#it is just that that is a very different life stage from early 20s LOL

[dandyshucks]

i forgot K.ukui and Guz are the same age (ish). that means Kukui is close to my age. thats so messed up, he seems so much more grown up than i am LOL

[catgirlforeskin]

The "egg" again.

I assume that my old ask (insecure anon) is buried forever, so I may as well restate it here.

Thank you, being a girl is cool, but it feels like lying. Girls love having boobs, and I don't want anything bigger than AAA, if anything at all. Some girls even want SRS, though you are different*. And girls don't say shit I said. I know that not everyone knows since age 5, but living until 17.5 years without feeling different is beyond pale. Like I felt different from other boys, and since at least 14 I considered myself more feminine than them (de facto I was always more feminine, but I didn't think that it was a good thing), but, as I said, I was completely fine making "relatable" memes about boyhood. I did like to consider myself more of a girl, especially when doing quizzes, but still.

(*Side note, but I went on r/MtF, and it feels like some girls straight up consider those without bottom dysphoria just crossdressers, they don't say it, but my feminine intuition tells me this. I guess it's only tumblr that celebrates girlcock)

So saying "Surprise, I am a girl now!" feels like lying. And I don't want to be a liar.

Saying that I am nonbinary also feels like just wanting to be special. I don't believe that someone can be raised in the West and not think that androgyne is a superior form of human being. So it sounds like "I am not just a boy, I am more special. Don't look that I don't socially transition, I am not a boy, trust me".

The label that I fancy somewhat is eunuch, because it doesn't make me sound like an attention seeker, but there are real eunuchs, and they are different, so it's not very chivalrous of me.

So yes, I am just sitting here, no idea who am I, no social transition, does it even matter?

17.5 is honestly an early age to realize for trans women. I personally know women who didn’t realize until their mid-20s or 30s, and there’s lots of trans people who realize at every stage of life.

Reddit trans women, especially ones who post on the big trans subreddits, generally are assimilationists and hate everyone who don’t want to assimilate like them. They’re cowardly idiots and I don’t care about any bad things that happen to them.

You keep going “well real women don’t do or want X Y and Z and I do so clearly I’m not a real woman” when like. Those things also apply to a majority of women. The enforced cishet standards of womanhood fucking suck and most women chafe against at least parts of them.

Theres plenty of women who like having small or no breasts and plenty of women who didn’t realize until late in life and all this other shit, and saying “well obviously I’m not a woman if I’m like that” is just kinda stupid.

Honestly it’s part of why I don’t hang out around a lot of recently cracked girls because they’re often so mired in that “I’m not a real girl because X” dysphoria shit when like. Half the people around them still have the trait they’re complaining about. Idk it’s just like, take your damn girl pills and shut up lol, have some lesbian sex and get over it

[thedawningofthehour]

I also like cupcakeslushie's au but other than donnie living with draxum I don't see the similarities. your draxum is WAY too nice

When I first started writing the fic, @cupcakeslushie's au (I felt like I was talking behind your back if I didn't tag you lol) was also in its very early stages. Donnie hadn't been introduced in the proper comic itself and it was mostly just asks and little blurbs she had posted. So I literally had less Draxum to work with. (also she has made some changes to her Draxum portrayal, his insanity via empyrean was not revealed yet, which...doesn't really explain anything on my end, no)

The biggest inspiration was probably the restraint scars on Three's arms and legs, that's probably what gave me the brain worms for The Table in the first place. Also I was not...planning to make Draxum this good of a father. Like, I knew I wanted him to see Galois as his son and have some complicated feelings about that, but he was originally much worse. Much colder, very high expectations, still good at praising his kid but would also not hesitate to do a 180 if Gale ever fell short. I also planned for him to be much more manipulative and physically abusive, and I briefly considered adding a SA element. (I am very glad I didn't go with that idea) But I was never totally satisfied with that, it just made things too...straightforward, I guess? Just good vs. evil, very little nuance to the story. AUs where Draxum is just evil generally work because he's a driving force behind the story, so it doesn't really matter if he's basic. But I knew I wanted Draxum to have more complexity to his actions, so he had to be much more likable for the audience to consider his validity. Cue Marxist, environmentalist goat-dad who read like a hundred parenting books for this.

Plus I just really enjoyed writing their more soft moments. Draxum is such a hard character, but through Book 1 of doth we see that armor slowly chip away, and now Gale is one of the few people he allows to see in his 'true' form. The removal of Draxum's helmet in chapter 20 of doth is both a metaphor and literal-he's discarded the hard shell that keeps him separated from everyone else, but also he literally did not take that thing off until Gale came into his life.

Also, my original plan was for the 'cracks' in Gale's memories was a little different, and that's where the Three influence would have come in. I don't want to elaborate on that too much because I think I am still going to do something with that idea starting in a few chapters, but it's going to be a much smaller thing. What I originally had planned would have taken over his arcs completely and made them something else entirely, and that's no longer what I want.

So in short...yeah, this is like when fanon takes a character and twists them until they're unrecognizable.

[niuniente]

Looking at Joon, I just realized he’s exactly like the characters I got to play when I was acting in my early 20′s.

I spent around 10+ years without really speaking to anyone unless I was spoken to - which happened so rarely I still remember every single moment someone spoke to me in those 10+ years. Why? I was so badly traumatized I was more like a ghost than a human being. Completely shut off from people and life. Even at the theater with the group I acted with, I was a mute ghost.

Yet, when I got on the stage, it was a completely different story. No one had as much confidence, fire and this chaotic riot energy as I did when it came to acting. I got all the villain roles, crazy roles, aggressive roles, loud roles. If it needed chaos, Niu was directors choice lol. The very first time I stepped on the stage in a practice to take a place of a missing actress in a very aggressive role and pulled that through without no hesitation bitch, the WHOLE FUCKING THEATER GROUP WAS SO QUIET AND SHOCKED YOU COULD HEAR A PIN DROP.

When Joon appeared suddenly, I thought to myself that he’s not my kind of a character, how interesting that he appears.

Now I get that we have a lot more in common than I realized lol.  He’s like my actor side. Only see on stage (and whenever I riot against injustice which I have done since I was a kid lol).

Ah, I miss playing chaotic heartless villains. I’m really good at those roles.

[lloydfrontera]

HE'S 42. I DON'T REMEMBER HOW OLD ADELINE AND THE EMPEROR ARE BUT I'M DESPERATELY HOPING THE AGE DIFF ISN'T TOO MUCH (FOR ADELINE) OR TOO LITTLE (FOR THE EMPEROR)... also i feel bad for og rakiel for skipping straight from early 20s to early 40s... now he has to find himself in middle age rather than being able to grow into it slowly (tho he DOES have the healthier body LMAO).

yep! i'm pretty sure adeline is in her early twenties and asterion is over fifty so. the age differences are a bit screwy ajksfhddjks

normally with transmigration plots that deal with a character being sent into a younger body i prefer to belief their mental age also regressed so it matches their physical one. so they still have their memories but their emotional maturity and control fits with whatever body they got stuck with. mostly because otherwise a lot of plots would be pretty sucky and weird if i didn't lol

so this isn't a deal breaker for me but. it is a little weird ajshdjka

i'm already a bit wary of shipping rakiel with,,, almost anyone tbh because he's their doctor! hell i'm pretty sure even rakiel thinks about that at one point, he's a doctor, he knows the boundaries that need to exist between his patients and him and he wants to respect them! right now i wouldn't be comfortable truly shipping him with adeline or damian cause they're both dependent on him to get treatment (more damian than adeline but still). so like. the age difference doesn't help either lol

i guess with damian there's also the issue that he's actually 3913 years old but he doesn't remember most of that time so i'm not counting them.

as for asterion,,,, well. we're already seeing the issues that come with rakiel being an whole ass adult with a career and a job and, well, a life and suddenly being turned into a 20 years old that is still dependent of his father. he's soooo not comfortable playing the part of son. especially for the emotional landmine that is asterion and rakiel's father-son relationship.

he's an adult! he had regrets about the way his father had died but he had more or less made his peace with it! he was already at a stage in his life where he had no real need of parental approval or care. and now he's put in a position where he has to play the role of dutiful son who's still looking for his father's approval and it bothers him. hell when asterion is actually proud of him or worried or trying to parent him rakiel turns into the equivalent of a cat that doesn't want to get pet. he's awkward and a bit aloof and unsure of how to respond beyond squirming and getting away as soon as he can.

i really do want to see how they deal with their relationship tbh i think it's fascinating and it could go either way. either rakiel settles into his new age and they have a more traditional father/son relationship even after he comes clean or he doesn't and they have to settle into a more blurry one where they're still family but asterion treats him as more of an equal that he would otherwise do with his son.

as for og!rakiel,,, well like rakiel said, he got a body in its forties but it was either that or die in his own body in three months. either way he wasn't gonna live through his late twenties and thirties 😔

but yeah it really seems like og!rakiel got the short end of the stick in this whole thing. poor kid never got a break. first his mom died giving birth to him, he was chronically ill since he was a baby, his father gave up on him ever getting healthier, emotionally neglected him for years, everyone was expecting him to die so they could finally turn theodore into crown prince and then when he's about to die he gets body switched with a middle aged guy from another world that has,,, almost nothing going for him beyond general good health (and a winning lottery ticket lmao)

it's very sad actually :( i really do wish we get more of him in the later chapters even if it's just to get confirmation that he's doing well in his own life now

[chappell-roans]

I also believe Chalamet’s career will get better once he turns 30 because he’s in his transition from “teenager heartthrob” to serious actor. His role in the Bob Dylan biopic might be the start of it all because he does a visual change (as we’ve seen in the pictures) so this movie needs to rely on his acting and not his good looks. I think this movie will prove if he is the type of actor that can change his voice tone and be a bit more versatile with his appearance.

I believe too that he has grown into his body (?) and now looks a bit older than he did a little bit ago so I think he could now pass as a father in a movie and no one would think it’s weird.

While it’s not the same career AT ALL and the levels of fame aren’t the same it reminded me of Leo DiCaprio when he was nearing his late 20s. Sure, Leo on his 20’s had already done Romeo + Juliet and Titanic, and that made him an international star. He was the Global star of the 90s but he was still very much considered a heartthrob for the female audience. He did Marvin’s room and The King of The Iron Mask but that didn’t give him much. He did The Beach and it was still a more heartthrob role.

It was when turned 29/30 that he changed the type of roles so much and in his early 30s he made Gangs Of New York, Catch Me If You Can, Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond - that was an insane roll out and solidified him as one of the best actors alive. If Timothee choses his next roles well, he can be on the right track. And I think Dune helping him too because his role isn’t a romantic hero but an anti hero.

Yes I agree! He's still in that transitional stage but he's kinda going from like Teen Star to Movie Star these past couple years and I think he's done w Teenager roles now. And agreed, he still looks young but that's just his build tbh, he looks his age though finally. AGREED. The Bob Dylan movie has huuuge risk/reward for him and his career. I'm excited to see it.

No but I do think the early career Leo comparisons are fair and imo, thus far Timothee has pretty clearly modeled his career after him? Obviously with distinct differences and there's never going to be A Leo again imo, same with Titanic, etc. But yes!!! He definitely was always seen as a good actor afaik but very teen heartthrob and not a serious actor until he started looking older and taking on I guess just more mature roles in that sense. He's fucking fantastic and still is.

Yup, so much of it is about choosing your roles well, and killing it every time (like Leo. His iffy dating life is a joke, but his work is not). Agreeeed, Dune is v layered and complex and Adult but also universally kinda loved. It isn't Star Wars, it's... idk. Serious Star Wars lol. (I know it isn't. But it kinda is.) It also shows that he can do action as well. I feel like he's dabbled across genres pretty well so far actually, and proven himself strong in them all.

I'm just so curious about what his career will be like in a few years, and the other up and coming actors currently. There's a lot to be excited about tbh, even though stardom is different than it was.

I don't remember if I brought him up the other day, but I feel like Josh O'Connor is another guy on the verge of being more known. The Crown def helped and tbh I love that he sticks to indies and chooses great scripts and directors. I can't wait for La Chimera, it sounds insane and interesting. And of course the gay romance movie The History of Sound w Paul Mescal. (Which honestly respect him going from All of Us Strangers to Gladiator 2 to another gay drama lmao.) They also all bring smth different but I think sensitivity is one thing.

[browncesario]

subject: i need to complain about something here because the level of discourse on jonas brothers twitter this week is driving me up the wall

in the days since the 2023 jonas brothers tour began there has been an increasing number of tweets circulating in response to claims that joe performs drunk. these claims are mostly made by non-fans who attend shows, then post to tiktok.

here is the thing about these claims. they're not really anything new. joe's performance style has always been very goofy and gumby like when he's tuned in, and in the eras where he's been bored or more disillusioned about his job, he drags his feet, defers lyrics, and mumbles. put these two categories of behavior together, and he definitely can appear intoxicated to a local.

the other caveat about these claims is that they do not appear to be widely circulating judging by the number of screenshots that have made it on to twitter. but the response by fans on twitter has been a huge outcry in this sort of groupthink mob performance, at its best thinking they're protecting someone they're fans of, and at its worst trying to appear the best fan in a fandom that spans no more than 800 die hards on the platform.

these tweets have gone from "what lol no he wasn't drunk here he's just like that" to wide claims that joe has never performed on any substance and is a devout professional. the man has had a near 20 years on stage in very different eras of his life. while yes, the most exaggerated behavior has been entirely when he was a sober child, he also was on tour in his early 20s which he's spoken about having been an era in which he often went too hard. he's always been someone who likes to party. the whole band drinks on stage at points and it is woven into the show as a communal ritual, as well as the occasional promotion for nick or joe's liquor brands.

so what you have now are two things that are deeply bothering me.

the discourse in the jonas brothers fandom always surrounds topics that are presented in these very accessible, easy right/wrong ways with little attention paid to band member history, logistic, or nuance for clicks and a peace of mind.

the baseline "raised by conservatives" mentality that is permeable in a fandom where the christian right, whether we like to accept it or not, largely influenced fan practices and cultures in the early years that, while the fandom skews largely mainstream popularized liberal, also often gets people stuck in thought loops like "joe jonas has never performed drunk because drinking is unprofessional and bad." even if op does not have anything against alcohol culture themselves, it's an easy statement to make in this post-cultural context.

tl;dr: joe jonas is probably not currently getting drunk before every performance, but to say he has always performed at the height of professionalism ignores band and band member history, and when having discussions about discourse in fandom its important to have an exchange of ideas, rather than a purity signaling contest. also i'm tired.

[zuuumi]

⚝ 𝗸𝗮𝘇𝘂𝗺𝗶 '𝙯𝙪𝙢𝙞' 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶.ᐟ

pinterest ⃰ playlist ⃰ statistics

hi, i'm rin; i'm nonbinary and use all pronouns. this is my newest baby, zumi, she is a monster of a dancer. a back-up dancer, to be precise; gimme connections! <3 also... fair warning, i'm a little rusty - i'm back on tumblr after a long hiatus. >_< so bare with me!

{ RIN, 25, EST, SHE/THEY/HE } —— look who’s joining the infinite tour! only KAZUMI 'ZUMI' TAKEUCHI, who is the BACK-UP DANCER. i’ve heard whispers that the 20-year-old is pretty FUN-LOVING but lowkey FORGETFUL. also, doesn’t she remind you of ASAYA JURIN?

kazumi was born in tokyo to a single mother, they were a middle-class family in her early life; her mother worked in animation for different anime productions. mostly small operations in the 90's and early 2000's but now works with companies like ghibli. (iconic)

zumi was a little free-spirited tomboy (it's neither man or woman!) she loved skateboarding, catching critters like bugs and frogs, listening to all types of music, visiting arcades and playing video games. she's a pro at dance dance revolution! and just dance.

when she entered junior high, zumi joined the cheerleading team and started hip-hop dance lessons after school. she's was pretty good in school, she had a lot of support from her mother and she actually enjoyed most of her classes. (fuck math tbh!) she was good in physical education, history and science.

the older she got, the more she leaned into dancing; using it as a way to express herself and her emotions. kazumi is very fluid movement-wise and expressive of the mood of the songs, she has decent stage presence as well; she looks up to dancer positions a lot like taemin, hyoyeon, jongin, seulgi, jhope, hyuna, moonbyul and chungha.

she started learning korean due to her love for kpop, she's definitely a fangirl; she genuinely loves the music she gets to dance with! her mother supported her dreams, she was once a young artist with a dream; she knew zumi was going to be successful.

zumi struggles with depression and self-image but she's really... reserved about it; she doesn't open up to just anyone. she's on a cocktail of pills but they help her function better so she doesn't complain about it.

recreationally, she smokes. it's been helpful for her mental health but also it's fun so why not? she's a gamer. #poggers oh - she still skateboards and uses it as her main form of transportation since she now lives in downtown seoul. it's easier than storing a car and more enjoyable than riding a bike, in her opinion - of course.

her red flags are that she will forget your birthday, she's a bad influence like do not ask for her advice, she's self-indulgent and she has a temper, to be honest. she will also forget to turn off the oven or blow out a candle so you do not need to be her roommate, lol. (zumi is def chaotic good!)

uhm - random fact time? she has some body modifications like piercings and tattoos. unfortunately, she takes them out or covers them most of the time due to tv policies. she used to run stan accounts and she used to post dance covers but they are all deleted or unlisted now because they are embarrassing. her first concert was britney spears, lol. she identifies as bisexual and is fluid when it comes to her romantic orientation and own gender. she collects plush animals of all types and has a photocard collection of 2nd and 3rd-generation groups. she also learned english with animated western movies and youtube videos! she loves to spoil her dance team and other coworkers with homemade treats, and she often brings meals or snacks for the breakrooms; she gets most of her recipes from tik tok - lol. she's been diagnosed as neurodivergent.

[feelingofcontent]

DNP Rewatch: A Festive Day in the Life of Dan and Phil!

Date video was published: 12/20/2014 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 254

The 2014 DITL video! The last one had been back in August 2013. This is my absolute favorite DITL and probably one of my top five DNP joint videos of all time. Get ready for me to have way too much to say about it.

0:00 - sleepy morning + quiff Phil! We’ll see a surprising amount of that in this video.

0:05 - “almost a week till Christmas,” so they must have filmed this just a few days before it was posted

0:25 - no waking up Dan in “his” bedroom like in the first two DITL. Hmmm...this scene doesn’t seem staged at all...especially since Phil’s laptop is already open on the arm of the sofa. Unless he just left it like that overnight.

0:37 - love that the other advent calendar on the mantle in the one they made. 😂 There are 18 of the doors opened on it, so they’re probably filming this on the the 18th or 19th of December.

0:47 - they both jump into doing the theme music as soon as Phil says “titan”

0:57 - that is pretty late for them to be putting up the decorations! Phil looks sad about it too.

1:01 - sad tinsel. I think Phil had the silver piece in the background in his last video. And the little WALLE in the background here, from all the way back in PINOF. 🥺

1:17 - this domestic insight, just 😭😭😭

1:26 - full circle back to the first DITL video. I wonder if they watched the previous DITLs before filming this one.

1:41 - so many mugs.

1:48 - Dan did not want that one because it was very hard to actually drink out of as he discovered in DITL London. I really bet they did watch the previous ones shortly before this...so many references back!

1:55 - awww, happy warm Phil

2:13 - such a dramatic sigh but he goes to get it anyway!

2:25 - well that is a terrifying way to burn a tealight...put it on a dish!

2:33 - I love that there is no explanation for this in the video. Phil is superstitious about new shoes on the table, which they had both tweeted about before.

2:40 - Dan fashion show and an encouraging Phil

2:47 - immediate smile when Dan notices Phil there

2:56 - why does Phil looks SO GOOD in this clip. also, as usual a weird/slightly horrifying poem from his brain.

3:02 - love that they both decided to wear holiday jumpers. They also wore these same ones for their December radio show. Also the Dan lean-in 🥺

3:12 - PJ tweeted about this DNP visit!

3:27 - this whole leaving scene is possibly the most domestic part of any video - the candle argument, the coat adjustment, the stop in the bathroom to check their hair, Phil checking to make sure Dan has keys, the spider checking and joking... I mean.

4:13 - more throwback conversation to DITL London

4:35 - so glad he chose not to lick his hand. Even more horrifying in 2021.

4:40 - Dan talked about this and falling up the escalator in What not to do on Public Transport

5:00 - “bit corporate isn’t it?” but caves immediately because Phil wants to. 

5:10 -  Love that Phil orders while Dan finds a table. Love that Phil makes Dan draw something happy not just a sad face. Love Dan’s huge smile after that.

5:33 - Dan really can’t say much he was reading his phone in the clip right before this!

5:58 - Dan’s talking about this weird incident that Phil posted a clip of on LessAmazingPhil

6:18 - they always go to at least one nerdy shop in the first DITLs!

6:36 - the things they choose to zoom in on in this shop...Dan with Spiderman’s crotch a few seconds before this and now Phil on the shirtless guy book cover. subtle, lol.

7:29 - I had actually heard of this board game prior to this video because Wil Wheaton did a TableTop episode. I remember being so surprised to see DNP wanting it!

7:39 - Phil and his weird people encounters. 😂 And Dan just mocking him for it.

7:59 - they did, in fact, go to see Matilda the next summer.

8:10 - oh my god this clock scene. Of course Phil wants to make a game of it. And then Dan with the seemingly slight fudging of what he was pointing at. And this look and then both of them giggling. 👀

8:32 - that start of Dan’s running! This is around the time or shortly after he had started to see a therapist (according to the timeline he gave in Daniel and Depression), so thinking he probably wanted to start for his mental health.

9:11 - Dan talks about the “guy wearing the white sheet in Manchester” in What not to do In Town. Their reminiscing faces are too much.

9:19 - Phil is so excited about this. He had tweeted a couple times in the past about Moomins (1, 2)

9:37 - the excitement about the treats and the festive drinks and decorations and Phil’s teasing 😭

10:04 - they film fairly often in the back of cars and I just feel like must be so awkward, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. And Phil’s hair is quiffed again!

10:28 - and the stairs song! Which they are too prepared for so it must be a regular thing they say/sing. This video has SO MANY moments that I love.

10:51 - Phil just sitting while Dan hauls the tree box out. Maybe Dan lost rock-paper-scissors.

10:59 - reminiscing about THE TREE now, which is the last time they decorated on camera

11:09 - why is this a common theme in DITLs!? lol. Love that they’ve lit the candle again after getting home.

11:22 - “stop doing that” as he can’t control his giggles. sure.

12:03 - okay, Phil had to go get the other decorations! The “Christmas faces” are slightly horrifying

12:22 - that is the most horrifying. also, Dan and Phil themed toys/decor even in the bathroom.

13:02 - Dan’s little messed up piece of hair in the back is so cute. Also love that they have the garlands up and everything at this point too.

13:19 - even more quiff-Phil!

13:31 - their fridge contents are not great

14:04 - unexpected filming but a huge grin anyway from Phil. Also, how do they make just answering the door so awkward, lol. Also: what is that picture in the background in the bathroom(?)

14:32 - they’re so excited about this set up and dinner plan

14:43 - and now glasses Phil! Also, arguing about wrapping neatness. I love it. Although when we see Phil’s wrapping in a minute, I think I might agree with Dan...

15:03 - PJ will end up with one of these face banks

15:10 - Phil came up with some decent gifts for Kath this time, although he didn’t think she had good ideas.

15:18 - I find it so cute that Dan wants to keep the cookbook

15:30 - Dan looks almost embarrassed to share this. He’s also got something “12 Days of Christmas” themed in that blue box on the chair. Although apparently a lot of his family just wanted money.

15:37 - I have no words for Dan filming this closeup and then them choosing to keep it in the video.

16:16 - Phil’s trying to be all serious with his wrapping tutorial and then the tape just immediately falls. 😂

16:40 - “it’s endearing” Dan does look pretty endeared, lol. Dan’s concerned because the face banks are actually gifts from both of them, at least according to PJ

17:04 - wow, Vine mention

17:25 - Dan’s just expecting Phil to come up with a great pun on the spot. Also, the lobster thing is an old reference.

17:39 - I think I mentioned this in the last DITL post, but I like that we do see even in a short video that they spend some time alone. That’s just so normal, especially for introverts even when you’re that comfortable with someone.

17:45 - Phil will keep reading that book over the holidays

17:48 - we did see the inside of the chest. So what is Dan implying here, lol.

17:52 - well then. Dan’s giggly face though.

18:08 - soft piano Dan 😭

18:25 - Ariana Grande had sent them both cat ears after they met her for the radio show

18:37 - a glimpse at the early gaming channel set-up.

18:46 - we don’t actually see that footage in the gaming video

18:51 - it must be pretty late at night by this point considering it was dark when they came home 

19:15 - Phil’s first instinct is to throw it of course

19:18 - this face and the sweater paws. I can’t. 😭

19:25 - and of course a joint ending. 

19:40 - Dan is so sleepy and happy seeming here

20:13 - awwww 🥺 The last video of 2014!

One difference from the first two DITL is they don’t even pretend that they’re going to see other friends/invite someone over. Just the two of them hanging out and they seem quite happy with that. This is probably the most “domestic” of the DITL videos. I love it so much.

Phil went to his parents’ on the 23rd to celebrate Christmas. He had Swedish food, was very excited as usual, got a stocking with a toothbrush and animal socks, and watched Guardians of the Galaxy. Dan went to his family’s on the evening of the 24th after a candle incident (lol, though I love that he was burning the candles even without Phil there. He started the tradition of yearly Christmas pictures of Colin. And also posted this.

On to the 2015 videos, and the start of the TABINOF/TATINOF era!

[a-froger-epic]

My "theory"/"headcanon" (not facts whatsoever): Roger and Brian have always had that siblings dynamic/love hate relationship where they always fight and argue but ultimately love each other ever since the Smile days, then they met Freddie and Roger got along with Freddie extremely well from day 1 (it's like how I'm like with my best friend, sometimes you meet someone and your personalities mesh together so well that you hit things off instantly and feel like you've known them your whole life). They just *get* each other, and would do everything together. They both had somewhat boisterous personalities and enjoyed certain activities like partying, so socially they spent a lot of time with each other.

Brian and Freddie had that partnership and connection through music that I feel go deeper than any other pairing (music wise I mean, from their studio time, how they write music, how they are with each other on stage) and this was cemented from the early 70s since they were the main songwriters back then. Freddie was Brian's muse in a lot of ways, and Brian and his guitar were the vehicles that carried Freddie's voice and music ("you're my Jimi Hendrix"), and since they put a lot of their personal lives and emotions in their writing, i feel like they had many intimate special moments in the studio, e.g. for It's A Hard Life, TSMGO etc, that we aren't necessarily privy to.

Freddie took John under his wing in the early 70s until his wedding in '75, and they drifted apart starting in the late 70s/early 80s (at least outside of work, I think they were probably the closest in early 80s in terms of songwriting). I do feel that in those 20 years John was closest to Roger. It was another sibling dynamic but this time, it's the two little brothers having the same kind of humour and finding every stupid little thing funny and rebelling against their older, more serious and responsible brother (Brian) lol.

I think it was during early-mid 80s that Brian got closer to Roger than with Freddie. Socially and also musically in the studio when they're working, Freddie was probably more preoccupied with the club scene and got a lot more LGBT+ friends ever since he came out so they wouldn't really go to the same clubs after studio time, and Brian and Roger were not as receptive to producing more club/disco-sounding music. Outside of work, John probably chose to spend way more time with his family, so I imagine Roger and Brian were quite close during that period.

Then after the mid 80s, they all got a lot closer again to band around Freddie. Although I think John didn't visit Freddie much in the final years (?) because he couldn't bear seeing Freddie being so sick, so I think in the very late 80s, Brian, Roger and Freddie were very tight-knit, like the very early days back in the 70s again :')

After Freddie's passing, Roger probably wanted to hang on to both John and Brian, but Brian wanted to get away from Queen as much as possible, which might have caused some anger and resentment in Roger at that time, and their initial disagreement on MIH (basically Roger + John vs Brian) caused some upset, because they were all grieving. After Brian came back, they resolved their differences but I feel like by that point, John was further drifting away from the group because he didn't promote MIH much with Brian and Roger taking up majority of the PR work. By late 90s, it was pretty much Brian and Roger left. And with Brian's suicide attempts and later submitting himself into that rehab clinic in the late 90s, I could imagine Roger has been desperately clinging onto Brian (and I think he still does now :')) because he'd lost so many people over the years already. and that might also explain why Roger is still so hurt and angry at John for pretty much cutting off contact, because to him, he can't ever imagine pushing your loved ones away and isolating yourself after having gone through all those years together, losing Freddie and nearly losing Brian. Brian is all Roger has left, and Roger is all Brian has left, regarding Queen. And that has made them closer than ever.

Idek why I wrote this lol but yes, I agree that in friendships that last literal years, we all feel closer to different people in different periods of time for different reasons. People are changing all the time, so it makes sense that friendships evolve as well.

Haha, anon, you wrote out what I was too lazy to write up. lol I agree with all of this pretty much entirely. Yup. That's how I see it as well. (Except for after Freddie's passing, as in, I don't disagree but I just haven't given it as much thought as you have.)

But yes, excellently put! 👌🏻

[trans-girl-sora]

ANYWAY here’s a HUGE write-up of the various stuff we saw in the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary video

First, Dark Road Stuff: 

First: Xehanort KNOWS he was Player??? THAT’S fucked up lmao 

A new cast of Dark Road characters!! I don’t think any of these we saw previously, which is fun!

We see Xehanort’s keyblade armor, and it looks like the No Heart BBS fight! So it’s just always had the little crown motif which is kinda cute. Also one of the original capital-d Darknesses is there, and evidently killed all the other students l o l. 

God the jpeg artifacts on this game. It really was built in flash, huh

I’m curious to see who he’s mourning in this shot - is it his mom that we saw at the end of khux? Is it the master who maybe dies at the end? Who Knows

Missing Link Stuff:

As much as I’ve been wanting a khux mmo for a while, I wasn’t expecting............. this. Whatever Missing Link is. Because I have some Theories. 

Specifically this shot. This is definitely in the early alpha stages because beta signups are opening later this year but like... to ME, the overhead shots of this game feels. Like a augmented reality map game?? Like Pokemon Go or Pikmin Bloom?? I hope to GOD it’s not but it feels like a legitimate city with the little Large Body in the bottom right and the little green markers, it feels like a real life walk game and I’d HATE that. I’m sure it isn’t but. Man. Dystopian thoughts.

But hey check it out we get THREE new keyblades! A red and black one that feels like a gear, a green and gray one with what looks like a wire mesh around a lantern, and a sharp one that looks kind of between Starlight and Missing Ache. I have a feeling there’s some sort of class system that encourages the multiplayer that we see near the end of the trailer here: 

Also my boy Brain is there!! And I refused to call him Blaine, you can pry Brain from my cold dead hands. 

And now, of course, Kingdom Hearts 4 Stuff: 

So this feels deliberate, right? Like this is a very obvious message, displayed a couple of times in different areas, written in the in-universe KH alphabet. The first character in the first word is A, the last character is 7, and in the second word there’s a punctuation mark and then a 3. But a lot of it I don’t know, and people haven’t translated yet :( 

Also this is the first we start seeing of the dark force in the trailer, which I’m gonna tentatively call the “Heartless” for now. Which I have my doubts about. 

Also yeah that’s Endor LOL

MY SLEEPY GIRL also jesus her feet are big, I can see why her yellow shoes are so HUGE now, wearing Size 20s out here

MY OTHER SLEEPY GIRL who looks rough but she has been dead for like a thousand years so. Sleep it off, Strel

They feel TINY compared to the doors and deck lmao, like look how little bitty they are

THIS is interesting, we see English script alongside the Scala script. Which... is weird. Also the D-Dream and D-Eater is very interesting and fun lol, it’s another parallel to DDD alongside Missing Link using a cover of the DDD version of Dearly Beloved

And of course, our Baddy. Who actually looks a lot like Dark Inferno! There’s some differences - no weapons, no glow, no bandana - but it’s got a lot of visual similarities. Also, interestingly, Re:Mind’s Dark Inferno χ is stated to be a “Darkness” sleeping inside of Ven, maybe Vanitas, so it’s possible this is another original Darkness as well? We do see MoM and Luxu here in a second so it could track. 

The grapple is SICK and very interesting, almost a fleur de lis? 

SORA’S GOT HIS BUILDING SKATING POWERS BACK 

We see Luxu and MoM (assumedly, because of the posture? The rightmost one is at least MoM for sure)

And I really like the font!! It’s different, a little more clean than the one in the Dark Seeker Saga. 

And of course Goofy and Donald looking for Hades because Sora literally died. 

Also this is just a funny smear frame but it’s nice to see they’re embracing the more comical side of things too! They’re making sure it stays cartoony which I like 

Anyway that’s all I’ve got for now and tomorrow I’ll ramble more 

[haknew]

hey jess! i'm a new deobi as well (different from the last one) and was wondering if you had any recommendations for shows to get to know tbz better? thank you!

hey anon! sorry for the late response omg i wanted to have enough free time to properly compile videos for you ! tbz have a lot of stuff but i’ll link you some of my favorites ^^ (+ a lil desc. so you can decide if you wanna watch !) 

flower snack - few days until debut ? fck it let’s open a restaurant ! ~ this is pretty typical of your predebut shows but i think you get to see a lot of tbz’s chemistry and teamwork esp early on and the cringey embarrassing moments that will be immortalized on the internet forever to haunt them LOL

THE 100 [ep. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24] - force 12 boyz into a house and tell them they’re doing a concert ! ~ this is my personal favorite ! the haknew in this *chef’s kiss* but also you get to see a big chunk of their more domestic side / daily life and get to learn about their personalities really well ! it’s a good mix of fun and sentimental i think :’) but you really get to see their individual talents better too ! 

come on ! the boyz  - idk how to describe this they just do dumb stuff <3  ~ probably the most digestible it’s also more like your average variety show where they play games and compete for a “prize” lmao this one is also very good at introducing their personalities i feel 

come on ! the boyz summer rpg - the boyz go on vacation ... kinda ?  ~ summer fun in the sun ! domestic tbz part 2 u.u they just have fun trying not to kill each other i mean to do stuff while on vacation together :p it’s funny (close 2nd fav *v*) also somewhat cheesy and feel good if you like that stuff :D 

tbz play mafia ! [ 1, 2, reveal vers., chase vers.] - tbz play mafia !  ~ this should really be called tbz kill chanhee first THEN play mafia ... okay but the first two are iconic but i personally love reveal era’s mafia game :,))) so many betrayals, -100 IQ plays, and chaos they bring me so much joy u.u i honestly recommend the whole the play series but it’s a lot so only if you wanna ^~^ ! 

generation z - “we wanna be honest in our voice” ~ the most iconic ! the identity film followed by each of the member interviews i feel is the most ... genuine ? or raw content on how tbz feel about themselves, their personalities, and insecurities >.< i think if anything it might be the most significant recommendation on this list ahhh ! ;-;/

this is getting long so i’ll leave it here ! there’s a few more honorable mentions / personal favs i’ll leave under the cut ! i hope this helps anon ! <3

come on ! the boyz in ny - tbz being chaotic in the big apple

the boyz school - tbz teach ... random lessons like how to take a selfie and embarrass themselves 

a to boyz covers - still ongoing ! but a very good showcase of their individual colors ! 

rtk stages - i lit rally h8 kingdom but you can tell how much heart and soul they poured into each of these,,, esp when you watch their behind videos for them as well [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

[whiskeyswifty]

thoughts on daylight? the whole song is in past tense and she never did end up stepping into the daylight (everyone looked worse in the light!) but at the same time it's so hopeful when several people theorize they called it off around the time lover came out/early 2020...sort of like DBATC was the beginning stage of a breakup. I'd like to think daylight is a happy song but that's questionable...in a way different from how Lover isn't happy either. bc in Lover there's an underlying anxiety to the lyrics that's very current even if the music is waltzing with endgame happiness and daylight is the exact opposite where the feelings in the lyrics are all settled, but they are grounded in the past. idk where i'm going with this lol sorry to drop in randomly but yeah?

gotta be honest... i have listened to daylight very few times so i had to re-read the lyrics to refresh. at the time of it's release, i'll say i actually saw a lot of this song as a big step in the self accountability direction, much like archer. idk about other people but for me she's had a big lack of apology and a bit of a woe-is-me complex that i'm sure nobody on tumblr over the age of like 20 is unaware of. not that i believe nothing bad has ever happened to her undeserved, but that quite literally she rarely apologized for anything even when she clearly misspoke. it also reflected in her songs, blaming outside sources for her repeated frustrations she continues to have while never changing anything herself. and that's just publicly, i can only imagine how that trickled into her personal life. and at a certain age i find that its best to start to look at the bad things in your life not through the "why do bad things happen to poor little me??" lens but more through "i'm in charge of my life. what choices am i making that take me down the same paths where bad things happen and am I also treating people, myself included, poorly and using my pain as an excuse?" call it self accountability, call it self awareness, whatever you like. the archer and daylight i remember listening to and going omg she's..... actually admitting... that she isn't a victim and that she causes a lot of her own distress because of choices driven by her own internalized issues..... incredible!! finally!!

admissions in daylight like "There are so many lines that I've crossed unforgiven" or "I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked" are big examples of her taking responsibility for HER OWN choices that caused her stress and pain by hurting others. and my favorite is "Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke" which is a fabulous metaphor for removing the toxic shit in your life yourself, even if it's painful and hurts you to do so. "suck the poison out" is another version of this idea, that eventually the only person who is responsible for and truly capable of saving you... is you. i was ecstatic to hear her say these things in daylight, which overall i feel is a retrospective song for the 5-6 or so years of her emotional state prior to lover. her recapping her journey over the past few years in cleaning her life up and really growing as an adult, learning how to be mature and have mature relationships of all kinds, and ultimately owning up to the truth that her messy life led to messy relationships and nobody is to blame for that part of her life but herself.

so in that way yeah, it's about the past for sure, i agree with you there. i guess daylight to me in that sense is about choice, in that she steps into the daylight. it's not "daylight appeared" or "daybreak" or the morning passively coming. she is choosing to walk into the light, as opposed to her repeated wallowing in self imposed darkness for so many years. she's rising above her past misfortunes regardless of who is to blame, cleaning up the messes she knows she made herself by taking responsibility for them, and choosing to move forward unburdened by all that shit and towards a lighter, brighter future.

now as for the relationship aspect of this song i'm stumped ngl. i have my own thoughts and opinions on k••••r, in it's validity and it's timeline of events therein, which i don't like to explicitly share publicly. so i won't talk about lover in that context explicitly if that's what you came to talk about, i'm sorry! but i will say yeah the relationship is described a bit strangely, both in past tense and present, kind of, and also the daylight is maybe this person?? it's confusing.

on the one hand, the whole bridge-y portion feels past tense, especially when she says "i can still see it all." that to me sounds like she's saying that even though its over, she can still see their time together clearly. but then it appears that the person who is synonymous with "daylight" is someone she's currently with, so maybe the bridge person and the daylight person are different people? she does delineate daylight-person with "now." for example, she says of bridge person "And I can still see it all (In my mind)" in the past tense, and then says "NOW that I saw you" of daylight person. so maybe bridge person is like a dark toxic past affair and daylight person is this bright light of a person who she can step into the daylight with?? be this new, open, mature public person with?? also the little epilogue voicemail part is very future oriented, like it's talking about how she wants to be moving forward. so that adds to it perhaps not being about a daylight stepping that HAS happened but one she WANTS to do... i don't have an answer for that though. i'm stumped.

that's i guess my interpretation of it, but it sure is confusing. (you can also do a biiiiiiig reach and say that daylight person is herself, a liability-lorde.mp3 kind of move, if you want. but.... imo that's a bit too independently minded to be something she would say or do.... sorry if that's mean but i meeeeean the music speaks for itself in that regard so i'm just stating facts!)

[tinacentury]

20 Questions Writer’s Edition

Thanks, @kasienda! You know I’m a sucker for these types of games, and this was a good escape during what has been kind of a crappy week :).

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

13, although it’s more like 9 since four of those are in one collection before I knew how to organize stuff on Ao3.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

69,932.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Just the one, Sailor Moon from 2018 until now. I also wrote Sailor Moon fic in the early 2000s, but thankfully none of that is connected to my current accounts.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

I don’t super duper like looking at kudos as a measure of success (possibly because mine are relatively low, but here it is):

1. Familial Eyes (this surprised me a bit)

2. Belonging (this did not surprise me at all)

3. Contrition (yes, this checks out)

4. My Own Little Stage: A Collection of Prompts (super proud to see this one here)

5. Lemonade Stand (yes people like smut)

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

On Ao3, yes, I try to (ff is a very different and clunky story). I do it for a few reasons: I made my first fandom friends that way, and, as much as I don’t have a ton of time at the moment, I do still think forming relationships, even small ones, with people across the world based on a niche shared interest is cool. Second, I know that it can sometimes feel like you’re taking a risk when you put yourself out there and get met by radio silence. I don’t think responses to comments are owed because I’m very big on everyone setting their own boundaries for participation in fandom, but I think they’re nice, so I try to do it when I can.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It’s probably a tie between

-Contrition

-Day 3/Memory from usamamo week 2019

-“I thought you knew” from My Own Little Stage

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Probably Belonging. I was going for fluff with a happy ending, and it’s got probably the most traditional plot arc of anything I’ve written.

8. Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve written?

Lol absolutely not.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nothing terrible, but occasionally something like “this is boring.” Which, ok? Don’t read it, then. I did get some meaner stuff on my old fics back in the day, which I probably why I, to this day, deflect by saying how bad those were up front. However, Kasienda once pointed out that I should probably be nicer to middle school me who was writing full-length stories in her spare time. Anyway, I’ve wondered before how I would react to hate on a fic. I did once get Tumblr hate about my family, and that really fucked with me for a few days where I withdrew and just didn’t engage in internet life. So, would I react that way? I’d like to think no, that I would definitely be upset, but not to that extent. I suspect that my initial response would be to snarkily straight-up feed the troll, which could possibly backfire but also be a fair amount of fun until it did. TBH I might also be so preoccupied with other stuff that I’d be like “Ok, mean internet stranger. Fuck off; I have more important things to worry about.” It probably helps that, given how I’ve seen the fandom respond to other hate, I think they’d have my back.

10. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I don’t write a lot of it, but yes, occasionally. Lemonade Stand is my most explicit work, but there’s some light stuff in What Wasn’t Said and My Own Little Stage. I’m technically “working” on another smut piece right now, but it’s not a huge priority while I’m working to finish my dissertation.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so! 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Lol oh god, no. Control issues. Fic not being a priority, etc. I’d like to say that I’m not opposed, but I think it would be a recipe for a whole lot of extra unnecessary stress for this hobby.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Usagi and Mamoru, Sailor Moon

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Ha! I almost answered 5 Years out of habit, but then I remembered I actually did finish that one. Given my style, I don’t actually have any unfinished WIPs. Whether I write a Contrition sequel one day is a little touch and go, but I do still want to.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

I’d like to think describing emotions and dialogue, but you tell me?

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

I’m sure others would say something like dedication here, but meh, hobby, so I’m not going to categorize that as a weakness. But here are some others:

-a compulsive need for reassurance. I swear part of my writing process used to be sending almost everyone I talked to in the fandom an “omg I’m so bad at this, I’m never going to write as well as XYZ big name author” message, but I think it was me crossing the line between “I’m venting to a friend” and “validate me because I’ve attached my self-worth to this”. This is an issue in my life, too, and I’ve noticed that, as I’ve worked through it there (team weekly therapy!), it’s been less of an issue here. I think it’s ok and probably still necessary to want reassurance sometimes, and definitely to talk about your writing with your friends and get advice when it’s needed, but there’s a line between that and what I feel is kind of a toxic pattern I was in that was doing me more harm in the long run. I will admit that I’ll still fall into this a little bit when I think about number of reviews/attention in the fandom. I’ve had multiple people mention before that I get fewer reviews or broadly less acclaim (that seems like a strong and arrogant word lol) than others in the fandom, and the explanations of “you don’t write as much” and “you don’t write enough multi-chapters” don’t always fully check out, so my brain will naturally go to “because you’re not as good at it as they are.” But when I’m feeling ok about myself, I can respond to that with something like “I am objectively somewhat confident in my ability to write, and if my style isn’t to someone’s taste, that’s not necessarily a knock on my skill.” I read a lot outside of the fandom, and thinking about things in that context helps, too — seeing it as a preference thing rather than a judgement of talent thing. There are a lot of popular, published authors that aren’t my taste, but that’s not me disparaging their skill/some of my favorite authors aren’t for everyone, and that’s ok, too.

-I sometimes struggle with connecting between scenes. Like I’ll have these two separate scenes in my head or even written, but it’s hard to connect them without them feeling clunky

-plot. There’s a reason a lot of my work is relatively short. I get a bit overwhelmed by multi-chapter planning and plotting. I wonder if part of it is a mental block because the one long multi chapter I wrote in middle school literally took me a few years (I think from 2000-2002 maybe?), and the idea of something like that hanging over my head stresses me out. It would probably be helpful to think about multi chapters like Belonging, which took maybe 2 months. But 1) one of those months was March 2020, so I’m not sure how valid any takeaways from that are and 2) I’m not entirely sure I like that story 😅

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

I’m ok with it when used sparingly and intentionally in a way that is relevant to the plot, tone, or conversation. I think, especially in the early 2000s, there was a lot of “let me show you how many random Japanese words I know” thrown around Sailor Moon fic, but that, thankfully, is less of a thing now. I do think now stuff can sometimes fall into “let me show you how much detail I know about Japanese culture”, which I have mixed feelings about. Like absolutely, I want to see and learn about Japanese culture from fic, and yes, putting things in the proper cultural context is critical. But, to be blunt, I’m just wary of white people being ambassadors/mouthpieces for other cultures without realizing how their own cultural biases seep into their work. At the same time, I certainly don’t want people to feel like they shouldn’t write and shouldn’t include elements of culture because they haven’t done a whole thesis on Japanese culture. Personally, my solution has been to work cultural aspects in where I can and especially where not doing so would be particularly egregious, but I’m certainly not going to pretend my work is the place to go to learn about Japanese culture or that my Western cultural perspective doesn’t color everything I do. I’m about to be an ambassador for my former career (as a study abroad advisor) here, but I love when an author who has studied/worked/lived in Japan seamlessly has elements or culture in their work. I can’t speak for them, but I suspect that it would be harder not to, having actually lived the culture. Anyway I digress. I like Japanese language in fic when used intentionally to enhance the story rather than to show off, and you can pry honorifics from my cold, dead hands because I’m a sucker for when those change between Usagi and Mamoru.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I’ve only ever written for Sailor Moon, and mostly only read for that, too (except for one side quest into a reading a Mandalorian fic because Pedro Pascal)

20. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

This is difficult. I’m really proud of some of the prompts in My Own Little Stage that I wrote this summer. Domino and Contrition are up there as favorites, too.

I tag @queenrisa14, @idesofnovember, @daikon1, @floraone, @moonlightusa, @angelmoongirl, @ninjettetwitch, @allyunabridged, and anyone else who wants to play :)

[soundsof71]

Hey! Album: 'Fleetwood Mac' (1975) - Fleetwood Mac

Hey! Great to hear from you! You (and your previous blog) were my original inspiration for trying to raise my tumblr game to something intentionally curated, and more than that, personally creative. Sorry to have let you down. LOL

What a pleasure to talk about this one, though, an album I think is -- strangely enough -- one of the most underrated albums in the classic rock pantheon!

What’s that you say? An album with “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” underrated?!?! Well it’s true, seriously underrated, at least partly because those two stellar, nay, legendary songs are the first ones that most people think of. There's so much more! It's definitely my favorite Fleetwood Mac album!

My perspective is a little different than the standard rap that Fleetwood Mac didn't properly begin until those two California kids joined the band in 1975, because to me, they started taking off when their first American joined the band, Bob Welch in 1971 for Future Games, which I wrote about at some length here. 

(For the record, Future Games is my second favorite Fleetwood Mac album. Anyone who hasn't checked it out really needs to.)

I’ll leave it at that for now, except to observe that to most of my music nerd friends at the time, I was a latecomer to Fleetwood Mac the band, having completely missed their earlier, bluesier lineups. Indeed, the 1971 lineup was their 8th! And they'd come to #9 in 1972, before landing on lineup #10 in 1975.

They had a bunch of hits on the five albums in this 71-74 range (”Hypnotized” is one that still slays me) that I think hold up as among their best ever. While the album before Fleetwood Mac, Heroes Are Hard to Find didn’t have a hit single, it rose to #34 on the US charts, and got plenty of attention. 

My point is that Fleetwood Mac didn’t spring into existence out of nowhere in 1975. Nor was 1975 necessarily ground zero for the millions of people who bought the album Fleetwood Mac. It came out in the summer of ‘75, but took 15 months to hit #1 in the US! (It peaked at #11 in the UK.) This was a far bigger album in 1976 when all the singles came out, and the band was touring like crazy to support it.

They basically dragged the album to the top of the charts kicking and screaming by the end of THAT year with relentless touring, setting the stage for their true commercial breakthrough with Rumours in 1977, but artistically? I prefer everything about 1975′s Fleetwood Mac.

btw, the music nerds know that Fleetwood Mac was recorded at Sound City Studios, which makes all the difference in the telling of the tale. In 1974, the band had located to Los Angeles, and following the departure of Bob Welch in December, Mick Fleetwood went looking for both a recording studio and a guitarist. 

While getting to know producer Keith Olsen at Sound City (a studio legendary for its drum sound, among other things), Keith played Mick some tracks from an album he’d recorded here a couple of years earlier with a local guitarist and his girlfriend singer, both of whom were also songwriters.

Mick said, I’ll book the studio to record my next album, I’ll book you to produce, and I’ll hire the guitarist....who famously informed Mick that he and his girlfriend were a package deal. All of this happened because of Sound City Studios.

(Here's Mick recording this very album in this very studio.)

Your friend and mine Dave Grohl directed a FANTASTIC documentary about Sound City Studios, a kind of a dump to be honest, but where tons of phenomenal records were made, from After The Gold Rush to Caribou, Damn The Torpedoes, Nevermind, Rage Against The Machine, and most recently, Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher. Lots and lots of stories about the making of Fleetwood Mac in this movie, and much more. 

Here’s the trailer. The whole movie is available on YT, too! And Amazon Prime, and a bunch of other places. HIGHLY recommended!

So here we go taking directly about Fleetwood Mac.....

the first song from the album i heard: "Over My Head". This was the first single released in the US, remarkably, four months after the album was released! I dunno, did the label not want to sell any albums? Or did they just not get how catchy these tunes were? I have no idea.

And ironically, the band didn't like the choice of "Over My Head" at all, ranking it dead-last in their own considerations of likely singles! I think that this is evidence that they were using heavy drugs much earlier than we thought. LOL

"Over My Head" peaked at #20 in the US, their highest to date by far, although, in some defense of the band's reservations, didn't chart at all in the UK. Saying that it rose to "only" 20 in the charts doesn't begin to describe how heavily it was played, though. A LOT.

do i own the album: Did then, Spotify now. The answer for most of the albums in this round of Asks. :-)

my favorite song: "Over My Head". Look, I admit that this is insane when Fleetwood Mac also includes "Landslide" and "Rhiannon." "Landslide" in particular is maybe one of the greatest songs anyone has ever written, and every single person reading this knows somebody named Rhiannon because of that song. (I've met two.) And hey, "Say You Love Me" was a MUCH bigger hit at the time too... but I'm tellin' ya, "Over My Head" fucks. 

It's the single version that fucks hardest, though, no doubt about it. I was disappointed when I finally bought the album that the version there fades in (NO! THIS IS WRONG) and has a wide mix that diffuses the impact. The radio version is so tight that it's practically mono, and it punches you right upside the head. 

One of my favorite things about listening to "Over My Head" in the past couple of weeks for this Ask is that it's Old School Fleetwood Mac. Chris on piano, Mick on drums, and John McVie with what might be the best bassline that anyone stroked out in 1975. My god, it's a fucking monster, and it just gets hotter as the song progresses. By the end, it's on fire, and you hear it so much better in this tight single mix.

The new guy adds a nice little solo on top of a nice rhythm lick, and he and Stevie add background vocals, but they're not front and center. "Over My Head" is really Christine McVie's showcase, although Fleetwood and Mac really shine too. This would have been a monster hit without the new kids, as indeed it pretty much was. You could say the same thing about "Say You Love Me", which is also all about Christine's songcraft, and a voice like no other, then or now.

Here's my edit of a lovely Mick Putland photo of Christine McVie from a couple of years earlier.

I guarantee that it's been way too long since you heard the in-your-face single version of "Over My Head". On Spotify, you can find it on the couple of Deluxe Editions of Fleetwood Mac (here's one), and it's also on the anthology, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac, which I've embedded here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-lIt1ILzk

least favorite song: "I'm So Afraid." I'm so afraid not. LOL

a song I didn’t like at first, but now do: Hmm, I might put "Sugar Daddy" in that category, but honestly, the main thing I don't like about this song is the title. LOL But it's the 4th best Christine McVie song on an album where the best three of hers were all released as singles, so I guess it all works out.

a song I used to like, but now don’t: Anything by the new guy. I'm not going to go into detail here because what I love about this album, I still love. At the time, I dug two of his songs here (you can guess which two, surely), but I started to really despise this guy a few years later. Now, I can't listen to anything where he's prominent at all, on any Fleetwood Mac records.

Fortunately there are more than enough Christine and Stevie songs, and Mick and John's playing, plus all those earlier albums like Future Games, to keep Fleetwood Mac in the rock good pantheon. I'd have fired the new guy 30 years earlier than he was. 

favorite lyric:

Mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changin'

'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I'm getting older too

Like I said, the two Stevie Nicks tracks on Fleetwood Mac deserve every bit of the love they've gotten over the years. You can also see with just a quick glance around my blog that she's one of my most-posted artists. Please don't take me repping Christine as any disrespect for Stevie!

Do I like "Landslide" a little more than I otherwise might because it's specifically about outgrowing the aforementioned new guy? Maybe.  Or do I like it a little less than I otherwise might because I can't hear it without thinking of him? Maybe that too.

overall rating out of 10: Then: 9.4. Now: 9. The new guy went 2-for-4 for my money at the time, and the two that he whiffed on are genuinely terrible...but as bad as those two clunkers were, the rest of the album seemed perfect to me. Certainly among my most-played mainstream rock records into the early 80s. I was perfectly fine skipping one song on each side.

Even though nowadays I can't stand any of the songs he sings lead on, you take those off, and you STILL have "Landslide", "Rhiannon", "Say You Love Me", "Over My Head", and "Warm Ways". No album with ALL THOSE on them gets less than an 8.5, right?

I'm adding a few tenths each for how tightly Fleetwood and Mac are locked into each other and these songs on rythm (easily the most underrated duo of the era, sez me), and Keith Olsen's immaculate production. The score of 9 is therefore objectively correct and mathematically unassailable. LOL

I'm going to end where I began, by talking about Christine McVie. Instead of listening to this first and foremost as an album with a couple of giant Stevie Nicks songs, listen again to Fleetwood Mac as Christine McVie really lighting things up. She deserves so much more credit for the band's success than she gets, and seriously, "Over My Head" fucks. 

Now looky here, @aluacrescente . I know that YOU have strong feelings about this record, so spill! And the rest of you, too! I don't intend to have the last word on the albums in any of these Asks! Just the first one. :-) So lemme know what YOU think!

PS. Apologies for any formatting weirdness! I started this on desktop, where I do all my writing, saved the first few paragraphs to come back to later, only to be told by tumblr that I'd stated this on the app (DID NOT) and could only edit there. Grrr. Not cool, @staff. I've spent another day just tweaking to make it somewhat readable and wondering how these people can be so bad at their jobs. LOL

My crackpot opinions and wobbly writing are my own of course, and I'm aware that they have a larger negative impact on readability than tumblr's incompetence by far. LOL

[closer-stars]

Gut Feeling (1)

Member: San Genre: Fluff??? Slice of Life it’s just light hearted stuff for the most part Requested: Yes Word Count: 4k Content: Reader is starting out as a manager for ATEEZ, food, mentions of injuries. Honestly this is just all over the place since it’s just introducing reader to the group and the job.  Note: GOD, i struggled with the starting parts the most... Even went as far as looking at their schedules + making a playlist to have some sort of direction. It’s been way too long since I wrote something so this is Rusty. This happens way before KCON:tact btw lmao. Also I just gave their other managers different last names cause idk their names anyways lol. awkward jazz hands. the next parts will be better i hope aaaa. Proof reading when I wake up bec my laptop is dying already lol. HELLO I FORGOT TO SAY THIS WILL BE CHAPTERED FOR SURE

Three pairs of footsteps echo through the hallway. The male on your left is their manager, Manager Hwang as you would call him, on your right is the CEO. What are you doing here? You’re the new manager who would take care of the eight boys while Manager Hwang next to you attends to personal issues for the next few months or so. From stories of your friends who work in the same field as you, they were surprised the CEO would even assist you as you ease into the new environment. You were surprised too but having to stay on his good side was more important than questioning his actions for the first day. 

The two men explain to you where your work space will be first, then the conference rooms, the eating area, and so on. They explain other things that you may need to know immediately and anything else can be asked to the other two managers, Yoon and Bae, who are taking care of preparations for their next promotions, Hwang even steps up to the plate, offering his help.  “Are you sure?” You ask carefully. While it is your first time to handle eight boys, you didn’t want to be a burden. 

“Positive! The boys can be a handful sometimes but they’re very respectful.” You don’t detect any sense of false sincerity in his words so you nod in thanks. You weren’t sure though on what he meant by sometimes. 

The three of you stop outside the dance studio, you can hear pairs of feet hitting the flooring in careful timing. That sounded a lot more than just eight of them. The first one to enter was the CEO, then you were ushered in by their manager. The three of you quietly watch them dance through the song, their choreographer watching at the opposite end of the room. The choreographer notices the new presences in the room and stands up to greet the three of you, followed by the eight who do their signature greeting. 

“It’s good to see you boys working hard.” He praises with a small smile. The past few months have hit everyone hard, this upcoming promotion was just one of the ways to make the most out of what can be made. “I’m sure your manager has told you of his upcoming leave for the next few months,” he starts, and the boys softly answer in a chorus of yes and dismayed whines at the reminder. “So I would like to introduce your new manager for the next few months.” His hand places itself on your shoulder and you take that as your cue to introduce yourself to them.

“Hello, I hope we can work together smoothly.” You start, telling them your name then a quick rundown of your work history. You cut to the chase and tell them you’re not that far from their age to avoid any air of awkwardness down the line. 

The boys slowly introduce themselves one by one to you, starting with Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung then Jongho. Bless your sharp memory because you manage to remember each and every face to the right name. After the formalities, the CEO takes his leave, to have you and their manager familiarize yourself with the new work environment and requirements. This brings the rest of the boys to go back to their positions in the studio. The choreographer invites the two of you to sit in the front with him to watch them dance. The manager doesn’t give you the chance to say no. “Take this chance to see them in their zone.” You understand what he means so you take the chance, sitting down carefully on the cool floor. 

“One doing!” The choreographer says then the music starts. The way they perform the song even in just regular training clothes and bare faces takes your breath away. One minute ago they were just boys in their 20s working hard to reach their dreams, now they’re a whole different person. While you had to take care of these boys and their schedules, you were at awe at their professionalism at such a young age. Soft, youthful features hardened to sharp, dark looks as they practice the song, until they reach the end. You notice that Jongho sits just a little farther from the rest of them but still gives his all in his singing, you can only imagine just how much he misses performing. The only thing that could be heard by the end were the heavy breathings and the claps from you and their manager. The clapping causes them to bow gratefully to the two of you as they catch their breath. 

The male looks at his watch then stands up. “Let’s go, I’ll show you where we get their meals.” You bid them goodbye and wish them luck in their practice before following the older male out the studio. 

It’s rather a good thing that the place where the boys get their meal plans wasn’t too far from where you were. Regardless, the walk there was filled with the manager telling you stories of ATEEZ being boys and being idols, both types of stories giving you tips of how to handle each boy especially when the stress rings high. 

“It’s usually at the height towards the tail end of promotions that they start to wear out, though things are going to be a little different this time considering what we’re going through.” He mumbles, and while his words were muffled by his hushed manner of speaking, it was muffled much more by his mask. You carry four packs of food, and he does the same along with your meals. You already got the calendar of activities of the confirmed activities and some of the days already tire you from the mere thought. 

“I’m kind of worried of that honestly.” You admit as you place the containers on the table. The manager looks at his phone for the details per container. He hands you a marker to write each member’s name on each container, while some of them were for all eight of them, the others were for specific members only. Hongjoong’s low tolerance to spicy food stuck to you, reminding you dearly of your best friend. Seonghwa’s brown rice and chicken meal reminds you of your cousin who was conscious of their food intake and so on. Some of the specifics were slipping through your memory, too much to take in that you had to ask him to send the details to your kakao. 

“Call the boys over in ten minutes yeah?” The manager says as he looks at the clock, you can see him trying to visualize their schedule for the day. 

“Got it!” You return as you look through their schedule for the day: lunch, bring them home to get some rest then back to the studio to practice. You take the chance to ask him about any possible things to deal with but before you could, a voice causes the two of you to look at the source. 

“Hi!” It was San greeting the two of you, still breathless from the training. 

The manager looks at his phone. “Oh, finished early?” He asks. You take this chance to watch them converse, you are still new to this environment, it would be better to see how things play out first. 

“Yeah, Hyung let us off early since we already finished the agenda for today.” San explains as he takes his seat at the sight of food. The other members start to enter the room, relieved by the sight of their meals. You figured that this would be the time where you leave them to eat, while you eat elsewhere. “Manager-nim, haven’t you eaten?” San asks once he notices you turn on your heel. 

You look over at the boys when you realize he was talking to you. By surprise, you glance at Hwang, unsure of how to approach this. Usually, you leave the talents alone as they eat, while the rest of the staff eat with each other elsewhere. At least, that’s how it was for you. That was what you were used to so your own hand reaches up to the back of your neck, hesitant. “Yes, I thought it would be better to let you boys be as you eat.” Your reply still carries the polite tone you use among artists, maybe handling some nightmares have ingrained some habits in you. 

“Why not eat with us? We’re not scary.” Hongjoong invites you, and when you look over at their manager, already eating with the boys, some of them are already joking around with him. Guess you didn’t really have much of a choice. You slide into the seat in between San and Hongjoong. They ask questions about the artists you’ve handled in the past, your interests and the like, all while making sure to not cross any lines. 

“Ah manager-nim, how was it like working there?” San seemed to be most curious about your other work environments. The way he makes himself look so scary as he performs yet becomes an inquisitive kind soul off stage is enough to disorient you. 

You give him an amused look as you try to gather your thoughts, looking for the right words. “Well, it was an experience. I’m a lot happier now though.” You let them figure it out from there, you were the last to gossip about previous work experiences anyways. In this industry, word travels fast, a careless slip of the tongue can turn into disastrous proportions. 

As you eat with them, you take this chance to observe their mannerisms and relationships with each other. While it is your first day on the job, you had a feeling working with these boys would end up in the books. 

--------

The day goes by fast, everything’s settled by now. The last thing Hwang does for you and for the boys was to give the nine of you a ride home. The older male showing the usual path back to the dorms. The rest of the boys are fast asleep in their seats, slouched over one another, exhausted by their rigorous training the past few weeks. One by one they wake up as the car slows to a stop in the parking lot. Of course, San was the last one to wake up so you take up the job to wake him up. It starts with gentle nudges, only getting whines of protest as a response. Hwang and the rest of the boys watch for a few moments, entertained by the idea of San embarrassing himself. 

“Yunhooo, just let me sleep..” He mumbles and as he wriggles in his seat, he falls over the empty seat next to him. That’s when he realizes that he’s the only one left in the car, he sits up from his spot, greeted by a wide eyed you, with the rest of the boys watching in amusement. Was Wooyoung taking a video of the entire thing? He unbuckles his seatbelt immediately and picks up his bag, apologizing over and over. 

You give way for him to hop over to the rest of his group, and you stare at Hwang. “I’m guessing it’s harder to wake him up in the mornings?” 

“He really isn’t a morning person.” He says as he lets the boys enter the elevator first then the two of you. The ride to their floor was a quiet one, though with some giggles from some of the boys as they try to expose one another for their sleep habits to you. You did the same about yourself to ease any shyness from them. That’s one way you gained the trust of the talents you handled in the past: showing that you’re just like them, a human with flaws. 

The two managers drop the boys outside their dorm, and they start to become reluctant to enter, reasoning their stubbornness with them missing Hwang soon. “Boys, I promise I’ll be okay.” He reassures much to the pouting and whines from them. He makes it a point as well to tell them to behave especially with the schedule looming around the corner. You knew what that meant: Music Bank special and the KCON:Tact stage. 

“Sleep well boys, you guys deserve some rest.” You say, bidding them a good night as you head to your own apartment. 

--------

The next few days were routine: wake up, bring them to the company, eat, bring them to the stylists for preparations for their next promotions, back to the company, eat, dorm, sleep, repeat. It’s a bit of relief to know that the boys do their best to make it easy for you, the energy bounces from you to them and vice versa. You had to admit, you’ve come to appreciate them for their work ethic, their professional attitude and the fact they haven’t really lost themselves to the industry. Given that it’s been roughly two years for them, you hope it doesn’t change too soon. 

You slip away from the practice room, already on the way to the restaurant down the road to get their lunch. “Ah! Manager Yoon!” You exclaim, surprised to see him already with their food. You rush over to him, relieving him of the struggle of carrying roughly ten meals. 

He reasons as you fumble around with a bag. “I was already on my way so I figured I might as well get their meals.” 

The two of you then bring the meals up to the kitchen. By now, you’ve already memorized their food preferences and their little habits. Yeosang often fumbles with the tape and tight packaging, Seonghwa’s preference for meat over chicken whenever possible (at least today’s lunch was his cheat meal), San whose appetite seems unreal but makes sense with his regimen. You were relieved knowing they were eating well at least. 

As you busy yourself with your own meal, you suddenly feel an arm over your shoulders. “Manager-nim~” The voice sings as the still unknown culprit leans their weight on you. It’s when you look up that you realize it’s San playing with you. 

“San, I’m not strong like you..” You wheeze out as you try to keep yourself up as he drapes himself over you. While you know they are eating good, you aren’t quite sure what goes on for them to be this tall. This makes him giggle and get off you, sliding onto the seat next to yours. Some of them trickle into the room, and you make a headcount for the sake of your own peace. “Is Seonghwa still in practice?” 

“Yep, he’ll be here in an hour i think.” Wooyoung says before taking a spoonful of his meal. 

“His food is going to get cold.” You mumble to no one in particular as you eye the oldest’s meal. 

An hour passes by and Seonghwa has yet to appear. San senses your unease, even he’s confused as to what’s taking him so long. Seonghwa’s the last person who would miss meals even because of training. Your phone buzzes, bringing you out of your thoughts. 

[ Manager Yoon ] : had to bring Seonghwa to get his injury checked. Hongjoong’s with me. It’s nothing serious, doctor’s just ordering him to not do anything strenuous. 

[ You ] : what happened? 

[ Manager Yoon ] : injury while doing a dance class. Hongjoong said he’ll be the one to tell the boys. 

You read the rest of the messages and sigh softly. There isn’t much to do except make sure Seonghwa gets enough rest and treatment in order to recover in time for their comeback. You do the math; still enough time. 

You feel San’s gaze on you and you can already tell what’s on his mind. Words run through your mind and having to find the right ones without being pressed for more questions is a challenge in itself. “It’s just Manager Yoon giving me updates.” Not the entire truth, not an entire lie. Wooyoung had already gone to the gym to work out with Yunho and Jongho, leaving you and San alone. Yeosang and Mingi were in their studios, practicing their vocals for their performances. 

“On our schedules?”

“Just wait until he comes.” You say softly, making sure to not leave any room for him to press. He can tell you wanted to tell him of what was happening but you were bound by something. Just then, his phone rings. You had a feeling it was Hongjoong. 

[ Hongjoong ] : We’re practicing in the studio until 2AM today. Block changes for our performances on MuBank and KCON. 

[ Yunho ] : ??

[ Wooyoung ] : huh?

[ Yeosang ] : what?

[ Mingi ] : what happened?

San raises his eyes and he sees you looking at him. “What happened?” He’s not an idiot, whatever Manager Yoon told you had to be related to why Hongjoong’s telling them they’re staying in the studio until 2AM. 

[ Hongjoong ] : Seonghwa can’t dance. Doctor’s orders. Injury isn’t that serious but considering the timeline for our promotions, he needs to recover quickly. 

His eyes scan the message, once, twice, until the news sets in. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” He asks. The question didn’t seem to be directed at anyone but you’re the manager. It’s also up to you to stabilize the talents when things go left. “He will be. You guys have gone through a lot together, he’ll recover soon.” 

“It feels weird performing without a member already, what more two?” 

You couldn’t blame him for his worries. Everything’s been pushed back because of the virus. While you never performed, you understand the worry of a member being missing in action. It just messes up the energy. “As long as you guys practice diligently, you’ll overcome it. I don’t think Seonghwa would want you guys to be held back by worry either…” 

This was the tricky part of being a manager. While you are there to well, manage, their schedules and work loads, you also have to be their rock when things get rough. 

“Come on, You got a few hours of free time and personal training until tonight’s training.” 

He looks at the time, roughly four hours. He can take a nap then head back to the company in time for personal training and tonight’s block changes. With that in mind, he rises from his seat. “Is it possible to bring me back to the dorms?” 

“Let’s go then. We can buy some coffee for all of you on the way back here.” 

--------

It’s already 11PM. They’ve been revising and fixing the choreography since 6PM. Their dinner would be ready in half an hour. Jongho and Seonghwa sat on the bench with you with a small ice pack against his hip. The discomfort causes him to squirm from time to time. Even in his current situation, he does his best to provide his input to the choreography changes. You had to give him credit for finding ways to keep working. Jongho too provided comments, managing to see things you would’ve missed. You notice Seonghwa’s consistent discomfort in his sitting position. “Hold on.. Stand up a bit?” You ask, offering your arm for him to pull himself up slowly. You quickly rearrange the makeshift pillow for him before letting him sit down again. The relieved whine tells you it works. 

[ You ] : Can we buy Seonghwa something soft to sit on for the next few days? 

[ Manager Bae ] : already did, don’t worry. It’ll arrive tomorrow in their dorm. 

---------

Time passes by quickly and everyone’s in the car, heading back home. Everyone’s fast asleep but you and Jongho. You hear him humming softly behind you and you glance at the rear view mirror for a moment as you carefully drive through the streets. “Not yet sleepy, Jongho?” You ask, making sure your voice doesn’t wake up Hongjoong. 

“Not yet… I didn’t get to dance much for today’s rehearsal. It’s going to be like this for the next few days too.” Jongho readjusts his seat, just so he could talk without waking up the others. “How do you find the work though?”

“Work as your manager? Well..” You drift off from your initial thought as you drive carefully through the empty streets. It’s only when you slow down at a red light that you continue. “... It’s doable. I’m not complaining about the workload, it does seem hectic and stressful but it is something I signed up for right?” 

The younger male lets out a soft sound of agreement at your words. “You don’t find our energy to be overwhelming?”

“Jongho, I don’t mind it one bit. It makes my work a little more fun.” You return in a light tone. Your word choice makes him chuckle softly. “You guys listen well too. I don’t mind it.” He murmurs his thanks for your kind words, and you let out a soft sing-songy ‘yes’. 

---------

A soft sound slips through your lips as you slowly arrive in the parking lot of the apartment complex. “We’re here, guys.” You say as you gently shake Hongjoong awake. Jongho wakes the others up, the members slowly spilling out the van. You were about to check on San when you find him stretching for a moment before hopping out of the car. “I guess you got good sleep for you to wake up with ease.” You joke as you lock the car up. 

“I still want my sleep..” He points out with a pout. As you walk with him to the elevator with the rest of the group, they notice that you weren’t making any move to leave. Confusion washes over those who were wide awake now. 

“Are you bringing us to our dorm too?” Seonghwa asks, his head tilting in the process. 

“Do you want me to…?” You return, the question catching you off guard. “I live here too.. “ You add softly, your fingers fiddling against your sleeve. They seemed to be more exhausted than they show, you clearly remember dropping them off as well outside their dorm with Manager Hwang. The realization sets in and so does the memory. 

“Oh crap, right!” Exclaims the youngest, much to the oldest’s mild distaste. 

The elevator rings and the doors slide open. It was Hongjoong who made sure all of you fit in the lift, reasoning that being on your own at this hour wasn’t safe. You don’t tell them where your apartment is, wanting to have them get their rest first. No matter how persistent their pleas were, even Mingi pulled some cute antics to get you to cave, but none of them worked. “Guys, I mean it. You guys need more rest than I do.” Once you arrive at their floor, you wave them off. “Now, shoo! Wash up and sleep! It’s the same schedule tomorrow.” 

The last they see of you for the day is you pressing a button for your floor and waving them good bye. As they walk down the hall, murmurs about you arise from them. Questions of how they found you, their first impressions, and other questions. None of them were met with pessimism though. In fact, each question was met with optimism and realistic approaches. 

“Is it bad I kind of hope they stay for the long run? They seem like they’re cool with things too.” asks Yeosang as they kick off their shoes by the door. 

“Nope, I mean she’s able to handle us calmly even when we’re stressing over things.” Seonghwa reminds him. 

Hongjoong points out, “Also, the near lack of age gap makes it easier for us to talk with them.” He makes it a point for Seonghwa to shower first. “Anyways, you heard them, same schedule as today for tomorrow.” He quickly catches up to San who was already on his way to his room. “Also, San?” 

“Yes?”

“Please, use an alarm. You woke up easy with them earlier but they aren’t living with us...so please… alarm…” 

The mentioned male feels his neck burn in embarrassment as he whines in defense. “Yes, Hyung..” He sneaks a look at Yunho with a pleading look in his eyes, a quiet favor for the coming morning. 

“I’m still waking you up even with that alarm.”

“I’ll hard carry our team in the next match.”

“Deal.”

---

part 2