#then decided the 3rd one has a story and is funny unlike the first 2

[zeynatura]

The other day my brother and I were playing TimeSplitters, and 5 minutes in he tries to pause but presses the wrong button, panics and then takes this screenshot

I laughed so hard I died (in game)

So now it's got to be immortalized on this post

[smolwritingchick]

The Bangtan Gal Chapter 94- MAMA Awards 2016 Part 1

Summary: BTS win their first Daesang! Tensions run high when Jen's friendship with Hyuna ends abruptly due to sneak dissing and a scrapped performance. BTS attends the Mama Awards making iconic moments that leave the world shooked.

Words: 13,000+

Genre: Big Jungkook Fluff. A little chaos never hurt anybody :)

Click here for PART 2 of this chapter

Author's note: OK the 3rd Muster chapter isn't done yet, I'll post that next since this was done. The 3rd Muster chapter is basically a filler chapter anyway. So once I come back from taking a smol break I will start writing that and then the following story chapter. This was done and I didn't want to keep it waiting. Kind of been anxious to release it. 

As I addressed during the Bon Voyage season 1 chapter, this should be the last time I write about Hyuna. This idea came up recently and I rolled with it. My ideas changed a bit but I wanted this to just be chaotic af. I wanted to think outside the box and I like what I came up with. Again this smol girl ain't that much of a lyric writer but A for effort. Decided to combine the chapters and make it into the Mama Awards chapter.

I would like Jennie to always have a cool stage for the MAMA Awards. And have fun moments. It's only 2016 in the story and Jennie still has a lot of growing to do but I think this moment I have planned for this chapter is an interesting start to how she speaks up for herself. We got 2017, 18, 19, and the rest of the years for even more character development, wins and failures along the way for her.

Hope you enjoy it! I'd say Beyonce's 7/11 is the inspiration for her stage at MAMA. I love the song so much and the instrumental. Especially the Coachella version. Always a banger. I also loveeee Beyonce's laugh at the end of the Coachella version. So I had to add it for Jennie. It might just be her signature. 

Whenever there are scenes with BlackPink and BTS' Jennie (My character), I'm going to keep BlackPink's Jennie as Jennie during the dialogue while BTS' Jennie will just be called Jen. Hope that won't be too confusing.

Throwback to this funny video when they won at MMA 2016. I remember this video like it was yesterday. Timeless. As I continue to write, I get a little emotional. It was so fun seeing all this in real time.

Again this chapter is split into two parts because I couldn't fit all of it in one post. So this is part one.

Have an awesome day! Super excited for Jin to return from enlistment! Not much longer now!

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'BREAKING! MAMA 2016 Collaboration with Cube's Hyuna and Big Hit's Jennie scrapped!'

Jennie frowned at the article as she sat by her desk in the Smartie Factory. It was crazy how things abruptly changed. Lately, Jennie and Hyuna weren't on speaking terms and issues have been occurring for a while.

It all started with the sneak dissing that Jennie had found out on her Tumblr. She loved scrolling through the tag of her name and came across a fairly popular post regarding Hyuna attending a few variety shows and interviews.

"Unlike the others, I don't need to repeatedly say I'm the best from head to toe. You already see it," made ARMY think about Jennie's War of Hormone lyrics.

"Some rookies can be a bit much. Some like to try to overshine a veteran,"

"Some girls in this industry are a bit too fragile. I don't need to call myself bulletproof,"

"You mean the original version of How's This,"

These were just a handful of statements said by Hyuna and ARMY immediately speculated she was throwing shade at Jennie.

'Uhhhh did Hyuna just sneak diss, Jennie? Am I freaking out over nothing? That bulletproof and glass line was SUS,' one comment said.

ARMY went on to do more research and they immediately figured out that there was some sort of animosity in Hyuna's words and it caused confusion in the fandom.

"The hell...?" Miss Bangtan murmured as she read about it and even saw her and Hyuna trending on Twitter.

Her stomach dropped and she felt hurt by the words. It confused her as to why she would say these things. Deciding to go straight to the source, she messaged Hyuna on KakaoTalk.

Jen: Ummmm what's going on sis? We got a problem or something? If so let's address it now. Call me when you're free

But hours later, still no reply. What officially solidified the fact that there was an issue was when Jennie facetimed Hayoon about it.

"I'm trying to contact her so we can settle this shit now instead of over the internet. But I haven't gotten a response. I don't know how this happened. I didn't even do anything. I know we haven't talked in a while, but damn,"

And that was when Hayoon informed her what was going on from what she heard. She and other people have been overhearing her talking about how upset she was that she would be sharing the stage with Jennie for How's This. She wanted to perform it alone and on top of that felt bothered by the fact that the duet music video with Jennie started to get way more views than the original video.

"I mean it got more views because ARMY loves to support every member of Bangtan. They were bound to have the views boost," Jennie exclaimed on Facetime while Hayoon nodded. "That's one of the amazing things about them. They watched that video for me and I'm grateful but damn, is it that deep? So, she doesn't want to share the stage with me and is feeling some type of the way that her original music video didn't have that many views? Ma'am, if that was a problem, instead of throwing shots, why not talk to me face to face and express yourself? All this childishness for what?"

"I know. It's ridiculous," Hayoon said with a frown. "I had to distance myself from her. I didn't like the things she was saying. And I even talked to her about it but she blew me off and said she didn't care,"

Jennie sighed and shook her head. "Annoying...thanks for telling me...wow...the switch up is crazy...I just don't understand,"

"Of course. Still no reply?"

Jennie went to check back on the app and scoffed. "Did this bitch block me?!"

"What?! No way!"

"Wowwww. So, it's like that? Okay. I can't even contact her anymore...this is making me start to have trust issues a little bit. Like we were so close. We would hang out and talk often...I trusted her with a lot of shit, too. I hope she doesn't spill anything personal. Because now I'm thinking about my relationship,"

"As much as I dislike her attitude, I don't think she'll spill anything especially when she is dating E'Dawn privately,"

"Yeah...I'm not going to air her dirty laundry and talk about how she got a rookie boyfriend and shit. That's unfair to E'dawn and his future career as an idol,"

"Agreed. No need to get him involved. I believe she won't involve Jungkook as well, so no need to worry,"

Jennie sighed. "When I see her at one of these award shows I'll confront her. This is ridiculous,"

"Some kind of girl's girl she is. So close to award season, too? She should not be trying to paint you as this bad person,"

"Yeah...I just don't know how long it's going to take for the public to understand how grimy she is,"

As the news of her performance with Hyuna wasn't happening anymore, Cube Entertainment and even Mnet made the excuse that they felt like Jennie was not ready to perform with Hyuna and was a bit difficult to work with. Which was a load of bull and lots of fans saw through the BS. However, Big Hit responded in defense of her saying that she was ready, was very easy to work with and it was their loss on the collaboration.

It warmed her heart to see the company come to her defense and say she would prove doubters wrong on BTS' stage at the MAMA Awards. Hearing the news that the collaboration was scrapped made her feel down since she had been so excited to perform with someone she looked up to for many years. G-Dragon's words still rang through her mind that not everyone is your friend in the industry and the switch ups are crazy.

Now back to reality, Jennie continued to sit by her desk, deep in thought about the situation. All she wanted to do was speak to her like an adult and squash whatever issue she had with her. But with her being blocked, it was clear she wanted nothing to do with Jennie.

It had been days since the first set of disses along with lyric changes to throw shots at her and the lack of response from Jennie had everyone talking.

People commented:

'Unbothered. I like that,'

'Hyuna cooked you!'

'Everything she said about Jennie was true,'

'Rookie! Hyuna is better than you!'

'So, are you going to respond to HyunA?'

'Damn, still no response?'

'Jennie is known for her impressive stage presence at MAMA. They could have been a powerful duo if egos didn't get in the way. Something ain't right,'

'LOL Hyuna won by default. She is taking forever to respond. Is she scared?'

'Get in the booth, Jennie. Or are you taking the L?'

'So, you just gonna let her talk shit about you like that?'

'Jennie doesn't have to respond to anything.'

'I hate how you guys are instigating this drama.'

'No response is a response, Jennie!'

'Does Miss Bangtan need her bulletproof boy scouts to help her with this one?'

'I bet Jennie is the problem. Because she and Hyuna were great friends. She must have done something wrong...'

'Time to stop hiding behind your boys, woman up and respond to your senior.'

'Respect queen Hyuna!'

'You should be lucky she even asked you to collaborate.'

'ARMY gets on my nerves. They like to spam and stream everything for bragging rights. That music video didn't deserve to get higher views than the OG!'

'Yikes...going after one of the chillest people in the K-Pop industry is not wise because if Jennie responds I bet not hear shit that she was disrespectful when Hyuna started this first. And don't try to say respect your seniors.'

'Y'all are a little too comfortable being rude to Jennie on her page...'

'Hyuna started it and Jen will finish it. Watch!'

'Hyuna is being a bit too bold running her mouth.'

'Of all people when you have Bangtan backing her? And other idols who are close friends with her? I don't understand the logic.'

'Hyuna is untouchable in the industry, no idols will come to her aid,'

'I doubt any idol will defend Jennie from Hyuna. She should handle this herself.'

'Bangtan shouldn't always have to fight her battles. She should handle this by herself,'

'Jennie handles business. She'll respond,'

Still, on social media, she saw herself getting tagged in a lot of Hyuna stuff. Come to find out she was still sneak dissing and her stans were eating it up and defending her. However, ARMY was not too happy about the abrupt attitude change and shade thrown at Miss Bangtan.

"Do you want me to say something?" Yoongi asked, who sat next to her, ready to defend her honor.

"Yoongi...no," she firmly said as she turned to him.

"The situation is so grimy. Like damn, the bitch can't share the stage with you on her song that she wanted you to be on in the first place? Why bother asking to collab?" Angelina spoke up, sitting on the couch with Namjoon. "Did she think it wasn't going to go well? She underestimated the power of ARMY's support and your talent as an artist. Those comments on that YouTube video were mainly about you, Jennie. You outshined her in the music video and she was mad about it and has been holding it in for a while. The bitch is jealous,"

"I'm just confused and thrown off by everything. Like I thought we were friends—"

"Well, she's not your friend," Angelina firmly cut Jennie off, getting upset about Hyuna. "A friend doesn't sneak diss. Fuck her,"

"Are you going to let her just bash your name like this in public?" Namjoon asked.

"She is South Korea's IT girl. Everyone loves her. And if I respond...I have a feeling I'll be public enemy number one. You know how the media is gonna twist this and make me the bad guy," Jennie reminded.

"Jen, I love your calmness. You know I'll be ready to fight somebody if someone did that to me. Diss tracks would already be on standby to release," Angelina added. "I wish I had your calmness, right now, as we speak. But stop being nice,"

"I'm not trying to be! I'm not! I'm not being nice, I'm trying to wrap my head around being blindsided! I'm getting annoyed, now..." she sighed out of frustration.

"Good. Write about it,"

"Listen, I shouldn't cause Bangtan any drama. Award season is coming up...I can't be taking the attention off of us at the award shows. I don't even want to be involved in this drama...why can't I just have some genuine celebrity friends, that won't get mad over petty shit, like this? I'm getting PTSD from Hailey and that took a while to heal from,"

"Munchkin, you're not causing drama for us," Hobi spoke up with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, next to the couch. "I know you're thinking of the negatives but the positives outweigh it. You should respond,"

"And you know that people love you, too. She is not the only beloved K-Pop idol, in the world," Yoongi affirmed. "You've been making a positive name for yourself with us as BTS. ARMY and us will not stand for the slander. I want you to write about it all,"

"Turn this negative into a positive," Namjoon reminded.

"Diss track incoming?" Angelina smiled.

Jennie let the rappers' words sink in as she glanced at all of them. They had a point. She couldn't just let her bash her name like this out of nowhere. On top of that, she didn't want to hear anything about being respectful to her seniors when she was getting disrespected unprovoked. It bothered her when people think they can talk to younger people in any type of way. Respect should be a mutual thing.

"For now, don't bother engaging in the drama on social media. Don't respond to any of it online. Continue to go about your day like normal," Namjoon suggested.

"Yeah...okay. You're right. All of you," Jen replied. "I can't let her just get away with talking shit and not saying it directly to my face. Especially when she didn't even want to respond to my messages and blocked me. She needs to get checked,"

"Good. I'm looking forward to this," Hobi smiled.

"You and I both," Yoongi revealed his gummy smile.

Jennie chuckled and turned to Namjoon. "This reminds me a little bit of the Bobby situation and your diss at MAMA 2014. But yours was more of entertainment. Unlike this,"

The leader chuckled at that and nodded. "Yeah. Well, what are you going to do, now?"

"Handle it," she firmly responded and grabbed her notebook.

"Best news I've heard all day. Get writing," Angelina broke out into a big smile, as the others agreed.

"Mama Awards 2016. Speak your truth, there. Let's talk to the staff later about everything," Namjoon recommended.

"Okay," Jennie nodded, liking that idea. "I'll show you what I have when I'm done. Can I be alone, please? To work?"

The boys respected her decision and left her to work while Angelina stayed behind with Namjoon waiting for her outside the studio.

"Word of advice? Try the 8 Mile method. The stealing thunder strategy. You remember the movie and the final rap battle with Eminem?" Angelina asked as she got off the couch.

"Yeah. I've watched it a few times. That's not a bad idea. I'll work on it,"

"Good. Happy writing. Just make sure you eat, okay? Don't be stuck here, all day. I'll be with the others,"

"Don't worry, I'll take breaks. See you,"

After Angelina left, Jennie got started with writing. She also began going through her vault of music files she created over the years to pick which one to perform her rap with.

Rapping…kind of scary to think that this is what it would come to. Yoongi had been an amazing mentor. If Hobi could learn how to rap when he had no background in it, she could too. The amount of faith the rap line had in her to encourage her to respond to Hyuna in this way was a big deal. It was a deal that she could not mess up.

As she proceeded to work, her dog Tony slept quietly on the dog bed in the corner, tired out from playing around with the members a few hours earlier. Jennie occasionally glanced at the adorable dog with a smile while she worked. Miss Bangtan worked for hours, doing research, writing, and analyzing Hyuna's recent interviews regarding her. So engrossed in her work, she jumped slightly when she heard a series of knocks at her door.

"Who?" she asked out loud.

"Your Golden Boyfriend. Jeon Cena!"

"Enter my realm, my love," she smiled and turned her seat around to see him walking in with a few bags of food. "Hey!"

"Hi. I figured you were hungry so I bought food for us," he set the bags on the desk and grabbed a seat to sit next to her.

"It smells so good, thanks," she kissed him sweetly.

Getting a good look at her, he noticed she was wearing one of his hoodies which made him smile. The way it was oversized on her made her look even more cute.

"Any time. And your package of Smarties came. I grabbed a few bags so I can fill up your bowl,"

"You are the best!" she squealed happily and kissed him again before planting multiple kisses all over his cheek, making him giggle.

After he filled up the bowl, he gently grabbed her hand to stop her from reaching out to grab a few pieces.

"Ah-ah! What are you doing?" he called out.

"Helping myself to my smarties?"

"Nah. Food first. Let's eat,"

"What? Oh, come on. Babe, don't do that,"

"Food first. Smarties after," he released her hand.

"They're small, they're not going to spoil my stomach,"

"Food, honey," he grinned, opening the platter of chicken for them to eat. "Take a break,"

"Fine. I should take a break, anyway," she stretched and closed her notebook, placing it to the side. "Game of Thrones?"

"Yeah, we stopped at Season 5, right?"

"Hm hm. The first episode," she set everything up on one of her monitors.

"Hyung told us what you're working on. I'm glad you're going to go through with it. It's not fair,"

She smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah…I just wished she talked to me,"

"She'll realize the mistake she made when you respond. I'm looking forward to seeing what you say. You always have a way of showing off your craft during the MAMA Awards. ARMY will be in for a treat,"

"Thanks. I hope to do it justice. I've been thinking about a lot…especially with the new year coming up. I think my New Year's Resolution for 2017 is to…be more cautious of who I trust and who I open up to. To see my childhood friends again when we go on tour and write songs in a more positive light. I think that'll be a pretty good start,"

He leaned over to kiss the side of her head. "I like that. That is a good start,"

---------

The day of the Melon Music Awards was finally here and backstage was lively as everyone went through rehearsals. Jen was excited to see familiar faces again as she strolled backstage. She let out a deep breath when she finally saw Hyuna who had finished talking with a staff member. Jen had been seeing her all day but whenever she'd get close, Hyuna would rush off.

Not anymore.

As Jen approached her, she knew people were watching her every move, wondering what might happen. Keeping her head up high, she finally came face to face with her.

"You got something to say to me?" Jen questioned as she looked at her with a frown.

Hyuna looked a little surprised and took a step back.

"Nothing at all," she replied with a fake smile.

"Are we going to talk like adults or are you gonna run, again? Where's that energy when you were taking shots at me on that variety show?" she asked and tilted her head to the side when she didn't reply. "If you don't want to be friends anymore, that's cool. I don't care. But I don't appreciate you going out of your way to talk shit about me and lying on my name. Blocking me so we can't speak on the phone? That is mad corny,"

"Jennie, you're causing a scene," she brought up as noticeably more people were being nosy and watching the confrontation.

"I do not care, stop trying to change the subject. What is with you throwing shade like ARMY and I wouldn't notice? Even talking about how difficult I am to work with? The fuck? Do we have a problem?"

"Do we?"

It took all the strength Jen had to not pop her in the head right then and there with the way she sarcastically responded. Hyuna was playing games and it was getting harder for Jen not to put her hands on her. MAMA Awards couldn't come fast enough.

"Keep my name out of your mouth. I'm not telling you again. Are we clear?" Jen demanded with a glare.

"Crystal."

After walking away and calming down, Jen informed the members about the nonsense. It annoyed them with the way Hyuna responded and highly anticipated Jen's performance at the MAMA Awards to set her straight. It was going to be worth the wait.

As the show was about to start, Jen went to the women's bathroom and as she came out to wash her hands, she saw BlackPink primping in the mirror and talking amongst themselves about how excited they were for the show.

Jennie gasped in happiness and turned around with a bright smile. "Hi! Oh my gosh, we've been looking for you!"

The sudden burst of excitement surprised Jen as she stood by the four girls who were happily smiling after she dried her hands. Once it officially registered that she was in front of BlackPink, Jen grinned widely.

"Hey! You're BlackPink! Wow! Hi! Oh my gosh, wow, y'all look so beautiful!"

"So do you!" Jisoo beamed as they all bowed.

"Hi, I'm Jennie. Jennie Walker," Jen introduced herself.

"Nice name. Hi, I'm Jennie. Jennie Kim," Jennie giggled with her and held her hands.

"Thank you. Nice name!"

"Thanks! It's nice to catch you before the show. It's really nice to meet you,"

"It's nice to meet you, girls, too!"

"Hi~! I'm Rosé!"

"I'm Lisa!"

"And I'm Jisoo!"

After releasing Jennie's hands, Jen spoke, "You girls are amazing! It's great watching you ladies thrive. I love your songs and I can't wait to see you perform, tonight,"

"Thank you! We've seen your dance videos of our songs. You perform it so well. Maybe you should be the fifth member," Jisoo giggled.

"I'd love to but Bangtan would be upset," she teased, as the girls laughed.

They were all so sweet. Their friendly energy matched so well with Jen's as they all vibed and immersed themselves in bathroom girl talk. As Jen had her eyes on Jisoo, she pointed out that her beauty was on a whole new level. Photos and videos didn't do her justice.

"Can we hug? Are you ladies ok with that? I'm like such a hugger these days but I like to ask before touching," Jen asked kindly.

"Of course!" Lisa beamed and went right in to embrace her with the rest of the girls.

"Are you ladies excited for tonight?" Jen asked.

"Nervous! But very excited. It should be a fun show. The dress rehearsal went well," Rosé replied.

"You ladies are gonna kill it. Have fun with it! Go out there and show them that BlackPink ain't playing around,"

Jen's encouragement seemed to have pumped them up as they smiled brightly and thanked her.

"You're close with Bam Bam, right? He's one of my good friends," Lisa spoke up.

"Yeah! I love him! He's the best and one of the funniest guys ever. He's a piece of work, huh?" Jen chuckled.

"He is! I hope we can all hang out sometime,"

"Yeah, I'd love that. We have a 97 Liner group chat we can add you and Rosé in! We're trying to see when we can have another get together. Even if it's just a handful of us. I have the WINGS tour coming up so it'll probably be a long while until Jungkook and I can participate in any hangouts. But we'll be there in spirit if the group plans something in our absence,"

"Being in the group chat sounds like fun. It'll be nice to get to know the others who were born in the same year. You'll introduce us?" Rosé asked.

"Yeah! I got you! You have to meet Hayoon. She is one of the sweetest girls you'll ever meet. So down to earth. She can be a little shy but give her some time and she'll open up to you. When you see her show off her real personality she gets very intense when playing games. Especially card games,"

Lisa and Rosé giggled at that.

"G-Dragon speaks highly of you. I always see him at YG and when we catch up he always brings you up," Jennie added.

"He talks about me to you?" Jen's eyes lit up.

Jen remembered that Jennie worked with G-Dragon before, being in one of his music videos. And Rosé even worked with him, on a song. It made her heart soar that he spoke highly of her. She hoped that one day she could collaborate with him as well. They brought it up a few times but she wanted to continue to improve her craft as an artist before working with him on music. She wanted to be at her best to sing with someone as legendary as him.

"Yeah! He told us he took you under his wing. I remember him saying how determined you looked when you approached him at K-Con. He admired your drive to take action. The way you did not hesitate to ask for advice on how to be a better performer. He also told us you are someone he trusts and that you are authentic," Rosé added.

"Wow...I am honored, my gosh," Jen let out a breath and placed her hands over her heart.

"Can I just say I love the move that you do with Jungkook during Blood, Sweat and Tears!? That flip and spin? It's so good!" Lisa said excitedly. "I want to try to do it during a dance practice but your chemistry with him is something that cannot be duplicated. I've studied dance covers of your little duet and it's clear that the move was meant for you two. I admire your passion when dancing,"

"Aw really? Thank you! I admire your passion for dancing, too! You be killing it on stage! You move with such grace and power, I get blown away every time, girl. I need to learn a thing or two from you,"

"We should practice together, sometime!"

"I'd be down!"

Their conversation was cut short when they heard an announcement that the show was about to begin.

"Before we go to our seats, can we take a selfie?" Jisoo suggested.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Jen cheered.

Jisoo took out her phone and held the camera up high while the girls crowded around Jen. With all of their face cards on point, the selfie turned out beautifully as they posed with peace signs, kissy faces, and bright smiles.

"Oh, we cute, cute! Send this to me!" Miss Bangtan requested.

After exchanging numbers with the girls, the five of them went to their seats with fansites filming and noticing them together. Seeing the sight made ArmyBlinks excited that they finally met and hoped they take pictures.

---------

As the show began, Jennie sat with Bangtan as the camera occasionally caught her exciting reactions which would make Armies cheer. Jennie happily cheered and lip synced Blackpink's lyrics with fans noticing how Rosé biased she was.

When it was time for Bangtan to perform BST, audience members and idols anticipated JenKook's signature move but they didn't perform it this time and did different choreography. The disappointment was evident on some idols' faces as they whispered amongst themselves about them not doing their move as well as fans.

"No~! I wanted to see the spin," Lisa whined. "Why didn't they do the spin?"

"I know! I wonder why they decided to change the choreography," Jisoo pouted.

"Damn, no spin?" Zico wondered.

"Darn, they didn't do it? What changed?" Kai wondered with EXO.

Fans tweet:

'Are you fucking serious!? Jennie and Jungkook wtf!? I am PISSED!'

'JenKook y'all had ONE JOB!! ONE!! We wanted the spin!'

'I know these damn babies did not skip their highly anticipated dance move of BST,'

'I stayed up all night only for them not to do the spin!? Big Hit, I'm about to sue! Count your MF days!'

'Who scrapped the spin!? I wanna fight! #BringBackTheSpin'

'LISTEN!! If it ain't broke don't fix it! Nothing and I mean NOTHING needed to be changed in JenKook's duet. Keep it like it is! It was perfect! #BringBackTheSpin'

Backstage after their performance, Jungkook laughed at the flooded tweets from Armies and other fans. They all were complaining about them not doing the dance move and it surprised him to see how much viewers enjoyed the unique move. The couple wanted to do something a little different for the Melon Music Awards but clearly, their decision did not sit well with everyone which amused them.

Jungkook tweeted for damage control, 'Ah...we didn't do the spin this time. Sorry ARMY. We will do it next time,'

Immediately fans replied:

'Y'all better! That move is generational!'

'What were y'all thinking switching it up!? We better get nothing but sexiness the next time y'all do it! I am so serious!'

'Bullying works guys!!'

'Y'all know better!'

'OH ARD! That's what I thought. You two better raise the bar next time!'

'GOOD! It better be sexy af the next time you two perform it! I need my JenKook crumbs!'

'I hope the next time they do the move they take it up a notch. Their chemistry has me glued to my screen!'

'THANK YOU!!'

As the show was drawing to a close, she sat in between Yoongi and Taehyung while they watched the presenters call the nominees for album of the year. In Jennie's mind, she assumed EXO was going to win it. EXO had been powerhouses for their albums and the big 3, JYP, SM, and YG always swept these big awards. However, it was an honor to even be nominated in the category for The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever album.

She sat, relaxed, already ready to applaud EXO for winning the award as she waited for the presenter to say it.

"2016 Melon Music Award Best Album of the Year goes to...BTS!"

The sound of the group's name caused Bangtan to widen their eyes, looking at each other in utter disbelief.

Did they REALLY just call BTS the album of the year winners!? WHAT!?

Idols around them stood up, equally surprised that a group not from the big 3 won the award as they applauded them. GFriend cheered happily, bouncing up and down as Hayoon yelled cheerfully for Jennie. Namjoon immediately stood up, stunned by the announcement.

"Oh s—" Hobi shouted in shock.

Jennie sat in her seat dumbfounded as she looked around, glancing at the members who equally had the same shocked expression.

"What the f—" she stopped herself as she covered her mouth, trying to process the news that Bangtan had just won their first Daesang.

Daesang...they won a Daesang!

"We won? We won!?" she slowly stood up once the rest of the boys did.

Armies around the venue cheered and screamed as they waved their ARMY bombs in celebration.

"Ahhhh Jennie looks so surprised!" Hayoon giggled to her group before quickly rushing over to embrace her.

It started to become a tradition for these two to find each other to hug, high five, or do something whenever they won an award. Hayoon grabbed her hands and jumped up and down excitedly with her.

"BTS did it! BTS won! I'm so happy for you!" she beamed, pulling her in for another tight hug.

"Holy shit, what the hell is happening!? Is this real!?" Jennie exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"Yes! Go up there!" she laughed and lightly pushed her forward after pulling away.

Jennie adjusted herself and began walking up to the stage with the rest of the group as they bowed to everyone. She walked with Hobi and Suga as a bright smile came across her beautiful face, feeling her heart pound. As they made it to the stage with Namjoon holding the award, she stood in between Jin and Hobi.

"ARMY! Thank you!" Namjoon shouted on the mic with a big smile as he tried to control his overwhelming emotions.

Seeing Jin start to cry made Jennie begin to rub his back to comfort him. She did her best not to cry herself as she soaked in this moment with the boys. Noticing Hobi looking like he was about to cry, she went to rub his back too, comforting him.

"We have received the best award since our debut here at the Melon Awards. Bang Sihyuk PD-nim, Big Hit Entertainment, parents and friends who have helped us, I want to thank them again and ARMYs, I love you! ARMY, I LOVE YOU!" Namjoon shouted with elation.

After he finished his speech, the members all went in for a big group hug. They all had big smiles on their faces, feeling euphoric from this victory. When they make it backstage, they are still stunned and thrilled that they won the award with a Bangtan Bomb camera filming them.

"Wow really...wow," Namjoon spoke, still processing everything.

"I was so surprised," Jungkook said on camera.

"We weren't anticipating it. We really weren't expecting it. We weren't even expecting it one bit,"

"Thank you so so much. We were so shocked,"

"We won! We won~! I still can't believe it!" Jennie squealed and shook the camera. "Thank you so much!"

Noticing Hobi's tears running down his cheeks with the foundation running down too, Jennie embraced him tightly while the camera filmed them.

"I know...I know..." she murmured. "I'm so proud of us,"

"Army, thank you so much!" Jin said on camera with his tear stained face while Jennie released Hobi. "Thank you, Army! Thank you, Army!"

"Bring it in," she outstretched her arms for Jin and he immediately kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly.

"She gives the best hugs," he told the camera.

After they returned to their seats, Jennie sat in between Hobi and Jin to continue to watch the show while pulling themselves together. As EXO closed the show, she watched their performance in admiration.

"I wonder what it would be like to close an award show," Jennie wondered out loud with a smile.

Jin listened and began to speak as she looked up at him. "I believe that one day we will get the opportunity. If we can get this Daesang then this is just a step forward in achieving more as a group,"

"Yeah. We will, for sure,"

After the show, they took photos with the trophy and hugged the staff members as they continued to celebrate. Once Angelina found Jennie, she ran and jumped on her, making them both fall to the floor as they laughed.

"Ah~! I am so proud of you! BTS did it! BTS won album of the year!" she began giving Jennie multiple kisses all over her face as she continued to laugh.

After they got up, they embraced tightly, getting emotional.

"Wow, look at you! Thriving in BTS! That album deserved album of the year! It has bangers on top of bangers. This is your motherfuckin' moment, sis! Enjoy it!"

"Thank you! And thank you for being here to support us," Jen murmured against her shoulder.

"You know I'm always going to be there for you just like you are with me. You're stuck with me for life, sis. This win is only the beginning. Watch Bangtan soar to new heights after this! You better enjoy the damn ride, it's gonna be a fun one!"

After pulling away, Angelina wiped Jennie's tears.

"I'm not gonna lie, I thought EXO was gonna win it. When they said BTS I was like what!?" Jen continued to ramble as the camera person for the Bangtan bomb began to film the other members to get their thoughts.

Later on, Jennie sat down on a chair and took in some deep breaths to pull herself together while Jin and Jimin rubbed her back.

"I'm okay...I'm alright...wow...this feels like a dream. This feels like a freaking dream," she sighed.

She shook her head and started praying, thanking the Lord for this moment as emotions came over her again. Tears ran down her cheeks as she whispered to herself, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

After she was done praying, she looked up and smiled at the guys when they all went to comfort her. "We did it. We really did it. This is amazing. Wow...over the big frickin' 3!? Blessed! I am so proud of us! Thank you. All of you for making this experience so fun and rewarding,"

"Your family is on the line!" Angelina beamed and handed Jen her phone to reveal her parents and sisters on facetime.

It was wholesome hearing them scream and cheer for Bangtan. The boys even jumped in to say hello and thanked them for their support.

"Ok now that we got the celebrations out of the way, why in the hell didn't you and Jungkook do the spin!?" Jennie's mom complained causing Bangtan and Angelina to laugh.

"Yeah! We were looking forward to it!" Alani frowned.

"You guys need a redo! ASAP!" Vienna added.

"I admit I was looking forward to seeing it and felt my world crashing down when it didn't happen," Jennie's dad spoke up.

"You are so dramatic!" Jennie laughed. "Not you all mad we didn't do this spin, tonight,"

"We'll do it next time," Jungkook grinned. "We promise!"

"You two better. I'll be watching," Jennie's dad pointed at them.

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

Days later, Namjoon was in his studio doing a V-Live to catch up with ARMY. As the live went on with fun and engaging moments, he then started to talk about Jennie. A proud smile appeared on his face as he thought of her.

"Jennie is the best. She has been improving a lot behind the scenes and continues to keep a good head on her shoulders. When I first saw her, I was watching the audition for the Bangtan Girl for BTS. She stood out to me because of her outfit choice." He chuckled. "She looked like she was going to wreck someone. I had my head down, so I would listen closely to each person's lyrics created for bulletproof, while V was next to me. As soon as I heard her verse, I had to look up. I know she was probably a bit stressed getting hit with a bombshell of creating a verse for the song over a weekend and presenting it on a Monday but she made it work and she impressed me. When I met her, I thought she was very determined and cute. She's like a little sister to me. And I feel like a proud big brother watching her improve every day in her skills. Ah...I'm getting too personal, am I? Sorry,"

His eyes scanned the comments flowing in.

'Awwww keep going, it's okay! This is so cute!'

'NamJen forever! Best bond in Bangtan!'

'Awwwww he looks like a proud big brother!'

'Thank you for always taking care of Jennie!'

'My baby Jennie and the best leader Namjoon! Thank you for being there for her!'

'Thank you for being a great leader to her!'

"I just want to be the best leader for her. And I want to be that strength she needs to keep pushing forward. She has improved so much over the years. She was so timid when it came to filming music videos, but after filming videos like Dope, Fire, and Blood, Sweat & Tears, I've seen her confidence and charisma grow. I may not understand what it's like to move and work in another country like she did but she has really opened up and become more comfortable here. She's fully adjusting to South Korea. And I'm very proud of her. All of Bangtan is,"

As he continued his live, someone knocked on his door and he turned around. Announcing the person to come in, Jennie strolled in with a bright smile and a plate of cookies.

"Hey! Here, I just made them. I'm going around delivering cookies before working in my studio,"

"For me!? Really!? Oh, this is a great surprise. I'll help myself to these now," he thanked her and took the plate to place on his desk. "You need to open up a bakery,"

"I want to! I wouldn't mind going to culinary school or something. I'd love to make my own business and open up a bakery, one day. We'll see what the future holds. Oh, you on live? Hey, ARMY! I miss you, guys! How are ya?" She waved and read the comments.

'Jennie!!'

'Hi, mom!'

'She baked again!!'

'Jennie, I love you!'

'Do the spin with Jungkook!'

'Do the move with Kookie!'

'JenKook spin for MAMA!'

'JenKook move!'

'Why didn't you do the move at Melon!?'

'Ma'am we want answers about Melon! What happened to the spin!?'

"Yo...." she began to laugh out loud at the comments. "Not y'all roasting me again for not doing the spin. It's been a week! Is it that serious? Oh my gosh,"

Namjoon started to laugh at the comments too, amused that this has become such a big deal in the fandom. When he heard even idols were asking about the spin, it was clear that JenKook had a chokehold in the industry with their strong chemistry.

"ARMY has been a little upset about that," he brought up.

"A little? They spamming my Instagram, too. I didn't think it was going to cause this much of a fuss. You guys really like our signature move?"

Comments rushed in:

'DUH!'

'The way you two dance together are goals!'

'YES GIRL!'

'I can't with her lmfao.'

"Look forward to MAMA, okay? I gotta go but cheer us on at MAMA. Everything will be worth the wait. See ya!" she beamed and left.

----------

The day of the MAMA Awards was finally here. The day Jennie anticipated the most. She had a good feeling about this show and was excited to show off her hard work with what she had planned. The morning of the show, she decided to tweet one simple word along with an eyebrow raising hashtag.

'Bet. #GonBeAnInteresting24Hours #Jen' 

Jennie had been a trending topic on Naver and various K-Pop news outlets, which caused people to anticipate the MAMA Awards even more to see what might happen and if she may respond to Hyuna. Her silence on the matter had been a hot topic and now with her tweet going viral, fans stirred in a frenzy.

People tweeted:

'Uh oh!'

'Woke up and chose violence I see. Now I have to stay up and tune in. What time does the show start again EST time??'

'She broke her silence!'

'She's about to get her lick back!'

'Hyuna has not realized what she had done and is about to face the consequences,'

'Aw, shit...'

'She is about to piss people off and I'm going to love every second of it,'

'No matter what happens and no matter what you do, we will always love you, Jennie!'

'You about to respond!?'

'Hyuna is attending the show, too!! Uh oh....'

'Guys...I think something big is about to happen. Bigger than what we may think. Something is gonna go down tonight,'

'I'm so scared for tonight. Jennie, what are you about to do?'

Already in her short ruffled white dress, her hair was put up in a bun with hair on the side as she sat to get her makeup done. She also wore a small daisy pin for good luck thanks to G-Dragon gifting it to her on her birthday.

"Jen, what can viewers anticipate from you, tonight?" J-Hope asked with a grin as he was getting filmed for their MAMA 2016 Bangtan Bomb.

Glancing up, she smiled. "Expect the unexpected,"

-----

As the members got out of the car for the Red Carpet, they were met with loud screams, photography, and cheers with the MCs announcing their arrival. Jimin held out his hand for Jennie to take and he aided her out of the car.

"Thanks, Chim," she smiled warmly.

It was awesome to see international fans travel to the MAMA Awards. She tried to wave and make eye contact with every fan she could. Peeping some of her fansites made her heart soar. The dedication they had for her did not go unnoticed. Miss Bangtan heard her name get shouted, making her turn to who it was as the fan giggled excitedly and waved. She waved back and grinned as the fan was happy to have caught the moment on their phone.

The group proceeded to walk and made it to where the MCs were, standing on the stage.

"It's BTS, who are taking the world by storm, that is entering, right now. They're a group with perfect performances and won an award for producing their own albums,"

No matter what, Jennie didn't think she'd get used to all the screaming and cheering. It was like each event they attended, the screams got louder and she came to realize Bangtan was really moving up. It was a beautiful thing.

As Jungkook walked closely behind her, he caught a whiff of her perfume. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, smiling softly, enjoying the scent.

"You smell nice," he murmured, opening his eyes.

She glanced back at him and smiled. "Thank you. Hayoon got me some new perfume for my birthday. I like it,"

"I like it, too. You should keep wearing it,"

"I will,"

She stood in between Jimin and Jungkook as the group did their greeting and struck a pose just for the fans.

"Today since we are here at MAMA, we personally would like to hear some good news," Namjoon said on the mic.

"We are just one month away from 2017. Can we ask what plans you have?" The MCs asked.

"We're planning a fanmeet in Japan," Jin answered. "And we're working hard on music production so please look forward to it,"

Just a short while away before the show began with idols heading to their seats, Hyuna made her way to the stage and sat in her seat which was front row. There was tension in the air as anticipation filled to what Jennie might do as a response. Everyone was interested to see how this was going to go and idols were living for the drama. Gossip went all around the idols as they had private discussions on what might happen and who might win this.

"Where is Miss Bangtan?" Chanyeol wondered as he looked around, seeing that she wasn't sitting with the rest of BTS.

"Probably still getting ready?" Sehun assumed.

"I just want to see what she has planned tonight. Hyuna is already seated," he pointed out.

With Jennie, being the social butterfly and eager to meet her favs, she had strolled backstage to find the three men she wanted to meet. First up was Timbaland. He had been invited to perform with Eric Nam and to receive an award. Timbaland had worked with so many artists and was one of the many inspirations to her. She still believed he, Nelly Furtado, and Justin Timberlake were one of the best trios ever in music. They mixed so well.

He was so chill in person and they took a few photos. He even looked pleased to see a black woman here as she thanked him for all his work. Perhaps one day she'll get a chance to work with him. She shared that she DJs and has been making songs for herself that are not quite ready to be released. He encouraged her to keep at it and gave her advice on making music which she took to heart, feeling grateful for his words. One day she will share her passions with ARMY. 

Meeting Wiz Khalifa was a fun experience, with them sharing a hug and him having a big grin on his face. She expressed her admiration for his song with Charlie Puth and that she couldn't wait to see him perform tonight.

Meeting THE Quincy Jones had her starstruck. One of the greatest music producers of all time was in front of her as they shook hands. Her face warmed when he called her gorgeous and it was sweet of him to take time to talk to her. He listened to her talk about making music and he gave her lots of words of wisdom on creating.

She could listen to Quincy talk all day. He had a way with words that made her feel like she could do anything her creative mind envisioned when producing. But what stuck out to her the most was when he told her some of the best advice he had gotten.

"Your music will never be more or less than you are a human being,"

And it stuck with her. Being an idol is exhausting at times but she loved the work and the way it paid off. She wanted to remain happy. She wanted to continue to thrive with Bangtan and enjoy life. She wanted to speak her truth. She had to be vulnerable tonight when she got on that stage for her solo. She truly needed to dig down deep tonight when responding to Hyuna.

After tonight, she wanted to remove all negative thoughts and move forward with everything. And to take a break from social media. A break from social media was needed. Breaks were good and she could always see it assisting her mentally.

After speaking to these men, she felt a fire light in her and felt even more musically inspired. She posted the photos on Twitter with the caption, 'An honor to meet these amazing & talented black men! Night has been made! Thank you for your kindness and words of wisdom! #Jen'

After going to the bathroom, Jennie made her way to the stage, earning loud cheers from fans when they saw her. She smiled and waved, heading over to where Bangtan was sitting. She ignored Hyuna's presence as she walked past her and acknowledged her idol friends sitting around. Fansites filming her caught some reactions of some idols watching her in awe, admiring her look for the night as she took a seat next to Jungkook at the end.

"Welcome back!" Jungkook grinned.

"Yeah, glad to see you smiling, brighter. Did something happen?" Hobi asked.

"Thanks! And yeah, I got to meet Wiz, Timbaland and Quincy Jones! My heart was racing a bit! They were awesome! I took photos with them. You'll see on our Twitter," she beamed.

The members were surprised and happy as she talked about the interactions she had with each of them. They could tell she was creatively moved by their words of wisdom. Soon after, the boys were all immersed in their own conversations while Jennie tried to adjust her bracelet which was put on a bit too tightly. She accidentally dropped the bracelet and both her and Jungkook aimed to kneel to grab it.

"Thanks, I got it," she glanced at him with a smile, grabbing it first as they both rose, still sitting quite close.

Jungkook got caught in 4K with the way he kept his eyes on her while her focus was on the stage and audience members as the show was preparing to start soon. The way he glanced at her up and down as a small smile came across his face with his lingering gaze did not go unnoticed with fan sites filming them.

Feeling his eyes on her, she turned and looked at him up and down, with them both occasionally glancing at each other's lips. Then they began to smile as she found herself getting lost in his blue contact colored eyes.

No wonder things felt like something was missing. The two of them realized they hadn't kissed each other all day. They'd been so busy preparing for the show and making sure their dances were fine that they didn't even get a chance to share one kiss today.

"Do you two need to be separated?" Yoongi asked teasingly while covering his mouth to avoid getting his lips read by fans watching them. This became a reoccurring thing to cover their mouths so they could speak more freely at these shows.

Jimin and Taehyung started laughing since they had been watching the couple this whole time.

"They haven't kissed at all, today. Jungkook might just go feral," Jimin giggled.

"Yeah, you two need to be separated," Yoongi advised with an amused smirk, making the 95 Liners laugh again.

"We really don't," Jen replied. "We'll be on our best behavior,"

"Are you sure? You two are distracted by each other," Taehyung teased.

"Do you remember where we are?" Jimin added to the teasing.

"Did we fail to mention we caught Jungkook's pleased expression when smelling her new perfume? He can't get enough,"

"Hyung!" Jungkook glared, feeling his face warm.

"We've moved to you two enjoying each other's smells and scents you use? You two need to relax," Hobi laughed.

"Oh my God, can you leave us alone and stop watching us?" Jennie exclaimed, feeling her face flushed.

"Should I be concerned?" Jin asked, listening to the conversation. "Maybe you two should switch seats," 

"Seriously?" Jungkook frowned.

"We'll be on our best behavior, Jin," Jennie reassured.

"Are you sure? Because I do not believe that,"

"Neither do I," Namjoon spoke up with a light laugh.

"You guys are exaggerating!" Jennie exclaimed. 

"This time, I don't think we are," Jin chuckled and let out a sigh, already knowing they were going to drive him nuts tonight. "Just please try to behave yourselves and stay professional tonight,"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Once the show began, Jennie jumped for joy and found herself getting emotional when IOI won Best New Female Artist. Cameras caught her looking proud and ecstatic for the girls with her eyes getting watery.

When GFriend and Seventeen performed for their collaboration, Hayoon was paired up with Vernon. The synchronization of the two groups blew Jennie's mind as she had her jaw dropped at their dancing. When Gallant performed, she smiled over at Taehyung since he was a big fan and cheered loudly with him, overjoyed with his performance.

As Baekhyun and Suzy performed Dream, Jen watched him, mesmerized as the camera caught her singing along to his parts. The members would glance over and smile at her being so into the song, knowing how much she adored him. It caught a lot of attention from Exols and ever since Jennie started meeting the EXO members, Exols took a liking to her. They loved how vocal she was about her admiration for the group and how highly she spoke of them. The EXO members would always have nothing but good things to say about her and enjoyed their sweet moments together. Armies and Exols wondered if they'd share another moment tonight.

Later, Bangtan managed to win Best Dance Performance. However, Jin and Taehyung weren't with them when they announced them as the winners, causing Jennie to laugh. They were probably in the bathroom. Nonetheless, she stood up with the rest of the boys, bowing and thanking everyone with big smiles.

"Yeah! Go, Jennie! Congrats guys!" Bam Bam shouted and approached them with Yugyeom.

The two Got7 members high fived her, Suga, and Jimin before they went up to the stage. Rapmon gave the award to Hobi and stood behind him so he could do the acceptance speech. Jennie smiled proudly as she stood next to him and listened to him speak.

"Wow! Thank you so much for such a huge award," Hobi said on the mic. "And since it's the best performance award for us, there is a larger meaning behind it. Thank you so much. And to the ARMYs who are always supporting us, thank you so much. And I would like to thank Teacher Son Seung Deuk who created this best performance,"

Jennie chuckled once Taehyung and Jin rushed on stage to join them. They both gave her a look as the three of them tried not to burst out in laughter. The trio smiled at one another while Jin placed his hands on Jungkook and Rapmon's shoulders, smiling at them.

"Thank you so much!" Hobi ended his speech, earning loud cheers.

"Thank you, ARMY!" Suga shouted.

"I love you!" Jin added with Taehyung and blew a flying kiss.

----------

As Zico performed Boys and Girls, Jen sat in between Hobi and Taehyung, vibing and doing the choreography. Once he made his way over to where Bangtan was sitting, the members danced in their seats while he took a seat near Rapmon on the arm of the couch. When Bermuda Triangle came on, she stood up with Hobi and Taehyung, getting hyped as they watched Dean and Zico back on the main stage.

"This is my shit!" she started dancing and vibing to Dean, singing along with Hobi and Taehyung.

Don't let 'em in, let 'em in

Get out my zone

We, we, we never know

We, we, we never talk

'Cause we, we, we criminal

Don't let 'em in, let 'em in

Get out my zone

She laughed out loud when Taehyung began dabbing and she followed his movements, making him happy. Once Zico summoned Crush, Jennie immediately turned and locked eyes with Jungkook who was still sitting as they pointed to each other and lip synced his verse.

Nuul jaril jedaero bogo nuwoyaji

Y'all fake bitches tryna act like me

Anjaseo meongman ttaeryeodo nae sopa wie (ssodajineun)

Mula, mula, we gon' pour up

Murder, murder, sumeul jungnyeo

Sangkwaehae ne meori wie gonggi

Nobody can't come over here

Dean, Crush, and Zico killed it on stage, hyping up the crowd. It was one of her favorite performances of the night. Later on, Jen switched seats again and found herself sitting at the end with Jungkook. She grinned as the next act consisted of a collaboration between Got 7, Monsta X, and NCT 127.

Get it lifted

As soon as NCT's Firetruck began to play, Jennie began nodding her head to the beat, enjoying the song. This song was a banger and one of her absolute favorites.

"Firetruck," she mouthed, beginning to lip sync the song while dancing in her seat.

"Ey, yea, yea, yea, yea!" She fan chanted with the audience and Jungkook.

The camera showed Jennie and Jungkook both on the screen as loud cheers occurred and they looked at the camera, headbanging. Bangtan giggled at their enthusiasm and so did some other idols who peeped them on screen.

Fans tweet:

'Why they matching each other's energy so loudly?'

'Their face cards!'

'They're making the same facial expression, so cute'

'JenKook!!'

'I think she does a little bit too much at these award shows. Just sit and enjoy the show, not all the excessive dancing, taking attention from the artists on stage,'

'These two are so beautiful. Wow!'

'Lmfaoooo they are a mood!'

'I'm really happy Mnet is showing Jennie on screen. Her reactions are always so lively instead of others just sitting there,'

'I love how excited she gets about all these groups. Still a K-Pop fan at heart. I'm happy she still reacts this way at shows,'

After NCT performed, Jennie cheered on Jooheon who rapped with Taeyong. His flow and attitude were amazing and she paid close attention to how he performed. Once Monsta X began to perform Fighter, she ended up cheering for Wonho when he was shown singing. She passionately sang his lines while fans had tweeted how Wonho biased she was. After their performance, it was time for Got7 as they performed Hard Carry with her dancing along.

As the show went on, she was proud to see Seventeen win the World Performer Award as she was the first to stand and applaud. Seeing The8 made her smile widely and wave as he waved back.

"Gosh, I hope one day I'm chosen to present an award at one of these shows. It would be fun," Jennie thought out loud.

When the presenters began to announce the nominees for best female vocal performance, Jennie jumped in her seat and cheered loudly when Ailee was shown on the screen. Bangtan glanced at her with knowing smiles, loving her excitement for the woman she had admired for years.

Once Ailee was announced as the winner, she applauded, jumping up and down, excitedly. Just before going up to the stage, Ailee caught a glimpse of Jen and smiled widely, waving at her. When she gave her acceptance speech, the camera caught Jennie watching her with admiration. The angle of where Jennie was filmed caused Twitter to geek over how beautiful her face card was and point out the love in her eyes as she watched Ailee.

With the show getting ready for the next segment, Jennie suddenly received a few packs of smarties from Jungkook.

"How'd you know I was about to ask?" she happily accepted them with surprise in her voice.

"I brought some with me just in case. I was paying attention to your facial expression. When you're about to ask for smarties or say that you wish you had them, you make this cute face. It's like you're pouting,"

"What? I was not pouting..." She turned away, feeling her face warm as he giggled.

"You just did it again,"

"Stop looking at me," she playfully pushed him away, making him laugh harder.

Lately, with the members, her smarties are always on standby. Over the years of getting to know her, they started to understand and know exactly when she wanted the candy and managed to always hand them to her before she opened her mouth to ask.

"Still, thank you," she added and began eating them.

As she ate her smarties, she ended up tossing them up in the air to catch and eat. Wanting to challenge her, Jungkook decided to do it too with his pack of smarties to see who could catch more in their mouths. In the end, Jungkook won as he grinned victoriously while Jennie caught any smarties that she missed from her mouth with her fast hands.

Rule Number One: Do NOT waste Smarties

Next up on the show was Twice and IOI performing. Jennie looked and felt like a proud mom watching IOI perform Pick Me. Fansites caught her entire reaction to the girls performing and thought it was wholesome seeing her get emotional. Being a trainer at Produce 101 to seeing the girls thrive as a group made her heart feel complete. Whenever Jennie was shown on screen, loud cheers would occur and sometimes idols reacted positively when they saw her on screen, with some smiling and commenting that she looked nice.

Once IOI began to perform Very, Very, Very, Jennie began to do the choreography while lip syncing.

nal neomuneomuneomu

neomuneomuneomu neomuneomuneomu

neomuneomuneomu neomuneomuneomu

After they performed, Twice was up to perform Cheer Up and then TT as she watched happily, cheering her friends, Mina and Jihyo, on.

"Just like TT! Just like TT!" she performed the choreography with Taehyung.

-----------

It was time for Hyuna to perform, as some idols were anticipating if anything was going to happen. They hadn't found something this entertaining in a while and hoped something would go down between her and Jennie. Hyuna strutted on stage and performed U&ME. Then she performed How's This with her backup dancers.

Jennie thought it was extremely petty of Mnet to keep a camera right in front of her to film her every reaction but she remained unamused and watched with her head up high. Bangtan didn't even like the fact that the camera was basically in her face nor did Armies.

Suddenly, Hyuna had changed some of her lyrics, not looking Jennie's way as she danced.

Not a high and mighty girl scout in the club behind some fake bulletproof glass. How boring.

Some idols widened their eyes while others glanced over to where Jennie sat.

Yet another diss? This was getting out of control.

Bam Bam cringed and glanced at Jennie with worry, hoping she'd be all right. Hayoon frowned at the diss and shook her head slightly.

However, Jennie only smirked as she continued to watch, knowing that all eyes were on her to see how she'd react. Bangtan glanced at her and as she met their eyes, she gave them a nod. They nodded back and remained calm as they continued to watch the performance.

Suddenly a switch flipped in Jennie's demeanor as she rolled her neck and stared at Hyuna.

'This bitch got me fucked up...' she thought as she kept her cool.

Fans tweet:

'Not again!! Enough already!'

'Is she trying to provoke Jennie?'

'Don't be mad if Jennie catches her in an alley to stomp that ass!'

'The neck roll! I repeat! The neck roll! Jennie just did the neck roll! That is BAD! She got something planned! Get ready!'

'I don't like how she's acting. This is bullying at this point. Hyuna needs to chill,'

'Jen better than me because I would have ran on stage and popped her shit,'

'From the looks of it, Jennie is so bitter and jealous,'

'That smirk means business. I'm not ready,'

'I wish people would stop judging Jennie,'

'Jennie looks like she's plotting,'

'Why does she look so hot when she's upset?'

'Bangtan knows something that we don't because they don't look bothered at all,'

'Bangtan isn't even phased?! What is Jennie planning tonight?'

Little did they know Jennie was listening closely and analyzing what she was saying to use it against her.

'High and mighty...' she thought, making a mental note.

----------

Timbaland arrived on stage to perform with Eric Nam.

And boy was it...awkward.

She sat next to Namjoon during this performance and covered her mouth to murmur to him, "Yo, Timbaland looks so confused. This whole performance is hard to watch,"

And he agreed. It was hard to watch. And she wished the crowd was more excited for Timbaland. It was THE Timbaland and the audience wasn't that loud for him in comparison to Eric Nam. No offense to him.

After being told they were needed backstage, Bangtan got ready for their performance. She changed out of her dress to wear black pants and a long-sleeved ruffled white shirt that hugged her body nicely. With her hair out, she wore a black suit jacket with some silver designs around it, and the daisy pin was placed on the jacket for good luck. As she got ready, she watched on the monitor to see that EXO had won best group and Twice won best female group.

Waiting to get on stage, Jennie ended up posting G-Dragon's iconic diss on the MAMA Awards on her Instagram story, which sparked even more interest in what was going to happen tonight.

"I got a little solo stage. It's going to be pretty fun. I hope everyone likes what I have in store," she beamed at the Bangtan Bomb camera after warming up her voice.

She looked ahead to see Jin checking out the special effects makeup on Taehyung's back to show off his broken wings. He went on the touch it but began to freak out, causing her to giggle.

"It feels like pudding!" Jin exclaimed.

"Why is Jin Hyung so childish?" Namjoon wondered, causing Jennie to laugh again.

The laughter loosened her up and made her less on edge about tonight's big performance.

She was ready.

After everyone was ready and went over last minute rehearsals, the eight of them gathered around and put their hands in the middle.

"All right, fellas! Let's make it a memorable one!" Jennie cheered.

"Indeed! Mama 2016, let's make it a legend. Bangtan! Bangtan!" Namjoon shouted.

"Bang-Bangtan! Fighting!" the group shouted and pushed their hands down.

----------

Backstage with the rest of the boys, Jennie watched with a smile as Jungkook looked ethereal while hanging from the ceiling on stage. He really did his thing. And it was harder than it looked.

She turned to the backup dancers who were patiently waiting for their cue to come out after they performed BST. She greeted them happily and asked if the cookies she made for them yesterday tasted fine. They raved over their love for her baking and appreciated her kindness. She wanted to thank them for being such a great support system for Bangtan and wanted to give them something nice.

"Let's have some fun! See you out there!" She beamed and bowed at them.

On stage, next up was J-Hope performing Boy Meets Evil, hyping up the crowd with a blue background. Then Jimin was revealed on stage, featuring a red background as he danced to Lie while blindfolded.

"The camera work though~?" Jennie watched in awe while the camera did a full circle as he danced.

Then the two had an epic dance collaboration on stage while performing the rest of the choreography for Boy Meets Evil. After they were done, the rest of the group met up on stage and began to perform Blood, Sweat, & Tears as the audience cheered loudly.

wonhae mani mani mani mani

wonhae mani mani mani mani mani mani

wonhae mani mani mani mani

wonhae mani mani mani mani mani mani

Here we go, the most anticipated part. The audience had been waiting to see a MAMA Award version of their duet. As the rest of the members were on the floor, only Jen remained standing with Jungkook. Like always, Jungkook stared at her with love and desire as he slowly made his way toward her from behind. With his presence behind her and face near her neck, he held her in his arms. She leaned into his arms as she began to sing with her mic.

How much longer before you consume me?

No matter how much I resist, I can't fight what you're doing

He turned her around and tried to get closer but she backed away. Persistent this time, he pulled her straight into his chest as he smirked and held her gaze with the audience screaming at their closeness.

My mind is telling me to break free but my body is freaking out

No, I can't want you, get out of my head

As you love every inch of me you see that I want it too

They continued to dance sensually with him mirroring her movements.

Breath on my neck, I bit off more than I can chew

Reflecting on my choices, I'm wonderin' if there's any way out of this

"Here comes my favorite part!" Yugyeom pointed out with the rest of Got 7 agreeing.

"Are they about to do the spin, this time?" Somi asked the IOI members as they were hopeful.

"Are they gonna do it?" Baekhyun wondered.

"The part is coming~!" Yuji giggled with the rest of GFriend.

"The spin coming?" Mingyu asked in anticipation, leaning forward, studying their movements.

"Let it be the spin," Mina had her fingers crossed.

"Here comes the spin!" Wonho cheered.

The idols got excited and so did the crowd as they began screaming and cheering when JenKook did their signature move. Everyone watched in awe at how they moved and thought about the amount of trust that was needed to pull it off. They weren't called The Golden Duo for nothing.

Jennie was pulled back into his arms as she continued to sing.

I'm losing this battle, I just can't resist. 

The music changed slightly from the original instrumental of BST. Jennie and Jungkook were supposed to dance a little more for this instrumental but they remained close and pressed up against each other with her in his arms. They held each other's strong gaze and suddenly their lips met as they drowned out the loud pandemonium around the venue.

With their eyes closed, Jungkook gently lifted her chin and turned his head to deepen the kiss as they both smiled into it.

With the idols, Bam Bam began shaking Jackson while their jaws were dropped, looking shooked. Jay B and Mark widened their eyes while the rest of Got7 acted chaotic as they all enjoyed every bit of the surprising moment.

"What!? What!?" Jackson shouted as he fell dramatically.

The boys laughed at his reaction. Yugyeom grinned immediately once he saw them kiss and let out a chuckle. It made him proud to see Jungkook be so open about Jennie like this. The amount of guy talks they had about girls and how Jungkook's eyes would light up whenever he mentioned her made Yugyeom understand that these two were serious about each other.  

The kiss fit so well with the performance and her lyrics. But there was no denying the love in their eyes as they looked at each other and how they kissed.

With IOI, various reactions occurred as some dropped their jaws, widened their eyes, covered their mouths, and giggled to themselves. Some filming them even caught a few of them mentioning how happy and cute Jennie looked with Jungkook. With EXO as they watched the kiss unfold, Chanyeol covered his face, giggling at the sight. Baekhyun smiled genuinely, watching Jennie kiss the man she loved dearly.

"Full of surprises," Sehun chuckled.

"Very," Xiumin added.

Twice looked at one another, surprised at the sudden kiss. They were excited to see their signature move but a kiss on top of that? Blown away. Mina and Jihyo glanced at each other with big smiles, happy for their friends.

"Did you think that was going to happen?" Jihyo asked.

"I didn't think it would but look at them. So cute! Jennie truly loves him. She smiles so brightly with him,"

"Mm hm!"

With Monsta X, the boys reacted dramatically and were in awe at their chemistry.

"I was waiting for a kiss!" Hyungwon pointed out.

"Me too, I was like, they have to do something big," Shownu chuckled.

"I wasn't expecting that at all, like damn!" Jooheon exclaimed.

All of GFriend gasped and then began jumping and squealing in their seats after seeing them smooch. Hayoon giggled with the girls and pointed out the kiss.

"It's happening! It's happening! I cannot stay calm about this! Finally~!" Hayoon cheered and began clapping with Yuji and Eunha.

"They kiss so passionately, my gosh," Sowon looked on, amazed.

Seventeen looked surprised while Mingyu and The8 happily smiled, enjoying the fact that their friends kissed openly on stage.

Meanwhile, Hyuna rolled her eyes as her reaction was filmed and she began to frown. She had her fair share of kisses on the MAMA Awards stage but the way the audience was screaming and cheering was a much louder reception than hers over the years.

With Bangtan, the boys were caught by surprise by their kissing. No one said anything about a kiss on stage. Jimin and Taehyung did their best not to freak out as they focused on the performance. The way they grinned and glanced at each other while they remained on the floor. Their hearts felt full to see their ship this open with each other in public. They especially loved how the kiss was a deep and passionate one and not just a short and sweet one.

Yoongi had enlarged his eyes a little at the bold move, wondering if this had been planned privately in advance. Getting over his initial shock, he became amused.

'These kids...' he thought.

Namjoon wasn't too surprised about it. He knew Jennie and Jungkook loved to be extra. He felt proud to see them show affection to each other on stage, not having a care in the world. They looked happy and that was all he wanted for them. To be happy like this privately and publicly. He found himself getting amused as he glanced at their passionate lip lock.

Mnet was having a field day with this. Ratings were definitely through the roof now with this shocking moment along with them raising the bar on this passionate kiss.

Jin and Hobi screamed internally when they saw them smooch. They weren't expecting it and thought they'd go along with their routine. After getting over the shock, it pleased them to see them be this bold in public and thought it fit well with the performance.

Back with Jennie and Jungkook, they pulled away as she bit her bottom lip lightly, returning his smile.

But then...reality set in.

'Oh...oh shit,' They both thought and realized what just happened.

They both remained "In Character" for their performance although it was pretty clear their feelings were showing out. It was bound to happen. The kiss was not planned at all but they moved to each other by instinct. And it felt good. So good. She kissed her boyfriend in front of the entire world, solidifying a MAMA Awards moment.

Remembering her last line, she finally sang the end of her verse.

Only a matter of time before you screw me up and I'll be stuck reminiscing. 

Jungkook had to refrain from kissing her again as they both leaned back in which caused more screaming from the audience to occur. Then they reluctantly pulled away as he blew out air and shook his head a few times, trying to control himself from making out with her on stage.

'We're on stage. We're on stage,' Jungkook reminded himself as he kept backing away from her and went to the next dance position for the song.

With the screaming still occurring around the venue and fansites of Jennie and Jungkook catching their every facial expression, this moment was on its way to going viral.

People on social media were going crazy over the timeline with memes and various tweets:

'JENKOOK STANS RISE!'

'It wasn't even a quick kiss! That kiss was longer than anticipated!'

'My man did NOT want to let her go.'

'They both looked like they didn't want to let each other go. They were both in a trance!''

'We said spin not kiss wtf wtf AHHHHHH!'

'WHY DID SHE KISS HIM!? WAIT!'

'Oh...OH! They playing this BST sexy persona a little TOO well!'

'The way he had the GRIP on her?! Jungkook PLEASE!'

'The way he backed away!? She got him straining!'

'Jungkook saw an opportunity and took it! That smile into the kiss!? Oh, my man wanted to do that for a LONG time!'

'Why is he kissing Jennie!? Why!?'

'I'm fine...I'm totally fine...'

'We shipped the right ship! They kissed! They fucking kissed in front of everybody!'

'Were they acting!? Because that looked too real!'

'Jennie looked so dazed after kissing him!'

'Rookie King Kiss on STEROIDS!'

'That kiss was too American!'

'Do you see how happy the 97 Liners are looking?! Something is up!'

'Cries in Taennie!'

'The kiss that was meant for Taehyung nooooo!'

'And to think this was supposed to be Taehyung in this position instead,'

'How to be Jennie? Had sexy scenes with Taehyung and now gets to kiss Jungkook on stage? Lucky!'

'It's happening! Everybody stay calm! Stay fucking calm!'

'That tension is something that cannot be replicated because I was going crazy watching them on my screen. I was like KISS! And when they did I screamed! I didn't think they would do it!'

'How can I be Jennie in this moment?'

'A stage kiss!? Is this a stage kiss!? This looks so real!'

'Jennie's acting lessons are paying off. She is playing the part well of slowly giving in to temptation. Jungkook is hard to resist!'

'THE TENSION! THE BEDROOM EYES!? OH MY GOD!'

'WTF WTF A KISS!?'

'WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!'

'JENKOOK POR FAVOR!!'

'I have no choice but to Stan. Jennie show me your ways. First it was Taehyung, now it's Jungkook!'

'We got a man down! Jungkook get up! He is obsessed!'

'The way I felt like a third wheel I–'

'Jennie STAND UP! Ma'am you're supposed to be resisting temptation!'

'He down baaaad! What is happening!?'

'AHHHH'

'SKSKSKSKS'

'WTF JUST HAPPENED!?'

'They taking it to a whole new level!'

'OH MY GOD'

'Lives are about to be CHANGED!'

'Y'all can stop being in denial now! JenKook forever! Better than your other ships!'

'They are stressing me out! Can they PLEASE confirm it!?'

'Do you know how long we've waited for a kiss!?'

'JenKook stans we up!'

After performing the rest of the song and heading backstage while Jin and Taehyung do their final act together, Jungkook pulled Jennie into his arms and looked down at her.

"No turning back now," he grinned.

"I know," she grinned back. "I feel relieved and happy,"

"Me too. Kill it out there. I'll see you, soon. I love you,"

He cupped her face and pulled her in for a deep kiss, followed by multiple short kisses.

"I love you, too,"

"Was that planned?" Namjoon laughed.

"It just happened. I don't know who leaned in first," Jennie admitted.

"I don't know either but I'm not complaining," Jungkook added.

Jimin and Hobi jumped excitedly with Yoongi.

"JENKOOK~!" Yoongi shouted, making them all laugh as he started shaking the couple.

"Oh my God..." Jennie chuckled.

"JENKOOK~!" Jimin shouted. "Do you know how happy Tae and I were!? Our ship is soaring! Finally! That kiss was everything! You two know how to make us proud, huh?!"

The staff members had to step in to get them to separate so they could get them to their next location for the main stage while Jennie remained where she was. She waved goodbye and got ready.

"Jennifer."

She turned to see Yoongi.

"Control your emotions out there and wreck her life. You got this," he nodded in reassurance.

"Thanks, I will. See you out there," she nodded and saw him walk away, only leaving Namjoon.

Namjoon smiled down at her and held her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Jennie, you are undeniable. You are so good that they can't ignore you. This is your moment. Show them who Miss Bangtan is,"

Her eyes got glossy as she looked up at him and broke out into a grin.

"Thank you,"

He pulled her in for a big hug, kissing her forehead.

"I am so proud of you. And I am proud to be your leader. I'll see you out there,"

Once he left, she let out a deep breath and waited for her cue as she gripped her mic. The backup dancers were currently on stage, some in white cloaks and black cloaks while a Bangtan Bomb had been filming her all this time.

'Why did you and Jungkook kiss on stage?'

She was asked as a smile crept up on her lips at their lip lock. Turning to the camera she responded with a wink, "I did say no matter how much I resist I can’t fight what you’re doing. I officially fell into temptation. It was worth it though,"

Once the staff told her she could go on stage, she touched her daisy pin, thinking of G-Dragon. As soon as she got back on that stage...she knew everything was about to change.

"I hope I continue to make you proud," she murmured.

PART 2 OF THIS CHAPTER

[mostdontknowit]

Books and Short Stories Read in January 2025

Books

Rumble Fish - S.E. Hinton | Rate: 6.5/10

I loved the Outsiders when I read it in 7th grade. I wanted to read Rumble Fish because I had heard that it contained some of the characters from the Outsiders. The main character is impulsive and acts without thinking things through, often getting into deadly fights. He has a brother who just doesn't fit in with society but still looks up to him.

Yellowface - R.F. Kuang | Rate: 8.5/10

The narrator witnesses her friends death; the aftermath results in the narrator finding her friends book she was writing, then publishes that book as her own. This is a book that offers commentary on the publishing world, plagiarism, toxic social media and cultural appropriation. If you enjoy books where the narrator is the villain and books where everyone is just a terrible person, you might like this book.

Trials of Apollo (2) The Dark Prophecy - Rick Riordan | Rate 6/10

This was one of the more -eh hem- challenging- books I've read from the whole world of demigods by Rick Riordan. I have yet to read any books from Magnus Chase. I found the Dark Prophecy to be a bit juvenile in it's humor and the pacing was weird. There were a couple times I also got confused how the characters got from Point A to Point B. Basically Apollo finds himself on a sanctuary type farm for Demigods hosted by former members of Artemis' pack. There was a lot of interesting concepts, but overall I just found it boring and a little hard to follow compared to some of Ricks other books, I almost wondered if he had someone else write portions of it.

Trials of Apollo (3) The Burning Maze - Rick Riordan | Rate 7/10

Ok this picked things up a bit. Funny, the concept I would have found a little more boring than it's predecessor but I found this book to have better pacing and I followed it quite a bit better. Apollo is around the Palm Springs / Joshua Tree area and the Labyrinth is burning, causing a lot of destruction. There's more "Calls to Action" in this book that also seems to hit in a more real life level, since there's a commentary on saving the environment of the world and big corporations.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (1) - Sarah J. Maas | Rate 6.75/10

My sister told me to read this book and it was on my radar, so here I am! Overall I did enjoy this book. I can see a lot of room for world building. This book was slow. It's pretty clear it's setting up for book two, which as of writing I'm about 2/3rds done with. Feyre essentially gets kidnapped by a "Fae" who's a Lord. She slowly falls in love with him. It gives a lot of Beauty and the Beast vibes until the end, which I won't spoil. I found the love interest Tamlin, to be pretty unlikable in a lot of ways. I also found Feyre's character confusing because she kind of seemed to have conflicting personality traits. You get this idea she's supposed to be a tough character with sharp-wit who's perseverance gets her through; which you see occasionally, but not when it comes to her captivity in the Spring Court; so I found that really confusing. It's hard to see the characters motive in the middle portions then it suddenly comes out at the end.

Short Stories

Demigods and Magicians (1) Son of Sobek - Rick Riordan | Rate 6/10

I don't have too much commentary. I loved Percy Jackson and the Kane Chronicles, but I never was able to find a way to read this. While I read all the PJ books in paper back, everything else by Riordan has been e-books where the short stories haven't really existed. I noticed they were on libby without much wait so decided to finally read it. I rated it low, but it was worth the quick read.

Demigods and Magicians (2) The Staff of Serapis -Rick Riordan | Rate: 6/10

Similar to the first short story, it was fun. Not amazing but neat to see other elements of this world and see how the different mythologies connect with each other. I also learned some things I didn't know before too; which is hugely why I love the Camp Half-Blood world. I liked this one slightly more than the first one.

[kinemonsassbiter]

MY THOUGHTS ON YAMATO

Yamato has a mixed rep in fandom, because someone can't stand her while others adore. It would be obvious what i myself think about this oni through my text.

To be short I'm her slander /s. And if i want to make it long...

I have several big problems with Yamato that makes it hard for me to enjoy this character in any sense.

1. She doesn't feel as if this character should even belong in here.

Feels as if Yamato either from absolutely different anime or as if she decided to came in plot too late. I'm not talking about how OP Yamato is (even if it is kinda true and makes her look a bit like Mary Sue), if that was the only problem i would not mind it any sense abd be be just very happy. Yamato just... doesn't sit with me right, she got too late into arc to really gave her space to show out. Despite how much i love Wano there was no way on adding whole new important character right in 3rd act at fucking final battle AND make it not stand out as something unexpected (in a bad way). I'm very happy that she didn't sailed with Strawhats, but it makes her words on joining Luffy & co even more strange because...

2. It makes Yamato useless and unnecessary plot device.

Not just in sence that Yamato would be unnecessary in team but just in general. Most of her actions either can get cut off and nothing is going to change, or that action could've been done by anyone but her. Luffy would have beat Kaido either way, Momonosuke would have overcome own fears either way, etc. Her only important part of story - is Ace flashback. And even it feels for me...forced. That's all. The saddest part is - Yamato in end of acr is exactly THE SAME character we first in her first appearance. She wanted to be free and be Oden - she still wants to be free and be Oden. No change. Yamato don't have any mental conflicts at this point, even these little that we were shown are happening in flashbacks and not in our time. That's really bad. Even her conflicts about self-identity got wasted because...

3. "I'm Oden" thing is not funny.

This joke was funny the first time, the second time, the others time it was rather annoying at best and creepy and worst. I know why Yamato does that - thanks to Kaido being a shitty father - but it is not an excuse for this obsession looking rather less disturbing. I kinda feel sad for Momo and Kin to be honest. Imagine seeing some stranger calling themselves with name of your dead father/friend that you cared for very much. It is kinda better in anime but in manga it's rather makes Yamato look more unlikable (and Oda knows that for sure). She adores and respects Oden sooo much yet doesn't show it to his son and friend(with not respecting their plead to stop), isn't it kinda fucked up? Just imagine how good of character arc it would be if Yamato actually was able to understand that it isn't healthy, grow out from it and rethink own choice and accept own personality as Yamato and not pretend to he someone else? But we didn't get it in any place) (btw if i will see someone tagging Yamato's art with Oden's name once more I'm going to fucking die. I want to see OTHER hot ass tall himbo thank you)

4. Her personality is a cake with nothing.

Expect that Oden thing there was nothing interesting for me to look at. Yes another silly himbo. And? We already saw characters like this before, why i should care about other one?

I feel like i can go for a very long time on other parts on why i don't like this character and think she is overrated, but this is the biggest problems i thought about while re-reading one piece.

I hope she isn't going to actually join the Strawhats either way unlike Momonosuke and Kin'emon (who i think deserved it way more)

If you will say that I'm just simping over other chars and not being rational - Yes. That's all.

[sakiaii]

Armored x Magic girls ‘title forever work in progress’ series 5

here we once again have 3 stories, main and 2 sub. funny how 1st series of Armored and of the magic world have such simple cast, 2nd series have 3 stories and 3rd series are in a new place that has desert and some vegetation and huge cast. yeah 6th official series is like that, tho it also has 3 stories.. i would consider 2 to be like the main story here.

lets start by explaining the stories. so the main one. some thousand years ago this world had a big problem. it was invasion of creatures from a different pocket dimension well this beings proved to be quite hard to fight against do to their dimension's different nature so wizards had to come up with new spells but also our 1st kingdom in this stories received a huge help from the kingdom of techomancers. so now we know that techomancers are kingdom not at all different in the magic gene from our 1st kingdom (unlike 2nd) and they used to be in friendly relationship. the second is basically the youngest only some 60 years old but after it was created somewhere in that same time period the 3rd kingdom ended all diplomatic relationships with the 1st and closed of their border, we will found out the lore behind this in the official 6th series but back then they created armors which with the cooperation with wizards from the first kingdom were enchanted as well as the weapons the knights wearing them used. A special order was created back then situated in the 1st kingdom as the creatures tend to pop up here and there but they never had an infestation as bad as it was thousand of years ago. A special school trains knights and wizards who are tactically there to provide support to the knights using the gear created back then that's why this knowledge has to be preserved so in times of war they have to remain neutral with only 1% of the order allowed to volunteer. Our story follows a girl going to that school, her aunt also went there and stayed as helper until a knight was deemed ready to inherit an armor, council decided that her knowledge of defensive magics would be useful in his team that had one more wizard assigned to them. Now for the sub story, this girl likes to read books but the books are not just about anyone. you see her aunt and knight died a long time ago and the wizard who was with them was the sole survivor and he got permissions from the families to honor his friends by writing about their adventures and he made them the stars diminishing his role but despite some small exaggerations he wrote them exactly as they were. this girl might be a little bit embarrassed about reading them and hides them but she will find a lot of useful stuff in there from her aunts wisdom and knowledge that will help her in her school time. No one knows how they died and there's so many speculations (all my failed attempts at making something up) it's the stuff of legends "they fell in love and that love killed them. as creatures surrounded her she ignored her safety in order to use protection magic on the knight that was about to clash with the boss but he realized it and turned to save her as she was killed in front of his eyes and the boss struck his now exposed back and they died together holding each other hands". the wizard was solo survivor because they send him back to their kingdom with a message how they underestimated the treat and reinforcements need to be sent to this area.

oh yeah i forgot to mention people in magic world live longer so her aunt also lived 50 years ago, back then they had a king but by the time wizard reached capital with his message he gave it to the newly appointed queen who succeeded her uncle after he was killed by entourage from 2nd kingdom as they declared war. the really powerful red eyed vampire committed the act leaving only one survivor mostly because she recognized the family heirloom sword in her hand but this newbie guard pissed herself from fear and to this day has terrible ptsd. this vampire told her she's not the right person for the sword after she put the tip of the blade to her own neck and told her "kill me" but newbie guard was shaking so bad and crying.. so that guard grew up to learn everything about magic and in this kingdom she's like the minister of education nowadays, she became a teacher so she could teach people magic who unlike her have the stomach to fight. also modern vampires are grey eyed and don't drink human blood, red eyed are ancient vampires and a lot of them disappeared 60 years ago.

now for the 2nd sub story we need to start with episode 1.

our magic girls from previous series.. I mean what remained of them *cough* two are now big shots in the 2nd kingdom *cough*. they've receive a ping and are totally prepared to.. grab a lizard. they arrive at the place and enter dark hallway completely oblivious what lurks here as they realize the danger they rush outside but are attacked by.. a sorceress? who becomes enticed by the aura of light she saw around one of the girls? so she kidnaps her so he would come rescue her?

little lore here about those creatures. their blood, major problem, if just one drop remains they will return. they're not intelligent at all and function on instinct which is bloodlusty.. they can take over their victim if they were in regenerative state and mimic the behavior but obsessive focus on the strongest memory or emotion gives them away.

now, our girls don't even have to call it in. this ping is not the only one and they're all over earth. their kingdom already knows and they've completely mobilized to prevent disaster in the one place that can't find out magic exists. our girls are aware of that but they need help rescuing their friend NOW so there is only one place that can give them that help at this time. they rush past the guardian without words and use portal but the guardian is also ignoring this while she's on the call with their kingdom, multiple voices in the back, some saying "yes we already know". the little flying bear did say that one girl was missing tho. then silence as a wave of magic was felt like a earthquake.. the voice on the other side eventually says "kingdom of darkness is opening a path to earth" "why would they be opening a path" then guardian realized "i think something happened to one of my girls" as a new voice on the call says "did you just say something happened to one of my students"

so our 2 big shots just brought an army of werewolves to fight an army of this creatures.. just one tactical problem, the blood. but hey all they really need to do is clear a path so they can rescue their friend, who knows what that sorceress mimic is planing to do.. well we're not going to actually see it but a candle will be extinguished as we see a women that lit it (if you guessed it the candle was lit to see if she's alright) but now this women turns into ball of light that comes crashing right in the middle of creatures army. the women then quickly runs out and joins our girls on the hill as she argumentatively says "this is impossible without the knights" "but lets try" she snaps her finger and people from 1st kingdom show up and join the fight. young students of magic are putting defensive shields on werewolves as they're about to be hit and removing so they can strike the opponents, young students of that specialized school using chain binding spells on enemies as well as old druids with roots and old wizards throwing fire balls and.. bards? well one of the greatest magics in the world are music, faith, love but the later is hard to simulate so music will have to do. It's still not enough we need the knights. Wait what's this the spilled blood is not drooping but floating now? oh shiii it's a bullet rain now.. and it's controlled by 3 fancy looking elegant ladies that just showed up from the right (oh hey it's the 3 on the sofas from that final scene in the 4th series) (oh btw i'm going to start calling the candle lady Teacher from now on) the teacher then mumbles into her chin "witches", on the left however a big boy looking like the hulk is rushing in with a cart of bones fallowed by more people and we see spirits joined the fight too, one women stands on the left focusing and puppeteering the spirits "don't disturb". from the bones a big mammoth is assembled and rushes into enemy breaking into small gremlins with bones for swords (oh hey it's the yousei teikoku people from that final scene in the 4th series) (necromancers btw) now 2 more people showed up but the 1st kingdom people are trying not to stare but as their faces are looking in one direction the eyes are looking at them (info: there is a clan in the kingdom of darkness but no one from 1st kingdom ever saw them not even during the war because those that did, didn't come back to tell the tale) (ps: it's Oni they just don't have horns) now the girl will do a bind spell by releasing paper cranes and the guy is there just to protect her. "it's still not enough, we need armors!" says the teacher as one sorceress failed to put the shield up on time and werewolf was splashed by creatures blood. these creatures were like never ending ocean. "wait but we know someone with armors" one of the girls pulls out the device and presses the button as she pressed it you can see her holding the device from snipers scope as the redhead from 3rd series gets up and goes though the time portal now suddenly bunch of portals open up and even the girls that summoned them are surprised as around 35 armored girls exit, 5 are conveniently late and they show up by drooping a pirate ship and then mooning the enemy while doing fart sounds (guess who). needless to say our armored girls have no problem clearing a path.

lol i'm still not done writing about episode 1 lol i'll come back to it i still need to say what the 2nd sub story is about

teacher will now use the magic as the canon ball from the pirate ship makes a hole on the wall and armored girls cleared the way to rush in before anyone else and she will find her former student alive but completely broken and lifeless like a puppet. skipping details her existence now is really bad as evil spirits are attracted to her spiritless body as moths to light. as discussion what to do with her is being held (ending her suffering is the option teacher supports but guardian opposes) one spirit does enter.. and they run away. this spirit brought her back to normal and gave her the power to kill those creatures so that he can restore his old power but no one believes the spirit to be benevolent so she rebelled and as the show is about to end they capture her but the spirit hides inside her and as much as she pleads him to help her escape he's just being careful when a mysterious cloaked women appears out of nowhere "have you regained your power" "i will need your help" the spirit then tell this girl i need to tell you something and i will need your help, we don't know what he reveled to her but she accepted. and they've established symbiosis as half her face changes like she put on half a mask.

back to episode 1 lol. We won yay, sorceress from that specialized school are cleaning out the place and werewolves with magic, for the first time in history you have scenes where they're shaking hands, young sorceress just admiring witches fashion as man on a bike approaches fast suddenly a breach on the sky and a giant version of those creatures falls from it. quickly the magic users have everyone stand behind them and raise a shield but boom the shield breaks just like that as witches look at the bards and have them start playing as they start singing the gathered magic buffs wizards who now raise a shield that holds. but who can fight this monster only our strongest armored girls Raven, Dragon, Phoenix are successfully annoying it like flies but don't have magic needed to hurt this thing. Raven even proves her strength by grabbing the creatures hand and stopping it from moving.

now the biker arrives and starts signaling something to the hill and one sorceress understood and created a ramp for his bike. as he goes flying he pulls out two short swords leaps and sticks them in the creatures arm and this time it hurts as the blood is burning now. new people start arriving. one in the armor pierces the creatures leg as the blood splashes on the armor which immediately burns it. new wizards are showing up and teleporting people in armors. when the mimic sees the wanted arrival and shows up trying to give villainous speech but this guy ain't got the time for that, immediately cuts it and focuses on the big one as wizards buff his sword with flames and now it's finally over.. wait.. that breach in the sky is still kinda open like. when something starts happening, explosions from the other side with creatures dead bodies just raining down as the breach collapses. Ok now is over just to clean up, again! as some sorceress picks up an earring from the ground and non other then the queen of 1st kingdom shows up and asks for that earring. quite bizarre appearance as she leaves saying how the breach was closed from the other side to which the witches give a annoyed comment because yeah duh she didn't have to come to tell them the obvious.

now for the most.. bruh that wall of text above is only episode 1 bruh.. ehem.. now for the most important event that will start 5.5 series. we said this creatures are not intelligent so imagine them attacking the school which specializes in teaching future generations how to defeat them. well it wasn't pretty. instructors managed to send few survivors into catacombs where they planed to teleport the children to safety but covering the tunnel they arrived last only to see a different giant version of this creatures which was here the whole time and all the children in a trance but suddenly explosions outside and screaming.. it's the creatures, they are screaming, they are in fear effecting the big creature enough for the trance to break and instructors have all the children move to the wall away from entrance as there is big commotion in the tunnel, this creatures are running away from something towards the big one. as one reaches the door and is cut under it all the smoke from the explosions in the tunnel burst through into the room as a sorceress enters it and you can barely see her face but she has an earring we've seen before and the other is missing. now she puts up a shield over children and instructors afterwards she uses the chain binding spell on the big one spoiler: those spells don't work on the big ones so instructors will be shocked. a knight enters now and again this is not an armor they've seen, know about, have it in the historical records somewhere and he destroys the creature without buffs like wtf that's the big one. the women bows before instructors as the knight is hurrying her, she pulls out detection device every member of the order has and she detects a creature hiding on the wall among the smoke and darkness in regenerative state as she uses magic to pull it out and explode it. now that's magic this instructors never saw. as they rush out instructors realize they've no idea what kinda shield is this either and they couldn't remove it even with everyone working together so they had to wait for it to wear off as people from their kingdom started arriving. discussion about the two was quickly shut by the queen as her message reads she forbids it and that their identities are known.

as for the series finale well the gates of technomancer kingdom will open as civilians rush towards the 1st kingdom outpost that was stationed there soldiers will just watch in confusion as parents are trying to get their children over the wooden walls. one young commander arrives and orders the gates to be open and to let the people in as he exists with few mean with shields and stands in formation expecting whatever this people are running away from.

we see what's on the other side it's the battlefield that was already lost. technomancer magic girls are still fighting using devices on their arms to buff themselves. we see a blond girl in red dress with a big robot behind her trying to protect her back (think Bumblebee size from Transformers) but the robot is too damaged to walk. eventually this girl bites her hand and starts casting a spell with a bloodied hand creating a shield looking symbol and then she shouts help into the symbol and wave of magic passes 1st and 2nd kingdoms with people in 1st being confused but 2nd heard a faint help in their ears and in the royal castle we see that same symbol on the red flag over the throne. 2nd kingdom is on the move while in 1st wizards inform their queen what magic this really was and what the message was and she says our kingdoms are now on good terms we will help too. Crimson castle is first there with the dragon as other arrivals are gathering and we see an old grey lady her eyes dimmed with a huge scar over her face. her vision is blurred but as she hears the dragon she knows it's crimson castle and as Crimson Dawn stands in front of her she says "i wonder who stands in front of me" "Crimson Night or her apprentice *her real name not title* " silence as Dawn says nothing "or someone 3rd" she than grabs a dead soldier on the ground as she says my apologies but you want be needing this anymore. she's a vampire and now she's being regenerated and turning into young woman as she blinks few times her vision clears and eyes regain color, red color. Now that she sees she was right she says "maybe i should have been the ruler of Crimson castle" "were my sister and her apprentice so weak that now someone new stands if front of me". the teacher should be freaking out here, she doesn't but people in 1st kingdom know full well who this vampire is "ancient vampire". this vampire names a spell she's about to cast as she turns towards creatures and everyone starts passing that name like in a game of broken phone eventually shouting it to arrived 1st kingdom people. (it's basically their way of saying stand back, don't walk into battlefield) vampire is now creating a long wall of black smoke as teacher joins in and adds lightning to the smoke. suddenly something in the sky, someone is opening a path between dimension. queen from 1st tells 2nd there is no need for this and how they can use official path as 2nd shouts out "we're all here" "wait... we're all here? then who is this?" in difrent fashion then when arch crimsons do it sky breaks like glass and flying bats swarm out entering the smoke and making it larger. this spell destroys all the enemies and we now see an elegant gentleman with gray goat beard standing here with a cane that has a huge diamond on top. 1st kingdom queen starts swearing as she sees this gentleman much to horror of her servants as one reminds her *cough* she usually doesn't talk like this. he approaches the ruler of 2nd kingdom taps cane to make the diamond fly out and has it sting his finger with the needle that was there under it. puts his hand on her as she enters trance and sees herself in dark room with generals next to her, they start disappearing and she awakens as this man whispers "you're a real boy now Pinocchio" he than approaches the girl in red dress and taps the robot lightly with the cane fixing it.

but wait it ain't over. we see a white dress as someone is flying on what looks like a disk. we see hands quickly making 2 magical circlets and sending a wave of magic. drums can be heard on the battlefield now and technomancer girls assume it's we're arriving signal but the robot enters into battle stance and they now start listening to the rhythm closely. it's "incoming danger run". breach opens up as the big one drops lol as this group can just take it easily one of our og girls pulls the device and presses the button to which the others say "there's no need for this" but she says "oh i know but someone wanted a rematch" Raven shows up and makes the big one slide on ground after her punch. well she was there to test out new upgrade showing as green lights on her bracelet after this punch now so she leaves. but now the flying with the disk lady is here and she has a mic and says "switch to *this creatures* anti weapons" fighter aircraft storm past her hitting the creature with projectiles as she pulls out a sword and drops to the ground in some attack where she flew at the creature like a projectile herself. on the ground she sticks the sword into earth and raises her hands. silence as small breeze is felt but experts in magic are shocked this is not just any magic its ancient spell and the last person that knew it died in "princess Gabriela rebellion". the creature is now destroyed by a huge sword created out of lightnings.

[mentathemint]

MRS.EMILY AU FACTS/HEADCANONS:

*Mother of Charlotte and Sammy Emily *Married to Henry Emily

-Her name is Rose Clark . (Personality type: ESFP-A)

-175cm (5’7)

-Born 3rd of July, 1955 in Austin,Texas. . She moved to San jose,California when she was 15 and went to an art school there where she met Henry(Who at the time was taking a few classes there along side his university classes) They got engaged in 1977, and after Henry graduated from uni they moved to Hurricane,Utah together.

-Considers herself a freelance artist though she has never worked a day in her life for anything except when she helped do all the paintings/murals and advertising for Fredbear’s family diner.

-Started smoking at 18 and is a heavy smoker.

-Owns 2 guns, a pistol and a shotgun. Henry is very cautious about making sure they’re in a safe spot and no one has access to them except her.

-Not an empathetic or caring person, though she really tries to be. Even as a kid, if someone she thought was important to her came up to her and started crying and telling her a heartbreaking story, she wouldn’t feel anything, or any sort of emotion. As she grew older she learnt that she has to show atleast some kind of emotion or else people would think she was rude and stay away from her. . She has dated a lot of people before, a lot of them for a very short time, in hopes of ‘maybe if I fall in love with someone I’ll actually care about them and won’t have to pretend’ but none of her previous relationships really worked out, she stayed with Henry because he was just nicer than anyone else and she could somewhat sympathize with him. But it was easy for her to just leave him out of the blue because she didn’t recognize how upset he’d be and if she did, she couldn’t bring herself to truly care, even though she did love him a lot (My first language isn’t english so sorry if this didn’t make a lot of sense..)

-Her hair is naturally straight but she always and I mean always curls it

-Sammy was kinda like her favorite child, only because he was quiet and never made a mess, unlike Charlotte who from the moment she learnt how to walk, was very energetic and made a lot of messes everywhere.

-Left Henry the night that Charlotte was killed because he got very emotional and just completely mentally destroyed and she thought he was “too much” to handle. (She stayed in a hotel for a couple days then went to live in her parents house back in Texas)

-The day of her 30th birthday, she decided to visit Henry, after 2 years of leaving him. He wouldn’t answer the door and his front door was open so she decided to walk in herself, after a couple times of calling his name she heard him scream, she went in the living room and found that he had stabbed himself. With the knife that was meant to be on the robot he had built to kill him, though before turning it on and finishing it, Rose had come by and he kind of just snapped after hearing her voice and did it himself without the robot thing.

-Mrs.Afton(Mary) was her closest friend for many years, they met in highschool after she moved to California.

-She got along very well with Afton.

-She was alright with Jen, but would never consider them friends though, just acquaintances who may or may not slightly hate eachother.

-Knew how to sew really well and made a few clothes for Charlotte and Sammy. One of which Henry went on to give to Ella after Charlotte died.

-Would only ever buy Henry Roses and/or Rose shaped chocolates for Valentines because she thought it was funny

[jazziehart]

Taylor Swift Albums Reviews

Hello my lovely blog readers,

I want to thank those of you who stick around through all my crazy rants and long Glee posts. You guys are the real MVPs and I will always appreciate you.

Anyway onto why we're here, in the wake of Taylor rereleasing her albums I found it fitting to take a look back at her discorgaphy so far! Thanks to my good friend Aly, I decided to relisten to all of her albums which the order was randomly decided. I will be talking about the deluxe editions so enjoy!

Let's start off with the first album that was drawn first which was Red.

One of my favorite albums right off the bat with probably her best album cover. I remember how excited I was for 22, mostly because my girl Dianna Agron's name was in the liner notes. Let's dive into what I thought now about 9 years later!

Favorite Track: Begin Again Least Favorite Track: The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody) Bonus Track I Wish was on the main album: All of them!!! Favorite Bonus Track: The Moment I Knew Album Ranking: 6th/9

Overall I adore this album so so much. The only track I didn't care for in the least was The Last Time. I think you'll find a trend with me that my least favorite Tayor tracks tend to be her duets (the exception being Everything Has Changed which is also on this album and is the purest of all). The album has held up and even moreso I love it than the first time I listened. Crazy. Anyway onto the rankings of each song. DISCLAIMER: These are just my opinions and you can disagree with them but please be respectful.

1) Begin Again 2) The Moment I Knew 3) State of Grace (Acoustic Version) 4) I Almost Do 5) Stay Stay Stay 6) All Too Well 7) Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran) 8) 22 9) Come Back...Be Here 10) Red 11) I Knew You Were Trouble 12) The Lucky One 13) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 14) Starlight 15) Girl at Home 16) Sad Beautiful Tragic 17) State of Grace 18) Holy Ground 19) Treacherous 20) The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody)

Honestly I adore this album so much as a whole and ranking every song was so hard. Holy Ground honestly had a lot of potiental I hated the arrangement but if I heard an acoustic version I would be sold, much like State of Grace which I wasn't huge on the original but the acoustic I'm obsessed with. Moving onto our second album which is one of Taylor's newest.

folklore! Funny enough on first listen I wasn't as into it as everyone else was but trust me, the relisten definitely helped me change my mind. I also heard the lakes for the first time which I loved. Since it's the only bonus track I'm going to say I definitely wished it had made the main album over some of the other songs on it. Let's dive into my thoughts and rankings.

Favorite Track: mad woman Least Favorite Track: invisible string Album Ranking: 9th/9

1) mad woman 2) the 1 3) the last great american dynasty 4) mirrorball 5) hoax 6) peace 7) seven 8) august 9) my tears richocet 10) the lakes 11) cardigan 12) betty 13) illicit affairs 14) epiphany 15) this is me trying 16) exile (featuring Bon Iver) 17) invisible string

Okay I know cardigan and betty being so low is going make people unhappy but honestly I just loved the other songs better listed above it. So many gorgeous songs and a great era for Taylor. It's not my favorite era and still falls in my lower half of her albums but I can appreciate the tracks on it more than I did before with the relisten.

Now onto Taylor's most recent album which came up next in our randomization in evermore

Unlike folklore on original listen I absolutely adored this album and had it in my top tier Taylor albums but will that opinion hold up? Let's find out.

Favorite Track: no body, no crime (featuring HAIM) Least Favorite Track: gold rush Favorite Bonus Track: it's time to go Album Ranking: 7th/9

1) no body, no crime (featuring HAIM) 2) happiness 3) champagne problems 4) willow 5) cowboy like me 6) dorothea 7) majorie 8) evermore (featuring Bon Iver) 9) closure 10) long story short 11) ‘tis the damn season 12) ivy 13) it’s time to go 14) coney island (featuring The National) 15) right where you left me 16) tolerate it 17) gold rush Okay let's talk about the relisten, it still held up but to me the one thing I didn't love about the album was the bonus tracks didn't add much to the original album so I kind of see why they were bonus tracks. I enjoyed the album none the less and I do think that most of my opinions are somewhat popular. I only see people being mad about 'tis the damn season being so low but honestly 1-11, I loved all the tracks so.

Up next is the rerelease that started it all, Fearless!

Now let's see after 13 years (hey Taylor's lucky number) if my opinion of this iconic album changed. Back in the day I was so obsessed with this album so let's see how I feel now!

Favorite Track: You're Not Sorry Least Favorite Track: The Way I Loved You Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: Forever and Always (Piano Verison) and Come in with the Rain Favorite Bonus Track: Forever and Always (Piano Version) Album Ranking: 4th/9

1) You’re Not Sorry 2) White Horse 3) Love Story 4) You Belong with Me 5) Change 6) Forever and Always (Piano Version) 7) Fifteen 8) Hey Stephen 9) Come in with the Rain 10) Jump Then Fall 11) Fearless 12) Forever and Always 13) The Best Day 14) The Other Side of the Door 15) Breathe (featuring Colbie Cailaitt) 16) Untouchable 17) SuperStar 18) Tell Me Why 19) The Way I Loved You

I still remember when this album was first coming out how jazzed and excited I was for it. It was highly anticipated for me being that I had fallen in love with Taylor from her debut album and listening back it still holds up as one of my favorite albums. The only two tracks I wasn't into back then and still am not into are Tell Me Why and The Way I Loved You. Other than those two tracks the entire album is incredible to listen to. I'm so excited to hear Taylor's versions of all these songs and who knows maybe my mind will change on some of them.

Moving onto the next album to be randomly selected which is almost every Swiftie's favorite 1989.

Funny enough, originally this album isn't in my top favorites so who knows if my opinion will change on a relisten. Let's find out!

Favorite Track: Clean Least Favorite Track: I Wish You Would Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: All of them?! Come on Taylor what's up with 1989 and Red having like some of their best tracks as bonus tracks. I'm mad haha. Favorite Bonus Track: Wonderland (gee I wonder why) Album Ranking: 5th/9

1) Clean 2) Wonderland 3) Wildest Dreams 4) This Love 5) You are in Love 6) Welcome to New York 7) Shake It Off 8) Blank Space 9) Bad Blood 10) Style 11) How You Get the Girl 12) Out of the Woods 13) New Romantics 14) I Know Places 15) All You Had to Do was Stay 16) I Wish You Would

Okay listening back. I now get the hype behind it. Listening to it with bonus tracks honestly makes all the difference. No joke. It's a much better album with the bonus tracks added. Honestly if Wonderland and You are in Love were on the main album it would've been top tier to me. Thank God for the deluxe version but team Taylor what is up with you hiding some of her best tracks and only releasing them on the bonus tracks? I'm mad. Also speaking on Wonderland, I adore the song even without the rumours of it being about my favorite celebrity Dianna Agron. Had the bonus tracks been on the main album it would higher but as a whole I love the album.

And now for our next album, which is reputation!

This is probably Taylor's most controversial albums, some love it and some hate it. I actually am somewhere in the middle. I love some of the tracks while others I could've done without. Let's see where it goes for me listening back.

Favorite Song: New Year's Day Least Favorite: Dancing with Our Hands Tied Album Ranking: 8th/9

1) New Year's Day 2) Gorgeous 3) Don’t Blame Me 4) This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things 5) I Did Something Bad 6) Dress 7) Delicate 8) Call It What You Want To 9) ...Ready for It? 10) Look What You Made Me Do 11) King of my Heart 12) Getaway Car 13) So It Goes... 14) End Game (featuring Ed Sheeran and Future) 15) Dancing with Our Hands Tied

Okay I feel like my choices here are controversal especially Getaway Car being pretty low on the album. Honestly I liked the song just wasn't into the hype that everyone else said about it, sorry you guys. Also Dancing with Our Hands Tied on the ALBUM is my least favorie song. I absolutely adored Taylor's acoustic version that was in the rep Tour. Had she released that on the album it would be after Look What You Made Me Do. The arrangement on the album I just didn't care for and I prefer acoustic Taylor which I think a lot of you gather from my top picks.

Anyway moving onto to our next album that was randomized which is...Taylor Swift!

Ah yes the album that started it all. 15 years ago I discovered Taylor Swift via this album thanks to CMT. I was a huge country music stan back in the day who knew how this one album would lead to a career I've been following for 15 years. Now how does this album hold up? Let's find out!

Favorite Song: Should've Said No Least Favorite Song: A Perfectly Good Heart Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: Invisible and I'm Only Me When I'm with You Favorite Bonus Track: Invisible Album Ranking: 3rd/9

1) Should’ve Said No 2) Invisible 3) Cold as You 4) Picture to Burn 5) Our Song 6) The Outside 7) A Place in This World 8) Teardrops on My Guitar 9) Stay Beautiful 10) Tim McGraw 11) I’m Only Me When I’m with You 12) Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) 13) Tied Together with a Smile 14) A Perfectly Good Heart

This album still holds up 15 years later and made me so nostalgic. This had to be the hardest album for songs to rank thus far. Taylor hit it out of the park on her very first album crazy. She set the bar very high, funny enough it's the first album that a bonus track is my least favorite track but the entire album is a great listen, especially if you love country. It's very different from anything else Taylor did but that's what's so charming about it.

And now onto our second to last album which is another one of my favorites and the only album Taylor wrote fully on her own, Speak Now.

The album cover is up there with Red as my favorite and I'm excited to listen back to this album. I remember how much I enjoyed it when it was first released. Excited to see what I think 11 years later. Let's find out.

Favorite Track: Haunted (Acoustic Version) Least Favorite Track: Last Kiss Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: All of them. Dang it Taylor they deserved to be on the main album. Favorite Bonus Track: Haunted (Acoustic Version) Album Ranking: 2nd/9

1) Haunted (Acoustic Version) 2) Long Live 3) Haunted 4) Better Than Revenge 5) Back to December (Acoustic Version) 6) Mine 7) Back to December 8) Mean 9) If This Was a Movie 10) Innocent 11) Dear John 12) Speak Now 13) Ours 14) Never Grow Up 15) The Story of Us 16) Superman 17) Enchanted 18) Sparks Fly 19) Last Kiss

One of Taylor's absolute best albms and it was incredibly hard to rank these songs. I know people are going to be mad about Enchanted being low but I just didn't love it as much as the other tracks on the album, this after all is one of the best albums she ever released so it's incredibly hard to make the call.

Moving onto our final album which I've called my absolute favorite, Lover.

It's only been an year since its release but will it hold up as my favorite album? Let's find out!

Favorite Track: Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince Least Favorite Track: It’s Nice to Have a Friend Album Ranking: 1st/9

1) Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince 2) Paper Rings 3) Lover 4) Soon You’ll Get Better (featuring The Chicks) 5) You Need to Calm Down 6) The Archer 7) The Man 8) Daylight 9) Afterglow 10) I Think He Knows 11) False God 12) Death by a Thousand Cuts 13) Cruel Summer 14) Cornelia Street 15) I Forgot That You Existed 16) ME! (featuring Brendan Urie from Panic! at the Disco) 17) London Boy 18) It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Yep it held up. This album is my favorite thing Taylor ever released. It was a tough call because I loved all of her top albums so much. Miss Americana still is my favorite performance which is no surprise, I was obsessed when this song came out 2 years ago. It's Nice to Have a Friend is the weakest track on the album but by no means is it a bad track. The entire album is a great listen all the way through, the only song that's hard to listen to especially if you have a sick parent "Soon You'll Get Better" I literally bawled after I finished it. So if you don't want an emotional song that might make you sad, it's best to skip it even though it's one of favorite tracks.

And that does it for us here. Hope you enjoyed my album reviews! Just to recap here's the rankings of all of Taylor's Albums:

1) Lover 2) Speak Now 3) Taylor Swift 4) Fearless 5) 1989 6) Red 7) evermore 8) reputation 9) folklore

Excited to see what's to come with the rerelease of Fearless and to hear the songs released from the vault. I've heard a few of her unreleased songs and honestly there are quite a few that I'm hoping are released. Thanks for enjoying us on this journey as always be kind and always spread love <3

[emperorofbullshit]

This is gonna be me ranting and whining about how annoyed I am at my own mediocrity and how I manipulate the people around me as a coping mechanism to delude myself into thinking I am doing pretty alright and I shouldn't complain because I have it good

Since 14 years old there has been much discord in my family. My father is an alcoholic and not just a normal one. He would go to work at 6, get off work at 12 and then come home after 6 more hours of drinking. There are 7 days in a week and out of those 7, in at least 5 I have had to hide in my room because I was scared of him. He would yell, he would call me names, he would even make threats saying things like :

"I have 2 sons. Do you see that window? I could throw you out of it and only have one son."

To a 14 year old kid who is scared shitless but can't show emotion on his face, those words were always taken at face value and I always had no doubts on him being unable to keep his words. I am the eldest of 2 sons and thus I had to take the brunt of the "parental dedication", as they call it, and was always pushed for excellence. They would always say : "Get good grades, make good friends, go outside, go study, go do this and go do that" in and out every day. From 3rd grade I have been taking courses on languages, sports and math at times and I would leave home at about 6:45 AM every day to get to school at 7:30 and I would go from school which ended more often than not at 13:30 to English courses and then to either Deutch courses or basketball practice which would end at roughly 6PM.

My parents loved achievements but did next to nothing to help me feel anything other than anger towards getting any. They would always go on and on about good grades so you can get the prize money, good grades so you can get in a good school, good this, good that and I subconsciously avoided being in the spotlight because I actually felt gratification from being able to see their dreams shatter into dust and fir a while, that was the inly thing that kept me going. Just the look on their faces, the tone on their voice, the gleam in their eyes. The gleam of someone realizing that their hopes and dreams of greatness were just turned to dust. I still have that side of me, I just choose to keep it under control but it want's to get loose once a while.

And so my life continued until 9th grade when ai decided to stop all couses because I was sick and tired of them and so I stopped going. Then came high school, this circus, part of which I am as of writing this text most if not all of you will skip because it's just way too long.

In the first year of highschool I had fun. I made some new friends and hung with them a bit and I also met the one person I thought I could trust because she was like me, except unlike me, she still had hope and she still had her parents, albeit controlling, with her, rather than against her.

I gave her counsel when she needed it and we hit it off. She was a great friend while it lasted. I knew from the beginning that she and I would most certanly not make it through the year as friends so I had as much fun as possible with her.

I told her a very tiny fraction about my life and jokingly but never untruthfully told her how my mind works and what I do to people around me, her included. I talked her about relationships once and I helped her out too because she had a guy she liked and he liked her back. This guy just so happened to also be a friend of mine so I thought : "Why not help my friend get together with my other friend?", and subtly but surely I made them get together faster.

That was basically the premise of the first year. A pretty average story but I left out the part where the alcoholism and mental abuse at home never stopped. I put focus on this one girl because helping her out was my coping mechanism.

Then came the second year. This girl had gotten together with her man and they were very happy to be together and still are, after all I am still in my 2nd year of high school writing this, but back to topic. The second year of high school was wierd to say the least because of the pandemic and our classes were split in half. Me, being the pupeteer I am, decided to pull some strings and set my annoying classmates away with sweet words and deals that sounded too good to be true, and ended up with the best classmates I wanted, part of which was my target for the second year. My target was a girl this time. She was and still is, pretty, smart, and very comfortable for me to be around but she and i had never actually talked at all. Wd had exchanged a sentence once on our 1st year and that's it. I spent a few days observing her and noticed that she was a loner, she didn't exactly have friends amongst the classmates, so I thought : "Well that's as good a chance as any.", and started talking to her and walked her home after school. We became friends and were going out daily after school to get a drink somewhere and one day, as I had planned, 2 fellow classmates show up and I tell them to sit with us and so began my act and my strategy on building her a group of friends. The group wasn't too big. It was me, her, the other 2 classmates, a friend of mine and the girl from the 1st year of highschool. We were all classmates so we all had fun and talked and we developed into a true griend group. Well, as good a group as any can be with me in it. Time passed an I noticed I was really not interested in this girl I had set as my target so I just let her go to do her thing and cut my puppet strings there.

I did all of this because I wanted to prove to myself something, I don't even know what it was anymore because it lost value in my eyes and so I just cut my strings on everyone and let them free. My social life was evolving for the better, which was good and all, but my familial life was degrading and devolving at such speeds that weren't even funny anymore.

My father would come drunk, lecture me for hours on end about the most uselss things in existence, and he would always call me names and berate me on everything. He had even come to me with a big kitchen knife pointed at my chest and said : "I will kill you and eat your heart if you dont do what I want"

I am still afraid of him and i still have trauma gron him so I still didn't doubt his words because when your father comes to your room at 10 PM holding a knife to your chest while your back is agains the wall, you then realize that bad things can really be considered good compared to other things.

I was living in fear. Every day I would pretend to be asleep for hours on end so I could avoid him and maybe be spared but that was just wishful thinking.

While my soocial life evolved, my familial life kept devolving. My father would come drunk more often, fight more often with my mother, screm more, curse more and shout more. I was honestly getting pretty fed up with his bullshit. One day, he woke up from his nap and he was still drunk and started lecturing me on what "Sons of bitches, idiots and parasites" every single member of my moms side of the family, my mother included was. I was very pissed and my knuckles had gone wbite form me clenching them that hard.

My mother got home mid lecture and thy started fighting again. First it was just verbal insults and slurs, but it got worse and worse untol my father literaly ran at my mother prepated to choke her.

That.

That was the moment I had my first meltdown in my life. I saw him run and I saw his hands on her throat and I just had one simple directive in my mund telling me one thing : "Whatever made you feel this way must be eliminated"

And that was what I tried to do. I ran and pushed him away from my mother and then punched my dad so hard he crashed into the wall and made a dent. I would probably have killed him there if it wasn't for my father's brother who came to us because of all the noise, stopping me. He tried to get me away from my father and when I did and my father got up and tried to punch me while my uncle was blaming my mom fir the situation, I grabbed both him and my dad and threw them to the wall. I would probably have been bruised because thwy are both fat and I was in complete meltdown just screaming in the rage of years and years of mental torture and violent self loathing which had build up behind the dam and only sought a way out. They eventually split us up and I was crying and yelling. I could barely breathe, my lungs just couldn't take in air fadt enough for my heart which was beating so hard that thunder would sound like a butterfly's wings beating. I opened the windows on my room and put 3 quarters of my body outside the window , risking to fall and die but I didn't care anymore. The rage had subsided, having found an exit and without it to push me, I was just a broken kid that just sought desperately the help which noone gave. Not my parents, not my friends, not even those who considered themselves and to my face said "We are best friends, we help each other". I never got any help and nobody even saw that I broke down. I dropped hint after hint after hint that I needed someone to talk to, someone to say a few words to me, someone to just listen to anything I wanted to say, yet all I got was nothing. I noticed that none of these so called friends or best friends care about anything. Thwy didn't even notice that when I took my shirt off to change for PE, I had bruises in my back and chest. Nobody said anything or did anything so i also did nothing.

Everybody just seemed to go on their own way and nobody wanted to even acknowledge what had happened or what help I needed.

I am still bitter and mad at everyone but especually at my "best friend" to whom I say the following :

V. You know who this account belongs to. You know me in real life and you know I'm not lying because I don't waste my time like that. You know damn well that if yku read this entire thing and see things just a small 1(one) percent of how I saw things, you wouldn't call youself my acquaintance, let alone my best friend.

To anyone that made it to the end and actually read it, please realize that no matter what, no matter where, you cannot rely on those you consider dear without knowing for certain that they also consider you dear.

[paolo1350]

We Never Learn AMV - [Omoide ga Ippai]

Being in the Nisekoi discord, it was inevitable I would be exposed to this series. I finally decided to check it out last month and boy, I am happy I did.

I first read the 10 available volumes of the manga before watching both seasons last week. Then I binge read everything up to chapter 167 to learn more about the story and to find out when it diverges into character routes.

I have to admit it's unique and while it does cheapen the overall story, I'm happy they exist. The reason is because all, and I mean all, of the characters are so likable that I would hate to see them be heartbroken.

Unlike Nisekoi where I honestly could not care less about any other girl aside Chitoge in that harem, I've grown attached to the characters in Bokuben's harem. I like how each girl has an individual goal and how hard they work towards it. All the side characters too never left a foul taste in my mouth. Even a jerk like Fumino's dad got a redemption arc and he's now hilarious.

The song used is the 3rd opening theme song from Ranma 1/2 Omide ga Ippai. It was reintroduced to my life at around the same time I started reading. I simply love the warm feeling one gets from listening to it.

I finished this AMV on the same day the last chapter of Fumino's arc was translated. 

It must be fate because now that all the material for her is available, I will try my hardest to make an AMV worthy of her. 

She's definitely the best girl of this series and she deserves my best effort. I already have the perfect song ready to use.🥰

In case you are curious of my ranking of the girls, here it is

1. Fumino 

I think the thing that made me love this character is how she did things that I did not expect. I thought of her as the super girly type who would cry when faced with adversity but no! She held her ground, faced up to the challenge that is her father and never broke down in tears like I would expect. She's not dense and instantly picked up on her friend's crushes and because of that, was so hurt when she developed feelings of her own. She has a fun and trusting relationship with Nariyuki because of all the situations they’ve been in together, not to mention both of them losing a parent early in life. That’s something only the two of them can understand.  And of course, she is in my eyes the most beautiful girl in a manga full of them. I know I said I would be heartbroken to see the other girls cry but I don't think I can handle seeing Fumino cry from a broken heart if routes didn't exist.🥺

2. Mizuki and Sekijo 

I obviously don't consider them part of the harem but in terms of my enjoyment in reading, as well as their design, when they appear, they are both definitely second. Sekijo is such a fun character that I’m thankful we got to know more about her in Rizu’s route. Mizuki is entertaining every time she appears that I desperately want one more chapter focused on her.

3. Asumi 

I instantly enjoyed her teasing and she has a cute design too. Her backstory gets more fleshed out in the manga and that really makes me like her more. I don't see her winning at all in the canon story so I'm really interested how her route is going to play out.

4. Rizu 

At first, she was just the short socially awkward udon obsessed girl who I didn't mind reading. You could say I was neutral about her. But I've come to really like her aggressive side especially in the latter parts of the manga so much that, even though I don't think she has a chance, I can't help but root for her a bit harder. She's also such a pure character that I'm a bit sad her route is kind of a letdown. They literally needed to utilize supernatural elements to make her route work, not that it wasn’t funny but it just shows how unlikely it was for her to win.

5. Kirisu Sensei

I understand her role and appeal and her chapters are really funny. It's just weird to be thinking a student and teacher will actually get together though.

6. Uruka 

I don't hate her at all. She's very sweet and pure but compared to the others, she's the least fun to read. I actually think she is the best person to get together with Nariyuki but to quote from a discord user, "the problem with Uruka is that her relationship, the childhood friend, was pre-established and as such her relationship with Nariyuki didn't have much rising space."

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1985

Under the cut.

Foreigner -- "I Want To Know What Love Is" -- February 2, 1985

One of the quintessential 80s power ballads. It's actually kind of interesting if you think about it enough. He's not in love yet, but he's gotten sick of not being in love, so he's asking someone he's in the pre-love stage with to show him. Though he's had "heartache and pain" before, and doesn't know if he can face it again. It's not consistent. I feel like it's a missed opportunity, but oh well. It's good enough for what it is.

Wham! -- "Careless Whisper" -- February 16, 1985

Oh my god I love the saxophone in this. The music throughout the song is so incredibly sexy. And this is the kind of song George Michael's voice was made for. He's totally capable of sounding both hot and in agony at the same time. I actually adore a whole lot of cheating songs -- mostly, though not exclusively, the tormented kind. Drama! Love! Sex! Angst! Gorgeous.

REO Speedwagon -- "Can't Fight This Feeling" -- March 9, 1985

<3. He keeps singing "r"s like a pirate, but he doesn't go as hard on the other consonants, so I'm good with it. Lyrically, this song sounds like it might be two songs mashed together. "What started out as friendship has grown stronger" or "my life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you." Well which is it? Except I've had that happen. I love this song.

Phil Collins -- "One More Night" -- March 30, 1985

This is a depressing heartbreak song without the saving grace of any of Phil Collins' neat drum stuff. Blah.

We Are the World -- April 13, 1985

Whoo boy. I was 8 when this came out. Obviously I loved it. All the kids loved it. Now, though... I'm sorry, but it's bad. Really bad. Many others have gone deeply into why it's bad. I feel acutely embarrassed listening to it, so I'm just running away from it as fast as possible. (Remember all those celebrities singing "Imagine" in their mansions in 2020? I blame this song for that.)

Madonna -- "Crazy For You" -- May 11, 1985

This is one of Madonna's most straightforward love songs. Maybe the most, period. This or "Cherish," and this is a better song. It's lovely. Like Olivia Newton-John, Madonna can act a song. (Unlike in most movies she's been in.) But what I'm thinking about now is learning in this article that her label wouldn't let Madonna release "Into the Groove" as a single. That song was huge. It was played on the radio all the time. If it had been released as a single, or maybe if Billboard had tracked songs then like it does today, it would have been a massive smash, definitely #1. "Into the Groove" is also the best song of her very early career. "Crazy for You" is good, but not nearly as special.

Simple Minds -- "Don't You Forget About Me" -- May 18, 1985

As I am "Gen X", I am supposed to deeply connect with The Breakfast Club. I was 8 years old when it came out. My life as a teenager was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, like that movie. I didn't recognize any of the "types." I liked the movie when I saw it in college, mostly, but the whole sexual harassment turns into a relationship deal was not seen as cool any longer. The "jocks vs. nerds" thing also felt very dated. The school in the movie was bigger and richer than mine, but it's a fantasy.

Anyway, though I don't feel much about the movie, its breakout song was really good. It does speak to a real fear both in graduating high school and during young adult relationships. I haven't forgotten the people I knew in high school, as far as I know, but obviously they don't have the same importance to me any longer. I'm Facebook friends with a lot of them. And very much not with a couple who were the most important then, because we grew apart -- or blasted apart. One of the nicest girls I knew in high school thinks there's a war on Christmas. Another keeps trying to get me to join her MLM. One of my best friends became my first boyfriend, and I don't regret that, but it was also a semi-disaster. And others... we just have nothing to say to each other any longer.

So, Breakfast Club: I don't connect with at all. "Don't You Forget About Me": Speaks to something very real and timeless.

Wham! -- "Everything She Wants" -- May 25, 1985

What a dick. Songs in which the narrator is a colossal jerk are perfectly fine, of course, but this one gets under my skin. He's whining about his wife getting pregnant when she's dissatisfied with their life and that they're broke. As if it's something she chose to do to him. She's stuck creating a whole other person with her blood and flesh, and he thinks it's all and entirely about him. I really hate it.

Tears for Fears -- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" -- June 8, 1985

I can't hear this song without thinking of this Baldur's Gate fan trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdd06d2nids. Speaking of which, I am incredibly excited for Baldur's Gate 3. I've been reading the early access reviews on Steam, and anything anyone is saying that's negative is stuff I don't gaf about (except bugs), whereas the positive stuff, I care about deeply. I hope it's got some of the feeling of that trailer. Um, right, Tears for Fears.

Honestly, though, it works best as a Baldur's Gate theme song. I don't think everybody actually wants to rule the world. It sounds good though. And pretty different from other stuff around it. But I like Lorde's cover better, and not just because it fits so wonderfully with all sorts of fantasy stories.

I usually play a paladin or paladin-type the first time in fantasy RPGs, but I'm thinking bard this time.

Bryan Adams -- "Heaven" -- June 22, 1985

He's been with this woman since they were young, and while they've broken up and gone through rough patches, now they're together forever and they're "in heaven." Bryan Adams knew exactly how to write a song that would become a hit. I used to not mind it at all, but it also means nothing to me. The chorus is catchy as hell though. So catchy that I ended up waking up with it in my head and it would not leave for hours and hours, so now I resent this song.

Phil Collins -- "Sussudio" -- July 6, 1985

I refuse to believe anyone ever told Phil Collins he was too young. He was born middle-aged. Anyway, the narrator isn't supposed to be him, so it's fine, but it's still kinda funny. He's got a crush on someone who doesn't even know his name, but "she's all I need all of my life." Um. The music is repetitive, the drums aren't as interesting as Phil Collins at his best, and I don't like the lyrics. I don't hate it, but I don't like it either.

Duran Duran -- "View to a Kill" -- July 13, 1985

I'm not sure I've ever heard this song before. It's about as good a song as the Bond movie they wrote it for was as a movie. In other words, it's bad. I'm not even sure there's a melody. Just a mess. "Ordinary World" would have made a far better Bond theme, but of course that was the 90s, when Duran Duran decided to try to make sense both lyrically and musically.

Paul Young -- "Every Time You Go Away" -- July 27, 1985

I like the high keyboard notes in this. They're sort of haunting. The rest of the song is musically pretty good, too. Lyrically though, it's only passable. This woman keeps leaving him every time "the leading man" shows up, so I guess he's the backup. Why does he keep waiting for her anyway? There's no hint in the song. I'm kind of embarrassed for him.

Tears for Fears -- "Shout" -- August 3, 1985

I think "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a better song than this one when done by Lorde. But I think "Shout" is a better song than Tears for Fears' original iteration of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." The chorus seems clear enough. But the verses are not. "They gave you life/ And in return you gave them hell" makes sense in isolation, but then there's a bunch of stuff that doesn't go with it. Like "I'd really love to break your heart" -- wtf? But the music is really good. 

Huey Lewis and the News -- "The Power of Love" -- August 24, 1985

This was the big song for Back to the Future, and it meshed beautifully with the movie, but it doesn't need that association to be a great song. "Don't need money, don't take fame/ Don't need no credit card to ride this train/ It's strong and it's sudden, it can be cruel sometimes/ But it might just save your life." Yep. It's sort of Motown, sort of rock, and I love it. (Also: "Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream." Heh.)

John Parr -- "St. Elmo's Fire" -- August 24, 1985

Of all the John Hughes movies I have not seen and do not plan to see, St. Elmo's Fire sure is one of them. The song is about a disabled man who inspired people by rolling himself cross-country in his wheelchair for charity, which has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. I'm disabled, and I just... okay look, what he did was admirable. But we shouldn't have to be inspirations to be counted as worthwhile, and I've been told I should die because I can't produce for capitalism, so you know. I've got some personal issues with this and I'm gonna move along.

Dire Straits -- "Money for Nothing" -- September 21, 1985

This is not Dire Straits' best song, but it's an awfully fun one. I watched the video tons when I was a kid. (That sound is Tipper Gore falling to the floor in a dead faint.) The music is great rock. And the lyrics are very true-to-life. You can either sanitize people or present them as they are honestly, and I know which I prefer.

Ready for the World -- "Oh Sheila" -- October 12, 1985

The band's from Michigan. The English accent at the beginning of the song is fake. That's a good preview for the song, which sounds like a 3rd-rate Prince knockoff at best. Blech.

a-ha -- "Take On Me" -- October 19, 1985

The video totally ripped off one of my aunts. Somehow or other, they saw into the little comic she drew for me about someone going into a land of drawings to rescue someone else in a romantic adventure, years before 1985. Anyway, this song is great musically, massively synthesizer heavy without sounding artificial. Though I can only understand maybe a third of the lyrics as he sings them. I've always understood "It's no better to be safe than sorry" though. Yep, at least when it comes to romance, which is what they're singing about here.

Whitney Houston -- "Saving All My Love for You" -- October 26, 1985

It's not better to be safe than sorry, but that doesn't mean it's good to be an absolute idiot in matters of romance either. Nor is it good to be a colossal jerk. That's what the narrator is here -- the "you" she's singing to is married. And he won't leave his wife and children, though he used to say he would. The lyrics seem to say that's she's accepted the situation, but the way Houston sings it, I think the narrator's trying to get him to leave his wife -- and children -- for her still. This makes sense, as it puts some kind of passion and sense of story into the song, which without Houston's singing would not be there. The narrator certainly never acknowledges that what she's doing is wrong in the slightest iota. This song could be done in a way that works. But it's a completely sincere ballad. So, no. I despise the narrator, I despise the man she's singing to more, and the whole thing leaves me feeling gross.

Stevie Wonder -- "Part Time Lover" -- November 2, 1985

No one's thinking anyone's gonna leave anyone in this one. It's about cheating, and the thrill of it, but then at the end, he's found out his wife's cheating on him too. "I guess that two can play the game/ Of part-time lovers." This kind of funk groove is one way you make a song like this. It makes the whole thing sexy and fun, and the lyrics also work even beyond that ending, because they acknowledge it's wrong.

Jon Hammer -- "Miami Vice Theme" -- November 9, 1985

My parents didn't watch Miami Vice. And then I never felt like watching it in re-runs when I got older. I don't recognize this song. It's an energetic instrumental, but there's so much going on, I keep trying to figure out if there's a main musical idea anywhere. Nope. Just lots and lots of synth. Headache-inducing.

Starship -- "We Built This City" -- November 16, 1985

Blech. This song sounds both unfinished and overproduced somehow. The chorus seems designed to be catchy with absolute ruthlessness by people who didn't really care, and no one involved even seems to want to bother to fake it.

Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin -- "Separate Lives" -- November 30, 1985

This is supposed to be heart-wrenchingly sad. Well, it does tank my dopamine, but that's not what a good sad song does. A good sad song makes you feel better. This one makes me need to turn on something high-energy after about 30 seconds, before I sink into bleakness. It's aggressively boring.

Mr. Mister -- "Broken Wings" -- December 7, 1985

This was one of the first songs I recorded from the radio. On my pink tape deck/radio that was a sort of a mini boom box. I've always had my own tape player since I can remember, but that was a definite upgrade from the Sesame Street one. I was 9 then, so getting more seriously into music and developing my own taste intentionally, rather than simply absorbing what was happening around me.

Anyway, the song. It's about a relationship in trouble, and he wants to stay with her. To me it sounds like she has been so seriously hurt (and not by him), that she can't trust anyone, and he's laying himself on the line for her. That has spoken to me deeply ever since I first heard the song as a child. Moving on to the music: While the lyrics are repetitive, the music is not, which is what makes the song so good. It's a beautiful song.

Lionel Richie -- "Say You, Say Me" -- December 21, 1985

I look forward to Lionel Richie no longer being on the charts. This song was on the soundtrack of some movie I've never heard of. I wish I'd never heard of the song. Totally artificial glop.

BEST OF 1985: "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds  WORST OF 1985: "We Built This City" by Starship

[aquaburst3]

Fic asks: 2, 5, 8, 11, 13 and 14.

Undercut, because long and spoilers...

2. What character(s) do you find the most difficult to write for? Why?

So far, I guess Grim (Twisted Wonderland). While he’s a fun character and I love how he’s one of the few mascot characters in anime who gets character development, he’s a bit of a handful. That’s an understatement. I have to try constantly think about how he would act in certain points in the story, and how my OC would react to him.  

 I also find it’s hard to incorporate Grim into scenes. Sometimes I want my OC to be alone talking with someone or be by herself. Since the MC dragged around Grim in the game so much, I have to think of a way to include him in or think of a reason for him to stay out of it. 

Jamil and Kalim (Twisted Wonderland) are also hard to write for that similar reason. I want to make the Pomefiore arc happen earlier in the fic, so I have to constantly think of how to write them pre-character development in an arc that takes place after they grew as characters in the canon. But unlike with Grim, it’s in a fun challenge sort of way. Because it has a bit of a butterfly effect on the story. 

(If you don’t play the game, the Pomefiore arc is the 5th one. But I decided for a few different reasons, which I don’t want to get into, that I want to make it the 3rd, make Octavinelle 4th that happens during December finals season and Sacrabia the 5th, which happens over Spring Break. So because it’s bumped up in the timeline, my OC knows those two a lot better compared to the canon, and spent a lot of time with them in the Pomefiore dorm over the month and half leading up to the competition. Their arc is gonna hurt a fuckton more.)  

5. Do you listen to music when writing?

I enjoy listening to lyricless movie soundtracks or nothing at all. I find it’s easier to concentrate that way. Music with lyrics are way to distracting to me, since my mind latches onto them and I’m much slower at writing. 

11. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

Honestly, it depends on the story. Some of my fics can be fluffy while others have dark aspects to them and others are character driven. 

How I would describe my writing in a general sense, both fics and original stories? I guess I would describe it as character driven with plot driven elements. I tend to focus on character first and foremost, because I think it’s important for readers to have a compelling character to get attached to push the story forward.  (I had several people say that my biggest strength as a writer is character). But I have a lot of fun and engaging plots, mostly action/adventure, to have these character engage with. I also enjoy doing world building a lot as well. 

The voice for my OCs (both in my TWST fic and in my OG works) is down to earth and witty. A lot of my characters tend to have a sense of snark to them as they try to process the insanity around them, but they still can still feel a wide range of emotions like fear, anger, etc. Though, there are some characters that go against that (like the MC in my reverse isekai original story). 

13. When did you start writing fanfic?

Right in the middle of high school. I got into it, because one of my friends at the time had a FF.net account, and I thought it would be fun to write stories on there. Here I am almost a decade later. 

It’s also how my love of creative writing started, too. My elementary, middle and high schools never taught creative writing in class, and I never took any for my diploma. So, yeah. I’m a self taught writer. 

14. How do you feel about your older work?

Depends on how far back we’re talking as well. If it’s my stuff made during high school, I don’t like most of it outside of a couple expectations. But if we’re talking about my stuff from college and after, it depends on the story. There are some stories I’m pretty proud of years later, expect for how I phrased sentences (before I began learning how to start some sentences with things other than “I” or “Insert Character Name Here”) and odd word choices. Others I think are just weird or outright suck. I think regretting some choices in your past work is normal for any writer. I’m always trying to improve as a writer to create better stories in the future. 

Bonus...since I really want to answer this one...

1. What’s your favorite character(s) to write for?

I love writing for Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls), Pacifica Northwest (Gravity Falls), Vil (Twisted Wonderland), Jamil (Twisted Wonderland) and Ace (Twisted Wonderland). 

Bill Cipher is a chaotic ball of shit. Writing his wit and sass is a lot fun for me. Back in the day, I loved writing him interact with different fictional characters. Though, I only did it for Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters) and Judai (Yu-Gi-Oh GX) back when I was still into that franchise. (Because I’m certainly not as an adult in my mid 20s.) Might do it for other characters in other franchises if the idea strikes me. 

Pacifica is a complex and interesting character. She started off as the stereotypical mean girl. But with the NWMM episode, we got to see a whole different side of her, which added a lot of layers to her character. I love writing characters who add more complexity to the popular mean girl trope, because I always found them a lot more interesting than the dull MC in bad rom coms. 

Vil never showed up in any of my fics yet, but I’m writing parts with him in it thanks to writing some parts ahead of time. Vil is in a similar vein as Pacifica. In any other story, he would’ve been the one dimensional, vain pretty boy. But instead, he’s a hardworking guy, who wants everyone around him to shine their brightest. He hates lazy people. In that sense, he breaks a lot of tropes. Though, he has his fair share of faults as well, like his control freak tendencies, too harsh with his words and the way he treats Epel isn’t right. As a bi woman, I also love how he’s a guy who wears heels and makeup, but is never once mocked in the game for it. I do the same in my writing. Go, dude. Fuck those gender norms! 

Jamil is a blast to write, because he seems like a layered character to me. He’s a calm guy and collected guy, who he loves wearing hoodies way too much. But he’s also an intelligent, sly, cunning and manipulative guy. He seems loyal at first, but in actuality, he has a trick up his sleeve and wants to take Kalim down. His reasoning for as to why he’s doing this, while doesn’t excuse his actions, are understandable due to his family being in servants to his and him taking out his anger for his situation at the one thing he possibly could. He also has a lot of elements that humanize him as well, like the fact that he enjoys dancing, basketball and watching parrot videos. Tackling a character like him is a lot of fun for me as a writer, just due to how complex and interesting he is. 

Ace is probably the easiest character for me to write. He’s funny, mischievous and cheerful, but yet abrasive, bold, blunt, temperamental, willing to call out other’s bs and a bit of an ass. It’s pretty easy for me to get a handle on him, and understand how he would react in different situations. (As a side note, Ace reminds me of how I used to write Atem and Malik back in my YGO fics that I wrote in high school in that regard. Unlike those stories, he’s actually in character here, instead of extremely OOC like the YGO ones.)  

[turquoisemagpie]

My personal notes on Good Omens :

(just because I have to say it all at some point)

Thankfully, and to my absolute relief, the TV show DOES literally play by the book: this results in what makes it so good but what also makes it fall down slightly.

There is a huge difference in reception between those who only heard of the show, those who read the book in the run up to the show, and those who read the book waaaaay before the TV show was even considered (I fall in the latter).

For those who read the book, the show is very easy to follow, and even a bit dulled at times as what happens in the main plot is to be expected, so any surprise factor is lost= the book readers are as towards the show in the same way as Anathema is towards Agnes’s prophecies; expecting everything before it happens. There were also times where it was obvious a section of the story that was in the book was missed out (which feels like a deleted scene), which was a little deflating at times, but forgivable. 

For those who had just stumbled across the show as soon as it was released, I can understand it’s hard to follow or understand what exactly is going on at first.

The first episode is a little cluttered as it tries to cram the whole first 3rd of the book in within 50 odd minutes= when first watching the show, as someone who read the book, it seemed worrying that 1/3 of the book was covered in episode one of a 6 episode series; but this was before the discovery of extra plot and backstory that wasn’t in the book (1st half of Episode 3 and last half of episode 6).

David Tennant played Crowley 100% perfectly, Michael Sheen played Aziraphale 500% perfectly. In the book Crowley is my favourite out of the pair, but mainly because there’s more said about Crowley in terms of his personality than there is for Aziraphale. In the show Aziraphale is my favourite of the pair because Sheen was everything I expected from Aziraphale and more. Many complain about the other characters not being as well portrayed as Aziraphale and Crowley, personally I think they play by the book characters perfectly. In book standards they were great, in TV show standards they were average; not amazing, but not awful.

Individually the casting for sub-major characters was very good- specifically Anathema, Newt, Madam Tracy, Shadwell, The Young family, The Dowling family- in the context of the book they were very well casted and the actors really nailed their parts individually.

The added (as in character’s improved from the book or added in entirely) sub-major characters were also good casting- all the demons and angels were improved enormously in both physical aesthetic and character development.

The mise en scène was charming- very well crafted and designed as well as having a small hint of ‘this is the best we could do with what we could afford’ handcrafted-ness to it= very ‘made in Britain’, if that makes sense.

The diversity was also very good (it was very funny to see the more close-minded of Christian followers complain about the show within the first 3 minutes of the show), the addition of more characters in heaven and hell opened up more diverse characters in terms of gender, age, race, and body type.

The open nature of Aziraphale and Crowley’s relationship was very pleasing, and it’s clear, especially on tumblr, that there is full acceptance and appreciation of LGBTQA+ depictions of their relationship. Whether their partnership is friendship or lovers, it is open to all possibilities in the portrayal of the actors and their dialogue.

The dialogue and structure of scenes that was originally from the book is near spot on.

The newly added scenes fit very very well into the story and boosted the story amazingly= the timeline of Aziraphale and Crowley’s partnership (Episode 3) was very pleasing to watch and re-watch, with a lot of pleasing historical references and a lovely display of how a very very very very very slow burning relationship has made such a wonderful partnership between and angel and demon.

The Holy Water; it was originally an unexplained phenomenon that Crowley just happened upon some holy water in the book, but the TV show took the chance to expand Aziraphale and Crowley’s partnership through it, and then develop it into an even more important factor at the end of the series.

The Trails of Crowley and Aziraphale, what is considered and ’epilogue’ of Good Omens (since it’s not in the book), were absolutely amazing. They fitted in very well with the flow of the original story while also giving some proper closure as to how Heaven and Hell reacted to the angel and demon’s part to play in stopping Armageddon. It was also a chance to see how versatile and talented Sheen and Tennant are as actors, as they attempt to play the other character in disguise of their original character.

I want to make some points about Anathema and Madam Tracy. I’ve heard and seen many complain about the fast and fickle developments of Anathema and Madam Tracy’s characters in relation to how they deal with the men in their lives; some say Anathema and Newts relationship is too quick and rather forceful, and also say it’s foolish for Anathema to burn Agnes’s further prophecies under Newt’s suggestions, as well as Madam Tracy dropping her jobs and independent nature for Shadwell:

For Anathema’s case I feel like those who have read the book are more accepting of her and Newt’s development; it is hard to convey Agnes’s hold over her descendants in terms of how her family are obsessed with keeping to her prophecies and what lengths they’d go to to keep everything predicted coming into being- the lovers first meeting and the sex scene is there to prove those lengths. Also Anathema is still portrayed as a very strong character and greatly independent woman through out the show; it’s her who approaches Newts and it’s her who decides how far their relationship is going and at what pace, and Newt goes with it, as he is less certain of the world than her. Also it was always her decision to burn Agnes’s further prophecies, but years of following the words of her ancestor that had adapted her to never decide for herself, she still needs a little push from an outside voice, which happens to be Newt. I do agree, however,  that for someone who doesn’t see Anathema and Newt’s meeting and partnering as Anges’s planted key to stopping Armageddon, it does seem far fetched that their relationship goes as fast as it does.

For Madam Tracy, yet again those who have read the book understand that Madam Tracy’s jobs are purely there to help her play the rent and save money to leave London. Some who haven’t read the book have missed out of the fact that Madam Tracy is not a proper psychic and doesn’t take it seriously; while she ‘goes under’ she makes shopping lists in her head to pass the time. And yet again, Madam Tracy takes similar independence from Anathema as she is the one who makes the moves; she is the one who invites Shadwell into her flat for dinner, when otherwise their separated relationship would remain the same as Shadwell would never make the move. Unlike Anathema and Newt, Madam Tracy and Shadwell are an older partnership in terms of their ages and how long they’ve known each other, and although Shadwell seemingly disproves of the nature of Madam Tracy’s jobs, it takes Armageddon for Shadwell to admit he actually likes her and is willing to protect her. And after what seemed like the end of the world, it’s easy to see how Madam Tracy would finally jump at the opportunity to the pair of them to get to know each other on better terms.

Speaking of Madam Tracy, I would also like to add I think Miranda Richardson as Madam Tracy was also perfect casting, not just for the perfect portrayal of Tracy, but also for her performance of mimicking Aziraphale as he possessed Madam Tracy.

Overall, a 9/10. It would be lower, but the joy of seeing a TV show book adaption that ACTUALLY STUCK TO THE BOOK is enough to make this my absolute favourite show.

Additional notes:

Favourite episode: Hard Times (3), purely for the timeline of Crowley and Aziraphale through the ages.

Favourite performance of Tennant: The start of The Doomsday Option (5); when Crowley discovers Aziraphale is gone and his bookshop is on fire (this included the scene with Crowley drunk in the pub talking to discorporated Aziraphale). Tennant really makes us feel how angry and upset Crowley is that he’s now officially all alone for the end of the world.

Favourite performance of Sheen: the end of The Book (2); when Aziraphale reads Agnes Nutter’s book and discovers who the Antichrist is. Sheen playing an awestruck Aziraphale was an absolutely wonderful performance. (I also absolutely adore Aziraphale’s angel-winged cocoa mug; I just imagine him first spotting the mug in a shop window and him feeling so pleased on seeing it and going in to buy it, his aura happiness staying in the shop a long while after he has left the shop. :) )

[almondbiscotti]

Stuff I’ve Watched this CB

Sorry, really got a lot. I’ve ranked them from most recommended to least recommended. And separated movies from series. And have included some shows I’m planning to watch! 

Series

Kim’s Convenience S4 I LOVE APPA. Was a bit appalled I didn’t know S4 was out on Netflix because it’s one of my favourite shows on Netflix. It’s REALLY GOOD. So many laugh out loud moments, the characters are WONDERFULLY fleshed out and the chemistry between the actors is through the roof. Story telling is also amazeballs. 10/10 would recommend.

Dirty Money S1&2  10/10 would recommend! I really liked Dirty Money because I learned so so so so much from the show! I do think the producers had no intention of being unbiased and presenting a neutral stance on the “villains” because I wanted to punch every single “villain” every damn episode. If you’re looking for objectivity and “both sides of the story”, I don’t think this show is for you. But that said, everything presented is factual so I did learn a lot. Supplemented with additional reading post show, I felt like a whole new world was opened to me. :) 

Kingdom S1&2  JUST WATCH THIS. IT’S SO DAMN GOOD. 

Only issue I had was how damn ridiculous it was that whenever a horde of zombies were running towards our protagonists, they’d just stand there and do their typical Korean AISSSSSHEEEEBYEFUCK stance for like a full 17342154 minutes while the music and tension builds and the zombie horde comes closer and closer and closer and THEN they finally decide to run. Eh friend, what siah. Also, I concluded from watching Kingdom that if there ever was a Zombie apocalypse, I’m completely and utterly FUCKED. But I live in ridiculously hot Singapore surrounded by water... so I guess I’ll be alright? 9.5/10 

Derry Girls S1-2 Irish Catholic School Girls, I’M SOLD. I mean, come on. How can I not LOVE this show? It’s HILARIOUS. And having spent 10 years in an all girl catholic school, Derry Girls really really resonated with me. The characters are laugh out loud hilarious, and all really likeable! The only issue I had with it is that the characters don’t really grow very much over the course of 2 seasons. So season 1 first episode vs season 2 final episode, it won’t matter even if you watched it backwards.

Because the seasons are very short, only 6 episodes per season and there are only 2 seasons so far, it doesn’t matter very much. For now. But I reckon if they had like 7 seasons, it’s going to get VERY repetitive. But at the moment, ISSA GREAT! 9/10

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency S1 8 Episodes of ABSOLUTE CRACK. It’s based off something Douglas Adams wrote so I wouldn’t expect anything less. Acting isn’t great but the storytelling is riveting. If you enjoy Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book), it’s very likely you’d enjoy this. It can get quite frustrating sometimes though because it’s so ridiculous so if you’re looking for a detective series based on solid logic, look somewhere else. But if you just want some fun and silliness mixed with some smart, this is wonderful. 8/10 

Never Have I Ever S1 I had a lot of trouble liking the main character but on retrospect, it might be because the character doesn’t even like herself that much to begin with. Had quite a few laugh out loud moments and the Asian family moments were very relatable.  THE MOTHER. THE MOTHER IS EVERYTHING. She’s my favourite, I would watch an entire series with just her. The main problem with Never Have I Ever (in my opinion) is that it tried to do a lot of things to prove the same point. So it does get a bit frustrating after a while. By the 3rd episode, I’m just like GET ON WITH IT I GET IT. I GET THAT FAMILY IS MOST IMPORTANT, I GET THAT SHE’S NOT GRIEVING HER FATHER. So... it can get a little cliche and repetitive. To me la. But still funny, still good. :)  8/10 

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S1-4 The opening track really really grows on you. UNBREAKABLE! They’re alive, damn it! IT’S A MIRACLE! Created by Tina Fey, this show is silly and full of fun.

I really liked S1-3. It’s a very light-hearted show that makes you feel really good watching it because it’s just so positive and optimistic. S4 got a bit too ridiculous for me and the characters started doing some really weird shit that is a bit too incredulous (it was never a logical show based too much on reality to begin with but S4 was really a bit much). But if you like shows like The Good Place, I reckon you’d like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 8/10

The Circle USA Can’t remember why Housemate and I started on this but it was actually not bad! I think it’s because the OG characters were really likeable! JOEY! JOEY IS A PRECIOUS PUPPY THAT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. It’s not very intellectual and I was never too invested in any of the characters or relationships. BUT! great if you don’t want to think too much and just watch some mindless TV that isn’t absolute trash. (TOO HOT TO HANDLE I’M LOOKING AT YOU.)  7/10 

Tiger King S1 SIEOW ONE THIS SHOW. It’s an absolute MINDFUCK. I started with many questions, I finished with A BILLION more. I don’t even know how to describe or explain this show. IT’S MADNESS. There are big cats, gay husbands who turn out not to be gay, tiger queen who allegedly killed her husband and fed him to her tigers, crazy dude who tried to pay some other dude 5k (i think? or 3k? seriously it’s crazy) to kill tiger queen, big guns and expired meat and pizzas?!?!! Yah, Mindfuck. CRAZY/10

Cable Girls S1-4  Season 1 and 2 were BEAUTIFUL. The characters have so much depth, the acting is impeccable, the costumes are AMAZING, the cinematography is inspiring, the story telling was riveting. Then season 3 and season 4 happened and... I will pretend the show ended in S2. -_- Character development took a major hit from season 3 onwards. But I would still recommend Cable Girls because the acting, the acting is AMAZING. 10/10 for s1&2. 5/10 for 3&4.

Money Heist S4 Was quite hyped for this and was really quite let down. The beauty of Money Heist has always been structure in chaos, elegance in the mess. S4 was very frustrating because it didn’t have that. I felt like they were trying very hard to make you think the heist team was going to fail and started to fill in weird impossible things to ensure the plot was still able to proceed. Did not enjoy S4 as much as I thought I would. :(  But if you have invested in the previous seasons, you know you’re gonna watch it even if it’s absolute crap anyway. 6/10

The Letter For The King S1 Ep 1&2 Premise was quite interesting, trailer was interesting enough. But DEAR GOD WAS IT SLOW. And also, literally ALL the characters were unlikeable! I don’t understand why anyone would make a show with entirely unlikeable characters. I couldn’t get past the 2nd episode but I went ahead to read a few reviews and recaps. Yeah, was a good idea to stop at episode 2. Would not recommend. 2/10

Movies

Game Night  Rachel McAdams is QUEEN. A really loltastic film. Is a really good post dinner wind down to end the day film. And particularly because I can relate to how competitive our main couple was. :) Some parts don’t add up and there are a few times I think the story becomes a bit too much for itself, trying to layer upon layer of twists, but still a good fun movie! :) 7.5/10 

The Half of It Heartwarming. :) Enjoyed it because i think the main protagonist is very likeable. And she’s so... plain and relatable. I hate to say this though but... I found the whole movie quite forgettable. Like, it didn’t feel very deep to me though it did touch on quite a few intense and deep topics of first love, family, self acceptance etc. But it’s just doesn’t reverberate through every cell of my being. The whole movie is just so gentle and because it is so mild, it becomes forgettable. Acting is good, character development is okay I guess. But generally... just mediocre to me. But not bad. I just wished it wasn’t so... light and airy. I wish it made me cry. 7/10

Cabin in the Woods Housemate wanted to watch it because it’s horror-esque. I was okay with it cos it’s horror comedy. And also Chris Hemsworth. :D Was quite loltastic. Though SPOILER ALERT Chris Hemsworth’s character dies a bit too early for my liking. I really liked the over the top inclusion of various different monsters near the end. Was fun trying to identify them. Fun movie! Not very scary but quite a bit of gore that’s peppered with lots of humour to make it okay. 7/10

Extraction LOTS OF CHRIS HEMSWORTH. But plot wise... hmm... Housemate enjoyed it because he said the fight scenes and the things our extractor does are very real and is what a trained professional would do in the high pressure situations he finds himself in. They probably had a great consultant to keep things realistic.  I didn’t enjoy it as much because I felt that our hero was... too powerful and the bad guy was too bad. Almost caricature-ish. Difficult to have character development like that. But hey, I didn’t watch it for depth, I watched it for Chris Hemsworth’s face so... very much satisfied. :) 7/10 

Other Stuff I’m Planning to Watch 

After Life S2 I liked S1 so... just a continuation I guess. Typical English humour. Also, I watched S1 dealing with a death of a friend so the show does have some sentimental meaning for me.

Hollywood S1 New show seems promising! There are blacks, gays, sex, extortion, glitzy costumes, glamour and really blonde blondes. Also the guy who plays Sheldon Cooper in BBT. High hopes, I have high hopes! 

The Victims’ Game DETECTIVE SHOW SOLVING CRIMES. I’M SOLD. 

Whoa fuck, I really watch a lot of Netflix. 

[dukereviewsxtra]

Top 15 Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror Stories

Hi Everyone, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Are Continuing Monsterween

By Talking About The Simpsons...

Yes, I Know That It's Gone On For So Long That Fans Are Now Begging For It To Be Cancelled But When It Comes To October, You Just Can't Help But Talk About The Treehouse Of Horror Episodes...

And How Can You Not? They're Wickedly Funny And Wickedly Spooky, Yes, There Are Years Where They Dropped The Ball But Either Way You Can't Help But Watch Them...

In Fact These Episodes And The Very First Christmas Episode Were How I Was Introduced To The Simpsons And Because Of That, I Am Doing The Top 15 Treehouse Of Horror Stories On The Show Today, So, Without Further Delay, Let's Get Started...

15. The Day The Earth Looked Stupid

In 1938, The People Of Springfield Listen To Orson Welles Famous War Of The Worlds Broadcast And Like Everyone Else That Heard It Starts Believing That They Have Been Invaded By Aliens And Start Panicking And Rioting....

The Next Day, When All The Townspeople Except Lisa Are Stark Naked, Rolling In Mud And Acting Like Animals, She Tells Them That The Entire Thing Was A Hoax To Which The People Of Springfield Vow Never To Be Fooled Again...

But With Kang And Kodos Seeing This As An Oppertune Time To Invade, Lisa And Mr. Welles Try To Tell The Populace This Is Not A Hoax, It's Real But Not Believing Them, They End Up Being Invaded...

This Is A Cleaver Story, I Love How The Simpsons Took This Incident And Flipped It On It's Head, I Also Liked How They Got Voice Actor Maurice Lamarche As Orson Welles (And If Anyone Doesn't Know Who He Is Then Maybe You'll Recognize Him From This...)

That's Right, He's The Brain From Pinky And The Brain, I Would Say That He's Also Egon From The Real Ghostbusters But That's Irrelevant But On Animaniacs There's A Pinky And The Brain Segement Called Battle For The Planet Which Is Also A War Of The Worlds Knockoff While Even Mentioning It In The Episode...

There's Also Another Episode Where Brain Does A Famous Rant That Wells Did Years Ago While Recording Commercials...

Either Way, It Was Just A Good Casting Choice And Because Of The Facts I Say See It...

14. Frinkenstein

Professor Frink Is About To Be Awarded The Nobel Prize And More Than Anything He Wants His Late Father (Played By (Of All People) Jerry Lewis) To See Him Get It As He's Always Been A Bit Of A Disappointment To Him, So He Brings Him Back To Life Ala Frankenstein. But Upset That He Has Some Robotic Parts And A Lack Of A Genitalia, Frink's Father Goes On A Rampage Killing People By Stealing Their Body Parts...

But After A Talk With Lisa, She Convinces Frink's Father To Stop His Rampage And To Think Of His Son. Going To Stockholm For The Ceremony, Frink's Father Makes Up With His Son But He Ends Up Going On Another Rampage, Stealing All The Scientists Brains Which Forces Frink To Kill His Father By Kicking Him In The Crotch

But While His Death Is Funny, Frink Manages To Save His Father's Soul By Placing It In A Box With His Latest Invention The Soul Catcher...

It's A Soul In A Box!

Except For The Ending, It's A Good Story And It's All Because Of Jerry Lewis Who Is Great As Frink's Father To The Point That You Can Tell That They're Related And It's Not Just Because The Character Was Based On Lewis, Either Way This Is One That I Definatly Say See...

13. Terror Of Tiny Toon

When Marge Forbids Bart And Lisa To Watch The Itchy And Scratchy Halloween Special To The Point That She Takes The Remote Batteries With Her, Bart Finds Some Unstable Plutonium Which They Use As Batteries So They Can Watch Itchy And Scratchy But Instead Of Watching The Cartoon They End Up Becoming Part Of It. However, Not Liking How Bart And Lisa Are Laughing At Their Pain, Itchy And Scratchy Decide To Team Up To Try To Kill The 2 Kids...

This Story Shows A Fun View On What It's Like On The Opposite Side Of The Tv Screen And Despite Itchy And Scratchy Trying To Kill Bart And Lisa I Enjoyed The Regis And Kathie Lee Cameos And Scratchy Falling In Love With Snowbell 2, This Is Defiantly One That I Say See...

12. Wanted: Dead, Then Alive...

This Story Sees Sideshow Bob Finally Doing What He's Always Wanted To Do, Which Is To Kill Bart Simpson But After A While, Bob Finds Himself Like The Joker If Batman Was Dead That Without His Nemesis To Cause Him Trouble Life Is Just Not Worth Living Anymore. So, He Creates A Machine To Bring Bart Back To Life Over And Over Again So He Can Kill Him As Many Times As His Twisted Heart Desires...

This Is Just A Fantastic Story, Down To A T For Terrific And Kelsey Grammar's Performance Like Every Time He Voices Bob Is Just Amazing But Despite How Awesome It Is The Reason Why It's So Low On The List Is Because It's Just Another Sideshow Bob Story And Not Anything Really Horror Worthy But It Was In A Treehouse Of Horror Special So For This Story I Say See It...

11. It's The Grand Pumpkin, Millhouse

An Obvious Parody Of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, To The Point That They Play The Peanuts Theme In It And Make Fun Of The Fact That All The Adults Go Wah Wah Wah, This Story Sees Millhouse Taking On The Linus Role As He Goes To The Pumpkin Patch To Wait For The Grand Pumpkin Only Like The Robot Chicken Parody (Minus The Demonic Ceremony)

When Millhouse Cries Because The Grand Pumpkin Didn't Show He Actually Shows Due To Millhouse's Belief In Him But When Millhouse Gives Him Some Pumpkin Bread, The Grand Pumpkin Vows Revenge Over The Fact That Humans Don't Respect Pumpkins Around This Time Of Year...

What Can I Say About This Episode Except Watch This One For Yourself And Definitely See It...

10. House Of Whacks

This Story Sees The Simpsons Having Their House Converted To A Ultrahouse That Will Never Let Them Do An Inch Of Work For The Rest Of Their Lives. Meeting Their New Computer, They Change It's Voice From Matthew Perry To Dennis Miller But Eventually Marge Picks Pierce Brosnan....

While Doing Whatever The Simpsons Demand Of Him, Pierce Develops Human Emotions And Eventually Ends Up Falling In Love With Marge Which Leads Him To Turn Psychotic And Try To Kill Homer...

I Absolutely Love This Story, And Having Pierce Brosnan As The AI For The Ultrahouse Adds A Little Bit Of Creepiness And Elegance To It, Though It Makes Me Wonder If Pierce Ever Sang To The Simpsons While He Served Them...

Still Though It's A Great Story And I Say See It...

09. The Monkey's Paw

This Story Sees The Simpsons On Vacation In Morocco Where They Come Across A Monkey's Paw That Will Grant Wishes To Whomever Has It But Despite The Seller Warning That With Every Wish Will Come Grave Misfortune, Homer Buys It And Once They Return To The States The Simpson's Start Wishing On It...

With The First Wish Going To Maggie, She Wishes For A Brand New Pacifier To Homer's Dismay. With 3 Wishes Left, Bart Wishes That The Simpsons Were Rich And Famous And The Paw Grants The Wish With Funny Results That Echo The Simpsons Own Popularity At That Time...

Lisa Uses The 3rd Wish For The World To Have Peace Only For The World To Be Invaded By Kang And Kodos After They Destroy All Their Weapons. With One Last Wish Left, Homer Uses It As Only Homer Could By Asking For A Turkey Sandwich On Rye With Lettuce And Mustard Only To Discover The Turkey To Be Dry...

Giving The Paw To Flanders, He Wishes For Kang And Kodos To Be Gone And Any Other Wishes We Don't See In The Story...

This Is One Of Those Stories That Has 2 Morals With The First Being Caviat Emptor (Let The Buyer Beware) And To Wish Wisely Still It's A Good Story And I Say See It..

08. Attack Of The 50ft Eyesores

This Story Sees Homer Visits Lard Lad Doughnuts To Get A Colossal Doughnut Like The One That Lard Lad Is Holding, He Finds Himself Being Fooled By False Advertising When He Finds It's Not As Colossal As It Sounded. Pissed About This, Homer Steals Lard Lad's Colossal Doughnut During A Freak Lightning Storm Which Brings Not Just Lard Lad But Dozens Of Other Mascots To Life...

With The Mascots Causing Terror Throughout Springfield, Marge Believes That Giving Up The Metal Doughnut Will End The Mascot's Reign Of Terror But Despite Homer Giving It Up, The Destruction Continues. Luckily, Lisa Notices A Copyright Tag That Lard Lad Left Behind Which Gives Her The Idea To Visit The People Who Created The Mascots...

There, They Tell Lisa That The Only Way To Get Rid Of The Rampaging Mascots Is To Ignore Them Which In Turn Will Cause Them To Lose Their Powers, So They Write A Jingle That's Performed By Paul Anka To Try To Distract The Populace...

This Story Is Well Written And The Song By Paul Anka Is Very Funny Along With Some Of The Things The Mascots Do While Causing Destruction, It's A Funny Story And I Say See It...

07. Bad Dream House

A Parody Of Poltergeist, This Story Sees The Simpsons Buying A House That's Buried On An Indian Burial Ground And Is Haunted By A Poltergeist, Despite Marge Wanting To Move Out, Homer Tells The Family To Sleep On It Only For The Poltergeist To Try To Try To Convince Everyone (Except Marge) To Try And Kill Each Other...

While It's A Good Parody It Doesn't Go Full Parody Unlike The Family Guy Version Where If You Look At A Scene You Realize "Oh, They're Parodying This Scene From The Movie" But It's Still A Funny Story And I Say See It...

06. Bart Simpson's Dracula

A Parody Of Francis Ford Copola's Dracula, This Story Sees The Simpsons Travelling To Mr. Burns House In Pennsylvania Only For Bart And Lisa To Discover That Mr. Burns Is A Vampire. However When They Do, Mr. Burns Turns Bart Into A Vampire And The Only Way To Save Him Is To Kill Burns Himself...

This Story Is A Funny Take On The Vampire Legend And Is A Great Parody Of Copola's Movie To The Point That When Burns Is In The Gary Oldman Red Costume With The White Hair, I Just Can't Help But Laugh, And I Say Watch It...

05. The Island Of Dr. Hibbert

In A Parody Of The Island Of Dr. Moreau, This Story Sees The Simpsons Travelling To The Island Of Lost Souls, Where They Find Dr. Hibbert Running The Resort, But While The Family Is There, Marge Believes That Something Weird Is Going On, So, She Investigates Only To Be Captured By Hibbert Who Turns Her Into A Panther...

After A Night Of Violent Sex, Homer Realizes That Marge Has Been Transformed Which Leads Him To Try To Find A Cure, Not Just For Marge But For Everyone On The Island...

This Story Is A Great Take On Wells' Story, As We See Our Favorite Simpsons Characters Transformed Into Interesting Animal Versions Of Themselves I Especially Like Mr. Burns As A Fox, It's A Great Parody And I Say See It...

04. King Homer

This Story Is Basically The Simpsons Telling The Story Of King Kong With Homer As Kong, Marge As Fay Wray And Burns As The Filmmaker, It's A Pretty Good Parody With Clever 1930's References And I Honestly Don't Know What Else To Say About It Except See It...

03. Nightmare On Evergreen Terrace

A Parody Of Nightmare On Elm Street, This Story Sees Groundskeeper Willie Taking On The Freddy Kruger Role As He Kills All The Kids In Springfield In Revenge For Their Parents Not Saving His Life When He Was On Fire One Day In Smarch...

While I'm A Huge Fan Of The Nightmare On Elm Street Films, I Absolutely Love This Parody Of The Films Which Is More Willie's Revenge Than Nightmare On Elm Street As In Treehouse Of Horror 5, He Kept Getting Killed In Every Story, Still I Say See It...

02.The Shinning

A Parody On The Shining, This Story Sees The Simpsons Being Hired As Caretakers Of Mr. Burns Summer Estate, But When Burns And Smithers Cut The Cable And Take All The Beer, Homer Goes All Jack Torrance And Tries To Kill His Family...

This Is Probably The Funniest Movie Parody The Treehouse Of Horror Has Ever Done, From Homer Saying Late Night Tv Phrases To No Tv And No Beer Make Homer Something Something It's Just Freaking Hysterical And I Say See It...

Before I Reveal My Number One Choice Here Are My Top 5 Worst Treehouse Of Horror Stories...

05. The Diving Bell And The Butterball

This Story Sees Homer Being Paralyzed By A Spider Only To Gain Spider Powers When Another Spider Bites Him, This Story Is Just Plain Boring To Say The Least With The Only Good Part Being When Homer Gets Spider Powers...

04. Dry Hard

A Parody Of The Hunger Games That Just Is Not Well Written In The Least...

03. Life's A Glitch, Then You Die

The Simpsons Face Y2K Which Could Have Been A Good Story But The Ending Sucks With Lisa, Marge And Maggie Being Apart Of The Last People To Survive The Planet's Destruction While Bart And Homer Get Launched Into The Sun With The Most Annoying People On The Planet...

02. How To Get Ahead In Deadvertising...

A Parody Of Mad Men, This Story Sees Homer Accidentally Killing Krusty The Clown Which Catches The Eye Of An Advertising Agency That Wants Homer To Kill Celebrities So Their Likeness Rights Can Be Cheaper. It's A Good Story With A Bad Scene As Homer Kills Prince (Now I Don't Know If Prince Was Dead At The Time This Was Made But To Me It's Kind Of Insulting)

01. MMM...Homer

This Story Sees Homer Taking Up Cannibalism To Which I Only Have 2 Things To Say #1: Really?, Really? You Had To Go There? And #2: No!

But I Digress, Let's Get To My #1 Best Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror Story...

01. The Raven

This Episode Sees The Simpsons Taking On The Edgar Allen Poe Tale In The Only Way That The Simpsons Can. With Narration From James Earl Jones, This Tale Is Like The Haunted Mansion Both Funny And Scary At The Same Time, I Know People Will Be Upset That I Didn't Have The Shinning As Number One But Every Time I See This I Can't Help But Laugh At It And I Say See It...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[ghost--apple]

I feel as though I won't be able to move on from Ossan's Love and proceed with my life normally if I don't write what I feel about it so I need a place to dump all my feelings about it... 

(Spoilers ahead)

Basically, I have been experiencing horrible withdrawal symptoms after the drama ended around three weeks ago. I mean, I spent seven weeks looking forward to each episode and watching it in real-time (via live-stream) so of course after it ended I was like "how to proceed with life????" XD I didn't think I'd get THIS attached to the series and I seriously blame Hayashi Kento for it. A little backstory: after getting addicted to HIGH&LOW last year, I spent many months watching almost all dramas I could find with Masataka Kubota in it (since I fell in love with him after that, thanks Smoky!). And when there's nothing else to watch, I proceeded watching Hayashi Kento's dramas next since he became my number 2 favorite in H&L after Masa. So since I've been stalking them, I'd regularly see news about them in Twitter. Last March, when I saw the news in Twitter about Kento starring in a new spring drama called "Ossan's Love" (shortly after I got hooked on Masa's winter drama "Unnatural"), I immediately got intrigued because apparently, it's the drama version of a special one-episode “BL” drama that already aired in 2016.  

SO KENTO IN A “BL” DRAMA??? KENTO AS A GAY CHARACTER AGAIN??? YES PLEASE. So I immediately researched about the SP and in doing so, I realized that Kento didn't appear in it at all so initially I was like "WTH???" but still I watched it because I'm a fujoushi HAHAHA. And OMG I loved it, it was so insane and hilarious and just really a feel-good show!! I realized after watching it that Kento will actually replace one of the main characters (Hase) as an entirely new character (Maki), while the two other main characters will be played by the same actors (Tanaka Kei and Yoshida-san) reprising their roles from the SP (Haruta and Buchou). I already liked the character that Kento would be replacing but fortunately I love Kento as a person and as an actor so I was like "I hope Kento will do a great job in the drama so I will not miss Hase that much~" and it made me more excited to see how the drama version will unfold with Kento and the entrance of his character this time around.  (This is why I get quite sad when I read comments from other people who watched the SP that they're disappointed that Hase will be replaced, that the “new actor is not as cute as Hase” (EXCUSE ME!!!) etc etc~ T_T I was like “Kento is a wonderful actor, give him a chance!!!!”) 

AND SO THE DRAMA SERIES STARTED AND I IMMEDIATELY FELL INTO OSSAN'S LOVE HELL RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST EPISODE. So yes, why do I love it so much??????

Reason#1 HAYASHI KENTO AS MAKI

I'm not being biased when I say that Kento did an amazingly wonderful job in this drama as Maki. For me, he exceeded all expectations and proved all the doubters wrong. He was so great I almost immediately forgot that an SP prior to the drama ever existed (this is coming from a person who really enjoyed the SP and really liked Hase). No doubt he managed to capture a lot of hearts with his portrayal of Maki~! (*A*) I mean, while the series was being aired (and even now), he would consistently win in popularity polls regarding who's your favorite character in the currently airing spring dramas (or 2018 dramas), and he's not just winning, he's winning by a large margin even against people from Johnny's. Maki is already a great well-written character to begin with, but the way Kento played him, it's almost impossible to not root for him. AND HE'S SO PRECIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL AS MAKI I WANT TO HUG HIM SO MUCH AAAAAAHHHH. 

No seriously, Maki is a wonderful character (did I already say he’s wonderful???). He doesn't really show or say what he truly feels, he acts tough and okay all the time but actually has a lot of insecurities, prioritizes the happiness of the person he loves (read: Haruta) over his own happiness and I think these make us viewers really empathize with him. Maki never had any internal dialogues (unlike Haruta) so the audience only had to rely on Kento's acting-- his body language, the movement of his eyes, the sound of his voice -- to be really able to understand what Maki truly is going through, and I think Kento's acting was super effective as he was able to truly make me feel Maki's pain when he's suffering and Maki's joy when something good happens, even with just the slightest change in his facial expressions or voice. I can actually feel his emotions even in scenes wherein you can only see his back or silhouette!!! He's that great, his whole body is acting, but in a very natural way. 

For me, Maki is a complex character and I think it's a shame that we only get to see him mostly through Haruta's point of view, but I really love him because he's so self-aware, so strong yet also so vulnerable. While the show was airing, fans would mostly tweet "please be happy, Maki-kun!!" because seriously, he's a character who deserves all the happiness in the world!! I even came to a point when I was like "I don't care if Maki ends up with Haruta or come back to his ex-boyfriend Takekawa-san as long as he's happy!!!" because really, the screenwriter loves making him suffer, my poor child. And eventually, after finishing the drama, I came to understand why it seems Tanaka Kei would often say in interviews that the drama (drama's success??) relies on Kento's Maki (one of the directors even calls Kento something like "genius chihuahua bearing the future") because I seriously think Maki is the backbone of the story and how the viewers will accept Maki and eventually his relationship with Haruta (especially those who are already fond of Hase or who already love Buchou since the SP) will depend entirely on Kento's interpretation of this character. Haruta may be the face of the story, Buchou may serve as the arms (don’t know if this makes sense but whatever) but for me it's Maki who truly kept the story together. I've seen a lot of jdramas over the past thirteen years but I can say Maki is one of the most amazing characters I've ever come across. No seriously, I'm being overly dramatic but he's really special for me. *__* I'm really glad that Kento was chosen to play Maki in the drama version, bless the person who decided on this casting. (*A*) 

Reason#2 HARUMAKI

I think I'm in the minority this time since I prefer HaruMaki instead of MakiHaru. *coughs* Well... one of Maki's official character traits is being a "do-S" but actually I think he's just a tsundere. XD And he’s an extremely sweet person, almost an angel, how can that be do-S??? XD I get it that Maki's the one who's always doing the first move but I think that's primarily because he's the one who's sure of his feelings and sexuality. Haruta is still confused with all the things suddenly happening around him (since he’s dumb sometimes haha, but at least a lovable one) but I guess as soon as he's able to fully understand and come to terms with his feelings for Maki and the nature of their relationship, it will be easy for him to really start showing his affection for Maki and initiate ~things~. This is why I'm so thankful for that scene in the last episode!! Haruta going on top of Maki to kiss him with that smug expression on his face!! That just screams "HARUMAKI!!!!" to me and made all my dreams come true (well almost haha)!! Initially I felt sad that Maki had to suffer a lot because of his feelings for Haruta, but I know he really loves him and so I’ve been waiting for that moment when Haruta will finally return Maki's feelings and make him happy. Fortunately we see them getting the happy ending they deserve~!! The drama really did a great job showing all those funny, sweet, and bittersweet HaruMaki moments, until now I still keep on re-watching almost all of their scenes together. T_T (And OMG those kiss scenes seriously, Kento should be illegal!!!) 

Reason#3 TAKEMAKI

Okay so Ossan's Love is the only series that ever made me multi-ship!!! Since I watched the SP, I was so sure that I will be shipping Maki and Haruta hard and that they’re going to end up together (following the Hase+Haruta route in SP)... but then Takekawa Masamune happened HAHAHAHA. Takekawa-san was portrayed by Mashima-san whom I became fond of after watching another drama (TonaKazo) wherein he played as a gay character in a relationship with a younger guy too (my precious WataSaku!!!! but that's another story) so when I learned that he will be in Ossan's Love as well, I thought "wow, the more reason to look forward to it!" So some hours before the second episode aired, TheTelevison website posted this off-shot photo of Kento and Mashima-san and I was like "ooooh I can support this if it happens!!" jokingly since I love Kento and Mashima-san and they looked good in the photo together. And then as fate would have it, after the 2nd episode, the preview for the 3rd episode showed them finally interacting with each other with Takekawa-san shouting at Maki and kicking a trashcan!! And from there a lot of speculations arose-- does Takekawa-san like Haruta that's why he's angry at Maki, or he's actually Maki's ex-boyfriend?? I was praying for the latter because a lot of characters in the drama are already in love with Haruta (Buchou, Maki, Chizu)!! So somebody has to be in love with Maki too and make Haruta jealous so he'll eventually realize his feelings for Maki!! D: And then poof, THAT TAKEKAWA+MAKI “HAND-GRABBING” UNDER THE TABLE SCENE HAPPENED!! I almost fell from my seat while watching that for the first time and was like "HOW CAN THIS SCENE BE SO EROTIC?????" And so from then on I started officially shipping Maki with Takekawa-san too (although I call them my “guilty pleasure ship” since I love seeing them together but I want HaruMaki to end up together). And then it turns out they were really ex-lovers so I couldn't help wanting to know more things about when they were still in a relationship, why they broke up and so on. I keep saying this but really, I need TakeMaki spin-off of their time together!!! 

Reason#4 Everyone's acting

I know I gushed over Kento's acting a lot already, but the rest of the cast’s acting was so good as well. All characters complement each other that's why they’ve been such a delight to watch! Their interactions can be so funny and heart-warming that I just kept on wishing that each and everyone will be happy in the end! And plus points to Tanaka Kei for having extremely perfect comedic timing!!! Like other people said, Haruta can be an idiot sometimes (or most of the times?? XD) and can be borderline irritating occasionally, but Tanaka Kei makes the character adorkable and lovable despite all his flaws~ ^^;; I already watched him in another series I think two years ago (Kosodate Play) and his character there was almost similar to Haruta so I’m not surprised anymore about how extremely funny he is! ^_~

---

Wow, that’s gotten so long... I guess I should save my rant about things I’m not so fond of in the drama in another entry... 

[02121jnjn]

Your Shop's Dessert Place

Discover lessons from these 2 decorated-apparel services on just how to carve out a specific niche for your business.<br>

With new decorated-apparel stores appearing annually and also a lot of on the internet competition, you should discover means to differentiate your service from other designers to remain relevant as well as successful.<br>

How do you grow your IRON ON CLOTHING LABELS business and increase market share? Only 50% of small companies will endure five years or even more, according to the United States Small Business Administration. Also, one in 12 businesses close every year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Just how do you beat such challenging odds?<br>

Let's have a look at two industry professionals who have actually discovered their wonderful areas as well as are efficiently navigating uncharted territory and also any kind of speed bumps that may emerge.<br>

Run With It<br>

Alisha Weiss of Poulsbo, Washington-based Skyhawk Press decided to release her own business when she had problem locating her preferred things in embellished apparel. After surrendering a long commute to Seattle, she began the business out her residence's spare area.<br>

Everything began with football and her favorite team, the Liverpool Football Club, which is an emphasis of the business's Anfield Store brand name. "The Anfield Store is a store for Liverpool followers, run by Liverpool followers," Weiss claims. "We have the largest selection in The United States and Canada of accredited item, and also we also deal with Liverpool Football Club on unique merch as well as limited-release products."<br>

In fact, searching for "Liverpool Football Club Seattle" on Google will produce two lead to the Leading 10 for The Anfield Store.<br>

The Seattle area additionally is home to Naval Base Kitsap, the third-largest Navy base in the country. With Liverpool Football Club's success, Weiss had people asking, "Can you do what you're doing for football for submarines?" The answer was "Yes.".<br>

" These individuals have a story to tell," Weiss states. "It's called the quiet service due to the fact that nobody speak about it. We could develop products to improve spirits, and you've got youngsters who are missing their moms and dads. We're in our 3rd year currently as well as we do whatever from items for the people who are supporting the below from ashore, to items the team can take underway, and from funny products to heartfelt items, to congratulatory products.".<br>

While being asked about producing submarine-inspired items, Weiss additionally noticed a great deal of underemployed army spouses who, due to the area's location, were limited when it concerned task opportunities. That's where the 16Submarines brand name became fact.<br>

" I began to see a requirement," she claims. "Submarining is an extremely hard life; unlike some other naval forces that can Skype, you might be able to email, but that's your only type of communication for 6 months. A number of the spouses feel alone and are under a large amount of emotional anxiety. Working with some of them is a fantastic method [for them] to remain active and be a part of something that suggests so much to them as well as their family members.".<br>

The brand is happily powered by submarine veterans and their households.<br>

Projects That Matter.<br>

Working in a customized area can come with a distinct collection of barriers.<br>

" It's a challenge to educate a labor force on the fly," Weiss claims. "You have people [who] intend to work yet do not have background or experience in display printing or visuals arts. Additionally, people tend to move every 3 years in the armed forces area. Can you make jobs that are mobile? Regardless of the challenge, it's enjoyable as well as rewarding, and the capacity to provide someone a task is the greatest point on the planet.".<br>

Weiss loves working with jobs that mean something to people as well as make them happy-- even if it elicits a simple smile. One of the company's initial successful jobs was establishing creative assets for Amine, a chemical utilized on submarines' ventilation systems.<br>

" It has one of the most revolting odor," Weiss states. "You understand your partner is back from implementation from this smell. We did creative for Amine Air Freshener, the undersea perfume. It simply made people laugh.".<br>

One more fun project was developing merchandise for a new submarine, the U.S.S. Oregon. "I'm a child of the '90s; if you claim Oregon, I'm making around the Oregon Trail," Weiss says. "So we came out with this [layout of an] ox towing a submarine. I appreciate the chance to enjoy with the innovative components and also style something so special for these males and females and their families.".<br>

Small But Mighty.<br>

Sloan Coleman, "monster online marketer" for St. Louis-based Tiny Little Monster, intended to produce a fun, casual workplace while being associated with the neighborhood community. It really did not take long to take a particular niche market.<br>

" We such as to call ourselves the 'print shop for the people,'" she says. "We are really associated with our neighborhood and also we concentrate on charity events, non-profits and regional organization. We do live-printing events, including an annual food drive called 'Cranksgiving,' where the earnings we increase are donated to the regional food financial institution.".<br>

Part of what collections Tiny Little Monster in addition to other print shops is its determination to produce little orders-- even simply one T-shirt.<br>

" When we started, we had a 12-piece minimum for display printing, and also we disliked saying no when someone wanted just one T-shirt," Coleman states. "We discovered that we like to say yes to individuals as well as have the ability to help them. Critics might say that wastes your time, however we've located when we aid people out, we get truly incredible evaluations and also the reviews aid us get bigger and better customers, and that's just how we expand.".<br>

Your Space.<br>

If you are looking to carve out your own niche, consider your passions and also whether something is missing because sector of the market. Maybe there's a room in which you understand you can excel. Maybe it's more about being the very best in group vs. being the only game in the area.<br>

Networking also can be an exceptional method to produce concepts as well as get your first step. Think about joining your regional Chamber of Commerce, sellers' association or small-business networking organizations.