#relax I’m from the future (2022)

[deez-no-relation]

I just watched “Relax, I’m from the future,” starring Rhys Darby and it was much better than anticipated, to be honest! I say that because movies on Amazon Prime I’ve never seen ads for seen trailers for can be really hit or miss, but this one was very entertaining, unique, and interesting, plot, twists, and also had a great message.

Also, Rhys Darby seems to have cornered the market for a playing guy who is simultaneously goofy, charming, and a bit of a dick.

[purpurkatart]

Hello! After having some time to get over my loss for the Pokemon TCG Illustration contest, I decided to write up a small blog entry about the process and include some WIP pictures. Feel free to look below if you want to read my ramblings on the process.

Idea Generarion-

So coming into this contest, I knew I wanted to make a mixed media piece. In terms of theming I chose something that not only reflected a “magical moment” for a Pokemon (in this case meeting a legendary Pokemon), but also a moment when playing the games myself. In fact this piece was inspired by my awe when I first encountered a box legendary in game, as before I thought my teacher was lying to me when he said you can catch the legendary on the box!

This is the concept sketch that started it all! At the time my main concern was getting ideas down and seeing how they looked. Thinking about things like how would the composition would look, how would the colours look. So on and so forth.

I didn’t want to focus too much on the sketch and wanted to start making the physical object, so out of some cheap paper I started making a set up testing out size, scale, composition. I didn’t want to get too attached to the original sketches only to realise I couldn’t make it in real life… I went though a few drafts trying to get things right, slowly adding in aspects such as background objects and higher quality drawings.

After completing the draft I bought the images back into procreate to experiment with colours. This is the point where I made the mistake of thinking I had plenty of colours to choose from, not realising I would be limited by what I could buy from various yarn shops. That or hope I could find the right colour online, but that was always a gamble. If I don’t stop talking about this now I’ll get sidetracked talking about how much I miss yarn shops…

Anyways, I cut out the individual pieces that I would make within the background and used them as a guide for crochet assets. For this part I wanted to use different stitches to create textures such as the ripple stitch, bobble stich and some cable stitches, I feel bad as I never took any work in progress photo so of them. Let’s pretend you’re looking at a photo of a half finished crochet abstract shape.

Finally onto the main event, the Pikachu (and Suicune). The decision to make Pikachu a plush was based on what I would have liked to make for the 2022 illustration contest (if I wasn’t geographically challenged!!) Despite being British I decided it would be fun to make anyways, so I could experiment. I never got around to that but decided it would be fun to try for this edition.

Making the pattern was HARD! As I wanted Pikachu to have a unique pose, I had to work out different methods to plush i’ve made in the past which have been somewhat relaxed in their posing. I ultimately ended up making each part individually, pinning it together and then making adjustments as needed. It didn’t start out great however I ended up with this weird Pikachu shaped thing that did the job. Throughout this process I would regularly photograph it in the background to try and catch any issues early on. For example if the ground needed to be a different shape.

Photographing the final price was interesting. I felt bad for my partner as I essentially turned my dining table into a mini photography studio! I spent several days waiting for different lighting opportunities and experimenting with different light. Marking down different camera angles to ensure I have all of my bases covered. I easily took over 100 photos to get the perfect shot! In the below photo you can see washi tape being used to rest out different positions for the sculptures.

And that leads me to the peice! Even though i’m sad I didn’t make the top 300, I am pleased with the work I did for this piece (and my flygon entry too!). I’m glad I decided to experiment with ts peice and look forward to refining my methods in the near future!

[hanjisungs-bigtittyg0thgf]

Kinktober Day 26: Cockwarming with Hongjoong

Trigger warnings:

Content warnings: names (angel, babe, baby, sweetheart), cockwarming (...duh), sensitive joong fr

Summary: Your fiancé is such a tease first thing in the morning…

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: hi all 🥰 after much consideration, i’ve decided to repost my kinktober 2022 stories. i had a great time writing these a couple years ago and want to share them again now that it’s been a while and i’ve had time to fall in love with them again. i hope you all enjoy! and by all means, feel free to send a message or comment here if you’d like to be part of the new tag list!

Tags: @bahng-chrizz

Smut below the cut

You whined softly as he roused you from your sleep, hands toying with your chest. “Joong…”

“Good morning, angel.” He whispered, kissing your bare shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping out my future wife.” He hummed. “You were moaning my name in your sleep and I thought you could use a hand.”

“I’m too tired, babe…” You gasped as he lightly pinched your nipples.

“We don’t have to then.” He spoke gently now, his voice starting to lose that sultry tone as he moved his hands away, and you whined louder.

“You don’t have to stop that though…” You pouted and he chuckled against your skin as he resumed his actions. You were drenched from the dream you had and you were certain you’d fall apart from even the smallest of touches.

“You like it when I play with you, baby?” You nodded and he licked your neck. “You want me to touch you?” You nodded again and one hand left your chest in favor of reaching behind you to run his fingers through your folds. “You’re fucking dripping, baby…” He groaned and you whimpered, wanting to chase his touch but still unable to muster up the energy to move more than was necessary to nod your head.

He circled your clit with his middle finger a few times before opting to slide that same finger into your soaking cunt. “J-Joong-” You whispered his name, pussy clenching in excitement.

“What if I just played with your pretty pussy while we cockwarmed? What do you think of that, sweetheart?” You nodded quickly at his suggestion and he nipped at your neck. “Yeah? Wanna cockwarm and just relax while I play with you?”

“Please…” You almost pouted and he grinned against your skin as he removed his finger from your pussy. You wanted to protest but drowsiness was beginning to take over again, even as he guided his thick cock inside you with a low groan and gently lifted your leg over his so he could better access your clit.

He found it frankly adorable how sleepy you still were but he knew that in just a few minutes you’d be wide awake and struggling to stay put. He also knew it was his fault for tuckering you out so thoroughly last night. He lightly dragged his nails up your thigh before giving your soft flesh a gentle squeeze. He pressed his nose to your neck and took a deep breath, allowing your scent to cloud his senses and make him dizzy as he slipped his hand between your legs.

Your lips parted in a soft gasp as his fingers ghosted over your clit. He was always offering only teasing touches until you broke down. You were determined not to beg this time though and simply let out a small sigh as he touched you.

You let your hand slide back to rest on his hip and began tracing small shapes there with your thumb, eliciting a tiny gasp. He was always so sensitive there. Rather, he was always so sensitive in general. It was fucking hot knowing even the smallest of touches could practically, and sometimes literally, bring him to his knees.

As if in retaliation, he pulled his hand back and you frowned. “Joong-”

“What?” He challenged playfully.

“Why’d you stop?” You mumbled, finally opening your eyes a crack to look over your shoulder at him.

“Just having fun teasing you in return since you wanna tease me.” He hummed and you rolled your eyes, digging your nails into his hip. He hissed as his hips bucked ever so slightly and his forehead dropped onto your shoulder.

“I was returning the favor since I woke up to you toying with me.” You defended, smoothing your hand over the crescent marks your nails had left. “Play fair.”

He lifted his head and pressed a kiss to your shoulder, chuckling softly against your skin. “Relax, baby. I’m just having a little fun.” He purred as he resumed his actions, circling your clit. “Better?”

“Much.” You sighed, puckering your lips a moment later and waiting for a kiss. He eagerly pressed his lips to yours and you hummed into the kiss, gently squeezing his hip as he pulled back to admire you. “I love you.” You whispered, growing somewhat drowsy again as contentment filled your body.

“I love you more.” He whispered back, picking up the pace he’d set with his fingers. He grinned when you stifled a small sound, groaning when you clenched around him. “Careful, angel.” You elected to ignore him, focusing instead on the pleasure you were receiving. Everything was pleasantly fuzzy and desire coursed through your veins as he worked you up.

It was getting to be frustrating having to hold still when you felt so full. He could tell and instead of isolating just his middle finger now, he opted to massage circles on your cunt with three fingers. You bit your lip to keep quiet as you wiggled your hips in an attempt to scoot impossibly closer to him. “Hold still.” He spoke through gritted teeth and tightened his grip around your waist as if to keep you in place himself.

His fingers worked faster and you felt fire erupt under your skin as you fought to hold still. Each time you clenched around him he made another sound that made your head spin. You were so close to breaking down and begging him for more and he seemed to notice that and gave you what you wanted before you could even ask.

Your thighs began to tremble as flames licked at your spine. This time, you couldn’t help it as your walls clenched tighter around him. He buried his face in your neck once more, peppering kisses and bites there and groaning against your skin. He knew you were close, knew he was driving you insane.

He sped up, working as fast as he could muster as you attempted to refrain from bucking into his touch. Finally, you felt the band of tension in your belly snap and you shuddered under his touch as you came, fighting the urge to close your legs around his hand. You were suddenly alert, the nagging sleepiness replaced with a rush of liquid bliss as a series of pathetic moans tumbled from your lips. “Joong-” You whimpered as he helped you ride out your orgasm.

He continued to toy with you even after you were finished as his own orgasm grew closer and you dug your nails into his hip to ground yourself, feeling the burn of another impending orgasm spreading through your body. You were tempted to squirm away from him but couldn’t bring yourself to pull away when he was moaning in your ear.

In only a couple of minutes, you were barreling towards the edge again. Your walls began to flutter around his thick cock and you both let out a string of moans and choked whines as your second orgasm came crashing down on you. You couldn’t help the shudder that wracked your body when you felt his hot cum fill you. “Fuck…” He groaned against your skin as he slowed his motions, still helping you through your orgasm as he finally began to rock his hips. You felt his cum leaking out of you with each shallow thrust and bit your lip to suppress the sound you almost let out as a wave of arousal washed over you, making you clench involuntarily. He hissed at that and pulled his hand back, gently squeezing your hips as the aftershocks of both your orgasms slowly faded away. “How was that, baby? You wanna go back to sleep?” He asked quietly and you shook your head instantly and muttered a soft ‘nuh uh’, earning a soft chuckle from him as he looked down at you. “Good, ‘cause I want you to tell me all about that dream and let me make it a reality.”

[accio-victuuri]

i have been doing cpn posts here and there about wyb’s alleged song list and here is another one. i’m just gonna name it wyb’s playlist cpn from now on. so the explanation is, some people know wyb’s personal qq music account so if you follow him you can see what he has been listening to. i am not really familiar with the app so idk how the settings work if he can hide some. no one is saying how they found out about the account, which makes sense for privacy. in a similar way that some fans know zz/wyb’s gaming account till now. feel free to not believe it cause i understand that things like this can be sus & people on the internet tend to lie.

for me personally tho, i love this cause i think music really speaks of what someone is feeling. and you have wyb who is not exactly big on social media so we rarely know anything. aside from his now extensive movie list, his playlist is something that is interesting too. not necessarily cpn-wise all the time.

this post will cover golden hour & some recent eason chan tracks added. 🎶🎵

The first one is GOLDEN HOUR which was used in ZZ’s vlog in Milan. It was a pretty popular song back then but it became more know because of ZZ’s post and even the singer reacted to it. Since then, it’s been a favorite among BXGs considering the meaning of it too.

This is what WYB’s playlist looked like on 3/28/23 People who follow said he hasn’t updated it for a week and then suddenly this track is added in. A piano version of Golden Hour. They say WYB usually adds relaxing music like piano tracks and some of nature, but not often. So it’s interesting how this one was added. At the time, they just don’t know the relevance. ( this screenshot was taken 00:38 3/29 but it has been this way since 3/28 )

and um hello to the rihanna songs! he is such a fanboy! as he should. and also kendrick! 👋🏼

then XZS posts the vlog with that BGM the next day.

dude, what are the chances. these vlogs are edited real time, we know that xzs team were working hard to feed content so the song must have been decided then and there. wyb listening to that the day before, next day it’s the BGM for ZZ’s vlog? i’m just thinking about ZZ sending it to him first to watch then WYB decided to add the song to his playlist. Or maybe they have already been lovin it and decided to use it on ZZ’s vlog.

so sweet!!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹

the most recent one is this updated 2/13 ( the 3rd track i blurred sung by faye wong, i already talked about here ) :

The first one is this song ⬇️⬇️⬇️ which is about accompanying someone as a form of love. and isn’t that so them? it’s a known message that they both believe in, accompanying that person is a way of showing your love. screenshot 1 is from YT of a native speaker translating the title and that’s the one i’m going with.

also, sorry but i’m linking R1SE’s cover of the song cause it’s beautiful. 🫶🏼

AND THESE LINES! WYB is such a romantic! I cannot! It’s so him! Someone who will like and love this one thing and will stick to it till the end. 🥹

Accompanying you to turn loneliness into bravery

I lost again and again, I didn’t leave

Accompanying is the longest love confession

How long is the future

Stay with you until the story is finished

This is the second one, cloudy day. Which he was also allegedly listening to back in 3/2022 when he was filming and they haven’t seen each other for month.

What does the sky look like

What is love like

Several clouds forgot where to go on a cloudy day

Missing and loneliness

Blowed into the left ear

Maybe I can’t remember, but I can’t forget the time

That secret happiness

What to say to the cloudy day

From what i can gather, it’s about thinking of love and the good things even if it’s a cloudy day. Usually it must feel sad, but this person still chooses to see the good in it. Again, this is so WYB. He sees it and does not mope, he remembers the blue sky and white clouds instead.

Eason Chan is a famous singer that a lot of people listen to so i know that WYB is not the only person in China who probably has one of his songs on his playlist. Compared to Golden Hour which was unusual and the timing being sus. However for this, the fact that it’s added close to Valentines Day? Is this what he is feeling? So freakin in love! ♥️🥹

Anyway, I hope they had fun with the time they had together last CNY break ( allegedly ) and that their love endures & flourishes in the years to come! 🫶🏼

sources: one // two

[southernsolarpunk]

Hey what the fuck is this news story?

“ But the world’s largest economies are already there: The total fertility rate among the OECD’s 38 member countries dropped to just 1.5 children per woman in 2022 from 3.3 children in 1960. That’s well below the “replacement level” of 2.1 children per woman needed to keep populations constant.

That means the supply of workers in many countries is quickly diminishing.

In the 1960s, there were six people of working age for every retired person, according to the World Economic Forum. Today, the ratio is closer to three-to-one. By 2035, it’s expected to be two-to-one.

Top executives at publicly traded US companies mentioned labor shortages nearly 7,000 times in earnings calls over the last decade, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis last week.

“A reduction in the share of workers can lead to labor shortages, which may raise the bargaining power of employees and lift wages — all of which is ultimately inflationary,” Simona Paravani-Mellinghoff, managing director at BlackRock, wrote in an analysis last year. “

Is this seriously how normal people think? Improving the bargaining power of workers and increased wages are bad?

“ And while net immigration has helped offset demographic problems facing rich countries in the past, the shrinking population is now a global phenomenon. “This is critical because it implies advanced economies may start to struggle to ‘import’ labour from such places either via migration or sourcing goods,” wrote Paravani-Mellinghoff.

By 2100, only six countries are expected to be having enough children to keep their populations stable: Africa’s Chad, Niger and Somalia, the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tonga, and Tajikistan, according to research published by the Lancet, a medical journal.

BlackRock’s expert advises her clients to invest in inflation-linked bonds, as well as inflation-hedging commodities like energy, industrial metals and agriculture and livestock.

Import labor via migration or sourcing goods? My brother in Christ they are modern day slaves!! I feel like I’m in backwards town reading this what the fuck?!

“ Elon Musk, father of 12 children, has remarked that falling birthrates will lead to “a civilization that ends not with a bang but a whimper, in adult diapers.”

While his words are incendiary, they’re not entirely wrong

P&G and Kimberly-Clark, which together make up more than half of the US diaper market, have seen baby diaper sales decline over the past few years. But adult diapers sales, they say, are a bright spot in their portfolios. “

Oh now the guy with a breeding kink is going to lecture us. Great. /s

“ The AI solution: Some business leaders and technologists see the boom in productivity through artificial intelligence as a potential solution.

“Here are the facts. We are not having enough children, and we have not been having enough children for long enough that there is a demographic crisis, former Google CEO and executive chairman Eric Schmidt said at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit in London last year.

“In aggregate, all the demographics say there’s going to be shortage of humans for jobs. Literally too many jobs and not enough people for at least the next 30 years,” Schmidt said.

Oh god not the AI tech bros coming into this shit too. Wasn’t the purpose of improving tech to give people more free time? So they can relax and spend time with family more and actually enjoy life? Isn’t our economy already bloated with useless pencil-pushing number-crunching desk jobs that ultimately don’t serve a purpose?

I’m not going to post the entire article but give it a read. It’s… certainly something. Anyway degrowth is the way of the future.

[bengiyo]

Framboise (played by Kaji Masaki) is probably my favorite side character of 2022. In a year of great older queer men in genre, from Mork’s uncles Cheep and Dej in My Ride to Uncle Man in 21 Days Theory, I’m so glad we got Framboise as well. In Framboise we see a self-actualized gay man that literally lights up the room with his energy. He is what I aspire to be in a gay elder.

When Framboise first appears, it is in a burst of sunlight and flowers as he enters the convention floor. He’s excited to see other creators, and thrilled to be near another queer creator who he’s clearly admired for a long time. Framboise is determined to get Nekoyashiki to join them at the after party for other queer artists. Though he’s constantly rebuffed (and expresses his frustration vocally), he doesn’t give up on or abandon Nekoyashiki.

Framboise, like any sort of manga/anime character, has a clear and specific style. What I love so much about him is that he is more indicative of what so many gay men actually look like. We have facial hair. Some of us are chubby. We like for our clothes to fit well. So much of what I love about Framboise’s style is how it fits with his physicality.

His joy when he moves around is about being in the space with everyone. He’s not flashing his clothes to impress others; those are the clothes that make him feel most like himself. It’s such a joy to see a heavy-set character happy and comfortable in his skin in a BL, especially one that’s older.

Like many of us, Framboise thrives on queer community so much that he takes any offerings of kindness from Mamoru for the big deals that they are. He was so surprised in the middle of the series that he was overwhelmed with love and fell down. Like many of us, we can all appreciate the attention of an attractive younger man, and yet it mostly stops at play.

In the finale, we get to see Mamoru finally relax himself enough to be open to Framboise, and can finally receive directly the unconditional love of another queer person who cares about you. It’s big and it’s joyous and it is offered in behind the back hug that takes you off your feet.

Framboise isn’t happy for Mamoru because of specific success (exemplified by Takkun), he’s happy that Mamoru finally drew something he was happy with. As a queer elder, it’s such a joy to see a baby gay figure themself out and finally appear comfortable in their skin; conversely, Framboise displays how genuine appreciation for being seen earnestly. Mamoru knows that he’s appreciated.

As we reflect on the future of BL, I will be writing about Cheep, Dej, Man, and Framboise again, because this was the first year that queer elders really contributed to my enjoyment of the genre. I hope Framboise is the beginning of us seeing older queers having joyous lives in our dramas.

Special thanks to @liyazaki​ for creating these gifs for me so I could share my love of this character with you all.

[krafterwrites]

I was thinking about the 2022 annual and I realized that Blaze has the same thing as Silver, where she can’t let herself relax and always had to be doing something important, I think it’s cool that they both experience the same thing yet in different ways. Blaze’s responsibilities could technically all be given to other people, while Silver will always have to be the one to save the future, even if he has other people helping him with it. Blaze being around Sonic is because she’s taking a vacation from her important jobs, while most of the time Silver is there because of his job. I’d type more but I’m tired so that’s all for now

[desmorotu]

morgan’s playlist 🌑 (a glimpse)

i’m just going to flat-out say that i am totally aware that he has only three videos and that it’s kinda silly to suddenly just know his vibe BUT i did get a vibe and now i need to share it because he is everything that i want in a character and more 💔 his recent audio was so cute. playlist stuff is below :)

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

☆ nocturne in c-sharp minor - frédéric chopin (classical music is a way to quiet the noise. prefers piano, but most lyric-less music will work if it’s in a minor key and has a moving melody. as his outside world is messy and frantic, he uses the precision and accuracy of an artist’s fingers to simulate that solace in his mind. enjoys listening to it while writing or reading, both hobbies that he’s recently picked up on.)

☆ piano concerto no. 21 in c major, k. 467: II. andante - mozart (i imagine him wearing a black turtleneck, having dark hair and rounder glasses, and some grey plaid pajama pants with a warm cup of tea; caffeine free, of course. when he says Seeing is like music, this song is what comes to mind for him. it can truly be a gift, just as he’s said, but it can quickly tip-toe the line into tragedy if you’re not careful. it’s all about balance.)

☆ the heart - david celeste (strangely, i imagine that morgan looks similar to seokjin from bts…those are just the visuals i get when i hear this song? longer, slimmer face shape, full lips, broad shoulders, soft cheek bones and jawline, etc. etc. it’s not exactly him, there are some differences in his eyes and nose that i can’t place yet, but no matter what i try to change or picture differently, seokjin is my point of reference for what morgan looks like. this song just brought out his appearance for me and i have no clue why. i don’t even keep up with kpop anymore and haven’t for a while now. if you totally disagree with me then i am so sorry 😭)

☆ prelude in e minor, op. 28, no. 4 - frédéric chopin (plays mostly classical because it’s what he prefers. he partakes in playing the piano on occasion and understands music theory, which is why he uses music to refer to his Sight. it makes sense to him. he knows it; he’s comfortable in it. he believes that music is the closest thing that the unempowered will ever have to magic, and he believes that to be a beautiful tragedy.)

☆ catwoman - michael giacchino (he’s the type if person to pay acute attention to the soundtrack of a movie over the movie itself, though he’s not much of a movie person to begin with. he was interested in batman as a child and decided to go see its 2022 release—and he absolutely fell in love with the soundtrack. it pulled the right kinds of emotion from him at the right times, and it added a perfect effect to each scene. it’s one of the few movies that he actually watches back.)

☆ clair de lune - claude debussy (a simple, sweet, popular classic. he likes to pay attention to the rippling pattern of the right hand and allows it to envelope him in a comforting “brain hug.” it was one of the first pieces he heard when he was younger and it inspired him to delve deeper into music as a whole. his mother played piano, and he sits and recalls the amount of times that it’s lulled him to sleep in his younger years.)

refer to morgan’s playlist cover at the bottom :) i associate him with the color purple so i’m just rolling with it

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

this one was so relaxing omg. i feel like morgan is a super calming presence as a whole—i mean, he relaxed me really effectively in his recent audio. he’s a sweet, awkward music nerd (imo) that also happens to see the future. i’m so excited to see how his character is developed further in his story :).

as for his appearance being seokjin and associating him with the color purple, i have absolutely no clue. call it a vibe check. it just felt correct 😭 i will def be doing more of these when the inspo arises :p

can i be the unofficial official morgan guy? thanks

k bye 💟

[kurutabaa]

Weird request, and based off a ML episode, but can you do a scenerio where Ren/Akira, Ann, Haru, and Futaba are each trapped in a bubble in the metaverse, alone with their S/O, and both can’t get out?

Hi, hello! This is a really interesting prompt, thank you for sending this one in! I’m happy to fufill your request💜 I kinda just went all over the place for this one, since you can technically do anything when isolated in a bubble with your S/O. Enough rambling, enjoy!

future note: hi, it's me in 2022,,,, so sorry this has been deserted here for a whole ass 2 years. but i wrote at least smth???? so???? here

Stuck in a Bubble in the Metaverse with S/O

Featuring Akira/Ren

Akira Kurusu/Ren Amamiya

Let’s be honest, the first thing he’d do in this situation is think of any possible way to get out. His leader instinct will kick in and he’ll force himself with the task to find a way out and protect you. Which is sweet! But good grief does he stress himself out over this.

You’ll have to force him to stop pounding against the walls of the bubble, sit him down, and give him a big hug. Tell him that everything will be okay and he’ll begin to relax.

“Joker, you don’t have to be a leader all the time. You stress yourself out too much, take a deep breath. It’s gonna be okay.”

“A-Alright...”

After he calms down, he’ll then think of random topics to keep you two distracted. He’ll ask you about your day, how you’re feeling, your favorite food, or think of random games to play with you.

At some point, he’ll ask if you two can have a trivia game on who knows who better. And of course, Akira got all the answers right.

“What’s my favorite animal?”

“Cats!”

“My favorite holiday?”

“Valentines Day.”

“My favorite person?”

“Uh, Sojiro?”

“Wrong answer, it’s you.”

It was goofy, but it was really just a reason to compliment you.

Akira is very paitient, but in the back of his mind will wonder if you two will ever get out. But he looks on the bright side of things! Since he’s usually very busy and you two don’t get much alone time, expect Akira to take full advantage of this.

Wether it’d be cuddling up to you in a needy manner or constantly whispering “I love you”. He’ll be more hungry for attention as the time passed.

His usual posistions of cuddling are you sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped around your waist from behind, or the both of you laying down next to eachother as if you were in bed.

After he feels more relaxed, he’ll think more rationally about how you two will escape. He can still get wrapped up in his own thoughts, so snap him out of his trance by telling a dumb joke or two!

“What if you pop it with your knife like a balloon?”

“Pfft, heheh.”

You two will most likely mess around with the bubble, since I don’t think anyone wouldn’t be entertained by a bubble jiggling like jelly whenever you poke it.

As discouraged as he may be, he’ll still feel positive that you’ll get out some way or another. But with you, time goes by a lot faster then he realizes.

[sapphic-luminosity]

4.5 years

I’m so tired.

It’s really incredibly tiring living through the ongoing pandemic and feeling like the world around me does not care that it still exists and is dangerous as ever. 

It really does feel like few people care at this point. It’s very hard to be honest, but the threat is such that I can’t really just relax and pretend like it’s not there.

I do follow covid conscious people on social media and it helps to know that there’s many of us out there. And I’m glad to have a number of friends who have remained covid conscious, but like we really are few in number. A lot of friends and family members who used to be cautious have thrown caution to the wind, only maybe masking when, say, going on flights or maybe to crowded spaces if that. I still want to be friends and have relationships with these people but every time I meet with them I’m very aware that there’s increased risk in doing so. Meanwhile plenty of friends who stopped taking covid seriously have simply stopped really talking to me or including me in plans, even online friends. It’s disappointing. It’s isolating. It feels like I’m disposable to many people. But at least I do see some people repeatedly in person consistently wearing masks like I do. And that helps some.

Every couple waves I’ll see more people wearing masks such as the ongoing one. You know what, that’s welcome, I appreciate everyone who starts masking again after having stopped. But masking only during the heights ignores that the spread of the virus still goes on in between. So the next wave comes as people relax and transmission increases again. 

It’s hard feeling mostly housebound. I am a bit of a homebody, but not nearly to this degree. Not having an in person job outside of my home doesn’t help with that but also I’m not sure that I could bear to do one at this point. Being disabled already pre-covid and moving states literally weeks before the shelter in place orders came into effect (not lockdowns, we never had those in the US) meant that I did not have a job when the pandemic struck. I decided to wait it out for weeks months a year until the first vaccines got rolled out and thought about trying to apply again but then in the summer of 2021 Delta came. Then Omicron. And so on. Now we’re up to BA.2.86 and JN.1 as the variants of interest. It’s never stopped. There’s never been a break. The years start comin' and they don't stop comin'.

Working from home was a huge option early in the pandemic for many people outside industries that require people to work in person but gradually companies and organizations have rolled back this accessibility by requiring people return to office. And the economy sucks right now. Applying to jobs sucks even in the best of times with the current system, but now we have confirmed cases of job recruiters putting up phantom jobs, some admitting that 75% of the jobs they’ve posted being fake to make their company look like it’s in better shape or positions where the candidate has already been selected internally and they just want to make it look sorta fair. Not to mention all the scam listings. Job hunting sucks. It’s a lot of energy spent for very few returns and my disability/chronic illness means I just can’t channel endless amounts of energy without paying a far greater price in the future.

It’s not just work either. I haven’t seen a movie in theaters since the Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey movie in February 2020. Maybe I’ll actually go see one soon, but it’s a real risk, even during a matinee when fewer people might be there, even masked in an N95. (And definitely a much bigger risk if I should want some popcorn or a drink.) I have been to one indoor event (MBMBaM live show) that required masks of everyone in late 2022. It was a risk but masking made it feel a little safer. Nothing like the risks today where so many people seem to have forgotten the danger that they knew in 2020 and 2021 and maybe 2022 and will look at you funny if you even wear a mask much less suggest they might wear one.

We’ve known about covid spreading as an aerosol but I’ve had people I know act like it’s safe to eat inside as long as you’re far away from people regardless of ventilation. Some even still believe the six feet away idea that has been thoroughly debunked. We’ve known about long covid post-viral syndromes since 2020 and that you can still get long covid after vaccines at least since 2021. Research has come out over the last few years about covid having rampant effects on your immune system, heart, brain, pretty much any organ in your body, but people still think of it as just a respiratory illness.

Our government has failed us profoundly. I never had much trust in the government, becoming politically conscious in the early Bush era in the wake of Islamophobia and endless wars against concepts which got widespread support from both dominant parties in the US. Coming out as queer in my early adulthood, I learned about the Reagan response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic (ignoring it for several years because ewwwww gay people!!) which filled in the blanks of knowledge from my childhood where the education was pretty much just scaremongering. It’s truly monstrous how Reagan ignored HIV and yet I’m not sure anyone has really done that much better since him.

I’ve never liked Biden nor do I pretend to. But even so, he campaigned on how thousands of covid deaths in 2020 were unacceptable under a US president when it was Trump in power. Yet under him we’ve seen likely over a million people die and the dismantling of protections that helped prevent covid’s spread or monitoring. We were pushed the idea that you simply had to get vaccinated and then it wouldn’t be a problem anymore. But that’s never been true. He declared that the pandemic was over in September 2022 and in the two years since then I’ve watched more friends who mask consistently get sick than those I knew who got sick from November 2019 to September 2022. (I’m pretty fortunate in that regard, I know many people had lots of friends and relatives get sick and die or become permanently disabled prior to September 2022.) 

Sure, the White House approved 4 more covid tests per household again in response to the current wave (after getting rid of that program months ago), but the tests are notoriously unreliable for a single test unless it gives you a positive and generally you need to use them over multiple days to make sure you don’t have false negatives. Not to mention that we have known about asymptomatic transmission of covid since 2020, but people just seem to have forgotten about that. Testing daily would do so much to help track the disease, especially if our leaders were to encourage everyone to do them. But there’s a serious lack of test availability. The government could give each of us a test per day and help stop a lot of transmission. Where are free masks? Where is the continued funding for vaccines? Where is funding for improved ventilation including air filtration systems for every classroom and other shared public space? Where are protections to make sure that employers have to keep people home and give them sick pay? Any public health response we had has pretty much fallen away into privatized, “you-do-you” individualism. (Anyone remember that “you-do-you” MTA sign from 2 years ago saying masks were optional so wear them however the fuck you want? “You-do-you” feel free to get someone’s immunocompromised grandma mortally ill on the subway.)

There’s only one mention of the pandemic on Harris’ campaign website’s Issues page at the moment, only in passing while talking about automotive industry jobs. The pandemic is in the past, this seems to say. There’s no need to mention it except to compare what she has done under Biden vs. what Trump did. Biden may have stepped down from running after getting covid for at least the third time and possibly suffering lasting health issues including possible covid-accelerated dementia from it but there’s no need to address that. Simply move on and forget. Maybe she can’t even admit that Biden fucked up royally in 2022, she just has to save face for the DNC. Or she’s trying to appeal to anti-vax anti-mask “Never Trump” Republicans who still won’t vote for her. I don’t pretend to understand what she’s thinking of during her campaign’s numerous missteps so far.

We don’t live in 2019 anymore but so many people seem trapped there. They think that we who are covid conscious are unwilling to move on and are trapped in 2020, but I find that often we’re more attuned to the actual situation going on. So many people seem to be unaware of the long term consequences of catching covid, especially multiple times. So many people passively question why everyone seems to be sick all the time or why there are so many more heart attacks and such happening in young people or why there seem to be more dangerous drivers on the road or why there are so many fewer workers these days but never stop to pursue the answer to the most clear solution. Occam’s Razor never had a chance.

The pandemic has changed us all on levels we probably won’t realize for years or decades, but I feel like many people who have moved back to 2019 are worse for it. Worse empathy for those who had any empathy at all beforehand. Worse science literacy, especially amongst medical professionals. (“You’re not going to get sick in a hospital!” “Why would we wear masks in the cancer ward!?”) Worse critical thinking. Worse memory. I know people deal with trauma in different ways but so many people just seem to be so avoidant that any tiny reminder of it makes them want it gone gone gone. Or they seem to just sigh and laugh internally at those of us taking it seriously. “You just have anxiety!” they might say, even when in my humble opinion nothing is more rational than our desire to not get sick. Not to mention all the harassment people have gotten for doing things like masking because using a simple medical device has turned into a moral panic in some spaces. (I know of some people who would mask don’t anymore because of social pressure or outright threats used against them.)

It’s hard to have hope for the future and yet I hang in there. Maybe someday I’ll be able to work in person again. Maybe someday I will be able to be on a plane again and travel outside of the US or go to visit friends in parts of the US I’ve never been to. Maybe someday I will be able to eat inside a restaurant again instead of getting takeout or (rarely) taking a risk by eating outside of one. Maybe someday I’ll be able to casually sip an iced latte in a coffee shop while reading to pass the time again. Maybe someday I will be able to go to concerts or conventions or crowded outdoor festivals or indoor parties or board game nights or even ride the bus without having to ask myself if it’s worth the risk and without having to wear a mask. But with the infection rates we’ve been seeing that feels far off and most people don’t seem to care about making that world a reality.

I hope that there will be some treatment to finally end covid-19 and its numerous lineages that continue to mutate and spread across the world like wildfire. I feel like that’s one of the only hopes. We had a chance to end covid in other ways but our government leaders and greed from corporations failed us. Yet even with that, I know that if a treatment using some kind of super effective antibodies or such is developed, it’ll probably still be kept from many people by corporate greed. But still I hope for the future even if that hope is dim.

Until then I’m largely housebound. And I will forever be changed by this pandemic, largely not for the better. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to trust people in general again. I’m not sure how I would cope if covid suddenly disappeared from the face of the planet, like with magic. Maybe I would just completely lose it. Maybe I’d bounce back completely in a few months. (Unlikely. I’m still disabled and chronically ill from pre-covid times. My life would still have big challenges.) But I’m pretty sure it won’t disappear suddenly.

And I’m so very tired.

[lenreli]

Day 28 - Cruise Ship

[AO3] 2022 Hob/1389 Dream from @windsweptinred’s post! Yesterday’s drabble with 1389 Hob/2022 Dream was part 1, technically. It’s time travel stuff. Part 3: 2022 Dreamling.

-

Hob isn’t sure how he ended up ― well, he’s pretty sure he’s in the Dreaming. Though, not like he’s used to, once he sees Dream, and he wonders if that contrived death by cruise ship maybe messed something up in his brain. The memories are vague, but he’s pretty sure his death was like one of those rube-goldberg machines of death in that horror movie after those kids miss that plane with a vision and― 

“Robert Gadling?” Dream’s voice cuts off his thoughts, which he’s glad about, opening his mouth to answer until he looks at Dream. With shoulder-length hair. And a ruby around his neck, looking much like when they first met in 1389. And unlike the Dream he knows, greeting him with a dark scowl. “How did you get in here?”

“Ah,” he frowns, scratching his head, looking down at the clothes he definitely died in, in 2022, “good question. Dunno,” he shrugs, brain pulling up that one really weird dream he had in 1389 ― or thought was a dream, until right now, the memories hazy between Dream’s moans and his wet cunt, but he was at the New Inn, he realises. Not a dream, then. “Time travel, maybe?” 

Dream gapes at him, brows furrowing and staring at him intensely, probably using whatever extra senses. “Why here, then?” Dream asks, arrogant, body straightening like he’s trying to be more intimidating, hands clasped in front of him, robe billowing. 

“Probably because we already met in the Waking World, at this point, Dream,” he points out with a smile, and Dream startles, eyes widening and stepping away from him. He’d tell Dream about what his past self did to a future Dream but―probably a bit much for this Dream, practically tight-laced and skittish. “You’re very tense,” he says, stepping closer. “I’m not here to hurt you, Dream,” he says, voice soft. 

Hob thinks of ― well, kissing Dream, touching him softly, unsure if Dream can see it. But Dream makes a sound, cheeks flushing red, blue eyes darting away from him. “That―you do not want that,” Dream falters.

“I’ve had 600 years of fantasising about you,” he says, and Dream inhales sharply, whether it’s from the amount of time, or the other thing, “I’m pretty sure I want it,” he steps closer, and Dream doesn’t step back, shock giving away to amazement. “I want to touch you,” he says softly, bringing a hand up to touch Dream’s cheek―the first time he’s ever touched Dream.

“The rules,” Dream says and Hob sighs, leaning forward to kiss Dream chastely, who freezes like he expects judgement.

“Fuck those,” he mutters, can feel Dream mouth the words against his lips, “whatever bullshit that is, doesn’t apply to me,” Hob says, hands going down to a pale throat, covered with high collar, and Dream chuckles, the sound abrasive, disturbing and wonderful. 

“A man like you would say that,” Dream relaxes incrementally into the kiss and Hob nods, pressing Dream against a convenient wall, a hand going to a pale wrist, parting from Dream’s pink mouth to nip at the inside of it. “Gadling,” Dream ― whines, almost, eyelashes fluttering as he nibbles at the soft skin on his wrist, fingers gently going up under his black robe.

“Hob, please,” he says, kissing Dream’s wrist and knuckles, and in a quite smooth move that he’ll pat himself on the back for later, twirls Dream around, Dream’s back pressed against his front, and Hob licks up a pale throat to nibble at the shell of an ear. 

“Did you not―“ Dream pants as his other hand goes up Dream’s chest, feeling what he’s pretty sure is unneeded breaths. “Want to touch me?”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, is that anticipation can be really, really satisfying,” Dream whimpers, one of Dream’s hands coming up to clutch his hair as he holds Dream close to his body, feeling a lukewarm warmth. Dream smells like forests and oceans. Hob hums, hand on Dream’s chest going down slowly, until it reaches black pants, thumbnail pressing into Dream’s hips, down to covered thighs ― and Dream makes an annoyed sound, arching up into his thumb, and Hob looks down, Dream’s cock hard underneath the fabric. 

“Hob,” Dream whines, relaxing even more into his hold and Hob shudders, nosing at Dream’s soft hair, pressing light kisses into it.

“Are you sure?” He asks, feeling Dream’s nod against his face, Dream’s deceptively strong body making him breathless with how Dream’s arching into him, against his own hard cock, pressed against the other’s arse. “Can I get that in words?” Dream practically growls, head twisting to bite at his chin and nose, eyes black and endless. 

“Hob Gadling,” Dream’s voice booms throughout the room, through his body and he shivers, cock throbbing at the intensity, “either fuck me or touch my cock, but stop teasing,” Dream decrees. 

Hob moans, both of their clothes suddenly vanishing, and he whimpers at the feeling of Dream’s naked body against his. Mind scrambled, his fingers dig into Dream’s thighs, other arm across Dream’s waist, and between one breath and the next, he’s inside Dream, walls hot and tight around his dick and he keens, biting Dream’s shoulder as they moan, pleasure spiraling quickly as he rocks into Dream. 

“Yes,” Dream breathes, the hand in his hair almost painful, Dream’s other hand covering the one on his thigh as they come together.

[rainisawriter]

Lassie 🎃⚔️ Pumpkin Spice

Genre: Fluff, comedy, romance, halloween

Word Count: 4,264

Pairing: Reader x Lassie

Group: White Rascals

World: High&Low

A/N: This was written for my Highloween set back in October of 2022.

━━━━━━༻🎃⚔️༺━━━━━━

Autumn has always been your favorite time of year and you often wonder how anyone could hate it. It’s not cold like winter or hot like summer and everyone is getting ready for the spooky season. Pumpkins are literally everywhere, the leaves change into beautiful shades of orange and red, and everything just feels less serious and stressful. During Autumn, it was quite difficult to put you in a bad mood because of how much you enjoyed the season and everything that came with it. More than anything, though, you loved the taste of pumpkin spice. There was nothing more enjoyable than a fresh batch of pumpkin spice cookies with chocolate chips!

When you first moved to Japan, you had to adjust to a lot of things because of how different it was from your home country, but the thing you missed most was the overabundance of pumpkin spice during the spooky season. It’s true that you could find a handful of products with said spice, but it was nothing compared to back home where nearly everything had a pumpkin spice variant. People go nuts for it and, honestly, they put it into things that it really has no business being part of. No matter how much you love it, you simply can’t support those weirdos that think pumpkin spice belongs on pizza!

It’s even become a meme online with thousands of images cropping up each year. As with anything, once something becomes overhyped and popular, it starts to gain a bad reputation but that didn’t really bother you. The spice spoke for itself, in your opinion.

You hummed softly as you relaxed on the couch sitting atop Oya Koukou’s roof, scrolling through your phone as you looked for the perfect recipe. The problem is that there are hundreds of recipes, each with only slight variations to them. How are you supposed to know which one is the best? It’s not like you can try them all.

“You seem to be in high spirits today.”

You glanced over at Tsukasa who sat at the other end of the couch. “I am because my package finally arrived this morning, right as I was leaving the apartment. I was starting to get worried that it wouldn’t even arrive until after Halloween… damn customs.”

Fujio glanced up from where he sat atop several wooden pallets, his hand holding several playing cards. “What’s in it?”

Jamuo sat across from him, gaze focused on his own cards as he tried to figure out which one to set down. “It must be important to have worked you up so much.”

“My friend back home sent me a bunch of pumpkin spice.”

“Oh.” Fujio’s brow furrowed as if he were disappointed, but he was actually just concentrating on his next move. “Is it true that people are really obsessed with that stuff where you’re from?”

“Hm, I wouldn’t say obsessed, really,” you mused, tilting your head back to look at the baby blue sky above. “It’s become part of meme culture, so it’s easy to think that and we really do push the limits of what we can add it to. It’s usually only around during Autumn, though. No one really mentions it or uses it any other time of the year.”

“What are you gonna make with it?” Jamuo wondered, setting down the last card in his hand before jumping up, his arms in the air. “I win!”

“What? How?” Fujio scowled, glancing from his hand to the table and back again. “I was so close… ugh!”

You chuckled as you watched the pair, shifting on the couch. “Pumpkin spice cookies with chocolate chips. It’s my favorite Autumn snack so I wanted to make some for Lassie. I’m a bit nervous, though… I’ve never made them from scratch before. They usually come pre-made or ready to bake.”

“Are you worried that you’ll mess them up?” Tsukasa wondered, quirking a brow at you. “Or are you worried that he won’t like them?”

“Both. The first time you try a new food can really impact how you view that food in the future. I don’t want to be the reason he comes to hate pumpkin spice when he might actually like it if it’s made correctly…” You frowned, picking at a loose thread on your clothes.

“And?” he prompted, making you sigh.

“You read me too well, Tsukasa. It’s annoying.”

“Right?” Fujio scowled at the blonde.

Jamuo sat back down, turning on the empty oil drum he sat on top of so he could face you. “What else is bothering you, Y/N-chan?”

“Well…” you hesitated, biting your lip. ��How do I say this… Lassie is from the White Rascals and you know how they are. They’re obsessed with never hurting women. More than him not liking it, I’m worried that he’ll lie to me and say he loves it just to spare my feelings. That’s way worse than not liking it, in my opinion.”

Fujio hummed, folding his arms over his chest. “Most people would be happy with that, right? It means he loves you enough to lie.”

“But lies can hurt more than the truth,” Jamuo added with a frown. “It’s like they’re saying you’re too weak for the truth.”

“Exactly, Jamjam,” you sighed. “He always treats me like I’m some fragile creature that will break at the slightest jolt. He never tells me the truth if he thinks it might hurt my feelings, it’s so frustrating!”

“Have you told him this?” Tsukasa inquired, sending you a look. Your silence was the only answer he needed. “How is he supposed to know how you feel if you don’t tell him?”

“I… may be a bit insecure. Lassie is the type that wants to take care of his partner completely. If I challenge that… he might move on to someone who won’t.”

“Then it’s his loss!” Fujio smacked his hand on the table, sending cards scattering across the rooftop. “Who breaks up with someone over something like that anyway? You’re worrying for nothing, Y/N!”

“Maybe.”

Tsukasa scooted closer, putting his arm around you. “No matter what happens, you’ll always have us.”

You glanced around at the smiling faces of your three best friends and chuckled. “What a terrible fate that is.”

“Oi!”

“That’s mean, Y/N-chan!”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Don’t agree with her!” The two boys chorused, glaring at the blonde who only chuckled in reply.

━━━━━━༻🎃⚔️༺━━━━━━

You fell onto the kitchen chair with a tired sigh, closing your eyes as the smell of pumpkin spice cookies filled the room. You had spent the past four hours trying out as many recipes as you could, hoping to make the perfect cookies to share with your boyfriend. There were many failures and the kitchen had been reduced to a baking warzone. Flour coated the counter and the wall, there was cinnamon stuck to your hair, sugar had made itself comfortable on the ceiling and your precious pumpkin spice had been knocked over, forming a small pile on the ground.

Several plates of cookies had been set out on the table and, while they looked almost identical, they varied in taste. Who knew a minor change in ingredients could change the flavor so drastically?

“Woah, what happened in here?”

You glanced to the side, seeing Fujio standing in the doorway with wide eyes. You grinned, giving him a thumbs up. “I won the war, Fuji.”

“You say that, but don’t you have to clean up the mess? Sounds like you lost to me.”

Your smile fell as you realized he was right. “Damn.”

He stepped farther into the kitchen, carefully stepping over an egg you had dropped. “You want me to taste them, right?”

“Only one from each plate.” You sent him a look, pointing your finger at him before approaching the oven to check on the last batch. “I want to choose the best tasting ones for Lassie. You can take the rest to Tsukasa and Jamjam.”

“I’ve never tried pumpkin spice before,” he hummed, picking up a cookie from plate one.

“Make sure you remember which cookie you’re eating!”

“Hai~” He took a large bite, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened. “So good!”

“Which one?”

“The first one!” He tossed the rest of the cookie into his mouth, dropping crumbs onto the dirty floor.

“Oi, don’t make the mess worse.” You scowled, setting the sixth and final plate onto the table before falling back onto the chair, stretching your body out. You rested your chin in your palm, watching as the black-haired male scarfed down cookie after cookie. You wondered if he was even able to taste them. Once all cookies had been tried, he sat down at the other end of the table, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest.

Several minutes passed by and you were just about to question him when his eyes finally opened.

“I’ve made my decision,” he told you, expression deadly serious.

You nodded, leaning forward. “Which one is it, Fujio? Tell me.”

He shot up, hands slamming on the table. “Number five…!”

Your gaze fell to plate number five before you reached out for it.

“Is the worst.”

“Eh~?” Your hand dropped to the table. “Oi, I told you to choose the best, not the worst!”

“You can’t have the best without the worst, Y/N-chan.” He wagged his finger at you with a grin. “That’s how they do it on those cooking competitions that my mom always watches.”

“I don’t care. Just tell me which one tastes the best before I kill you.”

“Fine, fine.” Fujio pointed at plate number three. “These taste the best, in my opinion, but all of them are really good.”

Your shoulders relaxed at the compliment and you smiled. “Thank you. I can always count on you.”

“Of course! That’s what friends are for, ne?” He grinned, grabbing a cookie from plate number six.

“I thought six is the worst.”

“It is.” He took a large bite, chewing thoughtfully before grinning again. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not good.”

“You’re so weird,” you chuckled, shaking your head at him as you got up to grab a plastic container for your boyfriend’s cookies. “Here, catch.” You tossed a plastic container at him and he caught it with ease. “Box up everything but plate three.”

“Hai~”

“And you better save some for Tsukasa and Jamjam or I’ll kill you!”

━━━━━━༻🎃⚔️༺━━━━━━

You gripped the strap of your messenger bag tightly as you descended the stairs into club Heaven. You had never felt very comfortable because the club scene just wasn’t for you. You didn’t like the large crowd of sweaty bodies hitting against each other as they danced and you didn’t like the flashing lights that threatened to blind you. If you had your way, you’d never come here but this is where your boyfriend spent most of his time. It was basically his home.

Your eyes scanned the sea of people, searching for your brown-haired boyfriend. And there he was, sitting at the back of the room with two girls sitting on each side of him. He smiled at them politely as they showered him with compliments and praise, their hands touching any part of him that they could reach.

You frowned, turning around so you could sit at the bar and not have to look at such a scene. You knew deep down that those girls meant nothing to him on a personal level, he was just doing his job and trying to make some lonely women happy. Even so, how could it not bother you at least a little? You didn’t want to be the kind of partner that got all jealous and demanded that he not be with any other woman. Besides, you knew what you were in for when you started dating a White Rascal. You had no right to complain now.

“Good evening, Y/N-san.”

You glanced up at the bartender and smiled. His name is Naoki and he had a mess of hair that stuck up in all directions, defying gravity. It was split down the middle, the left side the color of a raven’s feather and the right side the color of fresh cream. Black eyeliner was thick around his eyes and he had various piercings in his ears and several tattoos that couldn’t be hidden from his open vest. Despite his appearance, he was one of the sweetest of the Rascals and seemed to always know when someone was feeling down.

“Hello, Naoki-san. How is work today?”

He hummed as he grabbed your favorite non-alcoholic beverage, setting it down in front of you. “Today seems to be dragging on for ages. I’m glad it’s almost over.”

“Don’t let Rocky hear you say that,” you chuckled, accepting the drink with a small thank you.

“Of course. I’m not a masochist, you know,” he grinned, leaning his arms across the counter. His eyes flickered over your shoulder to your boyfriend who had yet to notice your presence. “What brings you into the club today? Lassie didn’t say you were stopping by.”

“I didn’t tell him, though maybe I should have…” You frowned, rubbing the back of your neck. Usually, when he knows you’re stopping by, he does his best to avoid being surrounded by women though they always find him even when he avoids them. He’s one of the most popular males among the Rascals, second only to Rocky himself, so it made sense that there would always be women looking for him.

“Maybe so,” he replied softly before tapping the counter and straightening his back. “Ne, why don’t I escort you into the back? You can wait for him there. I know you don’t really like it out here.”

You nodded, giving him a grateful smile as you stood up. “Can I bring my drink?”

“Of course, Y/N-san.” He bowed, one arm across his chest and the other behind his back. With a smile, you picked up the glass, supporting it with your palm so you didn’t drop it as he led you through the crowd and into the back of the club. No one was supposed to be allowed back there except for the Rascals but you had become a bit of an exception. If Rocky or Koo found you, they would lightly scold you, telling you not to let it happen again, but they never made you leave or enforced it. For that, you were thankful.

Naoki led you to a small break room. “I’ll let Lassie know you’re here -“

“Don’t.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t want to bother him,” you smiled sheepishly. “Or take him away from his patrons… I’ll wait, I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” he questioned softly with a frown.

“Positive!” You forced a smile to put him at ease and he nodded.

“Very well, then. I’ll come check on you in a bit.”

“Sure.” You listened to the sound of his footsteps fading down the hall before you shut the door, glancing around the room.

Against the right wall was a comfortable, purple sofa that felt more like a cloud than a piece of furniture and there was an oak coffee table in front of it. Against the left wall and the wall beside the door was a line of vanity tables covered in makeup and hair products. The lights surrounding the mirrors were off since they weren’t being used and you could see your reflection in the glass. In the corner between the left and back wall was a TV sitting on a stand.

You carefully set your messenger bag on the coffee table, knowing that the container of cookies was inside before you settled down on the couch. You considered turning on the TV but decided against it, lying down on your back and tugging your phone from your pocket. You replied to unread messages from the trio, letting them know that you hadn’t given them to him yet but sparing the details as to why. Then you pulled up YouTube, watching videos to pass the time.

━━━━━━༻🎃⚔️༺━━━━━━

You felt fingers brushing against your cheek and your eyes fluttered open, blinking away sleep. It took you a minute for your brain to recall that you were still at the club.

“Did you sleep well?”

You glanced over, seeing Lassie kneeling beside the couch, his fingers resting softly against your cheek. “I fell asleep,” you muttered, pushing yourself up and rubbing at your eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” He pulled himself up so he could sit on the side of the couch, smiling warmly at you. “You’re so cute when you’re sleeping. You even mumbled my name~”

You sent him an embarrassed look. “Liar.”

“Am not! I’ll just have to film it next time~”

“Don’t you dare!” I scowled at him, making him chuckle. “What time is it?”

“It’s morning. The club closed about twenty minutes ago.”

You frowned. “I slept so long…”

He nodded, going quiet for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Eh?”

Lassie frowned at you, eyes meeting yours. “You always tell me when you’re coming to the club. Why didn’t you call me? And then you got here and still didn’t tell me. You sat back here alone for so long.”

“I wanted to surprise you and then I got here and saw you with…” You cleared your throat, glancing at your messenger bag. “I didn’t want to bother you while you were walking.”

“You could never bother me.” His hands gently cupped your face, bringing his forehead to rest against your own. “You’re the love of my life, Y/N. You are far more important than my job.”

“Rocky might kill you if he hears that,” you joked softly, unable to hold back your smile.

“Then I’ll die a happy man because I have you.”

“Idiot~” You smacked his shoulder. “You’re not allowed to die without me.”

“As you wish, my love.” Lassie pecked your lips but when he pulled away, you followed, tugging him closer by the front of his shirt. He obliged your silent request, pushing against your lips in a slow, sensual manner that had you feeling breathless.

“Lassie?” you whispered softly, lips brushing against his when you spoke.

“Yes?”

You glanced at your bag, biting your lip. Now that you were here in front of him, you weren’t sure you wanted to offer him the cookies. ‘No, I worked hard on them. I have to give them to him,’ you told yourself, shifting on the couch so that you could reach your bag. Lassie watched you curiously as you pulled a small plastic container from the bag, gripping it tightly.

“Will you promise me something?”

“Of course.”

You took a deep breath, turning to meet his gaze. “Promise me that when you try these cookies, you’ll be honest with me even if you hate them.”

His eyes widened at the request, gaze flickering to the container. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes. It hurts when you pretend to like something just to avoid upsetting me. I just want you to be honest.”

“Then I will be. From now on, I’ll be honest with you,” he smiled softly, resting his hand on your thigh.

“Good.” You nodded your head, holding the container out to him. “It’s my first time making these from scratch but I did my best.”

“You made these?” He took the container carefully, tugging the lid from it. The smell of cinnamon, sugar, and pumpkin spice filled the room, making his mouth water. “It smells amazing. Are these sugar cookies?”

“No. They’re pumpkin spice.”

“Pumpkin spice?” Lassie blinked, picking up one of the cookies to inspect it.

“I know you’ve never tried it before and it’s okay if you don’t like it. It’s my favorite Autumn treat, so I wanted to share it with you.”

“Itadakimasu,” he said softly before taking a bite of the cookie, holding his other hand beneath it to catch the crumbs. You watched his face closely as he chewed, taking note of his furrowed brow as he considered the flavor. He swallowed, paused a moment, then took another bite, humming thoughtfully.

“Be honest,” you reminded him and he nodded, leaning back against the couch with one leg crossed over the other.

“Honestly speaking, I don’t hate it. It’s a strange taste,” he mused, eating the last of the cookie. “An acquired taste, perhaps.”

“Maybe.”

“I guess I’ll just have to eat the whole container.”

“Eh?” You blinked at him as he picked up another. “You’re not even gonna share with me?”

“You made them for me,” he pouted but it quickly bloomed into a smile as he held the cookie out to you. “Well, you did put in a lot of work. You’ve earned one.”

“Just one?” you chuckled, accepting the cookie. It was like pure bliss from the first bite and you found yourself sighing in contentment, unaware of the loving look your boyfriend was giving you as he watched you. “I guess I can live with that.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” Lassie softly kissed your cheek, sliding his hand into yours. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

“That’s my line.”

“Now you have to promise me something.”

You looked at him curiously, meeting those beautiful brown eyes that you had come to love so much. “What’s that?”

“The next time you come to the club, let me know. Even if I’m with other guests. Promise?”

“I promise.”

Lassie leaned in to kiss you but paused when your phone started to ring from the table. He grabbed it for you, glancing at the caller ID. “It’s your dad.”

“He must’ve just gotten home.” You exchanged the cookie for your phone, pressing it to your ear. “Hello -“

“I’m going to kill you, brat! This kitchen is a mess! Did you have a fight, huh? Were you raised in a barn? I work all night and come home to an absolute mess! How dare you leave the kitchen in this state! No child of mine would be so irresponsible, so stupid! Ah, I know! Someone must have broken in and trashed the kitchen, ne? The trash bandits, ne? Ne, brat?!“

You swallowed hard as you slowly lowered your hand, the sound of your father ranting and raving filling the room. You had completely forgotten about the kitchen because you wanted to get the cookies to Lassie as soon as possible. You hadn’t planned on falling asleep, you had planned to get home before he did and clean up the mess.

“He sounds really angry,” Lassie spoke quietly so your dad wouldn’t hear, a frown on his lips. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” you replied, your voice an octave higher. “I, uh… I might die today, though.”

“Hah? As if I’d let you. Here, let me talk to him.” Before you could react, he plucked the phone from your hand, pressing it to his ear. “Good morning, otou-san. Forgive me for interrupting, but may I ask what has you in such a foul mood?”

You leaned closer to try and hear what was being said, but your dad had started to speak at a normal volume as he often did when talking to anyone other than you so it was hard to make out the words.

“I see.” Lassie sent you a disappointed look. “I can explain, if you’ll allow me to. Y/N wanted to make cookies to thank you for working so hard, but the task proved to be a bit much. Such a mess would be hard to tackle alone, don’t you agree? I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t pick up my phone when Y/N called, so they came down to ask me for help. We were just about to return and clean up the mess when you called… hai, that’s right… We’ll be home soon, otou-san. The mess will be gone by the time you wake up, I assure you… hai. Sleep well.”

You blinked dumbly at your boyfriend as he hung up the phone, handing it back to you.

“Honestly, what were you thinking, leaving such a mess behind?”

“I wanted your cookies to be fresh,” you mumbled, staring at your phone. Your dad was often compared to an angry bear by Fujio, the only other person who had witnessed his true nature. He wasn’t quick to anger unless he was tired and his rage was hard to ease, so how the hell had your boyfriend talked his way out of disaster? It made no sense to you.

“Aw. You knew he would kill you but you still put me first!” He set the container on the table so he could turn toward you, cupping your face and bringing you into a passionate kiss. “What would I do without you?”

“Die, probably,” you joked, making him click his tongue.

“I’m pretty sure you just described yourself. Now, let’s get back to your apartment. We have a lot of cleaning to do.” He stood up and you jumped up after him, grabbing his hand.

“You don’t have to help, Lassie. It’s my mess and you worked all night at the club. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“I’m never too tired to help you. That’s what being in a relationship means, right?”

You slid your hand into his with a smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“I always am~” He winked playfully, giving your hand a squeeze.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Lassie. I might have to hit you.”

“You wouldn’t dare~”

He was right, of course, but he didn’t need to know that.

��━━━━━༻🎃⚔️༺━━━━━━

-> High&Low/Rampage Taglist: @kiraaaeon, @simpforchuchu, @star2fishmeg, @thatpoindexterpixy @manhwabtch

-> General Taglist: @asterhaze, @mrskenpachizaraki

[omegaremix]

Sunday Records, 2022.

It’s early June and I’m in the middle of eleven days off from work. I cannot tell you how stunning these last few weeks have been for me. For the first time in a long time I’ve been feeling great about many things. I have been at the top of my game. Relaxed, tranquil, and level like never before. I went to Sacred Bones’ 15th Anniversary and experienced a feeling like no other. I’ve met a few friends from the alternative-music circle whom I haven’t seen in years. I’ve been tasked to do an amazing amount of summer radio shows at WUSB. The Roman goth girl who’ve I’ve been in contact with since February taught me to face my fears, to not be afraid of bad news, and see the greatest, truest value in people. It’s not even halfway to June and I feel something great is yet to happen.

I’ve been spending money on music without worry. It’s a winner-take-all tour of Long Island’s record stores and at this point I’ve hit up three so far with astonishing results. Sunday Records would be my fourth on the list to visit and it had to be. It’s my only Sunday off in the foreseeable future and, still true to its name, only opens on that one day. I didn’t have a choice, did I? It took me only 30 minutes to get there and closing time was 5PM. It’s 2PM as I walked through those doors so I had three hours to Autobahn it through the entire store. No shelf or rack was left unsifted by me.

The layout of Sunday Records hasn’t changed one bit. Nothing’s re-arranged. Upper wall racks of 7” singles and 45’s hovered above the 12” vinyl bins. There was a maze of LP’s front to back, side to side, and in the middle. What also hasn’t changed was the owner’s system of classifying records unique to the store. If not a genre, it’s chart position, week, and radio station. Brian (the owner) was obsessive to detail and nostalgic like that. Then again, so am I.

There’s a section on the front left side of the entrance. It’s where the electronic, dusty classics, and un-priced arrivals sections were. Less than .01% of its stock was electronic and I sure wasn’t going to waste time sifting through Fifties and Sixties jazz greats. I just knew. I turn to my right and there were plenty of funk, groove, and R&B LP’s and 12” singled there. I looked under the bins and there were boxes of records not priced out. That’s where I found various hip-hop and rap singles, uncharacteristic for a store that specialized in vintage jazz, Seventies radio rock, and everything Eighties. It was all fair game and I took what I could. Unstickered singles by Black Moon, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow, Jeru The Damaja, Fu-Schnickens, Double XX Posse, and an early pre-fame DMX e.p. (“Born Loser”). I knew Brian wasn’t the type who was into West Coast jams or boombox anthems and made me think why he took them in the first place. No matter. It was a lucky out for someone like me to easily stock up on hip-hop and rap vinyl.

Now the 45’s. Sunday Records was always good with pricing them on the cheap. What I purchased in 7” singles from West Babylon’s Looney Tunes, I tripled that here. These 7” singles of Eighties hits from my Atari / Nintendo childhood meant not having to purchase full albums for one or two songs. Why not acquire them? Plenty of synth-pop, new wave, and pop rock. One 7” I might have passed up the last time around was Re-Flex’ “The Politics Of Dancing”. The single that gave me these Sunday vibes was finally in my hands. This visit’s surprises? Gary Numan’s “I Die: You Die” b/w “Down In The Park” and Killing Joke’s “Adorations” for $4.00. Then I came across The Normal’s “T.V. OD” b/w “Warm Leatherette” The good news was that I discovered it. The bad news? It was a $14.00 hit…and without an original artwork sleeve. The price you pay to take home synthpop history.

When that was over, I took a deep breathe and dove into all the vinyl inventory. The great thing about Brian was that almost nothing was out of place. He’s incredibly meticulous in that everything was in alphabetical order and with almost nothing in the wrong bin. Also with Looney Tunes, a good amount of records were alphabetized or sorted by artist, allowing me to fly right over large chunks of sections and straight to the others. What wasn’t hip-hop / rap and categorized by chart position, week, and radio station ended up on the lesser expensive side. Like the 45’s, I sped through furiously through the LP bins and acquired a lot of hits from my childhood. A recent discovery now in my hands? Captain Sensible’s “Wot” for $5.00.

And what I made up in value, I would lose later with some essential finds. That’s even avoiding the new vinyl section. Towards the end of searching was where it started to hurt. The least of my worries? The Cars’ Panorama for $8.00. The Shirts’ debut and Anti-Nowhere League’s The Perfect Crime for $9.00 each. But that’s not all. I found essentials in The Young Gods and Pere Ubu where it stopped at the $10.00.

Now the heavy stuff. No one remembers or know who The Innocent was. The Roman goth girl I mentioned earlier? She’s insanely obsessed with Tent Reznor. While doing a Nine Inch Nails run, I learned he was part of said band right after leaving Option 30. The Innocent’s only album was found in one of the bins and I grabbed it for $14.00. Had I not known about them, I would’ve zipped past it without even knowing. One album I passed up during my last record-store tour was Cabaret Voltaire’s The Crackdown. I found it twice in unopened condition for $20.00 at several stores and gave it up at least twice, thinking I could l buy it for less. Well, four years later I was right on that one. I finally found it again and for $14.00 opened I wasn’t going to pass it up a second time. While there, Sunday Records still maintained a good selection of other industrial and related releases. They had more Cabaret Voltaire records including The Pressure Company (!) and even the new ones (Shadow Of Fear and Dekadrone) which I was impressed that Brian carried. Front 242 e.p.’s were also in the bins and several Ministry records starting with Work For Love (the overseas pressing of With Sympathy), some Twitch-era singles, and all the way up to Psalm 69.

Here comes another unexpected hit in the kneecaps: Kraftwerk’s The Man-Machine for $20.00. Any time I buy Kraftwerk on vinyl I pay that price; nothing less. That’s how much I paid for a used copy of Radio-Aktivitat at a record fair held in Amityville’s veteran hall. Again, take no chances. Finally, a record that I hoped to find in the wild because it was so good: The Raveonettes’ Pe’ahi; $20.00 asking price. Decisions had to be made but not necessarily now. I held on to it for the time being, having to decide to take it now or pass it up and find it again somewhere else for less. Looks like I will take my chances.

It’s not an understatement when I say this, but 99.99% of Sunday’s stock was all vinyl. The other .01% were used cassettes and CDs placed right near its listening station at the front-right of the entrance. I passed it all up as nothing there interested me. So far, Sunday- is the only store where it was all vinyl.

Ten minutes to closing. It’s about time to make some decisions. Brian greeted me and started counting everything up. Of the 75 I had in my arms, I gave five back to him including the Raveonettes album. He was amazed. He tried selling it back to me because he also knew it was a great album. Oh, I agreed. But as I told each and every one of you, I held off just in case. His laptop lost its’ juice so there was no easy way for him to add it all up and keep track of what he sold me. He ended up taking photos of everything I bought and took him about a good fifteen minutes to calculate it all. Then I gave in. I’d take the Raveonettes’ album after all. Take no chances, right?

“You should come here more often!” he told me in an exasperated manner. “Really?” I laughed. It’s not every year that I do this, Brian. I’d try real hard to keep up if I did. Now I knew why he said that.

“That’ll come to $348.00”. Yikes. That was at least triple of what I spent at my last visit here. I was sweating like Rodney Dangerfield on his worst night. (Plot twist: he never had one.) Despite Brian giving me all the hip-hop records for $20.00, the other records made up for it. No coupons, either. But, I had all the confidence in the suburbs to spend with no worry. The stack was so hefty that Brian got me a box from the back to hold all the 12” records in and bagged all of my 45’s so that they wouldn’t slip out of position. I was relieved in the end to nail that Sunday like I wanted to. But the day wasn’t over yet.

After I thanked Brian for everything, I loaded my purchase in the trunk. I had plans on seeing Candy, a Jewish ginger whom I haven’t seen since we left Brentwood. She has a family-owned restaurant out in Calverton and I promised I’d visit the next time I was nearby. I went west on Route 25 and started the peaceful, sunny journey to her eatery. It’s not every day I’m out in Riverhead or Calverton. I took all the time in the world driving through the scenic route of vast farmland and sparse local businesses along the long, quiet roads; ready to catch up with her and walk down a beautiful but bittersweet and tattered memory lane.

Prince: “1999” b/w “How Come U Don’t Call” 7”

Re-Flex: “The Politics Of Dancing” b/w “Flex It” 7”

Normal, The: “TV Overdose” b/w “Warm Leatherette” 7”

Gary Numan: “I Die: You Die” b/w “Down In The Park” 7”

Pet Shop Boys: “It’s A Sin” b/w “You Know Where You Went Wrong” 7”

Robert Palmer: “Simply Irresistible” b/w “Nova” 7”

Pet Shop Boys: “What Have I Done To Deserve This” b/w “A New Life” 7”

Bananarama: “Cruel Summer” 7”

Belinda Carlisle: “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” 7”

Dead Or Alive: “Brand New Lover” 7”

Joan Jett: “Little Liar” 7”

Killing Joke: “Adorations” b/w “Exile” 7”

Mike & The Mechanics: “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) b/w “Par Avion” 7”

Tone Loc: “Funky Cold Medina” 7”

Suzanne Vega: “Luka” 7”

Human League: “Don’t You Want Me” b/w “Seconds” 7”

Escape Club: “Wild Wild West b/w “We Can Run” 7”

Erasure: “Chains Of Love” b/w “Don’t Suppose” 7”

Don Henley: “All She Wants To Do Is Dance” b/w “Building The Perfect Beast” 7”

Starship: “We Built This City” b/w “Private Room” (ins.) 7”

Todd Rundgren: “Hello It’s Me” b/w “Cold Morning Light” 7”

Huey Lewis: “Stuck With You” b/w “Don’t Ever Tell Me That You Love Me” 7”

Stevie Winwood: “The Finer Things” 7”

Wings: “With A Little Luck” b/w “Backwards” 7”

Robert Palmer: “Addicted To Love” b/w “Let’s Fall In Love Tonight” 7”

Bananarama: “Venus” b/w “White Train” 7”

Joan Jett: “I Hate Myself For Loving You” 7”

Mike & The Mechanics: “Through The Living Years” b/w “Too Many Friends” 7”

Stevie Winwood: “Higher Love” 7”

Don Henley: “Dirty Laundry” b/w “Lilah” 7”

J.J. Fad: “Supersonic” 12”

Black Moon: “I Got Cha Opin” b/w “Reality” 12”

Big Daddy Kane: Raw ‘91 12”

Kurtis Blow: “If I Ruled The World” 12”

Jeru The Damaja: “Come Clean” b/w “D. Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel” 12”

Fu-Schnickens: “Ring The Alarm” 12”

Young MC: “Bust A Move” 12”

Chaka Khan: “Crush Groove (Can’t Stop The Street)” 12”

Big Daddy Kane: “I Get The Job Done” 12”

Double XX Posse, The: “not Gonna Be Able To Do It” b/w “The Pure Thing” 12”

Domino: “Sweet Potato Pie” 12”

Masta Ace Incorporated: “Jeep Ass Niguh” b/w “Saturday Night Live” 12”

Fonda Rae: “Over Like A Fat Rat” 12”

River Ocean ft. India: The Tribal EP

Grandmaster & Melle Mel: “White Lines” b/w “Melle Mel’s Groove” 12”

DMX: “Born Loser” 12”

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five: “On The Strength” 12”

Anti Nowhere League, The: The Perfect Crime 12”

Mr. Mister: “Is It Love b/w “Broken Wings” 12”

Thompson Twins: “Lies” 12”

Roxette: “The Look” 12”

T’Pau: “Heart And Soul” 12”

Dire Straits: Extended Dance EP 12”

Flora Purim: “Stories To Tell” 12”

Raveonettes, The: Pe’Ahi 12”

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: “If You Leave” b/w “La Femme Accident” 12”

Nu Shooz: “Point Of No Return” 12”

Falco: “Vienna Calling” b/w “Rock Me Amadeus” 12”

Shirts, The: self-titled 12”

Belinda Carlisle: “I Get Weak” 12”

Captain Sensible: “Wot!” 12”

Young Gods, The: self-titled 12”

Men Without Hats: “The Safety Dance” 12”

Level 42: “Something About You” 12”

Killing Joke: “Sanity” b/w “Eighties” 12”

Pere Ubu: The Art Of Walking 12”

Kraftwerk: The Man-Machine 12”

Innocent, The: Livin’ In The Street 12”

XBXRX: Gop Ist Minee 12”

Cabaret Voltaire: The Crackdown 12”

Cars, The: Panorama 12”

[accio-victuuri]

all the cpns i missed to post this week… 📝

some sweet bits being talked about in cpf circle. everything is fake. it’s all a coincidence.

i was too distracted by all the yibo x chanel content going around the past days, so this is really more of a short catch-up for me with cpn. other things that were discussed aside from the matching cases.

• I cannot confirm how true this is, but we have an old cpn that wyb tried to make a cake for xz. then this photo floated around, about xz’s ace troops birthday and how he was happily eating a birthday cake. it’s obvs home made and people were puzzled why he was so happy when the cake looked like that (p1). well i think we know why. looks like an attempt on burnt basque cheesecake. at least to me 😂.

( excuse p2, lol. i just think it’s so meme-able )

and well this type of cake also brings back the 2022 birthday cake cpn ( p8 of this set ) and that looks a very well made cheesecake. so wyb really did improve. i don’t doubt his skills anymore. especially after what btf cast talked about — that wyb can make dishes. i think the “i can’t cook” thing narrative before was to keep up the whole “i’m a cool guy” persona. but maybe in the near future, wyb the chef will have his debut. 🫶🏼

• For the Molsion event, he answered that he wants to travel outdoor ( like the mountains ), camping and playing frisbee. All things that they have in common. Someone please let them go camping and do outdoor stuff while they have some time off.

Their lives are mostly them stuck filming and in hotels so it’s understandable that they wanna be close to nature to relax 🍃

He also answered “meeting a friend for dinner” when asked about when he will wear his eyeglasses. then he smiled so sweetly. AHHHHH! Who is the friend you will meet for dinner?

• their Molsion x HK glasses being put side by side @ stores. They know what sells and an accidental cpf support 😅😅😅

• Their love for taking photos of sunrise & sunsets. Bobo’s was taken when he was riding the ferris wheel. I thought he will share a photo of the skatepark he visited but he chose this instead. So romantic. posted both photo and story 🌅

• same energy ✌🏼

sources: one | two | three | four | five

-END.

[tomorrowxtogether]

The explosive rise of TXT, Gen Z’s K-pop ‘It band’

As Tomorrow X Together join the handful of K-pop stars who’ve reached the number one spot of the Billboard 200, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai talk to Dazed about growing pains, finding their uniqueness and driving their fandom wild

Tomorrow X Together (commonly abbreviated to TXT) are one of the most fascinating pop groups in the world right now. Consistently, gracefully effortless yet purposeful – whether it be exquisitely realised concept trailers or a genderless approach to their choreography and styling (smears of lipstick and glitter, skirts and leather corsets) – their approach unfurls from using their youth not as fleeting conceptual gimmick but a creative bedrock and boundaryless, ever-evolving lens. TXT’s arc is a coming-of-age narrative in real-time, each era a reflection of youth’s most glorious and revelatory moments, but also its most furious, frustrated, questioning, lovesick, contradictory, and even unashamedly awkward.

On their new EP, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION (featuring the members' ongoing lyrical and musical contributions), they face exactly that – the tempting sanctuary of a perpetual Neverland, ignoring the world which demands they, as young adults, take on weightier responsibilities. TXT use the devil as a tangible figure of enticement on songs like “Devil by the Window” and lead single, “Sugar Rush Ride” – but the devil is also a facet of themselves, one in conflict with the desire to understand who they’re becoming as they mature.

Each track forms a step for TXT to find a pathway into their future, although it’s not always linear: On the Afrobeat-inspired “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)”, they veer into the clutches of imposter syndrome – “Rockstar minus the star… I don’t have that kind of talent/I’m not a ‘born to be’/Even when I see myself, I know I am nothing special” – a bittersweet admission when considering the band’s steady ascent since their debut in 2019, and explosive growth over the past year. It’s with this EP that they join the handful of K-pop artists who’ve reached the #1 album spot on the Billboard 200, an achievement that further cements TXT’s status as Gen Z’s ‘It band’, a title that’s been attached to them since early 2021.

Fresh off this major milestone, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai talk with Dazed about being a voice of a generation, growing pains, finding their uniqueness, and driving their fandom (known as MOA) wild on social media.

If the minisode EPs (2020’s Blue Hour and 2022’s Thursday’s Child) were ‘pit stops’, a mental breather to process the difficulties the world was in, where does this record and era find your heads at?

Yeonjun: I think the name of the new chapter speaks for itself. Through our music, we’ve already talked about friendships, love and heartbreak, and we’ve grown a lot since then. The new series is about coming of age and finding my name and identity. So we were very focused on making an album that reflects this stage in our lives.

Soobin: Musically, we wanted this EP to reflect all that we can do because I feel that we’re really finding ourselves as a band. We always knew what we wanted in terms of our career, but the picture is definitely becoming clearer and clearer.

The visual concepts for The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION are particularly eye-catching. When we think of the devil, we don’t think of pastels or glitter; how does the artwork represent not only the story but also the stage at which TXT are in their career?

Soobin: The ‘Daydream’ concept is about falling into Neverland and leaving our dreams behind. ‘Nightmare’ portrays a kind of ‘sugar high,’ which is sweet and wonderful but short-lived. The ‘Farewell’ concept is about leaving Neverland to seek the stars and chase our dreams, and ‘Lullaby’ shows us on the other side as Peter Pan luring youth into Neverland.

Hueningkai: I like to think we look more relaxed and at-home because it’s our fourth year as a band and we’ve gotten better at embodying various concepts. All four concepts for this EP are vastly different and I think they show that our creative scope has really widened.

The last record took nine months to make. How long did you work on The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION?

Beomgyu: We’re always working on music non-stop, but in terms of this EP alone, it was in the works from early May last year. We wrapped it up late November so I guess six or seven months just for the music. Obviously, the full process is longer because we have to shoot the music video and perfect our choreography and such. I think it came at the perfect time because what better way to kick off the new year than with new music?

All the members admitted to struggling in certain parts during recording Minisode 2:Thursday’s Child; how did you fare with this EP?

Taehyun: We felt pretty great about all five tracks. Some songs like ‘Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)’ let us get into the groove of things while recording so that was quite an experience, because the song’s really a vibe.

Beomgyu: I really liked recording ‘Happy Fools (feat. Coi Leray)’ because it’s basically a perfect group project with creative contributions from all five members, including the topline by Yeonjun and the incredible voice of Coi Leray. I guess if we had to pick one song that was most challenging, it would probably be ‘Devil by the Window’. It’s not our first English track, but there are some very precise and delicate emotions that we need to convey through the song, and expressing these emotions exactly the way you intend to isn’t the easiest job to accomplish in a language that isn’t your mother tongue. I still think we all did great though!

‘Devil By The Window’ and ‘Sugar Rush Ride’ fascinate me because of their urgency and power but, like you mention, they’re also incredibly delicate…

Soobin: Glad you liked it! The overall theme of this EP is growing up despite all the sweet temptations to stay young and carefree. We all know we have to grow up. We have dreams and ambitions. But sometimes, growing up isn’t easy and it comes with pains. Staying in Neverland might be nice but you’re forfeiting a chance to grow up and fulfil your dreams. The illusion of Neverland doesn’t last, and the real world still awaits.

I guess this is a reality that’s been hitting home for you since debuting – the exhilaration of your youth on one side but the numerous responsibilities that come with being a globally successful band on the other?

Taehyun: I think it’s a feeling that everyone, not just the five of us, has experienced at one point. You’ve kept going and going and there are days when you feel immensely proud of yourself but there are also some days in which you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall. Then you just want to throw everything and not worry about how to get through it.

Hueningkai: Because of our career, I think we were granted opportunities and experiences that not many people come across. I admit it is a responsibility because music has such a lasting and widespread impact, but we’re still very happy about having the chance to walk this journey and to grow up together with our fans. Being able to document and communicate these experiences through our music makes it feel as though we’re all just growing up and living life together.

If you could stay young forever, would you?

Yeonjun: Every year is so different. There are new highs and new lows but the experiences we’ve had in the past four years are ones we wouldn’t trade for anything. Some experiences like our first world tour last year or performing at Lollapalooza were moments we couldn’t imagine ten years ago, but because we chased our dreams, we were able to see them turn into reality. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years have in store for us.

Beomgyu: Each age and generation has its own unique experiences. I wouldn’t want to forfeit these just to continue what I already know. There are definitely many more stories to tell down the road, and I’m really excited about that.

Flying and falling are themes TXT uses frequently, and we see it on this EP on ‘Farewell, Neverland’: ‘Neverland, my love, goodbye now, And I’m free falling.’What’s the significance of them for you in 2023?

Hueningkai: 2023 opens up a new chapter for us. Our story has always been one of growth and this year is really about embracing this process to step out and soar to claim whatever new goal we want to achieve. We’re chasing our dreams and we’re excited to see what this new year will bring us.

It’s been nearly a year since BACKSTAGE: TXT x EN – DOCUMENTARY in which Yeonjun said: ‘I hope we become a unique group’. Do you believe you’ve achieved that desired uniqueness or at least moved closer to that goal?

Soobin: It definitely does feel like we’re well on track. With our five newest songs, we’re trying more genres and concepts, and even ones we’ve tried before are portrayed differently because we’re not the same kids we were just two or three years ago. Everything still sounds like us, like Tomorrow X Together, but it feels exciting to expand our scope and put more sounds under our belt. Our signature is our authenticity and story so I think we just need to keep going and stay true to ourselves.

Taehyun: I hope that one day, people will be able to hear our song start playing and immediately recognise it to be Tomorrow X Together. We want to be the descriptor of our own sound.

Technology has allowed for more artists than ever to release music and there’s also so many new ways to play with and mix genres. Are you ever overwhelmed or distracted by the sheer enormity of all it? Or has your strong narrative and aesthetic created a clear-eyed path for the group’s evolution?

Yeonjun: I think the answer to that is both always and never. There are so many good artists and so much good music coming out left and right, every day. These are all wonderful creative influences that help us to learn and grow as musicians. Also, I believe that the trending sound of that moment is a reflection of that generation’s experiences and sentiments. It’s a good study.

Hueningkai: In the end, what we’re about when it comes to Tomorrow X Together albums is to tell our own stories about growing up in this generation. It’s the thoughts and emotions we’ve had and these are subjects that we share with our contemporaries. Living life and chatting with our peers – our fans everywhere included – definitely does help us to steer and navigate.

These days, TXT is referred to as Gen Z’s ‘It band’ – what’s it like to be seen as a mirror for a generation?

Yeonjun: It was a great honour when we first heard someone refer to us as that and the same emotion still stands. We’re quite thankful that people love and enjoy our music enough to think of us in that way and it’s a great feeling. It’s definitely a position we personally feel we need to keep working on to maintain, but we want to say that it motivates us in the best way.

Beomgyu: We also achieved our first number one on the Billboard 200 with our latest EP, so I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful MOA because this couldn’t have happened without the love they’ve shown for our songs. This EP meant a lot to us while working on it and we couldn’t wait to bring it out into the world. Now that it’s out, we’re thrilled that we can finally show everyone what we’ve been working on. We can’t wait to perform these songs for everyone in person. MOA, thank you for loving and relating to our music. I hope each of these songs connects to you personally as they do for us.

Taehyun, you mentioned on socials that the Lullaby version can be ‘said to be seducing MOA’, which sent the fandom into a meltdown. Does the band go online to enjoy the excitement and chaos they’ve unleashed?

Taehyun: Definitely. We’re almost chronically online during new release periods and teaser drops. We love seeing all the hype around new content because our fans get so excited and it feels amazing to see them so happy about something we’ve worked on so hard.

Soobin: It’s the best kind of chaos. The hype is indeed shared between all of us.

Finally, if you did by some chance meet the devil, where would you take him for a nice day out as a break from all that strenuous temptation?

Hueningkai: On tour. The devil can help us tempt our MOA!

Taehyun: Maybe to the beach. The devil needs some sunlight. Or the gym so it can work some of the stress out.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] ASMR Transcript - Soft Words

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an ASMR, 细语, which has not been released in EN! 🍒

This little space where the both of you can snuggle against each other is the entire world.

[ Released in CN: 9 December 2022 ]

[ sound of running water ]

I’ve washed the dishes.

Why are you lying down?

If you lie down right after eating,

Your stomach would feel uncomfortable.

It’s better to sit up for a while before sleeping.

Hm? You’re too tired after eating and don’t feel like getting up?

[ chuckles ]

Come on. I'll carry you.

[ rustling noises ]

It feels like a long time since

We last spent the weekend in such a leisurely manner.

Lately, we’ve either been busy over the weekends

Or having fun outside.

We haven’t had time to have an afternoon nap together.

Didn’t you say

That you’ve been wanting to watch a TV series?

Want to watch it now?

It could pass the time.

Mm. I’ll look for it.

Hm... “The 365 Days of Little Transparent”.

“Slacking Off At Work”.

The titles of TV series these days

Are becoming increasingly novel.

“Rebirth of the Female Official.”

Are you sure you want to watch this?

Sure.

It’s not that I dislike it.

I’m fine with anything.

The things I enjoy watching

Aren’t really suitable for watching before an afternoon nap.

This one’s just right.

I remember that this TV series has been really popular recently.

During my afternoon breaks,

I often see Hang Jie engrossed in it.

She even teased me

About how I can’t keep up with trends.

But

Tomorrow,

She won’t have the chance to say that.

[ TV series noises ]

Is sitting uncomfortable?

You’re too full?

Sit a little closer.

I’ll give you a rub.

[ Gavin breathing noises ]

It tickles?

What if I use this amount of force?

I’m not tired.

All you have to do is relax.

This TV series seems very similar to those novels you read from before.

Based on typical tropes,

The female protagonist will probably have another chance at life.

And overcome many obstacles

And take counteractions the whole way through.

My guess is correct?

In that case, could I ask for a reward?

[ kiss ]

Mm.

This works.

Hm? Why are you frowning?

You’re asking about why the female protagonist didn’t return the attack?

Because it wasn’t the right time.

Although she lived again

And knew about what would happen in the future,

She hadn’t built up sufficient abilities.

That’s why she chose to hone her strength.

Mm.

I heard about what happened in the later portions from Sis Hang.

Okay.

No spoilers.

But after you’ve watched it,

You’d probably be filled with energy.

My thoughts?

I find it okay.

There wasn’t enough guidance when it came to the martial arts.

But it has a well-knit plot.

It’s no wonder everyone enjoys watching it.

But

Why is it that whenever the male protagonist looks at the female protagonist,

He glares at her?

To get her attention?

I see.

Why are your eyes getting bigger too?

You’re not tired anymore?

The male protagonist is so handsome

That you can’t see anything else?

Nope.

I’m not jealous.

Whether he’s good-looking is a separate thing.

His acting is passable.

The first episode has ended.

You can go to sleep now.

[ rustling noises ]

Hm? You don’t want to sleep?

You want to watch another episode?

Because the male protagonist is too handsome?

Is he very handsome?

I can do whatever he can.

That move he used earlier -

It’s just a basic wrestling technique.

It restrains the other party by controlling the joints,

But doesn’t cause pain to the other party.

This move appears to be an attack

But it’s actually used for protection.

It’s very suitable to be used on a special “target” who is under arrest.

[ intense rustling noises ]

For example,

Using it against someone who isn’t willing to take an afternoon nap.

[ Gavin chuckles ]

It's too late to surrender.

Mmhmm. Playing coy won’t work.

[ Gavin in pain noises ]

That counterattack was pretty good.

It’s deft

And struck a weak spot.

But...

[ rustling noises and Gavin noises and a kiss ]

It’d take a little more

For it to become a “one-hit kill”,

Keep it up.

I’ll teach you.

Bring your hand a little upwards.

Yes.

Right here.

Mm... Give it a try.

[ Gavin heavy breathing noises ]

Mm. You learn pretty quickly.

[ Gavin heavy breathing noises ]

Does this count as my weak spot?

When I’m with you,

Yes.

If it’s anyone else,

They won’t have this chance...

All of my weaknesses

Are only open to you.