#narrator talks in KOREAN

[whateveritsmyshed]

어.... 급 멘션 죄송하지만.... @orange-candy 

오렌지님 이번에 캐릭터 라이선싱 페어 가세요? 전 마지막날인 일요일만 갈 수 있어서 말이죠...!

[whateveritsmyshed]

Who do you prefer for my REAL OCs?!

Mathiel.D.Graceyhopkins (the pale blue skinned boy

Sofiel Lamb Graceyhopkins (the boy wearing a sky blue coloured dress

Daniel.P (phantom) (the boy with a snow white hair

Daniel.F (fenton) (the boy with a pitch black hair

마태엘- ...... 우리중 누가 좋은지... 우리 세계의 창조자님께서 희한한 투표를 만들어 다른 세계에 내던졌는데....

소피엘- 내 친구랑 팬텀 너희 둘이서 한 표씩 가져갔더라...?

다니엘.P- 느낀 진짜 이상했어... 대체 외부 세계의 어느분이 내가 좋아보인다고 생각 하신걸까....

다니엘.F- 그렇다 고 우리의 창조자님께서 이거 다시 하실 모양인데..... 1주일 시간 걸리는걸로!!!

[leatherbookmark]

help my research brought me to a fic that has the wildest solution to the problem of "what should i use instead of repeating the character's name too often". it wasn't "the (hair colour)". it wasn't "the (older/younger) person". it was Their Family Name. Only

[writers-potion]

this is a little hyper specific lmao but i was wondering if you have any advice on writing a pov character being mysterious? tyyy

Writing A Mysterious POV Character

Thanks for the question!

Here are some characteristics that I think makes a POV character "mysterious"

The reader is not meant to understand everything the POV character says, describes or alludes to.

The POV character actively holds off information from the readers either because (1) it's hard for them to talk about it or (2) they don't think it's important, somehow.

They reconstruct the narrative in the way they perceive it, not following the chronological order of events and often providing piecemeal information that only (if ever) comes together at the end.

The POV character simply has a wholly different perspective that a human reader will have difficulties understanding (i.e. story told from an animal or alien's POV)

I think the best way to portray this is to provide examples, which I think qualify as mysterious narrators. Note that not all mysterious narrators are unreliable narrators, although they could be. Here are the selected narrators and a few extracts for illustration purposes, divided by loosely defined subcategories (there can be overlaps!):

Incomprehensive Jargon & Allusions

Given that you can do this without boring or genuinely pissing off the reader, using lots of jargon, making allusions to things your target audience will probably not know to create atmosphere can be effective.

I recommend having a strong thematic core to justify all that jargon and reference, though.

Richard Papen from <The Secret History> by Donna Tartt

The characters talk and make references to Greek/the Classics. Arguably, it is not "incomprehensible", but the entire book is tirelessly full of them and unless you are a scholar in a related field, very unlikely to know all the Greek/ancient works being referenced all the time.

by M.L.Rio

Interesting style where the characters talk and even think in Shakespeare. They literally quote lines from Shakespeare to talk to each other. Not as difficult to follow as <The Secret History>, given that these are q famous plays (Hamlet, Macbeth, etc.) but it certainly adds well to the mystery at the heart of the book's plot.

---

Witholding Information

Have your narrator subtely refer to a large event in their past (a murder, a traumatic memory, etc) but never telling the reader upfront, making them only make implied guesses.

The only reservation I would have for this option is to not annoy the reader by letting them know the narrator has information, but is somehow not telling them. It would help to have a clear reason for them to not talk about it: e.g. they haven't accepted the past themselves, they're too scared to talk about it, etc.

by Eliza Clark

In here, the narrator has killed someone in the past - a fact that only becomes kind of clear at the end. Even then, the murder is never referenced because this narrator has some serious mental issues, but when you look back with this knowledge at the end of the book, her behavior starts making more sense.

---

Reconstructing the Narrative

Don't go in chronological order. Use time skips, or invent a new system for the narrator to arrange their memories and thus, retell the story. This gives the narrator power over the narrative because they've seen the whole thing play out, but the readers are getting bits and pieces, trying to get the puzzle pieces to fall together.

Other options:

POV character has amnesia

POV character has dementia

Using narrative interruptions that are in a completely different style (can work for 3rd person, look at Olivie Blake's work referenced below)

Olivie Black's <Alone With You in the Ether>

Using screenplay-like interruptions to the narrative that limits the reader's access to the characters' minds. Also creates interesting tone.

Kim Youngha's <Diary of the Murderer>

[I don't have pictures for this because I only have the Korean version....but really worth mentioning]

Here, the narrator has dementia and cannot fully remember the murders he has committed in the past. He is also an unreliable narrator who can only remember things in bits and pieces - thus the typical chronological order is interrupted.

---

"Non-Human" Perspectives

Give yourself a narrator that is not human, or is "dehumanized" in some way (lack of emotion, inability to relate to others, etc.) to view the entire world from a perspective not often experienced by the average human.

Death as a narrator from <The Book Thief> by Marcus Zusak.

Zusak inserts these little "pronouncements" or "interruptions" to the narrative and the calm but transcending tone constantly raises questions.

---

Do note that the overall tone of the novel contributes significantly to how the narrator comes across to the readers. Many of the works above also deal with "reality vs. unreality" as a theme, which is augmented by the use of a mysterious narrator that prompts the reader to challenge

Hope this helps, Happy writing :)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

💎If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! Also, join my Tumblr writing community for some more fun.

💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

[haedalkoo]

Do you have a favorite thing about the way the boys speak as individuals (can be about their general type of speech, words/phrases they use, etc.)? Can be jimin and jungkook or any of bts!

For example, I don't speak korean, but jimin's speech always sounds so soft and comforting. Even when he's not trying to be cute, he still sounds so sweet. Armys joke about kindergarten teacher jimin, but I really do feel like even his voice and speech give that gentle vibe.

This is the cutest thing you could've asked me! Let's go in order:

Namjoon: I love the way he mixes Korean and English so seamlessly. I think he has two modes, Serious-Leader-Speech, very eloquent and straight to the point, carefully chosen words; and Regular Kim Namjoon, still all of those things but super cute, he rambles a lot and mixes languages and tends to use a lot of slang? He def lurks online. But guys, he's also so poetic. He sounds like he's reading a beautiful novel. He always sounds super polite too (when he's calm I guess!! he can get super hyped up lol) but he doesn't slur his words, it's so easy to understand him even though sometimes his vocab is really precise and advanced. OMG AND he doesn't have an accent!! BUT he imitates the members satoori and it's super goofy bc he's not great at it, so it's like his own made-up satoori.

Seokjin: Jin is an amazing speaker. I think the actor training has a lot to do with this, but he has such a good voice for narration and when he speaks in korean interviews he sounds super gentle and eloquent. IDK how to describe it, but he has a v specific tone and pauses in a very unique way, making his tone very melodic and almost like a news anchor hahaha. But when he's talking to the guys he loses that formality and he stresses random words that give him a kind of goofy tone? And he uses a lot of expressions like “야” (yah) or “으아” (euah) as sentence fillers. Again, like Joon, no satoori!

Yoongi: oh he's by far the member I have the most trouble understanding. He slurs his words a lot, starting off somewhat strong but almost losing the entire ending of the sentence. I'm sure you know what I mean even if you don't understand him. A friend once mentioned to me that his pronounciation of the letter ㅆ is not as strong as it should be, tending to sound more like a regular 's' sound like in the letter ㅅ. This is apparently due to his accent! Also, like Joon, to me he tends to sound really poetic, maybe more unconciously than Joon bc I feel like he's really deliberate with his words and Yoongi is more spontaneous. As a sentence filler, he clicks his tongue a lot and sucks in air (something I think JK has also taken from him)

Hoseok: Hobi always brings a smile to my face. I think his accent is the most notable (or maybe I just catch it better than the other's, especially since it's different from the rest of the members' given he's from Jeolla.) His entonation varies a lot, it's very melodic but in an energetic way because of this accent. He also ends sentences with 잉, ing, a lot, which leads to those "said cutely" translations. HE LOOVES onomatopoeias and adding random noises when he's doing things or describing smth. He's just a really fun guy to listen to. I noticed he uses 되게 (dwege) as a filler.

Jimin: you were right, anon. Jimin is incredibly soft-spoken and extremely careful about his words, that's why he tends to mutter or start sentences over and over again to convey the feelings he tries to express. This leads into very long sentences, with a lot of what I call 'pleasing' expressions. This is, Korean (like other Asian languages such as Japanese) is a very indirect language. When you want to express your disagreement with something, you don't straight out say 'I don't like this' or if you're telling someone to do smth differently, you don't say 'be careful next time, don't do that'. You say things like 'in the future, i believe that if you are able to do so it might be benefitial if this issue were handled in a different way' (this is a random example). Your sentences get endless bc you add words and politeness that softens the blow of your different opinion. Jimin does that more than other members who tend to be more blunt, like YG, TH or JK. I think this has changed over the years with the growing international fandom, but he used to sound really informal in his vlives to sound like an old friend with armys. now I think he expresses his outmost respect for us by speaking really formally and in ways that are easy to automatically translate. I also read he has some "feminine" speech patterns, since Kr is a very gendered language in the sense that girls and boys have diff sentence endings or words they use. I think this kinda contributes to how softspoken he is.

Taehyung: Tae's speech is all over the place, but he's extremely sensible and I think he offers the most unique metaphors when he's being sentimental. He's very heartwarming, but sometimes it's hard to understand him because he changes the subject, grammatical order or point of his sentences a lot to adjust to the speed in which things are coming out of his mind. This has gotten better over the years, though. I think age has offered him a sense of calm that allows words to flow better than in the early years of bangtan, where he was an excited puppy. He pauses a lot between sentences, saying "ohh" quite often, and he has a bunch of characteristic filler words like 약간 (yakhan, a bit) or 이제 (ije, now). If you watch the run bts ep where they forbid words for each member, I think ije was one of those for Tae.

Jungkook: guys he's so cute. I'm so grateful that he started doing lives more often, bc I always got the impression he struggled to put his thoughts into words more than other members and that's why he shied away from giving speeches. He still has a lot in his mind, but when he's not in a rush, he pauses a lot and stumbles over his words without shame until he gets the thought out. He speaks really really fast when animated, mumbling and slurring his syllables (that's why it's so hard for me to translate the travel show without proper subs.) We all know he has a lisp, I believe it might be a characteristic of his Busan accent, which is quite present on the regular (in contrast with Jimin, who sometimes forces it out, often around JK. He even joked that he was losing it a little). When he's directing his words to army, he tends to be really soft-spoken and formal, speaking in a way that you know comes from a place in his heart. He also uses a lot of onomatopoeias when describing things, and he adds cute endings to his words just like Hobi (my aegyo kings.)

[applerevolution]

Just...why couldn't it be about people in general taking advantage of kindness? Instead of it being A SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE taking advantage of kindness. Weird. Weird bad and gross.

Episode 18 of ranking kings....good lord. This is blatant. Very gross. I'm glad I'm pirating it.

[orphiclovers]

Thinking about Underground Killer by Lee Sookyung again.

The most obvious place to start is at it's compariosn to Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Now I haven't read it and I'm not yet crazy enough to read a book just to be able to write a better orv meta (I mean I could. it's 22k words it isn't that long) but I DID read the sparknotes summary so I can make surface level comparison... but take everything I say about NFTU with a grain of salt as I'll be interpreting it creatively to fit ORV's narrative LOL

NFTU is split in two parts. The first part is a collection of notes from a lonely, misanthropic 40 something man full of self hate who feels paralyzed by inaction, overcome by inertia, unable to make a single decision about his own life. He is totally alienated from society and figuratively "underground"

I can see a fucked up inversion of Lee Sookyung's story here. Women in abusive marriages often struggle to leave for years and even decades, paralyzed by fear and learned helpnessness into not making a single decision. Underground Killer could be about her marriage to Dokja’s father and her life during that period, struggling with the desire to escape and her own fear. NFTU critises russian society - UK must have criticized the korean society that allows women to be abused this way.

But unlike the narrator of NFTU she DID make a decision in the end, she did something that required tremendous willpower- she killed her husband. Well, that's what she wrote in the book anyway.

I think Underground Killer must have been a story of how an intelligent woman could be driven to murder (providing an in depth motive so no one suspects she didn't, I suppose) and clearly it felt real. As this candid look into domestic violence's toll shook the country enough to inspire positive change in legislation. How did that happen? I assume it sparked some manner of protests and outrage and became a symbol of the feminist movement (since in no reality would it be the MEN pushing for a change in law to protect women's rights. be so fr).

It must have been a polarizing and controversial topic where everyone had their own take. I'm thinking what the reactions were.

Like I said, the women were mostly on Sookyung's side as they probably saw her actions as brave and inspirational. I'm thinking men absolutely hated it due to it's criticism of patriarchy and the feminist themes. Media at large was enchanted by the spectacle of it all and milked it for all it's worth. Kim Dokja’s peers were too young to care about the Adult thing everyone is talking about on TV at the time it came out.

Later, in high school it was the most fucked up version of "your mom" jokes possible and "don't look at kim dokja too long, or he's gonna snap and kill everyone haha"

At Minosoft it was "Kim Dokja...? Wait that Kim Dokja from that thing on TV a while ago? The son of that woman?" Just gossip.

People like Sagah who don't listen to gossip but read are vaugely familiar with it as a famous book a while ago

Then the apocalypse happens and it is irrelevant to anyone who isn't kim dokja

[waitmyturtles]

Love In The Big City: Reflections on the Novel, and Episodes 1 and 2 of the Television Series

(Writing this with big ups to the LITBC Book Club, led by @lurkingshan and @bengiyo -- I only wish my mom life allowed me to have participated in real time in that project! I am taking the LITBC club's lead and watching two episodes a week of this series. SPOILERS from the novel that may make their way into the series are below -- read at your peril if you're pacing yourself on the series.)

In the midst of my reading the novel version of Love In The Big City over the last two weeks, I've been posting news updates (here, here, and here) about South Korean conservatives, many of them (maybe all of them) Christian, trying to censor and prevent the airing of the subsequent drama series, which dropped this week on TVING and Viki.

I want to note how important and ironic it is, macro-systemically, to note that Christianity has such a looming presence outside of the story itself, with "protestors" (bigots) leveraging "Christian values" as a means of trying to keep this already-brilliant show from being aired.

And if you're pacing on the series like I am, and you *haven't* read the novel, then you've only gotten a little taste for how Christian zealotry, among other issues, has and will affect Go Young throughout this story.

But I'm getting ahead of myself: when I picked up the novel, I was more familiar with the noise and drama associated with the television series than I was with the story itself. I'm going to talk a little about my reactions to the novel, and then offer thoughts on the first two episodes.

I read Proust's In Search of Lost Time (yep, all of it) in my freshman year of college, and Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises two years after. I felt the power of both of these stories strongly in Park Sang-young's novel, from the impact that memories and depression can have on a young man, to the permanence of medical conditions that can drive a young man's life towards otherwise unexplored cliffs of grief and pain.

Even reading a synopsis of In Search of Lost Time is a monumental feat, so let me just say that I felt Proust's madeleine-driven devices of memory, within the novel, from Young's frozen blueberries to the chill of the Marlboro Reds in the freezer. The impact of Young being really, really alone, as connected to the empty freezer and the dwindling blueberries after Jaehee's (Mi-ae in the series) wedding, caught me in a hole of loneliness that I felt for Young -- well before I knew enough of his backstory to be truly devastated.

I'm jumping ahead of myself vis à vis the series, but I also felt Proust even more heavily as I was reading about Philosopher Hipster Doofus Hyung, and I threw back to @lurkingshan as I was reading the book, "goddamn it, we are in yet another circle of hipster doom, huh," well before I learned about the medical turning point this story hinges on. Young's incessant attraction to that POS had me thinking about Proust's narrator's simultaneous incessant attraction and disdain for his companion, Albertine, who is a lesbian in early 20th-century France. While the story between the narrator and Albertine is ultimately a devastating one, Proust's narrator winds through the devastation with an equally devastating arm's-length distance, continually avoiding the true depth of pain that his obsessions would have otherwise rendered.

For me, it's such an apropos comparison to think about as we see Young, time and time again, rationalize the avoidance he has to commitment, all while throwing his energy into the relationships he's able to find himself in, ones that he essentially stumbled upon and never instigated.

The pain of his loneliness only grows as he grows into adulthood, and that, paired with his medical reveal, left me with a boulder in my stomach by the time I finished the novel.

Because I'm me (intergenerational trauma auntie), as soon as I finished the book, I couldn't help but think about Young's own boulders that he silently shouldered -- the thought that Young's medical Kylie would rear its head as a means of aiding Young in rationalizing his own assumptions about wanting vs. deserving long-lasting love, and his habit of taking commitment too lightly, even in the context of an already-established relationship with Gyu-ho.

But I also consider the lifelong trauma he suffered vis à vis his mother as an equally heavy boulder: the fact that Young absolutely internalized his mother's disdain for him as a gay man, his mother trying to "correct" his sexuality through conversion therapy, and then seemingly seeing past her son's reality, horrifically ignoring the emotional development of her son. Besides physical abuse, you couldn't do better than Young's mother in permanently psychologically traumatizing a young man who will already face obstacles as a queer individual in a highly conservative society.

All of this combined rendered me unsurprised -- but, of course, still equally devastated -- by Young's eventually pinball-style life, jumping from menial job to increasingly flippant flings.

What we are treated to in the novel are the thoughts that Young can put together as he steps back and assesses his life, especially at the crushing end of the novel. On the surface, someone on the street could absolutely write off Young as another aloof and aging hipster, disconnected with the world; but we know that that's not the case as Young assesses his dashed hopes for the kind of permanent love that he had once pooh-poohed.

Both Proust's narrator, and Hemingway's Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises, could join Young in that aloofness, and our own misreads of these men, to an extent. Not only is Barnes held back in life by a previous wartime injury (to me, this is screaming of inspiration to Park Sang Young's novel and the timing of Young's medical condition, but I'll never know if Park was directly inspired by Hemingway's book), but Barnes and Proust's narrator are also both young men growing into their adulthood, within circles of friends in impactful societies that seem to be full of intelligence and engagement, but are ultimately larded with loneliness and the pain of static ambition and conformity.

The last takeaway from the novel that I'll think about for now, one that I think is already leading beautifully into the television series, is the fallacy that we all have or had as young adults: that our youth would last forever. Young says, at the end of episode two,

"As I looked down at those blueberries, I realized that a time I had thought would last forever had come to an end."

Young has to reckon with the fact that his life, as it stands still in his early 30s, hasn't moved forward. It's only gone backwards, into deep habits of disconnection, despair, and loss. That youth itself could serve as a modality of movement for a young person to hopefully grow into a person with more potential is both heartening and brutal to consider -- especially as Young clearly could not take time in his life to take care of himself, as busy with his mother as he ends up being.

There's a lot more I'll likely say about the novel as the series unwinds, but I'm honestly still internally processing it. I'm also amazed to think that both In Search of Lost Time and The Sun Also Rises have significant connections to queer sexuality in both novels, and I just couldn't help going down this comparative literature brainrot cycle for a few minutes.

As to the first episodes of the series: what can I say? No one does it like South Korea. The acting, the cinematography, what Nam Yoon-su is bringing by way of his mere presence, let alone how he bodily channels Young's sexuality and personality. We're in prestige drama territory -- and already by episode 2, we've been taking into multiple facets of Young's internal strife, and his soon-to-be-revealed lifelong aloofness to commitment, while he still yearns for infinite love.

God, those internal contradictions, huh? In our real life, with our friends who are like that -- those friends drive us INSANE, RIGHT? Proust's narrator is SO THIS. A guy who sits in a chair and whines about what he wants, and complains even more when he HAS what he wants, because it's not perfect? He HAS Albertine at so many times, but he can't make her fully love him, because guess what, she's a lesbian, womp womp? Pick a battle, homey.

And yet. We're still devastated by Proust's narrator. Because one of his ultimate flaws is that he'll never remain still, he'll never be truly satisfied, and that conflict DOES keep him from being able to attain permanent happiness. At least we get to see him age, while we're left to wonder with Young and Jake Barnes.

I'm just too excited to see how Nam Yoon-su renders Young's own conflicts, as they simply grow, throughout his life in the series.

*****

I want to make one quick, totally unrelated note, about the airing of this series. At least to me, maybe only to me, the opening animated title cards of LITBC are really close to the imagery and symbolism of the title cards of Netflix Japan's The Boyfriend, a recent dating reality show featuring gay men in Japan trying to find permanent love. The ultimate pairing of DaiShun has been HUGE in Asia this year, with DaiShun doing fan meets across Asia, including in South Korea.

As @lurkingshan and others have emphasized: Love in the Big City is NOT a BL, it is NOT a romance. It is a deep exploration of the life of a gay man in the city of Seoul.

Inspired in part by Sex And The City? Probably. But LITBC is not nearly as flippant as SATC regarding social obstacles that its main characters face. LITBC delves painfully into the various obstacles that queer men face in Seoul, from social to medical discrimination.

The Boyfriend actually touched a lot on these obstacles as well. Some of the participants were out, but not all of them; one participant, Tae-heon, used the show itself as a means of coming out to his parents.

While some of us have seen the majority of queer content in Thailand turn very primarily towards BL romances, I still believe that Thailand can and will produce high-caliber media about queer life aside from romance, as it did in 2022's The Miracle of Teddy Bear (which I just finished this week, I'm fine, thanks for asking, devastated actually) and in other cinematic pieces. But I also want to note how incredibly refreshing it is to see Japan and South Korea also pick up this thread through The Boyfriend and LITBC, respectfully, producing content out of the usual romance loops that we've come to expect from BL media.

Anyway. If there's a connection between LITBC and The Boyfriend, with both entities talking MUCH more about holistic queer life in society, then I celebrate it, and I want more, more, more of it.

[justforbooks]

Haruki Murakami

The acclaimed Japanese author’s deceptively simple writing combines fantasy and reality in stories of everything from missing cats to dystopian histories via fantasy thrillers and meditations on love.

Japan’s bestselling living novelist Haruki Murakami started writing aged 30 and became a literary sensation in 1987 when his fifth novel Norwegian Wood was published. His mixture of realistic and dreamlike narratives has earned him a dedicated fanbase, and his name is often floated as a contender for the Nobel prize in literature. If you’re new to him, or want to re-read his greatest hits, here are some places to start.

The entry point

Murakami’s novels can be crudely separated into two categories: the fantastic and the realist – although many fall somewhere in between. Published in 1987, Norwegian Wood lacks the otherworldly strangeness that has come to characterise much of Murakami’s most popular work. Instead the novel is a deceptively simple reminiscence of young love. Landing on a German runway, narrator Toru Watanabe hears the titular Beatles song and is transported back to his college days and turbulent love affairs with two different women. Nostalgic and sweet, Norwegian Wood is Murakami’s most accessible novel, and the book that transformed the author into a literary superstar in Japan.

If you only read one

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is peak Murakami, and features many of the things the author is known for (Mysterious women! Vanished cats! Phone sex! Spaghetti!). Unemployed thirtysomething Toru Okada is looking for his missing cat and missing wife when he sleepwalks into a wild goose-chase of increasingly bizarre events. “The best way to think about reality,” he declares, is “to get as far away from it as possible.” Part detective story, part nightmarish Alice in Wonderland, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle becomes a story about Japanese history, bizarre mysteries and red herrings. Abstract, infuriating and very funny, it is Murakami at his most beguiling.

If you’re in a rush

If you want to make a critically acclaimed film, adapt a Murakami short story. The South Korean thriller Burning took Murakami’s story Barn Burning as its foundations, while, more recently, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi won an Academy Award for his adaptation of Drive My Car. Some of Murakami’s finest storytelling can be found in his microcosmic worlds. Sleep, published in the New Yorker in 1992 and included in the short story collection The Elephant Vanishes, was the first time Murakami wrote from the perspective of a woman and the result is stunning. The story offers a character study of a devoted wife who is suffering from a sleeplessness that is not quite insomnia. Murakami frequently – and justifiably – receives criticism for how he writes female characters, but Sleep is a brilliant story that uses the liminality of the night to evoke the unease of being a woman in a patriarchal society.

The memoir

Murakami’s biography could be the backstory for one of his protagonists. The author was running a jazz club, turned 30, and quit to become a novelist. The rest is bestseller history. Murakami’s slim memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, offers an insight into his diligent creative practice. “Most of what I know about writing I’ve learned through running every day,” he explains. Only seriously taking to running in his 30s, Murakami reflects on the comparisons between marathon-running and writing , and demystifies the author’s practice as regimented routine, endurance training and occasionally injury inducing.

It’s worth persevering with

Across three volumes and over a thousand pages, 1Q84 is Murakami’s most ambitious novel to date, encompassing cults, assassins, parallel realities, two moons and creatures that emerge from the mouth of a dead goat. Following twin story threads of fated lovers, Murakami’s epic is set in a version of 1984 that slips between the familiar and unfamiliar. While 1Q84 is certainly sprawling, it’s structured like a maze with the occasional trick mirror and trap door. It was bemoaned by some critics as a disappointment when first published in 2011 and its length may be intimidating to the casual Murakami reader, but descend into 1Q84’s world and you’ll be treated to a page-turning thriller, a tender love story, a pulpy mystery and a meditation on the metaphysical mysteries of a world not dissimilar to our own.

The one that deserves more attention

After its publication in English in 2001, Sputnik Sweetheart left the orbit of Murakami’s more popular works. It’s a shame because the novel offers a refreshing variation of the author’s most predictable trope: women vanishing. Narrated through the eyes of a typical Murakami narrator (male, pining, passive), at the heart of Sputnik Sweetheart is a lesbian romance between Sumire, a wannabe Jack Kerouac, and Miu, an older, refined wine importer. Lusting after Miu, Sumire begins to shed her bohemian exterior, transforming herself to become Miu’s chic personal assistant. The unequal romance soon develops into self-obliteration as Sumire seems fated to be forever Miu’s sputnik – orbiting her from the isolation of space – before she disappears. Sputnik Sweetheart’s yearning romanticism is as tender as it is uncomfortable.

The masterpiece

Departing from his typical thirtysomething, whisky-drinking, jazz-listening protagonists, Kafka on the Shore is narrated by 15-year-old runaway Kafka Tamura. Fleeing his violent, dead father after receiving an Oedipal prophecy, Kafka finds refuge working in a small coastal town’s library. Alternating with Kafka’s tale is Satoru Nakata’s, an older man who lost his childhood memories at the end of the second world war, but instead gained the ability to converse with cats. Nakata is forced on the run after he crosses paths with a sinister cat-catcher who goes by the name Johnnie Walker. Both characters embark on vision quests, with one foot in everyday Japan and the other in a magical undercurrent that delivers the characters to each other. Murakami has said that the urgency behind his stories is “missing and searching and finding”. Kafka on the Shore eludes genre pigeonholing, and instead exemplifies its author’s ability to map a dreamscape labyrinth, one with its own strange poetic justice.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[blueteller]

Do you have more character analysis on og!Cale and how his relationships are with the other characters? Before and after transmigrating

Well, I'd love to, but..... here's the thing. For all the hype about OG Cale – and I'm definitely a member of that crowd, don't get me wrong – there isn't actualy... much about him. That is actually canon, I mean.

In fact, despite being one of the most popular characters in the fandom, OG Cale is only present in the novel for less than three full chapters in total (655-657), and all of them are spent mostly discussing how the war in the TBOAH timeline went down, not OG Cale's personal relationships.

Everything we know is all told through KRS!Cale perspective, who mostly just makes guesses and some pretty inaccurate assumptions. Sure, there was some stuff on how OG Cale treated his family in the TBOAH novels; but because "Nelan Barrow" did not really know the actual reason behind OG Cale choosing to act like trash... It's all extremely vague.

Nelan Barrow goes like: "OG Cale yelled at his servants yet never actually hit any of them, respected his father but kept distance from his family, and the closest person to a father figure he had was Ron Molan whom he treated like a human being". And that was basically everything, without any context added.

Ron had all of one flashback about OG Cale comforting his father after Jour's funeral. No explanation about Deruth's second marriage, about Basen – not even that they're not biologically related! OG Cale himself stated that "no matter how hard he tried to act like trash, they wouldn't kick him out", so that means the whole Henituse family did love OG Cale unconditionally. And also Ron and Beacrox were visibly quite tired of his nonsense by the time Cale transmigrated. But beyond that...

Well, to be fair, there were some minor characters sprinkled here and there who had a connection to OG Cale, before KRS!Cale got to meet them. There was Hans the butler, who was kind of scared of OG Cale... before he loosened up completely around KRS!Cale. And also there was the Eric Wheelsman, Gilbert Chetter and Amiru Ubarr trio; who were OG Cale's childhood friends because of their connection as North Eastern nobles. There was also the unnamed niece/OG Cale's reincarnated mom, and some Korean characters came up in the extras. They're all great characters, but... all of their relationships with OG Cale were exactly as one might expect: they're confused by OG Cale, yet overall like him (because for all the "trash personna" he did, OG Cale was never actually a bad person).

...Not much left to be said here.

And regarding the 20 years of war in the TBOAH timeline... OG Cale could be a biased narrator like Cale himself, but it sounded like he wasn't really anyone super important. He saw the confrontation between Choi Han and the White Star from the sidelines, not as someone close to the "main hero". He was just a soldier in the background of the battlefield. I doubt he talked to Choi Han even once.

Look, overall, most of OG Cale's relationships can be deduced or estimated from context – like the fact that despite his terrible reputation, no one who knew him actually hated him all that much – but in true canon, there's nothing much going on regarding his bonds with anyone aside his family. Yes, we can headcanon all kinds of drama based on Choi Han's violent actions in the beginning of TBOAH, followed by him leaving with both Ron and Beacrox without them saying goodbye to OG Cale... But that's all fan theories. In the TCF novel, OG Cale is a complete mystery for over 600 chapters.

...Which is probably why fans are so obsessed with him. Fleshing out OG Cale's character is super fun. No wonder there are so many Twin AUs, hahaha!

[iamvercnika]

₊‧⁺˖ ⠀⠀⠀ THE SOUND OF VERONIKA  ! 

stepping  into  the  music  scene  with  a  self-titled  mini  album,  VERONIKA  released  an  eccentric  title  track,  entirely  sung  in  slovenian.  unfortunately,  even  after  troubling  herself  to  learn  how  to  pronounce  each  word  in  a  different  language,  the  artist's  career  didn't  pick  up  until  she  released  a  korean  version  only  two  months  later.  quite  fast  when  it  comes  to  getting  any  kind  of  recognition  in  the  music  industry,  but  knowing  that  VERONIKA  debuted  in  GLASSHOUSE  makes  sense  as  to  how  quick  she  became  famous.  the  music  video  for  VERONIKA  barely  received  six  million  views  in  the  first  twenty-four  hours,  which  was  a  shock,  considering  she's  under  a  popular  company. 

this  didn't  stop  the  singer  because  at  the  beginning  of  2021,  VERONIKA  released  MIDNIGHT  DREARY,  and  its  title  track,  THE  WITCH  LIVES,  became  one  of  the  most  talked-about  songs  in  the  months  that  she  was  promoting  it.  the  title  track  delves  into  the  undying  spirit  of  the  witch,  symbolising  resilience  and  eternal  power.  it  narrates  how  VERONIKA's  essence  transcends  time,  haunting  and  guiding  those  who  encounter  her  legacy.  the  song  received  high  praise  from  critics,  and  it  accumulated  twenty  million  views  in  the  first  twenty-four  hours,  as  well  as  three  music  show  wins.  up  until  now,  fans  have  thought  of  this  song  as  VERONIKA's  best-released  one. 

BUMP IN THE NIGHT  captures  the  fear  and  thrill  of  nocturnal  encounters  with  the  unknown.  it  evokes  a  sense  of  dread  and  excitement,  reflecting  the  spine-chilling  moments  when  the  veil  between  worlds  is  thinnest.  it  was  early  in  her  career  that  VERONIKA  admitted  that  she  thinks  of  the  album's  concept,  as  well  as  the  production  of  it.  "i  have  at  least  fifteen  unreleased  songs  that  i  plan  on  using  for  my  future  albums,"  the  singer  revealed,  which  started  the  whole  talk  of  "raiding  her  hidden  laptop"  debate  on  twitter.  GOOSEBUMPS  was  the  song  where  VERONIKA  exposed  the  range  her  voice  could  go  to,  and  the  most  watched  parts  were  the  surprising  high  note  in  the  beginning,  as  well  as  in  the  chorus.  the  song  won  only  two  awards,  but  it  definitely  deserved  them. 

AS  ABOVE  is  the  first  part  of  the  twin  albums  the  soloist  revealed  she  worked  on  simultaneously.  its  title  track,  SHE  KNOWS  THE  TRUTH,  talks  about  the  witch's  profound  understanding  of  the  universe's  mysteries.  it  highlights  VERONIKA's  role  as  a  keeper  of  arcane  knowledge,  exploring  themes  of  insight,  revelation,  and  hidden  truths.  the  song  received  a  seven-point-five  score  on  pitchfork,  making  it  VERONIKA's  first  album  to  be  ranked  on  that  website.  SHE  KNOWS  THE  TRUTH  received  four  wins,  and  the  music  video  racked  up  seventeen  million  views  in  the  first  day,  and  has  been  gradually  climbing  up.

SO  BELOW  is  a  continuation  and  the  second  part  of  the  twin  albums.  the  title  track,  I  KNOW  BETTER,  emphasizes  the  witch's  practical  wisdom  and  strength  in  navigating  the  physical  world.  it  underscores  VERONIKA's  confidence  and  mastery  over  the  mystical  and  mundane  aspects  of  life.  the  song  wasn't  as  much  of  a  hit  as  the  previous  one,  but  it  still  received  a  nice  win  on  the  music  show  and  at  least  seven  million  views.  the  concept  for  this  album  focused  on  earthly  manifestations  of  the  witch's  power,  which  was  a  bit  mundane  compared  to  AS  ABOVE's,  which  was  about  the  higher  knowledge  and  wisdom  possessed  by  the  witch. 

the  soloist's  first  ep  album,  KILLING  MR.  STRANGER  is  about  confronting  and  overcoming  external  and  internal  threats.  STRANGENESS  IN  US  explores  the  duality  of  human  nature  and  the  inner  battles  that  parallel  external  conflicts.  it  portrays  VERONIKA's  struggle  against  societal  fears  and  prejudices  while  embracing  her  unique  identity.  the  album  is  raw  and  showcases  VERONIKA's  inner  feelings,  which  resonates  with  her  fans  who  share  the  same  feelings.  however,  many  fans  deemed  this  song  lacklustre  and  said  it  became  boring  after  a  couple  of  listens.  it  didn't  receive  any  wins,  and  the  music  video  had  only  six  million  views.  even  the  artist  herself  admitted  it  felt  empty,  but  that  was  the  point  of  it.  no  one  believed  her,  though,  because  this  was  the  only  track  that  she  didn't  produce  by  herself,  and  the  fans  felt  like  she  was  forced  to  say  that. 

THE  DEVIL  WITHIN  is  a  significantly  better  album.  containing  ten  songs,  this  full  album  talks  about  the  internal  demons  and  darker  aspects  of  the  witch's  persona.  LITTLE  MONSTER  delves  into  the  inner  turmoil  and  darker  impulses  that  reside  within  VERONIKA.  it  reflects  the  constant  battle  with  her  own  darker  nature  and  the  acceptance  of  these  shadowy  facets  as  part  of  her  power.  a  lot  of  fans  commented  how  the  song  reminded  them  of  THE  WITCH  LIVES  and  were  happy  that  despite  the  hiccup  that  was  KILLING  MR.  STRANGER,  VERONIKA  found  a  way  out  of  the  slumps  and  came  back  with  a  much  better  sound.  so  far,  this  is  her  most  streamed  album,  and  it  received  twenty-five  million  views  on  the  first  day,  breaking  her  previous  record  of  twenty  million  views.  it  also  gave  her  six  music  show  wins  and  stayed  on  the  top  five  charts  for  a  good  couple  of  weeks. 

critics  say  that  "the  burden  and  sacrifice  of  wielding  great  power"  symbolizes  VERONIKA's  second  ep  album,  HEAVY  IS  THEE.  the  title  track  symbolizes  the  heavy  responsibility  and  suffering  that  come  with  VERONIKA's  extraordinary  abilities.  CROWN  OF  THORNS  touches  on  themes  of  martyrdom,  endurance,  and  the  pain  intertwined  with  her  gifts.  trap  hip-hop  was  the  main  genre  for  this  album,  and  VERONIKA  explains  it  in  her  own  words:  "the  song  stands  on  a  fine  line  between  desperation  and  obsession,  so  i  feel  like  it’ll  be  a  good  song  for  people  to  relate  to  and  get  immersed  in".  the  song  reached  the  international  fandom  more,  mainly  because  of  the  different  genre  the  song's  stepped  in.  no  music  show  wins,  but  the  international  fandom  will  always  praise  the  song. 

VERONIKA's  most  recent  mini-album,  TOUCH  OF  EVIL,  shows  the  witch's  destructive  potential  and  deadly  allure.  SONG  OF  DEATH  is  carefully  constructed  to  embody  the  lethal  enchantment  and  peril  that  VERONIKA  represents.  it  speaks  to  the  seductive  and  fatal  charm  of  her  powers,  warning  of  the  dangers  of  succumbing  to  her  influence.  fans  were  surprised  by  the  different  approach  to  her  story  as  a  witch.  lowkey  inspired  by  the  1945  novel,  ANIMAL  FARM,  VERONIKA  went  all  in  when  it  came  to  the  music  video.  in  the  end,  the  video  had  to  be  banned  from  certain  channels,  as  it  was  "too  gore-y"  for  viewers.  despite  that,  international  fans  seemed  to  love  it  because  they  helped it  reach  forty  million  views. 

VERONIKA's  most  recent  release  is  a  single,  SPIDERWEB,  which  illustrates  how  her  presence  ensnares  and  captivates  those  around  her.  it  metaphorically  depicts  the  complex,  interwoven  connections  and  the  inescapable  pull  of  her  supernatural  allure.  the  music  video  for  this  song  focused  more  on  her  performance  rather  than  the  concept.  the  reason  why  is  explained  by  the  artist:  "SPIDERWEB  is  a  complicated  song,  and  planning  an  actual  story  for  it  would  be  hard  to  express  in  the  right  way."  VERONIKA  also  comments:  "at  the  end  of  the  day,  i'm  a  performer,  and  i  want  to  show  that  through  my  first  single.  sometimes  all  you  need  is  an  intense  stage,  a  couple  of  props  and  passion  to  show  the  story."  this  single  was  released  only  digitally  and  as  a  poca  album,  but  the  song  managed  to  reach  twenty-nine  million  views  in  the  first  day.

[whateveritsmyshed]

롯데월드 35주년 축전!!! 초고속 그림.!!

[kaiso-woo]

It's a Sign

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　

-> Masterlist

PART 3 of my ‘Stay Series’ - a long hypothesised journey of a relationship between Bang Chan and Reader.

WC: 3.5k | Synopsis: It’s been a few months since you and Chris have been in a long-distance relationship, and now you’re visiting him in Korea for an upcoming concert. Just some playful moments with Stray Kids, and also your first kiss with Chris :)

Notes: FLUFF, Second Person Narration, Skz Fluent in English, Idol!Chan, CaféOwner!Reader, Fem!Reader

Here for a reading marathon? Head right back to the start!

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　

Overall ‘Stay Series’ Synopsis: Bang Chan experiences the suic!des of Stays, so when you lot choose to die, he dies right along with you. Reader is the “antidote” to this condition - NOT MENTIONED IN THIS PARTICULAR FIC

PART 3

!!Casual reminder this is entirely fictitious - Chris/Christopher in my work does not represent the actual Bang Chan - this is purely my imagination and nothing more - this goes for all other SKZ-Members too!!

–

(A/N: When the dialogue is in script format, it's meant to represent text messages.)

Chris: “babe, I’m sorry I can’t pick you up”

You: “it’s okay!”

Chris: “I’m really sorry, you know that right?”

You: “Chris it’s okay, I know you are”

Chris: “A manager’s coming to get you” Chris: “They’re nice I promise” Chris: “you aren’t mad are you?”

You: “CHRISTOPHER BAHNG” You: “IT’S OKAY” You: “why would I ask you to pick me up???” You: “you’re literally famous” You: “you can’t just be seen picking up some girl at the airport”

Chris: “I know I know” Chris: “I just feel bad” Chris: “And you’re not just ‘some girl’”

You: “Don’t feel bad”

Chris: “But it’s your first time in Koreaaaaaaa”

You: “Yes it is baby, I’ll see you soon”

Chris: “But I could be seeing you at the airport” Chris: “I’m sorry :(”

You: “Chris” You: “It’s” You: “OKAY”

--

You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, letting your phone fall into your lap. Your plane is about to land, and it’s time you buckled up. You understood perfectly well that he wouldn’t be able to do these kinds of things for you. He has a schedule to work around, and he couldn’t just be seen dating someone. That’d make things difficult for him. You had been hesitant to visit him in Korea for a long time, but he was insistent on getting you over to him. You had your café to worry about, and potential dating scandals popping up.

Ashley had graduated now, and she was perfectly happy to become the acting owner of the Café. She had proved herself a long time ago, and she was more than capable of handling the café herself. She was even welcome to use your apartment during the period in which you weren’t there.

It was a little chilly in the airport, and as you stood there, waiting for your luggage to roll around on the conveyor belt, you wished you had worn a jacket. Your phone pinged with a message: Chan had sent you a picture of the person picking you up.

Chris: “Send me a pic of you so I can give it to the manager”

You: “Just send one you already have”

Chris: “Don't have one of what you look like right now”

You: “Fineeeeee”

After some time, you’re nestled safely in the passenger seat of a car, the manager talking with you in broken English. Despite the language barrier, it didn’t feel overly awkward, and the manager was super polite, if a little nosy. You had found the motivation to learn a little Korean too, which helped a lot.

–

The lounge room was cosy, and you greeted everyone who walked past you with a nervous nod of your head. You hadn’t considered whether the other JYP trainees and idols would know of your existence. You wondered dimly if they were smiling at you out of pure grace, or if they genuinely thought you welcome here. It wasn’t until a girl who looked about the same age as you plonked down on the couch beside you that you grasped the full situation.

“You’re Chan’s girlfriend, aren’t you?” she asks with wide eyes, hands placed gently on her knees. “Ah… yeah,” you smile nervously, unsure what to do. “Wow, you must be so nervous. That’s brave of you to come here,' she continues, sounding genuine. “Mmh, well he really wanted me to visit… but I’m worried about any scandals or-” “It’s okay! Everyone here knows, and Chan’s really careful, he won’t let anything happen to you,” she grins, getting up to grab a drink from the fridge. 

“Ah- ah really? Everyone knows?” you laugh, gratefully accepting the drink she hands you with a tilt of your head. “Of course!” she plonks back onto the couch with a sigh, “He fought with JYP about you.” “Oh,” your heart sinks faster than you ever thought possible, and your grip tightens around the bottle in your hands. “Oh no. Don’t feel bad about it. It was quite admirable,” she smiled comfortingly, carefully placing a hand on your shoulder, “He must care for you a lot, to fight that hard for you.”

You’re about to respond, when the sound of loud shouting and raucous chatter is heard outside the room. The girl removes her hand from your shoulder and rolls her eyes, “That’ll be them. Loud as ever.” You grin at each other, and your excitement grows as the noise intensifies. Suddenly, the backs of Jisung, Felix, Changbin, Jeongin and Hyunjin appear, blocking the doorway. “No no, don’t let him in!” “Is she even in there?” “Yeah she’s there, I saw.” “Stop him!”

The girl beside you starts laughing, covering her mouth with glee, and you can only shake your head in amusement. They let Minho and Seungmin slip past, who yell your name when they see you. Seungmin aggressively waves, and Minho bounds up to you, sitting down next you with ease.

“Yah!”  You fail to contain your laughter when you hear Chris yelling from down the hallway, “What’re you doing?!” The chaos intensifies in front of the door as the Stray Kids members jostle with each other to try and form a more solid wall. Seungmin joins the fray, standing behind them and stretching his arms and legs out wide.

Minho suddenly grabs your wrist, “Hide, hide.” You stare at him in confusion, so he forcefully pulls you up from the couch and drags you over to one of the storage cupboards. “You want me to-” “YES HURRY UP!!” he demands. You giggle and busy yourself with trying to fit into the cramped cupboard, standing as straight as you can so Minho can shut the door on you.

“Yahhhhh…. don’t make me force my way through.” You can hear Chris yell, and the noise of the Stray Kids members only intensifies. “You can’t have her to yourself!” “Can I teach her our choreo?” “She should come to rehearsals with us!” The comment from Seungmin, louder than the rest, makes you audibly snort with laughter. “You can’t force your way through! You’re too old man!”

The laughter after this makes your heart swell. You’ve missed the sound of all of them laughing, and their relentless bullying. “Oi!” Chris yells, and if possible, everything sounds more chaotic. “Move! Move!” “Seungmin you’re dead, oh no.” “He looks mad- out of the way!!” “GO GO- I DON’T WANNA DIEEEEEE!” Eventually, Chris seems to make it into the lounge room, only after the Stray Kids members have scattered this way and that. “Suhee???” 

Ah… so that’s her name. “Your girl’s nice, Chan. She’s really cute.” You swear, there will never be a quiet day around Stray Kids. “Chan Chan! Suhee’s tryna steal your girl!” “Suhee thinks she’s cuteeee, oh you’ve got competition now!!” The sudden silence creates an image in your mind, and you have a gut feeling that Chris has swivelled around and raised his hand, feinting a threatening slap.

“Minho hid her,” Suhee laughs, “She’s in the cupboard.” “Where? This one?” his voice sounds closer now, and your heart slams into your chest. The anticipation building, you clamp your hand over your mouth, careful not to breathe too loudly.

When the cupboard finally swings open, breathing loudly no longer becomes an issue when your breath is knocked out of your lungs. They must have just come from a dance rehearsal. Chris has sweat glistening on his forehead, and his hair is thoroughly ruffled. 

“Hi,” he whispers in tiny, a small smile on his face, eyes shimmering with happiness. “Hi,” you whisper back with a little wave. “You’re right Suhee, she is cute,” Chris states, before snatching at your clothes and pulling you into a rough hug. 

Immediately you’re engulfed in his scent - his perfume mixed with his sweat - and you nuzzle your nose into his clothes with a sigh. Chris has his own nose buried in your hair, and his arms around your waist squeeze you the tightest he ever has. You’re home.

“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much. How was the flight? Are you tired? Did you get here okay? Do you need food, water? Anything?” he’s asking you too many questions that you can’t even process them all, so instead you pull away from him and smile, “I’m fine Chris.”

Carefully, you move to wipe the sweat from his forehead with your sleeve, but he jerks his head away from you. “Don’t do that, don’t dirty your sweater.”

Impatiently, you grab his chin to pull his head back and you successfully wipe his forehead. Chris is staring at you in shock, his arms loosening around your waist. “That wasn’t very cute,” Felix hums, and Suhee pushes herself off the couch. “Nice meeting you!” she calls, then disappears from the lounge room. “That wasn’t very cute at… all,” Hyunjin repeats, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “That was sexy,” Jeongin pipes up from over by the fridge. He’s busy looking for something to eat and doesn’t notice the surprised look on everyone else’s face.

Jisung suddenly throws himself onto the couch, lying on his stomach, his feet swinging in the air. He rests his chin on his hands like a pretty princess and contributes his 10c in the most British accent ever possible, “That’s a bit spicy.”

Chris grabs the nearest pillow and flings it at him. "Hey! How come you didn’t throw a pillow at Jeongin?!” “Favouritism!” “Maknae on top! OhwoooOH!” “He’s corrupt!”

Again, there will never be a quiet day around Stray Kids.

–

It’s been a few days, and the Kids have managed to drag you over to one of their dress rehearsals. They have a concert the following week, another reason for why Chris was eager for you to visit. They’re messing around and being chaotic as usual. Some getting their makeup done, others warming up their vocals in random corners of the room, some checking out the laid-out snacks with curiosity.

You’re standing with your back up against the wall, happily munching on an ice cream while you watch them. Chris waddles over to you with his own ice cream in his hand and stands right in front of you, blocking your vision.

“You okay?” he asks with wide puppy eyes, “Are you bored?” “Nothing’s ever boring around you guys,” you grin, nibbling on more of your ice cream. Chris’ eyes flicker down to your lips, watching as you eat. “Are you okay?” you ask him, eyes momentarily flickering over to the food table, where Changbin has finally picked out a snack. “Everything’s okay when you’re here,” Chris throws back at you with a grin. A faint blush dusts your features, and Chris’ grin only widens. “You’re insufferable,” You hiss, pushing his chest playfully. “Only for you~”

Hyunjin has decided to pick a fight with Changbin, and they’re both now arguing over the snack in Changbin’s hands. “I picked it up first!” “I don’t care, that’s my favourite.” “There are more!” “Can you see more? Are there more? I must be blind… oh wait… THERE’S NONE THERE! THAT’S THE ONLY ONE!” “Hmmm, maybe… I’ll give it to you if you give me a kiss.” “What?!” “On the cheek. Hm? Hm?”  Hyunjin laughs, and then out of nowhere, lunges forwards to try and wrestle the snack out of Changbin’s hands.

All of this is happening somewhere in the background by the way. It’s happening, but you can barely hear it (surprisingly). After Chris being an unrelenting flirt, you’ve found yourself completely drowned in his eyes, trying to memorise every speckle, every slight shade of brown you can see. He’s holding his ice cream in one of his hands, and with the other, is carefully trying to fix the stray strands of your hair, biting his bottom lip in concentration (which you can’t help but notice). 

As Changbin and Hyunjin wrestle for the snack, wreaking havoc in the dressing room, they circle around and around. Eventually, they’re positioned right behind Chris, and the laughter of the rest of the Stray Kids members causes you to look around in curiosity, finally drawing your attention away from Chris. Not him though, he’s still watching you fondly, so used to the noise of the Kids that he’s able to simply tune them out.

After a particularly hard shove, Changbin rocks back into Chris, shoving him forwards. Instinctively, Chris’ arms rocket out to brace himself on the wall, caging you between them, your faces centimetres apart. You fail to contain a little gasp of shock, and swallow nervously. Chris’ eyes are wide and he’s breathing heavily, his warm breath tickling your skin, causing your heart to thump loudly, blood rushing to your cheeks. 

Changbin and Hyunjin are apologising to their leader, but again, you barely hear them. The room falls suddenly silent, and your skin prickles with the realisation that everyone’s eyes have turned towards the pair of you; the staff and the Kids are watching with bated breath. And still, Chris doesn’t move. He seems to be frozen, and so are you. His eyes flicker to your lips again, bright pink thanks to the cold of the ice cream, and his mouth parts slightly, agonising over something. Then he inhales sharply and withdraws himself from you, “You okay?” he mumbles, but you’re still standing there like a deer caught in headlights. His entire face has gone pink, but you can see he’s trying to control his embarrassment.

He chuckles, grabs your wrist, and forces your ice cream up to your mouth, “Eat,” then turns away to finish off his own ice cream and have the finishing touches added to his outfit. “Have they kissed yet?” Jisung whispers from over by one of the mirrors, asking anyone who can hear him. “They can hear you, you know,” Felix deadpans, and Jisung shrugs, “Genuine question.”

Chris sighs, fiddling with his earring by the dressing table, his back turned to you. Finally, you take another bite out of your ice cream, carefully slipping your phone out of your pocket to busy yourself with something else.

You haven’t yet. But you almost did. So that was something. Thanks Bin. Thanks Hyunjin.

–

This morning, you’ve gone out to get some food for lunch. The Stray Kids members had left the dorm earlier for a final rehearsal, leaving you by yourself to roam. You’re suddenly craving hot pot, so after a quick search on your phone, begin the short walk to the nearest place that does it. The sun is warm on your face as you stroll with your hands deep in your pockets. 

You’re to fly back home in a couple of days after their concert tomorrow, and you’re dreading the moment, but right now, you’re content to breathe in the fresh air, wistfully thinking about the new memories you’ve just created with Chris and his Kids. They did in fact, try to teach you some choreography, and you had a blast being yelled at by Minho, and then almost being reduced to tears of joy when everyone started yelling at Chris, who had tried to defend you. 

Your mind even drifts back to that moment, so close. Maybe if you had just found the courage you could have pecked him on the lips, or the cheek, or anywhere really. Anywhere would have been good if you had been thinking straight. You’re so lost in thought that your surroundings are beginning to blur slightly, not paying attention much to where you’re going. 

Across the street, Chris pauses, his eyes catching on a person he finds awfully familiar. It’s you, absently walking towards a destination unbeknownst to him. His face cracks into a grin and his heart rate increases, excited to run into you by chance. They’ve just finished up with rehearsal, and he was headed off for a bite to eat as well by himself, savouring his alone time. 

He’s loved having you here, loved every second of it – cherished your smiles, and your laughter with the boys, ingrained the pattern of your eyes in his mind, relished in the warmth of your hugs. He’s craved your attention when you’re occupied with the members, missed your presence when he’s sleeping by himself in his room (you had taken up residence on a mattress in the lounge room).

He'd almost, almost kissed you. Tempted to. Desperately wanted to press his mouth to yours in that moment and finally satisfy his curiosity. Would it be soft? Would he melt into a puddle on the floor? Or would an unknown desire creep up on him and urge him to take more, be greedy. All just for you. 

He physically shivers, and after a quick check for cars, dashes across the road to halt you in your tracks.

He yells your name eagerly, trying to get your attention before you walk too far. 

Your head snaps up at the sound calling, but for some reason your body continues to walk. You’re so shocked at the sight of Chris scampering over to you that with a loud whack, you walk face first into a street sign. You stumble back in pain, manage to trip on your own leg, and fall to the ground with a thud.

Chris is laughing before he even reaches you, a stupid grin plastered on his face. You glare up at him, pouting and rubbing your forehead. “Are- baby are you okay?” he wheezes, offering you a hand. You grumble and swat his hand away, standing up yourself. Your stubborn antics cause him to laugh even more; he leans over and grabs your shoulders for support. “How did you manage to-”

“It’s not funny!” you yell at him, but before you know it, you’re a laughing mess too. There’s something about seeing him all giggly, so carefree, that soothes your soul. You’re now competing with a bruise on your head, the warmth of embarrassment flooding your face, and struggling to breathe. Chris tilts his head up to look at you, his hands still gripping your shoulders tightly.

His grin fades when he notices the sparkle in your eyes, the pure joy emanating from you. Slowly, he stands properly and a hand shifts to caress your right cheek. His eyes can’t seem to rest on a particular spot. They’re roving from your eyes to his hand on your face, to your lips and back again. You lean into his touch and smile, trying to read his solemn expression. His cheeks are red from laughter, hair ruffled and curly after rehearsals. Then your eyes drift down to stare at his plush lips, and you know you’re lost. You’re gone. You’re his. If only…

“I… I’m going to give you five seconds to slap me,” he whispers, his thumb caressing your cheek lightly. You blink at him in confusion, “Why would I-”

Chris steps closer, closing the gap between you, and leans down, eyes fluttering shut. The kiss is soft, hesitant, but also filled with tender care, as though the kiss alone could convey everything you mean to him. 

When he finally pulls away, he lingers a second longer, his nose rubbing yours before stepping back completely. “What-” you stutter, hand zooming up to your lips in surprise. “Five…” he begins, looking like a pure gentleman with his hands clasped neatly behind his back, “Four…”

“Chris what- you can’t just- did you just-” “Three…” You stand there with your mouth wide open, trying to process. Chris takes a step back towards you, a small smile gracing his features. “Two…” “What-”

“One…” he grabs your chin gently and angles your head up. Your eyes are wide with surprise, and by this point you’ve stopped breathing again. “You didn’t slap me…” he whispers, eyes trailing down to your lips again. 

It’s you this time who initiates it, grabbing at his shirt to pull him into you, teetering on your tiptoes. Chris’ other hand snakes around your waist, resting comfortably there to support you. Finally, you pull away a little breathlessly, stunned by your own actions.

“Wait- why do you-” you peck him on the lips again, “Why do you taste like-” Chris grins at you, then offers a final longer lasting kiss. “You taste like watermelon?” “S’probably the lip balm Hyunjin bought me. I think it’s got rockmelon in it too,” he chuckles, before reaching down to link your hand with his, “Where are we eating babe?” 

He’s beginning to walk you in the direction you were going before but stops when you don’t respond. His smile causes your stomach to swoop, and he shakes your hand to ground you back to reality. “Jagi. Where are we eating?” he asks again. “Hot… hot pot…” you murmur, “Why is that so you?”

“Hm?” he asks, dragging you along again, obviously knowing the area better than you do and immediately understanding where to go. “Rockmelon and watermelon.” “Is it?” he hums, eyes twinkling in adoration.

“Yeah… I’ll have to thank Hyunjin later…” you link your arm with his and snuggle closer, a warmth spreading from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes. Chris places a loving kiss on your head, “Order whatever you want, I’m paying.” “No. No you’re not I am.” “We’re not arguing over this.” “Then at least let me pay for myself.” “No.” “Let me pay for myself!” “Absolutely not. Never.” “Chris.” “It’s called a fucking date. I pay for you.” You roll your eyes and shove him gently, “Ashley is such a bad influence on you.” “Nahnah, remember she took the words right out of my mouth.” Chris grins, winking cheekily at you.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　

-> PART 4 -> Masterlist

A/N: Yay! Milestone Event 3 Check!

Feedback is always appreciated, negative and positive alike. I apologise for any editing errors, I’m forever learning.

Until next read! - Kaisowoo

[thatfeelinwhen]

☙ LOVE CYCLE [사랑주기] is the debut mini album by the south korean fictional five-member girl group, B'ANGELZ. released on february 12, 2022 much in line for the upcoming romantic holiday, the album consists of 3 tracks called cool with you, love dive, and the title track, midas touch and was promoted by the group for a total of 4 weeks. the album is supposed to feel like a fury of love called a "love cycle" which the creative director and leader of b'angelz, adora stated.

the album embodies many different aspects of love each of which shows elements of the stories in ancient greece storytelling such as goddesses, greed, and curiosity with love which is shown in each music video. each music video tells a story and highlights either two or one member with that story it's telling and has a somewhat, ethereal effect

☙ TRACKS . . .

MIDAS TOUCH prod and written by 아도라, 서리. a storytelling which shows the greed of midas, a god whose main love was gold turned for the worst as he overlooked the priorities and things he loved. this is showcased as greed for materialism, toxic love, and charm. by expecting materialistic stuff, overlooking what a relationship should really be about which is: love, this causes a falter in the narrator's relationship but since all this person can see is the charm by their "midas touch" the s/o doesn't really notice the lack of love in the relationship...

LOVE DIVE prod & written by 아도라. storytelling of the courage of diving into love headfirst without any thought about it, love dive is a song which showcases a romance that's only built of curiosity and a rush of new emotions, love at first sight, much like the relationship between eros and psyche, a crush almost it seems but a little more. a love dive.

COOL WITH YOU prod & written by 아도라. a storytelling that shows a god, cupid the one who's in charge of making everyone fall in love, disagreeing with love in general though, meets someone who isn't like everyone, someone who's not made for others but made for cupid. it shows many similarities to the love story of eros and psyche, how eros loves her in the night but ultimately because eros is a god and has duties, he always leaves her in the day but, love foreshadows all as he decides that he'd give up being a god if it meant being with the only living being meant for him

☙ . . . STYLING !!

☙ ERA NOTES ?!

♡ adora admits to an mc the original idea for this concept was brought up when adora and seori were watching greek myths on youtube and came across 'psyche and eros' story and fell in love with the idea .

♡ "this would make a really cool concept..." seori would tell adora, letting off light bulbs in her head.

♡ the entire idea was to make something that'd be different from the industry's norms, a love song that talked more realism than normal idol love songs.

♡ adora was nervous but determined with this new approach so she gave it her all as she and seori created the title track "midas touch"

♡ on their first day to promote their album, all of the girls were quite nervous as they were all, except mina quite rookies to the whole idol image.

♡ their title track received both good and bad commentary, bad being that the song was very "vixen-like" to the people who didn't understand the meaning

♡ but even to those lots of the good praise was for the song's overall vibes as it reminded those who weren't big fans of kpop of those 2000s artists, allowing the group to get an international following

♡ despite not having a big korean fanbase, the international fans helped them secure their first win

♡ their encore stage, showing their raw vocals and pure talent also whilst interacting with the fans they had support from, allowed them to gain a bigger fanbase and more views to their debut

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC Origins

Thanks @tabswrites here!

Rules: post the origins of how you came up with the name, personality, and design of your OCs!

I'll do Kelsey and Hye-Jin this time!

Kelsey

The original form of Kelsey appeared in the first draft of TSP, and she was Kelly's best friend Nellie. Kelly being the original Maddie. Like Kelly, Nellie was also eight years old and didn't do much, but she was one of the leads in the second book, which I still have not found. Nellie had blonde hair in a bob cut, blue eyes, pale white skin, and wore rectangular purple glasses. I don't remember what she wore. She had the ability to fly. I think her design stayed mostly the same in Draft Two, but I feel like I never described her. I gave her the last name Newman, and I also changed her powers to be force-fields. My sister was the one who told me to change her name, since she didn't like the name Nellie, so I changed it to Kelsey (and I don't remember if it was her suggestion or not). I thought Kelsey Newman still sounded like a good name, so I kept it. In Draft Three, I gave Kelsey very vague powers that I just described as "magic," but this is where Kelsey's design actually begins to look like it does now, and I finally aged her up to eleven. I cut her hair short and choppy and made her glasses black. Her personality finally decided to begin to form, but that doesn't mean it was good. In Draft Four, Kelsey found herself becoming a POV character, and that's when her voice came out a bit more. Her narration became a little sassier, and I was able to get her voice down pretty well. I solidified her powers as reality warping, which helped shape Kelsey's storyline, though I eventually gave it the name essokinesis. I also gave Kelsey some makeup. Draft Five was mainly started so I could work more on character, so I was finally able to get Kelsey down a little. While I kept her narration, a lot of it was internalized on Kelsey's part, so her exterior was written to be a lot shyer, and that strong voice only showed itself occasionally. I made her softer side stronger as she became responsible for taking care of her younger cousins. Design-wise, I tweaked her makeup and outfit slightly to fit more into the modern tween emo vibe I was attempting, and even after some debate I recently thought it would be fun to dye her hair, thanks to an incorrect assumption by @illarian-rambling that I actually really liked. Kelsey has come a long way, and I really like where she is now.

Other Kelsey: OC in three, Picrew (blonde), questionnaire one, questionnaire two, bingo

Hye-Jin

While she's not in Part One, I wanted to talk about her in the same post as Kelsey. Hye-Jin made her first appearance in Draft Two as Alexia's friend Lucy Karry, who went to another school. Lucy had the ability to control the weather. Lucy was given one personality trait: shy. Which is more than most characters got in the first few drafts. Lucy was always East Asian and specifically had Korean descent, but design-wise that just meant beige skin, dark eyes, and thick black hair that I think was shoulder-length. Like everyone else, nothing interesting was going on. For Draft Three, I gave her nothing more than a shout-out as Lucy Harris, and I kept her ability to control the weather, but she never made a physical appearance. In Draft Four, I temporarily had her be named Lucy Day in her shout-out, but I realized early on that if she was Korean (or I guess at this point, the Alii equivalent of that), I should reflect that in her name, and I changed her surname to Song. Lucy did not make an appearance until Part Two, where she was revealed to have a new power like Kelsey: mimicry. Lucy stayed quiet and shy, but she didn't have a lot going on, and I struggled to give her something interesting to do. But her design slowly got better. I did give her more basic clothing, where she wore black and white, but that didn't seem to fit. Eventually I decided she'd wear pastels and also gave her a high ponytail and bangs. In Draft Five, when working with the characters, I figured her out a little more, though it didn't sink into place and become easy until I changed her name to Hye-Jin. For some reason, Hye-Jin was easier to write than Lucy. It was like I finally knew who she was. I kept her hairstyle, but I instead made her color palette be duller cool colors plus pale colors, which really helped her out, and I've been having fun describing her outfits. Personality wise, I love where she's heading. Making her a helpless romantic and have a long list of crushes was fun, but also giving her the same shy, sweet personality on top of other quirks such as a love of reptiles and strong self-confidence was very fun. I love writing her now, when before she wasn't like that.

Other Hye-Jin: OC in three, questionnaire one, bingo

Other Origins: Lexi and Maddie, Ash and Gwen, Noelle and Rose

Tagging @melpomene-grey @chauceryfairytales @leahnardo-da-veggie @sarahlizziewrites @dyrewrites

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[open-hearth-rpg]

Hearts of Wulin Now at Age of Ravens

Hearts of Wulin, a PbtA game of wuxia romance and melodrama is now at Age of Ravens Games. Written by Joyce Ch*ng and Lowell Francis (me). This game and its expansion, Hearts of Wulin Worlds, offers a range of playstyles by focusing on the powerful heroes trapped by a web of obligations and personal desires. 

It’s pretty awesome IMHO. It draws on the literature of writers like Jin Yong and Gu Long, in particular adaptations of those stories in dozens and dozens of TV series (Laughing in the Wind, The Proud Twins). It also works to include things like more recent web novels and their adaptations, with rules for xianxia and the fantastic. The core book includes ideas for various genres, narrating fight scenes, building entanglements, and handling historical/courtly games. 

Hearts of Wulin: Worlds includes several settings: 

Shadow of Joseon, set during the Korean Joseon Dynasty. (Yeonsoo Julian Kim)

1905: San Francisco, presents a Chinatown just emerging from the shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act. (Banana Chan)

Cour de l'Eppee transports Hearts of Wulin to swashbuckling France. (Cat Evans)

Academy of the Blade offers a dueling academy inspired by Revolutionary Girl Utena. (Alison Tam)

Fight Me IRL is a unique take on cyberpunk. (James Mendez Hodes) 

Silk & Steam gives you a wondrous silkpunk setting. (Kienna Shaw)

It also includes two major rules add-ons:

The Villain, a new playbook. Not all wulin "Heroes" are heroes with a capital H. Some start in a darker place... 

Numberless Secrets, a new set of rules for telling mystery/investigation stories in Hearts of Wulin. 

These can be found on Drivethrurpg– both are part of the ongoing GMs Day sale happening right now. 

Personally I’m really excited about the future for Hearts of Wulin. Though I never learned the print run, I do know that the last of the physical copies recently sold out at Indie Press Revolution. I have a short list of things I’m hoping to accomplish. 

Get it up on itch.io. I know some folks prefer to get their ttrpg pdfs via that site. 

Figure out how to get Print-on-Demand versions up on Drivethru. I’ve been told this is a challenging process to get right, so I’m hoping to talk to some folks who have done it before. 

Publish the Names & Entanglements deck. This was a self-print add-on for Hearts of Wulin. It's a useful resource for character creation and I’m hoping to have physical copy available for sale. 

I’ve always said folks should feel free to hack and rework Hearts of Wulin as they wish. But I’d like to get a clear Creative Commons license out there for everyone and encourage folks to play around with the system.

Eventually I might do a 1.5 version bringing some of the HoW: Worlds material over into the main book, as well as a couple of rules updates.

I want to publish a collection of Numberless Secrets mysteries along with guidance for running detective wuxia games. I love the series Ancient Detective and this is the best way I get to play out those kinds of stories. 

Get an online keeper which has easy to use set ups for all of the expansion worlds. We have a solid one– newly automated thanks to Agatha– but it doesn’t have all the expansions. 

Some folks have done from amazing things with HoW so far (inspired by media like Scott Pilgrim, Cobra Kai, Star Wars and beyond). It would be great if I could assemble a collection of new hacks and settings, maybe with some additional play options.

Finalize the one translation agreement I’ve been offered. 

I want to thank everyone who has read and/or played Hearts of Wulin. It remains a game I love to run and it would be amazing to have more people try it out.