#it gives me a variety of tunes and shows me new artists

[daystarvoyage]

The Dana Terrace Vs Vivienne Medrano, The Great Debate of Two Female Creators

Hello Starry Knights, This is the lovely Kyoko Cane, The Brown Sugah Queen, & cosplayer who performs and visits numerous cons throughout, while making blogs/vlogs on animated media & entertainment.

as you know or are new to this page, I am an artist who also dedicated my fashion in drag, on all my platforms along my artwork & discussions (be it anime or Western) that can affect real-life even fandoms, with a variety of videos.

the title of the post is about The two proclaimed talked about animators, Dana Terrace & Vivienne Medrano, I'll be critiquing how these two women of animation tackle the industry. This will have strong opinions from recent interview videos I've watched.

(I'll be calling Vivienne VIVI FOR SHORT & letting you know, if I were to watch ones in the future affecting my post come on the comments to ask freely, AND YES ALL PROJECTS AND TOPICS ARE NOT WITHOUT THEIR CRITIQUES, FLAWS IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, CHECK OUT THE DAYSTAR VOYAGE, DON'T HATE, APPRECIATE! )

OK LETS GET STARTED In this 3-part segment

1. The Different Artstyles That Made Us Love These Shows.

Vivis work (Helluva Boss & Hazbin Hotel)

Now We all know as fans & lovers of animation when we hear a series that's greenlit after viewing on a television screen, in a magazine, or sponsored in commercials, right? As for these two,

The first time I heard of VIVI's work was on a YouTube ad commercial in line & premiered for the pilot, I was fully captivated by its groundbreaking story, from hazbin hotel to the comedy in helluva boss, along with its ghoulish Beetlejuice-inspired art style.

(which I'm a sucker for the niche, indie projects & gothic horror.)

observing her sketchbook on YouTube, I was drawn in by the captivated humanoid shapes she sketches, along with her fluid & flowing style.

the worldbuilding version of heaven & hell drew me in, after watching hazbin hotel. The pilot had a lot to offer from its dreary horrific turns/obstacles from its character debut, story & distorted beauty that there was a lot to tune Into along my first episode of Helluva Boss,

Now we are gonna get down to lore storytelling and character growth.

(and im fully aware of how the fandom treats the rest of the main & supporting cast not letting them flesh out including the females, btw)

Vivi has so much to offer, after watching the latest episode of Helluva Boss and finishing Hazbin Hotel, I see she has the potential to make a good show on drama & sell it, however with her controversy coming through I feel she needs to learn on how to perceive herself online, so makes it hard for me not to hate her series, be it art and her work.

(its truly good when it wants to be as for the writing ima get to that later. with the stolitz & lumity discourse on part 2)

The owl House by Dana terrace

Now you all know by now, I am a full-on Owl House fan regardless of its show ending early, and my many critics on Dana Terrace drew me in with her macabre art and full-on passionate skeletal pieces after looking at her socials and sketchbook online, as a debut showrunner who made her great stance on lgbt representation she has cemented herself as an acclaimed cartoon creator.

However, she does have her flaws ever since rewatching the series, and a lot to learn about the business, after rewatching The Show and yes I have notes written to prove them,

To add I felt if alex Hirsch wasn't on the project, everyone wouldn't watch that show since yall want it to be the next GRAVITY FALLS,

I love the fandoms that discuss the errors of these creators cause it give more insight on how to portray yourselves on in the real world, cause lemme tell you, it was all watered down I'm get to that in a minute

one problem i have with particularly since she's a good artist & creator is her depending on certain tropes to carry out her cast, cause some may be harmful & the writing be generic.

She needs work on being a better showrunner cause those skills need Cleaning up including writing certain characters on who gets the spotlight.

NEXT SEGMENT

2. The Good, Great, Bad & Ugly in Fandom Discourse,

Vivis Work (Wow Yall can be Wow)

Vivienne Has made her mark in the YouTube market ever since making her pilot debut on Kesha video & hazbin hotel pilot,

I'm so glad for her contributions towards the indie market making her way to showing great representation in the general audience for an adult show, yes an adult show and that's not without its controversy,

with her grand debate, I feel everyone took this woman's artwork turning it into something ugly, which is so uncool.

and I for one will not stand for the hate trains of now popular shows flip-flopping and then float back to it cause your series is acclaimed now, let's be real she deserves her crowns and laurels Just keeping it real, regardless cause its a fire show

The fandom has shown their love of the show cause it knocked down so many doors in many ways, but let's be real the audience is now geared toward children cause we all know, this generation can be doing some crazy things, cause they all need to tone down the language,

which I feel viv needs to work on the jokes I get, it's an adult show which is concerning and it's a Gen Z world where people have access to computers 247, which contributes to all the nasty discourse and crass behavior not to mention,

viv needs to calm down her fans when it comes down to her work and the way stoliz is perceived.l can be questionable, not to mention how the females are written which I do know the key word for this below.

cause i rarely do find the females are compelling, but yet to fleshed out like the rest of the male characters so misogynist comes into mind in this show and how it sells

there some moments it only aims to the infamous ship Stolitz (and doesn't let other characters breathe (this is a problem with the owl house which ill get to right now cause the pacing is wow smh)

(next to the owl house which I'll get to cause OMG)

THE OWL HOUSE FANDOM (GRRRR) lemme calm down

If you haven't seen my posts, including the bashing and discourse there's also a list I swear lemme quote

in the words of Biggie Small - if you don't know now ya know.

The owl house fandom i was on ride or die for the lumity however we all know how that ship got it start and built up cause they expected it to be this thing to say F you to Disney which is good cause disney had it coming howver, after the show ended

Yall have become the most foulest ugliest & disrespectful fandom ever since the Steven Universe, Voltron and miraculous incidents,

its sad to see how these two franchises fell into the worse cases, the two creators may come across not caring of there fandom acts cause there's a saying

The captain always goes down with his ship MEANING

A captain should not have to sacrifice their life simply because the vessel they are in control of is in distress

There’s two fandoms such as Steven universe & voltron fell from grace into toxicity down below that are prime examples

The Owl House fandom has got to be some of the most entitled, uppity if not (racist) fans!

yall clearly have not listened to other fans or can't take criticism, yes the show did make very feminist undertones and the male characters didn't shine at all in their titular episodes or moments, which doesn't help at all.

Since Dana drew inspiration from Powerpuff Girls

(which comes on and the writers being all female, is gonna have damaging effects)

Cause stifled the male characters in a way where there not as prominent or impactful,

So this word MISANDRY comes to mind

The fandom has gone down to the point of no return, I mean,

one fan from a webcam interview WANTED DANA's ADDRESS EWWW!

its not that the Disney drama was too blame for the project, (to an extent) which I'm proud for the fandom for banding together on animation, but need to take off the lgbt glasses cause boy the show's writing was pushed in favor of that.

CONGRATS You did at the cause of Harassment and bad behavior in fandoms,

NEXT TOPIC

3. Make The Business Makes Sense & epilogue

THE OWL HOUSE

Dana Terrace has the makings of doing good shows however when it comes down to an audience to kid she has some major damage control on how the fandom will come across,

i mean have we not learned from the Lilith and Camilla toxic issues, you can tell the show likes to demonize the adults which is unacceptable, and can damage storytelling and characters.

the truth i feel there needs to be proper staff on how to write POC, and ethnic and cultural representation In the show, Amphibia, Molly mcgee, Haileys on it and other break-out shows did it better,

hell yo had Amphibia doing those dishes in Frogworld, can you imagine the boiling isles taking on Hispanic cuisine.

Which i felt could've hit a mark on luz home life and culture if written & fleshed out,

Like the staff didn't know how to write those topics, they've coulda gone so far with it but unfortunately fail flat not to mention the fashion. UGH

sigh.

ViVI WORKS ( i try not to make this quick but e can discuss more on comments be NICE)

Vivienne Medrano has good fashion and business sense

its important to have that cause having a Cloud Nine franchise coming from nothing can do wonders for how you are perceived as an artist,

The discourse has come due to her take on the controversy on platforms talking on her many harsh topics

(in my opinions she too needs to work on controlling scenarios & damage control that can affect her

So tried but yeah

vivi is a dominant artist who takes her business seriously so I am glad to have her flourish in Spindlehorse,

butt just i wish i cant help but fall outta love with her work, knowing of the problems in today's animation comes certain things you can say even snowflakes can break under if heard by there favorite creators.

lets be honest these two can learn from each other. and vivi does sure know angles and promoting

very glad to get this written so I put some thought into this

i wish nothing for the best for these awesome artists and creators thank you all for coming so far and have a wonderful voyage thanks.

[humboldtfog]

I have a new radio show on humboldthotair.org every Friday from 9-10am, tune in to “When You Can’t Find a Friend” live or on the archive, I’m so glad to be able to introduce y’all to some new old friends. The first several weeks I’ll be sharing some faves/essential/signature mixes, before expanding out into lots of new playlists that have been coming together while digging through my old itunes archive that explore a variety of themes and concepts I’m very excited to put out there. All human curation, zero alg0, sounds of lots of landscapes around the world in between. Thanks to @humboldt_hot_air for giving me a slot. “When You Can't Find a Friend is a weekly mixtape that delves into an archive of new and old favorites, exploring different themes and new connections across musical time and space. Discover a magpie mix of diverse genres and eras, including Americana roots and folksy singer songwriters, old school swing and classic rhythm and blues, indie rock and alternative pop, along with beloved local artists, the "unclassifiable," and the sounds of our natural world. Tune in on Friday mornings from 9-10am and get to know some new old friends, because when you can't find a friend, you still got the radio.” RIP KHSU, long live humboldthotair.org! 📻💖

[wordtowords]

The Fickle Fate of Being a Recording Artist

fickle - adjective - changing frequently (Google)

Although I am aware that I am dating myself here, back in the dark ages (late 1960s, early 1970s) of television when channels were few yet not far between, I liked to watch "Ronan and Martin's Laugh-In," a bizarre variety show that was all about comedy. It was oftentimes silly, but creative, satirical, and quite a few names synonymous with humor (such as Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin) became household fixtures because of it. The weekly award known as the "Fickle Finger of Fate" was presented to noteworthy individuals who received media attention for their dubious achievements. We could sure use it today. Right? Not much has changed, yet I digress.

As a recording artist who stands in the same room with 75.9 million music creators (Google) is a fate that is fickle, meaning that since there are so many releasing songs, no one can predict whose music will be embraced by hundreds, thousands, millions - even billions, like artists such as Taylor Swift, who won the lottery and probably has more luck than talent (or just a financier father to back her). Spotify alone reports that it drops 100,000 new songs a day. Will all of them find open ears that will stay alert and stream them more than once? Probably not. But you never know until you take the risk of releasing a heartfelt composition to the entire world.

The aforementioned numeral supports the fact that the competition is just beyond anyone's comprehension. It seems like everyone has a song or even a book to release, and it is easy to do either if you have enough money to pay the right people. But once the product is out there, you must either spend money on just the right public relations persons, or like me, spend a lot of time and a few dollars (way more than you are making) on every social media platform promoting. At the end of the day, I am fortunate to see any results at all. And critics overseas have called me "the real deal." Well, I'm not feeling that moniker, not at all. For example, I may get 2,000 streams a month on Spotify and a minuscule pay check. Imagine one record turning 2,000 times on the radio over the course of one month. Doesn't that seem to be a lot of rotations to you? It does to me, too. However, the amount is only worth a bill with a portrait of Alexander Hamilton on it. He doesn't go far. Thank Goodness I am not depending on Spotify or any of the others to pay my rent.

Still, if my one hundred fans in Brazil like what I am putting out there on Spotify, every one of them counts. If all of them enjoy what I'm doing musically, all of the money that I am investing that I may never see back is worth sacrificing, especially since I could just be changing their worlds for the better in some minute sense. I'm sure all 75.9 million music makers are thinking the same thing except I don't give a you-know-what about fame as it only creates problems, but a little more compensation wouldn't be a bad thing as I could support more charities with it. 

I hope someday the music channels will up the ante on remuneration. Until that happens, check out my tunes on your favorite streaming service, such as YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@gwynnielsen5081) or Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qiQLmWs81Zno7WFH4lLiS. My newest single "Another Woman Trying to Wear My Shoes" debuts on Friday, August 23rd. Who knows? You may be able to relate to it. 

Thanks, all! 

[musicarenagh]

Super Saiyan Jay's New Single: What's Behind "Can I"? Today we had the chance of having a chat with Super Saiyan Jay, he is one artist who speaks apart from others; his songs are like poems with the smooth flows and inspiring lyrics. Super Saiyan Jay is a new artist and his newest single "Can I", shows us the space where he plays music and talks about his feelings. "Can I" isn't only a rap tune; it actually an artist's way of breaking free from the bounds of genres. The fast syllable-based style of Super Saiyan Jay with which he rhymes like the old legends brings vigor into the track and captivates listeners from the beginning to the end. Not only does the rap mode make “Can I” stand out, but also the fact that every minute detail of the song is taken care of. From the stunning beat of those synth and bell pads to the enchanting tune that you just simply cannot ignore, no element of this song is left ignored. The music journey by Super Saiyan Jay is like an evolving process of self discovery. He has been on a search for his sound and message since the times when he released the "Staying In" songs to now when he has come out with a new album. "Can I" marks a mellow, laid-back beat with a dash of self-confidence that is absolutely refreshing. This helps the listeners move towards self-empowerment. So, what's the verdict on "Can I"? Well, it's a banger, plain and simple. Super Saiyan Jay has crafted a track that's equal parts chill and hype, with a vibe that's all his own. So, if you're looking for something fresh to add to your playlist, give "Can I" a spin. You won't be disappointed! Listen to Can I https://open.spotify.com/album/5e5CUn6z5aeWdlWJCSAVly Follow Super Saiyan Jay on Facebook Twitter Spotify Soundcloud Bandcamp Youtube Instagram What is your stage name My stage name is Super Saiyan Jay. Is there a story behind your name There's no specific story behind my rap name, but It's what I'm known for and what I'm rocking with. Where do you find inspiration I find inspiration from all forms within music. From the artist and the way they create, all the way down to the breakdown and structure of a beat. The science behind music gets really deep once you get into it. Are you from a musical or artistic family Music was instilled in me from my parents, to my grandparents at an early age. I can't think of a time when I wasn't involved with music. Absolutely. Everyone in my family has inspired me in many ways with their own musical influences. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry I don't have a specific inspiration for who inspired me to be in the music industry. But the music I'm making feels right and it makes sense when I create. How did you learn to song/write/to play I just had a natural feel for writing my own music. As time goes by in life, you experience different things so that can spark plug the ideas that follow when it comes to writing music. What was the first concert you went to and who did you see perform The concert that I atleast remember going to first was a Snoop and Wiz concert back in 2016. The energy from those two legends was contagious and captivating. How would you describe your music My music is a variety of things. I'm inspired by the old school rap era. But I can fit into many different pockets of rap. If you like laid back and chill music, I can provide that. But if you want the bang your head and turn up to have a good time music, I for sure have that. Describe your creative process My process comes in many ways, I look for the beat and once my mind starts going I gotta write to it. I can write music for days. But I'm a firm believer of not forcing your pen. Let the music come naturally. What is your main inspiration My parents are my biggest inspiration, hard work doesn't come easy for no one. [caption id="attachment_54717" align="alignnone" width="2000"] My parents are my biggest inspiration,[/caption] What musician do you admire most and why I have too many inspirations from musicians. There are too many dope artists to choose just one.

Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career My style has grown a lot since the beginning. I've learned to not rush to release music when it gets finished. Focus and have a plan. Use preparation to the best of my ability to catapult my brand and music as a whole. Who do you see as your main competitor I'm my biggest competitor. I'm a huge perfectionist so if it's not to my liking, then I have to keep working on it until it's right. What are your interests outside of music I love to create cover art, make videos and edit. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be I'd be behind the camera directing and producing. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? The biggest problem is finding a good reach to expand but that's all a part of the growth and the journey. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be I'd change the way people got paid for making their music. The streaming doesn't make sense to the revenue that comes in return. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ojdxqwTW9p8eNUCAyOsGy?si=RJP7fpL-TY2v_Wyh68EfhQ&dl_branch=1 Why did you choose this as the title of this project I choose the title because it makes the most sense. What are your plans for the coming months I have a lot of music coming out. I'm currently working on three projects at the moment. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Most definitely, I got some music coming out with some real dope artists. What message would you like to give to your fans To my fans, thank you for rocking with me up until this point. I have a long way to go, so stay on this journey with me. I got a lot in store for y'all.

[thenonconformistcurmudgeon]

Miss Peggy Lee

It does not take much for me to start a new obsession. The latest is Miss Peggy Lee, the old jazz/pop singer from long ago. You know the “Fever” singer. “You give me fever”. “Chicks were born to give you fever, Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade”. 

My preoccupation begins after my wife sends me a video clip of Miss Peggy singing “It’s a good day” from 1946.  She knew I would like it but probably didn’t know to what extent. A very upbeat swinging tune. “and it’s a good day for payin’ your bills, cause it’s a good day for curin’ your ills, so take a deep breath and throw away the pills, ‘Cause it’s a good day from morning ‘till night”.  Youthful with a 40’s curly hairdo and a great outfit and sung with attitude. I was enthralled.

Now I remember Miss Peggy when she was much older, singing on variety shows like Sullivan and my memory was that she was always introduced as Miss Peggy Lee with the Miss having to be there.  I remember when I was a kid finding it odd that she was introduced this way when others were not. Other than that, I had no interest when she performed, feeling she was just an old timer, out of step with the current culture.  I probably just tuned her out, went to the bathroom, or got something to eat unless the vertical or horizontal hold needed fixing.

It's amazing how time can change one’s perspective. I now love her voice and songs and have been playing them over and over. Smoky jazz tunes.  Of course, I had to research her life and music.  She was a singer songwriter which was rare back in the day and wrote 270 songs including the songs in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp and voiced 4 characters in the movie. She basically produced her own stage shows, choreographed every movement, eye brow raise, curling lip, crooked smile, and was in charge of the lighting and even designed some of her performance outfits. She performed for 65 years, at the end while in a wheelchair. Well, it turns out my memory was correct.  She insisted on being introduced as Miss Peggy Lee because she felt it was a sign of respect. I am glad that my memory was accurate but even more satisfied knowing that I noticed peculiarities as a kid.

She grew up in nowheresville North Dakota.  Born in 1920, she was a farm girl. She was abused by a stepmother. She didn’t live where there were movie theatres and likely relied on the radio to dream big for herself.  Benny Goodman discovered her singing on the radio when she was 14. 

The Muppet Miss Piggy was originally called Miss Piggy Lee and the designer was also from North Dakota and modeled her after Peggy.  Miss Piggy is a temperamental diva superstar personality and I guess although our hero came from humble beginnings was a temperamental artist. From a 2002 article in the Observer by Rex Reed: “Miss Peggy Lee, the singing icon who kept her public perking, was often a completely different person in private. Friends and musicians describe her as quirky, obsessive, demanding, stubborn, illogical, eccentric, driven by anger, tortured by a lack of love and strange to the point of madness. Of her four marriages that ended bitterly, she said the one to handsome movie star Dewey Martin was punctuated by so much abusive violence that she took to wearing a football helmet to the dinner table. Robert Richards, the noted artist and illustrator, once entered a disastrous business partnership with “Miss Peg” that required him to live in her home in Beverly Hills for a six-month period that is best described as an exotic season in purgatory. “She rarely left her bedroom, which was as cold as a meat locker. You would attend a business meeting at the foot of her bed. Your teeth would be chattering and she would be covered with feathers under a mountain of blankets. She was up all night, writing notes to herself with an assortment of pens and colored markers. Then she would wake at noon, or mid-afternoon, surrounded by piles of crushed papers on the bed–thoughts, musings, pieces of terrible song lyrics, poems, memos to ‘Send to Frank!’”.

Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing Let's break out the booze and have a ball If that's all there is

In Wimbledon ND, population 180, the high school home of Miss Peggy Lee was turned into a  World Renown combination museum of Peggy and a Depot Transportation Museum as the downstairs part of the house was the depot that her father worked at and they lived above. The museum is free but there are no regular hours and you have to call ahead for a tour appointment. I guess they don’t get much foot traffic in Wimbledon, ND. However, on her birthday, May 26th each year, the museum is open for 3 hours and you are invited for cake, coffee and conversation. In town, there is only a singular café which is located in the grocery store, open only 11:30-1:00, Monday through Friday, serving mostly fried food.  Can’t beat the prices, $7.99 for the fish basket with fries, cheeseburger deluxe for $8.50. I’d be sure to time my visit to also hit up the café. This definitely goes on the bucket list with the Pigeon Museum in Oklahoma City and Museum of Barbed Wire in Kansas.

Hey, big spender! Hey, big spender! Hey, big spender Spend a little time with me Spend a little time with me Spend a little time with me.

[yessadirichards]

Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah on why to tune in, being nominated and his post 'Daily Show' life

NEW YORK

Trevor Noah is ready to face one of the toughest audiences of his career — the millions watching as he once again hosts the Grammy Awards.

“It is easily the most nerve-wracking thing that I do, but I love it every single time," Noah tells The Associated Press ahead of Sunday's telecast. "Each year there’s a new highlight and a new moment that is embedded into my memory.”

The 2024 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The telecast — with SZA having a leading nine nominations — will be Noah's fourth consecutive hosting gig for the awards.

He said he's looking forward to the live performances, especially ones by nominated artists Burna Boy, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Travis Scott.

“I always love seeing artists who have an innate understanding of how different and powerful the live experience is, and I think Burna Boy is one of those artists,” Noah said. “He really excels in transforming live energy into a special moment in time.

“Billie Eilish has never given a half-hearted performance. Every time she’s on stage, it feels like watching a vignette from a classic film. It’s really thought-out and beautiful. I think Dua Lipa is one of the best pop performers of our lifetime. She does a fantastic job for this generation. Travis Scott is definitely going to be doing something crazy, so we should get ready for that. I would tune in because I think it’s a good mix of predictably amazing and then unpredictably amazing as well.”

The comedian, best known for hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” from 2015-22, just won an Emmy Award for best talk series for the last season of the show. He previously won one in 2017 for hosting a spin-off show, “The Daily Show — Behind the Scenes,” which was voted outstanding short-form variety series.

Noah is not only a host this year — he's also a nominee, with his comedy album “I Wish You Would” up against “I’m an Entertainer” by Wanda Sykes, “Selective Outrage” by Chris Rock, “Someone You Love” by Sarah Silverman and “What’s in a Name?” by Dave Chappelle.

“I’ve looked into all the Grammy bylaws, and there’s nothing that says being the host will give you any leg up in winning the award,” Noah jokes. “I think Dave Chappelle is the favorite because he’s always the favorite, and rightfully so.”

If that happens, don't expect Noah to be complaining that he lost the Grammy to Chappelle or that it's the second time he's lost a best comedy album Grammy to Chappelle.

“I’ve looked into all the Grammy bylaws, and there’s nothing that says being the host will give you any leg up in winning the award,” Noah jokes. “I think Dave Chappelle is the favorite because he’s always the favorite, and rightfully so.”

If that happens, don't expect Noah to be complaining that he lost the Grammy to Chappelle or that it's the second time he's lost a best comedy album Grammy to Chappelle.

“I don’t understand how people live in a world where you can lose something that you never had. I’ve never won a Grammy. I don’t have a Grammy. Unless Dave Chappelle comes to my house and takes my Grammy. I can never lose the Grammy to him,” he says.

Award show hosts have had a rough few years, with The Slap marring the Oscars in 2022 and comedian Jo Koy getting critically panned at the Golden Globes earlier this year.

“In my head, it was always hard being a host. I always assumed anything could happen. I guess the very nature of comedy has always felt like that for me,” says Noah. “I never blame an audience. I might not enjoy an audience, but I never blame an audience.”

Harvey Mason Jr., president and CEO of the Recording Academy, has got Noah's back, calling the comedian “a total pro” as host.

“There’s never a hesitation, never a hiccup. There’s never a stumble. Second of all, he relates so well to the artists and to the music community in my mind, because he’s a fan and he’s an appreciator and a lover of music,” says Mason.

Noah says he's enjoying his life post-"The Daily Show," which includes hosting the interview podcast “What Now? with Trevor Noah” which has attracted the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bill Gates, Kerry Washington and DaBaby.

“I’m trying to build a platform where I get really comfortable and people get really comfortable having honest and open conversations with each other,” says Noah. “We’re in a little short supply of that compassion for each other as human beings."

[0613magazine]

071323 Variety

Jung Kook of BTS Launches Solo Single, ‘Seven,’ With a Surprise Latto Feature: ‘I Want to Show a More Mature and Grown Version of Myself’

Jung Kook launched his first major solo single, “Seven,” at the stroke of midnight ET Friday morning, as promised. It came with a surprise that was unpromised: the appearance of one of the hottest female rappers of our day, Latto, making a featured appearance on the track. The lyrics talk about some hot action that is due to go down between the two, but the music, however, high-energy, feels deeply chill. In other words, it feels designed to be a late entry in the “songs of the summer” derby.

In an email interview with Variety, Jung Kook acknowledges the summery vibe but sounds almost surprised to hear a hit-status projection for the tune, as if this crossed his mind about the Andrew Watt/Cirkut co-written and -produced track belatedly. “I honestly didn’t have a huge goal in mind, but since you said that, I’d be ecstatic if it becomes a ‘hit,'” he says. It’s not just a distant possibility — “Seven” won’t disappoint the fans who’ve waited to see whether he would come out with a bop as well as a bang, as well as find favor with a lot of pop radio listeners who haven’t yet declared their BTS fandom.

Due to translation issues, Jung Kook did the interview with a translator sending his answers via email. In it, he vows — or at least hopes — that the BTS ARMY can expect a solo album before 2023 is up, without giving too much away about how much is already in the can and how much remains to be done. In the meantime, fans can see how his solo charisma comes off, minus group chemistry, as he performs “Seven” in an appearance on “Good Morning America” Friday morning.

Even though “Seven” is officially your global solo debut, you’ve had songs that have already topped a billion streams on Spotify. And you recently re-released “Still With You” and “My You” to more platforms, and “Still With You” has kind of been a streaming hit in its own way. Was the strategy to use these to help ramp up hunger for “Seven”? Did you have confidence that having fans support those songs would not take anything away from the thirst for a new song?

“Still With You” and “My You” were released as free tracks, meaning they weren’t officially released. I thought it’d be nice for fans to listen to my previous solo tracks on streaming platforms before the release of “Seven,” which marks my official solo debut. It’s like a token of gratitude, so to speak. It wasn’t a strategic move or didn’t had anything to do with my confidence. 

Were you working on a lot of songs, and “Seven” ended up being the strongest to put out as your first global single after you had a selection — or was it always going to be “Seven” and you just focused on perfecting that?

Upon hearing “Seven,” I thought, “This is it.” After that, I focused on practicing and recording the track multiple times to perfect it. I hope that many people can feel as I felt when I first heard the song.

These are two big-name producer-writers on the track. What would you say about their contributions?

Andrew (Watt) and Cirkut worked on the songwriting and producing for “Seven.” When recording, Andrew was so passionate about giving directions, which led the recording to go very smoothly. I’m truly grateful to them for helping me debut as a solo artist with great music.

You could have had your choice of a number of guest artists. What was it about Latto that made you want her to be the featured artist?

We thought about who would be the best rapper for this summer song, and one of the producers recommended Latto. So, we reached out to her, and she gladly agreed to work together for “Seven.” I personally like her rapping voice, and I thought her voice adds another layer of liveliness.

The whole song is sexy, but the lyrics of Latto’s rap make it a little more overtly sexual. That’s typical with a guest rap. But were you good with her taking it just a little more direct or extreme than you did?

I thought it’s important that it suits the overall mood of the song, and Latto’s unique charm came through very well.

Something about the acoustic guitar in combination with the rhythm will feel breezy to people — in other words, summery. Were you looking for a “summer single,” per se?

The song does have the breezy and summery vibe. I hope that anyone who listens to “Seven” can have a fun summer whenever they listen to it.

As far as BTS members releasing solo material, you are kind of in the middle of the pack, with some preceding you, some to follow. Do you have any thoughts about where you have ended up in the release schedule?

I don’t place a great deal of significance to which order among others my solo work is out. Each person is putting out his solo work at the time of its completion. Personally, I really enjoyed being able to watch the other members’ music, story and promotions that express their own uniqueness and tastes. That was a fresh source of inspiration for my own solo endeavors.  

Some of the group members are using their solo albums to explore sides of themselves that are maybe darker or at least don’t get as much play in group situations. But you seem very comfortable with mainstream pop music, judging from this song. Do you feel like you have a side of yourself, musically or personally, that you hope to be able to show that hasn’t gotten as much spotlight?

It’s my official solo debut, so everything is a challenge and feels new and fresh. Of course, I think a lot about delivering good music and performance while working on my music. But above all, as this is my first step forward in the spotlight as a solo artist, I want to show a more mature and grown version of myself.

This feels like it could be a big song… I’m sure expectations are high. Do you have goals you’re setting for it?

Thank you for your compliment! I’d love it to be a “big hit” (laughter). I honestly didn’t have a huge goal in mind, but since you said that, I’d be ecstatic if it becomes a “hit.”

The BTS book that just came out spotlights some of the relationships within the band. Are you aware of how much fans love to hear about interpersonal friendships even within the band, like the one you apparently have with Jimin, and that means as much to them as the whole-group dynamic?

Yes, I’m aware of it. I love that our members can create great chemistry no matter which member they are with, and that our fans love each and all of us’ chemistry. 

What’s going to follow this single — how much more is in the pipeline?

I’m working hard to release a solo album this year. It’s early to mention anything specific, but look forward to it!

You’re going to be doing the “GMA” summer concert series on Friday morning, not many hours right after the single comes out. Does it feel like it comes naturally, to be the sole focus, or does it feel a little strange to not have to think about how the balance with others comes out?

When I performed “Dreamers” on a big stage like the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, I did feel the members’ absence. But to be precise, I’d say I have a different mindset going in. When I’m on stage with the members, I focus on the balance as a team, and when I’m on stage alone, I focus on filling up the stage with my own energy. No matter when, it’s always good, if I have our fans with me or BTS.

Everyone always talks about how the group got little or no rest over the years. What’s it been like to get some of that? Or do you feel like you’ve still been too busy preparing a solo career to really know what rest is yet?

Lately, I’ve been quite busy again working on “Seven.” It’s good that we all have time to grow individually, including our solo projects. Whether we are getting rest, learning what we wanted to learn, or focusing on our own music, I think it’s important that we all take some time off like this for us. And after this period, I think we’ll be even greater BTS.

Source: Variety

[bolllywoodhungama]

In the 'In The Mood' video, MAMAMOO member Whee In finds joy in her own company.

Whee In's debut full-length album, In The Mood, is out now.

Whee In's debut full-length album, In The Mood, is out now. This is the second installment of her 'WHEE of ()' identity series, which began in January 2022 with the publication of her second mini-album WHEE. She previously explored her relationship with light () in WHEE and is now motivated to show the natural human () form that lays beyond in In The Mood.

"I was nervous and anxious to release my first full-length album, but I'm overjoyed to finally share it with the world." This album has 11 tracks, with special appreciation to HWASA and HAON for their appearances, which added even more pleasure to the CD. Furthermore, I challenged myself to a whole new genre for me! "Please give IN the mood a lot of love and support," Whee In urges. With 11 tracks in various genres, this album demonstrates Whee In's enormous musical variety. The title tune, "In the Mood," features a medium-tempo pop feel with an R&B mix and conveys the idea of trying to help uncover the 'Mood' within yourself. This song also captures Whee In as an artist in general.

Whee In cooperated for the first time with her long-time friend and fellow MAMAMOO member HWASA on the song "17." "Bite Me" is an R&B song that was created in conjunction with rapper HAON, who is featured on the song and helped write the rhyme. Another standout piece is the last song, "Here I Am," a self-written pop-rock ballad by Whee In in which she expresses her heartfelt thoughts to listeners about persevering with the light within herself even when she is found in darkness.

[haide17]

KPOP INVASION

Annyeonghaseyo ,let me introduce my self I'm Haide Buates 25 .I am here to entertain and on the other hand give information and opinions on the topic that I will share with you today.

If you notice my greeting in the first part of my blog, we often hear this from millennials, because it is no longer hidden from our knowledge that more and more people in this generation are obsessed with kpop cultures.but wait what does "K-Pop" really means .According to Meriam-webster.com K-pop means,noun. ˈkā-ˌpäp. : popular music originating in South Korea and encompassing a variety of styles.

Let's go back to what we were talking about. Today's young people are fond of K-pop, especially the clothing styles, the music of the groups they support, what most fans here call their "Bias", as well as the make up brand they use,koreanovelas ,movies and so on .

Just like other artists, kpop groups have concerts in different parts of the country. Here in the philippines, kpop fans are already preparing for the day of the concert. Here they are already saving money from their pockets. They are looking for cheap tickets and there are many ways to watch their favorite kpop idols live.It's hard to describe the electric atmosphere of a K-Pop concert. There's just something about the energy that sets it apart from any other show. It could be the elaborate choreography, the jaw-dropping visuals, or the non-stop catchy tunes that make up a K-pop performance. Or maybe it's the sheer passion and dedication of the fans, who sing and dance along to every song .So the filipino K-pop fans are really preparing for it because they don't want to miss the chance to watch the performance of their idols. This is also where they show their love for it

K-pop culture has had a big impact on people. Especially in today's youth, it has a negative and positive effect on them. One of the negative effects of this is that the youth gradually forget about OPM, because they listen to and enjoy K-Pop music more.According to termpaperwarehouse .com

"The negative effects of Hallyu include the decrease of patriotism among Filipinos particularly when they spend indiscriminately on Korean products— K-pop albums and Kdrama DVDs. The Filipinos, based on the article Korean Culture in the Philippines, remove the simplicity and practicality in wearing clothes."

As i was said before .

On the other side one of the more positive things comes from some of the lyrics that suggest breaking free of tradition and following your own passions in life. This is unlikely to break the traditional patterns of most Filipinos, but does hope to many young people that they can explore the world around them for new ideas.

Young filipinos have big dreams because of what they watch in Korean soap operas there is a desire to reach and have the things they see.

[lomowall]

2021 beyond wonderland socal

Tickets for Beyond Wonderland 2021 SoCal go on sale Thursday, October 1st at 12PM pst for ONLY $9.99 down. And for the first time since 2009, Insomniac will be opening up the famous Racetrack inside the NOS Events, which is super exciting news. June 2021 come get lost down the rabbit hole with 5 NEW Stages hosted by Bassrush, Basscon, Dreamstate, Factory 93 & Much More. Time will tell on that news, as well as the exciting prospect of what artists we can all share our first rave back with. Though the end of the COVID pandemic still depends on a variety of circumstances, attendees could see the implementation of a streamlined testing process that looks something like what Rotella was trying to establish for EDC this year. What’s more, are upcoming shows in Vegas, SoCal, and Arizona.These dates mean a lot to SoCal Ravers, as they’re the original dates for EDC Las Vegas and nothing says “Summer is Here” like partying at the very first Summer festival with thousands of beautiful people. Countdown is still on as well as the return of Okeechobee next year. We’ll stay tuned for the lineups as the team works hard at curating them. Next is Escape in October, Day Trip, Beyond Wonderland Gorge, EDC Las Vegas, Dreamstate, and Audiotistic Bay Area. Following that is Beyond Wonderland SoCal, which moved a few times but is set for August. What’s next is HARD Summer, the return of large festivals and just in time for summer. This is a moment in time that won’t be forgotten.” Pasquale Rotella Also, thanks to the extraordinary group of humans whose desire to serve & create for you all made these events possible, from the artists to the build crews to the Insomniac team. THANK YOU to the 250,000 of you who ventured through Electric Mile, the 85,000 who attended more than 70 of our Park ‘N Rave drive-ins & the millions who tuned in to our rave-a-thons & InsomniacTV. Even when a path doesn’t exist, it has reaffirmed the importance of creating new lanes, never giving up & living our lives in a positive state of mind no matter what. Our goal this past year has been to continue to bring happiness during uncertain times. It’s a privilege to be able to do what I do & I appreciate every moment. You give me the strength to keep moving forward. Insomniac Attendees should expect an even more extravagant event than previous years, with five new stages, three full-sized carnival rides, and. “I want to send some love to those who have joined me on this crazy journey over the past year & give you some Insomniac updates.įirst, I want to thank those who showed support through the EDC date change while the team & I worked to address everyone’s concerns. Insomniac shares the Beyond Wonderland 2021 lineup. What’s your first event back going to be? Firstly, A Word From The Founder As Insomniac’s festivals trickle back in, we’re excited to get back into it. He includes updates, summaries, and new adventures that await us. LOS ANGELES Discover a world beyond your dreams as Insomniac has announced the lineup for the next chapter of Beyond Wonderland SoCal, taking over the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA on Friday, August 27 and Saturday, August 28, 2021. By now, you’ve seen the updates and excitement Pasquale Rotella shared via Instagram this morning.

[friendlybowlofsoup]

Just out of curiosity, do you have any background music suggestions or playlists for the game/ROs? Thanks for your time!

Sorry, this took a while for me to come up with! I use music to remind me of the atmospheric mood, so for GoRM I listen to a lot of traditional music from different backgrounds.

I did list some of the artists/instruments that I gravitate to though! (Notable songs are in the bullet points)

High Action (Fighting/Chasing Scenes) 

Yoshida Brothers - The shamisen is particularly attractive to me when it comes to high speed feeling. 

Kodo

Ibuki

Ringo Bushi

Panorama

I also just let spotify go on shuffle on their page.

Waggaki Band - Uses Traditional Japanese instruments with heavy rock. Absolute killer. I also just let them run on shuffle.

Their Senbonzakura cover is prettttyyy clean (it’s their most listened to song on spotify)

Jia Pang Feng - I LOVE THIS MAN UGH He’s multi-purpose. 

As Quick as Lightening gives me chills every time hnnngggg

Mai Kyoku

Blue Flamingo

Everything from him is honestly so good uggghhh 

Lots of strings and heavy drums, basically. Taiko and tanggu are also a favorite of mine, but I can’t pin down an artist for either of those styles! 

Scenic Moments (Environmental/chill moments with lots of imagery)

Liu Fang - Guzheng and pipa musician. It’s very atmospheric and helps me immerse myself into the scene.

High Mountain and Flowing Water

The Love for Wei River <- this one in particular sounds like rain and I love it so much 

Pink Lotus

For scenes that are lighter (or happier), I listen to pieces with the koto/guzheng and dizi. 

For scenes that are heavier, I listen to more open instruments like the ehru and the shakuhachi.

Romantic Moments 

Jia Pang Feng - again because he makes me openly weep with his ehru hnnngggg

Suiren 

Rainbow 

Erquan Yinyue

Yiruma - He’s my staple romance inspiration, regardless of what I’m writing.

Kiss the Rain is a classic

Maybe

Honestly, just slap him on shuffle too dang (river flows in you might come up fifty times but oh well)

More bowed instruments than not. Something about them really hurts my heart and gets me a super romantic mood. 

---

Haha, sorry this got kinda long, Anon! If there was a take away from this, I’d highly, highly recommend Jia Pang Feng and Yoshida bros.

I don’t have specific playlists for each RO, but if someone has some ideas, I’m open to suggestions!

[whysojiminimnida]

Is it only me who feels like JKs singing has worsened. No, not hating just I felt so

His voice was one of my favorite. In live versions, he was infamous for singing exactly like in studio version. We have heard him singing acapellas etc very well. But in the last online concert that was not the situation. His original singing voice and the tone of singing and his stability was very much affected.

Then I thought ok Mayne he have some cold or something. But them again yesterday also it happened. Don't know if its coz he was tensed. But his singing was not the same good level. It was breathy and shaky. In both MU and Butter. Especially in MU , after Chris Martin singing JKs out of tone singing was not pleasant to hear.

I've heard him n JM saying he sings 8-10 hrs a day. He have said he wanted to find a conformable voice, in that korean variety they went on early 2021. But then his singing has worsened. I wish he take of his voice and improve it again.

Oh LORD y'all are just out here to hurt my heart today aren't you? Actually Jungkook has very close to perfect pitch. I'm often struck by how, in random VLives (i.e., his birthday) and behind videos (i.e., at the AMAs in the lot with Chris Martin) he is perfectly in tune. His voice is one of the most stable in the industry. Was he nervous at the AMAs? Yes. Wouldn't you be? Nerves account for a lot of vibrato and breath control issues that wouldn't normally be heard. So does exertion and while Koo is an incredibly stable vocalist - holding his tone and key while in aerobic-level motion - he isn't immune to those small vocal changes. You try jumping up and down twenty times and running across a hall WHILE SINGING and tell me how your voice sounds. Maybe record it. Just to give yourself a reality check. Koo actually trains his voice by singing while running for a reason. If you can do better by all means send in that Hybe audition tape. Were there serious sound quality issues, such that the boys were singing in an echo chamber, at the AMAs? Also yes. Namjoon and the others commented on it in their Live after the show, and many of us at home heard the problems with the sound. I don't feel like we can blame Jungkook personally for tech issues that mask or magnify effects and acoustics. Or for room temperature, humidity, vocal cord fatigue... I mean our boy was out there in the LA night drunk AF singing his cords off within a day of that performance. It does have effects. OMG JUST LET PEOPLE LIVE DAMN. Most artists do not have perfect pitch - many have perfect ears, they can hear even slight variations - and good or trained singers can learn to emulate the exact tone they're hearing. But perfect pitch is quite rare. Have you ever heard Ed Sheeran sing live? OMG y'all I love him but he is not it for being in tune on stage. Camila Cabello's pretty good. Ariana Grande is really good - she's very close to perfect. Gaga is in tune 99% of the time. I'd give Jeon Jungkook a 95-98 personally. And for what it's worth I believe he has a perfect ear so if he's off he can damn well hear it himself, he does not need you running your piehole to tell him. As far as vocalists go, honey, I doubt very seriously you're even in the same city as Jungkookie. His own members aren't except Jimin sometimes, all the guys are pitchy occasionally BECAUSE IT'S NORMAL AND THEY ARE HUMAN AND ALSO DANCING YOU OVERCRITICAL HOSEBAG. Don't come out here just to voice shame my baby Koo. You'll get the same backhand I reserve for Jimin antis who talk about he can't sing with zero knowledge of a whistle register or chest/head transition points. Fuck off with that nonsense. Take it back to the hater's lounge where they have ageism, racism, homophobia and now armchair vocal coaches. Boo. You're mean. Go away. Stan someone else, I hear SZA needs new fans these days. The Golden Maknae is terribly upset by your attitude while he picks up a few new awards and some endorsements and a few billion extra won ARMY and the company left lying around.

[yn-x-animeboy]

Jungkook x y/n (as a famous artist) Pt. 1

request: mine, my brain made me write this

pairing: reader x Jungkook

genre: fluff, romance, for entertainment purposes

BTS x Fem Reader

sinopsis: You are a popular artist in America, pretty famous, loved and well-known by the general public (actually you were one of the top 10 artists in the world but you are pretty humble and naïve to realize your popularity), one day during one of your fan meets you talk about how much you love BTS, and not only how you wish to meet them and work with them but how Jungkook is one of your celebrity crushes. During the meet you fangirled with other ARMYs in the crowd; video clips of you fangirling and talking about BTS at your meet where posted and reposted all over social media. This obviously broke the internet because you were not only a famous singer but you also were always accepted and loved by ARMY and this made a lot of people happy. Suddenly it felt like everyone wanted you to meet the seven handsome and talented idols and collaborate, but you could only wish, you believed they didn't even know who you were...or so you thought.

Pt. 1- Introduction. Your fan meet

Basically every couple of months you like to organize small get-togethers with your supporters as a way to have a closer contact with them, to get to know them, as a fanservice and to just thank them in a way. Lately you have been noticing one specific group of fan pages dedicated to you who have been really interactive and supportive on twitter; 

promoting your latest music video and the recent EPISODE of: y/n’s camera roll uploaded to your oficial platforms (your team uploaded a weekly video=episode to your channel; almost like Run BTS. Each episode had a different theme and your fans loved it)  this group of fan pages is constantly on your main page, so you decided to contact them and fly them out for a day in L.A. for one of your infamous meets so you could meet them.

You don't normally film your fan meetings, they are normally just a one on one gatherings between you and your fans,  but your team thought it could be a good idea to record today’s meet and upload parts of it for your weekly EPISODE, these were greatly appreciated by your international fans and other fans who wanted to see a little more into your personal life.

You were currently hanging out with the small group of fans you invited over. A group of around 10 boys and girls were currently sitting on the fluffy carpeted floor and some were sitting on plush chairs randomly spread in front of you. (a/n i imagine this setting like the Zach Sang Show, for the Ariana Grande interview episodes) 

You were sitting in front of them on a small white couch for two. Once everyone was comfortably settled in, you introduced yourself and invited the others to do so as well, one by one telling you their name, username, pronouns, age, and fun facts about them. You smiled wide, happy to be able to meet such amazing people and also making mental notes to remember their names and facts. 

After the personal introductions your camera crew was set up and ready to start, you told your fans sitting in front of you about how today's meet was going to be recorded and asked for their consent to upload said video; and then proceed to open for the camera; 

“Hello everyone welcome to another episode of…. f** I don't even know what we call these videos, jajajaja” 

Your fans sitting in front of you stated the name of the youtube series in a heartbeat;

“Wait what?... jajajajaja omg guys thank you, I'm so sorry, yeah you heard them, welcome back to y/n’s camera roll, I can’t believe I forgot that, anyway today’s episode is a little different……” you proceed to explain what the episode was about and thanking the future viewers for tuning in and watching the video. “Waw what a long introduction, so, before we actually go on and have the meet while you guys at home enjoy, I want to introduce you to the lovely group of people who I have invited here today….” Again proceed to introduce your fans to the camera by name, trying to not miss anyone and not butcher any name in the process.

After the introduction is done you porcede to carry out the fan meet like you normally do, you normally have scheduled sections of activities during your meets to make them fun; For today’s meet you all played games and did a couple challenges with your fans; then you recorded a couple of tik toks and instagram stories your fans asked you to be in, and casually all hung out. After a while of comfortable chatting and laughter, you wanted to hype up the mood. You turned down the lights, turned on some color  LED lights and had a dance party with everyone invited, dancing and going all out to popular music.

After being all drained from the heavy physical activities, you ordered a variety of food for your fans, like pizza and pasta, sushi, tacos, snacks, etc. and had a muckbang/eating section for the episode as well.

You were having so much fun, you looked around while eating and just by looking at their excited and happy faces you couldn help but feel complete and thankful for all of your fans.

After filling up on food, you carried out the Q&A section of the meet, allowing fans to ask you personal questions and conversing on various topics. The camera director gave you instructions to proceed with the questions, you nodded and thanked him and the staff for their hard work, turning on your heel and sitting back in your spot you tuned to the main camera: “Hi, quick update, sorry I haven't been so interactive with the camera in this episode for everyone watching at home, but I have been having so much fun and I am not used to having a camera crew for my normal fan meets, I’m sorry. Anyway now we will move on, I am going to answer some questions and hopefully this is entertaining enough  for the EPISODE hahaha” the crew and fans present chucked as you finished the small interruption.

And the questions began. A girl sitting in the back, raised her hand and spoke; “yeah um, I’m sorry I wanted to  see if I could start the questions, idk if the others are okay with that”. The rest of the group nodded sweetly at her, others replied with short “yeah’s”. She then proceeded nervously “thankyou g-guys, um I’m sorry before my question, is there anything we cannot ask you or..?

You sweetly smiled at her shyness and consideration, you tried your best to make her comfortable, “You are so cute, hahaha, thankyou for being considerate, but I really can’t think of anything that I am not allowed to answer or talk about, let me ask my manager...do I Sam?” you shifted your upper body to the side where the crew was standing, your manager Sam shook his head, you don't really have any tea to be spilled anyway so he is pretty confident and comfortable allowing you to be 100% in control. 

“Okay if Sam says it’s cool, it's okay  jajaja. You can ask me anything”

The girl then proceeded to ask her question, and waited for you to answer.

Time went by, and it was pretty cool to see what your fans were interested in learning about you, after some time the group continued asking you questions like “who is your biggest inspiration? favorite song?, favorite thing about being on tour? what would you do if you weren't a singer? etc.

One of the boys in the group spoke; “Hi, y/n, can I ask you another question?” you nodded and signaled him to proceed; 

“I saw that you liked an instagram post about BTS a while back uploaded by a fan account and I also saw that you actually follow their personal twitter account. ALSO in your behind the scenes video for your music video shoot you can be seen in the background dancing the Boy with luv choreo. So I wanted to ask if you were an ARMY and if you know them personally? and like should we be expecting a collaboration soon?”

You chucked at his talking speed, curious questions and great detective skills.

 Before you answered you mentally told yourself to hold back and not go all cRAzY fAnGirL on them, you inhaled and answered:

“OMG hahaha I love you so much, what an amazing question, Okay so first off no I don’t know them personally and sadly no plans of collaboration are on sight. Oh wow I have never been asked if I liked BTS before, I’m excited hahaha. Yeah I am an ARMY, I love them so much I am one of their biggest fans, and they are also one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to work ethic and professionalism, listening to them or watching them gives me motivation to keep doing what I love, which is this. 

anyway I am rambling I should stop; you guys can say y/n stop whenever I start rambling okay? hahaha''

The group in front of you laughed and added some extra comments on your response.

After a couple comments back and forth you realized something… and asked out loud, 

“Wait so, how many of you guys here are actually ARMYs?”, 

all of the sudden the 10 fans sitting in front of you raised their hands. 

“So you guys are telling me literally everyone of you is a fellow ARMY and didn't tell me until now?” everyone chuckled and looked around surprises at the coincidence 

You were already feeling shy after talking so much about yourself before so you redirected the activity, “Guys should we actually talk about BTS for a bit? hahaha” you asked your fans

This made a girl raise her hand and ask: “Can I ask you a BTS question then? Okay so, who is your favorite member?

You loved the new conversation topic. You answered truthfully: “Well first off, I don't have a favorite member. I really mean it when I say this. I love them all equally and I love them all as a group. I don’t prefer one over the other or like one better.  I really do support them equally. I mean there is nothing wrong with having a bias, as long as you also respect the other members, hope that all made sense lol” Everyone seemed moved by your support towards them and nodded.

“Y/n so you don’t have a favorite, but do you have a crush on any of them?, like if you could date one of them right now, which one do you pick?” A fan asked.

You looked at her and really thought about how to answer said question in the best way possible; “okay...well...Like I said just to be clear I don't have favorites amongst the group members, but I do have a type…. I consider one of them to be my celebrity crush” you answered, starting out slow and finishing by blurting out the last part.

Your fans in front of you went crazy, they leaned over their seats wanting to feel closer to you and not miss anything you were saying as you took a breath to continue speaking.

“So in that case, if I had to pick someone that I would date in real life...i would say…. Jungkook'' The room was filled with surprised remarks, small comments and squeals.

“Omg guys chill hahaha, breathe, it's just a crush I don’t know him and it's not going to happen. It's just that I find him really attractive and he is my type.”

The fans kept raising their hands to ask you various questions about BTS,

the camera director and manager signaled you to get your attention after you finished answering other questions and told you you only had time for one more question before the fan meet was over.

“Okay guys so apparently we have time for one more question, so make it a good one, it can be about anything, shoot” you said as you leaned over to reach for your water bottle, swung the bottle and pointed to someone on the corner of your eye who seemed to have one last question, as you drank some water they asked: “I have a last BTS question if you don’t mind y/n” 

Still gulping water you moved your hand indicating them that is was okay and to go on,

“okay, um I just thought about this, do you have like a specific fantasy or make up scenario about BTS that you could only dream could come true; like I wish i could walk into a café shop and suddenly meet V, realizing we were reading the same book and covering for hours”

That was such a deep and personal question, you had never once thought anyone would be interested in what your fantasies where; you thought it might be boring for your fans if you went on and on about  stupid make believe scenarios that live in your head rent free. But seeing everyones approving faces over the question and the intrigued eyes they were shooting at you, you spoke: “I love that question, and your scenario is so cute, you should write a tumblr post about it, (a/n wink wink) well yeah I obviously have created fake scenarios in my head about BTS, past crushes, fake arguments even hahaha, there are so many BTS fake scenarios in my head…. hmm oh I know which one, okay so this fantasy of mine is about how I would meet them irl and work with them, I will make it quick”

You kinda chuckled at yourself, playing with the cap on your water bottle, you felt as if you were about to say something really cringy and embarrassing. You took a deep breath and started the narration of the sinopsis of your personal fanfic created by you. 

“Okay so, my literal fantasy is to one day meet them at a talk show, you know how hosts like will surprise their guests with something/someone they like?, I believe Ellen has done it multiple times where she surprised a guest with their idol or celebrity crush, you know?” The group nodded, invested in your fake scenario “Well i would be invited to like the Jimmy Fallon Show, where he would just randomly surprise me with BTS. Then I would be given the opportunity to introduce myself and tell them how much I love and support them. I would also be able to show them my Korean speaking skills, I learned Korean and Spanish back in school and I have never been able to actually use either them, lol, anyway...well after that we would all become really good friends, and we would collaborate and put out one or multiple songs for you guys. I mean that's basically it, I wish I could meet them, and become their friend and write songs with them, even produce songs with Suga or RM if I could'' you sighed as you ended your mini narration.

You continued; “But well, that's just a fake scenario I repeat, it's not real and it's not gonna happen, EVER. For now I will keep supporting and loving them with you and the rest of ARMY. I really doubt they even know who I am, anyway” you closed the conversation at that. Your fans seemed like they wanted to say something but your camera director called you over before anyone could say something else. You excuse yourself and walk over to the cameras and lights set up where the staff is.

*your fans were really confused, and this you didn't know, but your fans knew for a fact that BTS knew very well who you were. The fans even knew which member has continuously admitted to having a platonic crush on you for years now, ever since you first blew up, back when you were 16 and he was 17. Your fans knew how you are one of BTS’s favorite artists, and this was no secret, you could literally look all this information up... 

They didn’t understand how you could have no idea how famous you actually are* They talked amongst themselves about this while you talked to your team.

Your manager and camera director indicated you to do an outro for the video’s footage and other instructions. You nodded your head and smiled, you took a step back and bowed your head towards the staff behind the cameras and thanked them for their work.

You then walked towards the group of fans and told them you had to do an outro for the camera if that was okay with them; you then sat with them on the floor while side hugging the two fans next to you, you directed yourself to the camera:  “Okay guys so sadly today’s meet is now over, I am really sad I wish we could hang out for longer, thank you so much for coming and making today so fun and special” you then turned to the camera “And for my other amazing supporters who are going to watch this on youtube, today was just a little scoop into my life like the other y/n’s camera roll EPISODES, in case you are interested in other videos like this one you can visit head to the channel where this video was uploaded and watch more! hopefully you guys had fun with us! I adore you all, thank you! Please Spread love always, y/n out” you waved as the camera director said “CUT” and the crew cut the cameras.

Your manager then stood up and directed everyone to get ready to leave, also thanking them for always supporting you and taking care of you, you smiled at your amazing manager and looked back at your fans while they picked up their stuff, smiling sadly.

You said your goodbye to everyone one-by-one as they headed out.

After lots of farewell hugs, kisses, selfies, and gifts, you went home with a smile on your face for the amazing time you had.

You went to bed, turned your phone on silent mode and looked at your ceiling,  reliving that fake scenario you talked about a few hours ago, oh how you wished it could become real (a/n hehe wink wink). Finally dozing off and resting for the work-packed day you had tomorrow unaware that your social media was currently going crazy and how they yearned for your new weekly EPISODE to come out.

Part 2- Jungkook’s POV --------> here

thank you so much, please interact with me to let me know if you like this :) Xx

[virghogh]

NCT Birth Charts x Hexaco Results Analyses pt. 2

recently NCT Dream were on a new reality show called Mental Training Camp where they are doing a variety of activities and all of their behavior and interactions are being analyzed by professional psychologists.

ofc my virgo sun mercury ass was thrilled and I had their birth charts pulled up the whole time to cross reference.

I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts on how the 2 might connect!

p.s. Thank u for all the likes on part one !!<3

part 1 // part 2 // part 3

**key: in the hexaco charts the blue represents the Dreamies, the orange is an average result of 300 college students who took the same test**

Renjun - “An artist down to the bones”

✨aries sun // scorpio moon // pisces mercury // pisces venus // taurus mars✨

can i just start with a wow cause!! This title is so bold and what they continued to talk about with him, and when looking at his chart... there is much to unpack here so let’s get into it

they started off his analysis focusing on how much of an “artist” he is. They said 2 qualities a great artists needs is openness and emotionality and he scored way above average in those areas, and the highest of those in his whole group. Looking at his placements I think anyone could tell this person is highly creative. With his 2 pisces placements and water moon in scorpio. There’s a lot more going on with that moon sign than just creativity, but it is a common trait amongst water moons!

I feel like his water energy is responsible for more of his imagination? If you watch a lot of NCT content you can see just how imaginative Renjun is. Especially in the relay vlogs when he was taking us through his art all I could think was wow this guy has crazy (good) imagination! the reason I mention this is because he has a taurus mars. taurus is ruled by venus where we get a lot of our creativity from and it’s a known thing that taurus placements always bring natural creativity. I really think the combination of water imagination with taurus art is a beautiful combo.

 On top of his natural talent in creativity and imagination, scorpio moons absolutely need an outlet. He was truly blessed with placements that give him that outlet <3 They mentioned he could be a poet and scorpio moons are always being recommended to write poetry. His art is essential to his mental and emotional health. 

something really interesting is how they mentioned that mark has traditional leader energy, but Renjun has a “mother-like” leader energy. I thought that was so sweet and really accurate for him. They mentioned how throughout the intro he would scan the others eyes a lot and make contact very subconsciously and with ease. Taking everyone into account. I see this a lot in his 2 pisces placements. I feel like a lot of pisces makes someone very sensitive, in-tune with people and caring/compassionate. And with the slower, calmer taurus mars it gives him a gentle approach. He has this strong bull/ram influence from his aries sun and mars, his driving forces, that gives him initiative and a strong voice. when these 2 connect I feel like it makes a mom bear kind of thing. 

They also said it seems when he scans like that he is almost analyzing and observing, “gathering opinions”. Scorpio moons have hawk eyes, they’re always observing micro-actions and reactions. He is mostly observing with care so he can pay attention and accommodate! But I think having a scorpio moon just makes him naturally tune in to people a lot more and gives him a sharper eye. 

I wanted to put him and Jisung in the same post because they’re both scorpio moon kings, and I wanted to talk about how this really intense moon sign plays out in 2 very different people. I have a scorpio moon too, so seeing 2 idols I like with their own scorpios moons is very interesting to me! 

at one point the psychologists verbal report took a turn and all i could think about was that scorpio moon! After they finished telling him about his artists traits, they said “there is one thing you should look out for”, and it was that people like him tend to get lonely easily and often/a lot and Renjun quickly agreed! They said that since he’s with good friends a lot, it helps, but in the future he could get very lonely and experience it more than the average person. This is so textbook scorpio moon I honestly felt like he was speaking right to me and my scorpio moon for a second. From one scorpio moon to another, I’m so glad he has people around him. 

then they asked him when he typically gets lonely the most and he responded with “it just comes to be out of the blue” u poor scorpio moon bb😭. I don’t know how serious he was about this word but he said he will be depressed on the nicest days sometimes. 

there was another story Mark was telling thin time about Renjun. They went out to a meal together on a beautiful day and Mark comments on how nice out it is and Renjun just responds with “I’m depressed”. There are so many traits of his scorpio moon coming through here. With the moon being in such an intense, deep and dark sign, it is in detriment here. It’s a really rough placement for your emotions. Water moons in general are known for being quite moody and sulky, sometimes it just comes out of nowhere and very randomly. There doesn’t always have to be a trigger. I feel like his pisces-scorpio are really like teaming up a lot when it comes to his expressions and emotions. 

In the last post I mentioned how I think Jeno and Mark are lucky to have fire moons because they could get really hard on themselves or down/depressed if they had earth or water moons. Renjun is a good example of what I meant. With his Taurus mars, earth signs are known for being down and hard on themselves a lot and I think the combination of a earth mars and scorpio moon is tough. taurus likes to be alone a lot too and I could see him maybe in the future develop a tendency to isolate when he’s having a scorpio moon moment and feels like the world is ending (again, being around people must be really helping him). I also see his aries sun maybe being another way to help express that scorpio moon. It might feel less like he has to keep all of these scorpio feelings to himself, it’s easier for him to let it out. It’s also worth noting that having a scorpio moon and taurus mars means they’re in opposition! Giving him even more depth and intensity. 

as for the hexaco chart, based off just his chart I don’t know if I would have guessed his openness was that high with his scorpio and taurus?? But other than that I think his hexaco is very spot on for him! His agreeableness is slightly below average👀 umm yes hi aries sun and fixed moon and mars. His extroversion is pretty much average but that average to me tells me someone is more on the extroverted side or maybe in the middle? Being in the middle would make sense to me because I think he definitely has potential to isolate. I’m curious to see what his houses are! I’ve seen a lot of talk that he’s a cancer rising and I buy it because it would put his sun in 10th, and moon in 5th but that’s a whole other topic...

That emotionality is wonderfully high. His openness and expression/ reactions are one of my favorite things about him. He’s truly a little aries hot head at times. I feel like aries in big 6 often gives this kind of ease with expression and straightforwardness like I was saying about mark. Similar to Chenle though, I think even though Renjun is open, he isn’t an open book and has his deep thoughts and secrets. I see his openness more in that he will always be there for people and listen/help peoples problems. He’s the kind of person to meet someone and if he can tell they’re struggling he’d offer his ear or shoulder even if they’re not close. He’s welcoming. 

tldr; has intense imagination and creative abilities, he is very welcoming, compassionate, attentive and caring. Mom vibes. He is very moody and gets down a lot, his friends and artistic expression are essential. He is very expressive, passionate and hot headed but has a lot of patience.

Jisung - “Shy Perfectionist” 

✨aquarius sun // scorpio moon // aquarius mercury // aquarius venus // aries mars✨

Jisungs section in this show was reallyyy short they didn’t say much and moved on kinda quick😅 I’ll be honest Jisung has always kinda confused me especially when I try to understand his chart and what i see in the videos. So not getting a lot of information from this episode either (yet! the show is ongoing) is tough

As far as the title they gave him🥺chart or no chart I think it’s a good title for him and how he appears in content and stuff he is true baby. In their verbal report they basically just said he’s shy and then talked a lot about how he has very good “follower” qualities. They were saying having a good follower is also a really important quality in a group though. And jisung agreed with what they were saying. That’s pretty much all we got from them😅

Honestly if I could only have one members guaranteed full chart I’d want it to be Jaemins or Jisungs because Jisung has an aquarius stellium! And the house it’s in could tell us so much more about him. Typically when I think of or meet aquarius I don’t pin them as a shy type? I could see some of them preferring to stick to themselves but they still operate pretty well in social situations. So Jisung’s painfully shy personality we see is interesting to me. Where I definitely do see his aqua and scorpio working together is in how anxious and nervous he is. He’s a worrier too and has admitted it. Also I’ve heard the combination of aquarius and scorpio makes someone intensely intuitive to future events, so I feel like if jisung is unaware of this gift it could contribute to his high anxiety. Maybe he gets feelings of “something bad is about to happen” a lot for seemingly no reason👀

Another very aquarius trait is of course they’re weirdooos through and through! And what I’ve noticed about the aquarius weird trait is how many different kinds of weird there are because aquarians are always weird in such different ways. I definitely think Jisung is a weird guy, or quirky? You can almost see the gears grinding in his head when he’s contemplating and then he’ll do something “weird” after that! Weird, or just off beat. And what I love about the way jisungs lil aquarius mind works is you can tell those weird moments are purely just how he really is and thinks, and it’s not to be funny or for the cameras, he just processes information and thinks completely different from everyone else. 

Since we know jisung is shy I feel like a lot of his aquarius and scorpio mood comes out off camera so we won’t get to see that side! But I’m sure it’s there.

I think Jisung’s scorpio moon is a good example of how different it can be. To go from a very emotionally charged chart to one that is being dominated by air is quite different. With Renjun, I was talking about how his water and fire give him the ability to be in touch with and express his scorpio moon more. But with an air dominant chart I feel like hinders that ability and creates a more detached person. Not that he’s cold, not emotional, or not compassionate. But just that he probably prefers to “just not think” about certain stressful or emotional topics. But the problem with that is it doesn’t mean emotions are gone and scorpio is very hard to ignore, so he’s probably internalizing a lot of stuff v deeply or is surprised when emotions come, what feels like, out of nowhere,.. Jisung also has an aries mars though! I feel like the openness of the aries mars combining with the detachment of Aquarius sun could also contribute to sudden releases of emotion🤔 but be back to normal in minutes

I also wanna add that I feel like jisungs very follower personality and ability to just kinda let things happen or not take charge must be a result of the industry and being the maknae tbh, or it at least accentuated it 

For the hexaco chart I really want to comment on how high the honesty-humility is! In the first part I mentioned how aquarius and aries can be quite righteous signs. So this trait must be really played up in his chart because it seems he cares a lot about following the rules (could also be a result of industry). His emotionality is higher than average! For his chart I don’t know if I would have expected that but from watching him I think it totally lines up, maybe his aries mars is proving more of an outlet. 

I also wanna finish by adding that jisung is still super young and has been in this “baby” position for most of his life, and is literally the youngest out of a 23 person group lol and grew up in the industry so there’s more going on with that than just astrology <3

tldr; very shy, anxious and nervous, intuitive, an oddball, his community is important and helpful to him, easily reactive, but not very emotionally expressive, he’s level-headed, has a lot of growing to do🥺<3

part 3 coming soon!

feedback and thoughts are always welcome!

[honestlywtfisgoingon]

A Match Set

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Pairing: Benny Watts x Reader

Summary: After meeting one night in New York, you and Benny Watts are drawn to each other. As you go through different experiences with one another, you grow closer until it finally gets to be too much for Benny.

Word Count: 1890

Warnings: none

Notes: aye this is my first fic because there is a serious lack of benny watts fics and i had to change that for myself. this will probably be multiple chapters that can be read separately.

It was your first art gallery, and you were both anxious and overjoyed to see people surveying your work. You had put so many hours into each piece and all kinds of people had poured in to look. It was a well known gallery, but the variety still surprised you. You looked around and saw some interesting characters, but your interest was piqued when your eyes fell upon a particular cowboy.

He was inspecting one of your favorite paintings which had chess pieces as the subject. The pieces merely served as part of a metaphor in your art, as the game and all its complexities had never really been your thing. As you looked closer at the man you realized that, not only had his outfit sparked your interest, but he seemed familiar too. Out of curiosity, you walked over and stood next to him.

“What are your thoughts?” You asked, motioning towards the painting.

His initial expression showed surprise that you were talking to him, but he recovered quickly, saying, “It’s good. I think the artist has talent.” You felt a bit of pride hearing that. You opened your mouth to say thanks, but you decided not to reveal yourself. You wanted him to give his honest opinion without fear of offending you.

“So do you like chess?” He nodded to the painting. Hearing this you made the connection as to why you remembered seeing him before. Your father owned a little bookshop back home and you were looking into chess for the same painting you were discussing right now. You had seen this cowboy on the back of one of those books, but you hadn’t given it another thought, never actually expecting to meet him. You decided not to reveal this information either and continued with the conversation.

“I can play a modest game. You?”

“I can play a modest game.” He had a small smile as he shrugged.

“Your first lie.” You said smirking back.

He looked confused but curious, so you explained about your research, your fathers bookshop, the whole story. He puffed up a bit after hearing that, looking impressed that you knew who he was.

“What’s your name?” He asked, still curious.

“Y/n” you replied.

“Nice name. I’m Benny, but you already seem to know who I am. On the other hand I don’t know anything about you.” He reached out his hand to shake yours.

“You walk in here with a black trench coat but you make me out to be the mysterious one,” you smirked as you took his hand. He chuckled a bit, and after your introduction, you asked why he was here.

“My friend knows the artist actually. She told us we had to see her work before going out.” You hummed as you thought about what to say, but he interjected.

“I don’t usually do this, and I’m not sure why I’m doing this now, but maybe you’d consider coffee with me. I won’t tell anymore lies” he joked.

You laughed a little, mildly shocked. “you’re not sure why? That’s flattering” you teased.

“Not what I meant-“ but before you could come to a conclusion on his sudden offer, you heard an excited french accent.

“Y/n! Im so proud! You finally got to show off all that talent!” Your friend Cleo ran up to you and wrapped her arms around you. You hadn’t seen her since you lived in France for a few months and you had missed her. You left for France after you realized you weren’t really needed at home, so you dedicated yourself to trying to soak up some culture. She looked gorgeous like you remembered, fitting for a model. You continued your reunion embrace for a moment before she waved her arms to the men and woman behind her. She introduced the friends she had brought to your show as Arthur, Hilton, and Annette, who all smiled at you. Cleo paused to turn to the cowboy saying, “I see you’ve already met Benny.”

“Yeah we met,” he said, “but I didn’t know this was your work. I would’ve told you how impressed I am.” Your cheeks turned a light pink at the praise.

“Look at Benny, impressed with someone besides himself for once.”Cleo poked fun and the group let out a laugh.

“Hey I’m not a narcissist or anything, don’t listen to Cleo,” Benny made excuses to you, only mildly offended.

“Sure you aren’t. I have nothing against narcissists,” you jokingly assured him. This answer didn’t comfort the man who had essentially just asked you on a date.

You and Cleo continued to catch up and you talked more with her friends as well. Benny just stood next to you, and you caught him glancing at you once or twice, but you just ignored it. Eventually you agreed to go out for drinks with the group, walking with them to a bar a couple blocks down called Hal’s.

You all squeezed into a booth while Arthur went off to get drinks. You sat on the outside, watching the people out on the floor next to you giggling and dancing. Having a couple of drinks beforehand must’ve contributed to the large amount of people out there, you thought. Arthur eventually announced his return by laying a tray of drinks in the middle of the table.

You were all conversing and sipping on your drinks when Annette decided she wanted to dance. Cleo agreed enthusiastically, but the rest of us refused. She suggested we all take shots to make it easier, but once again we tried to turn her down. she pleaded, “come on guys, it’s a Saturday night, and you can’t possible lose something from it. Have a little bit of fun with me!”

We relented, having a feeling that she wasn’t going to give up any time soon. She gave a little clap and handed out the shots. You knocked yours back with everyone else and grimaced at the bitter taste. Shaking it off, you slid out of the booth so the others could get out. You moved back into your spot after they all made their way to the throng of people. You decided you would join them later, but you liked to observe first. You looked over and the only two left were you and Benny. You slid over to him, not wanting to sit awkwardly on the other end like he wasn’t there.

“I bet you five bucks that lady is bored out of her mind.” He pointed to a blonde on a date across the bar, “Either she’s an alcoholic or she’s trying to tune out baldie.” You looked at the woman and saw she was surrounded by empty glasses while the man in front of her seemed like he was boasting endlessly. You both started making observations about the various people in the bar. Most of them were snarky comments that you whispered into each other’s ears, giggling, but you also created imaginary lives for them, guessing who they were and how they got here. After sharing a couple laughs, you sighed and reached a comfortable lull before Benny brought up what you knew was coming.

“So have you thought about my earlier question?” He eyed you seriously all of a sudden, but you didn’t feel any pressure. He seemed the type of confident where he thought you would say yes, but he could recover if you said no.

You weighed in your impression of him. He was cute, with fluffy hair and nice eyes that were a kind of chocolate color. He was funny and you he seemed intelligent (I mean he had to be, he played competitive chess). Albeit his trench coat and hat were a bit eccentric, but that wasn’t a bad thing, in fact you found it attractive.

“So have you?” He asked again, leaning his head in.

“Oh uh” you hadn’t realized while you were thinking that you had zoned out looking at him. Clearing your throat you said, “I’m free for coffee.” You stopped, “But you have to wear the hat.”

“Wouldn’t leave home without it” he winked.

Suddenly you were shoved against him as your tipsy friends barreled back into the booth.

“We should probably join them” you said as you moved off him, pushing one of the leftover drinks towards him. He nodded and you both drank some more just to get on the same level as your friends.

“You two haven’t even danced! I saw you whispering. Too busy flirting?” Annette smiled as she slurred a few of her words. You just looked down, cheeks pink, leaving Benny to respond.

“How were you watching us when you were dancing with that guy, the one who looks like he’s only ever kissed his mother.”

“No, I’m sure he’s kissed other people! I mean he did seem young but...” Annette looked over to the guy she dragged to dance with her earlier. He stood sheepishly in the corner, looking like he hadn’t outgrown his baby fat yet, and was definitely not a city type. “He’s just shy!” She defended, but me and Benny just looked at each other, falling into giggles. You figured out that night that Annette was one of those drunks who got a little childish, but she was sweet.

You would’ve been content to keep hanging out with Benny, if it hadn’t been for Cleo who grabbed your hand and pulled you out to the dance floor. You looked back at Benny, but gave in and allowed her to twirl you into the crowd. You were having a good time with Cleo, Hilton and Arthur dancing on either side of her. You were soon out of breath, but didn’t mind, enjoying it all.

You had moved to the city a couple months ago, but hadn’t had time to make friends, focusing on your work and setting up your apartment. You missed having company, people who were fun and interesting.

You continued to move to the beat of the song until you bumped into someone. You looked back to see Benny smiling next to you. You smiled back and let him in to the little circle you and your friends had created. You felt a little warm, not from the dancing, but from being close to him.

After fifteen minutes you were all tired and made your way to the booth to gather all your things up and pay the bill. You walked out of the bar and into the chilly night air, grateful for the residual body heat that came from all the dancing. You hugged Cleo and your new friends goodbye as took turns getting into taxis and headed towards their homes. Hilton offered to wave you down a taxi too, but you declined, explaining that your home wasn’t a far walk. He shrugged and gave you another hug before climbing into the yellow car. Once again it was just you and Benny.

“Just the two of us again huh?” He spoke, and he definitely didn’t sound turned off by the idea.

“Fate I guess.”

“Sure” he said casually.

“Do you not believe in fate?” You asked. You weren’t a firm believer in the idea but something in his tone made you curious.

“I’ve had this debate before I think. I’m not sure, but I’d like to figure it out. How about you?” He said. You imagined him having a lot of debates. You had just met him, but he seemed to fall into the intellectual category. They always kept things interesting, and frequently offered new perspectives.

“I mean everything’s gotta mean something, there has to be a purpose. I just don’t know if we make our own purpose or if we’re given a purpose; fate.” You mused, not meaning to get existential. He didn’t seem to mind.

“You seem like the type to want to figure things out too.” He said ‘too’. So you and him both liked to do that. You added that to the growing list of things you liked about him.

“I guess I am.” He had a pleased look on his face and you just shrugged as you started to say goodbye.

“Wait” he grabbed your arm, “I heard you say you didn’t live far, I could walk you.” Before you could protest he told you, “it wouldn’t be a big deal, I heard you tell Hilton where you lived, we’re in the same direction.”

You agreed, finding yourself wanting to talk to him more. He offered you his arm casually and you laughed to yourself a little at the gesture, taking it anyway. You walked down the sidewalk, talking and laughing. You felt comfortable as you felt like you leveled with him. It seemed like too short of a walk as you suddenly found yourself at the door of your apartment building.

“Guess this is goodnight.” Benny said as you both stood on the sidewalk.

“What about coffee?” You asked.

“Glad you remembered. I’ll pick you up at twelve tomorrow, we can make it lunch. I’ll pick you up.” He said it decidedly, like it was just a fact. Something you noticed he did often.

“Ok then. Lunch. Tomorrow. Am I forgetting anything?” You said as you stepped halfway into the doorway.

“If you are we can figure that out later. I’ll see you.” He waved with a slight smile.

You waved back and smiled in return, watching him walk away before closing the door. You sped up to your apartment, letting yourself finally feel the excitement and anticipation of going out. You stripped off your clothing as soon as you got in and flopped on your bed, feeling sort of giddy. You felt like you and Benny were connected, though you had barely met him. As you laid down you smiled to yourself, looking forward to tomorrow.

[1ddotdhq]

🍌Wed 2 Dec ‘20💚

Harry Styles Reacts to Banana Innuendo Rumors by Making EVEN MORE Banana Innuendos part TWO

Good morning/evening/night to Harry’s post and Harry’s post ONLY! (Okay that’s not true but it was definitely a highlight of my day). In case people haven’t seen it yet, it’s Harry in a light blue custom made suit putting a penis banana in his mouth. The picture is captioned “Bring Back Manly Men” so take a suck on THAT Candace Owens! It was only one of many great pictures in his variety shoot (including another, um, fruity picture of him biting into a pomegranate okay Persephone we get it), but Harry did indeed choose That One to post on This, the day after banana necklace dickscourse, BLESS. Harry’s interview was a little more in depth than they have been in the past, touching upon his feelings on race (“Historically, I can’t think of any industry that’s benefited more off of Black culture than music. There are discussions that need to happen about this long history of not being paid fairly. It’s a time for listening, and hopefully, people will come out humbled, educated and willing to learn and change”), as well as his tattoos (the only time he regrets them is in the DWD makeup chair), his love of reading, fashion and art, his exercise routine (Kid Harpoon couldn’t keep up!),  and his feelings on success and acclaim (“It’s never why I do anything...it's always nice to know that people like what you’re doing, but ultimately — and especially working in a subjective field — I don’t put too much weight on that stuff...Fans are the best A&R”). 

The problems arose - as they so often do - when One Direction was mentioned. The article said that “The proof [of the band’s benefits] is in the relatively seamless solo transitions of at least three of its members- Payne, Malik and Horan in addition to Styles- each of whom has landed hit singles on charts in the U.K., the U.S. and beyond”. Leaving aside the bad math (that's 4 people!) one name, of course, is notably missing: Louis has in fact enjoyed quite a lot of success both with Walls (remember when his album went #1 on iTunes in the UK AND the US literally 2 months ago?) and his pre-Walls singles like “Back To You” and “Just Hold On”. It got worse because the author tried to back up her claim with Harry’s quote, “When you look at the history of people coming out of bands and starting solo careers, they feel this need to apologize for being in the band...but we loved being in the band...I think there’s a wont to pit people against each other. And I think it’s never been about that for us. It’s about a next step in evolution. The fact that we’ve all achieved different things outside of the band says a lot about how hard we worked in it”. By linking her own words with Harry's quote she made it seem as though Harry said it to agree with her biased take, which we'd know he didn't even if we hadn't heard him say this exact quote without that slant multiple times before. Fans were quick to point out both to the author and to Variety that they were wrong (to describe the reaction mildly), and the author rather than fixing the mistake, doubled down and began blocking fans. Plenty of people were quick to say that of course HSHQ and Harry had approved this content, despite more knowledgeable fans trying to be heard protesting that that is not how it works. (Remember how just recently Vogue got Harry’s whole ass FAMILY situation wrong and it was not corrected until after print, for example?) In fact, even the magazine didn't really proofread this- the print version of the article is different and says, “The proof is in the relatively seamless solo transitions of at least three of its members - Styles, Malik and Horan”, effectively erasing both Louis AND Liam. It's an annoying take either way, but it's one the author more than likely picked up by doing her research on harrie twitter, not on orders from Jeff.

And because we DO NOT STAND FOR LILO ERASURE ON THIS BLOG, let’s talk about Liam’s Web Summit panel! It was 25 minutes of Liam and Marian Dicus (VP of Spotify) being interviewed about the current and future state of the music industry. Both of them, of course, noted that things had changed very quickly in their careers back at the beginning of lockdown, and how it had seemed surreal, at first, but that Liam had found that the way he was operating now (with Veeps and Tik Tok and Instagram lives) had made his platform a two way interaction with his fans. “For a long time I've been living in a dream world where I thought I was speaking with my fans but really I was just talking at them whereas we as artists ask a lot of rhetorical questions... I wanted to start a conversation”. Marian discussed how engaging fans differently WAS one of the most difficult things to puzzle out at the beginning, but that as months have passed, it seems artists like Liam have found a viable virtual future in the music industry (Liam tells us that he's been doing “stadium size shows” on Veeps which is an exciting clue about the mystery of how many tickets they're selling). They also went into the way music trends change as a response to social and political occurrences, how comfort songs gave way to protest songs this summer. Liam said, “People want their artists to have an opinion nowadays it's not that we can stay out of the conversation anymore-- and nor do we feel that we should in many places-- but for me it's a fine line because I realize what I do for people is an escape, people don't want things rammed down their throats every day and news messages from me about things that they don't want to hear about if they've come to listen to music, so its a real fine line that we kind of teeter on”. And about his opening acts, he acknowledges that his fanbase are mostly young women (based on the data breakdowns he gets from his team), and so he feels a responsibility to mentor young female artists in the industry so that more people like his fans have a voice. In an interview full of really fascinating music and technical discussions, this remained my favorite moment from Liam. Just like we won’t erase HIM, he refuses to erase US! And let's not forget our Liam alarm of the day-- it starts out absolutely adorable (“good moooorning!”), is hilarious in that apparently he just rambled completely unscripted and then they awkwardly cut it into 25 parts, but today's installment is frankly not relaxing! “only 23 sleeps til christmas have you done your shopping are you prepared” excuse me Liam YOU ARE STRESSING ME OUT. The promised relaxing sleep story affirmations are still 'coming soon'-- hurry up please I need them to decompress after that alarm!

Now for a lightning round of epic proportions: DWD darling pictures and vids keep comin’ and Harry and Florence are both looking GORGEOUS as Jack and Alice,  after the Variety shoot dropped ‘THE CAPTION’, ‘BRING BACK MANLY MEN’, and ‘LOUIS IS SUCCESSFUL’ trended worldwide on twitter, Tan France said “yes please” to Harry's banana post, Harry reiterated that London was home and he didn’t want to be in LA for longer than he needed to,Variety has its virtual show tomorrow at 5 pm PST so see you there! Veeps is sending out emails promoting Louis’ show to people who bought LP show tickets, fans have already started to receive their Louis Tomlinson Live From London merch, Trinity College in Dublin’s Law society presented Niall with an award for, uh, his Irishness, I guess? (Just kidding, it’s for “his incredible talent and work ethics which is famously underscored by a distinct humility despite unthinkable success”). It looks like he will be giving a talk when he’s presented with it, and I’m honestly really interested to see what it’s all about - is he...gonna be talking to law students? Idk but tune in on December 7th at 12 pm GMT to find out!