#no theater near me is showing it early i feel like im living in the dark ages

[alreadyblondenow]

King Taeyong | 1

Taeyong x ballerina!reader // FLUFF, smut, fantasy!au Summary: His world slowed down during the performance of the Waltz of the Flowers, he is completely mesmerised by your performance. How gracefully you offer your art to everyone watching and how you shine on stage even though there were other talents waltzing with you. King Taeyong knew exactly that you’re a unique masterpiece. Word Count: 3k Warnings: Mentions of sex only Note: The genre will change to SMUT, ANGST, fluff for the next chapters hihi but for now, enjoy having fluff. It’s my first fantasy fic hope you love it.   Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away there was a young king who is loved by everyone in his kingdom. This young king is not an ordinary king who rules and lives in the castle his whole life. He is a smart and wise full of curiosity that one day while he was out hunting, he found a magical place that can bring him into another world.

King Taeyong is a king who can travel to two worlds. A world full of magic where he rules and his people follow him whole heartedly and a world where he can be anything he wants. The human world.

One beautiful night in the human world, king Taeyong is enjoying the cold breeze and happily walking on his way to a known opera house treating it as if it was a movie theater. He always wants to surprise himself by spontaneously watching without even knowing anything about the play. King Taeyong loves art in all shapes and sizes and little did he know that this night will change his life completely. “The Nutcracker” he murmurs to himself while waiting for the curtains to go up.

And there it is.

His world slowed down during the performance of the Waltz of the Flowers, he is completely mesmerised by your performance. How gracefully you offer your art to everyone watching and how you shine on stage even though there were other talents waltzing with you. King Taeyong knew exactly that you’re a unique masterpiece.

After the performance he clapped his hands nonstop with everyone, screaming  endless “bravo!” to show more love. He will not let this night pass without knowing you or talking to you.

You on the other hand, is very happy with how the show turned out tonight. This is your first performance and being the lead for this year’s season is a big milestone for you. Everyone greeted you with big smiles, hugs and kisses everywhere backstage but when you’re already alone in your dressing room... you burst into tears and the sadness that you’ve been keeping the whole night is finally out.

Performing with a heavy heart is never easy but you had to pull yourself together and deliver a beautiful performance.

You fixed your things, removed your makeup, and enjoyed the silence of your small dressing room, thinking about how proud you are for earning your part. All hard work paid off. Making sure everyone is already gone and that the whole company went out already, you silently make your way out.

Not even one of your family member even bothered to watch you tonight. Your friends keep on disappointing you and giving you promises that they cant keep. None of them showed up, not even your best friend in the whole wide world. Is it too much to ask for one single genuine person in your life that can watch you perform and clap for all the hard work that you’ve done?

You were walking towards the main exit of the opera house and there you see a fine man holding a bouquet of flowers, standing in the middle of the wide lobby of the opera house. Maybe he came to watch the show earlier. I hope he loved the performance.

“Ehem” he clears his throat and looked at you. Stern and hard. As if he’s ready to buy your whole being. You looked at him with tired eyes and told him, “I’m sorry. I’m the last one out. If you’re waiting for anyone they probably went out already” you said as you continue to walk slowly towards the exit door.

“But I’m waiting for you” you stopped and turned around to face him. Oh a fan.

“I hope you enjoyed the show Mr. And if you’re going to ask for my autograph, I can sign it real quick now” you said with a smile, trying to look polite but his face is a little confused you see.

“Actually. These flowers are for you” he hands them to you with shaking hands. A beautiful bouquet of flowers that matches your costume from the Waltz of the Flowers earlier. Your heart skipped a beat, you try so hard to hide your smile hoping you dont look like a fool.

“And I was going to ask if you could have dinner with me... but if you’re willing to give me both your time and autograph, I will be so much happy” he said with confidence as if he knows he already knew you would give in to his request.

Well he looks decent, doesn’t look like he’s a killer or a psychopath. He’s rich obviously. A real gentleman. But still a stranger.

“I saw your colleagues earlier. And figured you weren’t with them. I was thinking, maybe you’re alone...” he chuckled after explaining, thinking maybe you think he’s a stalker or anything.

He’s obviously very nervous that he’s not looking you in the eye. “This wasn’t my intention at all. The original plan was to congratulate you and give you flowers.... But I cant help but think that maybe you’re still there... inside... and alone so I waited. And now Im asking you to have dinner with me”

You were about to accept his offer but he continued explaining his part, which is cute you think.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. Maybe you’re tired and you want to go home I could-“ you cut him off because he was already rambling.

“I would love to have dinner with you.” you said, and gave him a smile to make the situation less awkward.

He brought you to an expensive private restaurant near the opera. There’s a comfortable silence when the waiter left but you were dying with curiosity and asked him for his name.

“Taeyong” he said. And smiled.

It was a very unique name for you, almost as if it was an alien name but you liked it. “Well I’m, y/n... and I’m a professional ballerina as you already know.” You smiled awkwardly.

“So tell me y/n. Why do you look sad?” He startled you with his question but you were glad that he can see right through you and that he cares.

“Well, my family didn’t watched earlier. Even my closest friends.... and oh, about my colleagues leaving without me, Im sure that they waited for me. Its just they know that I wanted to be alone, thats all. Im not normally like this.”

Taeyong understands and nods his head, “Im sorry for stealing your alone time. I just cant leave you alone in this beautiful night.... not after your beautiful performance earlier, oh no.” You chuckled and shook your head, feeling a little light headed with his compliment and you feel so grateful for his presence even though you dont know him personally.

While eating dinner, you cant help but notice how he moves. As a ballerina its easy for you to see how someone can move so gracefully and right. With Taeyong, it seems so normal with him being this gentle and well mannered and graceful all at the same time... while eating his expensive steak.

“What do you do in life Taeyong?” You asked, curious because all you know about him is his beautiful name.

“Im a king” he gave you a playful smirk and took a sip from his wine.

“Like a CEO? What company?” You asked him seriously while eating your salad.

He let out a small laugh and clears his throat thinking that you know nothing about him. All he can do is share his small achievements here in the human world for the last 5 years. “Lets just say Im a powerful person and that I’m an investor in some of the biggest companies here”

“Ohh. Big time”

The night continued as you both share in one dessert, share stories and try to know each other more and more before this beautiful night ends. He tells you a little about his company and that he works along side with his best friends and together they make great things. You tell him how you started dancing ballet and how you got the part. It seems like you both tell each other all your achievements in life without it sounding like you’re being boastful, and to you that seems to be a good sign.

He walks you home after dinner telling you more stories of anything he could think of, both of you trying to walk slowly because neither the one of you wanted this night to end.

“This is me” theres a small silence and Taeyong was looking at your building as if hes remembering what it looks like. Will there be a next time? He smiles and comes closer to you holding your hand and looking in your eyes so deeply.

“You were incredible tonight” he said and kissed your lips.

The kiss was quick and you cant move for a second but he breaks the silence, “good night.”

That kiss was something and you felt it. This man will change your life and you didn’t want to let him go. No. Not yet. You dont care if its late already, you dont care if you have early practice at the opera tomorrow, all you care about is this man in front if you.

Forcing yourself to go back to the situation, “stay for coffee” you blurted out and grabbed his hand.

Taeyong accepted your offer and you invited him in your apartment. He didn’t expect your apartment would be so plain. He wasn’t disappointed or anything but he thought your apartment is far from your fun personality, but who is he to judge your space. You noticed how he looked around and it worries you that maybe he thinks that you’re lifeless and that your life isn’t that interesting. The apartment has everything you need, and thats what matters.

Roaming around the apartment, Taeyong came across your little practice room that has three big mirrors in the middle of the room, the mirror you use to practice when you’re staying home.

Looking around your apartment more, he sees your bed thats big enough for three people. But it feels lonely Taeyong thought, almost as if this bed already knows every problem you have in life.

Going back to where you were the coffee, he noticed your kitchen, is nice and your baking materials are complete. “Its not much. Its not as colorful as the stage during the performance earlier, but its home for me” you explained as if you heard every thought he had about your apartment.

The floor was completely comfortable for you and you sit there while Taeyong sits on the couch. He looks at you while drinking his coffee and you came closer to his left leg and asked him, “what was your first impression with me” he leans forward to you, and you waited for his answer.

“You look like a Queen. And you can be my queen someday”

There he is again with him being royalty. For you it’s impossible but you can feel that he’s somehow telling the truth but you ignored that thought. “Oh is it because of my costume earlier?” he chuckled and shook his head. “No really you look like a queen. Even now.”

“How about you? What do you think of me?” he asked, took a sip from his coffee and sits on the floor with you. That was sweet.

“You look like a prince. A young prince. Even the way you move” you told him the truth. He was laughing and it was kind of funny for you too.

“Well, obviously before being a king... you have to be a prince first” he said while slowly leaning to you, expecting a kiss from him.

He kissed you sweetly, showing he has good intentions to you through his wet kisses and automatically encircling your arms around his neck. His kiss travels from your lips to your neck, giving your body a sensation that makes your panties soaked. Who are you? What are you doing to me?

You straddled him and grind on his lap slowly and gently not showing him that you’re eager but it was already obvious. “Why are you doing this to me Taeyong?” You continue to kiss him deeply while grinding and feeling your wetness. His hands are all over your body, kneading your breast slowly from time to time, biting your neck and kissing it making you gasp. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked you but he already knows your answer.

“How far are going tonight, y/n?” he whispers in between kissing your neck giving it marks that will be visible tomorrow for sure. You cant think straight, your mind is focused on how you want to have sex with him tonight but you cant be sore tomorrow because you have practice. Fuck it.

You try to remove his shirt and unbuckle his belt as your answer to his question and clearly enough he gets what you were saying.

Taeyong was gentle even in bed and you cant believe that he can make you feel like a virgin again. He was so good at making you whimper under him from time to time, you were clinging on his body catching every thrust he gives you. You figured he loves your moans because you can feel him smile every time you’re being vocal about how good he fucks you. It was slow and good and every after orgasm he gives you, its a surprise how you asked for another one and another one and another one until you feel really tired and all you do is kiss Taeyong.

Even Taeyong is surprised on how you take him so well, and he cant get enough of you too.

“Promise me you’ll still be here when I wake up tomorrow.” You said while you snuggle beside him feeling his soft skin and the warmth he brings its almost addicting you thought.

“I promise” he answered immediately.

The morning comes and you feel your body so sore. And you knew all too well that you’re damned later in practice. But you dont care. It was a great night you thought, its not everyday you meet someone as great as Taeyong. You stretched your body trying to recall what happened last night and it just gave you goosebumps and butterflies in your stomach. Not noticing Taeyong’s left arm was still placed on your waist, it made you happy he’s still beside you. He kept his promise.

You took your time admiring his beauty. His sharp nose, his rose scar, his soft lips thats all over you last night, his flawless skin, wide shoulders. Damn.

Slowly he opened his eyes, caught you admiring him but for him you’re like a sun. You brighten up his day completely. He noticed how your eyes are puffy but still beautiful, your flat long hair but still looks good on you, your smile that makes him think how lucky he is to have met you.

You gave him continuous good morning kisses on his flawless back, bringing him back to the world. Taeyong was amused how playful you are during the morning. But his first thought... is that you’re beautiful.

“You’re beautiful “ he said it not leaving your eyes. It made you blush.

“I’ll make you breakfast” you said while playing with his beautiful long hands. Kissing his knuckles, left and right.

“Are you normally like this every morning? I should wake up more beside you then” he reached for you and draw circles on your thighs.

“Well you kept your promise” Taeyong remembered. “Most hookups I’ve had never stayed for breakfast, you can leave after you’re clean and you’re full I can make a mean healthy breakfast-“ he cuts you off.

“So you think I’m just hooking up with you?” He looked at you long and hard while he’s still laying in bed comfortable, his left arm at the back of his head, his biceps showing. Then suddenly the environment was heavy and serious. You tried to explain but its too late you already think you fucked up and that he will leave any minute now.

“Come here” he pulled you in for a hug. And it surprised you because you thought he was mad and he was going go leave. “Those words hurt like hell. Don’t do that again” he said sternly and with authority, but it made you happy because finally, you have someone now. Not officially. But this is a good start.

“I’ll help you make breakfast.” He kissed your cheek and you both got out of bed trying to fight the soreness.

During breakfast, he was staring at you while he eats his buttered toast. “What?” You asked.

“What are you up to today?” He asked, finally.

You explained that you have practice from afternoon until evening at the opera house for the show on Friday next week. “So I’ll get to watch you perform again?” he claps his hand and finished his toast.

“You’ll watch me again?” You asked with a smile showing him how surprised you were that he’s planning to watch again. And he saw how happy you were when he mentioned that. You must love your craft that much huh, he thought

Taeyong came closer to you and kissed you on the lips, softly almost like how he kissed you for the first time. “I promise.”

You both head on with your day, and you felt really motivated in practice today even though your legs are still jiggly, your pussy hurts and your whole body is sore from last night’s fucking. But the thought of it feels like a dream but Taeyong is real. He’s so real you even caught him smelling your shampoo inside the bathroom earlier. The thought of it made you giggle.

On the other side of town, in Taeyong’s company, the people in the office noticed Taeyong’s glow and that he looks handsome as ever. Even his friends and trustworthy royal court guards noticed that theres something new with him today.

Johnny, Yuta and Doyoung are three of his best friends and they were with him when he discovered the passage through the human world. They come a long way from when they were still kids up until now that they’re allies/business partners.

The three princes are one of the top rich businessmen in the human world but they stay subtle as possible, just like Taeyong he secretly invests in good companies without them knowing who he is, just his company. Aside from being an investor, Taeyong builds schools and orphanage in places that needs help.

A knock brought Taeyong back to reality while having his coffee and thinking of you. It was Doyoung who has the update from the kingdom.

“You look different today. Everyone is worried” Taeyong laughed and told him he doesn’t need to worry, everything is normal but Doyoung knew Taeyong like the back of his hand. He didn’t buy Taeyong’s reasons. “Okay. Your Highness, whatever you say. But you need to go back as soon as possible to the kingdom for wedding festivities. Your presence is required for King Taemin’s wedding.”

Taeyong was silent for a moment, thinking of a way how can he spend time with you and not disappoint King Taemin at the same time. Doyoung is waiting for your answer. “Tell them I will be back home before they even know it. I have to be somewhere on Friday.”

Doyoung gave Taeyong a look as if hes telling Taeyong, “I smell something fishy here” but he just gave Taeyong a sigh, “Whatever… King Lee Taeyong”

You spend time with Taeyong almost everyday, knowing him more and more each day and enjoying it as if its your last day with him. Breakfast together and endless cuddles in bed as quality time at home, he takes care of you when you’re sore from practice, tries to tie your hair but he fails everyday but it makes you laugh so it’s okay, you find it sweet that he puts effort with the small things.

Friday comes and its one beautiful night again, King Taeyong is walking excitedly on his way to a known opera house to watch The Nutcracker, for the second time.

And there you are again. Doing what you love in front of these people, in front of him. His world slowed down again while watching you perform and pour you heart out on stage. He clapped his hands again screaming endless “bravo!” being so proud of you for finishing another wonderful show.

You received endless congratulations again for finishing the second show, you wore this big genuine smile and not a fake one like last week knowing that Taeyong is already waiting for you outside. You quickly packed your things and got out immediately and find Taeyong.

There you see him, fixing his coat and holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers, just like how you first saw him. And when he finally saw you, he quickly ran into you and kissed you as his way of congratulating you. “You were great. As always” he said and gave you the flowers, then to your surprise he shouted for the whole opera house to hear, “She did great! She’s the lead everyone!” and the whole lobby clapped for you again, you thanked everyone, laughing while you yanked Taeyong towards the exit.

You were so happy in Taeyong’s arms.

................................................. Masterlist

[likesomekindofcheese]

Promised: Part One (The Great mini-series)

Pairing: Grigor Dymov x fem!Reader

Word Count: 2,878

 From this Anon Request:  ahhh im so happy that you'll write for grigor, gwil seems to be under hyped these days. can i request grigor having to be in an arranged marriage because peter somehow fucked up another treaty and the only way of fixing it is through an alliance (we can just ignore grigor being married already)

A/N: Of course! I hope you are okay with it being a fem! Reader. If not, just let me know and I’ll write a neutral version!

Anyways, enjoy the first part of this mini series of Peter being...Peter and you are Grigor getting into an arranged marriage to fix it up!

“This wine tastes like shit, where’s the vodka?”

The bread roll you had been chewing on nearly fell out of your mouth in surprise. This was the man you had been expecting for weeks. The Lord and Sovereign of all of Russia. The son of Peter the Great, a legendary warrior king beloved by all who knew him. He even shared a name with this godly figure.

The second he announced his arrival sent everyone in your house into a giddy panic. The manor was cleaned inside out. Every butler and maid lined up outside for his entrance in their most pressed uniforms. Your family and you had put on your finest garbs as well. You had even bought a new dress for the occasion, a pink silk gown with white cloth down the sleeves, and a white middle part while long bows decorated your cream stomacher.

Every soul in the manor was there when his carriage arrived to greet and curtsy to him and his friend, tour the house, and serve him a meal featuring the best cuts, foods, and drinks available, some of which were gifts from the locals honoring his appearance.

And he just called your finest vintage wine shit.

Every pulse in your house was heard in that moment. Your mother gasped a little at the sound of such language used at the table. Especially from him.

“We…we have whiskey to be served after, it’s stronger” you suggest meekly.

“I suppose, just something stronger than this,” his companion next to him reasoned.

He was a man who was perhaps in his thirties at most, brown hair barely seen beneath his dusty wig and in a dark green jacket, only a few steps below Peter’s finery. He swirled the glass with his large hands and took polite sips of it. You looked for a reaction to the taste and barely saw one.

“You want the emperor to drink shit wine, then!? What kind of hosts are you?” Peter asked, leaning back in his chair.

He was far more relaxed than the sea of straight backs of everyone at your table. He even tossed the glass over his shoulder.

KKKK!

A servant behind rushed up with a broom to sweep up the bits.

Your mother and father looked at each other questioningly.  Your brother normally had a healthy appetite, but his fork paused in mid-air since the wine complaint.

With a little sigh, your father turned to a butler and asked him to retrieve a bottle of whiskey and to look for any spare vodka at once.

Looking at your brother, the sanguine chatterbox, you saw his face had paled and his jaw was still tight. Looks like it would have to be you then to alter the mood and keep the peace.

Turning to the Emperor’s companion on Peter’s right, you began to shyly greet him “Sir...uhm…I’m sorry, I forgot your last name…”

“Dymov,” he answered kindly.

His eyes softened. At least he seemed less of an unpredictable bull as his friend.

“Sir Dymov, what is the weather like in Russia? Is it as cold as everyone says?” you questioned.

“Oh, yes, very! Some winters have crowds of people wearing fur coats indoors and gathered around the fire,” he explained.

Peter cut in, chewing on the meat with an open mouth as if he were a cow in a field, “which is why we need to drink vodka to stay warm. Speaking of which, where is your butler and why the fuck hasn’t the vodka gotten here yet?!”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that evening, there was some parlor entertainment as usual. Coffee, whiskey, and vodka were all served and seemed to be drank in generous amounts.

It began with you showing your musical gifts. You were to sing as your father accompanied you on the pianoforte. Your breath was feeling higher than what was needed for healthy singing. You could not help but gape at the two Russians who seemed to analyze you. They were hard not to ignore since they were both astoundingly tall, Peter only barely taller. Sir Dymov listened attentively, hands leaning against him as he and the emperor were offered the softest chairs.

But Peter was somehow enraptured. He looked right at you and was still, listening to it the whole time.

You noticed his eyes were not on your face. And your pink dress was as modest as your mothers.

Forcing yourself back into the music, you picked a spot in the parlor, near a bookshelf, and stared at it, trying to focus on the music and words. Lose yourself in its brief escape.

There was polite applause following. When you curtsied, you put a protective hand over your chest.

Your brother, more inclined to the world of theater, offered a reading of some texts by the finest playwrights of your land. Everyone listened to him as they settled for cards at a table, but you stood a while to focus on your knitting. Nerves had shot through you and you had to do something with your hands that would calm you more than cards with the boorish guest.

“May I sit here, Miss Y/L/N?” Sir Dymov asked to the spot next to yours.

“Yes, you may…” you answered, finishing a row of purl stitches.

As he sat down, he even offered to hold your yarn and straighten any strings.

“Thank you for the dinner, and the reading, and the music and everything, it was nice, far more peaceful than at home! And God knows, I could…we all could use some peace…,” he turned away briefly to keep a small eye on Peter.

“Sir Dymov, why would you need peace? Is it the war with Sweden?” you asked curiously.

His angled face looked oddly dark, despite the glow from the fire.

“No…Just a little bit of personal heartbreak, Lady Y/L/N. And your song was about love, so I was reminded of her.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” you asked

Flinching away, you cursed the impulse. It might be too personal.

“She rejected my marriage offer. She’s uhm, uh…how do I put this politely… she’s Peter’s mistress,” he explained

“Oh.”

“And she said she would not give up her position after our marriage, so she said I could either have to be married to her but share her with Peter or she would not consider my offer at all,” he sighed.

Setting your knitting away, you looked up at him with empathy.

“Sie Dymov, that sounds hard. But I can’t imagine how her saying yes would make anything easier…”

“I do miss her, and she’s in court so I see her still every day,” Dymov complained.

“You’ll find a way through heartbreak. I’ve had some of my own, but something better might happen!” you say, shrugging your shoulders.

Once you set things down and decide to join the card table, you see Peter look up from his cards and scowl.

“You know, this is dull. Where is the louder singing? The wild dancing? The animals? No wonder people die here so much, they become bored!” he spat throwing off his hand onto the table.

“Things here are…a little quiet compared to your mighty empire,” your mother answers with a plastic smile. “But we make do…”

“I’m practically dying of boredom. How the hell was my father friends with you lot?” Peter asked.

Your father’s head ticked to the side, his eyes getting bigger.

“We were friends since our youth, and he loved all of us,” he said, words tinged with a subtle venom.

Your mother cleaned up the cards, and your brother paused his dramatic reading.

“Your highness, we can all retire if you don’t want to play anymore. I think traveling all the way here from your palace must have been exhausting. Is there anything else you need to make your stay here more comfortable before tomorrow?” she asked.

Peter’s eyes glinted up at you. Your body cinched as if ready to fight or flee.

“How about you offer to bring your daughter Y/N to my bedchambers for tonight, that would make me a lot more comfortable!”

Dymov’s jaw dropped. Your father stood up a little to get out of his chair but he was beat. In a flash, your brother slammed his book shut and rushed over, staring the ruler of Russia in the face.

“How dare you treat my sister like one of your whores?! Never!” he yelled.

“It’s my right as your guest?” Peter rebutted with a bizarre calm.

“After we’ve been kind to you? Gave you our best food and wine, housed you in our nicest room?” your brother roared.

You wanted to shrink yet you were frozen. Your father walked to your side and put an arm around you.

“You can have anything you want, but you’re a married man, Peter. My daughter’s dignity is important to me, as is your own wives. I don’t want to insult her as well,” he reasoned.

“Honor? Honor? You all only spit about honor when you live shit lives with shit food and shit company!” Peter argued.

The warmth of your father’s presence left you as he walked forward. Scuttling, your mother stood by you to take your hand in his place.

“Your highness, I knew him like a brother. If Peter the Great was here…” your father warned.

“He isn’t here! And I’m the Emperor now! And he isn’t!” Peter bellowed.

So on. And so on.

You retired early, your mother by your side to escort you as you saw your father and brother arguing back and forth. The only ally Peter had, other than his title, was Dymov holding him back. To protect or stop him, you could not tell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next two days there was such bad blood it was unbelievable. There were no fun outings as planned. You ate alone. You hardly saw anyone. Any room you walked into; you could hear yelling.

Your father made sure you weren’t alone with Peter, but it seemed his eyes had gotten distracted with the fighting. Hopefully, he was joking. Partly.

One night you snuck downstairs to have a glass of water and heard a few words despite yourself.

“That’s it! I leave tomorrow morning! And you can forget my support and all your fucking soldiers, too!”

“Your highness, our money is about to get tight. And our people need it even more than us!”

“Too fucking bad, then!”

Oh no��Russia is our enemy.

You cried yourself to sleep that night. The idea of now starving. And your brother was about to marry a woman he loved in a fortnight. How could he provide for her or any future children? How would all the people who depended on your generosity fare with reduced funds? Worst of all, Peter had his quick moods and ideas. What if he declared war out of spite from this one visit?

You never met Peter the Great. He sometimes seemed like a kindly fairy god father in some ways he had been mentioned. His love of your house and your country and his friendship with your father. Financial support given when needed. How so much was funded and gifted and provided thanks to his generosity.

How could any of you live after that? Even with the embarrassment alone of being insulted by an emperor?

As you woke up, you only had barely time for breakfast when your mother entered.

“Y/N…we would like to talk to you.”

“Mother, I have breakfast. And I was hoping today I’d practice my music and finish that scarf,” you dismissed.

But from the look on her face you had no choice.

“It’s important. And you must be there.”

She walked you over into the main table where days ago everyone dined awkwardly. The Emperor and his companion were there. Peter pouted yet Dymov’s face looked as if he had seen a ghost and his folded hand were shaking a little.

As you sat down in your chair, every eye looked at you, there was a moment of tense silence.

“Well, what is it?” you asked.

“We’ve reached an agreement with Peter…” your father began.

“Are we going to lose…lose everything?” you asked anxiously.

Your heart was tolling in your eardrums as the words left your lips. It had been the question that kept you worried for days.

“No, your family is going to be fine…” Dymov assured, a hand placed over his mouth.

“You can still have some of my father’s money and support from the Russian crown and our fucking alliance even!” Peter threw in, hands going up.

“But…”

“But what?” you said.

“You have to bring half of your army to fight for me, Sweden’s trying to invade us and we need men. And some of your relatives have to swear loyalty to me. But that promise needs to be secured.” Peter continued

“How? We are already sending you soldiers and subjects? What else would do it?” you asked. Although your gut was telling you the answer.

There was a little pause, but quite an evil smile from Peter.

“There has to be a marriage. Your brother’s betrothed. So you’ll have to marry into Russia to secure it!” he revealed.

Blinking, the wind was knocked out as if you had been punched in the stomach.

“Sir, you’re married to…to Sophie! That Austrian girl!” you cried.

“Sophie? She isn’t Sophie anymore; she’s already christened by my church with a new name: she’s Empress Catherine of Russia now. And since she will be your ruler and you will address her as such! Might as well christen and give you a new name too!” he scolded.

“Of course, I mean I will but…but…who do I have to marry? Do you have any…any brothers?” you fret.

Numbness gripped your hands and nausea gripped your stomach at the thought of marrying a copy of Peter.

“I’ve got no brothers, no male relatives of age or alive for you and I want this contract done soon so…”

His head turned to Dymov with a congratulatory pat on the back.

“It’s Grigor here you’ll have to fuck for life in about a month!”

Grigor’s ears turned pink and he looked up at you, lips tight.

And if I say no? you start to wonder, tasting the words.

But what choice did you have?

“Lady Y/L/N, I promise, this isn’t any easier for me either…” he finally said. “I know this arrangement isn’t coming the way you expected…and I’m just as shocked as you are.”

Would you put your family’s and your people’s future down the drain? Would you let them become bankrupt, ruin your father’s memory of his friend, and make enemies with one of the richest, largest, and most powerful countries because of your selfishness?

Besides, no suitors had been calling you, really. None likable or with good intentions at least. You were getting to the age of spinsterdom. You knew you had to be desperate if you wanted any sense of security for yourself or your family. Who knew if another offer like this could be made?

Taking a deep breath, you looked Peter in the eye.

“I will do it. For my family and for everyone who we look after.”

Peter produced a document agreeing to the engagement, marriage, and benefits it brought. You and Dymov signed it.

Afterwards there was a small service in the chapel to pray for the future and for this marriage. But you were half in another world, unaware this was happening. Dymov seemed to flush between being pale or being red.

Immediately later, they decided all was well and to make plans to leave. Before packing, Dymov approached your parents and you in the parlor.

“I have to alert you of something that will happen, when Lady Y/L/N arrives…there will be a test done by the priests to see if she’s, uh, pure…and it involves checking her…” he gestured to his pants.

You let out a shocked gasp. What kind of kingdom were you about to be thrown into?

“I just wanted you to know, so you wouldn’t be shocked,” Dymov added on.

Your mother took your hand again and rubbed your knuckles soothingly.

“We have family physicians here. Trusted friends. They will do the examination and sign a document right before she goes. There will always be a chaperone until the marriage, to make sure everything is by Russia’s standards,’ she insisted, squeezing your hand extra tight.

Before they left the whole family saw off the Russian party. As Dymov turned to you, his blue eyes darkened slightly. He bowed lowest for you and kissed your hand.

“I’ll write to you as much as I can. You can call me Grigor,” he said.

“I guess you can call me Y/F/N…Grigor,” you replied

“Goodbye, Y/F/N. We will see each other…before the wedding. Soon.”

As kind as the gesture was, your brain had not stopped reeling. It remained even as you stood there, watching the carriage trot away. A pair of blue eyes even looking at you sadly from the window.

He seemed to have the same concern

How could you travel to live in another country ruled by someone like Peter?

And how could you love, much less marry, a man you just met?

Taglist: @queenlover05​

The Great Taglist: @stardust-killer-queen​ @itsametaphorgwil​ @freaking-nix​ @im-an-adult-ish​ @grigorlee​ @themficsilike 

[rocknrollpourlavie]

Ill be 28 in a month. 28 is such a random age, like your not too old but not too young. You've been through alot possibly but youre still young enough to really really remember being a teenager which for me royally sucked and youre still young enough to be hopeful about how your life will really turn out because your life doesnt really start till your 30 flirty and thriving right? Thats what you'll believe if watch to many tv shows and movies. I cannot believe its been 10 years since I graduated high school, I mean that means absolutely nothing to me and shouldnt to you either, its literally just 10 years since youve been told you have to have a pass to roam the hallways. Ive thought alot about whether I would even attend my high school reunion, but now with the way everything is I dont imagine they'll even have one this year, maybe they'll send us all a postcard with a zoom link and we can see our old classmates with their husbands and babies in their houses, but I imagine many of them are like me, no husband, no boyfriend, no official house in my name, no baby, no wrinkles maybe my eyes look more tired than they did 10 years ago due to all the "living" ive done, y'know, the late nights/early mornings, the sleeping in till 1pm for 2 years straight, the staying out till 3 am dead sober but high on life, just taking midnight strolls in Paris and back to a balcony view of the eiffel tower and the tearing up of the sidewalks on the lower east side, and my poor camera shutters have done so much work they must be exhausted and the running up the steps to the Plaza at 2 am after drinks at bemmelmans bar and the leisurely 2 am jaunts from 919 1st ave N to the feeling of the breeze on beach drive near the harbor, after a few hours of laughs and hugs with random strangers and close aquaintances. Its starting to show on my face like a badge of honor. I feel honored, to have accomplished so much and absolutely nothing at all. I was pretty popular in high school. I sat in the back of the class with the popular kids and still said hello to the scene kids in the hallways. I didnt really start going to shows till I was 16, but with my belief system that I've been holding tight to since I was 13 maybe before then too, it was a difficult balance of having lots of Aquaintances and lots of crushes and saying hi and being said hi to by to 10-12 different people on the way to class every morning but at the same time having to distance myself from others socially. Punks arent such a bad influence when they're contained in a theater where the bouncers will kick you out for smoking and moshing to violently and throwing beer bottles at the band but then I went to real warehouse shows, noise shows, punk bands, one man shows, cute guysin bands are like finding a needle in a haystack here, and yeah those shows were always good vibes, nothing evil ever happened, I think the heat in florida keeps people too calm and warm inside and out, to do those things. But then again there are florida men and women out there. Too anyone who actually read this I love you and I cant write anymore cause Im exhausted good kgnt

[petitesimss]

Get to Know Me Tag

I was tagged by the beautiful @timouke to do this challenge so here we go I guess?!

Rules: Post a pic of your simself with your traits and answer the questions! :)

My Traits: Clumsy, Goofball, and Genius 

(According to other people, I swear I didn't label myself as a genius! xD)

Really quick I would like to go ahead and tag of my FAV simblrs: @mmfinds @stardustsim @blushchat @brindletonsims @mochieo @awsimmer92 @fussysim @simplistic-sims4 @tainoodles and also anyone who wants to do it!

1. What is your full name? Megan :)

2. What is your nickname? Meg (Omg so basic)

3. When is your birthday? October 7th

4. Favorite book series? ‘ARRY POTTER!

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? Uhm not aliens but I think some form of ghosts exist. Not necessarily the scary ones xD

6. Favorite author? John Green

7. Favorite Radio Station? I don’t listen to the radio oof

8. What is your favorite flavor of everything? Chocolate or Strawberry!! Mmmm

9. What word will you often use to describe something great or wonderful? Amazing or just a *gasp* noise

10. What is your current favorite song? Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran

11. Favorite word? oof

12. What was the last song you listened to? Currently listening to Pentatonix’s cover of Hallelujah

13. What TV show do you recommend? I am currently obsessed with Vampire Diaries

14. Favorite movie to watch when you’re upset? Omg this is weird but those classic like 2005 Barbie movies always cheer me up

15. Do you play video games? Not really other than sims ofc :P

16. Biggest Fear? Dark Bathrooms (especially the mirrors, its a long story)

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? My drive to work hard or maybe just my general compassion for everyone

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? LAZINESS

19. Cats or dogs? CATS I HAVE THREE

20. Favorite season? Fall because of sweaters and moderately cool weather

21. Are you in a relationship? Oui!

22. Something you miss from your childhood? Barbie Movies

23. Best friend? My boyfriend xD

24. Eye color? Chocolate brown

25. Hair color? Dark brown, black at the roots

26. Who is someone you love? My mother xD

27. Who is someone you trust? My mother

28. Who is someone you think about often? My boyfriend (These answers are so basic oof)

29. Are you currently excited about/for something? IM SEEING THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD TOMORROW

30. Biggest obsession? Cats

31. Favorite TV show as a kid? Probably I-Carly or Hannah Montana

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? My boyfriend

33. Are you superstitious? Unintentionally yes

34. Any unusual phobias? Dark bathrooms xD

35. In front of the camera or behind it? Both

36. Favorite Hobby? Sims eek

37. Last book your read? Idk why but I stopped reading and so I have no idea

38. Last movie you watched? Not all of it but some of Pitch Perfect (I’ve already seen the whole thing don't worry)

39. Play an instrument? My voice and also a bit of the keyboard

40. Favorite Animal? Cat.

41. Top five tumblr blogs you follow? ALL OF THEM DANG IT

42. What superpower do you wish you had? Flight!

43. Where and when do you feel the most at peace? At home, sleeping in my bed

44. What makes you smile? Literally life

45. What sports do you play, if any? I’ve been in dance for 13 years

46. Favorite drink? Coca-Cola

47. Last time you wrote a handwritten note or letter to someone? This week actually!

48. Afraid of heights? DUH

49. Biggest pet peeve? SLOW WALKERS JUST WALK PLEASE

50. Ever been to a concert? Yep and I’ve been in several local ones

51. Vegan or Vegetarian? Heck no 

52. What did you want to be when you were little? A pop star xD

53. What fictional world would you like to live in? Just. Hogwarts. Always.

54. What is something you worry about? If I am actually liked by people

55. Scared of the dark? Only in bathrooms dude

56. Do you like to sing? YES (Soprano 1 - Mezzo)

57. Ever skipped school? Nope, I’m a good bean

58. Favorite place on the planet? Bed.

59. Where would you like to live? New York or Paris

60. Have any pets? 3 cats (Bella, Possum, and Ty) and also a fish whose name I don't remember

61. Early bird or Night owl? NIGHT OWL

62. Sunrises or Sunsets? I’m gonna go with sunsets

63. Do you know how to drive? I should but I don't xD

64. Earbuds or headphones? Earbuds but not the ones you get with an iPhone, those suck!

65. Ever had braces? Three years I think total, and I just had to get a 6 week retainer set to close a small gap that came back :(

66. Favorite genre of music? Pop I guess xD Or musical theater!

67. Who is your hero? My stepdad

68. Do you read comic books? No but my stepdad did xD

69. What makes you the most angry? When people make jokes about things like cancer or diabetes (THEY ARENT FUNNY)

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? Definitely a real book, My eyes don't hurt as much plus they smellll soooo goooodd

71. Favorite Subject? English or Science

72. Any siblings? So this is complicated but I have one half brother, a half-step brother, and a half-step sister

73. The last thing you bought? I bought a journal and some bath salts for my friend’s birthday

74. How tall are you? So I used to be 5′2 but every time I go to the doctor they measure me at like 5′1 and I am confusion

75. Can you cook? Yes but I prefer baking

76. Three things you love? My family, my friends, and food (Omg I typed foot at first EEK)

77. Three things you hate? I LITERALLY DONT HATE ANYTHING IM SORRY

78. Do you have more female friends or male friends? Female oof

79. Sexual orientation? Straight But why did you need to know??

80. Where do you currently live? Louisiana OOOF

81. Last person you texted? My boyfriend, specifically “hehehe yess”

82. Last time you cried? Watching “A Walk to Remember” a few weeks ago

83. Favorite youtuber? All of them, rip

84. Do you like to take selfies? Yes but only because I don't like the pictures other people take of me xD

85. Favorite app? BUZZFEED or maybe netflix

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? I love my mom and we are close but me and my biological dad don't talk

87. Favorite foreign accent? FRENCH OR BRITISH

88. Place you’ve never been to but want to visit? Hawaii or Paris

89. Favorite number? 2 but also literally any even number

90. Can you juggle? Who on here can actually juggle cause I want to be your best friend please (so no)

91. Are you religious? I’m supposed to be catholic but I haven't been to church in a while

92. Is outer space or the deep ocean more interesting? The deep ocean because I want to be a mermaid

93. Do you consider yourself a daredevil? No I am the opposite oof

94. Are you allergic to anything? Cats and dogs, pollen, grass, apparently something in the meningitis vaccine (ITS A LONG STORY)

95. Can you curl your tongue? YOU BET I CAN

96. Can you wiggle your ears? No but I can shake my eyes

97. How often do you admit that you’re wrong about something? I am never wrong, ever.

98. The forest or the beach? The beach cause mermaids

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given to you? Do what you love, don’t work for money.

100. Are you a good liar? I am a TERRIBLE liar

101. Hogwarts house? Gryffindor but my hybrid house is Gryffinpuff soooo...

102. Do you talk to yourself? I used to tbh but now I usually just sing to myself

103. Introvert of Extrovert? Extrovert but I love me time

104. Do you keep a journal/diary? No I just deal with my thoughts

105. Do you believe in second chances? Absolutely

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Look for identification in it so I can return it to it’s owner

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? Of course!

108 Are you ticklish? VERY

109. Have you ever been on a plane? Yes, I was on one last weekend

110. Any piercings? Only my basic ear piercings

111. What fictional character do you wish was real? Ronald Weasley

112. Any tattoos? No but I wanna get a few small ones later in life

113. Best decision you’ve made in your life so far? Care for others is far more rewarding than wallowing in sadness

114. Do you believe in karma? It depends, really

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? I used to wear glasses but since one of my eyes is near sighted and the other is far sighted they balance each other out enough so that I don’t necessarily need them anymore

116. Do you want children? YES LIKE 3-5

117. Who is the smartest person you know? My stepdad

118. Most embarrassing moment? That time I asked my bestfriend at the time’s sister if I could wear a pad on a water slide (IT WAS MY FIRST PERIOD OKAY?)

119. Ever pulled an all-nighter? I’ve made it to 6 am xD

120. What color are most of your clothes? Yellow or pink :P

121. Do you like adventures? PLANNED adventures, yes

122. Ever been on tv? A few times

123. How old are you? 16

124. Favorite quote? But without the dark, we’d never see the stars

125. Sweet or savory foods? SWEEETTT

OML THIS TOOK FOREVER RIP

[dramazones]

Oh Wow! Im finally here with a headcanon birth chart and analysis for jamie!

i'm on mobile so I cant even put this long ass post under a read more i am so fucking sowwy but anyways a lot of this was inspired from dewmie-in 's meta posts and also i rlly love astrology so pls follow them first of all or else ur a fake fan shhfhgjsjkfkd

☀️ ♓︎ Pisces Sun ♓︎ ☀️

There is no doubt that Jamie is a pisces sun. Some of the well known characteristics of a piscean are being the artistic ones, the ones more in touch with their emotions and the absolute dreamers of the zodiac, I can assure you this as a mercury and moon piscean!

And it’s quite obvious that these traits 100% match up to jamie’s surface character being a big theater nerd, writer, poet, and as an actor, he HAS to understand emotion in all its forms! While being the more compassionate of signs, that also comes with sympathy, and maybe even empathy.

to which he expresses when he tells steven that a good story with a quality protagonist HAS to include said protagonists struggles as well, now this might be a reach but perhaps this was self projecting after his own struggles in kansas, maybe even foreshadowing ooOoOh

(“a real hero must struggle” jamie struggles living in kansas, moves back to beach city, nails his first production and gains management position @ the theater, aka his heroic ending i guess idk, then more theater related accomplishments as mentioned in letters to lars ofc)

☽♎︎ Libra Moon ♎︎☽

One of the biggest desires for any libra placement is balance, And the moon sign being the emotion sign, Libra moons desire an emotional balance as much as they do in their environment. Libra Moons can also be known as a “people person” while typically depending on the study of others to lean their own nature.

Jamie fits the Libra moon description being a sort of people person himself. Though he’s capable of keeping a friendly conversation with just about anyone, There’s also no doubt that this guy has severe anxiety that affects his communication with others along with his emotional stability (even affecting him physically). The thing is that he’s managed to keep the anxiety and his social skills much more balanced the more we see him or i guess as time passes, not one of them overpowering the other. (see venus in scorpio as to why he limits himself socially as much as he would his anxiety)

While he desires emotional balance that also comes with a feeling of frustration and defeat when things are even slightly out of balance (also a symptom of anxiety ; easily irritated/defeated) such as his improv performance in letters to lars, ending his performance within a minute after feeling overwhelmed as it started going south.

So while there are several moments of him maintaining an emotional balance he also has another side of the scale that’s less balanced (astrology word play lmao) such as a general lifestyle balance, also nonexistent for jamie (even though your lifestyle heavily affects your behavior) in a sense that he lacks of a healthy sleep schedule being a mailman AND an actor, one occurring from the early morning to the afternoon and the other job occurring at night. Probably irrelevent but its MY sleepover and Ill add as much necessary info in this birth chart reading as i please.

Im also including buddys book as an example because though it was only jamie being the faceclaim for buddy theres no denying that since historical friction theres at least some parallels between the two characters sharing the same traits (being writers, returning to beach city to prosper in their careers, being absolute drama kings)

♀️♏︎ Scorpio Venus ♏︎♀️

One of the biggest aspects to Jamie’s character INCLUDES being an absolute sucker for romance so lets get this bread and talk abt his relationships w/ everyone and his views on love uwu

Scorpio being a water sign means healing is one of the largest aspects to the sign. Healing nonetheless comes with a relation to trauma being from the planet representing death itself. Life and Death go hand in hand to define each other, ya feel me.

while were on the topic of death lets bring back the parallelism between jamie and buddy thats been around since historical friction. in the play buddy is presumed dead up until william reaches beach city. ok. so hear me out. perhaps that was foreshadowing for jamie’s traumatic near death encounter with topaz and aqua. remember how I said the water element represents healing as well as trauma??? It all kinda ties in yall...

ANYWAYS It’s safe to say that Jamie is a person that’s been through his rock bottom AND trauma already (his death if you will), struggling to live a happy, or even regular (lets face it as far as we know the only thing he came back to beach city with was sunglasses, bitch was broke) life in kansas, the abduction, its not something you can heal from overnight. While he does show symptoms of severe anxiety (to say the very least) even after the abduction he’s also grown closer to working on healing, moving on from his overwhelming fear of rejection by prospering in theater (him coming back to life if u will), and as for anything directly related to the abduction is unknown, but its very likely he’s working on moving on from that on his own as far as we know!!

which brings up the next trait of a scorpion venusian! They prefer to be a mystery in order to protect themselves as a result of fear of getting hurt for trusting/opening up too much. The first time we see jamie since the abduction is during the re-election in dewey wins, where he doesn’t seem affected at all. Yes, Jamie is a pretty open book for the most part (see dewmie-in’s analogy to in/out of the closet in historical friction) however theres also moments where he limits himself, or perhaps another side to himself, a far more passionate side…

Holding back tears during his drama zone and waiting until hes alone to be excited abt delivering his letter in love letters, playing it cool when earning theater director position in historical friction, not to mention his room SHOULD play a very huge role in his secretive side. (see brodingle’s post on jamie’s room, his casual side vs his passionate side)

the venus in scorpio (or any scorpio placement rlly) also remains a secret not truly by choice, but theyre also studying others of interest. being an actor, Jamie should know a thing or two on body language and raw emotion as he sees it.

And finally, The venus is scorpio is a devoted, passionate, and emotionally attached lover. in love letters he falls for someone easily, and even if he learned in the end love at first sight isnt real he is most definitely the type to fall easily based on emotional connection alone! Also, his fear of rejection can easily play into his love life as well. Being in kansas getting constantly rejected and returning back home out of not just defeat but most likely homesickness as well. He missed his stable job. he wants stability, loyalty, commitment! yeah ok thts all i got for now ladies!

♂️♍︎ Virgo Mars ♍︎♂️

Mars being the planet of impulsiveness, energy, initiation and “doing it” being born under the sign of doing it efficiently and orderly gives a handful of traits that completely match up to Jamie and the way he puts out his energy into the world

Jamie has been the type to not just instantly put his energy into something new, but he’s also put his energy into mastering said thing! While Mars is the planet of impusiveness, Virgo is the sign of patience, the Virgo mars is a firm believer of practice makes perfect, and striving for overall perfect, which does in fact get overwhelming for Jamie the perfectionist.

In historical friction, though hesitant, he was not afraid to critique and analyze dewey’s writing skills. And although he was anxious again to go against deweys script and use pearls version instead, he went with pearls because he desperately needed to execute his first play flawlessly. this also occurs again in letters to lars, when his improv performance doesnt go as planned he doesnt just end it from there, in fact, he still has that sense of patience to critique his cast members on stage before getting completely irritated when they dont comply. imo its important to note this duality of patience and impulsiveness because this is an anxiety inducing combination that heavily matches up to Jamies energy.

it’s also important to bring Jamie’s room back in this, because while it was creepy as shit its also FILLED with books, and has really fancy stationery meaning he is in fact a writer. The Mars in Virgo is an attentive to detail oriented person, and being a writer, Jamie not only reads others’ works, he records his own with plenty of detail as seen in his love letter to garnet. Its in his nature by now to have an eye for detail as seen in his room, his costumes, his writing, etc.

Its very likely that his venus and his mars sign do sort of relate in a sense of the way he will present himself. The virgo mars wants a deep connection as the next person but refuses to express that “passionate side” as much as others, preferring to remain casual or present a “cool exterior” which plays into the venus in scorpio’s preference for a secretive side or to remain a mystery.

lets also not forget Jamie’s mime performance in Sadie’s Song. His body language easily read as excited and desperate for perfectionism. Theres no denying he spent time and energy into his act, probably studying mimes and all lol

plus the virgo mars being an attentive to detail type of person, scorpio venus’ silent study on their person of interest and libra moon’s dependance on the study of others to learn how to express emotion when and where and how all tie into each other. Jamie depends on detail before well, doing! he is the type to not just think before acting but hes also gotten quite anxious overthinking as well!

The Taurus Ascendant is a sucker for stability, loyalty, especially to their passions with change being their biggest weakness, very fitting to Jamie. Stability is what made Jamie return to beach city from Kansas because he was not used to such a drastic change in an unstable life, doing the absolute opposite of prospering in his acting career, another big desire for a taurus rising btw, they thrive for success!

They also need a sense of security and any chance at risking that security is a big no-no for the Taurus Ascendant. Jamie’s constant fear of rejection, his anxiety before a production that could make or break his career, he desires a sense of reassurance and security that will assure him that things will not turn out as horribly as his anxiety’s (cough drama zone cough) made it out to be.

⬆️♉︎ Taurus Rising ♉︎⬆️

now, in Reunited, hes completely moved on from garnet at this point. This takes places after the abduction, the only thing that would really be on his mind rn is healing and finding peace again with himself and in his surroundings. while hes handled this healing process alone (as far as we know) hes also learned about what he wants for himself including his love life. seeing garnet extremely happy and married and all makes him defeated for a moment not because “uUuuUUhH shes the one that got away!” its because he truly desires a passionate and devoted relationship as ruby and sapphires! which brings up the next topic!

In relationships, the Taurus Ascendant won't easily break up with someone they gave their heart to. Jamie wants a partner thats going to be as devoted and passionate as himself. He needs that sense of commitment and loyalty from someone and probably wouldn’t handle something as emotionless as one night stands for example! Any taurus placement has the same desires for romance as scorpio placements to be quite honest here, im just sayin as a venus in taurus and scorpio rising lmao.

🌊 Water Dominant 🌊

Ok so the thing is heres the thing. Out of all four astrological elements, Jamie exudes water energy the most, then earth, then fire, and lastly air. He’s not just an emotional person, he’s also an optimistic person, even when he overthinks things, he continuously looks into the future rather than his past so I think its important to note he also has that “psychic” aspect to him as well as having a strong sense of someone else’s emotions as much as his own.

let me also add in dewmie-in’s post where they point out tht jamie does in fact have a literal reocurring theme with water so even if he turns out to like not be a water sun sign in canon (highly doubt there will ever be a canon bday for him lmao the entire point of this post tho) theres no way hes gonna not be associated with water coincidentally. so if u didnt read their post tldr: being a fucking buffoon in the literal rain, throwing letters into the ocean, staring at the ocean on his free time, (aka during working ours, worlds okayest mailman) cries easily, buddy dying in water, jamie nearly being killed as instructed by a gem named aqua, jamie surviving in water after being THROWN off the ship. (i added a few more btw hshfhhdjd)

so yeah thats that on that, theres plenty more planet placements than that in a birth chart but i just felt like doing the usual ones i guess :P

[lamestteenagegirlever]

HIHIHI MY LOVES!!! ROUND THREEEEE

except its shorter bc school started for me so im busy

•will canonically likes little shop of horrors but he 100% dragged el with him a minimum of thrice to see it in theaters. el liked it but mostly enjoyed seeing will so happy(and bc she had a lil crush on audrey but yk). his favorite song is somewhere thats green but he and el will dance their lil hearts out to dentist(bc that shits FIRE)

•the original party all decided when they were little that will was going to the collective best man when they all got married(“because hes the best, man!”) and will has absolutely no idea why they decided that but he really appreciates it

•idk if i said this like specifically as a hc but eddie has pretty much claimed will as his kid. like he needs a ride? eddies already there. he wakes up in the middle of the night with inspiration for a campaign? open your window, kid, hes outside. he sees a lot of himself in will and he wants to help him come more out of his shell and accept himself for who he is. he just loves the kid so much and wants him to be confident and happy.

•mike and el went as platonic dates to junior prom so they didnt look like losers, and will joked that if that was the case, he was going to take nancy to get back at him. he didnt think she would actually agree to go with him(she thought it would be funny to fuck with mike, too, and she loves the kid and doesnt want him to feel lame). they had to fight losing it laughing all night when guys would keep asking him how he scored a pretty college chick. will and nancy kept joking with mike/johnathan that they had a new favorite wheeler/byers and saying stuff like “good to know one of the wheelers knows how to match. nancys dress like perfectly matched my suit, unlike the incident on the halloween of 87!” and “didnt peg little byers as a dancer, but hes got moves! or maybe hes just better than you.” i just think theyd be buddies

•mike is a movie talker. like an ANNOYING ASS movie talker. hes terrible. they all hate him. will acts annoyed but he really likes to listen to him talk. tysm to one of my fav mutuals @mikewheelerlesbian for this one!!

•idk if ive put this one before but steve throws a small party at his house for the gang like every other weekend. he makes food or orders catering and robin and nancy set the decorations up. max is in charge of music and not letting eddie anywhere near the speaker. it always turns into a big sleepover. like the older kids bring all the leftovers to the kitchen once its over and find the party all passed out in a pile on the couch. steve gets them blankets while nancy calls everyones parents to let them know theyre safe and asleep. they all just end up sleeping in the living room, too.

•steve and robin dance almost the exact same way. like a song will be playing and theyll be doing the exact same moves without noticing. eddie finally got a video of it at one of steves little parties and she went upstairs early that night(she couldnt look anyone in the face after that.) steve was ecstatic.

•murray regularly shows up at the hopper-byers house bc joyce and hopper tell him that hes always welcome over and he takes them up on that. when he does, he brings like a gift or cooks for them and the family really appreciates it and is just used to him randomly being there at this point. their friends are not. mike one time went to the fridge to get some soda at like 4 in the morning and saw murray and jumped back so far he slipped and fell into the trashcan. the wonder twins, who were waiting for him to get back, heard the scream and ran in expecting danger and were just like “oh, hey murray. are you making bacon?” while mike struggled to get up. lucas nearly passed out one time. dustin still jumps but hes mostly chill. max can practically sense him and she almost always gets into an argument with him. murray has started asking when max is coming over so he can avoid her.

•steve(and will once he starts driving) will drive anyone anywhere at any time all they have to do is call. nancy(and dustin and lucas) will drive them anywhere and any time if its within reason. eddie will drive them anywhere at any time as long as its out of reason. el never cared to learn bc her brothers are her personal chauffeurs and mike is just a terrible driver(but his bf takes him everywhere anyway so its fine). max is blind and even if she wasnt, she drove into the 7/11 during the test because she she going 45 miles over the speed limit.

•eddie takes so long to fully register the fact that the coolest members of the party are the girl that wears mary janes and pink barrettes with butterflies on them and her brother with a bowlcut that almost exclusively wears button ups and khakis. like they dont even react when they get in his van that smells so strongly of weed you could get a secondhand high from it. or like the group is getting ready to fight a bunch of demogorgans or smthn and will sighs like its a normal tuesday and loads his gun and is firing in under a minute and el is literally killing them with her mind while talking to him about the newest plant in her garden and eddies literally too stunned to even move.

•will cried a little when he told el he was gay because even though he knew she wouldnt hate him, plus she more than understands what its like to be different from everyone else, theres still that fear and all, yk? el hugged him and asked what that meant and why it was making him cry and he explained that it meant he likes boys and she was like “whats wrong with liking boys?” and he explained that everyone says boys are supposed to like girls and blah blah blah and she was like “i can like girls for you if you like boys for me.” and he was just like wait what the fuck and then they laughed and jokingly shook on it sorry i love the wonder twins theyre my favs if you couldnt tell

•michael wheeler has NO sense of direction. he could get lost in a circular driveway

•lucas knows how to do origami. he writes sweet little notes on the paper first so that when he gives it to someone, they have a little extra love secretly in there. max and will have like a shelf full of things hes made for them each. i love him hes so sweet

•piercings. eddie got his ears, bridge, and tongue pierced by some random dude behind the mcdonalds at 2 am. robin got a septum and held steves hand and cried while she did it. nancy got her ears double pierced after she graduated. mike went with her and left with a single ear pierced(i dont trust that he could handle getting both ears pierced). max has a nose piercing that she probably did herself. argyle would maybe have a septum bc thats like such a chill down to earth piercing yk?

•nancy paints el and mikes nails(plus the occasional will bc hes usually over during that and nancy always offers so sometimes hes like yk what? why the hell not). she occasionally paints robins but eddie is very protective of his spot as robins “nail artist”(i say in quotes bc he can barely get a plain solid coat on her with how shaky her hands are, let alone do anything further)

•adding on to the one above, nancy paints their nails, but will has skills with tiny brushes, so he does cute designs whenever anyone asks. its usually just el that asks(he playfully rolls his eyes every time and is like “well, i GUESS i could do this for you if you want me to THAT badly” while smiling) but occasionally one of the wheelers does too. els always contain bright colors and fun designs. nancys typically have like flowers or like polka dots. mike usually gets like skulls bc he wants eddie to tell him he looks metal(eddie doesnt have to know that mike sat on his sisters pink beanbag chair and listened to abba while his boyfriend, who he was staring at like a loser the whole time bc will was making that face he always makes when hes concentrated, painted them on).

•the wonder twins judge people together all day every day and i love that for them. mike says something painfully stupid and will leans over to el and whispers something like “maybe you were on to something when you dumped his ass” and el just starts laughing and it makes will laugh and mike is like ????. or jonathans absolutely gone during another conversation at dinner and they just keep looking at eachother like “can you believe this shit?” and whispering things that i would personally never take, but thats just me but its their brother and they love him a lot so its fine. im sorry i love the wonder twins so fucking much and the way theyre canonically judgey and like comically rude whenever they feel like it is so fun to me like will canonically calls both of his siblings friendless and el hits mike with that whole thing in the storage closet at the pool and i just love them so much

some stranger things headcanons(mostly ending up being ramblings bc im autistic)! feel sososo free to share yours with me or ask if i have any for a specific character! and shoutout to my bestie griffin for helping me come up with some of these

•max leaves like the most random shit in mikes locker. like he’ll open it and find like an origami armadillo or a piece of macaroni covered in glitter or like a singular fuzzy christmas sock. he has no idea its her(everyone else knows). he shows up to lunch every day with the item and gets more and more terrified every day.

•eddie has nicknames for all of the kids bc he loves them and hes alive and happy. he calls max ginger snap or little orphan annie or something along those lines and she acts pissed off but she loves it. he calls lucas number 8 bc even if he doesnt like basketball, he supports his kids in anything they do. dustin is just henderson ofc or the occasional like curly sue or smthn of that nature. he obvi calls erica lady applejack or miss america. he calls mike training wheel(nancy is steering wheel and holly is tricycle) or michael in the most ominous way possible. he calls will lil buddy or “sir william the wise, my lord” while doing the most dramatic curtsy ever, no in between. he calls el stupid shit like elton john or eleanor roosevelt and if hes greeting her he just asks her what number hes thinking of. i just love him and want him to be happy.

•el and mike are lesbian and gay solidarity argue with the wall. they were the first to find out about the other’s crush on max/will and they both encourage each other to go for it. el especially bc she hears how much will talks about mike. mike tries to get info from max but shes just like oh my god leave me alone(lovingly, ofc) with the reddest face ever and mike is like 🤔.

•max sees erica like a little sister and vice versa.

•will, robin, max, and eddie tell eachother all about their relationships/crushes and it ends in a nightmare every time. will told them about something really stupid mike said and eddie brought it up, laughing, at hellfire and mike was like “oh my god i fucked up so badly that will told eddie” and eddie tries to come up with another explanation like will wasnt the only other person there. “nonono, it wasnt will that told me! it was… nancy! she was… in the… bushes! for uhm……. newspaper stories???” and mike just thinks about it for the rest of the day

•idc abt canon they all go to lucas’s games and theyre huge dorks about it. they make signs and everything and then have a party at steves house regardless of whether they won or he even got to play. steve also helps lucas practice sometimes and is always like “go easy on me im old.”

•steve and robin worked a good few jobs in the months between the mall getting destroyed and the family video. they were there for maybe a week before one of them got fired(steve) and the other quit in protest bc theyre besties and share one braincell.

•lucas is a history kid, dustin and el are math kids, mike and max are english kids, and will is a science and art kid.

•steve hates his house because its always so lonely and he tells robin this like once in passing and she just shows up randomly with a duffel bag with her pjs and stuff. she probably has a key at this point so like he’ll get back from the shower or smthn and she’ll just be sitting on his bed watching tv like she lives there(she pretty much does), not that he minds obvi. he loves hanging out with her

•will and el are practically inseparable. they tell each other absolutely everything and have “sleepovers” once a week. when will realized that el doesnt know her birthday, he decided that they were gonna share his because everyone already jokingly calls them the wonder twins anyway. i literally just adore them and want more content with them.

•dustin and max will argue over the absolute dumbest stuff EVER. absolutely anything and everything. like max threatened to kill him over whether els shoes were mustard yellow or yellow-orange.

•mike acts like he hates steves guts when he finds out he likes eddie. like he’ll regularly be like “wow, you date my sister and now you’re going after my mentor.” and steve is just like “yeah, and ill go after your mom next. pipe down.”

•nancy and argyle vibe like no other and not a single person understands how. jonathan jokes that he cant believe his best friend would leave him for his ex and they all think its really funny.

•robin and steve cant spell restaurant or communicate or fairly simple words like that. they pass a singular braincell back and forth wand it probably belongs to nancy.

•steve taught all of the kids other than max how to drive. eddie taught max while steve had to like hold robins hand because of how nervous he was.

•dustin has zero rhythm(affectionate).

•el sat hopper down and asked him about his intentions with joyce like an overprotective dad when they got back from russia and always messes with him about the three inches rule.

•will gets along really well with nancy and holly. sometimes he’ll show up at the wheeler house and mikes pleasantly surprised to see him, thinking will there to see his bf but hes actually there for a tea party that holly invited him to or for his scheduled gossip session with nancy and probably steve, max, and el.

•el is an avid abba stan. she and will regularly end up having dance parties in her room when she plays it. argyle always joins in if hes over and jonathan does too, but not before he gets a couple of pictures bc he loves them a lot.

•eddie and robin smoke together on the occasion(they cried one time bc robin turned off the lights on accident and they were convinced they both went blind).

if you read this far i literally love you oh my god

[mikey-girl12-archive]

A Real Prince Charming.

warnings: self-doubt.

pairings: prinxiety-romantic could also be read as platonic. and paltonic moxiety.

word count: 1,587

gifs not mine

tag list: @321angst @lostin--translation @ajumbleofwords @friendlyinternetmeerkat @zadi-jyne @yourdailysunshine @love-sanders-sides @musicphanpie-b @demonickittykat

Virgil was never bothered by the black and white world he lived in. Many found their soulmates around the age of ten through thirteen. Seeing as Virgil was nearing his 25th birthday, far longer than normal to have met his other half, he had accepted that he just wasn't meant to have a soulmate.

  Many pitied him, offering sympathies and condolences when the subject came up. Everyone thought that Virgil's uncaring attitude towards solemates was just a facade, and that he was dying on the inside from being alone. Virgil always had rejected this, insisting he was fine.

.............................................................

  Roman was a hopeless romantic from the day he was born. By age five he began to daydream about how or when he would meet his soulmate. He wanted something different than the others. He didn't want the cliche story of meeting in class one day. But then, as everyone else found their partners and he didn't, he began to regret that wish.

  On his fifteenth birthday he told his mother he gave up, he was fine with the monochrome life he lived. Even though he told everyone he was fine, he began to grow insecure at the thought that he didn't have another half. His senior year, he joined drama and threw himself into it with a passion. If he couldn't express his love to another, ten he could at least portray his feelings on stage.

.............................................................

  “Patton, please! I don't want to go.” Virgil complained loudly from his bed. Virgil had had a nice night planned. Pizza rolls for dinner, then hours of Netflix in his warm bed. He had been deciding between rewatching Parks and Rec or The Office when the older man showed up on his door step waving two tickets to the local theater production of Cinderella and demanded he go.

  “No” Virgil had said before turning and walking back to his room and crawling into bed.

  “Get up you're going! You have to get out more if you ever want to find your special somebody." Patton was Virgil's best friend since childhood, and the only one who hadn't given up on finding Virgil's soulmate yet.

  “You're going to this play, Verge.” Patton said, his dad voice at full power.

  Virgil sighed knowing he couldn't fight Patton. He would give in the second he gave him the puppy dog eyes. Sighing loudly again, more for effect than any actual protest, he stood from the bed and walked to the closet to change into something more suitable for being around other people. Patton clapped his hands in excitement, barely giving time for Virgil to get his shoes on before dragging the younger of the two out of the house.

.............................................................

  Roman's insecurities always made him a tad nervous before he performed, but tonight was so much worse. He was so nervous he was almost sick. His friend Logan took notice almost instantly.

  “Ro, you look like Snow White are you sure you’re fine?” he asked. Roman nodded.

  “I’m fine, it's just nerves.” he lied. Logan looked suspicious, but nodded. It was too close to show time to argue now. He made his way over to the sound booth, leaving Roman alone to prepare for the opening scene.

.............................................................

  Patton had insisted that they get there early to have a good seat. They arrived nearly half an hour early and the crowd in the lobby only added to Virgil's distaste for the situation. Patton chose a seat close enough to the front that he could see, but his anxious friend wouldn't be in the center of any cast member's focus.

  They sat at the end of the row so that nobody would be directly next to Virgil and if he needed he could leave without a fuss. They had only been sitting in their seats for five minutes and virgil was already uncomfortable. He felt as if he had a large rock sitting on his lungs, and he could barely breathe.

  He thought about telling his friend they needed to leave, but before he could speak the lights dimmed and the play began. Despite his best efforts to focus, Virgil felt his attention slip from the show. Around the ballroom scene a nagging feeling began urging Virgil pay more attention to the stage. It was hard to tell from the stage but the Prince looked pretty good. Virgil continued his silent admiration of the royal figure on stage until their eyes met for just a split second.

  Virgil's world exploded. Suddenly he could see the color of the red sash crossing the prince's chest. Whipping his head to the side, he could clearly see the blue of Cinderella's dress. Turning to Patton revealed that his friend's hair was a darker brown than he had suspected.

  The rock that had been on his chest grew, breathing became even harder, panic setting in. Thoughts flooded his mind, ‘He's on stage, how will he know it was me?’ flashed in his head followed by ‘But what if he didn't see anything?’ The rock was crushing him now, he had to leave. Standing, Virgil ran from the theater and out the building.

.............................................................

  Roman still felt that sick feeling in his stomach when his cue came. He was supposed to say a few lines then look towards the audience, but the urge to look before his cue was nagging in the back of his mind. When it was finally time to look, he scanned the crowd. A habit he had formed long ago in hopes he would see his soulmate. It never worked but he always did it.

  Roman held back a gasp as he made brief eye contact with a member of the audience, and suddenly everything changed. He quickly averted his eyes from the crowd, trying hard to finish the scene but he had forgotten everything except the startlingly bright brown eyes of his apparent soulmate. He stuttered out what he thought was his line before quickly looking back at the crowd, only to see the person had left their seat and was running towards the exit.

  All at once Roman's doubts over so many years hit him hard. ‘They left because they didn't want you! Why would they want you?’ The moment he was off stage he ran to Logan.

“Take my place!” he said, ripping of his mic, leaving his confused friend behind.

.............................................................

  Patton raced out of the building after his friend, worry clouding his eyes.

  “KIDDO! WAIT UP!” he yelled.

  When virgil finally stopped running, he leaned on a building, sunk to the ground, and buried his face in his knees. Patton came to a stop beside him slightly out of breath.

  “What,” he gasped out. “What happened?”

  Virgil couldn't think of a way to tell his friend what was wrong. Everything was happening too fast and he blurted out the only thing he could think of.

 “Pat, your shirt's blue”

  A gasp left the older man's mouth. He quickly sat, pulling Virgil into a hug.

  “You saw your soulmate.” Patton whispered. There was a moment of silence before Patton's words sank in. Nearly crushing Virgil, a now very excited Patton suddenly yelled, “WE HAVE TO GO BACK!”

  The sudden loud noise caused Virgil to jump, and his friend quickly lowered his voice

  “Sorry kiddo.” patton whispered.

  “But we have to get you back to meet them!” Patton exclaimed, his vpice quickly rising as the excitement built again.

  “Patton...” the broken sound of Virgil's voice caused the worry to return.

  “What if he didn't see the colors? What if he's my soulmate but I'm not his?” he asked, looking to his friend.

  “Pat, i've seen black and white my whole life! I convinced myself that I wasn't made for anybody and now that I can see colors I can't pretend anymore. Patton I don't know what to do! I'm scared..." Virgil's anxiety fueled rant trailed off as tears began down his face.

  Patton had no answer, he just held his friend and gave him time to calm down.

.............................................................

  Roman had left the theater building still in his costume, not even caring about the multitude of weird looks he got. He walked down the street, mind running a million miles an hour.

  ‘Why did they run when they saw me?’ he wondered only for the negative voice from before to reply with ‘why wouldn't they run when they saw you?’

  He was so consumed with his thoughts, he didn't notice the two figures sitting against the wall until he tripped over their out-stretched feet. He was barely able to catch himself from a rather less than princely faceplant, before a voice not unlike that of a concerned father called out “Oh my, are you okay?”.

  “Yeah, i'm fine!” Roman replied, sitting up and brushing off his costume. It was another few moments before Roman looked up to see a very familiar face.

  “It's you!” he gasped, nearly throwing himself at his very startled soulmate. He felt his other half rest his hands on his waist to hold him steady. In a different situation, Roman might have felt awkward practically sitting on a stranger's lap, but he couldn't look into those eyes and feel anything other than pure joy.

  “Hello, I'm Roman. And i've been waiting for you my whole life.” he said quietly, looking absolutely awestruck.

  “Im Virgil." His shy, cute, wonderful, soulmate responded, looking up at him with a small smile.

  "Well then Virgil, thank you for bringing color to my world."

[suspiciouslypinklady]

RIGHT BLOG THIS TIME >:( (also lmao sorry it took so long I was playing league xD) alrightalrightalright leggo: Dairoe: 1, 3, 8, 11, 18, 25, 33, 49, Sharon: 2, 4, 16, 24, 30, 40, 47. also bonus if you post art of ur babies ^.^

jfdhdfjhfd sorry it took ME so long to answer this!! i got really excited so i had to call my gf to answer dairoe’s questions bc guess what its her oc

I CANT MAKE THE IMAGE SYSTEM WORKK FUCKKK TUMBLRR (click here please)

👇 👇 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS BELOW BC IT LONG 👇 👇

(disclaimer: sharon is a 2000 year old “demon” that can control liquid water that’s actually a monster but as a humanoid shes hot so whatever/ dairoe is an almost 2000 year old nymph from greek hell even tho she too butch and ripped to look the part. she controls fire a bit)

Sharon:

02. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness?

She’s actually pretty confident and kind of intimidating so it doesn’t really show but one of her biggest insecurities is her role in any kind of intimate relationship apart from acquaintance. Sharon’s reaaally bad at forming strong bonds so when anything similar to that is happening (first of all she pulls away like a fucking avoiding person) she gets scared because she KNOWS she’s bad and that she’s a terrible company, she isn’t great communicating or being open and lacks so much experience that doesn’t even know the basics to Relationships 101

Tldr; if her partner was like ‘hey you suck and im leaving’ she’d be like ‘that’s fair. Im terrible, bye.’ Bc she’s insecure

04. What are their favorite traits about their lover? (one psychological and one physical)

She likes that this other bitch has gone through similar stuff as she has (2000 years of human bullshit), they have the same background and both are some kind of old ass mythical being, so they can actually share a lot of input about the world and have long conversations together, it makes her feel less alone even if she doesn’t know it (she’s alexithymic af)

A physical one is that this huge jacked woman is very warm at all times?? And that feels nice?? She can also stim w her 4583744 thousand arm hairs

16. Is your character the athletic type or more of a couch potato? What are some sports/games that they like?

Not particularly any but is more inclined to Athletic bc she loooooves water and could swim all day. She’d also play any sport as long as it’s competitive bc SHE-CANT-SAY-NO-TO-A-CHALLENGE

24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like?

“An unorganized, loud and rude mess. As a first impression at least.

While I’m sure there’s more than meets the eye I can’t say it’s something particularly easy to see. At this point I’m convinced we’re probably a bad joke from the universe, but well, I’ve always been told my humor is really bad so… this might just be perfect for me.”

30. When it comes to the arts (music, film, theater, etc), what does your character like?

Theater is the epitome of art for her bc she’s an ancient greek thing.. she’d probably see any type of play, for music she loves classic and (yes) the 80s?? who doesn’t love the 80s though

40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others?

She stims a lot in private, she used to do it openly when she was ‘young’ but then noticed people reacted negatively to that. So now when she’s alone she does stuff like spinning on her chair repeatedly and others

47. Is your character outgoing? Would they be the leader of the friend group, or the quiet one that gets dragged along?

NOT at all,, mostly quiet if she doesn’t have anything to say, and gets particularly awkward with small talk but she’s still social as in , if she gets invited somewhere she’ll most likely go

Dairoe:

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded?

SHFSJFSJ im dying because actually my gf pulled this name out of her ass bc it sounded cool but later we discovered it means something like bulls? In greek??? So that was pretty fitting

GUEST STAR: HELLO IT BE ME, suspisciouslypinklady’s GIRLFRIEND coming in with the BIG OL’ QUESTIONS

it IS true I just pulled a nice sounding name out of my ass and way later I put it in the translator to greek to see if it even was something and it WAS. It means bulls indeed. God i’m so good

03. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves?

This is super hard for her actually, she’d definitely say how she’s fit but she would only like that on a good day. On bad days, she would probably say her eyes? Or hair? But she wouldn’t be a fan of her own physical traits.

08. What is, perhaps, their biggest flaw? Are they aware of this or oblivious to it?

She’s a big meanie but I wouldn’t say it’s her flaw. It’s probably how stubborn she is when it comes down to opening up? Being herself? Like she’s super mean but it’s only to fit this ‘persona’ she has built, and if she didn’t feel the need to, a lot of her problems would go away. But then again, it’s complex, she’s been like this for centuries!

11. What is something that would make your character fly into a rage?

Loved ones being hurt :( Also I guess being harassed to the point of rage, but it’s less likely. She’s not prone to full blown rage, though she can be hotheaded, she controls herself.

18. What kind of home would they want to live in? Where would they place this abode?

A farm filled with animals and her Wife ← what Fanfi wrote and it’s True. It’s so sensitive she doesn’t talk about it, but she has a farm near Switzerland where she’d happily live with her animals and her Wife.

25. Is there something traumatic from your character’s past that greatly affects them even to this day?

This question is so good ← what Fanfi wrote and it’s TRUE. it’s 100% that one time she felt so disgusted by her own physical appearance that she used magic and it made what she thought was a ‘monster’. It was like a huge fuck you from the gods, considering she was never a beautiful as what a nymph should be, you know? But that’s in the past, and it hasn’t really come up since you don’t talk about ancient magic in modern times.

33. If your character wanted to be alone, where would they go?

The farm but withoutgf ← what Fanfi wrote and… it’s true but she would also wander anywhere, she has high survivability in nature so she can virtually go anywhere and be ok. She has done this a lot of times.

49. What is something that your character has nightmares about? Are these frequent? Do they heavily affect your character’s mood?

I don’t think so actually! I think she has pretty standard nightmares but her REALLY bad dreams must be themed of her early days, where she pretended to be an attractive lady, and she was glorified like a deity under her illusions so they won’t see her ‘true self’. Going back to that haunts her, but thankfully waking up usually calms her down and it doesn’t happen often. It doesn’t affect her mood, but on a bad day it may :(

(bonus 2 for reading this far holy fuck)

[chickenfetus]

ALL!!!! (also the gemini sqUAD LOL)

im gonna enjoy a nice cup of water while doing this bc idk a tea (update i didnt drink water at all and now im dying of thirst,, also undercut bc many)

1: Golden mornings or peachy sunsets?

i dont wake up early enough to see the sunrise and when i do i never manage to take pics bc of school so peachy sunsets

2: Sugar cones or waffle cones?

idk what a sugar cone is but i like waffle cones!!! havent eaten ice cream with a cone in forever though,, i rarely eat ice cream now

3: Do you wear scarves often? do you have a favorite?

listen…. its about 33 degrees everyday but even if im in a colder country i dont wear scarves

4: How long do you lay in bed before you finally get up?

this depends?? on how motivated im feeling lmao never more than 10 minutes though because if i lay awake for that long ill just fall back asleep

5: Is there a food you’ve never had but always wanted to try?

i dont think so?? im bad at trying new things especially food

6: What does your umbrella look like?

i dont.. go outside often and whenever i do i take public transport so basically everythings sheltered so i never had a need for umbrellas

7: Do you listen to ASMR?

ive only listened to one everybody please listen to this gift

8: Rain storms or a light drizzle?

both, preferably when im indoors

9: What’s a little thing in life that you love?

hm??????????? my tags lmao 

UPDATE: i also really like reading other people’s tags and their rambles that is all

10: Favorite color aesthetic?

does the word aesthetic make this question any different from a normal favourite colour question???? if it doesnt then sky blue 

11: Wobbly lines or using a ruler?

in this house we draw lines with no ruler like men (but also because even if i did use a ruler it wouldnt be like… straight idk i cant use rulers

12:  Bright colorful living room or neutral cozy living room?

neutral cozy living room but i also love basking in sunlight 

13: Do you have any candles? what scents are they?

im not a big fan of heavy smelling products so i dont own any candles

14: Have you ever rode a horse?

i dont think so??????? ive seen horses before though

15: Do you have glasses?

without my glasses i wouldnt be able to read these questions lmao and . .. theyre also a result of watching pokemon too closely to the tv at a young age… its been like 10 years since i got glasses

16: What’s a language you’d like to speak?

japanese i tried speaking it but i got 2 embarrassed to say anything properly while i was in japan (i cant even speak english properly to a friend whyd i think i could speak another language to a stranger beats me) 

17: What’s your favorite season and favorite month in that season?

my singaporean no season ass: ? but autumn and november (is this cutting it too close to winter? idk my seasons)

18: Do you have a favorite pair of socks?

hm not really i just wear blue ankle socks a lot but my friend did give me a pair of pokemon and gudetama socks before and i adore those although i lost the gudetama ones in the uk last year she got me another pair whatd i do to deserve her?

19: Favorite Ghibli and/or disney movie

m .. um? big. hero 6?????? 

20: Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar?

my dumb ass didnt know they were different

21: What snacks do you usually get at the theater?

i rarely go and watch movies anymore but when i did watch a lot of movies with my friend at the theater we’d get afternoon shows and sneak mcdonalds in lmao

22: What’s an underrated video game/ movie/ show you love and think it needs more recognition?

how about band? day6 i only ever play pokemon + sif + bandori so i cant say much and i rarely watch movies and a show? if its an anime id say the one i mentioned before in my one text post 

23: Would you fill your house with plants if you had a green thumb?

not really rip 

24; All plants are great but do you have a favorite?

HM mmmmmm there was this one but i forgot the name lmao pass

25: Do you have a favorite type of art style? (eg: soft looking, no to little color, sketches, crisp and clean, minimalist, pixel art etc.)

when im the … audience? what do u call it???? i like seeing all kinda of art styles!!! everyone has their own unique art style and i love it all :o

for ME,, , ive been doing art for 6 years maybe and i still cant do shit

26: What would you do if someone gave you flowers?

i would die straight up die thats such a soft concept i cant imagine myself receiving flowers thats 2 sweet oh my god wtf id combust??? i prefer leaves though is that weird i picked some nice leaves recently and im gonna give those to my friends

27: Do you like nicknames?

giving and having nicknames is my favorite past time

28: Do you still watch shows you watched when you were a kid? even from time to time?

pokemon lmao thank u 4 not ending it…. the animation has only improved and im so proud to have been watching it since the start pokemon is my special thing i love it so much!! an interest that never died down, with an anime that stays super like idk to my preference? i tried watching the new digimon stuff but i just couldnt :^( im glad they made ash stay the main character 

29: Do you still like old memes? (tell the truth)

never forget dat boi

30: Favorite Halloween costume you dressed up as? (if you don’t celebrate halloween have you ever cosplayed or would you like to? who did you cosplay as?)

we dont celebrate halloween and i would never cosplay, big shoutout to cosplayers though!!! they put in so much effort and just, respect!!!!! 

i dont know if this is an actual memory because i dont remember well but when i was younger i thiNK? i had to dress up as a swan thing i have no clue i dont even remember the performance but i might have had to ?? and dance??? or act i dont remember everythings fuzzy but i dressed up a swan once? in kindergarten ????? 

31:  Are you a fashionable person?

i have the worst fashion sense and even though jeans are nice once again the weather here doesnt allow me to be as fashionable as i can be

32: Do you like watching holiday movies?

not realyyy??? the jack frost (rip) movie was ncie????

33:  Cookies or brownies?

i live 4 chocolate chip cookies but too much is . . not preferable

34: Do you blow in the cold air just to see your breath?

no i hate breathing in & out from my mouth

35: Do you find the crickets chirping outside your window relaxing?

WELL from the great cockroach ordeal last night id probably die bc we live in an apartment building so the only way id be hearing crickets would be if they were in the ROOM 

36: Do you like cobblestone streets?

my only knowledge of cobblestone is from minecraft so idk

37:  How often do you doodle?

when school was still relevant i would doodle as soon as i picked up a pencil lmao i try not to anymore bc i doodled on my math assignment and forgot to fucking erase it and my math teacher called me out

38: When was the last time you blew bubbles?

a year ago?? i dont remember but i do remember when i was younger id try and blow bubbles at the void deck do yall kno what that is its just a space near the lift lobby anyway i swallowed the soap thing idk u know how ur supposed to blow? well i sucked the soap in yum

39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room?

in my room its the bed and in the house its the water bottle that contains water

40: Do you bite your fingernails off or clip them more often?

i………………………… i dont actualy kno how to clip my nails and my mum would kill me if i tried but i dont bite my nails either

41: Any birthmarks?

not that i know of

42: Thoughts on freckles?

ive never actually seen someone with freckles in public before but theyre good stuff i gueess?? i dont actually have an opinion on them? everyone says theyre cute and all but im just ??? not that i hate freckles tho if u have freckles? thats cool! 

43: First video game you ever played?

pokemon pearl?? either that or megaman on my ps3 OR the bomb square guy????? idk the game name but.. ya

44: what type of bird do you hear most often outside your door?

i dont know what the bird species are but theyre small black birds not crows idk

45: Do you use gifs/ memes a lot when replying to people?

memes yes gifs no bc im not lame like jen

46: Thoughts on spring?

no comment?? i mean? its nice??????? i guess ??? if we had a spring

47: Ideal temperature outside?

oh boy 20 degrees would be enough for me but its never gotten that low before sunny island’s life

48: Cloudy, partly cloudy, or clear skies?

i like clear skies when its bright! but not too sunny and not too warm!!!!! clouds are nice to look at too though

49: How often do you hear airplanes outside?

yeah we live near an airport i dont think anybody uses????

50: Do you enjoy windy days?

windy days are my SHIT back in school our basketball court was open spaced and whenevr wind blew we could feel it man thats the life right there but i hate windy days when im sitting at home bc it flows the curtains rigth into my face i like the feel of the wind and the smell of fresh air but… curtains in my face? not 2 great so rip i close all the windows lmao

okay thank u so much 4 asking falen i love you and wow this was a lot

[floofsta-x]

I Stan Monsta X, Part One of a Series

A rather detailed and insightful guide as to why a music major in college might listen to Monsta X 24/7 instead of classical or Jazz, like she “should”, and justifiably defends it

Under the cut, one shall find the detailed transcriptions, points of awe, and cold, hard facts (not to mention gushing, but that’s uh not important) as to why Monsta X keeps my brain engaged and ears happy.

All logic and transcriptions presented in this are mine! I henceforth give monbebe permission to use these in their own defense! (Like we’d ever need to produce musical reasons to stan our seven beautiful, handsome boys though, amirite?)

Without further ado!

In this post: An Introduction to me, plus reasons why I love the rap line

♪ #00: Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Bryony, and I am a twenty year old girl from the midwest USA, Colorado and Nebraska to be more exact. Really, I’m just another young woman trying to make her way through school and one day, hold a steady paying job and make something of her life.

I decided quite early on that when I graduated High School and went on to post-secondary (college or university), I would pursue a degree in music. I’ve always absolutely adored making others happy via the performing arts; I stood on stage with elite children’s choirs in elementary school, and later started doing local theater productions and joined my small town’s Master Chorale. I only found my true love, however, when I entered fifth grade and picked up a clarinet for the first time. It wasn’t long before I was fully involved in musical activities all around, playing in band and singing in choir. I even learned saxophone so I could start playing Jazz. To boot, I was good at it. The pinnacle of my high school career was being selected to Colorado All-State Band and Colorado All-State Choir in the same year, and attending both.

However, what I thought I knew in high school came nowhere near what awaited me in college. I chose my undergraduate school because of the stellar teaching and strong faculty mentor and leadership at a particularly low cost, and I am confident that this was the correct move. I have been loving it, as much as before, but also found myself constantly challenged. I have been slowly engraining and applying my new understanding of music theory, structure, and harmony.

As a music major, I have been finding that even in my arbitrary, everyday listening, I actively seek out the elements that intrigue me in the genres I love. This includes one of my biggest, Korean Pop. Ever since becoming a full time lover and fan of it last November, questions have been floating around in my head, musings related to if the music itself, meaning notes, rhythms, harmony, melody, etc. of these beloved groups plays a major part in their popularity. Also, how the music industry over in South Korea affects the basic elements, and what gives each group their distinctive sound.

I’m not the type to have a favorite K-Pop group just because, and also, not just on the basis of the members or popularity. Yes, I giggle over the boys and their antics just like any other crazy kpop stan, and I’m always pressing for more recognition for my under-appreciated faves, but that is only a small part. I focus on the music itself a lot. I’ve never called myself an analyst, but as I said before, when you’re immersed in music like I am, you start to pick apart what you listen to.

I’ve explored the discography of many, many groups. All of them thus far have intrigued me, and I love them to a greater or lesser extent. This includes smaller groups like Boys Republic, 24K, BOYFRIEND, and Cross Gene, as well as ones with bigger fanbases like Super Junior, BTS (Bangtan Boys), EXO, and VIXX. However, there is one group whose music gets stuck in my head more than the rest, one group whose discography is stellar in every way.

That group is Monsta X.

They may be my bias group, but they weren’t my first exposure. Before I even was truly interested in K-Pop, I listened to BIGBANG. Also, I heard a few of EXO and BTS’s songs via my little sister. Today, I still often listen to them, but I keep going back to Starship’s premier hip-hop group. Time and again, Monsta X has proven themselves a cut above the rest.

I want to take a series of posts like this to talk about why, musically, this is. My intention is not to put any other groups down; I love them for different, individual reasons. Instead, I want to lay out things I’ve come to love and appreciate about the seven talented young men whom STARSHIP chose above the rest, in the brutal survival show NO.MERCY. These boys have, over the last two years, fused into the close-knit and hardworking group we know them as today. 

Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Leader, dancer, vocalist, variety show king.

Shin Hoseok | Wonho, Sound engineer, composer, dancer, vocalist, visual.

Yoo Kihyun, Lead vocalist, savage squid, honorary mom.

Lee Minhyuk, Face of the group, vocalist, visual.

Chae Hyungwon, Model, vocalist, dancer, visual, actor.

Lee Jooheon, Rapper, marvelous singing voice, well-connected, cute off stage but fierce on it.

and finally, Im Changkyun | I.M, maknae, rapper, latecomer to No.Mercy but now loved by all.

These seven have captured my heart. So has their music. And without further ado and beating around the bush, here’s why.

♪ #01: The Rap Line

Ok, so I would like to start in a way that, if you know me, is no surprise. See, I am Jooheon biased (he’s also my ultimate, I will admit this quite unashamedly), and I adore his rap game. One of the few things I am not good at is rap, and I think that because I can’t identify, I admire him so much more.

It’s clear that Jooheon has an intense love for what he does. This plays directly into his famous ‘frightening on stage, adorable off of it’ personality. Performing really changes him. Jooheon is so heavily pushed and heaped responsibility upon, a fact that pains me every day. Any person with less of a love for the music, I imagine, would break under the strain. I can see no other motivation for him to continue than his passion for performing and making others happy with his raps. (He’s stated as much, in that last No.Exit broadcast we never mention because Matthew.)

I.M too, the younger one in the rapper line, has an obvious passion for it as well. Just the fact that he’s stayed on and become as beloved as he is among his hyungs is testament to that. He is just as talented a rapper as Jooheon is; I’ll even go out on a limb here and say that he might have more untapped potential.

I have been absolutely loving trying to work out the rhythms they use between the two of them in Monsta X’s tracks. Let’s break one down, how does that sound? We’ll analyze some of their best raps in the last two years. I’m going to start out intensely, at the beginning of MX’s latest title track, 아름다워 (Beautiful).

Of course Blue is Jooheon and Green is IM. Click here for a larger version. (I’ve also posted this as a separate post, I got a little impatient, admittedly, lmao.) It may have some errors, I believe at the very end of each’s phrases–depending on length of syllables, the eighth notes might not be quite on-dot, “straight”.

Now at first this doesn’t seem complicated, right? It’s just a whole bunch of eighth notes and some variations on sixteenths; admittedly, rhythm isn’t all that impressive written out on a staff.

But let’s consider some other factors here:

That the tempo is 150bpm. This is very quick, In classical terms, it’s called Presto or Vivace.

These boys are sometimes fitting SIX OR SEVEN SYLLABLES into a time span of ONE SECOND. (Here’s how I figured this out, in short: bpm=beats per minute. there are 60 seconds in a minute. 150/60=2.5. So, two and a half beats [a half note + an eighth note] is equivalent to one second.)

That they’re doing it clearly enough to be understood, the rhythm is pleasant to the ear, and a trained musician like myself can follow it. 

They wrote these lyrics themselves, and (I’m sure) painstakingly planned out where every syllable would be placed before stepping foot in the recording studio.

And then afterwards, they memorize and remember their raps for live performances.

This is, to me, what is truly impressive about that jumble of notes and colors up there. Any trained Kpop rapper is fully capable of it, but Jooheon and IM have taken this art to the next level. 

Last, but not least, their raps are coordinated not only in feel and sound, but also in lyric. Here are the English translations:

[Jooheon]

Why is it you? I’m going crazy What is this? I think I’ve fallen for you All day, in my head Round and round it goes A question mark, every day I know you have thorns But I want you, red rose

[I.M]

Because of the thorns A beautiful rose can bloom Dark red flowers, it means I love you Even if I bleed everywhere, I wanna know you Cause I think about you errday I’m already addicted to you

Jooheon sets up the opening idea that this song is about being madly in love, crazily in love–and then hits upon the idea of the object of his affections being like a rose.

Changkyun then takes Jooheon’s last two lines and runs away with them, connecting rose with red with blood and going back to the crazy idea–addiction, we consider addicts mentally ill. 

I regret not being able to get a feel for the lyrics in the original language–this to me is part of the problem of being an international fan, no matter how hard I try to learn the language, both spoken and written, I will probably never be able to think entirely in Korean. I will always be trying to connect back to English, my primary language.

Then there’s the second break, which goes something like this:

(full resolution.) It’s only eight measures, but just look at that relentless rhythm. Any normal person would trip over their own tongue; I know I do. The sheer clarity of everything at this incredible speed is breathtaking.

The lyrics line up too:

[I.M]

Two fingers thumbs up You make me say words of awe, You take away my right mind I think I’ll go crazy When I smell your scent

[Jooheon]

It spreads, it grows I’m addicted I’m prickled, hurt It’s between love and pain You’re so awesome

If I hadn’t separated their lines, I could believe that they were written by the same person; again, we have the concurring themes of deep, “crazy” love, and the rose (Changkyun’s ‘scent’ and Jooheon’s ‘prickled’).

It seems hard to believe that two years ago there was hostility between these two. Monbebe know the story–the show that made them a group, No.Mercy, was very high stakes. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, after a round of especially tough elimination, Starship Entertainment authority decided to throw I.M into the show and among the trainees. He was new, unfamiliar, and to boot, the youngest of them all. This situation was not good for anyone. However Changkyun was clearly destined to be there, and he had a good heart and persevered. 

Anything could have gone wrong–but once the two boys started talking to each other and got their initial feelings out of the way, magic happened. Now Changkyun and Jooheon are best friends, to the point that they’re not afraid to play off each other in the recording studio and in the planning stages of a song, working as a rapper line instead of just two talented rappers.

They’re also growing as artists and musicians, something that becomes very clear when one listens to Changkyun’s rapping at debut / during No.Mercy compared to now. It’s obvious that he’s put a lot of himself into it, and has promised to continue to do so. I am truly excited to see more from him in the future.

The close lyric coordination is a fairly recent development, but the fast rapping isn’t! I’m going to continue really intensely with another very impressive track, 네게만 집착해, Stuck (Focus on You), from The Clan Pt. 1.

(full resolution.) Alright, trust me guys when I say that transcribing this took absolutely FOREVER. I literally went on Youtube, tried it at full speed, and gave up after like five bars. So I slowed it down by a quarter. Still gave up. So I went down to half speed and finally felt comfortable there. Now that I have it all written out it makes sense, but at first I was floundering for rhythm. I will admit that I’m not very experienced yet, so some trouble was because of that. However also this part goes by so fast! Even after something like 45-50 times listening to Changkyun’s part on slow speed, I had to physically direct and place downbeats (the first beat of every measure) to piece everything together. Anyways,

If you thought that the rhythm before was relentless? Well feast your eyes on this one. (Also! Listen to Changkyun’s huge catch-breath in the last couple bars, on the quarter rest!) Stuck is right around the same speed as Beautiful, perhaps a little slower, but the subdivisions that Jooheon and IM use are smaller. Good God, they are both fitting ten syllables into a scant second at the beginning of their breaks, using running sixteenth notes and also, in Jooheon’s case, triplets. Honestly, I believe that triplets are not used enough in rap. The MX rap line actually break into them a lot; that’s one of the things that I love about them.

This section provides a nice contrast to the almost laid-back feel of the chorus. Also I think that Jooheon and Changkyun’s quick rapping is a great amplifier to Hyungwon’s part in the verse before, which is really half sung, half rapped. 

I never really realized exactly how fast this was until the other day, I was listening to a YouTube compilation of favorite parts from Kpop boy band songs. The video was a good fifteen to twenty minutes long, and Stuck was right in the middle. They had picked the rap part (who wouldn’t, honestly?) and it caught me off-guard. Compared to Stuck, everything before and after seemed so slow. For the rest of the night, I paid close attention to the rapping in things I watched. Nothing was as quick. Certain things might have had beats close to 145, but no one used sixteenth note subdivision, with the exception of TOP’s Doom Dada (a legendary rap track, honestly) and a few of G-Dragon’s singles.

Why are some of the words underlined in red? Well my lovely reader, those are combination syllables, meaning that Jooheon or IM have combined two separate syllabic sounds from two different words into one. Choral music often does this in order to make a pre-existing text fit a rhythm. It's not just because, or at random, though. The audience must still be able to understand, and the choice must make sense in the context of the rhythm and lyrics. Combination syllables tend to work better on longer notes, or nestled between longer notes. 

That said, I find it interesting that Jooheon tends to use the former technique. The first time that he twists syllables together, his chosen rhythm ties across the barline. This is a common occurrence, even in the music I sing in English, and if one considers that the fundamental sounds of language are common between many people and cultures, it makes perfect sense. The second time (the quarter note) he carries over the t in the last triplet. So it’s more like he’s saying ‘teois’ than anything else.

This is actually also common choral practice. It’s bad form to change to a consonant (or change vowel shape) in the middle of a note, so we often delay it until the next one. It’s generally more clear that way. So if one’s supposed to sing ‘bitten’ on two notes, for example, we prefer ‘bi-tten’ over ‘bit-ten’. (This happens quite a few times during the duration of this rap. I got some of them, but others (like what I just mentioned) I didn’t quite catch.)

Changkyun, on the other hand, likes to combine on the sixteenths. His ‘yoeop’ could almost be transcribed as two notes. ‘eoan’, by contrast is very quick. I have to purposefully listen for it.

I often wonder what the creation process is like with Jooheon and Changkyun. Do they write something and fit all the words in their allotted time? Or do they construct a rhythm from the beat and write lyrics over it? If I had a little while with these two (which would be heaven on Earth, honestly) I would have so many questions to ask! As a classical musician, this genuinely intrigues me. 

That said, the stage is a whole different ballgame than the recording booth. Of course, during promotions and performances and things like that, the boys are doing music that they’ve rehearsed hundreds of times, poured their entire heart and soul into, and they know like the back of their hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both the boys rap lyrics to Beautiful, Ready or Not, or Hero in their sleep, lmao. But when it comes to special performances, to be able to do them in a classy way is quite hard. 

And at this, too, Jooheon and I.M succeed with flying colors.

How about we take their collaboration with Soyou and Hyolyn of SISTAR from last year’s MBC Music Festival? 섹시한 남자 (Sexy Guy), wasn’t it? Their rap break right after Soyou’s slow intro is pretty impressive to me. 

Since I don’t have reliable romanizations and I don’t trust myself to do my own, I’ll just present the rhythm as I hear it. 

(full resolution.) As always, Jooheon is blue, I.M is green. There’s a blue-green color too, I’m not sure how well you’ll be able to see it but that is the two of them together. Notice that this isn’t any less amazing than the raps they do over recording. Every time I listen to one of these one-shots (which they are!), I’m truly impressed at the level of detail in every word, every sound that comes out of their mouth. 

This time, it’s Changkyun doing the triplets! And Jooheon has a thirty-secondth note in his part. If you notice the tempo, we’re a little slower here than in Beautiful and Stuck, so it gives him room to do that. Still, it’s very impressive. Most classical musicians would balk at the thirty-secondth.

I don’t believe that they’ve performed this rap since the 31st of December (last year, 2016). They must have planned it out beforehand, however, considering what I said before, that Jooheon and I.M have phrases together, especially the last four syllables at the end. I wonder how many hours they spent on it. 

Things get even more crazy when one starts to think about how they also had to learn and perfect choreography along with the backup dancers, Hyolyn, and Soyou. They really must know how to squeeze every last drop of productivity out of a day. I am, admittedly, envious. 

Alright! Well, I could honestly go on all day. Transcribing raps is one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever done (even if I do have to listen to Jooheon and Changkyun at half speed for an hour or more) and it really gives me heart eyes for my boys. I think that you’ve had about enough of my rambling though, right? 

I really hope that you enjoyed this. If there’s something you would like to add, correct, or request of me (as I start doing transpositions of entire MX songs ahhhh) don’t be afraid to drop into my ask box! Really, I’m down to gush over things like this anytime. My love of music runs so deep and I am really excited to connect it back to another one of my passions, Monsta X (and also kpop in general). 

Until next time! 

–Bryony ( @floofta-x )

Next: The wonderful that is the Monsta X Vocal Line (and not-so-vocal but vocal nonetheless line)

[curly-q-reviews]

ROAD TO THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER AWARDS 2K19

Cold War (original title Zimna wojna), 2018 (dir. Pawel Pawlikowski)

Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography

TW SUICIDE MENTION

SPOILER WARNING IM GONNA GIVE AWAY THE ENDING IN THIS REVIEW DONT READ THIS SHIT IF U WANNA WATCH THIS MOVIE OK BYE LOVE U

well shit the oscars is only a week away!!!  and ive only seen like half of the movies i wanted to see!!!  how does this keep happening to me!!!!!!!!!!!

ok well no use crying over spilled milk im just gonna have to go on a massive movie-watching spree this week and try and consume as many films as possible, and in the meantime lets talk about the movie i saw last night.  this is probably the first year ive seen more than one movie in the foreign language film oscar category, mainly just because the foreign language films are typically harder to find unless a local movie theater happens to be playing them as part of an oscars season special event or something.  but now that two of our nominees this year have american distributors it makes watching them a lot easier. 

going into Cold War i had absolutely no idea what it was about except that its set in Poland during the, well, Cold War.  the trailers for this movie didnt really reveal much about the plot or characters, which honestly i kinda prefer with trailers.  sometimes they just give away waaaayyy too much and then whats the point of going to see the movie??  i did know beforehand that its a romance so i at least had that expectation.

and well yeah its a romance all right!!  its a very romeo and juliet star-crossed lovers kinda situation where a student who gets accepted into a state-run polish music academy becomes close with one of the instructors and they fall in love, however life circumstances keep pulling them away from each other over and over again.  the movie spans over a timeline of about a decade and a half, and in this time the two of them find other lovers, get married, travel from country to country, but always end up managing to find each other before theyre separated again by circumstances that usually involve the polish communist state.  so basically communism is a total cock block. 

acting in this movie is overall very solid with not really a weak link in the bunch, except for maybe tomasz kot who played wiktor cause he just felt a lil stiff to me.  however joanna kulig steals the fuckin show for me as zula, shes utterly captivating on screen and really takes advantage of all of the close-up shots of her face throughout this film.  it also helps that shes given a fantastic character to play in zula, shes a spitfire and strong-willed and will not take any mans bullshit but near the end of the film you do get to see her struggle as well.  the shit she has to put up with gets very harrowing at times and u do feel for her

and wiktor goes through his fair share of shitty situations as well, i mean damn he ends up in jail when he goes back to poland for zula and they mangle his hands so badly he’ll never be able to play piano again which was his livelihood.  its pretty tragic how these two people are just like little puppets for the communist state to toss around and play with to their hearts content until theyre both almost destroyed.  and really the whole underlying backdrop of communist poland is really what elevates this story from being just another romeo and juliet clone to something a little more profound. 

ill come back to the story in a bit cause there are a few things i took issue with but i wanna take a moment to praise the music in this film cause holy SHIT its so good.  im honestly really surprised it didnt get any music-related noms cause the music was probably my favorite part of Cold War.  the beginning is full of polish folk music with a full womens choir that sounds just delightful, and then we transition into classic jazz when our lovers end up in paris together in the early 1950′s, and then some american classic rock n’ roll music is thrown into the mix in a few scenes, and then at the end we have a performace thats like a weird polish version of mariachi music??  such a wide and complex musical palette that ebbs and flows with the story, and we also get to see performers doing their thing which is just the icing on the cake. 

so the movie sounds fantastic, and i mean i gotta say it looks fantastic too!  like Roma, Cold War is shot in black and white, which definitely fits the time period its set in and fits especially well with the jazz scenes.  we get a lot of close-up shots of peoples faces, but theyre balanced out well with wide shots that tend to put the focal points in the bottom third of the screen which i thought was an interesting touch.  gave it a very art house feel.  from what i could tell there were mostly still shots except for a few dance scenes, which kept the movie very grounded and kinda added a sense of realism.

so i think thats all the good shit i have to say and i wanna touch on the ending for the last part of this review, cause to be frank, this movie ended so abruptly it gave me whiplash.  i was going into this film expecting it to be like 2 hours long but the run time clocks in at just under an hour and thirty minutes.  usually this isnt a bad thing at all especially for quieter movies like this that take their time, but in this case it couldve used AT LEAST another ten to twenty minutes.  so wiktor is let out of prison early because his commie friend pulled some strings (probably due to zulas insistence) and we find out that zula has married this commie state official and had a kid with him.  and she now works as a performer (probably working for the state like she did when she was with the music academy) singing weird polish mariachi music.  shes clearly drunk off her ass when she sees that wiktor is out, runs to the bathroom to puke, and then he finds her in there and they decide to run away together again.  but its implied that this time its more of an uuhhh permanent escape.  like, PERMANENT permanent.  like no-longer-living permanent.  and this is the point of the movie where im like “oh god really theyre gonna keep THIS part of the romeo and juliet story they really think thats a good idea”

and then the next scene we see them going to an abandoned run-down church that was shown in the beginning of the movie, and they both have what looks like a shit ton of pills out in front of them.  they say wedding vows, then each take half of the giant pile of pills, and then go to watch the sunset.  and then thats where the movie ends.  it just like cuts to credits and thats it. 

idk man it just doesnt have the amount of emotional gravitas that i feel like a scene like that should have.  and it escalates so quickly too, like one minute theyre in a bathroom and the next theyre on a bus and the next theyre at the church with the pills in front of them.  its hard to explain how abrupt it all felt watching it, u have to see it for urself to get what i mean.  the pacing was just really off in the last third of this film, and with the severity of the act theyre committing u’d think the director would wanna spend more time on it.

so other than that i’d say if u like foreign films and good period pieces this is one to check out, i’d give it like a 7/10.  if anything go see it just to listen to the music cause good god its so gorgeous im gettin my hands on this soundtrack. 

OK Y’ALL i got lots of reviewing to do in the next few days so u’ll be seeing a log of long-ass posts from me soon!  i think The Favorite is on amazon video now so ill watch that for sure sometime this week, and then god knows what else i’ll watch i’ll just have to play it by ear.  have a relaxing fun and fresh sunday y’all try not to let the idea of having to go to school/work tomorrow fill u with too much existential dread  ;)

[cheekbites-moved]

ok so i watched love simon for the first time last night & i was too tired to make a ‘final thoughts’ post then, so here it is now! lol

obviously this is gonna be long as hell so im putting it under a read more for ur convenience lmfao

im actually gonna start with what i didnt like bc it was just one thing.

obviously, if uve seen the movie (as many ppl hated this too), or read my liveblogging posts, u know what it is lol 

ill be honest, as a gay person, im incredibly biased towards simon. ill admit that. that being said, how his friends treated him after he got outed was fucking disgusting.

here’s the thing: the actions simon did that his friends got upset over were motivated by the threat of him being outed. now, if this movie was just some fluffy, fantastical movie, the threat would just be ppl knowing he’s gay and that’s it. no repercussions, just ppl gaining the knowledge that he’s not straight. not that big a deal.

however, since this movie tries its best to be accurate and realistic to things, it’s not that simple in the movie, and it’s not the simple in real life.

the risk of being outed is not just ‘ppl knowing ur gay’ and that’s it.

the risk of being outed involves the risk of getting bullied (which does happen in the movie, twice. once to ethan on screen, once to simon after he comes out.), getting abandoned by ur friends (which also does happen in the movie), getting expelled from school or fired from ur job if either of them find out & are lgbtphobic, getting kicked out of ur house if ur parents/whoever u live w find out & theyre lgbtphobic, and, at worst, it can come with the risk of getting beaten or even killed.

and no, this isnt me blowing this up to be more serious than it should be. bc unfortunately, in the world we live in, these things can happen as a result of someone being lgbt, whether they came out themselves or were outed by someone else. 

the worst thing simon did was hurt his friends’ feelings a bit. 

he didnt notice leah’s feelings for him (which. why would he? he’s not interested in her, or any girl for that matter, so obviously he’s not looking for the signs of interest. why would he notice that, and why was it his responsibility to know anyway??). he tried to set nick up with her because he genuinely thought she had feelings for nick, and that’s the main reason why he didn’t realize that she liked him.

yes, part of the motive was trying to get nick out the way so he could set abby up with martin, but ffs. let me reiterate that his life, and potential future, were on the line. having the possibility of all the aforementioned things potentially happening to him should make his actions at least understandable.

like falling for someone that doesnt like u back bc theyre not attracted to ur gender (which like.. hello. gay ppl fucking experience that shit all the time too & we have to learn to deal w it.), or being put in a game of matchmaker bc ur friend was trying to save their own fucking life is rly not that big a deal compared to said friend’s situation of trying to save their own fucking life. 

one situation hurts, but can eventually be healed from (which clearly they do in the movie since abby and nick got together anyway in spite of simon’s actions, and leah’s fine). the other situation has the chance of resulting in a fucking future/life being ruined or taken. i think that one is much more fucking important.

all in all, i just wish they wouldve fucking apologized. bc they screamed at him after he got outed. 

abby saw how fucking terrified he was when he came out to her, but she’s not gonna have a single ounce of sympathy when he was outed to the entire school against his will?? like what the fuck! 

also wish they wouldve stood up for him when he got bullied. they just sat there with guilty expressions, but none of them did anything. it was really rough to watch.

as much as all this seriously pissed me off, though, especially as a person who has been outed against my will so all of simon’s heartache as a result rly resonated with me.. 

i appreciate that they put that shit in. 

bc u know what unfortunately that is how cishet ppl react sometimes. guilting u for being lgbt, guilting u for not coming out to them despite knowing how scary it can be, etc etc etc. 

and getting apologizes from cishet ppl for that kinda shit is rare. so, as much as i was annoyed that they didnt apologize, that is unfortunately realistic. as much as i wish they wouldve stood up for him, that was also unfortunately realistic. so im still glad it’s in there even if it did piss me off. 

simon’s speech to martin was nice at least, and i hope that it taught some cishet ppl that have outed ppl, or threatened to out ppl, or wanted to out ppl, why u just dont fucking do that shit.

woo now that that’s outta my system lmfao onto all the good stuff! in bullet list form bc theres a l o t lmfao

the soundtrack ESP for the emotional moments wOw

‘i wanna dance with somebody’ gay musical addition

simon’s subtle annoyed looks whenever straight nonsense™  happens

simon’s terrible attempts at being straight

simon’s extremely subtle, but still noticeable if ur lgbt, panic whenever the potential chance of him being outed/discovered arises 

the dog

simon’s parents’ speeches to him after he comes out to them

seriously as gay, nb person w lgbtphobic parents that shit meant a lot to hear. 

the fact that this is not only a mainstream lgbt rom-com, but also a mainstream movie abt a gay kid learning to love himself and be confident with himself and his sexuality

simon’s journey to being able to proudly proclaim that he’s gay.

the speech he has near the end is so fucking powerful bc we see him struggle throughout the movie to say it. 

first he cant say it at all, then he can only say it quietly, but by the end of the movie, he’s proclaiming to the entire school, loud and proud, that yes. he is gay. and he’s not going to feel wrong for that anymore. 

i feel like that entire journey is one that can really resonate with a lot of ppl, including myself. so im so fucking happy that this movie included that progression, and ended it with him having such an exuberant amount of confidence. it was honestly really beautiful, and im glad i got to witness it.

simon practicing pickup lines in the mirror

“hey barack its me jacques”

abby trying to teach simon how to flirt

simon googling “how to dress like a gay guy”

simon not having martin’s bullshit and telling him off for how fucked up blackmailing him was from the start, but especially his speech about how important/personal coming out is to ppl and how shitty it was that he took that away from him

MRS ALBRIGHT IN GENERAL BUT ESPECIALLY HER ICONICALLY STICKING UP FOR SIMON IN THE CAFETERIA I STAN HER SO HARD!!

ethan in general, but especially his speech to simon in the office, and super especially the line “one gay’s a snnooze, two’s a hilarious hate crime”

like i seriously appreciate how real this movie is. and it doesnt have lines like this, or plots like the blackmailing/outing just for drama. 

it’s to show that this is how being lgbt can be sometimes, this shit rly happens. and i just rly appreciated seeing all that in a way that didnt even try to pull any punches. it was so clear they seriously cared abt making this an accurate movie, and that meant a lot

GETTING TO SEE TWO BOYS KISSING ON SCREEN MULTIPLE TIMES, AND NOT JUST THAT, BUT GETTING TO SEE THEM GET A HAPPY ENDING!!!!! 

i seriously cried for like 20 minutes starting from when bram showed up at the ferris wheel to well after the credits had ended. 

i cannot even begin to express how fucking incredible it was to get to see two boys kissing, getting cheered on, and getting to be happy.

especially in the scene where simon picks up everyone, and leah moves so bram can get in the front seat and he kisses simon when he gets in. IT WAS SO SWEET.. AND BEAUTIFUL I LOVED/APPRECIATED IT SO MUCH IT MEANT SOOOO FUCKING MUCH TO ME GOSH

my thoughts of the movie can be boiled down to this: im so fucking happy this movie exists. 

im so fucking happy that a movie abt a gay kid learning to be confident in his sexuality, falling in love and getting to have a happy ending with his boyfriend exists.

ive never cried more at a movie than i did at this movie, and ive especially never cried harder out of sheer happiness for a movie. 

knowing that this movie was in theaters, and that gay kids/teens have a movie that lets them know early on that not only is gonna be ok, but they do have a chance at a happy ending, and they deserve it, was so goddamn amazing.

this movie is so, so important. and im so happy that it, and the book its based off of, exist. 

and it’s a prime example of why representation matters so much. it was so fucking amazing to see myself, as a gay person, represented so well, so thoughtfully, so respectfully. 

i just... i love this movie so much. and im so glad it exists. and im so happy i finally got to see it.

i hope it inspires more movies/stories like it to be made. 

i hope that it results in lgbt stories being happy, uplifting stories. 

i hope that it results in lgbt characters getting to be the main characters. 

i hope it results in coming out stories being about the lgbt characters, and not how them coming out affects the cishet characters around them. 

and i hope it results in less tragic endings for lgbt characters, and more happy endings for lgbt characters.

for a long time, a future where we get the stories just mentioned has seemed bleak. but this movie changed that. and im excited for the road i hope it’s started us on.

[trendingnewsb]

How Mad Men Star Kit Williamson Made His Own Gay Soap Opera

The problem, says Kit Williamson, is that EastSidersthe Emmy-nominated LGBT soap opera he created in 2012almost shares a name with EastEnders, the well-known BBC soap opera currently in its 32nd year.

And so when Williamson recommends people check out his drama about handsome LGBT Los Angelenos living, loving, screwing up, and doing what people on soap operas are wont to do, they end up going down totally the wrong rabbit hole on YouTube, and finding instead a group of East Londoners doing their own variation of the same, if at a much louder volume.

My recommendation: Watch both.

Season 3 of EastSiders, released on Nov. 28 digitally and on DVD, takes the shape of a cross-America road trip, complete with stunning skies and endless horizons, beginning with Douglas/Gomorrah Rey (played by Willam Belli) having a blow-up row in full drag and 116-degree heat beside the side of a highway, as his boyfriend Quincy (Stephen Guarino) tries in vain to pacify the situation.

Bellis heels melted in the heat, and Williamson, 32, directed the action clad in cooling wet towels. The glamor of independent web TV, he says, laughing.

Williamsons character, Cal, and partner Thom (Van Hansis) are heading back west after their sojourn in New York City, and have an encounter with a drifter played by model and porn star (and Donald Trump supporter) Colby Keller. Also returning for the third season are John Halbach, Williamsons real-life husband, and Constance Wu, Williamsons longtime buddy, as straight couple Ian and Kathy. (To confuse you even more, a leading mother-son duo in EastEnders is called the same.)

I wanted to create characters that I didnt really see on television, Williamson, who played Ed Gifford on Mad Men, told The Daily Beast. I think you see a lot of cautionary tales in LGBT representation and then hyper- morally-upright representations. Youre either in a couple, living in the suburbs with 2.5 kids, or youre a drug addict in the 1980s. Its rare that LGBT characters are allowed to operate in between, like all human beings operate.

Williamson is heartened by the growing diversity of representation in the TV shows of Shonda Rhimes and on cable, and hopes his EastSiders characters have flaws, make messes, and pick up the pieces, just like straight characters on TV.

EastSiders has been mostly financed through Kickstarter funding, raising $250,000 across three seasons. The third season is also partially funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group Global, and the show incorporates both organizations safer sex messaging.

Its incredibly moving, says Williamson of the publics generous financial support for the show, which makes him even more determined that the show does its fans justice. EastSiders aims to be as culturally mixed as a small cast and limited number of episodes can allow. Inclusive storytelling should be everybodys goal, says Williamson.

If Williamson has a dream, it is that one day television will be able to sustain having two LGBT-themed shows on at the same time; or even that there will be LGBT lead characters on TV, whose sexuality or gender identity is part of their identities, rather than defining them.

Until that rainbow shines, we have a smattering of characters and shows like Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Looking, which flicker into life, cause their controversies and debates, then go. The capriciousness of LGBT representation on our screens is down to the capriciousness of mostly straight-run broadcasters.

Hansis himself found fame as Luke Snyder on CBS daytime soap As The World Turns, as a landmark gay character whom fans clamored to be allowed to kiss his boyfriend, Noah (Jake Silbermann). (Oh, have you seen their horsing-around towel wrestle? You must see the towel wrestle.)

EastSiders refers geographically to the parts of East Los AngelesSilver Lake, Los Feliz Echo Park, DTLAwhere the characters live, a boho-y, very different sort of vibe to the muscle boys of West Hollywood, although (as their social media accounts reveal) the extremely handsome and charming Williamson and Halbach look just as hot as any WeHo guy.

Some scenes in the show are filmed at the mens home, and looks attractively ruffled and laid-back, filled with vintage furniture, mismatched cushions and twinkly lights.

Williamson had problems getting straight actors to play gay when EastSiders first began, even though there were no sex scenes in the first two seasons. Any show with gay content is immediately presumed to be exploitative, Williamson notes.

The road trip of Season 3 was filmed on the road itself, with cast and crew starting out in Woodstock, upstate New York, and ending up in Los Angeles, trundling across the vast expanse of America in a vintage camper trailer and another vehicle.

It took two weeks, with an extended stay in Idaho to scout locations and shoot scenes. It was exciting, invigorating and harrowing, says Williamson, laughing. Its no small undertaking taking two carloads of people across the country, and making sure theyre in bed at a reasonable hour.

The team ran afoul of a runaway tire that put a dent in the camper early on. They were snowed out of Yellowstone National Park. They shot on the fly, and in some places permits allowing them to film were withdrawn when it was revealed that it was a gay-themed TV show.

We started telling places where we wanted to film that it was called Go West, and just said it was about two friends driving across the country together, Williamson says.

The Black Hills of South Dakota were especially breathtaking, he says. You owe yourself ten minutes off the main drag to see the Badlands (National Park in South Dakota). I could have explored it all day if I had the chance. I am a huge lover of mountains. Even though it was terrifying driving that fucking camper trailer up and down mountains it was still breathtaking, even if I nearly killed everybody two or three times.

Williamson concedes that he is biased about California where he lives, but recommends the eastern part near Nevada for that big sky feeling, and that moment you get to the coast after weeks on the road to arrive at the Pacific Ocean and put your feet in the sand. It felt like a cool homecoming for the characters and the crew.

It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters.

Williamson himself grew up in Mississippi, where the countrys most anti-LGBT law, HB 1523, has just taken root. He is surprised as to how little attention the law has garnered nationally, compared to the outcry over similar laws in North Carolina.

I think a lot of people write off Mississippi as a lost cause, says Williamson, who emceed a Pride celebration there two years ago. I understand why, but its still sad to me as a person who grew up there. I really want people to understand there are great people living in Mississippi fighting for their own rights and fighting for their neighbors.

There was a lot of homophobia when he was growing up, says Williamson. It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters. It was definitely a challenge for my family to understand me.

His whole family are employed in the area of law, and he surprised all of them by wanting to act. They were supportive of me, even if part of them thought Hell get over this eventually and enter the family business. I tell them, One day Ill play a lawyer on TV. Thats all I can guarantee.

As a boy, Williamson was a big nerd. I read a lot of fantasy novels. I had a mullet. I was very socially awkward, and it was difficult at school to be friends with other people. It was really hard for me. I knew I was different, I didnt know why. I was savagely bullied as a kid, people were terrible to me.

Williamsons older sister modeled herself on the cult animated character, Daria. I thought the way you handled bullies was being sarcastic and funny, he says. It didnt turn out well.

He and Halbach once compared notes on childhood bullying. I was Gay Kid and he was Gay Boy. We both had really unoriginal bullies. Williamson laughs softly. Little did they know that Gay Kid and Gay Boy were going to get together.

I didnt really think growing up that it would be possible wed have gay marriage nationally, he adds. To be able to take advantage of it as a citizenhe and Halbach married last yearhas been so incredibly moving to me.

Williamson and Halbach met in March 2007. Williamson was then a bartender at NYC theater-land hangout Angus McIndoe, and the men were introduced by a mutual friend who told each of them separately, Hes single and not crazy. It was a perfectly judged match. That night, the men stayed talking until the bar closed.

Williamson had underplayed the significance of marriage equality because the possibility seemed so far off, he adds. When the Supreme Court ruled, it hit us both. Wed been denying ourselves something that we really did find meaningful. Im so glad we did it.

Williamson has worked successfully as a filmmaker and actor for years. Making Mad Men was a masterclass, he says, watching both those in front and behind the cameras. The sexy pictures on his Instagram account are in service of promoting his work and LGBT rights, he insists, adding with another laugh, and in shamelessly promoting ourselves. Instagram is a tool for good and evil, and we try to use it for good, for the best of possibilities.

Williamson chuckles that the idea was to use social media to direct people to EastSiders and the mens other work, promoting fashion and fitness influencers and LGBT destinations, but now people recognize him and Halbach from social media itself.

How EastSiders fans respond to the inclusion of Colby Keller remains to be seen. His scenes were shot before he revealed his support of Donald Trump.

I was really surprised and caught off guard when I saw that, says Williamson, who, a Hillary Clinton supporter, had been shocked when Trump triumphed in last years presidential election. I was driving to Idaho when the gay blogs erupted in fury over his (Kellers) political leanings. We did make the choice not to replace him. I havent talked to him about what happened.

When it came to keeping Keller in the season, Williamson asked himself whether he would work with Susan Sarandon, another Clinton naysayer who backed Bernie Sanders.

I think were living in really, really divided times, and I dont want to do anything to add to that divide, says Williamson. I also dont think we should be casting people out of the village. Its complicated. A lot of my family members support Trump, not for ideologically pure reasons beyond really liking the guy and what he stands for.

Keeping Kellers role in EastSiders intact presented an interesting dilemma, and I dont have the answer to it, Willliamson admits.

I ask, had he known that Keller was a Trump supporter, would Williamson have still signed him up?

I dont know. When we were planning the season we were 99 percent sure Hillary Clinton was going to be president. Faced with the reality of working with an active Trump supporter right now in 2017 my answer would be no. Its just too much of open wound for me, and friends I know who are afraid of being deported. I do think its a very serious situation.

If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

Williamson recently posted on social media his experience of sexual harassment when he was starting out in the entertainment industry.

At 18, he was invited to a party at an agents house. He proceeded to tell me not to come out if I wanted to be an actor, to stay in the closet, and then tried to put his hand down my pants, Williamson recalls. It was this one, two punch of harassment and homophobia that was a bitter pill to swallow, and it soured me on Los Angeles for a couple of years.

He did not suffer any graver sexual assaults, as allegedly committed by the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin fucking Spacey. I think its really important we have these conversations. If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

What his experience also shows, again, is Hollywoods powerful gays seeking to keep the closet intact, part of a historyfor Willliamsonof different groups acting as their own morality police and oppressors.

Its very sad and true. Theres still not been a gay movie star. Look at a lot of people who have succeeded on television. Most come out after their big break. Im not here to judge: Its brave to come out at the height of your success, but in 2017 I think we need to look at the paths other people have blazed for us and be brave enough to walk down them without fear.

Next for Williamson may come more EastSiders. He is also writing a series about queer thirtysomethings set in New Orleans.

Id love to get to a place where the leads of a show can be gay where that is normal and not extraordinary, says Williamson, and where the storylines can be both unique to us and more universal in the same breath; where we are allowed to be doctors, husbands, wives, crazy, not crazy, parents, single, slutty, and settled.

The whole incredible range of human experience should allowed to be represented in LGBT characters, where we are not defined solely by our sexuality.

The open road Williamson and his crew traveled for Season 3 of EastSiders perhaps says it all.

The third season of EastSiders will be released on DVD by Wolfe Video and digital platforms on Nov. 28. More details here.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2BcEdfF

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2A8iKqW via Viral News HQ

[trendingnewsb]

How Mad Men Star Kit Williamson Made His Own Gay Soap Opera

The problem, says Kit Williamson, is that EastSidersthe Emmy-nominated LGBT soap opera he created in 2012almost shares a name with EastEnders, the well-known BBC soap opera currently in its 32nd year.

And so when Williamson recommends people check out his drama about handsome LGBT Los Angelenos living, loving, screwing up, and doing what people on soap operas are wont to do, they end up going down totally the wrong rabbit hole on YouTube, and finding instead a group of East Londoners doing their own variation of the same, if at a much louder volume.

My recommendation: Watch both.

Season 3 of EastSiders, released on Nov. 28 digitally and on DVD, takes the shape of a cross-America road trip, complete with stunning skies and endless horizons, beginning with Douglas/Gomorrah Rey (played by Willam Belli) having a blow-up row in full drag and 116-degree heat beside the side of a highway, as his boyfriend Quincy (Stephen Guarino) tries in vain to pacify the situation.

Bellis heels melted in the heat, and Williamson, 32, directed the action clad in cooling wet towels. The glamor of independent web TV, he says, laughing.

Williamsons character, Cal, and partner Thom (Van Hansis) are heading back west after their sojourn in New York City, and have an encounter with a drifter played by model and porn star (and Donald Trump supporter) Colby Keller. Also returning for the third season are John Halbach, Williamsons real-life husband, and Constance Wu, Williamsons longtime buddy, as straight couple Ian and Kathy. (To confuse you even more, a leading mother-son duo in EastEnders is called the same.)

I wanted to create characters that I didnt really see on television, Williamson, who played Ed Gifford on Mad Men, told The Daily Beast. I think you see a lot of cautionary tales in LGBT representation and then hyper- morally-upright representations. Youre either in a couple, living in the suburbs with 2.5 kids, or youre a drug addict in the 1980s. Its rare that LGBT characters are allowed to operate in between, like all human beings operate.

Williamson is heartened by the growing diversity of representation in the TV shows of Shonda Rhimes and on cable, and hopes his EastSiders characters have flaws, make messes, and pick up the pieces, just like straight characters on TV.

EastSiders has been mostly financed through Kickstarter funding, raising $250,000 across three seasons. The third season is also partially funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group Global, and the show incorporates both organizations safer sex messaging.

Its incredibly moving, says Williamson of the publics generous financial support for the show, which makes him even more determined that the show does its fans justice. EastSiders aims to be as culturally mixed as a small cast and limited number of episodes can allow. Inclusive storytelling should be everybodys goal, says Williamson.

If Williamson has a dream, it is that one day television will be able to sustain having two LGBT-themed shows on at the same time; or even that there will be LGBT lead characters on TV, whose sexuality or gender identity is part of their identities, rather than defining them.

Until that rainbow shines, we have a smattering of characters and shows like Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Looking, which flicker into life, cause their controversies and debates, then go. The capriciousness of LGBT representation on our screens is down to the capriciousness of mostly straight-run broadcasters.

Hansis himself found fame as Luke Snyder on CBS daytime soap As The World Turns, as a landmark gay character whom fans clamored to be allowed to kiss his boyfriend, Noah (Jake Silbermann). (Oh, have you seen their horsing-around towel wrestle? You must see the towel wrestle.)

EastSiders refers geographically to the parts of East Los AngelesSilver Lake, Los Feliz Echo Park, DTLAwhere the characters live, a boho-y, very different sort of vibe to the muscle boys of West Hollywood, although (as their social media accounts reveal) the extremely handsome and charming Williamson and Halbach look just as hot as any WeHo guy.

Some scenes in the show are filmed at the mens home, and looks attractively ruffled and laid-back, filled with vintage furniture, mismatched cushions and twinkly lights.

Williamson had problems getting straight actors to play gay when EastSiders first began, even though there were no sex scenes in the first two seasons. Any show with gay content is immediately presumed to be exploitative, Williamson notes.

The road trip of Season 3 was filmed on the road itself, with cast and crew starting out in Woodstock, upstate New York, and ending up in Los Angeles, trundling across the vast expanse of America in a vintage camper trailer and another vehicle.

It took two weeks, with an extended stay in Idaho to scout locations and shoot scenes. It was exciting, invigorating and harrowing, says Williamson, laughing. Its no small undertaking taking two carloads of people across the country, and making sure theyre in bed at a reasonable hour.

The team ran afoul of a runaway tire that put a dent in the camper early on. They were snowed out of Yellowstone National Park. They shot on the fly, and in some places permits allowing them to film were withdrawn when it was revealed that it was a gay-themed TV show.

We started telling places where we wanted to film that it was called Go West, and just said it was about two friends driving across the country together, Williamson says.

The Black Hills of South Dakota were especially breathtaking, he says. You owe yourself ten minutes off the main drag to see the Badlands (National Park in South Dakota). I could have explored it all day if I had the chance. I am a huge lover of mountains. Even though it was terrifying driving that fucking camper trailer up and down mountains it was still breathtaking, even if I nearly killed everybody two or three times.

Williamson concedes that he is biased about California where he lives, but recommends the eastern part near Nevada for that big sky feeling, and that moment you get to the coast after weeks on the road to arrive at the Pacific Ocean and put your feet in the sand. It felt like a cool homecoming for the characters and the crew.

It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters.

Williamson himself grew up in Mississippi, where the countrys most anti-LGBT law, HB 1523, has just taken root. He is surprised as to how little attention the law has garnered nationally, compared to the outcry over similar laws in North Carolina.

I think a lot of people write off Mississippi as a lost cause, says Williamson, who emceed a Pride celebration there two years ago. I understand why, but its still sad to me as a person who grew up there. I really want people to understand there are great people living in Mississippi fighting for their own rights and fighting for their neighbors.

There was a lot of homophobia when he was growing up, says Williamson. It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters. It was definitely a challenge for my family to understand me.

His whole family are employed in the area of law, and he surprised all of them by wanting to act. They were supportive of me, even if part of them thought Hell get over this eventually and enter the family business. I tell them, One day Ill play a lawyer on TV. Thats all I can guarantee.

As a boy, Williamson was a big nerd. I read a lot of fantasy novels. I had a mullet. I was very socially awkward, and it was difficult at school to be friends with other people. It was really hard for me. I knew I was different, I didnt know why. I was savagely bullied as a kid, people were terrible to me.

Williamsons older sister modeled herself on the cult animated character, Daria. I thought the way you handled bullies was being sarcastic and funny, he says. It didnt turn out well.

He and Halbach once compared notes on childhood bullying. I was Gay Kid and he was Gay Boy. We both had really unoriginal bullies. Williamson laughs softly. Little did they know that Gay Kid and Gay Boy were going to get together.

I didnt really think growing up that it would be possible wed have gay marriage nationally, he adds. To be able to take advantage of it as a citizenhe and Halbach married last yearhas been so incredibly moving to me.

Williamson and Halbach met in March 2007. Williamson was then a bartender at NYC theater-land hangout Angus McIndoe, and the men were introduced by a mutual friend who told each of them separately, Hes single and not crazy. It was a perfectly judged match. That night, the men stayed talking until the bar closed.

Williamson had underplayed the significance of marriage equality because the possibility seemed so far off, he adds. When the Supreme Court ruled, it hit us both. Wed been denying ourselves something that we really did find meaningful. Im so glad we did it.

Williamson has worked successfully as a filmmaker and actor for years. Making Mad Men was a masterclass, he says, watching both those in front and behind the cameras. The sexy pictures on his Instagram account are in service of promoting his work and LGBT rights, he insists, adding with another laugh, and in shamelessly promoting ourselves. Instagram is a tool for good and evil, and we try to use it for good, for the best of possibilities.

Williamson chuckles that the idea was to use social media to direct people to EastSiders and the mens other work, promoting fashion and fitness influencers and LGBT destinations, but now people recognize him and Halbach from social media itself.

How EastSiders fans respond to the inclusion of Colby Keller remains to be seen. His scenes were shot before he revealed his support of Donald Trump.

I was really surprised and caught off guard when I saw that, says Williamson, who, a Hillary Clinton supporter, had been shocked when Trump triumphed in last years presidential election. I was driving to Idaho when the gay blogs erupted in fury over his (Kellers) political leanings. We did make the choice not to replace him. I havent talked to him about what happened.

When it came to keeping Keller in the season, Williamson asked himself whether he would work with Susan Sarandon, another Clinton naysayer who backed Bernie Sanders.

I think were living in really, really divided times, and I dont want to do anything to add to that divide, says Williamson. I also dont think we should be casting people out of the village. Its complicated. A lot of my family members support Trump, not for ideologically pure reasons beyond really liking the guy and what he stands for.

Keeping Kellers role in EastSiders intact presented an interesting dilemma, and I dont have the answer to it, Willliamson admits.

I ask, had he known that Keller was a Trump supporter, would Williamson have still signed him up?

I dont know. When we were planning the season we were 99 percent sure Hillary Clinton was going to be president. Faced with the reality of working with an active Trump supporter right now in 2017 my answer would be no. Its just too much of open wound for me, and friends I know who are afraid of being deported. I do think its a very serious situation.

If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

Williamson recently posted on social media his experience of sexual harassment when he was starting out in the entertainment industry.

At 18, he was invited to a party at an agents house. He proceeded to tell me not to come out if I wanted to be an actor, to stay in the closet, and then tried to put his hand down my pants, Williamson recalls. It was this one, two punch of harassment and homophobia that was a bitter pill to swallow, and it soured me on Los Angeles for a couple of years.

He did not suffer any graver sexual assaults, as allegedly committed by the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin fucking Spacey. I think its really important we have these conversations. If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

What his experience also shows, again, is Hollywoods powerful gays seeking to keep the closet intact, part of a historyfor Willliamsonof different groups acting as their own morality police and oppressors.

Its very sad and true. Theres still not been a gay movie star. Look at a lot of people who have succeeded on television. Most come out after their big break. Im not here to judge: Its brave to come out at the height of your success, but in 2017 I think we need to look at the paths other people have blazed for us and be brave enough to walk down them without fear.

Next for Williamson may come more EastSiders. He is also writing a series about queer thirtysomethings set in New Orleans.

Id love to get to a place where the leads of a show can be gay where that is normal and not extraordinary, says Williamson, and where the storylines can be both unique to us and more universal in the same breath; where we are allowed to be doctors, husbands, wives, crazy, not crazy, parents, single, slutty, and settled.

The whole incredible range of human experience should allowed to be represented in LGBT characters, where we are not defined solely by our sexuality.

The open road Williamson and his crew traveled for Season 3 of EastSiders perhaps says it all.

The third season of EastSiders will be released on DVD by Wolfe Video and digital platforms on Nov. 28. More details here.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2BcEdfF

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2A8iKqW via Viral News HQ