#it’s also not really a Junior role and they wanted someone with one release under their belt… which I don’t have?!?

[sableeira]

first interview secured :)

[tea-earl-grey]

Weapon of Choice "live"blog

yeah sorry it's really long so i'm putting it under a cut.

also obviously spoilers for this episode but also spoilers for the whole Gallifrey series as i mention a few future plot points.

i swear to god i can recite this entire episode from memory. it’s so engrained in me.

Nepenthe’s description of the bondspeople (slaves) is such a good parallel to Leela’s role in Gallifrey. she is tied to this planet forever whether she wants to or not and when she leaves, she will be condemned to death.

also. thinky thoughts on why the Warpsmiths changed to Warpwrights and why the element of their being non-corporeal was almost entirely dropped. i mean. i think the human slavery thing was maybe not the right tone for future Gallifrey releases & i think there were copyright issues with the term “Warpsmiths” but i like to imagine that sometime in the gap between season 6 & Enemy Lines, there was some sort of civil conflict that led to two factions – Warpsmiths vs Warpwrights. maybe the Warpwrights advocated an end to the bondspeople/slavery aspect of their existence and advocated for a permanent corporeal existence (maybe through synthetic bodies or something?) rather than temporarily inhabiting various humans for 80 years at a time. idk. i’m desperate for more worldbuilding around the temporal powers.

forever really want to study Andred’s weird political opinions. he obviously isn’t as xenophobic as other Time Lords (not a high bar to clear btw) and he does genuinely see aliens as people but the weird pretense of xenophobia he’s had to maintain in his disguise as Torvald (if it was ever a pretense) has just warped his view & moral compass so much… he’s fascinating to me.

i'll never love anyone as much as I love the s1-3 theme song.

NARVIN. BRAX. I MISSED THEM SO MUCH.

i genuinely don’t think I’ve listened to any Brax audios since I finished my novel-length character study about him so uh. this will be interesting.

i love Narvin & Brax’s shitty workplace relationship so much. they are such good foils to each other (i’ll expand on this in a future post i’m sure)

ROMANA. MY WIFE. I’VE MISSED HER.

Seán Carlsen is simply so good at playing Narvin. he’s always so earnest when he could have just portrayed Narvin as another sleazy Time Lord. but Narvin cares so much! even if before his character development it's for the wrong things!

Narvin saying that Project Alpha is “hardly relevant” after knowing the events of The Inquiry is SO FUCKING FUNNY. man really lost a version of the device they’re looking for, literally saw it vanish in front of him, and then thought this has absolutely no bearing on the fact that someone now claiming to have this device. i know you were trying to cover your ass here but... c'mon.

WHAT DOES BRAX MEAN WHEN HE SAYS THAT NARVIN & HIM ARE THE LAST SURVIVING TIME LORDS TO KNOW ABOUT PROJECT ALPHA??? like Time Lords live for thousands of years and Narvin & Brax are both implied to be pretty young during Project Alpha and were the most junior members involved. like did the CIA really kill everyone else associated with the project? why spare Brax? why was no one else recruited to the CIA like Narvin? (it is a recurring minor problem i have with the show that the entire span of events from here to the Time War could only cover a couple of hundred years which. is not that long for Time Lords. and yet anyone else who worked in the government or CIA before Romana’s presidency is entirely gone after s3. sure a lot of them probably died in the Civil War but all of them? did they all see the mess that was happening and just nope out? i mean i know in a novel i think it was stated that there was a big overhaul of the government after Trial of a Time Lord due to general corruption (which is how Romana got so high up in politics so quickly) but… i need more answers y’all)

LEELA.

i really wish we got to see her and the Outsiders together more (on Gallifrey Prime at least). like she ostensibly had contact with them since before the series (and i headcanon that she often went to stay with them on trips away from the Capitol) so she never really talks about them. could she feel herself growing more distant from them over time as she became more engrained in the fabric of Gallifreyan politics? as she became more and more of a Time Lord without her even noticing?

still so fucked up that we never actually get to see Andred & Leela happy (in the audios at least, they are in Lungbarrow together!)

lots of feelings about how the Outsiders are so removed from Time Lord society that they can’t tell the difference between a Cardinal & a Guard because presumably they associate any uniformed Time Lord with the Chancellery Guard as that’s the only body of Time Lord society they have contact with

"Many of these arrivals claim they cannot return to their own time. Apparently. Oh you wouldn’t believe the excuses. ‘Oh the Daleks will get us!’" Obviously Narvin at this point is just hideously xenophobic but god the fact that he’s making fun of refugees from the Dalek wars when that will eventually become himself is so wonderfully prophetic. Especially as when this was written, the Dalek version of the Time War didn’t exist yet.

obsessed with how Narvin rolls the r in Gryben in this scene. hello? i don’t remember him every rolling his rs again.

it’s been said a million times but Romana’s hypocrisy in being extremely moderate in her compassion for refugees as a whole but entirely compassionate to Leela (albeit in a patronizing way) is so delicious and is never really something that she makes an effort to fix over the course of the series. like. again she’s less xenophobic than other Time Lords but the amount she cares and is willing to make exceptions is so deeply attached to her personal feelings. (which is perhaps the reason why she’s always making exceptions for herself both out of egotism & self-hatred)

again it’s been said before but Narvin’s character development from here to being the leader of a resistance movement against Gallifrey is so fucking delicious

“If I knew anymore, I would tell you.” says the woman who allegedly has access to all of the information recorded in the universe

my Andred/Leela & Romana thoughts deserve a separate post. stay tuned.

i don’t normally outright headcanon a lot of characters with specific disabilities/neurodivergencies but Leela is autistic and i will die on this hill

i’ll never be over how absolutely horrible all of these characters are at intelligence work despite all of them, at one point or another, working for supposedly the most powerful intelligence organization in the universe

“Lapdog of Rassilon” is such a loaded insult considering the future of this show

Leela’s monologue about how she hates the Time Lords will never not be so good. and her criticisms of them are so well followed through the rest of the show

Leela threatening to kill “Torvald” from Andred’s perspective is so wonderfully fucked up and tragic

“That’s so CIA. All intervention, no intelligence.” has to be one of the funniest lines in the show tbh.

the true eventual role reversal in this show is that in ep 1, Braxiatel is the only character talking sense and being reasonable and by the end of the show he’ll be threatening to destroy most of the universe to save a single planet (i have complicated feelings about Beyond but. i love that he got so much Worse)

“Torvald” insulting Andred to Leela’s face by calling him liberal will never not be funny

“We are all of us willing to die to defend our beliefs.” GOD THIS LINE!!!!! it’s really one of my favorites in the whole series because it’s such wonderful foreshadowing because 1) as we’ve all pointed out numerous times, Romana reallllly can’t stop martyring herself. as in. she tries to kill herself “for the greater good” at least 20 times in this series (literally in half of the episodes she appears in). 2) though her self sacrificing nature remains consistent, over time and especially in the Time War series, she tries to self sacrifice more and more for her friends, not for Gallifrey or for lofty ideals (this can probably best be seen in Unity where Romana’s supposed last words to a Dalek she knows will kill her is “I will never betray those I love”). 3) aside from Romana specifically, it’s also just kind of the main thesis of the show. Wynter dies in an effort to stop Pandora/save Gallifrey. Andred dies because he finally decided his loyalties to genuine compassion for people means more than politics. Braxiatel sacrifices himself to Pandora to save Romana. even villains like Darkel die because she so adamantly won’t budge from her traditionalist/conservative views. as the Doctor would say – "Who I am is where I stand and where I stand is where I fall."

THAT’S THE TROUBLE WITH BEING A MARTYR. WE DON’T BACK DOWN, DO WE?

the mention that one day Braxiatel will own a K9 is one of the things that I was never quite able to fit into atbm

“I only go forward.” ironic statement from a woman who was literally created to bring back an ancient line of dictators

the fact that Arkadian is only in three episodes is such a travesty. he’s the only character aware that of the genre that he’s in and he’s having a blast with that self-awareness

Romana’s last line here being “I’m planning on keeping this job for a very, very long time.” ends up being so sinister knowing what she does to keep her position, how she eventually keeps trying to escape the Presidency & Gallifrey and yet it always draws her back in…

hey

did you know that i really love this series?

[caspianjames]

BONUS Up And Coming: Julie and the Phantoms

Up and Coming: Julie and the Phantoms Jennifer McCreedy, Junior Correspondent 

On this month’s issue of Up and Coming I had the privilege of sitting down with one of America’s biggest up and coming bands, Julie and the Phantoms. Julie Molina (17), Reggie Peters (18), Alex Mercer (17), and Luke Patterson (17) began rapidly gaining popularity as YouTube stars last fall. They created music videos for songs they wrote themselves, editing them to appear as if the band were ghosts “popping in” behind Julie. Don’t understand what I mean? You can click here to check it out for yourself!

The band has a strong air of camaraderie, and it’s the first thing I notice when I walk into the room with them. They’re all piled on our big interview couch, Molina and Mercer are pressed together whispering. Patterson is bantering with Peters and flicks him in the forehead. They’re like any group of teenagers bordering on adulthood, excited and eager to please. It’s immediately apparent that to all of them, the band has a deep meaning of friendship and support. 

Of course, the first topic of conversation was about the band - what inspired the structure of their music videos, how they got their name, and which came first - the ghost music videos or the ghost band! 

“Since my mom died, my brother has really been into ghosts,” Molina explained to me. “It was actually his idea for the band to pop in like that. My dad does videography as his job, so he was able to help us film and edit. My best friend, Flynn Taylor, came up with the band name.”

The boys all laugh when I ask if they liked the name right away or if there were discussions before they went public with it. “Flynn doesn’t do discussions,” Mercer smiles at Julie like there’s an inside joke there. There probably is, seeing how close these four are. “They came up with the name and made us posters, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter before even asking us what we thought.”

“We loved it,” Peters is quick to jump in. “And we love Flynn. She knew we’d like it, or they wouldn’t have gone ahead with everything.”

Flynn Taylor, Julie’s best friend, doubles as the band manager - she is on tour with them, but opted not to be present for the interview. 

Since beginning their tour with Panic! At the Disco, all their videos have amassed over one million views each on YouTube and their music has been released on Spotify with startlingly quick success. Molina, I discovered, is actually the newest member of the band, although I would never have known from watching the four bandmates interact. She is also the youngest by a year, having just had her seventeenth birthday as the boys are all turning eighteen, but she holds herself with a quiet confidence that all the boys seem to look to. Even this early into the interview they defer to her to answer questions and look to her for reactions to their own answers. 

This made it especially surprising to find out that the band existed before Julie joined it, just under a different name. Sunset Curve. Clearly, it did not have the popularity that Julie and the Phantoms has even a few months into their creation. “We played a couple school shows and stuff,” Patterson told me, “but nothing clicked until we met Julie.” Luke Patterson carries a humming energy with him that comes across in his words. In true rocker fashion, he struggles to sit still, tapping his fingers on his thighs and softly bouncing on the couch. 

Unsurprisingly, Molina used similar words to describe the band’s first meeting. “The first time I sang with them at school we just clicked,” she says, smiling at Luke. 

Of course, given their success, I had to ask the question everyone wants to know. How did they end up opening for Panic! At the Disco, despite being relatively unknown outside the Los Angeles music scene previous to their debut at The Orpheum?

“We’ve seen some wild theories,” Mercer confides to me with a small smile on his face. He is arguably the most subdued of the group and generally seems content to watch his bandmates answer my questions. Don’t be fooled, though - not only is he a phenomenal drummer, he also sings backup vocals for Julie and the Phantoms. “My favouirte theory was one that caught a lot of steam on Twitter about us using ‘ghost powers’,” he adds air quotes with his hands and laughs, “to hide the scheduled opener’s tour bus and then pop into the venue in their place at the time they were supposed to perform.”

The whole band laughs at this - clearly it is a favourite theory amongst them. Peters adds, though, that it was clearly an unfounded theory given that “Julie doesn’t have any ghost powers, anyways. That’s why it’s Julie and the Phantoms. But I’d kill for ghost powers in real life.” When I ask what he’d use them for, though, he seems stumped. “I think it would just be cool to walk through walls.” We’re with you on that one, Reggie!

But what actually did happen to get them into the coveted opening spot at The Orpheum? Molina gives me a modest smile when I ask. “We were honestly just in the right place at the right time,” she explains. 

Patterson picks up the story from there with a little bit more flair, telling me that the opening band had actually gotten food poisoning - “from a street dog vendor, believe it or not” - and the manager of the Orpheum happened to be familiar with the Julie and the Phantoms YouTube page. 

“Since we were local,” Peters explains, “It was just a phone call. And then suddenly we were on stage doing a proper professional soundcheck for the first time in our lives.”

“Everything moved so fast after that,” Patterson adds. Each of his bandmates nod in agreement as he speaks. “We blinked and we were on a tour bus, suddenly.”

It seems that the band is handling the change well, though. 

“It’s definitely different,” Molina tells me. “We have to be responsible for our own school and make sure we’re turning in assignments on time. There’s a lot of driving and a lot of time to kill. We can get on each other’s nerves quite a bit, but there’s always a lot of time for songwriting, too.”

When I prompt her about who gets on who’s nerves, the whole band turns in tandem to look at Luke. He laughs and shrugs at me. “I’m an early riser,” he explains. “I like music in my hands twenty-four seven. I always have my guitar, but it isn’t always appreciated.”

“We’ve had to compromise,” Mercer says with a long-suffering sigh. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was the oldest of the group. “Luke isn’t allowed to start playing music until eleven in the morning the day after a show.”

As for being on tour with Panic!, none of them seem all too bothered by the fame of the headliners. “They’re really cool,” Peters explains to me. “They’ve been doing this a long time and they always have advice for us which I think we really value right now.”

Otherwise, though, the band seems to keep to themselves. When asked about their favouirte hobbies, Peters speaks at length about Star Wars. “I can’t watch the prequels before bed,” he says. His bandmates groan and shake their heads, although he seems unbothered. “Jar-Jar gives me nightmares.”

Other than Star Wars, “We try to make sure we get time and space for ourselves every day,” Molina says. “It’s a lot of us in a small space, and if we don’t get away from each other for a bit we argue a lot more.”

When I ask each of them who their favourite bandmate is to live with, all the boys say Julie and then turn expectantly for her answer. “I suppose Flynn doesn’t count as a bandmate,” she said with a sigh. “Probably Alex, but we live together normally so it’s not something that’s new.”

Mercer confirms this piece of information with a nod and a smile. “I prefer sharing a room with your brother to sharing a bus with you, though,” he says to Julie. She just rolls her eyes. 

When pushed, Mercer elaborates a little bit. “I’ve been living with Julie’s family for my senior year. It’s a better environment for me and is much closer to our school than where I lived. My parents are happy that it gives me more time to focus on school.”

Since I have Mercer’s attention now, I ask him a question I’ve been dying to know the answer to. Does he know what a role model he is to gay and questioning children and teens that get to see him be himself so publicly? 

As all the boys have been doing, he looks to Julie before answering. “I don’t think about it much, to be honest,” he says candidly. “If people think I’m a role model then I’m glad, but I’m just me. And being gay is part of me, a part of me that’s always been completely accepted by my band, just like my drumming or my singing.”

There was no tension, the band members explain, upon finding out about Alex’s sexuality. “No one was surprised when Alex came out,” Patterson adds. “We were only, like, twelve when he came out to us, anyway. It’s just a fact about who he is. Like, Alex is gay and hates mornings and I play the guitar and love mornings and we’re best friends.”

“Plus, I’m bisexual,” Peters adds, “So it would be hypocritical to have a problem with Alex.”

“I’m pansexual,” Patterson pipes up again. “And Alex being himself helped me figure out that part of myself.”

Molina doesn’t seem to have much to add. “Alex was already out when I met him,” she says. “It was never a surprise and someone’s sexuality shouldn’t be something that causes tension or makes people upset anyways.”

When I point out that it has seemed to cause some tension among fans, they all sigh. For unaware readers, the band has been stirring up quite the debate on Twitter and Instagram amongst fans and haters alike as to who is dating who. Patterson and Molina confirmed their relationship before going on tour and have been dating since before their band became popular. Recently, a Twitter user attending a Julie and the Phantoms meet and greet noted the closeness between Molina and Peters, causing fans to speculate that Molina is cheating on Patterson with Peters. When I ask if they'd like to address it, however, they all nod. 

“Luke and I have been dating for a few months,” Julie says, “very happily. Neither of us have cheated on each other, nor would we ever. But we’re both also dating Reggie.”

When I ask for clarification, Peters adds, “I’m dating Luke and Julie, just like Julie is dating me and Luke and Luke is dating Julie and me.” Although it doesn’t sound clear, it does seem to be clear for them. 

“We’d like people to give us our privacy, although we know that probably won’t happen,” Molina says. “We’re allowed to define our own relationships in the way that works for us, we don’t have to hold them up to anyone else’s expectations or preconceived notions of what a relationship should look like.”

When I ask if there’s anything they’d like to add before we wrap up, Patterson pipes up with a confident “Yes.” 

“We’re Julie and the Phantoms,” he says, prompting Peters to follow up with “Tell your friends!”

Tell your friends, indeed. You can find Julie and the Phantoms everywhere that Panic! At the Disco is playing for the next four weeks. 

masterpost

read on AO3

taglist under teh cut (ask to be added or removed!!)

@screamin-amuseum​ @angelwiththeblue-box​ @defultuser​ @peter-parkerson​ @willex-molina​ @thedepthsofhell​ @themongosianhorse​ @theamd426​ @k-padfoot39​ @wholitzukoonfire​ @invisibleraven​ @williesskateboard​ @leodolphin​ @moss-on-a-tree15​

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Daminette Rough Layout AU #1

Warning- This is a Salt AU, it contains Lila salt, Adrien Salt, Alya Salt and Class Salt. Some of the Salt is dramatized, pkease read at your own digression.

Note- Changing things up a bit-they are in high school now-Damian 16 and Marinette 15 and juniors, obviously things are different from canon. Gabriel gave up both miraculous after Adrien dies in one of the akuma fights, he has Nooroo and Duusu bring them to the guardian. Marinette helps heal Duusu so that if he is ever used again the holder will not start to die. Soon after Master Fu takes back Adrien's miraculous and names Marinette the guardian.

He doesnt lose his memories but he does pass away a week later. Marinette also deletes her original website and makes and entire new one under MDC designs after Lila threatens to leave bad reviews.(This happens before she meets Damian, right when they are entering high school.)

They met online after Damian got tired of his brothers making fun of him for talking like an old man. He found Marinette on Twitter, (She has a very popular Twitter blog where she Tweets in English and is considered a meme god.) and after reading her tweets decided that she'd be a good teacher.

After reaching out they agreed on how much she'll be paid and a time that works best for both of them. Every Monday & Wednesday the video chat when Damian has his lunch and study period. For Damian it is 12 to 1 pm, and for Marinette it is 7 to 8 pm. After two months Marinette has successfully made Damian her friend, and he has began opening up to her more. Meanwhile Damian begins to mess with his brothers using memes.

Tim to Jason- I will die if I don't get coffee soon.

Damian passing by the kitchen on his phone- Then perish.

Jason-...Did he just?

Tim- Impossible.

_____________

Dick over the coms while on patrol-I really want candy right now.

Damian drops down next to him and pulls a tidepod of of his belt giving it to Dick before continuing on.

Dick-What the fuck...

Tim having seen from a distance-What did Damian give you candy?

Dick- He gave me a tidepod.

Jason-Your shitting me Goldie.

______________

Jason-What are you eating Damian?

Damian taking a bite of a pop tart- Ravioli...

Jason-Im going fucking crazy.

Alfred-Language Master Jason.

They now text each other durning their free time, Marinette loves receiving pictures of Damian's pets and silly pictures of Damian's friend Jon. Damian loves seeing pictures of her newest designs and Paris at night.

Jon is the only person who knows about Marinette and thats because he crashed one of Damian's classes. He gushes over the fact that Damian is talking to his favorite person on Twitter, then full on fanboys a second later when she follows him back on Twitter. Soon after she becomes friends with Jon too, Lila comes back. After two weeks of fighting her she stops after both Damian and Jon point out that if her classmates were really her friends they wouldnt believe someone they just met over her. Marinette stops doing extra things for the class no more free pastries, banners, clothes or anything. She spends majority of her time on school work, her comissions and talking with Damian and Jon.

Madame Bustier at one point asks her to stay after class. She tells her she is disappointed that Marinette is distancing herself form the class so much. Marinette just tells her that she is done, that if she wants a perfect role model then she should use Lila instead and leaves. The next day she tells Madame Bustier she is stepping down as class president, everyone in the class except for Chloe and Marinette vote for Lila. Marinette has had more free time then she has had in a while and is thriving. She is able to take more and more commissions and even allows Jagged and Clara to give other celebrities access to her website. With a push from Jon she also sets up a Twitter and Instagram account under MDC Designs. With in no time everyone is trying to get an MDC original.

At one point she gets a call from Jon asking her how much it would cost for a MDC original for his mom. Marinette smiles softly telling him to just get his moms measurements for her. When he argues she finally agrees to accept payment but gives him a family discount. Jon agrees with a huff, a month later Jon sends her a video of his mom opening his gift.

Lois-Oh Jon love you know you didnt have to get me anything.

Jon-And let Connor out do me this year? No way.

Connor laughing-Oh shut it Jon!

Jon-cone on open it already mom!

Lois lauging before unwrapping the box- Is this? Jon is this a MDC box?

Connor looking at him with wide eyes.

Jon-open it and see!

Clark-So thats why you asked me for her measurements.

Lois pulls a beautiful knee length navy blue pencil dress. It had a classy V neck and flounce bell sleeves Jon is this and MDC original?

Jon-weeell if you look at the inside of the right sleeve your see her signature marking. Thats not all though mom theres another box!

Lois grabs the other box and unwraps it opening it quickly to find a pair of white lace up Oxford pumps with matching navy laces, MDC hand stitched on the back in navy.

Lois-How did you-how did you get MDC originals?

Jon laughing-I'll never tell!

Marinette saves the video on her phone and tells him he wants a photo of her in it for her website. A week later he send her pictures of his mom in the outfit posing with his dad and the next day he send pictures of her posing with Bruce Wayne on the red carpet. She quickly posts them on Instagram and Twitter tagging Lois, Clark, Bruce and Daily Planet.

'I knew Mrs. Lane would make this one of a kind outfit look beautiful! I was happy to make the dress and shoes as a surprise from her son! Mrs. Lane your son has my number, if you ever want another original talk to him! 💋'

Lois immediately responds to her tweet thank her for the amazing gift, while also asking how her son got in contact with MDC.

Marinette- ' 🤫🤫😘😘💋'

Jon-'You'll never know!!'

Lois, with her bosses approval, writes an article joking about the mystery that is MDC at also an interview where she grills her son on how he knows MDC.

Its a blows up and part of Jon's interview becomes a meme. This part;

Jon-Superman, please come save me from my mom!

Marinette being the meme godess she is decides to quote it on Twitter, but she messes up and posts it on MDC desgins.

MDC-Superman, please come save me from these deadlines!

Half an hour later

MDC-That was meant for my personal Twitter...

Now everyone is also talking about MDC memeing.

After talking with the Kwami Marinette decides to tell Damian and Jon about her time as Ladybug, and how she still goes out and patrols to stop muggers. In return one day Damian and Jon flies him and Damian to paris and they finally meet in person and they tell her their own identities. They leave Gotham at 7 am in Gotham and make it to Paris at 3 pm and wait for her outside of her parents bakery. Marinette flips out and practically tackles the both if them in a hug. She pulls them inside happily introducing her parents to her American friends. After they tell her they decide to spend the rest of the day together. Marinette also takes their measurements telling them its for a surprise. Damian tells her that his brothers are obsessed with MDC and how the wouldnt stop hounding Jon when they found out he had gotten in contact with her.

They go out and Marinette shows them Paris while Jon is slowly pushing them together. He is ecstatic when Marinette wraps one of her fingers around Damien's finger and he respond by grabbing and holding her hand. They are all immensly happy until they are passing by a park and notices her class having a party. At first she doesnt care and just shrugs it off, until the class notices them. Alya accuses Marinette of trying to start drama, she rolls her eyes telling Alya she didnt even know about the party and was just showing her friends around. Damian frowns glaring at the class when he feels Marinette hand start to shake and releases her hand wrapping an arm around her waist in support. Jon is also frowning but simply reminds Marinette that they were going out to eat. Marinette nods and begins telling them about the restaurant they were going to while leaning into Damian's side.

They turn leaving the class behind only for Adrien to hurry after them. Adrien tries to convince Marinette to return and spend time with the class saying he missed his friend. Marinette tells him that they arent friends anymore, that friends dont allow lies to be spread about their friends. She takes the boys and they finally make it to the restaurant.

Damian pays refusing to let Marinette or Jon touch the check. They spend the rest of their time at Marinette's house watching movies until they leave at 9pm wishing Marinette goodnight and making it back to Gotham at 3 pm. When they get back to the manor Bruce confronts Damian asking why he got notified that Damian's card had been used in Paris. Thats how Bruce finds out about Marinette.

Bruce- shes been teaching you memes?

Damian-yes.

Bruce-...well at least your making friends.

Damian-dont tell the others, they'll want to meet her and Id rather not be embarrassed

Bruce-I wont say anything until they catch you then.

Around the end of Marinette's junior year Lila accuses Marinette of theft and she is once again expelled. Only this time Marinette gets the school board involved and she is quickly cleared of charges. once again. However she decides not to return to the school tired of their treatment. Instead with the help of Jagged and her parents permission she enrolls at Gotham Academy and doesnt tell Damian to surprise him. Jon does know that way he could help her.

Within the week Marinette is in Gotham in her new penthouse apartment with her new gaurdian, a maid/nanny that Penny had recommended. Her name is Margaery she is in her 60s. The next day Marinette is dropped of at school by Margaery, Jon is already there early and helps her get his schedule and everything. Then they wait for Damian to arrive hiding until the see him open his locker Jon distracts him while Marinette hides behind the locker door. The school is very surprised whe. Damian smiles brightly at seeing her. Within the day she is known around the school as both Sunshine and Gotham's new Goddess.

Soon enough Damian Marinette and Jon are never seen withiut tge other except in classes. Many teachers see Marinette as a blessing classes have been calmer shes always willing to volunteer and shes even started tutoring some of the students. Even though she entered late in the year she starts to help the student council and things were more organized and running smoother. What everyone is really happy about is how she seems to bring out the teen in Damian and encourage him to act his age. The only reason they havent posted about her and Damian's relationship is because Damian made it clear he didnt want his family to know.

He starts calling her Angel and Red Bird. Marinette starts calling him Dove and Birdie. They slowly start going on dates while also making sure to hang out with Jon so he didnt feel left behind. Its the beginning of summer when Marinette gets invited to a Wayne gala by Bruce himself with a little note.

'Miss Dupain-Cheng, I would like to meet the girl that has stolen my youngest's attention. Please do not inform him I invited you, I think it will be quite the surprise for him. -Bruce Wayne

She tells Damian to wear a seafoam green tie because it will bring out his eyes, in a sly way so that they will be matching. She then makes a seafoam green Asymmetrical A-line off the shoulders dress adding layers of tulle that forms teirs and finishes with horsehair hemlines. The MDC signature is stictched on to the second layer of tulle.

The night of the Gala she is dropped off by Margaery and Jon leaves his parents to meet her. She tells him that Damian didnt know either and Bruce wanted to surprise him. Jon starts laughing causing Marinette to dissolve into giggles. This catches Jon's parents eyes and they walk over. Jon wuickly introduces her as one of his best friends. Lois and Marinette quickly hit it off and enter the gala together with Jon and Clark following behind them. After 5 minutes Damian spots them, and discreetly hurries over to them.

Damian-Angel!

Lois and Clark are surprised at the nickname and that Damian is smiling even more surprised when he hugs her and holds her hand gently. They stare into each others eyes for a moment until Lois coughs catching boths attention. Damian greets them as he lets go of Marinette's hand wrapping an arm around her waist as she does the same. They stand talking with each other until Lois spots someone she wants to interview and hurries off with Clark. The three of them share a look before all saying food at once. Jon walks ahead of them as Marinette and Damian follow talking to themselves.

M-'Your father wanted to meet me so Im afraid I will no longer be a secret.'

D-'Of course he did, I was hoping to keep those embarrassments known as my brothers away.'

This causes Marinette to laugh leaning her head on his shoulder.

M-'I am sure they arent that bad.'

They spend a good half hour talking with Jon and eating before Bruce finds them and introduces himself to Marinette. Five minutes later she notices Damian's brothers starring at them in shock. She starts giggling and points it out to Damian who groans. Soon after the boys rush over to interrogate their brother dragging him away from Marinette Jon and Bruce.

While Damian is dealing with them Jagged and Penny both find Marinette. Eventually the boys force Damian to introduce them to Marinette. She hits it off with all of them promising to visit the mansion. Jon convinces Damian to ask Marinette to be his girlfriend. He asks her to dance with him and asks while they are dancing. That night Marinette Damian and Jon leave together for an impromptu sleepover at Marinette's. Margaery picks them up greeting both parents and assuring them that there kids will be safe, and they will be camping out in the living room.

Marinette surprises the boys with handmade pjs once they get to her house and Margaery surprises them with cookies. The next day she goes to the mansion with Damian and gets to know his brothers more piecing together who is who of the Batfamily. At one point Jason insinuates that Marinette couldnt fight so she challenges his to a spar. Jason being cocky holds back and gets his butt kicked, he asks for a rematch and doesnt hold back this time, still gets his butt kicked.

While Damian and Marinette are saying goodbye she jokes about how long its going to take his siblings to realize shes a hero not a civilian. Damian finds it hilarious. When Marinette gets home she tells Margaery that she was going up to the roof to look at the stars for inspiration. Margaery allows her making her take a blanket, hor chocolate and some cookies with her. That night Nightwing lands on her roof and 'startles' causing her to throw her cup at him hitting him in the gut

Robin chuckling-That bitch empty,

Mari and Robin together-Yeet!

Marinette laughs offering him a cookie as Nightwing gets up

Nightwing-Nice throw.

Marinette laughs harder her eyes twinkling.

Mari-Sorry you startled me I must have lost track of time I should head back home now. Have a safe patrol Birdies!

She says before passing other of them leaving the plate of cookies behind for them. Over the summer Marinette and Damian visit her parents for two weeks before returning to Gotham. The rest of the summer is filled with dates between her and Damian the Gotham Gazette is having a field day with them.

They're referred to as the Goddess and the Prince and every date is talked about the next day. When summer is over Marinette Damian and Jon are back for their senior year. Marinette decides to run for student body president and Jon runs as her vice president, they both tease Damian about being the trophy boyfriend and he responds that he is fine with it as long as hes the trophy boyfriend to Marinette. Marinette and Jon win with an almost unanimous vote. It is half way through their senior year when Damian's brothers realize she knows. Bruce and Babs already know. Jason teasingly jokes about Damian outing them to a civilian and Marinette jist goes

Marinette-Jayby(This is her nickname for him), I have beaten you in spars 9 out of 10 times and you still think Im a civilian.

Tim-What?

Marinette sighs before calling Tiki out and transforming. (She has a different outfit. Period. Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail, held by a red ribbon. It has a completely black mask, her top was sleeveless and was a deep red. She had gloves that stopped at her elbows the same deep red but with black poka-dots. Her pants were completely black with a red belt holding her yoyo. Her outfit was finished with red combat boots with black soles.) Everyone is silent as they taken in her outfit.

Damian-God your so beautiful.

Marinette-Aw Dove

Que a sweet kiss where Jason gags jokingly before Tim flips out about her being Ladybug. Marinette jokingly says that he didnt react that way to her being MDC.

Tim-what?

Dick-This time your oulling my leg.

Marinette-You didnt know? I was always giving you guys family discounts.

Tim-Your MDC...my favorite fashion designer is my future sister-in-law. Thats why your commissions always seemed cheaper than others. Im chalant right now.

This causes Dick to burst out laughing.

Dick-Really becuase Im whelmed!

Bruce smiles slightly remembering when his eldest would use to his 'Unwords' all the time.

That night Marinette patrols with them and Gotham gains a new hero LadyBird. With a little shove from Damian and begging from Tim, Marinette begins to grow MDC even more by partnering with Wayne Enterprises. Marinette and Damian are the power couple of the school, they have majority of their classes together both being in AP and Honors classes. As the school president Marinette is notified that during the last quarter of second semester a French class is doing an exchange program at Gotham Academy.

Her and Jon have to escort them around the school the first week. Marinette argues a bit at first.

Mari-I understand that it is important but Jon and I are still heavily working on Prom, Senior's Last Peprally, Senior Awards, Senior vs Freshman Football, Prom King and Queen vote and The Senior trip.

Jon-Mari is right is there anyway we could pick someone else to show them around. There are a few other people in student council that speak French.

They both convince the Principal to allow the Secretary of the Student Council, Candy St.Cloud, to show them around. Marinette, Jon and Damian avoid them, none of Marinette's old class knows Marinette is there until votes for Prom King and Queen pops up and Marinette's name is on the ballet.

Lila bursts into tears claiming her Dami promised her she'd be on the ballet since he goes to that school. They all try to hunt her down and give her shit for booting Lila off. However majority of Gotham academy has noticed their attitude towards Gotham's Goddess and everyone makes sure Marinette is unreachable.

They pretty much only see glimpses of her until Senior's Last Peprally when she and Damian are announced Prom King and Queen. Their boos are covered up by the school's cheers. Marinette and Damian share a quick kiss which causes more cheers as the teachers roll their eyes calling out Pda. Then both her and Jon announce whats going to be happening at the peprally.

At the end of it all the seniors get together for one last class photo in the front is Jon Marinette and Damian. Damian and Marinette are wearing the sashes and crowns and Marinette is in the middle of them. Bustier's class is upset they cant be a part of the picture because they arent actually seniors at the school. The next night is Senior awards the class doesnt go but the trio does.

Marinette and Damian get best couple.

Damian gets the award for best grades.

Jon gets the award for most likely to secede in life.

That night all three are on the news and trending on Twitter when they go out to celebrate at Bat Burger, videos and pictures are posted off Marinette and Jon dying of laughter as Damian cuts his burger with a knife and fork. At the hotel Lila is crying claiming that Damian is cheating in her with Marinette. The class continuously message Marinette even when they get a response saying that the person is not Marinette amd that they've had the number for two months.

The next day at lunch they confront Marinette, they followed Jon to the room the Student council eat lunch in. Que them berating Marinette infront of everyone including the teachers. Marinette just rolls her eyes not wanting to give them the time of day.

Alya-I cant believe you tricked Lila's boyfriend into dating a bully like you!

This causes Jon to launch to her defense, he steps in front of Marinette glaring at the class.

Jon-Lila's boyfriend?? You mean Damian, so Lila was dating Damian first?

Lila-Yes! And Marinette purposely seduced him!

Jon-Really tell me when did you firat meet Damian?

Lila-oh he was so sweet! It was when we were 6 and we met at a gala here in Gotham! A older women was being incredibly mean to me and he stood up for me telling me that he'd have his dad kick her out. We were always meeting up over the summer and started dating at the beginning of senior year!

Jon-Oh so you know Arabic?

Lila-What?

Jon smirking-Well Damian didnt learn English until he was 8, his first language is English. Also you couldn't possibly have met Damian here when he was 6 because Damian didn't come to Gotham until he was 10. When his dad was informed that he had a son. On top of that Damian spends every summer with his family and closest friends. Actually he usually spends a few weeks on my family's farm, this summer he didnt because he went to Paris with Marinette. Also at the beginning of senior year? St. Cloud, when did Damian ask Marinette out.

St. Cloud- Beginning of the summer at Mr. Wayne's first charity gala of the summer, he asked her while they were dancing. It was really cute and Marinette looked amazing in her MDC dress!

Mari-Thank you St. Cloud, I could give you her number if you'd like a dress

Lila runs away embarrassed the class starring at Jon and Marinette in shock.

Alya-who-who do you think you are?!

Mari-Alya do you really not recognize your idols son?

Marinette is disappointed as she introduces them to Jon Kent, after that the teacher finally forces the French class out, while also telling them how kuch trouble they'll be in.

The class starts trying to get on Marinette's good side for the rest of the year but she ignores them. Prom comes and goes and when its finally time for graduation Damian is valedictorian. He gives a fairly inspirational speech and at the end he smirks finishing it with.

Dami-And lastly I would like to thank my eldest brother, without him Id never be able to give this sappy inspirational speech, he is really good at them.

When they throw their caps in the air Damian finds Marinette and dips her pulling her into a deep kiss.

That night while they are all celebrating at the Wayne Mansion Marinette finally lets go of Paris, she decides that her place is in Gotham with Damian.

Lets do a time skip!

Marinette is the top name in Fashion, Damian is Co-Ceo of Wayne enterprises with Tim. They are both married and living in Marinette's penthouse together with Margaery, I am to emotionally invested to kill off her or Alfred even if it is do to age. They visit the mansion almost every day, and family dinners are common.

Jon started going out with St. Cloud and are engaged, he has also taken up the mantle of Superman.

Damian has taken up the mantle of Batman with his Robin, Johnn'i Thomas Grayson-Wayne, Richard and Koriand'r's second child that did not inherit his mothers powers, and his partner Ladybird. That is until Marinette discovers she is pregnant. She surprises the family while they are getting their family portrait redone, with only Kori and the photographer knowing.

All the girls are in chairs with the boys behind them. Seating goes.

Babs, Kate, Selina, Marinette, Kori, Stephanie, and Cass. For a few of the pictures Marinette holds up a sign saying, "Another Wayne is on the way!" Then they hide the sign so they have a regular family portrait.

A few days later when the entire family is gathered to see the photos they are surprised when Bruce stars at them in shock. Alfred and Margaery merly smile offering congratulations, everyone is confused until Bruce turns the picture around.

Damian is looking at the pictures in shock until he jumps up and picks up Marinette spinning her around. Soon everyone is screaming and cheering offering congratulations. While Damian and Marinette hold each other close crying softly.

Mari-Your gonna be a Daddy Dove.

Damian-I love you so much Marinette. So much.

[izukukuzi]

this is a question that i have in my mind since the beginning of bnha but i never asked anyone, but now i want to ask you: what do you think about the fact that midoriya seems to adore bakugou and to want to be his friends/at his side even if he bullied him and didn't even say sorry? idk if this is horikoshi's bad writing or maybe we have exaggerated bakugou's behaviour or idk, i'm really confused (sorry for the bad english, i hope what i said it's understandable!)

I thought about this ask for a looooong time. I usually kinda have a rough mental outline of the points I want to make when I answer any asks (especially when the answer gets really long jbdwujwjnw) but to be honest with you, nonnie, I kind of don’t know? however, I still want to honor the fact that you asked me (which... thank you??? you could have sent this to anyone, especially since you’ve probably been thinking about it for a while now), so I’ll give you some of my thoughts!!! 

the very first thought I had when I got this message was the context I usually see the “izuku didn’t stop hanging around bakugou despite what he did” argument being made in. a number of people have tried to make it a point that izu deserved the violence/bullying he was subjected to at bakugou’s hands because he was trying to force the other into a friendship, or he was following him around (or my least favorite take: izu was being stalkerish :/) 

and, while that’s not what you’re saying or asking, it does kind of lead me towards thinking of why, as you asked, izuku stayed at his side (and why the previously mentioned argument is wrong).

coming out of the isolation that comes with being diagnosed “quirkless,” I do not think we can fault izu for wanting to hold on to a friendship that’s been there for however long he and bk had known each other prior to the age of four? I mean, realistically, in this equation, you can’t take a four, five, six, seven, or whatever-year old child’s attempts to maintain his social connections as a fault of his own. he’s a kid, a lonely one at that, and if bakugou was who he knew as a friend before he was secluded, I’m not surprised he tried to keep it that way (though I don’t think he kept it that way for long)

some of the very first images we get in the manga are of izuku putting himself in the line of danger to protect another child from bakugou. while I don’t think that was something he “followed” him around for, I do think that izuku ended up around bk more times than not because he did things like this. being able to intervene, even at the cost of his own safety, would mean being around bk, so I figure that contributes to things (in some way or another dnedjnwjnd)

at some point, while I don’t think izu ever stops seeing bakugou as a figure of strength more obtainable to him than his favorite hero All Might, it seems like he does stop seeking bakugou out? from the way we’re introduced to bk/izu’s dynamic in junior high for example (i’m thinking about the moment their teacher said that both of them were aiming to apply for UA), we see that izuku tries his best to make himself small, to not draw attention, let alone bakugou’s attention, to himself... so it’s bakugou, then that initiates their interaction (though he does so with violence, a theme that’ll be followed into the start of their career as students at ua :/). so that then moves away from the “izuku following bakugou” rhetoric and, instead, shows how bakugou’s... irritation/obsession/call-it-what-you-want with izuku keeps them around each other, despite the understanding that bk wants the other at, as we see in ch. 284, “arm’s length.”

and while there’s more I could probably say about their physical closeness, I do want to kind of address some of the other points you brought up sooooo:

I can’t say this for sure, because I have no real way of knowing and can only base my understanding of it off of things I’ve experienced, but I think there’s some things that could explain why izuku “adored” bakugou, despite the way he was treated. 

on a narrative level, hori may have done this to 1) show the goodness of izuku’s heart (because, tbh, if I had to deal with half the shit he did, I wouldn’t be able to muster up a quarter of the kindness and continued grace that izu has). as the audience, we understand how good he is when we get to see him interact with bakugou despite everything, not with bitterness or malice, but with care and, when the moment calls for it (like the sludge attack or bk’s kidnapping) protectiveness. I also think it could be 2) a product of seeing bakugou as an obtainable symbol of heroism. i’m looking over the scene where they fight in ground beta and izu says some things that I think play into what you’re getting at with his admiration (also???????? these boys neeed t h e a r a p y oh my goodness):

(as a child, in a flashback) “Wait for me, Kacchan!”

“... like I said before, because I had nothing at first, along with the parts I hated about you, I saw vividly all the amazing things you could do!”

“You, who had so much that I didn’t have, were an amazing person much closer to me than All Might!”  

“It’s because I thought you were amazing... That’s why... I kept chasing after you!”

(and so you get the idea eubfrunejjs). again, I don’t see it as illogical for a child who wanted nothing more than to be a hero (for someone who kept that dream alive despite everyone telling him it was impossible) to use someone close to him personally (bk) as a model of strength. there’s other role models, like the pro heroes, but bakugou was tangible to izuku; he was within his sights for most of his life. if everyone was constantly showering bakugou with praise, telling him that he has what it takes to be a hero, why wouldn’t izuku also internalize that, hence making the foundation for his nod of respect towards bk? I don’t think it’s a problem of exaggerating bk’s behavior (because he was SHITTY to izu. that is just... not up for discussion???), but more of trying to really get into izu’s mind enough to understand why he may prioritize the things he does, and why his heart is good enough to give bk the kindness that izuku was under no obligation to provide (and I am... working on that point. I love him for it, but it does boggle me at times). 

Now... my last two points (because I’ve kept you here long enough dubwdjnwj). first, I have my opinions about where things are going currently in the manga (like with bakugou’s “atonement” and all that good shit) as well as how izuku’s trauma is portrayed coming out of his past with bakugou, but... I don’t want to speak ill of Hori and his writing abilities or anything. I’m here to enjoy the content he releases and, in doing that, all I can really do is trust that he’s telling the story as he sees best (because it is his story, not mine dbjndwjn).  

and lastly, I think that if we’re moving towards a place in the narrative where bk finally a p o l o g i z e s, then that may give us a chance to explore these ideas more! with bakugou finally owning up to what he did, and telling izuku about it, that may be a chance for izu to also open up himself and share a bit more on where his mind’s been with overcoming/forgiving the past. 

I hope some of this was helpful to you, nonnie!!!

[lakkimi]

[TRANS] RollingStone Japan magazine interview - “FTISLAND’s Lee Jaejin’s story, a new challenge ‘the moment before I enlist, it is now’“

FTISLAND offers band-style music that is rare in the K-POP world. On October 9 (note: 2019), Lee Jaejin, the bassist of the band, has released his first solo album. Before he goes to enlist, he had made the determination to himself, “if you are going to go solo, now is the time”. Jaejin who was visiting Japan at the time had made the time to visit RollingStone Japan for an interview.

Korea is the number one idol powerhouse in the world. In the midst of the massive survival competition in the K-POP world, where there are more than 300 idol groups, donning intense hairstyle, makeup, and costume, and boasting unparalleled synchronized group dance, it is very rare to see a group of youths that are still faithful to the authentic pop and rock style and moving forward with it, drawing a line of difference between them and the others in the industry. This group is FTISLAND. As the group is marking their 10th year since they made their major debut (in Japan), this time, we will be featuring Lee Jaejin, the band’s bassist who has been by Lee Hongki’s side on stage. Unlike his lovely face and delicate appearance, this central pillar of FTISLAND is dropping a bold sound that is hard to imagine through his solo album, Scene 27. He had answered to the interview with RollingStone candidly in fluent Japanese without any need of the use of interpreter.  

―Following FTISLAND’s Lee Hongki to debut as a solo, is it something that you wanted for yourself?

Actually, since a few years ago, I have received offers from the agency, “Do you want to try out going solo?”, but I had wanted to focus on FTISLAND, so I had only been gathering ideas. However, Hongki-niisan will enlist in September, and in line with that, FTISLAND will go on a break, and I will follow niisan to enlist too. As soon as I complete the military service, I intend to focus on FTISLAND  again, so I thought, “if I want to do a solo, it is now”. I thought to myself that I might not get another opportunity to move one step forward for myself if I don’t take the chance to go solo now, so I got back to the agency, “I will work hard, let’s do this!”.  

―It feels like, your long-held wish has finally come true.  

That’s right. However, in the beginning, I didn’t have any vision as to what kind of music that I wanted to do for my solo... I don’t like the way that it sounds like an excuse, but we were really busy, so I didn’t have any time for it! (laughs) I have just written a lot of songs and done a lot of comebacks with them, gone to a lot of tv shows, and done a lot of live concerts in Korea, Japan, and around the world. I didn’t really have any time to think of the songs that I would want for myself. However, this time around, I have received a lot of help from the agency, I was able to make it somehow (claps to himself proudly).

―How do you want to express yourself the most as?

For me, I had always felt like I would describe myself the most for my FTISLAND-ness. After all, I have dedicated all of my youth for FTISLAND. I would propose melody and lyrics that I made from my point of view, and these ideas would collide with the other members’ (Lee Hongki (Vo.), Song Seunghyun (Gt.), Choi Minhwan (Dr.)) as they have strong personalities. That’s why, I thought, if I want to honestly express myself as a soloist, I would have to do the opposite method, making it “Lee Jaejin’s uniqueness as seen by other people”. I tried to extract how is Lee Jaejin seen by other people, from people who inspired me - the members, fans, family, staffs, seniors and juniors from the same agency, friends, colleagues, and people that are precious to me, and from these people, their impressions of me and advises to me are reflected in my music.

―So it was a reversed method, it is surprisingly quite out of the box. 

It’s because I have always expressed how I view things through FTISLAND already. Through my solo work, I actually get to have an opportunity to show another side of me, and I thought it would be interesting to show a mix of the Lee Jaejin that other people think of and the Lee Jaejin that I think of. That’s why, from my way of singing to the way the songs were recorded in the studio, I made it different than how I would usually do it.

―Is there any impression that other people have told of you that you found “eh, that’s unexpected!”?  It was when people told me that I produce high pitch voice easily.

―It’s because the audience always listened to your live singing attentively.

No, it’s not like that! (laughs) My role (in FTISLAND) is to harmonize with Hongki-niisan’s voice, so that it sounds nice to hear; however, if I sing using the same way that I did for FTISLAND for my solo release, it would sound strange. I’m still retaining my ability to control my voice easily. It turned out that all of the songs that I had picked for my solo album had higher pitch than my usual voice, so I thought it could only be done with adding in more breath and warmth than usual to my singing. It was really hard when I did the recording. Particularly, when I recorded for Love Like The Films, the key was lowered and raised several times, that we had to repeat the recording for 3 or 4 times, and the entire recording process took about a total of 6 days. 

―In the “Love Like The Films”, Hongki is credited under vocal directing.

Frankly speaking, image that I have of Hongki-niisan is “the bad person who never practices”. Of course, he is an excellent singer, he also does a great job as the band’s frontman, however, as fellow team members, I wished he would practice more. However, after he helped me with vocal direction this time around, I would like to review that. (laughs)

―Ah I see. (laughs)

For me, as a main vocal, I still need to find something that can stand out and be my point of attraction. I haven’t really calculated the way that I sing in the way that “if I sing a song this way, it will be delivered to the audience also in a certain way”, so I thought that Hongki-niisan who has had a long career as a vocalist would know more about it, so I asked him to watch over the recording. Lately, niisan is working hard practicing and he also has a musical coming up, he just has been really busy so I didn’t have the heart to ask him to do it at first. But our agency then said that “Hongki will give (vocal) direction to Jaejin”, so it was sorted out that way.

―So, that’s how he came in!

That’s true. In reality, the moment that he heard the song, he told me “This is Jaejin that is singing, but it sounds somewhat not right”. “This song is putting together the ideas that everyone suggested Jaejin should do” but “in this part, you sang this too softly, you should give more power to it, so the audience can still hear it clearly” or “in this part, your pitch should be more straightforward” - all kinds of possibilities that I wasn’t even thinking of. Hongki-niisan is very knowledgeable in techniques on how to “sound good”, he taught me these in great details.  

―As expected of the vocalist who has carried FTISLAND on his back. With just one added detail, the way that a song could be expressed could increase greatly.

That’s why, we were able to complete the recording of the song with satisfaction, I felt really grateful that Hongki-niisan was willing to help. When we asked him “please also look at the recordings of the other songs”, he replied “I don’t want to, it’s too bothersome”. (lol)

―Ah, that’s what happened.

It was unfortunate that he was able to only look at the title song, however, niisan was really busy that he didn’t even have any time to sleep. FTISLAND also was working on the preparation of our encore concert at that time, so it couldn’t be helped. 

―Then, Scene.27 is packed with all of the efforts poured into it.

Thank you. I hope the message could be delivered well.

―Other than that, are there comments on the album that you found refreshing?

I heard things like “R&B suits you well” or “you can take on Jazz if you work just a bit harder”.

―The voice that has a bit of huskiness in it, it is Jaejin’s voice charm.

I appreciate any feedback. I have prepared myself to accept any feedback, whatever it is, so I actually would be grateful if the listeners could give me a lot of them. Actually, in this album, I wanted to focus only on the vocal and let go of my bass. 

―And as a result, it purely shows Jaejin as a vocalist.

Please indulge in thinking of this as someone completely different, not the Jaejin from FTISLAND. I am challenging myself to take this opportunity to present myself as an entirely rookie solo artist. I also am planning to hold a mini live this coming October with band style performance, so please look forward to my vocals. 

―Your agency junior, N.Flying is also starring in the MV. As they played with so much fun there, the MV also turned out to be full of energy.

These guys were actually busy too, but for me, they deliberately made the efforts to empty out their schedules, practiced and filmed with me - “we will help niisan with everything!” and somewhat I felt “ah, this is the weight of being an older brother”. 

―You guys really have a good relationship.

I can only reply with “Me too, I will work hard!”, and paid them back through my (bass) performance. Actually, this is the first time that I felt such a proper give and take relationship with my juniors. I supported N.Flying by helping out in their live concerts, and this time, they came to help me instead. This made me feel such a brotherly relationship with them, that lately, I thought of how cute these guys are.

―In fact, you have been seniors-juniors for a long time in your agency, but “lately”?

Yes, lately. Originally, I am the kind of person to not really think of any other relationships other than with the FTISLAND members.  

I usually listened to anyone who asked me for counseling or just to share their worries, but I don’t usually feel that “we are one team at heart” with my juniors.  Honestly, in the past, I used to not to be too fond of N.Flying (smiles), I thought that they didn’t really put in enough efforts and seemed to be still too premature.  For me, I am solely the bassist of FTISLAND, and my team is solely FTISLAND - if we put it in the extreme, “I am only the bassist to FTISLAND”. However, lately, these guys have worked so hard and have grown rapidly too. I have come to “If it’s N.Flying, I can play for them too”. Now, they are such a team of cute juniors in my eyes. I’m not that great of a senior either, but now, I want to share with them and have talks on things that I have knowledge on or things that I can give them advise on.

―Why did you choose bass in the beginning?

I only realized recently, but I was an introverted kid when I was in elementary school. I didn’t have any friends, so when I entered middle school, I wanted to brighten up my image. I had started to have friends then, and they asked me, “do you want to make a band together?”. I didn’t have any experience with any musical instruments back then, so I only replied, “Sure, what should I do?”, and they said, “Drum and guitar are hard, so you’re bass”, and so, that’s how I started bass. Compared to guitar, it only has 4 strings, and I could just start by producing the “dung, dung, dung, dung” sound riding the rhythm, it was easy. It was also popular with the girls. 

―Most of bands indeed start with “I want to be popular!”.

For me, it is the case (laughs). However, it is for sure that it was how my life began. My sister is an actress, and she used to be under the agency that I am in now. She told me, “I think my agency is setting up a band, do you want to give it a try?” - she recommended me to an audition, luck was on my side, and I managed to debut. 

―You debuted in 2007, in the midst of the heyday of idol teams that sing and dance, why did FTISLAND aspire to be a “rockband” back then?

Actually, in the beginning, the aim was a multiplayer kind of band that can play a lot of genres. However, if we look at the world, there are a lot of rock bands particularly that are charming. The more that I immersed myself in a new genre, and the more that I practiced, I was captured even more by the rock genre, and swore to myself, “Let’s become a rock band!”, and here we are now. I am crazily in love with the kind of power that only rock holds, and the feeling of catharsis that one gets when they perform. I feel the pride of this band called FTISLAND that possesses the charm to suit not only upbeat rock music, but also are good at pop ballads, and any types of music.

―So, what types of bass that you like?

Currently, I’m mainly using SPECTOR, LAKLAND, and Fodera. However, when I am discharged later, I want to buy Fender.

―Are there any differences between doing activities in Korea and in Japan?

Honestly, I think FTISLAND can best demonstrate 1000% of their charms in Japan. In Japan, we really feel that we can play comfortably and with a peace of mind. As stages and sets in Korea are centered around idols and hiphop, there isn’t many place where we can perform as a band properly, so honestly, we have had a hard time because of this. There is also the case where we don’t have much choice but to give up the (musical) direction that we want. So, when we want to perform properly to the audience in Korea, we got our PAs, sound directors, concert managers, and staffs that we trust in Japan to come to help. Doing major debut in Japan and actively promoting there is highly regarded in Korea. The home of the rock genre is the US, and so I don’t know if it’s a country thing, but the staffs there (in Korea) seem to just have “Going my way”-like mindset to them. There have been instances where it was hard when we tried to request something when we had performances. For example, when we asked them “please slightly raise the volume of the kick drum in our ear monitors, and please make the bass sound harder” or something like that, they would reply “Is that necessary?” or the like. They did follow our request, but I guess if we think about it, those who think that these kinds of exchanges are what rock is all about and those who enjoy these, thinking that these are merely differences in culture and way of thinking, are those that are winning.(smiles) 

―I love that you are looking at it positively (smiles). Now, what are your dreams for the future? 

If I get to be a bit richer, I dream of building a nice livehouse in Korea. It will be an ideal place, where performers can perform properly, and audience can listen to music properly as well.

―In a RollingStone Japan interview too before, Hongki also said that he wanted to build a music studio.

That would be nice! However, for Hongki-niisan, even if he does build a music studio, I think all that he does there will be just play games. He would say something like “You guys, do your best!” and leave the trivial or bothersome things to us, and when he feels like he is in the mood, he would say “This is nice” when he does vocal recording. However, songs that are made in such lively atmosphere will end up pretty rock, so I guess everyone would enjoy such songs anyway.(laughs)  

~~

Disclaimer: Translated by Lu. This translation is based on the Japanese - Korean translation credited to fprit. Due to the indirect translation, inaccuracies are likely and possible, but I will also refer to the original article here to do double checks whenever needed.  

And enjoy Jaejin’s Scene.27 album here ;)  

[thedeaditeslayer]

Bruce Campbell talks ‘Evil Dead,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Xena’

mm

The first time Bruce Campbell came across Sam Raimi, they were students at Michigan’s West Maple Junior High School.

“Sam was a year younger than me,” Campbell recalls, “and I remember him dressed as Sherlock Holmes playing with dolls in the middle of the floor. And I remember going way around him. And I found out later that it was Sam Raimi. We didn’t really come into contact until we got until high school.”

What a connection they made. After bonding over D.I.Y. filmmaking, Campbell and Raimi went on to do 1978 shoestring horror-short “Within the Woods” together, which they evolved into 1981 demonic thriller “Evil Dead.”

Campbell would periodically reprise signature “Evil Dead” character Ash Williams in various sequels and offshoots. And appear in Raimi-produced “Xena: Warrior Princess,” portraying slippery “king of thieves” Autolycus on that ’90s-iconic TV fantasy epic.

And then there’s Campbell’s memorable cameos in Raimi’s blockbuster, Tobey Maguire-starring “Spider-Man” film trilogy: the ring announced in the first, 2002 film, “snooty usher” in the 2004 sequel and a maître d’ in 2007′s “Spider-Man 3.”

Of course, Campbell’s made a mark outside that dynamic duo. He drew raves for his portrayal of a nursing-home-bound Elvis Presley in 2002 indie comedy-horror gem, “Bubba Ho-Tep.” Then there’s his role of Sam Axe on USA Network spy drama “Burn Notice.” Not to mention numerous other film, TV, voice acting and even video-game work.

The cult-fave actor will make his first ever trip to Huntsville this week, for Oct. 24 events at Von Braun Center’s Mark C. Smith Concert Hall featuring “Evil Dead” screenings followed by a Campbell-led chat about the film, his life as an actor and beyond. Tickets for these 3 and 7:30 p.m. events start at $32, via ticketmaster.com.

His upcoming projects include a comedy album with actor Ted Raimi, Sam’s brother, called “The Lost Recordings.” Campbell also is readying a book of essays called “The Cool Side of My Pillow,” which finds him riffing on subjects ranging from noise to the environment. He hopes to have both released by the end of this year. More info at bruce-campbell.com. On a recent afternoon, Campbell checked in from his Oregon home for a phone interview. Edited excerpts are below.

Bruce, when you do an “Evil Dead” screening event, do your discussions turn up new things about the film or that you haven’t thought of in a long time?

Every show turns up something new because it puts you on the spot. Someone will say something that will then trigger something that you had forgot. I just sat down the other day before one of these shows with my guy who is my frontman and I was like, “OK, l’m just going to tell the story of making this movie.” It’s not for questions I’m just going to tell you basically what you’re about to see. But yeah, every show triggers some new thing. I’ve seen the movie. I know how it ends. But that is the challenge, finding some new, weird tidbits.

Back in high school how did you and Sam Raimi first bond? Did you share a class or something?

Basically I got into typing class, that’s what started it. I could not believe I was stuck in this stupid class where everyone around me seemed to know how to type. I’m like, “How do you know this?” It was very frustrating. So I went to a counselor for the first time ever – I’d never gone to try to get out of anything.

So I go there and I say, “Hey can I drop this dumb typing class?” She goes, "Yeah, what do you want? I go, “What do you got?” So she comes up with “radio speech.” And I’m like, “Radio speech? Wait they do the morning announcements (at school) and stuff?” and I’m like yeah let me get all over that.

So I got into a class and Sam Raimi was also in the class. And the guy who taught radio speech also directed all the plays. We didn’t know how critical that was. The first year I couldn’t get in anything in my high school. I was auditioning for everything but I didn’t have a class with this guy. By the next year I had a class with him, and then me and Sam were in basically all the plays after that. We found out how the deal worked.

So I met him in radio speech and we’d do the morning announcements together and got to talking about what we do in our neighborhoods. I was making little regular-8 (millimeter film) movies and Sam was making Super-8 movies. So we started to join forces during the course of that high school run, that two or three years in there.

We were very productive. We didn’t really get into trouble because we were too busy like filming parties. We wouldn’t go to the parties we’d film the parties and use them in some way in our little films so it was a great guerrilla filmmaking period.

A celeb or well-known person you were surprised to learn they’re an “Evil Dead” fan?

I heard Charlie Sheen, one of his favorite things was to smoke a doobie and watch “Evil Dead 2,” and Alice Cooper’s favorite horror movie is “Evil Dead.”

If it’s good enough for Alice Cooper it’s good enough for me. You host the quiz show “Last Fan Standing.” What do you make of the mainstreaming of nerd-culture?

Every generation has its deal. In the ’40s most moviegoers were in their 40s and so the actors were in their 40s. Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy and all the guys were in their 40s. You didn’t have to be 21. And then as the audience got younger the actors got younger and the people who run the companies get younger and so they’re really just catering to what’s popular.

Comic books have always been popular but now they’re really popular. Not really sure what that’s all about but yeah social media has certainly helped but I think it’s another form of escapism. Whenever times get weird, people want escapism. During The Depression they did the Busby Berkeley splashy musicals where everyone was happy all the time, when life was really miserable. And some decades where we’re really doing okay, the movies turned introspective and we go after ourselves and figure out why we’re like this and like that. And so I think we’re in a phase where we just want to be taken away to another galaxy and Marvel is very happy to help.

And you’ve been a part of that. In Sam’s “Spider-Man” trilogy, which of your cameos did you have the most fun with?

Well I don’t know it’s hard to lineate because they’re so critical. The first one I named Spider-Man. If I wasn’t in the movie a billion dollar franchise would be called The Human Spider. He wants to get in the theater in the second one, past the snooty usher who won’t let him in because he’s late, because it will spoil the illusion, so I think I’m technically the only character who’s ever defeated Spider-Man. And in part three, a superhero comes to a mortal for help. He wants me to help him propose to his girlfriend so it’s sort of a landmark case where a superhero goes to a mortal for help which is pretty rare. So I can’t delineate because they’re all critical to the “Spider-Man” universe.

Do you have any cool mementos from "Evil Dead or elsewhere from your career? Maybe something like the chainsaw from “Evil Dead 2”?

You know, it’s weird I’m not a hoarder, I’m not a collector. My brother, he has the shotgun from “Evil Dead,” but not because he loves movie trivia, he just likes guns. My brother also has I think the set of keys to the original cabin. That’s a pretty good one. Not sure how he got that one.

I have weirder ones. Like I have a prop from a 1989 movie called “Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat.” I have Van Helsing’s holy bottle where he shakes the holy water at them. And I have what I call my tchotchke shelf, where most people would look at it and they couldn’t identify what importance each item is, but there’s a story for each one.

Some of your favorite actors outside the horror genre?

Oh, I l love a lot of the old time actors. William Holden, he starred in “Bridge on The River Kwai” one of my favorite movies. I like the guys who had to work a lot. In the old days and actor would finish a job on Friday he was under contract, he took two weeks off and started a new movie a couple weeks later. Actors kind of just do one or two movies a year if they’re lucky these days and it doesn’t help them refine their craft.

I feel like the guys who worked a lot got good because they got really used to the process. I’m a fan of the studio system. Not all movies were good and not every actor was happy under the studio system, but I think a busy actor’s a good actor.

For your role in “Bubba Ho-Tep,” what was your process for tapping into Elvis’s vibe?

What guy doesn’t want to be Elvis, you know? So I worked with an Elvis impersonator for about a half an hour and then he gave up on me. He goes, “Look, man, you’re never going to get it.” I’m like, “Wow either I suck or you suck as a teacher but somebody here sucks.”

No, but I watched a bunch of footage and documentaries. There’s a good one, all his Memphis Mafia who worked with him, a filmmaker basically got them all drunk one night and interviewed them all and that’s where the good stories are. You learn a little more of the human side of him. But that’s pretty much it. I’ve never been a stage performer so mercifully there wasn’t that much of it, just in quick flashbacks.

And there’s a part of me, in the back of my mind, I want to know that Elvis' descendants, somebody, a daughter, niece, somebody has watched that movie and approved. We’ll see.

I thought it was a cool creative take on that whole Elvis thing.

I agree. That’s why I did it. It was one of the weirdest scripts I’ve ever read But yet it wraps up though. It has a weird premise but it has a really interesting theme of what do you do with old people. Do we forget these old people? And are they still useful in society, old people? And I thought it had a sweet ending, that these two old guys they kind of rally themselves one more time.

What’s a well-known role you’ve turned down?

Turned down? I don’t have a lot of those. I don’t operate in that rarified air of saying, “Oh I turned ‘Titanic’ down.” I tried to get a part in a studio movie called “The Phantom” and Billy Zane wound up getting the part." And it was down to me and Billy, I was number two for the job, but I didn’t really enjoy the process very much because it seemed more political than actually acting. It was amazing how many people you had to audition for, and you had to go up the ranks and each time it got a little more tense as you move up. So I’m good doing these weirdo little movies.

I read the budget for “Within the Woods,” the predecessor of “Evil Dead,” was a princely 1,600 bucks. What was the most expensive line item, you think?

Food and probably fake blood. Tom Sullivan, who did the special effects, probably needed to mold a few things, so he probably spent a couple hundred bucks on molds. A lot of it was footage because Sam Raimi likes to shoot footage, so we probably bought a lot of rolls of film. And we did go to a cabin to shoot it, so had to get in the car and travel so maybe a little gas money in there too. That’s about it.

What can you tell us about the status of the next installment of the “Evil Dead” franchise?

We’re honing-in, circling the building now trying to lock in a partner. We have a couple of bidders and we’re trying to just find the correct suitor and we have a script written and a director picked. Sam Raimi hand -picked a guy named Lee Cronin, who’s a very good Irish filmmaker. And it’s got a very good modern tale. It’s a modern-day urban “Evil Dead,” it’s called “Evil Dead Rise.” And we’re hoping to do that next year.

You were a producer on 2013 “Evil Dead” remake. What’s the key to making a reboot effective?

Well rebooting can be very confusing and frustrating and not always successful. Reboot, sequel, remake we have all these crazy terms. What we’re doing now is we’re saying," Look, this is another ‘Evil Dead’ movie and that book gets around, a lot of people run into it and it’s another story." The main key with “Evil Dead” is they’re just regular people who are battling what seems to be a very unstoppable evil, and so that’s where the horror comes from. It’s not someone who’s skilled. They’re not fighting a soldier. They’re not fighting a scientist. They’re not fighting anybody more than your average neighbor. This one is going to be a similar thing. We’re going to have a heroine, a woman in charge, and she’s going to try and save her family.

Speaking of a female protagonist, when you’re at a con or meet fans somewhere, who has the most passionate superfans: “Evil Dead” or “Xena”?

“Xena” hits them at an emotional level. Like, they’ll come up to me and Lucy Lawless (the actor who played the show’s title role) and just burst into tears, because her character helped them get through a difficult time. “Xena” is more representative of overcoming your struggles in life. “Evil Dead” fans are pretty fervent but they don’t cry as much.

[skruttet]

Tove Jansson Videos!

Here’s a list of some videos on yle that feature Tove Jansson and often others; most are interviews, though there are some that aren’t. These probably aren’t all of them, and there’s also audio recordings you can find, but it’s late and I need to get up early tomorrow so I’m posting this as is lol.

Lars, Tove and Tuulikki in Japan - 15.9.1991 - Short one featuring the iconic trio!!!! Tove once again being a fashion ICON and referring to the others with their nicknames ‘Lasse’ and ‘Tooti’ :’)

Tove's brother Lars and Tuulikki Pietilä travel to Japan to see Moomin animations that have been completed. They are extremely satisfied.

Interview with Tove at Klovharun in Pellinge - 2.9.1991 - Oh this is GOOOOD! Tove is so lovely and cheerful in it (she is in them all, tbh) and we see some 90s Moomin anime character sheets!!!!

Reporter Christian Forsberg siblings Tove and Lars Jansson at Klovharun in Pellinge archipelago. They discuss the Japanese animations, why Tove thinks they are good, and what it's been like to work with them. We also hear more about the advent of Moomintroll.

The Japanese Animations - 6.9.1991 - Tove talks about her love for Snufkin in this one :D

The youth magazine X-tra also speaks with Tove Jansson. Junior reporter Nike Tallqvist interviews Tove Jansson. Tove Jansson and Sixten Lundberg, who has given Moomintroll their voice, talk about the animations. Tove Jansson is very happy and satisfied with the films. They have become good, she thinks. Especially Snufkin is nice. "I'd like to be like that," she says.

The Moomins and the Great Flood - 18.11.1991 - However, Tove Jansson is not so pleased with the new release of Småtrollen and the great flood. She thinks the book is not good.

Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä about art and life -  09.15.1991 - Tove, Tooti, and Pentti talk in this one and we see Moomin figures & tableaux.

Here, Tove Jansson and Too-ticky, Tuulikki Pietilä, are interviewed about the construction of the Moomin House. The idea came from Pentti Eistola, who built a smaller Moomin house. And from that, the idea of ​​the house grew. The gang gathered for play nights where there was carpentry, painting and sewing.

The house travelled around the world, first to a Moomin exhibition in Bratislava, to finally stay at the Moomin exhibition in the Tampere library.

Here we hear what Tuulikki likes to make herself as a doll. And why Pentti Eistola made a Moomin House.

Tove and Friends - 1970 - This is literally just a 24-minute-long video of Tove chilling with some mates including Lasse Pöysti and Birgitta Ulfsson and Erna Tauro oh my gosh!!!!

Here we visit Tove Jansson in her studio home with friends of her. Lasse Pöysti sings the Moomintroll show, Tove draws and the gang discusses.

It is a real home for reportage. From time to time, someone puts in a relevant question, and in between you talk gently, cut bread and cheese, and drink wine.

Discussions revolve around the studio home, drawing Moomin films, Moomin visors and Tove Jansson's writing.

Erna Tauro, who wrote the music for Tove Jansson's songs, talks about how it feels to compose to lyrics.

EDIT: This one also has a version with Finnish subtitles!! Here

Tove Jansson on the Moomin House - 1.9.1979 - This one has some pretty good shots of the moominhouse tableau!

With the help of friends Tuulikki Pietilä and Pentti Eistola, Tove Jansson has created a Moominhouse, a dream house that stands for everything that modern architecture does not do.

It took several years to create the perfect house. The decor is complete in every detail. In the Moomin House you can find everything needed in a house.

The Moomin House will travel to Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Architecturally, the Moomin House is a concoction of different styles; Karelian style, baroque, empire and rococo.

Tove Jansson is happy and eager. She sees the Moomin House as a fantasy house that stands against the modern beehives where no one wants to live.

About Tove Jansson's childhood - 09.15.1991

Tove Janssons talks about her safe but bohemian childhood and how her life has become with the celebrity.

Tove Janssons' upbringing was bohemian and artistic. If mother Ham (Signe Hammarsten-Jansson) can not tell Tove Jansson, it is difficult to tell if someone you have loved so much.

But about her father (Viktor Jansson) she draws stories. He was a bohemian, with an unavoidable attraction to the bourgeois. He longed for disasters and kept them in good spirits.

You may see where the characters Moominmamma and Moominpappa and really the whole family come from.

About Tove's choice of profession and Moomin's birth - 09.15.1991

Tove Jansson talks about how the little troll was born in a comic book Garm. It was just a coincidence that she started writing children's books, maybe she longed for childhood summers.

The creatures give each other freedom. But the figures evolved. As an example, Tove Jansson takes Moominmamma who can get really angry. And Snufkin, who is totally free and alone, comes and goes as he pleases. He was Tove Jansson's idol for a long time, but he is really self-centred and spoiled. After all, it is easy to be alone and stick out in the wilderness when you are hailed and applauded when you get home. Fillyjonk, on the other hand, goes under by loneliness.

The cartoon was what took Tove Jansson's loss. It was terrible, but Too-ticky helped Tove Jansson write Moominland Midwinter. There she placed Moomintroll in a strange world. He not only experienced adventure, but also difficulties.

The Moomin World, the Celebrity and the Moomin Fan - 15.9.1991

Tove Jansson also talks about the difficulty of being known, all the fans who write and demand answers. She refers to Topelius and Astrid Lindgren who know equally.

When there is talk of all the research in Tove Jansson's books, she just gets irritated, they could wait a bit at least.

Tove Jansson Receives Award - 24.4.1987 - very cool shot of her putting on sunglasses in this lol

Tove Jansson became more and more shy over the years, but she gained recognition for her Moomin books all her life. She talks a lot about fame and trouble.

Anna Savonius wonders if the Moomin books became too narrow when Tove Jansson can no longer write about them. Tove Jansson thinks that they changed the meaning, and she went back to visual art.

And with horrible mothers she switched to short stories and novels.

Mostly she writes well for herself. But children's books need a happy ending, it may be awful, but not cruel and contain justice and honesty. However, you do not need education.

Tove Jansson Turns 80 - 8.8.1994 - from the same article as the video above.

Tove Jansson Becomes a Professor - 5.11.1995

Tove Jansson became an honorary professor and was 80 years old before she died on June 27, 2001.

Tove Jansson on working with books and visual arts - 4.6.1984

Tove Jansson talks about Summer Book and The Dangerous Journey. And about how difficult it is to write for children and for adults.

Tove Jansson has often talked about how celebrity has made it more difficult to write. And how she gets stuck and doesn't move on.

In Charlotte Aira's deep and strong interview, Tove Jansson returns to this. Writing is a heavy job, as heavy and difficult as painting.

This summer book is perhaps the book that is strongest for Tove Jansson and best describes Tove Jansson's life.

In the interview, Tove Jansson also talks about nature, the children and the Moomin role. Tove Jansson does not think she is escapist, everything is in reality.

They talk about Tove Jansson's adult books and visual arts, which journalists are not always interested in.

Tove Jansson receives the Topelius Prize - 9.28.1978

Tove Jansson received the Topelius Prize in 1978 when she published The Dangerous Journey (1977). It is Tove Jansson's last picture book about the Moomin role. Tove Jansson thinks about the dangerous journey, she thinks it may not have been so successful in terms of text, but she likes the pictures.

Tove Jansson in Naantali - 6.24.1993

Moomin mother Tove Jansson took part in a big event when Naantali Moomin World opened.

Tove Jansson thinks it is quite fun to participate when the Moomin characters come alive.

But she had never thought of such a thing when she wrote her first Moomin book.

And she knows that there will be no more Moomin books, now Tove Jansson is just trying to write short stories for adults.

A glimpse of Tove Jansson

Tove Jansson's Moomintroll spread all over the world. Today you can find everything from Moomin soaps to refrigerator magnets. Finally, Tove Jansson started hating her Moomintroll.

Here, Tove Jansson tells Chris Zitting about how fame has affected her. About how she hated to see her beloved character being commercialised and because of that, she began to lose the desire to write about Moomin.

She also talks about the inspiration to start writing more adult books.

Tove Jansson tells us that the book Moominland Midwinter (1957) was very important to her. She was stuck and couldn't write a lot more, but her life partner Tuulikki Pietilä (Too-ticky) helped her by suggesting that she place Moomintroll in a new and strange world. That helped Tove Jansson move on.

The interview was made in 1988, but was shown again after Jansson's death in 2001. The program has Finnish subtitles.

New Year’s Eve 1957 - 3.1.1957

[burnouts3s3]

Last Meal, a Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfiction

https://amzn.to/3pPKgR8

(Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan work. I do not own or claim to own the property known as Yu Yu Hakusho. Yu Yu Hakusho is copyrighted and owned by Shueisha, Weekly Shounen Jump and Yoshihiro Togashi and is licensed and localized by Funimation Entertainment. Please Support the Official Release.)

 Last Meal

 Former Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi made his living running a small Ramen stand. While the profits were meager at best, the shop gained a very favorable reputation for anyone who managed to drop by for a bite. Long gone were the days of Yusuke chasing after demons and criminals. Having quit his position from the Spirit World, he had long settled into his new role as the smart mouthed cook who often mouthed off to ungrateful customers.

 After a long day with no customers, Yusuke took the moonlight sky as a sign to close up. He was just about to turn the lights off when a figure approached him.

 “Sorry, pal, we’re closed,” Yusuke said, his face turned the other way.

 “Not even for your old Principal?” an elderly but warm voice asked.

 Former Principal Takenaka looked particularly out of character. Instead of wearing his usual beige suit with blue tie or the black suit he wore to Yusuke’s wake, he was instead in a Red Tracksuit, as though he came back from a long jog. His blonde hair now had streaks of grey in it and began to recede. Yusuke could also count much more wrinkles on Takenaka’s face.

 “Sure, why not?” Yusuke turned around and began heating up the stove.

 As Yusuke prepared Takenaka’s bowl of ramen, his mind wondered back to his Junior High days. Before Yusuke’s death, Yusuke often thought of Takenaka as an authority figure meant to nag him into submission while being a hypocrite. Yusuke unfairly placed him in the same category as Mr. Iwamoto only to realize, at Yusuke’s wake, that Takenaka thought more highly of him than that. Shamefully, Yusuke didn’t really keep in contact with him during his Spirit Detective days or his three year trip into the Demon World.

 “You’re looking well,” Takenaka said.

 “Sorry, I don’t take tips in the form of compliments,” Yusuke continued to have his back turned as he finished up the ramen.

 “Am I so transparent?” Takanaka smiled.

 “Not as much as you think you are,” Yusuke placed the bowl of ramen in front of his principal.

 “I’m glad to see you doing so well for yourself,” Takenaka said, separating his chopsticks and picking up a hearty helping of noodles.

 “Oh, you should see me during my off hours,” Yusuke said. Of course, Yusuke wasn’t sure how to put ‘by the way, I was almost king of the Demon World this one time until I was knocked out by this other asshole and lost the tournament I started in the first place’ into a conversation without making it terribly awkward.

 “It’s good!” Takenaka said before taking another bite of ramen.

 “Well, my wife’s a cook after all,” Yusuke washed the other dishes he intended to leave until the next day. “She’d be pissed at me if I gave somone a lousy meal. It’d give her family a bad reputation if she married someone who couldn’t make ramen.”

 “I’m glad to hear Keiko’s doing well,” Takenaka chuckled.

 “How’s retired life treating you?” Yusuke took a rag and started to wipe down various parts of the stand.

 “Not as comforting as I had hoped,” Iwamoto said. “I’m going to miss that school.”

 “Don’t tell me Iwamoto or Akashi took over!” Yusuke yelled. The thought of Iwamoto becoming the Sarayashiki Junior High principal stirred something inside Yusuke so fiercely, the former Spirit Detective was tempted to use his Demon powers to blow up his former school.

 “Of course not!” Takenaka said, affronted at the idea. “I wouldn’t let those vultures near my school. In fact, one of my last acts as principal was to fire those two.”

 “Some good news for once,” Yusuke sighed.

 “Yusuke, do you remember that boy you saved that day you got hit by a car?”

 “How could I forget?” Yusuke replied. Saving that boy started everything for Yusuke: taking his trial, returning to life, becoming a Spirit Detective, training under Genkai, taking on Team Toguro at the Dark Tournament, hunting down Sensui and discovering his Demon ancestry and going into the Demon world.

 “You’ll never believe this, on his spare time, he volunteers as a crossing guard!” The older man chuckled.

 “Yeah?” Yusuke asked. “Good for him.”

 As Takenaka finished the ramen, he set the empty bowl down, placed the chopsticks on top and reached into his suit’s pockets.

 “Darn, I think I forgot my wallet,” Takenaka continued to dig deeper into his pockets.

 “Woah, I wasn’t serious!” Yusuke said, waving his hand off. “I’m not going to charge my old principal for a meal!”

 “You’re too kind,” Takenaka slowly got up from his booth seat.

 “You know Yusuke, out of all the students I had, you were, by far, the biggest pain in the ass.”

 “I get that a lot,” Yusuke smirked.

 “But you were also the one I was most proud to see graduate,” Takenaka smiled.

 “Easy, or you’re going to make me blush…” Yusuke scratched the back of his neck out of a nervous tick.

 “I’m glad to see you made something great out of yourself,” the former Principal smiled.

 “Ready to go?” A female voice said. Yusuke didn’t need to turn around to recognize Botan’s voice, her signature oar she was currently riding on, or the bright pink kimono she was wearing, but did so anyway to wipe the countertop around Tanaka’s meal.

 “That’s right,” Takenaka said, turning to Botan and taking her hand.

 “We usually don’t allow ghosts to enjoy human meals,” Botan tucked a blue strand of hair behind her ear “You should consider yourself grateful.”

 “I am,” Takenaka smiled.

 “Any message you want to pass onto Koenma while I’m there, Yusuke?” Botan asked, gripping one hand onto her oar with the other holding Takenaka’s hand.

 “Tell Pacifier Breath I hope he’ll graduate to pull-ups this century,” Yusuke smirked, picking up Takenaka’s empty bowl and placing into the sink.

 “Still have no regard for authority, eh, Mr. Urameshi?” Takenaka sighed.

 “I can’t grow up too fast!” Yusuke smirked. “Otherwise you wouldn’t recognize me!”

 “Goodbye, Yusuke,” Takenaka smiled, holding onto Botan’s hand as she flew them upwards towards the night sky.

 “What’s he saying goodbye for?” Yusuke sighed. “I’ll see him soon enough…”

 (A/N: For those of you who don’t know, Brice Armstrong, the voice performer for the Dragonball Narrator, the original Captain Ginyu in Dragonball Z and most notably, in my opinion, Principal Takenaka from Yu Yu Hakusho, passed away at age 84. So I decided to write this quick one-shot to honor his memory. I give my condolences to his friends and family. Thank you for your performances.

 Until then,

 Keep writing!)

https://amzn.to/3pPKgR8

[trubilee]

so i guess i’ll write (blogwrite?) now.

today we were authorized for early release at D, the way we are whenever there’s a holiday, so i decided to use up my 3 hours of company-gifted time to try and write this morning (not write this blog, but write other stuff, which tired me so now i am writing this blog as my treat for this last hour).

it has been a challenge to write these past several months.  i sort of think i know why, or i know what triggered it at least.  not sure why the difficulty persists but i guess i could pat myself on the back for trying this morning.

there are a lot of things i’ve been wanting to write about.  in no particular order, my performance eval at work, my strange quarantine life-related skincare fixation journey (oh, the ups and downs), wes and happiness and my odd overthinking of it sometimes, the chasing francis book i finished a couple weeks ago, the funeral last week, and... hmm.  maybe that’s around everything i can think of.  oh, music in the time of rona too.  also stuff in me that the writing has kicked up.  i guess i could try.  oh, and my bras of choice during these WFH times.  maybe a little about daisy and the vaccine.

so.  performance eval.  it went extremely well.  we took the full hour.  my leader L is not the type to give much feedback, but in the first half of that hour she basically looked straight at me and told me all the things i would’ve wanted to hear.  about client group 1, and 2, and 3, the breadth and versatility and equal parts drafting and interpersonal connecting components of them all.  i repeated it all to paul when i told him how it went, and really, really it was everything i would’ve wanted to hear from her.  i was praying thanks to God as she was talking to me through the screen, because i was just absorbing all the words that i had been so hungry to have her give to me this whole past year.  and there are so many things to it too.  things like, i know i am not perfect and everything to everyone the way i think i should--even could be--and i can’t necessarily just say to myself “oh but nobody is” because actually, at this company, there are some people who are, they really really are just so good, and i feel so bad just taking in how good they are at thinking on their feet and killing it at getting things done here, and being so articulate and effective at communicating and dynamic and all of it.  anyway, the conversation felt so... whole-making.  hahaha.  make-whole-ing?  another part of it is that i have always been grateful for the job, i always felt like it was suck a lucky winning when i shouldn’t have necessarily landed it and with that came this default set of thoughts that went, oh they hate me.  oh they think i am inept.  oh they see how inept i am.  they regret hiring me.  i don’t want them to regret hiring me.  that would be one of my worst fears, jobwise.  to burden someone with my existence on their team.  i know that it’s healthy to think that a company is lucky to have you and to know your worth and all, but bc i’m kind of acquainted with my own versions of total failure, i’m not good at thinking that way.  i’m always thinking that i’m lucky to work for X company.  it would probably make many a leadership coach or asian american advancement advocate grimace.  i’m sure it’s a handicap to me careerwise, salarywise, etc etc, but asking me to fix it is like asking mesomeone to stop being insecure.  in that, it's not something you can change by will.  it almost feels like a part of my dna, not just some protective armor.  this is why i sort of roll my eyes inside when someone announces that she (it’s usually a she) has imposter syndrome.  it’s unfair, i know, but i almost want to look around and say, wait is that not just the normal state of things?  why are you acting like it’s some sort of unusual complex that you have?  i thought everyone, anyone with any noonchi, had that.  that’s like saying that--gasp--you don’t think you’re the absolute sh*t.  it doesn’t mean you're afflicted with anything.  i should ease up a little.  

damn.  i only have 20 min left.

ok another thing about the performance eval.  about which i joked to my leader, when she said we could have these conversations more regularly if we wanted to, that my heart could only take once a year at most.  i was so relieved, so happy, i felt so uncaged afterwards.  bc again, really it extinguished all of the unhelpful fears that had made me so tense about work this year.  and part of me, the part that is always maybe a little too self aware, thought to myself, that gosh, if getting a positive review from my leader at some big company where i am a corporate peon is this satisfying to me, then perhaps my world, my dreams, are just rather small.

i was thinking about that and preemptively tried to put it to paul this way:  that sometimes i feel very rich.  not like money-wise, bc i know just enough of the wrong people to ever feel that way (lol).  but more in a life-currency sort of way.  like when i think about my little family of three, my son who is so perfectly delightful that i don’t even know how to--i don’t know how to appreciate him or even just take him in without feeling like his delightfulness is slipping through my fingers simultaneously with, even AS i’m, looking at him and trying to appreciate him and take him in (does that make any sense?), my husband who i have similar slightly overwhelmed feelings about when it comes to his quality as a human being and heart on this earth, and my mom and dad who both survived their different cancers.  about how somehow God provided me with not just the friends i needed but even extra friends who i didn’t dare think i had a chance at asking for, and even this house, and having and seeing daisy and family regularly, and gosh even my inlaws who only seem to ever give and never receive (sorry, ommonim abbonim...) and my sister in law who i feel the same way about, and our nanny, and yes this job too, this job i once never thought i had the right to even dream of having bc of said past failures, this job for two companies brands i adore and believe in.  and the chance to write, and feeling like i have something to write about.  and even knowing a handful of living, breathing, non-robot human beings who actually read what i write, actually think it’s worth their time.  what marvels.

on the other hand, sometimes i feel rather poor.  i feel like we don’t have enough savings, we aren’t saving enough.  i feel like we will always just need to work for a salary bc neither of us is in a job role where we make dividends happen for us.  and i am so junior here at a place where promotions are slower than slow anyway, and salaries aren’t tech or finance salaries anyway.  and i feel ugly and like a half-distracted working mom whose life is devoid of glamour or romance or margin or space or passion / vision.  well, i guess my “poor” list is a lot shorter than my rich list.  

all this to say, after my dumb performance eval i felt like a rich woman.  not because they told me i was getting some big raise (i’m not, and i don’t generally care bc the raises are so small and have you seen the mass layoffs happening here).  i felt rich bc i felt like i got really validating feedback from leaders i really admire, both on a professional and personal level, and i work on a team with colleagues who i think are really excellent at what they do, and i work at a company where i really like what they make.  i feel kind of silly typing all of this out bc it’s so freaking wholesome and vanilla and, again, small, but it’s true.  those things made me happy after my review.  and this is the job i report to 8 hours a day.  yep.  real stable, ordinary stuff.  

i told paul that in thinking about how happy i felt and feeling self-conscious about that happiness, i would rather feel like a rich woman and be objectively “poor” than to be the other way around.  to feel like i am poor but in reality be quite rich.  

it’s also funny bc B and G also specifically separately felt compelled to send me messages confirming this same exact thought, now that i think about it.  how wonderful.  thank you.

next topic.  bras in rona times.  yesterday i bought my fourth--no, lemme count--seventh! eberjey bra.  it’s not bc i’m being greedy, it’s just that the ones i started with i wore so often that they jstarted wearing out.  the eberjey bras are generally underwired, with no lining except a thin layer of lace, and they make my boobs--my post-maternity, seen-such-better-days, already wilted boobs look terrible under my clothes.  but i am working from home and don’t need the extra lining for decency’s sake.  and when i see the bras in my bra drawer and i deposit my boobs into them every morning it feels lovely.  the bras are unflattering but they are delicate enough (while still practical) and comfortable to wear and are lovely to look at.

well i need to start my workday now.  if i ever get around to it i’ll write about other stuff.

[kpopisthereasonihavenolife]

Take 3...Action!

BTS

Jeon Jungkook/Reader

Genre: Drabble, Fake Dating AU, Highschool AU

Words: 2.6k

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"Alexa, play Wonderwall." + "0/10 would not recommend."

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“We have to pretend to date,” was a sentence better left not coming out of Jeon Jungkook’s mouth.  Especially when it was directed towards you.  The school you had both been attending for years and now standing as Juniors was once again putting on an end of the first-term play.  With you being involved in drama, it was only natural that you auditioned for a role and got lead actress.  The only problem is, your co-star playing the male protagonist was played by none other than Jeon Jungkook. 

It was a winter love story, something the swooning adolescent high school populous and their elder family members could smile and talk about when the story ends.  Something just in time for Christmas before exams and then welcoming the break before the second-term in the next year. 

You’ve played love leads before, but never with Jungkook.  He was one of the drama members who you admired for his talent sure- with both acting and his knack for working the stage equipment- but you saw him as a rival as well.  Neck and neck with you in terms of stage performances.  

Now, here he stood, corning you and telling you something utterly ridiculous.  Fake dating? 

“Excuse me?”  You side eyed him.  

“You and I are both leads in a romance, right?  We should date to really get into character.” 

“I can play romances just fine without the outside facade, thank you very much.” 

“But, you’ve never acted with me before.  If you don’t prepare for it then you might accidentally fall in love with me.  That would be a tragedy.” You had half a mind to stomp on his foot with your overly dramatic platformers and leave him with a busted toe or two.  You refrained yourself though, you had more self-control than that.  

“I don’t believe in stage performances influencing genuine affection.  It’s acting, not reality.”  When acting, you’re given a new name, a new face, a new persona in all.  People who mix and match fiction emotions to real life were fools in your eyes.  Or maybe it was your lack of relationships in your high school career that held your belief to sturdy. 

“So, then it would be a problem if we fake date.” You opened your mouth to fight him again as he just covered your lips with his palm, effectively stopping you before you started.  “It’s not a problem if it’s fake.  It’s fake just like the play.  It’s just constant rehearsing.  Mutual fake pinning, the play is a success and then voila, we can have a clean ‘break up’.” 

There was a slight pause as your narrow, unbelieving eyes looking into his own pleading on.  He looking off above your head as he started adding on to himself with a low, slurred voice.  “I also may have accidentally lied to Ms. Heu about us dating when I found out our roles.”  

You throw his hand off your face and got closer to him as you grabbed his collar.  Shaking him around the best your small arms could move his solid, strength and conditing body anyways. 

“Why would you lie about something like that?!  How- why the hell would you even mention it! How does something like a casting call turn into a fake relationship you tell to teachers faces, Jeon!” You panicked as Jungkook slapped his hand over your mouth again, shushing you as he looked back and forth.  

It wasn’t long ago that the drama club was released from their activities, someone could still be lurking around.  If the plan got out before it was even started, his ego would surely be bruised.  As he leaned closer to you, hunching over, your hands still holding his collar as he whispered to you to keep it down, a small gasp was heard behind Jungkook’s back. 

“You really have to do that shit here?” Taehyung, a fellow actor and stagehand stood with his tack sweater vest and khaki pants with his worn out slides.  But with a face like that and a set of glasses to top off his ‘studious’ look, he made the sweater vest thing work somehow.  

Jungkook and Taehyung happened to be fellow friends, Taehyung being a year above the two of you as a proud standing Senior. And it just so happens that the position the two of you were in made it seem that you were both locked away in a hidden corner of the empty halls getting very familiar with each other. 

Jungkook quickly whipped around placed a smug look on his face.  Running a thumb under his lip like he was wiping away some exotic act.  He was able to switch his acting side on and off way too easily.  He kept his back towards you, shuffling back a smidge to make sure to keep some believable distance of intimacy between you both. You even instinctively brought your hands up to his sides to brace him. 

“You really can’t blame me Taehyung.  You wouldn't understand, you’re single.”  He punched at him as Taehyung was more than capable of getting a girlfriend, but rather he was more interested in his studies and his scholarship for arts after graduation. 

“I’m single but choice, shut your hole.” 

“Single by choice my foot,” Jungkook retorts.  “You’re single because although you may charm the ladies, no one wants to openly date a walking sweater vest.” 

“That is completely false and you know it!” Taehyung motioned to you hiding- rather being hidden- behind Jungkook’s back.  “Y/n would probably go on a date with me given the chance.”

“Don’t come for my girl.  I’ll knock you right the fuck out sweater boy,” Jungkook promised with an almost too innocently formed smile. Sending chills straight down Taehyung’s spine.  You grabbed Jungkook’s ear, tugging him down as you chewed him out. Talking in a whisper so Taehyung couldn’t hear.  Jungkook arguing back to you just as quietly- which shocked the senior because he didn’t know Jungkook was capable of anything lower than a yell. 

“So,” Taehyung started, “you’re both dating now?” Jungkook looked at you, dare you to say you saw a pleading look in his eyes.  With a withheld sigh, you looked at Taehyung. 

“Yeah,” you confirmed. “We are.”  You missed the chance to see a face-splitting smile on your ‘boyfriend’ because now Taehyung was busy being a nosy upperclassman and demanding the blossoming love story of two youths. 

What a headache. 

It was week three of your ‘relationship’ with Jungkook.  Oddly enough, it wasn’t as suffocating as you originally expected it to be.  Jungkook was a complete sweetheart.  Divulged in his role as your boyfriend with kisses on your cheek, random attacks from behind that lead to him resting his chin on your shoulder to even tutoring you in weak subjects he excelled at. 

He’s taken you out on a number of times to fast food, legitimate restaurants, and an arcade once or twice.  He actually let you win some games against him too quoting that someone so cute shouldn’t lose every game they play, even against a king of games. 

You felt guilty for assuming he was a bad guy of mischieve when he was really a very kind person.  You made sure to tell him that and all he did was laugh it off, forgiving you with a faint redness to his neck and ears that went completely over your head. 

Now, you both were acting completely 100% smitten without ill will towards each other.  You both had grown close and sometimes you forgot it was all an act.  Something that would end after the coming weekend.  After the play, the curtains would close on more than one thing. 

“Cut!” Yelled Mrs. Heu.  “Let’s move to act 3, scene 2.  Jeon, Y/l/n, get ready!”  Nonstop rehearsals lead to this.  The final dress rehearsal before the first show tomorrow. 

Jungkook and you played your roles well, almost too well as even Mrs. Heu found herself swooning in delight.  Your interactions were simply fluent and you both seemed to just get it.  Get each other. 

“You going to Jungkook’s again?” Taehyung asked you as you had left to change into your own clothes and came back to leave.  You often went to Jungkook’s for line studying. 

You nodded.  “Yeah.  He said we should celebrate after so much rehearsing with a stupid rom-com marathon. Though, I’m sure I’ll be stuck watching Marvel movies again,” you chuckled. 

“No doubt.  Can you quote Iron-man word for word yet?” Taehyung teased. 

“Almost.”

“Y’all bad mouthing me?” Jungkook hopped into the conversation.  Slipping a snake-like arm around your waist, tugging you closer to him.  You easily found your role and leaned into him. 

“We’d never,” you chided.  Jungkook pinched your side. 

“That’s a lie sweetheart, and you know it,” he scrunched his nose down at you.  Taehyung fake gagged at the overly sugary display.  “You ready? Shitty romance comedies are calling our name!” You rolled your eyes at him as Taehyung sent you a fake kiss that Jungkook ‘slapped’ away before peppering your face in his own kisses. 

Shockingly enough, Jungkook didn’t subject you into Marvel that night.  YOu both stuck to the true word of rom-com, commenting and making fun of some cheesy lines or over the top cliches.  All while Jungkook’s mom occasionally checked up on you two before she found you both passed out on your 3rd movie.  For some reason, the fact his mom liked you so much, made you happy. 

Then, the play came.  The first night went without a hitch.  Scene flowed easily and you and Jungkook never once floundered.  Your entire cast put on a great first day.  Even Mr. Sweater-vest decked in his old school suit nailed his role (though it wasn’t shocking given his talent as an actor). 

Though, as it is a romance set for the most romantic celebration that is Christmas, of course, there's a final scene kiss.  Shared between both protagonists.  Jungkook and you and rehearsed it anytime Mrs. Heu asked.  It was pure professionalism, but when you were on stage, that first true performance kiss was actually butterfly-inducing.  You had no idea why. 

When night two came, so did the second kiss.  Those same butterflies came back and nearly made you stutter.  Now, you had an idea why.  When curtains closed on night two and the play was officially over, Jungkook took you home as per usual.  Though, now the play was really over.  Now, you’d have to ‘break up’ with him. 

You were disappointed.  You let yours actually believe this relationship was real for a time.  Forgetting completely that it was fundamental.  Now, you actually fel for him. 

You accidentally fell for Jungkook.  Your co-star.  And you were crushed that the relationship you both had would be gone soon. Whatever kind of relationship it really was. 

“Stupid,” you called yourself in the darkness of your bedroom. 

The next week went without Jungkook as everyone was slammed with finals and tests back to back.  Even if you wanted to face him, you could never find the time anyway.  THough, maybe that ‘break’ was what you needed to clear your head.  To try and convince yourself you most certainly were not crushing on Jeon Jungkook. 

Sitting at your desk, cheek cupped in your palm as you dazed off between passing times before the next class and next test before the longest 90 minutes of your life passed by again.  Your phone in your lap dings with a notification as you instinctively check it.  

Jungkook: Listen, I’m not a test taker by any stretch, but fucking math finals are fucking awful.  0/10 would not recommend. 

You scoffed lightly at his message before locking your screen again.  3 minutes later, another ding. 

Jungkook: Left on read? By my girlfriend? Harsh

You: Aren’t we supposed to break up?

Jungkook: Ouch. My heart hurts. So much so I have to ask:  Alexa play Wonderwall. 

Jungkook: Srsly though.  I want to talk about that.  Can we talk after school?  I’ll buy you burgers? 

You: Make it fries and you’ve got a deal.

Jungkook: Hell yeah!

Bell ringing, phone shoved in your bag and now nerves creeping up your neck.  You were gonna have to accept your stupid crush after all and break up.  How lame is that? 

Jungkook was tapping his foot relentlessly as Taehyung watched him.  Being a TA for the semester (all for some stupid student tutoring program for his scholarship), and being Jungkook’s friend, Jungkook spilled his guts to Tae about the whole fake relationship with you.  As well as the planned break up.  He called it stupid; plain and simple.  And it was. 

Now, he watched as his friend slammed his face into his desk.  He chuckled.  Jungkook was pathetic at feelings.  Or rather, these types of feelings. 

When the final bell rang for the day, Jungkook grabbed his stuff and was zipping out of the classroom.  Going to yours was second nature now.  Peeking through the doorway, he saw you packing up your things and standing from your desk.  Noticing him, you waved at you and the two of you were off for some not so healthy food. 

“So, about our break up,” Jungkook started as you bit a fry in half.  He sat across from you at the table and he looked almost worried about something. 

“Are you worried that some backlash might hit you when it happens?” Jungkook looked at you with wide eyes and scrunched brows.  Pure disbelief if you ever saw it. 

“Wha- backlash?  No! I just,” he sighed to himself. 

“Seriously, if you're worried about something.  Tell me.  Maybe I can help or we can figure something out or-”

“I want you to be my real girlfriend now.” Jungkook has always hated silence.  Now more than ever. “It's just, this fake thing was so real to me. I know I kinda forced you into it to begin with, but it’s just so comfortable around you.  I’m comfortable with you. You’ll sit and watched the same movies over and over again.  My mom likes you.  You’re a great actress and have a lot of potentials.  You're just- amazing.  And now I want that amazing girl to be mine.  For real this time.”

The silence grew between the two of you as the bustling joint behind your back murmured in the building. You spun a fry between your fingers, the salt sticking to the pads of your fingers.  You seemed to nod to yourself, looking up at Jungkook. 

“Break up with me, Jungkook.” 

“What?” 

“If you break up with your fake girlfriend, then you can get a real girlfriend.” 

Jungkook smiled and leaned across the table slightly.  “Really?!” You laughed at his large doe eyes that sparkled with so much happiness and excitement.  You nodded.  “Alright, this fake relationship is officially terminated!” He bounced his legs like an excited child.  “Hey, let's do a third and final take of that kiss from the play.” 

“Why?” 

“Please!”  You rolled your eyes, a sign of acceptance.  He hopped out of his chair and bounced to stand over you.  “Annnd, action,” he whispered when he leaned down to kiss you. You tasted like salt and he tasted like the chocolate milkshake he ordered and nursed on before he brought the topic up. 

He pulled away, giggling like a boy in love.  “Hello, girlfriend.”  You playfully shoved him as he took a new seat at your side. Slinging his arm around the back of your chair as he then began to bug you. Trying his damnedest to get his new. official girlfriend to drip her fries into his milkshake.

[a-bucket-full-of-feels]

Thoughts on Liz to Aoi Tori

I wouldn’t want to call this a review because it won’t be just a straight up review, but also include some of my analyses and personal opinions. Anyway, when Kyoani announced a slew of Hibike spin-off movies after Season 2, I admit I wasn’t that hyped about the NozoMizo movie, since Kumiko and friends were the main stars and what kept fans like me following the Hibike story after all. But after they released the key visuals and trailer, as well as watching some Youtube reviews of the movie upon its box office release, I knew I had to go watch it.

Liz to Aoi Tori, if I could put it simply, was beautiful. Everything from the visuals to the camera work to the sound design was so masterfully put together and directed. Every shot and movement was so deliberately thought out, and even the moments of silence were just right, neither too long nor too short. But I’ll leave my thoughts on the artistic direction just here, since I don’t have the film expertise to analyse it at length, and the many Youtube reviews have done this area justice anyway.

What I’d like to focus on is the plot and characters instead. The movie is a short one - just under one and a half hours, and only has one main story line (about Nozomi and Mizore) and a small sub-plot on Mizore’s relationship with her oboe and double reed juniors. Yet this story was told so masterfully, I was enraptured from the start to the end.

Like I mentioned in my Hibike S2 review, I did enjoy the NozoMizo subplot in the anime. However, it was clearly overshadowed by the main focus of the series - Asuka and Kumiko’s character development. Having a standalone film just focusing on Nozomi and Mizore alone allowed me to fully immerse myself and appreciate the dynamic in Nozomi and Mizore’s relationship, and experience the emotions felt by the characters in their rawest form through every action, every word spoken and every word unspoken.

The story within the story - the fairytale of Liz and the Bluebird - was a great device in mirroring Nozomi and Mizore’s relationship and was seamlessly into the plot. In the beginning, it seemed quite obvious to us as the viewer and the characters that Mizore was like Liz, the lonely girl who made friends with the Bluebird/girl and wants to be with her forever, while Nozomi resembled the Bluebird, making the first contact with Liz, but was somehow held back from being free to do what she wanted because of her friendship with Liz. But the dramatic turning point came when we realise that the roles are switched instead - Mizore is like the Bluebird, who has the potential to achieve greater musical heights and even enter a music college, whereas Nozomi is like Liz, whose love for her was holding the Bluebird back the whole time. This dramatic climax was not only put into words but in the titular musical piece which included a Nozomi and Mizore duet, which was extremely moving.

As I was watching Hibike S2 and the whole time while watching Liz, I was pondering over Nozomi and Mizore’s relationship and their feelings for each other. It seemed that the reason for the tension was the imbalance in the way they perceived each other. To Mizore, Nozomi was her entire world; but to Nozomi, Mizore was just another friend to her, as so Mizore thought. But after mulling about it, I realised that this is not exactly that case - Nozomi did care about Mizore as much as Mizore does for Nozomi, it’s just that their motivations are different. Nozomi was a more self-motivated girl, taking her own initiative and making decisions based on her own reasoning - she made her own decision to quit the band at the end of her 1st year, she decided on her own to enter a music college, and later reasoned with herself to not enroll in a music college in the end. On the other hand, Mizore was a lot less opinionated, making her decisions based on what Nozomi wanted, and always following Nozomi - she plays the oboe because she wanted to be with Nozomi, and decided to enroll into a music college because Nozomi decided to.

In the end, what was beautiful about the resolution of this story was the subtle change in their relationship. Nozomi and Mizore still loved each other just as much, but Nozomi knew she had to let Mizore go to fulfill her true potential, and Mizore started to be less passive and take things in her own stride.

And just a random side note I decided to slip in - some more yuri-loving fans may interpret NozoMizo’s relationship as romantic, while others may feel that their relationship was just platonic. I personally feel that the beauty of this film is that the nature of their relationship can be whatever you’d perceive it to be. One of the themes of this story is love after all, and loving someone, be it as a friend or as a romantic partner, means that you want them to be happy, even if that means you need to let go of them once in a while.

All in all, Liz to Aoi Tori was a masterful piece, and hands down one of the best anime movies I have watched (as good or maybe even better than a certain popular movie about meteorites and body switching teenagers). Forgive me if I’m gushing too much or viewing this movie through rose-tinted glass since I was a fan of the Hibike series to begin with, but you can’t deny the amazing skill and effort put in by Kyoani in this film. Even if you haven’t watched Hibike before, I believe this film can still be enjoyed on its own. In my opinion, this movie was hands down better than Hibike S2 (which already I enjoyed a lot) - can’t really say about S1 because it’s quite a distant memory - and I just hope that the next movie installment about the Kitauji Quartet (which seems to follow the anime canon more closely in terms of plot and art style) would not disappoint as well.

[thatishogwash]

Worth the Wait 2/2

13 Days of HQ Halloween pt2

October 1 - Witches AO3

October 2 - Witches pt2 AO3

13 years later…

Kuroo stepped into his office and resisted the urge to walk back out.  It was a disaster and he had only himself to blame for not putting things back after he was done.  Instead he just continually piled books, scrolls, and various papers on top of the previous used ones.  Now it was about three layers deep and would most likely take him the better part of the day cleaning and reorganizing everything to be put back where it rightly belonged.  He thought of, and quickly discarded, the idea of making one of the younger members do the clean up.  Who knew where things would end up and while nothing on his desk was cursed or could cause harm, he knew it was his luck that one of the junior members would end up with something oozing or pussing that he would then have to take care of.

Kuroo tossed his jacket over his chair, the only thing kept free of clutter in his office.  Even his couch and the table in front of it was covered with various things he would also have to sort through.

The family had warned him several times that he would be tested when he fully accepted the role of head of his family.  It was something all new bosses experienced and something that needed to be handled with delicate care, but also swiftly.  Hence the various piles of research.  He knew this unrest had to be handled in a precise way.  It needed to be harsh, he needed to make sure no one tried to test him again but it couldn’t err on the side of cruel otherwise the other families and even his own people might think him too drunk with his own power and not suited for his position.

Mostly he needed to handle it alone.  He still had the backup of his family and they did help where they could, but he needed to be the one to discover who was causing the unrest and he was the one who needed to personally handle it.  It wasn’t easy, despite being thought of as cats, Nekoma didn’t enjoy playing with people.  Not physically anyways.  Kuroo didn’t like killing but his hope was that no one would test him further.

Kuroo had been pushed off into his quarters after everything had been handled yesterday.  He had taken a long shower and fallen into a restless sleep.  Now he would have to deal with the aftermath and his families constant hovering.

Kuroo was placing an old grimoire back into the glass case bookshelf.  He put his more rare volumes in there, or the ones that he didn’t want falling into the wrong hands.  The case was spelled to open only to him and would enact a rather wicked curse to anyone with sticky fingers.  It was as he was closing the case that the door to his study swung open and a disgruntled teen with two-toned hair strode in carrying a tray.

“Someone actually managed to wake you up before noon?”  Kuroo asked with genuine amusement.

“Yaku wanted me to remind you that you have a meeting at two.”  Kozume put the tray down on top of the desk with no regard to the order Kuroo had been trying to make of things.  It wasn’t a surprise truly.

Kozume Kenma was over three hundred years old and was forever stuck looking like a gangly teenager.  It was one of Nekoma best kept secrets, their centuries old warlock.  Kuroo hadn’t known this when he was younger, he had been an awkward and painfully shy child growing up.  Kozume had been a soothing presence that Kuroo could relax around.  He taught Kuroo and shielded him from harm.

No one or nothing could make Kozume do anything he didn’t want to do, and everyone in Nekoma was smart enough not to ever force him to do anything.  Why he stuck around when all he wanted to do was stay curled up in his tower, sleeping the day away was a mystery.  Kuroo believed Kozume just liked them, it was why he brought Kuroo food under the guise that Yaku had sent him.

“What are these?”  Kuroo asked, noticing the files beneath the tray that Kozume had also dumped on his desk.  He pulled them out and flipped through the first few.

“Contenders.”  Kozume answered, earning a questioning look from Kuroo.  “We all picked someone we thought you’d like.  There’s a big pool going on for the winner.”  Kuroo pulled a face as Kozume laughed, walking out of the room looking quite smug.  Kuroo opened the bottom drawer of his desk and dropped the files inside before snapping it closed.

Nekoma was always run by pairs, though it didn’t have to be a romantic pair it usually turned out that way.  Kuroo was no longer in his twenties and for the past year his family had been pushing more and more “suitors” on him.  It’s not as if Kuroo outright dismissed the idea but there was no connection with any of the people he had met.  He might have grown out of his shell, shed his shy exterior but a part of him would forever remain that awkward boy who hid behind his mother's legs.  When he spoke to those potential suitors he felt as if he had to wear a mask the entire time.  He had to be charming and likable, engaging but on guard.  He couldn’t relax around any of them.

After the family meeting where all things were discussed, big and small, and a meal was shared between them Kuroo went back to his office to finish cleaning.  He burned the things he wasn’t keeping and put everything back into its rightful place.  It was tedious and time consuming but it was also nice to shut off his brain for a little bit and complete menial tasks.

Kuroo sat on his chair behind his desk, surveying the newly cleaned room and ruefully thinking about how it would become messy again by the end of the week.  But no matter where he tried to place his thoughts he couldn’t help but be curious about the files stashed away in his bottom drawer.

With a loud sigh that no one was around to hear, Kuroo pulled out the files and placed them on his desk with caution he knew he didn’t need.  The truth of the matter was, his family loved him as he loved them.  He knew there were other covens who did not function as theirs did, as an extended family who cared and looked out for each other no matter what.  With some of the bigger covens that was an impossibility.  Yet his family wanted Kuroo happy and they would have done their research and taken their time to only suggest true candidates, no matter what their teasing suggested otherwise.

Kuroo went through the files one by one.  He could see the merits in each and could pick out which family member suggested what person.  Oikawa Tooru’s file gave Kuroo pause.  The other boss had propositioned Kuroo before.  Oikawa had no interest in romance and even less in sex, he regarded Kuroo as an equal who could help his family gain more power.  It was true, Kuroo and Oikawa would make quite the power couple but Kuroo knew it wasn’t a possibility.  Kuroo would always be on edge, forced to keep his guard up because Oikawa was as sharp as he was pretty.

The last file had Kuroo inhaling quickly before glancing around as if someone could have snuck into his office to witness his moment of panic.

As much as Kuroo would like to say that he didn’t harbor feelings for his teenage crush, he knew that for the lie it was.  Sawamura Daichi was the person Kuroo measured all others against.  He was positive it would have been easier to move on from the other man if he wasn’t so present, so readily available to Kuroo whenever he needed him.

Kuroo remembered the vague idea he had as a teenager, thinking Sawamura would grow to be even handsomer.  He had been right and it had been an understatement.  Kuroo had seen some leaders be eaten alive by the role they acquired, they became shallow and pale forms of their past self.  Yet Sawamura seemed to thrive under pressure, he had taken a broken family and made them whole again, was bringing them up to their former glory.

The picture in the file was a mugshot taken on Sawamura’s twenty-second birthday.  He looked displeased and embarrassed.  The mugshot and fingerprints were mysteriously misplaced after Sawamura spent exactly twelve minutes in a jail cell before being released.  Nekoma had gotten ahold of copies before Karasuno had managed to destroy them.  There were paragraphs of private information, as there had been in all the files.  Most Kuroo had already known about Sawamura and he looked forward to teasing the man about being caught by the police even if it was nearly a decade prior.

Kuroo’s hand was already reaching out to grab his phone, knowing Sawamura would pick up despite the late hour.  Sawamura always picked up on the second ring and unless he was in a public setting, his voice held a hint of warmth that had Kuroo relaxing no matter what situation he was in.

Kuroo knew they had broken up for the right reasons.  They had been little more than kids with the responsibility of their families weighing them down.  They needed time to grow, to become secure in themselves and their families.  If they had tried to hold on there was no telling the damage they could of done to themselves, to each other.  But they were no longer children.  Sawamura had been firmly seated at the apex of his family for thirteen years and Kuroo had just reinforced his own hold.

The phone was pressed against Kuroo’s ear before he had even really thought it through.  It rang twice before it clicked on and Kuroo could hear only chaos in the background for a short moment.

“Hello Kuroo,” Sawamura’s voice had deepened over the years, it made the static pick up on Kuroo’s phone and settled warmly in his chest whenever he heard it.  “How can I help you?”  There was a whoosh of air followed quickly by a scream.

“Not interrupting anything important, am I?”  Kuroo asked, stretching out his legs underneath his table.  Sawamura had grown into a man who rarely showed his true emotions but Kuroo had always been able to read him.  If Sawamura had been truly worried about his situation he would have answered completely differently.

“Depends on why you’re calling me.”  Sawamura teased Kuroo back, his next sentence lost as the noise increased.

“Well you seem busy now, so how about we discuss it tomorrow?  Say over dinner, at that new place you like in Shinjuku.”  There was a moment of quiet and Kuroo felt his heart beat faster inside his chest.

“I’d like that.”  Sawamura’s voice was soft, almost too quiet to hear over the battle going on around him but Kuroo had been straining to hear anything.  “I’ll pick you up at 6?”

“Perfect.”  Kuroo eased back into his seat, picking up all but one of the files and tossing them into the trash.  There was an increase of noise and Sawamura snapped out a quick order.  “I’ll leave you to handle things on your end.  Please be careful, I don’t want our first date to be in a hospital.”  Kuroo smiled at Sawamura’s laugh before they both hung up.  He pressed his hand over Sawamura’s file, the only one he had left on his desk.  It was the only logical choice after all.

[sleepinglune]

never enough, pt 2

once upon a time, you and mark were lovers. but, some things don’t work out as you let your emotions of insecurity break apart the love you shared. back to the present, you and mark meet up once again as music majors who have to compose a song together.

part one ← part two. ➝ part three.

you dreamt about meeting mark. you envisioned this scenarios many times. they were all different from each other. the stark contrast was always on what kind of expression he had. most of the times, it was a sincere one. no malice as the boy wasn’t able to bare such emotion. there was another constant in the mix. the distance. it was an arm-length away. neither of you dared to vouch into that space. it was the space that marked your ever-wallowing emotions. it was also the leeway that justified the day you broke two hearts. yours and his. but, most importantly his.

but, here you were. your hand willing crossing the barrier, fingers eager for touch. you thought for a moment maybe he wouldn’t hold it. but, he did.

if this happened in more favorable circumstances, you would think mark’s touch was euphoric. it caused electricity to course through your veins. the blood racing as your limbs are trying to retain their strength. but, you’re thankful by how your focus was on your sticky fingers. the remains of the dried-out coffee cause sweat to accumulate on the dents of your palms. that’s why your heart relaxed the moment you heard the word you always longed to hear. you pulled your hand quickly, the remains of palpitation still pulsed through your palm.

despite you didn’t really thought about it, donghyuck and yukhei did. they noticed how hasty your action was. you sensed how your best friend’s eyebrow rose, questioned the nervous energy you radiate. at the sudden gaze, you felt self-conscious on how your sudden pull would be taken. god, you were just hoping mark wasn’t taking it the wrong way.

“ha, good. i don’t think i need to worry much then. you’re a good artist, after all.” you asserted, tone filled with genuinity.

your features that were plastered with anxiety somewhat softened. the tails of your lips were upwards, a smile you only handed to him. mark remembered that look very well. it was the look he usually caught you had when you stared at him with awe. adoration crinkled in your eyes.

whilst you two shared these gazes whose weight was becoming evident to bystanders, donghyuck’s curiosity simply grew. it was like trying to contain a burst of flame. he cleared his throat to have everyone’s attention.

“oh?” his tone released an airy feel to it. his head tilted as his gaze fixated into yours. under his eyes, you felt rather intimidated. “i been having this question running through my head for a while actually. how do you know mark? or better yet, why you keep acting between knowing him and not knowing him at all?” his words strung in the air that grew tense.

your fingers reached for the hem of the shirt, crumbled the piece of fabric. your first reaction was a rather foolish one as you let the nervous bubble of laughter burst. it resonated on the confined space you did. “uhm,” your throat somehow found your voice under the crumples of your body waiting to combust. “mark and i have history, per say. yeah!” your tongue tried to adhere together as you grew scared of getting tied together between your debate to lie or tell the truth.

“i just- we have known each other for awhile.” you settled for that answer, slightly proud you didn’t stutter. but, you knew that wasn’t the answer he was searching for. but, mark rescued you from the scrutinizing his best friend was putting you through.

“stop giving her that look, hyuck. she’s right. we’re acquaintances.” his voice mellows out the situation, a depth of hurt concealed by his kind nature. donghyuck realized this as he has been friends with the boy beside him since eternity became a word.

“i’m not questioning that. i’m just curious on how you know each other.” he refuted, a pout etched on his lips.

“well,” you said, your mouth eagerly betrayed you. “we met through music. i quickly became his fan. i really like that song, sentimental.” your tone managed to not quiver under the three gazes focused on you.

at the mention of the song, mark’s facade faltered a bit. his lips weren’t able to maintain the friendly smile he upheld. sentimental was a song he composed when his emotions were too wild. he couldn’t keep the wild beast called the heart in the confinement of his ribcage. hence, he let it free when he wrote sentimental. sentimental was the song about your break up.

donghyuck who witnessed quietly this interaction finally connected the dots. his eyes widened, lips parted at the new revelation he just unveiled. before his throat could vibrate with sound, yukhei intervened. his own mind twirled the gears and connected the straws without a destination.

“i agree! it’s a great song! but, y’know. my heart lays with the songs cherry bomb and we young. those songs always have me hyped!” his tone fragments the quiet atmosphere that loomed over your shoulders. you have never been more thankful for yukhei’s ever so friendly personality.

you saw how mark’s expression returned to its glory. the big eyes that held the stars and the smile that challenged the sun’s spark. his cheeks are painted with the prettiest shade of red, deluded between the space. a sheepish laugh escaped. “i’m glad you guys enjoy my songs. i hope you keep supporting them.” his tone rimmed with joviality as his eyes wandered from yukhei’s to yours.

“of course! you know i’m your biggest fan!” your best friend chimed with a chirpy tone to compliment.

your features were no longer the stone figure you molded. it broke apart with a similar smile as mark’s. it was a smile that expressed the warmth that oozed throughout your body. dang, his effect on you hasn’t lost any impact. “i’m sure i will.” your voice somehow turned softer than you realized. it was so soft, so quiet that if you were farther, it would have been carried by the wind. but, mark was always good at catching words that weren’t meant to be heard.

donghyuck cleared his throat once the initial shock faded from his system. or well, it wasn’t as overwhelming as it first was because he didn’t sign up to be part of a drama. for all he knew, he signed up to sing his heart out and that’s it.

“y/n,” he called your name with that sweet voice of his. you simply turned your head in response, eyes catching his. “i’m sorry, i misjudged you right there. you see, my boy mark here,” his arm latched beside the other, arm over the shoulder. “he has been through some heartache and i’m just trying to protect him from it.” he knew those words were meant to hurt. they were meant to raise something that was buried. which, it worked.

your eyes twitched slightly, your fingers cramped and you had to reposition your feet to maintain stability. the instigated reaction caused donghyuck to realize that this love you and his best friend had still burned. he confirmed his assumptions as those stories from mark found sense. so, it was time to put his role as the protagonist’s best friend into action. his mind already had several plots on how could this relationship of yours will be executed.

“hey, don’t say that.” mark replied immediately, hand against donghyuck’s chest. “it’s not even true and how is it relevant? hyuck, that’s not nice to assume.”

guilt revolted in the pit of your stomach because of course. they seemed to be close friends. why wouldn’t donghyuck not know about you? or well, more how he caught the hints that were unconsciously dropped.

“it’s okay!” you spoke again, cringed on the inside. “i understand. i wouldn’t want my best friend to be hogged by some random strangers.” you said as your arm wrapped around yukhei. more than this action being meant to brag, it was meant for comfort. you were glad to see how the boy caught the message as his hand reached for yours.

“don’t we have it so tough mark? being handsome is always a hard chore. we are lucky to have people to support us on this journey.” your best friend jested as he tried to lift the mood.

you weren’t exactly mad at donghyuck for saying such a crude statement. it was meant to be raw and you knew it. if someone hurt yukhei like you hurt mark, you would probably react the same way. but little did you know, it was just donghyuck giving you his last judgment before giving you his blessing.

mark laughed at the comment, the joy emitted. “we are lucky! but, hyuck here is more popular than i am. just while ago, renjun called him to claim his spot as his number one best friend! imagine that level of threat.” your ex followed with ease, trying to cause the conversation to rift somewhere else.

“what a relatable struggle! y/n here keeps talking about nana this and nana that. i swear my best friend status keeps getting threatened.” he huffed with fake annoyance as his eye met yours.

you scoffed at his behavior, a sound resembling a snort. “yuki, we went through this. nana is my other half while you are my best friend. totally different titles.” you refute, arms crossed as you stared at him.

“yes! different titles. mark, you are my bro while renjun is my best friend. glad to see y/n has intellect.” donghyuck joined again, the penetrating intent gone from sight as it boiled on the background as it maneuvered a plan.

“that’s the same concept. it’s just having a lot of sidehoes because you can’t commit to one hoe. sounds like someone i very well know.” yukhei said with humor, one you found yourself laughing at.

“that’s not true! i have one sidehoe and it’s not you. it’s chenle. he is the sidehoe who i lie about being my favorite junior when he shares the title with jisung.” you humored back, some of the weight of before removed. but, you see how mark and donghyuck share gazes at the mentioned names. this seemed that it would become a usual thing. the questioning thing.

“wait, you said chenle and jisung?” mark questioned, for the first time speaking to you directly.

“yeah. park jisung and i are roommates as neither of us really wanted to live in the dorms. zhong chenle is nana’s roommate.” you replied back, not sure why you were being very descriptive.

“oh my god, the world is so small. we fucking know jisung park and zhong chenle too. mark and i share hip-hop classes with both.” donghyuck snorted his reply as he saw the evident shock on yours and yukhei’s faces.

“are you serious? how come jisung has never talked-” you said before you stopped mid-sentence where your eyes flashed a flashback where jisung is over in the kitchen telling you about his new seniors. he said one of them looked like a baby lion while the other looked like a monkey. “oh my god! you two are baby lion and donkey! that makes so much sense. yuki, these two are the ones jisung kept using casual language.” you exclaimed, excitement rushing through your words as the two were rather embarrassed by how you used their nicknames so easily.

“oh, baby lion and monkey, huh?” your best friend’s face approached theirs, scanned it. “oh boy, you do look like baby lion and a monkey.”

before either of the two boys could refute back, you see how someone said an loud “hi” at your direction. you see it’s none other than lee jeno with the most gorgeous smile you have seen in your life. god, no wonder you had this big crush on this boy! you started waving, only to realize everyone else is too. jeno arrived at the spot, offered a smile to everyone. only you seemed to be the one who slightly blushed at the sight.

“oh wow, i didn’t know all of you were friends! if i did,  i would have made a bigger goings!” at the sound of his words, it caused your stomach to feel like it broke apart.

so, not only you’re meeting your ex again. you’re working with him again. your best friend is working with his. you both share common friends. but lastly, your crush had to be great friends with your ex! 

what a fucking joke.

“what happened to your shirts?” the newcomer asked, eyes glued to your shirt. the better question would be, what didn’t happen.

“life.”

[r0sequarks]

Dumbledore is totally not a Gryffindor and I spent an hour writing an essay about it because i am a giant nerd so check under the cut if you want to read my really well thought out conspiracy theory 

Dumbledore is not a Gryffindor. While he does have courage and bravery, so does he he value hard work and loyalty, and is intelligent and witty - having the traits does not define being part of a house, as seen by Hermione Granger being the smartest witch of her age but still a Gryffindor - no, it is what drives you, and what is at the core of your being, and Dumbledore shows no signs of being driven by bravery. While he does frequently fight, he prefers to take a more passive role, manipulating others into fighting for him, acting as a leader over others. Throughout the series, he takes the role of a chessmaster, placing Harry so that he can develop as the means to kill Voldemort, even though theoretically it may be within Dumbledore's means to slay the man himself. Above all else, he is not brave, but smart - and not smart in a studious manner, but 'street smart', although he certainly is well-learned. His primary intelligence lies in manipulation, in resourcefulness, leadership, cunning, ambition. Albus Dumbledore is undoubtedly a Slytherin based on his actions, which leads to the question - why does his Chocolate Frog card say he is in Gryffindor.

Dumbledore is undoubtedly in a position of power, especially within Hogwarts. At the time we discover he was allegedly in Gryffindor, he has been headmaster for twenty years, and has been teaching at Hogwarts for over seventy. He is one of the most well known and respected wizards, and one of the older, and given that two world wars and one wizarding war have passed since he was at Hogwarts, it is likely few remain who remember his actually attending the school. It is well within his means to change records, and to claim that he was in Gryffindor, and unlikely anyone would say otherwise, as his house in school is ultimately a minor matter for anyone who doesn't currently attend Hogwarts. From there comes the question of why - why would Dumbledore lie about his house? Well, from there, we look to none other than Dolores Umbridge.

Dolores Umbridge is the most hated character in the entire series. Everyone despises her. When faced with the question of who is worse - Voldemort, who is trying to commit genocide, and Umbridge, who while incredibly abusive is not a murderer, most need a moment to think about it. That's because evil on the scale of Voldemort is difficult to comprehend, while a bad teacher and abuse are something most everyone can understand and relate to. It is hard to know what to do, against massive evil - it is the minor evils that draw our attention. When we focus on systemic oppression, most often we focus on acts, and even better, individuals. So, to draw the focus on to a group like the Death Eaters, it can be easier to use a smaller, more relateable target - like school bullies. There is a mental association commonly present that Slytherin is Evil, and Gryffindor good - that Slytherin are junior Death Eaters. This connects simple school bullies to the massive, unimaginable evil - and draws the students, especially Gryffindor students, in to the mindset of child soldiers early on.

This also has the opposite effect - framing Slytherin students as evil gets rid of their chance to escape their families, and furthers the push of these students in to the ranks of the Death Eaters. If this was done purposefully, then Dumbledore must have willingly been able to sacrifice the minds and even the lives of children, to turn other children in to soldiers, all in an attempt to bring down Voldemort. This Machiavellian scheme seems unfitting to a man who plays the role of kind mentor, and who impresses the point of the power of love, but it is not without more prescient canonical evidence. Dumbledore leaves the young Harry with his Aunt and Uncle, despite the fact he could quite easily place him anywhere without question. Following that, he repeatedly sends Harry back to live with them, even knowing that it is an incredibly abusive environment. The argument can be made for the protective spell - but Hogwarts is just as protected. Dumbledore made the choice, to send Harry back instead of keeping him in Hogwarts, because he believed that it was necessary. Dumbledore has been shown to put the greater good over the safety of a child, and so these actions fit entirely within precedent.

It is of course possible that none of this is true - that he was a Gryffindor, that the Slutherin/Gryffindor divide is perfectly natural, and that there was no master plan. After all, we only truly see Dumbledore late in life, and the hat sees the present, not the future. Manipulation can be learned, and bravery and courage can take way to reason, especially over a century. The theory is based on the fact that DUmbledore was a Slytherin in his school years, after all, and not that he is one now. It all comes down to one phrase - the greater good.

Inscribed on the gates of Nurmengard, the prison which Gellert Grindelwald built and later inhabited, is the phrase, for the greater good. It is a phrase which defines Grindelwald's philosophy - to do evil for the greater good of the world - and one which Dumbledore himself coined. The Dumbledore we see glimpses of in an early life is decidedly even more of a Slytherin than the modern man, because he is defined by his ambition. While some say it is the fault of his infatuation with Grindelwald, Dumbledore readily plans out an attempt to overthrow the Wizarding World and form a benevolent dictatorship over the world - admittedly, for the greater good. This is an undeniable sign of his Slytherin nature, and provides even more evidence for the cover up - Dumbledore doesn't want anyone to know that he was friends with Grindelwald, how close he became to being a dark lord himself, as it would discredit him as the savior of the wizarding world and as a mentor to Harry. The friendship is one of Dumbledore's best kept secrets, as shown by the book Skeeter released following his death, revealing their relationship, something that few of Dumbledore's allies were able to believe, and that Harry only bought given evidence. The life and lies indeed.

Slytherin becomes Gryffindor, and the history books of the modern age become much cleaner - the grand hero who defeated Grindelwald was not his friend, and it is Gryffindors who save the day against the evils of Slytherin. Dumbledore, ever the Slytherin, is nothing but not resourceful. The lie protects him, forges Gryffindor in to a receptacle of young soldiers to be in the war, and even gives cover for his spies in the Death Eaters. The view of Slytherin as evil becomes effectively true - not by any inherent nature, but because people fill the roles in which they have been cast. Continuing on with this belief does nothing but further Dumbledore's manipulations of events.

Dumbledore is not the villain - and the revelation that he was a Slytherin, and the extent of his manipulations, doesn't change that fact. But, then again, neither is he the hero. The problems that are faced in the series are, inevitably, his fault - and it is only through him that they are fixed. This simplifies things, and removes the extent of certain actors agencies, but it is not entirely inaccurate. The similarities between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter extend well beyond sharing part of a soul. They are both orphans, raised in abusive muggle environments, who suddenly find themselves to be wizards. While it is not stated, it is most likely that Riddle was not sent back to the orphanage over the summer - in fact, given his in depth knowledge of the castle and its secrets, it's probable he stayed at Hogwarts for these vacations. What makes Riddle a villain is not, as what can be claimed, that he was a child of rape, but that he was someone with no power who quite suddenly became one of the most powerful in the world. With nothing to grant him humility, his arrogance grew, leading to his seeking more power, through the Horcruxes. It is not to say that Harry would have gone the same road - but it so easily could be. In the end, Harry is a pureblood, and he is a very wealthy one at that. He has immense power, and as they say - power corrupts. There are two factors that are the most prevelant at seperating Harry from power - the fact he lives with the Dursleys, and the fact he is a Gryffindor. The Dursleys, through their abuse, remind Harry of suffering, of what it is like to not be on top, something key in the development of empathy. And the reason he stressed that he wasn't a Slytherin? Because Slytherin is evil, and Gryffindor good.

That is not to say that without Dumbledore, Harry would have turned in to a second Voldemort. That is an unreasonable extreme. More likely, however, is that he would have turned in to a second James. James Potter was, ultimately, a good person, but he was also an arrogant bully, and it was only trying to win the love of Lily Evans that reversed that. A Harry more like James may have died at Voldemort's hands, too self confident, or not nearly as versed in the powers of love. Or, perhaps, he could have defeated Voldemort, but become corrupted by the power and fame. This isn't an apocalyptic ending, but it's an ending that ensures the status quo remains in place, whereas the Harry that we know, given that power and attention, is undoubtedly trying to change and fix the world.

Is it worth it? Is it worth putting a child through such pain, to better ensure his survival when he is pit against a genocidal maniac, and ultimately, to change the world? It is not something a Gryffindor would ever be able to do. But, the world needs Slytherins for a reason - for the Greater Good.

[darecruit]

Sneak Peek #3: Open Arms Chapter 16

Second part can be found here.

It's been too long, I know. This chapter is kicking my ass. But here's a long section for you. Finally got some drama and Rachel's dealt her cards. Not sure how Shelby's going to react--any ideas you have are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

It all started as an initiation rite for the Cheerios. The new recruits were expected to prove themselves worthy of the title and uniform. Cheerios were gods amongst men—superior, powerful, and above all else, ruthless to any not from their realm. So it came as no real surprise that the newbies were tasked with pranking (read: terrorizing) the general student body that very first week of school. There were no guidelines or limitations on what could or should be done, and only one rule—Don’t. Get. Caught.

The better the prank, the more public, the better the reputation for the newcomer. Truly epic escapades may even garner the attention—and favor—of the Cheerios coach, the one and only Sue Sylvester. Sue was vicious. She stalked the halls of the school, leaving a wake of terror and destruction everywhere she went. Her victims were students and faculty alike.

Quinn hated Sue…but she loved cheer. It was quite the conundrum. And what ultimately led her to the slushie machine in the cafeteria. She wanted something that would be quick and relatively harmless, but would offer a high return. As far as she knew, no one else had ever tossed a slushie in another student’s face, and certainly not in front of a packed cafeteria.

She hadn’t set out to slushie Rachel, the girl had just been in the wrong place at the right time. Quinn could still recall the absolute shock, confusion, anger, and finally, abject sorrow that played across Rachel’s face as the icy cherry drink hit her dead on. The girl ran from the cafeteria, laughter and taunts following her down the hall and out of sight. The cherry slushie marked her that day, its stain a permanent smear on her reputation. No amount of Clorox in the world could bleach out the red target Quinn had placed on her back.

Quinn gained her own target that day, drawing the eyes of everyone who was anyone, most notably Sue Sylvester. “I like your zeal, Fabray. You have guts and panache. You remind me of a young Sue Sylvester. You will go far with me, Q, just do exactly as I say and never piss me off. Got it?” Sue had said when she called Quinn to her office immediately following the slushie incident. Quinn had nodded, not knowing what else to say to her coach; she hadn’t appreciated being compared to that witch but knew any favoritism from Sue would serve her well. “Then welcome to the team, Captain,” Sue had said before dismissing her. Quinn had left that office feeling numb. Never had a freshman been made Head Cheerio, yet here Quinn was in that top spot.

The team’s reaction to the news was mixed. Fellow freshmen Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce, as well as most of the sophomores and even a handful of juniors, were ecstatic at the announcement. For the underclassmen it meant upward mobility—one of their own was cheer captain and that could only improve their own statuses and popularity. For the outlier juniors, it was a buoy, a lifeline—maybe their last and onlychance at a better, more visible spot on the team that could gain them the attention of the scouting coaches and hopefully, a ticket out of Lima, Ohio. The rest of the team—the seniors, majority of the juniors, and a few power-hungry sophomores—were furious. They had all been jostling for prominence and power themselves and Quinn swooped in and stole it from them. Quinn hadn’t even wanted it, but there was nothing she, nor any of the others, could do about it. Sue’s word was law and they all had to accept it, however begrudgingly.

The only one who didn’t accept it was Harper Daniels, a complete bombshell of a sixteen-year-old. She was the worst of the power-starved sophomores, a pretentious, sadistic creature who reveled in her cruelty. She idolized Sue Sylvester and had been Sue’s favorite (until Quinn), and even that hadn’t saved her from incurring the wrath of the woman. Her fall from grace had been brutal, meant as an example for anyone else foolish enough to question the divine genius of their leader. Harper, of course, laid the blame solely on Quinn’s shoulders and dogged the younger girl the entire year, just waiting for her to fail.

Quinn, understanding how precarious her position was and how lethal even a small mistake could be, threw herself headfirst into the role of resident Head Bitch, playing her part exceptionally well. She wasn’t exactly proud of herself for the things she did and said, but she only had to keep the ruse going for the first few weeks until her reputation truly preceded her. After that she had been able to sit back and let the others do most of the dirty work for her, involving herself only every so often to keep her image fresh.

Though, come to think of it, every time Quinn involved herself had also involved…Rachel. Quinn grimaced and looked away from the piercing gaze all but boring into her from across the room. She needed to up her game—not only did she need patience and perseverance, but an apology probably wouldn’t go amiss either. Yeah, she had her work cut out for her if she wanted to make amends—and make friends—with Rachel.

“Yo, Quinn. Hello?” Lexi waved her hand in front of the other blonde’s face, startling her. Hazel eyes met her blue and she raised her brows in question. “Where’d ya go?” she teased.

“Sorry,” Quinn offered with a sheepish expression. “What were you saying?”

“I was saying, it’s awesome you and your sister were invited to the sacred Sunday dinners—means you’re elite. Only other outsider that’s ever been allowed is Sasha Montgomery and that’s because she and Shelby were roommates in college and Sasha’s home life wasn’t that great, you know? So Nana and Pop took her under their wing. She’s honorary now…guess you guys are too. So, dinner the other night went well?”

Quinn’s brow furrowed as she took in her friend’s words—that was a lot of information to take in. First, did that mean Quinn and Frannie were special in Shelby’s eyes…or did she feel pity for the orphaned sisters? Did Quinn even care? If it got her more time around Shelby, did it really matter why? Second, Lexi knew Sasha Montgomery? Had she met her before? Must have, the way she spoke so familiarly. Quinn didn’t know much about Sasha—she wasn’t as popular as Shelby, but famous enough in her own right, she supposed. Still, it would be pretty cool to meet her, if the chance ever arose—one more reason to befriend Rachel.

Shaking her head, Quinn refocused on her friend. “Uh, I don’t know that ‘well’ would describe it,” she said, and went on to explain the evening briefly.

“I think it probably takes Rach a while to warm up. She was a bit shy in front of all of us at first, and we’re family. I’m sure it’s harder for her with you…especially you going to her school. You really didn’t know her before any of this? You must have seen her around school, right?”

Quinn’s eyes flicked to Lexi’s in alarm. Had Rachel told the girl something? She couldn’t have—Lexi would have said something if she had, right? They were friends…but Lexi was Rachel’s cousin. She’d automatically be loyal to Rachel…wouldn’t she? Was she testing Quinn?

Not seeing any sign of distrust or judging on Lexi’s part, Quinn relaxed a bit. Still, she’d have to be cautious. Choosing her words carefully, she said, “No, not really. We aren’t exactly in the same circle, you know?” Not an outright lie, but certainly not the truth either.

“Yeah,” the other blonde agreed. Then she smiled at Quinn. “She’s really cool once you get to know her. She’s just hesitant around new kids…between us, she doesn’t have any friends. School sounds like a hard place for her—she gets picked on a lot. So, it’d be good for her to have someone like you on her side.”

“I’m…not sure she would agree with you,” Quinn revealed, her stomach churning with the unfamiliar sensation of guilt—at least when it came to Rachel.

“Just be patient with her. And I’m here as buffer—I’ll help!” came Lexi’s confident response. Then, spinning towards the kitchen, she called, “Hey Rach!”

Jack chose that exact moment to enter the house through the sliding door in the sunroom, the smell of charcoal wafting in after him. He ruffled Lexi’s hair as he passed, laughing at his daughter’s answering, “Jerk!”

“Brat!” he called over his shoulder, moving into the kitchen. He met his wife’s knowing smirk and winked at her. She rolled her eyes back, but Jack didn’t miss the quirk at the corners of her mouth. “Grill’s ready.”

Shelby gave Rachel’s shoulders a brief squeeze before releasing her hold. “The girls want you,” she said and wasn’t surprised when Rachel turned to stare up at her, eyes pleading. Shelby sighed internally, her frustration at her child’s increasingly anti-social behavior reaching its peak. Was this another case of jealousy on Rachel’s part? If so, the girl needed to learn to get over it. If not…well, Shelby couldn’t even begin to think what it could be. Hoping whatever it was would work itself out, she pushed Rachel forward. “Go on,” she prodded, her hand moving to add its own encouragement to a denim-clad bottom.

Rachel had barely left her mother’s hands than Lexi’s were reaching for her, linking arms with her left on the way to the basement entrance. There Lexi was stopped by Jack asking for help carrying the meat out to the grill. Lexi grinned and pushed Rachel ahead of her. “You and Quinn go, I’ll be there in a sec!” she said as she changed directions. Rachel groaned and came face to face with Quinn. Her eyes then met her mother’s and, cornered, she made the only choice she could: downfall.

Descending the stairs, Rachel wondered if she should have sent Quinn down them first—less chance of her being pushed down them, certainly. She quickened her pace, not liking having her enemy behind her back, and nearly tripped down the last few steps. She turned in time to see the blonde reaching for her out of her peripheral and sidestepped her with a fierce glare.

Quinn sighed and held her hands up in surrender. Here she was just trying to keep the smaller teen from falling on her face, and she gets a death stare for her trouble. Silently scolding herself, her inner voice reminded her to be patient. Getting annoyed with Rachel right off the bat wasn’t going to help anything. Instead, she took a calming breath and tried again; this was her chance to make it right with Rachel, while the two had a moment alone together.

“So, uh…Look, Rach—”

“Don’t call me that!” Rachel hissed.

“What?”

“Rach. Don’t call me that,” Rachel repeated.

“Oh, uh, okay—sorry. I heard everyone call you that and figured—”

“Well don’t. That’s a name reserved for friends and family, and since you are neither,” Rachel trailed off, eyeing the blonde with contempt.

“Jeez, okay. I get it. I was just trying to be nice,” Quinn groused. And she really was trying. Rachel was the one with the attitude, glaring at her with that ‘look at that bitch eating crackers’ expression on her face.

“I didn’t think that was in your repertoire, Quinn,” Rachel sneered.

“Doesn’t seem to be in yours right now either,” Quinn bit back, then let out a groan. Rachel opened her mouth to retort but Quinn spoke up before she could get a word in. “Wait. Look, this isn’t…I-I’m trying to apologize to you here, Rachel. I’m sorry, okay? For everything. I’m sorry. Can’t we…can’t we start over? Bury the hatchet?”

Rachel stared at her incredulously. Bury the hatchet, Rachel seethed. In her back, maybe! “Fuck you!”

Quinn recoiled as if she’d been slapped. Anger flared and her brain flitted through a plethora of nasty responses. Who the hell did Rachel think she was, talking to her that way? Then reality hit her, and with it, ice-cold guilt. “Okay…Okay, I deserve that,” she admitted out loud. “I really am sorry for how I’ve treated you, Rachel.”

“No you aren’t!” Rachel snarled. “I don’t think you’re sorry at all and the only reason you’re pretending to be is so you can get closer to my mom! And if that doesn’t work, you think buddying up to my cousin will. Well fu—uck you, Quinn Fabray! You can take your sorry and shove it up your ass!”

Lexi came down the stairs just in time to hear her cousin yell “fuck you” to Quinn and—what was that about shoving her sorry something up her ass? What the hell did she miss?!

“What the hell, Rachel?!” she exclaimed, shocked and confused by her cousin’s outburst. “Where are you going?” she asked, blocking the other teen’s way. “What’s wrong?”

“Move, Lexi,” Rachel said, trying to sidestep her cousin, only to be blocked again.

“No, what just happened? Why did you tell Quinn to—”

“It’s none of your business, Lexi! Move!” Rachel yelled.

“No! I want to know what made you tell Quinn to eff off just now!” Lexi stood her ground.

“It doesn’t concern you. Now let me go!”

“The hell it doesn’t concern me! Quinn is my friend and—”

“You know nothing—”

“I know that Quinn’s a nice person and she’s been trying her damnedest to get to know you and be friends with you and you’re acting like a bitch to her every time she’s over!” Lexi all but shouted in her cousin’s face. She saw the hurt and betrayed look that crossed Rachel’s face but she didn’t care. She had overheard her aunt telling her mom (while she was en route carrying hamburger patties out for her dad—not eavesdropping) all about Rachel’s behavior toward Quinn at Tuesday’s dinner and the other times this week the girl had been near. She heard Shelby mention her confusion and frustration regarding it and suspicion that it was probably Rachel’s ongoing jealousy behind it. As her aunt gave a quick rundown of family-related instances, Rachel’s moodiness during their own recent hangouts suddenly clicked and made a lot more sense. Now though, Lexi didn’t care why Rachel was jealous, she was just pissed.

“No wonder you don’t have any friends, Rachel, if this is how you treat anyone who tries!” Lexi finished in a rage.

It was Rachel’s turn to stagger; Lexi’s words hit her like a ton of bricks. Hurt quickly turned to red-hot anger. Without pausing to think, Rachel swung her left arm out, hand whizzing through the air to land with a satisfying CRACK! square across her cousin’s face. “Fuck you, Lexi!” she yelled, taking advantage of the other teen’s stunned paralysis and darting around her and up the stairs.

The door opened before she reached it, the heads of several of her family members appearing before her, all with shocked, confused, even angry faces. “WHAT is going on down there?!” Shelby demanded, eyes blazing.

“We heard yelling,” Diane’s voice spoke at the same time Sarah said, “Is Lexi crying?”

Rachel’s heart was pounding with the rush of adrenaline coursing through her body. Her body was a blur as she burst through the throng of adults, ignoring the squawks and shrieks of them calling her name, telling her to stop and come back this instant. She blew past their words and ran, ran as fast as her feet could carry her, through the living room and out the front door. She leapt from the porch stairs, staggering as she landed, still in motion, carrying her forward. Down the sidewalk to the driveway, then the street beyond.