#it was LITERALLY where yun lives

[kameyyy]

Yun I swear I'm not a stalker I just can do math sometimes (heavy on that sometimes) and know how to use a map on my phone </3

[starcrossedmusings]

Pretty Hands

Pairing: best friend!Yunho x f!reader WC: 3.2k Warnings: eventual smut, reader has a thing for Yunho's hands (who doesn't??), swearing, fingering, choking, a little bit of degradation (he compares her to a whore literally once), PRAISE so much praise, Yunho talks reader through it (you're welcome), pov is kinda all over the place just let it be, Yunho is absolutely WHIPPED for reader teehee, probably some other things that I missed (let me know)

Summary: You and Yunho have been friends for years, and you tell each other everything. He suddenly takes a much more vested interest in your love life when you can't stop mentioning your newest interest.

A/N: This is entirely self indulgent and also I just wanted to get something full posted. The Phantom fic is turning out to be much longer than I originally anticipated (and so did this one once I started writing it). Let me know what you think♡

Stepping into Yunho's apartment had always felt like coming home, and today was no exception. You take your shoes off in the tiled entryway and pad your way through the main living area, calling out to him as you walk.

"Yun? I'm here!"

His muffled response flows down from the end of the hall, "Bedroom!"

You make your way through the back hallway and enter his room, finding him exactly where you thought he would be, focused in on his computer. There's a selection of empty drink cans and snack wrappers scattered around his desk, which tells you that whatever he's currently building on Minecraft has probably occupied the majority of his day so far. He pauses the game and turns his chair to face you.

"Whats up?"

"Got bored at home and my roommate isn't even trying to muffle her pornstar moans for her new boy toy."

Yunho barks out a laugh, "Does she seriously sound--"

"Just like it Yun I can't make this shit up. I'm starting to think maybe they're recording themselves in there."

Yunho wiggles his eyebrows as he stretches his arms up and over his head, leaning back in his chair. "Well, if I ever see your living room on Pornhub I'll be sure to let you know"

You crinkle your nose. "Ew. I do NOT need to know that."

"Whatever, don't act like you haven't been talking to me for weeks about how horny you are. If I have to hear about your vibrator dying one more time I'm gonna buy you a new one myself."

"You try getting unintentionally edged three nights in a row with a full charge, it's some bullshit Yun. Besides, I'm allowed to complain about my dry spell."

Yunho scoffs, tone playful and lighthearted. "Dry spell? It's been what? Two months?"

"It's been three thank you very much." You move to sit on his bed.

"Well some of us haven't had sex in much longer."

"Oh, please, that girl that San was messing around with was all over you at his birthday party last month, don't tell me you didn't take that opportunity."

Yunho raises his eyebrows in shock, leaning forward in his chair. "Wait, really?"

"Oh my GOD Yun you are so oblivious. Yes really. She was all giggly and twirling her hair and shit. That's like...girl flirting basics."

"I am not oblivious, I am actually quite observant. I could tell you things about yourself you don't even know. I just have my sights set on someone and that someone is not her."

You shoot him an incredulous look and snort out a laugh, leaning back to lay down completely on his bed, legs dangling off the edge. "Sure Yun, whatever makes you feel better."

You hear Yunho stand from his chair and feel his weight shift onto the mattress. He appears in your vision, a challenging playful sparkle in his eyes as he peers down at you. "Okay, fine. I can tell that you're trying out a new perfume, you just went shopping because your leggings are a different brand than you usually wear, and I know that you washed your hair last night because you're wearing it all the way down today."

You do your best to ignore the way your stomach summersaults at his attention to detail about you and your routines. You roll onto your side and prop your head up on your elbow, matching his challenging gaze. "Okay Sherlock Holmes. What kind of underwear am I wearing then?"

Yunho pauses to consider before responding "a thong, probably black." You grin triumphantly and lean in just a bit closer.

"Wrong. I'm not wearing any. You lose!" You stick your tongue out playfully at him and he swats your shoulder, falling back onto his mattress.

"You set me up!"

"Face it Yun, I'm just better than you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever" Yunho pouts, voice hightening slightly from surprise. He can feel a slight redness creeping up his ears and prays his hair has grown long enough to cover it. 'I'm not wearing any.' He clears his throat. "So why go commando? You finally planning to seduce your new conquest?"

"He is not a new conquest, he doesn't even know I like him."

"He will once he knows you aren't wearing any underwear for him" Yunho jokes, smiling cheekily. You smack at his chest.

"I didn't want to do laundry last night, asshole. Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"You're one to talk" he mutters under his breath.

You sit up fully and reach for one of the pillows at the top of his bed, slamming it down on his face. "Jeong Yunho I swear to god!" On your second swing, he manages to catch the pillow with one hand and pry it from your grasp, but not before giving you an entirely unhelpful image of his long fingers gripping the plush material.

"What?? All I ever hear you talk about lately is how tall and handsome this dude is and how much his hands make you drool."

"You sound jealous."

"I'm not jealous, I'm pissed that I have to hear all about him and don't even get to know what the dude's name is."

"I told you, I'm gatekeeping this time. You run your mouth too much."

"I do not!"

"Do too."

"Ugh FINE whatever," Yunho chucks the pillow back towards you and you dodge it, leaving both pillows on one side of the headboard, "You're so agitating."

"You know you love me Yun. But just for the attitude," You adjust both pillows and shuffle your way back until you're leaned against both of them, "no pillow for you for tonights doomscrolling session."

He huffs a laugh and scoots up to meet you, pulling out his phone and settling in against the headboard.

An hour later you get up to go to the bathroom, and when you get back Yunho has stolen both of his pillows. You frown and cross your arms. "Hey, asshole, those were mine!"

"Yeah?" He taunts playfully, "Well they were mine to begin with, and my back is killing me. So deal." You roll your eyes and cross back over to the bed, crawling over the side you've been sitting on and curling yourself into Yunho's side to rest your head against his chest. You feel him tense slightly underneath you before he moves one of his arms around your shoulders to let you lay more comfortably.

"There's no way in hell I'm sitting up against that cold ass metal frame you call a headboard." You mutter as you begin scrolling. Yunho's chuckle rumbles through his chest and tickles your cheek. You both sit in silence for a while, content to scroll on your phones. Eventually, you turn to look up at him from his chest.

"I meant to ask how your new project has been going. Whatever you were building when I came in looked pretty intense." You can see the faint tinge of red trail up his ears and neck--a telltale sign that whatever you caught him building makes him embarrassed. You sit up, propping your weight on your elbow and placing a hand on his chest to shove him slightly. "Ooooo now you have to tell me what it is!"

"It's embarrassing..."

"Tell me tell me tell me tell me--"

"Okay fine, fuck. I'll tell you if you promise not to laugh--"

"I won't I swear!"

"Pinky promise?" He holds his pinky out to you, and you raise a hand from his chest. Before you can lace your pinky in his, he pulls his hand up above his head. "I'm serious, Y/N, if you laugh I'll have no choice but to tickle you to death."

He's definitely not stalling because he has to come up with a reply, because he certainly hasn't been building a treehouse for you in what he hopes will one day be a shared server. Yunho thinks to himself that he would rather die than let you find out.

You scoff, "I won't laugh...and even if I did I'm not ticklish so your threat is a moot point."

Yunho drops his hand down onto the mattress. "Bullshit."

"It's not. I don't have a ticklish bone in my body."

"Liar."

You shake your head, and Yunho takes the opportunity to gently press the pads of his fingers into the sides of your ribs. The sensation hits you almost immediately, and you feel the tight feeling in your chest as he begins tickling you. You squeal and thrash around in his grasp, trying desperately to get away from his assault.

"Yun stop it--"

"Not until you admit you're a liar!" You begin to giggle and manage to roll away from him, but Yunho is quick to follow. He swings a long leg over your hips and pins you beneath him, a single large hand trapping both of your wrists above your head while the other dances across your ribs. "Admit it," He sings out.

"Okay! Okay fine I'm a liar!" You gasp out between laughter. Yunho beams down at you and immediately stops tickling your sides, leaving you panting underneath him--

Oh fuck...you're panting underneath him.

He can almost feel the shift in the air as he stares down at you. He knows he should move, just roll off of you and make up some bullshit lie about what he was building. You like someone else, and he clearly wasn't getting out of the friend zone any time soon. He's just making a fool of himself...and yet he just can't bring himself to stop memorizing the way you look splayed out beneath his hips. Eventually he forces himself to stop staring at the way your chest rises and falls or the sliver of your tummy that's poking out from underneath your shirt that's riding up. He locks eyes with you.

Your voice comes out softer than he's ever heard you speak before. "Hey Yun?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that mystery guy I've been telling you about? The one with the pretty hands?"

A twinge of annoyance flairs in his stomach and he can't help but grumble out his reply. "Yeah?"

"I'll give you a hint. He's got me pinned to the mattress right now."

Yunho feels his heart drop deep into the pit of his stomach.

"Like...like right now he does?"

You laugh lightly. "Yeah, right now, Yun."

Yunho swallows thickly as his head starts spinning. He leans down much slower than he would have liked to, giving you plenty of time to take it back--to laugh at him and tell him you got him good. He feels like his whole body lights ablaze when you close the final gap between your lips, and suddenly he is kissing you.

In almost any circumstance that you had seen Yunho kissing someone, he was always fast-paced--hot and heavy petting in the corner of a darkened bar, dares in drunken party circles--which is why you were floored at the reverence he was kissing you with now. His mouth was steady and intense against yours, his hands roaming slowly across the expanse of your torso like he was memorizing the feel of something priceless. You gently pull your hands from his grasp and tangle them in his hair, pulling him closer and matching his intensity with your fervor. You feel his hands make their way to the lower hem of your shirt, and your skin erupts in goosebumps as you feel his fingers ghost along the sliver of skin there. He breaks the kiss and you feel his breath fan across your face as he pants. His hands gently make their way to rest just under your shirt, not quite pushing the fabric up. He locks eyes with you.

"Is this okay?"

You chuckle gently. "Yes, Yun, you can touch me. I want you to touch me." You watch his eyes darken and his hands start running up your torso, pulling your shirt up with them.

"Where do you want me to touch you, baby?"

You exhale heavily and arch your back into his touch. "Anywhere...everywhere...I don't care."

Yunho smirks and feels his ego inflate. "You don't care? Hmm..." He starts planting kisses along your jaw and down the side of your neck. Slow. Teasing. "If I remember correctly, you seemed pretty keen about having my hands in some specific places baby. Can you refresh my memory?"

The low whine that escapes your throat nearly sends him spiraling. "You know where...don't make me say it."

He does know, but there's nothing he wants to hear more right now than to hear you say it. He brings one hand up to your chest, cupping one of your boobs and squeezing gently as he continues peppering your neck with kisses. "Was it here? Or..." His hand trails back down and grips your hip possessively, "Here, maybe?" He hears you huff and feels your hand wrap around his wrist. You try to tug it up, and he chuckles softly but allows you to move his hand. He nips your earlobe and asks lowly, "Where do you need my hands baby?" He feels his cock twitch in his sweats when you wrap his fingers around your throat, guiding him to squeeze the sides gently. Your hands run down his chest and drop to your sides as he squeezes a little harder. "Fuck, look at you. So pretty with my hand around your neck."

You whine and buck your hips up, desperately looking for friction. Yunho coos as he looks down at you, wanting to have the image burned into his memory. He adjusts his position so he's sat on one side of you and brings his free hand to your thighs, squeezing the flesh there and watching the way you spread your legs for him. "Pretty girl, I need you to use your words. Spreading your legs like a whore isn't gonna get you what you want." He revels in the way you throw your head back onto the mattress and close your eyes, frustration evident already on your face.

"Need your fingers, Yun. Please."

Holy shit, he could combust right then and there. He smiles and traces his hands along the inside of your clothed thighs. "Good girl. So polite for me." He hooks his fingers in the waistband of your leggings and pulls them down and off, leaving you bare from the waist down. "Sit up for me baby. I want you between my legs."

Yunho sits on the edge of the mattress and allows you time to sit up, moving to sit in between his thighs. He hooks your legs over his, leaving you spread and completely at his mercy. A shiver runs down your spine as the pads of his fingers run across your thighs and you gasp as they brush against your core. He presses kisses into your neck and chuckles, "You're already soaking wet, what's got you all bothered hmm? I've barely touched you..." Yunho hums and teases your entrance with this middle finger. He can feel you clenching. "Do you like my hands that much baby? All it takes is a little choking and you're putty for me." He pushes two fingers inside, pumping slowly and curling back to find your sweet spot. He feels pride flare through his chest at the noise you make, a mix between a whine and a moan that eggs him on.

Your toes curl as Yunho almost immediately finds your g-spot. The pace he sets is almost perfect, and when he begins rubbing tight circles on your clit your eyes roll back into your head. The pleasure is a building wave, and it's all you can do to keep yourself remotely still as he continues pumping his thick fingers in and out. "Oh my god, Yun, please don't stop!" You clench helplessly around his fingers and let your head roll back to rest on his shoulder.

"Awe baby I'm not gonna stop. Not until I see how pretty you look cumming all over me. Will you do that for me, sweetheart?" he coos, bringing his other hand back up to your throat and squeezing lightly. "Will you cum all over my fingers? I bet you want to right? Wanna come on my fingers while I squeeze this pretty neck of yours?"

You whine and preen at his words and arch your back. Your legs begin to shake as Yunho's circling on your clit quickens pace just slightly, the thrusts of his fingers audible from the squelching between your thighs. Your breath quickens.

"My pretty girl, you're such a mess for me, aren't you? Can you hear how wet you are? All soaked for me? I bet your hands don't feel as good as mine hmm?"

You shake your head no violently, whining as he continues to talk lowly into your ear. Your orgasm builds quickly, and at this point you have no faith in your ability to speak coherently.

"No, they don't do they? I want you to show me how good my hands feel baby. Let go for me, sweetheart."

Your breath catches in your throat as you tip over the edge, and the feeling of your release washes over you. Your whole body jolts in his grasp as he continues pumping his fingers. You feel him squeeze your throat gently, just enough pressure to remind you that he's got you.

"Atta girl, look at you! Doing so good for me." You whine and buck your hips, orgasm still riding through your body. Yunho nips at your neck lightly and slows his pumping to a stop as you continue to shake. "That's it baby, just grind on them for me." The final aftershock of your orgasm finishes, and you go limp in his arms, leaning all of your weight back into his chest and breathing heavily.

Yunho pulls his fingers out and admires the mess you made on them before popping them into his mouth. He's still rock hard, and the taste of you on his fingers makes him twitch again. He'll definitely need your help with that later. He uses the hand around your neck to brush a stray hair from out of your face. "How are you feeling?"

You huff out a breathless laugh and turn your face to nuzzle into his neck. "How do you think I feel? That was...wow."

He can't help the goofy smile that crosses his face. "Oh really? Tell me more, I'd like a full report." He jokes, pulling the two of you down to snuggle on his bed. He grabs a throw blanket from your side and pulls it over the two of you and nearly melts when you curl closer to him, burying your face into his chest.

"Give me a few minutes to recover and I'll show you exactly how I'm feeling right now." Yunho rubs a hand up and down your back.

"I look forward to that."

"And then afterwards you're going to show me what you've been building."

Yunho chuckles and kisses the top of your head. No way in hell.

[theoraeeken]

bucktommy / tevan prompt: drive, car/vehicle, hands

i literally cannot see the words "bucktommy" and "hands" and not instantly get weird about it so uh. sorry. if you're not into short, kinda horny oneshots. thank you for the prompt!!! <33

bucktommy / rated m / mild and implied sexual content / prompts open

-

Buck never gets out of the city, these days.

That's an over simplification, of course. Sometimes he does. Calls out of the city. Assists out of county. But it's been a long, long time since he made it out of LA for anything fun. And, this? This is fun.

The early evening has made a painting out of the North California landscape, streaming past them like so many brushstrokes. A sky in pink and lilac, trees tops in black shadow. Tommy, pretty as a picture, pretty as he always is with his hands on the wheel and his eyes forward.

Jesus, Buck has never wanted anyone so much in his life.

"You're staring."

"You're gorgeous."

Tommy huffs, but doesn't tear his eyes away from the road.

"You know I could watch you do this for hours."

"You have been watching me do this for hours," Tommy reminds him, mouth a sly smile, "Except for that powernap you took after lunch."

"You want me to take the wheel for a bit, babe?"

The same smile that always crossses Tommy's expression when Buck callshim babe appears. It's a soft little thing, but it's one of his favourite things in the world.

"Nah, there's only an hour left. Besides, I wouldn't want to deny you your favourite spectator sport."

It's true, it is. Maybe not in the way that Tommy thinks, maybe Tommy doesn't get it at all, actually. Buck likes to watch him. Watch him drive, watch him cook, watch him shave. Watch him nap on the couch after along shift, watch him comb his hair back before one. The confidence in his walk, the set of his shoulders, the surety of his hands.

His hands.

The same hands that are on the wheel that have pulled people out of burning buildings have washed Buck's hair in the shower. They've piloted helicopters, and cooked dinner for the two of them. They've patched up burns and lacerations and concussions in the field, and touched Buck the way no one else has ever quite managed.

Tommy flexes his hands, palms sure on the wheel.

Something stirs in Buck, a sense memory tucked into the joints of his wrists, the swirl of his fingerprints.

Buck stretches out in the passenger seat, a pleasant warmth settling at the base of his spine, a tingling in his gut, his fingertips, his legs.

There's a little sweat gathered in the fabric at Tommy's collar, where it's trickled down his neck. There's a drop of it tracing a faint red mark there, just under his hairline. Too faded to show any trace of what caused it, but Buck knows it was his teeth.

Buck runs a hand up his thigh absently.

"Evan," Tommy says warningly, but there's a touch of amusement in his tone, too.

"What?" he says innocently.

"You know what."

"Nope," he grins, "You look good."

"You look like a distraction."

"You can handle it."

"If I crash this car, and someone phones 911, you do realise neither one of us is ever going to live it down, right?"

He knows. He can practically see Chimney laughing his ass off already, hear Hen cackling. They gave him enough shit when a photo of Tommy appeared in his locker, a perfectly innocent picture of his boyfriend passed out cold on the couch in Buck's apartment, Jee-Yun beaming wildly into the camera after a day at a waterpark. Tommy's not wearing a shirt, because it got wet chasing Jee through a splash field. It's in Buck's locker because it's a great picture. No correlation.

"You flew a helicopter into a hurricane, I think you can manage the I5."

"You didn't have a hard on in the helicopter."

"That's what you think," Buck grins. He does now, easy and eager to go, like he's eighteen again, dick on a hairpin trigger.

"You didn't get enough this morning?" Tommy asks wryly.

This morning was slow and easy, still under the covers with the early morning light coming down on them like a blessing. Tommy's mouth on his stomach and his fingers inside of him, pulling an orgasm out of him like pulling on a loose thread - unravelling Buck into an incoherent mess.

"That was like eight hours ago-"

"It was maybe five, at an absolute push-"

"-and you just look so good sat there-"

"-I'm not doing anything!"

"-and I want you," Buck says, chest going warm at the way Tommy's mouth snaps shut and a blush starts spreading across his cheeks, "the way I always want you because you always look this good."

"We're gonna crash on the I5 and there's gonna be a pile up, and they're gonna check traffic cam footage and see that it's because I swerved into oncoming traffic, and when they ask me what happened, I'm gonna have to say it's because-"

"We're not going to crash, Tommy," Buck laughs.

"-because my boyfriend is insatiably horny," he interupts, louder, before glancing over at him. His eyes drop down to where Buck is rubbing himself through his sweats and he groans, a deep rumbling thing in his chest that makes Buck jerk helplessly in the seat, "and because he looks so good right now."

The satnav on the dash says there's still ninety minutes until they reach their destination, which is damn near an eternity. The thought of being confined in this car with Tommy, in a nice fitting t-shirt and shorts that have ridden up to expose a slither of inner thigh, for more than an hour feels impossible. Buck grinds into the heel of his palm, images of them pulled over at the side of the road, pressed together in the backseat of Tommy's old muscle car, or Buck bent over the hood, or leaning against the driver's side door with Tommy on his knees in front of him- They bomboard his imagination like firecrackers, every one of them vivid and alive like memories rather than fantasies.

Tommy's hand shoots out like a gunshot from the wheel to clasp his wrist.

He didn't realise how close he was to coming until his hand stopped moving.

"Jesus, Evan-" Tommy breaths out, his fingers like a vice, chest heaving, "You're trying to kill me."

"Whatta way to go though, huh?" Buck slurs. His hips are still twitching, even as he steps back from the precipice of orgasm. Everything is still so close, so hot, so intense. Tommy's jaw is so tight the muscle is jumping under the skin, but he lets go of Buck's wrist to lace their fingers together instead.

It's probably not the placating gesture Tommy wants it to be, not now that Buck's so worked up, not when it's Tommy's hands that have him writhing in the passenger seat of this car, Tommy's everything, really.

"Evan."

"What?"

"Quit it," he says firmly.

Buck grins, "Or what?"

"Or," Tommy says easily, "Every time I catch you, I'm adding an hour onto how long I'm making you wait when we get to the hotel."

That definitely doesn't have the desire affect, or it does. Buck can't tell over the wildfire that courses through him, caught between the desire to chase relief as soon as possible, and drag whatever game they've stumbled onto here out for as long as he can. Whatever shows on his face makes Tommy laugh, pull his hand back and put it back on the wheel.

-

(They make it to the hotel by the skin of their teeth, check in like a pair of maniacs on the run from the cops, then Tommy shows him just how serious he was about that three hour penalty by strapping his arms to the bed with his belt.)

-

(He only makes it two and a half.)

[kirinblueko]

I've debated for a couple of days about whether to say something because I don't want to be overly political on here, a place where I can just enjoy the things I love. However, I feel like this is a topic on which I have a pretty personal view on, so here I am.

A disclaimer, I want to make clear that I am not pointing fingers or anything. I just want to put my thoughts out there so people can perhaps see a different perspective. English is not my native language (obviously). I tried to make myself clear and be courteous, but sometimes my language skill fails me, so please be gentle and know I do not wish to offend anyone.

It's about people flocking to red note as a reaction toward the tiktok ban. I am happy for people who had their first genuine interaction with people behind the Chinese fire wall, it's always beautiful when people from different culture communicate and learn from each other. Hell that's the reason why I am on this website. But I also can't help feeling sick with concern at how people disregard information warfare and missed the point that the problem has never been the Chinese people but the CCP government.

I am a Taiwanese. If you know anything about Taiwan and China's complicated history, you can probably imagine I have FEELINGS toward China. It's strong, and it's NEGATIVE. (I am not trying to represent all Taiwanese. This is just my own feelings.) I am relatively young, but even in my limited time alive, I've personally witnessed how the Chinese government bullied and oppressed my country. There are active attacks toward us, and it has been for years, just not YET in the traditional military sense. The information warfare is as real as ever and we, in Taiwan, don't have the defense of the language barrier. China spent an unimaginable amount of money every year on information warfare against Taiwan. Spreading misinformation and propaganda, buying out internet accounts and influencers. Planting agents. Anything you can and can't imagine. They are smart and cunning.

There is no such thing as a private company in China. Look up what happened to Ma Yun. If the country wants to, they can take anything from you, even the company you founded. The CCP government can and WILL monitor and control the discussion happening on any social software/application that's run by a Chinese company. They WILL manipulate the algorithm for propaganda. That is not an empty threat. They literally built a firewall around China so Chinese people can't access the internet freely. You treat them with humanity and courtesy doesn't mean that you will get the same treatment from them. CCP does not abide by your law. We all want to live in an idealistic world where people are kind and honesty is the default. I want to live in that world, too. But reality is cruel and playing dirty will get you far ahead of people playing by the rules.

I wish people in the US (and any other country that do not have to worry about being invaded, really) can realize how privilege it is to be a citizen of a wealthy and stable country that never have to worry about losing your identity just because your huge and rich neighbor says you belong to them. How privilege it is to be able to think China is not a threat, the government overreacted. I envy them. I envy their confidence in their country's future, that it won't disappear when they wake up the next day. I envy that they can still count on international society recognizing them as citizens of a independent country without hesitation and reserve.

I will never use TikTok (not even the US version) and RedNote. I will not install anything that I know has any relation to Chinese companies. Because I am worried for myself, for my family, and for my country. It's the least I can do as a defense as a single, insignificant Taiwanese. Seeing people jumping in voluntarily, giving CCP access to your personal information, makes me extremely anxious. I sincerely hope that there won't come a day when this decision backfires.

[frollosversion]

Why is Hellfire (AND JUDGE CLAUDE FROLLO'S PERSONALITY) creepy in itself?

Take it from a Theater Major! Let's dive in his song breakdown!

In a musical, there are 3 types of songs. There are "establishing/new songs", an "I am song", and an "I want" song.

Establishing/new songs are made to— self explanatory— establish the existence of the set and the characters without getting much depth as it focuses on the build up of the world the characters are living in or what the center of that place is supposed to be.

Let's not stray too far. Let's use The Bells of Notre Dame. Clopin, as the narrator, elaborates that an object, or a phenomena is linked to the character but doesn't really say what the character's in depth wants, needs etc are included (Which is the Bells and the Cathedral herself). 'The bells of Notre Dame' is played at the first part of the film/musical to establish a backstory or a character's focal point and a glimpse of moral standpoint (Claude's backstory and the Existence of Quasimodo) and to establish the setting (Which is Paris 1482 + 1462 flashback). That's the establishing/new song. It is also used as breathers like Flight into Egypt.

Next is an "I want Song". "I want" songs are automatically given to the main characters so the audience can get a peek of the beliefs of these characters and resonate with them in a sense. This kind of song elaborates the purpose and goals they try to achieve.

Quasimodo's "Out There" is a very good example of an "I want" song. He sings about his dream/goal to go down the bell tower without any consequences— "Just to live one day out there" as he would quote (love you quasi). That's where he's at and that's what he wants. To feel like he belongs. (ALSO, GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS IS AN I WANT SONG)

Next is an "I am" song. Now, an "I am" song isn't directly given to villains/anti-heroes either. These can be used as a type of song to other characters. But in most cases, villains own these songs. Good example of an "I am" song is:

“Gaston” from Beauty and the Beast,

“Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid,

“Mother Knows Best” from Rapunzel,

or “Be Prepared” from The Lion King.

All of these songs explain who they are not just on one fragment. But the entirety of it.

Villains use this to establish the dynamic and the power they are trying to uphold and "shove in" the viewer's faces to who they are.

Now, the problem (the situation, rather) in Hellfire, is Frollo gets an I WANT song instead of an I AM song. Again, An I WANT song is used for the protagonists— to allow us to see the goodness in their hearts and what they want best.

He tried to just do an I AM song, given that the first verse is literally

“Beata Maria, you know I am a righteous man of my virtue I am justly proud.

Beata Maria, you know I'm so much purer than the common vulgar weak licentious crowd.”

He tries to convey that Hellfire is an I AM song but eventually slips into the lines like he wanted her bad. Like... BAD bad.

And now since Frollo got an I WANT song, we saw what he wanted, which is lusting on Esmeralda + his moral dilemma. AND WE DON'T REALLY WANT TO SEE THAT, DO WE?? (I do. hehe). We saw things that we didn't really want to see. In this instance, his "little trouble at the fireplace."

And it's disgusting and disturbing to see how twisted a person is when left repressed and pushed. Not to mention that he's being sacrilegious himself because he blames that it's the Most High's plan that he made the devil "so much stronger than the man.". It's creepy. I know. sighs.

He's given a divine intervention (film), when he said "Let her taste the fires of hell or else let her be mine and mine alone!" Which he straight up rejects even if he asked for the sign himself AND PROCEEDS TO SING AND FINISH THE WHOLE DAMN THING.

So yeah, he's creepy, hellfire is twisted as it is. You get the gist. Thanks for listening to me yap. Take notes in case you wanted to write a musical. Yun lang! Mwah. HAHAHAHAHA

[setmeatopthepyre]

Hey so I'm either delusional or onto something or both but the three calls in 08x06 kind of work perfectly as references to bucktommy's storyline as a past/present/future.

Past: Misdirects (07x04 throwback) Call 1: The mom in the urn. This scene was actually originally shot for 07x04 from what I can gather, and it fits perfectly in that episode's theme of misdirection. First, the audience (and the first responders) assume the actual live mother of the caller is being kidnapped. Misdirect: it's the dead mom's ashes in an urn. We then assume the husband is worried about losing his mom's ashes. Misdirect: it's actually the urn that's worth a ton of money.

This call fits right in with the other storylines that episode, most importantly the one that leads to Buck's bi awakening and Bucktommy's first kiss: Buck & the audience think Buck is jealous of Eddie spending more time with someone else, but it turns out to be Tommy's attention he's actually after. This is how they meet, this is their past.

Present: Spilling guts and breaking up (08x06) Call 2: The messy messy divorce. A married couple are fighting out a divorce in a lawyer's office. The husband keeps sneezing whenever he lies, causing him to pop his stitches and literally and figuratively spill his guts. The messy truth comes out, and despite this there's a touching moment where he lies that he never loved her. The wife and Buck have a one-on-one talk in which she tells Buck "He lied, he really did love me." and Buck says "I'm sure he did. Does." To which she replies, "Saying he didn't love me is the most beautiful lie he's ever told." It still ends in a messy split with hurt feelings.

Here we have a pretty clear reference to what's happening and is about to happen in this very episode between Buck and Tommy. The messy guts of both of their pasts pertaining to Abby have or will be spilled. The breakup takes both of them by surprise. To quote the lawyer(?) the husband in this scene was having an affair with: "One minute he was fine and the next was like a bomb went off." The audience goes through quite a similar journey. Where the scene opens with one lawyer saying that the process "doesn't have to be painful", we leave feeling absolutely eviscerated.

Future: Pushing away & lifting up (??x??) Call 3: The boy in the pipe. We have an older brother being annoyed by the fact that his younger brother constantly wants him to read to him. When the younger brother asks again, the older brother lashes out and tells him to go away. When he realizes his mistake, the younger brother has wedged himself into an exposed pipe in the yard, underground and in the muck where no one can reach him. When the 118 show up, it's determined that the only one who can pull the younger brother out, is the one who pushed him away and inadvertently caused him to be down there in the first place: the older brother.

So yes, this call is clearly set up to make Chimney realize how having another kid would mean Jee-yun has another person looking out for her and vice versa. However, the specific backstory/build-up of the older brother pushing the younger one away doesn't relate to Chim's situation at all. It does sound a lot like Buck & Tommy's break up, where both parties clearly love and care for each other (though in a different way than familial, clearly) but one still ended up pushing the other away - and, I assume, regretting it. This could be foreshadowing a future in which Buck is down in a dark place (heartbreak), with only one person who is exactly the right fit to save him: the very guy who put him there in the first place.

[murderedbyhomework]

There's a saying somewhere on the cn fandom that 如果角姐是戀愛腦，李相夷便是師兄腦 (if jiao liqiao is love brain, Li Xiangyi was shixiong brain) and like it's so true tho. Like we as a random do not talk about just how much Li Xiangyi/Li Lianhua loved his shixiong, even outside the obvious "spending his remaining 10 years with the one goal of finding his shixiong's remains and immediately giving up on fighting against death after finding sgd to the extent where dfs had to bring out the big guns to get llh to continue living for a while".

There's way too many stuff I could talk about but I'll briefly talk about Wenjing. As depicted in canon, Wenjing was sgd's 18th birthday present for lxy, made from Yun Metal (not that lxy knew it at the time). The name of the sword itself says a lot about lxy's love for his shixiong. Wenjing (刎頸）refers to the phrase 刎頸之交, aka "a friendship/relationship one would slit their throat for, referring to friendships where one would willingly and gladly lay down their life for the other". Li Xiangyi is the one who names this sword, and he directly references this phrase when naming the sword. One could say wenjing was a symbol of just how much sgd meant to lxy.

So how much does wenjing mean to Li Xiangyi/Li Lianhua? Going off canon, lxy was a bit of a peacock, and he liked to show off things he deemed impressive, yet for things that were actually really important to him, such as his love for cheap candy, he kept close to his chest. So what about Wenjing? It's a beautiful sword, and very well made, but Li Xiangyi never showed it off to anyone and kept it extremely private, because in his opinion, sgd's gift was something he wanted to keep just for himself. As top of the Jianghu, a lot of him was shown to the public and under public scrutiny, everything about him placed on the spotlight, placed on a pedestal, yet lxy was possessive enough over this sword to keep it to himself, like a secret only his shixiong and himself would know.

And then there's lxy always keeping wenjing on him even during his years as llh. As lxy, he had shaoshi as a sword already, and he didn't need another sword on him, not really, because he's proven that even disarmed he's not defenseless, but he kept wenjing on him anyway, because it was probably a symbol of his shixiong's love for him. And as llh, he would continue keeping the sword on him, despite being a wandering doctor who supposedly knew no martial arts and would be too poor to have such a beautiful sword.

And finally, llh chose to destroy shaoshi instead of using it to end himself (it's canon he literally said to shaoshi "using you to end me is rather inappropriate"), but despite wenjing later being revealed as, in fact, a sign of sgd's betrayal and hate of llh, llh never destroyed that it. He did throw it into a cliff face so no one could ever reach it again (low key excalibur situation hmn), but in my mind, it wasn't ever an action of hate against sgd, not a rejection of his gift, but rather llh throwing wenjing away from himself before he could actually get really mad and destroy this gift from his shixiong. He might have left wenjing behind when he went off to die, but we all know Llh's love language is abandonment.

[kassandrasdisciple]

Thoughts on:

The New Avatar Rumor

If you haven't heard Knight edge media has claimed to have seen the first 2 finalised storyboards for the Avatar tv show that'll follow the avatar after Korra.

Here's the link to their og article

There's also an article detailing a scene

Just in case any of this is actually true here's your chance to back out now, if your still here let's get into it.

The Kyoshi Parallel -

This post will mainly be me covering what jumped out to me from their two articles. The first thing that jumped out to me was how eerily similar the outline was to the Rise of Kyoshi novel. In RoK Kyoshi is a close candidate for being the Avatar, she's overlooked however, with Yun being chosen as he's a bending prodigy. Kyoshi struggles to survive as a maid/street rat, eventually being discovered as the avatar and thrust into the plot.

Our new avatar (possibly called Pavi) was also thought to be the avatar, passed over for her more adept sister, who's raised as a false avatar, and, whilst the imposter lives in luxury, Pavi struggles on the streets.

Obviously as more information comes out this correlation could strengthen or weaken. I don't mind it, and it could be a good "the Cycle repeats itself" otherwise it might be lazy recycling, time will tell.

Seven nations -

I..... hate this I think.

I love the fith nation and it's implications in RoK, and how it's spiritually lives on in Republic city, however 3 new nations?

I think it'll dilute the potents of what made the original great. The 4 elements are literally iconic, not just in Avatar but in, like, everything. History, alchemy, medicine, ect.

Avatar's cousin, The Dragon Prince, also tried using an expanded elemental system and I think it was weaker for it. Also what will set these 3 new nations apart? Will we have 3 new elements?

Now what could happen instead is that this is a post-apocalypse, and instead this is 7 new city states. THAT I don't hate. Infact it could be really interesting to see 7 last remnants of the Avatar world, after a massive disaster.

In that sense I think our survivors would be:

The Northen Water Tribe

The Southern Water Tribe

Republic City

Caldera City

Omashu

Ba Sing Se

The Southern Air Temple

I could also see any of the other temples, not just Aangs. Kyoshi island could also be a contender.

If this new world is just these last remnants that could be incredible.

Korra's feat -

Let it be said I hate power scaling fights. So the article saying this makes Korra the strongest seems weird. Secondly, this seems out of the scope of the Avatar world. I don't think Korra will actually rip apart the tectonic plates, more likely, a meteorite or such will threaten the world, and as she mitigates the damage it'll cause these new divides.

Twins -

Watch the DearFutureMe video on twin avatars for why it better not happen. Also if it turns out one is the Dark avatar I will chew my way through the floor until I land in the depths of hell.

If its neither of those I think it'll be a fun dynamic, similar to Zuko and Azula.

Hoverboards -

O H N O.

So, I've bitched about this to my friends constantly. I have always thought a third avatar show might be impossible. Aang's era is pre-industrial/industrial revolution and then Korra is the 1940~ plus a mech.

From this you get two meh options.

Either you kill Korra very young and aim for the 60s tech wise. That'll retroactively spoil LoK however. Otherwise you let Korra live and have it set roughly in the 2000's which just feels ... wrong.

This looks like we'll get the worst of both world, with 2000's era tech + future tech alla Kuvira's mech. Along with Korra dying tragically when the 7 nations disaster occurs.

I am hopeful that the disaster might create my pet theory. Where to avoid a Y2K avatar they create an apocalypse to reset the world.

Misc -

She's a girl and an amputee, that's cool, Avatar usually handles disabled and women characters well, I know they'll be discourse™ because diversity but that's only a problem if your a bigot sooooo.

Cat companion LETS GOOOOOOOOO can't wait to get plush of it.

Possible angsty teen airbender? Cool.

All in all I'm pessimistically excited, I want to hope it'll be great but I think that type of worship will just set you up to be disappointed. Either way, time will tell.

[interstate35south]

li ling deserves a crashout!!

talking abt li ling again bc obviously. so basically dislyte careers are kinda notorious for ending the little snippets in a way that implies that the character is like, on the other side of their struggles and has a clear direction of where their life is going next, and typically i don’t mind it, but i dislike it for meta li ling and i’ll tell you why. just in general, the idea that passing the trials/gaining pneuma is an indicator of like, self actualization or enlightenment or whatever kinda erases the interesting potential from li ling’s circumstance and OH BOY is there a lot.

so, walk with me here. over the course of his trial, li ling lives CENTURIES as nakia, to the point where he literally forgets his own identity, and for all intents and purposes, IS nakia. he lives nakia’s life, to the point where he loves and loses the same way nakia did millennia ago when he first lived. li ling lives through nakia’s entire descent into madness: the bouts of mania, the guilt of having killed, the vilification by old friends, the suicide attempts, the whole nine yards. he even lives through the transformation of nakia’s body into something truly monstrous, and it’s only when yun chuan reaches him does he remember his old self. 

he then. literally slits his own throat. to save yun chuan from nakia’s contract, knowing that he would die with no way out, which ok hell yeah go power of love. but then nakia gives roy the scale that will quote “reshape his body”

where am i going with this? li ling lives nakia’s long, torturous life, comes to terms with dying, and gets fucking ship of theseus’d back to life in the likeness of the very man whose spiral into madness he lived. that’s gotta fuck a guy up. idk abt you but i’d be having the MOTHER of all identity crises in his place. like you’ve been irreversibly changed to resemble the man who you FELT lose his hope and humanity to rage and violence and on top of that your body may not even be yours anymore?? body image issues go crazy

while it’s undeniable that many of the personality changes li ling underwent post-chaos miracle were a result of his newfound maturity/consciousness of his own place, i think many more can be ascribed to like. clinical depression. like on top of everything he lost his damn arms too!!

tldr: li ling’s mental state post-final elegy is literally a gold mine but goes largely unexplored bc of dislyte’s implicit idea that the personal revelations that cause the meta transformation override the whiplash of returning to one’s life after the fact

[lukkabloom]

Fun Facts abt the residents according to Ikevamp Radio (ヴァンなま) Part 1

Found a playlist of Ikevamp Radio that occurred multiple years ago so I decided to collect my findings about the residents in a list. I haven't seen anyone translate it or talk abt it so I decided to do it for a bit of fun. Anyways, here are episodes 1-3!!

Some quick things to note before:

Vincent/Aramaki Yoshihiko (Makki) is the MC, Sebas/Morishima Shuta (Morishi) is a guest (but he’s in every episode he might as well be the 2nd MC). They also have other people as guests in some episodes (other ikevamp VAs or others related to the game itself)

Episodes 1 & 2 occur before Ikevamp’s release

most of my findings are from a segment from the livestream where the residents (mainly Vincent and Sebas) talk to each other & ask each other questions about the lives while they spend some bonding time in the thermae. The segment's called "I love yu" which is a pun on "I love you" and yu (湯) which means "hot water" or "bath"

There are also other segments where the VAs draw based on a designated theme & the viewers vote on the best art (van Gogh's drawing section), and another one where the VAs read the summary of the game in their in-character voices (but the VAs interrupt and make it funnier & less romantic) called "Ikemen Vampire, a guidance for you" (I won't talk abt these sections much tho)

ALSO!! This is not a translation of the whole livestream, just bits and pieces of it. I don't have the time and energy to do that

Episode 1: feat. Leonardo's VA Tsuda Kenjiro

Question: Which historical figure/genius do you respect the most?

Napoleon: Oda Nobunaga

Mozart: Johann Sebastian Bach

Leonardo: Michelangelo (which I thought was interesting since real-life Leo and Michelangelo had some beef w each other)

Morishima (Sebas’s VA): Newton (bc of the apple & theory of universal gravitation), Edison

Tsuda (Leonardo’s VA): van Gogh

Aramaki (Vincent’s VA): Liu Bei, Zhao Yun (I think that's who he was talking abt? I'm not familiar much w/Chinese figures' names in jp---they're read differently in Eng)

The other VAs joke that Aramaki’s similar to Napo in the sense that they both admire soldiers/military commanders

Question: Favorite part of a woman’s body? (This sounds so wrong in both jp & eng)

Napoleon: from the neck to the shoulder, he's prob talking abt the shoulders to the neckline or vice versa（首から肩まで）

Mozart: voice (so he can understand what his partner’s thinking & feeling)

Leonardo: thighs (bc it’s soft & he likes lap pillows)

Tsuda said Leo’s a bit of a pampered/attention-seeking child (甘えん坊), and not an ore-sama (which he thought Leo would be), an unexpectedly cute reason considering how reliable Leo looks

Vincent gets a bit sad when he’s bathing alone

Leo can sing a song that he’s only heard once (as expected of a genius)

Sebas can be seen hanging the sheets outside from Vincent’s room

Leo’s unsatisfied that there’s only men in the mansion (this was before MC stumbled to the mansion)

Vincent doesn’t want women in the mansion bc he wouldn’t know how to act in front of them

Sebas thinks Leo is an expert in handling women, Leo is confused when he became one

Leo’s weak against Vincent’s pleas/suggestions (honestly who isn’t??)

Sebas thinks it’s impossible for a woman to stumble upon the mansion (foreshadowing)

Leo thinks that fate will play a trick on them, his mumbling confuses Vincent and Sebas (more foreshadowing)

Episode 2: feat. Jun, singer of Ikevamp theme song "Rouge"

Jun is a repairman who fixes things around the mansion… HE'S ALIVE IN THAT ERA???? (Idk if its canon)

He also sings “Rouge” while he works which means the song exists in the 20th century (again idk how much of this is canon)

Jun also sells milk in the mansion, acting as a different person as the repairman, although Sebas & Vincent are suspicious of him (he literally just enters the bath to sell milk to Vincent and Sebas lol)

Vincent and Sebas talk about MC, she has arrived @ the mansion

Vincent worries abt her since she is surrounded by vampires in an unfamiliar environment, but to Sebas, it looks like MC enjoys her life and is headstrong (aka Vincent is just nice to others, nothing new)

Vincent believes that Sebas is cool and can do anything, to which Sebas indirectly disagrees (he coughs)

Sebas is weak to Vincent’s innocent eyes (just like Leo from the previous episode, again, who isn't?)

Sebas breaks the 4th wall talking abt a popular romance game where you can fall in love w/vampire-turned historical figures

This is literally the beginning of how Sebas goes ooc (becomes weirder) throughout the series (is it even ooc if it’s basically approved by official??)

Sebas says that Theo is overprotective of Vincent, Vincent comments that he’s supposed to be the older one

they also introduce my fav segment (Can you tell me... your name?) where they have listeners vote on quotes they want the VAs to say, and they will say the line w/the listener’s names so it sounds like the VAs are speaking to them. Vincent's & the guest (if there is one) will have legit cool lines (like “(y/n), Don’t let go of me” or “(y/n), you’re the only one in my eyes”) but Sebas always has one funny line as one of his options (ex. “Hey, do you wanna have a takoyaki party?” or “Do you want to fry one more sanma?”) and every single time the weird line gets voted and ITS FUNNY AS HECK

Also in the same segment the viewers will sometimes submit funny names for the VAs (especially Sebas) to say & it adds to the laughs

Ex. for Sebas’s “Hey, do you wanna have a takoyaki party?” some viewers gave names of Anpanman characters (a children’s anime in Japan) so Sebas will literally say things like “Jam-ojisan, hey, do you wanna have a takoyaki party?”

There was also one whose name was Tako (octopus in japanese) so Sebas would say “Tako, do you wanna have a takoyaki party?” so he’s asking the octopus to have a takoyaki party where the octopus will be eaten (the irony as well as the dark underlying meaning behind it is very funny)

Also the way the other people are laughing while Sebas’s VA is trying to keep his cool is so hilarious

It’s predetermined and agreed upon the Ikevamp staff that Sebas (or Morishi) is willing to do/say weird things for the audience

This whole segment is a whole ride in and out of itself

Episode 3: feat. Leonardo’s VA Tsuda Kenjiro once again

Sebas once again breaks the 4th wall by referencing episode 1 of the show

Sebas teaches Leo the basics of manzai (a type of japanese comedy)

Leo says “Vannama” (the name of ikevamp radio) and “tendon” (the food and a manzai phrase)  in a weird accent further proving that he doesn’t understand Japanese (or maybe it's bc the two phrases are too specific idk)

Sebas tells Leo to ignore what he’s saying as he is saying metafictional expressions (メタ発言) basically how he is breaking the 4th wall, and Leo just accepts that as another one of Sebas’s quirks

Vincent comments that Leo’s very manly, Sebas further compliments him saying that Leo is a man amongst men

This episode has one of the funniest (imo) “Can you tell me… your name?” segments ever. Vincent and Leo’s VAs had amazing lines, but Sebas… oh gosh where do I even start. (ok Leo’s VA did say “Ushi (cow), wait for me by the bed,” and “Namamono (raw food), wait for me by the bed” & that was funny too but…)

One of the options for Sebas’s lines (and the one that was ultimately chosen to be said) was “Do you want to fry one more sanma (a type of seasonal fish eaten in fall)?” and the viewers got crazy with this one.

There were some legit names but most were for jokes, choosing names going along with the theme of fall foods and creatures (tuna, matsutake, karaage, grasshoppers, etc.)

There was “Akashiya, sanma mouipikki yaku?”(Akashiya, do you want to fry one more sanma?) which was the funniest one. Akashiya Sanma is a very famous Japanese comedian and it’s very genius of the viewer to connect the person with the food. I laughed straight for like 10 min when I first listened to this (I still laugh just remembering it. The double-entendre!!!)

Literally any episode with Tsuda is chaotic (this isn’t the last time where he shows up)

At the end of the episode, Vincent’s VA couldn’t stop laughing and messed up his lines multiple times (I don’t blame him everything is just so funny)

[hwaightme]

All of me

💐 pairing: yunho x f!reader 💐 genre: fluff, marriage au, just love, established relationship 💐 summary: "All of me, loves all of you... Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you..." - All of Me by John Legend; looking over old photographs had never been quite as sweet as this. 💐 wordcount: 3.8k 💐 warnings/tags: weddings, marriage, crying, comfort, yunho is sappy and soft, wedding pictures, literally just a lot of hugs, couple supposed to be adulting but cuddles come first 💐 wordcount: @doom-fics @layzfeelit @acciocriativity @izuijin @justhere4kpop @honey-lemon-goose @byuntrash101 💐 a/n: Hello there, this is the product of having gone totally soft for Yunho (@/senpai-of-doom and @/honey-lemon-goose y'all attacking me with quality fics and @/layzfeelit with Idol Radio goodness and us just fully drifting into Yunho-land). Thank you <3

“Babe~ Honey~ my LOVE! BABE! BAAABE!” you could barely make out the sound of shouting over the roar of the vacuum cleaner. Assuming the worst, you slammed the power button and dropped the pipe, rushing into the room from where Yunho’s voice had emanated.

“WHAT? What is HAPPENING?” you yelled back and flicked your wrist, action dramatized by the cleaning rag you had instinctively grabbed while in a panicked rush. It was supposed to be cleaning day, but after three years of living together, you should know better than to expect it to go smoothly and for the gentle giant to be obedient enough to complete all the chores without making a comedy show out of it.

Clad in an ancient t-shirt, part of a double set which you had bought on one of your early dates as a joke, track suit bottoms and socks with cartoon golden retrievers, the man, the apple of your eye, was standing in the middle of the living room, grinning and shining like the sun itself. Upon catching the sight of you, he ignored your temporary distress and only smiled with more adoration, stretching his arms out as wide as he could.

“C’mere, Y/N, I miss you.” He asked, clapping his fingers against his palms, beckoning you.

“Oh my word, Yun.”

You rolled your eyes, but in a matter of seconds were wrapped up in your husband's arms. You were surprised that he did not tease you about the atrociously tied bun on the top of your head, one that appeared to be more of a nest than anything, nor the fact that you had, once again, stolen one of his hoodies because ‘you were confident that this particular one matched your leggings the best’. No such thing. You just liked to be enveloped in a hug all day. The real thing was even better, of course, but you had to be functional human beings and go do adult things too, and latching onto one another unfortunately prevented you from achieving that.

“Babe, were you about to… d-rag me?” there it was. No wonder this man was practically best friends with your father. Sense of humour was on par.

You groaned and pulled away from him to give him a playful punch on the upper arm, but soon returned to having both your hands behind his back, grabbing on as tight as you could without tiring yourself. Dropping the rag on the floor, you let your fingers flitter across his tee and give you a better hold.

Cheekily, he stuck his tongue out at you and pulled you in again, cradling you as he rocked gently from side to side. You found comfort in having your head resting against his chest. Nothing else existed in these moments, and any worries that would accumulate evaporated, or appeared so small compared to the undivided attention and love in Yunho’s embrace that you felt invincible. Your arms dropped slightly, drifting to a more relaxed position as you realised that this was one of his ‘long hugs’, and simply sank into the feeling.

He had been awfully giddy and clingy the entire day, actually make that a week, ever since you had attended a wedding of one of your mutual friends. Yunho had almost turned into a blubbering fountain, competing with the grandparents attending, during the event, squeezing your hand until you swore your fingers went numb and you had to pry yourself away to grab the ‘emergency tissue pack’ in your purse and a bottle of water. Showering you in compliments and gazing at you as though it had been your own wedding day, the man who you had the pleasure of saying ‘I do’ to two years ago, made you fall in love again. And again. It was a common occurrence, and happened even if he got competitive and destroyed you in a video game far too many times for you to remain non-aggressive. But the soft cheeks that you just wanted to squish as he grinned at you boyishly were enough to make you forget that you barely knew what button was where on the controller.

As you moved in a slow dance, music remaining in your imagination, you spotted a thick album with a cream cover lying on the coffee table. It bore your names, and had been littered with doodles, stickers and notes that you had made together, having deemed the binding too formal, impersonal and rigid for your shared liking.

“Yun, what’s our wedding album doing out here and not on the shelf?” you questioned, tilting your head to eye Yunho with suspicion. He bit his lip, suddenly having grown shy, and played with the edge of your, technically his, hood.

“Well… I was wiping the dust off, as you instructed, and… I don’t know, it just happened to fly out at me.”

“Fly out, huh?” you chuckled, causing him to give you a small smile in return.

“Yes. On the wings of love.”

“Cheesy.”

“We always ask for extra cheese, hon.”

“True that, but wow that wedding had an effect on you, huh?” you read his actions as though he was an open book, something which had been one of the reasons why Yunho knew within a month that you were the one.

“Hey, it’s a happy moment, okay?” he took you by the shoulders and pressed his forehead against yours, knowing that the closeness and the ridiculous angle at which he would purposefully peer into your eyes would make you laugh. And bingo. You melted into his favourite sound and gave him a small peck on the lips as a way of answering.

“Do you want to look through it?”

The tone of his voice was almost concerned, like he did not want to disappoint you. Out of the two of you, he was definitely the more sentimental and enthusiastic one and you: level-headed and logical, but in nearly all cases, it worked. And in the ones where opinions did not match, you respected each other and communicated your points clearly. But the inkling of fear still did not leave him, and he felt that it would stay with him for all his life. Upsetting you was his personal nightmare, and so he always did all he could to keep an eye out, read the room, learn to understand you fully, perhaps even better than how you understood yourself.

You shifted to rest your hands on his hips, batting your eyes to prolong the silence that fell over you as soon as he asked the question. But you could not keep the game up for long, a sigh escaping you as you gleamed and stepped closer, with Yunho in tow, to the couch.

“Let’s do this.”

Initially, you sat down side by side as you took the album, but your husband, apparently, had other plans. With haste, he pulled you down into a half-lying position, pressed flush against him while he occupied the corner for balance.

“Who is dragging who now?”

“Can’t be me, nope.” He stared up at the ceiling, the walls, anywhere except you to feign total obliviousness.

“Really?” you raised an eyebrow, stifling a giggle.

“I am cuddling with my wife. What is dragging, pray tell?”

“Wouldn’t know. My soft-ass husband erased that from my lexicon it seems.” You shot back, shuffling into a more comfortable position.

“Now about soft ass-”

“Don’t you dare bro.” you cut him off in mock shock.

“Don’t bro me, we are literally about to look at our wedding photos and you call me bro?” he joined you in your miniature spectacle, pretending to have been offended by your use of the word. Even though you were just kidding, you did not want to ruin the moment and take things too far, instead settling for a simple:

“Excuse me bro.”

“You are excused. And I’m not your bro.” at the speed of light, he responded, and your jaw dropped. You could hear smugness in his tone, and simply had to twist your head to confirm your suspicions about the source of his comment.

“Did you just quote a TikTok at me?”

“Did you not know you married a hype house member?”

“Well dang sorry about that, I think I need to step up my game.” You concluded, nodding to yourself, your lips curling into a smile.

You flipped the album the right way around, pausing to trace the details of the adorable chaos with which it was decorated, recalling the evening when this idea had even crossed yours and Yunho’s minds. That same night you found out that the convenience store next to your shared apartment not only provided the best snacks at two o’clock in the morning, but also had an astonishingly large array of arts and crafts supplies tucked away towards the back. In the tranquility, Yunho decided to tangle his legs with yours to lock you in place, and whispered in your ear, inadvertently sending a shiver down your spine.

“Is there any higher to go than you?” you snorted and leaned your head back.

“You are layering on the cheese TODAY, do you have macaroni with that?”

“No, you will settle for an entire wheel instead, my love. Now go, go, open it, open it!” he egged you on like a child begging to get to the gifts on Christmas day.

In many ways, Yunho was like a bouncy ball of pure energy, while still remaining responsible, dependable and at times, too good to be true. He was the most genuine, sweet angel who stopped at nothing to make you feel loved. The smallest things about you and what you did excited him, and he took great care in memorising the sources of your happiness, only to double, triple them. He had a bright soul, and as soon as you let him, shared it all with you. It was no secret that he wore his heart on his sleeve, and maybe that was the real reason why he did not mind sharing his sweaters with you, since you already had it in your possession.

He was your sunshine on a rainy day, a vitamin in illness, and your biggest cheerleader. You were not kidding about the last one, either. Yunho had waited for an entire half-day, in the middle of the business district, for you to complete a job interview and assessment day and for him to be able to support you and gift you the bracelet you had always wanted. At the same time, he had trusted you enough to be his anchor and his guide out of the darkest places, reaching out and never letting go. Be it when he was overworked, or simply because it was one of those days when nothing seemed to be going right, you were always there for him, and he did not need to pretend to be strong and above being human. Both of you loved one another for everything you did and felt, for all the perfect imperfections.

This was exactly why your wedding had been a bundle of chaos – the two of you had been strongly against any professional curation, and instead decided to make the event what it should be: a wild celebration of your life as individuals, and your future life as an officiated union. Involving his friends and your own in the planning and execution had also been the best decision, as both the reception and after party had turned out to be even  more exhilarating than you could have envisioned. Even as you walked down the aisle, his two close partners in crime: Wooyoung and San, nearly stole the show as flower boys with extra flair and style.

“I totally forgot that Woo nearly crashed the basket into your aunt’s face, LOOK AT HER!” you exclaimed, pointing at the photograph that had captured the terror in Yunho’s relative’s eyes terrifically. The next picture, albeit slightly blurry but you begged for your resident photographer Hongjoong to send it anyways, showed Wooyoung bowing to the poor woman as though he had just finished a theatre performance, hair almost brushing the floor.

“Hold on, look at this, I never noticed how your baby cousin looked as we were saying our vows? Look at him, he is so cute!” Yunho was turning into a puddle as he relived the memories while viewing the photos, one after the other. It was so easy for him to drift back to the day, as each second was one he thanked all that was good in the world for. He had dreamed of it as soon as he had progressed into a relationship with you, and that wish had come true.

You took on the role of a makeshift stand, keeping the album up by the cover, while Yunho did the honours of flipping the pages. Each time you stopped to study a new one, he would rest his hand on your stomach, enjoying the sensation of feeling your breathing, your heartbeat. Any sign of you being so close to him both physically and spiritually, the realisation that you were here, only his, made his brain go haywire and his emotions fluctuate beyond any control.

Soon enough, you moved to the photographs from the celebration after the ceremony, and that was when Yunho felt his breath hitch. Changed out of the formal wedding outfits into more comfortable, fashionable and dance-friendly attire, you looked spectacular. He did not look too bad either if he could say so himself, but you… the way you had been caught mid-glance and were looking at him as if he was your entire universe… he could not help but squeeze you to him making you yelp.

“Hey I have organs by the way!”

“It’s okay you can have mine.” He mumbled as he nuzzled into the crook of your neck for a moment, leaving a light trail of kisses.

“Odd, but charming.” You commented, trying to get the image out of your head as you nudged your husband to flip the page once more.

“Only the best for you.”

“Then I’d like to keep you in one piece and alive, please.” Your simple answer, probably something he should not even dwell on, made him even softer than before. Yunho really was in a sentimental mood.

It was beginning to get to him. The disco ball decorations paired with peonies, the dazzling lights. The company of only the closest people who had watched you two grow over the years, and saw you two develop a beautiful romantic symbiosis. Even the silly napkins on the tables that had mini caricatures of the guests printed on them, taken from funny photos you had saved on your phone as ‘blackmail material’, were hitting him right in the impossibly strong feelings.

Though you had the original polaroids saved in an envelope which he had left in its proper location, between the thick book of Impressionism that you had asked him to buy for you, and a few video game discs which had overflowed from another shelf, there was a picture of the wall that had been created on the day of your wedding. The task had been simple – you asked all those attending to take the instant print film camera set down on a table to snap a picture of themselves, either as they were or with any of the props provided, and clip it to any of the strings wrapped around a wooden frame. By the end of the night, as the champagne kept on flowing and people got more snap happy, there were so many squares of joy that they had all been about to all fall down to the floor.

A couple of them had been zoomed in on, Hongjoong holding them in a position that reduced the glare, his immaculate manicure peeking in through the gaps. One was a picture of Yunho surrounded by a group of your closest friends, all in various states of blissful insanity and looking like they were all about to jump at the lens. The other was you, in a laughing fit, together with his friends, at this point – brothers. They had grown incredibly close with you quite quickly; as a matter of fact, it was through one of them that you had met in the first place. Who else except Mingi, who had been unanimously appointed as best man, could have known where to find Yunho’s love of his life and beyond? Could it be any better than this? How could he be so lucky?

He was frozen in place, unable to even return to his duties, so you turned to the next set of photos yourself. You attempted to comment a few times on the details in the pictures you found funny, like Seonghwa literally wiping down a table in the background of one, Hongjoong caught mid chase as Wooyoung stole the camera, or Jongho and Yeosang lifting a plate of fried chicken – a dish which the latter had insisted upon including, to inspect it. But to no avail. Your husband remained silent, and you swore his heart started to beat louder.

“Yun?” You asked, your voice barely audible as you moved to the next part of the collection.

“Yes?” he sounded chocked up, instilling alarm in you as you lowered the album.

“Yunho…”

“Y/N…?” he mirrored, breathing shallow. You twisted back to him and were in for a surprise.

“Yunho, are you… crying? No way, Yun, baby, are you crying, why?” you cooed, completely abandoning the album, and raising your hands to his face, cupping it. You had caught him just as he was getting misty eyed, but with your affection, the tears that welled up began to roll as soon as he blinked.

You brushed them away with your thumbs, lifting yourself up to not squeeze on Yunho’s body too much, letting the album fall off you and onto the floor. He was always your priority. Even though he had turned on the waterworks, he was, somehow, still smiling, though a little more pouty than usual.

“My love, what’s happened, talk to me.” you mumbled, feeling both his arms wrap around you and pull you in. “Hey, let’s sit, come on.” Fully obeying you, he took you like a koala, and shifted so he was against the back of the couch, and your legs were on either side of him, with you sitting square on his lap. “Yun, baby, was it the table? That last photo was just the table, you know the one with the flo-”

“Y/N why are you so amazing?!” he wailed, nearly knocking all oxygen out of you as he buried himself in your hoodie, inhaling your scent, searching for comfort which you were more than willing to give. You barely had the opportunity to tuck your arms in so that Yunho would not hurt himself.

“Oh, so it was those photos, right?”

“Mhm…” he hummed, not wanting to look up at you, feeling his cheeks and ears going red. It was his hoodie anyways it did not matter if he cried into it a little bit. He had the right, dang it.

“Yunnie, that is just us and our friends…”

“But it’s so perfect…”

“You’re so precious, my love. Come on, deep breaths for me, okay?” he could not answer with words, body shuddering as he struggled to contain a sob, and merely nodded against your frame. You poked his head playfully, grinning as he appeared from his temporary hideout and grew bashful.

No matter how he was, he was always beautiful to you. You had seen each other at less than ideal times, and here you were, still together and stronger than ever. What could a couple of happy tears do? Only make you want to cover him in kisses, which was exactly what you did as you regained your balance and were centimetres away from his lips. The action left him beaming, and you tried your best to wipe away more as much of the streams staining his cheeks as you could.

“Let’s look at Mingi’s breakdancing pics instead, how about that?”

“Y/N…”

The day kept on flashing in Yunho’s mind, and grew into a moving reel of all the time you had spent together so far. Soon enough, the future he had imagined with you also made an appearance, and new tears started pricking at the corners of his eyes. You tried to mimic his approach and lowered your head to make a funny expression, knocking your forehead into his. Bumping your nose with his, you further distracted him by announcing ��boop’ every time you did so, right until he erupted into uncontrollable giggles and muttered:

“Gosh, I am a sappy mess, aren’t I?”

“That’s what I like about you, sweet love of mine.”

“Only like, and only that?”

“Okay, love, and much more than just that.”

“What else?” you had leaned into him, resting your chin on his shoulder and snaking around to embrace him back.

“I would love you even if you were a worm, Yunho, I think that says it all.” You recalled the time you had gone to change the bedsheets and returned to your husband, a grown, tall man, rolled into the old ones like a burrito, wiggling back and forth.

“I’d love you if you were a worm, too. Even if you were bacteria, you’d be mine.”

“Mm, microbiomes, now you are really speaking my language Yun.”

A quietude spread across the living room, together with the rays of midmorning sun that were breaking into it through the windows. Basking in this serene warmth, you almost did not want to return to your chores for the day but had to give it a shot.

“Yun, we have to continue…” he sniffled in response, making you look up at him again. He was forcing himself to start up again, only this time to keep you right where you were. “Oh no you don’t! Darling, we must-”

“I need attention, your departure is detrimental to my health.”

“Baby using big words, now I must stay.” You teased and pecked his cheek, leaving him more than satisfied as he grunted in agreement with your final decision.

Toppling back into a lying position, he traced circles on the small of your back, deep in thought. As you started getting sleepy, totally immersed in the soothing sensation, Yunho tapped you a couple of times, mischievous.

“Y/N?”

“Yes?” you answered warily.

“…Remember what song we did that slow dance to?”

“Yunho don’t even think about it you know I’ll cry to that.”

“My head’s under water, but I’m breathing fine~ you’re crazy and I’m out of my mind~”

“Stop, seriously stop!” you chuckled, growing more vulnerable by the second.

“Really, such a basic song choice.”

“You know I love it, and you said so too!” you exclaimed, while he used his pause to clear his throat, and softly began to sing the chorus, leaving your vision blurry, and you falling in love yet again.

“‘Cause all of me…loves all of you…”

[twstgarden]

✦ ❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋'𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❞

match-up bundle commission for @milkkyus

— a purchase of one carnation petal has arrived from our dearest customer. your romantic match has now been determined by the red carnation’s petal.

➻ a romance match-up bundle commission for twisted wonderland. bundle includes the main romantic match, voice lines with the main match and 4 other randomly picked characters, and a dormitory match for twisted wonderland. ➻ commissions are open, you may refer to this info post.

— TWISTED WONDERLAND — 

℘ your romantic match is…

━ 𝙟𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙧 ━

➻ the carnation petal has revealed your match, who appears to be the responsible and resourceful vice head of scarabia! his rather calm demeanour and supportive behaviour may suit well for your tastes.

➻ jamil is the type of individual you can warm up to, so you can count on being yourself around him and he would accept you as you are - no need for masks or second personalities.

➻ there is a fair balance between super romantic moments and regular "platonic" ones, almost like he's your soulmate - someone who is your greatest love and your best friend.

➻ he appreciates your gifts. whether it'd be handmade crochet items or annotated books, he'd accept them and treasure them like priceless items.

➻ he can be quite protective, but not to the extent that it harms or inconveniences you. he may be an overthinker at times and a worry wart - especially with kalim - but he has more trust in you and knows you can handle yourself in most cases.

➻ he would not verbally declare his affections like rook but he isn't too withdrawn either. he will remind you of his affection in ways such as cooking your favourite meals, especially after a long day, spending quality time with you, or even through acts of service.

➻ speaking of quality time, he loves spending time with you no matter what the activity may be - walking, gaming, listening to music, having desserts, or even just cuddling. as long as it's with you, then it's worth his time.

➻ overall, you would have a peaceful and heartwarming relationship - the kind where people say "goals" because of how good your chemistry is, in both romance and friendship.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

━ possible matches: ➻ silver (a wonderful and calm partner, might not have friendly banters though) ➻ vil schoenheit (a partner who can provide both support in emotional aspects and growth, will remind you of your worth and help build confidence) ➻ cater diamond (may act like literal besties with a spice of romance on the side)

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

℘ your soul belongs in…

❝ pomefiore ❞

➻ the dark mirror has sorted you to pomefiore, the dormitory founded on the unrelenting efforts of the fairest queen. students sorted to this dormitory are creative and generous, and they live by the philosophy that everything has the potential to be better.

➻ your drive to be the best version of yourself may suit you well for pomefiore. you may find like-minded individuals who wish to develop themselves further - better mindset, health, attitudes, and whatnot.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

℘ voice lines

【 jamil viper 】

► card selected: ssr dormitory uniform 寮服

❚❚ || home idle 4

↪ “yun tends to crochet every now and then, especially after our tasks for the day. i have tons of crocheted items in my room and they're all in perfect shape. i appreciate her skills.”

【 riddle rosehearts 】

► card selected: r masquerade dress マスカレードドレス

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “yun seems to be enjoying herself. well, there are many things to see and experience when travelling to another city, after all. oh, the masquerade party is also coming up.”

【 ruggie bucchi 】

► card selected: sr port wear ポート・ウェア

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “i was talking to jack when we were cleaning the docks and I saw yun walking by with jamil. shishishi, they must have been so indulged in their conversation to realise their afternoon walk brought them to the port of sage's island.”

【 kalim al-asim 】

► card selected: r halloween スケアリー・ドレス

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “i saw jamil staring at the desserts by the halloween feast and i thought he wanted some, so I went to grab a plate. it turns out that yun wanted the desserts and jamil was checking on the options. hehe, i think she should try them all, though.”

【 rook hunt 】

► card selected: sr lab wear 実験着

❚❚ || home tap 6

↪ “ah, when i was observing the other students, I spotted mademoiselle sitting on the bench by the apple tree in our courtyard. she was reading a fashion magazine while holding a sketchbook. such a creative lady, don't you think?”

© twstgarden 2024 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[atamascolily]

Lily liveblogs: Thunderbolt Fantasy 4x10

This episode is full of fanservice in the best way possible, by which I mean, Gen Urobuchi et al. know what I want and serve it up with style.

Bo Yang Hou tries to convince the Dong Li prince to help deal with the GIANT FUCKING HOLE TO THE DEMON REALM, but no luck, so he's like, "fine, we'll deal with it ourselves" and pulls all the Hu Yin Shi out of an upcoming ceremony, to the prince's shock

meanwhile, Shang et. al find the lotus macguffin sword and it's literally an air purifier, lmao - cleansing the area around of it of miasma and bringing life back to the wasteland.

(they are TOTALLY using this to return Lang Wu Yao to human form + healing the broken world by the end, aren't they)

Juan Can Yun continues training with baby Shang and unintentionally inspires his sword style...

...until a timer goes off, and Shang's like, "Welp, it's been fun, master, gotta go" and takes a scrying mirror back to the Void Junction....

... where he's just going around and studying with sword masters throughout time and space???

...and there's an old guy there who doesn't speak who we've never met before???

WHAT????

WHAT???

I have so many questions, but this season is so compressed we may never find out anything more but also, wtf??? Baby Shang is just living in the Void Junction now, using it like the Wood Between Worlds in Narnia??

no wonder Shang is so tired, he was a shounen protagonist who aged out of his demographic without losing the protagonist part

elsewhere: Bo Yang Hou leads a caravan of Hu Yin Shi (Jun Po's men from S3) with a cart chock full of macguffins, lol

Meanwhile, Lang is still cooking in his cocoon, and a pack of hanjiao show up and devour Ansarto's corpse.

Ling Ya waxes philosophical about how death comes to us all, even demons, and why can't they just go home and be happy. Unfortunately, Lang continues the ongoing trend of not listening to Ling Ya's advice.

The hanjiao turn to their next victims, and Ling Ya protects Lang by transforming into a human and using magical strings to murder him.

HUMAN LING YA, HUMAN LING YA, THIS IS NOT A DRILL

he even gets a character poem!!! something something power of friendship something something murder is sexy

also his VA drops the comic relief voice and goes to "sexy demon" so, A+ choice there

Lin-as-Mantis snitches on Wasp and Spider and Locust was like, "lol, so over that"

also he calls "Mantis" out as a fake, but doesn't give a shit as long as he does his job, hahaha

Locust comes out in person and they're joined by Azi and Xing Hai to go meet the demon king

... it's an evil version of Lin, wearing an outfit very similar to his Takarazuka stage one with all the feathers, and a demonic version of his pipe

both Lin and Xing Hai look like they're going to faint but for drastically different reasons

roll credits

ASDLKGJFLKDGJDLFKJGLKDFJGLKDFJGLKFJGLFKGLKFJGLFKDJG I don't even know where to start with this one

okay, yeah, actually, I do: I stand by my assertion that we didn't need Shang and Lin's backstories, and I think this particular twist is a little too convenient, but also: demon king Lin in that costume is one hell of a compelling counter-argument and the reveal (complete with the "Lin trolls someone" theme) was exquisite, 10/10, no notes.

I showed Silver the Takarazuka oufit a while back and their reaction was, "this needs to be in the show", and here it is as a dark evil goth version, and it's glorious

THE PIPE DESIGN THO

It's even got little bones, like a spine!!

so like, yeah, I have questions, but also this show's got my number and I am willing to go along with it, hahaha

if Xing Hai ends up marrying the demon king once she gets over the initial shock, I will laugh so hard

when I said Lin might end up being the villain this was not what I meant, lol, but I'll take it

you can tell this season got compacted because the pacing is on steroids (any ONE of these revelations would have been enough for a single episode) but once again, every time I think I've seen it all and this show can't possibly top itself ever again, it proves me wrong, and I'm so here for it

okay, the season's almost over, so here are some predictions

it will probably end on a cliffhanger, with the demon gods awakening and the resumption of the War of Fading Dusk

Someone is going to summon the demon god with the seals; my money is on Lang Wu Yao, because he thinks it will help him defeat Azi. It'll probably work, but at the cost of consuming anything left of Lang's humanity and transforming him into a demon god to lead the others in the assault on the human realm, because irony

.... unless our heroes can stop him in time and pull him back from the brink???? I hope so, but there's too much ominous foreshadowing for me to say for certain.

no matter what happens, it's going to be a wild ride and I'm so here for it

[yeostars]

ATEEZ: GOLDEN HOUR PT. 2 ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY IS IMMACULATE, FILLED WITH ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECES.

I need each and every track injected in my veins and I'm being so srs.

lemme yap a lil about my most fav parts from each song bc why not ;))) (I love the ENTIRE song btw, but there are just gonna be some parts that keep playing in my mind over & over again ever since the album has released bc they're SO.DAMN.ADDICTIVE)

1. DEEP DIVE

THE INSANE INSTRUMENTALS OF DEEP DIVE LITERALLY MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'M A SWIMMER, diving in deep into the ocean & the sound of water resonating in my ears 😭 YUNHO'S line which was revealed in the album showcase live, the one that obviously left hotteoks & atinys w their jaw on the floor ever since. THE WAY HE PRONOUNCES "BODY" AND "TOXIC" IN THOSE LINES. HOLY SHITTTTT, THAT line keeps repeating in my mind with yunho's vocals there 😭 I also really loved when san said "higher hights than deeper lows" 🙏 SO GOOD. Joong and mingi's rap parts here >>>>>>>>

2. ICE ON MY TEETH

I have been TOTALLY obssessed with the entire song itself, even more bc of the insane MV we've got. But what has me totally hooked are the violin instrumentals throughout this entire masterpiece. Ice on my teeth itself is such a new & unique concept, idek how they manage to give us smth new EVERY time - something we can't even predict or expect. AND it has us going nuts everytime & all they deserve is immense appreciation for this level of authenticity.

Ever since the album preview, HONGJOONG'S "I got diamonds at my dentist" has me going particularly insane. Reason? It sounds so damn addictive??? Wooyo, yun and san got the same lyrics/lines in the song i believe and they made it sound so addictive too😩🙏 I also really love jongho's parts in the entire song. Bro ate it up w them golden vocals🙏

3. MAN ON FIRE

so I'll get straight to the point for this ond. The lyrics. THE GOD DAMN LYRICS. the second half of the song is literally them singing over & over again "I need you so bad, want you so bad." LIKE HELLO????? ATEEZ WHAT RHE FUCK

San and hwa's chorus sounds soo powerful, starting with "I got no way" and the "never no way" is soo addictive too. 🔥

MINGI'S RAP HERE IS INSANEEEEE AS HELL. 💥💥💥💥

yeosang's "I'll walk into these flames if it's for you" I HYPERVENTILATED WHEN I HEARD THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME

4. Selfish Waltz

Jdjsusjdjdjfjjfjf. Sjsushshdjfjfjfjdjjjdjfjcjfjfjjg. JSJXJXJDJDJDJNDJDIDUDJFJFJGKGKKF

Sorry but the keyboard smash above by your one & only is valid. BECAUSE THIS IS SELFISH WALTZ WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. DARE I SAY THE BEST B-SIDE OF THE CENTURY BC WTFFFFF? hongjoong you absolute GENIUS, creating this masterpiece 3 years ago, bless you for giving this masterpiece to us at the perfect time🤧

Hwa, yun and yeo's vocals at the very start and the lyrics are sooooo insane😭 smth that i definitely wanted in a song titled "selfish waltz"

UNDOUBTEDLY, MY MOST FAVOURITE PART IS WOOYOUNG'S CHORUS 😭😭😭😭😭😭 it literally might be my most favourite part from all songs of this album combined fr. THE WAY HE SINGS "machi, machi" in the start and the switch between his normal and high pitched vocals. PERFECTION. I am soooo glad wooyo is shining so much in this album w them underrated vocals

ANOTHER PART THAT MADE ME GO BATSHIT CRAZY. the ending chorussss 😭😭😭😭😭😭 the part right after wooyoung and jongho's lines, joong starts his rap at the end after that "love songggg~" AND the part where yunho and jongho's vocals combine beautifully. HEAVENLY ASFFF

5. Enough

For Enough, I'd say that the song as a whole is my absolute fav 💖 I really, really love how majority of the song has English lyrics except for joong and mingi's rap lyrics in kr (which have great meaning too😭)

The lyrics for enough had me switching up from crying to feeling like I'm on top of the world. Idek how to explain it, it's like I'm being comforted and triggered all at once 😭

Seriously tho, the lyrics for this one is something we all needed, it comforted all of us because it's RELATABLE STUFF.

The bridge lyrics: "When there is no one for you, when you just need a friend, when you're just feeling lonely, I'll be there."

WELL DAMN, GUESS WHO'S CRYING WATERFALLS NOW 😭😭😭😭😭

ALSOOO, ever since the album preview was released, I was so hooked onto the "GOD! DANG! Hold on to your ground" part by wooyo and san. It makes the song sound POWERFUL. 🔥🙏

In conclusion: each and every track deserves world-wide recognition and for achieving that goal, tinys, let's streammmm and make this a hell of an era for ATEEZ and us, both. Our 8 precious gems deserve all the love, appreciation and support for this fantastic album 💘

[dkniade]

Allusions to Su Shi’s “Shui Diao Ge Tou” in Liyue’s Storyline

Continuation from this post

You know, when I first made the connection it was really a “Wait a minute… Ohh my god wait wait wait—” moment, haha

Here’s the original poem in Chinese:

水调歌头·明月几时有

宋词：苏轼

丙辰中秋，欢饮达旦，大醉，作此篇，兼怀子由。

明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间。

转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

A nice English translation here, from EastAsiaStudent.net

How Liyue’s Storyline (and Venti) Alludes to This

“丙辰中秋，欢饮达旦，大醉，作此篇，兼怀子由。” —> Venti drinks on the roof of Wangshu Inn and possibly writes a poem (scene in “Endless Suffering”)

“明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。”—> Barbatos and Morax drinking while questioning Celestia and when they’ll reunite with the fellow Archons and friends

Alternatively, Venti drinking alone and thinking about the Nameless Bard

“天上宫阙” —> the imperial moon palace where gods reside —> 天空岛 (Celestia)

“我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇” —> Shenhe wishes to return to Liyue on the wind, yet is unaccustomed to the prosperity of Liyue and the high position of the Jade Chamber

Alternatively, Venti is the god of the wind, yet doesn’t want to go to Celestia due to its high position (physically and figuratively)

“我欲乘风归去” —> 风起鹤归 (The Crane Returns on the Wind)

“琼楼玉宇” —> 群玉阁 (Jade Chamber)

“高处不胜寒” —> literally “one cannot hide from the cold even in high places” —> skilled individuals still feel loneliness —> Shenhe appears aloof due to relations with the Adepti and has a Cryo Vision

Similar sentiment is noted in “神女劈观” (“The Divine Damsel of Devastation”)’s lyric, “曲高未必人不识” —> idiom “曲高和寡” —> “the higher the soprano, the fewer the accompaniment” —> the more skilled one is, the lonelier one is

“起舞弄清影，何似在人间。”—> shadow is casted from Yun Jin’s stage performance with the polearm, and for Shenhe, living with the Adepti cannot compare with the mortal city of Liyue

Alternatively, for Venti, being in Celestia cannot compare with living in Mondstadt

“转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。” —> Liyue Harbour’s buildings are mainly red (lucky colour in Chinese culture)

Xiao is often associated with the night, restless as he clears the land of evil spirits under his contract with Rex Lapis

Ganyu is hardworking as the Liyue Qixing’s secretary and as a follower of Rex Lapis, and sometimes falls asleep. Her Burst looks like a moon

“不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？” —> Liyue’s name 璃月 (“glazed moon”) is homophonic with 离月 (“month of departure”, or “departing from the Moon Palace”)

Zhongli’s name 钟离 can be interpreted as “yearning for departure”

Similarly, Mondstadt’s name is “Moon City” in German, and Venti also has the idea of departure reflected in the Nameless Bard’s departure and Barbatos’ frequent departure from the city

“人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。” —> departure and reunion are major themes in Liyue’s storyline (Xiao and the other Yakshas, Guizhong and Zhongli, etc)

“但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。” —> during Moonchase Festivals and Lantern Rites, the Liyue characters would likely look at the moon, reflecting the sentiment of “no matter how far apart we are, we’re all looking at the same moon”

婵娟 means “fair”/“beautiful” but is also commonly used to describe the moon and flowers, which are Ganyu’s motifs shown in her Skill and Burst

[shewholovestoread]

My Journey To You - Thoughts and Impressions Part 1 of 2

I realise that I've been missing these past few months, i've been on a consumption binge but with little to no bandwidth to write about any show/film irrespective of how much I may have loved them. (depression is an ass) But I can, once again, feel thoughts tingling in my brain and I've decided to get back to writing, something that I deeply enjoy. Anyway, enough about me, let's get started.

To keep the post from getting obscenely long, I'm going to split it into two. This post will be about the technical aspects of the show. Part 2 will focus on the characters.

My Journey To You is a 2023 fantasy, Wuxia show (shows/films that are based in ancient China with martial arts warriors being capable of superhuman feats, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). It was highly anticipated owing to the amazing trailer (one of the best I've seen)

Plot: The series tells the story of Yun Wei Shan, a spy longing for freedom, who infiltrates the Gong residence to complete a mission. In the eerie and treacherous Gong residence, she encounters love and friendship, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and finds the determination to move forward. Together with the rebellious nobleman Gong Zi Yu, they grow and mature through their shared experiences. (via mydramalist)

It stars: Yu Shu Xin (Yun Wei Shan), Zhang Ling He(Gong Zi Yu), Ryan Cheng (Gong Shang Jue) and Lu Yu Xiao (Shangguan Qian), Tian Jia Rui (Gong Yuan Zhi), Jolin Jin (Gong Zi Shang) and Sun Chen Jun (Jin Fan)

Written by: Edward Guo.

Series directed by: Edward Guo & Luo Luo

I'll talk about everything I liked before I get into the stuff that I didn't.

Right off the bat, this show has some of the most gorgeous characters you'll come across and this applies to both the men and the women. The costume and make-up departments do an amazing job making already attractive people look ridiculously attractive. They also help the actors really inhabit the world seamlessly. The costumes are especially incredibly detailed and intricate, you can see the care that went into crafting the look for each of these characters. Shout-out to Huang Wei (costume designer) and Shi Hui (Make-up)

One of the best aspects of the show is the cinematography by Wei Hong. This show is aesthetically beautiful, so many absolutely stunning shots. Chinese shows (and Korean shows) love slow-motion shots, and while at times, it can be a bit much, this show makes great use of them, especially during the fight scenes.

The cinematography is helped to a great extent by the excellent production design, courtesy Jiyao Zhang. Like the costumes, the production design too is detailed and intricate. The world feels fully realised and yet also lived in. Each of the different clan mansions, the Front Hill and Back Hill are so incredibly different and distinct that you can immediately tell where you are. An insane amount of hard work went into the show and it shows in every frame.

You can tell that they had a good budget to work with and every bit of it was spent on making the show look as stylized as possible, there is not an ounce of realism to be found here, cue slow-motion beautiful hair flying shots. (Every day I bemoan my inability to make gifs) But the screencaps below illustrate the beauty of the show, it's so gorgeous that you could literally use screencaps as wallpapers.

The fight scenes in the show are some of the best I've seen. They are intense and thrilling and always coherent, you can always tell who's fighting who. The fight scenes are also so aesthetically pleasing, like an exceptionally deadly dance.

Now, we come to the not-so-great stuff.

First off, the marketing. The show was marketed and advertised as an action fantasy show and while there is action and it is excellent, it's not an "action" show. The main focus of the show is on the characters and the internal power struggle of the Gong family. There are also whole scenes, sometimes making up the bulk of an entire episode which are just conversations. I've seen a lot of viewers disappointed and it makes sense. they thought they were coming for action and instead they got verbose conversations.

The pacing also comes to a near-halt in some of these scenes and instead we're treated to lengthy expositions which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it becomes tedious when it happens repetitively.

Now, let's come to the worst thing about the show, it's ending, specifically the last 5 minutes. This end is ridiculously mindbogglingly bad when you consider that there is almost no confirmation on a 2nd season. It's just such a bad idea to end on a cliffhanger like this. If they wanted to leave things open for a potential 2nd season, they could have ended with the Wufeng elders coming together at that character's home, possibly to hold them ransom or something, like literally anything else.

if you're planning on watching this show and I do recommend it, keep in mind that it does get slow and don't watch the last 5 mins of the show. Trust me, you'll like the show a whole lot more if you follow that approach.

Part 2 HERE