#im loving this global left wave

[sapphia]

maybe im a bit mean to americans on here sometimes. it truly is awful that you only have two parties to vote for, and as a kiwi i can't even imagine how incredibly frustrating that your only viable option is like.. that.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Morocco)—Bisexual icon, super hot when dressed both masculine and feminine, lived up her life in the queer Berlin scene of the 1920s, central to the 'sewing circle' of the secret sapphic actresses of Old Hollywood, refused lucrative offers by the Nazis and helped Jews and others under persecution to escape Nazi Germany, the love of my life

Xia Meng, also known as Hsia Moog or Miranda Yang (Sunrise, Bride Hunter)—For those who are familiar with Hong Kong's early cinema, Xia Meng is THE leading woman of an era, the earliest "silver-screen goddess", "The Great Beauty" and "Audrey Hepburn of the East". Xia Meng starred in 38 films in her 17-year career, and famously had rarely any flops, from her first film at the age of 18 to her last at the age of 35. She was a rare all-round actress in Mandarin-language films, acting, singing, and dancing with an enchanting ease in films of diverse genres, from contemporary drama to period operas. She was regarded as the "crown princess" among the "Three Princesses of the Great Wall", the iconic leading stars of the Great Wall Movie Enterprises, which was Hong Kong's leading left-wing studio in the 1950s-60s. At the time, Hong Kong cinema had only just taken off, but Xia Meng's influence had already spread out to China, Singapore, etc. Overseas Chinese-language magazines and newspapers often featured her on their covers. The famous HK wuxia novelist Jin Yong had such a huge crush on her that he made up a whole fake identity as a nobody-screenwriter to join the Great Wall studio just so he can write scripts for her. He famously said, "No one has really seen how beautiful Xi Shi (one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China) is, I think she should be just like Xia Meng to live up to her name." In 1980, she returned to the HK film industry by forming the Bluebird Movie Enterprises. As a producer with a heart for the community, she wanted to make a film on the Vietnam War and the many Vietnam War refugees migrating to Hong Kong. She approached director Ann Hui and produced the debut film Boat People (1982), a globally successful movie and landmark feature for Hong Kong New Wave, which won several awards including the best picture and best director in the second Hong Kong Film Award. Years later, Ann Hui looked back on her collaboration with Xia Meng, "I'm very grateful to her for allowing me to make what is probably the best film I've ever made in my life."

This is round 5 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Xia Meng:

Marlene Dietrich:

ms dietrich....ms dietrich pls.....sit on my face

its marlene dietrich!!!! queer legend, easily the hottest person to ever wear a tuxedo, that hot hot voice, those glamorous glamorous movies…. most famously she starred in a string of movies directed by josef von sternberg throughout the 1930s, beginning with the blue angel which catapulted her to stardom in the role of the cabaret singer lola lola. known for his exquisite eye for lighting, texture, imagery, von sternberg devoted himself over the course of their collaborations to acquiring exceptional skill at photographing dietrich herself in particular, a worthy direction in which to expend effort im sure we can all agree. she collaborated with many other great directors of the era as well, including rouben mamoulian (song of songs), frank borzage (desire), ernst lubitsch (angel), fritz lang (rancho notorious), and billy wilder (witness for the prosecution). the encyclopedia britannica entry im looking at while compiling this propaganda describes her as having an “aura of sophistication and languid sexuality” which✔️💯. born marie magdalene dietrich, she combined her first and middle names to coin the moniker “marlene”. she was a trendsetter in her incorporation of trousers, suits, and menswear into her wardrobe and her androgynous allure was often remarked upon. critic kenneth tynan wrote, “She has sex, but no particular gender. She has the bearing of a man; the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.” in the 1920s she enjoyed the vibrant queer nightlife of weimar berlin, visiting gay bars and drag balls, and in hollywood her love affairs with men and women were an open secret. she was an ardent opponent of nazi germany, refusing lucrative contacts offered her to make films there, raising money with billy wilder to help jews and dissidents escape, and undertaking extensive USO tours to entertain soldiers with an act that included her a playing musical saw and doing a mindreading routine she learned from orson welles. starting in the 50s and continuing into the mid-70s she worked largely as a cabaret artist touring the world to large audiences, employing burt bacharach as her musical arranger.

First of all, there are those publicity photos of her in a tux. Second of all, I have never been the same since knowing that she sent copies of those photos to her Berlin lovers signed "Daddy Marlene." Not only is she hot in all circumstances, but she can do everything from earthy to ice queen. Also, she kept getting sexy romantic lead parts in Hollywood after the age of 40, which would be rare even now. She hated Nazis, loved her friends, and had a sapphic social circle in Hollywood. She also had cheekbones that could cut glass and a voice that could melt you.

Her GENDER her looks her voice her everything

“In her films and record-breaking cabaret performances, Miss Dietrich artfully projected cool sophistication, self-mockery and infinite experience. Her sexuality was audacious, her wit was insolent and her manner was ageless. With a world-weary charm and a diaphanous gown showing off her celebrated legs, she was the quintessential cabaret entertainer of Weimar-era Germany.”

The bar scene in Morocco awoke something in me and ultimately changed my gender

"Her manner, the critic Kenneth Tynan wrote, was that of ‘a serpentine lasso whereby her voice casually winds itself around our most vulnerable fantasies.’ Her friend Maurice Chevalier said: ‘Dietrich is something that never existed before and may never exist again.’”

"Songstress, photographer, fashion icon, out bisexual phenom (notoriously stole Lupe Velez and Joan Crawford's men, and Errol Flynn's wife, had a torrid affair with Greta Garbo that ended in a 60-year feud, other notable conquests including Erich Maria Remarque -yes, the guy who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front- Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Claudette Colbert, Mercedes de Acosta, Edith Piaf), anti-Nazi activist. Marlene was a bitch - she had an open marriage for decades and one of her favorite things was making catty commentary about her current lover with her husband, and her relationship with her daughter was painful- but she was also immensely talented, a hard worker, an opponent of fascism and the hottest ice queen in Hollywood for a long time."

"She can sing! She can act! She told the Nazis to fuck off and became a US citizen out of spite! She worked with other German exiles to create a fund to help Jews and German dissidents escape (she donated an entire movie salary, about $450k, to the cause). She looks REALLY GOOD in a suit. If you're not convinced, please listen to her sing "Lili Marlene". Absolutely gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice."

Gifset link

"Bisexual icon and Nazi-hater. Looks absolutely stunning in the suits she liked to wear. 'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men'."

"would you not let her walk on you?"

[f1ghtsoftly]

Im being real I only want to organize with other women but my interest in like passing laws vs direct action is literally zero.

Laws are helpful, but they are ultimately reformist. I think, coming out of the 20th century a major takeaway I had is that women need to build things that cannot be taken away from us (basically separatism). Abortion should have never been a debate, it’s a right, if a government tries to legislate that then it is illegitimate. Women’s work should be paid. Women should run households. No women should be forced to live under constant threat of rape or battery. Sex is about love and connection not about owning someone (or their children). None of these things are complicated. Women understand this reality intuitively. It is men who do not. By asking rather than taking-we in turn legitimate this source of power but, men should not hold power over women. It is illegitimate.

The biggest failure, in my opinion, of second wave feminism in the US is it could not reproduce itself. I agree with Federici’s assessment that “Wages for Housework” (or some variation) is one of the biggest tasks left undone. By and large child production in the US remains a task for the nuclear family, ensuring patriarchy will live on for another generation and another generation of adult women will suffer inside of it. We can remedy this by creating intentional communities of women by women, raising our own wages and collectively supporting each other through family creation and in the workplace.

Furthermore, I really strongly encourage women to stop supporting causes, political movements or organizations that refuse to prioritize women’s issues. This is particularly relevant in the realm of foreign policy. I find it repulsive how many self styled radical feminists turn around and support US imperial projects abroad. We must reshape the way we organize the production of commodities if we are to liberate women. That means *not* supporting the imperialist powers in their quest to secure new markets and create sources of cheap labor+raw materials. Women’s piss poor wages in garment factories in Bangladesh is directly related to the strength of the conservative patriarchy in Bangladesh. Subsistance farmers in Brazil and South Asia need women to produce a large workforce as cheaply as possible, they accomplish this through patriarchal marriage and religion. The US forced it’s way into Eastern Europe to secure new markets and access to raw materials and the looting of the Soviet State saw the largest entrance of women into the sex trade in world history. Im not saying be uncritical about places like Iran, China or Russia, but I am saying be mindful of what exactly the person speaking intends to do about it. Global revolution is different than a proxy war between US+friends, solidarity with striking workers is different than Sanctions and Embargos which starve women and children. NGO’s operate in the interest of their donors, whoever they happen to be. Both horrors can be true and we must develop the capacity to see all of them-so that our intention to help does not untinentionally prolong the suffering of our global sisters. I cannot be more adamant that vigorous opposition to imperialism, vigorous opposition to the US government and her military is the absolute best way those of us living in the west can support women globally.

Many women are fooled by the belief that this is impractical and centering women and demanding real, revolutionary change is hopeless but allow me to ask you this, how many women have lived and died under this current regime? How many women have given their lives, have devoted themselves entirely to women’s advancement? We have made small gains-but it is not nearly commiserate to the effort we have put into achieving them. We are staring down the barrel of a new age, one where women’s bodies can be spliced and sold like pieces of meat. One where religious fundamentalism will remain a dominant global force. One where women can look forward to lives as drudges, whores or wives living with back to back pregnancies, constantly under the boot of men. Is that the world we want? Is that the world women have worked so hard to achieve?

We need a more radical, more prideful strategy befitting our dignity and in line with what we deserve. We deserve so much more than concessions. We deserve freedom and the fruits of our labor.

So please, consider that it is ok for you to be the main character in this story and stop lending your time, support and energy to causes that do not center women’s experiences. I don’t care if you’re “also lgbtq” or also a “poc” or also “colonized”. You’re suffering more than a man is, women deserve to be at the forefront of every single social movement, not a supporting role, a woman unfairly in prison is just as significant as her male counterpart. Lesbians get beat up and preyed on by homophobic men just as much, if not more, then gay men do. Women suffer worse under occupying armies, women suffer worse under sanctions, women suffer worse in post colonial political chaos then men do.

You matter just as much as they do and you need to *leave* if they do not recognize that. You will never lose by recognizing your worth.

[kudzucataclysm]

wip intro: Shattered Earth

On an alternate Earth full of strange and bizarre horrors, nothing is as it seems. An enemy might be a friend and that stranger with amnesia might be someone you knew all along...

taglist: @impaledlotus @thelittlestspider​

The current date is February 8th 2005; a not so distant past split off from our reality, where the effects of an anomalous comet, superpowered beings, a brief nuclear exchange, a supervolcano eruption, and an alien invasion have the world in a constant state of uncertainty that its only now starting to adjust to. The entire American midwest is a desolate nuclear wasteland. Europe was annihilated and is now completely abandoned. Corporations control every aspect of people’s lives. Global weather systems have been destroyed and the aftermath has left earth in a new ice age. Entire continents have been infected with invasive, man-eating alien wildlife. Humanity is still in the process of recovering from these events, with the help of some not-so-truly empathetic Martian peacekeepers.

Now is a time of monsters.

So what is SE truly about? SE is, ultimately, a sci-fi fantasy, dark comedy, horror action story about killing the monsters. More importantly however, SE is a story about two teenagers having to grow up way too fast in a world that stubbornly refuses to end, in order to survive everything it throws at them.

Status: Almost entirely planned (Arc 1 is at least); Outlining, scripting

POV: OmniscientTM. we have 80+ characters in this story babaaaay

Format: I’m planning for SE to be a webcomic, so I’ll mostly be posting scripts, sketches, and from time to time some practice comic pages :3

Tropes / Vibes / Themes: friendship, love, queer youth, eugenics, found family, crime lordism/gang warfare, intersolar espionage, weird space magic, loss of innocence when forced to grow up, trauma and healing from it, the human condition, devotion that corrupts, politics and the wasteland it creates, extreme dystopian levels of capitalism, feeling valid in reasons to hate and how first impressions are often times misleading, learning to be selfish...im sure theres more haha vv’

Content Warnings: Offensive/Derogatory/Explicit Language/Slurs**, Explicit Violence/Gore/Body Horror, Nudity, Mature Sexual Themes/Discussions, Drug Use/Abuse, Emotional Mental and Physical Abuse/Manipulation, In*est Mention, Suicide Related Topics, Self Harm, Mass Death/Corpses, Genocide, etc

And now onto our two protagonists :3

NAME: Desmond Oswald Arkady

DOB: November 30th, 1991; 14 years of age

HISTORY: Son of rancher Sloane Arkady and medical nurse Ed Arkady, and unknowing grandnephew of the famous superscientist Lupe Altena. Has two older siblings and one younger sister. Throughout grade school Desmond was noted for having poor social skills and having a severe temper; he was bullied and very much alone during this time. His mother was emotionally and physically absent while his father became emotionally and verbally abusive as he grew older. Eventually his parents split, Ed taking Desmond and his brother Jerome, with Sloane (under legal definition) ‘kidnapping’ their younger sister Zuri. Oldest sibling “Happy”’s whereabouts are unknown. In 2003 abnormal brain wave activity was reported, benign; his temper somewhat subsided. The remnants of the family moved to the NEC in late 2004.

Desmond’s above-average school grades have currently led to him attending the Promethean School of Science under the tutelage of one infamous Dr. Maya Fontaine. He seems to have an interest in all things biomedical and mechanical.

OCCUPATION: Officially listed as a part-time bowling alley attendant at Crimson Head Lanes. Unofficially: errand boy and lookout for the criminal body behind the bowling alley.

ORIGIN: A small black earth town in former Kentucky known only as “Carbonville” that no longer exists.

Last Known Whereabouts: Lives in NEC, DUSA.

Identifying Characteristics: African-American, mole on left cheekbone, shaved dark brown hair, late bloomer in terms of height at just 5 feet tall, noticeably overweight and stocky. Known to almost constantly fiddle with his hands due to reported hypersensitive dermis and nerve damage stemming from contact with a wildfire some years before.

PSYCH: Annoyingly positive attitude that hides a deep, festering rage. An overbearing people pleaser almost to the point of submission. Desperate for validation and a sense of belonging. Chronically low self-esteem. Extreme levels of anxiety. Is repressing serious anger issues to the point of migraines and blackouts. Possible case of undiagnosed autism. Easy to intimidate and manipulate.

NAME: Francis T. Mueller

DOB: August 1990; 15 years of age

History: One of the many thousands of Chimera children of the Martian King Azelfafage, Francis was raised by her human mother Roxanne Mueller. Her mother being a drug addict and abusive, Francis from an early age found herself doing any odd job she could to simply feed herself, which soon escalated to working for the assassins guild, Antumbra for a short time at the young age of 10, and working as a bodyguard and gunner for various drug dealers up until the age of 12.

At 9 years old she experienced a medical “accident” that resulted in a severe case of dissociative amnesia.

Police records in 2003 indicate that after her release from brief juvenile custody, Francis worked her way up from petty thug to where she is now working for Crimson Head Lanes. Conflicting reports state that Francis was “handed over” to CHL and is working for them unwillingly by use of either force or threat.

Occupation: Officially listed as a bowling alley attendant at Crimson Head Lanes. Unofficially: hitman thought to be employed by CHL owner Carmine Keller, as well as gunner, enforcer, and more recently the bodyguard of fellow coworker Desmond Arkady.

Origin: NEC, DUSA.

Last Known Whereabouts: NEC, DUSA.

Identifying Characteristics: Curly red hair and freckled dark brown skin like all Chimera. Crimson red teeth. Androgynous/masculine facial and body structure, usually mistaken for a male. Magenta eyes on yellow that in a highly unusual case shift to white on black in low-light settings, a possible case of intersexism or a mutation. Identifies as a transgender female. Over 6 feet tall and malnourished for a half-alien child.

Psych: Mentally and emotionally unstable, a possible case of borderline personality disorder and even sociopathy. Possibly suffers from a panic or anxiety disorder as well. A loner, dangerous, known for violent mood swings and outbursts. Suffers from dissociative amnesia, PTSD, and alcoholism.

—

**Unfortunately, in the world this comic’s set in (the world ‘ended’ in the 1960s), people aren’t very accepting or understanding of different sexual orientations. Actually, peeps aren’t very accepting in general. It’s a distrust of foreign cultures and ideas, mostly, mixed with good old fashioned repressed victorian standards and ideals.

The only worse thing worse for your career/life in this universe is to be labelled a stinkin’ commie.

[madisonrooney]

for the first time in almost two years, it’s dove story time!!!

we got in line 4 hours before doors which ended up being PERFECT timing bc two other groups showed up literally right when we did. it was VERY important for me to be as close to the front as possible so i could interact with her and im so happy we managed ideal timing. we almost only got there 3 hours early so im v glad we tacked on that extra hour. it was me and katy for most of the wait then lee joined up with us closer to doors. we headed in and got right to the front of the stage! and it was a VERY small venue so extremely intimate.

interactions - i think she waved at me during remember me? - during lazy baby she looked right at me during a “if you dont give a fuck” and we v much did “oh not even one like i cannot even stress how much im done” together - BEFORE WASTE SHE SAID “this song is about when youre so attracted to someone you just wanna rip your skin off just to look at them. weve all been there right?” AND I SAID “yep with you!” AND SHE SAID “with me!? stop it! so this is a group date now-” LIKE HFGJKFDJKGF THATS GONNA GO DOWN AS ONE OF MY FAV ICONIC INTERACTIONS WITH HER. LIKE NOT TO GET OVERLY SAPPY OVER A SILLY MOMENT BUT THATS LIKE THE CLOSEST IVE GOTTEN TO CONFESSING MY LOVE OVER THESE LAST SIX YEARS LMAO I REALLY NEEDED THAT. IVE BEEN TOO SHY TO SHOW IT IN THE PAST BUT NOW THAT THE WHOLE FANDOM IS LIKE OPENLY GAY FOR HER I FEEL LIKE I CAN BE TOO. i found a vid ill post it soon. - also touched my hand during waste!!!! and pointed at me when singing “i wanna waste all my love on you”!!!!!! - p sure she was looking at me when better in stereo started which....is fitting - think she was looking right at me during taste of you - touched my hand again as she left during out of touch - not with her but after she did so good someone said “it was so good!” and i did a “ba dum tss” then the drummer did it and pointed at me LMAO - also i got a pic with her guitarist and he gave me a guitar pick!! (and i got a set list and photo ID lyrics!! i was really hoping to get a set list so thats def going on the dove wall)

people brought up froyo yolo again and she talked about it which was hilarious. if the fandom is gonna have solidarity over anything, thats the best possible thing we couldve come together about.

and ofc better in stereo live got me like....hyperventilating. i had NEVER heard that live in these past 8 years. if she was gonna include ONE throwback song it literally couldve been nothing better. and it just warms my heart that she did that on her own accord, that it meant that much to her.

and now the part where i sound like a broken reocrd and talk about how much this means to me.

first of all, obviously it had been almost TWO YEARS to the day since the last time i saw her. and that was from VERY far back seats so quite honestly i couldnt even see her face. so its technically been more than two years. thats more than TWICE as long as what had previously been the longest id gone without seeing her, which was already ahead by a wide margin. and yah, this is the case for everyone and everything bc of the global panda express, but that doesnt take away the amazing feeling of it finally happening again.

also, this is SO much different than anything else ive experienced with her before. people could say “ok youve seen her a million times this was just another time” but ive never had an experience like this!!! any other time ive been that close to her, it was for a meet and greet and lasted like less than 5 min. i got to stand there in all her glory for more than an hour. and hear HER music for the first time. it was the first time ive been to something like this where it was all about HER, no character or movie franchise (not that thats a bad thing, but this was something new and special).

again, the venue was so small and intimate it was perfect. my simp ass was STRUGGLING looking into those eyes from mere feet away for that long. it was really one of those nights of falling in love all over again.

i also had my two lovely emotional support friends who im so happy got to experience this with me and enjoy it as well. and i talked to a lot of other nice fans!! sometimes im too shy to do that but it actually worked out really well??

OH AND THEN IT JUST GOT WORSE WHEN I GOT HOME LOL

SHE LIKED A TOTAL OF FOUR TWEETS INCLUDING STOLEN VIDEOS OF MINE AND REPOSTED A STOLEN VID ON HER STORY

BUT SHE ALSO WATCHED MY STORY

and then i found the vid of me flirting which i didnt already have so i was relieved to find that

its hard going back to not knowing when ill see her again, but the way im trying to look at it is the fact that events are only just STARTING to happen again, so theres more where this came from. we dont know when, but im sure its just around the corner. things always seem to work out for us.

anyway, all the love to my favorite girl and all the thanks for giving me yet another memory thatll last a lifetime

[yikesharringrove]

how about billy and steve aren’t able to quarantine together they are at their respective homes. but no neil please he’s dead none of him billy live with his mom and the boys are struggling but they’re trying

so, basically, Billy’s mom took her with him when she left Neil.

-

pwetty boi 🥺👉👈: should we just break up?

The text made Billy’s heart stop.

He knew Steve was being weird on the phone when they talked. Whenever Steve was quiet, it meant bad.

I mean, do you WANT to?

pwetty boi 🥺👉👈: like, no, but would it be easier? do YOU want to?

Of COURSE I don’t want to.

Billy sighed, tossing his phone onto the counter, scrubbing his hands down his face.

“What’s going on, Starfish?” He looked up at his mom with one eye.

“Steve’s being insecure.” She raised an eyebrow. “I just talked to him and now he’s texting me and asking if I want to break up.” They had met in college, both joined the LGBT+ club at Chapman University, ended up working at one of the coffee shops on campus together. They had been together for just about a year, spent almost all their time together.

And then global pandemic forced Steve outta the dorms and back to Indiana while Billy packed up and headed down to his mom’s place in San Diego.

“Why do you think he’s thinking that?”

“Steve’s clingy. He likes being around people, and being touched, like just straight cuddled, and his parents are real shitty, and pretty much ignore the fact that he exists, and me not being around to like, help him out is probably really fucking with him.”

She twisted one of his curls around her finger.

“Would his parents let him come here? He could stay with us.”

“I asked him when all this shit first went down, but they’re like, really freaking out about everything and want him home. It’s the first time they’ve been home for longer six days since Steve was fourteen.” Her jaw dropped.

“Oh my God. Poor Stevie. How could a parent just, just treat their child like that?” Billy licked her hand, made her laugh loudly. He checked his phone, finding a bunch of new texts from Steve.

pwetty boi 🥺👉👈: i’m sorry. i just feel like a chore.

pwetty boi 🥺👉👈: like, i think itd be easier for you

pwetty boi 🥺👉👈: if you dont have to deal with me

pwetty boi 🥺👉👈: im sorry im bothering you

Billy sighed.

“I should probably call him. He’s spiraling pretty hard. Twenty bucks says he hasn’t taken his meds in like, a week.” His mom tried to stifle a laugh, flicking a dish towel at him. He grinned at her while he pressed the call button.

“Hi, Bill.”

“Stevie, take your fuckin’ meds.” Steve huffed into the phone. “You can’t hide from me, Pretty Boy. I know how you get.”

“But I mean, think about it. You wouldn’t have to, to call and check in on me, you could just like, live your life. Date. If you wanted to.”

“We’re in a global pandemic. I’m not gonna go out and date, even if I fuckin’ wanted to break up with you.” He put his face down on the counter. “Now I’m gonna stay right here until you take your fucking meds.”

He could hear Steve stomping around on the line, slamming things around.

“Okay, I fucking took them.”

“Good. Now listen. I love you. I don’t want to break up with you. Even being halfway across the country from you, I’m so fucking happy. And it kills me that I can’t be with you right now, that I can’t hold you and help you, but I’m still here for you.”

“I’m sorry, Bill.” Steve sniffed. “I just, I hate it here. My parents are, are just all up in my shit, and my mom hasn’t let me leave the fucking neighborhood, and I, I’m so stressed out about school, and that I’m bringing you down and I feel like a fucking burden to everyone in my life and I, I” Steve broke down into sobs.

Billy’s heart fucking shattered.

All he wanted was to climb into a shitty dorm bed with Steve, hold him nice and close until he stopped feeling like shit about himself, until he understood that Billy fucking loves him.

“I’m sorry, Honey. I’m sorry I can’t help you. I wish I could do more. I love you. You are not a burden to me. I just, I wanna fucking climb through this phone and drag you home with me.”

“Maybe, maybe I could talk to my mom about, about visiting.” Billy held the phone out to his mom, putting Steve on speaker.

“Mom, tell Steve he can move in with us until it’s safe again.” She laughed lightly, taking the phone.

“Hi, Pumpkin. You are more than welcome here with us. Billy’s has been gardening up a storm. We’ve been giving away tomatoes to all the neighbors.” Steve laughed, it still sounded kinda wet.

“That sounds like heaven, ma’am.” She smiled warmly at Billy.

“Have Starfish send you my phone number, I can speak with your parents if you like. We’ve been very safe here. I’ve been sewing masks and giving them to all our friends as well.”

“I mean, I’ve been so miserable here, maybe, they might let me. I think my dad wouldn’t mind not having to deal with me anymore.” His mom pursed her lips at that. “I asked him for help with one of my classes, because apparently I forgot that he sucks, and he just told me I was an idiot for like, twenty minutes.”

She threw her rag down, her mouth all scrunched up.

“Baby, get the fuck out of that house. Come out here and hang out with me and my mom. We’ll help you with your work and won’t call you shitty names the whole time.”

“I don’t know, I am really fucking stup-”

“If you finish that fucking sentence, I swear to God, Steve.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Have your mom call my mom to set up our play date. We can have you quarantine in the guest room for a while after traveling.”

“Okay. Thank you, Bill.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

-

Billy was driving slowly through the pick up line.

They had a whole plan of attack. Steve had put on a pair of latex gloves, and would put his bags in the trunk and then sit in the back seat.

Billy was gonna take him home, and he was gonna shower while Billy tossed his traveled in clothes in the laundry.

He saw Steve standing there, his big duffel bag slumped next to his large suitcase.

He was in a mask, but waved giddily at Billy in his mom’s car.

They executed the plan flawlessly, and before they knew it, they were making out in the guest room of Billy’s little house.

His mom knocked on the door.

Steve rolled off of him sheepishly.

“You can come in.”

“Are you sure?” Billy rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure, Mom.” She winked at him when she came in.

She hugged Steve tight, and Billy’s heart fucking soared as Steve melted into the hug.

“I’m so glad you could come out here. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

She smelled like fresh bread and lilies. Steve loved it.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Hargrove.”

“Oh please, call me Beth.” She pulled away from the hug. “Sweet Thing, come help me set the table. Let Steve get his bearings.” Steve was grinning.

“Billy calls me Sweet Thing.”

“Well, he comes from a long line of nicknamers, so you better get used to it, Sugar.” Billy kissed him on the cheek as he followed his mom out.

Steve still has no idea what Beth said to his mother to convince her to send Steve out to San Diego for the foreseeable future.

But somehow, she had made it work, and he wasn’t gonna be alone, or with cold parents that called him names, wasn’t gonna have to cry himself to sleep, not when he could sneak into Billy’s cozy little room.

He could garden with Billy, and Billy said he’d teach him how to skateboard, take him on bike rides around town.

They would cook, and Billy would help him finish the semester online, and the weather was warm and-

And Billy loved him.

Loved him so much he convinced his parents to let him fly across the country to live with him.

Steve had never been loved like this before.

And he was gonna fucking cherish it.

[moonlightjeno]

so like when youre free maybe you could do roommates!au + enemies to lovers + “you have the emotional capacity of a brick.” from the prompt list with im-not-even-gonna-say-his-name-because-you-know-it? hopefully with a happy ending idk maybe theyve both been burying their feelings for some time? dont push yourself and you dont have to do it if you dont want to 🥰 ly so much bubs ❤❤

asdfghj im so so so sorry this took me ages to actually write !! i do hope you like it’s seriously like just pure fluff and some small tiny angst but basically I want a jeno after this and you know why. 

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬: [roomate!au] +  [enemies to lovers] + [“you have the emotional capacity of a brikc”]

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: f l u f f and full on crackheads. this is a mess

creds to @mozartwasajungkookstan ,, ty for the help on how to start this!

Having a roommate or really lack thereof was nothing like the movies, especially when lee jeno was involved. It’s not like you saw him often, he seemed to spend most of his time either in his room the only sound coming either grunts or the click click of the video game controller that he seemed to be attached to dearly. You were almost sure he talked more to the tv screen in his room and his phone was six other voices would at times come through, seeping through the door. 

When your old roommate had suggested you move in with jeno, you had initially agreed. From what you’d heard from her he wouldn’t get much in your way, loved animals so wouldn’t mind you bringing your cat and he was cute. Jeno was the epitome of a perfect roommate according to the paper in front of you and Jaemin who’d had to leave you and therefore make you move because of a modeling gig he’d been presented halfway across the world. The boy at least had shown you pictures of the boy who you’d be spending the rest of the year with and when you’d first seen them you couldn’t deny that he was easy on the eye. The pictures that jaemin had shown you had done him no justice, had been your first thought when you’d the boy who’s black hair had been pushed back, clothes clinging to his body from sweat, a result of what you had later learned was from a late dance practice you had been stunned. The initial stun of his beauty quickly faded the moment he opened his mouth only to close it back up again, and turn around leaving you in the entrance hall. 

The relationship between the two of you didn’t grow much from the initial encounter. It seemed that jeno would either spend too much time outside and come back to your apartment marks left along his neck where he would maybe wave a hi to you, and if it was a good day wouldn’t complain about you taking up most of the space in the living room. On your defense, he never used it either way. At least that’s what you thought, it had never occurred to you that the boy was to shy to disturb you, or that anytime he would come in the living room only to find you concentrated, most of the time scribbling over papers across the desk that he didn’t want to bother you. Especially when you looked kinda cute, all concentrated on whatever it is you were working on, he never asked never dared to. 

Three months into the rooming and it seemed that you had traded the boy you loved and had grown to be one of your closest friends for a stone-cold dark-haired boy. Jaemin was a foil to jeno in every way possible that the english dictionary could come up with. Where jaemin would greet you by the door almost every day, and was ready to give you a hug and talk about your day to no end jeno wouldn’t. The most jeno would do was tell you what the weather was outside on the occasion you went out to get the groceries, but in the times of a global pandemic, those were few. No relationship seemed to blossom, not that either of you put much effort into making any sort of conversation, the most you would get out of jeno were vague nods or “mmhhhmmm” that always had you questioning if he was agreeing or disagreeing with you. It had seemed to become a sort of talent to be able to distinguish between the different noises that jeno would make, most of them when you were involved in the speech were negative. That is what one would gather from the low tone that would come from grunts, half of the time it was jeno not every really knowing what to say on the subject of the human body and it’s many muscles, he was a dance major he didn’t know. 

Five months and quarantine hits your city. It’s during moments in quarantine that you are grateful for it and the organized chaos it brings with it in the apartment. Well peace is you considered music blasting through the household as jeno practiced his dance and choreographed new routines while zooming with his even louder group of friends. The pumping music though made up because when you would see jeno a smile or the ghost of one would grace his features, and you two would at times, very small times would make conversation about the weather. Talking about the weather had truly just become a joke, as neither you or jeno could actually leave the apartment. Nevertheless, jeno never failed to remind you when it was going to rain, it was both sweet and slightly annoying you couldn’t quite decide. It was on rare days, when you would get back from a daily grocery shop run you would find dinner prepared. Too much of your surprise it had been edible the last two times he has cooked, and though not much conversation flowed between the two of you it seemed this hate to hate relationship had become a more of acquaintances to acquaintances. It was progress, and you couldn’t help but smile at it.   

There were times when you looked at him, times when you two though wouldn’t talk to each other but would decide that on that night you would maybe attempt to get along better. These scenarios tended to end up happening from the constant nagging that jaemin put you both through, a constant “just talk” and “i swear they aren’t as bad as you think” and you couldn’t forget his most recent one that drove you nuts to no end “are you sure you don’t just you know like him?”. The phone conversation tended to end with a beep the second those words left his mouth, only for jaemin to text you about it continually. You were happy when that jaemin lived so far away in those moments if not you were sure he would have died either from you or jeno. It was one of the rare things you two agreed on. 

“So… what movie do you wanna watch?” you posed the question, not expecting much of an answer apart from maybe a shrug or a complaint on why were the two of you doing this again. 

 “Ummm, are you good with avatar? I haven’t watched it in a while and the sequel is supposed to come out” the suggestion left you gaping at him, eyes wide at the fact he had directed more than five words to you.

“Hold up” the awe in your voice was very much present which caused jeno to turn around and look at you, “did you just actually give me a sentence?” you couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on your lips and it only grows when you see jeno, biting his lip a small attempt to stop his smile from showing. 

“And…” you move closer to him, sitting in front of him one hand pointing slightly at his lips, “are you smiling?” you can’t help the laughter that leaves your lips, and soon jeno has joined you. Though he stops quickly the moment you see him looking at you, a genuine smile on his face. 

“Whatever. Just play the movie” he grunts, shifting his boy to face the tv and hugging your cat next to him. If it weren’t for the fact that you were almost sure you’re cat loved jeno more than he loved you, even if jeno was allergic to them you would have tried to rob him back. But this was the most you’d gotten out of jeno and you sure as hell wasn’t about to ruin it.  

“I’m on it, i’m on it” you mumble, as you search through your disney+ account expecting to find the last few shows and movies you’d been binge-watching cars a childhood favorite of yours right at the top and avatar which at this point you almost thought you watched religiously right next to it. The moment the screen showed Cars, you heard a cough from beside you. Your glare on jeno made him look at you slightly eyes narrowing before he chuckled, rolling his eyes. 

“Why is Cars on here?” the question seemed to mock you and you only smiled. 

“Nostalgia. Why?” the movie brought up the fun and happy memories from when you were younger, you had watched it so many times the dvd had broken. 

“So it’s not because it’s just a bad movie and you wanted to make fun of it?” and just like that, you’re ready to fight jeno, even if the way his hair fell slightly across his eyes from not being cut in months, and the way is he moved just slightly you could see the muscles shift from beneath his white shirt. 

“Are you mocking Cars?” 

“Maybe. It has no emotional value” is his response, followed by a shrug as he turns again to face the tv eyes darting from the tv to you from his side-eye. Oh that’s it. You think bitterly before grabbing the pillow behind you and hitting jeno full face, your power yell leaving your lips. The thud the pillow makes as it collides with jeno’s face and the yelp that leaves his lips and you smile. 

“The fuck was that for?” he’s looking at you again, arms crossed against his chest, your cat no longer in sight.

“Because you” the emphasis on the word is caused by another hit in the shoulder, “have the emotional capacity of a brick.” jeno’s face is the only answer you need before you settle back into the couch, a proud grin adorning your face, until you are pulled by the waist a shriek leaving your lips. In some way you can’t fully understand you are now sitting on jeno’s lap, his face only centimeters from yours, and you can see the light specks of gold that swirl in his dark eyes. 

“No” the word is a whisper, and he moves closer to you, “i” you can feel his hands on your waist holding you in place “don’t” the movement is too fast for you too process but one moment your breaths are mixing and a noise you can’t place is in the background, and the next he’s kissing you. 

kissing jeno like everything related to jeno is nothing like you expected but everything you wanted. It’s slow and warm, and your hands come up behind his neck playing with the loose strands of hair. Kissing jeno is a new feeling, a way of conveying emotions when words between you two have always failed, and maybe just maybe it’s a confession because when you pull apart foreheads touching each other love-struck smiles on both of your faces you realize jeno isn’t that bad. 

“See?” a small peck to the lips, “my emotional capacity is beyond your reach” a grin replaces the small smile, “and i like you” another kiss, this time to the corner of your mouth and you thank the dark lights in the room from hiding the warmth from your cheeks. A small hmmm leaves your lips in response before you kiss him again, “i guess i like you too”

[bnha-mha-imagines]

Uhm, can i have a little story where the reader is an exchange student from america and misses home, so she's up late one night cooking some american food bc she misses home and like cries while eating it but todo or kiri find them and help them feel better? I'm sorry if i worded this weird, I'm still a little new to requesting things. thank you! ˶⚈Ɛ⚈˵

Haha, don’t worry, it wasn’t weird! I picked Todoroki, hopefully this fits what you wanted! :)

Todoroki x Reader

Word Count: 2283

Warnings: Verrry light angst, author being stupid with how Japanese schools work, fluff at the end, potentially ooc Todoroki? Ugh im inexperienced with him

Summary: (Y/n) is a foreign U.S. student at UA. One night she feels very homesick while making nostalgic American food, and Todoroki finds her crying…

UA was elite, and served not only as a distinguished school in Japan, but also on a global scale. When you sent in your application, you had little hope of moving on to the written and practical exam portion, especially with you being from America. So imagine your surprise when you actually received a letter in the mail informing you that you had been invited to Japan, expenses paid on top of that! 

Within a week, you and your parents rushed to pack your things into three suitcases and sent you over to Japan on a flight across the Pacific ocean. The whole experience filled you with a mixture of emotions. Of course you were ecstatic to have a chance at attending UA! Surely this was the best school to get you ahead on your hero career. But you couldn't deny the fear that this news struck within you. 

It was your first time flying alone, and to a foreign country at that. You were leaving your entire life behind in America without much time to say goodbye to your friends and family. While you could speak Japanese, you were far from fluent by native standards. And, on top of all that, you still had to check into your hotel and take the exams before you were actually admitted into UA. What if you had come all this way just to be sent back? 

By the time you arrive in Japan and retrieve your bags from the baggage claim, it was already 1 in the morning. Exhausted, you waited at the pick up line, looking for the person from UA who should be waiting for you. Eyes tired and heavy, you saw a tall man with spiky blond hair holding a sign with your name on it. He was quite the character, and feeling intimidated, you hesitantly introduce yourself with your amateur Japanese. 

The man, who introduced himself as one of the teachers at UA and pro-hero Present Mic, was actually very friendly! Despite how weary you felt, you forced a smile, hoping everyone here was as nice as he was. Once you were settled into your hotel, Mic informed you to rest well, for the exams were early the next morning! Leaving you to your room, you leapt into the bed the moment he closed the door.

Without even bothering to change out of your clothes, you fell asleep within seconds, but not before setting an alarm for 7am. As you slept, you weren’t aware that within the next 24 hours you would not only be admitted into the UA hero program, but in the top 1-A hero class.

After two weeks into school, you learned a number of things. First, that being from America instantly made you a class celebrity. Every student in class already knew you the moment you first entered the room, and you were unprepared for how many questions you were bombarded with. Though overwhelming, you had to admit that it was a good ice-breaker for making friends!

Second, not every teacher was as kind as Present Mic. Mr. Aizawa was border-line sadistic, and on top of that you got off to a rocky start. Who would have known your newfound fame would also have Aizawa target you for being a distraction. Unfortunately for you, you had to work two times as hard to prove to him you were serious about your education.

Third, life in Japan was significantly different from America. It was a huge culture shock, and you struggled with the social differences between both countries. Despite your frequent mistakes, your classmates were very forgiving, and gave you helpful tips on how to act appropriately in Japan. Though, you found yourself in quite a few embarrassing situations…

Despite the difficulties, you wore a large smile as time went on. You could feel yourself growing stronger and adapting to life here. You became fast friends with your classmates, especially with Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida. Uraraka even took you under her wing and helped improve your Japanese! Eventually people began to no longer associate you with America. Instead of ‘the American’, they viewed you as they did any other hardworking classmate. 

Even Todoroki, who initially deemed you a distraction, had opened up to you. Much to your surprise, he was actually rather fun to be around despite his cool and intimidating exterior. After Midoriya had introduced you both, you found it much easier to talk to him. Soon your mutual admiration had morphed into a friendship, and you really appreciated his company. While he never showed much interest in where you came from, you appreciated it. It made you feel less like an oddity, like you belonged here. 

By the time the first semester finals arrived, life in Japan had become routine and normal. Of course you missed some things about home in America, but you were always having so much fun and were so busy that you rarely had time to feel down about it! At least...that’s what you thought. 

At night, when you were alone with your own thoughts, you couldn’t ignore the waves of home-sickness that overwhelmed you. Sure you had made friends; you would even say Todoroki and Uraraka had become your best friends. But, you still felt hollow when you remembered all of the people you had left behind. The food, the weather, the brands… everything was different from what you were used to, and you find yourself missing things as little as a can of coke or some good ol’ Kraft mac n’ cheese. 

During one of your bi-weekly phone calls, you relayed to your mom that you were beginning to miss home. As much as you loved everyone here, it was hard to talk to them about home when they could never really understand where you were coming from. Your mother, however, understood completely. The moment you told her you were homesick, she sent you a small care package in the mail of all of your favorite things! It was packed to the brim with American foods and snacks, and your mouth watered just looking at them all!

You pushed the box under your bed, afraid that your friends may try to steal some of them when you clearly needed it more than them. Your supplies were limited after all. It didn’t hurt what they didn’t know!

Now, during the nights when you feel homesick and lonely, you would pop out one of your American snacks. You would close your eyes and imagine you were back home in the states, and for a little bit you would feel better...before you had to open your eyes again and clean up the empty trash. 

It was on one of these nights that you decided to make some Kraft mac n’ cheese. You had been saving the box for a particularly hard night, and this one...this one took the cake. Aizawa had put you all through one of the most excruciating training sessions of the month, and on top of that you hadn’t done so hot on one of your quizzes. By now it was too late to call your mom for comfort, and you felt very, very alone. 

You were tired, but you couldn’t sleep. So, grabbing the box of Kraft, you quietly snuck out from your dorm to the common room so you could make your food. The common room usually buzzed with activity, but now with most people retired to their rooms, it was quiet. You leaned on the counter, watching the pot for the water to boil. 

Time seemed to slow as you absent-mindedly drained the noodles. The moment you ripped open the cheese pouch and got a whiff of that smell, you felt your lip tremble a little. You felt awful. 

Making yourself a bowl, you sat down at the table and stared into the food you had made. Your mouth watered as you lifted a spoonful to your mouth, closing your eyes as you ate. Like those many nights before, you tried to imagine you were sitting at your kitchen table back home in America...but you couldn’t escape. 

When you opened your eyes your vision was blurred with tears. Sniffling, you forced another spoonful into your mouth desperately hoping it could fill the void in your stomach. It didn’t. Setting the spoon back into the bowl, you rubbed your eyes with your sleeve, little sobs retching out of you. All this time you had refused to cry. All this time you had refused to show anyone how lonely you were. Finally, months of repressed emotion came pouring out.

Overwhelmed, you almost didn’t hear the voice from behind you. “(Y/n)?” You couldn’t respond, trying to quiet your sobs as the person approached you. Looking up, you saw Todoroki take a seat in front of you, concern written all over his usually emotionless face. Your tear-stained face felt hot with embarrassment. You had hoped everyone was asleep by now, but here you were, caught, sobbing over your food. You tried to hide your face, feeling pathetic.  

“(Y/n),” Todoroki said more firmly, placing his hands on your forearms to reveal your face. Forced to look him in the eye, you felt your body shake and you laughed pitifully.

“I’m pathetic aren’t I?” you asked him, your voice congested with tears. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this,” you cried. Todoroki didn’t speak for a moment, his eyes piercing. 

With his hands still holding you gently, he asked you in a very serious tone. “Did someone hurt you?” You were already shaking your head, sniffling. He left out a relieved sigh, his eyes softening immensely as he looked at you. “Why are you so distraught?”

Again, you felt yourself laugh sadly. “It’s stupid, it’s…” Todorki shook his head at this, causing your lip to tremble as more tears spilled from your eyes. “I-I just really miss everything. My home, my family,” you looked as your bowl of still steaming mac and cheese, “the food…everything.” Surprising you, Todoroki lifted a hand to gently brush away a stray tear. Never since you met him had he been so tender with you.

“You’re homesick,” he mumbled more to himself than you. Hearing it aloud was enough to send tremors through you, another wave of emotion overtaking you. Letting you cry it out, you felt his hand take and squeeze your own. The pressure was reassuring. As you finished, you heard him speak softly to you. “Tell me about it.” 

You blinked, a surprised look crossing your teary eyes. “About America?” Ever since you met, Todoroki had never expressed interest in the United States. That was one of the reasons you liked hanging out with him at first. Seeing him ask about it now was unexpected to say the least. 

Todoroki shook his head. “Not about America, about your home.” You blinked. His request was so much different than everyone else’s. People were usually only interested in the school system, or the politics, or the culture. His eyes were so serious, you couldn’t help but feel a little flattered that he actually wanted to hear about your past. 

You sniffed, wiping your eyes. “Well,” you began, “I had this one friend…” you began to tell him about your past-life, from your friendships, to your family, to your favorite places to go in your home-town. It was the first time you had spoken about it to anyone at UA, and seeing how intently Todoroki listened to you made you feel as if every word you said was important. The whole while you spoke his hands encased yours, letting you know in a tangible language that he was there. You talked until your voice ran dry and your food was cold. 

You finished talking, and your eyes felt heavy. You were exhausted from crying, and by now it was very late. Todoroki was already helping you to your feet when you yawned. “I’ll clean this up for you,” he said, looking into your face. “You should get to bed. Can you walk?” 

You felt your heart flutter at his concern for you. “Yes,” you said, voice tired. Todoroki looked at you for a few seconds before shaking his head, unconvinced. Silently, he reached out and lifted you into his arms effortlessly. Feeling heat rise to your face, you went silent, wrapping your arms around him to better balance yourself. 

As if you were as light as a feather, he carried you back to your dorm, using one hand to carefully open your door without dropping you. Once he made it to the side of your bed, he gently sat you down. “I’m going to go clean up,” he spoke, his eyes running over your form. “Will you be alright on your own?” You nodded, still flustered from your ride.

Todoroki seemed assured, turning to leave. In a moment of panic, you reached out and grabbed his wrist. “W-Wait,” you began, eyes wide as he pauses to look back at you. “Thank you...for staying up with me and for listening.” You looked down, shy. Feeling a slight pressure on your forehead, you glance back up to see Todoroki pulling away.

“You’re welcome, (Y/n),” he said softly, a fond look in his eyes. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow. For now you should get some rest. Sweet dreams.” Quietly, he left the room and shut the door, leaving you wondering if he had even been there at all. 

Rolling over in your bed, you felt a fuzzy feeling in your chest as you remembered how he kissed your forehead just a minute ago. Suddenly, you didn’t feel quite so alone. 

[godrics]

NCT DREAM BEYOND LIVE CONCERT!RORY

gif made by x

NCT DREAM BEYOND LIVE CONCERT!RORY

UNDER READ MORE  (bc it’s actually really long now that im on tumblr)

okay so the concert started with the vcr/video from the dream show ..

rory's little scene was her as a teacher !!! so cute

OOH and then the transition into her into her teacher clothes into a suit .. thats my girl

her hair is still like this. much more vibrant than it was because she redyed it oops

first song was GO!! change ur ways

she was wearing this [ black cargo pants, a black crop top, belt, along with chains lmao idk how to describe. oh and black boots ] for go, drippin', we go up, and stronger performances!

it was kind of awkward at first but then she saw nctzens' faces so she was happy

"to the world, this is the nct! we are nct dream”

she clapped excitedly, jumping up and down

"beyond the dream show~"

when haechan asked the time where the fans were, she read the comments, squinting funnily at the screen before gasping

"one of the czennies said it was 3am!"

the other boys gasped in shock before clapping slightly

"thank you for watching us even though it's 3am!" rory said to the fans. "but go to bed as soon as this is over~ or whenever you're feeling tired, that's okay too!"

"for our global fans, we prepared something special, right?" haechan said and rory nodded, smiling

"so we prepared our greeting in various languages"

rory's greeting was in french! fans went crazy bc she sounded SO good and her pronounciation was good too

after that she says, "renjun took english from me" in english and playfully glared at the older boy who laughed.

she turned to the fans and said, "but um, wendy-unnie taught me that so .. if it sounds bad it's all her fault." she claps as the other boys laugh

when they were talking about how they felt, rory said "i watched superm and wayv's concerts so i was excited because i knew we'd hear from the fans just like they were here with us in person. they were really loud, too" and laughs

when renjun told them to scream, she hit him lightly and said "yah, don't you remember what i just said? some fans it's 3am there!"

"oh dont scream then," renjun laughed, making her laugh before she went back to waving at the fans as they waved their lightsticks

when the fans appeared behind them, her eyes widened and she immediately ran to the screen, waving in all directions

she noticed when she got close to a fan's screen, they'd start waving their hand/lighstick even harder and it made her laugh

"rory, come back!" jaemin laughed, tugging her with him back to where the other 5 were

"wow, pretty grass" rory mocked mark as she stared at the lightsticks where the audience were supposed to be and on the screens

haechan had to hide a laugh

then there was we go up performance

woo fun

then stronger! she loves that song is2g

okay for the next vcr

she was in a school uniform standing in between jeno and jaemin

"you guys suck," rory laughed, watching the boys try to succeed

when renjun comes over and succeeds in under one minute and one hand, she gasped in shock lightly before watching him walk away coolly and put his head back down on the desk

jaemin nudged her as she laughed, "you guys are just losers!"

and then it ends on her walking over to renjun and bending down to face him and tapping him on the shoulder

he jumps from how close she is and she laughs, grinning at him, "that was cool" before going back over to the boys and he watches her

next video of the vcr oo

she gets hit in the head by the basketball(she's after chenle) and luckily saves it before it falls to the ground and throws it towards the basket, renjun jumping up to hit it in

why is she always getting hit in the head rip rory's head

next performance is dunk shot!!!

she hated the outfits tho jfc

she was wearing white loose shorts that ended midthigh and a pink button up over a white t-shirt

yeah super plain im so sorry rory that the stylists did you dirty like that

(to be fair the boys looked bad too like what was that matching .. there was NONE)

NEXT IS CHEWING GUM!!

AND THERE WERE HOVERBOARDS

SHE MISSED THE HOVERBOARDS SO MUCH

she hyped up jisung so loud during his solo dance

and had a huge ass smile on her face during it

she was in the middle of renjun and chenle at the bottom

AND THEY LEFT A SPACE FOR MARK IN BETWEEN JAEMIN AND JISUNG SHE ALMOST CRIED

"i think chenle changed the most" rory laughed, talking about the difference from now and almost four years ago when they debuted

"you changed a lot, too" chenle poked her and she huffed out a laugh, choosing not to respond to him and shook her head

when it was time for the interactions, she had to hide her wince because since she watched wayv and superm's, she was worried about how it would go because some fans' wifi connections were bad(so were sm's but anyways--)

oh luckily the first fan spoke korean !!

"hi!" she waved excitedly at the fan

when the fan said her name, she quietly repeated it to herself but it was still heard from the mic

"there's a song called 7 days in your album. what do you guys mean to each other?"

rory's mouth went dry at that question as she rubbed her hands together, looking at the boys silently as they ahhed and oohed

she smiled slightly as she saw how big their smiles got at the question

chenle said that the members were his family. they're literally siblings

she laughed at that

hyuck said that the members were apart of himself and that he grew up with all of them

jisung said bc they're older than him, they're like his younger siblings

rory had to look away in order to not laugh at his answer LMFAO

she couldnt contain how big her smile got when jaemin said that he couldn't live without them

she literally almost cried from tears of laughter from jeno's answer "onion"

renjun said that the members are youth to him

and him bringing up the stupid bottle to his face . i s2g she quickly yanked that from him so quick while laughing

and then finally it was her turn

"um, thank you for the question, siyoung!" she clapped slightly before continuing. "to me, the members are .. my childhood" she nodded slightly as she spoke. "we all grew up together so each of them have a piece of my childhood that i dont want to leave"

renjun pulls her into a side hug as jeno says "cute~"

wolfies(rory's stans) cried

when the fan said she'd stick with nct dream seven days a week, she laughed from the sudden overwhelming feeling at her words and bowed towards the fan, keeping her eyes to the ground so the camera wouldn't catch her teary eyes

too bad the camera did once she looked back up

"nct dream have 8 members--" when haechan said that, rory smiled big and nodded her head

"infinity" rory cheered, the members following behind

the next caller was up!

"ooh, poland" rory smiled

the fans question was "what are your biggest dreams" which she translated for them

rory's answer was "i have no doubt that nct dream will stay together forever so ... i my biggest dream is nctzens staying with us forever. even when we all grow up and have our own lives, i hope nctzens will some day think of nct dream and smile"

jaemin literally walked over and pinched her cheek, cooing at how cute she was

rory rolled her eyes playfully but let him

ah yes to this day he's still the only one she'll allow to give her skinship in public

rip other boys

she felt so sad when the third caller's connection was bad

"ah ... difficult technicalities"

she put a thumbs down

anyways next was don't need your love!!!

she LOVES this song so much guys its unreal

her place at the start is right in between renjun and jisung again lmao

shes leaning against chenle and jaemin

she loves hearing the boys' english btw

also in this version she has more lines but im not gonna tell which ones that's too much work

and next is we young!!

watching the part when they take a pic .. made me cry so it made rory very nostalgic

rory's wearing a professional suit but like . with a skirt i forgot what its called rip

she's standing in between hyuck and jeno

when jaemin laughs she laughs

she has that pic in her phone case btw

along with an ot8 pic

when they're talking abt the 50 years later OO im gonna . cry again

"so we can see how we change"

"um, we're gonna look older" rory laughed

btw grandma rory literally still looks good as hell sorry i dont make the rules

rory: "chenle would look like steve jobs but like .. chinese"

chenle was so offended bye

rory: "jisung if you grow a mustache i will never forgive you"

"wHY DOES IT MATTER?????"

"bc you'd look stupid i cant be seen with someone looking stupid"

the other pic where renjun jumps .. her face is literally so genuinely shocked in that pic LMAO she didnt expect that

NEXT IS BEST FRIENDS OH MY GODD I LOVED IT SO DID SHE

SHE JUST WISHED MARK WAS THERE .. AND HE KINDA WAS

btw she was wearing a black blazer but it was shorter .. and another black skirt with a white crop top underneath rip

OKAY HYERI MADE NCTZENS CRY SO HARD

so theyre uneven rn right?

so instead of her being a third wheel(not really)

when it's her part, she's backstage and as she's doing her part, she reached into an open closet and .. pulls out a cutout board of mark :((

yeah she cried too when she thought of it and luckily sm let her!!

at the end of her part towards the end of the song, she smiles and says, "right, mark-oppa?" and forms half a heart up to the camera

(taeyong later sends her a video of mark reacting to her parts and when she does the heart he puts half a heart up next to hers <3)

next is candle light! they dont really have a choreo to this one either

anyway candle light wouldnt have been her first choice bc she'd prefer to perform dear dream .. BUT ANYWAY

next is PUZZLE PIECE and 7 DAYS!!

the camera catches her and jisung doing their little handshake . so cute

she then hugs chenle so he wouldnt feel left out

end posing of puzzle piece, she's in between chenle and jisung AGAIN SLDJDJL

they form a heart with her doing the bottom and chenle and jisung doing the top/sides

when they read the comments after performing jeno reads one that says "rory is so talented, her vocals are so good"

and then hyuck read "rory's parts in best friends was so cute"

she blushes so cute

when they talk abt the album

rory says in english, "thank you for supporting us and we hope you guys enjoyed listening to the album as much as we enjoyed making it .. think of it as our gift to you for always loving us!!" cute baby. and then gives a little finger heart

special guest is mark, jungwoo, and doyoung!!

she expected mark but was surprised about jungwoo and doyoung

she couldnt stop smiling the whole time because literally all she had to do was see 127 and smile immediately like they dont even got to do anything

the technical difficulties .. rory said in english again "i think you need to get your wifi checked, mark"

"no mark-oppa?" he teased and she laughed

when they were complimenting them, jungwoo said that mark really enjoyed rory's parts in best friends and she full out giggled from nervousness, blushing from embarrassment

doyoung complimented her vocals and rap and shes never been so proud of herself

compliments from 127? her greatest achievement

jungwoo then said she was so cute wow more blushing

she found the challenge boring and wouldve preferred if 127 picked the damn challenge themselves bc then it wouldve been funnier and more fun but alas .. sm >:(

she picked puzzle piece tho

THE FUCKING NEXT VCR .. so emotional when she watched over it

she literally just watched her and her friends grow up in literal seconds

there's a clip of her from chewing gum on mark's back while he's riding the hoverboard

.. also somehow they got a clip of her hugging jaemin when he came back sigh

emotional manipulation!! she was kinda pissed that was in there bc it was supposed to be private but what can she do .. it's sm

there's a video of her chasing jeno during we young era while on the mv set

and another one of renjun literally dragging her on the ground because she wouldnt let go of his legs in mfal era

in mfal era she's seen running over chenle when he's out of their little cars

its funny he almost fell if jeno didnt catch him LMAO

but its ok dont fret he was in the grass

mfal era where hyuck tries to make a basket but fails and she steals the ball from him and makes it in .. he pouted FOREVER after that

the video of them in chewing gum era and then goes to ridin' era ..

her clip is her smiling shyly at the camera WITH HER CUTE PIGTAILS OH MYGODDD SO SOFT SO BABY

and then it goes to her in ridin' era with her leaning against the car and a lollipop in her mouth, staring dead straight at the camera somehow intimidatingly

n then ofc the music changes and the videos go more recent

theres clips of her behind the scenes in we young, go, dnyl, and boom

also some of her at that dream show concert

the ridin' stage was prerecorded but anyway she's wearing the same outfit she does in the mv

she saw a clip of the car cg and she yelled at the members jokingly saying it almost ran her over

wearing same outfit for quiet down which was live

they had one more song after :( she was really sad and she made sure nctzens knew that

"i wish we could perform more songs for you guys but .. only one more :(" and then sighed really loudly

"i wish you guys were here in person as well but your health is way more important and until then .. well, hopefully we can see each other again in the future! i miss seeing all your pretty faces" she then pouted as the other members oohed loudly and she laughed

after the other members continue she then reminds them all to "wash their hands and wear their masks over their noses if they have to go out"

when renjun says bonjour her eyes widen and she says "wow, so you stole my english and now my french?" she jokingly raises her hand to hit him but all he does is laughs and grabs her hand to 'stop her'

last is boom!

they shouldve performed dear dream or mfal but i guess booms good too not like they havent had to hear that song for 9 months

anyways

at the end she sneakily gives the camera a finger heart

[thesnottedbrat]

The Difference

K-wave became more trending globally these years (thanks BTS), another culture also raise to the surface in reading section (manhwa and novel). Korean manhwa and novel popularity are quite significant these recent years, to the point the author and published take a legal action to protect their babies from ilegal translation. Hence, right know, we’re in the middle of their purgatory.

Back then, i dont really read manhwa diligently, but i know some people already fangirling about it. I was a devoted believer of manga, heck, my reading list was full of it. Fast forward, my hot list mangas been hiatus or the scans team being MIA (due lacking translator/staffs) or simply we waiting for the next chapter coming up which takes weeks/months (you know, some mangas published weekly, monthly or bimonthly, but some of them are publish every 4months! yeah right, talk about forever).

Out of boredom, i give several manhwas a try (its been on roll for months and many people in forum talked about it, so lets give it a try), and im hooked. 

I remember the first manhwa i read was a BL manhwa with silver hair guy with a super power as the ML (forgot its name), and the MC is his childhood friend with black hair. The artysyle totaly catching my eyes fast. Its colorful but i have a slight difficulties with how to read.

You know, manga are black and white page (ofc there’s one with colors as well), and 1 page are contained (normally) with 3-6 panels, and you read it from right to the left. But with manhwa you have to do the opposite. Its a long strip comics with lots of white area, and you read it from left to the right.

Im also check several manhua out there. My first manhuwa is 10 years where i loved you the most. DAMN MAN! i love this manhua so freaking much!! i even read the novel!!! totally a tear jerker!!!

And ever since, i imersing myself to read more manhwa and manhua (but not much) LOL. 

And i give the novels a reading too. But after some time, i found a patterns. 

This writing is based on my personal opinions, so no hard feelings, ok?

My preferences are:

something with heavy-twisted theme (but not too dark nor gorey)

easy fluffy romance is okay too

picky with omegaverse things (cus yk...)

family theme is okay (i loved it actually, as long as its not too childish)

comedy is fine, but too much are down for me

regular shounen/shoujo theme is acceptable

something full with angst/sad kind of thing is my fave!

war and strategy things are okay too

mysteries, detective/police theme is fine

supernatural stuffs is good once a while

Well i guess, my preference is okay, I mean, i dont like things that too complicated or too cheesy. It just blow the entire plot.

Im also fine where the MC is died, i mean, several stories are meant to do so (imo). We cant be perfect all the time, even fictional stories need some real life situation hard. I think this kind of ending is beautiful and more humane.

Korean Novel

Blame me for my limited reading list. But from what i read so far, the only novel i liked was Trash of the Count Family. Most of k-novel i read, were, how do i say this.. they’re just okay? 

Plot wise, i see no difference one from another, and i want more conflict happened. Maybe the author and published targeted the young audience, so i cant really blame them. 

But, from what i know, Shadow Queen had good characters conflict and the characters also develop by their own pace (quite slow, but i guess its the way supposed to be).

But come to think of it, i never found BL novel? Letme check on it again.

Korean Manhwa

Most of the artystle are cute and nice, but thats it. Most of published (popular) manwha in girls sections were novel based (adaptation), its a common things and sometimes they differentiate from the original plot. Meanwhile the BL sections apparently were original (not adaptation). 

I dont know why but instead cultivated more artists to make novel adaptation, why dont asked them to create their own story? I think its more interesting that way and to make more vast genre available out there.

Plus thing : they published it weekly, with hiatus schedule for several months and continue the next chapter (repeat). Needless to say, they can finished a book/projects fast.

Japan Novel

Well, i have a love-hate relationship with this. Most of them able to portray the deep of characters emotions well, and the plot development was. But what i hated is sometimes (or mostly?) they spinning in the wheels and using the same words for god knows many times. 

Japan Manga

Allright, old artifacts, who doesnt read this stuffs? Do i have to write it down?

My first book story, ever. And i still read it till now. The most vast collection out there, and the most easy to obtain book. Not every manga are colorful (they printed the colorfull ver as a limited edition/collection edition), they printed it in bw to reduce the production cost.

Manga is the opposite of manhwa in terms of creating stories. The mangka works as a story teller as well as the artist. Not everyone tho, but most of them. 

What i hate: their published date! URGH. As i stated previously, their published date is sucks! several publisher have different release schedule. Some of them published weekly, monthly or bimonthly. I can wait for it. For some of them publiisedh every 4months! 4 months for 1 chapter!! So it means, you only have 4 chapters A YEAR!! Emerald sucks!

I dont even bother to keep tabs with Super Lovers or Sekaiichi Hatsukoi.

Chinese Novel

imo, the only worth reading is their BL novel. If i were you, dont even bother to read other novels, it was just a long series of  cheap soap drama with evil cycle. Sooooo fed up i cant even say anything. Ok, maybe not everything,  To Be A Virtuous Wife is a good read, or my all time fave 10 Years When I Loved You The Most (BL), or every MXTX works is superb! I recommend this very much!

But i have to admit, i loved how Ch author using a flowery language, thats what hooks me the most.

The common things are mentioned below:

daddy CEO with super smart genius kid and superb beauty wife

imortal heavenly being, mostly reincarnated

harem life turns one devoted lovers

rape and violence

like normal occurrences

genius hacker

unmatched beauty

The thing is, the MC is way too OP (either physically or mentally) which i dont like. So i dropped several stuffs.

Chinese Manhua

Plot wise, i dont really like it. I mean, they’re just okay, but its not drove me to the point where i have to catch up with it. But, i must say, their artstyle is quite charming. The authors have a tendecy to make their artystyle into painting like, idk but i got that vibe.

[mcgrathandwives]

Reunited.

Request: hmmm what about a Wanda one? Before the first snap reader was badly injuried and Wanda didn’t get to know if reader made it Wanda turned to dust during the snap? And they get reunited after the battle against Thanos army when the snap is reversed? Maybe Wanda couldn’t find reader at first so she was heartbroken thinking she didn’t make it but then they get reunited and a bit of fluff because we deserve it 😌

Word count: 3815ish- and a whole week of writing and rewriting to finally finish🙌🏻

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Warnings: !!!ENDGAME SPOILERS!!!, angst with a fluffy part to it.

Tags: @mahvericks

Disclaimer:

~*I DON'T OWN MARVEL OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!*

~i changed a few things in regards to the movie but THERE IS STILL SPOILERS~

-I WENT OVER THE TOP WITH THIS. IM SORRY.

-i haven't proof read it yet and will be asleep by the time it comes out. SORRY IN ADVANCE

Being out on the field always brought the chance of getting hurt. It doesn't matter where or who you're fighting, the chance of losing is always high. This time was no different.

The only level in the playing field was nobody knew their enemy.

You'd been training your entire career for this moment, not that you planned on spending your possible last days fighting off aliens, threatening to destroy the universe but every job has a madman and this job was never short of them.

Sam's voice broke through the coms. "We have a Vision situation." Everyone tried to break from the fight to help him but there was just so many to fight off. Natasha was by your side instantly, Wanda and Okoye were quick to follow, the four of you fighting off anything that so much as flinched in your direction.

It was successful, well as far as you could see but the risk of getting hurt still stood.

If you hadn't collapsed to your knees you would've insisted you were fine, but with your skin burning and your injury showing now sign of stopping, Wanda, your girlfriend grabbed you, pulling you into her side and retreating to the lab.

You lay in Shuri's lab. Wanda waited until she knew you were settled, you lost a drastic amount of blood, barely conscious, she leaned over to kiss your forehead. The fight outside caught her attention, Vision needed help, she couldn't do much for you other than wait, but the others needed her. She had to destroy the stone. Grasping your hand in hers, she promised to see you soon, after Shuri reassured her you were in safe hands.

Shuri, quickly got to work trying to stabilize your wounds.

There was one piece left to do.

Just one more strip of soaked bandage to cover your cut. You had regained consciousness not too long before.

"Here we go!" She placed her hands on your hot skin, to help steady you, as her other hand got to work laying the last bandage. You felt the pressure release quickly, opening your eyes to thank Shuri for her work, you were met with a scared look in her eyes.

"Tell my broth-" Before she could even finish the sentence she was turned to dust. Panic washed over you, Shuri and the guards were missing, not a soul in sight.

Once you made it to the battlefield you were met with Natasha and the others, you did everything you could to see if you could find your girlfriend but you couldn't place her anywhere. Not a sight of her red attire or her brown waves.

Nat walked over to you, defeat in her eyes. She placed an arm on your shoulder- you knew this move all too well, you had done it a million times before. Tears brimmed your eyes, threatening to fall. She never had to say anything the look on her face was enough.

"No!" You fell to the ground, Nat collapsed with you, holding you as you cried.

After a few days a global census was conducted, taking a record of those who were lost. Pictures of fallen Avengers flashed across the screen. Your heart broke with every photo, like Natasha, you joined the team with nothing other than the intention of making up, or at least trying to make up, for your past. Now? After years of spending everyday with these people, they’ve become the only family you’ve ever known, and now they’ve been ripped away from you.

Tony was still missing, Pepper said something about him being in space. She hasn't said much else apart from begging FRIDAY for updates but, nothing. Nobody could reach Barton, according to Rhodey the farm was empty and all of Barton's gear was missing. Not a single person knew what was going on, the world hard erupted into chaos and the Avengers were at a stand still.

Breaking off to do their own thing, everyone could be found scattered around the complex. Steve spent most of his time helping Pepper as best he could. It distracted him more than it helped her but they needed this.

Nat set out to find you. You’d barely spoke a word since you flew back from Wakanda. Choosing to confine yourself to the training room to release the anger you felt, or your bedroom to just cry.

She finally found you in your room, lost in your own world, starting at pictures of Wanda. There was no way she could be gone. She couldn’t just be wiped out of existence, that wasn’t the plan. It was never the deal.

You were used to feeling emotions, a few emotions at a time but not this. Not a block of emotions, crashing at you all at once.

“So are you going to try eating something? Or?”

“I’ll get something later.” The redhead’s eyes never left you. "What about some sleep?" She’s been trying for days to bring you back to reality, offering to train with you, crawling into bed beside you just so you knew someone was there, her efforts were always met with silence or a cold stare. Just like she was now.

She knew you were grateful for them. She did, but you were so focused on yourself that you hadn’t spared a thought to how she was dealing with any of this.

You drifted off at some point, you weren’t entirely sure when. It had been the only sleep you got since the snap, you woke up curled into Nat’s side. Fresh tear tracks stained your face, you were met with her soft green eyes. “Feel better?” You only hummed, still too tired to fully comprehend your surroundings. Having the assassin around wasn't the worst, you'd really taken to Natasha, having both come from similar backgrounds and fairly similar skillets. Truth be told she's like an older sister to you.

At first Wanda would get jealous of how close you were with Nat, she couldn't help it. There was certain things you both did together that nobody, not even Clint could be apart of. You both trained together, you went to Nat for advice, you went to her on your bad days. That was until you allowed your walls to come down with Wanda.

Nat watched with pride as yours and Wanda's relationship blossomed. She helped plan dates for you both, she always plays peacekeeper if either of you were arguing.

A rumbling came from outside, pulling everyone out of the complex. A glowing figure carried a ship, she turned to face everyone explaining she was Fury's backup and that she'd brought a few stragglers with her. As soon as the blue body, who you learned quickly was Nebula- a member of Rockets ragtag team, moved to the side, she revealed a fragile looking Tony. Relief washed over the remaining Avengers and Pepper, she finally said more than two words. Once Tony was stabilized, everyone stood around explaining the events of Thanos. The glowing, blonde- Carol, was game and geared to fight. Rhodey questioned her, but she had a certain stance that made you like her. She reminded you of Nat when you first met.

Tony took a turn for the worst, having to be sedated due to his weakened condition. Pepper stayed by his side whilst Nebula explained Thanos' plan. Everyone was more than ready to bring the fight to him, after what he did here, he deserved it. You had the upper hand in this situation. How could it possibly go wrong?

Sharing a look with Natasha, "Any chance to bring the others back." She nodded knowing your intentions. As you came up to the planet, Nebula called 'The Garden' you awaited further instruction from the others, Natasha watched you closely, worried your emotions would get in the way. Once given the all clear by Danvers, you set to work.

The steps to Thanos' hut were daunting to say the least, Carol, Nebula and Thor restrained him as Steve took a look around. Your eyes scanned the room, looking for any sign of the gauntlet, what you were met with was your heart shattering once again. Everyone's voices were muffled, all you could see was red. "The stones destroyed themselves." Echoed through your clouded thoughts.

'There's no way to bring her back.'

'Nothing can be done.'

'She's really gone.'

'She's….gone.'

So you threw yourself at the Titan, you knew nothing you could do would make him flinch but that's not the point. You can't bring Wanda back now, there's nothing left to fight for. It took Steve and Natasha to pull you away, struggling to hold you in their grasp. Before you broke free Thor, had already beheaded Thanos and for the second time in days, you collapsed to the floor with Nat by your side.

×××

Days turn to weeks, weeks turn to months and months turn to years.

Five to he exact. Five years since you last heard her voice.

Five years since you last held her hand, or kissed her forehead. Five years since you last showed her how much you love her. Five years of coming and going to the support groups Steve drags you along to. Five years since you move in and out of the complex, mostly staying around so Natasha won't get lonely.

In that time your scars had just about become invisible to the naked eye, it’s been nothing but a constant reminder of that day. The day you lost everything. Over the last five years, you developed a friendship with Danvers, welcoming her to the weird little makeshift family. Wanda always used to say your family was: 'never big but there was always room to grow'.

"I miss you." The silence of Wanda's empty room greeted you back. Muffled noises came from the room down the hall, you knew it was Nat, it had been a few weeks since you last saw her. Every time you leave you find yourself fighting to go further than the last but you never could. A part of you always stayed hopeful that one day, just one day, you'd be reunited with Wanda.

"I'll see you next week?" Natasha's voice carried several weights of emotion, all indicating that she was exhausted. Her posture sharing more of an indication that she had slept in that chair again. Monitors lined the room, the lines from Wakanda, Rockets ship, Rhodey and Danvers all open. As you walked into sight, Carol apologised once more for having to delay her return, the effects of the snap finally catching up to the other planets. The other all bid their goodbyes, Carol hung around a little, just to get a look at you. She'd missed you on her last visit and couldn't for the life of her get in contact with you. "Y/l/n!"

"Danvers. Be careful out there." Carol offered you a warm but short smile, "Always." With that she ended her call, leaving only Rhodey, with an update on Barton.

It took everything in you not to roll your eyes, it killed you knowing he was out there, somewhere, making a difference. It was a mess but it was still a difference. Natasha had you under lock and key for a year when you mentioned following in Clint's footsteps.

Both of you sat in a comfortable silence, this was your life now.

"Can you only make Peanut butter sandwiches?"

Her laugh followed suit quickly. She'd be lying if she said she had a stable diet these days. "What do you suggest we make instead Y/n?" Before you could answer Rogers, had appeared. Clearly just back from one of his groups, you never spoke to him, you barely acknowledged his presence with a hum.

Zoning out whenever Natasha and Steve got into the thick of it had become habit. Natasha was always playful and Steve, well Steve's always been by the book and by the book you mean his own. A flicker came across the screen, you thought you were seeing things. That can't be live.

The other two were slow to notice, "Guys! Scott Lang's at our front door!"

Lang had explained his situation, you tried to keep up but you couldn't. He spoke in what could only be described as broken science. He sounded like Tony and Bruce after six too many tequilas. You only caught certain parts of the conversation with your limited knowledge of science stuff- it was never really your thing. "Wait time travel?"

The four of you found yourself walking down the path to a familiar cabin. You snuck away from the complex to here far too many a time. Pepper always had the spare bedroom made up for you and place at the table. "Y/n!" Small arms wrapped around your legs and a smile broke across your face, "Hey kiddo." Tony's daughter was the only good thing to come out of the snap.

She was brilliant, just like her parents and she was cute, just like her mom. It's safe to say she's going to be a real heartbreaker. You excused yourself from the group offering Tony a side hug as you passed him, Morgan was already dragging you inside.

×××

You opted to stay with the Starks for the evening, your hopes were too high for this to go wrong. Overhearing Tony brought you a sense of both pain and comfort. The idea was far fetched, even you knew that but if there was ever going to be a human being on the earth that solved the theory of time travel it was Stony Stark. "I'm just curious Y/n." Before you retreated to your room, you turned to him "Just, please don't get my hopes up Stark."

You awoke to the sounds of Morgan banging on your door. Before you could make it down the last step, Tony had already thrown sweats at you. "Put them on we've got a mission."

"You mean." Shock took over your system, "You mean we have a chance?" The smile on Peppers face was enough of an answer for you.

Tony tried to explain it in during the car ride, he even dumbed it down but nothing made sense. "Basically because I said no, they'll go to Banner and he'll get it right but still be missing that one piece and that, Y/n, that one piece is right here in my pocket."

Once you both arrived you made a b line for Natasha. Who then made herself scarce to find Clint. The rest of the team were called in, suited and booted. Just waiting for the test run to be a success.

Barton walked through the door, he looked dark, almost drained. He offered to test out the devices and came back with enough evidence to full your fire.

The only challenge left was placing the correct time to collect the stones. You stayed behind, keeping an eye on controls. It was the longest minute of your life, you had no idea if it would work without any hiccups.

'Sixty seconds. That's all it takes.'

Biting your nails out of anxiousness, you waited. 'Thirty seconds.'

'Ten.'

'Five.'

'One.'

Everyone returned, a little dirty but all in one piece. Each of them carrying a stone and a smile. Part one of the mission finally complete.

The second part however was slightly more challenging. The guys argued over who should be the one holding the gauntlet.You took a minute to yourself, the reality of it finally hitting you.

This was it.

The chance you’ve hoped for, for the last five years. It’s here. Wanda could be home, the others, everything you lost could be back, just from a snap, they had decided on the one to wear the gauntlet would be Banner. Tony reached out signalling you to get behind him, Natasha and Clint at your sides. Nat’s hand found yours, giving it a tight squeeze as Bruce snapped his fingers.

You watched in horror as coloured veins ran across his arm and up his neck, he let out a cry. Squeezing Natasha’s hand harder.

Nothing had noticeably changed, well, Bruce has a few burns but they’ll heal, Clint followed Scott out of the lab, you waited anxiously for their return. “GUYS! I THINK IT WORKED!” Lang’s voice echoed throughout the complex. A cheer broke out within the group, Natasha pulled you into her. The moment, was quickly ruined when loud explosions rang in your ears, the ground sank from under you, pulling you under along with Natasha and everything went black.

×××

Your body was shaking, you felt a pressure on your arm and ribs and someone calling your name softly, it slowly got louder. “Y/n! Get up. We have to move, the compound’s been hit!” As your eyes opened, Natasha slowly came into view. “Wh-what happened?”

“We’ve been hit, Thanos is here. We need to move.” Grabbing your hand she pulled you up, quickly you dusted yourself off. A sharp pain shot up your leg, you quickly brushed it off. If Thanos was here again, you weren’t going to miss your shot at him, you’ve had five years to prepare for a threat like him again and this time you were ready. Nat lead the way, through the rubble, eventually you made your way to the surface.

Ruins surrounded you, smoke and fire could be seen in the distance, Steve’s body lay in heap. Thanos’s ship floated in the sky, whilst he stood about twenty feet away, staring at the destruction around him. Your face hardened as you reached for your batons, Steve stood up, his shield cracked. Sharing a look with you and Natasha, the three of you ready to take on the army. Your coms were muffled, but you could hear a distinct voice. “On your left.” A smile broke out on your face, it was Sam. Slowly golden, orange portals opened, the first to walk through was T’Challa, Shuri and Okoye. Within minutes, everyone appeared, Spiderman, the armies of Wakanda, Rocket’s crew, Asgardians, Pepper even flew in. The army surrounding you soon took over you line of sight, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t see Wanda anywhere. You weren’t sure what happened but it was enough to light a spark in you.

“AVENGERS!” His voice strong and loud, everyone got into their positions. “Assemble!” As soon as Steve took off running, you weren’t too far at his heels.

You had one sight in mind and it was Thanos. Taking out targets left, right and centre. He took her from you. So he was going to feel everything you had to throw at him. You didn’t care if you died trying. You had to get your hands on him. The battlefield was intense, bodies flew through the air and littered the ground. Every step you took was marked on the ground. As you inched closer a familiar red glow caught your eye. Wanda.

She stood face to face with the Titan, as you grew closer you could hear his armour crush and crack. He commanded his ship to start shooting up the field. Before you could try to reach Wanda, Thanos threw her backwards in your direction. She felt her body connect with something before feeling herself bounce off concrete. Quickly she rose up, brushing herself off. Turning to see who she hit, her eyes were met with your bruised face. "Wanda?" Your voice barely above a whisper. She just stared at you.

She's here. "Y/n? I couldn't see you, I thought- I thought I lost you?" Tears poured down your face as she threw herself on you, in a suffocating grip. Almost as if she didn't believe you were stood in front of her. Alive.

"Please tell me I'm not dreaming." She pulled away gently, resting her forehead against yours. Your hand reached up to caress her cheek, your thumb ghosting over her cheekbone, for the first time in five years she was In front of you. She leaned in, stopping half way, her eyes danced across your face, searching for any sign of discomfort. You leaned in, capturing her in a  soft kiss. It never lasted long, mostly because of the current battle taking place around you, but also partly because you couldn't wrap your head around her being there with you.

The fight lasted not too long after, with Peter's help and the rest of the women, the gauntlet fell into the hands of the one person we needed it to. Tony. He snapped his fingers and slowly Thanks and his army turned to dust. For the first time in five years you could stop and breathe, without feeling like you were suffocating. As everyone crowded around Tony. Making your way over to Wanda, her arms instantly finding your neck, she pulled you in for another kiss, her hands tangling in your hair, whilst yours roamed over her.

Tony was sent to Wakanda, courtesy of Dr Strange, where Bruce and Shuri quickly got to work along with some guided help from Strange himself. T'Challa welcomed everyone back to Wakanda for a well deserved break.

×××

You got hang out with the new Avengers and caught up with the others. Once things started to settle down, you excused yourself from the group. Both Nat and Carol shared a look, trying to work out who should follow you, but Wanda bet them to it. She found you staring out one of the windows. "Are you okay my love?" Her voice startled you. However you stayed silent, waiting for her to wrap her arms around your waist. Her head rested on your shoulder. You felt her squeeze you tighter. Neither of you spoke a word, just enjoying each others company. "I missed this." Tears began to well in your eyes. "I had no idea if we'd get you back. We tried everything for years, we never stopped." Wanda's hands slid down to your hips, turning you around to face her. Both of you crying. "I tried everything I could to get back to you my love."

For the first time in five years you allowed yourself to feel everything and just let it out. Crying into Wanda's shoulder and her in yours. After you dried your tears, she grabbed your hands, entwining your fingers, she leaned over, close enough for your noses to touch. "I love you Y/n." Freeing one of your hands you brought it up to cup her cheek, "I love you too Wanda." Just as you were leaning in to kiss your girlfriend, Carol and Natasha came bursting through the doors, wrecking your moment, before drunkenly apologizing and sneaking back through the doors. Wanda couldn't help herself from laughing at the pair. The only words she spoke were, "Somethinga never change." Before pulling you into a heated kiss.

[angrykpoprants]

Bts paved the way for kpop idc what anyone says no one cared about kpop until BTS

I beg to differ, maybe for the late 2010′s and performing at award shows but not for kpop as a whole. However, this is always going to be a topic that always going to be two sided. And I full on respect your opinion, because I can see where its coming from. 

I’ve always felt like kpop was just a sub genre like a lot of other music, while its not mainstream and US artist will always have the upperhand in their home country kpop has a large enough following in the US, its just like that time were J-rock and J-pop was huge… btw does anyone remember Puffy AmiYumi?

I think the reason as to why it really looks like they were the ones who paved the way for kpop is because of the social media and fandom culture we have now, from 2005-2014 social media culture wasn’t like what it is today, I’m not even talking about fan interaction either, because I feel like there was way more fan interaction on twitter from the B.A.P members. 

Lets see the timeline of kpop/korean artist making headlines in America 

2005

Rain made headlines for being the first ever Korean artist to perform outside of Asia. He was also the first Korean artist to perform in the US, and let alone do a 2 hour concert. It’s one of the biggest Korean concert that was held in NYC. It even featured Pi Diddy, Omarion, and JoJo Levesque. This was the initial foot print that the hallyu wave had outside of Asia 

2006

Rain made headlines for because Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, to that Stephen Colbert invited him on his show and they did a parody of Way to Avoid the sun. 

The year that MTV made a special channel on American TV soley for kpop called MTVk

2007

Rain also again gained more american attention for being listed in People’s most beautiful people in the world

2008 

Bi Rain and Joon Park both were in Speed Racer, that was a big achievement for Korean Singers… just simply being able to graze the big screen. Rain more so than Joon got a good amount of attention, he even got some American interviews 

2009

Rain and Lee Joon were in Ninja Assassin. Rain made major headlines for again not only being in an American movie but this time actually staring in the movie and about how much training he did just for the movie. 

This was also the same year Korean actor Lee Byun hyun had his US debut 

GD at the time also got some attention after the alleged plagiarism between Heartbreaker and Right Round when Flo Rida performed with him

Wonder Girls made their American debut 

Wonder Girls were the opening act for the Jonas Brothers making the Jonas brothers one of the first American artist to work with a kpop group

BoA’s eat you up was released and played everywhere 

2010

Rain again made American attention by not only being nominated for an American award show but also winning MTV’s Movie Awards Biggest Badass Star beating Angelina Jolie, Chris Pine, Channing Tatum, and Sam Worthington 

Will.I.Am started to work with 2ne1 

2011

Bigbang gain global attention and celebrity clout after being the first kpop group nominated, attending and winning Best Global act at the MTV EMA’s beating Britney Spears in the process 

2012

Fantastic Baby went viral, reaction videos were popping up left and right. Fantastic Baby even played in some stores and I believe some radio stations 

Fantastic Baby was featured Glee 

SNSD had their American debut 

Wonder Girls made a American movie and JYP was featured in it (i know.. its cheesy)

This is the year of B.A.P’s debut where their debut album made it into the the World Album Chart at number 10 which was extremely rare at the time considering they didn’t even have a kpop section yet. 

Bigbang was on the Grammy’s front page twice 

Bigbang’s Alive world tour was the only full on sold out Kpop concert at the time, selling out not only in NA but SA and Europe, and were forced to add extra dates because the demand was extremely high, not to mention celebrities were showing up left and right to their tour stops 

This year was also Psy’s year which did bring attention to kpop and YG ent… regardless if Gangnam Style is a joke or not

The first Kcon was created 

GD also got international attention by showing up at PFW12

2013

B.A.P and Psy were featured on Grammy’s “Best of 2012″ making B.A.P the only kpop group on that page 

B.A.P’s first world tour for their US dates sold out in about an hour

Little Mix decided to join in on the Hallyu wave by doing a Korean version of Wings 

Will and Jaden smith met up with YG fam and Jay Park which brought attention to kpop beings that Jay wrote a song for their movie 

Will.I.Am and 2ne1′s collab was released

Anna Kendrick also wanted to get in on the Hallyu wave action by meeting up with f(x)

B.A.P performed in time square generating so much attention 

The year that Billboard gave themselves a kpop section because of the major Hallyu wave giving credit to B.A.P, 2ne1, and Bigbang for helping that chart exists 

Justin Bieber asked GD to feature at his concert in Seoul and proceed to tweet and IG about him 

Paris Hilton talked about GD being her favorite Korean artist

Paris Hilton tweeted about hanging out with GD 

Barbara Palvin talked about GD 

Choi Siwon went to the Met Gala 

Super Junior was invited to Oxford to talk about how they helped start the hallyu wave and the kpop attention in the US 

2014

Skrilex released his song featuring CL and GD 

B.A.P did a nickelodeon shout out 

I think this was the year that Exo got a lot of American attention too, but im not sure because im not an Exo-L

GD got attention just for showing up at Coachella 

CL signed with School Boy 

I am the Best was featured in a microsoft commercial 

2015

Emma Stone professed her love for kpop on American TV 

Fantastic Baby was featured in the Pitch Perfect trailer 

I am the Best was featured in a microsoft commercial again

Hyukoh’s Come and Goes gained international attention

2016

Far East Movement worked with Chanyeol and Loco

Jaden Smith tweeted about GD being is inspiration

Baauer released a song featuring GD  

Lil Yachty did his Bigbang tribute and has been know to be a fanboy of bigbang for a while

Epik High was the first Kpop group to perform at Coachella 

CL performed on James Corden 

I am the Best was featured in a microsoft commercial again

Hello Bitches was in a T-Moble commercial 

GD got international attention for being chosen as Channels ambassador 

2017

President Obama talked about the Hallyu wave and gave credit to shinee 

Tablo, Rain, and Kim Taehee were invited to the Grammys 

Jaden Smith tweeted about GD’s album 

Jay Park signed with Roc Nation 

DNCE talked about wanting to work with GD 

GD got international attention for is world tour 

2018

I am the Best was featured in a Kia commercial 

Hyukoh’s Citizen Cane was chosen to be in the Animoji comercial 

Hyukoh x Beats by Dre

Hyukoh was interviewed by Beats1

Taeyang got international attention for just getting married 

I would go more into detail by just tweeting about kpop but thats too much work to look for, kpop is a fad and it comes and goes. I kind of like what Hyukoh said about the whole Hallyu Wave/BTS thing they said “I think it’s really interesting and it’s fun to watch. Because of it, I think in some aspects were are benefitting from it, that’s really great. But nothing is forever, there will be some point when K-pop won’t be as popular. But because we’re not K-pop, I hope we stay popular even when K-pop is not.“

BTS did not start the hallyu wave, nor did they pave they way. They were just the first to walk on that new path which then inspired more to do the same and they were the first to win fandom based awards.

No matter what this will always be a topic is where some OG and new kpop fans clash, so yes, BTS is helping the Hallyu wave but they didn’t create the fad. I think the real Hallyu wave starter is Rain

[jonathanbogart]

Magnitizdat: Soviet Aligned Pop and New Wave

Mix seven of seven. The previous mixes can be found here. The YouTube playlist for this mix can be found here. Below this paragraph is the tracklisting for this mix; below that are my notes on it. It’s been a gas.

Bravo, “Koshki”

Klaus Mitffoch, “Jezu jak się cieszę”

Spenót, “Szamba”

Tango, “Na šikmé ploše”

Forum, “Davayte sozvonimsya”

Urszula, “Wielki odlot”

Pankow, “Rock ‘n’ Roll im Stadtpark”

Florian din Transilvania, “Mă simt minunat”

Trick, “Elektronnoto kuche”

Dzeltenie Pastnieki, “Sliekutēva vaļasprieks”

Marika Gombitová, “Prekážky dní”

Grazhdanskaya Oborona, “Zoopark”

Gigi, “Divat a fontos”

Maanam, “Lucciola”

Silly, “Die Gräfin”

Kino, “Posledniy geroy”

Sfinx, “An după an”

Első Emelet, “Amerika”

Aya RL, “Skóra”

OK Band, “Žižkovská zeď”

Nastya, “Tatsu”

Magnitizdat: soviet aligned pop and new wave

In a just world, just about every nation represented here would get its own mix: Poland, Hungary, Czechia, and Russia, to name just the largest pop scenes, were (and are) too capacious to be summed up in the paltry handful of songs I’ve allotted them. But I’m already teetering on the furthest outside edge of my understanding. My grasp of Europe is comparable to Saul Steinberg’s legendary view from 9th Avenue: the further East of the Pyrenees I get the more featureless and notional everything is.

To make things more complicated, although the seven nations (at the time; now 13½) represented in this mix were formally Soviet-aligned in terms of foreign policy and general economic structure, they all pursued different approaches to cultural policy, and those policies changed radically over the decades, and even from year to year. At the beginning of the 1980s, the Soviet Union was perhaps the most officially censorious in terms of rejecting Western influence, whereas places like Poland, Hungary, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia were relatively open to current trends in Western European culture, especially following the Prague Spring of 1968. Then too, one of the necessary preconditions for good pop is money (which doesn’t necessarily mean pure capitalism: state-funded arts education and broadcast media, e.g., made British pop the envy of the world), and many of the Eastern Bloc nations, whether or not they were eager to support international-style pop, were among the poorest in Europe.

Still, life finds a way. Electronic music in particular was taken up enthusiastically by many Warsaw Pact composers in the 1970s, both as a technical challenge and as a path forward into a Communist musical future that owed nothing to the dead traditions of the West. Young musicians in Warsaw, Riga, and Leningrad got hold of contraband records or reel-to-reel tapes (called magnitizdat in Russian, in parallel with printed samizdat, according to Wikipedia) of new and innovative forms of rock and pop, imitated them, and added their own perspectives. And Eastern European nations held their own national and international versions of Eurovision, and broadcast local singers in a variety of traditions, both as light entertainment and as a way to reinforce cultural nationalism.

So although Eastern Bloc pop in the 1980s was often cheaper and perhaps chintzier (or at least dedicated to different notions of cool) than its Western counterparts, there was still plenty of it; but it was also unevenly distributed. My division below is less about population size or global importance (either today or historically) than about what would fit into a single mix. There are six Soviet songs (five Russian, one Latvian), four Polish, three Hungarian, two East German, two Czech, one Slovak, two Romanian, and one Bulgarian. Linguistically, it’s my most diverse mix by far, with six Slavic languages, one Germanic, one Uralic, and one Romance language represented (the runner-up, Melodier, had five Germanic languages and one Uralic). Google Translate is my everything.

All of them are great songs, and most of them are great records as well (we’ll get to the exception), although I doubt anyone actually living in Eastern Europe, either at the time or presently, would group together these precise performers in this way: some were defiantly underground, some boringly mainstream, and most somewhere in the middle.

Most of these mixes have taken 1981 and 1987 as the boundary years: while this one ends with a longish 1987 track as per tradition, the rest of the songs are mostly clustered between 1983 and 1985. Due to protectionist policies (both Eastern and Western), inefficiencies of resource allocation, and the slow-to-arrive effects of glasnost, the new wave (if that’s even a useful term to describe a shift towards 1980s-era modernity in the diverse Communist scenes) rolled over Eastern Europe several years after it had blanketed the West. My early investigations all centered on 1984, and further research still marks that as a pivotal year.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve fallen in love with. I hope you dig it too.

1. Bravo Koshki no label | Moscow, 1985

WIth all apologies to Long Island’s Stray Cats, Southern California’s Blasters, England’s Shakin’ Stevens, West Germany’s Ace Cats, and Barcelona’s Loquillo, the greatest rockabilly revival act of the 1980s was the Russian Браво (Bravo). Formed in 1983 by guitarist Evgeny Havtan, with singer Zhanna Aguzarova signing on later that year, they played 1950s rock and roll with a side order of 1960s ska, with lyrics simple and catchy enough to be universal but subversive enough to get them into trouble. “Кошки” (Cats) could be a children’s song: “Cats don’t look like people, cats are cats,” is the opening lyric. But when Aguzarova adds that cats don’t talk nonsense or care about bits of paper, that’s questionable, and when she launches into some of the most thrilling scatting ever heard in rock & roll it’s downright revolutionary. After the band had self-released their first recordings on magnetic tape, she was arrested for using forged identity papers in 1984, and didn’t release a proper record until 1987. She left the band in 1989 for a solo career, and is beloved throughout Russia as a sort of Lady Gaga avant la lettre, while Bravo under Havtan and a succession of singers has continued to plow their rockabilly furrow to slightly diminished success.

2. Klaus Mitffoch Jezu jak się cieszę Tonpress | Wrocław, 1983

One of the most important Polish new wave bands, Klaus Mitffoch combined punk energy, two-tone nimbleness, and post-punk solemnity in a compulsively listenable and sometimes danceable mix. Their first single, Jezu jak się cieszę (Jesus, I’m Happy; the name is an interjection rather than an address) is a mordant portrait of callow youth that doesn’t think past the next payday, fight, or fuck, and of the system that keeps them that way: the shouty chorus translates as “Get up and be busy and own things/I can’t really do it/I don’t really want to.” A Polish “I prefer not to,” it’s a critique of the capitalist contract which worked just as well as a critique of Communist expectations: the lack of real difference between the oppressiveness of East and West will be an ongoing theme.

3. Spenót Szamba Start | Budapest, 1983

Although I’ve been attaching the tag “new wave” to these mixes, one of the signature sounds of the US new wave has been entirely unrepresented: the beachy kitsch of the B-52’s. Until now. Spenót (Spinach) was a Budapest arts collective founded in the early 80s which only released one single on the rock imprint of the Hungarian state label: “Szamba” (Samba) b/w “Hová tűntek a szőke nőket” (Where Did the Blondes Go). Casio, bass, guitar, and disaffected vocals from Kriszta Berzsenyi (now a costumer in the Hungarian film industry) make for a minimal-funk tribute to proletarian hero Popeye, as the refrain “Everything’s perfectly fine, I’ve got spinach flowing in my veins” makes clear. A late entrance from a mariachi trumpet only adds to the delightful kitsch effect, and makes me grin ear to ear every time I listen.

4. Tango Na šikmé ploše Supraphon | Prague, 1984

Although the island-borrowed rhythms and frontman Miroslav Imrich’s vocal qualities in this early song are rather heavily reminiscent of the Police, in terms of cultural positioning Tango were rather closer to Madness: a ska-pop band that could be goofy or heartfelt depending on the song, and burrowed deep into Czech working-class cultural identity, in part thanks to their inventive and prolific videos. Their first single, “Na šikmé ploše” (On the Slope) is a heartfelt and rather poetic love song on skis. Even after Tango’s dissolution, Imrich has been a consistently popular singer and songwriter in the years since, his work, both solo and in collaboration, ranging from ballads to techno.

5. Forum Davayte sozvonimsya no label | Moscow, 1984

A Russian synthpop band who owed nothing to such English decadents as Human League or Depeche Mode, Форум was fronted by singer Viktor Saltykov, who had previously sung with rock band Manufactura, and anchored by synth wizard Alexander Morozov. The video for Давайте созвонимся (Let’s Call Each Other), from an early television appearance, has become a minor internet classic of kitschy Soviet aesthetics, but a google of the lyrics reveals as thoughtful and sensitive a song about love under modern technological conditions as anything Gary Numan or Scritti Politti ever recorded. Forum’s debut album wouldn’t see official release until 1987, by which time a lot of Russian pop had caught up to them.

6. Urszula Wielki odlot Polton | Lublin, 1984

Perhaps Poland’s most prominent female rock star for the last forty years, Urszula Kasprzak has recorded in a variety of styles, from hard rock to dance-pop; but her 1984 album Malinowy król (Raspberry King), recorded with members of prog band Budka Suflera, is a minor masterpiece of cool, reflective synthpop. “Wielki odlot” (The Great Departure) was the leadoff track and the album’s lowest-charting single, but I love its stately swell and the apocalyptic  lyrics (or maybe it’s just about emigration, which is another form of apocalypse). I’m looking forward into digging around into the rest of Urszula’s discography.

7. Pankow Rock ’n’ Roll im Stadtpark AMIGA | Berlin, 1983

East Germany probably had the most thoroughly Westernized and extensive pop scene in the whole Eastern Bloc — only natural, given its proximity and exposure to West German media. But child star Nina Hagen had to leave East Berlin to help found the Neue Deutsche Welle: East Germany preferred shaggy 70s rock even as icy synths overran the NATO countries. Pankow, formed in the eponymous suburb of East Berlin, was a case in point: definitely a new wave band, they still clearly adored old-fashioned boogie rock. “Rock ’n’ Roll im Stadtpark” (Rock ’n’ Roll in the City Park) is an anthem of Communist rock (even the shouted refrains are collectivized): dancing to rock & roll in the park is better than bourgeois disco or high-priced cinema, because it’s free. Of the people, by the people, for the people, oh yeah.

8. Florian din Transilvania Mă simt minunat Electrecord | Bucharest, 1986

The hermetic and impoverished Romanian scene, tightly controlled by Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Maoist-modeled authoritarian government, was the slowest of the European Communist nations to catch up to the present of the 1980s: officially supported music tended to be folkloric, balladic, and at its most up-to-date, hippie-era hard rock. Mircea Florian was one of the grand exceptions: beginning as a mid-60s folk-rocker in the mold of Dylan and Cohen, and maintaining a parallel interest in electronics and modern composers like Stockhausen and Nono, he moved through many progressive, electric, and Eastern-influenced musical phases over the next twenty years, often butting heads with the regime. His last great record, 1986’s Tainicul vîrtej (The Secret Swirl), released just before his defection to West Germany, was a summation of his folk- and art-rock past and his new-wave present. This opening track “I Feel Great,” is a statement of gleeful modernism, the lyrics an expression of bucolic alienation while the synthesizers and drum machines wander off on prog-rock solos before being recalled to robot rhythms.

9. Trick Elektronnoto kuche Balkanton | Sofia, 1985

If the Romanian rock scene was impoverished, its Bulgarian counterpart was even more so. Trick was a vocal group — two women, one man — put together out of music school in frank imitation of Western acts like ABBA, Boney M, or even (if the record sleeves are any indication) Tony Orlando and Dawn. But this cut from their first LP, “Electronic Dog,” was produced by the young, ambitious Kristian Boyadzhiev to a hypermodern sheen: if the girls are still essentially singing disco harmonies, at least the music has heard of ZTT. After release, the song was suppressed by Bulgarian state media on the grounds that the goofy lyrics and synthesized dog barks were making a mockery of Bulgarian electronics. But today, it sounds like it might predict Eastern European trance.

10. Dzeltenie Pastnieki Sliekutēva vaļasprieks no label | Riga, 1984

The underground new-wave scene in Latvia was apparently the most active and prolific in the Soviet Union outside Mother Russia: the Baltic seaport of Riga, as one of the USSR’s few access points to global culture, saw bands like Pērkons, NSRD, and Dzeltenie Pastnieki making waves even as their magnetic-tape recordings were suppressed by the Soviet authorities and not released for decades. I chose this song by Dzeltenie Pastnieki (Yellow Postmen) not because it’s exceptionally better than the rest of their material, which is all pretty great, but because its combination of electronic loops and sensitive guitar sounded surprisingly to me like the Postal Service. The pitch-shifted vocals, sure, sound more like “The Laughing Gnome,” but that’s no deal-breaker.

11. Marika Gombitová Prekážky dní Opus | Bratislava, 1984

Probably the biggest Slovak pop star of the era, Marika Gombitová had been well-known in the eastern half of Czechoslovakia since 1977, when she sang leads for the popular rock band Modus. This synthpop gem (Daily Obstacles) from her fifth album, the unselfconsciously-titled No. 5 (it was her first stab at singing to synthesizers), uses sporting metaphors to talk about desires that slip forever out of reach, the evocativeness of which imagery would not have been lost on a contemporary television-watching audience: Gombitová had been confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed from the shoulders down, following a car crash in 1981. Her marvelous voice, thin but strong, reminds me of Cyndi Lauper’s: and the gorgeous production, with its slippery bass and a haunting electronic solo in the middle eight, makes this maybe my favorite song in this mix.

12. Grazhdanskaya Oborona Zoopark no label | Omsk, 1985

Here’s that not-great record, meaning only that it’s extremely lo-fi, so much so that the tape hiss and room tone plays practically an aesthetic role, turning a simple rock ballad into a fuzz-pop gem that could sit side-by-side with contemporary work by the Beat Happening or Hüsker Dü. Гражданская Оборона (Civil Defense) was the psych-rock project of Siberian-born Yegor Letov; after their first magnetic tape, containing “зоопарк,” was recorded, band members were institutionalized, their subversive attitudes having been dutifully reported to the authorities by the guitarist's mother. That subversiveness isn’t hard to detect in this song, in which Letov dreams of finding other crazy people (like him) with whom he can plot an escape from the zoo of contemporary life.

13. Gigi Divat a fontos Start | Budapest, 1985

Nobody on the Internet seems to know anything about Gigi, not even whether the name is of a performer or a group. The writing credit on the Hungarian compilation LP where “Divat a fontos” (Fashion Matters) appeared is to “Gigi Együttes,” which latter word just means Ensemble. But a bunch of people on the Internet, some in Hungarian, some in English, and some in Polish, have warmly praised this song, an aerobic synthpop jam that combines the best of Kim Wilde and Olivia Newton-John. It’s apparently all that this Gigi (the thirty-first entity of that name on Discogs) ever recorded, but it’s enough.

14. Maanam Lucciola Polskie Nagrania Muza | Kraków, 1984

The post-punk band Maanam, on the other hand, are legends of Polish rock, with dozens of records and a rabid fanbase: one of the most successful and important Eastern European bands of the decade. Lead singer Kora (Olga Jackowska)’s vocal style owed little to Anglophone precedent, digging deep into Slavic and Polish modernism, even when, as here, the most frequent word in the song is the Italian woman’s name of the title. In “Lucciola,” Kora dispassionately portrays a man searching for the titular woman in the night wind, while the band’s brawny Gang of Four funk motorvates right along regardless.

15. Silly Die Gräfin AMIGA | Berlin, 1982

Probably the most interesting East German rock band of the 1980s, Silly was centered around the vocal performances of Tamara Danz, who could be kabarett-outrageous in one song and luminously synthpop-tender in the next. “Die Gräfin” (lit. The Countess, but also slang for any stuck-up woman) is a funk-rock vehicle for her gift for satirical vocal caricature, as she mocks the decayed German aristocracy from a victorious proletarian point of view. Not that Danz was a strict ideologue: in 1989, she joined other East German musicians in demanding greater freedom, in protests that helped lead to the collapse of the Communist consensus. She died in 1996 of breast cancer, far too young.

16. Kino Posledniy geroy AnTrop | Leningrad, 1984

The only Russian band represented on this mix whose music was officially released within the era under consideration, Кино (Cinema) were no less skeptical about the Soviet system than their peers, just luckier in that they hooked up with the independent Leningrad-based AnTrop label, which gave them cover for sarcastic, despairing songs like Последний герой (Last of the Heroes), in which the familiar 80s theme of nuclear annihilation gets another airing, and East and West turn out to be not so different after all.

17. Sfinx An după an Electrecord | Bucharest, 1984

When Mircea Florian was one of the leading lights of Romanian prog in the 1970s, one of his few competitors in the field was the band Sfinx (Sphinx), formed in the mid-60s to play Western-style pop/rock. In the following decade, they grew more ambitious, taking cues from Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis, the last of whom, in their 80s incarnation, is a reference point here. “An după an” means Year After Year, and even though it was only their second LP (they were constantly running afoul of the Romanian censors), it was occasion for a wistful look back over the last twenty years.

18. Első Emelet ‎Amerika Start | Budapest, 1983

Perhaps the most popular Hungarian rock band of the early 80s, Első Emelet (First Floor) was formed from the remnants of several less fortunate acts which imploded around 1982. With a bright, energetic sound, witty lyrics by songwriter Péter Geszti, and an irreverent comic sensibility to their visual presentation, they were just the kind of band that would have been a lock to appear on MTV if they weren’t from a Communist nation. In fact, they did anyway — one of the television screens in Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” is playing an Első Emelet video. Their first single, “Amerika” is a terrific satire of that consumerist paradise, rendered with all the plastic pomp the subject deserve.

19. Aya RL Skóra Tonpress | Warsaw, 1984

One of the greatest long-running European indie-rock bands, Aya RL (for Red Love) formed when Russian keyboardist Igor Czerniawski and Polish singer Paweł Kukiz met in Warsaw. “Skóra” (Skin), their biggest hit and most well-loved song (I dare you to get that wordless chorus out of your head), is somewhat unrepresentative of their more psychedelic and intellectual work — but it’s a great song, a portrait of love despite the turmoil and violence of the heavily politicized street culture of Warsaw in the 1980s.

20. OK Band Žižkovská zeď Supraphon | Prague, 1982

If you didn’t know anything about Eastern Bloc music in the 1980s and relied only on what the Western media of the time showed you, you might expect it all to sound like this: icy, measured, foreboding. In fact, “Žižkovská zeď” (The Zizkov Wall) is just about the slowest and coldest song in Czech synthpop act OK Band’s repertoire: most of it is much cheerier and romantic. But I really dig its coldwave vibes and the sound of Marcela Březinová’s voice singing about the awful feeling of seeing your name written in graffiti by an unknown hand.

21. Nastya Tatsu no label | Sverdlovsk, 1987

Thanks no doubt to my own global position — in the (allegedly) democratic West — I’ve been focused throughout this mix on how the music of Communist Europe responds to or relates to or recalls its Western counterparts. But with “Tatsu,” the gaze shifts not West, but East. Nastya, a band formed on the border of Europe and Asia, and named after its frontwoman, singer, composer and poet Anastasia Polova, was fascinated with Japanese folklore, history, and mythology. The Tatsu of the title is both a Japanese child left for dead in World War II (that’s where the bits in English come in), and a mythological dragon-god protecting islands in the Pacific. It’s an amazing song, the centerpiece of an amazing album, and the fact that it only circulated as a bootleg tape for a decade before being officially issued in the mid-90s is the strongest indictment of late-Soviet cultural policy I know. I say that as a Communist.

That’s it, that’s all the mixes. For now, anyway. Thanks for reading and listening and sharing and liking. I’ve got other projects to keep me busy; I’ll try to mention them here from time to time.

[zillion-ronald-manus]

im out of meme ideas for now so i’m just going to copy&paste the Omniversal Battle Wiki page for Luka from Monster Girl Quest

Games

Movies

TV

Wikis My Account

Start a Wiki

Omniversal Battlefield Wiki

607 Pages

Add new page

Useful Pages

Explore

Discuss

in:

Characters

,

Monster Girl Quest

,

Games

,

and 9 more

Luka (MGQ)

Edit

Comments (1)

Share

Base

Nephillim

Summary

Luka is a 15 year old boy, born with the blood of fallen angels in his veins. He's just an innocent, naive little boy, precious as can be, who dreams of a day when monsters and humans would coexist peacefully instead of all the opression that's widespread across the world. His mom, Lucifina, died from an epidemic when he was younger, so he's been living by himself at a young age. One day, ilias calls out to him in a vision and tells him to go and defeat the current monster lord, the latest in a long line of powerful yoma that traces back to the dark goddess herself. But since he's naive he decides to get baptized and do it, regardless of the fact that he'd probably die in an instant. He's walking back to his house one day, when he meets a strange yoma named Alice. He's forced to choose between helping her or going to his baptism, and of course he chooses to help. He befriends Alice and travels the world with her in his quest to defeat the monster lord and end racism.

Along the course of his quest, he goes from being a naive little boy with big dreams to a tougher-than-nails motherfucker who splits heaven and earth to bring a star down to hell just so he can counterattack someone, not to mention he single-handedly ends wars by defeating both armies himself.

Powers and Stats

Tier: At least High 2-A | Low 1-C | 1-C, possibly higher

Name: Luka, Fallen Angel, Corrupted hero, Son of Lucifina

Origin: Monster Girl Quest

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Classification: Human/Angel hybrid

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman physical characteristics, Space manipulation, Dimensional manipulation, Time manipulation, Soul manipulation, Acasuality, Weakness alteration, Sealing, Healing, Elemental manipulation, Matter manipulation, Death manipulation, Existence erasure resistance, Conceptual manipulation resistance, Matter manipulation resistance, Death manipulation resistance, Light manipulation, Darkness manipulation.

Attack Potency: High Multiverse Level+ (Defeated beings like Goddess Ilias and Adramelech, the former is the embodiment of perfect nonexistence on at the very least a 5D scale, while the latter can erase Multiversal SpaceTime on a near-conceptual level by existing) | Complex Multiverse Level (freely moved around within an isolated area of the multiverse, which was beyond even Goddess Ilias' perception. Completely unfazed, physically speaking, when Sonya Chaos warped reality using the Chaos, a phenomenon infinitely beyond a normal multiverse and which exists inside and outside of all multiverses as the antonym to all existence. Also unfazed when Adramelech at her full power manipulates the same phenomenon into outright destroying a universal section of existence itself. Spoke face-to-face with the overseer of countless 5D multiverses, and was able to defeat her when she was holding back. Defeated every one of Sonya's forms. Likely comparable to the seraphs.) possibly Higher (the MGQ verse follows quantum mechanics and wave functions, which opens the door towards possibly 11 dimensions, or, if we go farther to the extreme, infinite dimensions via hilbert space.)

Speed: Immeasurable (Could freely exist within, run around in, think within and even dodge light within places where conventional spacetime didn't exist, many times, and can speedblitz people who can do the same. Accessed a future point in another timeline by physically walking.)

Lifting Strength: Mountain Level (Escaped the grasp of a mountain-sized monster), probably higher (He's gotten much stronger since then.)| Immeasurable By nature of being a higher dimensional being.

Striking Strength: High Multiverse Level+ | Complex Multiverse level, possibly higher

Durability: High Multiverse Level+ (Traded blows with Adramelech and Goddess Ilias, is capable of defeating and tanking blows from the seraphs and the Lilith sisters.) | Complex Multiverse Level

Stamina: Very high (Able to climb entire mountains in little time, can fuck grills for days or even months straight, seldom even needing water.) | Immeasurable by nature of being a higher dimensional being.

Range: Possibly Universal (Caused an endlessly expanding being who could devour the entire universe if left unchecked to dissolve into a shapeless blob of flesh.)

Standard Equipment: The Angel halo, a baleful sword created by Heinrich by melting 666 angels alive and fusing them onto a sword. Can either kill, or seal when the enemy is weak enough, whichever the user may wish.

Intelligence: Genius (his mathematical knowledge impressed Promestein, who single-handedly discovered every field of modern science, including physics and quantum physics, with only rocks in a cave.)

Weaknesses: Becomes weak and bitch-like for about a day every time he cums.

Feats:

Is capable of effortlessly defeating Apoptosis, beings created from spacetime itself ripping itself apart and putting itself back together.

Can easily exist, move within, think, run laps within and dodge shit within places where conventional spacetime is destroyed as well as places that transcend spacetime.

Can effortlessly breach and move through inter-dimensional barriers.

Can easily move himself and others to and from isolated areas of spacetime (Pocket dimensions) as well as entirely separate timelines.

Traded blows with Adramelech, Sonya Chaos, and Tamamo, one of the six ancestors in her prime. All of them should be metaversal one way or another.

Able to seal and touch non-corporeal beings like angels.

Can heal himself both mentally and physically simply by focusing his mind.

Can imbue his blade with healing properties, which allows him to heal allies.

With holy energy-based attacks, he is capable of dissolving an opponent's physical body into light and sending their soul to heaven, the latter probably has something to do with soul manipulation and sealing.

Can transform enemies' bodies into stone statues with attacks that inflict petrification.

Can instantaneously end an opponent's life with most darkness-imbued attacks.

Can alter his enemies' weaknesses with taoism skills, which cause enemies to gain a heightened vulnerability to a specific element.

One-shot an AP-ignoring barrier while still in a relatively early and weak stage of the game.

Can hit and kill non-corporeal beings.

Notable Attacks/Techniques:

Daystar: A counter-attack which he performs when the enemy attempts to attack. Hits extremely hard. Later upgrades this to Infallible daystar, which is even more powerful.

Ninefold Rakshasa: A flurry of 9 sword strikes which only seraphim-level angels can use. Described as "near infinite" in-game, but it only hits 9 times. Upgrades this attack to Ninefold Rakasha: Asura, which basically just does more damage, and can thus be assumed is stronger than the original.

Fallen Angel Dance: Allows him to perfectly dodge most attacks, even those that are thrown at him by a being with immeasurable speed. His attacks also never miss and hit twice.

Heavenly Demon Revival: A concentration of Luka's power which deals massive damage. Later upgrades this attack to Heavenly demon revival: Gaia, which makes it even stronger.

Flash Kill: Splits the very fabric of space and time and can destroy even things that have AP-ignoring hax. Upgrades this attack to Flash kill: Destructive wind, which boosts it's strength massively.

Element Spica: A skill which deals horrendously massive damage, but costs a lot of stamina to perform. Imbued with the power of all 4 elemental spirits, who embody the universal concepts of their respective elements.

Quadruple Giga: Luka's strongest skill and a toned up version of element spica. If activated while the 4 spirits are in effect, it's power increases 10,000 fold. "The power of this skill is amplified by each spirit imbued in it. But if all four were at a power of ten, it wouldn’t be ten times four for forty... It would be ten to the fourth power for 10,000..."- Alipheese the 16th.

Note: By nature of being an angel, logic would imply that he also has Mid-Godly regeneration and types 1, 4 and 8 of immortality, but gameplay and the general story appears to contradict it. Could it be something to do with him being only a half-angel?

Categories

:

Characters

Monster Girl Quest

Games

Light Novel

Heroes

RPG Characters

Kids

Swordsmen

Time Benders

Tier 2

Tier 1

Hybrids

Showing 1 most recent

1 comment

Please log in to post a comment on this wiki.

July 18 by CosmicGenocide

That might be the single greatest description for a weakness I have ever seen.

Recent Wiki Activity

Cupa SuperBearNeo X • 7 minutes ago

Chii SuperBearNeo X • 8 minutes ago

YHVH SuperBearNeo X • 14 hours ago

Frieza Paleomario66 • 1 day ago

Games

Movies

TV

Explore Wikis

Follow Us

Overview

About

Careers

Press

Contact

Wikia.org

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Global Sitemap

Local Sitemap

Community

Community Central

Support

Fan Contributor Program

WAM Score

Help

Can't find a community you love? Create your own and start something epic.

Start a wiki

Community Apps Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat

Advertise

Media Kit

Contact

Omniversal Battlefield Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. Content is available under

CC-BY-SA

.

The Greatest Adventure Stories, Ranked

Destiny 2

Sept Sci-Fi

Adam Ruins

[blogsofftheblock-blog]

Hybrid Identity

            One thing you’ll notice about my collage is that I’m more of a globalized person than a localized one. All but one photo in the collage symbolizes something that is not exactly local, which already indicates that, like many of my fellow Gen Z-ers, I’m a “global citizen”, who is in touch more with systems that aren’t exactly local.

             I believe that the biggest influence to the kind of person that I am today is represented in the top left pic: travel. As I’ve said in my previous blog post, I’ve been truly fortunate to be able to travel across the world. Getting out of one’s comfort zone and going off to see the far corners of the world can teach a man so much about himself, and about others. While it means different things to different people, travel taught me to be open-minded, and it helped me realize that I’m just a pebble in the wide beautiful world.

             Directly beneath it represents my music taste: hip-hop. While the genre has had a bit of stigma surrounding it for the longest time, it has recently exploded to become the most popular genre of music today. Many naysayers will claim that this success is merely off the back of brainless, repetitive, and downright offensive lyricism, or lack thereof. However, the rise of hip-hop can also be attributed to the fact that no other form of music can match its social impact. Marginalized individuals all across the world use it to express themselves freely, and it is a tool with which to criticize and publicize the issues that plague their respective societies, as well as the world as a whole. Hip-hop taught me the importance of genuine creativity and expression, as well as the fact that the world, as beautiful as it is, also has problems that need to be addressed.

             Next up, there’s the topic of video games. Like hip-hop, video games are very much maligned by an unfortunately large number of people, particularly the older generations. As far as I know, most older people see video games as a waste of time, or even a complete and utter detriment to the well being of a child. However, we need to realize that anything, even studying, is detrimental to a child in excess. But if managed properly, video games are a fascinating testament to how far we humans have come. Video games aren’t just games: they are the premier example of interactive fiction. No other medium has its consumer assume so much freedom over a good. But more than that, video games taught me to think critically: to solve problems and interact with the world around me in ways that no teacher could ever dream of teaching.

             This leads me to my next point: technology. Our world has never been smaller, and that’s because of the tech boom that humanity has gone through in the past six decades. This tech boom has made technological devices no longer a fantasy, but a reality. Then, we took it a step further, and made large computers fit within the size of our hand. And now, with the world at my fingertips, I now have access to a new world of possibilities, not all of which good. The internet is a sea, and there are maelstroms and rough waves, but technology has helped me navigate it in a way that minimizes negative effects on me. And I’m a more discerning and critical individual because of it.

             Coming close to the end, there’s a strange oddity in the collage: a picture of food. One might wonder: “what does food have to do with mixed identities?” Well, aside from my slight gluttony, the beauty of food is that it is one of the truly universal aspects in the lives of every single human that has ever lived; and yet, the differences in food can clue us in on the culture and lifestyle of a people. Arabs eat completely differently from Swedes, who eat completely differently from us. There’s a reason why the adage “You are what you eat,” persists to this day: it’s true.

             Finally, we have the one aspect of my identity that is wholly local. My heritage as a Maranao is not something that I hold on to with pride. I do so because my family has faced much adversity to let me be the person that I am today. I wouldn’t love all the things that I loved if it wasn’t for my family, who put me in a position to pursue my dreams and interests. And they did so under the most difficult of circumstances: suffering through poverty, discrimination, and a crowded living space. And yet, they succeeded. I think it’s from that side of the family where I got my sense of pride and self-confidence. Despite my exposure to all these globalized media, I haven’t forgotten my roots.

[thetotalcio]

Our Assets Are Compromised

So in the games that nations play, spy games is #1 on the hit parade.

Of course, it's about using information to get a strategic advantage.

It runs the gamut from pure espionage in terms of stealing state secrets and intellectual property to conducting stealthy subversive acts to undermine enemies and competitors.

Whatever spies do, it's all about compromising assets...whether they be human, information, or critical infrastructure.

From turning patriots into traitors, words into info warfare, or critical infrastructure in trojan horses ready to im/explode...whatever leads to getting the upper-hand or advantage.

What one nation comes to rely on for their sustainment and survival is instead exploited and turned against them like a trojan horse or modern-day malware.

And with people, using money, sex, ideology, compromising material (Kompromat), or threats against loved ones--it's simply about appealing to either opportunism or extortion.

So truly defense means protecting not only what before one's eyes, but also what in the rear and at the flanks.

When the over 21 million personnel records and background investigations where stolen from OPM on virtually all federal employees (civilian, military, and intelligence personnel) a door was left open and the demon is still hiding and waiting to cross the threshold, infiltrate, exfiltrate, and compromise.

As an society that meaningfully values an open and transparent democracy, we can perhaps too easily become lured or lax to common sense safeguards and vigilance, but that does not excuse negligence, incompetence or stupidity.

Rich people and countries around the world can unknowingly falter by becoming overly comfortable and full of themselves...to the point where many don't fully care about their jobs or their country, as they sit in their mansions, designer clothes, and with busting bellies.

From the need to vastly improve our competencies in cyberwarfare to defending ourselves from a tidel wave of global terrorism to upgrading the U.S. nuclear triad against resurgent superpowers and dangerous rogue dictators, we have let our guard down to compromise.

Is expelling 35 Russian diplomats an effective strategy against their technical attempts to subvert our free and democratic elections or does it just underscore how vulnerable we continue to be?

When as a country and with our leadership, we decide to get serious rather than stay scared and war weary then we will not only stand firm again, but fight against weakness and compromise of ourselves. ;-)

(Source Photo: Rebecca Blumenthal)