#sometimes it can be a coincidence but other times it's so obvious that it's staged

[accio-victuuri]

excerpts from this article : “Behind the scenes of "Sunshine by My Side", a story of starting over again”

"I would think, why would a young, handsome and sunny boy like a divorced female director who is going through difficulties?" The plot gives a good explanation for this question - because Jian Bing once illuminated a small, dark corner in Shengyang’s heart.

The similarity between Xiao Zhan and Sheng Yang is a coincidence

The characters of Sheng Yang and Jian Bing can be seen from their names, as well as the warm and healing relationship between them. In the initial script setting, Sheng Yang was as direct, light and sunny as his name, without so many layers, just a simple and warm big boy. However, after Li Xiao and Xiao Zhan started to contact each other because of discussing the script , Li Xiao discovered a temperament in Xiao Zhan that could be added to Sheng Yang.

This was Li Xiao’s first close contact and understanding of actor Xiao Zhan. “I found that he was different from what I imagined.” Li Xiao said that before this, she had not fully understood Xiao Zhan and just know that he is very popular.

Perhaps this is also a stereotype, giving people a sense of distance and room for speculation. But when Xiao Zhan sat in front of Li Xiao, Li Xiao felt Xiao Zhan was beyond it. "He has a classical temperament, especially like a person who came from the past, unlike us modern people who are always surrounded by all kinds of information, his energy will be scattered, but he does not seem to be distracted by the complicated surrounding environment."

While discussing scripts, Li Xiao and Xiao Zhan would also recommend some of their favorite movies to each other, "I didn't expect his taste in movies to be so literary. Some of them are really boring movies that I can't stand."

Because of this, the story of "Wei Sheng Huozhu" popped up in Li Xiao's mind, "I think there is no love and attraction for no reason in this world. In real life, everyone can feel the hormonal changes of both parties, just like someone." It’s a kind of metaphysics, but in TV dramas, the audience may not be able to feel it, so they have to do some homework on how two people attract each other.”

In this story about a young man holding a pillar, the first thing Li Xiao thought of was warmth. Jian Bing inadvertently illuminated Sheng Yang's inferiority complex caused by his father's career, and gave him some encouragement and positive guidance. At completely different stages in their lives, the two gave each other some help and met again ten years later. "Such a romantic date and a story of worshiping a girl for ten years happened in Sheng Yang, played by Xiao Zhan. It's reasonable."

Xiao Zhan's dedicated and persistent temperament adds more possibilities to the role of Sheng Yang. After creating so many scripts, Li Xiao found that sometimes when writing a character, if the actor's own temperament is not very close to the character, it is actually half the effort. But if the character is very close to the actor, the actor's own natural temperament and temperament can be used. status, that is, getting twice the result with half the effort.

"Sheng Yang has a kind of stubbornness. He will do something very determinedly and can stick to it for a long time. Including his good impression of Jian Bing, which lasted for ten years, all came from my contact with Xiao Zhan." Li Xiao said.

On the contrary, Sheng Yang's obvious external settings, such as his career as a designer, family atmosphere, ability to draw, etc., are similar to Xiao Zhan's, but it is a coincidence. Li Xiao didn't know that Xiao Zhan was a designer before becoming an artist, and he didn't know that the plot where Sheng Yang painted clouds for Jian Bing happened to use Xiao Zhan's painting skills.

During the script creation stage, director Song Xiaofei and screenwriter Li Xiao had reached a very clear consensus on "The Sun Is With Me": the story should be real and down-to-earth, rather than just creating a romantic idol-like love.

Therefore, all the scenes in the drama are designed to make the actors feel this reality. For example, we chose to shoot in Chongqing because Xiao Zhan is from Chongqing. That is where he grew up and lived. There is no strangeness to this city, and it is easier for him to believe that he is Sheng Yang himself.

Including Sheng Yang's home, the director led the art and props team to build a 1:1 replica of the two-story corridor in the studio to capture Sheng Yang commuting and returning home. In order to create the bustling atmosphere of the courtyard, the crew not only built Shengyang’s house, but also built a room in the opposite building, so that when shooting night scenes, they can put some lights in the opposite room, or the noisy background sound of the TV , to create a breath of life and set off a real sense of atmosphere.

The messy advertisements in the corridor, the rusty stains on Shengyang's bed, and even the warped walls were all made bit by bit by the prop team. Xiao Zhan came to Shengyang's room for the first time. Looking at the basketball posters and paintings all over the wall, it became clear that Shengyang liked basketball and painting. During the break between shooting, Xiao Zhan drew some paintings by himself. When Sheng Yang was happy, he also added the "air shooting" action.

"The fit between the character and the actor is very high, which is helpful to the actor's performance. First of all, Xiao Zhan is confident when he sits in front of the computer. When he opens those design-related software, there is not one he can't use. In this way I can just shoot at his hands and the screen, that kind of focus on work does not require acting, and the sense of reality comes out all at once."

When filming, the director is also worried that if the environment creates a strong sense of stage, the actors will enter a state of acting that is out of style. So in terms of reality, "Sunshine by My Side" put a lot of effort into it: for the subway scenes, we actually went to the subway to shoot them; we also restored the details of the parts at home; when we went to work at the company, we turned on the computer and saw the design works on the computer."It is this complete sense of reality that can give actors the greatest sense of immersion and security."

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] S4Ch1 Heath Reward 5* Card Story

chapter 1 -outside shrine, day time-

heath: Oh, Saki. Are you here to visit the shrine? What a coincidence.

saki: I was just passing by and ended up here... Are you writing a new song?

heath: I'm just listening to our show's song. Since there’s still time before our rehearsal. Would you like to sit with me?

saki: Is that ok? Alright. 

-saki sits beside him-

heath: This place calms me down. We're still in the middle of the city, yet the air's colour is different here. This is where I first met you, Mizuki and the others, do you remember that? Ever since Team B was formed we've been fighting. First it was against P, then K, W, P once again and then C. Ah... We've gone against every single team. For me doing so was the obvious choice, but I'm sorry if it caused trouble for you.

saki: Everyone's performances are always a treat to watch. All I worry about is whether or not you're pushing yourself too hard though, you're always putting your all into the stage.

heath: ...Everything eventually comes to an end. Sometimes suddenly. That's why I always want to be giving it my all. I don't want to make you worry... But I guess saying that isn’t very convincing when I'm in the middle of a versus with K. I'm sorry.

saki: This versus... It feels different from the usual ones, could it just be my imagination?

heath: You're not imagining things. It was due to my pride. I didn't want to back down.

saki: So it's your pride against Kei-san's then?

heath: Half right, half wrong. It's both a simple matter and a complex one.

-time pass, sunset-

heath: I should get going to rehearsals soon. I'll walk you to the store, Saki.

saki: (I wonder what Heath-san meant before when he said it's both simple and complicated.)

heath: Hey. If you're... As long as you’re watching me and seeing my willpower, then I'll take to the stage. That way, even when the end comes, I won't be afraid.

—end

-

chapter 2 -street, day time-

saki: Kei-san, hello.

kei: Greetings, are you headed to the store?

saki: I had some extra time so I was going for a walk, then I saw you.

kei: For you to have spotted me in the bustle of this city, I am honoured beyond words, all I can do is kneel.

-kei kneels-

saki: Y-you really don't need to kneel!

kei: When people feel as though they have received too much, they naturally express that fact. Some things cannot be put into words. Additionally, running into you is an unexpected joy, it is something that I must value above all else.

saki: You haven't changed a bit since we first met, Kei-san.

kei: That is not true, as my respect and affection for you grows deeper with every passing day. If you'd permit, would you like to walk with me? I'd like to escort you. It's about that time of the season that the sweet osmanthus should be in bloom.

saki: Sounds good, let's go and see.

-park walkway-

kei: It's cooled down quite a bit, it's fully autumn now. You're not cold are you? There's a tea wagon nearby, shall I go and buy you some? I wouldn't want your health to deteriorate again.

saki: I'm fine, I've been feeling good recently.

kei: Is that so? I'm grateful.

saki: Speaking of health though, I'm a little bit worried about Heath-san. His face just keeps getting paler.

kei: Causing you to worry about the cast members, as an important guest that I am supposed to entertain that’s unforgivable of me. I still have a long way to go before I'm suitable. I wanted for you to be able to enjoy the show without worry, however... I suppose it's not surprising someone as kindhearted as you would notice such a thing. That's just the kind of person you are.

—end

-

chapter 3 -starless locker rooms-

heath: (coughing loudly)

heath: (coughing worsens) Ack! Ugh...

heath: (still coughing up a lung) Gah!

-kei walks in-

kei: Here, drink some water.

heath: Ngh... I don't need it.

kei: Do you not understand when to quit being stubborn? This is simply part of my job. If you want to continue being able to stand on the stage, then concentrate on improving your condition.

heath: (more coughing) ...Godammit.

heath: (chugs water) (breathes heavily)

kei: Is Team B dear to you, Heath?

heath: ...Mizuki and the others, they gave me a place where I can sing. They accepted my rage with open arms. Doing whatever it is we want, that's what B is.

kei: So this versus was simply you doing what it is that you want then?

heath: Exactly. That's why I'm gonna win against you no matter what.

kei: Very well, then see if those fangs of yours will be able to reach my throat.

—end

-

chapter 4 -city, day time, takes place after main story scenario-

saki: (Oh? That person over there, could it be?)

saki: Heath-san, what are you doing out here?

heath: Oh, hello. My condition has improved a little, so I wanted to get some fresh air. I'm sorry for worrying you, truly. Did you have any plans? If not I'd like you to join me for a little while.

saki: Sure.

heath: Let's go then.

-park walkway-

heath: Ah... Those flowers over there have a nice scent.

saki: The sweet osmanthus right? Kei-san said the same thing when I came here with him.

kei: ...Hearing that you came here with him kinda pisses me off. But, well, they make you realise that it's already autumn huh. I've been stuck cooped up in a room, so I guess I'm noticing the season more than usual.

saki: Are you planning to visit the store today?

heath: I'm banned, so I can't go. But there's not much to do at home. I could write lyrics or read some books but... It's quite boring. I want to get back on the stage as quickly as possible. I want to sing.

saki: Your songs are always amazing, Heath-san. Every word and every beat matches you perfectly.

heath: I'm glad you think so. Not everyone accepts them the same way though. That's what's good about it. I'll gladly take those impressions of yours. This versus too, thank you for coming to watch us. I may have won the battle, but I too will have to face it soon.

saki: (Face it soon...?)

heath: I don't know if I will be able to, though.

—end

note: heath lost the actual versus, this card just has the ‘if’ scenario

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #88

Brain Curds are lightly edited flash fiction - practically first drafts - posted daily and sometimes written with the express intention of being terrible… but, you know, in an endearing way. Please enjoy.

Read the rest of Passable. here on Tumblr!

Lily sat at the bar, fidgeting with a straw. She wore a deep crimson crop top, thigh-high socks to match, and denim short shorts to pull it together - and by “it,” of course, well… you know.

There were a handful of other trans women around, or at least, Lily was pretty sure. But at this point, could she really trust her intuition anymore? Right was left, up was down, a deep voice was no more than a coincidence and an apple could no longer be relied on to prove the existence of a pair. Lily prided herself on always being able to tell. What happened?

Hazel, the woman who’d given her cis panic, would arrive any minute for their first date, during which they’d together watch a woman get whipped like cream by her dominatrix. Cream… of course, another drink was exactly what Lily needed to calm her nerves.

“Bartender?” She called out. “A shot of Bailey’s, please.”

No sooner than Lily set the empty glass onto the bartop, Hazel came up from behind, tapping her on the shoulder.

“Hey, cutie!” She winked and blew a kiss.

 Lily gulped. “Heyyy! Uh…” What was it that cis women liked to talk about? “Do any shopping lately?” No, no, no! That wasn’t right at all. “I mean, did you get anything special for tonight?” Lily winked and forced a smirk. Phew. She saved it.

Hazel sat down on the stool next to her as she giggled at Lily’s remark. “So forward… I like that.” She walked her fingers from Lily’s near shoulder to her far shoulder and rested her hand there, making confident eye contact at the same time.

Lily felt like she was going to throw up.

“We wouldn’t want to miss the show, though!” Hazel took Lily’s hand. “Come on, we can still get a good spot!”

The two of them sat off to the side in a booth-like alcove. They had a perfect view of the stage, where BDSM equipment was already set up. It was nothing Lily hadn’t seen before, but she felt naked looking at it with Hazel. As soon as the submissive was brought out on stage on a leash, Lily excused herself to the restroom.

She ran to the sink and splashed water on her face. “Come on,” she said to herself in the scratched-up mirror. “You can do this, Lily. She’s just like all the other girls you’ve dated. Except… for the obvious.” She rubbed her face and groaned.

“You can do it, girl!” A slurring voice said from the second stall. “Don’t let her intimidate you!”

“You got this, queen!” Said another, from the same stall.

Lily nodded. Sometimes, all anyone needs is pep-talk from a girl in the nightclub lavatory. “You’re right. You’re right! I can do this! I’m gonna ask her to come back to my place!”

“Wooooo!” One of the girls cheered.

Lily ran back with newfound confidence. “Thank you, toilet lesbians!”

[cloudninetonine]

I got some more temp-based injury knowledge because I'm in the process of creating an injury and scar chart for Four and he has to take on the injuries of four/five people at once so I'm focused on the whole ice and fire thing Red and Blue had going on. And also because I've been reading a lot of Four whump fics by coincidence and I've noticed that fsr people don't often write fics for him alone as much as the other Chain members, but when they do, they hit him scarily hard. (Ignore me also liking to beat him up for fun lol, it's the privilege of being my fave)

So frostbite. Not fun. But a fun fact is that it can take months after severe enough frostbite to reveal itself as bad enough to be amputated. You could be told to amputate your fingers or toes in July or August after getting stuck in the cold for too long in October. It takes 30 minutes to reach deep frostbite (to get to a stage of gangrenous tissue) in -17C temps and 15 minutes for anything below. Frostbite occurs when tiny ice crystals form between the cells inside the body from prolonged exposure to freezing temps, which causes oxygen starvation and dehydration of water from the cells. But if warmed too quickly, blood pools to the damaged tissue and capillaries and drowns the cells. Bad all around. This can happen to tissue, muscles, tendons, flesh, and bone, though obviously presents with different physical symptoms. You can actually die from frostbite if left untreated, presenting with a warm body temp due to fizzled out adrenaline, the victim seeming to simply "fall asleep", and no decomposition from the cold temps (you'll know why, I don't have to explain that one...)

So more burn facts from last time! Thermal, chemical, and electrical all present differently. Thermal burns usually have peeling or white and splotchy skin, reddened skin, muscle, or tissue, and can later produce blisters, swelling and scars from second+-degree burns. Nerve-endings, sweat glands, and blood vessels can burst or singe from the heat, and sometimes hair follicles will burn away if directly exposed to the source of the burn like fire or liquid (compared to just being within extreme heat which can turn the hair brunette, blond, grey, or red). And yes, sunburn is technically a mild thermal burn PUT YOUR DAMN SUNSCREEN ON IN SUMMER! Chemical burns have a lot smoother of a burn site with no peeling and skin will likely necrose, turn black, and die. Nerves will definitely be destroyed so there may be pain for a few seconds until the nerve-endings die, but will likely feel no pain at all. With strong enough alkaline chemicals, all tissues will go through liquefaction necrosis, basically meaning that all tissue, muscle, and bone dies and turns to a viscous liquid. It generally means that burns caused by strong alkalis like lye, lime, and ammonia cause worse injuries than acids. I'm not as knowledgeable on chemical burns, but trust me, don't look up any images. And then electrical burns are some of the worst because it's literally explosive. While usually chemical and thermal burns have different degrees and can be quite minor, most electrical burns have two settings; fuck you up (second-degree) and fuck you up harder (third-degree). Apart from the obvious pain, blisters, swelling etc, electrical burns are unique in that they have an entry and exit point, and like gunshot wounds, the entry site is usually small, and the exit site is a mess because the electricity needs to explode outward, exposing bone. It causes subdermal damage to the skin, meaning that in the long-term, the tissue beneath the skin will be messed up, compared to the other burns which will effect the dermis and epidermis the most if not third-degree burns and onwards (there's like seven kinds of burn degrees and it's kind of horrific).

Trench foot is similar to frostbite in that it's related to the feet losing warmth, though is unique in that it's due to wet conditions since wet feet lose warmth 25x faster than dry feet. Basically, to prevent heat loss, blood vessels constrict which leads to a build up of toxins from lingering CO2 and other products not being transported and a lack of oxygen, causing real fast tissue death. It's called 'trench foot' because this was a really common thing among soldiers during WW1 as the trenches where really cold and really wet since they were literal open-roofed tunnels across the ground and it rained often. Chilblains is similar to both frostbite and trench foot but is caused by repeated exposure to incredibly low temperatures and the damage is permanent, unlike mild cases of the later two conditions which can be reversed before reaching tissue death. Chilblains is reoccurring and comes back every time you're exposed to the cold after gaining it.

So you know how people get nosebleeds after temp changes? It's because warm air or winter conditions makes blood vessels more fragile and easy to break. When something comes along and breaks, cuts, or ruptures the blood vessels, they're more easy to break because of this and thus frequent nosebleeds. That or because some people just have naturally higher blood pressure for a whole bunch of reasons.

Unrelated kinda bc I'm already talking about the shortest man of the Chain but height absolutely affects recovery time from injury and likelihood of developing them. Like a short person has a harder time getting heat stroke due to having less body heat and has a decreased risk of stuff like blood clotting, bone breakage, and cancer. Maybe the reason Four's whump fics hit him so hard is because authors need to literally beat him with everything they've got to take such a short man down. And he's also going to live a longer life if a monster doesn't take him out first.

(Another incredibly unrelated fact that I have to let people know of because it still baffles me is that taller women have longer pregnancies???)

The only reason I know so much is because I focused really hard on human anatomy and illnesses and the such as a kid and now I hard project it into my writing instead. Now, I share my knowledge to other very talented artists through asks apparently. Good job young Russ ig lmao

Good job young Russ indeed! This is some gourmet shit! Very good!

I need to tag shit better soon so I can look back on these when needed.

...Also what do you mean taller women get longer pregnancies-

[mrssimply]

I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to give you a prompt!

Because I miss them:

UWMA JxKerxV spending their Christmas Eve together

(NSFW is fine obviously)

Dear friend, I'm so happy to be able to offer a vision of their lives one year after the end of the adventure. It was an adventure for them, but it was also one for us, and I'm really overjoyed about celebrating it so close to Christmas!

Writing this felt like meeting an old friend, and I'm very thankful you made this happen cause I wouldn't have otherwise! Si thank you so much, for your prompt, and for everything else!

I have to say the mood stayed cute and tender this time for them. I let them have their intimacy off screen ;)

23th: Home

V steps out of the elevator, followed by Rogue and her guest of honor, Michiko Arasaka. He resolutely faced the door as they made their way down, because looking at them exchanging heated glaces makes him very uncomfortable. V can’t even complain: Rogue withstood a lot of elevator rides with him, Johnny and Kerry, and the young King of the Afterlife knows they're actually worse. Michiko, at least, has poise, whereas Johnny and Kerry have none.

He’s still relieved when the doors open and he can walk to the other end of the corridor. The panels blocking the entrance slowly slide open, and as they do, heavy chrome rock fills the air. Glancing back with a grin, V catches Michiko Arasaka’s amused expression. Rogue gestures at her to follow V, and he leads the way into the bunker.

Designed to withstand a nuclear attack and house most of the Afterlife’s affiliated members for months, the round theater-like room has been temporarily repurposed into a gigantic underground club. Tonight they celebrate one year of freedom, of Night City not only being separate from the NUSA, but being free of Arasaka and the rest of the corps. Well, it’s not really true: they still have to work with the corps, but now it’s mostly on their terms. On V’s terms.

The fact it coincides with Christmas is certainly symbolic, Misty said it was a sign their work was blessed and V took it to heart. He’s living proof there are things beyond the rational, beyond what the eye can see, and those things are stronger than anything.

Their entrance is unnoticed, as everyone is focused on their drinks, their dance partners, and most of all, on the stage in the middle of the pit. On each level of the coliseum, people are dancing, laughing, sometimes just chatting by shouting loudly over the deafening music. Bars have been installed on the top floor, where V and his two friends — if he can call Michiko that already — have arrived.

They take to the right, to the nearest drink station, and V finds Claire, looking disheveled but happy.

“Hey boss,” she greets him, ignoring other customers to prepare his drink. Her call out makes a few of the gathered patrons look toward the young man, seizing him up and down with surprise. V winks at them, something of a tender smile on his lips. He knows they always expect someone at least fifty years older, someone like Rogue. He doesn’t mind, his soul is that old anyway.

The small crowd falls silent as Claire finishes preparing his drink, a Goro Takemura, and hands it to him. The moment he grabs the drink seems to be some sort of signal, life resumes and a few mercs come his way to greet him. V makes small talk with them, tries not to squirm at the obvious admiration, and accepts the praises and thank yous with as much dignity as he can. He doesn’t really like this part of his position, he would prefer not to be treated as a messiah. For the last year he’s come to understand that’s how he appears to many eyes: the guy who defeated Arasaka, who made the corp heel to his will, who brokered a deal with the rogue AIs from beyond the Black Wall. The one who defeated death itself.

Continue Reading on A03

Sorry for this, but I'm traveling so i only have access to the app and it doesn't let me add the "continue reading" option and since the prompt is quite long i didn't want to make you scroll too long so I'm redirecting you to AO3.

[searchingoncemore]

The Tale of Two Hedgehogs

I believe in signs. I have too. It helps me go on. It helps ground me. It helps me feel connected. Sometimes we read something and it influences us for the rest of our lives and how we interact with those in this world and those beyond it. A book that forever changed my life is “Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe” by Laura Lynne Jackson. It is impossible for me to write all the things I think and feel about this book, but I will attempt to summarize. Essentially when loved one’s pass on, they become part of your team of light. The Light is Christ, your team of light includes Him (Father/Son/Spirit), the angels that surround and protect us, and the ones who have gone on that deeply love us. 

This book discusses signs, which are the ways loved ones let us know that they are with us. Signs don’t have to be cliche. They can be random and as specific as you want so that it helps to solidify that it is indeed a message from your team of light. All you have to do is ask. It can be in your head. It can be in your heart. It can be outloud, but you must ask. Our teams of light are the most powerful forces in this universe and are always working to protect us and connect with us.

After reading the book, I spent weeks trying to decide what sign I wanted to ask my Daddy for. I wanted it to be perfect and incredibly specific because I am quite the skeptic and needed to be absolutely certain it wasn’t a coincidence if I saw it. It had to be obvious that it was sent from him to me. I couldn’t decide if I wanted it to be a word, a symbol or a song. Finally I decided it would be 2 hedgehogs. It had to be 2. One hedgehog would be too easy for me to think it was a coincidence and 50 hedgehogs would do the same. I was nervous, but I finally asked in my heart, “Daddy? Could you please send me two hedgehogs? I really need you right now, will you please? If you can?” 

I waited. And waited. I looked and looked everywhere, but no luck. Nothing. A week went by and I was feeling discouraged and more disconnected from him than ever. During the early stages of shock and grief, there is no real schedule other than continuing to exist. One night, I needed to get out of the house, I just couldn’t be in that space any longer. The only thing open at 10:30 is Walmart so that is where we deliriously headed. I walked down the aisle and just as something told me to look over there, I saw it. There staring back at me was 2 hedgehogs on a pair of clearance socks. 2. Inside a store I never go in, late (for me) at night, the last pair. For me, from him. My eyes were filled with tears as I knew I finally got my sign. I never told anyone about it, so imagine my husband's confusion when he saw me sobbing over a $1 pair of socks.. 

Since then, he has continued sending signs when I need them most. The one that got me to my core was when I kept telling everyone in my life that I just needed a hug from him. That’s all I wanted. That very same week, a figurine crossed my path where it is a Daddy hedgehog hugging a baby hedgehog (see pic). 2. Hugging. The last one. You can call it coincidence, but I choose to call it a sign.

Now, some of the signs are more light hearted and I kind of tease him with random things to try and send, like I asked one time for a hedgehog holding a balloon (which he did in a puzzle), or a hedgehog flying a kite or holding an umbrella (yep, sent those too). I have one up my sleeve that he seems to be having a hard time with but I know it will come too. 

I want to encourage you with the idea that your team of light see’s you and holds you everyday. 

My new ink may be my most meaningful tattoo. A continual reminder.

A sign. 

I love you Daddy. I’ll see you soon.

[kimnjss]

[ part seven of a new series called: ‘clips with context’ - feel free to request your own! ]

>>

BACKSEAT BUSINESS

jungkook picked you from the crowd with one thing in mind. and he can’t wait to get started, no matter who’s around. // explicit. requested. 1.8k words

warnings: cursing, dirty talk, fingering, slight exhibitionism, taehyung knows exactly what he’s doing, mentions of oral (m. receiving), a smidge of angst at the end... jungkook is spoiled and entitled.

+ this is the first thing i’ve written in like a month, so if it’s trash go easy on me... i need to get used to writing again lmao

“kook's always gotta find a girl,” yoongi says with a roll of his eyes, words falling on deaf ears as the other six guys chat loudly about who's going in what car. plucked from the crowd toward the end of the show, you had no idea that the singer had spotted you. just assumed the extra time he was spending near your section was pure coincidence. imagine your shock when security was escorting you backstage.

he barely spoke when you were presented to him, just gave you a once over before waving off the man that had brought you. he's dropping his arm around your shoulders and leading you to the couch in the middle of the room. you're tucked into his side the entire time they stand around talking. he's not listening and you're too starstruck to chime in. although, you wouldn't have much to say on the topic.

they were deciding car sharing arrangements from the sound of it. the seven gorgeous men you had watched dance and sing their hearts out on stage, stood right in front of you, paying you no mind.

jungkook sits lazily spread out on the couch as if they're not discussing him not even ten feet away. the tips of his fingers have started drawing light patterns against your naked shoulder, causing goosebumps to lift. his words come as a whisper against your ear: “you look so good in your little dress...” middle finger tracing the hem of it for emphasis. “i can't wait to take you home with me,”

 he notices the flush that rises on your cheeks at the end of his words., a smirk playing on his lips as he leans down. his lips are soft, warm against the clammy skin of your neck. at first, he lands light kisses on your skin – testing the waters... then all of a sudden his tongue is pushing out, rolling over a very specific spot before he's sucking that bit of skin past his teeth. you're letting out a gasp in surprise, hand shooting down to clutch his thigh as your eyes widen.

the sound pulls taehyung's attention. it's the first time he's looked at you and yes, he's just as intimidating up close. not a hint of what he's thinking is behind his stare and it has a thump of anxiety growing in your chest. you're just about to start full-on squirming when the corners of his lips lift into a small smile. “i'll ride with them, then. i don't mind.” he says with a shrug and as if that had been the dilemma all along, they're packing up to leave.

all jungkook had done, up til now, was kiss your neck a bit... honestly, you've done a lot more than simple necking – but by the time you're settling the backseat of the tinted window car, you're basically panting. he makes a show of waving off his fans, shouting promises of returning for another show.

as a fan, you're giddy to know that sometime soon they'd be coming back to perform again. as the girl seated beside him, waiting to be felt up – you were quickly growing annoyed... and impatient with his drawn out goodbye. he must sense that the moment he's rolling his window back up because he doesn't waste any time with crowding you.

one large hand laid flat on the center of your stomach while the other pushes your hair on the way, making room for the wet kisses he drags across your skin. it's hard to keep quiet with the way his skilled mouth works. love bites placed so deliberately there's no way you're able to fight the soft hums that fall from your lips. even with the full knowledge that kim taehyung is sat right next to you. like right next to you, his thigh pressed against yours as he manspreads... you could smell his cologne for crying out loud!

taehyung's sole focus is his phone, paying no mind to the way his bandmate pulls your legs apart or the way he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck. as if it's far from the first time something like this has happened. and that's when it's clicking in your mind. this isn't the first time this has happened. it's routine, he didn't spot you in the crowd and have this unbearable need to be close to you.

he wasn't going to fall in love with you either. he simply wanted you and he was jeon jungkook, he got what he wanted. and as odd as it was, something about that turned you on even more. he wanted you. out of the ninety thousand people he could've chosen from, he chose you. for the night of course, but you were willing to take what you could get.

you're so lost in the fantasies and scenarios you're whipping up in your head, you don't even register the way he's pulled your legs apart. not until you're feeling the nudge of his fingers against your heat through the fabric of your panties. “make those pretty sounds for me,”

he's pushing your panties to the side, just enough for his fingers to reach through and brush against your exposed slit. the moan you let out isn't even all that loud, yet it catches the attention of the man seated beside you. tae tries to be subtle with the way he watches, holding his phone up as if that's where his focus is. it's obvious that's not the case and something about him watching you has a rush of excitement pooling between your legs.

jungkook chuckles fingers making their way to your now dripping hole. he doesn't say much else, eyes on you as he slowly pushes a finger through. and then another. he's moving at an agonizingly slow pace, enjoying the way you squirm beneath him desperate for more. “you're squeezing me so tight... can't wait to fuck you open.” lips pressed to your ear as he speaks, pulling a desperate whine from your lips.

“jungkook, please...” legs spreading wider for him as your hips grind down into his palm. he's grinning, eyes flickering to the man next to you before he's picking up the pace of his fingers. fucking into you at such a rapid pace, you're not even able to contain the squeal that falls from your lips.

his thumb lifts to meet your clit, circling roughly against it with each thrust of his fingers. he can tell you're close to falling apart, from the way you grip his shirt and the untimed twitch of your hips. “think you can handle one more, baby?” mouth lazily tugging on your earlobe as he speaks.

and you're nodding frantically, spreading your legs wider for him paying no mind to the way your knee knocks against taehyung's thigh. “such a good girl. can't wait to feel you cum all over my dick. you want that too, huh?” three fingers pushed into the knuckle while his thumb slowly rolls your clit underneath it.

he's making you feel so good, you'd agree to anything at this point. which is why you're agreeing to his words instantly, begging him not to wait that long, to make you cum now. and he takes you up on that, pulling his fingers back before quickly pushing forward. the snap of his wrist has enough force behind it to make your hips hit against the seats.

urging you to cum with each push of his fingers, reaching deep enough to just barely brush up against that rough patch of skin inside of you. he doesn't let up on the circle on your clit, adding more pleasure and it's only a few moments until you feel yourself unraveling completely.

your orgasm washes over you entirely, head lulling back while you let out a gasped scream. legs shaking and fingers wrinkling the fabric of his shirt. chanting jumbled syllables that are meant to be his name, judging from the laugh he lets out you're not even slightly close to making sense.

jungkook only pulls his fingers down once you've calmed down completely, lifting the wet digits to show off how your juices glisten in the dim light. and then he's pushing them into his mouth, sucking your taste from them while humming softly. you're watching him, not being able to pull your attention from the way his tongue moves.

you barely register the way he leans down to press his lips to yours, not until the taste of you fills your own mouth. but, just as you're about to kiss him back, he's pulling away. dark eyes drinking you in before he's leaning back against the seats, hands moving toward the buttons of his jeans.

“get down and suck me off,” you're shooting him with a wide gaze, eyes shifting over to where taehyung sits, fake watching the same tiktok on his phone for the tenth time. jungkook follows your gaze, laughs softly before he's dropping his stare back onto you, forehead resting on your temple. “he's not even looking,”

the boner straining against his jeans says otherwise. sensing your hesitance, jungkook tries a different approach, lower lip pushing out to form a pout. the same pout you have saved on your phone over a thousand times. “but, i worked so hard today... don't i deserve a reward?” he's looking up at you through his lashes. “i'll fuck you so perfect when we get to the hotel,” heat pools between your legs at his words.

you make a mental note to end the weeks-long debate with your friends on who's the most spoiled out of the group. it's jungkook, hands down. the youngest in the biggest group in the world, of course, it was him. he expected the entire world to get down on their knees with a simple pout of his lips... which is exactly why you're lowering yourself onto the surprisingly soft car carpet.

--

he does, in fact, as he put it 'fuck you so perfect when you get to the hotel'. from the moment you're closing the door to well after two in the morning, he's inside you. tossing you around, holding you down... fucking you open until your body shakes with overstimulation. and then some more after that. 

he calls you baby, but you're sure it doesn't mean anything. just that he never bothered to get your name. even in the early hours of the morning when you're being woken up by his security guard, ready to escort you out. he tosses his phone in your direction, half awake and telling you to put your number in. you know he won't call as you type out the digits, but you're still giddy that he asked.

eyes still closed as you leave, not even bothering to muster a proper goodbye. and while for you, this night will be a story you tell the grandkids... you know it'll end up being just another blur in his wild rockstar life.

taglist: @agustdef @silentlyimpractical @gldnrecs @jaiuneamesolitaiire @preciouschimine @joonies-babyy @dee-ehn @aqtkookie @itsrapmonstanotdancemonsta @seokjinslittledumpling @thecityrain @jeonsshadow @papichulo-knj @amour-quinn​ @bangtansbun @kooafraid @metaethically @miss-jupiter @tanumiki​ @yoongiofmine​ @princecalpal​ @iridescentstories​ @jikooksgirl19​ @mikrokosmicjoon​ @hqtetsurou​ @needingyou2​ @alterlovess​ @ladyarmanto​ @trinityxsope​ @myworldisgone11​ @yutaeminnie​ @yoooonie​ @peachy-tata​ @paolandotcom​ @strwberry-jam​ @certifiedcrazycatlady​ @hansolsrightnut​ @btsbangtanbois​ @rlynotme​ @morseszn​ @codeinebelle​ @rjsmochii​ @joontopia​ @knjkitten​ @tae165​ @chocobetterknot​ @ggukkieland​ @v3nti​ @kelitt​ @taejinminsu​

taglist: @weasleyswizarding-wheezes @hobiheavenly @pjmcth @morndas @letmebreathepls @stcrwhiz @bangtan-noona @hopeworldjimin @betysotelo18 @lilacdreams-00 @prdshobi @yeontanie21 @ayyyocee @beeeb05 @todorokiskitten @arya-di-angelo @illwritetomorrow @filmtae @daesstuff @sungieshines @wildly-lost-lantern @ephyra1230 @hellotherehoneybee @mochibabycakes @lowlifeoeuvre @kookoo-kachoo @marifujioka @bombardia @veronawrites @ambersaesthetics @hisunshiine @sw33tnight @agustdakasuga @strawberryforever25 @my-current-mood-is @tatajoonie @getmemyfries @bluewhale52 @bangtansonyeondayyyum @munkey888 @simplymemyself​ @butterflylion @hopiebabie @taefect94 @dionysusrage @heyitsbreeeeee​ @hobiismyhopeu​ 

taglist: @xinyourdreamsx​ @giveortake​ @moonlitmyg​ @redluvletmain​ @niieceyy​ @xiaokoo​ @rageyoudamnednerd​ @bbyjoonies​ @marvelous-capsicle​ @daydreambrliever​ @hoefortaeshands​ @agustneeds​ @acc3ssdenied​ @ruinsofangels​ @bloomtilweache​ @jiminshibaby​ @dxlbts​ @missmadwoman​ @somewhereofftheglobe​ @parkjammys​ @salty-for-suga​ @scriptedhabits​ @tatasvoid​ @cozyboy-nee​ @thesweetest-peas​ @kkklaudiaaa17​ @booya--18​ @jooniesbanoonies​ @lizzzaaaaaaaaaaa​ @narrylilomylove​ @iovemaze​ @tricethecharm​ @trynavibewhileicry​ @zxlummxxd​ @take-u-2-an0ther-w0r1d​ @kuggnuj​ @embrace-themagic​ @namjoonsillegaldimple​ @uhgoodthings​ @jinhitwhore​ @pastelbleuet​ @ephyraaaa​ @joonni​ @elephantdoors​ @gemad08​ @tom-hollands-wife​ @neverthefirstchoice​ @soulstaes​

taglist: @diminieshoe @jayhope88 @ssweetsunflower @eatjeanjin​ @bigimpression @imadeyouamixtape88 @vantxx95 @bigbootyjoonie​ @serendipitysev​ @grakei​ @taesinferno​ @janieooo​ @kianam​ @h0babie​ @knjhe​ @neversickofyoongi​ @miriamxsworld​ @bangtan-niff​ @bloopkook​ @jeon-joker​ @dreamcatcherjiah​ @taeminkook​ @awhnamjoon​ @mono-moonchilds​ @ireallylikeyourwriting​ @daydreamingvibes11​ @taeyongsplug​ @nana-kjdream​ @lunars​  @bananadonut-blog​ @fairysunooo​ @moonchild-w-wings​ @limiworld​ @liquidnovocaine​ @kookiesspacebuns​ @jinbestboy​ @fangurl-ontgeside​ @kxdrawhl​ @rosedale99​ @jungkookbabyyyy​ @pjmbbygirl​ @yoongiwithglasses​ @taegix94​ @yoobikook​ @banqtanbby​ @sunashawty​ @maknaechu​ @taestycake​ @imcompletelyok​ @cityh0wl​ @goldenkookietaebae​ @megagrl​

[spankpjm]

Sometimes I feel like the only person who believes this, but I really think JK knew that he was gay, and likely had a crush on Jimin, from the beginning. One of the first things I noticed from watching early content was JK's disinterest in women! I think it was in American Hustle Life that he told the story of having a girlfriend when he was younger and waiting to feel the way he thought he was supposed to, then ultimately breaking up with her after not speaking to her for 200 days. Not to mention the grapes over girls comment, his apparent early crush on namjoon (which was pretty much confirmed for me when the clip of JK gushing about joon was recently played for all the members... Poor boy looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him WHOLE 🤭) saying if he saw a pretty girl he'd "walk right past her," etc... Even in 2019 during his wine VLive when he talked about how his parents always accepted him for who he was and never tried to change him... I dunno, before I even thought JK was interested in Jimin, I thought he was likely gay.

I think in the early days both JK and JM were very concerned with creating their "hip hop personas" and projecting (a very stereotypical, very cringe version of) masculinity because they wanted to be successful idols. I also think the age gap was a problem for Jimin, and possibly also Big Hit. It's hard for me to believe that the fandom could see Jikook circling each other and suspect a budding romance as early as 2014 without anyone else at their very small, very close knit company noticing! And I'm not talking hindsight bias, I'm talking about ARMYs posting Jikook compilation videos very early in the fandom!

Sidenote: I also think BigHit has tried to be pragmatic, protective, and supportive: that they approved that Coming Of Age Ceremony performance at all says a lot to me. And, again maybe it's just me reading into things, but the very first Bon Voyage coincided with JK's coming of age... and they've all been filmed in very queer friendly locations... And the atmosphere surrounding Jikook in Bon Voyage...👀 My sister and I literally refer to that series as the BTS Gaycations... Lol but anyway, I digress.

I think JK has always known he's gay, and that what people see as him struggling with his sexuality was him wanting to protect himself, his persona, his career, and his group. I got more and more convinced of this as JK got older and started to do more to assert his identity as a gay man, not just his relationship with Jimin. Maybe that's why some jikookers can get a little myopic when it comes to JK? Or so easily offended by what they see as coldness or disinterest in JK toward Jimin, when Jimin is so open with his affection to all his members, including the one he happens to be in a relationship with. It does seem like many Jikookers start off as Jimin biased, because JM wears his heart for JK on his sleeve, whereas, at least to my eyes, JK is a lot more reticent, and prefers to be more in control when it comes to revealing the nature of their relationship.

I know I've been rambling but I really do want to know what you think about something in particular 😅.

First, if it wasn't obvious, I believe jikook are in a relationship and have been since JK came of age; I think they became seriously committed to each other in 2017 (I don't think JK would've created and released something as public and declarative GCF in Tokyo unless they were serious) and a permanently committed in 2019 (Again, I don't think JK would've kissed Jimin on stage in LA or permanently tattooed JM on his ring finger if they were just fooling around,) so to me Jikook is settled. Their couple moments may have gotten more spread out, but they've also gotten a lot louder imo.

Here's the thing: I think JK does public displays for Jimin. I think those times when JK has gone all out to show ARMY that, yes, he's in love with JM, were him speaking JM's love language. In the early days I think JK was content to have their relationship stay between the two of them, but because of Jimin's natural tendency to affectionately demonstrate his love, it left things looking one-sided. I think Jk's gotten more proactive in showing his own affection for Jimin .

However, imo, JK seems way more concerned with asserting that he's gay. I think he really wants ARMYs to know that he likes men and only men. As much as he's done to declare his love for Jimin, I think he's done twice as much to tell us, his fans, that he is gay.

Just today, when given the choice between two female leads in a drama, he chose the male lead, and people still tried to say he said that because he didn't want to start a controversy or dating rumors. Even many of those who acknowledge Jikook's relationship have a tendency to say JK is "Jimin-sexual," despite all the things that JK has explicitly said or done, past and present, that indicate otherwise.

I started making a list off the top of my head but I'm sure you're aware of many instances, and this is already 10 pages long.

I dunno, I feel like I'm on an island over here thinking JK is telling us he's gay and nobody will listen, especially after today. Just wanted to know your thoughts

Ooof anon this was a lot and I think I’ll come back to it and add more of my opinion when I can articulate my words better! But I agree I do think that he knew he was into boys, but at the same time didn’t really say it out loud you know what i mean?? Like he knew he was different but didn’t speak on it, because he didn’t know how people would take it at the time he cared too much about the image he was showing, I know what you mean about the boy crush, but I have a hard time coming to terms whether it was an actual crush crush or an “I admire you and look up to you crush” a lot of me thinks that JM was his first REAL crush. I’m not much of anyone to speak on the feelings that come with being conflicted about my sexuality (or that or gay men) besides my own experience, but I’ve talked to the gay men in my life and a lot of them said that they knew, they knew and it was hard to come to terms with sometimes, and JK being so young ( even tho I don’t think coming to terms with who you like romantically and sexually has to do much with age) he was in the spotlight most of his time growing up, in a place that’s very homophobic, and an industry that relies on mostly the whole boyfriend effect (if that makes sense lol)

I DO AGREE COMPLETELY that I do think he noticed these feelings, or attraction to men, buuuutttt I don’t think he was at terms with taking action on them yet, that he didn’t want to speak out loud of them yet. I hope this is all making sense my last post about fetus JK and JM was very rushed I didn’t explain myself completely and as well as i intended to. ANYWAYS over all I do agree with you on most points.

I ALSO AGREE with the fact that people don’t acknowledge a lot of his not very straight actions, I think so many people are stuck on his masculine energy and just assume that masculine energy is enough to say “hey I’m masculine so I am straight” which is totally false and some people are very bad at noticing that JK isn’t all that masculine just because he’s strong and just because he works out, and boxes doesn’t mean he’s masculine he’s always been open about being very gender neutral, and we have plenty of 💅🏼 JK and i LIVE FOR IT. I think a lot of the people that don’t wanna come to terms with the fact that JK avoids woman (for the most part) and never shows any interest is rooted with a lot of internal homophobia, and it kills their fantasy of having a shot with him it kills their delusions.

I’ll be on that island with you and a lot of us actually because most of us that aren’t delusional, most of us that know realistically we have zero chances LOL and those of us notice he’s actions and actually listen to his words, know he is not straight, and if he ever does say he is then shoot me in the foot damn it.

I will come back to this post and add some more tomorrow after I get some sleep 💤 I would also love to invite you into my inbox so we could discuss more 💜

Okay I’m back to add something else already lol, i also do believe they’re relationship started in 2017 I think the GCF was kinda like an open homage to that; like I said in my last post I think in a way it was a “video speaks louder than words” type of thing, showing JM and his affection towards him without saying it straight forward and most of us got that hint right away! And about him picking the make actor YES i also noticed that, and yeessss I think he was definitely saying something without saying it because overall he chose that question over many, and one think jk is not is clumsy lol nothing he does is a coincidence to me I’ve learned that over time it’s very calculated, I think he will continue to hint at us and tell us without telling us till he’s ready to say it straight forward but at the same time he doesn’t owe it to us either, so there’s no rush, I know we all want to be correct but at the end of the day it’s all up to him, and we will be here supporting him the WHOLE WAY

I hope all of this is coming out sounding the way I want it too, sometimes I think faster than I type and it’s a little difficult 😅

P.S if you ask me for my opinion on this I think they’re end game. 🤷🏻‍♀️ call me delulu IDC. To me they’re forever.

[rainbowsky]

What do you think of all the candy thrown by their endorsement brands for 520 this year??

I feel it’s very significant. Probably they are using it simply as marketing point as turtles will give free publicity.. ??

If you already have a post about 520 this year, can you please share the link too?

I don't get too worked up about endorsement brands, Anon...

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

I think it's cute when endorsement brands throw candy - and they sometimes do - but I don't really read too much into it. There's not a lot to take from a brand referencing GGDD. It doesn't really give me anything new or exciting.

It's also not as big a deal as some turtles seem to think it is. What might seem like a brand catering to turtles is much more likely turtles speaking to each other in their own language.

I think it's most likely that in the vast majority of cases it's totally coincidental, and turtles are reading into it something that wasn't intentionally placed there.

There is a faint possibility that some brands are trying to give a nod to GGDD so as to build loyalty with turtles, but that seems much less likely to me. Solo fans vastly outnumber BXG, and any candy blatant enough to truly reel in the turtles is also blatant enough to piss off the solos. Also, a brand would need permission to use GGDD more openly, or risk a lawsuit from the other party. After all, any money being made from someone's image/popularity needs to trickle down to that person, by contract. It's how business is done. A brand that has a relationship with either GG or DD but doesn't have a contract with the other is taking a legal risk. While it's not a huge risk, take it from me that agencies and brands are extremely risk averse. Particularly when it comes to queer stuff.

It's possible that GG and DD BOTH have a relationship with some brands, so that the brand has explicit (paid) permission to use the CP in their marketing, but again - very unlikely. A company that's paying to use the CP will want to really properly use that CP. Nothing I've seen from any brand has ever reached the level of obvious that would lead me to believe they've paid for the privilege to market using GGDD as a couple. Cryptic turtle grapics aren't something any brand is likely to pay for the right to post.

It's also possible that some of these things come from a turtle at the brand throwing a bit of red and green or turtle symbolism in there, and the higher ups at the brand know absolutely nothing about what's being referenced. However, that's not very likely considering that the people who lack the maturity to maintain those kinds of professional boundaries aren't likely to rise to a role where they have say in how the brand is communicated. By the time someone gets to that stage in their career, they've generally developed a pretty strong sense of professionalism.

So, Anon, I think that in almost all cases where a brand appears to be dropping a GGDD candy, it's a coincidence, or else just a turtle waving at other turtles. Which is cute, but not all that exciting. It's nice to know there are other turtles out there, but not at all surprising. After all, there are more than 3.75 million turtles following the BJYX supertopic. They have to work somewhere. 😅

There was a recent incident where a BXG was looking at photos from a Bananain popup store that the brand had posted, and she saw herself in one of the shots (carrying a Suo'er bag) and commented on it. The person running the Bananain Weibo account replied saying, "I saw you!!" So it's possible that Bananain employee is a turtle too.

As I said before, I don't think there's evidence that any brand has ever engaged in actual CP marketing with GGDD. The nature of their situation is such that it's highly unlikely to ever happen. If it was going to be done, it would have happened back when The Untamed was airing.

I think it's possible that some of the brands they work with - particularly the ones who they've worked with the longest or have the closest relationships with - know about their relationship. But for reasons I've already outlined, it wouldn't be used in any marketing sort of way.

The vast overwhelming majority of people involved in these decisions would think GG and DD are straight, and have no idea that there is even a CP. Or if they know, they look down on it and would never consider targeting that group for advertising, either because the idea offends them (it isn't something they'd want their brand associated with), or because they wouldn't want to anger the bigger market share (solos).

There was a brand that DD was working with up until fairly recently, that was openly hostile toward BXG. They actively tried to prevent BXG from attending brand events, and when there was an online draw for prizes BXG won and were cast aside and the prizes were redrawn until a solo won. The company was actually sued by the BXG and the BXG lost the case. The brand successfully argued that they were trying to protect DD's reputation.

So bottom line: never underestimate the homophobia/heteronormativity of the corporate world, especially in China, and never underestimate the dedication of turtles no matter where they work.

But that is just my take on things having worked in marketing/advertising and with some big brands. Such contracts and relationships are actually pretty corporate and buttoned down, and a brand is always going to hire someone to represent their brand because of the appeal of that individual. Who they're secretly dating/married to just isn't likely to ever become part of the story.

But if you enjoy that clownery, don't let me dampen your fun.

As for 520, I didn't really do much specific posting around it. I spent most of my time freaking out about Huang Ziteng's Weibo post. You can find all the posts I made on 520 under my Happy 520 tag.

Edit: More on my thought process

Another point that I didn't mention here, but which is something that my mind immediately goes to, having been in these meetings (but admittedly none involving Asian entertainment biz stakeholders)...

I just also have a really difficult time imagining the boardroom conversations for this stuff, when negotiating a contract/discussing a marketing plan with GG and DD's teams.

In these (always very dry, corporate, 'cash and contracts' focused) conversations, people talk about marketing targets and strategies. How many units they want to sell to whom in what timeframe, how many ad impressions featuring the artist's face will be served where, who the target audiences are, what falls inside/outside the brand guidelines for both the brand and the artist (aka what they will and won't do), and what sort of approach will be taken to reaching targeted audiences.

I have a really hard time picturing either side bringing up a CP from a drama that finished airing 3 years ago - a CP that happens to reflect their actual relationship - and then discussing compensation for throwing very cryptic messages to a narrow, ostracized group of controversial fans in a very homophobic entertainment climate. Particularly given how greatly solos outnumber turtles, and how heteronormative the social climate is.

Since GG and DD have never done any actual joint CP marketing, this would be a totally untested area. There would be no clear sales numbers to point to, no market research, nothing.

With no numbers and no successful campaigns to point to, with the social awkwardness and the pariah nature of CP fans (fan culture is looked down on, shipping is looked down on, homosexuality is an avoided topic, the fact that they're in a real relationship is likely an avoided topic), I can't help but feel that if BXG come up at all, it's likely in a negative context from the perspective of the brand.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. It could be that there is always a lengthy discussion of fan groups and the marketing numbers for each - including BXG - and how best to approach that marketing (very cryptically), but that only brings me back to wondering how compelling a brand would find any of it given the controversy between fan groups and how hated BXG are by solos, given how long ago The Untamed aired, given the entertainment climate, given the fact that GG and DD have never done a shared endorsement...

Targeted ads (and that's what any ad aimed at BXG would have to be for the brand to intentionally put it out there) pretty much always have a sales goal attached to them. "X ad spot will deliver X number of impressions (views), and we anticipate X number of those views to convert to sales averaging X amount per sale." That kind of thing.

But cryptic candy would be next to impossible to quantify. Most turtle's sales are likely counted under a generic column of 'fans' or even more vaguely, of 'sales in that timeframe'. Unless a turtle goes out of their way to identify themselves as a turtle at POS (point of sale), and many would be embarrassed to do so, and unless that information gets communicated to those who care about it (is there even a system to accommodate that?), brands aren't likely to know how much purchasing power turtles are exerting.

Anyway, just a bit more on my thought process for this. There was a time when I thought it possible - even likely - that brands were going after turtles, but when I really reflect on it, it makes no sense to me that they would be.

But like I said, I have no special insight into how this is all handled in their region. I could be wrong, so if your CPN on this makes you happy, just continue to enjoy it.

EDIT: Thought I'd add this past post because it covers some of the issues around collaborations between brands GG endorses and brands DD endorses, and whether I think those are candy.

[thehaitanis]

𝔫𝔞𝔯𝔠𝔬𝔩𝔢𝔭𝔱𝔦𝔠 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔫𝔢𝔯: 𝔪𝔦𝔨𝔢𝔶, 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔫 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔲

❮★❯ summary: how will manjiro sano (mikey), ken ryuguji and rindou haitani be with a narcoleptic partner.

❮★❯ warnings: my bad writing and vague descriptions of narcolepsy.

❮★❯ disclaimer: english is not my first language, so forgive me for any mistakes. also, i tried to not get into details with the narcolepsy just in case i said something wrong, and if i did, please forgive me.

he probably found out the first time you two talked, it was that kind of talk when you try to get to know your crush better, so you just ask whatever it comes to your mind in hopes the talking will last a few more minutes.

when you explained to him what narcolepsy was, he was intrigued. was it something you were born with? or does it just happen to be present later? either way he’s gonna get really into it, doing his own research and trying to understand as much as possible so you can feel secure around him when it happens.

mikey tends to be very calm in general but all of this changes quickly when he realizes that he had almost zero knowledge about what to do, incrementing his uneasiness if your narcolepsy has more extreme symptoms, so at first he was really worried, especially because he’d never seen something like that, so it was a bit difficult when it happened and he was just beside you because no matter just how much he studied, the panic of seeing you fall asleep randomly in the middle of the day was a bit shocking to him. he’ll ask you to be careful whenever you’re doing something that can hurt you, it’s not like he will let you completely alone to do everything but he’ll try to keep an eye on you just to be sure everything is alright.

after sometime and only when he feels like he’s capable enough of taking care of you properly, mikey will begin to see it all as something normal, another part of you that he should appreciate. if you’re not bothered by it, he’ll always make jokes about how cool it is that you both now have multiple opportunities a day to take power naps cause, even if i don’t see him as being lazy, mikey will definitely take any chance he can to rest and spend time with you.

i can imagine draken finding out about your condition by mere coincidence, maybe you both still were in the early stages of your relationship when it happened, or maybe you decided to tell him just so he could be aware of it. whatever it was, he was definitely surprised when you explained narcolepsy to him.

i feel like it would be a new concept in his life, not having known anyone similar to you in that sense draken would feel interested but i don’t think he’ll ask that much just in case you don’t like talking about it. however, he’ll try to be as careful as possible when it happens, especially if you two are outside or in a place where it would be troublesome for you to rest comfortably.

he is somewhat worried about you, but he doesn’t let it show because he doesn’t want to put stress on you. draken prefers not to address your condition if it doesn’t represent a problem to you, but if your narcolepsy has more extreme symptoms, then he’ll ask you to help him understand and know how he can help if things get out of control. draken is someone really calm in general and it’ll probably seem as if he doesn’t care about what’s going on with you, but that’s not what’s happening at all. he’ll always keep an eye on you and would try to do as much for you as he can without you ever noticing.

now that he knows what to do about it, your narcolepsy it’s pretty normal to him. you two could just be watching a movie, sitting side by side on his couch when suddenly he’ll feel some extra weight on his shoulder. draken doesn’t even need to look at you to know what’s happening and so, without taking his eyes off the screen he’ll just put you in a more comfortable position, be it your head resting on his lap or laying completely on the couch, either way he’ll just want to make sure that when you awake, nothing will hurt.

you will have to explain your narcolepsy to him because i can see rindou finding out by accident; watching in horror how you just fell asleep on your desk without even being careful of what happened around you. it was such a shock to him that he couldn’t help but run to you, thinking you fainted or something similar until you began curling in his embrace, clearly asleep, poor rindou almost had a stroke.

like mikey and draken, rindou wouldn’t know what narcolepsy is and i highly doubt that he’ll be interested in knowing everything about it if the other symptoms don’t apply to you. he’ll ask to know only what’s important so it is easier for him to remember.

he’ll be worried if you happen to present more intense symptoms, it’s mostly because he’s not that good at handling those kind of things due to his inexperience, however, rindou is willing to learn just whatever if it means he can be of help when you need him. he’ll treat you with normalcy but it’ll be very obvious to anyone how protective he can be with you. i hate to say it but rindou will definitely be the type of boyfriend that prohibits you to do a lot of “dangerous” stuff, afraid you can hurt yourself and, by “dangerous” i mean that you’re not allowed to cook, drive, take a bath (you can do it alone but just know he’ll be waiting for you outside) and other simple stuff that he deems considerably dangerous.

rindou always makes sure that you’re close enough to him every time you’re together. he’ll be careful but it wouldn’t be overbearing because he doesn’t want you to feel incapable of being by yourself when you’re outside. but, he’ll get mad if for some reason you’re left alone. it wouldn’t be uncommon for him to demand for someone to accompany you while he’s busy with his brother. he’ll kill anyone who doesn’t take proper care of you and, if you happen to get hurt while he’s away from you, then rindou will make damn sure someone pays for your new bruise. he’ll be mad but it’s only because he’s scared something worse will happen when he’s not with you.

❮★❯ requests are: closed!

[kanmom51]

JM JK timeline.- my observations how they grew over the years

Disclaimer: these are my own opinions and conclusions.  Feel free to disagree, but hate or aggression will be unacceptable.

2017 - Part 3

Ooh, we have reached a major event here.  Serendipity. 4 September 2017, or is it 1 September 2017 (??), as I will explain bellow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEMaH9Sm3lQ&t=16s .  

Or what I like to call:  JM’s love ode to JK.

Now tell me this: If Jimin’s song Serendipity was released 4th September 2017, and uploaded to BangtanTv on 5th September 2017, why is the date stamped on the MV 1 Sep 2017? 

 Does that date mean something? Let me think for a second….oh, it does, doesn’t it?  It’s someone’s birthday !!!

JM tells us himself: “All of this isn’t just a coincidence”.

Serendipity is a beautiful love song, and I honestly believe it is JM’s love ode to JK, a birthday present to his love.  

I am aware that Jimin is not the one who wrote the lyrics for the song.  RM did though.  RM, that at this point was very much aware of the relationship and JM’s great love for JK. RM that had written JK’s Begin, a song that everyone agrees is a very personal song of JK’s.  

The “I am you, you are me” line actually originated from a song released by Zico in early 2016.  There are theories that Jikook used a reference from that songs MV (the band aids on their fingers) during a Puma fan sign on April 2nd 2016.  So, if this is true and the line had special meaning for them to start with, and it found it’s way into the song lyrics... feel free to make your conclusions...

And although we have no way of knowing just how involved JM was in the process of writing this song (did he ask for a love song? Did he give ideas to insert into the song, like destiny, not being a coincidence, the cat?), but at the end of the day, JM ‘owns’ the song, believes in what he is singing.  When he talks about the song you can feel the emotional personal connection he has with the song.  This is his song,  and he sings it for JK.  And JK knows this is Jimin’s gift to him.  

Serendipity related, check out the 18th September Dance with DNA Vlive -  https://www.vlive.tv/video/42069 .

JK’s reaction when JM says Serendipity is his favourite song.  So cute. The thing with this one is that you could easily overlook it or not read too much into it. Only Suga’s reaction here is the tell all.  

At the point that JK is acting all shy and smiley to himself, Suga moves closer to him, whispering “Jungkookah”, something that brings on a change to JK’s entire facial expression.  There’s even a slight head nod from Suga when JK wipes the smile off his face.  

Suga hinting to JK not to be so obvious, only made it more obvious.  I also noticed that just before JM starts singing Serendipity, just after he was asked what his favourite song from the album is, JK looks sideways to Suga, as if he knows he isn’t supposed to react too obviously – looks a bit like little JK might have been scolded or reigned in prior to the live broadcast.    Remember that this is really quite a short time after the song’s release, so JK’s excitement, happiness, is still really fresh.  The song is for him, and it’s JM’s favourite...

I am not going to analyse the MV, but there are many who have done so before me.  Was JM involved in the planning and did he have any input to the choices made?  Idk.  There is a similarity to the motif of the DNA MV. Is it a coincidence that the dominant colour used is JK’s favourite colour? Who knows. But doesn’t the song say “all of this is not a coincidence”?

Add to that JM starting to use the paw print emoji by JK’s name on Twitter?  A coincidence? Mmm… interesting.

From this point on it is clear that “you are me, I am you” is a JM and JK thing. 

21 September 2017 BTS comeback show.  JK was in charge of putting together each of the members DNA.  Very enjoyable.  But why did JM have to mention again that JK comes to their room to sleep?  Also, how does JK know that JM doesn’t wake up Hobi when he is playing games late at night?  JM telling us how he now learnt how to play games – then what games was JM good last year (re: Vlive 22 April 2017)?

22 September 2017 Love Yourself fan sign– JM singing Serendipity, JK joining in.  How happy JM looks when JK sings “just let me love you” with him all while making eye contact with each other at that point. The way JM looks at JK while singing the song.  Singing to him.  

Still think Serendipity is not JK and JM’s song?

They have a way of looking at one another that sometimes make me feel like I’m intruding on a very intimate moment.

24 September 2017 SBS Inkigayo Super concert – found it!!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb-_jkdxgh4 start watching at 3.36min.

This is the one I remembered, where JM, saw the need to grab JK’s butt, run his hand up and down his back side, right through the crack, repeatedly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fv0CaQT9M start watching 11:30min , JM walks to his place past JK, lightly brushing his hand against JK.  

When I mention the brushes or light touches – this is what I mean (see attached photos).   Obviously, there will be those who say it wasn’t intentional, that he was walking by him and didn’t mean to touch him.  I say bollox to that (excuse the language).  

First, there was plenty of room not to walk so close to JK.  Second, if you notice, he circles JK only to make it back to the same actual side he was on to begin with.  All he had to do was back up, just like JK did, and not circle JK to make it to his place on stage.  Third, to me it looks as if he was aiming to touch JK’s hand, only it was too high up.

26 September SBS MTV The Show.  Happy happy boys.  

30 September 2017  Love Yourself fan sign Sinchon –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIdoK9rfAI .  

Another one I was looking for.  I have seen this moment and wasn’t sure where or when it was from.  This is one of those clips Jikook’s use to show Jimin being jealous, and to be honest, first time I saw it it made me wonder too.  But watching it again and again, I have come to the conclusion that that wasn’t the issue.  

To me this is more JM being protective than JM being Jealous.  Setting the boundaries for V when it comes to JK, and it is something we see with JM more than once.  

JM wasn’t happy.  V wasn’t happy.  Boundaries were set.  

I actually wrote a separate post about this moment.  

1 October 2017 BTS live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwU-NOMLvqQ 

Tipsy JK must be a Jikooker. His guard is down, inhibitions are gone and he becomes really chatty and tends to say and do things that he most likely regrets later on.  We didn’t see the members drink what seemed to be alcohol, but the vibe I got from JK’s talkativeness and behaviour during the live was that he was tipsy.  Not outright drunk, but tipsy.

To the fan’s request to show his abs, JK starts checking himself out, looking under his T-shirt, only to be scolded by JM to keep it to himself.  This is also the first time we hear him Jikooking, talking about eating with Jin and JM, referring to them as Jin-jikook, and then turning to JM, while the others try to call them by another name (I wonder why…).  Did I not say tipsy JK is a Jikooker???

3 October 2017 Run BTS episode 22.  https://www.vlive.tv/video/43438 start 7.00min.

JM turns to JK asking him to vote for him.  The softness in JM’s voice when he asks him acting all coquettish.  The way JM approached JK and the way he spoke to him, that’s not the way someone talks to his mate, or to his ‘brother’.

There was a softness in the approach to JK.  coquettish is the only way I can describe it.

 Love hearts were added by the show’s editors, not me !!!! 

12 October 2017 BTS countdown. Can be found on Dailymotion. 

All JM had to say was one word – Jungkookah and JK, surprisingly (not) chose him.  The look of joy on their faces at that point.  And again the editors with the heart emoji effects.  Uhm… 

JM and JK’s team was the team chosen by the fans, and guess what song they both choose to sing, as JM piggy backed JK? Their song obviously… Serendipity.  

And yet again, JM gets to tell us JK comes to his room to sleep.  We hear you JM.  We hear you.

Jimin birthday surprise (BangtanTV 1 November 2017) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aAhNAl53ZY.

JM gets flowers sent from his father.  J-Hope and Suga pretend JM’s dad has arrived to surprise JM, Suga pointing and saying he saw him.  JK slowly backs up, shocked and alarmed smile on his face, trying to move behind RM.  Then the boys start laughing.  

Now, why do I think this is a moment worthy of my timeline?  Well, when the boys start laughing, revealing it was a joke, the one Suga points at, laughingly, is JK.  

The whole thing feels like a joke on JK, not JM.  JK is the one being teased.   Why would JK be so stressed out from JM’s dad being there?  And why would the boys be teasing him like that? Hm…

The funny thing is that the camera is on JK and Suga, not on JM, who was supposedly just told his father was there. That feels slightly strange to me. Wouldn’t they want to catch JM’s reaction? Not JK’s?

28-30 October 2017 JK and JM Tokyo trip together.  This trip was long anticipated by JM.  He had been looking forward for his trip with JK for a long time.  It was a private trip planned and paid for by JK as a gift for JM.  What we know about the trip is mostly what they tell us in retrospect.  

Saying that, this was truly a memorable trip for them both, and they both can’t seem to shut up about it, talking about it at any possible moment.  JK telling us how JM stayed up (only JM?) until 5 am, so they both woke up at 12pm and missed out on plans they had for the morning, JM tells how they went shopping in Harajuku, how during their trip was the longest walk they took, referring to their trip during interviews.  As I mentioned – a memorable trip.  

31 October 2017 - When returning from the trip JM posts a selca/selfie.  I know I said I won’t be doing this, but rules are sometimes meant to be broken, and this specific selca is gorgeous, so…

BTS Wings tour Japan documentary - filmed October 2017, published 12 November 2017 - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7sz5rq .  

Both acting cute together. For some reason, they are the only ones that are paired for the one on one interviews, when Suga, Jin and Hobi were all interviewed by themselves. 

 Felt like JM and inhibitions were strangers during the group interview.  

Not really sure what JM was searching for in JK’s thigh during the group interview (when V was talking) – tupping, fingering and squeezing JK’s thigh.  And yet again RM and J-Hope’s reactions to die for.  Hobi eyes on the action throughout the whole episode, and RM when he notices, I would pay a lot of money to know what was going through his head at that point.  My educated guess is: “God, please get me out of here, why did I agree to be the leader????” LOL.

Then when asked what their impressions were when coming to the dome, JM tells how JK was crying, all while caressing JK’s ear.  JK tells how he was emotional, and they look at each other.  All the while, RM’s face when JM touches JK’s ear, only to continue to place his hands on their shoulders respectively.

JM continues to surprise, telling viewers to anticipate for JK’s sweat.  The minute he says that, RM turns to look towards Suga, the vibe I get is: “god, please help me here…”.  

Then JM goes on to tell us how in his opinion JK’s sweat is beautiful, Holy water.  What???? J-hope repeats JM’s Holy water, then glances for just a second towards RM and looks down nervously – great save Hobi.

The group interview was shot on JM’s birthday.  Maybe that had something to do with his good un-inhibited mood.

8 November 2017 – GCF in Tokyo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrTNLkqGrlc  .

While the Tokyo trip was JK’s birthday gift or JM.  GCF Tokyo is JK’s love ode to JM.  

One of JK’s grand gestures.  Up there with RB, as far as I am concerned.

This is not an analysis of GCFT, but I do have a few words to say on the matter. Explain why in my eyes this is a JK’s love ode to JM.  

This video was filmed and edited by JK, and JK alone.  It supposedly documents their trip together.  It was his choice and his alone to edit and publish this video and did so to JM’s surprise.  

In the video to start with, he lets us know that it’s the two of them, but from there on, other than seeing JK through the mirrors in the elevator while he is filming JM, the one we mostly see is JM.  JM smiling, JM goofing around, JM eating, JM enjoying himself on the Tea Cup ride at Disneyland, JM walking, JM dancing, and as a whole just JM having the time of his life. For a video that is documenting a trip to Tokyo, there is not too much of Tokyo we get to see.  

The end credits name JK as the photographer, director and editor, while naming JM as the actor.  

There is a strong romantic vibe to the video.  

JK’s editing choices, including his music choice for the video are well thought out.  His choice to edit to the beat of the song.  All cleverly thought out to accentuate both the footage and the lyrics of the song he chose:  ‘There for you’ by Troye Sivan and Martin Garrix.  

JM told us already: “this is not a coincidence”.  

The level of preparation from JK, acquiring the rights to use the song, the amount of time it took to go over the footage and edit the video, all while managing to do that will a full working schedule (working throughout the night). This was clearly something big for him.  His joy and pride when it was uploaded to Youtube, clearly showed, him smiley and dancing.

2 days prior to GCFT, on 6 November 2017, JM published his short clip of the trip.  JM too took the time to edit a cute footage of the trip, documenting both of them having fun. Putting them both side by side only emphasizes the difference and showcases just how much GCFT was all about JM, being JK’s love ode to JM.

To be continued...

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Fishman Island

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

i know i’ve said it before but i really, really love the entirety of reunion arc. it might be short, but there’s just so much fun and joy packed into it after the extremely fraught and upsetting paramount war. there’s something exhilarating about seeing characters who could barely compete on the world stage two years ago not just come back from nigh-obliteration, but come back so much stronger. this is true about fishman island as a whole as well, really, which is the main reason i enjoy it so much. 

every time we get to see luffy flex his conqueror’s haki absolutely fills me with delight.

brook’s return to the crew is, i think, the most meaningful of all of them. he knew them for, what, a week or two in-universe prior to the separation at sabaody? and in the two-year interim, he becomes basically an extremely successful rock star known worldwide and selling out stadiums. and yet he doesn’t hesitate a moment to drop all of that, to declare before the world that luffy is alive and will be king, because he might have only known the strawhats for a little while but they saved him, and he’s going to see his dream through to the end with them. 

this is possibly my favorite panel in all of one piece. it just makes me so fucking happy to finally see him again! 

i’m a big fan of oda’s choice in not revealing his full design until this moment, so that we get to see him finally appear in all his glory the same moment the rest of the world does, just in time for him to explode back into the public consciousness and fuck up sentoumaru’s whole day. 

i feel like i might be repeating myself a little with regards to reunion arc, but i don’t really care- it just makes me happy. this spread where luffy finally arrives back at the sunny- look how delighted they all are to see him! look how much they missed him! the strawhats are such a family, even though at this point they’ve just spent far more time apart than they’ve ever spent together, and i just adore them so much. 

roger is one of my favorite flashback characters and definitely one of the characters i wonder about the most, and a lot of the thoughts i have about him circle back around to this panel right here. where did he get the hat? why did he give it to shanks? why did he choose to set out to sea who is he- 

i think about kuma a lot. for such a minor character his tragedy is immense, and i would really like to know more about him, why he chose to do the things he did, what his relationship with dragon and the other revolutionaries was like- whether there’s any chance he can still be saved. 

fishman island is absolutely gorgeously drawn. i’d call it absolutely the prettiest setting in the series until wano, and i think that, like wano, it’s clear oda was waiting to draw it for a very long time. the amount of detail and care put into all of the big establishing shots is really breathtaking.

one of the reason i think fishman island is so fun is because the comparatively lower stakes, combined with how much stronger the strawhats are, means they get to be at their most fully chaotic best. they take ryuuguu palace hostage almost completely unintentionally, off-screen, and then immediately start bickering and making ransom demands. i love them so much. 

i love luffy and shirahoshi’s relationship so much- i love how much she trusts him to keep her safe, and i love how easily he does it. i love how he’s brutally honest with her but never really mean and how he encourages her to open up her world and do new things even when it’s scary and dangerous, and lets her take things at her own pace. 

i think the sun pirates’ symbol is probably my favorite jolly roger in the series, both because it’s so well-established in the story, all the way back to arlong park, and because it has so much meaning. the shadow of fisher tiger’s life and death is cast over the entire story long before we even know he existed. 

the symbolic destruction and replacement of the slave brand with the rising sun is so, so cool, and the knowledge of the reasoning behind the symbol also makes it clear long before its confirmed in-story just how empty hody and his crew are. their versions of the symbol are open, with the silhouette of a decapitated human, because they have no brand to cover. 

i care so much about koala and fisher tiger, and the relationship between them as two former slaves and two deeply injured people, and how fisher tiger still manages to muster the strength to be good and gentle to her even after how much humans have hurt him. 

i think it’s really a shame that he never got to see who and what she grew up to be as a direct result of his kindness. i think he would’ve been really proud of her.

i’ve always really liked that otohime isn’t perfect. she’s not as flawless as she first appears to be- gets angry and frustrated and even drunk and shouty when her own people won’t listen to her trying to help them, and it makes her feel so much more real. her patience and pacifism feel much more admirable when we’re also shown how hard she fights to keep them up. she works to be good.

one thing i like in one piece is how much value is placed on just the value of knowledge, of writing, of reading and understanding. it’s visible in how one of the rarest powers in the world is the ability to hear the voice of all things, and in the poneglyphs, too. 

one of my favorite things about luffy is how he becomes a hero by trying not to be one. he doesn’t care about how people view him, and he never has; he really only cares about his friends and loved ones. it’s just that he’s also an incredibly easy person to befriend, and if those friends need help, then he’ll help them, regardless of the cost. most of the island-saving he does is just positive collateral to luffy’s driving desire for the people he cares about to be safe and happy. 

i have always loved strawhat group shots ever since back in east blue when the crew was just three people, and they’ve only gotten more exhilarating as the crew has expanded and full-crew shots have become less common in the new world. it’s always just awesome, seeing them all together and united for a common purpose, whether it’s saving robin in enies lobby or kicking hody’s ass here.

my friend zeph grainjew calls moments like these, where other members of the strawhats deal with a problem so luffy doesn’t have to, ‘honor guard moments’, and i really like them. they’re a display of both the loyalty luffy’s crew has for him and the trust luffy has for them right back.

the thing about shirahoshi is that she’s not a coward. she’s a crybaby and overemotional and extremely skittish (which, for the record, is fully understandable for someone who’s been the subject of constant assassination attempts since she was six), but when it comes down to it, she’s fully ready and willing to let herself get killed by the noah in order to protect her people and her country. she’s so brave.

i sometimes see people complain that the villains of fishman island are flat and boring, as though that’s not the whole point, as though the entire arc isn’t a treatise on the importance of not passing hatred down to children. of course hody and his crew are hollow, they’re the equivalent of malcontented shitty white men who become neo-nazis because it’s easier to blame minorities for their problems. 

luffy’s victory over hody itself is nothing. it’s easy, it’s only barely a challenge because they fight in the open water and luffy is a devil fruit user, and in the larger scheme of the one piece world, hody is nobody to even take notice of, no matter how grand his ambitions might be. what’s important isn’t hody’s defeat itself, it’s that the children of fishman island see luffy come when shirahoshi calls, and that at the end of the arc, they all want straw hats of their very own.  

this might genuinely be a coincidence, but i’ve always liked that fishman island, an arc all about inheritance and what we pass down to our successors, is when luffy first pulls out red hawk, an attack clearly inspired by ace. inheritance can positive or negative- the negative examples in this arc are obvious, but there are positive ones, too. we can also see it with koala and fisher tiger, or with jinbe and both of the legacies he’s shouldered. it’s up to us what we leave behind. 

for all that fishman island isn’t the strongest arc on its own, i do think it has by far one of the strongest endings. it’s an arc all about hurt and loss and how it gets passed down and renewed over generations, and it ends with a return to zero. everything’s not better, but the wound’s been cleaned and bandaged, and now it can finally, finally start to heal. 

and into the new world we go! with skies full of fire and oceans full of lightning, looking just like the entrance to hell- and all our crew can’t wait to get there. 

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Mesmerised: Mai x female reader - Imagine being a singer and capturing the attention of the stoic knife expert herself.

Mai’s POV

Mai had never liked singing. 

Ever. 

She found every singer hurt her ears or was just dreadfully dull. She was sure music was the most over-rated form of art....until she heard you sing. 

Mai was truly perplexed and intrigued by her fondness for your singing, it was almost unantural the effect it had on her and Mai had no idea why it affected her so much. She had been walking home one day when your voice drifted out from a cafe. It had tugged at her and she found herself slowing down. She’d never heard a voice like yours. There was something so appealing about it, something so...emotion-provoking, Mai actually felt something stir in her. This had never happened to her and Mai was both surprised and alarmed at the sensation. She carried on walking and shrugged it off but you lingered on her mind. She wondered who sang like that and why she hadn’t heard that song before. It was comforting and beautiful but she knew she had never experienced anything like it before. Your voice played over and over again in her head until finally, Mai gave in. She walked back to the cafe at the same time the next day and ordered a drink. She noticed there was a stage so she took a seat with a good view and waited. As time ticked by she was ready to leave and abandon her fool's errand when you appeared. When she saw you she just knew you were that beautiful voice. Sure enough, when you started to sing the same sensation swept over her, she felt an odd array of emotions and was transfixed by every word. She finally got what people meant when they said music moved them and she liked it. But this new sensation only applied to your music specifically. She realised with an abrupt reminder as the next artist began to perform that she still hated all other music and so she sought yours out to pinpoint exactly what it was that she liked. She came back to the same cafe the next night and then the next and before long she had your schedule memorised. She also learnt the other places you sang at and went to them too. She was slowly becoming a stalker or groupie or something but she still hadn’t figured out what it was that transfixed her and so she came back night after night just to listen to you.

Your POV

You sang at an array of fire nation cafes but even with the hundreds of bars and cafes in the fire nation capital it was difficult to make ends meet. But you’d sought a creative career in a country that favoured efficiency and concrete solutions, what did you expect? You really were a dreamer. You’d noticed this girl had been in the main cafe you sang at every single night you’d been there. Maybe it was just a coincidence and she came here every night anyway but you noticed her in the crowd a lot and hoped she was here for you. She was so mysterious and impressive. She just looked cool and emanated power dressed from head to toe in long black clothes lined sparsely with red. She was very beautiful and you wondered more and more about her every day, what her story was, where she was from, what she did for a living, just everything and anything about her. One day you got your wish.

You stepped outside the bar after a successful gig and there was the girl. She was waiting on the corner yards away from you. She turned as you came outside and your breath caught in your throat. You looked at one another and she stared at you. Her eyes were concentrated and serious adding to her mysterious powerful persona. You blushed at her intense gaze and looked away. She darted her eyes away too but you noticed she kept glancing back over at you. She stepped towards you when suddenly a pink blur appeared. "Mai!" the pink girl cried and she wrapped her arms around her. 

So her name was Mai? 

You smiled, it suited her.

Mai’s POV

"I’ve missed you so much" Ty lee cried still hugging her and Mai let her having learned a long time ago the easiest thing to do was just let Ty lee hug you. "It’s only been a day since we last saw each other" Mai replied dryly."Well you’re so great i missed you even after that amount of time" Ty lee cried kissing Mai’s cheek. Mai rubbed at it annoyed, she didn’t want you getting the wrong idea and thinking Ty lee was her girlfriend. She looked back to see if you were watching and found your spot empty. You’d left. "Is everything okay?". Ty lee asked noticing Mai was staring and she nodded "yeah it’s fine, let's go" and they made their way home.

“We’re home!” Ty lee called as the door swung open and Suki appeared in the corridor “Mai! How was your visit to your family?”. “Boring” she shrugged before pausing “Tomtom is getting so big now” she smiled softly. Suki nodded “I bet! I thought your ship got in at 6?”. “It did, I swung by the lavender inn”. Suki frowned “again? You’ve been going there a lot" she commented and Mai shrugged "i like it there". "Why? It’s not that nice a place" Ty lee frowned and Mai paused "i...i like the staff". When Suki and Ty lee hesitated Mai rushed to cover her back "they serve me quickly, have my order memorised and leave me alone for hours, it’s bliss". Mai could hardly tell them she actually went to lots of different cafes and bars because of a girl and not just any girl but a singer! She knew they’d tease her endlessly for liking a girl so unlike herself and Mai had berated herself over that but she couldn’t help it. You were simply her guilty pleasure and she had no intention of letting you go. 

1 day later

Mai showed up at your usual place the next day and took her regular seat. She was relaxed and ready to hear your music when another girl walked on stage instead. She introduced herself and began to sing. Mai frowned, where were you? She wondered if maybe this girl was the warm-up act but as time stretched on Mai wasn’t so sure. More than a little disappointed Mai discreetly made her way towards the exit. A door leading to the back room opened and Mai heard an argument within. She paused as she recognised your voice. Mai stood casually by the door and listened to what she could hear. You were arguing with someone and it appeared to be over your wages. "I can get more money if I bring in more singers!" a man said and Mai heard you sigh “I’ve had this spot for a year! You can’t just half it, I rely on tips, this will kill my takings”. “That’s not my problem” the man retorted “you either perform here for half the time or go find somewhere else, singers are easy to replace, there are hundreds of performers exactly like you”. You laughed “no there’s not but good look finding one! You can stuff your slot!” you cried and before Mai could react you stormed out from the door past her and exited the cafe. Mai paused and waited an appropriate amount of time before following you. She looked around and saw you’d walked away from the cafe a few feet before you sat on the pavement your head in your hands. Mai watched you, clearly upset, and wondered what she should do...despite her better judgement Mai approached you. "Hey" Mai said and you paused and looked up. "I saw you storm out of the cafe...are you okay?". You nodded your head, your eyes darting over her "i’m fine i just got fired...or quit? I don’t know" you shook your head and Mai frowned. "Well it’s their loss, you're the best performer here". You glanced at Mai curiously "i am?". Mai nodded "i’ve heard you sing quite a few times and nobody sounds like you or does your style...they’ll regret it". You smiled "i have seen you around before and the other night on the corner with your girlfriend!". Mai paused and cursed Ty lee. "That was me but Ty lee isn’t my girlfriend, i don’t have a girlfriend...at least not yet" Mai said and cringed at herself. She wanted you to know she was single and that she liked girls but she’d been so obvious! You chuckled slightly and Mai’s blush rose. "Good to know, your names Mai right?". Mai nodded her head. "My names y/n, it’s nice to finally meet you". Mai smiled "it is". Your eyes met and you looked away first blushing slightly which aided the recovery of Mai’s ego a little. "Can i ask you something?" Mai said fuelled by her burst of confidence. You nodded and she took a breath "so i hate singing, any form of music basically makes me sick to my stomach but i don’t hate yours, I don’t even dislike it!". You paused before smirking "thank you?". "No that didn’t come out right...what i meant was i like your music better than anyone else's and i’ve honestly never heard anyone sing the way you do, so my question is what's your inspiration? Why do you sing so differently?". You paused, that was a big question and you weren’t sure where to start. “Well I mean I’ve always liked to sing, music was my favourite lesson in school but I found there were too many restraints on it! Don’t move when you’re singing, don’t stray from the century-year-old anthems, don’t add any personality to it...” you sighed “I always found it so odd and cruel that we weren’t allowed to just express ourselves but nobody else seemed to, they all called me odd for wanting to sing in a different key or learn a different song. I didn’t fit in with the conventional music...so i quit music classes and practised music in my own way, I found a library book of old songs from before firelord Azulon’s era, apparently they were deemed too unconventional and weak for traditional fire nation custom but I loved them! The songs weren’t harsh or imposing, they were delicate but powerful, emotional but liberating! After I learnt all of those I decided to make more. I’ve developed hundreds of adaptations but the style stayed the same because it feels so free and creative, so un-fire nation. So long story short i guess my style is so different because i rebel against anything that fits with fire nation tradition. I know it’s sacrilegious" you grinned "but i sometimes feel so trapped by all our customs and rules...singing is my rebellion". Mai smiled and you blushed as silence settled "i bet that sounds so overdramatic". Mai shook her head "i know a little about rebelling against the fire nation, it makes sense. It makes me like you...i mean your music even more" Mai said going red. She heard you chuckle under your breath and cursed herself. You went to speak when a voice called out your name. You stood up and waved to the figure "my ride is here". Mai looked down the street where a girl was waiting for you and frowned. She’d embarrassed herself enough so why not push a little more? "Ow...your girlfriend?". You smiled at Mai’s not so subtle question and looked at her "no Loren is just a friend. I don’t have a girlfriend...at least not yet" you said mimicking her earlier response and Mai blushed. "Good to know" Mai said copying you and you smiled at her. "So i should go but it was really nice talking to you Mai, I’ll hopefully see you around?". Mai nodded "yeah I hope so too" and with a smile, you disappeared.

Mai was in excellent spirits when she got home. Not only had she talked to you but she’d flirted (well an attempt at flirting) and she was fairly sure you flirted back. However the best thing was you liked girls and currently didn’t have a girlfriend. Mai kept replaying the smirk on your face when you said “not yet” and was ashamed at the light blush it caused.  Things couldn't have gone better and hopefully she’d see you again soon.

__

Man I love Mai!

She’s in my top 3 for Avatar characters but I find her quite hard to write for because half of her scenes revolve around Zuko so it’s hard to write for her alone when we’ve got so little Mai content!

But either way, this idea came to when I was listening to this classical Chinese song titled 芒种 by 音阙诗听 & 赵方婧 and it’s honestly the most beautiful song i’ve ever heard so I’d really recommend giving it a listen a https://youtu.be/8L2ds1XxrvA. I always have one song on repeat for every imagine I write but this song totally inspired this whole piece and this is how I imagine the reader sings.

Life story over, I hoped you enjoyed the soft cute Mai content!

[ohnobjyx]

I've seen so many sol0 fans or just people that have watched cql and cares for the cast, talking about how they feel that bjyx is something one sided and unrequited. some comments about how xz (in the later fan meetings) is kinda just patiently indulging yb but clearly was not v happy about it. Sometimes I do think xz is more reserved and seems to try to "tame" yb to be more discreet about their, whatever it is, thing but i don't particularly think he is cold? What do you think?

I know it may sound odd but is there some analysis about Xiao feelings towards Yibo? I mean this guy is head over heels for him, no doubt about that but I don’t really feel the same from Xiao? I mean I could be wrong since I’m new there and didn’t read a lot of analysis so if you have some can you link them please? Thank you! And I don’t ask this in a « wrong » way like I genuinely feel like there’s something but I don’t see the same feelings towards each other. Again, I could be wrong! 

Hi, anons. These asks has been sitting for the longest time in my inbox, so I decided to tackle them today (still writing two days later, I’ve desisted on creating a more organized post and I’m just dumping my thoughts here this time).

(It’s also that I’m frustrated about this, because these are two of the most polite ones, but I’ve also received others less well worded ones, that basically imply that there’s nothing from gg).

For the anon asking for some analysis, I’ll leave a link here to a post that basically sums up my own thoughts.

Disclaimer: as always, don’t take bjyx seriously. Pure speculation here.

Long post.

Before I start, I want to say that I shouldn’t be the one to convince you to anything. It’s never my intention to impart the “universal truth” or to be patronising. If any of you really feels that there’s nothing from gg, no matter what I say, you won’t be convinced by my post alone. And it’s alright to agree to disagree. Just keep it in mind.

I feel that what anons describe it’s something that often happens to new bxg. Dd’s so obvious, so painfully obvious that in comparison, gg is much more “discreet” (well, we had to learn to read Lan Wangji’s expressions, didn’t we? The same happens with gg’s gestures). I don’t agree with the idea of dismissing someone’s love just because they aren’t as obvious and as telling as their partner at first glance (gg’s songs and drawings aren’t as straightforward, but they are there for those who care to listen and see).

From my pov, I think it’s very very probable that they are together. So, that works both ways for me. I don’t think dd’s love unrequited. They take care of each other in ways that speak of a high level of trust, intimacy and chemistry (yes, I initially wrote that post for these asks). I’ve talked about subtle ways to display your love, because when you love someone it’s difficult to hide it, and gg has a hard time trying to hide for the cameras.

(I’m still thinking of Happy Camp, when dd hurt his neck with the necklace... gg’s reaction wasn’t controlled in the slightest, and the combination of worry and anger would be a interesting combo if gg indeed wasn’t anything to dd or if he hadn’t gifted him the necklace).

Gg often has a hard time controlling his reactions when dd is involved. He’s much more natural, a lot closer to how he really is instead of his very polite and soft public persona. He get a glimpse of him in the bts (I suppose they never expected CQL to be so popular, and didn’t thought that the bts would be so watched a year afterwards), and comparing how he is in the bts with dd to how he usually is in other interviews and events with other people is a very interesting exercise.

It’s true that gg in the interviews seemed to try to hold back dd, to the point that they both lied sometimes in the interviews... the effect they caused was contrary to what they wanted. Definitely. Because they tended to forget what they had lied about, and the “plot” had holes everywhere. Like gg reacting surprised to the possibility of dd starting a fashion brand. Twice. In the same day. Or the eggplant/carrots thing. Or the “I didn’t know you slept with the lights on, but I’m aware of your sleeping pattern” thing. Please note that these three plot holes were caused by gg (in the second case, I’m refering to carrots ofc).

About what the first anon says of “how xz (in the later fan meetings) is kinda just patiently indulging yb but clearly was not v happy about it”. It’s one thing that by then they’d have noticed that their cp had attracted a whole lot more attention that they had ever expected it to and a whole another thing to “indulge” someone (as if only dd wanted it and gg had nothing to say about it) and “not be very happy about it”. Gg might have tried, but even he couldn’t completely erase all of the little moments directed at dd (and you have to take into account that gg was actually sick in the last fan meeting in Nanjing, that’s bound to affect his mood too).

(There’s no one else when they look at each other. No wonder Wen Ning achieved such a third wheel look when they were filming the boat scene, I suppose it’s taken from real life).

How gg looks at dd and only smirks when dd looks up... well, gg still makes his best effort at being discreet...

And dd in this moment... well, what can one do when a man like gg looks at you like that? (dd.exe has stopped working. Please restart).

Source of the gifs: 仙娱

Last but not least, I’d like to talk a little about W/ibo Night, the main source of many people’s doubts. I’ve seen many analysis, from “poor puppy dd following gg around” (that’s... bs) to some better analysis that deserve to be taken into account.

W/ibo Night is an event organized by a state controlled social media platform. It’s one of the most observed events of the years, with potential future employers and coworkers, apart from the government, so it’s not just them, but everyone is very serious and controlled in their actions.

They obviously had agreed beforehand on how to behave in this one. While dd is very serious, he doesn’t seem angry or sad that gg isn’t looking his way. However, they both can’t help but look in each other’s direction (gg’s more discreet, but pay attention and you’ll see him side glancing at dd at least three times on stage) and the way dd turns just so he can have a look at gg is... 🤦

They tried so hard that it ended up getting the effect they wanted to avoid: when everybody else was greeting each other (friendly hadshakes, patting their backs, etc.) these two just stood there, a little awkwardly. It became obvious to most people that they were acting as if they were strangers.

I think (speculation here) that while they had agreed to act as if they didn’t know each other, gg was... off that night. His eyes were very bright (as if teary, so not in a good way) and his smiles were tense, so I’d say in a bad mood or maybe he was feeling under the weather. I think dd was worried, so that’s why he kept glancing at him (I’ve read about the rumours of why gg was like that, but I tend to dismiss them if there’s no proof).

For someone as polite as gg, to walk so obviously in front of dd when they were getting on stage (c-culture here: the one who walks in front has more seniority/authority, so gg always lets the other people walk in front of him as a sign of politeness and respect), speaks of a familiarity that exceeds that of coworkers. Dd’s actions need no more words: waiting for gg and letting him walk in front comes naturally to him.

Choosing fans (though at first, dd just looks at gg choose his). I don’t know if you remember, but gg chose “I can do it” and dd chose “I have it difficult” (as a way of saying “I can’t”). I think it was entirely a coincidence, because dd was looking at his gg choosing his fan, the one he had wanted at first was taken by another person, so he chose this one as “I couldn’t take the fan I wanted” and “it’s difficult for me to choose”.

However, look at the happy and surprised smile from gg when he notices that his fan and dd’s make a pair (similar to “yes” and “no”, gg had filmed an ad for the event in which he linked this two exact phrases as opposites). A sad spoiler: this is the only time he truly, spontaneously smiles at the event (and notice how dd’s face inmediately mirrors gg’s and how he tries to rein it in a second later). 

I couldn’t find a video, but just before leaving the stage, dd looks at gg again and shakes his fan. Without a single word, gg understands that dd is asking from where to leave the stage, and makes the slightest movement with his fan to point the way. I assure you, this level of 默契 (mo qi) is difficult to find even in established long time relationships.

Once they are seated, gg leaves for a second and tells dd “I’m leaving” and dd answers “okay”. There’d be no need for this interaction unless they’re still friends/couple.

This one broke my heart a little: dd had been sitting on a plastic bottle the whole time. Usually gg clears his seat when dd comes (Nanjing fan meeting, Tencent awards night), probably because he has noticed that dd doesn’t care that he’s sitting on things. Dd left earlier the event because of his schedule, and once gg came back from getting his w/ibo king award, he sits on dd’s seat. And notices the water bottle under him. Even his poker face can’t hide the sad fondness “aiyo this boy...”

Some say he sat in the seat next to dd’s, but there’s a video I can’t seem to find (the despair is real) of gg sitting on the water bottle, so it’s indeed dd’s seat.

Also, you may try to think this from your own perspective: when and why would you sit in another person’s seat in an event as important as this one? If I try to answer this from my pov, I’d say that first I’d need to know that that person wouldn’t mind me sitting there and/or knowing that this person isn’t going to come back to the event. In both cases, it requires communication and trust between these two people. Gg had to know that dd was leaving first (and why would dd tell gg if not because they chat about their work schedules?) and that dd wouldn’t mind once the fancams made it to social media. This is what I think, at least.

Okay, so here ends my post. I just exposed some of my thoughts on why I think yizhan is NOT one sided or unrequited. But of course, you’re allowed to disagree with me, anons, since we are all in the speculation ground here. Nonetheless, note that this is a yizhan/bjyx blog, which implies (at least for me) that there are feelings from both sides, so I may not interact further with one-sided yizhan/bjyx asks.

(BTW, I found a very complete post of moments where yizhan isn’t one sided here, so I decided not to elaborate on those moments in this post).

[lum1n0usz]

My first Christmas with you.

fluff | chongyun x xingqiu

warnings: none

And another weekly hangout for the group of five has been planned. Although, Xiangling, Hu tao and Xinyan felt more like they were third wheeling rather than actually hanging out with Xingqiu and Chongyun. Not that they really minded too much, after all, the couple is pretty cute.

Christmas was coming close, so they decided to hang out on that day. For the first time, the Liyue Qixing decided it was okay to have a giant Christmas tree right in the centre of Liyue Harbour. Liyue Harbour has always been quite lively during this time of the year. Every year, from the 15th of December and until the 26th, there could be a small Christmas market going on. It has been four years in a row since they started to go to the big festival together as a group of five. But of course, this is the first year they go together with Chongyun and Xingqiu as a couple. What a coincidence right? The first year of them together and the first year Liyue will have a big Christmas tree for them to kiss under the illuminating festive lights, and- sorry. Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?

What feels like years have passed, the day of Christmas has finally come. Xinyan had a few performances before they were going to hangout, and as supportive friends, of course they were going to watch.

‘This one, is for the blue haired couple in the front.’

Xinyan gave a wink to them and with a few taps of her foot, she started. It was a very energetic version of a famous LIyue slow dance song. Slowly, the crowd got to cheering and started dancing. Seeing that Hu tao and Xiangling had already started, Xingqiu took Chongyun by the hand and led him into the dance. In this moment, everyone disappeared, it wasn’t a classic, no, but being together with one another was romantic enough as is. They were finally holding each other in this moment.

Xinyan’s performance ended, and everyone cheered for an encore. Chongyun smiled at Xinyan. Sometimes, it’s the small gestures that matter most.

Taking the straps of her guitar, she threw it over her back as she got off the stage and another performer got on.

‘Hey, hey, that was amazing!’

Hu Tao may seem annoying at times, which she could be, but if you just get to know her better, it’s not all the worst. As Hu Tao and Xiangling checked the clips of recordings on their phones, Xinyan was talking to Chongyun and Xingqiu.

‘I have no idea what that was, but thank you, I appreciate it. WE- appreciate it.’

Xinyan simply smiled at them. Praises were something common, but someone showing their appreciation wasn’t, maybe it was because she didn’t really play songs dedicated to others a lot, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy doing so. Being able to make someone happy makes her really happy, too! Afterall, being a performer for music, having hate isn’t something you really wish to have. But get this, this is reality, and having support can shadow the hate down, so she doesn’t really mind it, she expected this from day one anyways.

Moving on, the group decided to check out the stalls before going to the big tree, I mean, they already saw it, who could miss the huge glowing tree? But, they didn’t GO to it, so.

With the three girls chatting in the background, Chongyun and Xingqiu were awkwardly walking in the front. No, they’re not embarrassed about holding hands in public because of others, I mean, what can we say? It’s quite obvious they’re dating, and they are quite the couple. Shippers are everywhere, some people just don’t have anything better to do.

Apart from stalls, concerts and Christmas lights, another thing at the Christmas festival would be the carnival games. Loads of festive prizes sit nicely on top of shelves, with people throwing their mora into the stall owner’s hands in hopes to win some prizes off the shelf. The variety of the prizes were… interesting… Who would’ve thought people wanted a stuffed slime toy? They are quite cute, but it’s quite strange.

While walking past the carnival games, one special booth caught Xingqiu’s eyes, a giant blue stuffed popsicle plushie that reminded him of Chongyun, tugging at Chongyun’s sleeve and calling out to the rest of the group, he pointed at the plush. And for whatever reason, the group was giving each other some looks and winking at each other, god, they just never stop.

Chongyun also getting the message, took out his wallet and went over to the stall owner to check the prices, not that it really mattered, he would do anything for Xingqiu, anything he wanted that Chongyun had the power to get, he would get it for Xingqiu.

-

Despite the fact that Chongyun had already spent 10 minutes here, he just kept on gambling his mora away to this one stall, the girls also tried their luck, but to no success.

Xingqiu finally stepped in, and got it first try.

Chongyun stared at Xingqiu, well, that’s quite embarrassing. Seeing the look on his face, Xingqiu laughed as the booth owner reluctantly handed over the giant popsicle plush that was the same height as him.

Hugging the popsicle, the group walked over to the Christmas tree, giving up on the stalls as they had already gambled all their mora away for the carnival games.

-

As they made it to the Christmas tree, it was perfect because there surprisingly weren't many people.

‘You two should take a picture together!’

Agreeing, Chongyun and Xingqiu stepped over to stand directly under the Christmas tree. As Xiangling prepared the polaroid camera, Chongyun and Xingqiu prepared to pose.

‘On the count of three!’

‘One,’

They look at the camera.

‘Two,’

Xingqiu looks at Chongyun.

‘Three!’

Xingqiu grabs Chongyun by the collar and kisses him.

There is a flash as the picture gets taken.

And,,, Merry Christmas.

[taeyohonic]

stolen dances | chap. V

summary: sometimes supporting the person you love is the hardest challenge you’ll ever face.

pairing: jeon jungkook x fem!reader

rating: m

warning: one/two swear words

additional tags: f2l, ceo!jungkook, bestfriend!jungkook, shrink!yoongi, my best friend’s wedding meets 27 dresses (if the boss/secretary couple had happened), angst-y

words: 1500

links: prev. | next

note: lower case letters intended

chapter summary: a muffin never tasted so bittersweet

can you believe it’s been three years? i miss you army

you can’t help the bittersweet memories flooding your mind at jungkook’s tweet. it’s been such a long time since bangtan stood in front of their fans – performing their music to the people who adored them with all their hearts.

you, yourself, were part of this crowd, more times than your bank account wishes to remember. their stage presence was so enticing, so alluring, you could not not fall in love with them.

jungkook shared some pictures in his tweet, old photos of jin and him demolishing a plate of deep-dish pizza in chicago, of jimin and taehyung posing in front of their pop up store in seoul, and one with all four of them bowing to the crowd in tokyo dome.

there is a smile on your face – not because you think about their shared journey, but because your best friend chose photos of events that you attended. sure, you hadn’t known them back then. but it can’t be a coincident that you have similar pictures – granted from another perspective – on your own camera roll. it makes you miss him.

“what’s going on?”, yoongi asks as he slides your coffee across the table. your starbucks is full of people, but namjoon, yoongi’s dear friend, works here. so, there is always a spot cleared for you. you don’t mind the special treatment as you sip your white mocca.

“just thinking”, you mumble, warmed by the caffeine.

“that can’t be good”, he says and sips his iced americano. he looks as tired as you feel. yoongi is recording his second mixtape right now. so, after he finishes his work talking to people about their problems, he starts rewriting, taping, recording, mixing and editing. no wonder he looks like death.

“i have you know that i’m actually thinking 67 percent of the day.”

“that can’t be good as well, ______. please use your brain more often – it might evolve with training.”

you gap at his audacity. “you do know i’m not paying you to talk me down, right?”

yoongi’s eyes smile while his lips are still half asleep. “you’re not paying me right now, _____. we are just friends meeting up for coffee before we have to… be a part of the working class.”

“i still can’t believe i get to see beautiful, brilliant, boisterous butterflies”, you say. your friend answers with an unattractive snort as his hands move into his thick, bleached hair.

“and i can’t believe you’re getting paid to watch bonkers, brackish, boring butterflies.”

you look away as you see his biceps flex. when did get this muscular? it takes a second for you to register his insult. maybe you need another coffee before leaving.

“i do have to care about my class as well, yoongi. it’s not all sunshine and butterflies. it’s also children’s snot and education.” still, you’re not making eye contact. if this was a therapy session, he’d ask for you to look at him, to ask why you’re feeling uncomfortable. but here, you are… just his friend.

“your work is important, _____, i know”, yoongi answers honestly. he knows how much you love these animals and children. and it is a big deal that seoul’s butterfly exhibition opens up just for your excursion. it makes him happy to see you this excited.

“and because i know that, i’ll remind you that you had to leave three minutes ago.” what? your eyes rush to your watch, only to widen in surprise.

“damn it, namjoon”, you mutter. your barista friend did take a long time with your order.

“don’t blame joon, _____. we were the ones who missed the train”, your friend reminds you as you put on your jacket in a rush.

“less correcting me, more helping me, yoongi”, you shush at him and make a motion to your heavy bag right next to his chair. “come on.”

yoongi doesn’t know why he agreed to help you carry all the lunch packs to school, he really doesn’t. nevertheless, he gets up and slings the heavy bag onto his shoulder and grabs his half-finished drink.

“let’s go – teacher of the year.”

**

the exhibition is amazing. you feel true bliss walking around the nature themed rooms, all home to one of the most rare, beautiful creatures. the kids hang on their tour guide’s lips as she tells them interesting facts about butterflies.

your phone is a constant companion – the camera roll now filled with funny pictures for the moms and dads to enjoy at the next parent-teacher conference. there are even a few photos of just you with a pink butterfly resting on your shoulder. jisoo, your coworker, is an amateur instagrammer, so the results of her taking your pictures are… really flattering.

now, the kids enjoy their break before you guys leave to drive back to school.

“really, you amaze me, ___”, your coworker says as she sits next to you on the bench – eyes trained on your students chasing around the butterflies.

“why?”, you ask, your attention monopolized by the two boys in a heated exchange over their shared butterfly net.

“getting the exhibition to open up just for our class? after hours? without additional fees?”

you flinch at her words as your heartbeat quickens. “wha- what? jisoo? i-“, you start to stutter, “i thought… you organized that.”

there is a fruit basket waiting on her desk with a thank you note for all her planning. now jisoo, too, looks uncomfortable.

“i didn’t”, she says.

**

it takes you a long time before you reach out. the whole train ride was spent with a pro and contra list on your ipad. then, while you were making yourself a two-person bowl of ramen, you crafted more than one email, only to delete every attempt. you haven’t talked to jungkook for more than five days. that’s the longest period the two of you ever went without seeing each other.

there is still a tightness in your chest when you think about his insult that night on the terrace. at first, you weren’t sure if jungkook realized that he hurt you – admittedly you aren’t the best with communicating your feelings. but your cold responses to his texts the next day must have been enough of a red flag for him to act.

then came the gifts: a triple chocolate muffin, still warm, delivered to your home before you had to leave on monday.

on tuesday, there was a singed copy of the unreleased album from one of your favorite kpop groups.

the next day, there was a poem collection where he scribbled in some commentary. you nearly teared up at that because this used to be your ritual when you first got to know each other: lending books with marked and commented pages for the other to enjoy.

on thursday he was strangely silent – only a single daisy decorated your briefcase.

but now, on friday, he went out of his way to get your class into this exhibition. you don’t even want to think about what that must have cost him.

there is an uneasiness in your fingertips as you dial his number. for one fleeting moment you want to call your therapist instead. but you can’t… because you may have left your whole “cold-shoulder-to-jungkook”-move out of the last session. and you really can’t take yoongi’s probing right now.

he answers after seven rings, breathlessly happy.

“______”

you smile and it’s not uncomfortable.

“jungkook… you didn’t have to”, you greet him and can’t help the endearment in your voice. he picks up on that and chuckles.

“of course, i didn’t… i wanted to.”

“thank you”, you answer, “it was really the highlight of my week.”

you can hear his cockiness at your words. “better than stray kids’ new album?”

“better than your thoughts on contemporary poems”, you counter teasingly. then, there is a beat of silence.

“______”, jungkook begins, “i… i really didn’t want you to think i’m not … or that i wouldn’t… do anything for you. you mean so much to me… it’s a shame i have to prove it to you… it should be… obvious.”

you suck in air as if your life depends on it. his words warm your heart and his awkwardness makes you smile.

“i get that i wasn’t the best of friends… but i’ll improve – trust me!”, jungkook vows with fire in his voice. “the winter collection has been kicking my ass… my family has been nagging about christmas… and the wedding…”

there is a beat of silence you do not dare to interrupt. this is his moment, not your responsibility.

jungkook collects himself fast and continues. “i know how much you’ve done for this wedding, for me… for us… and i want to be more involved… i’ll be by your side for all of next week’s appointments. ms yang already cleared my schedule.”

jungkook wants… to be by your side when you talk to the dj? the cake decorator? when you finalize the seating chart? dear lord.

“let’s spend some quality time together, ____. just you and me… and the wedding.”

you cannot find the right responds as you gap silently into your phone. after a moment, another voice is heard through the speaker.

“ask her if she liked the muffin i baked her.” his fiancée’s words punch you in the gut without ill-intent.

___

hi guys! I hope you are doing well! i had to take my first covid test this week – it was negative but that’s an experience for itself, right? i hope you are healthy and you enjoyed this chapter. i’d really love to hear your thoughts! next up: junkook and the reader tackling some of the wedding preparation… love, dana

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