#no because why would he be thanking johnny world tour for that

[tisijoe]

„Yeah, thanks for beating the crap out of my kid back there, because I couldn’t be bothered to lift my sexy ass off this couch I thrifted at Bison’s base before it burned down, it was the only tasteful piece of furniture that ugly duck owned if I’m being honest, anyways let me explain to you the security measures that were the titles, because did you know that’s not my real name haha, and then i’ll tell you, a complete stranger, about why I was working for Bison.” 🌹🎭✨🍷

[cattimeswithjellie]

Server Tour Stream Recap (Gem POV) 6-13-2024

((It's finally done! It's 13,000 words long! It is also available on AO3 (as are all the other recaps) if you can't read it here, just look for my username Etraytin!))

1:55 Gem opens the stream and greets the chat. She’s inside her base, grabbing rockets because today is a special day! She’s streaming a Hermitcraft meeting, which is weird, but this meeting is actually a server tour where everyone will get a chance to see one anothers’ bases. The tour was Joe’s idea and some people will be streaming, some recording. Gem already recorded today, so here she is!

3:00 Gem joins in on the server tour voice group, where the Hermits are complimenting each others’ weird outfits. Ren is showing off his new skin, a Gigacorp space suit. Cleo tells him he no longer looks like a kid who dressed himself. Ren tells them that was the mission, to regain some semblance of dignity. Cleo would not go that far. Gem adjusts the sound levels to make everyone more audible, just as Cleo asks everyone who is streaming to mute for a moment. Apparently she has more to say about Ren’s outfit. Joe and Gem both confirm that they will not be deafening. Cleo tells Ren she will talk with him later about the thing she just noticed about his outfit. Ren doesn’t like the sound of this. Bdubs asks Ren where exactly the pink stripe is on his outfit. Ren, somewhat defensively, says it’s on his belt buckle. Cleo is still laughing. Joel crouches for a good look as Bdubs decides he knows everything he needs to know. Joel makes a comment about something peeking just a little bit. He could be talking about the microphones, sure. Gem scolds the Hermits, reminding them that Cleo wasn’t even going to say it! Cleo admits that wasn’t what she was going to mention. Ren admits that he’s just sen what the other Hermits are seeing, and he hates his life. He tells everyone he’ll see them next season and leaves the game.

5:20 Gem checks volume levels with Chat, just as Jono raids into the stream. Chat is real distracted by Ren’s outfit, but they attempt to participate in the volume check. In the background, Joe explains that he has four shulkers of lava to represent the lava pool from the start of the season, where they’d once intended to meet to kick off their world tour. The Hermits begin digging a new lava pool. Ren comes back and says this reminds him of 1.7, just flat grass and lava. Gem has missed Joe’s explanation of why they are digging the lava pool, but she has to resist the temptation to knock her friends into it. She punches Joel instead, who tries to shoot her with an arrow. Cleo really hopes that Hypno, whose yard the new pool is in, chose this exact spot to log out.

7:30 The question is raised, whose base to visit first? Xisuma is the obvious choice, being as how it is literally right there, but he claims to be “wildly unprepared.” Joe suggests that this will just make the other Hermits feel better about their own bases. They wait for everyone to join who is coming, while Ren appreciates the Eye of Sauron (Cub’s glass firework) staring down upon them all. While they are waiting, the group resumes teasing Ren. Cleo jokes that if Ren thinks eyes look like that, he should see an optician. Xisuma asks Ren how many fingers he’s holding up. (“One stump,” Ren answers accurately.) Gem comments on Ren’s brand new facial hair. Gigacorp Ren has been working hard and has had no time to shave.

9:20 Gem thanks subs and donos, then authorizes her mods to ban a chatter who is misbehaving. Ren wishes he could grow a nice beard IRL like Bdubs. Bdubs is of the opinion it is as much a burden as a blessing. He is clearly trying to make Ren feel better. Bdubs and Cleo debate whether Johnny Depp is still a sex symbol. The guys jump in on the side of Johnny Depp. Joel claims that his granddad is a sex symbol and he’s 80. Joe guesses that Joel’s grandfather is Mick Jagger. Cleo doesn’t want to hear about anybody’s grandfather being sexy. Gem is visibly rebooting on her facecam, trying to figure out what has happened to the conversation during her thirty seconds away. She demands to know what they are even talking about. Joel tells her nothing, it’s fine. She begins punching him in the direction of the lava. He sets her on fire. She scolds him for being violent. Chat says nobody should set Gem on fire during pride month.

10:50 Cleo demands to know if there’s actually a way to stop Gem from punching people. Joel says sure, just hit her back (with a fire aspect sword, apparently). Gem says that Joel can, with the heavy implication that she doesn’t believe Cleo has Joel’s skill in hitting back. Ren says this is all a very wholesome start to their evening of base tours. The Hermits gather around the lava pool and demand Xisuma jump in so things can be just like they were in Episode One. Xisuma welcomes everyone to the first mini world tour of the season and jumps in the lava. He catches on fire and is extinguished by the others. They all feel very nostalgic about it. Cleo asks if this means Demise is starting again. Joe says it’s time to go trap Bdubs. Bdubs is unenthusiastic. Gem punches Joel one more time to show she will not be intimidated, and then it is time to go!

11:50 Joe asks what inspired Xisuma’s base design, he says “Stuff I saw on Google.” It’s a loose interpretation of Aztec building design. The garden is the first stop, Gem loves it. They discuss his garden design, which makes use of cherry leaves to drop petals and the new tuff blocks. Cleo critiques the sinister aesthetic of X’s villager farm, but Gem is distracted by a palm tree made of diamond blocks. This was a payment from Keralis, who has too many diamonds. Joel is jealous and complains that nobody is buying his honey, still. He doesn’t have the honeycomb permit and nobody wants honey blocks. Cleo says that they will all buy honey from him now just to stop him complaining about it. Gem does not mind the complaining and heckles Joel about how much better honeycomb is than honey. Bdubs asks why anyone would ever need a whole stack of honey blocks and asks if Joel sells individual blocks. Joel says sure, but they’re six diamonds so you might as well buy the stack for the same price.

14:30 Gem wanders into the storage room and exclaims over the massive wall of brightly-colored shulker boxes. The group has broken up by now. Xisuma leads everyone into the storage room, where they agree with Gem’s initial impression of “_so many_ shulker boxes.”Xisuma explains that behind the extraordinary number of shulker boxes is an extraordinary amount of redstone. He has a shulker unloader and all the boxes are filters to sort into. He also has a shulker box mod that puts a picture of the item on each shulker box, rather than being an enormous blank wall of shulkers like it is to Gem and Chat. He explains a bit more how the system works while the Hermits make an enormous racket opening shulker boxes. Joe asks what a potion of strength is for and why Xisuma is making them. Xisuma has no answers for him.

16:20 Gem wanders away again, down a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Xisuma explains that he wanted to connect the two halves of his base, but he decided to make a twisted and turning tunnel rather than a straight shot. Bdubs appreciates how mazelike it feels. Gem slides down the up side of the honey elevator amd gets stuck, losing track of the others in the process. False and Doc are also stuck, so at least she has company in the claustrophobic space. They figure themselves out and rejoin the group, except for Joel who is stuck in a spiderweb and Doc, who is stuck in the elevator. Now that Gem has figured it out, she loves the honey elevator. Bdubs finds a horse named “Nametag.” Cleo gets stuck in the elevator and declares it broken. The other hermits gather on the roof while Xisuma coaxes Cleo out of the elevator. Gem punches Joe into the elevator shaft but he has figured it out and doesn’t even lodge a protest as he climbs out.

20:10 Xisuma gives up on Cleo and wishes them the best of luck before leading the group on the flying portion of the base tour. Someone, probably Joe, is flying with explosive rockets. Gem exclaims that she has never been to this part of the base before and it is way bigger than she thought it was. It is indeed very large. X says this part is not decorated yet, but it’s for all his autocrafting and tree farms. His combination tree farm/autocrafter can make every different type of wood block. Gem is on the other side of the large space, but the Hermits near the tree-farm area begin uh-ohing as Doc (proprietor of Big Wood) unsheathes his sword. X also shows off his bamboo autocrafting area where he makes mosaic blocks to Bdubs (holder of the bamboo permit) just so he can bother all his friends equally. Bdubs is not impressed, partly because he has a setup like that already and partly because nobody will buy mosaic blocks. Cleo, fresh out of the elevator, says she’s bought some, that she’s been trying to buy stuff off everyone. ((Cleo, the owner of the S-Tier enchanting books permit and the hay bales permit, is somewhere in the top 3 of richest Hermits.)) Bdubs thanks her graciously and says she’s doing a wonderful job. False suggests the reason Xisuma has a diamond block tree is because he doesn’t need to buy anything. Doc heaves a sigh.

22:10 Xisuma wants to make sure to mention that the permits are for selling materials, but if people just want to be given items for free, they can come over here and take what they need. Reactions to this are very mixed, mostly based on who is selling what commodities. Cleo is laughing pretty hard. Doc threatens a lawsuit, which of course segues back into the pig murder saga. Joel interrupts this by killing the horse that has been down in this hole for ages, much to Xisuma’s chagrin. Joel claims it was unavoidable because he got stuck in the water, but Joel’s penchant for horse-murder is well known. Doc tries to use this as proof to Cleo that killing nameless animals in people’s bases is totally normal for this server and they can’t be mad about it, Cleo tells him to come back and say it to their face, see how it goes. Doc decides not to press his luck and demurs, saying Judge Bdubs will decide. Joe has been preparing his arguments and is ready for court! Doc smugly tells Cleo that he’s lawyered up, what do they think about that? Cleo thinks that Doc’s lawyer is very punchable.

23:40 This seems like a good time to move on with the tour. Ren seems like the next closest for a base tour. Ren insists upon full immersion and makes everyone land at X’s base so they can go in through the back door. Cleo says “I don’t want-” and makes some kind of horrible strangled laughing noise even as Bdubs hisses “stop it!” at them. Gem insists that Cleo keep it together, and if they have to say it, they had doggone well better mute first. The whole group is clearly thinking the exact same joke, but nobody else was brave enough to voice it. Ren sighs. Cleo insists that anybody else in the group is allowed to sigh, but not Ren, presumably because this is all his fault and also usually he’d be the first one making the double entendre joke.

24:45 Ren leads the way into the immersive experience of his research base, which is best experienced on foot and with gas masks on, on account of the many extremely toxic gases in the air. Most of the Hermits ignore this warning but Xisuma, the only Hermit who literally has a space helmet as part of his skin, puts on a wolf mask for safety. Ren escorts everyone through the bioscanner that is supposed to detect hostile aliens. Doc plays at not being able to get through the scanner. Cleo suggests killing him and Gem helpfully throws a few punches in his direction. Doc notices Ren’s beard, which he grew during many sleepless nights of researching. Gem admires the many pickles being used in the terraforming, but Cleo points out that Ren will definitely have some kind of alien, non-pickle name to call them by.

25:40 Ren explains that the lore of his base is that it is a pop-up prefab dome placed on many planets and powered by liquid sulfur that is produced by the weird toxic plants that grow up around it. He leads them into the decontamination chamber and shows off the HC10 Lore Capsule, which is full of artifacts from the first stream weekend of the season. He describes his build palette and everyone is actually quiet long enough to listen, up until Gem notices her own heads mounted on the wall of the chamber. Ren is proud of his fighting prowess. Gem admits he is surprisingly good with a trident.

27:50 Ren leads the way to the hangar bay, which doubles as his storage room. Gem is surprised to notice how empty it is, and Ren admits he hasn’t got much stuff in it yet. She is disappointed and says she thought he was so organized. Bdubs points out that it’s easy to organize nothing. Ren shows off the nicely decorated command center and gets a little heckling for his stuffed mailbox. Joel would hate to see what Ren’s email inbox looks like, Ren doesn’t want to talk about it. Everyone admires the computer screens False worked out for Ren’s walls, made of rotated banners on armor stands. Ren apologizes that there is no way out of the hangar bay without flying, so Gem helpfully leaves a scaffold ladder on her way out.

29:50 Ren shows off the microbiomes within his big custom biome, including the fungus-treed Mytreelium Biome. He shows off the “liquid sulfur” lake made of honey blocks. Joel approves heartily and begs people to buy more honey. Gem gamely points out that she can see dirt beneath the honey blocks and it ruins the effect. A deeper lake of honey, maybe even several layers, would surely help. Xisuma finds a little honey-lined cave and jumps in to investigate before realizing he can’t get out. He warns the others not to jump down there. Gem instantly attempts to punch Joel into the honey. Ren points out his mud farm and his stonemasons. The Hermits are very upset about the living conditions for the stonemasons, who do not have gas masks. Ren admits that the civilians here do not have a very long life expectancy. He points out the outer wall and explains that it exists to contain the infection of alien biome on the outside world. “Please come and visit The Infection!” Cleo quips.

32:30 Ren’s favorite part of his base is the exploration truck, which has featured in many of his livestreams already. The Hemits really like the truck. Gem and Joel immediately hop into the cockpit and pretend to drive it, complete with engine noises. When they try to rejoin the tour and see the lounge, Ren scolds them for not driving. Getting out of the truck is harder than getting it, and Joel and Gem both plaster themselves against the door thanks to Doc fiddling with the lever. Everybody likes Ren’s base.

35:00 False is suggested as the next base for touring. She starts her tour at the bridge, where her own severed head is welcoming people. Joel says it’s creepy, she points out that it’s fairly tame compared to what was in Ren’s base. Skizz joins the tour a bit late and tags along. Gem appreciates the decorative melons. False remembers to ask Joel to please not kill her rabbit. She shows off her armor stand work, which Joel interprets as “a child who is also a blast furnace” but is actually a small robot interacting with a potter. Doc makes a reference to the movie Ghost that is enough of a reach that even the Hermits old enough to remember Ghost (1990) don’t get it until he explains it. This is going to be a market area with more armor stand work on the way, according to False.

37:10 It turns out False’s base is much bigger on the inside than it appeared, with multiple layers full of storage and farms. Gem is impressed by the size of the place, though False points out that it’s less impressive after seeing Xisuma’s monstrosity. False’s base does have the advantage of looking less like an enormous hole in the ground, though. Her farms are nicely organized and separated by catwalks. The Hermits are impressed. Doc tries to beg a torchflower off False, but she is firm that he should buy them at the flower shop. Bdubs, obviously familiar with the medium, asks False if she regrets using so much copper in the build. She admits she has had to call Xisuma a few times in a panic because she doesn’t have enough copper blocks for her roof. Bdubs understands completely, but also agrees copper is worth it because it is so beautiful. Joel falls off a catwalk with a scream, Gem is immediately inspired to try and punch Doc in as well. Gem just does, like, so much punching when she is in a group.

39:00 Gem adjusts the volume on Skizz, who is nearly inaudible in the continuing vocal scrum. Xisuma realizes that Skizz is wearing the arrow-through-the-head hat and is amused and impressed. False leads the way to her next building, with Joel and Bdubs passing judgment on her excessive use of copper trapdoors (a judgment clearly motivated by envy). False admits to transitioning to jungle wood for part of the build to save on copper, but it’s still a lot of copper. Joel sounds like he’s about ready to cry, imagining all the copper blocks sacrificed to make what is admittedly a very large amount of copper trapdoors. Chat is worried because they can’t hear Skizz, but Skizz is not talking and there’s nothing Gem can do about that. ((Skizz addressed this in his own stream later, saying he was mostly quiet during the base tour because he likes watching other people interact. He does the same thing at parties.))

40:30 Gem loves all the nooks and crannies in False’s base. False intends to add more paths and bridges, and that she hopes people will be able to get lost in her base. Joel says a lot of bases are like that this season, especially Ren’s once he expands that honey river (hint, hint.) False tells him to wait til he sees the new river she is going to install there. Chat is still hung up on the fact that Skizz’s voice chat icon keeps lighting up when he is not talking, and they are not taking “noise gate issue” for an answer. Gem begins punching him to try and get a verbal reaction from him. He fast-crouches at her instead, which is unhelpful. She asks him flat-out if he is talking and he says no, he’s just listening. Chat is appeased, for now.

42:10 Cleo’s base is next on the tour. Before they go, Xisuma asks Joe if today’s date for the tour is significant in any way, like the server being however many months old or something. Joe says no, it’s just a summer kickoff base tour to see progress. Watchers who have been busy with school exams or joining up for summer can see what’s going on. Cleo once again starts their tour on a bridge, but unlike Ren’s toxic air or False’s severed head, this one’s got a gun! The hermits want to know why Cleo’s got a gun, but Cleo says it’s very important to be prepared. The Hermits declare Cleo to be a doomsday prepper. Cleo leads the way down into their mine, a place Doc obviously associates with unpleasant memories. ((Doc and Cleo are embroiled in a court case over an incident where Doc killed Cleo’s special pig down in this mine.))

44:00 Xisuma asks if they’ve gone past the part where the big hole was. The group arrives at the big hole. Gem immediately punches Cleo into the big hole. Why is Gem like this? No one knows. Joel asks Cleo why she has a big hole. Cleo begins “Well, Joel…” and is immediately shouted down by the other Hermits. Why are any of them like this? No one knows. Cleo says there will eventually be a monster down at the bottom of the hole, when Sodium pulls itself together and fixes its glass lighting bugs. The monster will have huge glowing eyes. Joel asks why the guns on the bridge are pointed at Iskall, rather than down this hole. “Wouldn’t you point a gun at Iskall?” Cleo asks reasonably. Gem agrees that Iskall does seem more dangerous. The others agree. Joel is new, he will learn. Xisuma asks Cleo if they didn’t build a huge monster at the bottom of a hole back in Season II. Cleo’s answer amounts to “what are you, a cop?” but basically there is no connection. Bdubs theorizes that it speaks to something psychological. Cleo admits that big holes are their brand and have been for the past thirteen years.

45:15 Cleo gives everyone permission to leave their hole. Joe is still flying with explosive rockets, which seems painful. Joel sets Gem on fire again but does put her out with a bucket of water. Cleo advises anyone staying behind to watch out for wardens. Ren likes the mineshaft. Joel compliments the length of the shaft, then takes refuge in context. Chat is not fooled, but they are amused. Cleo leads the way into the Engineer’s House which is the heart of their base at the moment. Gem loves Cleo’s corkboard-backed workbench a lot. Bdubs wants to see it real bad, but he is still stuck in the mine. Skizz wanders off into a protected area and is hauled back, but he’s not streaming so no one sees anything.

46:50 Joel notices Cleo’s shop trophies and is impressed and appalled that anyone has made 750 diamonds from their shops. Cleo tell him she has made 2272 diamonds from her shops. Cleo has the S-Tier Books permit and the surprise hit Hay Bales permit and has been doing extremely well for herself. Joel remarks that this is 27 times the amount he has made from his shops. False asks if this means they are getting paid to go on this tour. Cleo asks if she wants some pity diamonds because she will give her pity diamonds. False will always accept pity diamonds. Cleo shows off the storage area. Ren spends a lot of time in here, both because he likes the way running on copper grate floor sounds and also just to steal stuff. Cleo’s armor stand work and decoration in the engineer’s house is on-point, as always. The other Hermits are visibly and audibly mining the house for ideas.

49:00 Bdubs wants to ask a question. He wants to know if Cleo does kitbashing stuff at home. Cleo does not know what kitbashing is, but agrees that it sounds right once it is explained. They lead the way to the wizard’s tower, where a demon may or may not be being summoned. Being Hermits, Gem and the others are unable to resist the lure of trapdoor floors and get stuck in the crawlspace for a moment, but are quickly distracted by the very unearthly-looking creature Cleo has put together in the demon-summoning circle. It is mostly made of skulk, with large flint-and-steel claws, and has a skulk sensor for a mouth. The skulk sensor’s fronds are still gently waving, which makes everything ten times more disturbing. The Hermits are full of delighted disgust for the creature and admiration for the twisted workings of Cleo’s mind. False is not visiting Cleo anymore. Someone asks what its name is, and a brief workshopping session yields “FredJeff.” Gem’s more reasonable suggestion of Jeffred is ignored. Everyone also likes the eyes and parts in jars on Cleo’s shelves. It’s really a very disturbing room. Skizz asks why the compass on the wall is going nuts (It is a recovery compass, labeled a “Magus Reality Compass”) and Cleo tells him it is a reality compass and reality is very thin here. Everyone mocks Skizz for not knowing what a magus reality compass is.

52:50 Gem sees people going onto the balcony and immediately punches Joel off it. They fight briefly and are distracted by the cake-juggling robot on Cleo’s roof. Joe injures himself with another explosive rocket. Gem runs back and forth along the rooflines until finally she sees someone standing close to an edge. She punches False off the roof and is momentarily satisfied. Ren is disturbed by a terrible noise, it is Joe drinking honey because flying with exploding rockets and recovering by drinking honey is all part of the Joe Hills Difference. Joe does specify that he bought the honey from Keralis, probably just to rub it in for Honey-Block Joel.

54:40 Skizz’s base is the next spot on the tour, so the group heads off to his ominous partial-pyramid and mouth-shaped base. Someone notes that it’s Pearl’s birthday. Ren asks if it wasn’t Pearl’s birthday yesterday? Gem explains that both things are true because Time Zones. The group agrees that if Pearl joins the group, they must sing to her. Joe immediately invites her to join the voice group. Pearl messages back that her inventory was a mess, but she is heading over. Skizz lands the grounp in his front yard and explains, somewhat wearily, that it has become a whole thing for him that he saves any gift he is given, including bizarre lawn art. He also has a wall of presents in item frames inside his base. Impulse gave him poop to put on the wall. Chat jokes that Gem is trying not to fangirl over the Eefo (Skizz’s guess-the-build Etho) statue on the lawn.

55:45 Most of Skizz’s efforts so far have been on the pyramid, trying to make a near-impossible maze to challenge their ability to survive. He invites anybody who wants to to strip naked and try to survive. Joel is interested, but intimdated. Skizz says he’s very forward on his dates. Chat has seen Pearl join the voice chat and is very excited to wish her happy birthday again. The other Hermits encourage Joel to strip down and get on with it. Joel asks if he’s going to die, Skizz tells him “Most definitely.” That’s okay, Cleo brought a bed along.

56:30 The next section of the tour is a radio play, with Gem wandering through the exterior of the maze and listening as Joel and Ren try to navigate the dangerous maze. Ren dies almost immediately. Joel lasts a bit longer, but they both die to the magma blocks. False didn’t enter the maze but still somehow falls in a hole and gets stuck. With both contestants dead, Skizz explains a little bit of the maze, how this layer is just about physical survival and getting to the next level. Gem finds Pearl and, of course, punches her. Everyone wishes Pearl Happy Birthday. There is a truly horrifying rendition of the birthday song from all the assembled Hermits as Pearl dodges more punches and probably reevaluates some life choices. Chat is amused and horrified all at once. Pearl gamely declares it beautiful.

59:50 Because it is her birthday, Pearl decides that the next activity is hitting the fish block. The other hermits join in except for Gem, who prefers to punch Pearl some more. Joel punches Gem and tells her that it’s Pearl’s birthday, let her slap the salmon. Gem thinks it sounds weird when you say it like that. Bdubs tells Skizz he should call the pyramid Decked Out 3. Everyone laughs as Skizz vehemently says he would never do that. He asks Pearl if everyone has seen Wordle. Joe points out that Pearl might well be the next stop on the server tour! Pearl demurs, saying she’s just waking up, and Bdubs tells her it’s her birthday so she doesn’t have to do a tour if she doesn’t want to. Gem sneaks away from the group and posts a sign saying “dECKED OUT 3” over the door to the pyramid.

1:00:40 Cleo points out that what Pearl seems to want to do is jump into fire and berry bushes, based on her current behavior. If no Pearl tour that means Gem is next, being Skizz’s next-door neighbor and all. ((It is not entirely clear whether Skizz started talking Wordle to avoid having to show off his massive and embarrassing chest monster next, but nonetheless it worked really well.)) Gem is glad to do her base tour before Joel’s. Joel asks why but she doesn’t want to have to pay him a compliment out loud so just says her base isn’t quite finished. She leads the group into the Collector’s House and talks about how her base is inspired by the video game Dredge.

1:01:20 Gem shows off her fighting arena, but admits she hasn’t fought anyone in awhile. Joel asks if she wants to fight and she says no. This is clearly a lie since at one hour into this stream her Hermits Punched count stands at 13, mostly Joel. “She’s hungry,” Pearl observes. “Back out,” Bdubs advises. The other Hermits back up rapidly into the viewing area, leaving Gem alone in the middle of the arena, laughing. False notices that Ren has not left the sands and is in fact standing there with no armor. “Ren’s volunteered!” she observes. Ren agrees, saying that he will fight Gem, but the weapon of choice will be fish. Gem is unsure about all this, but agrees to fight so long as Ren gets her a fish too. He dives into the water, presumably to collect some fish. Gem sets her spawn.

1:02:00 Ren comes back with fish and sets his spawn as well. Skizz asks if this is going to be a thirty minute battle, then? Joel insists Gem remove her armor. Armed with raw salmon, Gem and Ren engage in a fish-slap battle to the death, witnessed by a third of the server. Gem starts very strong but her usual tactics don’t work too well in a fight without critical hits or weapon damage and Ren defeats her after a protracted battle. It’s an upset, Chat and the watching Hermits are all stunned. Ren admits that the whole thing was a Mission Possible quest. He needed to fish slap someone to death. Ren offers to let Gem kill him and she does not hesitate to do so, plunking his head-trophy down onto the sand.

1:03:40 Gem decides it is time to move on with the tour. Chat is teasing her about being as washed up as Etho, but they are also pleased to have acquired a rare Gigacorp Ren head for the collection. She shows off the anglerfish-shaped fish market and the horsin’ tunnel. False and Cleo have a low-voiced conversation in the background over whether a fixture in the shop is a toilet or just a box. Gem admits she doesn’t have many of the spooky organic elements added to her build yet, those will come later, but Chat wants her to show off her pineapple farm. She leads the way to her decorative patch of “pineapples” that are all Tango heads with armor-stand ferns on them. The Hermits are impressed and creeped out. Bdubs admits he didn’t know pineapples grew out of the ground. Gem shows the group down to her storage room, then shows off her power lines. Pearl plays the “That’s amazing!” horn. Gem demands she put it away, Pearl absolutely refuses.

1:06:00 Gem shows off her new mangrove trees, along the path that will one day lead towards Etho’s base. She explains the strange red rune that will one day play a creepy heartbeat when approached (and explains that this is also not Decked Out 3), and then it is time to go see Joel’s base. Joel’s base is extremely impressive from the sky and the Hermits are exclaiming over it before they even land. Skizz mutters that it feels just great living right next to him. Joel has somehow never noticed the sign left over from the Permit Trials on the chest of his Joel statue, but he sees it now.

1:07:00 Joel stands under his front gate and welcomes everyone to his Japanese cyberpunk-inspired base. He’s terraformed “a bit” of the mountain to make it look better. The first thing everyone needs to see is definitely his little shrine to the Ocean Goddess and her consort, which is of course a statue of Ocean Queen Lizzie and King Joel of Mezalea from Season One of the Empires SMP. Joel’s internet is terrible but his armor stand work is excellent and the statue is quite impressive. Cleo tells him the statue is very cute, and he agrees and says it is because he is adorable. He leads the way up into the city, where a beautiful facade conceals a very utilitarian villager breeder. Gem begins flipping trapdoors. Joel’s city aesthetic is cute little buildings separated by very narrow alleys, so the place is soon full of disoriented Hermits wandering around and trying to find the group. Joel shows off highlights like his mailbox and a fishtank that doesn’t have any fish in it yet. In a little restaurant off the beaten path, Bdubs finds a horse head and gets very upset about Joel’s continuing history of horse murder. Joel says it wasn’t him.

1:10:00 Xisuma asks how many rooms are in this build, Joel can’t even begin to guess. He says probably quite a lot, which seems accurate. Ren wonders, of all the blocks in Minecraft, how many of them have already been incorporated into this city. Joel says he’s trying to use as many as possible to add color and life to the city. He shows off his axolotl tank and the office where he grows his glowberries. He tells the group that, for the benefit of whoever bought out all his glowberry stock, there is more available now. Skizz cheerfully admits he did it for a Mission Possible. Joel thinks that’s a great mission and tells him he should do it again. He has a squid tank and a cactus farm and a tiny little storage room that he is already outgrowing. Pearl doesn’t understand how he can stay organized in such a small storage room. Gem theorizes that he uses every block he acquires so he doesn’t have to store it. Joel admits that there are blocks stored everywhere in random decorative barrels, completely disorganized. Pearl groans in disappointment. Ren and Skizz have found the jacuzzi bath and jumped in for a soak, which is entirely against base tour etiquette. Joel tells them that the water in that tub hasn’t been changed since episode 3, so maybe they shouldn’t be bathing in it at this point.

1:12:00 Ren tries to eat a carrot and accidentally steals a plant from a pot. False yells at him about it. Gem flips a bunch more trapdoors, apparently because she likes the noise. Someone pushes a button and activates the doorbell that Cub made for Joel. Joel shows the way to his honey farm, musing aloud about how awesome honey is and how great it would be if the Hermits decided to buy a lot of it. Ren asks how Joel manages inventory without losing his mind, given his massive build palette. Joel cheerfully admits he loses his mind. Gem confirms this by finding the walls covered in signs reading “BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.” Bdubs says it’s like A Beautiful Mind. Joel hates the bees, they are annoying, they produce honey and it doesn’t sell. More Hermits should buy honey. “Good job making a sucky product!” Bdubs tells him (or possibly the bees, it’s hard to say.) Chat points out that Xisuma has taken off the wolf mask and is now wearing Gem’s head.

1:13:30 Joel shows off a few more buildings, all of them empty, and admits that’s basically it. He is roundly mocked for that phrasing after showing off his massive and intricate build. He remembers one more thing he wants to show off and leads everyone to the bar. Bdubs asks if there are more horse heads down there and Joel says definitely not. The Hermits are very impressed by the bar, which includes lava walls covered by trapdoors that create glowing designs. Bdubs finds a horse head and starts yelling again. Joel says that’s not his. Pearl points out that Bdubs has murdered plenty of horses this season and Bdubs claims he would never murder a horse. Pearl demands to see his statistics. He says his are broken. Everyone agrees that the build is amazing. Pearl is glad Joel used purpur. Bdubs and Ren ask about the beacon beam, which is candy striped; Joel came up with the idea himself and it is made of stained glass.

1:16:10 It’s Pearl’s time to shine! Joel wants to get a look at Wordle. Pearl points out it’s not at her base, but they can visit it after. She leads the way to her base and starts everyone at her little truck, explaining the lore of her solarpunk base for the season. This truck in particular crafts a button every day and every night, letting her know how long her chunks have been loaded. Etho signs on. Chat is _very_ excited. Pearl leads the way over to her enchanting area while Gem hisses to Chat to stop being such fangirls. Chat will never stop. Pearl shows off the maps on the walls, Ren points out that the maps are not accurate to current time. Pearl explains that they are to show off the history of the neighborhood as it gets built up, and the other Hermits roundly heckle him for not getting that. Bdubs tells him to “Go back to your sulfur mines, you freak,” then apologizes for going too far. Pearl is stunned that everyone used her doors correctly for the first time. Abashed, Gem goes back and flips all the trapdoors.

1:18:30 Pearl shows off her farming, complete with solar-powered irrigation system. Nighttime is coming, so Bdubs deploys his bed, only to have Pearl mine it out from under him. He graciously forgives her because it’s her birthday, but someone else picked up his bed and he needs it back. Ren deploys the bed and sleeps on it, stealing the night while Bdubs sputters. Pearl next takes the group to her starter base and its horrifying doorbell. Pearl has been doing some armor stand work in here and is happy to show off to Cleo, who declares it adorable and cute. Pearl leads the way down to her storage room and its pillager-head-on-a-noteblock that quickly overwhelms everyone’s audio. Etho has joined up with the tour now and Chat is begging Gem to punch him. They believe he came late to avoid obsession allegations at Gem and Joel’s bases.

1:20:30 Cleo tells Pearl she’s going to steal the idea of leather helmets for stools because it is so good. Pearl shows the group her bedroom and Gem attacks the many available trapdoors. Bdubs likes the scale Pearl is using, with three block ceilings that make a more naturalistic environment for people used to nine foot ceilings IRL. Cleo agrees they would like it if there were less of them in there, because having so many Hermits in one bedroom is definitely turning the vibe from coziness to claustrophobia. Pearl shows off her stables and mailbox and some more farming stuff, Gem flips more trapdoors. Pearl acknowledges that she sees what Gem is doing. Pearl is building a solarium for her sniffers and allay, then takes everyone to the purpur farm. It’s very cool-looking and everyone is impressed. Pearl insists on stopping in the middle of the tour so she can collect up the arrows and replant the farm. Bdubs says that is very rude and Joe scolds him for it because it is Pearl’s birthday. Bdubs reluctantly agrees.

1:24:50 Pearl shows the furnace array/bamboo farm Tango helped her build. She points out that her farm makes bamboo planks to put in the furnaces, so she still buys her bamboo from Bdubs. Bdubs is quite pleased about this, but Etho scoffs and says that’s much too expensive, she might as well be burning her diamonds. Pearl also shows off her casual-flex chandeliers, which are made of beacons she bought at Ren’s shop. Etho asks if there is a discount for beacons bought solely for lighting, Ren says there is not. Doc, who has so many diamonds this season that he is using them for redstone building blocks, mocks Etho for being a cheapskate. Gem asks Pearl to show off the pickles in the trees and advertise her shops too. Pearl is pleased to show off her pickle-festooned trees. She has six or seven stacks of pickles spread through her trees for lighting purposes. Joe asks what the white rocket-shaped things are, Pearl explains they are wind generators for a solarpunk world. She also has a copper and cherry watermill generating more imaginary power. Bdubs mentions how much he likes the “apple trees”, custom trees built with berry bushes in them to simulate fruit trees. Joel mentions there are a ton of beacons in this base, and Ren must be really rich. Cleo laughs and suggests maybe Ren should buy honey. Joe says he also buys a ton of beacons, so Ren must be doing really well. Ren thanks him for his patronage but is noncommittal about buying honey.

1:29:30 The Hermits debate who to visit next. Etho is the closest, Gem celebrates this fact by punching him. Etho suggests Tango, but Tango is not participating in the server tour. Etho protests that he shouldn’t be asked to follow Pearl’s beautiful base. Nevertheless, he is next (Wordle has apparently been forgotten for the moment) and he insists everyone must walk up the path to his base instead of flying. He needs to stretch this out as much as he can because there’s not that much to look at. In that spirit, he narrates the whole walk along the path, including the broken guardian farm, the sheep farm, the trident farm, and a nice view of Pearl’s base. He asks Gem to demonstrate the trident farm. She does so, impressing the assembled Hermits who have no idea how Etho isolated trident drowned. Joel nearly dies to the farm while Gem harvests two tridents in less than a minute. Etho offers to show everyone how it actually works, but that’s a lot of hermits to stuff into the redstone of a farm. They move on instead.

1:31:50 Etho leads the way to the main house as Gem cheerfully asks him if he’s put the roof on yet. Cleo can see the sky through the windows, so probably not. Etho admits that the roof is not quite exactly finished yet. He disappears into the house, leaving the Hermits outside. Doc asks if he’s quickly building a roof before he lets everyone in. Cleo and Gem both admire the exterior decorations, full of pink glazed terracotta and potted plants. Gem tells him he’s so cottagecore and it’s really nice. Etho lets them into the house, still roofless. Cleo asks what all the books on the chiseled bookshelves are. He explains that he keeps every book he gets and puts them on the bookshelves. Gem flips a lot of trapdoors and finds a fox named Sly in the back garden. Etho shows off his high-tech storage system, which is wired to show more or fewer bookshelves based on what enchanting level is wanted. Pearl correctly susses out how the redstone is done and is congratulated by Cleo for being officially a redstoner.

1:33:53 Etho leads the way down into his storage system, which is accessed by a drop chute elevator built into the grassy ground. Bdubs says that Joel will be very pleased by the décor, which is chock full of honey blocks, but Joel bitterly complains that Etho didn’t actually buy any from his store. Etho protests that Joel _gave_ him those honey blocks, sent them to him in the mail and everything. Joel reluctantly admits he did do that, yes. It’s more than he sent, though. Etho quietly admits that he does have a honey farm. Pearl comments that Etho’s ceiling has a lot of items in it and he says yes, it’s part of his storage system. He pauses for a moment, obviously trying to decide if there is any way to explain even the basics of his complex but understated storage system to the assembled group, then tell them that it’s too much to explain right now. “Too complicated for us simple-minded people,” Joel translates. “Too complicated for a tour,” Etho offers diplomatically. He shows his dispensing stations for common items like rockets, then leads the way down a plain stone tunnel to his moss farm. The drop is a little more extreme than advertised and Ren dies from the fall. Fs in the chat for Ren. Ren asks “Why me” and is reminded that he’s not wearing armor and thus lacking useful thinks like feather falling.

1:35:40 Etho’s moss farm is a big operation. Bdubs insists they should all go down into the farm, it’s cool down in there. Bdubs is clearly missing his moss shop this season. Gem gets a quick look at the farm before going back to the viewing platform to help Joel collect Ren’s bits and pieces. Pearl complains that huge farms like this are the reason she is not selling any bone blocks or bonemeal this season. Etho asks Gem if she wants to see how fast he can get moss with this farm. She says no because it’ll just make her mad. Joe eagerly chimes in that he wants to see Gem get mad. Etho shows Gem where to stand to catch moss from the farm and pulls the lever to convert away from bonemeal collection. In less than a minute, Gem’s inventory has more than ten stacks of moss in it. She mutters “Oh my god” a bunch of times in despairing disbelief. Cleo tells her it’s okay to cry. Gem’s pockets overflow and she starts yelling at Etho to turn it off. She has two moss farms and neither of them work anything like this. Etho generously asks if anyone else needs moss, Gem yells that nobody needs his moss! Chat is fangirling hard again, as per usual. Several Hermits ignore Gem’s warning and go for the moss; she sets them on fire with her sword. Joe dies of it, though it is not clear whether he was actually trying to get moss or just an unfortunate bystander to a sweeping edge sword.

1:38:00 Joe respawns, apologizing for the mess and explaining that somebody stabbed him to death. Gem defends herself saying she said she would get mad. Joe sighs and agrees that was probably on him, Cleo protests that moss-collecting is not an appropriate motive for murder. Gem is glad that Joe is taking responsibility for his actions. Joe points out that he is the one who said he wanted to see Gem get mad. He got to see with more than his eyes, he saw with his own burning flesh and that’s on him. Chat feels sorry for Joe. Ren is trying to collect his lost bits and pieces, he collects a sword called “Friendship Blade” that is not his. Joe confirms that is his sword, a gift from Cleo. Cleo remembers giving Joe that blade because he was fighting monsters with an iron sword inappropriately late into the season, she is surprised he still carries it. Bdubs, Joe and Doc remain in the list of bases to tour. Joe arrives and collects his own scattered items.

1:40:00 Leaving the moss farm is almost as dangerous as entering it, since the only way in is “Rocket onto a ladder.” The Hermits manage the feat one by one and land on the grass outside. Gem asks Etho to work on that. Cleo asks what is wrong with him. Etho smugly claims that the best thing about his base is that it teaches one how to play Minecraft. Cleo insists that she doesn’t need to learn Minecraft, she does it professionally already. Etho suggests that if someone is unable to get up the ladder, it may be a skill issue. Cleo wants Etho to know that she hates him. Chat loves sassy Etho. The group heads for Bdubs’ base, aiming to land in front of the forest. While they go, they complain about the price of ender chests and everything in the shopping district. Everything is so expensive this season. Gem insists that pickles are cheap. It is unclear why Gem is shilling pickles so hard when she hates Pearl buying them so much. Joe still can’t find his pants. Gem approaches Bdubs’ forest and exclaims over how beautiful it is. She is not wrong.

1:41:40 The group lands in front of the bridge onto Bdubs’ base. Ren asks if they need to change render distances or other visual effects since Bdubs’ base, more than any other Hermit’s, is designed as a visual spectacle. Bdubs recommends setting render distance to 28, so it’s a good thing there are some powerful computers at work here. Brightness also needs to be down to get the real atmosphere. Bdubs leads the way into the forest as he explains he’s trying to focus on terraforming and atmosphere rather than only on buildings this season. Gem coos over a rustic picnic table made of trapdoors. Pearl plays the “That’s amazing!” horn. Gem punches her several times. Xisuma laughs over the fact that Bdubs’ trees are massive, bespoke pieces of art and the Hermits are still drawn to the picnic table first. Gem is so impressed by the picnic table that she doesn’t even flip the trapdoors.

1:43:00 The tour continues into an open space that Bdubs plans to fill with additional forest eventually. Gem tells Bdubs it’s very cottagecore, Bdubs decides he will allow it. He was fighting it at first, but finally he’s accepted it. Joe points out that the actual cottage he built pretty much sealed the deal. He takes the Hermits to his initial starter base, which he only uses for cooking anymore. Cleo finds a memorial marked February 16 and asks what that’s about; it is the date of Bdubs’ Demise death. He says “they” exploded him, Ren corrects him saying “technically you exploded you.” Bdubs has to admit that this is true. He shows the group the silos with his moss farm and bamboo farms. Doc asks if there’s a reason that Bdubs has the most uncomfortable pathways known to Minecraft. (Bdubs’ current paths are rudimentary at best, scattered path blocks and no slabs to soften height changes.) Cleo says it’s obviously for the aesthetics, Bdubs agrees it’s all form, no function. Everyone takes a quick look at the redstone farm inside the silo and then goes back outside to debate the aesthetics involved in putting wood blocks or dirt blocks under wooden path slabs. Gem says she gets yelled at for her slabs all the time, both in the comments and from her own mod team. The mods give themselves mod hearts in the chat.

1:45:40 Bdubs takes everyone into the silo and shows off his bamboo-item-creating machine. It is a structure made entirely of Bdubs’ Perfect Redstone, so while it does work as intended, it has no labels and is somewhat difficult to understand. The cottagecore cottage is actually Bdubs’ mailbox, and Gem declares it gorgeous. The terracotta production area is up next, immediately drawing a “Booooooo” from False and heckling from the others. ((Bdubs holds the plain terracotta permit and is part of the Short-T Alliance, working with Scar and his six terracotta permits to undermine and counter the activities of “Big T,” the Hermit consortium who control the other nine terracotta permits. False, Ren, Cleo and Xisuma are all members of Big T.)) Bdubs tells them to shut up and shows off his organic terracotta production facility where he turns dirt into mud and then dries it on dripstone into clay, then smelts it into terracotta. Even his enemies are impressed by the sheer amount of effort Bdubs is putting int when he could just be digging up terracotta. He explains that his autosmelter is powered by half-slabs generated by his bamboo farm. It’s very inefficient and he does not recommend it. The same could undoubtedly be said of the whole operation, but everyone is too polite to mention that.

1:48:50 Bdubs decides that’s everything he has available to show right now. Cleo loves how everyone is ending their tour with “And that’s just it, I guess!” Xisuma is impressed about the difference in tone and texture keeping brightness at 30 causes. He feels like he’s been missing out and wants to look at other builds in the dimness now. Etho says his build is five times bigger when viewed at brightness 30. Gem asks if it gets a roof as well. He says yes. Chat is going nuts because Bdubs didn’t show everyone his waterfall. Xisuma asks if keeping brightness at 30 makes caving difficult. Bdubs says no, because he doesn’t do that sort of scary thing. Gem gives in to the overwhelming will of Chat and asks Bdubs “Where’s your waterfall?” Bdubs leads the group back to the bridge while explaining about the glass waterfall he built while testing whether it was possible to simulate water textures without water. This waterfall is not meant to be viewed close up and should be looked at from the bridge. Doc, who is already standing on the bridge, claims to be the only Hermit who watches other peoples’ videos. The waterfall really is very striking when viewed from the bridge. The Hermits are very impressed. Chat is pleased. Etho hypes Bdubs up a bit by pointing out that the grass in the forest is not bonemealed, it was harvested and hand-placed by Bdubs while he was building. Cleo says yeah, but that’s because Bdubs is a nerd. Bdubs makes fun of the way Cleo pronounces “nerd” but does not deny it.

1:51:00 Now that Chat has seen the waterfall, the group is free to fly up and over the forest towards Joe’s base. Joe is easy to follow because he is still flying with exploding fireworks and has a big green eruption behind him every few seconds. He does have his blast protection pants back (Cleo had them) so he can survive the flight. They pass Mumbo’s witch farm on the right (or starboard, Joe adds, for people like Gem and Joel who prefer flying spacecraft) and begin to approach the base. It’s spawning in slowly for Gem, but it is clearly massive. Joe explains that what he is building is a 1:1 scale recreation of the Bell Laboratories Research and Development campus in Holmdell, New Jersey. As Joe explains some of the technical specifications of his very specific building plans, Gem and the other Hermits fly around and take in the enormous scope of the area Joe has dug out and is terraforming. Gem apologizes to chat for the Bobby Mod taking its sweet time; she has not been out to Joe’s base in quite awhile and it is very different now. Joe has a lot of beacons up (he tells Ren he’s welcome for the business) and has mined up over a million stone blocks to turn what was once a mountain range into a canvas for development. He has been learning a lot about geometry and also a lot about reading out loud, since he’s been reading Moby Dick on stream for the benefit of his chat while mining on stream most nights. Gem’s chat is impressed by the massive scope of the project unfolding. Joe explains that he doesn’t have any proper buildings yet, and for the moment his storage system consists of themed groupings of chests set up around each beacon. It is easy to find each beacon when he needs something, so long as he can remember what stuff is stored where. Gem lands for a moment and gets punched by Pearl. She punches Pearl back and they both start flying again.

1:52:50 Joe explains that his build is not nearly as detailed as many of the other Hermits’ builds, but it is very large and he hopes it will be useful as a canvas for other Hermits as well as himself. He’s noticed in previous seasons that as the season goes on and Hermits get locked into their base projects, there is less room for creative projects that do not fit within the scope of whatever they have decided to build. The Holmdell campus has plenty of room for Hermit projects of all different types and sizes. Cub has already marked out a place for a labyrinth that he’ll be starting work on soon. Joe also wants to hold workshops where Hermits can teach one another specific skills like creating vehicles or building facade techniques. He suggests that maybe Cleo will teach armor stand classes because she keeps saying she wants people not to have her build every armor stand on the server. Cleo points out that a lot of Hermits are already doing much better on that front this season. Joe agrees with that and says he is hoping his base area will be a community center in the mid to late season. Chat is very on board with Joe’s ideas and wants to subscribe to his newsletter.

1:55:20 By the end of Joe’s speech, most of the Hermits have settled onto various perches near one another, twenty or thirty blocks off the ground. Etho asks Joe if he regrets doing this project in a mountain biome, now that he’s dug it out. Joe says no, but only because he’s decided to not have regrets. Cleo cackles. Joe explains that this region was the closest area to spawn he could get at the size that he needed, and he will just continue doubling down on that decision until he has octupled down on it. Etho notices the froglights and says they look absolutely incredible. People should not be sleeping on froglights. (Etho, of course, holds the froglight permit.) Joel chimes in saying that all the water around here might turn into ice, but you know what doesn’t turn into ice? Honey. Joe agrees and says he surrounded the entire central lagoon with stairs so that it won’t freeze. Etho is impressed. Gem bets some pickles in there would help. Joe says he was kind of hoping a few Hermits might volunteer to do some terraforming around the lagoon, and that rather than being entirely an area for people to do solo projects, people might have fun working in groups or doing terraforming and landscape lessons. Etho listens patiently to all this and then asks “So you’re telling me that if I put a single block in this lagoon, the whole thing will turn to ice?”

1:57:00 Joe confirms that this is true, leading to laughter and calls for the pranking to begin. Joe goes on to point out that even removing or changing one of the source blocks in the lagoon could trigger an icecapade. Chat is terrified at all the potential here. “And you really don’t regret building here?” Gem asks again. Joe is cool with it. He’s living his best life out here, it’s just that his best life looks terrifying to a lot of people. Bdubs asked if Joe knew already that stairs would stop the freezing, or if he had to do the science on that. It seems like very obscure knowledge. Joe describes the rather arduous-sounding process of figuring out how to ice proof a lake, and is interrupted by Cleo asking if they put a block into the lake, how would the ice actually generate? Joe, in true best-life-Joe-Hills fashion, offers to show everyone how it looks. He and Etho both place blocks into the lagoon. Cleo is clearly very disappointed that the ice doesn’t appear and spread instantly, instead generating slowly from the place where the source blocks were disrupted. But eventually, if the blocks are left in place, the whole surface will freeze. Joe tells everyone that he hopes to have the campus open in a month or so, then admits he’s been saying that for the last couple of months. He justifies himself by pointing at a cluster of pumpkins floating high overhead and explaining those are where the surface of the mountain used to be. He’s had a lot to do.

1:59:40 Joe is finished with his tour, so he goes to pass the reins over to Doc. Bdubs interrupts by mentioning a visual glitch he is seeing where things far away are rendering strangely. Xisuma immediately wants to know more. Other Hermits report seeing the same thing, but Gem does not see it with her particular mod combination. As the sun sets, Joe invites the Hermits to take a look at the base from the sky, with the froglights illuminating all the roads. It’s a beautiful sight, looking a little bit like an airport at night and going a long way to highlight what an enormous project this is and just how much work Joe has been doing. Joe is also lucky that Etho has the froglight and stone permits, and has traded massive amounts of froglights for Joe’s massive amounts of stone.

2:02:00 The group head for Joe’s portal to make the long trek to Doc’s base. Joel mentions that the brightness of the froglights looks so much better at lower brightness and that he needs to start keeping his own brightness down. Bdubs agrees, but warns that his own brightness level is the result of years worth of acclimating his viewers to accept the dimness. Last season he was only at 50%, this season he has gone full mood lighting. Joel says he’s just going straight in, cold turkey. Gem points out that Joel does not have a history of being particularly nice to his chat, if one has watched his intros. It takes awhile to get everyone through the portal, due to too much pushing and shoving, but eventually they all make it through and follow Doc north through the nether. They arrive at Doc’s portal, which is surrounded by ominous-looking machines. “Why do I feel like you have a plan for vengeance right now?” Bdubs asks plaintively.

2:03:00 Doc insists her is not planning anything, this is just a bunch of random machines. Here is the honey farm, here is the cannon that shoots people to the world border, here is the warden transport system, etc. The other Hermits are giving the machines a very respectful distance. Doc’s portal is literally on fire so there is less pushy-shovey on this trip through. They emerge in the main area of Doc’s “home,” an open cobblestone platform high above a swamp biome. Xisuma warns everyone to watch their step. Gem immediately attempts to punch Joel off the platform. He punches her off the platform instead. She and the other Hermits begin flying around to investigate the area as Doc explains what is a massive cluster of superpowered farms and indecipherable redstone. He shows off his massive storage system, making Joe laugh at the idea that people need bulk piston storage for their five shulkers of pistons. Granted, given the farms around here, five shulkers of pistons seems like it might be an average afternoon out here in the swamp. Below the storage area is a supersmelter with 160 furnaces, and next to it is an autocrafter system designed to mimic a crafting table on an enormous scale and that will craft any item the user desires. The Hermits think this is very neat. Etho remembers that Doc did something similar to this in Sesaon 9, but Doc explains that having autocrafters in the game has made the whole business a whole lot easier.

2:05:30 Doc says that’s pretty much it as far as his base goes. It’s clear that his base is very large and incredibly complex, and that there’s enough to keep a tour busy for days, if only that tour group was made up entirely of high level redstoners who know better than to stick their fingers into every chest and punch one another into the complex machinery. Bdubs asks for a demonstration of Doc’s dark oak farm, which produces truly insane amounts of output when it’s up and running. Doc says sure and leads the way over to the massive redstone contraption that is his wood farm. Gem asks if there’s anything they shouldn’t touch. Cleo and False immediately and simultaneously say “everything.” Doc tells them to stand out of the way and don’t touch any levers, and that this machine will do 160k saplings per hour. He explains that there is a llama that is a critical part of the infrastructure that will allow him to place the saplings properly. Etho warns everyone not to place anything accidentally into the huge stacks of clay pots running along the sides of the farm. The Hermits are clearly intimidated but fascinated. Gem is happy to know that the farm is llama powered. Doc turns on the farm and TNT starts exploding. Dark oak is being created and pulverized at a phenomenal pace. Chat is awed.

2:08:00 Gem goes down to the staging area briefly, looks at the lever, then runs back to the safety of the upper platform. Doc is explaining that he hasn’t started any non-machine building yet, but that he does intend to eventually terraform this whole area, make a real exploding volcano, etc. There’s plenty of stuff to do, he just started with the machines. Etho asks how far Doc has gotten with actually doing the item filters in his storage room, the most tedious part of the process. Doc says he is about 80% through with it. It’s a multi-filter system, so while it will handle all the items in the game, some items will be filtered in groups and some with their own filters. And that is all there is, Doc tells them, they can all go home now. “Get out of here before you break something,” Gem translates easily. Everyone agrees that Doc’s redstone work is incredibly impressive. Chat doesn’t even understand what they’re seeing but they know it’s a lot. Ren says it’s like looking into the heart of a CPU. Made of diamond ore, Joel adds.

2:09:10 Doc shows them the way back to the portal and into the nether. Gem punches Joel in the back and then runs away when he chases her, insisting desperately “It was Cleo, it was Cleo, it was Cleo!” The Hermits do a short debriefing and decide when they should do another server tour. Joe thinks that 2-3 server tours per year would be good, let people see new stuff without the tour idea getting stale. While they talk, Gem runs around on the nether roof until Joel successfully potshots her for half her hearts. He gives her a distinctly “come at me” fast-crouch until she runs at him, then he punches her. They punch each other, then disengage as everyone heads back for the nether hub. As they fly they pass over Joe’s 1/8th scale map of his actual base, and even that is large enough that it took seventeen hours to place all the blocks on the nether roof. It’s a big base.

2:11:10 Gem and the others take the portal back to the shopping district. Joel suggests that this would be a perfect time for everyone to go buy some honey. Cleo asks how much honey he would need to sell in order to stop complaining about it. Joel says he wants to hit 100 diamonds in sales. The others are incredulous that he hasn’t even hit a hundred diamonds yet, which probably just makes it worse. Etho comments that’s a tall order for a smallish bean. “You just got called short by Etho,” Gem tells him. Doc says his armor trim shop should be open in the next week or so. Joel says everyone knows Etho is tiny. Joe remembers that Cleo promised everyone pity diamonds to buy honey with if they behaved themselves on the tour. Cleo confirms that pity diamonds are indeed on the table. “Sugar Daddy Cleo!” Gem cheers. She goes into the shop and finds the music button, then asks Joel if it works. He says it does but asks her to please not play it because it can’t be stopped. She protests that she hasn’t even heard it yet. She pushes the button and begins shrieking with laughter over the honey song. Chat is jamming along.

2:12:20 Cleo has 100 diamonds to pass out so that the Hermits can buy honey and make Joel stop whining. Gem gets enough to buy four stacks of honey that she will now need to figure out a use for. Doc asks if Joel is ever going to detail the back of this shop so it’s not just a brown cylinder on the side that faces the hourglass. Joel says he could, but he’s very poor and very busy just trying to make sales right now. Xisuma and False barely got any diamonds, Cleo does not know who took most of the diamonds and does not particularly care. Joe got 43 diamonds and passes a few out to the others. Bdubs suggests that some of these diamonds could also be used to purchase terracotta! Doc needs to get going, so they decide to head back to the new lava pool to end the tour.

2:14:00 The Hermits fly back to spawn, explaining the lava pool to Etho, who was not around for that part. He asks if they went ahead and moved the world spawn. Bdubs asks if anybody wants to sue anybody real quick while they’re all here. Ren asks about moving the world spawn and whether anyone would be cross if they moved it. Gem points out that this is a Hermitcraft Meeting topic and now they’re just streaming an actual meeting. A very confusing discussion ensues over where the spawn chunks actually are, where they will be after 1.21 drops, and whether they ought to be moved and why. Gem narrates for chat and says this is how an actual meeting always goes, with miscommunication being the first order of business. Apparently Xisuma believes the spawn chunks are not currently at 0,0, they are behind the courthouse where a bunch of farms are, but after 1.21 drops, they ought to be moved to an area just outside Ren’s base perimeter. Etho asks why, if spawn chunks are elsewhere, they always respawn by Hypno’s base when they die. Xisuma, obviously ready for an object lesson, tells him to take off his armor. Etho, resigned to being an object lesson, sets his spawn and breaks it, complaining all the while about how he’s going to have to hike back from Hypno’s house, which is about 40 blocks away.

2:16:00 While Etho is complaining and stripping down, Gem explains to Chat that this madness is how all of their meetings look and it’s a miracle they ever get anything done. Sometime during the process False gets bored of waiting and shoots Ren dead. As promised, Ren respawns next to the lava pool. Xisuma is obviously surprised by this. Bdubs is still calling for Etho’s head. Etho’s already naked and ready to go, so he suggests another test where they kill him in the hole. Chat is uncertain about this phrasing but False is more than happy to commit another murder act. Etho did not empty his inventory so his belongings fly everywhere, but Etho himself respawns next to the lava pool, same as Ren. Xisuma says he stands corrected, that the spawn chunks are indeed still at 0,0. Joel confirms that when one comes back through the nether portal for the first time or without a bed, they end up at the same place. The Hermits agree that this is why they never get anything done at meetings.

2:17:00 Xisuma circles back around to the original proposal: that when 1.20.6 comes out, to move the spawn chunks three chunks away from their current location to allow for development of the fairly prime real estate that the spawn chunks now occupy. Xisuma has a couple of proposals for locations but would like to hear from anyone else first. Nobody has any strong feelings and the general consensus is that Xisuma should put them where he wants. Pearl does suggest putting them near the post office, but it’s unclear if there’s any reason for that or if it’s the postal worker equivalent of “you should buy more honey.” Xisuma points out a small squarish island between his own base and Hypno’s and says that might be a decent space for the spawn chunks, or they could go the entire opposite direction and plunk it down in the middle of evveryone over in the direction of Magic Mountain. Space is very tight over that way though, so it might not be a net gain. Pearl reiterates the post office suggestion, in an empty area between the post office and Xisuma’s base. Everyone flies over for a look and Xisuma agrees it’s a great spot. Nobody else cares so long as the new spawn chunks contain a portal and an ender chest for all those wild nights when somebody inevitably winds up naked and wingless at spawn. Pearl offers to decorate it. Gem congratulates her for giving herself work on her birthday. Ren calls for a voice vote; the “yays” are unanimous and enthusiastic. Ren declares the order of business complete and Cleo adjourns the meeting. The Hermits’ grasp on Robert’s Rules of Order are about as complete as their grasp of jurisprudence, but the issue is solved and everyone is happy. Gem admits that they usually don’t even call for a voice vote and this was very official today. Chat is not sure that any Hermitcraft meeting is official without Impulse there to write things down, but mostly they are busy saying “yay.”

2:19:00 The normal procedure for reaching accord during meetings, Gem explains further, is that someone will ask a question, three people will say “yeah, I guess,” and everyone else has their mics muted because they are eating. Pearl is usually half asleep and trying her best, sometimes in bed and with the phone on speaker. The Hermits congratulate themselves on an excellent meeting and give themselves a round of applause. Chat has always wanted a streamed Hermitcraft meeting and now they have gotten one. Chat is pleased. Everyone wonders how they ever get anything done.

2:20:00 False suggests that they all go jump in on Impulse, since he’s online and not at the meeting. Impulse did not join the tour because he doesn’t want to spoil the huge minigame he’s currently working on. Xisuma moves the spawn chunks and tells Ren he’s free to use the old space now. Ren mutters darkly about how the sulfur will expand. Xisuma suggests a group photo. Etho is busy setting fires and Gem is punching Cleo, but everyone agrees a photo is a nice idea. They all gather together and gaze into the future, at the new spawn chunks. Joe demands to know how long he’s had a fish head on and why did nobody tell him. Cleo and Bdubs assure him he’s been wearing it the whole time. Screenshots are captured, Joel punches Gem again, and Bdubs laughs because his specially modded skin actually blinked during photo time. Everyone agrees that this was a good idea and they had fun on the tour. Now they are all going to go and look at their own bases at 30% brightness.

2:21:50 Gem says goodbye to everybody and heads back to her base, asking Chat how they liked that. Chat approves greatly, they had a great time. Gem will post the VOD soon. Gem’s base actually looks great at 30% brightness, this may be the vibe she goes for. It does make the palm trees a little dark. Gem promises she’s working on her next episode and that it will be full of new interiors. She’s going to bring lots of immersion into the base very soon. Everybody’s bases were so cool to see, and it was great to have a visit with so many Hermits! Gem has had a lot of IRL stuff, good and bad, going on lately, but she hopes things are evening out and she’ll be back to streaming soon. She thanks subs and donos as a group and decides to wrap things up. Chat really, really, really wants a Skizz raid. Gem raids into Skizz and ends her stream.

[ohwolfling]

I’ve come with a non bg3 related ask! I just played/finished Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time not that long ago (Don’t Fear the Reaper is the only path I haven’t done yet and I’m saving it for the next playthrough since I could never get it to work). I saw your video about doing The Tower ending and you mentioned you typically go for The Sun ending. I was curious about what makes that one your preferred ending/why it draws you in the most?

omg thank you for asking me about Cyberpunk 2077. She's the love of my life. 😭

I don't know that I'll ever 100% Cyberpunk 2077 (or any rpg) because I have a very strong, pit-in-the-stomach, stare-at-the-ceiling-in-guilt response to doing things that I consider Bad™ even for pretend and because this game is an INCREDIBLE addition to the genre that's already inescapable on several levels. So I commend you and I hope I can be brave in the future!

For me, the Sun ending is the only ending that is honest to my experience with Johnny Silverhand and V. I believe that their connection is an inescapable center of not just the story but every theme, motif, and moral quandary in the game. Even when I did a Corpo V stream and had chat make me make some harder choices that felt in character I couldn't find a way that justified V being judgemental of Johnny on a level that would sever that connection and chat ended up guiding me to The Sun ending once again. For context, I AM a SilverV shipper, but I did not ship my Corpo V and Johnny... those little differences still add up even as the ending is the same (and I think that's part of this game's narrative power honestly).

It feels right to honor Johnny's agency in that moment, his relative strength and the lessons he has learned from his little goodbye tour, and the way that in my opinion he EARNS V's trust when he doesn't have to. He's stronger in V's body and I think the way he and Rogue have always circled each other was always leading to this moment. It takes characters who experienced separate paths of self destruction and broken attempts at rebellion in a world designed to be rebellion proof and says, Fine. Then I'll die in the way. For me, it's also arguably a moment to let Alt fight for what remains of her humanity and Alt is I think much more crucial to the story the game wants to tell than a lot of people realize/engage with.

I think what Johnny ultimately wants is to die with real understanding and agency this time and that is also a gift he can give to V. Even if V never gets better (though I believe there's a lot in the game pointing to the possibility that they could), the Sun ending means they die on their turn. They leave their mark on Night City, which honors Jackie on some level, possibly Rogue on another, and for better or worse ascend literally and figuratively.

I do have a sort of fix it fic (ongoing, with an emphasis on SilverV for better or worse, and an attempt at a path to solarpunk/hope), if you're into that, that builds off of the Sun ending. My Tiktok has a Big Video Game Thoughts playlist that might interest you & two Cyberpunk 2077 playlists of random clips and things. <3

Thank you again for asking, Anon!

[justagalwhowrites]

OHMYGOD OKOKOK SO UM OK IM HERE AGAIN SO I JUST SAW THE NEW YEARLING TEASER AND…it slayed my house down. I was gagged to hell (in the best way possible) and OMG BAMBI LISTENS TO WEEZERRRR???

Girl my friends have been telling me to listen to weezer and modern baseball and shit like that THIS IS A SIGGNNN

(Idk why I’m writing this but I usually listen to Taylor or Summer walker or Lana or sza or Riri my absolute queens ❤️)

also idk if I said this in my last ask but I checked out the playlist and it’s def not my style but it’s good and I really enjoy it. Also I’m really really really loving the story even though me and Bambi are like polar opposites. Like I wish my mom put me in pageants and cotillion and shit and also I wanna date Bambi???? She just gives girlboss vibessss and what can I say I stan. also I know this is long and I’m sorry I’m sorry but also I think this fanfic just unlocked my southern side?? I’m listening to Dolly Parton now and I’m wearing pink sundresses with poofy sleeves like something happened to me

Anyways, ilysm im SOOOO FUCKING HYPED for the update now you SLAYYYY IN ALL WAYS POSSIBLE tysm for writing make sure to take care of urself slay I’ll be there when yearling comes out (also I’m trying to get into ur other fics the premises seem interesting you always manage to come up w a great hook)

Ok I’m sorry this is so long I’ll get out of your hair now byeeeeee

OMG HI BESTIE!

Bambi listens to like… EVERYTHING lol she is a musician at heart and will find something to appreciate and learn from in everything. Also in this chapter, some love for The Smiths and Johnny Marr 😍 (I saw Johnny Marr live about a year ago and it was a revelation, he played This Charming Man and I died, fully died.)

Related, Bambi in a no outbreak AU? Would fucking love Taylor Swift. A woman making a name for herself in the industry, writing her own shit, crossing genres like crazy? Bambi would have been at the Eras tour (maybe as Folklore/Evermore?) Related, I picture Sarah as a Swiftie too and she and Sarah would 110% have gone to the Eras tour together and covered Joel in friendship bracelets and he’d wear a themed shirt and just smile along with it all.

I’m so glad you like Bambi! She’s very different from me too lol being in her head to write her and watching her do her thing is so interesting for me because she’s so different. But she is DEFINITELY a girl boss lol I think she would have had her own ranch in a no-outbreak world and she’d be so damn good at it, always standing up to men in the industry at every opportunity.

Never apologize for a long ask lol I LOVE THEM and I love that this fic is making you explore a new side of yourself!

If you read my other fics, I hope you love them! Please let me know either way lol I think you’d like Doc from lavender. She’s a girl boss but in different ways! And Doll from Beskar Doll is just fully a badass. Din is hesitant to compare kill counts, he knows there’s a good chance he’d lose lol

Thank you so much for being here and for reading and for sharing your thoughts! It means a lot to know that you’re enjoying my work, so thank you 😍 love you bestie!

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 127

Mannequin 3: The Reckoning/Victory of the Daleks

“Mannequin 3: The Reckoning”

Plot Description: when Ben calls Dean and tells him that Lisa is in trouble, Dean leaves Sam to investigate a case alone and rushed to the rescue

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: I saw this in a doctor who once. Though those mannequins didn’t have faces so weren’t nearly as creepy. It was also aliens, not ghosts…I’d probably be dead

Also, Sam’s not dead, so that’s good!! 2-3 minutes in hell feels like a week

Dean no. There’s gotta be a middle ground between fully kicking down the wall in Sam’s mind and suppressing everything til it boils up in violence and alcoholism

Oh. So he doesn’t IMMEDIATELY run off to help her

Ah, bruh, I don’t think it’s Johnny. Why ARE these mannequins attacking people??

Dean, you know your past year and Sam’s past year are not comparable.

Ohhhhhh, Ben doesn’t want Lisa dating anyone but Dean. It’s kind of cute. He got so attached.

Ok…so…it’s not exactly fair to pin THIS on Dean. Ben called and said you were in trouble. Dean wants to help, Dean wants to protect, to make up for the danger he brought into your lives. Yes, he’s being a little bit of an ass about it right now.

You assholes, you don’t play with a girl’s feelings like that. She seems like she was really sweet, and you turned her into a vengeful spirit because you wanted to pretend she had a secret admirer and then LAUGHED AT HER FOR BELIEVING IT.

OH! THAT’S what the cut on all their foreheads is all about. Kinda hope this guy dies too, honestly.

Watching Dean say goodbye to the life he had with Lisa and Ben is a little bit of a gut punch. Ben admired him so much, but Dean doesn’t think he’s someone to be admired at all for anything

Uhhhhhhhh. So, the last dude from the terrible prank turned accidental manslaughter just got killed by his sex doll that he was treating like his partner. I am not disappointed

Well, that’s not comforting. Rose is possessing the impala. Trying to go all Christine on Dean. Why Dean though??

…she did it to kill her sister to get to the kidney she donated so she could be at rest. Fuck.

Just accept the thank you, Dean.

“Been On My Mind…”: Nope. 5

"Victory of the Daleks"

Plot Description: From the terrifying future of the United Kingdom to one of the darkest chapters of its past - World War Two, The Doctor and Amy find themselves in a top-secret cabinet war room deep beneath the London streets

So...here's one of the things about the Moffat era. I think a lot of his plots rely on the shock of the mystery, but if you remember that the scientist is a sort of Dalek hybrid or is a Dalek or has been brainwashed by the Daleks, much of the plot becomes kinda boring

Goddddd Matt looks so young. I mean...it's because he is and this was like 13 years ago (a true gut punch of a sentence to write).

I think it's hilarious that they slapped the Union Flag on a Dalek. How extremely like them. See something from another land? another planet even? Just put the Union Flag on it...it's property of Britain now.

Oh that "To Victory!" poster was so popular back then

I am interested in remembering the explanation for why Amy doesn't remember the events of Journey's End

Watching the Matt Smith era makes me crave Jammy Dodgers really bad

It's interesting to watch everyone watch Eleven beat up the Dalek to to avail. WE know so much of what they've gone through against each other, but with each newcomer comes a new horrified expression

Right....it was that the Daleks created that scientist to think that he had created them

Times like these make me miss Donna. Donna would have been making some sarcastic remark about how his plan (didn't) work

AW YEAH the giant colorful Daleks!! Like picking out the color iPod you wanted

Hey Doc, pack of Jammie Dodgers says this ISN'T the end of the Daleks.

The Doctor's going to make the scientist A REAL BOY...or not.

For all the time the Doctor has spent around humans and how many human companions he's had, he really still needs them to step in to make the REAL human connection

[dragoneyes618]

How do you think the Hook siblings would react to getting Auradon social media?

Chaos.

They are no more then two hours in when Harriet installs herself as moderator over her siblings' accounts, because she's seen what they're posting, and she'd quite like for none of them to be arrested for encouraging treason, sedition, regicide, and pillaging.

To which Harry and CJ are like, "COME ON!"

CJ posts numerous things calling for the death of King Beast and Auradon royalty in general except maybe Ben. She does this under a multitude of fake accounts, but everyone knows it's her, because the theme is always red and she signs off each posts with "Aargh!"

CJ also posts videos of herself doing heart-stopping near-suicidal stunts, like jumping around the rigging of a pirate ship, or jumping from tower to tower atop the castle roof, or walking on her hands down a tightrope, one end of which is tied to the mast, the other end of which is tied to, I don't know, the Smee twins. No one knows how she manages to video herself while doing this.

CJ also posts videos of herself loudly singing songs like "Hoist the Colours" and "A Pirate's Life" and "Death to King Beast: How to Assassinate Your Local Tyrant King In Ten Easy Steps," which is a song she made up for just this occasion, containing detailed instructions and suggestions in rhyming iambic pentameter.

Harry posts violent gruesome threats on his account. Not addressed to anyone. He just came up with some new ones to try on his sisters the next time they steal his hook and he wanted to share them with the whole wide world.

Harry also does a pirate quiz. You know that quiz from Uma's Wicked Book for Villain Kids, about seeing if you "have what it takes to rule a pirate gang?" Like that. Questions with demonstrations. "Are you willing to push hostages off the plank to the hungry sharks Bartholomew and Johnny over here?" Cut to a closeup of Bartholomew's and Johnny's very sharp teeth.

He also videos the Lost Revenge. Like a virtual tour. Just walking around videoing and taking pictures of different parts of the ship. He's the first mate of the ship, he's going to brag about it.

He posts tips for making sure your metal hook is in good condition, should you have one. Tips for polishing and sharpening it, what to do if it gets rusty...

Uma stole his phone once and posted a video of him when he got drunk.

Speaking of Uma, he occasionally posts pictures of her- sailing her ship, in the crow's nest, in her octopus form-all with the caption "the most beautiful queen of the sea."

Harriet doesn’t have social media besides for monitoring her siblings’ accounts, because she is quite busy enough in the real world, thank you very much, and why on earth would she want to share her thoughts with all of cyberspace when her siblings are already doing more than enough of that?

One time Harry and CJ teamed up and posted pictures of themselves attempting to burn down Castle Beast. This is what got Harriet to ban then from social media, because "If you're going to burn down the castle, at least don't ADVERTISE it! Do you WANT to get caught before you've finished?"

[castielsprostate]

hi, im the gay gemini man putting his tin hat on (5th time this week, new record) and i would like to propose this idea about why louis wore black (although it definitely was also a homage to Johnny Cash) and it may have already been said before but im too lazy to look into it

anway, here's my theory;

black absorbs all colour, right? it absorbs the entire rainbow. he was definitely aware that no flags could be present in Nashville, and he was probably aware of the light project, you can't convince me otherwise.

he wore black because he KNEW everyone would pull out those tiny little lights and make a rainbow, and he would be absorbing the rainbow (because black absorbs light) AND THAT'S HIM SAYING HE IS THE RAINBOW!!!!! Like???? far fetched??? a little. BUT with the Johnny Cash MIB meaning? i can see it.

but as always, that's just a theory, a louis tomlinson world tour 2022 theory.

thanks for coming to my TEd-talk.

[telekinetic-producer]

Johnny hissed softly as Remy cleaned the cut on his lip. "It's not that bad, sweetheart. It could be worse. Your dad could have finished ripping me throat out." He murmurs jokingly. He was just about to kiss his soulmate in thanks when Remy spoke again. "Yes, let's talk." He says before Dal said to explain. "To be honest, I developed feelings for Remy several years ago. He always came by to check on me while Warren was doing his tour in Afghanistan and we kind of bonded over our mutual worry for Warren being in such a dangerous situation. I denied myself though because Remy was barely 16 at the time. I kind of got used to burying it the years following that but we continued to get close." He says "Then he left for college and we barely saw each other. It felt like I was suffocating because the pull was there but we hadn't realized we were soulmates then. I'm sure you guys all remember how distant I got back then, how much I buried myself in my music. Now you know why. I missed Remy and I didn't want to admit it because I didn't feel like I deserved to miss him. He's my son's platonic soulmate, the son of one of my best friends since forever." He says as he traces Remy's hand in his where he held it in his lap. "The day Julian found out Nathaniel was pregnant, I decided to work late and Reny came by to keep me company. We hadn't spent much time together because he had been away at college so it felt nice to just be able to do that again. We talked for a while and I admit I let my mouth speak before my brain had time to stop it and I started flirting with him. I left him plenty of room to reject me, to turn down my flirting. Everything was consensual and we ended up kissing and realizing we were soulmates. As you can see by the fact that Remy now carries my child, we got a bit carried away but I would never regret being with Remy or making this child because he is my forever. I think I knew even before we confirmed it. All I want to is spend the rest of my forever proving that I can be a good soulmate to Remy and father to our Unborn Child. Family is very important to me, which is why I do regret keeping all of you in the dark but we wanted the chance to figure things out before we told everyone. Our surprise peanut just expedited our plans." He says as he rubs Remy's belly with a loving smile.

Warren listened as his dad explained how things went down with Remy and for some reason he wasn't as surprised as he thought he would be. "You know. I should be surprised that you two fell in love but I'm kind of...not?" He says "I could always feel the underlying attraction and affection Remy had for you through our bond but I always chalked it up to a crush because I mean haven't we all had a crush on someone we shouldn't at one point or another? But then I saw how you would look at him and treat him like he was the most precious person in the world and if I didn't know how you felt then I definitely figured it out when he left for college. Though I'd love to hear Remy's side of things." He chuckles "I just want both of you to be happy and I mean I can't really think of anyone better for you, Dad, than Remy. He's the total package. And honestly, I'm looking forward to having a sibling. Especially since my little brother or sister will end up growing up with my son or daughter." He says and Johnny's eyes shot to his son, wide with shock. "I um....I guess we both kept secrets. I met my soulmate a couple of weeks ago and we just found out we were going to have a baby. Uh I just didn't know who his dad was when we first got together. His family doesn't know yet. Mason promised he wouldn't tell his uncle even though they are close." He says rubbing the back of his neck.

Mason listened to what both Johnny and Warren had to say. "I'd like to hear Remy's side too before I say anything." He says before turning to Warren "As for you, Warren, you need to come clean soon before rhe father of your child starts showing and blows your secret. It's been really hard keeping your secret from my soulmate, that's his family." He says before Warren nods.

Dad help me!!!

It was unusual for Remy to get sick as he always maintained a healthy lifestyle and kept up with his detox’s regularly to boost his immune system but he felt like absolute garbage this past week. He stumbled into his dad’s clinic, throw up bucket in hand as he bursts into Mason’s office. “Daaaad” he whines but before he could get another word out he hunches over to throw up in the plastic bucket, dropping to his knees as he starts to sob uncontrollably in his knees. “Dad I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’ve been sick all week and I haven’t gotten any better only worse.” He sniffles out. “Please help me”

[nctsjiho]

King JiHo (Favourite JiHo moments)

Fan Video by ‘Haechan’s Children’ on YouTube

(indented text = comments added by the maker of the video) I’m 100% convinced that this is JiHo’s world and we’re just living in it. Here’s some moments that prove this <3 Enjoyyyy~~

[[N'-135] New Thangs🙆‍♀️🙆‍♂️New Thangs👍👃 | ‘영웅(Kick It)’ 인기가요 대기실 비하인드]

NCT 127 was chilling in their dressing room, backstage, waiting for their turn to perform ‘Kick It’. JiHo sat in one of the chairs in front of the mirrors, ready to get her make up done. Taeyong who was holding the camera walked up to the girl ready to interview her.

“And here we have our lovely JiHo getting ready for our stage.” He commented, earning a hum from the girl. “How are you feeling- oh? What’s that?” The camera wasn’t pointed at anything anymore as Taeyong leaned in closer to the girl then readjusted the camera again to focus on JiHo. His hand reached out to grab her chin and his thumb lightly pressed against a purple spot beneath the left corner of her lip. “Is it real?” The concern was audible in his question and JiHo nodded.

“I thought it was fake! What happened? When did you get that bruise? It looks painful.” Taeyong kept firing out questions which had both JiHo and the make up artist, who was currently working on her, laughing. “It doesn’t hurt too bad.” JiHo answered coolly, her eyes darted to the mirror in front of her and she noticed Mark walk behind her.

“Mark and I got into a fight yesterday.” Taeyong gasped and Mark snapped his head towards her after hearing his name. “What?” Both men asked shocked at the statement. “Mark hit you?” Taeyong asked once again pointing towards the bruise on JiHo’s face. “What are you talking about?” Mark stuttered over his words and turned his head to take a closer look at the bruise. JiHo didn’t say anything as Taeyong put down the camera on the table in front of them and started scolding the innocent boy.

Both JiHo and the make up artist were laughing and JiHo decided to grab the camera and point it towards both boys. “Oppa. I’m just kidding, leave poor Mark alone.” She explained, trying not to laugh again.

Johnny who had been watching everything happen had joined the group wordlessly. “Lim JiHo! You can’t joke about things like that!” The leader scolded and Mark let out a relieved gasp. “What?” She laughed at his expression. “I know we didn’t get into a fight, but I almost started second guessing myself that I somehow did do that to you.” With a hand on his heart, the panic lingered in his eyes for a few more seconds before it slowly vanished.

“You two are so gullible, oh lord.” JiHo chuckled and Johnny now settled between both boys, patting them both on their shoulders. “Taeyong you should’ve known better. If JiHo did get into a fight with Mark, we all know Mark would be the one to come out that with bruises. Not the other way around.”

She has these boys wrapped around her finger and she knows it!

[NCT 127 Talks "Superhuman", Tour, and KPop]

“What makes NCT 127 different from every other boy band?” Jaehyun’s eyes met JiHo’s, who is sitting on the front row of members next to Jungwoo. They shared a smile as Zach, the host, continues his question.

Johnny translated the question to all the other members and JiHo slowly brought the mic up to her lips. Once Johnny finished translating, the female voice of JiHo resonated through the room. “Well...” She stopped there with a nod and everyone started laughing.

After Taeyong and Johnny finished their answer JiHo grabbed her mic once again. “Just want to clarify, I’m not saying I’m the only reason we’re different, I’m just saying, if you’re calling us a boy band then of course me being a female member would technically already make us different from all other boy bands.” She quickly added.

“How does that feel? Being the only girl in a group of men.” Zach asked and JiHo shrugged. “It doesn’t feel abnormal to me. I think after knowing the guys for such a long time I just like, kind of found my spot with them and it just feels normal.” “I think JiHo sometimes forgets that she a girl...” Johnny added carefully, his voice turning a bit unsure at the end. With the boys laughing in the background JiHo waved a piece sign in front of the camera closest to her and started “acting cool” before talking into the mic with a deeper voice. “I’m part of the boys. Part of the homies. Ya know?”

JiHo sweetie, I know you wanna look cool, but all you’re doing is looking adorable. Please stop I’m gonna have a heart attack

[⚾️시티고 야구부⚾️ EP.1 라커 급습 | NCT 127 Baseball Team]

After Johnny’s joke about copying Mark(’s butt), Taeil spoke up, “Aren’t we missing someone?” “Where’s JiHo?” Yuta spun around once as if he was looking for the absent girl. “Tsk. Again, she’s late-” “Lee Haechan!” A voiced boomed off of frame.

JiHo walked in with a confident stride stopping in the middle of the room and staring straight into the main camera. “Don’t speak about your baseball team leader like that.” She said in a cold tone. “Sunbaenim, where were you?” Johnny asked. Since the age rolls were reversed, JiHo was now the oldest in the group. “I just came back from the gym as the leader of the cheerleading team who just finished practise.” “You’re also their leader?” Doyoung stifled a laugh and JiHo turned to him sending him a glare. He put up his hands in a defensive pose and took a step back after which JiHo turned back to the camera.

“Why? Don’t you believe me?” “I don’t know JiHo. It’s just that-” Mark stopped talking before being able to finish his sentence as the girl kicked up her left leg. She caught her foot with her left hand and pulled her leg up until it was next to her face, extended into a heel stretch. Her right hand was also in the air, showing of how great her balance and flexibility is. She kept the pose for a few seconds before bringing her foot back down to the ground. “Wow!” The boys gasped in surprised.

JiHo isn’t trying to be flexible, flexible is trying to be JiHo

She eyed Mark who quickly acknowledged the fact that she fit as the role of the cheerleading team. “Don’t underestimate me Markie.” The teasing tone along with the nickname sent a shiver down the boy’s spine, the other boys either oohing or being slightly scared themselves.

Why is Mark always the victim of JiHo’s teasing?? I can’t with them

[‘To You’ #3]

The whole ‘To You’ series was really sweet and emotional. So this isn’t as funny as the previous clips, but I felt like this still fits the theme so well. I also think that not that many fans have seen this before, so after this clip you should watch all 3 videos <3

PS. this isn’t the full clip but here are some of my favourite parts of Taeil’s message to JiHo

“It must have been hard right? Your position in the group is very special and it must come with a lot of pressure.” Taeil’s eyes fell into his lap, a sad smile on his lips. “But you always try to hide your hardships from the group.”

I believe what he means with ‘position’ is being the maknae of the group as well as being the only girl

“I wished that you could come to us more and open up about those things, because I know that everyone (in the group) would drop everything they were doing in a heartbeat to hear you out.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

“Haechan is the mood maker in the sense that he likes joking around and being loud, but you also are a mood maker. Just in your own unique way. You’re such a good listener and observer so you notice things other people might not. You approach members silently or make small gestures, which mean a lot, to cheer someone up. But you can also be funny and loud. I appreciate both of those sides of you.”

I’m not crying, you are ::>_<::

It was silent for a little as Taeil seemed deep in thought. “I know you don’t like to be treated in a more special way than the other members, and the older members really try not to show it. But in our minds... and in our hearts, you do have a special place. I know you are a strong person and can protect yourself just as well, if not better, than the other members, but I can’t help but want to protect you.”

“Whatever anyone says, those people who aren’t our fans or don’t understand us, I hope you don’t take their painful words to heart. Because you are just as fit to be in NCT as any of the other members.”

I’m so happy to see how much NCT cares for JiHo, not that I ever doubted that they didn’t, but seeing this was so heart-warming and JiHo’s reaction was so sweet as well as her message to Taeyong (but you have to go watch the original video for that ;-) )

[[Un Cut] Take #4 I ‘NCT - RESONANCE Pt. 1’ The Future ver. Jacket Behind the Scene]

The camera focused on JiHo who was currently doing her individual shots. She was wearing a beige oversized long sleeve that showed of her collarbones but covered up most of the rest of her body.

JiHo squatted down and tilted her head to the side to show of her jawline. The staff were complimenting her as the shoot went on.

A particular switch in poses had elicited a surprising response from one of the female staff members. “Wow~ Has she always been this pretty?” She said in awe, which caused everyone to start laughing and agreeing.

After JiHo’s shoot it was Ten and Kun’s turn. During Ten’s individual interview he brought up the event that happened before his shoot started. “I heard that the staff was surprised by JiHo’s visuals.” He chuckled. “My baby is very pretty everyone. Don’t forget that or you’ll be surprised and fall in love with her like the staff member did.”

I don’t know if I’m freaking out more because Ten just called JiHo his baby or because she called her very pretty so casually? Also thanks for the warning Ten, but I’m already madly in love with JiHo so... a bit too late for that.

[Idol Crushes? | HDIGH Ep. #xx Highlight]

“Weren’t you promoting (’Revolution’) recently?” Jae (Day6) asked AleXa who was sat next to him. She hummed. “Actually it was around the same time that NCT was promoting their music.” “Oh did you talk to them?” AleXa shook her head whilst laughing but then stopped suddenly as if she remembered something.

“She wasn’t promoting with them at the time, but I saw JiHo sunbaenim backstage.” This comment perked up Jae’s interest as he sat up in his chair. “Did you introduce yourself?” “Yeah she actually noticed me first and came to say hi.”

Diane, who was the person behind the camera gasped loudly. “Why haven’t you told us about this?! She knows you?” The small girl nodded embarrassed and then explained what happened on that day.

“She’s super nice and complimented my music and dancing. I didn’t think I’d ever been at such a loss for words as back then. I got so nervous because even though she’s really nice, she has such a strong presence? If you know what I mean?” Jae and Diane hum in understanding. “Just seeing her up close like that was so intimidating. Like she told me she was there to support her members so she didn’t have any makeup on, but she was still insanely beautiful.” Jae laughed at the girl’s dramatic explanation. “You sound like you have a crush on her.” AleXa stuttered for a second before replying. “I think I might!” They all laughed.

“Did you exchange phone numbers?” Diane asked and AleXa nodded excitedly. “We did! We don’t text each other often, but every once in a while she reaches out after a new podcast episode comes out to tell me about the parts she liked.” “Oh so she watches this?” Jae’s eyes widened. “Yeah.”

AleXa turned to the camera and waved. “JiHo sunbaenim, if you are watching this, thank you so much! I hope we can get closer someday.”

I don’t know AleXa that well, but I think a collab between her and JiHo would be so powerful!

Thanks for watching this video guys! And leave a comment on what kind of content you want to see next, byeeee o/

[luckysevenwrites]

Is that my sweatshirt?

For the long term couples series. I am also still accepting ideas for this series.

Y/n and Jaehyun have been seeing each other for a while now. But Y/n is afraid to make the leap into commitment. That doesn’t stop them though from taking Jaehyun sweatshirt. Because sometimes you just need to steal their clothes. 

Jaehyun could not understand it, where was his favorite sweatshirt? He knew that he had it a week ago when he went to your place to visit you. But, after that he cannot remember seeing the thing. He knows that he could just put on another sweatshirt, but he wanted his favorite. There was a reason that he wore that sweatshirt all the time. It was finally at the right softness after being washed countless times. It smelled just right and fit his body perfectly. He wanted that sweatshirt.

           Looking through his closet one more time Jaehyun groans as he comes up empty handed once again. Maybe he left it at your place, but he was almost positive that he wore it home that night. As Jaehyun continues to pull open drawers and clothing out looking for the missing sweatshirt, you lean against his door jam watching him tear his room apart, as you eat a bowl of ice cream. Its when he stops in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, and lets out a loud sigh that you announce your presence.

           ���What did you lose?” Jaehyun gives a start, looking over at you he watches as you shove a large amount of ice cream into your mouth. Causing you to dance around a little from the cold.

           “I can’t find my favorite sweatshirt. I know I had it when I came over to your place a few days ago. But I have not seen it since. Did I leave it at your place?” He questions.

           “Nope you were fully clothed when you left my place. Despite my best efforts,” you tease making your way into the room and sitting in the middle of his bed. You hold out a spoon full of ice cream towards Jaehyun. He leans in to eat the ice cream. As you pull the spoon out of his mouth you lean in and give him a kiss.

           “Maybe one of your other conquest took it,” Jaehyun gives you a small glare and continues his search for the missing sweatshirt.

           You and Jaehyun had been together, seeing each other, hooking up, whatever you wanted to call it for almost two months now. But, you were hesitating on making it official. Jaehyun had asked you if you wanted to be exclusive. He was willing and you knew that he wanted to be, but you were afraid to commit. You are not good at relationships. All of your past relationships had ended badly, and you didn’t want to lose Jaehyun. Meeting him at that cooking class had been the best thing that had happened to you and you weren’t about to mess it up by dating him and then eventually ruining your relationship with him.

           “Just because we’re not exclusive doesn’t mean that I’m seeing other people,” Jaehyun states, “are you seeing other people?”

           He looks up at you from his crouched position on the floor. His eyes are wide his hair falling over them, and you want to get up and brush his bangs back or use one of his many hair accessories to brush them back. You stay in your spot on the bed though and instead take another bite of your ice cream.

           “No, I’m not seeing anyone else,” Jaehyun seems to relax at that statement and you ask yourself why it makes you happy having him know that there is no one else.

           “Good and are you sure I didn’t leave my sweatshirt at your place?” He presses standing up from the floor and making his way over to you.

           “Positive, want to come over and search the place?” Jaehyun sits down next you and flops over so his head is in your lap. You don’t resist temptation anymore, setting the now empty bowl down you reach out and push his hair back from his eyes and continue to play with his hair.

           “No, I just hope I find it before I leave for tour. It’s the best one to wear,” you hum in agreement and look down at Jaehyun who has closed his eyes and is just enjoying you playing with his hair.

           “I’m sure it will show up. Do you want to go buy a new sweatshirt just in case it doesn’t show up?” Jaehyun grumbles and you make him another offer, “want to stay in bed with me and listen to music?”

           “Now you’re speaking my language,” Jaehyun sits up only to be able to pull you down onto the bed with him and to reach out for his phone to play some music. The two of you lay there listening to music, you playing with Jaehyun’s hair and him sliding his hand up and down your arm.

***

           A week later you find yourself sneaking your way into the dorms and hoping that Johnny wasn’t lying to you and that him and Jaehyun were really out for coffee, leaving Jaehyun’s room unoccupied. You hadn’t meant to keep Jaehyun’s sweatshirt all those weeks ago but when you had noticed the sweatshirt sitting on your couch you couldn’t stop yourself from putting it on. Jaehyun was not lying when he was saying it was the most comfortable sweatshirt ever, it was soft and big on him, making it’s huge on you. Perfect for curling up in. And an added benefit that you knew Jaehyun didn’t appreciate is it smelled like him.

           Then before you knew it you were wearing his sweatshirt whenever you found yourself having a bad day or missing Jaehyun. Something that you were never going to admit to him. People who were just keeping things causal did not miss each other or keep each other’s clothing. Which is why you were now sneaking into the dorms to return his sweatshirt. You needed to keep things causal and get back to the way things were before you kept the sweatshirt.

           Pushing open the door to Jaehyun’s room you signed in relief when you saw that he was gone. Entering the room, you looked around trying to decide where you would leave the sweatshirt. Jaehyun wasn’t the cleanest person in the world and you could probably just shove it under his bed and he wouldn’t think anything of it. Taking the sweatshirt out of the bag you moved towards the bed to push it under. As luck would have it, that was when Jaehyun decided to return.

           “Y/n? What are you doing?” Snapping back up and hiding the sweatshirt behind your back you gave Jaehyun and awkward wave.

           “Hey, I was just stopping by to wish you safe travels on your tour,” Jaehyun eyes you skeptically and leans to the side to see what you have behind your back. You shift to the side hoping he won’t notice what you’re holding.

           “Is that my favorite sweatshirt?” He points at you accusingly.

           “No…maybe…yes,” you duck your head in shame.

           “Why do you have it?” Jaehyun questions.

           Because it smells like you and when you’re not around I like to wear it like a crazy person because then I don’t miss you as much and it brings me comfort. Oh, and I don’t want us to be a causal thing I want us to be official but I’m terrified that I’m going to lose you because your perfect and I’m a mess. You think but instead answer with.

           “I found it at my place. Guess you did leave it there,” You shrug as you hold it out to him. He grabs the sweatshirt and holds it to his chest. Stepping closer to you Jaehyun reaches out with his free arm and wraps it around your waist, pulling you in close to him.

           “And what was the reason for you about to hide it under the bed?” Jaehyun leans in towards you causing your brain to short circuit for a moment.

           “I think your eyes are playing tricks on you,” you stutter. Jaehyun doesn’t believe you for a second.

           “Want to hear my theory?”

           “Not really,” you mumble but Jaehyun continues on anyway.

           “I think that you like me more than you are willing to admit and that you kept the sweatshirt because you like having a piece of me with you. But you are too stubborn to admit that you like me as more than just a hook up.” You look up at Jaehyun and catch your breath he is looking at you with such openness that you know he wants more, and he knows that you want more too.

           “Or you just really like the sweatshirt but realized that stealing is wrong,” Jaehyun gives you an out and your thankful for it.

           “That could be the reason. It is a really good sweatshirt,” you play with the string on the sweatshirt that Jaehyun is wearing. You feel exposed and don’t know where the two of you are going to go from here and looking at Jaehyun right now feels to intimate.

           “Y/n,” Jaehyun uses his pointer finger to lift your chin up towards him, “you can have any of my sweatshirts. Expect for my favorite one. Because it now smells like you.”

           Jaehyun pulls away from you leaving you there with wide eyes at what he just said. You watch as he makes his way towards the closet and rummages through it for a few seconds before returning with another sweatshirt in his hand. He tosses his returned sweatshirt on his bed and lifts the new one up and over your head.

           “Jaehyun!” You laugh as you become trapped in the sweatshirt for a moment. You push your arms through and Jaehyun moves your hair out of your face.

           “You can have this and when you need a different one just come and take it,” he smiles at you knowing exactly what he’s doing. He’s giving you an opening this is your chance to take it and say that you want more but you are scared. You also want him to know though that you do care about him.

           “I’m going to be taking a lot of your clothing then,” you watch as his shoulders relax, you hadn’t realized how tense he was until then. He smiles at you and pull you into him. Leaning down he connects his lips to yours. You sign into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck you pull him in closer to you and enjoy the feeling of Jaehyun.

           “I should get going and let you finish packing. You fly out tonight right?” You ask Jaehyun once you two stop making out.

           “We fly out tonight. I’ll message you before we take off and when we land,” he assures you and your glad that he’ll do that for you and that you don’t have to ask.

           “Okay, I’ll see you when you get back,” you pull away from Jaehyun and make your way towards the door. Before you can leave though Jaehyun calls out to you.

           “Will you be the first person I see when I get back?”

           “If you want me to be.” You tell him.

           “I do.” He admits a small blush forming on his cheeks.

           “Then I’ll be the first person you see when you get back,” you assure him. You know you should put space between the two of you, you’re crossing the line of casual, but you can’t stop yourself.

           Walking out of the dorms you can’t stop the stupid grin from forming on your face or pulling up Jaehyun sweatshirt towards your nose to see if it smells like him. It does. You wrap your arms around yourself and smile. You hope the next few weeks go fast and as you make your way home you decide that you’re not returning his sweatshirt this one is going to be yours forever.

[xnever-fade-awayx]

kerry/v

"you know I'll do anything you ask me to"-prompt (sofia by clairo)

just an idea, no pressure^^

AN: Quick note, this is unedited, also this is with default Male V! Enjoy~ 

V groaned as he rubbed at his eyes and slowly opened them. His head was pounding and he felt like he was hit by a truck. He tried to piece together the night before but all he can remember  is Kerry fucking him senseless into the mattress. Which he did enjoy. As V sat up in the bed, he glanced to his side to see Kerry passed out on his stomach, completely naked. 

V got out of bed quickly and he began searching for his clothes to at least put something on. He wasn’t trying to leave before Kerry left per say, he was just trying to make sure he was covered from the paparazzi this time. They ended up using a drone that went undetected by Kerry’s security last time to take pictures of both men completely naked, asses all out. 

The paparazzi called V Kerry’s “current JoyToy” which pissed him off more than it should have. Maybe it was because he was developing feelings for Kerry and wanted to be more than fuck buddies. V shook his head at the thought and ignored it as he threw his jeans on and made his way down to Kerry’s kitchen to try to find some food, some real food. 

V managed to find some bread that wasn’t molding, at least from what he saw, and ate a few slices of that before he was going to dip. He heard the groans of Kerry echoing through the large villa as he woke up, walking down the stairs, still completely naked. 

“Mornin’.” Kerry mumbled out gruffly as he went to the table that had all types of food and began to pick at the stuff on it. 

“Morning. I don’t think it’s safe to eat any of that.” V said as Kerry turned and shot him a small glare. “And I think you should put some pants on before the paparazzi caught you, again.” V tried to tell Kerry as he threw another grape into his mouth. 

“Fuck ‘em. Won’t be the first or last time they’ve seen my gorgeous ass.” Kerry laughed as he walked over to V and looked him over. 

“I was just heading out. Gotta see Vik for a tune up.” V heard Kerry hum in response to what he said. 

“You comin’ tonight? Playing another show tonight with the girls.” Kerry said as he walked over to V and looked into his eyes. V shrugged and placed his hands on Kerry’s hips and pulled him close. Kerry chuckled and moved his arms to wrap loosely around V’s neck. 

“I’ll try to drop by. I think I’m gonna check up on Wakako to see if she has something for me today. Need a few extra eddies for rent this month.” V admitted which caused Kerry to frown at the taller man. 

“You know I can send you some money. You can always ask.” Kerry tried telling his friend as V pulled away and began walking towards the door. 

“It’s fine, Ker. I can make my own money. You don’t gotta act like my sugar daddy. Now, I gotta get going. Vik’s gonna be pissed if I’m late.” V said as he opened the front door and was followed by V. 

“Seven tonight if you come by! Talk to Tasha and she’ll get you backstage!” Kerry shouted as he watched V walking down towards his car. 

“Put on some god damn pants!”

                             « ----------------------------------------------- » 

 Vik had done his check up on V as normal, giving him an upgrade or two but was happy that V wasn’t pushing himself too far. Wakako was happy to see V had assigned him a job that shouldn’t take too long. She had him go to a Tyger Claw hideout and find a person, making sure they were unharmed and alive. There was a shootout, which V tried to avoid, but it was okay. The person he was transporting wasn’t hurt which was a plus but V was a mess and covered in blood. 

Wakako thanked V for the person and quickly transferred the money to V before he drove home to shower and change. His entire shower he thought about Kerry, and about them. He had fallen for the rockerboy about the second time they fucked. It was just a casual friends with benefits thing that would happen once every few weeks then turned into almost everyday. Every concert in the city, V would show up, drink too much with Kerry and then they would end up at his place. 

V wanted to change it and he decided tonight was the night before Kerry and Us Cracks left Night City for their tour across the world. He shut the water off in the shower and quickly dried off before throwing on some jeans and a random shirt, which happened to be one of Kerry’s shirts he stole. Funny story behind the shirt: Kerry was trying to rush V out since Johnny was coming over and Kerry didn’t want Johnny knowing V and him were fucking. So, V grabbed the first shirt he saw and threw it on as Kerry kicked him out. 

V double checked to make sure he had everything before leaving his apartment and heading to get to his car. The entire drive to the venue, V thought of what to say to Kerry and honestly, how the fuck does someone say, ‘hey I love you’ without making it weird or awkward? V shook his head at the thought and said he was just going to do it, fuck it. 

He parked on the side of the building, weaving between the fans trying to get backstage and smiled at Tasha. She had learned who V was quickly and smiled at him and allowed him in. She was telling him how he could chill backstage or on the side during the concert before leading him towards where Kerry was. The moment V spotted Kerry, his heart dropped. He was standing extremely close to another guy, smiling at him and giving him those fuck me eyes he always gave V. 

“Oh, hey V! Glad to see you!” Red Menace smiled at the man and hugged him tightly. Over the last few months, he got close to Us Cracks just like Kerry did. Kerry turned towards the two and smiled as he walked over to V. 

“Decided to show up, I see. Well, I’ll have to give you a special thank you after the show.” Kerry smirked as he made his way to V and closed the gap between them. 

“I don’t know if I’m staying. I, uh, have things I need to do.” V avoided eye contact with Kerry. He picked up the change in V almost instantly as he started walking.

“Let’s go somewhere private, V. Just chat a bit before the show.” Kerry said as he walked towards what was currently his little dressing room. V didn’t want to follow him but did it anyway, so he didn’t anger him. Once the two were in the room, Kerry closed the door behind him and locked it. V stood in the middle of the room as Kerry went to lean against a counter where all the mirrors were.

“Why did you bring me in here?” V finally asked as Kerry turned and looked over the other male.

“What the hell is going on, V?” Kerry asked, his arms crossed over his chest. V just watched Kerry as he sighed out. It was now or never.

“Look, Ker… I-we… well, you know how last week we were in that magazine? And they called me a Joy Toy?” V asked as Kerry nodded.

“Yeah. Those mother fuckers got a bad picture of me!” Kerry said, slightly angry as V shot a glare at him.

“Not the point, Ker. I don’t wanna be known as a Joy Toy, okay? I don’t want to be known as your latest fling or your fuck buddy. I wanna be known as… as…” V couldn’t seem to say it outloud. He felt stupid and embarassed. 

“As.. my boyfriend?” Kerry finished the sentence. V felt embarassed as fuck at that. Kerry walked over to V and grabbed his face in his hands. “You know, V, I’ll do anything you ask me to. And if that is to be your boyfriend, then I’m fine with that.” Kerry said as he pressed his lips harshly against V’s lip. V melted into the kiss before Kerry slowly pulled away.

“I’ve wanted that for a while…” V whispered, causing the rockerboy to chuckle.

“I was waitin’ for you to say something. If this was just meaningless sex, then I was fine with it. I was hopin’ it would turn into something more.” Kerry said before leaning in and placing another kiss to V’s lips.

“So, does this mean Kerry Eruodyne is no longer going to be a slut? No more man whoring?” V teased which rewarded him a quick slap to the chest.

“Shut the fuck up or else I might take back talkin’ about being your boyfriend.” Kerry glared at V as the other male rolled his eyes.

“Mr Eurodyne? Concert starts in 2 minutes.” A voice called from the other side of the door. Kerry and V both looked at the door before looking at each other.

“Stayin’ to watch?” Kerry said as the two walked out of the door. Kerry followed behind V as they began walking towards the stage.

“Of course. For my boyfriend? Anything.” V said as they got to the side of the stage. Kerry smiled and placed a small kiss to V’s cheek.

“I promise after we will go get dinner, something nice, then back to my place.” Kerry said as he got himself pumped for the show.

“Don’t hurt yourself up there. Gonna need you all good and in one piece later.” V teases as Kerry and him share a rough kiss before Kerry rushed up to the stage to start the concert.

[wastelandcth]

The Way it Was - cth

part of love songs for calum, a series

summary: back then this thing was running on momentum, love and trust that paradise is buried in the dust. 

author’s notes: this was a request that i thought fit the song nicely! hi, i love ur writing...it gives me✨ serotonin✨ have you seen that video of winona ryder and johnny depp seeing each other at an award show after they’ve broken up many years ago, do you think you can write a version like that with calum where she’s an artist as well and she’s receiving her first tony award for the leading lady role in a musical, and maybe he’s given her a promise in the past but she still wears it to this day and he spots it when she’s giving her speech? and maybe they meet up afterwards. 

masterlist || request

Calum watched as the stars passed above him. The dry desert wind hit his skin as his eyes closed and the thumping in his ears made him numb to the world. He'd been silent for most of the ride, too lost in his head to really remember how long you'd been driving him in the darkness of the desert. He didn't remember exactly how long he'd been with you after he'd watched you walk onto the stage to accept the award you'd won. He didn't remember how long it had been since his breath had been stuck in his lungs as he watched you up on stage thanking your loved ones and the fans. 

The stars could only distract him for so long before Calum's mind drifted back towards one of the last times he'd seen you. When the tears running down your cheeks shined brighter than lights he'd seen on stage a few minutes ago. His ears were still ringing from the fans he'd sang to and his throat burned from the shouting match you were both engaged in. He didn't even really remember what you two were fighting about, the most recent fights had all been like that. Insults and hurtful words spewed out at one another and it seemed like every time the tears would spill or your voices would crack, Calum found himself slipping further and further away from you. 

The day you two broke things off, the day you both said too much and the words stung too hard on each other's hearts, Calum knew he'd never be able to love as he loved you again. He watched you walk away, tears falling down his cheeks and shaky breaths leaving his lungs. That was the last time he saw you, as a feisty nineteen-year-old with your whole life ahead of you and his whole life ahead of his. And as your figure got smaller and smaller in the hallway of that arena, Calum couldn't help but feel his heart go with you. 

"Do you think we were just too young?" you asked as the car stopped on a pullout, the dark desert enveloping you both. "Or maybe we were just too dumb to realize what we were doing back then?"

Calum sighed, his eyes looking over at you, he'd thought about it every day for years. He ran over every possible reason why your relationship had never worked, why you two fell apart and never talked again. It wasn't like you'd both changed phone numbers the second you'd walked out of each other's lives. Calum knew your new place had been only less than an hour away from the one you'd both shared. He knew that you still made the drive to your favorite grocery store down the road because they had the best oranges in town. 

"Too young to know things like love. To know that what we felt was and might've been love." Calum mumbled softly and shrugged, his eyes drifting back over to the stars that seemed to shine brighter when you were around. 

"I always felt loved by you, you know that? Always made me feel like I was safe and cared for," you whispered into the night, your own eyes moving up to look at the stars. "I hope you felt the same."  

Calum remembers when he first felt that pit in his stomach. When he realized that he was no longer that teenage boy who got excited over holding your hand or kissing you. He remembers those nights when the lights shone brighter and your smile made his heart race. Whenever he had you by his side, he felt like anything was possible and the nights were longer and brighter. 

He remembers how he'd never been able to tell you about all the feelings he'd been holding in. The way his heart raced and his palms would sweat whenever he got close to telling you about the way he truly felt. He'd whisper the words to you at night when you were asleep and he was alone on his own. He'd whispered them in the dark when your dorm was far away and the breeze coming in through the window meant that you were pressed against his chest and breathing against his neck. 

"I did feel it. Felt it so hard I thought I was going crazy." Calum whispered and chuckled quietly. 

Calum saw when the look in your eyes changed whenever you looked at him. When the sparkle left and it was replaced by something he'd never seen before. At first, he feared the worst. He feared that maybe you'd found someone who was better than him, someone who wasn't away for so long or would be able to spend more time with you. 

He'd asked you one night about it. When he was so lost in his mind and you kept telling him off. He'd foolishly asked you if there was another person and if that's why you had pushed him away. 

"You seriously think I would do that to you, Calum?! That I would fuck someone else just because you were gone!?" you scoffed. 

"What am I supposed to think? You don't look at me anymore, you barely call or answer my text messages! You didn't even want to come on tour with me until I practically begged you!" Calum scoffed and shook his head, "I don't know what you expect me to believe." 

"That I fucking love you and I would never leave you!" 

"Sometimes I imagine what our lives might've been like if we would've worked out. If we hadn't been so stupid and let us all drift apart." you mumbled quietly, your head finding a familiar spot on Calum's shoulder, "That maybe we'd be twenty-five and exploring the world together. You with touring and making music and me with I don't even know.." she laughed. 

"Making amazing music as well." Calum mumbled and chuckled, his hand squeezing your thigh gently, "You did win an award for it tonight." 

"But all my songs were about...about you and the way my heart still beats for you," you mumbled,  leaning into the touch of the man who'd always held it in his embrace. 

"I wish it could be the way it used to be. Before all the fights and all the stupid words we said." Calum whispered, his lips leaving a kiss on the crown of your head, "With you by my side and our love shining brighter than ever." 

"It could be. We could try this again, you know?" you whispered, "We're both older now, know who we are as people." 

"You'd want to?" Calum asked quietly, his eyebrow peaking in interest, "You'd want to give it another go? Another chance for fighting and yelling and just....putting our hearts on the line?" 

"I don't want the fighting. I want the kisses in the morning and the way you always cover your mouth when you laugh too loud. I want the midnight drives when we sing to whatever songs are stuck in our head and the love we had for one another." you sighed and sat up. "I want things to be the way they were, Calum." 

"My heart is yours, you know that? It always has been yours." Calum mumbled as his hand found your cheek and his lips found yours. 

taglist: @hoodhoran @finelliine @moonlightcriess @dinosaursandsocks @mxgyver @calpops @karajaynetoday @notlukehemmo @calumrose @devilatmydoor @lyss-xo @lowkeyflop​  @stollls @hemmo1996-5sosvevo​ @myloverboyash​

[tarteausuga]

Wonderless

In which Mark is at a crossroads between the two loves of his life...

WC: 1676 words

CW: angst, a smidge of fluff, use of a few profane words. Band!NCT, lead singer!Mark x she/her oc

A/N: vaguely based off of Wonderless by Pierce the Veil

Meeting her was the best and worst thing to ever happen to Mark. He always told himself that the day he falls in love with someone is the day he would start to cut back on his work. He never anticipated that day to come so early in his career. It was a crush that got out of control and before things got too serious, he had to make a choice: his love or his dreams.

"I just want you to be happy, Mark." She said tearfully that night he made his decision. The image of her forced smile through her sad eyes is the most vivid memory he has.

"I'm sorry." He said to her but she quickly brushed it off.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. This is what you've been working for, you need to go chase it," she wiped her eyes, "I'll always be cheering you on so don't turn back, okay?" She held onto his hands so tightly until she finished that sentence. Her grip weakened and Mark's hands dropped to his sides.

He wanted to say something so bad. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, thank her for everything she's done for him but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would tell her he's staying. Instead, she said it all, "I love you, Mark Lee. Do good."

Mark still regrets not watching her walk away after she left a kiss on his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair for the last time. He still regrets not doing enough to make stronger memories with her. She was always there for him during the long nights of writing and recording, sleeping on the tiny couch of the tiny recording studio he and his band rented. She was always by his side through it all but ultimately, he had to leave her behind.

"Hey Mark!" Johnny poked Mark with his drumsticks. "You done daydreaming?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

The crowd was buzzing as their set time approached. This is what Mark loved so much about performing but there was still something missing. He knew exactly what it was.

Hanging his guitar over his shoulders, he downed his beer before meeting his band backstage.

She kept him grounded. She reminded him that outside of the recording studio, off the stage and beyond the interviews, he was just Mark Lee. But lately, the feeling was he didn't know who Mark Lee was anymore and it was starting to seep toxicity into every area of his life.

"Mark! Let go!" Johnny and Jaehyun jumped in to pull him off of their youngest band member and rhythm guitarist.

"Stay the fuck away from me!" Mark spat as the much larger Johnny restrained him while Jaehyun did the same to Haechan.

"What the hell is going on?" Taeyong, their lead guitarist and de facto leader stood between the two youngest as they both tried to break from their restraints.

"Ask him!" Haechan used his chin to motion at Mark.

"Me? He's been getting on my nerves since the start of this damn tour!" Mark roared.

"I don't care! I don't care what the fuck is going on between you two but you can't be going for each other's throats right before a show!" Taeyong yelled.

"Whatever." Haechan finally shook free from Jaehyun's arms. "Dude needs to get laid." He said under his breath but was still loud enough for Mark to hear.

Johnny, thinking the dust had settled, dropped his guard and gave Mark a chance to lunge at Haechan but Taeyong stepped in front of him before he could do anything else. "I don't know what's going on but you need to go cool off." Taeyong said quietly, but sternly.

"I'll play this show but only because we get a break from the tour after…" Mark chewed his words.

The show was noticeably tense. The usual friendly banter between them onstage was replaced by rehearsed lines to hopefully draw a laugh from the crowd. Their fans could easily tell there was something up with lead singer, Mark, so no one was surprised when he declined to sign autographs that night. Instead, Mark retreated to their tour bus, grabbed the bag he had packed before the show, and asked their manager to drive him straight to the airport. He was going home. For how long? He wasn't sure but he really didn't want to go back on tour. He wanted her.

With a tendency to act on impulse, he had no plans for what he was going to do when he landed. It had been just over two years since that night… did she really mean it? He wondered. She's always been one to keep her word so he trusted her and made his way back to the neighbourhood where he grew up.

As the taxi made its way into the deep suburbs, Mark felt a relief of comfort on top of nostalgia. This is where he fell in love with music. This is where he found love. Passing by his parents' house, he made a silent promise to visit them once he settled his business.

Walking up those steps and pressing the doorbell took him back to the first time he picked her up for a date. He didn't have his license at the time so his dad was on the driveway, idling while he nervously waited to see her. He held his breath like he did back then. Like he always did when he was waiting to see her.

"Oh hi Mrs.-" Mark began to greet her mom but he was instantly pulled into a hug.

"Honey! Come down!" Her dad yelled upstairs.

Mark's eyes widened as he focused on her descending towards him. Her mom peeled away, allowing him to scoop her up into his arms. His favourite person. The muse for all of his songs. His anchor.

They stood, wrapped in each other's arms for a long time before he finally spoke.

"I love you." He said just loud enough for her to hear.

"You really came to say that?" She giggled.

"Yeah, I did." He tightened his arms around her waist, determined to imprint the feeling into his brain along with her scent and the warmth of her cheek against his neck.

"I missed you." She confessed, finally pulling away to examine Mark.

"You didn't go out of town for university?" He smirked.

"I mean… Not for you… they had the program I wanted here but… yeah, maybe it was a little bit for you." She blushed.

He was relieved but he also felt guilty that she felt the need to stay for him, waiting for him. Maybe this could have worked if he was just a little bit more committed, he wouldn't have had to give her up for his band.

"So why did you really come back?" She asked him as they took a walk through the park, chasing the sparse lights, showing the path in the night.

"Why did you wait?" He answered.

"Answer me first." She pushed him lightly.

"I don't really know. I just felt like I had to, so I did." He shrugged.

"Typical Mark Lee, doing things without thinking first." She giggled.

"Is that bad?"

"Not when it's you. You act with your heart and that's what I've always loved about you." She eased his worries.

"So why did you wait?"

"I was worried. I knew that one day, you might need an escape from that world and I wanted to be here when you did." She went on but Mark got lost in her voice. He missed her voice so much. The way she would stumble on her words when she spoke too fast, the unique intonations she had for certain words. There was just something about her that made him feel normal.

There was a point in his past where he craved being on stage. The bright stage lights and roaring crowd were addictive. They sang every word he sang and they cheered after every song. But somewhere along the way, the lights were disorienting and the cheers were suffocating. The songs he wrote and sang were about and for her.

"Mark?" She poked him.

"Yeah?" He shook his head out of the clouds.

"You were off in your own world again." She laughed as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Sorry." He laughed softly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"So when are you leaving?"

"I don't think I want to." He took a deep breath and appreciated that he wasn't trapped on a tour bus with a bunch of sweaty dudes.

"What? Mark, you can't stay here!" She gawked at him.

"Wait wait wait… you don't want me to stay?"

"Of course not! Mark you're so good at what you love, I would hate to be the reason why you give it all up." She said.

"Then why did you stay here?" He yelled at her for the second time in their relationship. His memories were modified to suit his needs. What truly happened was not as calm and perfect as he wanted it to be. He was begging her to go with him but she refused. She promised that she would always be there for him but she couldn't give up her life for him. "You're the one who said you couldn't give up your dreams and yet you're still here!"

"I… things change." She wanted to yell back but she couldn't.

"Then why can't I change my mind and choose you?"

"That would be the wrong choice… I stayed because when you left, I was afraid to leave too." She started to explain, "I was ready to go to university. Everything was packed but it didn't feel right. I wasn't ready. It's different, Mark. You know what you want and you're doing exactly what you want. I'm still trying to figure it out."

"What if I want you?" He said quietly.

"We can't have everything we want." She said.

[ah-ga-seven]

Till’ The End Of Summer - Chapter 3

>> series masterlist <<

Pairing: Choi Yeonjun x Reader

In a Nutshell: College!AU, Rich Kids, Friends to Lovers, Fuckboy athlete Yeonjun, Overprotective Best friend Soobin, contains all of TXT and other Idol cameos, Omnipresent perspective.

Synopsis: You and Yeonjun are caught up in a cat and mouse game because of unspoken feelings and endless pining for each others’ attention. With the summer break approaching and lots of college parties, will you finally get a chance to explore your feelings for each other; even though the world and Yeonjun’s reputation makes things complicated?

Word count: 5K

Genre: Angst, Fluff.

Cameos: NCT Johnny, ITZY Yeji.

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol consumption sexual implications, arguing, and conflict.

A/N: English isn’t my first language, pls don’t come for me ;)

Mia wakes up from the movement of her boyfriend stirring in his sleep. His arm was wrapped around her waist protectively and her head, as well as her arm, rested on his chest.

She winced at the dull pain in her head and soon realised she didn’t remember much of what happened last night.

Mia tried to untangle herself from Soobin without waking him in the process, and as she did so she started to look for her phone, finding it in the charger on Soobin’s desk. She grabbed it, looking for clues on social media as to what happened last night. She looked at the Instagram stories of some people that were at the party, but nothing stood out to her.

She realised you hadn’t posted anything and frowned. That’s unlike you.

Something in her told her to check for Yeonjun’s story, but again. Nothing. Very unlike him too.

She sighed looking back at her boyfriend who was still sound asleep.  

“Something is off,” she whispers to herself.  

You wake up with heavy lids. Usually, the first thing you do is grab your phone. But this time you just stare at the ceiling.  

Last night was the most eventful night you’ve had since you started college and not in a good way.

It started out great, though it ended quite abruptly and well, terribly. 

You close your eyes again as your mind flashes back to what had happened right before you left.

“Y/n,” Soobin says cautiously. “I-” he starts but you don’t let him finish.

You tear your eyes off of Yeonjun and Yeji, who by now had detached themselves from each other as they giggled to themselves.. They hadn’t noticed any eyes on them yet, especially yours.

“I want to go home,” you say saddened, turning back around to Soobin. He still wasn’t able to tear his eyes off of Yeonjun and Yeji as he stared at them, fire emitting from his pupils.  

“Soobin,” you warn him. “Let’s get Mia and let’s go. Now. Please” you plead.

Soobin finally looked at you, his heart breaking into a million pieces seeing the way your face fell. If it wasn’t for your pleading tone to leave the party, Soobin would have probably launched himself at Yeonjun. 

This was exactly what he was afraid of, but not in a million years did he guess it would happen this way.  

“Ok, ok. Let’s go,” Soobin says taking your hand and leading you through the crowded house.

You left without saying a word to anyone else, avoiding as many people as you could.  

Mia was fast asleep in the back seat of the car, and you silently stared out of the window lost in deep thought.

Soobin didn’t bother to start talking to you about what happened, knowing it would be to no avail.

“Are you sure you want me to take you to your place? You live alone…I don’t think-”

“I want to be alone,” you say cutting him off, your voice weak and hoarse.  

Soobin nods at your request. He put his hand on your thigh to comfort you before making a left to drop you off at your place.

The buzzing of your phone snapped you back to reality, and when you see the caller ID you sigh, it’s Mia.

You want to tell her everything, but you don’t really know where to start. Somehow you feel thankful for the fact that she was shitfaced drunk last night, cause if she wasn’t, she would have killed Yeonjun.

You let your phone ring until it goes to voicemail, but much to your dismay, Mia calls again.

You knew she wasn’t going to stop until you picked up. So you accept her call at the third try.

“Hey,” you say, your voice still laced with sleep.

“Hey, are you okay? Where are you? I don’t remember anything from last night and I need you to fill me in. What happened? Did you and Yeonjun kiss? Or better yet? Did you fuck? Is he with you?”  

Mia’s questions are like a whirlwind to your scrambled thoughts and her words basically go in one ear and out the other. You wince at her mentioning Yeonjun, sighing and burying your face in your pillow wanting to scream.

When you stay quiet on the other end of the line she realises that something was up.

“Y/n?”  

You take a deep breath and tell her everything in one go. From the fight you had with Soobin, to the walk you had with Yeonjun, all the way to the MTV Cribs tour you had with Johnny. You explained further on how Beomgyu, Soobin, and Yeonjun barged in and how hostile and angry Yeonjun suddenly got.

Mia didn’t react much other than a few ‘What the fucks’ until you got to the part where Soobin basically made you cry as you reconciled,  now getting to the juiciest part of it all.

“And then I witnessed Yeonjun basically eating Yeji’s face in front of everyone.”  

“N-O,” Mia gasped. She couldn’t believe it. Anger filled her senses as she inhaled sharply.

“Dude. ‘I’m here. I’m at Soobin’s. He didn’t take me to my place, he took me to his place. That means that Yeonjun is next door. FUCK,” Mia whisper-screamed.  

You sit up, your eyes growing big. “Mia, I swear to god. Do. Not. And I mean, DO NOT say or do anything to Yeonjun,” you curse at yourself for not asking where Mia was before. You should have known Soobin would take her with him since he would want to take care of her.  

You nervously bite the inside of your cheek, waiting for her to reply.  

“You want me to pretend like everything’s okay when you just told me all of that?” She scoffs. “I guess you don’t know who you’re talking to,” Mia says walking out of Soobin’s room.

None of the other boys had woken up yet, so the living room was empty. She looked at the door to Yeonjun’s bedroom, biting her lip while angrily glaring at it.

Mia walked further into the living room, sitting down on the couch, deciding against any rash decisions.

“Well, he’s here. I see his car keys on the coffee table,” Mia says staring at the keys as she clears her throat.

“Dude. Don’t do anything. Please, I’m begging you. I’ll look crazy desperate.”  

“I could go key his car,” she says lifting the keychain, playing with it in her hand.

“Mia,” you warn her.  

“Alright, alright. The two of you should resolve this together, like adults. We’re not in high school anymore and this endless pining for each others’ attention needs to stop,” she sighs putting the keys back on the coffee table.  

“Besides he probably just kissed Yeji because he thought that you replaced him with Johnny,” Mia states confidently.

“That sounds so juvenile,” you say kicking your sheets off of yourself and getting out of bed.

“What other reason could he have, y/n?” Mia sighs. “He’s like a little kid who’s never had a serious relationship. All he knows is meaningless sex. And given the fact that the only girl he actually liked in college basically blew him off for another rich and popular senior, probably just made him insecure.”

“The words Yeonjun and insecure don’t belong in one sentence,” you say rolling your eyes.

“It’s true though. He just wants to be loved, but he’s afraid of getting hurt. That why he doesn’t let anyone get close.”

“Maybe you’re right,” you give in.  

“No, I AM right. You should’ve just watched him play beer pong and fed his ego a little. He’s a Virgo, he wants the satisfaction and the attention of the person he likes. Yet you went ahead and ditched him for a house tour with another hot guy,” she chuckled at her own observation.

Mia and her god damn astrology references. You hated how right she was.

You also hated how clearly she judged the situation because lord knows you couldn’t. Suddenly you had so much more to think about.

You rub your temples in an attempt to release the tension building up in your brain.

“Well, I hope so. Cause the other explanation would be that he’s just not that into me as I thought he was,”  you groan.

Mia sighed throwing her head back on the couch but as she did so, she heard a bedroom door creak open. Mia’s ears perked up at the sound, snapping her head in the same direction as the noise.  

It was Yeonjun’s room, but the person exiting the room was not Yeonjun.

Mia’s eyes widen as she sees Yeji close the door behind her.  

“Mia?” you call out for her due to the long silence on the other end of the line. “Earth to Mia?”  

Mia manically tried to lower the volume on her phone so your voice couldn’t be heard by Yeji, but Yeji jumped at the sound of a voice, looking straight into Mia’s widened eyes. They both looked at each other like deer’s caught in headlights.  

Busted.  

“Mia! What…are you doing here. You scared me,” Yeji’s voice was barely audible but you heard it. And you knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

Does this mean what you think it means? You immediately put your volume up. Basically gluing your phone to your ear to hear what was going on a little better.

“My boyfriend lives here,” Mia stoically replies, earning an understanding nod from Yeji.  

She couldn’t believe this and neither did you.

“Ahh, right. Soobin.” Yeji says putting two and two together.  

“You were in Yeonjun’s room?” Is all Mia could ask. And as if she could sense it, she quickly put her phone on the armrest of the couch, hoping you could hear their voices clearer, and you did.  

“I-uh…well yeah, it kind of happened,” Yeji says awkwardly smiling at Mia.  

“Yes. Hate it when that happens.” Mia’s sudden cold tone confused Yeji, but she didn’t think much of it as she collected her coat and bag from the dinner table.  

“I was just about to head out…” she says walking towards the front door.

“Enjoy your walk of shame,” Mia says under her breath.  

To your relief, Yeji didn’t hear the snarky comment your best friend made. You did not want more drama to erupt. None of this is Yeji’s fault, though it would be easy to blame her, you knew that would be even more childish than Yeonjun’s behaviour. 

Yeji turned to look at Yeonjun’s bedroom door one more time before she opened the front door to their apartment. “Tell Yeonjun I had fun,” is all she says, and just like that she’s out the door.  

As the door closed behind Yeji, Mia frantically reaches for her phone again.

“Bitch. Did you hear that!?” She exclaims trying to be as quiet as possible.

“Y-yeah.” 

You’re frozen in place and literally couldn’t compute.

“Tell Yeonjun I had fun? What in the fuck. How about you tell him yourself, bum ass bitch,” Mia scoffs as she continues her rampage. “I take back everything I said about resolving things with Yeonjun as adults, not after this revelation. The fucking nerve this took from him. Why would he take her home? As if no one would find out-”  

“I’m gonna hang up,” you say before Mia could go on any further.

You had to admit, this hurt. Seeing them kiss was also painful but you could come back from a kiss that happened out of childish jealousy. This, however, was a different pang to your heart.  

“Y/n….” Mia’s tone softened as she heard the weak sound of your voice.  She knew you were upset, and she hated that she couldn’t give you a hug right now.  

You hang up. Deciding that a hot shower is the only thing that will make you feel better.  

Mia silently made her way back to Soobin’s room. To her surprise he was already awake, scrolling through his Instagram feed.

“Good morning baby,” he hums with his low raspy morning voice, smiling at her as he sees her messy bed hair and grumpy hang-over face.  

“Hi,” she sighs. “Thank you for taking care of me,” Mia says apologetically as she climbs on top of him, sitting down on his torso.

“You don’t have to thank me for things I’m supposed to do,” he says yawning.  

“Oh, by the way…” Mia smirks seductively, inching closer to Soobin. “What?” Soobin looks at his girlfriend with expecting eyes, pouting his lips for a kiss but instead of a kiss, he gets surprised with a hard slap across his chest.

“AH, What the fuck was that for!?” Soobin whines, rubbing the affected area with his large hand.

“That’s for fighting with y/n and making her cry,” she says crossing her arms.

“So…you talked to her,” Soobin sighs. He untangled himself from Mia, getting up and stretching his body. “I should call her,” he says rubbing the back of his head.

“I already did and she told me everything. But here’s the thing. As I was on the phone with her in the living room, Yeji suddenly emerged out of Yeonjun’s room.” Mia explains in a hushed tone, afraid that the walls suddenly became thinner and Yeonjun could hear them speak.

Soobin’s mouth fell agape. “What!?” He exclaims in a whisper.

Mia just nodded at her boyfriends’ shocked expression. Soobin clenched his fist as his face contorts from shock to anger in a matter of milliseconds.  

“I dare him to breathe near y/n again, I swear to god,” Soobin says through his teeth.

You had gotten out of your way too long shower, hair wet, dressed in nothing but your underwear and an oversized t-shirt which ended just below your butt.

You mindlessly do your whole skincare routine but you jump when your phone starts to buzz. You reach for it, eyes widening as you see who just texted you.

[Yeonjun 12:43 PM]: Hey.

[Yeonjun 12:43 PM]: Do you still have my jacket?  

You stare at your phone, but it’s like your brain doesn’t want to comprehend that this is what he starts the conversation with. Maybe he needed an excuse to come and see you? Or maybe... you were just getting ahead of yourself and the dude just wanted his expensive Versace jacket back.  

Which you understand.  

[Y/N 12:45 PM]: Hi, yes I have it, sorry.

[Yeonjun 12:45 PM]: Can I come pick it up? You left without saying goodbye.

You scoff at his unbelievable reply and you hate acting impulsively, but you can’t seem to stop yourself from typing.

[Y/N 12:46 PM]: You seemed a little occupied, so :)  

[Yeonjun 12:46 PM]: Huh?

[Y/N 12:46 PM]: I’ll be home for another hour if you want to pick it up before I leave, be my guest.

[Yeonjun 12:47 PM]: Ok…

[Yeonjun 12:47 PM]: Are you mad at me or something?  

You roll your eyes at his observation. This motherfucker is either dense as fuck or he’s just pretending to be dumb. It’s like he couldn’t put two and two together.

You didn’t reply back to him and didn’t really expect him to show up either. Half an hour later you were seated on your couch, watching an anime while eating some instant noodles when you heard a knock on your door.

Shit. For real?  

You get up in a hurry, quickly chewing down the noodles that were still in your mouth and retrieved Yeonjun’s jacket from your dresser.  

You take a deep breath before you open the door, and there he is. Choi Yeonjun, as handsome as ever.

He looked like he never even partied the night before as if he got a full 8 hours worth of beauty sleep. He was dressed in an oversized black shirt with his Adidas joggers, accompanied by his usual chains, rings, and earrings that he never seemed to take off.

His eyes widened when he saw you, dressed in nothing but a large t-shirt while your hair was still damp from the shower you took. Right, you forgot to put pants on but you honestly didn’t mind taunting him a little.  

“Here you go,” you say try not to stare at him for too long as you hand him his jacket.

Yeonjun retrieved it from you without a word, still looking at you with wide eyes. His feet were frozen to the hard wooden floor beneath him.

“Was that all?” you ask crossing your arms as you lean on your doorpost.

You tried your hardest to sound unbothered and it was working. You got Yeonjun flustered and confused. His least favourite emotions.

“I-eh…I guess?” Yeonjun says rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ok, have a great day,” you say closing the door, at least that was your plan but Yeonjun put his foot between the door; stopping it from closing on him. You’re shocked at his reflexes and so was he judging by the look on his face.

“Wait,” he says opening the door again. “That’s it?” He asked, looking at you with his confused puppy eyes.

You give him the same look of confusion. “What do you mean, you came to get your coat. Did you need anything else?”

“So you are angry at me?”  

You can’t help but roll your eyes, breaking character and he notices. 

“Why?” He asks biting the inside of his cheek.

 It’s one of his habits. He does that when he’s trying to understand something, or when he’s nervous. You couldn’t tell which one it could be this time and honestly, you didn’t give a shit. 

“Listen, if you truly can’t figure that out yourself then that says enough.”  

And just like that, it’s like an epiphany happened inside of his brain. His calm and collected demeanor disappeared as he scratches the back of his head.

“You saw me with Yeji.”  

You stay silent, ready to close the door again but he forces it open, walking inside of your apartment.

“I didn’t realise I invited you in?” you say looking at him in disbelief as you close the door behind you.

He nervously paced back and forth. “Is that why you left? Cause you saw me with her?”  

You still don’t answer him, which annoyed him. “Talk to me,” he says putting his jacket down on your nearest piece of furniture while taking a step closer to you. 

“You should’ve talked to me first, but you ran. Like a coward.” 

Your voice was laced with venom as you took a step back, away from him.

He didn’t know why, but you calling him a coward hurt more than he would like to admit. He scoffed, taking another step towards you.

“Cut the bullshit y/n. You’re the one who played me. I thought we were getting along just fine but I turn around for two whole seconds and you leave with some other dude.”  

“Johnny is nothing more than a friend.”

“Does he know that?”

“YES!” you yell at him. You’re frustrated at your sudden outburst but you couldn’t take it anymore.  

Your anger startled Yeonjun and he took a step back giving you some space. 

His eyes were still looking for more answers in yours. He opened his mouth to speak but you beat him to it.

“You don’t get to put this on me when you wouldn’t even listen to what I had to say. Instead, you run off and have sex with Yeji out of spite? Cause you were jealous of Johnny? Real mature, Choi.”

“Wait, how do you know th-”

“I want you to leave,” you interrupt him, opening the door for him once again.

“Y/n...”

“No,” you sigh closing your eyes. “Leave.”  

Yeonjun sighs in defeat. Picking up his jacket once again, walking to your front door, stopping just inches away from you. “For what it’s worth…I’m sorry,” he said giving you one last look.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” you say, your tone bitchier than you expected. 

He didn’t reply, and you didn’t dare to look him in his eyes either, knowing that those dark orbs would pull you back under his spell again. 

You close the door behind him and lean your forehead against it, emotionally exhausted from the whole situation. But you had a feeling it was nowhere near over yet.

A few days went by like nothing had ever happened. You distracted yourself by organising your entire closet and cleaning out your cabinets.  

You cleaned your whole apartment hoping it would clear out your mind as well but Yeonjun was still a prominent figure that captivated your thoughts. You swore you wouldn’t open his Instagram stories or Snapchat’s, but you used Mia’s account to do so anyway.  

He was his usual self, he had fun and showed it off. You only see the good parts of Choi Yeonjun on social media, so you weren’t surprised. He wasn’t the type to post sad-girl quotes in his stories or subtweet to get attention, making it even harder to figure out what was really going on in his head. He just shows us what he wants us to see anyway. 

You couldn’t believe the fact that you fell under his spell even though everyone around you seemed to warn you about him. You just had to get yourself hurt, once again.  

You were more mad at yourself than you were mad at him, to be honest, but for some reason, his pleading tone accompanied with the desperate look in his eyes from that day kept swirling around in your thoughts.  

For the next couple of days, you focused on yourself and your mental health.

You decided to be anti-social even though your friends invited you to go do stuff. You just wanted to binge on your favourite shows and unwind from the hectic deadline filled semester that you had.

Apart from Soobin and Hueningkai visiting you to check if you were still alive, you hadn’t seen anyone else yet since that night. However, tonight there was a campus festival/bonfire for the new freshman who were coming in after summer as an introduction and orientation day and you and Mia volunteered a few months back for extra credit.

Everyone and you mean EVERYONE at the school that had somewhat of a social status was going to be there since it’s the last official event before the summer break officially started. Meaning that you would certainly see Yeonjun again.

“I can’t believe you got me to do this,” Mia sighed as she clips her name tag on to her hoodie a little too crooked to your liking.

You chuckle and fix it for her. “Also, you ghosted on us after the party. Did something else happen?” You bite your lip and shake your head. “Nothing worth mentioning.”

You didn’t want to hide stuff from her, but if Mia knows, Soobin knows. And you weren’t ready for that. Especially when you were still organising your thoughts on the situation.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. You ran around with your checklists and made sure everything was ready and set for the festival to start with some other student board members. Mia, on the other hand, was in charge of giving groups of students full tours of the campus, which meant that you were separated for most of the day.

When the clock strikes 8 PM, the festival starts, and more and more people start to come in aside from the future freshman that were already there.

You stand at the sideline, checking off the last task on your to-do list and sigh in relief.  

Technically you are a supervisor for the night. So you couldn’t enjoy the party. 

Also, some of your teachers were there as well. Which meant that you couldn’t misbehave even if you wanted to.  

Your phone buzzes and you check your messages.

[Soobin 8.04 PM]: Hiiii, I’m here. Where are you?

[Y/N 8:04 PM]: Near the entrance, to the left. I’m wearing our obnoxious purple campus hoodie, shouldn’t be hard to find me.

[Soobin 8.04 PM]: I see youuuu, don’t move.

You chuckle and search for your friend. It didn’t take long before you spot him since he was built like a skyscraper. You watch him bulldoze his way through the crowd to greet you and laugh as he almost trips over his own legs as he approaches.  

“Hey girl, heyyy,” Soobin says enveloping you in a hug. He was followed by Taehyun and Beomgyu. Who also hugged you and said their hello’s.

“Are you already drunk?” You ask Soobin as you make him look at you by tugging at his chin.

“We tried to stop him but it was of no use,” Beomgyu chuckled.  

“Let him live a little,” Taehyun interferes. “Our captain has worked so hard all year.”  

“Just…look after him since Mia and I won’t be able to. We have to work tonight,” you pout.

“That sucks. We missed you at game night yesterday and now you’re telling me that you don’t get to party with us at all tonight?” Taehyun pouts back at you. And you simply nod at him with a sad facial expression to match his.  

You were wondering if Soobin told them about what happened that night at the party. Soobin is a horrible liar and you knew he wouldn’t lie as to why you didn’t make it to game night. But you didn’t want to ask.

“Where’s Hueningkai?” you ask looking around for him. “Or did you kill him at game night for cheating in that fruit card game you guys play?” You joke, earning chuckles from the boys.

“He’s with Yeonjun hyung and a few others from the team. They had dinner somewhere before they came here. We came straight from the dorm” Beomgyu explains, as he was texting someone on his phone.  

They definitely knew something was up. Taehyun is smart and quick-witted, so you were sure he knew too. Especially since his eyes grew in size a little after he heard Yeonjun’s name.  

Beomgyu however, was too busy with his phone to care. You decide to pry and look over his shoulder. “You’re talking to Ryujin again?” you say smirking as you read her name and Beomgyu immediately hides his phone from you. “Maybe,” he pretended to be annoyed but he couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sound of her name.

Soobin sighed, clearly unamused. “Where’s Mia?” He asked sitting down at the bleachers behind him.  

“She should be on her way back from her last campus tour,” you say looking around you, hoping you would see her and that’s when you spot him.

Yeonjun.

He walked in with his confident stride, surrounded by other attractive guys from the team, including Hueningkai.  

You could see the future freshman girls freak out a little as they entered. And you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.  

He ate it up, lost in his own bubble. No one could touch him, that’s how unreachable he made himself seem.

But you knew better. Your mind flashing back to his desperate eyes, trying to find answers in yours when he stepped foot in your apartment, and his desperate eyes when you kicked him out.  

You averted your gaze from them quickly, but not before Yeonjun’s eyes found yours.  

Shit.  

You sigh and pick up your schedule. “Guys, I’m sad to say this, but I have to leave. I have bar duty.”  

Soobin’s ears perked up at the word ‘bar’ and he looked at you, his eyes disappearing into crescent moons as he gave you a coy smile. “Does that mean you’ll give us free drinks?”  

“The opposite,” you say sticking out your tongue at him. He just glares at you in return and you laugh at his childlike antics.

“Gotta go, when I’m free, I’ll join you guys, and please keep an eye on him,” you tell Tae and Beomgyu as you run off.

“Will do sis,” Taehyun yells after you.

You arrive at the bar stand and see Mia already overwhelmed and panicked. Trying to keep up with the number of people in line. She spots you and sighs in relief.

“Thank god! Where were you? I can’t handle this alone,” she says throwing an apron your way.  You swiftly caught it and tie it around your waist.

“Sorry, I ran into Soobin, Tae, and Gyu. Soobin is already drunk by the way,” you say as you start pouring drinks in cups, organising them so they could be handed out immediately.

Mia rolled her eyes. “Of course he is,” she chuckles shaking her head.

“Did you see Yeonjun yet?” Mia asks carefully as she leans against the bar, staring at you intently.

“Yes, he was with Hyuka and some other guys from the team.”

“He didn’t try to talk to you at all since the party?” Mia asks confused.

And just as you opened your mouth to answer her question, you were interrupted.

“I’ll take two beers, and your phone number.”  

A familiar voice made your ears perk up, and you turn around. You spot the tall brunette and give him a wholehearted smile.

“Johnny!” You exclaim enthusiastically, giving him a clumsy hug over the counter.

“You and your endless flirting,” you joke as you hand over the beers to him.  

He gave you a beaming smile, taking a sip of his drink as he hands you the money in return. “I mean, you pretty much left without saying goodbye. And since I didn’t have your number I couldn’t contact you,” he points his finger at you accusingly, and you giggle.

Mia was behind you, busting her ass trying to serve the alcohol deprived students but that didn’t stop her from keeping an eye on you and Johnny.  

She noticed how your face lit up, and she also noticed how Johnny leaned closer to you over the counter. And then…her eyes landed on an equally tall figure, standing behind Johnny.

“Are you gonna take much longer bro? I’m trying to get drunk tonight.”  

You freeze in place, feeling like you were caught doing something you weren’t supposed to do.  

It was Yeonjun. He looked at you with his intense gaze. And all you could do was stare back at him in shock. 

A different type of tension filled the air. Your eyes darting from one to the other in panic. 

He glared at Johnny through half-lidded eyes, impatiently tapping his feet. “I’m in desperate need of some vodka,” Yeonjun states, giving Johnny a sarcastic smile, who by now had turned around to meet his eyes.

“So am I,” you say to yourself, preparing for the worst.

Chapter 4.

[neworderscans]

Electronic - AOL Webchat, 07/30/96 (Bernard and Johnny answering fan questions in a chat using the same handle, I've made minor edits for clarity purposes - archive link in full here)

Max Warner [AOL Webchat host/moderator] : We'll be starting in just a few minutes. We are having some minor technical difficulties.

Max Warner: Johnny and Bernard will be using the screen name Elctrnic.

Max Warner: Just a couple more minutes.... we swear!

Max Warner: We're here with Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner of ELECTRONIC.

Elctrnic: Hello From Bernard & Johnny

Max Warner: Here we go! after a few of those [Online host] Bringing together mainstays of two of the most influential bands of the last 15 years Bernard Sumner of New Order and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. The music of Electronic has exceeded even the high expectations that such a creative partnership undoubtedly engenders.

Max Warner: From Nexland: Question: Barney, Johnny Can U tell me the Story with George Michael. Where Did U meet Him???? it's funny because i saw a picture of Peter Hook with Barry White. That is Cool

Elctrnic: He was cutting his new record at the same studio we were in, hes a nice guy actually

Max Warner: From Embody123: Question: Bernie, what's the nicest thing about working with Marr (Marr: Vice Versa)?

Elctrnic: Johnny never calls me Bernie

Max Warner: From NewOrder3: Question: I would like to know whether any concerts will be scheduled in 1996 and who is the author of the paragraphs in the CD of "raise the pressure"

Elctrnic: At the moment were looking for the right musicians,we'd like to see everybody.

Elctrnic: Bernard wrote the text inside the album$

Max Warner: From SeanJorda: Question: Will either of you be doing any production work in the near future? Barney: I just listened to your SHARK VEGAS, TECHNOTRONIC, and BEAT CLUB tracks today.

Elctrnic: You really know your stuff. I would like to concentrate on Electronic $

Max Warner: From BigBoy666: Question: What do _you_ listen to?

Elctrnic: We mostly listen to European dance music and older good rock stuff, Stones 2000 Light Years, Bowie/Eno Be My Wife$

Max Warner: From APinto65: Question: How did it happen that Neil Tennant did not join up with you on this CD? It's still is fabulous, but I was just curious?

Elctrnic: Electronic is Johnny and Benard.Neil is a guest artist,Johnny is on the new P.S.Bs album

Elctrnic: On this album Karl Bartos from Kraftwek is the guest

Max Warner: From Nexland: Question: Barney, Johnny How are u Tonight???

Elctrnic: Really Groovy

Max Warner: From SeanJorda: Question: How did you guys like TRAINSPOTTING, and Barney- did you like the use of TEMPTATION in the film?

Elctrnic: Its a great film, it opens friday in the U.S. I was proud to be associated with it

Max Warner: From AJ Wells: Question: Hey Barney... how is the jogging coming along? Any Olympic hopes?

Elctrnic: Im meeting up with Ben Johnsons dealer tonight so I should be o.k

Max Warner: From Embody123: Question: Marr: what do you think of MOJO magazine's listing you in the top 25 greatest guitar players of all time?

Elctrnic: Whos this Hendrix bloke ?

Max Warner: From LLabo2909: Question: Johnny, will you ever be joining Morrissey for a reunion tour with the Smiths. Please say yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elctrnic: Sure Boris, do you see any quiffs about?

Max Warner : From AJ Wells: Question: Barney... what ever happened to Section 25? Or Shark Vegas? Or Stexx? Or 52 Street?

Elctrnic: All in mental institutions I think, honestly!

Max Warner: From BBMountai: Question: I've heard that Johnny's been websurfing lately and was wondering if Bernard has also? And what do you both think of the web sites fans create about you?

Elctrnic: Johnny's quite into the web.We intend to make our sites more personal and as informative as possible.we're into it

Max Warner: From Jester000: Question: Johnny I was wondering what gave you hte idea for the whales used in "last night I dreamt...." thanks, glenn

Elctrnic: Bernards getting his browser together when he gets back to U.K

Max Warner: From Embody123: Question: How long did the new album take?

Elctrnic: The sound is actually a protest march sound effect slowed right down.Angry unemplyed.

Max Warner: From PULPTALEN: Question: What is the most succesful song in your career?

Elctrnic: The new album took two years to make but it only feels like one year and eleven months

Max Warner: From Annabel50: Question: hows life in the fast world?

Elctrnic: Slow

Elctrnic: How soon is Monday

Max Warner: From CADS1: Question: are you guys in nyc

Elctrnic: Yes

Max Warner: From Cphel: Question: Bernard- Is New Order no more? Johnny and Bernard-Why no PSB involvement?

Elctrnic: Not quite suree abot that one. P.S.Bs were guests.

Max Warner: From NEXLAND: Question: Do u feel any pressure with an new album??????

Elctrnic: I hope thats not a joke ,

Max Warner: From Femboheme: Question: I love, actually worship the new album. I also love the b-sides, do you have any good instrumentals on any upcomming singles for us?

Elctrnic: Were gonna do some new stuff soon. Were really glad you like the new Album,Thanks.

Max Warner : From CanadaBil: Question: You guys have had awesome careers!! I've been a fan of both since day one. Bernie, is it true that you (New Order) own a bar on one of the islands off the coast of Spain? I'd like to go. Thanks!!

Elctrnic: We dont own a bar in Spain, well not that I know of anyway.We recorded Technique in Ibiza/Spain

Max Warner: From Jcorker: Question: Bernard-Any relation to Sting?

Elctrnic: Hes my great Grandfather actually!

Max Warner: From KCleary: Question: Your music style is not necessarily the most accessible or popular in today's music scene when compared with what's on the charts - i.e. grunge, hard rock. Do you see that as a positive Question or negative when you go into the studio and/or when you tour?

Elctrnic: There should always be a place for someone who is different

Max Warner: From CADS1: Question: at the end of get the message what are you saying

Elctrnic: I am saying "Living on peanuts ain't my scene,shame that word rhymes with mean"

Max Warner: From FBrowniii: Question: do you guys care what radio thinks of your eclectic mix of styles? (we won't tell the record company execs :)

Elctrnic: No

Max Warner: From Femboheme: Question: Who writes the lyrics, who music? Is it a mix or is there a majority-one does more of one thing than the other?

Elctrnic: We both write the music and Bernard writes the Lyrics

Max Warner: From NewOrder3: Question: to Bernard: what do you think of the compilation: Tribute to Joy Division ? are you flattered ?

Elctrnic: I was touched by the gesture

Max Warner : From LLabo2909: Question: Johnny as usual you have great taste in music. is it true that you went guitar shopping with Noel from Oasis? the best band in the world!

Elctrnic: Yeah I did,but in future Noel can take his cheque book

Max Warner: From Lucozade: Question: heard you're both insatiable gossips. any new dish?

Elctrnic: O.K , Prince Charles is Ice T,s lover!, it's true!

Max Warner: From Bridge bo: Question: would you guys consider yourselves closer to christians or zen budhists??

Elctrnic: Were from The Church Of The "Not To Bothered"

Max Warner: We're running out of time... 2 more Questions.

Max Warner : From HammoFam: Question: How do you compare the bands of the 90's w/the bands of the 80's? Honestly, do you miss the 80's?

Elctrnic: We both really miss Flok Of Seagulls and Wang Chung! it's really sad

Max Warner: AND here's the last Question, from SJacobs62: Question: what is your favorite band?

Elctrnic: We dont really have one favourite band.Were going now,thanks to everybody whos supported us in the past and hopefully well be in touch one way or other soon. Take care

Elctrnic: from Johnny and Bernard

Max Warner: Bernard and Johnny, thanks for coming.

Elctrnic: Cheers!

[jjstew22]

ANYWAY

Whose up for the Bryan Beneventi playlist???

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2xfdT72LpA5DG1UNROjOep?si=04f1834033174ebd

I'll update this post for descriptions behind each song, but I figured I'd get it out there now.

1# Gimme Shelter- Rolling Stones

I chose this song first as it takes place after Bryan's first tour. He is experiencing the disillusionment of war and this is about where we see him in episode 11.

#2 Bennie and the Jets - Elton John

This is when Bryan meets Asalah. I also liked this song because it is about the superficiality of the music industry. At the same time it can work as a way to demonstrate how Bryan feels superficial with his role in the world. He has been battered by his tutors in Afganistan and can only see himself as a soldier and a stranger in these lands.

#3 Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley

This obviously after Asalah's death. I don't imagine Bryan's stay to be so peachy as Elvis's song, but I also don't suppose Bryan likes to really think much of his time in prison. He would rather gloss over it, and dance around his experience. The flippant nature of this song signifies this desire to change the subject and forget.

#4 Hurt- Johnny Cash

I'm not too sure if Bryan is a Cash man. He likes Elvis so why not! Hurt is the lowest that Bryan has felt. He is near hopeless and is full of regret and sorrow for the death of Asalah. The last lines of the song signify how Maddox reached out his hand and saved Bryan from his lifetime of Hurt.

#5 Rocket Man - Elton John

To me, Rocket Man is a song about isolation. Bryan, despite having a new chance at life feels quite alone. I am reminded of the remark he makes in the pilot, how Finola is the first person to see him as a human in a long time. Before meeting her, for Bryan, being a rocket man was just a 9 to 5.

#6 Superstition- Stevie Wonder

Speaking about Finola... I figure I would change the genre for her entry. Finola is like no one Bryan has met previously. She is curious and believes that the debris is here for a reason. Bryan can't wrap his head around her reasoning, and yet there is something that draws him to this new partnership.

#7 Tv Dinners - ZZ Top

It wouldn't be a Bryan playlist without food would it? His appetite and iron stomach have no match, whether it be three-week-old sandwiches or chicken with blue sauce, the man will eat it all.

#8 Cotton Candy Land - Elvis Presley

Another food song? Well, you always gotta save room for dessert, and Bryan Beneventi has a massive sweet tooth. I couldn't pass up this song by the King, just as Bryan can't pass up second helpings.

#9 Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel

This is where Bryan realizes that he and Finola are being played and makes the decision to save George Jones. Bryan realizes that Finola is the one and only person he can put his trust in. Life is getting harder, but he'd rather be stuck in the middle with no one else other than Finola Jones.

#10 Take Me To The Pilot- Elton John

This song and the next take place during "Do You Know Icarus" Bryan is still dealing with his betrayal to Maddox, but it is overshadowed by a new problem. He is far-flung into a reality that he does not belong in, and he is trying to find a way back home. Like the nonsensical lyrics of this song, Bryan can't make heads or tails of his situation.

#11 Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd

"You."

Bryan has lost Finola, his partner, his friend, and his anchor. He is scared and alone and realizes just how lonely he is without Finola. It is as if a part of his soul has been taken from him, but it took until now to realize that she made such a difference in his life.

#12 Fire and Rain - James Taylor

This is the second half of the two-parter. Despite all odds and his prior hardships, Bryan just is beginning to have hope. A hope that stems from the wonderment and the force of personality that is Finola. He had hope that his partner, despite not meeting him in this reality, would solve the problem and that he would see her again.

#13 Space Oddity- David Bowie

This song encompasses both Asalah and A Message From Ground Control. Bryan is has been enlightened by the Ball of Light. This freeing experience has left him with a sort of peace and acceptance that he has been denying himself. He believes for the first time and is awash in a new sense of being. In Space Oddity, Major Tom floats away from Earth, he accepts his fate. Byan accepts that the Debris has a bigger plan, and despite feeling so alone from the events of Asalah, he reaches out a hand and takes a chance.

#14 Who Are You - The Who

The finale left us with many questions. Hopefully one day we will get them answered. Maybe not? Bryan was probably left thinking the same thing we were about Otto "Who the fuck are you?"

Regardless it was a fun ride, and I am thankful for this show because it inspired me to do something fun and creative.

See you around Nachos!!!!