one man in the same movie. Nevertheless I finally got this shit done, and now that my creative muscle is working again I plan on posting more, including a possible New Years Resolution post but that is still up in the air for now. Anyway, enjoy!

Many people believe that perfection is only a concept of ones mind. That what’s perfect to you may not be perfect to others. I think whoever first came up with that clearly never met Mickey. Or maybe they did and only managed to see him as he saw himself. A man that always needs to work hard to be acceptable to others. The thing that bugged the absolute hell out of me and that I desperately wished he’d stop doing. I just want him see himself as I do… as I always have.

We were sixteen the first time it became a real problem.

“What the fuck happened to you?” he looked at me in horror when I showed up on his doorstep with a cut on the corner of my forehead.

“Dexter threw a rock at my head,” I said. Dexter was our school’s biggest slease bag. He’d pick a girl and obsess over her until she finally caved and gave him what he wanted. This weeks girl just so happened to be me. I wasn’t caving in though, never in hell, and he was fucking hating it. So much so that when I passed him and his goons on the way to Mickey���s and didn’t give him any sort of attention, he called my name and threw a golf ball sized rock at my head as soon as I (stupidly) turned.

“Hijo de la… come on in,” Mickey stepped aside and I brushed passed him. I shrugged off my hoodie and hung it in the small closet. I had just started making my way to the kitchen for some ice when Mickey grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. “On the counter hermosa.” He said as he dug out the first aid kit from under the sink. I hopped onto the counter next to the sink.

“Where’s mama? And Papi?”

“Mama’s visiting a friend, and Papi got called in to work overtime.” Mickey explained as he dug out a bandage and disinfectant from the kit. He dabbed some of the disinfectant onto a cotton ball. “Now hold still, this might sting a bit.”

Sure enough the second the cotton ball touched the cut a fierce burn shot through me. “HIJO DE LA CHINGADA!” Mickey chuckled, and blew on it.

“Perdoname querida but I did warn you,” he whispered placing the bandage on my head. He then leaned in and kissed it. “Better?”

I nodded. “Thanks.” I pecked him on the cheek… or at least I would have had he not turned his head just right to throw the cotton ball and bandage wrapper into the nearby trash. My lips crash into his stunning both of us. We jolted back as if struck by a spark of electricity. “Uh...sorry I-I didn’t mean to―.”

“Lo sentiste?” he asked. I looked at him confused. “Did you feel it?” He asked again kneeling closer to me. I nodded somehow knowing what he meant.

“Lo sentí,” I whispered. “Lo sentí.” His lips found mine again, only this time...we didn’t stop.

Up until then I’d been a virgin, and so had Mickey as far as I knew. He continued to kiss me passionately as our hands began to explore each other. Mickey wasn’t completely ripped from head-to-toe just yet but his body was still pretty solid and smooth as I snaked my hand up his shirt. He groaned and trembled before shrugging off his shirt. I brought my lips to his chest and kissed the skin above his heart. After a while he placed his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back. I looked up at him completely drunk off both of our energy. He brought his hands down to the hem of my Selena tank top. I lifted my arms and let him take it off. He kissed me hard and snaked his arms around me to unhook my bra. I’d never been so exposed to him before.

“Que hermosa,” Mickey whispered before taking one of my breasts into his mouth. I moaned as he sucked on and played with my nipple. I tangled my fingers into his dark curls and began to grind my body against his. The fire inside us grew hotter with no end in sight. Suddenly very eager I reached down and undid the button on my shorts. Mickey unzipped them and pulled them off of me, tossing them aside. His joined them soon after and dios mio was the sight stunning. “Te gusta?” He asked catching me eyeing his size.

Aesthetic wise he was pleasing to look at. Shaved, smooth, and just a little darker than his skin. His length and width were enough to make my mouth water. I looked up at him and nodded bringing my lips back to his.

I could feel him brush against me and it send a tremble through my body. Mickey felt this and pulled back. “Lo quieres?” I nodded again loving the feeling of him just rubbing against me. Mickey licked his lips and reached down lining himself up with my entrance. I didn’t know how my body would react to him but as soon as he began to stretch me I clung on to him… It was as if my body needed him, and the fire within it only grew more and more uncontrollable. El infierno de amor, I thought to myself and even now still fight back a laugh at how much like a telenovella it sounds.

Mickey wrapped his arms around me and held me close as he started thrusting. The feeling of Mickey slipping in and out of me was something I knew my body and soul would never forget.

Time didn’t exist in that bathroom. At least not while we were together. No, for the longest time it was just us, our moans, our heartbeats, our kisses, and the drumming our skin coming together. The fire continued to burn, tensing up my core until, eventually… I screamed, my toes curled, my back arched, and I could feel myself tighten around him. A moment later my head fell against his shoulder as my body began to relax. Mickey continued to move until he tensed up and cursing at the top of his lungs, erupted inside me. He dropped his head to my shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Te amo,” he muttered.

“Que?” He lifted his head to look at me.

“Te amo,” he said.

“Te amo tambien,” I said and was about to lean in for another kiss when…

“MICKEY GARCIA QUE CHINGADO HACES?!” His mom was standing in the doorway looking way beyond pissed. We broke apart then and rushed back into our clothes.

“Amá I can explain,” Mickey started.

“I am so so sorry Mama,” I jumped in ready to get down on my knees to beg for forgiveness before she could whip out the chancla. Mama threw her hands up to shut us up.

“Y/N, please go home, no estoy enohada contigo, pero tengo que hablar con mi pendejo de hijo.” When mama starts ranting in spanish that was usually the cue for me (or anyone really) to get the fuck out and dodge.

“Okay,” I turned to Mickey. “Um, see you at school.”

I left and spent the rest of the day in a daze.

The next day I met up with him in the hallway. I was still on cloud nine (and slightly sore) and I thought he might be too, but when I saw his face something felt...off. “Hey.”

“Um, hey,” he said nervously.

“I hope mama didn’t chew out too bad,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

“I’m actually grounded for a week and Papi wound up giving me the talk.” I cringed so hard for him.

“I am so so sorry Mickey,” I said.

“It’s not entirely your fault,” he said. Still I took his hand in mine and started to reach up for a kiss when he pulled away. “Um, we’re about to be late and I really don’t wanna add detention to my list of punishments.”

“Uh, okay,” I said and watched dumbfounded as he bolted away from me. “The fuck just happened?” I asked myself… Years passed and I still didn’t have an answer.

We never kissed after that, much less make love. For some reason Mickey acted as though nothing had ever happened between us. Like we were still just the two best friends we’d been before. It killed me but eventually I was fine with just having him in my life.

After high school Mickey joined the Navy. To calm his mom and dad I went and stayed with him while he got settled in at the academy. I was supposed to go to school in Phoenix but both Mickey and I found it was impossible to say goodbye and (much to the chagrin of my parents) I wound up staying with Mickey for good and watched as he busted his ass in the academy and then graduated from Top Gun training.

Eventually he got grouped with other pilots who quickly became our second family.

“Oh fuck me!” Jake exclaimed the second I removed my towel. Everyone was gathered on the beach for an impromptu football game. They had a hell of a mission ahead of them and their leader, Maverick, felt they needed a moment of fun.

“Is there a problem Hangman?” I asked.

“Oh not at all,” He said smiling his infectious cocky cock smile.

“Then why the drool?” I teased.

“You, my darling, are one hot piece of ass,” he said. “Fanboy your girlfriend’s a hottie! God damn!”

“Easy there Hangman, her bite is way more scary than her bark,” Mickey said.

“Oh you can bite me any time, darling,” Jake said with a wink before tossing Maverick the ball. I rolled my eyes and went to join my team.

The game started off as cheesy as it possibly could with the guys doing what they do best… being guys. At least Mickey did his best to cover my ass when someone would throw me the ball. At one point he managed to do it too well.

“Oh shit!” He lost his balance as he tried (and failed) run backwards to cover me. Before I could react he was crashing into me knocking us both to the ground. “Oof!” The wind was knocked out of both of us but not too severely. “You okay hermosa?”

I nodded. “I’m okay, you?” He continued to look at me concerned.

“I’m fine.”

“Good,” I reached up and pecked him on the lips, ‘cause we just won this bitch!”

I sat up and held the ball up making my team hoot and holler in victory. Each of my team mates gave me a victory hug before I finally turned to Mickey. I wrapped my arms around him but like he did back then he tensed up. He hugged me quickly then walked away towards the cooler full of beer. I actually felt an ache in my chest, and for a while I didn’t think anyone noticed.

“The fuck was that?” Jake asked now standing beside me.

“The fuck was what?”

“Fanboy normally treats you like you’re his world, and then you give him a sweet little peck and he acts as though you just insulted his mother.”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” I muttered.

“Seriously?” Jake arched his eyebrow at me incredulously. A tear slid down my cheek and I knew it was time to go. I wiped the tear away and went to get my things. “Where you going?”

“Somewhere less crowded,” I said starting towards the beach exit. Mickey had driven us that day so I had no choice but to walk; thankfully walking tended to clear my mind. I had just reached our street when my phone buzzed.

Mickey: Hey where u at?

Feeling my throat close up I ignored the text and shoved my phone back into my shorts pocket. That’s when a familiar car pulled up beside me. “Need a ride?” Jake asked poking his head out of the drivers side window.

“Our place is just a couple houses down,” I said.

“I know but I was thinking of taking you somewhere better,” he said.

“Better than my bedroom with a plate of enchiladas and cookie dough ice cream?” I questioned.

“Oh yeah, way better,” he smiled. The scene at the beach replayed itself in my head and the ache started coming back. I sighed and shrugged before going around and hopping into the passenger seat.

He drove us passed my neighborhood and to Jorge’s Carneceria. I thought we were going to go in but Jake just made a b-line for the drivethru. “I’ll have a carne asada burrito, a plate of roll-tacos, a large coke, and uh,” Jake turned to me. “What would like babe?”

“I’ll have the chicken enchiladas and a large Dr. Pepper,” I told the intercom.

“Will that be all?” The worker asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jake said. Once we collected our food Jake drove on until we reached a small house at the end of a culdesac. “Home sweet home.”

“Your place? That’s the somewhere better?”

“Have faith sweetheart,” Jake smiled leading the way inside. We ate in silence while marathoning The Haunting of Hill House (Jake let me pick). It was easy being with Jake, almost too easy.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I blurted out during the third episode. “I mean you’ve never acknowledged me before except to annoy or joke around.” Jake paused the show and sighed.

“Honestly? I fucking hate it when a beautiful, obvious kind, woman is treated like shit. Even moreso when it’s for no fucking reason, and it leads to said woman feeling the need to hide away from everybody.”

“I, I wasn’t hiding from...and I am nowhere close to being beautiful—.”

“Bullshit, Y/N,” Jake said. “You are one of the hottest chicks on this base. Look at you.” I felt my face warm up as my arms reflexibly folded to cover my stomach and thighs. “And you’re so kind and sweet it makes you even more gorgeous. Any man would be lucky as hell to be with you and I, honestly, can’t believe Fanboy is being such a fucking idiot and taking all of that for granted.”

I rolled my eyes. “I bet you say that to all the girls on base.”

“No, I don’t. Not even to Phoenix but that’s mostly because either she or Rooster can shoot me out of the air at any given moment and uh, I’d rather live thank you very much.” I chuckled at that and resumed the show.

Finally the sun dipped down completely letting night take over. I still wasn’t sure I was ready to go home though. I think my face might have betrayed me and showed that doubt to Jake. “You know you can stay the night if you want. Give you more time to decompress and cool down before facing the jackass tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna impose…?”

“None of that now, you are more than welcome darling,” Jake said before standing up and stretching his arms out before turning back to me. “Um I’m gonna head to the shower real quick we can set you up when I’m done.”

“Okay,” I said watching him disappear down the hall. Not even a second later a familiar ringtone played gently from my phone.

No te has ido de mi vida, vida mía, pero ya te extraño

Quién diría, nadie lo creía, y ya vamos pa' un año

De solo pensar en perderte

Las milésimas se vuelven horas

Contigo yo me voy a muerte

Y mucho más cuando estamos a solas

Cuando nos falle la memoria y solo queden las fotografías

Que se me olvide todo menos que tú eres mía

I sighed and answered. “Que pasa?”

“Where are you? I’ve been going loco texting you but you never replied.” Mickey said sounding like he’d been about to call the police had I not answered.

“Having a Netflix night with a friend,” I said. “Is that all?”

“No, how come you disappeared earlier? We were all about to go for a drink at the Hard Deck but when I looked around you were gone.”

“And how long did it take you to notice?” Mickey sighed.

“Look I know I was kind of cold earlier,” he said.

“You’re cold every time I try to come near you, Mickey. Every time I wanna hold your hand, give you a hug, hell even when I give you a simple kiss! You, you push me away. I mean… Am I doing something wrong? Do you… do you regret that day we had in the bathroom or..?”

“I’m sorry I made you feel like this is your fault when it was actually mine. I don’t regret that day, or any day I’ve spent with you… Remember when I said my dad gave me the talk?”

“Yeah?”

“Well it wasn’t just that talk. He also lectured me about my future, and the Navy. How he’d seen many a soldier find someone, plan a future… only for it all to go to hell because the soldier came back in a box. He told me he didn’t want me to be that selfish… that now wasn’t the time to be thinking of relationships like that. And then yesterday when I called home, he reminded me of that. Said that I should only be focusing on the mission.” He explained.

“Your dad is an ass but I kind of understand. Still did it really require you to be such a dick to me?”

“I thought I was protecting you. Keeping you from possibly getting hurt if I… didn’t make it back.” He chuckled. “I was stupid. I figured this way you had more of a chance to find someone else, and live the life you would’ve if you’d gone to college. You know take risks and all that. But I know better now.” Tears slid down my cheeks then. “Te amo, Y/N.”

“I love you too but you can’t keep doing this,” I said. “You can’t keep pushing me away because it doesn’t fucking matter if you’re my best friend, boyfriend, or whatever. If you don’t come home, it will destroy me.”

“Will you please come home, hermosa?”

“I will tomorrow. For now I think we both need time to cool off and think things through.”

“Okay,” he said. “Goodnight, hermosa.”

“Night mi vida,” I whispered before hanging up the phone. I replayed the whole conversation in my head and the more I did the more crazy it made me feel. The more crazy I felt the more I doubted, and the more I doubted the more I stressed, and the more I stressed… the more my inhibitions are tossed to the wind, my right mind going with them.

He wanted me to have a chance… to take risks...I’ll show him fucking risks.

I tossed my phone onto the coffee table and started down the hall to the bathroom. I walked in and started to strip. “Y/N? That you?” I didn’t answer just finished getting undressed. Feeling a wave of a much different fire I drew back the curtain and stepped in. “WHOA WHAT THE FU—?” I crashed my lips onto his shutting him up. Jake froze but I continued to kiss him as I reached down. I’d barely wrapped my hand around his length when he pulled back. “You sure about this?” I nodded and began stroking him up and down. “Fuck…” he groaned. “Wu-What about Fanboy?”

“He wanted me to be free to do what I want with whoever I want, and right now I want you.” Precum started leaking from his tip as he grew more and more solid beneath my touch. “Besides how long has it been for you? How long has it been since someone’s stroke your cock this way?”

He moaned. “Way too fucking long, darling.”

“So what more do you want?” He didn’t answer me. Just leaned in and pressed his lips hungrily against mine as he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up against the shower wall. His hand slid up my body and cupped my breast as his lips moved to my neck. I moaned at the feeling, which Jake took to mean he was able to go further. He reached down and lined himself up with my entrance.

“By the way I wasn’t joking when I said you could bite me anytime,” he said before pushing himself inside me.

“FUCK!” I screamed and clung onto him as he continued to stretch me.

“God you feel fucking incredible darling,” he said as he began to thrust. “Can’t believe that dumb fucker said no to this. Fuck!”

“Can’t believe I went this long without dick,” I added as he continued to slam into me. “If he keeps this up you might just have to fuck me more often.”

“Gladly,” Jake smiled reaching to turn the water off. He carried me to his room, his cock still buried inside me. Once he laid me on the bed he continued where he’d left off. I reached around and grabbed his ass making him thrust even harder in me. He leaned down and kissed me once more, his tongue exploring my mouth. After a while he flipped us over and I began to aggressively slide up and down his cock. Jake closed his eyes and let out the most arousing noises escape his mouth. I rode him on my own for a bit before he grabbed my hips and started thrusting up into me. Now it was my turn to make noise.

“OH SHIT!!!” I damn near screamed as the slapping noise of our skin increased as well as the feeling of tension in my core.

With Mickey and me the flame had the heat of a candle and spread like a fire through a house, but with Jake… it was like the inside of a volcano right before it erupts.

“Fuck darling, I don’t know how much longer I can, oh fuck.”

We flipped again and he rammed into me like his life depended on it. “Fuck Jake I’m gonna cum!”

“It’s okay darling. Just let go for me, fuck!” I felt myself tighten around him as a stream of obscenities left my mouth, and my back arched. I was still in a daze when Jake groaned. “Fuck I’m cumming. OH FUCK!” He twitched inside me and I could feeling him shooting everything in there.

Finally he collapsed beside me breathless. “That was fucking amazing.”

“I think I’m actually seeing stars,” I said and winced as I shifted my body to face him. “And I think I’m gonna have a hard time walking tomorrow.”

“Fanboy never did that did he?”

“What? Fuck me to paralysis? Not really, just made me sore for a day.” I placed my head on Jake’s chest. “God I really needed this.”

“Glad I could be of help.”

I was glad too. Glad to know that now Mickey wasn’t the only one with reliable Airman to watch his back. Glad to know that if Mickey pushes me away again I have an angel to catch me and bring me home.

[lettersforthe7thcircle]

Week 1

Good morning, listeners! You are listening to 104.3 FM's Five Minute Hotseat, the only radio show bringing you the latest scoop on all things up-and-coming in the Dublin rock and metal scenes. I'm your host, Roland Terry, here today with the lead singer and keyboardist of The Irish Lads, Daniel Condren.

R: How ya doing today, Dan?

D: I-Im doing pretty good, Roland. A little nervous but happy to be here.

R: I must say, and I mean no offense here, your appearance today came as quite a shock. You certainly don't look like the kind of lad that would enjoy metal at all!

D: [laughs] Yeah, I get that a lot. I work at an office during the week, so I tend to keep the wardrobe and such pretty mellow. I kinda like it, though. Subverting expectations and all.

R: Well, Daniel, I think you and your band would have managed to surpass any and all expectations even without the suit. I had a look at that video from your performance the other day and was absolutely blown away! An absolutely outstanding cover of Fiddler's Green's "Victor and His Demons" with quite the impressive vocal work and keyboard improvisation.

D: O-oh, thank you so much! We really didn't expect that video to blow up as much as it did. It was just some silly recording Spi- I mean, our manager - took to boost popularity.

R: Smart man. I would say that his plan most certainly worked! Were you nervous about him posting a video of your singing on the internet?

D: Honesty, I didn't even know about it until after it had well over ten thousand views! Then I was super nervous to hear about what folks thought about it. Just sat there refreshing the page for a good few hours. I think a lot of people enjoyed it, though, which was quite the relief.

R: I could only imagine. Now, I have to ask: only you and your guitarist? That's quite the bold move to form a band with no drummer. Is there any particular reason for this?

D: We, uh. It's less of 'having a reason to not have a drummer' and more of a 'we haven't been able to find one'?

R: Is that a callout for drummers I hear?

D: Oh! Um, n-no. We-. I-.

R: That's quite alright, Dan. You hear that, Dublin? Send your applications his way if you're feeling lucky. Who knows, maybe one morning you'll be on the show!

R: Well, listeners, our time is almost up. Go check out the video of The Irish Lads' latest performance up on our web page; that's 104.3FMFiveMinuteHotSeat.com. Trust me, you won't regret it. Thank you so much, Daniel, for joining us today.

R: Heard of a new local band that you'd like to promote? Shoot us a message over at 104.3FMFiveMinuteHotSeat.com. Coming up next, we have the latest hit single all the way from America. It's the Banana Bus Squad, "Façade"!

---

Got any questions? Comments? Concerns? Send us your feedback here!

Thank you so much for having Daniel on the show this week. It's nice to see him getting the big break he deserves! I've known him for over a year now, and while I knew he was making music, I could have sworn that they just performed pop covers. And that Dan only played the keyboard! I'm so happy to see them branching out in their creativity :)

Much love,

-A

[marvelouslytrekking]

The Escaped Bride {4/?}

Ch 4: The Second Attack

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Reader Summary: Held captive on a pirate ship, most likely to be used for ransom and returned to your family, another ship attacks and you are moved from one brig to another. Word Count: 936 Warning: Mention of death, violence A/N: I meant to post this like a few weeks ago but been late then never right? I hope you enjoy and I think I will have chapter 5 out soon! Remember: Feedback Feeds my Soul/Creativity

Series Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist

You were thankful when the storm had finally seemed to pass. You had managed to keep yourself from getting sick somehow and were thankful for just a normal amount of rocking. Unfortunately, you had been mostly ignored since you arrived on the ship. While you weren’t going to complain about not having to deal with the pirates, you also weren’t getting food or water.

You couldn’t be sure how many days had passed since you were captured. You guessed it was currently day three but you weren’t about to ask anyone. You were starting to feel pretty claustrophobic with being cramped in their small brig.

You were trying to get a small amount of rest when you suddenly heard many heavy footsteps and lots of shouting. You were quick to sit up when you noticed a pirate taking up guard in front of you. The last few days they had left you mostly unattended, it wasn’t like you could really get far if you managed to break out. But now, it seemed like they thought you needed to be guarded. You weren’t sure if they were protecting you or trying to keep you but you decided either way you were going to remain still.

You hoped that it was a Navy ship that was attacking. At this point, you had accepted your fate and you would much prefer to be returned home by decent people.

As had become obvious over the last few weeks, luck was not on your side. You watched as another plain clothed man bursted below the deck. There was a short fight between him and your guard. The other man was able to easily overpower the guard and lodged his sword through him.

“Well, what do we have here?” He asked as he looked you over. You hated that one of your first thoughts was that this man looked much better than the pirates on this ship had. He almost could have fooled you into thinking he was a kind man. “You must be worth a nice price to waste a man on keeping guard.”

He worked quickly in finding the keys and unlocking the cell you were in. You didn’t make a move, but he didn’t even seem to notice that. He stepped into your cell, right up to you. “Sorry about this, don’t what you getting any ideas about trying to get yourself a weapon” He gave you a sort of apology as he grabbed your wrists and skillfully wrapped them together in a rope. He was definitely a smart man, because you would be lying if you said the thought of grabbing a sword and doing something had crossed your mind. You were, however, ignoring the fact that even though this man was also kidnapping you, he seemed gentler? Kinder.

You still considered trying to make a run for it, but you really didn’t have anywhere to go. You might as well trade one pirate ship for another.

As soon as you came onto the deck of the ship you immediately took back any thought of this man being kind. It must have been a deception, a trick meant to have you trust him. Because as soon as you glance at the sails flying on his ship, you knew that no man that worked for the dread pirate Roberts, the man who killed your James, could be a kind man.

You wanted to scream, to fight, to kill every pirate on the ship. These were the men who killed the one person who you loved more than anything. As you moved through their ship you couldn’t help but look at every face and think that one of them had killed James. And how badly you wished you could drive a sword through that man's heart.

Maybe you’d get a chance to meet this Roberts. You had every intention of giving him a piece of your mind. The worst he could do was to kill you and you were starting to think you’d prefer that to being on a ship with him for even a few days.

“I’m Samuel by the way.” The man who was dragging you through the ship broke you out of your thoughts.

“I don’t care.” You said through gritted teeth. Your voice came out rough, you hadn’t spoken in many days and it was obvious that the lack of water was getting to you.

“She does speak.” He chuckled, “Though it would be nice if you would introduce yourself. Didn’t anyone teach you manners?”

“Oh is it polite to overtake a ship, killing everyone on board and keeping someone prisoner?” You threw back. You really were shocked by how little self-preservation you had left in you.

“I guess you have a point,” He laughed again, “The Captain will just have to try and get your name later.”

You seemed to arrive at their brig then. You had to admit, it was a step up from the last ships, if still a cage, this one at least had a small hammock and a chair to sit on.

You were pushed inside still and you heard the door lock behind you. “Step towards me” You gave him a look that said that you were fine where you were. “I just want to get rid of the rope on your wrist.”

You looked down nearly forgetting it was there. You contemplated just leaving it but decided to step towards the bars and stick your hands through one letting Samuel cut the rope off.

“There. We’ll bring you some water and food shortly. Then you can meet the captain.”

[iwannabeacat]

Radio BOB Deutschlands Rockradio

Radio BOB Deutschlands Rockradio Interview mit Richard Kruspe Oktober 2021

How did you come up with your joint cover of the classic piece "Always On My Mind" with Till Lindemann?

>> Um, that's a long story. Ten years ago the record company had the idea to make a cover album of Elvis Presley and back then I got the original tracks from 'Always on my mind'. And I couldn't choose which song, I think that was the only song that was left. And back then I was so enthusiastic about these recordings, because back then it was a completely different recording process than we know today. There were no computers, there was a band standing in a room. There was the so-called 'one take', so basically you only recorded one or two times as a whole band.

And I found this vocal performance by Elvis so charming and so enthusiastic that I built a cover version out of it. And I was so enthusiastic that he prevailed everywhere with this vocal performance in any form, without duplicating himself, without making any changes. And then at times I thought about working with other singers on the song, but I couldn't really think of someone who could convey this performance like this and I didn't really think of Till at the beginning.

That was really the last minute when I thought 'okay'.

I mean, of course, there is a difference between Elvis and Till. But Till also has this voice that prevails everywhere and this distinctiveness of the voice. And then I asked him and then it went pretty quickly. <<

In which situations do you get your ideas for songs and lyrics?

>> It is very different. I'm someone who watches a lot of movies because that's the only form where I can somehow relax mentally, that's meditation for me. Often some text lines comes while i watch movies, but it can also be in the shower in the morning or in conversations. So in general in life

But I am also a person who basically uses the side of suffering more in order to be creative, I have to say quite honestly. And of course that's always a problem because I sometimes believe that you unconsciously force yourself into a path of suffering in order to then be creative. This is of course a dangerous thing. <<

How does the "Emigrate-Richard" differ from the "Rammstein-Richard"?

>> That is of course much, much more personal. Everything I bring into Emigrate is of course a very personal way of making music or my way of dealing with certain things. Problems, or with statements or with experiences and so on. So I would say the big difference is personality. But also to have the opportunity to do things that are not dependent on, in general, on record companies, on the industry. They are not dependent on management or any booking agents or fans. I try to really free myself that I don't have the pressure, 'I have to do it this way now, because I want it to be nice'. Which can always be some kind of trap. You have been successful for years and then at some point you already think about when you write a song: "Oh man, that worked." I don't want to fall into this trap with Emigrate. In so far I am much more free in the way I make music.

And the third big part, which I have always seen as very enriching, was of course to collaborate with other people. Working with people who generally do something different, who sing differently or who, the fox knows what.

For me, from the time in the East, it was always kind of exciting to somehow make music with a lot of people.

Back then we had a kind of post-punk time in the East. And it was so common back then that you played in a lot of bands. And so I always found this exchange of these bands totally enriching.

We live in a time when rock is no longer a folks music. The rock rebellion era has run out of place a bit. And I also think it's super interesting to see how people make music these days. The rebellion that is in music nowadays is, of course, obviously in the language, in hip hop. The problem I have with hip hop is, of course, that the music doesn't appeal to me that much. But I also like to work with young people and see how they work, how they write songs, how they approach music in general. I am extremely open and inquisitive. <<

At the beginning of the Emigrate project, did you expect that you would release four albums?

>> Back then I made the promise to make three albums and the fourth was not planned that way.

This has a little story behind it. I fell into such a huge hole after our last Rammstein tour and forgot myself a bit. And I didn't really know where I wanted to go with myself and my life and so on and had also thought about stopping with making music. And it took me a bit of time to go back in time. And that's why the name is "The Persistence Of Memory", so I needed memories from the past in order to feel back in the present and to look into the future again. <<

When where the songs, which can be found on the new album "THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY", created?

>> These are songs I've written over the past 20 years. These are not new songs. Those were songs that I wrote from the beginning of Emigrate to 2019. And back then in this pandemic there was always the idea to somehow see what you need to tidy up. That was always a bit in the room. And then somehow I did that too. I then basically rearranged them, re-recorded them. I also changed them here and there, as far as texts are concerned and so on. So I did a complete all-round check. <<

What does Emigrate mean to you personally? / Why did you start Emigrate?

>> For me, emigrate initially meant that I had to direct my creative output somewhere. I always thought I could do that with Rammstein, but I caused more problems with it than benevolence, so to speak. But I always had this creative output and that's why I needed this balance. And I honestly believe that psychologically, of course, every guitarist secretly wants to be a singer, somehow. And I've always had a tendency to always go in the middle. And that's why I just did it and that was a very difficult path at the beginning.

I think that working with Emigrate also gives me a lot more understanding for Till, for example, for his work. <<

Have you planned an Emigrate tour?

>> Hmm, not at the moment. Simply for the reason that I don't have the need to play any more live now. I have a lot of fun playing live with Rammstein and I wouldn't have time to do that at the moment. If Rammstein wouldn't play live tomorrow, then I would say okay, of course, let's try it! But at the moment I have this live aspect with Rammstein, which is well filled. <<

[thompsonstessa-moved]

Måneskin interview for TVN24 - english translation

Few days ago an interview (on video) with Måneskin came out in Poland on TVN24 channel, sadly its paywalled on their site (and the tv only showed a bit).

However, I got a transcript of it and decided to translate it for you guys :D

Also, while the interview took place in Poland (day before the Sopot festival), the interviewer knew italian, so they talked in italian and the TV translated it to polish (and dubbed them!!! :( ). So I hope theres nothing that like, got lost in translation twice.

Also its 2am now so the translation might not be the most perfect, but you'll definitely get the gist of what they were saying!!

The whole thing is under the 'keep reading' :)

First of all – congratulations on the San Remo and Eurovision wins! I just want you to know how happy you made my mom – she listens to your music for 3 years now. How are you feeling today?

D: We feel good, tho we’re tired as well. We travel a lot, but we’re happy. We meet new fans, new opportunities are coming up. It’s really nice.

How did you guys meet? When looking at you, you have this sense of unity and just good vibes. How did it all start?

D: We know each other for a long time.

V: Yeah, Since middle school. Me, Thomas and Damiano were playing in different bands, but they weren’t the best. Thet all disbanded. Then we posted in a facebook group ’looking for a musician in rome’ and found Ethan. Since then we started doing music for real. We devoted ourselves to the music, and… the rest just came naturally.

E: Yes. We knew it’s gonna be our life since day one.

What did you say In the post, when looking for the fourth member of the band?

V: I wrote ”looking for a drummer for an indie rock/new wave band”.

E: That’s true, there was new wave in it too.

I’m sure a lot of people replied.

V: No, actually only Ethan replied. But we found that post lately and now it’s full of comments like „why didn’t i reply back then!”

T: Ethan was really lucky.

What did your parents thought about your choice (to pursue music)? A rockstar lifestyle isn’t exactly what every parent wants for their child.

D: No, our parents are really content with it. They know what we do makes us happy, and of course we visit them whenever we can. And they are proud of us as well, because they see we’re happy and independent, travelling all over the Europe, and hopefully all over the world. I think every parent wants their kid to be satisfied and happy.

And friends? Are you still friends with the same people, or did the friendships fell apart?

D: We still have the same friends. And we’re sure that way that they are our real friends.

Do they understand your current lifestyle, that you can dissapear for a year?

V: Yeah, they all understand that this is our job, that our life is a bit irregular, but, like everything, it has its ups and downs.

E: Exactly, they understand, but they also miss us. Sometimes my mom calls and says ”I miss you, you’ve been gone for so long”. It’s normal. But what’s important is that we feel the support from our families and friends. They understand that you need to sacrifice a lot, to achieve a lot.

Can you still easily go ands grab a beer in the Rome neighbourhoods (districts?) of Pigneto or Trastevere? Or is it impossible now?

V: The only truly safe place for us is Trastevere, because we always lived there. Everyone there knows us and they don’t care we’re famous.

D: But I have to admit that since they whole Eurovision thing we still didn’t come back, so it’s hard to say for sure.

T: But let’s say that its a safe space.

Don’t you worry that now that whole world knows you, you’ll be followed by tourists?

V: Oh my god, you’re right, we didn’t think about it!

D: When we came back to Rome for one day I got excited when one tourist stopped me. ”Cool, I got stopped by a tourist” – now it’s normal.

T: It gives us joy.

V: It’s beautiful.

E: Wonderful.

V: We’re not complaining.

D: Long live the tourists!! (that one was kinda weird to translate)

You started by playing on Via Del Corso, now you’re international stars. I’m wondering, do you still feel the same when playing together as before? Do you have fun making music together? Or do you miss the simpler times and would love to go back to Via del Corso and play something spontaneously?

V: No, we’re still spontaneus. It’s really important for us, and we make sure people who work with us understand that. We’re really adamant about it. Music needs to remain beautiful, spontaneus and natural thing for us. We never worked with someone who would write lyrics for us. No one ever told us what we can and cannot do. We still feel the exact same feelings in studio and on stage that we felt when we were just getting started. It’s the purest thing for us. We want to have fun and feel free to express ourselves.

T: Exactly, especially that music is our driving force. Without music, we wouldn't have all the beautiful things we do. We focus only on music, and the rest comes to us.

Let’s imagine a situation where you just started ma king a song, and everyone has a different idea for it. How do you work that out? And who’s idea wins most of the time?

V: There are two options in this situation: we try every idea, and if none works, we throw the song away.

E: It doesn’t work. (that one is kinda untranslateable?)

V: Or we really work on it and fight till the end.

D: Exactly. Sometimes, but that pretty rare, one of us has a particular idea on how to do the song, and manages to convince us (to the idea). but it’s not an order, it’s a dialogue. An attempt to make everyone think the same way. I need to say that it was much harder in the past, because we were still searching for our sound, and each tried to push the rest into their way of thinking. But now we’re more aware of what we want to create, so it’s coming out in much more natural way.

E: Faster.

D: Not really faster, because it takes a lot of time to create new songs, but it’s easier, we don’t argue that much anymore.

T: It’s really cool, because everyone gives something from themselves to the song. (my brain kinda blanked here, sorry xD) Just like Damiano said, there are days when Vic has one idea for a song, I have another idea, Damiano has his own idea, Ethan as well… But it’s a whole creative process where we all contribute, and it’s pretty stimulating.

D: Everyone feels appreciated. It’s really important when it’s four of us.

What are the biggest signs that you became huge international stars?

V: We really realize that when we’re having concerts. Where we can see our audience and we can see that people really care about us. That they took time and money to listen to us. Now that we’re travelling across Europe, the amount of people stopping us on the streets really shows how many people know about us. People are waiting for us in front of our hotels. We didn’t think it would be like that. But we feel nothing but affection and warmth from them.

How was Eurovision for you from the backstage? Anything atypical?

D: No, it was all great. We played ping-pong.

V: Did rehearsals.

E: Interviews.

D: Yes, interviews. And ping-pong.

When you we’re in Paris, did anyone mention the drug allegations that came from French people during the finale, that kinda became a diplomatic incident?

D: Yeah, you could say that it was mentioned.

They don’t resent you? Or maybe you resent France?

D: No. To feel that about the whole country would be too much of a generalization. Of course there were people who were really vocal about it, but we don’t feel any sort of resentment. It’s in the past for us. We knew they were just primitive accusations. We did what it deserved – talked a bit about it, I volunteered to do the test, and they (the accusators) were sure it had to be false. It got ridiculous, so we just stopped talking about it. We want to talk about out music, our art. The rest is just meaningless.

Right now, LGBTQ rights are a hot topic both in Italy and in Poland. You mentioned freedom of being different and being yourself on several occasions. Do you think you can change the world on this matter as musicians?

D: Maybe not change the world, but we can definitely contribute. Speak the voice of those who can’t. We have a huge following on social media, on stage, on TV, so we feel responsibility to talk about what’s important to us. We hope that something will change because of us, but we don’t consider ourselves as the ones to set the standards of justice and change. We do what we can do, and if we know enough about it, we talk about it. We don’t want to put someone elses words into ours mouths.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Mon 15 March ‘21

FIRST TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST HARRY STYLES!! From the bottom of the stairs to the top of the fucking world baby, get itttt!! He won Best Pop Solo Performance for smash hit Watermelon Sugar-- the other two categories he was up for went to others but he was a dark horse for any of them so getting one is awesome! Yeah the grammys are shit but I’m so happy for him to see him receiving validation and acclaim from the industry that has never appreciated what he (and his bandmates) are and can do as artists, it’s a fucking start you know? We can enjoy the moment! Harry did! His acceptance speech was short and it feels like he was blindsided and forgot everything (including not to swear on TV and as pro as he is you know that means he was absolutely reeling, I love that) but later he said “I want to thank my fans for giving me an environment to be free to make the music that I want to make and supporting me along the way the last ten years”, yes that’s right we have helped you find a place to feel good, and “this is an incredibly sweet icing on the cake of what I get to do everyday so thank you.”

But that’s not all! He also performed, and wore things! Say what you want about Harry (or better yet please DON’T at least to me but that’s a losing battle) we always get so hyped up about even just seeing his outfits and he does not let us down! BLACK LEATHER, TITS FULLY OUT, DICK BANANA CHARM, AND A MUPPET BOA? Yeah he did that! Shirtless under a patent leather suit, I mean: wow. Very glam rock, very… well listen it’s just very GAY in like so many different ways??? Harry Lambert said they wanted “something darker, sexier, and more unexpected” which is definitely about that look I’m assuming and not the pastel thrift store rummage bin hodgepodge he wore later, unless Harry(s) and I have very different ways of interpreting “darker”. (Harry L also said “free the nipple” and we can all see that he MEANT it.) Harry red carpet-ed and accepted his award in a lavender muppet boa, tits slightly less out but still cleavagey, and with a seemingly random collection of other garments YES BABY OKAY you just WEAR THAT THEN! About that Harry L said, “we wanted to do something that felt British and eccentric, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll and a little bit camp,” but the people have spoken and they said ‘we think he looked like Cher from Clueless’ so, sorry Harry(s)! Esquire struggling to describe the look-- “the kind of thing that Styles seems to make wearable” klasjdlk the doubtful ‘seems’ is sending me. Either way we can definitely all agree on the camp part, and that the matching face mask (as seen in the audience shots and in adorbs pics of him camping it up with Lizzo backstage) is amazing, love that (even if he does spend way too much time nervously pulling it on and off omg just LEAVE IT) and it even went also with outfit number THREE (or at least it did as well as any of his anything went together lol) which was a big floppy orange coat and plaid pants and a THIRD BOA, a dignified (haha JK NOPE it’s still a muppet) black number this time.

It seems the performance was filmed in advance rather than done live-- there were clues suggesting this might be the case, but the real giveaway was when a picture from it leaked before the broadcast, lol. Way to make it so we “can’t even tell if it’s live or not” Ben, and why is he STILL so obsessed with trying to gaslight us anyway my god just say what’s prerecorded it’s fiiiine. ANYWAY Harry played Watermelon Sugar and only WS; well after all it is his GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SONG. Plus it was a really nice version, all smooth and funky, with a highlight of the night being Harry’s full on 60s girl group choreo move with the backup singers, omg. Those backing vocalists were the duo G.A.W.D., and there was extra accompaniment by fellow nominee Devonte Hynes aka Blood Orange (who also directed the performance and no I do not know what that means) and “Spencer and Josh” on horns (the closest I can find to someone crediting them so, apologies guys). Anyway! All of them (regular HS band included) were decked out in matching gucci black leather too and looking good. And Harry looked so happy to be up there performing, just beaming like a lighthouse, so overall- good good stuff, I just keep on dancin!

The real bombshell of the performance though was subtle and needed confirmation after for the excitement to really hit-- it was Sarah drumming  decked out in tight black leather and visibly pregnant!! That’s right, band drummer Sarah Jones is PREGNANT by (Grammy Award winning) guitarist Mitch, there’s a HARRY STYLES BAND BABY on the way!!!! WHAT A NIGHT! It wasn’t enough for Harry to find love in his own band, he’s somehow cupid-ing that energy all over the place and spreading it around, AMAZING!

And Liam comes through with not just a sweet congratulations for Harry (“what a huge moment, proud to be your brother” awwww) but also the final word on the performance look- goddammit it IS one of the rejected Best Song Ever video looks, LMAOOOO. But did he tag HSHQ instead of Harry directly in acknowledgment of how the awards system really works and that they are all to be congratulated or simply because it was easier? We will never know.

Additional tidbits-- bassist Hynes was apparently playing creative director Molly Hawkins’ dad’s bass- did we know her dad was a famous bassist who played with Fleetwood Mac and many other 70s stars?! If I did I had definitely forgotten! And more Molly news-- she’s also pregnant!! Harry will soon be surrounded by quarantine babies, dreams really coming true huh? Harry posted a pic of himself with Mitch and Devonte looking very cooool, we saw the ceramic watermelons label execs were sent for the WS release last year, and Rebecca Ferguson who knows 1D from way back when (and has recently drawn attention for talking frankly about how fucked up the industry is and about having seen unnamed boy band members literally slammed against the wall by their management) congratulated Harry and posted a couple of baby pop star Harry pics, cuuuute. Louis’ merch handlers, in response to no complaints whatsoever, sent out emails apologizing. They say they’ve run out of lanyards which were meant to be sent out so they will “be adding a freebie which we know you’ll enjoy” to affected customers’ orders. That is sucky about the lanyards but that’s customer care! Niall posted about his cool bright limited edition merch to remind that it will be gone gone gone tonight and also shared a pretty and touching picture from a the large anti violence rally held in London to protest the killing of Sarah Everard today. And finally some good advice from Bebe Rexha, loved by larries; she says she loves us right back but please don’t kill anyone for not streaming her new song! Yes good plan.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Personalities

Guess I’ve never really did one post like this one, but I wanted to list out how I envision the guys to be like, generally. My creativity has been going down the drain lately, so hopefully that’ll boost me up a bit !

-- Leo --

Leo gives out that tough, serious vibe, mostly because he’s the leader and wants to show that he’s in control.

...

But in general, that dude does like to laugh and have some fun!

Don’t worry though, he knows when he has to be serious!!!! ... At some points he just has to relax, you know?

A Man of Culture ™ , he owns some bonsai trees and loves to meditate so he can have a clearer mind. Tranquility is his way to recharge his batteries (yes, I do see him as an ambivert, with a strong introvert side).

 A comic books fan, shares that passion with Mikey! He’s more of a Marvel fan, personally - some of his favorites are Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, and probably a bunch of others).

Anger and strong emotions can hinder his leading choices. Anxiety rises in him, which can cloud his thoughts, but he’s working hard on that (and he’s kinda good at hiding his panic, generally).

Even if he doesn’t say it often - he does love spending time with his brothers! Watching basketball matches is definitely a must for those four.

A Leo in love is a smiling Leo. A true gentleman, he can turn into quite the passionate lover when alone with his s/o. He’s not much a fan of PDA, but his s/o shouldn’t worry much about that as the affection is multiplied tenfold later on.

Actually has a good singing voice, but he would prefer to die than to let people know.

Values Splinter’s opinion highly and often goes to him for guidance about many things - mostly regarding his leadership.

It’s a bit hard for him to let new people enter his life, since he’s scared for his family to be discovered and out in the open by any means possible, but he’s slowly starting to trust his instincts and his brothers’, knowing when it’s safe to let certain people in their world or not.

He’s an avid reader. Has a preference for classic litterature, but also enjoys horror, crime stories, and a bit of romance (if he really feels like it).

-- Raph --

Sir Raph bitchinson is in DAH HOUSE.

He’s not afraid to speak up and call out anything wrong in this household.

He and Donnie love to gossip and bitch around - you can’t change my mind. But they do that in secret though (wouldn’t want to hurt people with their judgements!!!)

Can be pretty much eloquent, when given the chance. He’s more street smart than book smart, but all knowledge is good knowledge.

He always likes to come up with some challenges for himself and his bros. Some sort of “friendly” competition amongst them, just to spice things up. He does consult Splinter sometimes to see what could be done in order to train certain skills.

Raph has a lot of love to give, but doesn’t like to show it plainly. He’s gotta show that big buff strong man attitude !!!!!!!!!! ... But he does have a big heart.

He and Mikey definitely do some music on the side - which has sparked the hilarious idea of a Hip Hop Christmas album. ... Mikey does call himself “MC Mikey”, but Raph is a better rapper.

Suprisingly good with arts and crafts (ex: woodcarving, knitting). Patience, precision, and carefulness are skills he has to work on often.

Training and lifting weights are his prefered ways to think back and analyze various things. That’s why when he’s angry, he goes out to train. It gives him the opportunity to calm down (somehow) and review the situation.

Even though his arguments with Leo can turn quite bitter, he knows he’d miss them if they were to stop. Butting heads with the leader is what brings them together (some would argue it’s not a healthy relation, but both are strong headed so it’s just always gonna be like that, you know~)

-- Donnie --

You know that shy, awkward, nerd stereotype? Throw that out the window, please.

Donnie sure is quiet when he first meets new people, but that’s only so he can observe them better and get to know how to interact with them better.

Once he’s starting to grow more comfortable, he’s probably one of the chillest dude you could hang out with.

Sure, sometimes he’ll start blabbering about his projects and throw out some complex terms, but that’s just because he’s always happy to include people into his things (IF the project is going well, that is...)

A patient teacher. Yes sometimes it’s tiring having to explain whenever he says a big word, but he doesn’t mind overall explaining and bringing forth new knowledge to those who seek it.

He’s not one to flaunt his intellect. He is not above anyone and he understands that not everyone has the same passions as him. Everybody can learn something new everyday - himself included.

Has a good sense of humor, mostly sarcastic. Is always up to doing some pranks around the lair with Mikey.

Donnie’s anger management could be described as “the calm before the storm”. He usually has a good control over his emotions, but if they ever get to explode, he can be quite ... “sharp”. He doesn’t hold his words and can be a bit judgemental when angry - but he’s quick to rectify the situation and apologize. Overall, when he’s facing a situation that displeases him, he is silent  and thoughtful. ... A lot goes on in his mind.

When in love, Donnie’s heart is soft and he’s a big romantic/cheesy dork. He’s often caught gazing at his s/o, with a smile on his face. He’s not afraid to lay his feelings in the open and doesn’t mind some PDA, but when he and his s/o are alone together, you can say it gets cranked up a bit ;)

Listens to various music genres. Has a preference for 80′s-90′s rock, jazz, and various types of electronic music.

Sometimes does some remote tech support jobs on the side so he and his family can have some money to spend.

Loves to play videogames! The first one he ever completed was Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo (hence why he has a SNES controller with his gear - an object filled with good memories!).

The self proclaimed “handyman” of the lair. He loves tinkering around and find ways to upgrade simple things in the house. He’s always up for a good challenge! (May or may not have a suggestion box for his bros and his dad to drop ideas once in a while <__< !!!)

-- Mikey --

Searching for a litteral ray of sunshine? Look no further; Mikey is here.

For him, finding joy and positivity in anything is a must - at least, most of the time.

He knows his family is not of the ordinary kind with a normal house, but that doesn’t mean things have to be grim and miserable!

This mindset does come at a price though. It does happen for Mikey to have his morale drop considerably low, but in those moments he knows he has his family to support him and make him feel better.

In return he is extremely supportive of anything his family does and will always encourage them when they’re going through a rough patch.

He and Raph love to collect various human items. Mikey has a tendency to go for art related items, which sparked his interest in arts (painting, spray cans/graffiti, drawing).

He also developped an interest in cooking.

Both skills are well received by his bros and he loves to teach them some tricks here and there, along with providing creative inputs to anything (mostly Donnie’s projects).

He’s an empath and doesn’t mind when his brothers vent to him. He wants them to know they are heard and valued! The best medicine he can provide is humor.

He’s a big flirt. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and he’s not afraid to express his admiration.

A party needs to be organized? Leave that to him. He always come up with some cool playlists, lots of booze, various activities, and a theme (if needed).

Loves to reference a lot of movie quotes, popular stuff and such. And it’s never out of place too, which can be surprisingly clever!

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

TROPED: JATP MASTER LIST

And for our encore, the Master List of all 53 (fifty-three!?) fanfics written for our FIRST Julie and the Phantoms TROPED event!! It was such a treat for us to see how a new fandom took on our prompts! We, here at TROPED, love it when our authors push the limits of what a trope can be, and this fandom kept us on our toes, and we loved every word! We hope you enjoy these trope bending, phantastic fics as much as we did!

New rockstar writers joined us for the first time for this event, which is the coolest thing for us! We love getting to see how different fandoms interpret our prompts and how you see these stories through the lens of different characters. We learned a lot about how to run an event this round, with new voices helping us to make TROPED better, which was so exciting. We came out of this event with new ideas, and we’re pumped for what’s next! We hope you’ll join us again soon ;)!

*Some summaries have been edited for length. Tumblr has a max post length. Who knew!

ROUND 1: ANGST FICS

The Tropes:

Character discovers they’re not human

Coffee Shop AU

Poorly Timed Confession

Character A catches Character B crying

————

the sky was gray and white and (cloudy) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: “I’ve got you,” Willie’s whispering over and over, panic creeping into his voice. “Alex, I’ve got you, okay? Come on, baby, come on, it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re gonna be okay, I love you–”

Alex spits out what feels like a clot of blood and gives Willie a tired grin, probably looking completely insane.

“That’s pretty gay of you,” he says, just as his vision clouds over and he passes out.

Honey, You’re Familiar (Like My Mirror Years Ago) (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: Luke works at a coffee shop, which is normal, quietly pines after his coworker, which is normal, and also occasionally steals people’s faces without really meaning to.

It’s probably that last part that moves him pretty solidly out of the “normal” territory.

But that’s fine, that’s totally cool.

He’s handling it super well.

You Can’t Value People Less Than a Good, Hot Cup of Bean Juice (It Just Seems Rude) (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: Julie gets a job at a coffee stand in the middle of nowhere.

It’ll help to pass the time, if nothing else.

And if there’s a cute guy who works the shift after her and sometimes leaves her ridiculously endearing messages on an ancient tape recorder?

Well, that’s just a bonus.

honest to god I’ll break your heart, tear you to pieces and rip you apart (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: the siren!Julie AU no one asked for

new instincts (Rated T) [Luke x Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: Reggie is fine with being the only human member of his band, Julie and the Phantoms (tell your friends!), just like he’s fine with being the only single member. It doesn’t make him feel lonely, and he’s only picking up more shifts at the coffee shop because he needs more money, not because he’s avoiding being alone. And picking up more shifts at the coffee shop is making the work easier! He’s only a little confused by the fact that he can now touch the espresso machine mid shift without burning himself… must be all of the experience.

you look like you’ve just seen a monster (is that what i look like to you?) (Rated T) [Bobby x Alex x Luke x Reggie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: it’s angsty tiefling bobby time, folks!

We Are Monsters, We Are Proud (Rated G) [Flynn x Carrie, Julie x Luke] by @americanhoney913

Summary: Carrie finds herself at a college like no other in search of her dad and some answers. Julie’s not feeling good and maybe staring at roses wasn’t the best idea.

Monster College/Coffeeshop AU

sending forth their beautiful voice, and my heart was fain to listen (Rated G) [Julie x Carrie] by @madeline-kahn

Summary: Months after the death of her mom, Julie prepares to sing again and makes an upsetting discovery.

rise from the ashes (Rated M) [Alex x Willie] by @willexxmercer

Summary: At a time when everything was going wrong for Alex, the one bright spot in his life was the charming barista at the coffee shop he frequented. At least, it was the bright spot until everything went up in flames. All he could do was hope that they could rise from the ashes and figure things out together.

Siren’s Song (Rated T) [Ray x Rose] by hufflebibin

Summary: The Scopuli was never meant to be a permanent arrangement. Rose had taken the job straight out of school just looking to make a little extra money before the tour kicked off.

That was four years ago.

After a string of bad luck befalls Rose and the Petal Pushers, she can’t help but wonder if she is the problem. Or is there something more sinister at play?

Yellow (Rated T) [Julie & Reggie] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: Reggie just wanted to get some new guitar strings. A shapeshifter!Reggie au

Angels Like You (Rated T) [Luke x Reggie] by @sunsetcurveofficial

Summary: Reggie is having a bit of a weird day. It gets worse when he figures out that it’s because he died in his sleep and has somehow been walking around as a ghost without realising it. Meeting Luke helps. Luke says he’s a fellow ghost, and there is something about him that Reggie just feels drawn to. Falling for him is the easiest thing Reggie has ever done, but Luke is a little more than he lets on, and it turns out that their story actually started long before Reggie thought it did.

look into my eyes (it’s where my demons hide) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @fanfics-she-wrote

Summary: Hiding out from demons was never a desirable nightmare. Of course, Carrie would much prefer a run-for-my-life nightmare than actually running for her life. Having Flynn around is a very welcome soothing balm, though.

Bring All The Monsters Out To Play, Let All The Red Erase The Grey (Rated T) [Bobby & Reggie] by @kennysbirthday

Summary: Mythologicals, Reggie realised, were kind of like queer people. Sometimes your Token Human friend turns around one day and admits that actually, there was something they were suppressing all along, and they hadn’t realised.

–

Reggie’s final exam has been pushed forward at the most inconvenient time. Bobby is sick, Alex is missing, and now he needs to help a selkie get their ‘Happily-Ever-After’ in order to scrape a passing grade. Oh, and if his boss catches him handing out more free coffee, he’s gonna get fired.

————

ROUND 2: FLUFF FICS

The Tropes:

Exes

Time Loop AU

Camp Counselors

Prank Wars

————

Okay, Campers, Rise and Shine! (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: The Groundhog Day meets Gravity Falls meets Summer Camp meets The Author’s Own Distaste For Prank Wars AU that no one asked for. Ever. At all.

Starting To Forget (Just What Summer Ever Meant To You) (Not Rated) [Flynn x Carrie] by bi_magic

Summary: Last summer didn’t end on a positive note for Carrie Wilson - she and her girlfriend broke up on the last night of camp, and she’s been miserable since. But it seems that the universe is intent on having her fix that this summer. Even if that means she has to live through the same day over and over and over again until she does.

Creative B.S. Was No More, Was No Less (Look Around, You’re Gonna Miss What You Found) (Rated T) [Alex x Luke, Flynn x Reggie] by @americanhoney913

Summary: Alex and Luke go undercover on a mission to a summer camp in order to find a talisman that could endanger the camp and all the kids. While there, they bond with the kids and make peace with the fact that they broke up.

While Alex and Luke are away, Flynn accidentally fucks with time.

bitch but like romantically (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: or: flynn gets stuck in a time loop. {for troped jatp round 2}

down by the bay (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: Over time, Camp Phantom has simply become known as a selective summer camp: one that took only the kids that Caleb saw promise in. And Caleb wasn’t exactly lying. He really did take only the ones he saw promise in, he simply looked for different traits than others might.

For example, say, hypothetically, a boy who could see the future. Or, hypothetically, a girl who could interact with ghosts. Or, hypothetically, a boy who could summon objects to him with a simple thought. Or, and this is completely hypothetical mind you, a boy who could manipulate time.

Those might be some traits that Caleb saw promise in. Just, like, as examples.

Time will tell (But only if you do it right) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @malecacidd

Summary: Carrie had been acting a little off for a week or so, but Flynn was pretty much known for seeing something in nothing, and that was probably what they were doing then. If something was going on, Carrie would tell her eventually.

OR

Who knew all it took was a little bit of miscommunication to mess up time itself?

and so it begins (Rated T) [Bobby x Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: It’s the first day of their second week at Camp Carolling (they’re spending an entire month, and they’re getting paid to be there!) when Reggie gets a little lost in the woods. During this misadventure into the woods, he finds an egg shaped rock, an inhabited cabin that may or may not be riddled with signs, and something that might be magic. He probably doesn’t get paid enough to discover magic.

or, when they were thirteen years old, four boys met at camp carolling and eventually became a band that almost became something legendary. now, all four boys are coming back as counselors, three boys in one band and one boy in his own solo act.

so begins the reunion, though it doesn’t go how any of them imagine.

Porcupine Day (Rated T) [Bobby x Ray x Rose] by @wr0temyway0ut

Summary: It’s been fifteen years since Trevor broke up with Ray and Rose and they’re… not fine, but managing. But when Trevor to adds insult to injury and buys the camp across the lake from the one they once owned together, the two camps become locked in a bitter rivalry. With neither side willing to set aside their pride and work out their issues, the universe decides to settle their fates itself.

Day After Day (After Day After Day) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by hufflebibin

Summary: When Alex met Willie just after their senior year of high school, they spent a wonderful three months dating before their relationship ended in a blaze of glory. Now, four years later, they meet again as counselors at a summer camp. The only problem? Alex keeps reliving their first day together. The day that Luke had declared “Prank Day.”

This is not how Alex pictured his summer going.

clocks move faster (it’s all we’re after) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke] by @willexxmercer

Summary: Julie likes it when her friends are happy, so when she realizes she’s stuck in a time loop, she uses her knowledge to make sure everything works out for everyone… except she conveniently forgets to factor herself (and Luke) into the mix.

Touch of Magic (Not Rated) [Alex x Luke] by @williexmercer

Summary: When everything stands in Luke and Alex’s way of getting to be with the people they love, they have to repeat the day over and over until they can get the happily ever after that they want.

the play’s the thing (that goes wrong) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @madeline-kahn

Summary: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day for Macbeth, but not so for Alex and the production of Hamlet that he is directing and starring in. And while he’s stuck repeating the day of the performance over and over, mishaps of all kinds befall the cast.

anything, anything (for another run with you) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: the camp counselor/exes/prank war/time loop fic of your dreams (unless you read all of the other troped round 2 fics lmao)

there’s a glorious sunrise, dappled with the flickers of light (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: ex-best friends Luke and Julie, working as camp counselors at rivaling camps, find themselves stuck in a time loop

the daughter of apollo (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @the-most-beautiful-broom

Summary: the JATP x Camp Half Blood AU that nobody asked for

maybe the world isn’t ending (maybe it’s been postponed) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: It’s the last day of camp and Julie has one more prank planned for Luke. He just doesn’t know what it is.

Here We Go Again (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @kybee1497

Summary: Julie blinked as she stared at the place Euterpe had disappeared. What did that even mean? What journey? Old places and lost faces? What was she talking about? But before she could dwell on the questions swirling around in her mind, the sky full of stars began to move, shifting in place and descending until they were all around her. Julie felt her feet leave the ground as she rose up and up. One star in particular was burning brighter than the others, growing bigger in front of her.

It grew and grew, until the light was blinding and Julie had to throw a hand up against the harsh light. She closed her eyes as the light surrounded her and then she was falling. Falling down, down, down.

————

ROUND 3: CANONVERSE FICS

The Tropes:

Secret Places

Neighbors

First Kiss

Time Jump

————

Just say you won’t let go (Rated G) [Julie/Luke] by @fanfics-she-wrote

Summary: Hey, Julie

You're the heart and soul 'round here, it's plain to see

in which Julie has a second chance with her boys, and then a third

we will fight to shine together (bright forever) (Rated G) [Bright Lighting Guy/Rob from the Orpheum] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: the rob/bright lighting guy fic literally nobody asked for but i wrote anyways. enjoy gays, bring ur tissues

what happened when (Rated G) [Alex/Luke] by @janaikam

Summary: Before Julie and the Phantoms, before the guys became ghosts, before Sunset Curve – they were Luke and Alex. Not 5 feet apart cause they’re totally gay.

who cares if one more light goes out? (in a sky of a million stars) (Rated T) [Ray/Rose] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: The first and the last time Ray ever kissed Rose.

we can forget the world (just you and me) (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: “This was the first place I ever came out to someone,” Alex says, spinning around and taking in the tree house.

together we can take on the world (Rated G) [Alex/Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: Alex Mercer meets Reggie Peters on October 8, 1983, which means that two days have passed since Reggie’s sixth birthday, because Reggie is a Libra according to the magazines that his mom reads when she gets Reggie to paint her toenails. He’s also just moved to Los Angeles, California from his hometown of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a small town in the mountains, and he’s told Alex Mercer about all of this in the three minutes that they’ve known each other, and he might be the loudest, most obnoxious boy that Alex has ever met, and he absolutely has to be Alex’s new best friend.

The Peters family moves in down the street from the Mercers in 1983, and so begins the rest of their lives.

Long Live (Can I start another life with you?) (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by @smolfangirl

Summary: It’s all too much for one day: first a muffin, then more heartbeats. Julie just needs some time to think. If Luke runs after her to sit by her side so she doesn’t lose it, she won’t complain.

Except afterwards, he starts acting weird. Very weird. And months later, she’s tired of letting him keep his distance.

She can’t do this. Not right now. Not today.

She jumps back on her feet.

The excited grin falls from Luke’s face. She doesn’t try to catch it.

“I – I think this is too much. I need some time. Alone. Sorry.”

Then she runs. She runs past the calloused fingers reaching out to her. Past Reggie and the door, past carved pumpkins on porches and Cornelia Street.

She just runs.

Roses (Rated G) [Emily & Luke, Alex/Luke] by @americanhoney913

Summary: It becomes a sacred place she shares with her son. Mitch is usually off at work from dawn until six o’clock, but Emily’s working from home for now. She works as a florist’s shop right outside the neighborhood. So she brings home seeds and little flowers and other cuts from the store; she and Luke will spend hours out in the dirt, planting seeds and making mud pies and Luke will babble about whatever happened in daycare and make up stories about the different flowers.

Somewhere Only We Know (Rated T) [Nick/Carrie] by hufflebibin

Summary: A journey through Nick Danforth-Evan’s life as experienced in the safety of his backyard hide away.

The Itty Bitty Details (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @williexmercer & @futurearchaeologyprof

Summary: 5 times Willie knew Alex and one where Alex knew Willie

you’re the only one who makes me (my wildflower) (Rated T) [Bobby/Reggie] by @willexxmercer

Summary: The tree was Reggie’s safe space, and Bobby was his safe person. He could escape all his troubles there, except for one nagging thought - did he have feelings for his best friend?

Dying complicated things.

because i’ve known you so long, i know every cadence and what they mean (Rated G) [Alex & Julie, Julie/Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: the Juke 5+1 fic from Alex’s POV.

Someday (I’ll See You Again) (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @kybee1497

Summary: They’re wrong. Alex, you are not a failure. You’re incredible. You’re smart. You’re funny, and the best friend I could ask for. You’re a wicked talented drummer and you have a beautiful voice. And more important than all of that, is that you’re you, Alex. And the you you are is wonderful, and lovable and perfect. If your parents can’t see that, that’s their own fault. But I swear, Alex. If you’re afraid of them, I need you to tell me. You have to be safe.” Willie’s voice had gone desperate by the end. Alex deserved to know how freaking amazing he was and the fact that his parents didn’t bother to tell him, and actively worked to tear him down instead, was infuriating.

But Willie also worried about him. He’d worried about Alex since the first time he heard Mr. Mercer shouting through the window, a worry that never really went away. Not with the way Alex automatically straightened up when his parents were mentioned, as if he could hear his dad lecturing him about appearances from miles away. Not with the way Alex looked when he was with them, perfectly pieced together and falling apart at the seams, eyes distant and shoulders tense. Willie was pretty sure he had worrying about Alex etched in his bones by this point.

The Energy Never Dies (Rated T) [Gen Fic] by @americanhoney913

Summary: Four moments across time in the loft of the Molina’s garage.

————

ROUND 4: FINAL!

Theme: Author’s Choice

Tropes:

Royalty AU

Soulmate AU

“Long Story Short…”

Author’s Choice

———

Look, Steal From the Rich. Do It. (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: A Julie and the Phantoms Star Wars AU that kind of looks into the ramifications of soul marks in a turbulent society, but mostly just focuses on the gang infiltrating a fancy Core World party.

take my heart (and take my hand) (Rated T) [Alex/Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: The stranger smiles. “I’m Willie,” he greets.

“Alex,” Alex nods back.

“Sir,” Willie says pointedly, and smirks up at him as he bows exaggeratedly.

“The word sir is coming out of your mouth directed at me, but I don’t feel like you just addressed me as a sir at all. And please, call me Alex.”

“My apologies,” Willie hums, straightening back up. And then, pointedly, he lowers himself back into the same bow and makes deliberate eye contact with Alex. “Sir.”

Alex blinks. “You’re not going to call me Alex, are you?”

“Absolutely not, Sir.”

the princess and the lord (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by @the-most-beautiful-broom

Summary: a JATP x Princess Diaries 2 AU

Diamond in the Rough (Rated G) [Julie/Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: The JATP Aladdin AU

Okay, So You’re Interrupting the Political Guy Again, So Think About That (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: Julie and the Phantoms meets The Goblin Emperor meets a soulmate AU meets the author’s stunning lack of what I assume is basic knowledge on how monarchies work.

i had the time of my life, fighting dragons with you (Rated T) [Julie/Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: luke gets hired by some noble to bring back the princess that was kidnapped by a dragon

born to be yours (Rated G) [Alex/Willie] by @willexxmercer

Summary: “Hello. It feels strange, resorting to notes like this, but I couldn’t think of any other way. I know you’re here, somewhere. At the ball. I’ve tried to find you for the past few nights. My parents always told me never to believe in looped days and soulmates, but I think this just proves that they were wrong.

My name is Willie. I don’t know how to find you, but sometimes I feel like I’m drawn to you. Like I can just sense you nearby. I don’t know if you’ll find this, but if you do, I’ll try to wait for you on the balcony.

Until we meet.”

our best days are yet unknown (Rated T) [Alex/Reggie/Willie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: When Prince Alexander of Sacuria meets his fiance, Prince William of Coterra, he’s astonished to discover that he recognizes his daemon. He recognizes it as one of the other shapes that his own daemon is able to take… as his soulmate. The only problem? Alex already has a soulmate: Reggie Peters, his childhood best friend. What should he do about finally meeting his second soulmate?

Panic and run away? Yeah, sure.

Little does he know he’s about to have a bigger problem than that…

————

Please take the time to read of all these incredible fics! Leave the authors some kudos/comments! They worked so hard this whole event. Thanks so much!

Just as a reminder, our non-anon collection is always open and we are always so excited to receive any submissions! The TROPED: JATP official collection has been CLOSED but if any of our prompts inspire you, please share your fics with us in our non-anon collection! Simple put ‘TROPED_Non_Anonymous’ where it asks for the collection name, and be sure to put what round you are writing for in your notes so we can be sure to tag it appropriately when we share! Also, just as a note, fics submitted to the non-anon collection do not have to follow the word limit and do not require the same strict adherence to the tropes, though we do ask that you comply with our other rules regarding no rape, incest, negativity, and things like that! Happy writing!

TROPED JATP AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TROPED_JATP_1

TROPED Non-Anon AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TROPED_Non_Anonymous

[cyrillean]

hypmic youtubers au

because why not

MCD+NB's era was during the time Vine was a big thing and they disbanded around the time Vine died. Ichiro and Samatoki got somehow recruited to join the Kujaku Posse youtube channel and that's how TDD formed (only to disband like a year later, but for a hot second they were one of The Biggest Channels On Yotube (tm). what a dubious honor)

Buster Bros!: pretty much a grab bag of content of a channel. started as ichiro's personal channel for lets plays, vlogs, reviews etc but his brothers were often featured in challenges or multiplayer games and the viewers really liked seeing them in the videos so eventually it just became a family channel. currently their most popular series is their viewer requests series where they will do their best to help viewers, except the viewers ask for the dumbest shit. like "can you make a sword entirely out of rubber chickens" (yes, yes they could, because ichiro wasnt around to talk them out of it)

Mad Trigger Crew: primarily a lets play/streaming channel that samatoki set up after the tdd group channel died. basically no editing or anything, he got a pretty big following just off of his popularity from tdd and eventually recruited jyuto and rio to help w moderation/technical issues/etc because He Cannot Be Trusted To Moderate His Own Channel. because he kept mentioning them in videos (and they were common sights in stream chat and the eventual discord server) they eventually started getting brought in to the channel proper every once in a while. jyuto is in charge of comment moderation which is hell. rio is one of those people who's really into custom CPUs

Fling Posse: ramuda's makeup/fashion channel that doubles as a drama and storytime animation channel. just, every single type of content that can be obnoxious in the wrong hands sjdnskd. gentaro was the one doing animations and general editing, dice is ramudas roomate who kept showing up in the background and got recruited into doing challenges. eventually gentaro starts doing his own original storytime animation segments which are almost entirely bullshit but a hit with viewers anyways, and dice starts uploading his own videos which are just like, gacha and loot box openings skdnsjdnd. i have the feeling these days ramuda would also have a huge tiktok presence but i dont know anything about tiktok so??

Matenro: it's, like, jakurai putting out well researched, well thought out and well edited video essays and explainers about like psychology and medicine through the lens of the latest trending topic so that the knowledge can reach as many people as possible. hifumi and doppo literally just got recruited into the channel at random because he saw Their Content (on insta and twitter respectively) and was like ah yes these are voices i would like to platform and perspectives i would like to keep in mind going forward. doppo tried for the longest time to stay out of the camera cause his twitter account was very Anti Capitalist And Generally Rude, which he COULD NOT AFFORD to have tied to his real face and name skdnksdn sadly hifumi is literally the opposite he will always have a camera pointed a his face and everything around him. hifumi is an influencer

Bad Ass Temple: it's, like..... kuko's shitpost channel. like, this channel existed since way before naughty busters, but it included only like... absolute garbage tier content. like, Those Videos that are like a 10 second clip of someone throwing a brick into a working washing machine. but then out of NOWHERE the channel starts uploading like REALLY WELL EDITED HIGH QUALITY SONG COVERS AND STUFF and its eventually clarified hes uploading them for a friend who was too shy to post them himself. eventually jyushi is convinced to actually introduce himself onscreen. hitoya is like jyushi's friend and his editor/mixer and keeps fighting kuko for management of the channel which kuko refuses to yield skdnskndnd so whenever you see a new video from this channel there's a 50/50 chance on whether it's a fully edited MV anime song rock cover, or like a 3 minute loop of Smash Mouth - All Star with really cursed audio effects

Dotsuitare Hompo: so way back in the day this was one of those channels that made like really elaborate short comedy skits all written performed and edited by sasara and rosho, but it went on indefinite hiatus after rosho left the channel. after mcd implodes sasara starts using it for his solo content cause it still had subscribers and sorry bud but youtube algorithm is a hard beast to conquer. eventually he starts gaining a lot of popularity and kind of can't manage it alone, and convinces rosho to come back but for the longest time rosho refuses to touch the creative side of things again or even get in front of the camera, but the commenters always hear him from offscreen in vlogs and he's beloved anyways. rei (who definitely had a hand in rosho joining again) becomes like a private sponsor/producer of the show, which neither sasara nor rosho really Trust but hey, cash is cash baybee

[ficsnroses]

Weekend Away - John Wick x Reader

prompt  : “I think we were a little too loud last night...”

warnings : smut, fluff! x f! reader. 2.8k.

summary : john and you are away for the weekend with friends, and end up getting intimate one evening. however, the next morning, you fear someone may have heard you two getting freaky hehehaheha

notes : this is something I wrote a while ago, but didn’t think it would ever see the light of day. last night I pulled it out of my drafts and did a little editing, and here it is! please leave feedback if you enjoy. I really do miss being around here. hope everyone's doing well today xx 

I really wanted to post something for keke’s birthday<33:) happy birthday to the most excellent man I know, ilysm. I've been itching to post something, but haven't been able to bring myself to write anything new yet. I have a couple more stories like this that I wrote but never posted, I might release those while going through this writing/creative break. Thank you for sticking around, it means so so much :)

“You have no idea how hard it was to not rip your bikini bottoms to the side and fuck you right then and there, in the lake.” An aroused John whispers, deep baritoned voice rasped with thick need. Today, John and you had ventured out on a trip with some friends to a Cabin by your favourite lake; woody outdoors and crystal waters to bliss.

Soft, plump breasts and perfectly dewy skin, glistening under the moonlight. John sighs, remembering that this, you, in all your entirety, were his. All his, for the taking. Groaning into the silk of your pink stained lips, his tongue brushes delicately over yours, his lips leaving peppered kisses along your cheeks, your jaw, eliciting soft moans from you that only warmed him further.

In the woods, the breeze was different; beautifully élite; whisked winds laced with something that hungered John- the gorgeous views of you, his girl, enjoying yourself. Lately, John and you had been majorly occupied, busy schedules and endless work days leaving little to leisure.

This trip was with friends, yet more, for you and your John to be together; at last.

Now, in the midst of the midnight eve, John and you lay low in your shared bedroom for the stay; a beautifully wooden cabin room with expensive faux furred carpets, a breathtaking view of the pearly moon gazed out your window. John’s callous, sturdy palms worship each inch of your silky skin, kneading, massaging your feminine hips, meaty cock throbbed to a bulging poke; tender on your bare thigh.

Attributed to tiresome nights, complied with conflicting schedules; it’d been a while since John and you had sex.

Real, rough, pleasurable, critically needed sex.

And now, finally, he’s far too in love, far too intoxicated by your touch to stop, your own thoughts far too hazed to halt now. Underneath his nude body, you lay, completely wanton & exposed for his taking. Slow, tender, your petite hand strokes his rock hard cock, gently tugging him in preparation for what would come next. Synchronized, John’s breath sputters hot against your skin, full lips kissing delicately down the column of your neck. Mindlessly, he leaves faintly violet marks, marking your body as his own, personal paradise.

A place only he was allowed to pleasure.

“I’ve missed you so much.” You whisper, kissing a delicate bruise to his shoulder. Gentle, sensitive, your soft hand toys with his balls, massaging his cock. “I missed this,” Smirking, you smear tiny dew drops of his pre cum, bringing up a finger to lick clean, tasting the sap of his seed to your lips.

Salty, decadent; sinfully sweet. All yours.

“Yeah, kitten?” John softly, deeply whispers. “I missed your pretty pussy.” Sighing when you pull him closer, your eyes close to the feel of him kissing your neck, so mindlessly in love with all of you in this moment. “My pretty pussy.” He grins, a wet kiss stippling to your lips.

Slow, present, John’s stocky fingers move between your entwined bodies to rub soft circles to your slick entrance; your clit in order to ease himself in, preparing your cunt. With a sharp breath sucked in, and a glutteral moan enticed off his needy lips, John sighs heavily, your own gasp laced with anticipation when you feel him sink inside in one hard thrust. His thickness splits you inch by inch, your delicate walls barely able to accommodate him whole.

Being with John, has always been a treat. The way he loves you, offers your needs first; he fucks so good, makes love so well.

Arms loomed to his neck, you draw his body closer with a bite to your lip, his own bearded jaw tightening to the feel of your warm, deliciously wet haven swallowing him whole. The pace he sets proves imperative, rough, stumbling profanities and whispers of love fleeing both your lips. Your cunt burns deliciously to his thrusts, the feel of his thick, heavy balls slamming relentlessly to your seared core pushing you further over the edge. John’s chest is quick to heave, quick to daub a rosy hue with peppered pink patches from the heat; delectably satisfying relief, at last.

“Feel good, baby?” John moans, voice confident with sure; he was quite literally fucking you into oblivion. Eyes clasped shut to a tight hold, your mouth falls slightly a gape; genuine tears threatening to scorch when you feel the absolute bliss he’s channeling into you. Hard, fast, deep, so fucking deep he hits your end each time, your G spot grinding to his touch. Whimpering, you allow small, tiny gasps to plead out, hands placing to John’s ass to urge him in further, practically melting within his touch as he ventures to the valley of your breasts.

John adores your breasts, so full, so plump, so soft for his taking. Wet and warm, you groan to the feel of his mouth delighting your nipples, hands squeezing, kneading gently to the soft flesh of your modesty. To each jolt of his hips, your breasts bounce rhythmically, soft fingers of your hands pulling a tug to his coffee hued, lengthy strands. Massaging his scalp, you allow his head to take refuge in the soft curve of your neck, and he kisses the skin, sucking, nipping, appreciating the silk as his hips never falter; fingers moving to your cunt to rub, swirl, massaging two digits to your creamy released mixed together.

“It’s…it’s so good-” Yelped out your lips, a particularly loud moan shudders through the surround air, repetitive praises of his name reciting as if a prayer you so desperately needed to live by flows off your tongue; the syllables drenched with need. “So tight, sweetheart, you’re so fucking tight.” John moans, a feverish kiss to your mauve stained lips. “You look the most beautiful when you’re taking me the way you do, baby.” He whispers, wet marks doused into your skin. He pumps hastily, pounding your walls, and the slight curve of his massive length pulses; thick shafted veins and gorgeous bumps, ridges all felt deep, deep inside.

John’s cock is a piece of art. A masterpiece, you’d forever pride in.

Within a few particularly harsh thrusts, you yelp in pleasure as your orgasm washes over you, searing your nerves with blissful tingles as he fucks, pounding into your delicate, gently bruising skin, still chasing his own.

“Gonna cum,” John groans, and you clench your cunt tight for him, tight; just how he liked it. His hips roll selfishly almost, breathy moans appreciating your body immense. “You feel so good, honey, so fucking good.” He drills, and slams, and batters, into your sore pussy, your nails desperately digging bruises into his biceps as you encourage. “Cum for me John, inside, baby, let me feel you.” You soak, back arching, body jerking as you feel him burst inside; habitually pulling your body close as he cums. John’s cock stills deep, deep inside, spurts of his hot, delectably creamy seed slicking inside you as you sigh,

sigh in complete,

and utter, bliss. Bliss with your love close, nestled on top with your skin sticking together; your arms providing a safe haven for his sex gratified body to rest, coming down both your highs.

“I love you,” He barely manages, foreheads connecting as you hold each other close, lips twisting into warm smiles and tender giggles to the thought of being able to do exactly this, all over again, the next day.

Morning comes in warm, yellow waves of nothing, but beautiful warmth all around. You’d waken to the bed next to you empty, John’s vacant spot casting a gentle frown to your lips when you’d come to know of his absence. Sleep thickened eyes had barely fluttered open, tired arms searching, longing to nestle into his broad, beautifully comforting chest. Voices can be perceived downstairs, the bedside clock illuminating the time of 8:30 AM, aromas of floral dark and freshly watered pine exuding all around.

With a small yawn and a stretch of limbs, you’d climbed out a sea of rippling, silky duvet seams, opting to drape John’s long forgotten shirt from the night prior off the floor and onto your exposed breasts. In the heat of the moment, sleep had long pirouetted through your veins, and you’d only managed to slip back on a pair of lacy underwear before the bulk of John’s arms had drawn your body close, burying his bearded face into your neck with his own form tangling with yours, succumbing to a deep slumber, holding each other close.

The cabin was big, yet intimate. All of yours and John’s dearest friends had accompanied; you’d long know you’d be leaving this weekend with a suitcase full of memories and wishful remembrances, spent with people who meant to you.

Through a gentle smile and rub of drooping eyelids, you venture out your shared room, a bigger smile enveloping when the sight of your dream catches your glimpse from above the wooden stairs. John sits below, at the wooden dining table, a coffee in hand as his brown littered eyes gloss the morning paper. He looks beautiful this way, unbelievably handsome. You’d long come to appreciate morning John, ruffled hair a mess from the night’s sleep, with that special, raspy morning velvet voice that still sent butterflies rippling within you. Gently thudding down the steps, he smiles wide catching sight of you towards him, adorned in his white Henley shirt.

“Morning.” Smiling, your hands thread into the wisps of his chocolate hair, sinking into the depths of his lap as his arms come around your frame. His eyes seem warmer than normal, a glittering shine casting over each his features.

“Hi, baby.” John warmly grins, stippling a gentle kiss to your temple with the pads of his fingers grazing over your skin through a pull of your body closer. “Did you sleep okay?” He wonders, thumb smoothing over your cheek as a stray hair tucks behind your ear.

Still smiling a warm symphony, you sigh. “I did. Didn’t like waking up without you there, though.”

John’s lips frown, and a heaviness falls to his tone. “I’m sorry, I got a call earlier. Didn’t wanna wake you too early.” Explaining, his hand falls to cover yours that lays flat on his chest, softly grazing over the supple skin. “You haven’t been able to sleep in lately. I wanted you to have that this weekend.”

Moments like this with John prove to be your favourite; simple, mundane, enveloped in love. Moments where the laughter rolls up from his chest, and his smile shines a glow to each part of you that loves seeing him this way. Moments where you anticipate, dream of a future together, where you’d wake to him this way every day,

Smiling, and smiling, with perhaps your favourite book in hand and his head in your lap; full pots of earl grey brewing,

as you lounge on a Sunday morning. Smiling, and smiling,

        because of him.

Love drunk, you lean in closer, catching his lips in a warm kiss, smiling and smiling, into his lips. He tastes of espresso, light and mellow, and that something unique held on his tongue; something only he’d had, something sweet.

Lost in each other’s touch, you sigh as you pull away, moving to sit behind him on the chair adjacent, helping yourself to a sip of his ceramic mug. His hand plants to your thigh, gently soothing the skin while his eyes scan through the sea of words resumed on his morning paper read. You’d just gotten comfortable, sinking into the chair with John’s coffee coupled in your grip for another sip, as the voice of your best friend channels your ears.

“Morning, love birds.” She grins, walking through the wooden kitchen corridors. With a smirk daubed to her lips and a knowing simper your way, you’d immediately caught onto something shifty in her tone.

“Hey, Amy.” John greets, chuckling. With another sip of his coffee, that you’d devoured a good portion of, he kindly asks. “How was your night? Did you sleep okay?”

Amy’s lips curl with a knowing smirk, something you’d become immensely familier with over the course of your friendship. Knowing each other since the first grade, Amy and you were quite possibly as close as they come. John may have not been able to pick up on her alteration, but you’d been quick.

“I did.” Amy returns, shuffling through the cabinets for a glass mug of her own. “There was a little...commotion around midnight, but it wasn’t too bad.” She adds, eyes drifting to yours, a goofy smile on her lips. With your eyes narrowing and stare scrunching, your alertness raises, and you let go of John’s hand that had mindlessly been holding yours, removing it off your thigh. Peering up at your lips as you raise off the seat, John’s fingers tug your forearm, asking for a small kiss before you’d walk away. Embedding your lips to his briefly, you feel him let go of your skin as your eyes suspiciously cast over Amy, mindlessly shuffling through the kitchen space as she prepares herself a cup of coffee. You stay cautious, ambled up beside her as you check the fridge.

Something is off.

“We have cream, right?” She asks, offering you half her blueberry muffin, taking out a carton of eggs from the fridge.

“Should be in there.” You return, still thoughtful, attempting to study her whole. The longer you stare, the more normalcy returns, and you wonder if maybe your tired brain had merely thought there had been something off with her tenor. Easing yourself, you opt to give it the benefit of the doubt, opening the carton of eggs to aid her in making breakfast for all the others.

Still asleep, her husband James would probably be down soon; him and John got along pretty well, and double date nights were quite frequent between you all.

“How many should we do?” She squints her eyes your way, sighing. “Half the carton?”

“Sure.” You reply, relaxing into a more normal state of mind. “Make me a cup of coffee too please, I accidentally drank half of John’s when I got down.” You giggle, taking the carton from her hands. She chuckles an approval in response, gathering all the utensils and gadgets you’d need for preparation. Finally, as you lean over the cabin sink, washing your hands with the lavender scented soap, you hear Amy just behind your ear as she reaches beside you, pumping some soap into her own hand. 

“By the way, you totally have porn star moans.”

And your eyes widen. Shock and realization courses your veins, a horrified expression washes over your features as you allow her comment to absorb. Amy only giggles, chuckling, with her sarcastically suggestive voice teasing you further. “Sounds like Jonathan is real good in bed.” Just below a whisper, so only you’d hear, she titters, amused by your baffled expression.

“Oh my god, Amy!” You cease, slapping the back of your hand over her arm. “You should have texted me! Or knocked! What if someone else heard?” You whisper angrily, still slightly embarrassed. “Oh my gosh, did James hear?” You swallow thickly, rubbing a hand to your ached temple.

“Oh sweetheart, if he wasn’t snoring away I’m sure he would have heard too.” She laughs to your dismay. “Relax, our room was right beside yours. I’m sure no one else heard.” She assures, trying to provide some sort of comfort, but ultimately reverting to a deep, hearty fit of chuckles when she catches your nervous gaze once again. With a deep sigh, you escape her tease, leaving the kitchen with a few quick steps as you find your way back to John who sits by the window, still flipping through his newspaper. Slipping beside him, you sigh deep, before biting your lip.

“John,” You quietly alert, gazing around to make sure no one else would hear. His expression thickens, and his eyes fall heavier, sensing the unease to your features.

“Everything okay, sweetheart?”

Groaning, you bite your lip again, sighing with a timid realization. “John, I think…” With your eyes focused to the ground, you bask, contemplating, sighing. It wasn’t the end of the world; Amy is your best friend; you both know practically every secret there is to know about each other in the history of ever. Yet, there still was a lingering mortification, a blush that crept to your cheeks when she’d spoke of the night prior.

John’s heavier hand strokes over yours, comforting. “What’s wrong, babe?” And with a final bite to your lip, you whisper, grasping his arm.

“I think we were a little too loud last night.” 

John’s cheeks flush pink, and a goofy smile casts his darker features. He smiles a timid grin, eyes downcast as he lightly chuckles a couple huffs, thinking back to the night prior. “Amy heard.” You whisper, barely groaning.

John’s eyes scan the room, before he takes hold of your arms again, drawing your body in closer. With a sultry voice, and that beautifully deep, crisp gravel of his tone you’d come to adore, he whispers into your ear, smiling. “Well, guess we’ll have to be quieter tonight.” He channels, as you bury your head into his chest, embarrassed, yet smiling to the sheer wit of the situation. “I do love a challenge.” John quietly adds, bringing his muscled arms around your figure, whispering a few chuckles into your hair.

And as you gaze up, catching his silly grin and pink cheeks blushed to a peachy hue, you smile,

and smile,

feeling the warmth of his stocky hand slip into the seams of your shirt, gently soothing over your back, as his lips pepper a gentle kiss to your hair, still smiling. “Darling, it’s nearly impossible for me to be quiet, 

when I’m with you.”

➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴➶ ➴

My taglist will be posted in reblogs, let me know if you want to be added or removed! :)

[fishylife]

Street Dance of China, Season 4, Episode 4

- I’ve had issues with Tumblr not saving my posts again v.v I’ll just save often and hope that that does the trick.

- Latrice and Ibuki reenacting HB’s performance haha. From the behind the scenes clips I’ve seen, Ibuki does speak English, so I like to think they are now friends :D

- Hilty & Bosch have known each other since they were six years old T_T That’s cuuuute. Apparently they don’t get into arguments a lot because they always keep a distance between them XD Good strategy.

- San’er’s performance was great! He definitely brings the entertainment in his creativity (including incorporating a story line), but he doesn’t forget about the technical parts of dancing (the popping).

- Bouboo cheering on Rochka when he challenged Jianyan :P

- This spinning move he did was neat

- 不咋地 is going to be the recurring inside joke between Yibo, Rochka, and Bouboo ^^;;

- Yixing singing the SDOC theme song again XD With his super low energy voice XD

- Yibo was tipping the bench which was why Yixing and Henry were like, rocking back and forth at the same pace lol.

- Admittedly George vs. C-Lil was kind of rough. George tried to include Chinese elements in his performance, but he was injured, so he couldn’t really showcase them, and the latter part of his performance became just a typical contemporary dance. C-Lil’s performance was alright, but I think the judges were expecting something more impressive. While break dancing is very impressive to watch, I am starting to see the limitations of it, because if a dancer is not impressive, they are just kind of mediocre. George and C-Lil weren’t able to bring anything superbly impressive, which I think it was difficult for them to vote. Yibo abstained, and C-Lil got two votes, so C-Lil advanced.

- Zyko was incredible as always. It fascinates me how he’s mostly performed with these ballad type songs that don’t really have a beat. Also his flexibility is insane. I’m glad he got through with four votes because we need to see him more.

- I really liked Chika’s performance! I feel like women’s dancing is sometimes a bit limited in the mainstream because people just expect them to look sexy. It isn’t as much the case on this show because all of the ladies on this show are dancers and not idols or pop stars. But anyway, I just love seeing women dance without their bodies being sexualized. Chika’s dance showcased not only control over her body, but POWER. I loved her big movements. Compare the power that she shows vs. the power that say, Ibuki shows. Ibuki is a much smaller lady and it shows in her proportions, so how she expresses power looks different from how Chika expresses power, and Chika’s is the sort of power that I’ve really looked forward to seeing.

- Rochka fanboys over everybody, I love it. Keep spreading the love, dude.

- Ok, Xiaoji’s performance was pretty entertaining. I am not kidding when I say my jaw dropped, at the same time that all the captains went OH SNAP. But this guy definitely has charisma and stage presence. His confidence made up for his lack of ability to improvise XD I was CACKLING when this guy thought the song was done and Yibo was like “bro there’s more” and Xiaoji had to come up with something to end it off lol. I wouldn’t say his challenge was as good as Xiaohai’s, mostly because he hadn’t memorized the music like Xiaohai did. In terms of technical stuff, his performance did seem more impressive than Lai Wei’er’s, but he also did less “stuff” (like, there were a lot of pauses in his dance probably because he didn’t now the music). But Xiaoji’s was definitely more entertaining, though that may just be because of who he is and not his dancing. (By the way, Xiaoji’s real name is 林森. I thought the name 林木森 was just a joke because of how much wood was in it. I never guessed that someone would name their kid 林森 X’D Guess his 八字 indicated that he had a weakness in wood or something lol)

- Have some laughing captains, it’s good for the soul.

- Acky-san acknowledged that he’s probably not going to beat the younger dancers in terms of technique, so what he brought instead was style. The “robot” style of popping is pretty old, but no one else has done it in this competition probably because it’s so old school, and he definitely delivered in a way that only he could.

- Henry singing Frere Jacques with the French contingent X’D

- Thoughts on Han Yu vs. Boris. I can imagine what Han Yu was going for in his original performance, but I don’t think it worked. I don’t have the vocabulary to explain it, but basically the way his performance was choreographed just didn’t really impress. As Yibo mentioned, Boris was impressive in his dance to Han Yu’s music, but his dancing didn’t suit the song as much as Han Yu’s did. So the original dance + challenge was a matter of impressiveness vs. whether the dancing suited the music. Han Yu shone in the battle. I think he seemed a lot more impressive when back in a hip hop sort of groove, music that has a lot of major beats, compared to the piano music that was less grand an epic. As for Boris, I think that seeing a few of his performances in succession showed that his toolbox is a little limited in comparison to Han Yu. It hate to see Boris go because I loved his battle against Zyko but alas. I also wanted him to stay because he’s one of the few non-Chinese contestants who speak Mandarin relatively well. He had no issues speaking in Mandarin with most of the Chinese people on set. The ending was hilarious, when he was asked whether he had any last words, and Boris was like “well, I’m literally going to see these guys in two seconds when I’m back in the audience, I’m not dying” lmao.

- I don’t know how I feel about how the show has decided to deal with the last 29 contestants, of which three would be chosen to join the 49 dancers advancing. They’re competing fairly with the other contestants that haven’t performed yet, but they’re at a disadvantage compared to the previous contestants that were judged individually. For example, what if the fourth best dancer was better than a dancer that had already entered the 49? It would only be fair if the judges were allowed to take out people from the 46 contestants that had passed. It would’ve been a bigger problem if there were still a lot of big names to go though. Most of the best dancers have already secured a spot for themselves, so I think that’s why I’m not like, the most perturbed.

- I was low key waiting for Xiao Jie’s performance because his audition performance during episode 1 was so amusing. I thought his individual performance was fun! He managed to add some creativity and story telling (Chinese dude getting drunk) but also showcase some of his specialty skills (locking).

- I forgot to mention this before, but it amuses me that so the editing team will so diligently put in a “don’t try this at home” warning message whenever a dancer does a dangerous move haha.

- So the captains are doing a dance battle for the reborn event, but I’m not really sure how this is all gonna work. I’m digging Yixing’s look for the battle btw.

- Anyway, pre-battle hugs for all.

- KRUMPMASTER. Also I think he did some of the routine that he did back in Season 3.

- Not gonna lie, I wasn’t super impressed with Han Geng’s first dance but his second dance was pretty hype.

- Lol Yibo feels most comfortable challenging Yixing during his battles. He did move where he dropped onto his back right after Yixing did it (i.e. being like you can do it but I can do it better). Based on what I saw of season 3, I think Yibo would call out Yixing in his performances then too.

- Yixing was definitely heavy on the krump side, though I actually thought his first performance was really interesting because there was barely any krump in that one. He mostly stuck to other elements. As we got through the other rounds, he became more krump heavy, and I think he lost a bit in terms of variety there.

- The thing about Han Geng is that he’s no longer as athletic, so he relies more on power and control, but he needs to make sure he does the right moves that showcase that.

- I think Yibo impressed me the most. He had a lot of variety in his arsenal and he was very entertaining. He is also quite athletic, so as long as he can imagine it, I think he can do it haha.

- As others mentioned, Henry was extremely creative. He used a lot of dance moves to show a certain action, like tugging a rope or playing pool and such.

- Anyway, big hugs.

- Baby needs a nap.

- Yibo won the most points in the four rounds of the battle. This hug with Han Geng is uwu. Anyway, Tony Gogo mentioned that Yibo interpreted the music very well.

- Of course, Tony Gogo as well as the Gogo brothers praised Yixing for his krumping energy

- Philip said that Han Geng had a really good ear, and that was how he was able to take advantage of the best moments to unleash certain dances.

- The five contestants that were saved were A-wei, Boris, George, JC Jun, and Kelo & Uwa. I definitely think the editors purposely showed us more clips of them so that we’d grow attached lol. The only one of these five that I don’t quite remember is A-wei though. Anyway, very pleased that Boris is back haha.

- Pouty boi

- Yibo, Henry, Han Geng, and Ibuki getting really into 煞科 lol.

- I think next episode is going to have some team performances, which I think will be fun. Some of these teams are STACKED.

- Previews for Hot pot!

- They were talking about songs they listened to in their childhood. Han Geng started singing a song about an Office Black Cat? XD I’m guessing it’s a cartoon haha. Yibo listened to Leehom Wang and Jay Chou. Henry mentioned that he looked up to Leehom because he was also an overseas Chinese, plus he played a lot of instruments (just like Henry). As expected, Yixing looked up to Jay Chou (after all, Jay Chou was one of the earliest artists to popularize using Chinese elements in pop songs). Yixing said he also liked Leehom Wang, JJ Lin, and Khalil Fong (I legit have not heard the name 方大同 in a long time so that took me by surprise lol).

- Yibo mentioned Li Ronghao and Yixing was like OH WAIT YEAH HIM TOO. We know from Idol Producer that Yixing and Li Ronghao are bros haha. The captain says “不榮藝 組合” which pronounced the same as “不容易 組合” which is something like “unlikely duo,” except the the 榮 is from Li Ronghao’s name and the 藝 is from Zhang Yixing’s name lol.

- The robot spilled all the tea! Bad bot!

- I think they later played a listening game that Henry kept losing? lol

[mod2amaryllis]

I'm sure you've received this question a hundred times but do you have some tips for training a deaf puppy? Thank you and sorry to bother you

OK YEAH SO definitely don’t consider training to be an area of expertise but Goose turned out decent so here are some things:

first thing: make sure you’re prioritizing just like, approaching it as A Puppy, and puppies are hard as a baseline. find a class to join for basics if your dog does well in a class setting (my area had a free puppy class option that worked great for Goose, look into it, but I DO think this is something worth spending money on if you have to). then my most recommended puppy literature is: Social, Civil, and Savvy: Training & Socializing Puppies to Become the Best Possible Dogs. it’s almost impossible for me to pay attention to nonfiction books and a lot of dog training books are really crunchy technical, but this book is super short, lots of pictures, big text, straightforward. I had an easy time absorbing it and the stuff works. awesome awesome training guide. also a good podcast is Drinking From the Toilet, which has had specific puppy and deaf training eps

AND BLANKET STATEMENT: socializing is just in general the most important thing for a puppy. like exposing them to new things. expose them to all types of people, all types of animals, all types of situations, all types of floors rooms buildings grass discomforts yadda yadda yadda this is JUST as important for a deaf puppy. blanket ass statement.

NOW FOR SOME DEAF DOG SPECIFIC STUFF

general stuff before I share personal observations: resources I turned to the most were probably Deaf Dogs Rock (awesome equipment recs, so many anecdotes from owners w/ specific advice) and Keller’s Cause (neat little training videos)

ok now personal experience

in the context of training it was helpful for me to think of deafness more as just another attribute as opposed to a disability. like how being a mini aussie makes her creepy-smart, being deaf makes her: not hear (obviously), highly observant, potentially more confident in situations that might intimidate hearing dogs, easily startled, dependent on passive training as opposed to command training. basically it’s not a hurdle. it forces you to be creative and work within her attributes. just like with literally any other dog.

obviously you will use signing. I don’t use ASL, I come up with whatever is intuitive for Goose and me. early training feels like you need 3 hands cuz you’re giving treats, you’re signaling “good job,” you’re signing commands, you’re maybe holding a leash, it’s a lot. so my signs had to be with 1 hand, they had to be intuitive, they had to be distinct from one another to avoid confusion. a few examples: SIT is a closed fist (I feel like most people already do this with their dogs); TOUCH is two fingers offered; LAY DOWN is those two fingers being lowered to the floor; SPEAK is a hand being opened rapidly. I have more but you get the picture. I actually have a notebook where I’d doodle commands as I went cuz I was literally just flying by the seat of my pants lmao

passive training has been clutch. this is kennel training, car training, leash training, basically establishing her life routine (idk if it’s actually called passive training??? i’m sure it all falls under “”””socializing”””” but that’s such a huge umbrella). these areas can be difficult to settle into but they really are essential. I don’t have car advice cuz my dogs drive w/ me to work every day and are fine so IDK WHOOPS but:

leash training: with goose being deaf it was weird because the trainer I worked with was heavily reliant on voice commands. so I put a LOT of time into the loose-leash game, which is walking on a leash in the house, and every few steps, you give the dog a treat AT YOUR SIDE. like hold your hand right by your leg. basically the idea is to teach your dog it’s cool and fun to stay by your side and check in with you every now and then. Goose still pulls on her leash but in a manageable way, and she knows to check back with me. also definitely rec a halter. this one’s my favorite.

kennel/sleep training (gonna spend a lot of time on this one cuz it was/is the worst thing about Goose): listen. this one will be hard. this one’s gonna suck. you will be SO tempted to just let them in your bed but you really, REALLY should not. letting them in the bed can foster separation anxiety especially with a deaf dog who’s probably gonna become your shadow. kennels instill confidence by giving a dog their own space, and if ever there’s an emergency when they need to go in the kennel, it’ll help them feel safe. like there’s so many reasons to kennel train. you gotta do it.

so...as a baby, Goose like almost killed me with sleep deprivation. we initially didn’t think we’d keep her (haha hubris) so she slept out of the bedroom. And Screamed. the ultimate solution was bringing her kennel in the bedroom next to Joanie’s kennel, and we’re pretty sure the reason that solved it is because she could wake up and SEE that there was another dog there. now she loves her kennel. shoots in there every night demanding her pb kong. BUT YEAH LISTEN if you DON’T HAVE some comforting visual/kinetic reassurance there, this could be a problem for a deaf puppy. AND. AND. the problem hasn’t gone away completely. Goose wakes us up at 5:30 am every single morning and probably will for the rest of her life because THAT is her routine and she is immune to our angry tired yelling. the simple act of us going to her kennel reinforces the behavior. we’re not jerks about it cuz we love her and understand how dog brains work. This Could Happen To You. Heads Up.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: big sister dog like Joanie, worked for us; a floor fan creating vibrations, seemed to help her as a very young kiddo; being at least IN VIEW of you sleeping, like having the kennel riiiiight next to the bed, even within arm’s reach so you can reassure the puppy you’re still there. just...both in personal experience and in my research, I saw it a lot that sleeping is a big issue. cuz they can’t hear you, it’s dark, they don’t know if you’re still there, and committing to STILL attempting kennel training is the harder thing to do, but I really, really encourage you to try.

WOW. ok. fuck off I typed way more than I meant to. wanna hear some funny stuff?

Goose follows us around everywhere. she simply must know what’s goin on. we have beds stationed at every visual corner of the house, like sentry posts, so whatever room we’re in there’s a comfy place for her to sit where she can see us and she takes advantage of it. like she could be sleeping in one room and I’ll get up to brush my teeth, suddenly look down and she’s just teleported already asleep in the nearest bed to me.

sometimes Goose knocks on the door to come inside, and I’ll go to the door to let her in, and at literally the nanosecond before I open the door she dog-shrugs and turns and trots away and there’s nothing I can do. can’t call out to her. I’m bamboozled.

she is so fucking loud. I remember when she was a baby and my sis in law was like “wow so I bet she’s quieter than normal dogs huh” and I laughed like no actually she sounds like a rubber chicken going for that 4 chair turn on the voice, at ALL times.

sometimes I’ll do the speak command and she’ll do this huge windup, like big breath, eyes wide, and then release what is essentially a very little hiccup. but i still have to give her the treat. she doesn’t know the difference, not really.

always delighted to be woken up by you, wiggles her feet and starts licking her lips and looking up at you like “!!!! hello!!! omg!!! wow!!! a delight!!!”

doesn’t know the cats don’t like her. will trot up to Frisk and give what is in her mind a very polite little kiss on her nose before trotting away, oblivious to the offended growl she’s just elicited.

MUST BE PET. HOW ELSE WILL SHE KNOW SHE IS LOVED. MUST BE PET AT ALL TIMES NOW EVERYWHERE PLEASE.

...

realizing i could write a book about how much i love this deaf fucker

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Cruella

Disclaimer: This is my non-spoiler review for Cruella, posting either the day or the day after the movie is released in the U.K, so if you are yet to see the movie and want to go in with a clear head do not read on until you do.

General Reaction:

Cruella however, I knew from the first trailer I was determined to see in cinemas and the fact it was my first time back in cinemas seeing a movie, I could not think of a better opening play.

It has been a while not only since I have been to the cinema, but also since I watched a new movie. Anything new that has come to me through the lockdowns have been older movies that are new to me. I haven't watched movies on PVOD or Premier Accees because I don't want to pay for them while in my bedroom on a small television and also they don't interest me enough to pay for them.

And that's what this movie is, an origin story. It's a Disney live-action adaptation of a beloved Disney villain's origins, sound familiar? That's what fans originally believed Maleficent to be before it became a redemption story of sorts.

Cruella was the villain of One Hundred and One Dalmatians because she wanted to skin puppies to make a coat, but this movie isn't about that, despite there being some excellent foreshadowing and even reworking as a prequel to the original story, this movie is about how Cruella became Cruella, not necessarily how she became a villain but making the character more three-dimensional and layered.

Here, without going into spoilers, we do see the reasoning behind Cruella being the villain we love her for and it is very much a nature vs nurture style of moral, but it isn't done to the detriment of the villainy Cruella is known for.

What Disney and the creatives behind Cruella have done with this movie is not only take note with everything great and bad with the more recent Disney live-action movies and filter out the bad, but also the potential of movies like Maleficent and even Mulan to a degree which failed to live up to their promises creatively, have seemingly been reworked for this origin story.

Does that mean she's not a villain in this movie? Well while she's not the movie's primary antagonist, Cruella stays true to herself and doesn't compromise why fans love the original character, if anything she amplifies why she's such a great character.

Cruella is such a love letter to the 1970s punk rock era while also managing to not just be style over substance but deliver on story and character as well, that I can't imagine anyone having that much of a problem with it.

It's what I would honestly call an artisan's delight, I'm not creative in a fashion sense, I love fashion and it's a reason I connect with Cruella so much, but I couldn't do what she does. I'd possibly be the Artie of her gang if not Horace and honestly I'm okay with that. But the way fashion, music and visual storytelling is used in this movies rivals the 1996 live-action 101 Dalmatians in that sense when scenes largely focused on the dogs selling the scenes without speaking. A picture paints a thousands words and Cruella's eccentric fashions were scene stealers.

It's funny, it's dramatic, it's well acted and directed. The writing is brilliant with maybe one exception with the Baroness which we will discuss in the spoiler review.

Speaking of spoilers. Way back when this movie was first announced I believe in 2016 I was adamantly against it, I thought it was sacrilege and that it would not be a patch on the original movies.

That being said, since seeing that first trailer and that stunning dress reveal I was hooked and have since watched pretty much every single trailer and TV spot this movie could churn out to the point where I feel I saw the entire movie already...but I was wrong.

From the trailers if you think this movie is going to end at a certain point you'd be wrong. I could kinda tell when the movie was going to end based on how the scene was set up, but even then there's more to the story.

I mentioned how this movie foreshadowed to the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians story as a prequel of sorts but also how it rewrote history so to speak, again the mid credits scene blows my mind as a Dalmatians fan and it cries out for a sequel.

However, to sum up, the original 1961 animated One Hundred and One Dalmatians is to this day my favourite movie of all time. Dalmatians are my favourite dog breed despite the fact I currently own a frenchie pug and Cruella De Vil I believe to be my spiritual mother.

Usually in these reactions I'll give a quick recap of my opinions of the movie or franchise the one in question is a part of, but I feel I've spoken about my love of all things Cruella De Vil and One Hundred and One Dalmatians enough in the past to get the point across.

All that being said, I am trying to compartmentalise my thoughts and be unbiased in my opinions for this movie. But honestly if this movie was bad I'd be coming down the hardest out of any critic on it because of what the property means to me personally.

So yes, I am going to big this movie up because pretty much every single element in this movie is 99% perfect. There is room for improvement, but that's where a sequel comes in to not only capitalise but better itself. And keeping the same creative team and bringing back the same cast, I feel this will be the Disney sequel to break the mould just as Cruella is the Disney movie to break the mould

But I have hyped up the lore and the character enough, what do I think of the movie? Well as much as I praised the creatives behind the movie for such a fabulous movie, director Chris Gillespe is partially to blame for how the movie looks. It’s still a visually orgasmic movie in terms of how it portrays its artistic choices, but in terms of those scenes and shots that could’ve been and should’ve been as visually pleasing as the fashion and art shots, just don’t leave as striking and lasting an impression as those shots and scenes.

Cast:

Honestly upon the announcement, to the point where I made a rant session post about it, Emma Stone as Cruella just didn’t land with me upon said announcement. However, as I said since seeing the first trailer, Emma Stone is young Cruella for me.

Glenn Close for me is Cruella De Vil in live-action. Victoria Smurfit on Once Upon a Time was fabulous but in opinion an elseworlds version of Cruella because she had magic and her story wasn’t really in line with the source material. Now, without spoilers but because it’s an origin you kinda can guess, Emma Stone’s version isn’t really in line with the source material either and up until seeing the movie I was all for viewing this version as an elseworlds story. even after seeing it I am all for viewing it as an elseworlds story from the original source material.

But does that mean it’s bad? No it’s just different. As I said earlier this is definitely a more fleshed out three-dimensional version of the Cruella that the original animated version and Glenn Close’s adaptation delivered, but honestly I’m excited to know where this Cruella goes from after seeing this movie. This is my favourite Emma Stone performance to date.

As for the other Emma, Emma Thompson as the Baroness, well she and Stone’s Cruella not only capitalize on Meryl Streep’s The Devil Wears Prada performance, but also adds that extra layer that make both characters not only believable as people but also villains. There’s no mistaking Thompson’s Baroness is a villain, but she does it in the best way and has never looked more fantastic doing so.

This movie also humanizes Jasper and Horace for me, I’m still unsure as to their relationship, if they’re friends or brothers, but based on the fact Jasper is race-bent in this movie and Hotace is still caucasian I’m going with not. However, without spoilers, based on how they meet Cruella I’m in favour of them not being related and simply lost souls coming together. But yeah they’re both funny, you believe they’re Jasper and Horace there’s no thinking one should be the other, and the chemistry between Jasper and Cruella is so electric that it demands a pay off in a sequel and actually speaks to a problem I know some male fans (including me) may actually have with Cruella as a character.

The other biggest breakout in this movie is John McCrea as Artie, who is not only Disney’s first clearly openly LGBT character but a scene-stealer in every shot that he is in. I said I would probably be Artie or Horace in Cruella’s gang and I stand by that because I think Artie is who I’d want to be (aside from Cruella herself) but Horace is physically who I would be.

Then as for the side characters, the movie does an interesting turn on the Anita/Roger origin story, Mark Strong as the Alonzo substitute is mysterious and brilliant, and the dogs are again scene stealers. Aside from 3 dalmatians (who are still alive at the end) there are two completely original new dogs who are part of Cruella’s gang and whether or not it’s because I’m a dog lover and own a dog or just because of the dog’s direction, they just pull focus every scene and make the characters more sympathetic because of how they interact with them.

Is this a knockout movie? Unfortunately no, I feel mistakes are made that leave holes for trolls to swoop in, however, I don’t think they should/ Honestly uou cannot make the “live-action” The Lion King a billion dollar flick and then complain about this movie, this is original, brilliant and 95% well executed. Yes I’ve dropped from 99 and we will discuss the issues in the spoiler review.

Recommendation:

But honestly this movie is worth the watch, it deserves the watch. As for seeing it in cinemas vs. Disney+, I could say it’s worth the £20/$30, but to get a true feel of some of the bigger and better artistic scenes it demands a big screen viewing. Also support local cinemas and all that jazz.

So that’s my non-spoiler review for Cruella, what did you guys think? Post your comments and stay tuned for my spoiler review hopefully coming soon, meanwhile you can check out other Movie Reviews and posts.

[manjuhitorie]

tat - Shinoda’s Hitori-Atelier blog posts - REAMP Digest volume 4

Shinoda’s blog post via Hitori-Atelier! Please consider joining Hitori-Atelier and supporting Hitorie’s ventures today. How-to here: https://boatmanju.wixsite.com/hitorietranslations/hitorie-atelier 

It’s already been 3 months since REAMP was released, time really flies.

In that short bit of time we’ve already planned a tour ahead of us, and were given the opportunity to do the opening for the anime ‘86′. Let’s fucking go~~~~~ Is everyone faring well? I've recently rekindled my passion for sampling, I haven't felt like this in years. I'm taking free samples I find strewn across the internet and turning them into techno. I kinda remember mentioning my appreciation for techno in vol. 1 of this blog series, and yeah. I'm finally trying it out for myself. I've managed to make a pretty sick song if I do say so myself. You'll find it on Hitori-Atelier soon enough. (＊This is most likely the song titled 'mad candy', found in 'Shinoda's Contents') It's fun 'cause compared to vocal stuff, I use a whole different part of my brain to make techno. I say "This part of this sample has a good beat to it, I bet if I rearranged it like this it would make music~" and do it. Relatively speaking, this kinda music making matches my personality type really well. I feel like I've found a fucking good hobby for myself here. With that said, even though it’s a hobby, work is still work so the collateral damage of music-making is still vividly affecting my body. Like music is still music, and with the way I tunnel vision I'll end up at my desk for an obscene amount of hours. By the time I'm done with it physically and mentally I'm a wreck. Like the fuck do I mean by hobby, is this some kinda shitty joke Shinoda? Anyway let's talk about 'tat'. The question as to what the title means comes first. Initially I wanted to name this song "刺青(meaning tattoo)". Because the song ‘Perfume’ by ‘Eito’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MjAJSoaoSo) was a huge hit at that time so yeah.. But that idea failed ygarshy's inspection so I had no choice but to look around for a word similar to tattoo.

That was when I found photos of tattoos on Instagram with the hashtag #tat. This is it, I said. As a slang tat can mean many other things as well but I forget what they were. I'm sure you can find out if you look it up but, take note that none of it has much to do with the song itself. I considered '#tat' for the title as well, but it was too lame so I pulled back. This song was written when the album was almost finished and most songs ready: I reviewed the album as whole and felt that something was missing. I had wanted something with now tat’s tempo and mood to it to tie the album together. It turned out really well, if I may say so myself. Isn't it a great song though? I feel like all my efforts were worthwhile... It's fun to let the creative juices flow and write with whatever comes to mind. I tried to make the amount of guitar notes concise and solid. The tone was supposed to be graceful too but... ygarshy swooped in with a kick and his bass so heavy it sounds like he's blasting music from a little motorcycle. The melody too has the same makings as the hits these days. It’s about someone of the opposite sex with a bold tattoo who’s stuck in days of ennui, and me who’s gazing from afar wondering what these feelings inside me are. It’s about that sorta thing (?) - I think I managed to express it (????) The beat isn’t made to be far off from modern tuning either. I’m sure I could’ve harmonized it even better but, at the time I found good reason to make it more rock band-y, so I have no regrets. I only wish I made the song name something easier to find via search. It’s so hard to find the people talking about it... Starting with a verse and closing a song with that same verse is great, ain’t it. I’ve always liked songs with a bit of a whacky structure to them, Like November in HOWLS, it goes from verse 2 back to verse 1 then into the instrumental break. If you think it’s just any old number then prepare to be sorely mistaken - Or, that kind of fetishy stuff is important for music if you ask me. I received a fair lot of praise from people in the song-writing industry about tat, I’m happy. Though I’m not sure about the lyrics. Someone from our workplace told me that “Mushy gushy heart-wrenching lyrics would fit well”, so I sought out to do exactly that. The only problem is that my expression of mushy gushy made that person from work go “????” so making people’s heart clench is hard shit. This doesn’t leave here okay.. My dismay over the discontinuation of Chikyuu Monogatari is vented in here a bit as well. Though I don’t think Chikyuu Monogatari is boring. Not really. I saw a few people say that ‘tat’ is like the evolution of cakebox. And it makes sense to me now that y’all say it. cakebox was my solo project I did back in my mid-20’s. I made 3 mini pieces with 7 tracks and 1 EP with 4 tracks before stopping. I’m sure only like 10 people in the whole world ever listened to it. If you look it up you can still get it to listen too. Like an offering of random ass songs to my dead school life, I had a phase between my late teens and my early 20’s wherein I was obsessed with making songs using just my voice and guitar. The question of direction was beyond my consideration, I just sorta let the creative juices flow back then too and promptly set pen to paper. That was my creative process cycle. It was kinda like a diary. There’s barely any proper complete songs. The reason being that I completely lacked the skill necessary to make them proper. My guitar was alright but my singing wasn’t up to par, no one ever praised my voice at all. So I resolved that I just wasn’t cut out for it and strove to be a lead guitarist. Instead of my own songs I chose to go do band stuff, thus devoted myself to guitar.   Yet still my desire to make something proper stuck with me, and so soon after that I started a band in which I did guitar and vocals. we mashed stuff together and made song proper. Alas. Between creative differences and my own lack of ability, we were barely able to make something that I was proud of. After shit happened I ended up at home immersed in making my own songs. “Surely I could put all my experiences in bands and my own growth to good use, to turn my backlog of WIPs into something proper as well?” I thought to myself, and thus was the beginning of cakebox. I think that was the first time I ever got involved in making my own music through my own power. But my way of intense creation was too innocent for listeners or something, or like I wasn’t conscious enough of my headfirst personality... So I didn’t even have the sense to match the tuning up with modernity, and ultimately my work wasn’t clicking with society’s needs. That reality was crushing me more and more with every piece I made. I didn’t have absolute confidence in myself or conviction to push through either. After 3 albums the feeling of “Why am I even doing this” grew, and I found more purpose in Hitorie instead. From then on I devoted myself to Hitorie. These past few years in Hitorie have been nothing but learning experiences for me. After years of the four of us together stressing over what makes good music, I think my own work has leveled up as well. One thing I learned that has especially stuck with me, even now, is leader’s unwavering stance on “Believing that I’m just no matter what”.   For someone with my relative dispositions it’s a nigh impossible stance, and at often times I felt it was egoistic of him but... It’s what led him to create such powerful music, and it’s something we depended on greatly. The other day I gave Unhappy Refrain a full listen for the first time in a while. It’s perfect in every way, what the hell. Vocaloid as a genre was still establishing itself back then, and without a doubt this album served as a monument for the cause. The same way ‘my bloody valentine’’s ‘loveless’ was the cherry on top for the shoegazer genre. It’s made an immovable unsurpassable mark on music history. I really was in a band with a crazy person. To think that when I was in a band with him I more saw myself as the crazy amazing one. What the fuck was up my ass. I understand why felt the need for a band after making this album - why he brought us together - even more now. The obscene amount of notes in that album with a tone reeking of rock band stuff... It’s really flooded with his innocent yearning for rock music. I think the troubles he faced following Unhappy Refrain were the repercussions of him making such a huge monumental piece. But his stout core belief in himself - that he’s just - has stood equally as tall as that monument all the way. Now, after so many twists of fate.. I never thought I’d be writing AND singing my own songs for Hitorie like this. Except, one difference between the me of now VS. the me of old is that I don’t feel even a smidgen of unconfidence. I’m not worrying that I “don’t stand out” or “don’t suit societies needs” anymore. I feel like ‘tat’ might be the best song in the album (sorry ygarshy and Yumao). To the point that when people praise it I merely agree with them, “No lies detected” I say.

It’s all thanks to my time spent with Hitorie, the musical knowledge we sharpened, and the fact that my bandmates’ amazing performances have my back. If I don’t have something as big as this supporting me then I’ll just be a fucking chicken with no confidence in my music, after all. With that said, Music made by you yourself is an irreplaceable treasure, “If you made something good, then be proud”: this lesson of mindset was taught to me by Leader. It’s a really life-changing way to be so... If I mimic Leader at least this lil’ bit no one would make a bad face at me, right? What do y’all think? With that that said, the actual most pure thing that’s naturally come out of my head in years, with my actttual emotions stuffed in, is... The actttttual best song is “Utsutsu” if you ask me so. Look forward to the next entry of this blog series, y’hear me. Shinoda