#singapore is lovely i went to the gardens too

[wi55iams]

Got the chance to visit a very special place today

[sassenach77yle]

||COUNTDOWN ||SEASON 7 EPISODE 05 || SINGAPORE ||

#83daysofoutlander☆

“Will you walk with me?”She hesitated for a moment.

The flame in her eyes had not gone out, but it burned lower now; there were other things there—caution, mild distress, and what he thought was pride. He was surprised that he should see them so clearly. It was as though she were made of glass.“I—the children,” she blurted, half turning toward the house.“It doesna matter,” he said. “I only—” A dribble of blood from one nostril stopped him, and he paused to wipe the back of his hand across his upper lip. He took the two steps necessary to bring them within touching distance, though he was careful not to touch her.“I wished to say to you that I am sorry,” he said formally, in Mohawk. “That I could not give you children. And that I am glad you have them.”A lovely warm flush rose in her cheeks, and he saw the pride in her overcome the distress.“May I see them?” he asked, surprising himself as much as her.She wavered for an instant, but then turned and went into the house. He sat on a stone wall, waiting, and she returned a few moments later with a small boy, maybe five years old, and a girl of three or so in short plaits, who looked gravely at him and sucked her fist.Blood had run down the back of his throat; it felt raw and tasted of iron.

Now and then on his journey, he’d gone carefully over the explanation Auntie Claire had given him. Not with any notion of telling it to Emily; it could mean nothing to her—he barely understood it himself. Only, maybe, as some shield against this moment, seeing her with the children he could not give her.“Call it fate,” Claire had said, looking at him with a hawk’s eye, the one that sees from far above, so far above, maybe, that what seems mercilessness is truly compassion. “Or call it bad luck. But it wasn’t your fault. Or hers.”“Come here,” he said in Mohawk, putting out a hand to the little boy. The boy glanced at his mother, but then came to him, looking up in curiosity to his face.“I see you in his face,” he said softly to her, speaking English. “And in his hands,” he added in Mohawk, taking the child’s hands—so amazingly small—in his own. It was true: the boy had her hands, fine-boned and supple; they curled up like sleeping mice in his palms, then the fingers sprang out like a spider’s legs and the boy giggled. He laughed, too, closed his own hands swiftly on the boy’s, like a bear gulping a pair of trout, making the child shriek, then let go.“Are you happy?” he asked her.“Yes,” she said softly. She looked down, not meeting his eyes, and he knew it was because she would answer honestly but did not wish to see if her answer hurt him. He put a hand under her chin—her skin was so soft!—and lifted her face to him.“Are you happy?” he asked again, and smiled a little as he said it.“Yes,” she said again. But then gave a small sigh, and her own hand touched his face at last, light as a moth’s wing. “But sometimes I miss you, Ian.” There was nothing wrong with her accent, but his Scots name sounded impossibly exotic on her tongue—it always had.He felt a lump in his throat, but kept the faint smile on his face.“I see you dinna ask me whether I’m happy,” he said, and could have kicked himself.She gave him a quick look, direct as a knife point.“I have eyes,” she said, very simply.There was a silence between them. He looked away but could feel her there, breathing. Ripe. Soft. He felt her softening further, opening. She had been wise not to go into the garden with him. Here, with her son playing in the dirt near her feet, it was safe. For her, at least.“Do you mean to stay?” she asked at last, and he shook his head.“I am going to Scotland,” he said.“You will take a wife among your own people.” There was relief in that, but regret, too.“Are your people no longer my own?” he asked, with a flash of fierceness. “They washed the white blood from my body in the river—you were there.”

I was there.”She looked at him for a long time, searching his face. Likely enough that she would never see him again; did she seek to remember him, or was she looking for something in his features, he wondered?The latter. She turned abruptly, raising a hand to him to wait, and disappeared into the house.The little girl ran after her, not wanting to stay with the stranger, but the little boy lingered, interested.

“Are you Wolf’s Brother?”“I am, aye. And you?”“They call me Digger.” It was a child’s sort of name, used for convenience until the person’s real name should declare itself in some way. Ian nodded, and they remained a few minutes, looking each other over with interest, but with no sense of awkwardness between them.“She who is mother’s mother to my mother,” Digger said quite suddenly. “She talked about you. To me.”“She did?” said Ian, startled. That would be Tewaktenyonh. A great woman, head of the Women’s Council at Snaketown—and the person who had sent him away.“Does Tewaktenyonh still live?” he asked, curious.“Oh, yes. She’s older than the mountains,” the little boy answered seriously. “She has only two teeth left, but she still eats.”Ian smiled at that.“Good. What did she say to you of me?”The boy screwed up his face, recollecting the words.“She said I was the child of your spirit but I should not say so to my father.”Ian felt the blow of that, harder than any the child’s father had dealt him, and couldn’t speak for a moment.“Aye, I dinna think ye should say so, either,” he said, when words returned to him. He repeated the sentiment in Mohawk, in case the boy might not have understood English, and the child nodded, tranquil.“Will I be with you, sometime?” he asked, only vaguely interested in the answer.

A lizard had come out onto the stone wall to bask, and his eyes were fixed on it.Ian forced his own words to be casual.“If I live.”The boy’s eyes were narrowed, watching the lizard, and the tiny right hand twitched, just a little. The distance was too far, though; he knew it, and glanced at Ian, who was closer. Ian cut his eyes at the lizard without moving, then looked back at the boy and agreement sprang up between them. Don’t move, his eyes warned, and the boy seemed to cease breathing.

It didn’t do to think in such situations. Without pausing to draw breath, he snatched, and the lizard was in his hand, astonished and thrashing.The little boy chortled and hopped up and down, clapping his hands with glee, then held them out for the lizard, which he received with the greatest concentration, folding his hands about it so that it might not escape.“And what will ye do with him?” Ian asked, smiling.The boy held the lizard up to his face, peering at it intently, and his brow furrowed in thought.“I will name him,” he said at last. “Then he will be mine and bless me when I see him again.” He brought the lizard up, eyeball to eyeball, and each stared unblinking at the other.“Your name is Bob,” the boy declared at last in English, and with great ceremony set the lizard on the ground. Bob leapt from his hands and disappeared under a log.“A verra good name,” Ian said gravely. His bruised ribs hurt with the need not to laugh, but the urge vanished in the next moment, as the distant door opened and Emily came out, a bundle in her arms.She came up to him and presented him with a child, swaddled and bound to a cradleboard, in much the same way he had presented the lizard to Digger.“This is my second daughter,” she said, shyly proud. “Will you choose her name?”He was moved, and touched Emily’s hand, very lightly, before taking the cradleboard onto his knee and looking searchingly into the tiny face. She could not have given him greater honor, this permanent mark of the feeling she had once held for him—still might hold for him.But as he looked at the little girl—she regarded him with round, serious eyes, taking in this new manifestation of her personal landscape—a conviction took root in him. He didn’t question it; it was simply there, and undeniable.“Thank you,” he said, and smiled at Emily with great affection. He laid his hand—huge, and rough with callus and the nicks of living—on the tiny, perfect, soft-haired head.

“I will bless all your children wi’ the blessings of Bride and of Michael.” He lifted his hand then, and reaching out, drew Digger to him. “But this one is mine to name.” Her face went quite blank with astonishment, and she looked quickly from him to her son and back. She swallowed visibly, unsure—but it didn’t matter; he was sure.

“Your name is Swiftest of Lizards,” he said, in Mohawk. The Swiftest of Lizards thought for a minute, then nodded, pleased, and with a laugh of pure delight, darted away.

~ AN ECHO IN THE BONE

[linane-art]

Public Service Announcement

Yes, I'm back! Missed me? :D

I don't know where to start, really. My last year of travels was both an incredible, life-changing, empowering, unforgettable experience, and the hardest, most challenging thing I have ever done (and probably will ever do) in my life.

In the space of a year I have visited 11 countries: New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, New Caledonia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Poland and Greece. Everywhere I went, I have always tried not to be a tourist, but live like a local, stay with the local people and have as many experiences as I could possibly grab a hold of.

I close my eyes and I can re-trace the exact route from Cashmere to the city centre of Christchurch, or I can still taste the Kava drink, or I remember exactly where to put my feet on the ascent to Yunomine Onsen via the Kumano Kodo Pilgrim Trail, or I can tell what Sumatran elephant skin feels like under my fingers, or which of the rice fields around Ubud offer best views without too many tourists.

I got to do everything I ever wanted, fulfilled every dream I ever had and then some, met some amazing people that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and frequently did 8 absolutely impossible things before breakfast. I travelled on local busses, bought my veggies from local bazars, had local supermarket loyalty cards, dealt with visas, made friends with people who didn't speak a word of English... It kinda made me fearless and unstoppable. I've also struggled with depression, seriously questioned my life's choices, missed home insanely, been to paradise and hated it at times, doubted myself, and had a real reality check on what's important to me. And I regret none of it.

How do you pick up the pieces of your life after something like that?

The good news is that my love for this fandom has never left or diminished, and in fact it often provided to be a source of great comfort to me. I wrote stories in my head during my walks, I re-read some excellent old fics, I took Fili and Kili with me to some seriously remote places.

But I think the fandom has changed during my absence. And I have changed too. So as I sit down and re-think how I wanna indulge in my love of FiKi, here's what I've got:

I am seriously attached to three of my Verses (and have been focussing on them for a while), which I'd love to continue with: Silence, Isca and Postcards. There will be more posted, when I'm ready with it. Watch this space. Subscribe, maybe?

I have been writing mainly for myself for a number of years now and I can and I will continue to do so. But it's alwas a delight when someone else comes on a journey with you, so I'll continue posting publically.

GF is my Happy Place and I have missed it hugely, especailly as it hadn't continued to function as I hoped it would during my absence. I want to come back to tending that garden, as it's important to me. And I might take part in some events again, if the gods smile at me again, which will mean any and all verses will be considered.

I can't imagine in what possible universe I would have the time for drawing again. Having said that, I am sitting on some unpublished and unfinished artwork, some of it in collabs, and I know I can be stubborn enough to force their completion. Something to think about.

What else? I guess that's it. How have everyone been? What's new? WHO's new? Did I miss anything important? Come and say hi - I'm always happy to chatter.

[spookfished]

tagged by @eldritch-elrics thanks i love doing these :3

relationship status: in a lavender marriage to my work <3

favorite color: orange!

song stuck in my head: it was the succession theme when i was initially reading finns post bc i had literally just watched succession but now its gonna leave you by queens of the stone age

last song i listened to: questions that make you realize your lastfm/spotify sync might be broken? anyways i think it was still lonely by seventeen. im so empty that i feel like im empty < so true

3 fav foods: panfried salmon, buttercorn ramen, hotpot! ...a lot of my favorite foods just depend on something that i ate recently that i liked. or something that i wanted to eat. ooh or maybe a perfectly ripe strawberry.. i went to the farmers market today and it was sooo nice the california fruit really is like nothing else. oh you know when youre browning meat and its just a little bit too raw so it feels kinda forbidden?

last thing i googled: lastfm not scrobbling spotify :| before this ask meme was "tesseract api python" lolll new internship going. okay

dream trip: ohhh ive been thinking about this so much recently! id love to go to singapore (may be seeing a relative there soonish..?) but also like pandas and water gardens and stuff in china. and maybe my relatives too i guess. and also i want to go to myanmar again when things arent bad there and stay long enough that i can eat street food and also go to spain to see alhama and venice and the mosque of cordoba and also japan would be cool and

anything i want: would love for this ocr (optical character recognition) thing to be written for me so i dont have to do it <3 also to be less scared of new things :P im at the point where i have to stop taking silly little classes and start thinking about if i want to do stuff for real. and like, probably i do? but actual decisions that can affect real life are a bit scary you know. how scary it is to think about what you actually, materially want! idk itll be fine. oh also ito en should make a non caffeinated tea

anyways tagging @aliaoftheknives @gimmickbird @hirokiyuu @reduxskullduggerry if yall want!

[tinygmusic]

NIKI RELEASES NEW ALBUM 'BUZZ' & SHARES TITLE TRACK MV

Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC | 9th August 2024

Jakarta-born, LA-based singer-songwriter and producer NIKI firmly plants herself as one of the most dynamic artists of today with the release of her new album Buzz via 88rising, out now. Accompanying the release is the music video for title track “Buzz,” directed by Isaac Ravishankara. The video, a cheeky line-by-line depiction of the lyrics, encapsulates the rush of raw emotion and bittersweet nerves of a budding romance – glimpses of buzzing bees, a crackling guitar amp, and longing looks between two people, all signaling towards the start of something new. NIKI was initially inspired to name the record after the budding growth she observed in her garden every spring. Across thirteen tracks on the album, the singer encapsulates the feeling of being on the precipice of something undiscovered.

The album’s release joins previous singles; the love struck summer track, “Tsunami,” astrologically-inspired song “Blue Moon,” and flirty lead single “Too Much of a Good Thing.” NIKI plans to celebrate Buzz with a comprehensive world tour, produced by Live Nation, kicking off this fall. Tickets are available now HERE. See below for full routing.

 

NORTH AMERICA

Sep 5, 2024 - Toronto ON - Budweiser Stage

Sep 7, 2024 - Boston MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway

Sep 8, 2024 - Washington DC - The Anthem

Sep 12, 2024 - Philadelphia PA - The Met

Sep 13, 2024 - New York City NY - SummerStage in Central Park

Sep 16, 2024 - Charlotte NC - Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sep 17, 2024 - Atlanta GA - Coca-Cola Roxy

Sep 19, 2024 - Houston TX - 713 Music Hall

Sep 20, 2024 - Austin TX - Moody Amphitheater

Sep 21, 2024 - Dallas TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

Sep 25, 2024 - Chicago IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom

Sep 27, 2024 - Minneapolis MN - The Armory

Sep 29, 2024 - Denver CO - Fillmore Auditorium

Oct 1, 2024 - Salt Lake City UT - The Union Event Center

Oct 3, 2024 - Berkeley CA - The Greek Theatre *

Oct 8, 2024 - Phoenix AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre

Oct 10, 2024 - Las Vegas NV - The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan

Oct 11, 2024 - Los Angeles CA - The Greek Theatre

Oct 12, 2024 - Los Angeles CA - The Greek Theatre

Oct 14, 2024 - San Diego CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

Oct 17, 2024 - Portland OR - Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds

Oct 18, 2024 - Seattle WA - WAMU Theater at Lumen Field

Oct 19, 2024 - Vancouver BC - Rogers Arena

 

* Non-Live Nation Date

 

EUROPE

Oct 27, 2024 - Brussels BE - La Madeleine

Oct 29, 2024 - Cologne DE - Palladium

Nov 1, 2024 - Paris FR - L’Olympia

Nov 2, 2024 - Tilburg NL - Poppodium 013

Nov 6, 2024 - Manchester UK - O2 Apollo Manchester

Nov 7, 2024 - London UK - OVO Arena, Wembley

Nov 10, 2024 - Dublin IE - 3Olympia Theatre

 

ASIA

Feb 9, 2025 - Hong Kong

Feb 11, 2025 - Manila

Feb 12, 2025 - Manila

Feb 14, 2025 - Jakarta

Feb 15, 2025 - Jakarta

Feb 18, 2025 - Singapore

Feb 20, 2025 - Taipei

Feb 22, 2025 - Bangkok

Feb 25, 2025 - Kuala Lumpur

Feb 26, 2025 - Kuala Lumpur

 

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Mar 5, 2025 - Perth AU

Mar 7, 2025 - Brisbane AU

Mar 9, 2025 - Sydney AU

Mar 13, 2025 - Melbourne AU

Mar 15, 2025 - Auckland NZ

 

What eventually became Buzz, the third studio album by singer-songwriter and globally-renowned star NIKI, started with an urgent quake from the innermost core of her being. What surfaced in its wake was a collection of warm, stirring folk-rock songs, which crackle and flare like a bonfire between close confidantes. “I went through an identity crisis,” says the 25-year-old of Buzz. “It took a lot of trial and error, and I just stumbled upon pieces of myself along the way. I named it Buzz because it feels like I'm on the precipice of something about to happen.”

 

For NIKI, things have been happening progressively since she was a high schooler in Jakarta, Indonesia. As a student at an international academy, she cut her teeth scribbling lovesick poems in English class and performed acoustic guitar covers of American pop songs on YouTube. With a six-string in hand, and her family and classmates cheering her on from the audience, Nicole Zefanya then staked her claim to global stardom as NIKI.

 

And claim it she has - with over three billion streams worldwide, sold out shows on multiple continents, massive sets at festivals across the globe, front row seats at Paris Fashion Week, four songs on a Marvel film’s soundtrack, and some of the most phenomenal, confessional songs being released in 2024, NIKI has already established a veteran’s resume before the age of 25.

NIKI - Photo Credit: Annie Lai

On Buzz, her songwriting remains as intimate as ever. In her initial sketches of songs for Buzz, NIKI took cues from other lane-paving women with confessional, honest lyricism soundtracked by guitars.  “Joni Mitchell is my songwriting north star,” she says — and uncompromising feminist luminaries like Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon and Liz Phair. To match the wandering spirit of Buzz, NIKI cultivated her own elastic approach to guitar.

 

To further harness this creative and personal sea change, NIKI began enlisting producers who had worked with her favourite contemporary singer-songwriters. She tapped Tyler Chester, who’d captured tracks with Madison Cunningham and Sara Bareilles; she also recruited Ethan Gruska, who counts Fiona Apple and Phoebe Bridgers as collaborators.

Buzz reverberates with the hard-earned wisdom of a young woman who charges dauntlessly towards her dreams — but can still spare a laugh if she stumbles.

About NIKI

NIKI born Nicole Zefanya on January 24 1999, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter. She is currently based in the United States and signed with the record label 88rising. She released her first full-length studio album, Moonchild, in 2020. It was followed by Nicole (2022) and recently Buzz (2024). Her debut headlining concert tour, Nicole World Tour (2022–2023), visited over 40 cities across North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

NIKI has garnered global recognition for her songwriting and musicianship and is among the most popular female artists from Indonesia. In 2020, NIKI was listed among Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.

About 88rising

88rising, stylised as 88⬆, is an American record label established in 2015, known as a multifaceted entity combining management, record label functions, video production, and marketing.

The label has risen to prominence as a music platform and record label, especially for Asian American artists, and has been dubbed "The Disney of Asian hip-hop." In 2019, 88rising earned the title of Label of the Year from Netease, a major music streaming service in China.

In 2018, 88rising launched its inaugural Head in the Clouds Festival in Los Angeles, which Billboard promptly recognized as "the Asian Festival You Need To Know."

Keep up with NIKI

Instagram

X (Twitter)

Facebook

TikTok

YouTube

Website

Spotify

Apple Music

Amazon Music

DEEZER

TIDAL

genie

Melon

SOUNDCLOUD

iTunes Store

YouTube Music

[beabnormal24]

I just saw this picture a minute ago and my brain yelled at me to write this so- sorry for the inconvenience.

It’s just by coincidence and a bit of luck that George’s phone starts to ring the exact moment Aleix deems his exhaustion evident enough to let him have a short break from his pull-ups.

Although he’s the only one who can actually hear Elton John’s voice softly singing Rocket Man inside his earplugs, Aleix still raises an eyebrow at him, curious.

He takes the phone from under the bench, very much intending to just hang up and shoot a quick message to whomever seems so keen on disrupting his routines.

But then, his gaze catches on the caller’s id on the screen, still flashing dark with a familiar image, a smile filling up almost half of it. The sweat on his forehead has never felt so cold.

“I have to take this.” George says, getting up as he tosses the AirPods somewhere. He makes quick work to swipe on the green, raising a hand before Aleix can say anything. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll be quick, I swear.”

And then he takes the first door out of the gym. He finds himself in a lockers room, damp with humidity from the showers, though the lingering stillness in the air and the empty cabinets against the walls tell him he’s alone.

Which is as good as he can get, for what little he cares about comfort as he sits on the first bench to his right, pressing the phone to his ear.

“Hey.”

“George.” It’s soft spoken, familiar in an almost lazy way that has George exhaling a long breath that he might’ve been holding for more than he would like to admit - from Singapore, even.

“Hey,” he repeats stupidly. The smile that he can feel crossing over his face is probably just as dumb. “To what do I owe this call?”

“Did you get a tattoo without telling me?” Daniel asks, straight to the point in the way he has always been, even when George had trouble looking at him without feeling to small.

Allegedly, not very much has changed since then. George still thinks that Daniel si too bright for him and Daniel likes to make fun of the way his shoulders scrunches even when he is so tall - stand up straight, Russell George.

But in this case, it is indeed a relief to know that things are just the same.

“No?” George asks, chuckling. “Why would you think that?”

There’s a stilling silence, nothing coming from the other side of the line, and George wonders whether Daniel is sitting on his bed, tucked comfortably in his family farm on the other side of the hemisphere; or if he’s standing on one of those dusty hills, propped against his silly motorbikes and dirtying his hands with a dark black that does not belong to racing cars anymore.

And then, a soft voice again. “Saw a picture online.” Daniel admits. He sounds sheepish, or it may just be George’s imagination. “A butterfly, on your arm.”

“Oh.” George exhales. “Yeah, no. Just went to a- what was it called? Butterfly garden? In Austin. They used this stamp and, well, that’s that.”

“Okay,” Daniel sighs, chuckling breathlessly to himself. “Shit, I thought you were going and getting a tattoo without me.”

George chuckles, leaning his head against one of the lockers. The handle digs into the back of it, a stinging nuisance, but it’s easy to forget about it when Daniel laughs into his ear. Crystalline, genuine. “Nah, I would never betray you like that. I made an oath, didn’t I?”

“I was afraid you would forget about me.” Daniel says, quieter.

George closes his eyes, swallowing around nothing as his heart settles into a gentle rythm, the one that his chest seems to love the most when Daniel is next to him.

And, apparently, even a phone call will do.

“I couldn’t do it even I wanted to.” George admits, a fair trade: vulnerable for vulnerable.

Do you miss me, too, then?

“Yeah.” Daniel says.

George realises that he must’ve asked it out loud.

@danieldrivesfast I have something for you

[ittybittytatertot]

For the Atlantis drabble, could you please do something with the Durham Fam (Calvin, Shalaina, Kaldur, and Delphis)

This May Be Propaganda for The Lemuria Board of Tourism But...

“We stopped in Singapore afterwards. Wyynde was landsick for most of it, but he loved the botanical garden.” Kaldur was saying over dinner.

“Oh I love Singapore.” Sha’lain’a mused. “I went there once when I was young-”

Delphis’s eyes trailed from her foster mom’s joyful face to her own plate. She found herself scooting the fish and kelp around with her spoon, stomach twisting sourly, as Kaldur related another story from his recent vacation with Wyynde.

The guilt of knowing Kaldur deserved all the leisure and travel in the world only added a spike to the nauseating twist, and it lingered even after dinner as she cleared the table. Calvin took the dishes from her with a gentle, knowing smile.

“It can be hard hearing about the surface. I miss it too, sometimes.”

“Oh-” Delphis’s frown deepened, hoping Kaldur had not noticed her mood as easily as his father had. She tried to smooth out her expression, or at least hide it with a dismissive shrug, “I have nothing to miss up there.”

Calvin frowned, “I’m so sorry, Delphis,” he almost put a hand on her shoulder, but backtracked. At first, she’d thought him shy, but then she noticed she was the only one he treated so cautiously. He knew she’d known bad men, and much like Kaldur, he was deadset against ever being such a man. “I signed up to have this,” he pointed to his gills, “done to me, but you… you didn’t ask for any of this. Not having a choice anymore, even if eleven times out of ten you would choose to be right where you are now, is tough. You’re allowed to miss what you never got the chance to have.”

Delphis hesitated for a moment before floating around. “I have everything I could ever ask for here.”

But if that were true, she wouldn’t have sounded quite so distraught. That was why, the next week, after talking it over with Sha’lain’a and then looping in Kaldur, Calvin made an announcement.

“Pack your things! We’re going on a family vacation.”

Delphis was the only one actually surprised, but Sha’lain’a and Kaldur made noises of excitement from their seats on the couch beside her.

“A vacation? To where?”

“Lemuria. It’s gorgeous this time of year.”

“The orcas will be there!”

“As will my friend Topo. You remember him.” Kaldur said with a genuine smile. Though Clavin had not told his son this, that was also part of his plan. Adopted or not, Delphis was like any little sister, and she wanted to do whatever her older brother thought was fun.

Delphis ran her webbed fingers through her shock-white hair nervously, “I’ve never even been on a vacation. I do not even know what to bring.”

“We’ll help you pack.” Kaldur offered, gallantly. “And Wyynde has already offered to house sit.”

“He’s not coming with?” Delphis was surprised. Since Kaldur’s sabbatical, the two hardly went anywhere without each other if they could avoid it.

“He has work.”

“And this is the Durham Family Vacation.” Calvin said, then winked at his son, “And he’s not family quite yet.”

Kaldur hid his face behind his hands while Sha’lain’a hugged Delphis and reassured her, “Besides, we’ll send pictures.”

A week later, Wyynde unlocked the Durham’s Shayeris home, fed their aldrovanda, vacuumed the scum, and checked on their snail before getting a message on his communicator. He opened it instantly. Each day for the last six days, he’d received similar messages, and a smile reached his face before the pictures even loaded. Today, the family was in the Pudget Sound. In one photo, Delphis waved–beaming with her grin and her luminescent scales–from the back of a baby orca. In the next, the family posed with goofy faces in front of spawning Chinook salmon. One was a selfie where Delphis pointed ecstatically at a beaver dam the family had stumbled across. The last one from downtown Lemuria was his favorite, though, as Calvin, Sha’lain’a, Kaldur, and Delphis squeezed into frame as one big, happy family.

[oldguardhc]

Old Guard hc #70

Prompt number: 29 - “Back up!”

Fandom: The Old Guard

Rating: PG-13

Warnings/Tags: Andy, joe x nicky, Nile, Booker, crack

AN: @sunshineandchemistry i did it. Based off this post 

“Wait, bring it back up!” Nicky says, grinning at him. It’s creeping Booker out, if he’s honest. The only time Nicky smiles that wide is when Joe says something sappy about how Nicky is his moon and stars or some shit. Booker reluctantly opens safari again, and tilts his head to stare at Nicky expectantly when google finishes loading. “Your email, check it.”

Booker narrows his eyes at the man but complies. “Did you fall for one of those scams and put my email down?” He’s made Nicky countless emails for him to use for that specific purpose. If he’s putting Booker’s email down, they’re going to have a serious problem. He’s got everything organized into folders and a bunch of spam is going to ruin his sorting rules.

“I don’t click on those links anymore,” Nicky huffs. Booker will believe that when the man stops getting random calls at all times of the day. “I sent you something!”

He did.

Booker opens the email, and really? Why did Nicky think he would care about gardening techniques? “I don’t garden,” Booker says. “I don’t even have a lawn.”

“Click the link!”

“I don’t want to read about pruning leaves.”

“Click it!” Nicky urges, lightly shoving him.

Booker slaps his hand. “Why?”

“Just read it!”

Booker rolls his eyes and clicks the damn link. He wants Nicky to go away already and bother someone else with his weirdness. It takes a second for his browser to load and then trashy 80s drums are blaring out of his laptop speakers.

When Booker glances at Nicky, his grin has gotten impossibly wider. Jesus, it’s all teeth at this point. He feels like he’s going to get eaten any moment now. “Your link is broken.”

“You’ve been rick-rolled!” Nicky says, with the glee of a two year-old who just got five cookies bigger than their head. Booker blinks at him. That means absolutely nothing to him. “Have you been living under a rock?”

Shit, talk about brutal. “I’ll keep this in mind when I’m forging your passport next time.”

Andy’s phone chimes from her back pocket. She cleanly sweeps her opponent’s legs out and smirks as he makes a loud slap against the mats. He taps the mat twice, letting out a loud groan as he rolls onto his hands and knees. “Jesus, you’re something else,” he pants. “I’m going to be sore for days.”

“You’re the one who wanted to spar,” she reminds him, and pulls out her phone. It’s a text message from Nicky. She hasn’t heard from him in a week; Joe’s the one who’s been sending the daily check-in’s since Nicky lost his phone in Singapore last month.

Guess they went back.

She opens the message and a redheaded kid in a blazer greets her.

“Fuck,” Andy spits, flipping the phone shut. She’s going to kill that little shit.

28 - Nicky

6 - Andy

—

Joe rolls his eyes as he’s redirected to the goddamn YouTube video. Nicky thinks he’s hilarious, sending him one of those misdirecting links every few months and Joe doesn’t have the heart to tell him that it stopped being funny four years ago. He responds with a crying laughing face emoji and a few seconds later, he receives several of the happy face emojis.

This time, when Joe rolls his eyes, it’s full of fondness, his lips stretching into a reluctant smile. He can’t believe he’s in love with such a dork.

—

Nile gapes at her computer screen. Rick Astley’s iconic voice is coming out of her shitty speakers and somehow in the last five minutes, she’s entered a parallel universe.

“Jesus, turn that shit off!” Booker groans, shoving a pillow over his face. Nile’s not too worried about his crankiness. She’s learned that he gets like that when he loses too much money to Nicky.

Nile closes that tab and there’s a blessed silence.

“I just got rick-rolled by Nicky,” Nile says, staring at the innocent purple link that’s telling her to learn more about Picasso’s last work of art.

“Congratulations, you’re officially part of the family,” Booker says. “You’ve met Nicky-the-troll, the black sheep of this tiny family.”

Nile’s face scrunches up. What the fuck?

[actualbird]

Hearing that there are people who've never seen pigeons before took me tf out because I thought they were just. Common everywhere????? And then you say you rarely see them but Singapore has a bunch and. Is Singapore just where all the pigeons went figfyif istg the only bird I see more than pigeons here are mynas. Anyway yes pigeons are ridiculously lazy here there's this one area where I stay where pigeons congregate for literally no reason and they will not move unless someone literally walks into the group it's ridiculous. On the bright side it makes birdwatching pigeons easy. There are a few cool doves around and one or two neat little patterned pigeons.

🌌

heyyo, milkyway!! and kjbJKJKJGKSD ALL THE PIGEONS IN THE PHILIPPINES WENT TO SINGAPORE!!!!

tbh i dont know why there arent too many pigeons here, ur right, theyre very common Everywhere. the most common bird you'll see here is the eurasian tree sparrow, the bird in my profile picture! i love them so much, theyre so tiny and annoying and i love to see them wiggle in the dirt for a dust bath. im lucky tho that there are nearby forested areas and bc of that i get to see common colorful birds as well. in our garden, we often have olive backed sunbirds visiting!!!! always in pairs, too!! theyre married <3

i am so glad pigeons are lazy in different places of the world. i assumed they were lazy in singapore just because they looked Very Well Fed, A Little Bit Too Well Fed TBH, but maybe it's a personality thing in pigeons. after all, in the urban ecosystem, nothing is eating them so they dont need to feel fear. theres no danger. birdwatching pigeons would be so frigging easy but omfg, what r u gonna watch them DO?? theyre just gonna

stand there LMAO

DOVES R PRETTY!!! and yessss cool pigeon patterns are also cool, i like to think thats like, the shiny variant ala pokemon. rare sighting.

the hardest bird ive ever birdwatched was a pair of migrating peregrine falcons. a pair (or more) would always migrate to the forest on my college campus yearly. theyd nest in the cellphone signal tower and when u got near that tower, the grass would be littered with the bones of the prey theyve eaten. super hard to birdwatch cuz like, peregrine falcons?

theyre the animal that can achieve the fastest speed in the entire animal kingdom

their hunting style is to fly up real high and then DIVE, catching smaller birds completely unaware

and they can reach up to 200+ miles per hour

TRYNA SEE THAT THRU BINOCULARS IS HARD AS HELL, but it's glorious to watch without the binoculars. just this comet of an animal piercing through the sky

man.....I RLLY MISS BIRDWATCHING.....

[coreastories]

The Ribbon

Interlude in Days and Nights of Forever (AO3)

Directly follows Corea News: Outstanding Royals: The King’s Birthday

Pieces of Paper and The Morning Before apparently affected me more than I realized 

Let’s have an interlude. This is smut-fluff. I just need some fluffy sweetness between husband and wife. 

Tae-Eul felt tears rise in her eyes as Gon kissed her heatedly. In the back of her head, very very far back, she knew Jangmi and Yeong were in the car with them and probably trying not to see them, but she didn’t care. 

Gon’s thumbs wiped the tears that spilled past her eyelashes without stopping his kiss, and he moved from her lips to her cheeks, peppering her face with kisses. She loved his breath against her skin, his lips, the wet heat of his tongue when he drew her earlobe into his mouth.

“I missed you,” he whispered against her ear. “Did you miss me?”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him tighter.  

She took her turn in kissing his cheeks, his eyelids, his forehead, both sides of his nose, which made him chuckle against her. She pressed her lips to his, bit his lower lip, and soothed it with another kiss. Then she snuggled against him, leaning on his side and shoulder, their arms intertwined between them. He pressed his cheek against her head. She held his hand with both of hers in her lap.

The drive didn’t last that long. When the car stopped, Gon didn’t wait for someone to open his door. He pushed it open and gently pulled her with him. 

Yeong had driven them straight to the pocket garden and the French doors that led to their study. Once inside, Gon removed his coat. He pulled Tae-Eul against him and just held her like that, his arms crossed around her back, hands at her waist. Tae-Eul pressed her cheek against his cashmere, loving the feel of being completely wrapped in him. 

She could hear his heart beating. 

“How are you?” “I’m fine. Have you eaten?”

“Before the flight.” She felt him kiss her hair. “I should take a bath.” 

Tae-Eul leaned back in their embrace and smiled up at him. “Let’s get you into a bath then.”

The hallways leading to their room were already emptied. Between the study and their bedroom, Gon had completely undone her bun and made her slightly unsteady so he had to support her the last few steps to their door. 

He didn’t let go until her knees locked again underneath her. He looked entirely too pleased about that. Tae-Eul slapped him on the shoulder and then used the same hand to fan her face as she pushed off him to the en suite. She kicked off her shoes on the way there. 

She turned on the taps at the tub. He was right behind her, already barefooted. She turned to him and pulled his turtleneck out of his trousers and then up, over his head. She let the black cashmere drop on the floor because he had already tugged her for another kiss, another hug, and she ran her hands over his skin, loving the familiar heat and… electricity. She could swear her fingertips were tingling. So she pressed them gently against his skin to soothe them. 

She felt water lap against her feet. 

“Oh!” 

He held her arm and waist firmly as she dove to turn off the taps. They laughed and he kept his hold on her as she dumped his bath salts in the water. 

“Get in there and get clean.” 

“Join me?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

As she expected, he shook his head ruefully. “No. Not safe. Wait for me.” He led her back to their bedroom, not letting go of her hand until she was on dry floor. She smiled at him and pushed him in the direction of the tub. 

She retrieved her shoes, went to their walk-in wardrobe, and changed out of her dress. He’d been gone for two weeks. It was the longest they’d been apart, not counting certain circumstances. 

Two weeks. That meant she no longer had to think or second-guess putting on a particular floor-length, silk nightgown. It was a Queens Day gift from Seung-ah, and Tae-Eul hadn’t taken it out of the box since she first opened the gift. 

Now, however, two weeks was enough to give her the gumption to wear this. 

And it wasn’t bad. In all honesty, it was gorgeous. 

It draped and fell to the floor in shiny black silk. The neckline was a deep V, accentuating that yes, her breasts had grown bigger since her pregnancy. The nightgown covered her to the ankles and wrists, but the entire thing was held together under her breasts by nothing more than a slender strip of white silk chiffon ribbon, stark against the black silk. 

Seung-ah had said it was like giving the king a present to unwrap.

Tae-Eul blushed and turned away from the mirror before she changed her mind. 

It was his birthday. 

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

Gon felt Tae-Eul return to the bathroom before he saw her. He opened his mouth to tell her to be careful of the wet floor but his words died in his throat when she came into sight. 

She looked like a goddess. 

He loved her in sheer, billowing sleeves like that, because he knew the softness of the arms underneath.

He loved the gown hinting at her waist, because he knew how tiny it was, even now that she was pregnant, and knew the delicious curves of that waist flaring to her hips. 

He loved the lapels of that gown over the little bean just starting to show now. 

And that ribbon. 

His hand twitched.  

He exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he was holding when Tae-Eul sat at the ledge of the tub. 

“How was it?” 

“What?” 

He sounded completely gormless even to his own ears. 

She laughed. “Singapore. Did you get everything done to your satisfaction? When we last talked, you said the Minister of Finance was tricky.”

He just stared at those pink lips and his eyes were also drawn to the ribbon, the ends fluttering with Tae-Eul’s slightest movement. 

He groaned when Tae-Eul leaned forward and scrubbed his neck and behind his ears with the sponge. She was biting her lips, amused. The water was clear. There was no hiding what she’d done to him. 

He gently grabbed her hand. “Let me finish this. Don’t get your gown wet.” 

“I’m going to take it off anyway.”

He stared at her audacity and then grinned when she predictably blushed. “I should go away more often.”

“No.” 

With that, she rose from the tub ledge. And his hand seemed to have a mind of its own. Gon watched it rise and snag the end of that ribbon. 

The bow came apart and he watched again, mesmerized, as the black silk gaped to give him a glimpse of a swath of skin at her middle, before she caught the fabric in her hands and walked away from him, without retying the ribbon. 

She was biting her lip as she walked away, looking back at him saucily but laughing at herself almost immediately. 

She was adorable and she was a goddess and Gon had never rinsed after a bath so fast. 

He dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. 

When he made it to their bedroom, Tae-Eul sat facing him on the bench in front of their bed. She had knotted the ribbon. 

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

Tae-Eul watched her husband take long strides to where she sat. The way he looked at her made her blood pound in her ears. 

When he was in front of her, he paused, and then dropped down beside her on the bench. 

“Are you trying to kill me?” he said, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her against him, his hands running up and down her back over the silk. 

She laughed, half-embarrassed, half-thrilled. 

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,” he said against the shell of her ear, kissing her there and on her neck. “I love you. You are so beautiful.” 

Then he stood up and pulled her to the bed. He sat down while he kept her standing between his knees. 

With his eyes on hers, he pulled both ends of the ribbon. 

The nightgown pretty much stayed put. Tae-Eul rather thought it should have been nudged away by how hard her heart was beating in her chest. 

Then she drew a sharp intake of breath when she felt his fingers brush the skin near her breast, and another as he gently lifted the lapels of the gown and she felt the cool air on her skin. 

His eyes were still locked on hers. But once the edges of the gown were at her shoulders, his eyes moved to sweep down her body. 

His hands went to her waist, touching her too lightly, so she placed her hands over the silk to press her hands more firmly against her skin, smiling at him. He smiled back. 

“How long have you been planning this gift?”

As if she wasn’t trembling from the heat of his gaze, she scrunched her nose. “I just happened to have this nightgown.”

He grinned and drew her to sit on his lap. He kissed her cheek, nuzzling it while his hands caressed her waist and belly. 

When his hands--finally-- went to her breasts, he gently cupped them, his thumbs stroking the sides. He looked at them and said, “Do they feel okay now?” 

Tae-Eul nodded and told him with her eyes that they were more than okay, that they should be touched more than he was currently touching them. And he always did read her mind. His hands moved in a firmer squeeze and his thumbs brushed both nipples. Her breathing sped up and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with more urgency than all their languid kisses so far. 

Reading her mind again, he scooped her up and placed her on the bed. 

She watched him dispose of his towel in one swift movement. Then he was gently rearranging her on the bed, moving her so that her head was on the pillows, and then and only then did he finally press her down into the mattress, embracing her with his entire body. 

She had missed this. Missed him. She wrapped both arms around him, loving the feel of the silk on her arms, and the heat of his skin against it. She was still technically wearing the nightgown. It was simply open at the front, baring her to him, and he kissed her everywhere that wasn’t covered in silk. 

He paused to check on her when he suckled on her left nipple. With his lips wrapped around her and his eyes looking at her with that soft gaze, she could do nothing but nod and make a needy noise, because she was beginning to ache and need him. 

“Are you-- are you going to check on me every time you do something?”

He smiled softly, his eyes affectionate and heated at the same time. When he spoke, his voice was in that low timber that made her chest tight. “Your breasts hurt before. Does anything else hurt?” 

“Nothing, nothing hurts.” When he teased her with light touches, she said, “Lee Gon, don’t make me hurt you.” 

His soft smile turned wider, and she smiled, loving his boyish grin. She pulled him toward her so she could kiss that grin. They both groaned against each other’s mouths because everything else met as their lips met, and they could both feel how ready she was. 

Without checking this time, he simply slid home, and she gasped against his lips as he eased into her inch by glorious inch. 

When he had sunk to the hilt, he was looking at her, checking again, so she kissed him and rocked her hips, telling him clearly what he should put his mind to. And he did just that, sliding his arms around her shoulders and his elbows bracing there beside her head as they started a steady rhythm. 

She stroked his hair. It was wet at the ends from his bath. And she could smell the musky, earthy, and clean, sharp scent of the patchouli and vetiver in his bath salts. She had been sniffing that bath salt for the past two weeks, but it wasn’t the same. 

He only smelled like him when the scent was on him. 

“I missed you so much.” 

“I missed you.” 

“I thought of this. Every. Time. I. Went. To. Bed.”

“We were video calling every time.” 

“That’s why.” 

They both giggled, though their expressions quickly morphed to something else and she gasped and closed her eyes at a particularly heavenly thrust. And Gon being Gon, missing nothing, he did it again, and again, rendering her speechless and mindless. 

He pressed his lips against her neck, and she dug her fingers against his scalp, loving the closeness, loving the feel of him in her arms and inside her. 

“Are you falling asleep?”

“No.” She had been very tired the last few months, but she wasn’t now. Not right now. Not when she hadn’t seen him for two weeks. She smiled without opening her eyes, and turned her head to catch his lips with hers. 

Then she had to wrench her mouth away from his when she was close, and she cried out when she came. 

She kissed him again even while she still trembled, anchoring herself to him through the kiss. 

Gon had a look of concentration now. He was looking at her, and he had slowed his pace. 

She clung to him and groaned as he lifted her up, kept them married, and stood from the bed. Then he gently laid her on her back on the bed, with her hips at the edge. This move separated them and her arms flopped down bonelessly beside her. 

She watched him as he tied the ribbon of her gown loosely under her breast. Very loosely. The edges of the gown didn’t even meet; they remained at her shoulders and at her sides framing her rather than covering her. 

He nodded in satisfaction. “I love that ribbon.”

Then he lifted her thighs around his hips and thrust back inside.

Tae-Eul gasped and reached for him, but he stayed just out of arms’ reach standing over her and starting a relentless pace. She balled the sheets in her hands and hung on. 

She watched him watch her. “What do you think about when you look like that?”

He expelled breath. “Like what, like I’m trying to give you another orgasm and you keep interrupting me?”

She laughed between her sharp intakes of breath. “Yes.”

“Math equations.” 

She would have laughed again but her breath hitched in her throat and she closed her eyes and groaned. Maybe that did it, or maybe he just couldn’t really stay away from her for long. She soon felt the warm weight of his torso against her, his hair falling over his brow as he leaned in to kiss her, bracing himself on his arms on either side of her head. 

She held him close and gasped softly against his ear with each thrust of his hips, his cock brushing and stroking her differently in this position, and it was so good, so good, and she had really missed him. 

She felt him stiffen and thrust hard with his release. On the fourth thrust, another orgasm rolled through her.  

They both just held each other for long moments, kissing languidly and sharing each other’s air. Then he gently withdrew and climbed into bed, pulling her along with an arm behind her knees until she was fully back on the bed with his arms around her and one leg over both of hers. 

“I really did hate being away,” he said, looking at her with heavy-lidded eyes. 

She laid a hand on his cheek, poking his dimple when he smiled. “Me too.” 

“I won’t do that again for awhile, not until you can come with me.” 

“Well, that will be quite a while.” 

He grinned and kissed her. “Did you like your surprise?”

She scrunched her nose. "It was cheesy. I can't believe you did that in public." 

They laughed.

[misscrawfords]

Get To Know Me Asks: 15, 52, 81, 83, 97

Thank you! <3

15. Do you have a green thumb or a black thumb?

Black, for real. My garden is an absolute disaster and embarrassment and I kill all my plants. It's actually something that really bothers me and feels like a symbol of my ineptitude at living alone and "adulting" that my garden is so terrible. ANYWAY, after 3 years of hating everything to do with it and being stressed out about it, I finally called a gardener today and he's coming around on Tuesday to discuss redoing it and designing it and turning it into something nice and more manageable for someone as incompetent as I am. (I sort of feel that people might expect me to be green fingered from IDK the sort of interests and vibes I give off but... I am very much not.)

52. Hot or cold weather?

Hot weather, probived I'm in a climate that understands hot weather, i.e. has air con and where the food is suitable for hot weather and the day is structured suitably. Hot weather in England is the worst because our buildings are designed to keep heat in not keep it out, but heat in Singapore, Bangkok, Israel is much more doable. I mean, I'm not talking about 40+ degrees, but yeah, give me some sun and heat and pretty dresses and no coats and long days. I'm rather devastated by the onset of autumn. Soon winter is coming with darkness and cold and misery. I don't get why people are happy about this.

81. What books influenced you most as a child?

Hmm, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, Pride and Prejudice, and the Tintin books probably.

83. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? (or other accessory if you don’t wear any)

I have an opal necklace I bought in the opal mines of Cuber Pedy in Australia and I love it because it's so pretty and because it reminds me of that extraordinary place. A couple of years later, once I'd got my ears pierced, I bought some stud opal earrings from a village in Provence while on choir tour that could honestly be part of a set with the necklace they match so well and I love them too for the memories and the prettiness as well!

97. Are you more of a planner or a spontaneous adventurer?

A bit of both really, though erring on the side of caution. I get stressed out if I don't know what I'm doing so I would always plan my travel and accommodation in advance and have a reasonable idea what I'm going to do when I'm there, but then I leave flexibility to fine tune the details with what I feel like at the time. I once went to Greece with some friends and we rocked up into a village by a lake without having booked accommodation in advance and they were fine with it but I was hiding my deep stress with that until we found somewhere! And if I have complicated travel arrangements to deal with, I plan that meticulously in advance so I know all my timings, exactly where I need to go and when and how I'm going to get there. It ends up meaning I'm a very calm traveller no matter the complications because I've done my research in advance. (I love planning travel - it's something I've really missed in the pandemic. And I've led and organised school trips in Britain and abroad so this travel organisation thing is really built in! A while ago I interned in a music agency and a lot of what I had to do was make travel bookings for the artists so I learned a lot there.)

However, over-planning every activity also stresses me out. Obviously, if there's something specific I definitely want to do like a particular exhibition that requires advance booking or a museum that is crowded if you arrive after 9am then that requires thought and preparation. But I think regimenting everything spoils a holiday. Some of the best moments in travel are just wandering aimlessly round a beautiful city or taking a break to read a book in a cafe or seeing a sign for something intriguing and following your nose to something you hadn't previously known about. If you're on too strict a schedule to see too much too quickly then that's not relaxing, that's hard work and defeats the point IMO.

Thanks for letting me rabbit on about travelling. :) Gah, I miss it!

Get to know me asks

[daybreak-delusion]

Chapter 1

Introduction: Whitney Goodwinson was planning on inheriting one of her deceased grandmother's properties, but not a little house off the coast of North Carolina.  As she struggles to meet new people, fix up her new property, deal with troublemaker JJ Maybank, and perfect her grandmother's infamous lemonade she might just find that the Outer Banks has more to offer than it seems.

Series Masterlist

It was just like a regular family gathering. Aunt Elizabeth was wearing something that was completely inappropriate for a 50-year-old, cousin Will was shaking from cocaine withdrawals, and my mother was whispering more family gossip into my ear. Not the best circumstances for my grandmother's funeral, but she wouldn’t have expected much from us.

“This is ridiculous,” Mother hissed/whispered into my ear, “your grandmother always said that she wanted white roses not white lilies at her funeral,” she finally finished, sitting up straight in her chair. I just kept staring ahead trying to ignore the fact that my family is insane. Grandmother was the only thing keeping us all together and after her will reading, we would probably never see each other again. Allow me to explain, Grandfather was the highest paying heart surgeon in the L.A. county by the age of 30. He met my grandmother at a yacht club off the coast of North Carolina and I guess it was love at first sight. A load of bull that was, Grandfather had countless affairs and they barely stayed in the same home together. I guess that’s love.

“As we celebrate the life of Victoria Goodwinson, daughter, mother, and friend, we ask that the family come forward with their flowers,” said the perspiring priest gesturing towards the first row to step up.

“Come on,” grunted Father, leaving a laughable sweat mark on his seat. Honestly, who picked black for the color of death and why did Grandmother have to die in June? Whatever, we all got up and gathered our white roses, which triggered another comment from Mother, and headed to the casket. I adjusted my black dress and moved my straightened brown hair over my shoulder. I could tell from the look on my mother's face and the sweat on the back of my neck that my hair was probably frizzing up and going back to its waves. There goes another hour of straightening down the drain. Just like we practiced Uncle Richard and Aunt Elizabeth's family went first, followed by Uncle Charles and Aunt Anne’s family, and finally our little whirlwind. Oldest to youngest, straight backs, and mournful looks on our faces. Sadly this meant that I would have to hold a sad face and stand with my shoulders back the longest. By the time it was my turn I had started seeing black dots. I placed my rose on top of the others and actually started to think about Grandmother for the first time since she died. It’s not like I was granddaughter of the year or anything but I still felt a close connection with Grandmother. She would always talk about her glamorous life in London, New York, and Singapore, the Channel fashion shows, and the exquisite champagne imported from Paris. She was the only adult that let me drink in her presence, so she was basically my favorite human being and ultimate role model. Then about two years ago Grandfather died. After that, she stowed away to the place where they met, and then she died. Snapping back to reality I realized the service was over. Let the games begin.

My relatives looked like lions chained up in a meat locker. We were all in the family mansion in L.A. patiently waiting for the attorney to show up. As patient as a bunch of spoiled rich children can. When the clock struck four minutes past 3 Uncle Richard started to pace, causing Aunt Elizabeth to convince him to sit down which caused an argument which caused an awkward feeling to rise in the room. Normal stuff. Thankfully the attorney walked in right as Uncle Richard was criticizing my father's necktie after he tried to stop him from throwing a vase. Everyone quickly shut up and put on their best phony smiles. This was it the real reason we all left our luxurious homes and spent 3 hours in the hot blistering California sun, the will. Now, Grandfather has left all of his assets to Grandmother and hopefully, the most valuable assets will be given to MY family. Personally I was hoping to be given her flat in London. Every summer I would spend a month there walking through the gardens, having tea in ancient places, and just spending time with her. It was my favorite city in the world and I couldn't wait to live there.

“Thank you all for gathering here today for the reading of Mrs. Victoria Goodwinson’s will and testament,” said the monotone attorney, “please save your questions for the end of the reading I’d like to begin.”

I kinda zoned out the beginning, but then he started with the good stuff.

“The mid-size private jet, Amazon shares, New York apartment residence and all that is in it, and a 5 million dollar allowance goes to Mr. Charles and Mrs. Anne Goodwinson,” continued the attorney, his voice becoming a little hoarse from all of the talking. Uncle Charles and Aunt Anne looked satisfied with their lot.

“The large size private jet, the L.A. mansion and all that is in it, and a 5 million dollar allowance goes to Mr. Henry and Mrs. Mary Goodwinson.”

I know Mother was hoping for the yacht that was given to Uncle Richard and Aunt Elizabeth, but getting the L.A. house, the house that Grandmother and Grandfather lived in, was enough to make her satisfied. The mansion had countless paintings that could sell for millions, plus the location was ideal and would sell for double what Grandfather had originally bought it for. 

“Now for the client’s grandchildren,” said Mr. get-to-the-point finally getting to the point “to Mr. William Speakman the London flat and a 2.5 million allowance is given.”

I just sat there in shock. What?! Are you kidding me? Crackhead Willy got the London flat and not me! This is absurd. Despite my outrage, I kept a smile on my face and my shoulders back.

“And finally to our last recipient, Mrs. Whitney Goodwinson…”

I leaned forward a bit just waiting for what the old man was gonna say. Since I wasn’t getting the London flat, maybe Grandmother had a secret cottage in the French countryside or another apartment in Italy. Anything would have been better than what Mr. bad news Bob said next.

“The Outer Banks, North Carolinian residence and a 3.5 million allowance will be given. This closes the end of the reading of the will and testament. Any questions can be asked now.”

Oh boy did I have questions. First off what the hell was Grandmother thinking. Outer Banks!? A dingy island that I had never been too?! I had never heard Grandmother speak of it and had to find out from Father that it was the island where Grandmother first met Grandfather. That meant it was also the place where she died, which did not seem right.

“Whitney she didn’t die in the house, she died in a hospital on the mainland,” said Mother while lighting a cigarette, a “once in a while” habit of hers. We were on the balcony of my parents’ new mansion looking over the Los Angeles skyline. Mother and Father wasted no time kicking everyone out and moving into their new home. In the distance, I could see the sun setting into the Pacific Ocean. It hurt me that in a few hours I would be leaving this perfect place and would be looking at a completely different ocean on the other side of the country in a town where I didn’t know anybody and was unfamiliar with. “And don’t complain it was your grandmother's dying wish to give you her old shack in North Carolina, the least you could do is visit it before you sell it.”

“Fine,” I said rolling my eyes, “I just hope someone is willing to buy.”

“Don’t worry honey we already have a list of possible buyers and I have a personal friend who’s a realtor there who said that she’d help you out. I told her you would be arriving tomorrow and she’s gonna come by the house.” Ah yes, my mother ladies and gents all ready setting up people for me to meet. I swear she knows people in every state, but at least I’ll have help selling the shack.

“You’re sure I can’t take the private jet?” I pleaded with my best “please take pity on me because I got screwed out of a London flat” face.

“Honey you know that your father and I need to go to Sweden to pick out new furniture for the house. Flying first class will be fine and I’m sorry you have to take a red-eye, but it was so last minute You know what’s funny? Your father and I already had a plane ticket to London for you,” she laughed, “we were so sure the flat was yours!” I did not in fact think it was funny.

“Yeah me too,” I said miserably.

“It’ll be fine honey, who knows,” she said snuffing out her cigarette,” you might even like it there.”

I highly doubt that.

 a/n: First chapter is finally up! Thank you for reading and not dropping out after the first sentence! Second chapter should be up shortly, for the time being I’m going to be posting two chapters at a time every other day. I figure this will motivate me even more to write! I am so excited for you guys to see where the story goes and all of its twists and turns! Stay tuned for the next chapter! 

[akosimaren11]

TRAVEL BLOG: Admiring the Land of Unexpected Treasures

When I was a kid, I always dreamt of traveling around the world exploring every countries and admiring its wonders. That’s why my happiness was overflowing when my mother surprised me for my 13th birthday. She bought me a ticket together with my grandma to this crazy magical place once nicknamed as the ‘Fine City’, Singapore.

I was very excited that I packed my things a week before our trip; I was very excited that I didn’t even slept properly the night before it. We will spend the next 4 days in Singapore and those were one of the greatest days of my life.

[Day 1] Flawless

When we arrived at the Changi Airport, I couldn’t help to be fascinated with every details and features it has. Once we got out of the plane, the cool and moderate weather of the city hugs me. While we were walking at the aisle of the airport, I couldn’t take my eyes of the signboards featuring the things that the airport can offer. Those include the movie theatre, swimming pool, arcade, the garden, the tallest slide in the world that is located in an airport, and the fitness oasis. Unfortunately, we were in a hurry so didn’t got the chance to explore all of those spots. But at least I got to see the famous butterfly garden where over 40 species of butterfly is located, I remember how I named one of them ‘Mariposa’ because of its wings that is similar to my favorite fairy character at that time. The airport simply an art, with its flawless construction, sculptures, paintings, photo galleries, the music that fits the vibe of the place, and the cool kinetic chandeliers that moves synchronously.

The first day was spent with us spending most of our time resting in the hotel and planning for the next day’s destination and all. We stay at the ‘The Hotel Boss’, the place was very accommodating and neat. We got a nice view from the glass windows which were the Arab street, the lake, the museum and the mosques/churches that surround the place.

[Day 2] Taste of Heavens

In the morning, we decided to explore the place and we found the spa, which my grandmother enjoyed so much, the hidden garden and of course the hotel’s indoor pool. Swimming was not a very good idea at that time because the water was very cold but we still did. The manager told us that there is a free breakfast buffet for the entire guest so after swimming, we went straight into the hotel’s restaurant. I remember how embarrass I was when we walked In. We are still wet, wearing bathrobes with just our swimming suits inside and the slippers that were provided by the hotel. People there are all wearing either their casual attires or office attires. They all looked very formal and classy, though they didn’t seem to be bothered by us. I went in the buffet table and there are loads and loads of mouthwatering foods. There are multicultural foods but I am not very familiar with everything so instead, I got myself three bowls of different cereals, and topped them with a lot of whipped cream flavored strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. There is also a station for DIY sandwiches so I made myself one with a ham, chicken cuts, tomato and mayonnaise. I also drowned myself with sweets; the restaurant was very kind that he let me take home some candies, so I did. I took sour candies, lollipops, sweat candies, gummy candies and many more.

That day, we decided to go to the ‘Bugis Street Market’ where many shops, café, bars, and food stalls are located. I was craving over every food that I see as we were walking down the street. We decided to buy some souvenirs and chocolates for my friends and family. My mom treats us with street foods that are famous in the city like the fish-shaped bread filled with either chocolate, read beans or ice cream and the fresh fruit juices. For lunch, we went to the Landmark City (Restaurant) which is managed by my mama’s boyfriend at that time. The restaurant is offering halal foods from different cuisines across the region. I tried a Hainanese delicacy like the chicken rice that has a tender chicken meat that is boiled, over white rice and a sauce of your choice. I also tried Indian spicy egg omelet which I didn’t like so much because of its strong taste coming from its different ingredients and seasonings, the Arabian shawarma which I loved because of the reach taste of the beef and the sauce together with some vegies, and of course the ‘Milo Dino’. I will never forget that giant beverage because I really enjoyed it the most. It consist of milo shake as the bottom layer, followed by a layer of milo ice cream, milo cookie crumb at the top of it, milo choco powder over it and the milo syrup for its final touch. I will never forget how it tastes like a dream, it was very sweet though. One thing that I noticed in Singapore was there were milo products and advertisements everywhere and it was very cheap, some stores even give milo chocolate drinks for free.

[Day 3] No regrets

Our last day to have a tour around the city. In the morning, we went at a place called ‘Lucky Plaza’ which is nicknamed as the ‘Philippines of Singapore’. We ate our breakfast in a Filipino restaurant and I was surprise by the amount of ‘kababayans’ in there. It feels like home, hearing strangers speak your language in a different country. After eating we just walked around the place and bought some gifts to take home. We also went in the notable places in Singapore like the Marina Bay in which tourist spots like the Manila Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and Singapore Flyers are located. We rode the bumboat through the Singapore River up to the famous Merlion.  And then after that, we went in a station where we rode a cable car which was the first time that I’ve experienced in my life. Almost everything was made from glass so you can have a 360 view of the whole city. We stopped in the station near Resort’s World Singapore where the well-known Universal Studios Singapore is located. The place was indeed great! There are many themes in each side of the area. We rode different rides including The Mummy, Madagascar, Transformers (3D), and Jurassic Park. My mama’s boyfriend bought us a smoked turkey’s leg while waiting in queue which tastes really great! It was my first time to try that too. We got a VIP ticket but it was such a waste for me because we didn’t use much of it. Most of the rides are closed and reconditioned. Our last stop for the day was the water show in Sentosa, they featured the movie ‘Frozen’ that night so I really enjoyed it.

[Day 4] Every Little Thing

Our last day in Singapore was mostly checking out the hotel and spending the day at the airport. It was very comfortable to hang around the lounges with free snacks and even buffet and enjoying every little thing that the airport can offer.

 Our overall trip in Singapore was very memorable. I can say that it is a perfect place for those people who love arts, cool architectures, multicultural cuisine, and those who like to spend cheap. I will definitely go back if given a chance. Lastly, I recommend bringing extra batteries for your cameras, and charge your phone full. There are many available charging spots in Singapore but you won’t like to spend your time waiting for your device than just walking around and enjoying the place’ wonders.

[iuinspires]

Love Poem in Singapore: My Second IU Concert

On 6 Dec 2019, I was blessed with the opportunity of seeing IU perform live for the second time at her Love Poem concert tour in Singapore.

I must confess that in some ways, things didn't go smoothly for me: ticketing was somewhat traumatic, because the tickets for the original 7 Dec Saturday show sold out within an hour of release, even before I had logged on to the site (sorry for underestimating your popularity, IU!); after I secured a Friday ticket, I couldn't help fretting about whether I could get to the concert venue from work on time; when I reached the concert hall, I realised I had missed out on collecting the SG Heart IU fan support items and the free IU postcard from the concert organizer; and towards the end of the show, my phone ran low on storage and battery so I couldn't take further audio recordings.

Yet there was a silver lining to everything: getting a Friday ticket turned out to be blessing in disguise because of a family commitment cropping up which would have made attending the Saturday show a challenge; my day at work turned out to be fairly peaceful and productive, so I did leave work on time; not having the fan support items prompted me to initiate a conversation with a fellow uaena; and not being burdened with the need to record everything allowed me to focus purely on enjoying the show. Above all, no number of minor obstacles could detract from the wonderful experience of seeing IU again. So let me try once again to document my precious memories, before they slowly fade with the passing of time.

Pre-concert

So on the fateful day of 6 Dec, I woke with a feeling of great joy and anticipation; all day at work, it took supreme discipline to rein in my feelings of excitement to concentrate on my tasks. Thankfully, I left on time and rushed down to the concert venue from my workplace by train. As I walked from the train station to Star Vista, I was quite amused to spot a number of people selling (selfmade?) IU posters and merchandise along the roadside, but  refrained from stopping to avoid the risk of being late. It seemed that everyone around me was making their way to the concert as well, for they were all holding IU concert tickets or knick knacks.

As I was queuing to get to the concert hall, I took the chance to observe the profile of my fellow uaenas again. I noticed that compared to last year, where the nationalities of the concert goers were distinctly varied, this year's crowd seemed to be predominantly Singaporean - probably a direct result of IU having more Southeast Asian stops in this year's tour. It made me glad that IU did have a sizable Singaena fanbase after all, that was sufficiently large to sell out two days !

When I was seated in the hall, I realised that everyone except myself was holding on to IU postcards and fanchant guides. I was also puzzled about where the SG Heart IU fingerlights were, which I had assumed would be at the seats. I plucked up the courage to ask the fellow uaena next to me where she had got hers, and she said she had picked them at the bag check area (sorry SG Heart IU, for not reading admin instructions properly!) I spent the next few minutes feeling dismayed at the thought of not being able to being able to do my part for the fan support - but the feeling of disappointment was soon replaced by excitement when the IU band members made their way to the stage to screams from the crowd. There was no sign of IU yet though - until the fellow uaena next to me nudged me excitedly and said, "Look, I think that's her!" From our circle seats we had a fairly good view of the whole stage including the curtained areas, and there, indeed, was a familiar, petite figure peeking out from backstage. I don't think anyone else noticed though, or there would have been wild screams! My heart skipped a beat, and I was too dumbstruck with excitement to respond. (To my fellow uaena, if you are reading this, I'm sorry - I didn't mean to be rude!)

Opening segment

Before we knew it, the lights dimmed, and IU emerged on an elevated platform under a spotlight in the middle of the stage, singing the upbeat, cheery opening line of "unlucky" in her clear, sweet voice. She looked lovely and girlish with a white flower in her long, flowing tresses, clad in a soft, frilly yellow dress speckled with blue flowers (an image which for some reason was reminiscent of Lee Soon Shin to me.)

I guess for me, the opening is always one of the most emotional and special moments of an IU concert. For overseas fans like myself who hardly get to see IU, there is something incredibly surreal about seeing that familiar figure and hearing that familiar voice in person. I can still recall how overwhelmed I was when I saw IU for the first time at last year's concert - in fact I now associate the opening song "Red Shoes" with the feeling of euphoria, and for the same reason, "unlucky" will have a special place in my heart as well. The audience shared my joy too, for it went absolutely wild with rapturous screams at the sight of IU, and kept up with this energy level throughout the concert.

IU moved on to a lovely acoustic rendition of Palette, before greeting the audience in a mix of Korean and English. She introduced herself as "IU who loves so much Singapore" - an awkward turn of phrase, but all the more adorable because of that! She expressed her happiness at being in Singapore for a second time, and talked about how this was her favourite venue (because of the "atmosphere, sound, mood...and the colour of the chairs - very red"). She also made us raise our hands to indicate whether we were here last year, and when most of us did so, she marvelled at how we have "so much loyalty here in Singapore".

For the rest of the segment, she sang "Autumn Morning", "Friday" and "Secret Garden". I recall IU had mentioned in one of her concert stops in Korea that for the opening segment, she had deliberately chosen songs that would allow the audience to focus on her vocals. And indeed, the songs were perfect for showcasing the light and mellow side of her voice. Before singing Autumn Morning, she told us to imagine the following: "blue sky, the children, lovely family, lovely mum, lovely dad...lazy son" (to which everyone burst out laughing). And when she started singing the first two lines of the song acapella, her voice pure, clear and gentle, I did feel as though I had been transported to a temperate country on a crisp autumn morning with fresh air and bright sunlight.

The theme of nature continued with "Secret Garden", where IU stood in front of a gorgeous projection of lush greenery, and behind three panels of silvery light that seemed like cascading waterfalls. It was a breathtaking sight that complemented the beauty of the song and IU's voice, and created an enduring image which will always come to mind whenever I hear "Secret Garden" now. It was also a fitting end to the first segment with its mix of sweet, uplifting and lyrical ballads.

Segment two

One of things I admire most about IU as an artist is her versatility, and she demonstrated this in the second segment with a setlist that had a completely different mood and vibe from the first. If the first segment was about showcasing IU's light and sweet voice, the second part was a chance to show off the sultry and husky side of her vocals. She kickstarted the segment with "The Visitor", a slow but groovy number with edgy and sensuous vibes. It's my favourite song in IU's latest album, and hearing it live was absolutely thrilling! IU was dressed to match the mood as well, clad in a blouse with bold prints matched with a short black skirt, hidden teasingly beneath a loose, draping coat, and with a sparkly black beret and boots to complete the look.

For the rest of the segment, IU performed a mix of her more groovy tracks and lively dance numbers: "Jam Jam", "Twenty-Three", "BBIBBI", "Hold my Hand", "Last Night Story" and "Blueming". I generally gravitate towards IU's ballads, but I actually found myself enjoying this segment the most. Other than IU's charismatic and energetic stage presence, I was  buoyed by the audience's infectious enthusiasm; even for a reserved person like myself, it felt exhilarating to be singing and cheering along with a huge crowd, bound by our shared love for the little bean onstage. IU commended us for our high energy level as well, commenting a number of times on how passionate and "high-tensioned" Singaenas were and how enthusiastically everyone was waving their lightsticks. At some point she teased someone for waving her lightstick at two times the speed of everyone else - "Maybe your hand will be less painful if you sway it together with the audience". Our deafening fanchants for BBIBBI also prompted her to declare Singapore as "the hometown for BBIBBI".

Another notable moment was during "Blueming", where the the SG Heart IU fan event was pulled off successfully. The audience in the stall seats turned on their colour-changing rose-shaped lights, turning the concert hall into a beautiful illuminated field of multi-coloured flowers - a perfect tribute to the million blooming roses referenced in "Blueming". IU commented later that she had initially thought that the audience was waving her official lightstick, before realising that it was a fan event, which she described as "the cutest" ever, and very pretty. Even though I was a little sad that I wasn't part of the fan event, I felt really happy seeing how nice it looked, and how it brought a smile to IU's face.

Segment three

IU started off the third segment with the heartwarming singalong favourite Meaning of You, which the audience sang with great gusto. She looked elegant in a long-sleeved, ankle-length white dress that was old fashioned but classy - my favourite outfit for the night.

The highlight of this segment came when IU announced that she had a present for us - an idea which came to her only two days ago, and which the team had to prepare in a rush. The audience stirred with excitement, and I was filled with anticipation too, expecting a local song which IU typically prepares for her overseas concerts. But we were all in for a bigger surprise when IU said: "Please don’t think of me as a singer, but think of me as Jang Man Wol". She proceeded to seranade us with a medley of Hotel Del Luna OSTs ("Lean On Me", "All About You", "Remember Me", and most notably, "Happy Ending" with her self-written lyrics) while a video montage of Jang Man Wol and Goo Chan Sung moments played in the background. I was swooning internally, and I'm sure in the rest of the audience was too - especially the few ahjummas and ahjusshis I spied in the audience, whom I guessed might have been new fans from the drama!

After the medley ended, IU said her Korean fans would be really sad as she had never sung "Happy Ending" for them even when she requested it, and made us promise to keep this a secret from her K-uaenas. (Nice try, IU!) She also shared how close she was to the HDL team, whom she had watched Frozen 2 with recently, as well as her love and respect for Gummy (singer of Remember Me) - which hilariously created some confusion with the translation initially as the Korean pronunciation for "Gummy" also sounds like "spider".

IU then wrapped up this segment with two sentimental ballads - "Lullaby", and "Through the Night", another crowd favourite which I enjoyed singing along to as well. Before the last line - "I hope its a good dream", IU gently murmured "Singapore" - and for some reason that triggered a sudden surge of emotions in me. It brought to mind how two years ago, as a new fan, I wasn't sure if IU was even aware that she had fans in Singapore, and seeing her seemed all but a distant dream - and reminded me how lucky I was to have her here now, acknowledging our presence as fans.

Segment Four + Encore

IU returned in a sparkly dark coloured dress for the fourth segment, which began with "Sogyeokdong". IU commented that this was a song with underlying sadness, but Singaenas were still so excited that she coud not help excitedly waving her hands too - "I'm not a pro...Even when I'm singing ballads, I can't control myself". (It's ok to be slightly unprofessional at times IU, it makes us even happier when you are happy!)

"Sogyeokdong" was followed by "Red Shoes", which evoked a wave of nostalgia in me as it brought to mind the exciting opening for last year's concert. IU then said she would have to move on to the last song -  eliciting loud groans from the audience - to which IU chuckled and teased us for our "pro reaction". The purported last song was "Above the Time" - a song which I didn't like immediately when it was first released, but which I grew to love the more I listened to it. I have to add too, that it's a song that sounds absolutely amazing live, and gave me goosebumps listening to it then!

After IU left the stage, the audience promptly began to chant "encore" repeatedly. IU returned shortly after in a long gem-studded pink dress, laughing at how she didn't even have time to go to the washroom because of our immediate chants. She ended off with "Good Day" and her titular song "Love Poem", before leaving the stage.

Re-encore

A few audience members began to leave, but the vast majority were clearly seasoned fans who knew what to expect, for the loud chants for encore started again. After a brief interlude, the IU band members returned onstage, followed by IU, to wild cheers from the crowd. Being used to seeing IU's characteristically baggy shirts and oversized sweaters for her re-encores, I was surprised to see her dressed girlishly in a sweet cream-coloured sweater pulled over a pretty floral dress.

The re-encore started with "Heart", which IU sung with the audience, in keeping with uaena tradition. IU quipped that at overseas concerts, she enjoyed hearing the imperfect pronunciation of her international fans, but Singaenas were just too good in Korean. IU continued asking for song requests thereafter - but the screams were so loud I couldn't hear a thing! She settled on "Sleepless Rainy Night" (which I was delighted to hear), "Night of the First Breakup", before wrapping up with "Someday".

Post-concert reflections

The 2018 dlwlrma concert will always have a special place in my heart as my inaugural IU concert, but I think this year's Love Poem concert experience was even better.

For one, it felt more fun and intimate because IU was even more interactive with the audience this year. There were many hilarious moments - like when she teased a male fan for dancing very animatedly throughout the concert, and pronounced him the cutest guy in Singapore - or when she laughed at how a female fan responded to her in Korean when she spoke in English. The rapport between IU and the audience also felt even stronger this year - the audience demonstrated an energy level that seemed to surpass last year's - and you could see how IU in turn radiated with joy to see our enthusiasm. She regularly teased us about how loud we were, and at one point, also commented on how there seemed to be "no shade" in Singapore - meaning that everyone here seemed really happy. My heart was also full hearing her express her love for Singapore - she talked about her family holiday here in January this year, and how her brother liked it so much that he was seriously considering doing his exchange studies here (please do so, IU's brother!)

But above all, what I found most moving and meaningful was IU's introspective musings on sadness, happiness and love. She spoke of how during this year's concert tour, there was a bit of underlying sadness during each of her concert, but in today's concert, she was laughing all the way even for the sad songs, and there was no single space for sadness to come in. I felt a sense of relief hearing that - for prior to the concert, a part of me was worrying about how IU was coping with recent events - and whether she would be reining in her sadness to deliver the smiles and energy expected from her as a performer.

But I guess IU has always been a strong and resilient  person, and one to give love and provide healing words of comfort, as she did during my favourite part of her concert talk. I think paraphrasing her words might not do her justice, so let me just reproduce her words here:

"I come here only once a year so I don’t know in detail what kind of troubles you’re living with and what makes you sad, but I think that all people live with similar problems, similar troubles. Right? Anyway, when you feel dispirited and want to end everything, I wish that you think of our promise today: to meet me here next year. You have to remember! We promise. To meet here again next year, we will right? All promises are truly important right? Keep your promise! Day by day, if you live on breathing slowly, it will soon be next year, right? And I’ll come back again to make another promise, to meet here next year, and we keep our promise again, and again, and again, and again. Right? This will be easy. I’ll do it as well. Promise. I hope that today was a good day. I.. (hesitantly) love you."

IU went on to say that this was her first time saying I love you in English, and added, almost bashfully: "I adore you. I cherish you." When she said this, I felt my heart expand with a warm, fuzzy feeling of peace and joy.

Perhaps it was because of these uplifting words and IU's repeated reassurance that she would be back - and perhaps because the adrenaline from the infectious enthusiasm of my fellow uaenas had yet to subside - the post-concert blues didn't hit me immediately after the concert ended. I recall last year I had remained in my seat, feeling lost and empty, but this year, I left beaming as I made my way out of the concert hall with the rest of the crowd.

The post-concert blues did sink in a little the next day, as I relived my memories looking at other fancams - but mixed with this was a feeling of gratitude and joy at how blessed I had been.

Thank you IU, for giving love through your Love Poem concert, and I look forward to seeing you again next year.

[bangtan-sonyeonddaeng]

BTS Reaction: You travel the world with them

Namjoon

Namjoon is so excited to take you on a nice vacation now that they are finally done with their tour. They have a few weeks off to spend with their families and the only thing he wants to do is travel with you.

“Where have you always wanted to go baby? Just name wherever and we’ll go.”

“Well.. I’ve always wanted to go London.. and Paris!”

While you two are there Namjoon is pointing out all of the sights and buildings that he recognizes from their tour. You love seeing him get so excited to show you all of the things he’s seen before. He takes photos of you every chance he gets because he wants to be able to look back on this time with you whenever he wishes.

Jin

“Jagi, you’re coming with me on tour this time and that’s final.” 

“Jin you didn’t ask your managers yet..”

“And I’m not going to. I’ll hide you in my suitcase if I have to.” 

“…Jin..” He places a hand over your mouth.

“Shh! Don’t question me!” 

Two months later and here you are in Singapore with your tour guide Kim Seokjin and he has taken you to The Gardens by the Bay and you are absolutely blown away by the beauty of it.

“Oh my gosh Jin. this is literally the most beautiful place I have ever seen!” He smiles at seeing your reaction.

“It is isn’t it? I thought the same thing when I first saw it too. I can’t wait to show you more of my favorite places jagi. I’m so happy you came with me.” You reach out and lace your fingers with his own. 

“Me too Jin. There’s no place else I’d rather be than right here with you in this moment.”

Yoongi

“Hey y/n. So I was wondering. If I talk to the company would you maybe want to come on tour with me this time? Last time I was away from you I missed you so much and I was kind of in a funk the entire time we were apart.. If you don’t want to I understand it’s a lot to ask but..” You cut off his rambling with a kiss to his lips.

“Yoongi of course I want to go with you. I would love to see the world with you.” His face lights up at your statement and he gives you a shy smile.

Every time you two travel to a new place he has his gummy smile painted on his face seeing how excited you are about everything. It’s all new to you and he remembers that same feeling he had when it was their first time going on a world tour. Currently you two are in São Paulo and he is holding your hand walking with you around the city. He’s pointing out all of the spots he went with the members. He takes you to the restaurants and cafe’s they ate at. You don’t want to spend too much time out because you know Yoongi is exhausted from their show last night and he has another one to go to this evening. You suddenly stop in the middle of the side walk on the way back to your hotel and pull him into a kiss. 

“Thank you Yoongi. I’m so happy to be here with you and it means a lot to me that you wanted me to experience this with you.”

Hoseok

After they completed their tour they had some time off before they would have to begin preparing for their comeback. Hoseok wanted to take a trip with you. 

“Where do you want to go angel?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to go to Japan..”

“Say no more!” Your flights are booked the next day and you two spend the next week touring around the country. You start you trip off in Tokyo and Hoseok is so excited to show you all of the cool things that in the city. He even takes you to a restaurant with robot performers. You’ve never seen anything like it before and he absolutely loves the childlike wonder on your face. For the last leg of your trip he takes you to Kyoto where you two can enjoy the traditional Japanese architecture and the beautiful natural scenery. 

“Thank you for bringing me here Hobi. I never would have been able to do something like this if it weren’t for you.”

Jimin

Jimin is so excited to take this trip with you. When he found out one of their tour stops was in Thailand he just had to take you with him since he knew how much you’ve been wanting to see the country. He took you to all of the places he knew about on tour, telling you about special memories he had there with the members at each spot. He has his Polaroid camera out and is taking cute photos of the two of you together every stop. 

“I want to make new memories with you too jagi. And I always want to remember them.” When Jimin has a few days off after their show he takes you on a trip to the beach. You two spend a few days at a resort, just basking in the sun and appreciating each other’s company. On one particular night you two are sitting watching the sunset over the horizon when you turn to him and place a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you Jimin. For taking me with you. I never would have dreamed I’d have an opportunity like this but it’s all thanks to you.” He smiles sweetly and you and softly kisses your lips.

“Of course y/n. You know I’d do anything for you. I love you so much.”

Taehyung

“You mean I can come on tour with you guys? Really?!” You jump into Taehyung’s arms and he hugs you tightly to him.

“I cleared everything with my manager’s baby. Are you read to see the world with me?” 

“So ready. Oh my god I’m so happy I’m going to cry.”

City after city, Taehyung makes sure to make time to take you out and show you all of the amazing places he’s been to in the past. He takes photos of the two of you together to remember each location. Taehyung is so happy that he gets to experience the world with you. You two are always going out and trying new foods, and looking for new spots that maybe a lot of tourists don’t go to so you two can just spend time alone together. 

Jungkook

Jungkook burst through your apartment door dancing happily. 

“Jungkook? What’s going on?” He grabs your arms and pulls you in to dance with him.

“I talked to the company, and they said you can come on tour with us this time!” 

Jungkook was like a little kid on Christmas each and every tour stop they went to. Even though he was tired from the concerts and rehearsals he made sure to make time to take you out and show you around each city. You two went to all of the common tourist spots and even though he had been there before, his excitement never wavered for a second because he loved getting to see your eyes light up with amazement.

“Jungkook thank you. Seriously not many people get to be in our positions and get to see the world and I just want you to know that I am so grateful towards you.” He pulls you in and kisses you firmly on the lips. 

“I love you. And there’s no one else I would rather experience this with than you.”

[purplesurveys]

745

Do you support freedom of speech? Of course, as long as that freedom is not used to advocate homophobia, racism, or sexism, or any form of oppression towards marginalized groups.

Are you ever told you are too opinionated? Yeah. My family loooves to use this word as their main adjective for me as I’ve always been the most vocal, unapologetic and rather radical one in my stances. All my relatives are more conservative and traditional so when it comes to like talking to their peers about me, my being opinionated is always the main thing they take pride in, as in “Robyn isn’t afraid to say her thoughts” or “Robyn has always been very honest” lmao. 

There’ll be times I will have an opinion that vastly clashes from theirs, usually politics, and they’ll do something I’ve always found hilarious in that they’ll talk about me behind my back to my mom and tell my mom to monitor my posts more. So ok, I guess it’s nice to have a niece who’s unafraid to speak her mind but when it’s different from how they think, they’ll do whatever it takes to silence me haha.

Do you hold grudges for long? I hold grudges for life.

What's in your garden/backyard? We don’t really have a garden. We just have a couple of large trees and several potted plants to decorate the front of the house but that’s it. For the backyard, I dunno the name for this particular type of flooring but ours is basically composed of stones embedded onto the ground so it’s not very child-friendly. We do have a portion with more plants there and a basketball hoop for my dad to play/exercise with every morning.

Do you own a purple pillow? I don’t think so. My sister probably does as she loves pillows and stuffed toys and loves collecting either.

Do you have a brown blanket? I don’t.

Do you think diamonds, stars or hearts are prettier? I don’t really like any of these as designs.

Is Pink attractive on a man? This conversation died a long time ago lol. Anything can be attractive on anyone as long as they’re comfortable with it lol.

Do you watch political shows? We don’t have those here as politics here are mostly emotionally-charged and regular debates won’t work, coupled with the fact that we have a number of politicians who are merely celebrities or athletes and will be absolutely useless on such shows. News programs are enough politics for us.

When was the last time you visited the bathroom? I dropped off my dog at the shower five minutes ago as my mom had plans to give him a bath.

Do you like flying? When was the last time you were on a plane? Yepppp I really like riding planes. For me it’s always been the biggest indicator that I’m travelling and it gets me all excited. The last time was March last year when we went to Bicol for a short vacation.

Have you ever overflown a bath? No.

Do you appreciate brutal honesty? I know it’s always best to hear it but sometimes it’ll still sting.

Do you know what Runes are? No, I’ve never heard of it.

Do you play any Fantasy/Roleslaying Games? What? No. Fantasy is my least favorite genre of anything.

Do you like salami? Not really. Processed meats have never really sat well with me. < Oh my goodness same. I never liked how they taste or feel like. If someone ordered a pepperoni pizza I’ll always have to put some extra effort to remove the pepperoni on mine, usually to the horror of my friends lmao.

When was the last time you ate meat? We had binagoongan for dinner an hour ago and that mainly consists of pork.

What was the last hot drink you drank? I heated water to make coffee but I usually leave it untouched for half an hour or so for it to cool down, as I hate drinking hot coffee in the summer.

Have your parents met your boyfriend/exes? They have met my girlfriend, but not as my girlfriend.

How about your boyfriend’s parents? Met them? Yes, I’ve met my girlfriend’s parents. They’re a delight, and they’ve been very nice to me from the very beginning.

Do you feel uncomfortable easily? Not really. There are just particular scenarios I don’t like being in, like if I’m running late or if I’m in a class with a prof notorious for screaming at or embarrassing their students.

Is there a girls/boys name you can't stand? Why? Name all you dislike: I don’t actively hate any names but I do have a predisposition to chuckle when I hear names like Karen, Becky, Susan, and Chad because they’re now memes on the Internet hahahaha.

Do you know how to say I love you in at least 4 languages? Sure. I know how to say it in Spanish, English, Filipino, Korean, and French.

What age will you be when you times your current age by two? 44.

Do you find the sound of a cats purr relaxing? It’s cute but I don’t find it relaxing for the most part. I just get the sensation of being scratched or hissed at because cats don’t seem to like me.

Are you in a simple or complex mood? Right now it’s a bit complex. There’s a lot of things going on in my head right now and only surveys can calm me down for the meantime.

Do you know your Mum's first pets name? I’m not sure if it was their first but my mom occasionally talks about their family dog Collar.

Do you like car racing? No, but I have a number of friends who do. JM in particular is super passionate about it and has a lot of F1 stories to tell, and even though I don’t understand most of it or don’t recognize most of the people he talks about, it’s always nice to have someone spill their interests onto you so I listen anyway. :) He once gave each of us a piece of tire that he got from the racetracks when he watched the Singapore Grand Prix last year, it was adorable.

Do you fall asleep with the TV/radio on? I put Netflix on. I used to put YouTube on but its autoplay will go on until I wake up and is a huge battery drainer. Netflix will only play a couple of episodes and stops the show completely when you fail to respond haha.

What is your closest uncle/aunt called? My mom’s cousins. They’re all several years younger than her so they’re a lot hipper than my mom, were actually cool in their youth lmao, and are more understanding and accepting and open-minded about current issues. They’re the first relatives (that aren’t my sister or closest cousin) I came out to, and I appreciate them keeping the secret to this day.

Do you wear underwear to bed? Yep.

Who hugs you the most often? It’s a tie between Gab and Laurice.

Who was the last person you led astray? Uhhhh this sounds awful lol. I’d hate to have this kind of impact on someone.

Who was the last person who led you astray? No one’s done this to me as far as I know.

Would you ever want to be famous? If so, for what? Sure but I wouldn’t exert so much effort just to be famous, like joining a million auditions or contests. It’d be nice if, say, I just had a vlog and it was one of the lucky ones to hit the jackpot and end up having a decent following. I’ve always liked journaling my life and I feel like vlogging is the only method I haven’t dabbled with yet.

Is your phone a pay as go/talk or contract? It’s prepaid, which sounds like pay-as-go anyway. I put in a certain amount of money on my sim card to use for call and text, not the other way around.

What colour is your bedroom carpet? I don’t have one in my room cause my dog would much likely pee on it.

Do you get angry, depressed or nervous more? Nervous.

What is something obvious about you that everyone notices? Probably my teeth, and that my front ones aren’t straight.

Would you ever get a heart tattoo or your back? No.

Do you like Sapphires? The gemstones? Not really. They’re fine, but I wouldn’t go looking for them.

Do you own a torch? I don’t.

Marshmellow - Yum or Yuck? Yuck, in any way they’re incorporated into food. I really dislike the chewy texture and I find them too sweet as well.

What fruit can't you stand? All of them, but the ones I’ve tasted and particularly hated are mango and pineapple.

Is there any smell that turns you on? What? Not really. My girlfriend’s scent sometimes would, but it wouldn’t turn me on every single time I have a whiff of it lmao.

Do you wear more white or black? Black, but I’ve tried to lessen it recently because I feel like I wore black throughout college. I’m glad I at least got to experiment with yellow, olive green, maroon, pink, etc before they cut off the school year.

What age are most your friends? They were mostly born within the years 1997 through 1999.

Do you know anyone autistic? No, not personally.

How about someone bi-polar? Yes.

Are you judgmental? I definitely try not to be, but I’m sure I am. I try to at least check myself when I have judgmental thoughts. <  This. I can also be unapologetically judgmental but this is reserved for people who have behaved shittily in public, like if a white person yells at and/or mocks an Asian person on public transport, or if a Karen-type mistreats fast food workers.

What was the last thing you borrowed from someone? My sister’s eyeglasses cleaner.

I give you a kitty - what do you name it? Cinnamon was the first name that came to mind.

Why do you think your enemies don't like you? I don’t have any enemies.

What about you do you think your friends dislike? I get super cranky about other people sometimes and complain excessively about them if they’re not doing their job right.

What do you consider private to you? I’m not private about anything as long as someone asks but I will be most reserved if I have to talk about my depression from Grade 6. Partly because I’ve forgotten a lot of it, partly because it’s simply not worth it to go retracing the bits that I do remember.