#i really wonder how this quiz is going to be formatted

[meneatyoghurt]

I am excited for Wing It to air in December (and a bit disappointed I couldn't go to a recording), so here's a run down of everyone who's in it (including notes on whether/how I know them, or where you might be familiar with them from).

P.S. As far as I'm aware, this was the final lineup, but let me know if you know of any changes.

A note for the unfamiliar, when I say panel shows I mean comedies like QI, Have I Got News For You (Paul Merton is one of the team captains on this one), 8 Out Of 10 Cats, etc. or on the radio The News Quiz (the show Sam produces), Just A Minute, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, etc. They typically have a quiz format with a host and two teams.

Also, I do apologise for pointing out who people are married to but I've only done it when I know their partner is also a comedian/actor!

Cariad Lloyd

You'll know Cariad from the pilot, but she's done a lot of TV and radio work. So if you're British or into British comedy at all, you might have seen her on QI or other panel shows. She's an actor so she's also been in things like Murder in Successville. And she's a seasoned improviser and one of the cast members in Austentatious, who do Jane Austen inspired improvised plays. I think she's a regular guest with The Comedy Store Players as well. Her podcast, Griefcast, is very popular too. I'm pretty familiar with Cariad and think she's great.

Rachel Paris

Rachel is another member of Austentatious and has also done a fair amount of TV and radio work. She was previously on The Mash Report with Nish Kumar and has done various panel shows. She also happens to be married to Marcus Brigstock, a well-known comedian and improviser, and they've both performed at Paul Merton and Suki Webster's improv night at the comedy store (and maybe with The Comedy Store Players?). I'm also pretty familiar with Rachel and she's very funny.

Here's both Cariad and Rachel in Austentatious:

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Kemah Bob

Kemah is an American comedian and another panel show regular. I wasn't aware she did improv before seeing her on the Wing It cast but she's been funny when I've seen her on TV. She's also had some small acting parts. I'm aware of her but only occasionally spot her on things.

Here's Kemah doing some standup:

Emma Sidi

If you're a Taskmaster fan (and if you're not, where have you been?) you'll be watching Emma on it right now. If not, you might recognise her as Kitty's sister in Ghosts. She is also the co-writer and star of the sitcom Starstruck (with the wonderful Kiwi comedian Rose Matafeo, another Taskmaster star) and she's appearing on Richard Osman's House of Games this week. I only knew Emma from Ghosts before seeing her on Taskmaster (I keep meaning to watch Starstruck but haven't got around to it 😬) but I've quickly fallen in love with her. She's very funny.

Here's Emma on Taskmaster (focus on Emma from 2 mins but worth watching all of it):

Steen Raskopoulos

Another person who was in the pilot. I actually was only really aware of Steen because he's married to the comedian Sara Pascoe (another stand-up, Taskmaster star and regular panel show guest) who is much more well-known in the UK than he is, and I think I've heard of his sister. But he's an Australian comedian who also does improv (in fact I've seen clips of him performing as half of a double act at 21Soho). Oh actually, I say that but it turns out I saw him in the very funny Feel Good (stars Charlotte Richie for Ghosts fans). He's also done Whose Line Is It Anyway Australia and he's in a new Australian version of The Office. Can you tell I'm looking at his IMDB page?

Here's Steen with one of my favourite comedians, Aisling Bea:

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Monica Gaga

If you watched the last livestream, you'll have seen Monica (and loved her, I'm sure). I admit to not really knowing her although I think I've heard her name before (probably just floating around because of other performers mentioning her). She seems to primarily identify as an improviser but does various other hosting/compering and performing. She's a regular with the Comedy Store Players, produces and stars in various improv things on stage and has been involved in various radio and tv projects. I'll be keeping an eye out for her in the future!

Here's Monica doing three-headed expert at The Comedy Store:

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Amy Cooke-Hodgson

Another Austentatious cast member. She's performed with Shoot From The Hip before (you might have seen the video where they're on the tube/train). She's an actor, improviser and singer. Another one I don't know very well but she's funny in the clips I've seen of her.

Here's Amy in Austentatious:

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Amy Hoggart

So I mostly recognise Amy from Almost Royal, which she starred in with Ed Gamble (the comedian who does the Off Menu podcast with James Acaster) and I've only seen clips of that. But apparently she was also on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee so some people might recognise her from that. Outside of acting, it looks like she has a podcast where she improvs specific characters with someone else (so a bit like Rosie Holt does her Tory woman).

Here's Amy on Full Frontal (just a warning that this is very much about guns and school shootings):

In conclusion, WHAT A LOAD OF FUNNY WOMEN (and a funny man).

And speaking of Ghosts, I know that Kiell Smith-Bynoe who plays Mike also does improv, so if they get another series, I'd love to see him on it.

[eddiemunsonsmiddlefingers]

So I'm taking condensed classes for summer, right? An 11 week term, condensed to 4. Yikes.

One of these classes has the regular amount of content, but set up in three day segments instead of one week. Day one: read an article, do a short answer quiz. Day two: watch (a lot of) short videos, write a response (150 word minimum, extremely low stress). Day three: post four times in a discussion forum.

When I first say this format, I panicked. Four weeks of DAILY deadlines? God almighty, July is going to suck.

But uh.

Um.

...it's working out really well.

Like, I sort of wish all my classes did this kind of really well.

There's nothing in this class that overwhelms me. No looming massive project I must get started on or else. No nebulous someday deadline that I ignore until it's panic time.

I am learning a LOT, and I'm learning it very effectively, and I'm not stressed about it. It's fuckin magical.

I'm just sitting here wondering how I can apply this information to full length classes I take (or teach) in the future.

[musical-shenanigans]

Show #43

Title: Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire

Show Release Date: April 12, 2023

Hello everyone, and this will be the first time a blog is posted at the same time as a show.  So, it may require editing, updates, or just some good old fashioned fixing at a later date.

The good news, is that the editing is still fresh in my mind as I have just completed it and made my notes to what I want to say here.  There are more references and uses of songs that need to be addressed, and a lot has changed since the third show that I last posted about on this site.  But, follow us on Twitter and you will find out when I post about the older shows.

So, this is possibly the 43rd show we have recorded, and that includes any of our holiday specials or any other odd thing we did.  By the time I update the shows betwixt the third and this one, I should have the counts straight, so we will say 43 just to get through this post.

Unlike previous posts, I am going to drop references as they come up, so this may look a little different.  Much like the show, this site needs some tweaking on format and will absolutely change around as we go.

First, you might be wondering about the title of the show, even after you've heard the show, you may still be wondering about it.  Well, it is a lyric from the song "The Plains in Spain" from "My Fair Lady".  There is another hidden meaning, but I will come back to that at the end of this season, as all the titles have a running theme - which you may or may not have guessed.  The main reason for this lyric is that Scott makes a rather astute parallel of Amy Winehouse to Eliza Doolittle.  Absolutely fantastic.  So, I really wanted to use that bit.

Our first round matchup is between Carole King and Lauryn Hill (Tapestry #25, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill #10).  We start with Carole an the many songs she has written for other artists in the Brill Building.  The Brill Building was discussed in Show #10: Frank Sinatra: The Tenth Wonder of the World  when we discussed Laura Nyro. And take a look at the Wikipedia page showing all of the songs that Carole King has written and the artists that made them popular - she was even sampled by the friend to the podcast, Kanye. 

In our discussion, we referenced the Rocky Horror Picture Show and its executive producer Lou Adler.  Lou is responsible for bringing the stage version to Los Angeles, giving us the cult classic film, and unfortunately he also gave its sequel that should have never been made.  But in case you are curious, the entire movie can be seen here on YouTube.  You were warned, so send your complaints elsewhere.

There follows a short spot for the podcast Fancy Bread Miami - go check them out.  They are really great guys and their show is well done.

Next up is Lauryn Hill.  Dave brings up the lawsuit with musicians that played on the album that were not given and credit.  This article came out in August of 2018 discussing the lawsuit that took place.  We also make fun of how I totally mispronounced the OutKast's album title "Aquemini" in episode #16 (or possibly 17): Podcasting in the Name of. 

There is a joke about how many songs Michael McDonald is featured on, and my estimate is way off.  Check out this page to see all of his contributions.  Also take a look at James Taylor and Joe Walsh.

The middle quiz game will get its own blog page.  Please watch this space for it.

The second round begins with Amy Winehouse and the brilliant reference to Eliza Doolitle - watch this clip from the movie and it will all make sense.  And you have not heard Amy Winehouse speak, watch this.

There is a documentary film about Amy Winehouse, and I highly, highly recommend it.  It is tragic, but it is done very well.  It is called "Amy". 

We move onto Aretha and I mention the movie that goes along with this album is fantastic.  I could not find a clip of everything her father, but if you see the movie, you will hear his phenomenal, oratory voice and the love he has for his daughter.  Also, "The Old Landmark" was in the Blues Brothers film and the song is led by James Brown, and you can watch it here - I promise you, the best six minutes of your day!

Note: for our next show, I say that we are going to cover Eric Church.  And, he was voted off the island before the next show was recorded, and we failed to address it.

Thanks for coming out!

Songs used:

Title: Entitled "Comedy Theme" by user Hagfilms at freesound.org

Carole King - "It's Too Late"

Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop That Thing"

Amy Winehouse - "Me & Mr. Jones"

Aretha Franklin - "The Old Landmark"

Outro - "Touch Me There" - a silly piano bit I made

[mikumanogi-blog]

2023-02-02 “Imagination” Ikeda Teresa Blog 2 [ENG]

Hello, it’s Teresa.

Nice to meet you for the second time? Thank you very much for opening up this blog today. Thank yo-yo ｰ( ･_･)/-------◎

A picture of me and Kubo-san ‘click’

She has such white skin, her cheeks and my cheeks together, hers were so smooth I felt like mine were going to melt.. Cute (important) kind (significant) amazing senior member. Every time I appear a long side the snior members I think ‘Nogizaka is amaaaaazing and awesome”

 Did you see the previous LINELIVE!

Ioki, Ikeda, Okamoto,Ogawa were the members that participated from the 5th generation 😳

Ikeda was the second! My stream was from 8 and those 30 seconds just went by in the blink of an eye.

 You really did have the image that I’m a glutton didn’t you.. I want to go eat yakiniku with Kubo-san one day. Next time I’m going to bring my recommended manga to show (I wonder what genre Kubo-san likes, those in the know please let me know  ahhhhh（///＞-＜///）)

 💌Speaking of which, right after this on a quiz…did you really talk about Kuroko’s Basketball? It seemed like it was just an egg quiz…? If not could you please tell me what kind of quiz you were planning to do🧸

(blog name: Hinata)

 🤍You’re very sharp to notice that just by watching the live stream, too sharp ‘sweats’

The quiz was actually two surveys, one was

Q. What club did Ikeda devote herself to in school? (A. Basketball club)

If I talked about Kuroko’s basketball it would be too easy to guess wouldn’t it`

💌Which makes you more nervous, live streaming or recording?

(blog name: Atobe)

🤍Probably Live streaming!

Recently the 5th generation members appeared on a tiktokLIVE and even then I was really nervous :( ;´꒳`;):

Please protect me from the rain

 〜〜〜

The MV for the first ever 5th generation song “Zetsubou no ichi byou mae” is now on the Nogizaka46 OFFICIAL YouTube CHANNEL📽

“Nogizaka46 “Zetsubou no ichi byou mae”

https://youtu.be/eAjVkmkGL_Q

Saku-tan and my voice are in there.

We participated in the recording with everyone, in the song we each have our parts and names, I remember being so happy.

The MV that we took from this rooftop, we were really there.

Please find me, even if you can’t see me, I’m there.

Apparently the time between the sun setting and complete darkness is known as the ‘magic hour’

Our scene was shot around that time.

 I really live the shading and the look of the MV. Please look at the sky during the ‘magic hour’ (○´ｰ`○)

 〜〜〜

 On the previously blog I didn’t mention anything about it but I have some wonderful and happy news!

 The 5th generation’s Nogizaka46 mail, Nogizaka46 message service will start (●︎´▽︎`●︎)

https://www.nogizaka46.com/s/n46/news/detail/66161?ima=3109

Changing from the continuous blog relay to sending things off on my own…for a shy person like me this takes a lot of courage but I’m going to do my best.

 Right now I’m doing the individual blog, but I’m also looking forward to doing Nogimail! I’m especially glad that I can send video and voice messages now. I’m thinking about sending a good morning everyday (　･´ｰ･｀)

Let’s make the hashtag #terepantalk.

I need it to match the blog which is currently and will continue to be #Tereblog #Terepanblog, please and thank you🫶🏻

 I’m going to continue to work hard to help you get to know me even more.

 February 1st marked the anniversary of the formation of the 5th generation. It went by so fast, but I can remember how much work we put into it this past year.

 Recently at work the staff and the other members have said things about how much we’ve improved, that makes me really happy, I think ‘doing my best’ has become my source of motivation and I’ve come to know how much those words can boost others.

I’m looking forward to see how I evolve over the course of this year, I want to become even better than my expectations!

Please continue to look after me in my second year. <(_ _)>

 〜〜〜

 For me, February 1st will always be a special day. When I was a student studying for my entrance exams Nogizaka46 really supported me, and so I want to become the strength for other people taking and preparing for their entrance exams. I’m cheering for you

With the knowledge of both sweet and sour tastes these two oldest 5th generation members are cheering for you ✊🏻 ̖́-

Don’t eat a yukhoe before the real thing

 Thank you for reading this far.

 Bye byee(○´ｰ`○)

#Tereblog #2

https://www.nogizaka46.com/s/n46/diary/detail/101119?ima=4109&cd=MEMBER

[rayneydayss]

Yes!! Also, check out the Discworld Emporium website! It organizes the books in chronological and subseries order AND has a quiz if you’re really stumped about where to begin.

Reading chronologically can be cool to see how Pratchett develops the world from mostly parody/satire to a vibrant fantasy world that still poignantly comments on societal bullshit. You also get a healthy dose of all the main protagonists, as Pratchett rotated around series as he was writing, so you can see all the various characters interacting in similar parts of the timeline as you read through.

Reading by subseries helps focus on different groups/protags on the Disc, so like if you’re in a magic mood, check out the Witches or Wizards/Rincewind series! If fantasy crime sounds like your jam, you will NOT be disappointed with the City Watch series, and You Will Love Samuel Vimes. Want to read how a conman goes from crime to government maintenance (assisted by so many shenanigans), check out the Industrial Revolution series (Conman starts w Going Postal and beyond, but the first two books in that subseries are also wonderful and give a precursor to some of the city fuckery the conman has to endure: The Truth is about the first newspapers being distributed in fantasy city, and Monstrous Regiment is a fucking beautiful queer book about subverting religion and patriarchal systems in the military)

I personally read by subseries the first time around because I love to follow a character arc through completion, but this time I’m reading in chronological order to watch the Disc develop :)

In addition to this though, a lot of people tend to find whatever copies their local library or used book store have and start with those. If you have a good interlibrary loan system you should have access to the whole series (pending shipping). If you’re a fan of ebooks, there’s a post circulating with a google drive folder of all the Discworld novels in ebook form, which I have been converting to pdf for when physical copies aren’t available, but I would only recommend these as a last resort because the formatting with the footnotes gets wonky and I feel like you don’t get the full experience that way. If you would like any ebook copies though, let me know and I can send some your way!

Have fun and happy reading!!

Might start reading discworld idk

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Oh! How do you think happens others pacts? Now I agreee that will be more interesting if they've different >_>

I think with Beel it can be some kind of hug...

Did this get long and graphic enough to become little mini fics? Yes.

* Asmo & Lucifer's parts from the previous post are expanded on

* Mild S3 spoilers for Mammon's one. If you know you know.

The Brothers, Pact Formation & Contact

1. Lucifer

Lucifer's pact formation was threatening. He was smugly telling them that he was going to be in control of them. Sneering it into their face. Taking joy in how they didn't falter even when he saw their throat move as they swallowed. Pressing down on his own pleased smile and even harder on the inklings of arousal crawling through him.

He clasped their forearm and dragged them close, their own hand clasped on to his - a second too late but just as viciously. He loomed over them, smug with narrowed eyes as they glared up at him defiantly. So close their noses were brushing and their breath was intermingling.

2. Mammon

The manga shows the contact is a forehead touch

Mammon hates them. Okay maybe he doesn't hate them, but he's upset. They're holding his precious Goldie hostage and what? He has to swear away his agency to them to get her back? And why should he? He's stronger and faster than both them and Levi. He can get her back by force, without even needing to hurt either of them, and be on his way. But he doesn't. He doesn't need to sign his life away to some random human. But he does. And somehow it doesn't feel like he's signing his life away, it doesn't feel like the end. It feels like a beginning.

So instead he looks up at them from where he's kneeling, looks in their eyes and watches how they, almost unconsciously, drift to him. How they kneel down in front of him so they're on equal ground. And then he's reaching out, cupping their face and softly, gently, tenderly - the way he's never done anything before - presses his forehead to theirs. Whispering the words with half lidded eyes as something overwhelming threatens to drown him. He's there in the kitchen with them. But he's also somewhere bright and far away, in a dream with a fleeting yet warm presence who laughs at his dumb pranks and encourages his dumber dreams.

The bright light of the newly formed pact dims and he doesn't know when he closed his eyes. He can feel the tears prick the corners of them as he desperately tries to hold on to that presence, the one he knew for barely a day but longed for throughout every century of his life. That distant dream of someone who believed in him despite having just met him, who understood him, who couldn't stop staring at him with wonder.

He opens his eyes and sees the human. Kneeling in front of him, face still cupped in his hands, eyes wide and pupils blown, lips just slightly parted, cheeks darker than they were mere seconds ago. Staring at him with an ocean of unmistakable wonder.

His breath hitches. His face flushes.

3. Levi

Okay but wouldn't Levi's be a highfive?

I know it won't have much significance to us but to Levi...... it's how Henry and the Lord of Shadows confirmed their friendship. The way they became "true friends" the one thing Levi has always being pining for.

At the point of making their pact, Levi doesn't really like them much, he's still hurting from losing the quiz and that's drowning out the little voice pointing out how well they worked together and how he now has someone he can talk about TSL with. He has anxiety, he's surly with strangers and doesn't like new people.

So he wants the pact to be made with the least amount of contact.

Without thinking he raises a hand, muttering the words for the pact under his breath but looking away. On instinct, they slap that hand with their own.

It's the noise more than the stinging pain that has Levi whipping his head towards them. Eyes wide and horrified while the pact is formed and he realises the implications of the high five.

It's only later, as they grow closer, when he comes to adore that moment, seeing it as the point where he gained his "true friend"

4. Satan

Satan's like Lucifer's is a clasp of forearms. Satan's like Lucifer's maintains direct eye contact. Unlike Lucifer's his eyes are soft. Mouth pulled up in a small yet genuine and gentle smile. His words are confident and loud enough for just the two of them. There's trust in his gaze. Friendship and tenderness and understanding. It's a pact and a touch made out of trust and a promise to always be there for each other even if those specific words are never uttered out loud.

They're the odd ones out in the family - never an angel, never part of the war, the newcomers with a bone to pick with Lucifer and the pact is formed but they don't let go of each other, they don't look away, they finally find someone who understands them in each other and they vow, silently after the final residue of the pact formation has drifted away, to always support one another

5. Asmo

He holds his hand out to them. They're facing each other and it looks like it will be a handshake until Asmo's grip tightens and he uses the hold to pull himself to them in a second and into a surprisingly short and chaste but unexpected kiss.

It's a little because this is who Asmo is as a person and a little because he wants to piss Mammon off but mostly it's because he wanted something sweet and tender, as unusual as that can be for him. Something that meant both nothing and everything. A way to one up the only person he has never been able to charm. A way to look at their flushed cheeks and wide eyes and know that even without his charm he was still desirable, still beautiful, still loveable, still wanted, still worth something. A moment of weakness he'll say he would never dwell on again but one that comes to him on the rare nights where sleep cannot be found

The pact forms and Asmo pulls away with a mischievous glint in his eyes, one that like always perfectly covers any hidden turmoil brewing beneath, while MC's still wide eyed and frozen to the spot

6. Beel

He drops to one knee and looks up into their eyes. Earnest and gentle. He raises a hand, keeping it open and palm up, welcoming their hand into his. He makes eye contact the whole time while he says the words to form the pact

He's not showing that he's serving them or going to be subservient. He's dedicating his life to protecting them, the same way he's dedicated his life to protecting his family. A knight in shining armour.

Beel loves his family above all else and, specially after losing Lilith, he's very protective of them and as wary of strangers entering the fold as Lucifer is. Him making the pact shows that he'd accepted MC as part of the family even back in early S1. Him kneeling and making the pact is him making a promise to MC to always protect them

Kneeling when proposing (marriage) is also a sign of respect and given how Beel was the most likely out of the lot to see MC as just food, him showing them that he respects them feels symbolic

7. Belphie

It's them standing so close together they're almost touching. It's a hand on the back of their neck, creeping up so slowly that they don't feel it until cool fingers are touching warm skin. A touch that makes them stiffen. Makes memories of similar hands around their neck spring up. Makes their eyes widen and their breath stutter.

Makes, for anyone who is looking closely enough, Belphie's eyes soften from their playful glint into something sorrowful.

He leans forward, using the hand on  their neck to hold them still, and presses his lips to their forehead.

They're Lilith's legacy. Proof that his baby sister lived a long, happy life even though he didn't get to be part of it.

They're their own person.

The person who was ready to manipulate & betray Lucifer to set him - someone they didn't even know - free, not for his own good but because they didn't like seeing Beel sad.

The person who would sit with him, while they were still divided by a locked door, and listen with awe and overwhelming fondness to stories of his brothers from better times.

The person who, despite everything, despite a suffocating hatred for all their people, despite knowing what he had to do, he still grew to like while imprisoned.

The person who he murdered.

The person who helped him reconnect with his family. A family they were part of now. It's something he feels deeply. In his bones. Something that feels like fate. A final puzzle piece slotting into place.

He whispers the pact against the forehead, eyes closed. A soft thank you slips out after, his lips brushing the words against their skin. So soft they could almost believe they imagined it.

[fanimesenseiwrites]

Hi!, how are you?, hope you're well, anyway, can you please do the '' 1 moment that they assist MC when it comes to adjusting to Devildom'' but for the rest of the brothers? (Levi, Stan, Asmo, Belphie) its ok if you dont want too, have a nice day/night <3

I'm well, thank you for asking! I liked this ask so I'm glad someone asked for the other brothers. Excuse the changing format, I was trying to think of the best way to do each story.

Link to the other 3 brothers.

The brothers help out MC in the Devildom:

Leviathan:

MC has always had a healthy fear of the ocean. As one should, it could easily kill you if you're not cautious. Sharks, certain jellyfish, and riptides and whatnot.

So when Levi asked MC to go to the beach with him, they were a little hesitant. But Levi so rarely wants to leave his room so they felt like they had to say yes.

But as soon as they get to the beach, MC feels their fear go past the lengths of healthy

The sand is black???? Which just makes the water look darker and now MC can't see any potential wild life which they're sure is far scarier and/or more threatening than anything the human realm has to offer and-

"MC? Are you okay?" Levi asks gently.

MC briefly wonders if they should tell him the truth or not.

"I... I just... I'm afraid of the ocean," MC confesses.

Levi is little disappointed. This is the only part of "outside" that he likes, he was really looking forward to this. He wants to stay but he doesn't want his best friend to be uncomfortable

"Why are you afraid of it?" Levi asks, wondering if there's something he can do to help.

When MC tells Levi all their reservations, he perks up a little; he can work with that.

Levi takes MC over to the tide pools first, thinking that starting with something small will help

He's right. MC is absolutely delighted by all the little flora and fauna in the tide pools.

Once MC is comfortable with that, he encourages them to get into the big ocean, promising that no sea creatures will harm them while he's there

"But what about riptides? You can't control the ocean."

That's true, he can't control the water... but he can teach them how to swim out of a riptide.

MC feels a lot better just seeing how much effort Levi has put into making them feel comfortable and safe

"Thank you, Levi. You really are a true friend."

Oh boy is he a blushing mess. He just wants MC to have fun tho and he's glad he could help.

Satan:

Satan is in the library one day, just browsing, when he hears a familiar voice mumbling, grumbling, and... crying?

He walks around to the next aisle to find MC sitting on the ground, surrounded by books, and holding their head in their hands.

He frowns. "MC?"

Their head snaps up to meet his gaze. "Oh fuck..." They sniff and wipe their tears away. "Hey Satan."

"What's wrong?" Satan asks as he kneels down next to MC.

MC sighs. "I just... feel really dumb right now..."

"Can I help you somehow?"

"Not unless you can make all these books suddenly read in (MC's native language)."

"Ah, is the demonic script giving you issues?"

"Yes! And I have to write a paper for literature and history and I'm already sucking ass in history, I have to do good on this paper or I'm pretty sure Lucifer will hang me from the ceiling next! But how can I write a good paper if I can't even read the research well?! Like why am I even here? I'm so stupid and useless down here!"

Satan frowns. "You're not stupid or useless. How about I help you with your papers?"

MC looks at him. "... you would do that?"

"Yes. I'll help you find some good books for your research and I'll help you with the demonic script too."

MC sniffles. "I'd really appreciate that."

Satan smiles slightly and helps them. "Of course, we can't have Lucifer punishing you."

MC chuckles. "Yeah..."

...

"Satan!" MC calls out to the demon just before attacking him with a hug.

"Oi! MC! What're you doing?" Satan is a little annoyed but mostly embarrassed by MC's actions.

MC shoves some papers in his face. "Look, look, look!!! I got an 87 on my literature paper and a 92 on my history one!"

Satan smiles at hearing the grades. "Good job, you did very well."

"Well, it's all thanks to you," MC thanks him.

Satan blushes a little. "You put in the work, I just helped."

"Still, I really appreciate it."

"I'm glad I could help."

Asmodeus:

MC is not "high maintenance" by any means

Especially not when you stand them up next to Asmo

But they still care about how they look a little bit

They want to be clean and look clean and well put together

So when they're thrust into the Devildom without a single personal item, it may not be the first thing they're upset about, but they're upset about it

Lucifer orders Mammon to take MC shopping for such personal items but when MC starts asking him about brands and prices, combination to oily skin...

"Fuck this." He pawns them off on Asmo.

Of course Asmo tries to seduce MC first, but as soon as MC says the words "skin care" it's like a switch is flipped

Asmo pulls them into his room and gives them a skin and hair quiz?? Like on paper???? He just has them ready???????

Based on MC's answers, Asmo has all sorts of products to recommend them

He even lets them try some of the products he owns and uses before he takes them shopping for their own products

Asmo goes only a little bit overboard. He loves helping people with body care, but he's not super invested in MC (yet)

This interaction goes a long way in helping MC become comfortable in the Devildom, and though MC won't tell Asmo that, they do thank him for all his help

When they get home, they definitely find Mammon strung up. Lucifer was not happy that he pawned MC off on Asmo

Belphegor:

By the time Belphegor is released from the attic and is even able to help MC, they've already pretty much adapted to life in the Devildom

Belphie pretends not to care, but when he keeps hearing stories from his brothers about all the stuff they've done with MC he can't help but get a little jealous

Belphie keeps trying to find stuff for him and MC to do that they haven't done yet, but he doesn't have much luck...

Then, one night, he catches MC sneaking into bed with him

"MC...?" He asks, sleepily.

MC gasps. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Belphie just pulls them close and snuggles them. "S'okay..."

"... I had a nightmare... but I always sleep better with you so I thought I'd come in here..."

Belphie hums. "I'll make sure you dream sweetly, don't worry."

MC pressed their face into Belphie's neck. "Thank you."

Belphie is incredibly smug about that the next day, but he won't tell anyone who asks about it.

[tedturneriscrazy]

🎶Knock, Knock, Knockin' On Hooty's Door🎵

I wonder if anything will happen in this episode.🙂

(I say as if I didn't watch the episode twice before going to bed and writing this post)

I don't think I'll ever not be amused by the way Hooty just...does things with his face

Seems like he found a thesaurus at some point

Okay so it's canonically spelled "Hootsifer," good to know

Also, this is really all we get of Lilith, huh?

His little hoot/coo at Lilith's letter❤❤❤

To borrow a meme format: If I had a nickel for every time Alex Hirsch was involved in a show where one of the characters was experiencing pubescent voice cracks, I'd have two nickels, which isn't very much but it's weird that it happened twice

Eda's face🤣

As much as this bit is played for laughs, Eda's clearly still shaken by what happened last episode

Jeez, Luz, priorities /j

Pictured: Hooty

The way King talks about being pelleted implies this is something Hooty does on the regular

Hooty's plan to help King is literally a Buzzfeed quiz? Okay then

Betcha never expected lore from Hooty, eh?

"DO NOT INTERRUPT"

Officially a "type of worm"

The dance being a grievous insult wasn't exactly from nowhere, but still funny nonetheless

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE FUCKING COCCOON

Tiny Nose playing Switch definitely seems to be drawing from Dana's real life experiences

Wait, Hooty and Tiny Nose are friends?

Well shit, turns out she could use magic this whole time. Guess her going Super Saiyan wasn't just the power glyph.

I am extremely skeptical of your medical credentials, TN

I have so many questions about the methodology they used for the blood test(s)

I think Hooty may have misinterpreted what King was looking for

I'm still amazed at how King has had, and continues to have, moments in the show with some of the greatest emotional weight

Ooh, sound powers!

"IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A CRUMBLE!!!"

It just occurred to me that that segment consisted mostly of Alex Hirsch talking to himself

Hello not-at-all obvious setup

Today I learned that Hooty is the baker of the house. Maybe he'd critique Amity's fairy pie.

Aaaaand there's the sleep inducing

Oh shit

In hindsight the Owl Beast being part of a dream sequence is rather obvious

Wow, Eda, tell us how you really feel about the Owl Beast

Oh we're just gonna ride aboard the Trauma Express today, huh?

Oh, I guess Lilith did make an appearance, after all

Damn, Gwen, not even looking

Oh shit dad issues

Sandy Cohen?! (To anyone who gets that reference, hi. How are your 30s treating you?)

Well, I know who Peter Gallagher voices now, anyway

Oh dear...

(Also, bright flashing lights triggering the curse? There's an epilepsy allegory in here somwhere)

Blood and eye injury? Gotta stretch that Y7 rating

Now we have some context for that look on Eda's face when Lilith mentioned their dad: good old fashioned guilt!

I desparately want to make a "Dude, you're getting a Dell!" joke, but I'm better than that

New memory! Raine!

Oh no...

I get the feeling I'll hate this part, too

They were exes!😢 Guess the fandom called that one

The reasoning for them being exes is understandable, all too real, and goddamn heartbreaking

That said, the fact they never stopped loving each other🥺😢😭

I do hope we can see Raine again under less...traumatic circumstances. Maybe that wedding that was mentioned?

Oh shit, are we getting into the Owl Beast's memories?!?! What a tweest!

Bet nobody expected Cloaked Moonface to show up in the frickin Hooty episode

(Also, holy shit I briefly forgot this was the Hooty episode)

Who is this mysterious cloaked figure? And why are they so tall and long?

So the curse was a sealed beast this whole time. Damn.

And it was just picked up as beach junk to sell as a trinket. So much for it being connected to Belos. (Not that people will stop trying to do so)

Who had "experiencing sympathy for the Owl Beast" on their Bingo cards for this episode? Yeah, me neither.

And here we have the necessary Eda coming to terms with her curse segment. More accurately, Eda and the curse coming to terms with each other.

Goddamnit why does it have to be cute

"It's like sandpaper" IT'S LIKE A CAT I FUCKING CAN'T

Insert Steamed Hams reference here to kill the mood

New transformation!

Oh no she's hot!

No, Hooty, you made it surprisingly much, much better!

She might have a problem pushing people away and holding onto guilt, but Eda always knows that she looks damn good

Oh right, Luz having girl problems. Fuck, so much is happening in this episode!

"Cotton-candy-haired Goddess" LUZ! 🤣

Attuned to other people's emotions = being a fucking creeper

Oh Luz, what happened to you back home?

Also, 99.999% certain Amity would love your cheesiness

That's...rather morbid, Hooty

So much lore development, including the fact the Owl House has a basement

Classic inanimate object silhouette fakeout gag. Subversion in 3...2...1...

There it is!

I can't imagine being pelleted is a fun experience.

Honestly I have so many questions about how Hooty got Amity there in the first place, but I'm not so sure I actually want to know the answers to any of them...

Cue much panicking

Wow, I'm really getting some Into the Bunker flashbacks

Oh this is gonna be amazing isn't it

I commend Luz for not actually dropping dead of embarrassment

Seriously, how can Hooty set all this up so fast yet not hold a pen?!?!?!

Poor Luz, she thinks this is destroying her chances

Meanwhile Amity is just "Oh, Titan, is this actually happening?!"

The way she's fixing her hair!❤

Goddamnit Luz let this play out, she's so clearly into this!

"Again?!" Okay who do I have to kill?

Luz is luzing it

Nooooooo....

JUST TALK FOR FUCK'S SAKE (aka how like 95% of issues in literally any plot could be solved)

Noooo Amity's so heartbroken right now💔

This isn't what either of them wanted!

To be fair, Hooty, Luz had a part in this too. Not that she can be blamed entirely. Poor thing clearly had some awful experiences back home...

Now Hooty is McFucking losing it

Why did I think he was gonna say "Looks like I'm gonna have to JUMP!" I think I've watched too much Homestar Runner (jk there's no such thing)

Those pulsating organs are still gross

Eda swooping in to save her son (No, really, he actually is now)

I'll say things get weird when Hooty gets upset!

Yes, King! Save them with your voice powers!

Damn that is some romantic lighting, and Luz is enjoying the eye candy (cotton candy, if you will)

Luz's reaction to Harpy!Eda is the family-friendly summation of how the fandom has reacted.

Hooty really just tearing up the landscape in remorse

Mother-daughter moment about love life!

I appreciate not just Eda's encouragement but her actually asking Luz what she wanted

God, Eda is best mom

Also, OH FUCK IS THIS HAPPENING?!

OH SHIT

THESE ADORABLY AWKWARD NERDS❤💜💙

"I'm not as cool as you think" could be interpreted as self-deprecating, but here it seems...oddly reassuring?

The way Luz eloquently says how she wants Amity in her future...beautiful❤

Luz making some good faces

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

YOU CUTE DORKS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

THERE IT IS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

LOOK HOW HAPPY SHE IS

WE WERE LOSING OUR SHIT OVER A PECK ON THE CHEEK THREE WEEKS AGO AND NOW LOOK WHERE WE ARE HOLY FUCK

Awkwardness is still there, but that's to be expected

BET Y'ALL DIDN'T EXPECT THAT TRAILER SHOT TO BE IN THE HOOTY EPISODE HUH

THE WAY LUZ RUBS AMITY'S HAND😭😭😭😭😭

(And yeah, it's gonna still be scary, but only because it promises to be so wonderful)

Let's give it up for Hootsifer, goddamn!

Let'a also appreciate just how fucking funny it is that Lumity becomes official in the Hooty episode

Fus ro WEH!

Hooty actually saying "Luz's new GF" out loud...

In just about any other show the love interests getting together would be a climax/culmination of the entire plot. Here? It's actually used to advance the plot, and that is brilliant!

Dana Terrace and the crew really just knocking it out of the park again and again, huh

"They're adorable, and deserve all the happiness!" Well said, Hootsifer. Well said.

Probably for the best they had Hooty promise that. As much as what happened/progressed, there was a lot of property damage.

OH SHIT ONCE AGAIN

King's dad/relative! And he's voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson!

GODDAMNIT HOOTY

Wow. Just...wow. This episode.

King has voice powers! Harpy!Eda! Lumity are girlfriends for real!!!!

How do you pack so much into a single episode?! And so expertly?!

I had my suspicions before, but this confirms it: The Owl House is the greatest show of all time.

And we have two episodes left until the hiatus! And 11 episodes in the season after that! What are we in for?!?!?!

I, for one, can't wait to find out!

[tfisathoughtfulnickelbakeryfire]

Awesome because I love writing questions :)

Ok so when I first read the question I couldn't quite put my technique for developing relationships into words because I just kind of do it, but I think I figured out how.

When I want to show the beginning formation of a relationship, it's the dialogue and the conversation itself that's the most important to me, because even when I'm putting my characters through a hard time and bonding them through trauma, they still talk to each other and learn little things about each other. All these little bits of information and interactions sort of just stick together, and the characters start to trust each other with more than just information. Add a little original character spice, like a bunch of inside jokes and shared experiences (be they casual or traumatic) and the relationship kind of just appears by itself. The key, I think, is in showing the way the characters change each other, whether in good ways or bad. Seeing two or more people adapt and mold themselves around each other slowly and gently is always what sells a relationship to me, whether the plot of the story itself is slow and gentle or not. And this isn't to say that the characters need to change drastically at all, but there is always change when two people get closer, whether it's becoming a better person or just remembering to buy an extra snack at the convenience store.

If the relationship is negative, then, instead of sharing things, the characters exploit or irritate each other instead. This is a lot easier to do when the baseline of a character is already formed, I've found.

If I want to show an already established relationship, the thing I try for is consistency. I try to show repetitive behaviors. I think mostly do this through more subtle methods, like dialogue and the more subtle interactions, but there are the bigger things, like how they react when the other is hurt or happy, or how they go out of their way to express that they care in a way they know the other character will understand. (AKA, how they've changed each other.) I also tend to reference shared experiences, both happy and not, as if it's something that everyone already knows about so I can drop bits and pieces of information here and there for a little extra drama for whoever might be reading. I try to keep it a dirty little secret between the characters and their pasts until the time is right, because if I reveal everything at once it just feels like an emotionless dump of information that leaves you wondering if there's gonna be quiz at the end of the story. I do the same thing with worldbuilding, but that's a post for another time.

I think my favorite types of relationships to write are the idealistic ones that make you feel a jealous sort of longing when you encounter them in real life, which is basically just a really long way to say that I write a lot of found family and disgustingly sappy romance because I'm lonely on all levels of affection. But I put humor in there too, so it's ok.

I'm not sure I have any concrete tips for writing because I've sort of just been freestyling my way through most of my Word documents, but for relationships I suppose the first step is to look around you for patterns in real life people. Watch how people interact with each other, watch how they love each other, how they care for each other, and if there's no one around who you see the loving side of your character in, then watch how people hate and hurt each other and reverse it. And if you have trouble with writing realistic dialogue, try to just listen to real people speaking to each other. It helps, trust me, I've been doing it my entire life, and while it hasn't helped me in too many real-life situations, I think it's contributed to my dialogue writing abilities.

Also, PSA: The answer to nearly every single problem in any relationship, both in writing and in real life, can be solved by COMMUNICATION. This isn't to say that the solution is always a happy one though. Sometimes the solution is to get out of a situation and the communication needs to happen between a person and themselves or a person and a trusted adult, but my point still stands.

Today let’s talk about…

Relationships!

How do you go about developing character relationships?  What are your favorite type of relationships to write: friendship, family, romance, partnership?  Any advice on how to build a well-written relationship?

Taglist (ask to be +/-): @rydykg, @elgringo300, @13shadesofanni, @faithfire, @pluvia-b, @t-lane-writes

Writer’s Round-Table

[sagedgeek]

The Child

Part 4 of The Whispers of Fate (A Rey Djarin fic)

Summary: Rey makes yet another friend. Two, if she counts the new baby. 

Rating: Gen (Platonic)

Word Count: 5.4k

Previous Chapter ~ Masterlist ~ Next Chapter

They spend the night in Kuiil’s little home on his farm, and Rey was immediately enraptured. There had been a few known moisture farmers on Jakku, but they were really strict when it came to scrappers trespassing on their land, especially her. So, she’d never got a good look at one up close before, and she has to say it was just as fascinating as she had expected it would be. Maybe even more so.

It was different from knowing scrap; the opposite really. Instead of each little screw and cell worth only a bit of something on its own, the farm and machines functioned together. Each little screw was important, just like on the Razor Crest, and she was eager to learn as much as she could.

She asked Kuiil several questions after Mando wandered off outside to eat the dinner he was offered. She bounced around the small home, quizzing the amused Ugnaught on everything she’d ever wondered, most of which were not even remotely related to moisture farming. Kuiil happily answered each question though without anything more than an amused chuckle and several praises towards her raving curiosity. He was patient and kind, and he treated every question she asked just like the first, explaining with care and with a wealth of wisdom and knowledge that he’d acquired through his many years of living.

Then Mando had to come in and ruin her fun by announcing it was time for bed.

Rey grunted in frustration and shot him a rebellious glare then looked towards her new friend in hopes he would argue on her behalf, but he only shrugged his shoulders and turned away to finish tidying up his kitchen. Despite her best effort to explain that she wasn’t at all tired, she was sent off to bed, tucked in on a comfy cot set up in Kuiil’s storage room. It was much nicer than the floor of the Razor Crest, but not quite as nice as being cuddled up underneath all her blankets.

She fought off sleep as long as she could, trying her very best to hold in her yawns keep awake just to prove to Mando that she wasn’t tired and she didn’t need to go to bed. It was harder than she thought it was going to be, because apparently she was tired after all, and the hushed undertones of Mando and Kuiil talking in the next room served as a quiet hum of reassurance enveloping her in a warm cloak to remind her that she wasn’t alone. It made her smile. Eventually she drifted to sleep to the low whisps of the turbine just outside the hut and the synchronized chirp of the frogs outside. It didn’t take long at all, and she was already lost in a deep slumber by the time Mando came to check on her and adjust her blankets carefully before he went off to rest himself in preparation for the day to come.

The next morning, while they were waiting for Mando to emerge from his quarters, Kuiil gave her a small tour of the farm, pointing out the machines and parts of the farm he’d explained to her the night before during her incessant quiz of questions.

After Mando woke and came from his room, they all three sat at the breakfast table together while she ate the bowl of porridge provided to her. She chattered throughout breakfast, excited about the things to be done that day. After breakfast she darted outside ahead of the other two, aiming right for the blurg pen. She’d been waiting for it all morning after Kuiil told her the plan he and Mando had discussed the night before. It was a completely foreign wealth of excitement she had only felt one other time in her life. That being when Mando promised to show her his ship.

And she was happy to say it was just as exciting as she hoped it would be. She stood on the makeshift rails of the rounded fence as they watched Mando try and fail to stay atop the stubborn blurg. She giggled repeatedly every time he landed on the ground in an ungraceful lump of metal. Once his cape fell over his helmet as he sat in the dirt and even Kuiil chuckled under his breath at the frustrated Mandalorian. She asked if she could try once, but Mando said it was too dangerous and Kuill agreed with him. She, of course, didn’t agree at all considering she’d climbed on top of that same blurg just yesterday in her effort to save Mando, but she didn’t dare argue and test the man’s patience today. She didn’t want him getting upset with her again and perhaps leaving her behind with Kuiil this time… he was nice and all, but it seemed kind of pointless to escape one desert planet to end up stranded on another, and this time without any hope of being reunited with her parents. So, she passively sat by the fence, chin resting atop her hand, and continued to watch.

Her patience paid off too! When Mando did eventually tame the blurg after much trial and error, he trotted it around in a circle in the small pasture a while. Then he looked up at Rey, and he must have seen the crestfallen look on her face because he lifted a heavy hand to wave her into the pen. She vaulted over the wood she was perched on and ran towards him with an eager smile, and he hoisted her up onto the blurg in front of him. He even let her hold the reins and guide the fish faced monster around the large circle. It was so fun!

Afterwards, things progressed rather quickly. Kuiil had Rey help him saddle up the newly tamed blurg while Mando went to fetch his rifle he left inside, and then they were off.

Rey rode with Mando, squished between him and the bar at the front of the saddle. He let her hold onto the reins to offer her the small illusion of control, but he was sure to hold on loosely with one hand as well, keeping his other arm wrapped around her waist so she didn’t end up flying off during the very bouncy ride. She was small, and even with Mando’s arm keeping her in the saddle, she felt like she could very well take a tumble right off the blurg with every downstep of the large, ungraceful creature. She didn’t know how Kuiil was able to stay on like he was.

It was a long ride, and after the first hour passed, she’d grown tired of the repetitive journey, slumping back against Mando and letting him take the reins from her. She swears she saw that exact same rock formation an hour ago…

Then they stopped.

“That is where you’ll find your quarry,” Kuiil announced, pointing at a small outpost beyond the rocks. Rey strains her eyes to get a good look as Mando and Kuiil begin to converse, but she’s a tad too short to see over the rocks.  

Kuiil mentions the turmoil plagued on his land because of that outpost down there and she turns to avert her interest, looking back and forth between her Mando and Kuiil, paying rapt attention to their discussion.

“—Then why do you help?” Mando asked him.

Kuiil looks at her that time before glancing up at Mando. “I have never met a Mandalorian. I’ve only heard the stories.” Rey cranes her head backwards to look at Mando, and then turns back to Kuill with wide eyes as he begins to speak again. “If they are true, you two will make quick work of it. And then there will again be peace.” Kuiil begins to turn away with his blurg, but Mando holds a hand up to stop him quickly.

“Wait,” he insists, “I have one more favor to ask you.”

Kuiil turns a questioning gaze onto him.

“Take her back to your farm until I return for her.” He nods down at Rey, who squawks indignantly by the prospect of being left behind yet again.

“No,” she replies fervently. “You said you wouldn’t leave me behind. You shook on it!”

Mando slowly dismounts the blurg and looks at her straight on and she could feel the burn of his gaze even through the black visor of his helmet. “I said I would not leave you behind on the Crest. I will return for you as quick as possible.”

Rey scrambles, trying to dismount the blurg before he had a chance to stop her, because she was not going to let Mando do this to her again. But he’s too quick for her and he pushes her back onto the creature, placing his hand on her leg to keep her from trying again. “I am not leaving you behind. I am keeping you safe.”

She turns to Kuiil for help, but he’s only looking on passively as an innocent bystander. “But-but Kuiil says everyone dies who goes in there. You’re going to need help!”

“Which is exactly why I don’t want you coming. If something happens to me, you’ll be safe with Kuiil.” He turns to Kuiil then, grabbing the reins of the blurg she still sits on and handing them over to the Ugnaught.

“No!” Rey exclaims again. “I’m going with you.”

“No,” Mando gripes firmly, “You’re not.”

She glares at him, desperate to express her anger for the situation, but unsure how to properly execute. What more can she do?

“You behave,” he points his gloved finger at her, “I’ll be back soon enough. It won’t be long.” He pats her knee gently as reassurance and Rey feels the sting behind her eyes returning yet again. And she doesn’t dare open her mouth in fear it’ll break the supports holding her composure together. So, instead she holds out her hand to him to shake, using her other to wipe away the moisture from her eyes before the tears could fall.

“Promise?” She squeaks.

He grabs her hand gently, holding it tight in his larger one as he slowly shakes their joined hands to finalize his promise. “I promise I will do my best.”

He lets go and steps away, as hers falls limply to the side while she watches him turn his back to her and approach the overhang. Her blurg lurches forward to follow Kuiil’s and she grapples for purchase on the large saddle, keeping her eye on Mando the entire time in hopes he would suddenly turn around and declare a change of heart.

“Come little one. Your father has much work to do.” Kuiil turns to wave at Mando who had finally turned back around to watch them leave. “Fair well Mandalorian. Your child will be in safe hands. I have spoken.”

Rey mopes while they rode back to Kuiil’s farm, and the Ugnaught was not ignorant of the fact. She held tightly to the saddle so she didn’t fall off because this time Mando wasn’t there to keep her safe and steady.

“Your father will be fine little one. There’s no need to worry.”

“He’s not my father,” Rey sniffles, swiping at her nose. Kuiil gives her an odd look.

“Then who is he?”

And Rey herself didn’t quite know the answer to that one and she had to pause, scrunching her nose in thought while she contemplated their odd predicament.

“I-I don’t know really… I’m his Foundling. That’s all I know.”

“So, he is as your father,” Kuiil discerns.

“No,” Rey argues petulantly, “my Mama and Papa left me behind on Jakku when I was little. And I know my Papa wasn’t a Mandalorian.”

Kuiil makes an amused sound. “That is not what I meant, little one.” She looks at Kuiil and raises a brow in question. “How long have you been with your Mandalorian?”

Rey shrugs. “Not long. Just a few days.”

“Hmm,” Kuiil hums, “So I suppose that means you haven’t learned of their creed. Why do you think he took you in?”

Rey shrugs again, this time with a small grunt. “I don’t know! When I asked him, he just said ‘This is the Way’ and walked away!”

“From what I’ve witnessed of him, that seems very in character for your Mandalorian,” Kuiil jokes with her, casting her an amused smile which makes her giggle in return. “But by that creed they follow, a Mandalorian could not leave an abandoned child behind.”

Rey frowns. “But I’m not abandoned! My parents were going to come back for me one day! They promised they would!”

Something sad crossed Kuiil’s face and he turned away from her. “There are different forms of abandonment, child… and your Mandalorian saw you, wherever it was you came from, and saw that you were in need of a home. Will you deny that?”

Rey frowns and pulls her arms across her chest, nearly falling off the blurg as it leapt over a crack in the rocks.

“Now it is up to him to care for you just as a father would. It is the way they follow.”

Rey looks up to stare at him. “How do you know so much about the Mandalorians?”

Kuiil doesn’t look at her this time as he speaks. “I was sold as an Imperial slave. Several of my companions had come across captured Mandalorian’s in the time when their homeworld was destroyed by the Empire. I had many years to listen to the varying stories relating back to the Mandalorians and their ways of living. Their people are rare now, and they are known to be some of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. That is the only way their kind has survived.”

“What happened to the ones caught by the Empire?” Rey had only heard stories about the Empire. When she heard it had fallen, all she remembers is a loud celebration near Niima. All she knows is the Empire was bad, and they did bad things, and the stories she had heard were bad enough to give her nightmares for days.

“They died when they refused to betray their brothers and sisters. As did most who were captured by the Empire.”

Rey frowns and she slumps her shoulders while rocking side to side to the sharp rhythm of the blurgs steps. Another bad thing the Empire did… It was so sad to think about.

“And after all these years of waiting,” Kuiil begins with a small smile, “I finally met a Mandalorian for myself. And he did not disappoint.”

***

Rey struggled to sleep that night, her rest plagued with nightmares from the day her parents left her behind in the hands of Unkar Plutt himself, intermixed with her awoken fears of the Empire. Flashes of blood red light flickering the horizon surrounding the silhouette of her parents as their bodies slowly dispersed into an ashy wind fading into the mountainous landscape. Darkness… black… and then Mando surrounded by the dark aura which she knew he couldn’t see. A danger to him that only she could witness, but her mouth unable to open to warn and plead with him to run away. And soon red plunged from the darkness, pulling him from the ground and lifting him into the sky where he too became nothing more than ash billowing into the dark atmosphere… more darkness, more red, and more ash. She awoke in tears, cradling her knees close to her chest as she sat up in the small cot she slept in the night before.

It was still dark when she rose, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. It was not dark like in her dream, she couldn’t feel it, and now the stars acted as a source of light in the dark sky, and she loved the stars. So, she wandered outside the house and sat up against the tall tower just outside the door, looking out in the direction they had went the day earlier on blurg, watching for the now familiar glint of beskar to break out across the horizon.

There was none.

The sun eventually rises, and she hadn’t moved, eyes now dry like they had been on Jakku. She hears Kuiil exit the hut, and she looks over her shoulder at him.

“There you are. Come,” he waves his arm for her to follow him inside, “it is time to eat.”

She follows. She tries eating as much as she could only to prevent the familiar pangs of hunger, but now her stomach was in knots. She could barely choke down the watery milk, all she felt was sick.

“Are you alright?” Kuiil questions her when she was barely able to finish her porridge.

She nods slowly, one hand braced on her stomach. She was afraid to open her mouth.

“When you are finished come outside, I have chores that will keep you busy.” He moves to place his dishes on a countertop beside the cooling chamber. “I have spoken.” And with that he leaves the hut.

Rey finds her way outside after her stomach calms down and she places her dishes beside the others, and Kuiil is true to his word. He had plenty of work for her to do. She started the day by caring for the blurgs which she had quickly grown an attachment to despite them trying to kill her and Mando upon their arrival. She petted them as they ate, and she refilled their water trough. Kuiil had a garden of edible plants as well, which he instructed her to go through and check for ripened fruits or vegetables. It was fun work, and afterwards he had let her have a taste of whichever ones she wanted to for lunch. Her favorites were deep orange, they were so sweet and juicy it had startled her! She had never tasted anything so sweet in her life; she didn’t even know things could be so full of taste. Kuiil must have enjoyed watching her enjoy the fruit because he offered her as many as her tiny tummy could eat.

Then she’d saddled up the blurg like Kuiil had taught her, and rode them around the small pasture for exercise. She was so busy, she almost forgot about Mando being gone! But then she unsaddled the last blurg, and wondered if there was anything for her to do next. She looked out at the empty landscape of sand and mountains, and it was like an immediate switch had been flipped…

She frowned, and sat on the ground, slumping sadly against one of the fence posts.

It wasn’t until the sun began to set that she began to really worry. Mando should’ve been back by now! It’d already been more than an entire day since she and Kuiil dropped him off. What if he died in there like all the others had?

Just as she began to contemplate running out into the desert to go and find him herself, Kuiil called out to her. “Little one! I need your assistance.” She followed his voice back to the front of the house, making sure to glance every which way into the desert just in case Mando appeared.

He stood at the top of the tall vapor spire she had been leaning against that morning.

“I will talk you through checking the cistern.” Kuill calls down to her. “I must remain up here to adjust the chilling bars.”

She listens and goes through the motions of checking the cistern and reporting back what she saw on the display to Kuiil. They were at this for a while, the sun almost having fully set. She tells herself that if Mando doesn’t return tonight… then that’s that and she’ll have to accept it. It made her sad to think, but she had to be strong!

At least this time around she had a friend. And a fun job that didn’t involve scrounging the hilly dunes of a barren desert and fighting off fellow scrappers just to earn half a portion.

“I believe someone is here for you.” Kuiil muttered from the top of the tower, still fully concentrated on his work. Rey tweaks a brow as she looked up at him, then looks to the side, off into the desert to find who he was speaking of.

A familiar silhouette breached the horizon, his new shoulder pauldron glinting in the little remaining sunlight, and an odd cylindrical case following at his side. Rey takes off at a sprint, relieved tears springing from her eyes which sting against the dry air as she runs.

She was so happy he wasn’t dead!

When she launches herself at him, she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, pressing her face against the soft padding just beneath his cuirass, and she squeezes him with all the strength she could muster.

He halts in his step, remaining stiff and awkward as she hugged him, never making move to reciprocate the affection other than the odd pat on her shoulder. All too soon she realizes what it was she was doing, and she jumps away from him in a flurry of panic. “Sorry-sorry-sorry,” she whispered repeatedly, terrified she had hurt him or upset him in some way.

She sees skin… skin surrounding a recently cauterized wound. The fabric of his sleeve had been ripped and she gasped as she grabbed his arm to tug him down and examine the wound. “You got hurt!”

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he affirms her with a tired sigh, quickly curtailing any further inquiries or panic regarding the small injury. He tugs his arm out of her grip and places that hand on her shoulder to turn her around and urge her back towards Kuiil’s camp. She was barely able to catch a glimpse at the closed pram and prepare a question when Kuiil himself spoke up, sounding somber.

“I thought you were dead.” He turns to look down at them, a frown prominent on his face, and Mando drops his head with a sigh. Turns out there was quite a bit of explaining to do.

***

Rey was instantly fascinated by the young creature in the pram. As soon as Mando opened it and placed the tiny thing on the ground to stretch its little legs, Rey was right at its side to examine him. Mando worked on fixing his vambrace, and she follows the child around, watching aptly as it chased after a small frog hopping along the ground. She could sense Mando watching them, but she didn’t bother to look his way.

There was something odd about the child, a weird but comforting aura she could feel emanating from him and which gave her funny little tingles in her tummy.

She listens with mild interest as Kuiil and Mando discuss the Jawas and what had happened at the ship when Mando went to fetch it in order to come pick her up, she was much more interested in the baby who had seemed to just now notice her. He coos at her, reaching out a hand as if to wave with a wide baby-ish smile then turns back to chasing after the frog.

Rey laughs outright when he catches it, barely able to grasp it in his tiny little claws, and stuffs it right into his mouth. She cringes with an amused chant of ‘ew’ as she squeezed one eye shut at the sight of the child trying to eat the poor frog.

“Hey!” Mando scolds. “Spit that out.”

The child doesn’t listen and swallows it whole, and Rey giggles excitedly, especially when the baby has the audacity to gurgle innocently up at Mando as if he’d done nothing wrong. Rey has a feeling they’ll end up having a lot of fun together. She assumes this must be another Foundling… he was a child after all. So hopefully Mando would let him stick around.

“Child,” Kuiil calls for her. “Go saddle a blurg. We shall leave soon.”

And that they do. They travel through the night to reach the Jawas.

It rained too! She’d never been in rain before and it soaked right through her clothes almost instantly, but she didn’t care. She sat in the back of the drag sled, arms outstretched and mouth open as she caught the small water droplets in her mouth. It was like taking a cold shower in the fresher!

The rain eventually dissipated and she was able to sleep a bit despite the bumpy ride. Come morning the child joins her on the back of the trailer where they play with a few rocks together, sliding them back and forth across the metal floor. They laugh and squeal, especially when things start to get a bit rambunctious, and Rey ends up nearly tumbling right out of the sled to get away from the child in the midst of a spontaneous game of tag. Thankfully Mando was there to grab her around the collar and haul her back onto the vessel before she could face plant into the dirt.

“Calm down,” He snaps from his mount at the front.

“Sorry,” Rey replies meekly, shoulders pulling up to her ears in a shy manner.

The baby taps her leg, hitting it repeatedly with an eager giggle, staring up at her with his big eyes and a wide smile. “Maybe we should go back to playing rocks.” She suggests softly, sitting back down on the metal floor, hoping that if she emitted a calm aura the baby would follow her lead and calm as well.

It seemed to work, and they pass the rest of the ride playing silently in the back. Rey could still feel the slight tingle emanating from the baby ever so often. It tickled and made her teeth itch, but there wasn’t much she could do to fix it. Nor much she wanted to do to fix it, it was like a magnet almost, dare she say an addicting feeling.

Neither of them really looked up from the little game they were playing until Mando slowly leaned down to grab his rifle without moving his gaze from the towering metal box coming into view. She’d never encountered the Jawa sandcrawler in person! She’d read about it once on a datapad she’d swiped, but wow! It was so much bigger in person.

Rey scrambles to her feet, standing up behind Mando as she stared up at the large ship, then down at the hooded Jawas. She’d never seen so many all at once before!

“They really don’t like you for some reason,” Kuiil states in response to the Jawa’s passionate chattering and aimed blasters.

“Well, I did disintegrate a few of them,” Mando mumbled.

Rey grabbed at the folds of his cape around his shoulders. “You did?” She whispered in awe. “How’d you do that?”

Instead of answering her, Mando looked up and she followed his gaze to see even more Jawas beginning to peak out from the ship. Rey huddled back a bit, hiding behind Mando’s larger frame.

“You need to drop your rifle.”

“I’m a Mandalorian,” Mando grunted, “weapons are a part of my reliegion.”

The blurg came to a stop beside the large sandcrawler, and Din sighed as he moved to set the blaster down. That’s when Rey saw it… lying there on one of the large tarps spread out on the ground.

It was her helmet! The one she had left back on Mando’s ship!

“Hey!” She shouted, face heating with anger as she jumped down form the drag sled with her staff in hand. Mando grabs the back of her clothes, halting her angry approach with so much ease it only angered her more.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He scolded.

She fought against his grip, tossing her arms and twisting every way to try and break from his hold, but she only ends up caught in the fabric of her own tunic. He yanks her back, even further from her most prized possession, then steps in front of her which effectively blocks her view of it completely. She’s too worked up to see the blasters several Jawas had pointed at her head, and Kuiil trying to calm them down with placating gestures.

“Let go of me,” Rey shouts at him, now kicking her legs when Mando lifts her up to place her back on the trailer. The angry tears run rampant down her cheeks. That helmet was one of her most prized possessions… the only thing she had to remind her of her parents, and the Jawas stole it from her.

“What is it?” Mando reiterates with an irritated snap in his tone.

He finally releases her when she gives up the fight and falls back on her rump beside the child with a defeated frown. Then she points out towards the far tarp behind the huddle of Jawas. Mando looks to where she’s pointing. It gives him a few moments, but he pieces it together and gives her knee a firm pat. “Give me one moment.”

Rey wipes her eyes along the sleeve of her shirt as Mando pulls away and begins his approach.

The Jawas begin pitching yet another fit and Kuiil stops Mando again, gesturing to his side. “Your blaster.” And Rey can see Mando pause in frustration before pulling out the blaster from its holster and dropping it onto the floor of the sled with a careless thump.

He turns and points his finger at Rey sternly then nods at the blaster. “Don’t touch.”

Then he approaches. He looked much more stiff than before, and most definitely angry.

He and Kuiil eventually sit down across from the Jawas, but they were too far away for Rey to hear any of the negotiations. She sat on her knees, hands braced against the sides of the tow so she can lean forward and strain to hear the conversation.

She takes it wasn’t going well when Mando tries lighting them on fire. Which… awesome… by the way.

And when a few Jawas creeped up on her and the baby, she frowned, nostrils flaring in anger at their audacity to approach when they’d stolen from her. She reached behind her for her staff just in case they tried to hurt the baby or anything else she might find distasteful. They spoke a few words she couldn’t understand, and she lifted her staff threateningly just in time to hear Mando’s angry roar at them to get away.

They quickly scuttled away from the sled, but Rey pulled the baby onto her lap and held the staff tightly in her hands just in case. The baby only cooed at her and played with the fabric of her vest.

It didn’t take long before the Jawas seemed happy with some sort of decision and began their loud chanting.

Soon they all quiet and start packing up their things to bring back into their ship. Rey’s heart leaps into her throat as one of them reaches for the helmet. But Mando stands and calls out to them, pointing at her helmet in the tiny Jawa’s hands.

It was a quick fold. She doesn’t know what he said, but they eagerly ran up to hand the helmet over to him. Kuiil stares at the helmet with an odd look, but Mando doesn’t speak to rectify his confusion as he turns to approach her and the child still waiting at the sled.

Rey grins up at him in relief. And when he’s close enough he places the oversized helmet onto her head and gives it a small pat. She places each hand on either side to secure it in place for a moment then throws her arms around the Mandalorian in thanks. She wasn’t so scared to upset him this time, especially when he was much quicker to return her affection with that awkward, yet familiar, pat on the back.

Then he lifts her off the sled and onto the ground, then turns to the child to transfer him to the pram. “We’re going with the Jawas. Stick close to me.”

She obeyed, grabbing the fringe of his cape and following him towards the large box on wheels.

~ Next Chapter ~

A/N: Let me know what you think! I’m also open to starting a tag list if anyone is interested so let me know XD

[s-mething-mbti]

Hi! I’d love if you could help type me. I believe I’ve been mistyped as an INFP. For reference my enneagram type is 4w3, which I believe is pretty accurate (although the numbers could potentially be swapped around).

1. One of my favourite hobbies is embroidery, I can do this for hours for days on end. I d o like sewing in general, particularly historical fashion from the 19th-century, and period-accuracy is very important to me (I even sew on an Edwardian sewing machine). I love to read too, mostly gothic horror or feminist pieces. I only watch a few tv shows (and don’t really like films) and they’re mostly non-fiction shows, in fact my favourite of these is a quiz show about general knowledge featuring comedians. I’ll watch these same few shows again and again, familiarity is important to me. I’m also a big collector! I collect antique magazines and general ephemera at the moment. A lot of my interests relate to having a deeper and greater understanding of the world, particularly how it was before my time!

2. That everything is performative; I don’t understand how some people can just throw on any clothes that they like for example. To me, fashion is a way of signalling your personality and interests to others and is a very conscious and intentioned thing but others seem to disagree.

3. I struggle to see the point in doing things for no significant gain, for me this is either recognition or creating a positive change. This has been really difficult for me as someone in the field of English.

4. I don’t enjoy unpredictability at all; being autistic, even slight changes in my day can cause me a lot of stress. However, I do enjoy having freedom in my life to focus on topics that I personally deem important.

5. I get easily frustrated by sudden change, when people don’t understand my logic, and when people make long-standing jokes at my expense. I’m quick to anger when frustrated and this is often more physical than verbal as I’m just as quick to tears and feeling overwhelmed when frustrated.

6. I like to think that I’m ruled by my heart, but there’s definitely tension between the two. I spend a bit of time wondering if I’m making the correct decision going into a field that is not guaranteed to fulfil my personal goals of recognition and/or positive change for others.

7. I’m not entirely sure what this question is asking, sorry :(

8. My emotional vocabulary is very poor and I often can’t verbalise how I feel outside of extremes such as anger. In regard to other’s emotions I will sometimes get frustrated at their displays of negative emotions but in some cases I’ll feel very guilty about this, especially if I think it’s reflected onto me badly, because I do care about my friends and show that I do, and I want to be liked.

9. I get asked for help/support for a lot of things! I know that some of my friends see me as someone to look up to and I want to give them this support. I tend to give support in the form of advice and don’t feel that just listening is substantial. I’ll sometimes refer back to similar experiences of mine to help them feel less alone.

10. I see the present as a transitional period to the future and don’t tend to live in the present very much. I’ll refer back to the past as a form of encouragement to do well now for a good future. I view the future as the key to all of my problems.

11. I learn best by watching and then mimicking others! This is particularly relevant for my crafting hobbies, such as sewing, but even with my academic work I will adopt skills and traits from those I admire to improve my own skills. I then practice these skills.

12. I do tend to speculate but won’t use theories/hypotheticals in my own arguments unless I personally believe I have seen things that prove them to be true.

Thank you for your time! Sorry about the possible strange formatting at the start!

Si jumps out the most in your answers (familiarity, world before your time, frustrated by change, rely on personal experience).

I can also see the Te/Fi polarity wanting to make an impact: this balance of personal goals vs material gain; working towards an outcome of recognition or positive change.

No strong indication of an inferior function, but inf. Ne often shows as a strong dislike of change.

I'd consider ISTJ (same functions as INFP, just in a different order)

[musical-shenanigans]

#43 - Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire

Hello everyone, and this will be the first time a blog is posted at the same time as a show.  So, it may require editing, updates, or just some good old fashioned fixing at a later date.

The good news, is that the editing is still fresh in my mind as I have just completed it and made my notes to what I want to say here.  There are more references and uses of songs that need to be addressed, and a lot has changed since the third show that I last posted about on this site.  But, follow us on Twitter and you will find out when I post about the older shows.

So, this is possibly the 43rd show we have recorded, and that includes any of our holiday specials or any other odd thing we did.  By the time I update the shows betwixt the third and this one, I should have the counts straight, so we will say 43 just to get through this post.

Unlike previous posts, I am going to drop references as they come up, so this may look a little different.  Much like the show, this site needs some tweaking on format and will absolutely change around as we go.

First, you might be wondering about the title of the show, even after you've heard the show, you may still be wondering about it.  Well, it is a lyric from the song "The Plains in Spain" from "My Fair Lady".  There is another hidden meaning, but I will come back to that at the end of this season, as all the titles have a running theme - which you may or may not have guessed.  The main reason for this lyric is that Scott makes a rather astute parallel of Amy Winehouse to Eliza Doolittle.  Absolutely fantastic.  So, I really wanted to use that bit.

Our first round matchup is between Carole King and Lauryn Hill (Tapestry #25, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill #10).  We start with Carole an the many songs she has written for other artists in the Brill Building.  The Brill Building was discussed in Show #10: Frank Sinatra: The Tenth Wonder of the World  when we discussed Laura Nyro. And take a look at the Wikipedia page showing all of the songs that Carole King has written and the artists that made them popular - she was even sampled by the friend to the podcast, Kanye. 

In our discussion, we referenced the Rocky Horror Picture Show and its executive producer Lou Adler.  Lou is responsible for bringing the stage version to Los Angeles, giving us the cult classic film, and unfortunately he also gave its sequel that should have never been made.  But in case you are curious, the entire movie can be seen here on YouTube.  You were warned, so send your complaints elsewhere.

There follows a short spot for the podcast Fancy Bread Miami - go check them out.  They are really great guys and their show is well done.

Next up is Lauryn Hill.  Dave brings up the lawsuit with musicians that played on the album that were not given and credit.  This article came out in August of 2018 discussing the lawsuit that took place.  We also make fun of how I totally mispronounced the OutKast's album title "Aquemini" in episode #16 (or possibly 17): Podcasting in the Name of. 

There is a joke about how many songs Michael McDonald is featured on, and my estimate is way off.  Check out this page to see all of his contributions.  Also take a look at James Taylor and Joe Walsh.

The middle quiz game will get its own blog page.  Please watch this space for it.

The second round begins with Amy Winehouse and the brilliant reference to Eliza Doolitle - watch this clip from the movie and it will all make sense.  And you have not heard Amy Winehouse speak, watch this.

There is a documentary film about Amy Winehouse, and I highly, highly recommend it.  It is tragic, but it is done very well.  It is called "Amy". 

We move onto Aretha and I mention the movie that goes along with this album is fantastic.  I could not find a clip of everything her father, but if you see the movie, you will hear his phenomenal, oratory voice and the love he has for his daughter.  Also, "The Old Landmark" was in the Blues Brothers film and the song is led by James Brown, and you can watch it here - I promise you, the best six minutes of your day!

Note: for our next show, I say that we are going to cover Eric Church.  And, he was voted off the island before the next show was recorded, and we failed to address it.

Thanks for coming out!

Songs used:

Title: Entitled "Comedy Theme" by user Hagfilms at freesound.org

Carole King - "It's Too Late"

Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop That Thing"

Amy Winehouse - "Me & Mr. Jones"

Aretha Franklin - "The Old Landmark"

Outro - "Touch Me There" - a silly piano bit I made

Albums as defined by ChatGPT

Tapestry is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1971. The album is widely considered one of the greatest records of all time and has had a significant influence on music, both in terms of its commercial success and its impact on popular songwriting.

Tapestry features 12 tracks, including the hit songs "It's Too Late," "I Feel the Earth Move," and "You've Got a Friend." The album's songs are characterized by King's introspective lyrics and her soulful, piano-based melodies. The album was produced by Lou Adler, and features a variety of talented musicians, including James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.

Tapestry was a commercial and critical success, spending 15 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and earning four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album has since been certified diamond in the United States, having sold over 10 million copies.

The influence of Tapestry can be seen in its impact on popular songwriting. King's honest, personal lyrics and her ability to blend folk, rock, and soul influences into her music paved the way for a generation of singer-songwriters who followed in her footsteps. Artists such as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon, who all contributed to the album, have cited King as an influence on their own music.

Moreover, Tapestry is often credited with helping to establish the singer-songwriter as a dominant force in popular music during the 1970s. King's ability to write deeply personal songs that spoke to a universal audience resonated with listeners, and set a new standard for the genre.

Overall, Tapestry remains a landmark album in popular music, and its influence can still be heard in the work of contemporary artists today.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by American singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill, released in 1998. The album is widely considered a classic in the genres of hip-hop, R&B, and neo-soul, and has had a significant influence on music, both in terms of its impact on other artists and its cultural significance.

The album features a blend of hip-hop, R&B, and reggae influences, with Hill's powerful vocals and introspective lyrics at the forefront. The album's themes include love, spirituality, social justice, and personal growth, and Hill's lyrics draw on her experiences as a Black woman in America.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and earning ten Grammy Award nominations, of which Hill won five, including Album of the Year. The album has since been certified diamond in the United States, having sold over 10 million copies.

The influence of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill can be seen in its impact on other artists. The album's fusion of hip-hop and soul influences helped to pave the way for the neo-soul movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and its themes of love, spirituality, and social justice continue to inspire artists across genres today. The album has been cited as an influence by artists such as Beyoncé, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar.

The origins of the album's title come from the book "The Mis-Education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson, which critiques the American education system for failing to properly educate Black people on their history and culture. Hill's use of "miseducation" in the title of her album is a nod to this critique, and the album's themes of personal growth and self-education reflect Hill's own journey to reclaim her history and identity as a Black woman in America.

Overall, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains a landmark album in hip-hop and R&B music, and its influence can still be heard in the work of contemporary artists today.

Back to Black is the second and final studio album by British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, released in 2006. The album blends various genres including soul, R&B, jazz, and pop, and is widely considered a modern classic in the music industry. Its themes revolve around love, heartbreak, addiction, and the dark side of fame.

The album was a commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and receiving several awards, including five Grammy Awards. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide and its influence can be seen in the work of contemporary artists across various genres.

The album's production, which incorporates vintage soul sounds with modern production techniques, was influential in the revival of the soul genre in the 2000s. Winehouse's distinctive voice and unique phrasing, which drew on jazz and blues influences, has been cited as an inspiration by artists such as Adele, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey.

The album's raw, confessional lyrics and Winehouse's personal struggles with addiction and mental health also had a significant impact on other artists. The album's depiction of the dark side of fame and the pressures of the music industry has been credited with sparking conversations about mental health and addiction in the music industry.

Overall, Back to Black remains a cultural touchstone and a landmark album in the music industry, and its influence can still be heard in the work of contemporary artists today.

Amazing Grace is a live gospel album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released in 1972. The album is widely considered one of the greatest live gospel recordings of all time and has had a significant influence on music, both in terms of its impact on gospel music and its wider cultural significance.

The album was recorded over two nights in January 1972 at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, with the Southern California Community Choir providing backing vocals. The album features traditional gospel songs such as "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" and "How I Got Over," as well as covers of contemporary gospel songs such as Marvin Gaye's "Wholy Holy" and Carole King's "You've Got a Friend."

Amazing Grace was a commercial and critical success, and remains the best-selling album of Franklin's career. The album was certified double platinum in the United States and earned Franklin a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance.

The influence of Amazing Grace can be seen in its impact on gospel music. Franklin's powerful vocals and passionate delivery helped to bring gospel music to a wider audience, and the album has been credited with helping to revive interest in traditional gospel music during the 1970s.

Moreover, Amazing Grace has had a wider cultural significance, and has been seen as an important symbol of African American spirituality and culture. The album was released during a time of social and political upheaval in the United States, and its message of hope and faith resonated with listeners across the country.

Overall, Amazing Grace remains a landmark album in gospel music and popular culture, and its influence can still be heard in the work of contemporary gospel and soul artists today.

[konpithepuppy]

[TRANSLATION: POTATO 06.2021]

7 MEN SAMURAI

Proofread by aji10647731 (Twitter)/ @janiappend

Scans not mine

Neither an English nor a Japanese native speaker

Feel free to correct me, thanks

DEGREE OF LOVE

Measuring the degree of love they have for their partner in quiz format. 2 questions that test their relationship and 1 original question for each pair, can they match their answers with each other!? (Interview was done around the 1st 10 days of April)

NAKAMURA REIA x YABANA REI

BEING PIXELATED IN A STREET INTERVIEW?

Yabana: The interview this time is for us pair to match our answers. There are 3 questions in total.

Nakamura: Let us answer after "go". The first question is, "What is the best memory of us two?" Ready, set, go..."my sister..."

Yabana: "Going to an instrument store..." It is clear that we are completely talking about different things (LOL).

Nakamura: Mine is about my sister giving Yabana a jersey. My sister likes Yabana and she gives him advice through me. She gives advice like, "His hair is long, it is better for him to cut it. His hairstyle in summer 2 years ago is good." (LOL).

Yabana: Also, she said, "He always wears shabby sweatshirt," so I received a brand new jersey from her through Reia (LOL).  What I was trying to say earlier is the time where the 2 of us went to instrument store to see some bass.

Nakamura: We also did that! After buying the bass, I got it painted by Yabana's father. But, since we both talked about family members, I wonder if this is partially correct (LOL).

Yabana: Let's perfectly match in the 2nd question. "Describe your relationship in one word." Ready, set, go..."a bad companion!"

Nakamura: "Boyfriend-girlfriend!" We didn't match again (LOL).

Yabana: We often talk but we usually endlessly talk about things that won't do any good, right? That is like being bad friends having fun.

Nakamura: We talk about things like our fave musics or fave manga. Our hobbies match.

Yabana: It's just that there is no substance (LOL).

Nakamura: No matter how late at night it is already, Yabana plays with me when I invite him in a game, so I think our relationship is like a boyfriend who cannot refuse to his girlfriend's invites (LOL).

Yabana: I see. Well, playing a game late at night is also a bad thing so this means that this is also partially correct...(LOL).

Nakamura: Right? (LOL). We are at the last question now. "If you are called for another street interview for a television show, are you going to do it?" Ready, set, go..."I won't do it!"

Yabana: "I will do it!"...we didn't match (LOL).

Nakamura: Well, when Yabana appeared in the street interview for 「Getsuyou Kara Yofukashi」, I asked the manager, "Can I also do an interview like that?" And then, I was told, "No, you can't," by the manager.

Yabana: Really? (LOL)  I also contacted the manager before the filming just in case, I asked if it's okay to take an interview. And then, since the manager said it's okay, it was a chance to advertise 7 MEN 侍 in a television!

Nakamura: It seems like it is okay for Yabana to do it, but not for me (LOL). But I have a feeling that I want to be on an interview too. Oh, well, next time when the 2 of us got interviewed, I think let's do the interview where I am the only one being pixelated.

Yabana: That's probably suspicious in the contrary! (LOL)

SUGETA RINNE x MOTODAKA KATSUKI

THE PERCENTAGE OF WATCHING EACH OTHER'S TV SHOW APPEARANCES IS?

Motodaka: Our best memory, huh.

Sugeta: Rinne thought of something!

Motodaka: Well, let's say our answers. Ready, set, go!

Sugeta: "When we welcomed Reiwa!"

Motodaka: "Sexy Zone's..." Ah!! Wait, that's my answer too! (LOL)

Sugeta: You're  trying to talk about Sexy Zone, right? (LOL) Is it about a concert tour?

Motodaka: Yup. During Sexy Zone's concert tour, only our hotel room was the Cinderella-like (LOL). We were ojousama-like.

Sugeta: That also crossed my mind!

Motodaka: But if we talk about something special, it is definitely the moment where we welcomed Reiwa.

Sugeta: We went to watch a late-night movie, and since it will be Reiwa very soon, we spent time together. When it became 12 midnight, we went," Ye~y, It's Reiwa now~!"

Motodaka: That was special.

Sugeta: I took a screenshot of the time "0:00" that was displayed in my phone.

Motodaka: For me, I recorded the memory of us when it turned 12 midnight that day.

Sugeta: That was nostalgic~!

Motodaka: The next one is to describe in one word our relationship. Shall we it say at once!? Ready, set, go!

Sugeta: "Consultation partner!"

Motodaka: "Comrade!"...Aah (LOL).

Sugeta: When Rinne is not interactive, right? You always try to symphatize with me.

Motodaka: It is a situation where I'll be made to ask, "Did something happen?" You are little bit annoying type of person (LOL).

Sugeta: Fairly, I am easy to understand.

Motodaka: That makes me slightly sullen (LOL).

Sugeta: What do you mean by comrade?

Motodaka: After we each did different projects, we end up in the same unit.

Sugeta: I see. The 3rd question is about how much we watch each other's tv appearances. Let's answer in percentage. Is that good? Let's answer it?

Motodaka: Ready, set, go..."80%"!

Sugeta: "90%"! That was close ~! Rinne records the quiz shows every week. Since I also want to try appearing in tv shows, so I watch shows that I have the possibility to appear in. I almost watch all of the shows where Katsuki appear too.

Motodaka: Me too, more than the shows where I appear, I overwhelmingly watch more shows where Rinne appear than mine. But I can't watch it in real time so I answered "80%".

Sugeta: Rinne watch the shows multiple times because Rinne loves appearing in shows.

Motodaka: I watch shows where I think I did good in recording.

Sugeta: Certainly! I think if I'm not in good shape during the recording, I will not watch it that much. By the way, I still watch my appearance in 「SASUKE」until now (LOL). Everyone watched it during the rehearsal for ARASHI-san's concert, right?

Motodaka: That was exciting~!

Sugeta: I watch with my family Katsuki's appearance in quiz shows. When Rinne got the right answer even though Katsuki didn't, I noisily go, "Why didn't Katsuki got it right?" (LOL).

Motodaka: That's natural for a quiz show. It's tough but that's my fate...

SASAKI TAIKO x KONNO TAIKI

CLEANING AFTER TAIKO CHALLENGE...

Konno: Our best memory, let's say our answers after the go signal! "Fireworks in Odaiba."

Sasaki: "Amusement park!" Ah~that one~ (LOL). The one where we watched fireworks!!

Konno: That was around 4-5 years ago already, right?

Sasaki: That was close to the end of summer.

Konno: Yabana, me, Sakuchan (Sakuma Ryuto) and you (Taiko) were there.

Sasaki: The fireworks were really beautiful. We could see it from the restaurant. Although it is a beautiful memory, it didn't come to my mind~!

Konno: Well, the amusement park is also a good memory. (Takahashi) Yuto and (Iwasaki) Taisho were there too. Everyone went to places like haunted house, it was really fun~(LOL).

Sasaki: There was a collaboration with 「Kurosaki-kun no Iinari ni Nante Naranai」right at that time. I wanted to ride Kurosaki-kun's gondola no matter what so I rode the ferris wheel around 3 times. That was fun~.

Konno: Next, "Describe in one word your relationship." Ready, set, go..."close friends!"

Sasaki: "Consulatation partner!" Well, we said 2 different things but they mean the same thing.

Konno: Yeah. Since we are always together, our trust with each other is not just on the shallow level.

Sasaki:  Even the things that I can't tell to other people, I talk about those with Konpi (Konno). I generally give positive advices to Konpi. When he consults to me saying, "I want to try this but...," I reply, "I think that's great." I think that we won't know the result until we try it so it is better to freely do it.

Konno: For the last question, with the theme that's only for us 2, "What is the best Taiko Challenge episode?" Let's match our answers time.

Sasaki: Okay. Ready, set, go!

Konno and Sasaki: "Shampoo!" Ye~y! (High five)

Konno: That is a masterpiece.

Sasaki: It has the most number of likes and plays.

Konno: The one with cola is also good but if it's the best, then it's gotta be the content with shampoo.

Sasaki: The content with cola became known but even I myself think that the content with shampoo is a masterpeiece. I planned that 2 weeks before the filming. I thought that I'll do that on my birthday. And then, Akarui Tonikaku-san did that in the variety show.

Konno: What a timing (LOL).

Sasaki: I was troubled, "Uwa, seriously! It overlaps with my plan!", but since I wanted to do it so I took the risk and did it.

Konno: Well, that is the best. I like the part where you poured the water to yourself, but what happened to your room?

Sasaki: It got wet. In Johnny's stages, when we use water, the water flows into the orchestra pit (a space that is lower than the main stage), but in my house there's no such system like that!

Konno: AHAHAHA!

Sasaki: That's why with a drainer similar to the one used in cleaning the windows, I cleaned the room by making the water flow into the veranda. Cleaning the mess afterwards was miserable (LOL).

RECENT HAPPENINGS

Sugeta Rinne: I can now do 70kg of bench press! I thought of doing a bench press that is about my weight, but I am happy that I was able to do 10 more kilos from my weight. Since I still do 3 reps x 3 sets, so I want to increase the number.

Motodaka Katsuki: There are also 4th year undergraduates in the graduate school seminar. It was my first time meeting them recently, and I feel excited that they're my juniors. Until now, there are seniors that I am close with, but I don't have a junior who is close with me. I wonder if they'll be close with me!?

Nakamura Reia: My dad gave me the latest game console for my birthday. The controller is amazing that the vibration changes when the character is walking in grassy place and when the character is walking in soil. I don't have that much games for it yet but I want to play with it a lot.

Yabana Rei: A little while ago, I went to watch Rinne's 「Hidamari no Ki」(the show ended) in Osaka. I wasn't able to go in Tokyo shows but it was really popular so I really had to see it. I also watched Sexy Zone's concert the next day, it was a fulfilling trip.

Konno Taiki: When I'm at home or when I'm on the move, I only listen to western music. In someway or another, it looks like I have a phase for Japanese music and western music, and now I am into western music. I keep repeating the songs that I like more than broadening the songs that I know. There are a lot of songs by male artists [that I listen to].

Sasaki Taiko: I have fully mastered the stores in the suburbs of Tokyo that sell in large quantities!  Depending on the store, the proportion varies and that excites me~. For example, 800 yen for 24 bottles 500 mL of water, there are great deals and it is super fun. I also bought toilet paper that I split with my friend.

[javierpenaspinkshirt]

Lawful Good

Chapter three

Warnings: slight NSFW. Angst. Swears. The slow burn continues. Bad formatting.

Words: 3.4k.

Summary: things go up a level for Javi & Y/N, but nothing is ever that simple.

A/N: thank you so much everyone for kind words and love! Thank you anyone who reads this rambling written when I should be be working lmao.

Previous chapters: chapter one chapter two

Chapter three

It was in the strange and surreal moments that you found yourself really wondering why you had come all the way to Bogotá? What was it that had driven you to leave home at 18 and travel to the country of your grandparents? You could have quite happily had a life back home in Texas. Didn’t even need to be Texas, could’ve been anywhere in the USA… anywhere in the world really! The world was your oyster. And yet as you stood in the dingy excuse for a library in the bowels of the US Embassy to Colombia with none other that Javier Peña pressed up against you, you began to wonder whether the stars had indeed aligned, and afforded you a brief moment of bliss to assure you that you had, in fact, made all the right choices.

Javi had his forehead leant against yours. Eyes closed, head tilted down a little due to your height difference. You’d followed him down here in search of a law book you needed. Bare footed, you’d tagged along with genuinely innocent intentions. You wondered whether his intentions had been quite so innocent. You had been stood here, leant up against the dusty old bookshelf for what could be no longer than 10 seconds. It felt like a life time. His hands were on your hips, fingers digging into your soft skin ever so very slightly. The pressure was just right. Your hands clung to his shirt, a little damp from the humidity in the cramped, windowless room and from the sweat of the heavy lifting he’d been doing not 30 seconds ago.

His hands began to move, very slowly as if asking permission, towards the hemline of your pencil skirt. He bent his knees slightly as he reached the hem and began to pull your skirt up until it was around your waist. Once again his lips were on yours, less sweetly this time, this time more passionate and with clear intention. If you had any dignity in this moment you would have pushed him away from you, straightened your skirt and left. But, for the first time in lord knows how long, in this moment your brain went silent. Every rational thought, every ounce of concern had been replaced with the repressed feeling you had for the man who was now moving his lips to the pulse point in your neck. Your hands grabbed at his shirt, pinching lightly on his skin. He didn’t seem to mind. A hushed moan escaped you as he kissed just the right spot, his hands beginning to roam towards your thighs. His lips were back on yours again, feverish. Clearly his brain had ceased functional thought as well. Holy shit.

Suddenly he pulled his hands away and cupped your face gently, still kissing you. Your hands slid down his body, taking in every inch of muscle and every touch of soft skin through his shirt before reaching for his belt buckle. And then his hands were on yours.

You opened your eyes, frustrated and confused. He held your hands in his, stopping you removing his belt.

‘We can’t’, his words not registering properly in your mind. ‘I’m sorry this… this cant happen, we cant’ he trailed off, perhaps recognising that you were too side swiped by his sudden change in attitude to understand him.

He held both of your hands up to his chest, ‘we have to go back, they’ll have noticed we’ve gone’, he said it in a hushed tone that, despite the building disappointment and anger in you, calmed you slightly.

You removed your hands from his and pulled your skirt down. You still hadn’t responded to him but the sensible part of your brain had reengaged and panic was beginning to set in. You felt your breath hitch as the anxiety set in. Fuck fuck fuck!

‘Can we go back upstairs and just pretend this didn’t happen?’ He had his negotiator voice on, like he was trying to keep you quiet in exchange for a visa. Like you were one of his ‘girls’.

You nodded dumbly. He was still so close to you.

Finally he moved and began making his way towards the door. You followed, scooping up your lost law book on your way. You followed him through the maze of corridors, not saying a word to each other. You ducked into one of the ladies’ bathrooms, telling him you’ll see him back in the office in a sec.

You thanked god that the bathroom was empty and you leant over the sink and stared at your reflection in the mirror. Thank fuck you hadn’t worn lipstick today or it would have certainly been smeared all over your face and his. You were still barefoot, standing on the cool tile of the bathroom and finally some sense came crashing back to your body. You had absolutely no idea what had happened in the library. Why had you kissed him? Why had he kissed you back? Why had he stopped himself when clearly you weren’t going to? The answer as to why you’d done it was clear, you liked Javi. Much more than you had thought. A seemingly innocent crush on a colleague had almost got you fucked in a glorified cupboard. You let a smile dance on your lips, how absurd that thought felt.

You tied your hair back up, caught all the wayward strands and forced them into a bun. You smoothed your skirt, tucked your blouse in and wiped away those threatening tears. Today was not the day you cried in a bathroom.

You held the law book tightly to your chest as you walked back to the office you shared with Javi, praying that no one looked up from their desks for fear your flushed red cheeks would give you away. As you rounded the corner to your office you could see he wasn’t there and you breathed a careful sigh of relief. Before you knew what you were doing, you were slipping your heels on, cramming the necessary files into your bag, along with the book that had got you into all this trouble, and you were heading for the taxi rank across the road from the embassy. It was Thursday, you figured no one would notice if you knocked off an hour or so early and you could just finish your work at home without the feel of his, or anyone else’s, eyes on you.

The moment you stepped into your apartment you kicked off your heels, threw your bag down and slumped onto your couch. Those threatening tears crept up on you again but this time you let them fall. They streaked your mascara down your cheeks and made your eyes go all puffy and red. You sniffled, feeling pitiful and weak. You weren’t even sure why you were crying. Was it shock? Was it disappointment? Or was it the realisation that actually you had worryingly strong feelings for a man who was not only a colleague, but a known womaniser.

You hoped that perhaps he would come and knock on your door this evening just to check you were alright? After all he was meant to drive you home this evening, maybe he would come to your door to see that you had got home safely? But he never did.

*

The next morning you woke up before your alarm. The city below you hadn’t been to sleep yet and it was buzzing. The noise was comforting. Despite the fact you had spent the night obsessing over what had happened in the library the day before, life went on, and the city below didn’t care about your problems.

You pulled yourself from bed and took a hot shower. You hadn’t taken your make up off before slumping into bed last night so you scrubbed any remnants of yesterday’s tears from your face and resolved to just get on with your job today.

As it was Friday you opted for a polo shirt and jeans. Really there wasn’t a dress code at the embassy, but you had found that dressing more formally had helped others see you as more of a professional, rather than just a girl. But today you didn’t care. Today you didn’t want anyone’s eyes on you. Today you were just going to work hard.

And then there was a knock on your door.

You froze. You had assumed you’d be taking the bus to work today. But perhaps not.

You looked through the peep hole in your door and sure enough it was Javi. Leather jacket, blue shirt, jeans, and those aviators that hid the way he looked at you.

You opened the door, ‘I didn’t expect you this morning’ you began.

‘Come on, Y/N, don’t do this. Let’s not go there’ his stance was stiff, hands on his hips looking a little uneasy but more annoyed than anything. He had really meant it when he’d asked you to pretend it didn’t happen.

‘Fine’ you sighed. You were not in the mood to argue. You grabbed your bag, opted for a pair of trainers, and then followed him down the stairs to his jeep.

It was a quiet drive to the office. You didn’t try to make conversation, just stared out of the window instead. He managed two cigarettes in the time it took for you to get to the embassy.

As he pulled up into his parking space, Javi turned to look at you.

‘I’m sorry about yesterday’ he took his shades off so you could see that there was at least a little sincerity in his eyes. ‘I don’t know what happened in there, but I know it could get us both in to trouble. I already have eyes on me and you don’t need that, so please, lets pretend this didn’t happen for both our sakes and lets just get on with work, okay?’.

You looked him dead in the eyes. Part of you believed he was sorry and that it really had been a spur of the moment loss of control on both sides, but something in you told you he was just as sorry that it hadn’t happened. Rather than quiz him you simply nodded.

‘Okay’ you gave a slightly forced smile and hopped out of the jeep.

By the time lunchtime rolled around you hadn’t left your desk once. Now you had the missing copy of the text book you needed you could finish the report you were writing. An NPC officer had got himself in trouble for shooting a sicario point blank and as he had been acting on orders from the DEA it was up to you to get him out of trouble. It was going to be tricky to sway this one, but if anyone could do it, it was you.

Javi sat across the room from you. He had also been in all morning, writing reports and scouring through aerial shots of the city, looking for anything, even the tiniest of detail, that might give up some information about Escobar’s whereabouts. Usually he would have chatted everything through with Steve but he wasn’t back until the weekend, and as you weren’t talking to him he sat in silence and mulled it all over in his head.

He’d steal the occasional glance at you, just checking you were alright. He should have checked on you yesterday, he knew that. But he didn’t trust himself. It’s not as if he would simply have come to your door, pleaded his case and then left, because he knew from your shared experience in the library cupboard that you were both as eager as each other. He knew that if he had come to your door yesterday to apologise, you would have ended up sleeping together. And its not that he didn’t want that, but he told himself that it would be bad for your respective careers.

The reality was that Javi was not in fact a difficult guy to read, not if he let the walls down for a moment. And there was one time he always let his guard down, sex. It was the only time he could be truly vulnerable, maybe that was part of the reason he enjoyed it so much? It usually didn’t matter, he could say anything to his usual evening companions, they didn’t care. If they were fucking him it was either because they had information for him or because he had paid them. He felt absolutely no shame in that, why should he? But it also served to keep him safe, because at the end of the night they would go home or he would leave their place knowing that whatever was said in the heat of the moment would be forgotten.

But with you? He couldn’t take that risk. He couldn’t risk telling you how he really felt. How he admired you every day, how he thought you were brilliant, so smart, and funny with a sharp tongue and a wicked mind. He couldn’t dare tell you he thought you were beautiful, or that you often crept into his thoughts when he found himself alone. It was too risky. He knew that. But still, he would find himself fantasising about whispering all of those things in your ear while you screamed his name beneath him.

He looked across the room at you again. You were still busy. He didn’t know exactly what you were doing, but it must be important as you hadn’t shifted in several hours. You were probably saving some cop’s career, getting him out of trouble. Getting him off. God how he wished you were getting him off.

Javi stood up suddenly. The quick move startled you slightly and you made eye contact with him for the first time since you’d left the car park this morning.

‘I’m hungry’ he put his hands on his hips, ‘do you want me to get you anything?’

‘No thank you’ you were polite but you looked straight back down at your papers.

You didn’t see Javi’s face drop as you brushed him aside. He grabbed his jacket and his shades and headed out.

As soon as you lost sight of him round the corner of the office you sighed and put your head on the desk. This was excruciating! Were you going to act like total strangers for the rest of the day? At least he had tried to talk to you, offering to get you lunch. He hadn’t offered for you to go with him, but that wasn’t so unusual. He often found the close quarters in which you, he and Steve usually worked a little stifling. The crowded streets of Bogotá weren’t exactly any less claustrophobic, but you understood his need to get out into the open air.

You resolved to finish this report, save this cop’s career, and then you would be more chatty with Javi. You were still upset and confused, but you were just as frustrated at yourself for letting it get that far yesterday, it wasn’t fair to blame him only.

It was 3pm by the time you finished your report and he still hadn’t come back. You handed your essay to another member of staff who would hand it to someone else, who would file it, where it would get stamped by a secretary, who would pass it onto the internal mail carrier, who would eventually get it to the ambassador. She would then sign it, sanctioning the cop’s shooting of the sicario, therefore protecting him under the weight of the US, and saving his job. A whole lot of work for the signature of a woman who, though she seemed to take her job seriously enough, likely wouldn’t even read your words. But your job was done. This is exactly what they paid you for.

You waited another half an hour before deciding to call Javi, it had been several hours since he’d gone out and you were starting to get that pit of fear in your stomach.

‘Peña’ he answered. It sounded like he was indoors somewhere.

‘Hey, are you safe? You’ve been out for awhile?’

‘Yeah don’t worry I’m fine, I got a tip but it turned out to be shit.’

You could hear voices behind him. Female voices?

‘Okay well as long as you’re alright, I’ll leave you be’

‘Thank you for checking, Y/N’. He hung up.

You told yourself there was no way he’d snuck off to a brothel on his lunch break. And then you reminded yourself that he was Javier Peña and it wouldn’t be the first time. You then reminded yourself that you shouldn’t care. He was doing his job and it wasn’t yours to question his methods. But still, jealousy burned inside you and you found your anger with him grew tenfold. You just had to get through the rest of the day and then you were free for the weekend. You could use that time to see friends, maybe confide in your best friend, and just be rid of him for a few days. Steve and Connie were flying back to Colombia on Sunday so you would pop up and see them in the evening, take Steve that bottle of something expensive you’d bought him to let him know you’d missed him. Maybe you’d take them some food so they didn’t have to worry about cooking that night?

You focused on that for the rest of the day and by the time Javi did return to the office, the rage had subsided and you were able to make comfortable small talk until he drove you home that evening.

*

Sunday rolled around and you woke up groggy, your head fogged with last night’s alcohol and the lingering feeling of unknown regret.

You’d been out with friends the night before and gone dancing at one of your favourite clubs from when you were at law school. You’d also got to speak Spanish all night which wasn’t something you did much, despite living in Colombia. You made a point of always speaking to Javi in English so that he would get into the habit of doing the same so Steve could understand. You hated the way Steve’s face would twist in frustration when he couldn’t understand conversations in Spanish. Making sure you spoke English around him as much as possible was your way of thanking him for also looking out for you. But last night you’d relished the opportunity to sing and shout in Spanish with your friends and you had enjoyed every moment. That was until you’d gone to the bar after dancing. You had absolutely no idea what had happened after that. One of your group had recently been given a pay rise so she had supplied you with drinks all night.

A tequila headache was one of your least favourite things. You remembered the shots. You remembered the giggly swaying, hanging on to your friends and trying to prop each other up. Although as things vaguely came back to you, you remembered that the person propping you up hadn’t been one of the guys in your friendship group. Someone else had arrived on the scene in the early hours of the morning and he had walked you home.

Your stomach dropped. You were laying on your side and you gently moved your hand behind you to feel the other side of the bed. Oh god. Someone was there. Your whole body synched in silent prayer as you hoped and wished that it was one of your group of friends who had decided to crash at yours.

You began to roll over, slowly, carefully, careful in part because you didn’t want to wake the mystery body beside you but also because you were afraid any sudden movements would bring up last night’s memories from your stomach. You rolled on to your back and braced yourself.

You turned your head, and there he was. Fast asleep, hair a mess, bare chest exposed with the lower half of him covered by your bed sheets. He looked so peaceful, you’d never seen him so quiet. His chest was slowly rising and falling with his breath, one arm under his head, the other by his side as he lay on his back. He looked comfortable. You envied him as your headache grew and began to thump.

You couldn’t bring yourself to move for fear of waking him up. You couldn’t think properly with the noise of the bar still ringing in your ears. So you just stared at him, snoring quietly.

You had woken up in your own apartment thank god. But you had also woken up beside Javier Peña.

Chapter four

Tag list: @ah-callie @thinemineours @opheliaelysia

[bangtan-dreamland]

the crying closet

Prompt: “I work at this library and for the past couple nights I’ve had to kick you out of the crying closet at closing time. Normally I wouldn’t pry, but do you want to talk about it?”

Pairing: knj x reader

Word Count: 5.2K

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Just some cursing!! okay and maybe the horrendous format and the unimaginative title lmao

Genre: Fluff, a smidge of angst, meet-cute, college!au

AN: A big thank you to our lovely @mygsii​ for reading and telling me that this is cute and fluffy!!! I will hold on to her words and hope that someone smiles reading this ^^

┈ ✁✃✁✃✁✃✁✃✁ ┈

today was nOT your day. or week. or month now that you think about it

usually you have your shit together. there are a lot of reasons to. for one, you’re a scholar student! you’re smart! and hardworking! even if you have your moments of dumbassness you somehow still manage to stay afloat. you never get a grade below 90 and that’s already with the highest your professor giving is 96. It may take you minutes before the deadline bUT you always, ALWAYS manage to pass your stuff! and yeah you may have a procrastination problem but you’re workING on that SO

actually nevermind it’s a miracle you have your shit together most days

which

this month has really tested now that you remember it all

to start, the dreaded group project. the semester just started, and your professors are already giving you students sO MUCH WORK TO DO which okAY fine you’re used to that how would you get your grades if you don’t give them things to grade on

BUT A GROUP PROJECT??? YOU DON’T KNOW EVEN KNOW MOST OF THESE PEOPLE NOT EVEN THEIR NAMES

AND YOUR PROFESSOR WANTED YOU TO WORK WITH THEM

okay, okay you thought you could handle this

nevermind your bad history with group projects people in college are mature right thEY HAVE TO BE RIGHT at least please be mature enough to help in a group project for their own fuCKING grades

wELL JOKES ON YOU

it started off well enough you made a group chat added them in

made introductions

it was awkward but whatever people normally are when they’re new to each other right

BUT 

then you start talking about dividing the work and they’re all ‘cOOL YEAH WE KNOW WE GOT IT’

so you’re like ‘oh! okay! I trust you guys then’

BUT THEN DAYS PASS AND YOU FIND OUT

they still

haven’t

even

fucking

started

you’d never considered murder as a viable option to remove stress but you were very much considering it then

especially when they made the most ridiculous excuses

like getting sick (you literally saw her post about gOING TO A LUNCH WITH HER FRIENDS what the fuck even did she not remember you know her account wHAT A BITCH)

or getting swamped with other schoolwork (you saw him on a date with his girlfriend the fuck was he talking about ‘schoolwork’ your ass)

or the worst- his grandma died and he was away on her funeral (you don’t even know how he thought that was a reasonable excuse like literally you see him in cLASS)

so then you had to do the project all by yourself

really considered just telling the professor that you wanted to work alone

bUT NO!!!!

apparently you’re too soft or whatever,,,

plus your professor said you can’t 

you think it’s because he knows your classmates will fail if you don’t do their share of the work

but it’s not like you can say that to your teacher or you’d get

wait do colleges have detention they don’t they have strikes right

aNYWAYS

so you did the project alone!!! AND YOU COMPLETED IT!!! amazing!!!!

BUT THE FUCKING KICKER WAS THAT

because of all the stress and sleep you lost over the project

gUESS WHO FLUNKED HER QUIZ

which!!!

okay so it may seem important or anything

but your professor was only giving 3 quizzes this semester

THREE

THAT MADE UP FOR LIKE 40% OF YOUR GRADE FOR WRITTEN OUTPUTS

AND YOU FLUNKED!!! IT!!!!!

just remembering it makes you want to scream honestly

and now!!! that it’s almost exams week!!!!

you were called to the office to say that your scholarship is in trouble!!!!

because apparently the quiz added with other stuff you missed because of all the things you’ve been busy doing hAS LOWERED YOUR POSSIBLE GRADES TO JUST ABOVE THE LINE

that’s already if you acE THE EXAms

if you don’t???? 

well

goodbye scholarship

lastly

your parents called

...

need there be more explanation

you won’t even go into detail about your string of bad luck experiences

coming to a class late, missing notes from your bag, a missent email, even in your fucking part time job you can’t catch a break something will go wrong and you just

you want to cry just thinking about it really…

you’ve been trying

sO HARD!!!

you’re not exactly the nicest or kindest person sURE

but you don’t think you deserve this

maybe you really are just going through an unlucky streak

right now even though you should be studying for exams you opened your book and started crying 3 minutes in when you couldn’t focus because of how stressed you were

which isn’t good because

college books are fucking expensive

so here you are currently

in your school’s crying closet

which is just a set of stalls that have plushie animals

honestly though not even the plushies are helping you feel better

really you don’t know if anything will

you startle when you hear a male’s voice ring through the intercom

“Attention, to all students still remaining… we’ll be closing the library in around ten minutes, kindly put the books in the carts or check them out.”

wow. was it really eight o’clock already??? had you really spent four hours just crying your heart out???

apparently you did

you listen to the reluctant groans and sighs, students chattering  as they all started leaving

anD YOU WOULD TOO you honestly would come out and leave

but god you feel too embarrassed to even take a step outside

you’re just gonna wait until they’re all gone yEP

you close the door veeeery softly, sniffle and rock yourself on your knees

but like

you must have been more tired than you thought

because the next thing you know is there’s someone talking to you and you didn’t notice them AT ALL

“Good evening- you’ve been here a long time. Are you… okay? Wait- shit, sorry, that was insensitive.”

you sniffle because uh duh why else would you be in the crying closet if you were okay

there’s a long period of silence and you wonder if whoever it is went away

when

you hear whoever it is clear their throat before speaking again

“I… see you sometimes come in here,” he reveals and you feel more and more like you just want to lock the door and nEVER come out

“Oh.”

“It isn’t that I’m ridiculing you or something, so don’t even start thinking about that for a moment. Just…” you hear him give a frustrated sigh before he continues speaking, voice softer. “Maybe it’s weird, but… I want to help. You’re here almost every day so I assume you have something heavy in your life going on right now, and… I can’t promise that I’ll be able to empathize with you, but I can listen.” you can hear the wry smile on his face even as he speaks. “And if you’re worried about me knowing your secrets, I will promise you that I don’t even know your name, and we can keep it like that. Though you could probably easily know mine since I’m a stable fixture here. Kim Namjoon.”

“Wow,” you sniffle. “That sounded like it came straight from a novel.”

he laughs. it helps break the tension, you’re pretty happy he took your joke well.

“You’re not the first to say that to me,” he jokes, before his voice turns serious again. “But I’m serious about it, you know.”

you think over your choices. what else did you have? it’s not like you could just keep crying everyday over how stressed you were over the exams, and then get stressed because you couldn’t study because you’re crying

and for some reason you trust this man. which seriously stranger danger but you know that he wouldn’t hurt you that way. for some reason.

and. truthfully. you would appreciate a sympathetic ear at the moment.

so you start speaking

now look

let’s rewind a bit

Namjoon doesn’t usually do this for anyone else

lord knows he’s not as good at calming down crying girls than he is being a librarian

but 

it’s almost been a full week

A WEEK

since you started using the crying closet almost exclusively and that won’t do because other students!!! need to use them too!!!!

and if it were any other utilities there’d be a riot

but

the crying closet has multiple stalls and the students who use them are sympathetic to each other

because if you use the closet you’ve really got to have it bad

and you’ve been using this particular stall for like a week straight now even if no one’s exactly seen who you are they all still feel bad for you

which Namjoon is really curious about

since

he knows you

well

not in a personal “we’re friends” or even “we’re acquaintances and we talk sometimes”

no

he means like he sees you a lot in the library

you’re always walking in with the most determined aura he’s seen!

like you’re on the way to write up an essay on how to destroy people

or something like that

you always seem so put together that Namjoon

maybe

admires you a little more than he should

but you always seem like you’re too busy to give anyone your time and he never has any time either

being a librarian isn’t just standing and reading books behind the counter like it is in novels okay

not to mention the size of the library he manages

LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN THE AMOUNT OF BOOKSHELVES THERE ARE

not to mention tHE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS THAT USE THE LIBRARY

no he doesn’t just do them all by himself but s t i l l

wait he’s getting off point

so he’s never talked to you

he doesn’t think you even know he exists beside being librarian A

BUT he remembers a lot of little things about you

like the way you like to fiddle with your hair when you’re thinking

or when you take one too many books that he doesn’t think you actually need for your class just for entertainment value

but then you never read it and just return it

or the way you always go to what he has deemed ‘your spot’ by now 

perfect spot hidden by the corners where there’s enough light but at the same time hidden away by the bookshelves so there’s privacy

there’s also the other little things you do he notices

the way you’re always on your laptop or phone for one, typing or doing something probably important (the truth is that you’re either on your social media or reading fanfiction but he doesn’t learn that until later on)

or- if you find reading something boring or dry you slouch a little, until your chin is resting on the table and your arms are outstretched and you’re halfway stretching on the table yourself with the cUTEST LITTLE POUT ON YOUR MOUTH AND A FURROW ON YOUR FACE that honestly he’d like to kiss away-

ahem

anyway

the point is that he likes you but you never seem like you’re interested in anything other than your books

he’s never even seen anyone come up and talk to you

it’s like you have this wall that keeps you away from everyone else!!!

so the fact that you ever even went to a crying stall is a big surprise for him

and he would have approached you the first night but you already snapped at someone for asking after you and he doesn’t want to get your wRATH

… but

it’s been almost a week and the stalls really are in hot demand

so

he’s decided he has to talk to you tonight

maybe he’ll get lucky and you’ll confide in him and he can strike a friendship with you!!!

or at least just talk with you

when he remembers that Namjoon steels his courage

and

when he sees you head straight for your stall again early afternoon

he gives himself one final chance

but then

it’s closing time and you still aren’t out

oh god what if you fell asleep inside he has to lock the library he’d be locking you iN THE LIBRARY

so

so he can do this

he knocks gently on the door

for a long time

so you understand he’s not going away 

he doesn’t just want to start speaking to you out of nowhere he god you’d probably feel like strangling him

no answer

bUT he does hear someone shift and the sniffles stop (which have been a bit loud considering the two of you are the only ones left in the library)

he coughs and starts speaking

wait what does he say he can’t just tell you he wants out of the stall

“Good evening- you’ve been here a long time now. Are you… okay? Wait- shit, sorry, that was insensitive.”

wow nice way to go Joon you kILLED IT

in a bad, messy, horRENDOUS WAY

so he starts to tell you about why he came over

and 

honestly

while he hadn’t come talk to you for anything other than coaxing you out of the stall

he’s surprised to find you’re pretty cute, if not a bit blunt

and really stressed which is a given

he didn’t think you would honestly he thought you’d be sharp and snide to him

but

as it turns out, you’ve just had a really bad two weeks

he can’t help but feel for you because he can relate to everything you’ve been going through

he won’t go into detail but doing a thesis on your own alongside keeping high grades fucking sucks and it doesn’t help that he’s a perfectionist

but back to you

the two of you have spent about what seems to be half an hour now

twenty minutes in you finished telling him about your recent problems

(“I kind of want to just self-explode or something. maybe throw myself out a window.”)

(“I don’t think that’s going to solve your problems, just create more of them.”)

(“THANK you for pointing that out Namjoon isn’t it funny I actually believed that would work for me.”)

anyway afterwards you fell silent and he really didn’t want to push you 

but then he hears you sniffle again

“Aren’t you going to tell me off?”

“What for?”

he hears you huff, and it’s easy to imagine the pout on your face he really does want to kiss it away more than ever now

“Well,” you start, before pausing. “I mean when I think about it it isn’t really that bad, right? Everyone goes through something like this. Group projects and all that bad luck. I’ve just been having a little bit more, but. I’m already falling apart.”

he frowns, even more when he hears you scoff at yourself.

“Don’t say that,” he chides you. “It’s not about if it’s that bad compared to other people. It doesn’t affect them. It affects you. If you feel bad about it and you want to cry, it isn’t anyone’s business but yours. Besides. This is that bad, because this- these problems you’re going through threaten things important to you.”

… did he say the right thing because hE CAN HEAR YOU CRYING AGAIN SHIT-

for a few moments he hears you crying, though he can sense you slowly get yourself together as your sniffles die down

then he hears the door creak open slowly and his heart goes to his chest.

he sees you tearily look up at him, your eyes red and raw from crying.

you hastily look down, self-conscious about the fact that really yOU’RE A MESS

your hair is a mess your clothes are a mess yoUR DAMN FACE IS A MESS

why did you just open the door oh god

for a moment you just keep your eyes on the ground before you hastily try to fix your appearance

“Um,” you start, timid. “Thank you for hearing me out. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” he tells you, before smiling a little. “Okay, I had to at first but then I wanted to.”

as he says this you see him patiently offer you a hand. you blush.

“I don’t think you need to walk me to the library entrance,” you mumble, but you take his hand anyway.

“I,” he pauses. “You said you’ve been stressed out, between studying at the library and studying at home so… I want to bring you someplace else.”

“Only if it’s okay with you, of course,” he amends quickly. “And by someplace else I just mean the park.”

you look at him surprised, but then hesitantly start walking with him. “Okay,” you acquiesce because really you’ll take anything just to be able to feel relief again. not to mention there are cameras all along the way plus one of those small police stations near the park, which you remember is also still a hot place for dates

… right? right

the two of you walk out of the library- Namjoon already did all the things he’s supposed to do before closing up, leaving confronting you for last which turns out to be a good thing

he hands you a bottle of water too- which really helps clear your headache

gOD CRYING SUCKS HELL also you should remember to bring water if you ever go into a crying fit

you’re going off into a tangent but seeing as you start feeling better already you deem the tangent important and remind yourself to note it down later

anyway as Namjoon tells you he leads you to the park near your university.

though truthfully told it’s not… exactly a park. parks mean grass and trees and wide open space

but the city officials went for cEMENT AND FAKE LIGHT UP FLOWErs and building it by a bridge going down to near the river

the only sAVING thing about the park is that the trees are real and there are plenty of seats

aLSO there’s the fact that when it’s nighttime the flowers look kinda pretty

alongside the artifical waterfall they built.

anyways the two of you arrive there- surprisingly enough there are still a few people left

you thought you’d only feel tired if you came here

but surprisingly the fresh air and the cold night is helping you feel better

just a little

and then Namjoon tugs you over- he talks to one of the vendors still selling

it doesn’t take longer than a minute for him to get the two of you soup, specifically pares

you take a sip- not only is it just the right temperature bUT IT’S ALSO FUCKING DELICIOUS

another thing you’ve forgotten while crying- you’re really hungry

“I’m glad to see you’re smiling again,” Namjoon comments and ahahahah the soup is really hot isn’t it your cheeks are too warm right now

you nOISILY eat your food because otherWISE YOU’D HAVE TO TALK and damn it why is it that he even approached you

oh right you were hogging the damn stall

“I come here often during this time to relax, when there’s not much people around,” he tells you suddenly. you raise an eyebrow at him because why tell you that? you’re not that close and it sounds like a little thing he likes to keep to himself

“It’s the closest I can get to quiet amidst nature,” he continues. “It helps that there’s a river.”

he points at it- the river is pretty at this time of the night, with the sparkling lights reflected on it.

“When I get stressed I usually take a rock lying around, pretend it’s one of my problems, then throw it. Maybe skip it across the river.”

“And does it help?” you ask. Namjoon hums.

“For me it does. I know it doesn’t work for everyone… but I want you to try anyway. Maybe it will work for you too.”

at this point the two of you have finished your meals. although with you you’ve finished three servings. wHAT, you’re hungry okay??

anyway Namjoon leads you to the edge of the river- you’d be wary in any other situation but for one the two of you are still in the very visible sight of other people PLUS Namjoon hasn’t done anything bad to you so far and has been very kind and you trust him a little

he picks up a stone- you copy him, and then he just. quietly (okay there’s a hint of real frustration under it but if you aren’t yelling to get your problems off your chest is it even anything sO) throws the stone.

or so you think

because that damn stone skips all the way to the other side of the river which mind you is a huge thing because the river is aBOUT FIFTY METERS WIDE.

you look at the stone disappearing in the distance with huge, disbelieving eyes, then back to namjoon- who’s grinning silly at your expression and just.

“How,” you squint.

he giggles. you pout. look at the stone in your hands.

“I’m going to fucking make it.”

your first try: it sinks straight into the water. you say nothing bECAUSE IT’S THE FIRST ONE

then the second

third

fourth

fifth

you’re at what has to be either your ninth or tenth stone- at this point your record has to be 3 bounces aND STILL SO FAR from the damn edge you aren’t even halfway!!!

you pout, long and hard- Namjoon by your side has to bite his lips to keep himself from grinning way too wide. you’re really too cute. he doesn’t know how he ever thought you were intimidating!! 

“Namjoon,” you almost whine but you don’t!!! you don’t whine at all and there’s nothing to whine about in your current situation!!! “How the fuck do you skip it across?”

“Practice, mostly,” he tells you. “That and I throw it as hard as I can- wait.”

Namjoon walks closer- you tense up when you fEEL HIM RIGHT BEHIND YOU oh god cute guy toO CLOSE

but Namjoon does nothing- asks “may I?” and you nod

“Pose like you’re going to throw the stone,” he tells you calmly. liar. you can’t hear it but Namjoon’s heart is beating like c r a z y you’re so close he could tilt his head downwards and he’d be burying his head in your hair and smell your shampoo!!

which smells really nice bUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT

you tilt back a little- stretch your arm back- okay, so mAYBE your arm is trembling a little you’re vERY VERY NERVOUS OKAY

but then

you feel Namjoon gently touch your arm- correcting your posture until

well

you actually can’t think that much

beside, you know

NAMJOON’S HANDS ON YOUR ARMS

more than that he adjusts your whole stance with his hand and oH GOD THE LIGHT TOUCHES ON YOUR BODY HOW IS THAT FAIR

thirsting!!! after other people!!!! is much easier when they don’t pull this shit!!!!!! thirsting is safer from a distance!!!

“You can throw it now.”

oh god you’re thirsting over Kim Namjoon

KIM NAMJOON THIS NERDY LIBRARIAN

“Y/N?”

uahsjdkasda

why did your brain make you realize that at this moment goOD GOD

you jUMP when you feel someone’s hand on your shoulder- oh wait it’s Namjoon

“You can throw the stone now,” he repeats, a grin on his face aND OKAY DUMB MOMENT 

you internally scream in your head but outwardly you nod, immediately just throw the stone as hard as you can bECAUSE YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUST BLANKED OUT ON HIM

did he see you blush oh god you’d never live it down

here comes surprise number two

you should’ve listened to Namjoon’s instructions fully because

you may have thrown the stone but

you didn’t throw the stone towards and across the river

no

yOU THREW IT IN THE RIVER

guess what happens if you just throw a stone tilted downwards

if you guessed splash ring ding ding yOU WERE RIGHT

so

here you are

your clothes mildly wet

just the front

bUT STILL

if there was an option for the ground to swallow you right now you’d go for it hONESTLY

instead you drop to your knees and let out a long loud groan becAUSE YOU JUST CANNOT DEAL WITH LIFE OKAY

“That was so bad I don’t even know what to say,” you bemoan.

you hear him stifle a giggle, you pout again.

BUT THEN

you feel something warm and soft on your shoulder, then wrapped around you-

you look up aND SEE NAMJOON GAVE YOU HIS SWEATER WHAT EVEN-

“You can’t go home in wet clothes,” he explains, dimpled smile- holy shit he has dimples you never noticed that but wow they’re adorable!!!! “Though there isn’t exactly a place to change around here, but… the jacket will help shield you and your clothes from the cold.”

you sigh

okay yeah this evening has been down and then up and then down

“Let’s get you home,” he tells you, before pausing a little. “I, um- do you mind if I walk you to your car?”

you hesitate- but then acquiesce. “Okay,” you tell him.

walking back to your car- you’re surprised to find it’s ten o’clock already

had the two of you been at the park that long???

the passing cold air makes your hands a bit numb- the sweater is bIG on you but you rolled the sleeves up to your wrist at least because you cAN’T OPEN THE DOOR OR DRIVE IF THEY’RE COVERED CAN YOU

anyway you probably should’ve done that when you’re inside the car not walking to it yet

you decide to tough it out anyway it’s just a few minutes walk

you fiddle with your hair- your hands are itching to move but the silence is so damn awkward and your hands are cold too-

but

oh

“May I?” Namjoon asks- you look at him, raise an eyebrow because what for? but he just looks at your hand- oh

you shrug and try not to show you’re blushing

Namjoon’s hand is- well, you’d like to say it’s warm. but it’s not. it isn’t like he’d been wearing gloves or anything, so both your hands are cold and a little clammy when you clasp hands together.

but the way it fucking makes your heart jump?

yeah

honestly you’d like to wax poetry about the moment right now- walking hand in hand!!! with this guy you may or may not find really cute and hot!!!! in the middle of the night!!!!!!

but let’s be real head empty no thoughts

except the way your heart beats one, two, a little too fast

arriving to your car suddenly feels all too soon

you don’t release your hands yet when you stop

it’s only when you’re about to get in that you reluctantly let your hands fall apart from each other

suddenly you miss his hands at least they were a little warm around the end (and okay it made you feel aLL WARM INSIDE too but shush)

“Have a safe trip home,” he tells you. you offer him a small smile.

“I will! Sorry for- um, earlier. And thank you. You didn’t have to,” you tell him, but he only smiles back at your words.

“I told you, I wanted to.”

you nod- suddenly scrambling for words. You didn’t want to go home yet, but.

“If you ever want to destress you can go back to the river.”

you blink.

“Are you sure? Isn’t that kind of like your special place?”

he really has the cutest dimples bUT wow he’s also hot as fuck, especially with what you dare hope to be a fliRTY SMILE.

“I don’t mind sharing it if it’s you I’m sharing with.”

oof

“Okay! Goodnight Namjoon! See you tomorrow!!”

your face is bright r e d 

hightail it out of there fast

you can see him still grinning widely in the rear mirror and hnghhhh why are you also smiling so widely sheesh

the ride back is quiet

it’s only when you get home that you realize one thing though-

you’re still wearing his sweater

you foRGOT TO GIVE IT BACK

oh my god you also forgot he paid for your food yOU WERE SO OUT OF IT YOU DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE

you facepalm

wait you shouldn’t give the sweater back if it’s wet you have to wash it first

okay okay

you decide to bring him coffee tomorrow Namjoon seems like the type of person to drink coffee

(also it’s a good way to start a conversation with him bUT THAT’S ONLY A WHAT IF AND NOT YOUR MAIN GOAL OKAY)

okay!!!

you take a shower first, change your clothes, then decide to wash the sweater-

when

you see a small piece of paper fall out

‘if you need help with the exams, I’m free for tutoring in the morning from 10 a.m.. you can repay me by buying me food at the park after - kim namjoon’

you look at the other side

‘also, here’s my number in case you need it’

you stare at the string of numbers next to it-

that smooth motherfucker

‘I hope you know how to teach advanced calculus, because otherwise I’m not buying you food’

it doesn’t even take a full minute for the reply to come through

‘I’ll see you tomorrow at ten then for our date’

'*study date'

'though I suppose we can do the first too after exams if you're okay with it'

okay, so maybe this month is not quite yet the worst 

and if things go right? maybe the next few months will be your best yet

[glennmillerorchestra]

top five snacks, top five bobbie gentry songs, top five books you’ve read lately!!

these made me think! but here’s what i came up with

top five snacks

1. tzatziki and pita chips/cucumbers! always better homemade

2. straight-up grapefruit or tangerines

3. pumpkin seeds, shells and all 

4. vegetarian grape leaves, fresh or the canned ones my local grocery sells

5. goldfish naturally, although i don’t get them too often 

top five bobbie gentry songs (i definitely have that quiz in the works…)

1. wedding bell blues just evokes feelings of a past life i like to think i had and her voice fits the lyrics so well

2. reunion - i am constantly in awe that she managed to create the illusion of the overlapping voices at a family reunion within a single song, it’s masterful!

3. morning to midnight because the demo version of it is so intimate, so personal and it’s excellent for watching the world go by

4. fancy for the imagery, truly one of the songs i can clearly see playing out as i listen to it, and the line “there stood a woman where a half grown kid had stood” is so heartbreaking

5. beverly is truly an underrated track because it’s so sad and dream-like, almost like a shadow of the past

(honorable mentions to benjamin, miss clara/azusa sue, and of course, ode to billie joe)

top five books i’ve read recently!

1. (not exactly a book) but the play the shadow box by michael cristofer! i’m assistant directing an amateur zoom show (yuck) of the play, and the complexity of the characters, and parallels it draws between them just absolutely blow me away, plus it doesn’t hurt to reanalyze every night :)

2. never have your dog stuffed by alan alda - i got a print copy of the book and re-read it recently, and it’s truly so entertaining all the way through, and so poetic? just an overall wonderful read

3. and then there were none by agatha christie kept me utterly riveted throughout the entire thing, and i ended up using a free day to just read through it; i like how the format differs from her other mysteries

4. mash: the exclusive, inside story of tv’s most popular show by david s. reiss - some stroke of luck resulted in me finding this at a used bookstore recently, and although it’s a super simple read, it’s really interesting to hear the firsthand perspectives of everyone who worked on the show before it even ended!

5. to be absolutely basic, i re-read the great gatsby recently, and just analyzed the shit out of it for practice and a good time, whatever gets us through the days you know?

thank you maddie!! <3