#there is one high hopes show that hasn't been released

[acourtofchaos]

A LITTLE DEATH (snippet/teaser) | Mattheo Riddle x F!Reader x Theodore Nott

Summary: Your best friends offer their help when they find out that you've never been able to finish with anyone you've been with. 18+

A/N: this is unedited and probably absolute trash but I was hoping to finish the fic today and that hasn't happened, so I thought i'd post a little snippet instead. I've still got a little bit to write before I edit which knowing me will mean adding another 1-2k to the word count 😂

Song inspo: A little death by the neighbourhood

But for whatever reason, you couldn’t say no to the offer they'd laid before you. 

It could have been down to the cherry vodka coating your brain in cotton wool or the firewhiskey burning warm through your chest - running hot in your blood.

The way you were high on having them both so close after another long month apart. How it always felt like you'd been missing pieces of yourself and only realised the hollowness that clung to your bones when they returned to you - a gold rush feeling chasing away the shadows as they slotted back into the places you'd carved out for them.

Maybe that was what was making you ache for them even closer, pressed up against you without an inch to breathe.

Or maybe it was the way Theo’s gaze roamed over your face, his hesitancy at war with his want until he watched the way you followed the swipe of his tongue over his bottom lip with a hitched breath, your own mouth parting slightly at the action and drawing his undivided attention.

The way Mattheo’s eyes had grown darker than the night surrounding you, ink black and hungry, his features sharp with a tinge of desperation - that insatiable need of his to indulge you in anything and everything you asked for. 

Despite it, their faces still held that touch of softness that told you if you declined they would swallow down whatever feelings had arisen from their offer and never let them show again. That no desire would ever come before your comfort and trust in both of them.

So maybe it was because you knew with utter surety that if anyone could take care of you properly, it was them. 

You let out a shaky breath, your hearbeat somewhere up in your throat but your mind made up, as you whispered. “Yeah okay, show me.”

You weren't sure what you were expecting when the words left you.

You’d seen both of the boys in action plenty of times during your time at hogwarts, the parties thrown by your housemates that practically promised an endless night of sin and debauchery.

You'd seen the way Mattheo and Theo had grinned like devils, dirty and wicked, in a pretty girl's presence when they knew they had them exactly where they wanted them. Witnessed how both of them kissed, all rough and fast and messy, hands fisting into hair and at the silky edge of a too short dress. 

But there was none of that now. 

Not yet at least.

Instead, Mattheo released a rushed breath of his own and slowly stalked towards you, walking you back until you met the firm heat of Theo’s chest.

Ringed hands pulled you in tighter, gentle as they curved around your hips, thumbs slipping beneath the hem of your shirt and pressing maddeningly slow circles into the skin there as Theo’s cheek brushed against your own when he bent to trail sweet kisses over the slope of your shoulder. 

You were dizzy from the attention almost immediately, overwhelmed in the best way with how good it felt to sink into one of your best friends hold and let him take care of you like that, eyes fluttering shut and head falling back against his shoulder as his kisses grew bolder.

When the air in front of you subtly shifted you knew Mattheo had drawn close enough for you to feel him despite the fact your bodies weren't touching. That the heat that swept over your skin was from his gaze devouring every inch of you, focusing on all the places Theo touched or kissed that made soft little noises catch at the back of your throat. 

It made the ache that had started as dull thrum in your veins grow into a wild, gnawing thing. Every inch of you electrified, teetering on an almost painful edge as you waited to feel him too, to see if the slow approach he was choosing to take would change once he got his hands and mouth on you. 

But then Mattheo closed the gap, pressing himself into you until you were wedged tight between them both and you couldn’t stop yourself from gasping, eyes flying open to lock on his.

The hand that wasn’t tangled in Theo’s hair shooting up to twist in the fabric of his shirt, whether to steady yourself or pull him closer you were unsure, but Mattheo let you grip him like a lifeline anyway whilst his fingers ghosted the lengths of your arms, sweeping up,up,up until he held your face between his calloused palms. 

He dipped his head and nudged your nose with his, close enough that each breath he exhaled was a warm huff against your lips, and when you started to think that he was attempting to steal the very air from your lungs and drive you insane he finally murmured your name.

Curled his tongue around the taste of it like it was something holy. Divine. Like it was a prayer. “You going to let me kiss you?” 

Theo groaned, lashes fluttering against your neck as the hand you had threaded through the soft strands of his hair tightened, his own coming to rest lightly against your neck, thumb pushing lightly against your jaw to keep your eyes on Mattheo and a messy kiss planted beside it when you made to look at him instead. “Answer him, dolcezza.” 

Salazar save you.

"Yes.” You rushed out, voice hoarse. “Please, Mattheo–” 

His mouth was on yours before you could finish. 

[gabessquishytum]

Ever since he was a child, Dream has been in love with Hob. Only one problem: Hob was his babysitter and nextdoor neighbor.

Hob was in high school and he’d babysit middle schooler Dream sometimes and he had no idea the reason Dream was so surly was that he was deep in puppy love. And so jealous of hob’s boyfriend he could cry. Once he saw them making out in a car and he threw a rock at the windshield.

But years have passed. Dream is home from college with lots of experience under his belt, all of which he’s determined to use to finally seduce hob.

Hob married that highschool boyfriend but he’s gone to seed. They aren’t in love anymore and hob is in his late twenties feeling like his life is over. He’s tired of getting ignored unless his husband wants dinner, and getting fucked without any attention to his pleasure. Dream knows exactly how poorly hob’s husband fucks him. He’s watched from outside the window.

Hob is just as beautiful as dream remembers. His husband doesn’t appreciate him so he shouldn’t get to keep him. Dream jerks off just at the sight of hob, just imagining what it would be like if dream was the one fucking his perfect body. He knows he could give him all the pleasure he’ll ever need.

Hob will be so happy to see that little boy he was once fond of. But he isn’t prepared for dream to come at him like a heat seeking missile, determined to finally have hob to himself like he always wanted.

Preferably in hob’s bed while his stupid husband is at work.

Hnnnngngg yeah this is. Yeah.

Hob is trying his best out here, okay. He's trying to be a good husband. He cooks nice meals, he arranges nice dates, he tries to communicate and he's constantly trying to liven things up in the bedroom. But Will seems to have checked out of the marriage emotionally. He doesn't even have the decency to check whether Hob has even cum. And Hob doesn't want a failed marriage when he's barely halfway through his twenties, but that's how it is.

Dream's return is... opportune. To say the least. Suddenly Hob has someone to grab coffee with, someone to feed those nice meals to when Will doesn't bother coming home. Someone to talk to. Dream was always such a sweet boy and now he's handsome, too. Hob figures he deserves a little eye candy, under the circumstances.

But there's nothing sweet in the way Dream looks at Hob. Menacing, hungry, needy. Hob would be creeped out if he wasn't flattered. He knows that Dream has been watching, and maybe he's been putting on a bit of a show. He hasn't felt like he was even worth looking at for a while. Now he bends over in his bedroom and fucks himself with four fingers, in full view of the window. He knows that Dream is parked out in his car, watching and jerking off. He's been inside Dream’s car before, and he's sure he could smell his release.

It's not going to be long now. Hob’s self control is slipping. He answers the door to Dream shirtless, he allows those touches that skim down over his back and arse. He gets tipsy with Dream over dinner and rubs his foot up against Dream’s hard cock, through his jeans.

He really kind of hopes that Will comes home to see Dream fucking him in the middle of their loveless marital bed. The marriage is past saving, and the thought of having Dream’s cum inside him makes Hob ache. Dream will never ignore him or let him down, that's for sure.

And as for what Dream thinks? He knows that he'll get what he wants eventually. As soon as his pathetic husband is humiliated, Dream is taking Hob out of this shithole to somewhere he can shine.

Good things come to those who wait.

[hypersomnia-insomniac]

TKR Men Taking Care of Their Sick Partner HCs

Characters: Hakkai, Mitsuya, Taiju

CW: None

Reader: GN w/ high fever/super sick

Part 2

Mitsuya

As much as he loves you, he will be wearing a mask and maintaining a 3 feet distance at all times. He has little sisters to take care of and a sewing club to run, getting sick is not an option.

He'll sit you on the couch swaddled in blankets with your favorite show/movie playing while he goes and cleans. Mitsuya's the type to clean so well that he'll leave things better than when he arrived.

If you're the type that has a chronic illness or get sick often, he'll make you a few sets of custom of PJs that are so comfortable you feel like you're floating on clouds.

Since he often cooks for his sisters and mom, you bet you're gonna get an easy to eat, nutritious meal that is so good you groggily propose to Mitsuya right then and there.

"I'll think about it. Get better first," he says calmly. Deep inside he's already designing your wedding outfits.

Once you're asleep, cuddling the plushy he made, Mitsuya will gently push your hair out of your face and just bask in your beauty.

"Sorry I can't cuddle with you, baby. I'll make it up to you when you're better, promise."

Hakkai

Even though the both of you have been dating for some time, Hakkai is still nervous when it's just the two of you. So, his visits will usually be with Takemichi or Yuzuha and you guys might play some games or watch some shows if you're up for it. He'll slide you some sweets or takeout you're craving as well.

If he visits by himself, however, that's different.

When he first enters your home, he's flustered. He hasn't been in your room before, especially not with just the two of you alone. But when he sees you passed out on your bed with a flushed face and heavy eyebags, he puts all his nervousness aside.

If you end up waking up a little, Hakkai will bend down beside your bed and caress your face.

"Ho- How ya feeling? Have you eaten yet?" He'll whisper, eyebrows furrowed.

You say no, and he gets straight to work. He lifts you gently from your bed and props you up on the couch. After opening the blinds just enough to let some needed light in without adding to your migraine, he'll unpack the soup he brought.

Let's be honest, no one can top Mitsuya's food, but he tried and that alone made you feel better.

Once you're done eating, he'll let you hold his hand or let you lay on his lap if you ask. Of course, Hakkai's face will be just as red as yours and trembling like a leaf. But, he loves you and you're already his partner, so he'll brave it.

Taiju

My HC for him is that he's a germaphobe, total clean freak. He hardly ever gets sick, but something about snots and boogers grosses him out. Taiju runs a tight ship, a clean ship.

He probably won't visit very often. If you're just sniffling a bit, he'll drop off food and snacks before leaving. Maybe a hug, and definitely no kiss.

If you're having a full on coughing fit and sneezing like your lungs are filled with dust, he isn't coming within 10 feet of you. Taiju will use his long limbs to keep you faaaar away from him.

Taiju is the type to call you and stare at you through a window scolding you for getting sick. You're tired of it, but you know he cares when he sends someone by with a goody bag.

It's usually Yuzuha or the cat and dog duo (Koko and Inui). Most often it contains medicine and food that he forced had someone make. If you're lucky you might even get a card!

"Get Well." It reads. You're unsure if it's heartwarming or a threat. Either way, you're happy.

Author's Note:

This is the first installment of my "Sick S/O" HC series! I'll be adding onto it as I watch the anime and read through the manga. I hope to do all the characters and eventually do a girl version, but I don't quite have a grasp on Senju's personality yet and I want to release all the girls in one post.

[i-like-media]

Ok I've said before food as a love language is incredibly important to the plot and character relationships in Broadchurch, but I'd LOVE to specifically unpack S1 Ellie and Alec's relationship more when it comes to this. (excuse the image quality)

Ellie and Alec are at odds with each other from the start. Ellie is incredibly connected with the community hurt by Danny's death and very openly caring, while Alec is standoffish and with very little connection to the community.

This great divide is best seen with this love language!

Ellie especially at the start will offer food and drinks, which Alec ends up declining one way or the other. It creates a big disconnect between the two as they still are getting to know each other and further shows Alec's standoffish character and disconnect from the community.

In fact, Ellie even gets a bit offended when Alec doesn't naturally offer the same service (getting/making a drink for someone) when he's making tea. I'd even say, Alec doesn't take great care of himself the first season when it comes to food.

He often neglects his basic need for sustenance (adding once again to his distant personality) Which to Ellie might seem especially foreign. Still, no matter how many times he shoots down her offers (or accepts it but doesn't eat it), she keeps on coming with more food just as a base level of care.

To Ellie, giving food to others is basically second nature, even if she doesn't like them. Though giving food to Alec is a service only for those he respects and values, a love that needs to be earned.

You could even say at the start, food is to Alec as much release as his medicine are for survival. To get through the day and focus on other more dire things.

But these are just small interactions. He knows how to handle a cup of tea, but he doesn't know how to place himself when he's invited over for dinner. It's an platonic intimacy he hasn't had the pleasure of enjoying in a while.

And because food to Alec is such high tier level of friendship, he feels like he has to give the same kind of appreciation back to the Miller for inviting him...... By going overboard and buying flowers, chocolate AND wine.

and still as he's eating dinner he can't help but interrogate Joe a bit and not fully let his guard down. Because honestly, besides his job he doesn't have any Outside Of Work pleasantries going on. That guard is the most stable thing he's got

But he starts to warm up more and more, making toast for himself on the job, which surprises Ellie too. But as his heart problems and worries catch up to him he feels forced to still deprave himself from joy

But you can tell he's grown more connected to the community as a whole and his colleagues, with him even offering to pay for a round of drinks while not even present. Unknowingly, taking on some traits from Ellie, while Ellie slowly becomes more serious and straight to the point like Alec.

Then as Alec finally collapses fully and the true nature of his condition is revealed, Ellie of course becomes angry he didn't tell her. She says she hoped he'd choke on the grape seeds but in reality this is her being worried for him and showing she cares.

Then you have the reveal, and food as a love language takes on a whole different meaning

Where her love had previously filled her stomach, the breaking of her heart throws it all out again. Her vomiting at the revelation is honestly the perfect way for her character to show her world has been turned upside down. it's gut wrenching.

And don't think I didn't notice the bright yellow mug behind the picture of her family, as she packs up her stuff to leave the case and sleep in a hotel. The security of her life, her love, stolen from her by the action of someone she trusted.

The symbolism of it all just in S1 is insane.. .i can't get enough of it.

[kwanisms]

[22:40], Seungcheol, requested by anon

╰┈➤ FF10 "Even if we don't talk for days, I'll always be your best friend" & F20 "everything about you is amazing to me."

summary: your best friend comes by to see why you've been ignoring his messages and calls and you wonder why he hasn't been texting you

wc: 1.7k

warnings: miscommunication, sad feelings, maybe some adult dialogue? I think that's it though

a/n: I hope you like this! It was fun to write and try to figure out how Y/N would get notifications but not from Seungcheol so I figured DND mode would work pretty well! Thank you for your request!

════════════════════════════════

You let out a sad sigh, checking your phone to see several notifications but not from the one person you wanted them from.

You were well aware that your best friend had a life of his own, a demanding career as an idol, and 12 other members to look after but damn it all if you didn't miss Choi Seungcheol.

The two of you had been friends ever since you transferred school, after moving to Daegu with your family. You were nine years old and at that age, boys and girls started to divide, thinking the other had cooties.

But Seungcheol was different. He introduced himself on your first day and stuck by you the whole time.

He'd been by your side ever since. Best friends for always.

And that's how it had always been. Even in junior high when your classmates started showing interest in each other, you and Cheol never found ant romantic interest in you nor you in him, despite what your friends and family said.

Everyone was determined you'd end up dating at some point but it was never like that. You were just best friends.

You were always there for each other and when Cheol auditioned for and got accepted by Pledis Entertainment, you were the first to congratulate him.

Of course, this meant he had to leave Daegu, and unfortunately you, behind to move to Seoul.

His words the day he left were some you'd never forget.

You'd spent half the day crying, claiming he'd forget you in the first year and in true fashion, he hugged you tightly, remind you that you had six years of friendship with you.

"You are my most favorite person in the entire universe, Y/N," he said softly, holding your hands while standing at the KTA station with his parents and your own.

His hands released yours and moved to cup your cheeks. "Everything about you is amazing to me, I couldn't find a new best friend if I tried," he added, gently squishing your cheeks before pulling you into a tight hug, the only kind he ever gave you.

Five years later, Cheol finally debuted in a group called SEVENTEEN with twelve other boys. You graduated high school in Daegu and moved to Seoul on scholarship to SNU* to study veterinary medicine. Moving to Seoul meant a new chapter in your life.

And it meant you were closer to your best friend.

At first, it was difficult for Cheol to meet you but eventually he managed to find some time. As SEVENTEEN continued to grow and find more and more success, Cheol had less and less free time to meet with you in between your classes.

But you always managed to make it work.

Now, being the leader of a globally recognized k-pop group, Seungcheol wasn't as busy as before, trying to help make a name for his group, he was able to have a bit more freedom and also to see you more.

Of course, when you weren't busy with your own career.

After graduating, you managed to snatch a position at one of the busiest vet clinics in Hongdae. You were on a team of three vets, each with three of their own techs. It had a rather large client base but you weren't complaining. It paid the bills of your nice flat near Hongdae, overlooking the river.

It had been several weeks since you'd heard from and even longer since you'd seen Cheol at this point. You never tried to let it bother you before because you were adults now, not children. He had his own circle of friends and colleagues as did you.

But it hurt nonetheless when your notification would ping and it wasn't your best friend texting you or sending you some dumb meme. Your own messages to him had been left on read and of course that didn't mean anything with Cheol and you knew that. He was notorious for checking but not answering his messages.

You just tried to ignore the sad sinking feeling inside you as best as you could but sometimes, your brain got the better of you.

Like today for instance. It was a day like any other, nice weather, the city below your balcony was teeming with life, preparing for Seollal, but you couldn't be bothered to join them, even as the day turned into night and the city really came alive. You just sat wrapped up in your favorite blanket and your own self wallowing.

Your phone pinged again but you'd given up looking at it, instead engrossed in a small pint of Ben & Jerry's you'd saved in your freezer for your next inevitable breakup but decided to indulge a little sooner. And the fact that the expiration date was drawing nearer was not a deciding factor in your indulgence at all.

None whatsoever.

It was just after ten in the evening and you were about halfway through your pint of Chubby Hubby, ignoring the sporadic pings of your phone for the peanut buttery swirls of the frozen treat in your hands when there was a loud pounding knock at your front door.

You almost hadn't heard it but upon hearing it, you turned in your place on your balcony sofa and peered through the glass door.into your apartment. It was silent only for a moment before another loud banging could be heard.

You got up carefully, carrying your ice cream and spoon, blanket still draped over your shoulders as you crossed the floor quickly to see who had disturbed your date with Ben and Jerry.

Pressing the camera button on your intercom system revealed none other than your best friend, standing outside your door looking all sorts of worried and panicked.

Confused and bewildered, you set your ice cream and spoon down and unlocked the door, pulling it open enough to peer through the crack and into the hallway.

The expression on Seungcheol's face morphed from worry to relief upon seeing you. He pushed past the door, wrapping his arms around you, blanket and all, and engulfing you in a tight hug.

"Oh My God I was so worried!" he said, his words muffled by your blanket as he buried his face in your shoulder.

Still just as confused, you hugged him back, uncertain why he was acting as if you had died or something.

When he pulled back, he held you at arms length, looking over you quickly. "Why are you wearing a blanket?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing. "Are you cold? Do you have a fever? What's wrong?"

His words were all over the place, hands moving quickly as he felt your forehead, cheek, and checked to make sure you weren't physically ill.

"Cheol," you whined as he pulled you over to the kitchen island and made you sit down, readjusting your blanket. His eyes fell on the half eaten pint of Ben & Jerry's and the spoon lying beside it before they flitted back to you.

"Who is he?" he demanded. "I'm gonna hurt him."

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "Calm down Rambo," you snorted. "There is no he," you added. Seungcheol pointed accusatively at the pint sitting on the white countertop, to which you shook your head.

"I'm not eating it cause I got dumped," you explained.

"Then why are you eating ice cream at ten-forty at night?" your best friend demanded.

You shrugged your shoulders. "I'm just a little sad," you replied softly. The stern expression on Seungcheol's face melted away as he took your hands in his. "Why are you sad?" he whispered, sitting across from you in the other bar stool at your kitchen island.

You shrugged your shoulders again, not meeting his gaze.

"Y/N," Seungcheol said, his voice a little louder and more demanding.

"It's nothing," you said, trying to pull away from your best friend but he was much stronger, having been in and out of the gym daily the past few years while you hadn't touched anything heavier than a house cat lately. Seriously, when did he get so strong?

"Y/N, you aren't going anywhere until you tell me why you're sad and why you've been ignoring me."

Wait… what? Ignoring him?

You looked up to meet his gaze finally.

"Ignoring you? I haven't been ignoring you," you replied.

Seungcheol looked around your apartment. "Where's your phone?" he asked. You nodded towards your balcony, lamenting the loss of his warmth as Seungcheol got up and walked over to the sliding glass door, opened it, and picked up your phone.

He returned, unlocking it with your pass code before checking your notifications. As he searched, he let out a groan and rolled his eyes.

"Did you mean to turn on 'Do Not Disturb' mode?" he asked, turning your phone towards you.

The notifications that you received earlier only came in from your boss and your mother. How had you not noticed that?? Oh, because you weren't looking at your phone the whole time.

You quickly grabbed your phone from Seungcheol and opened your chat thread with him to find many unread messages and even a few missed calls.

You let out a laugh, setting your phone on the counter and shook your head. "I think I accidentally switched it on at work the other day," you said as Seungcheol sat across from you again.

"I thought you were mad at me," he said, hanging his head and you shook yours. "I'm not," you replied. "Honestly, I thought maybe you were mad at me or something," you added, causing Seungcheol to snap his head up to look at you.

"You've been a little distant lately," you continued to explain but stopped when your best friend took your hands in his again.

"I promise I'm not mad or upset either. Work the last few weeks has been… intense to say the least. I've been so tired and stressed that I haven't been able to focus on anything else. I'm so sorry," he said softly, offering you a sincere smile and apology.

"Even if we don't talk for days, I’ll always be your best friend, Y/N," he added, squeezing your hands gently.

You returned the smile and nodded. Of course you'll always be best friends. Seungcheol said it himself. He'd never be able to find a better best friend than you and you'd never be able to find a better best friend than him.

"Now that we got that out of the way," Seungcheol said before dropping his smile and giving you a stern but bewildered look.

"Why the hell am I not included in your 'Do Not Disturb' exceptions list?"

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

The line between acknowledging and being vocal about industry issues, idol management, company policies and much more and becoming a manager fan that is convinced their favorite idol is persecuted and disrespected at every step is a really fine line which is getting crossed more and more and I feel that we're losing a grip on reality.

Especially when this is a discourse surrounding rich, influential and respected idols. Not that they would be immune, but I'd say it's a bit different if we're talking about a successful man in his 30s or a young boy in a rookie group that gets ignored. Or women idols for that matter. We shouldn't forget them.

I'm saying this because there's always a slippery slope that I saw with Jimin's case and now with Taemin. As much as there were clear and evident issues with Jimin's solo album release, he's also one of the most important idols out there. His name means something. He's among the top succesful idols which says a lot as we know that a big percentage of idols don't get a high level of success or a really significant income. I was never shy in talking about the things that went wrong with that promotion period, the weird weverse articles and everything else, but Jimin also resigned a contract, he's staying at that company and he's part of that group and so far there hasn't been any other news so let's not turn unsaid, imaginary things or our own wishes into reality.

As to Taemin, he too had a short period of promotional activities which seems to be the standard now. What a shame to go through it at such a fast pace that we're not able to sit with an album, to have performances spread throughout, to immerse ourselves. This is the industry's fault and I hope that at some point, people with decision power will realize and make some changes.

Taemin not performing at an end of the year show is unfortunate. Yes, it is. But why the need to exaggerate? Why? Just a couple of weeks ago he had more than 2h of performances in a show that will be taken to Japan. Taemin promoted the album and the title song and having a 2-day concert is not something insignificant. Why are we forgetting this?

Taemin is not disrespected, he's the idol in SM that has had the most opportunities since early on and we can see that until present day. He's been able to perform how he wants and do the concepts he likes and he's actively creating a legacy. He is K-Pop. A 20 something idol doing a cover of Guilty is the proof of the influence Taemin has. This is not something new and certainly not bad. I'm surprised at how many people can't seem to understand that.

We need to find a balance and stop with the persecution theme that has been spread through fandoms.

[cheesy09]

[CN] Kiro's 2023 Birthday Prequel

🌸 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for content that hasn't been released on the EN server yet! 🌸

[Note: This prequel was translated with the help of Google Translate :>]

[Chapter 1: Returned Treasure]

After turning the key into the keyhole twice, the door was pushed open.

"Take a look at it first, Kiro. If you want to buy additional furniture and appliances, just let me know."

Accompanied by the man's words, Kiro walked through the entrance hall, a bit of deliberate curiosity in his blue eyes as he looked at the new residence that the company had arranged for him.

The living room was very spacious, enough to place a lot of music equipment.

The kitchen was L-shaped, and the aisles were neither wide nor narrow. There was a refrigerator, oven and other high-end appliances built into the wall cabinets. There was only one thing missing - a microwave.

For a "killer cook", it could almost be considered one of the greatest inventions in the world.

But he didn't want to trouble the unfamiliar man in front of him, so he nodded deceptively and walked towards the bedroom. But as soon as he stepped through the door, he frowned.

Although the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the room was extremely dark, and the white bed and wardrobe in his field of vision were covered with a layer of gloomy gray.

The instigator behind this was a drab building standing next door. The walls looked like cracked skin, mottled and old.

The man seemed to have noticed something and said softly, "It's disturbing being blocked by this building, isn't it? But it will be demolished soon."

"Disturbing?"

The subconscious rhetorical question made the man stunned, but he quickly reacted and showed two rows of big white teeth.

"Hey, is this a northern dialect? How should I explain it..."

"When something makes you feel uncomfortable and upset, we call it disturbing..." As if he found it hard to describe at once, the other party started to make gestures.

Kiro listened quietly while observing the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes in front of him. An hour ago, he had introduced himself in the pick-up hall --

Savin, a manager of B.S. Entertainment and the one responsible for his acting arrangements in Loveland City in the future.

He'd heard this information from Pen a long time ago, but he still wasn't sure whether the other party was a member of B.S. But it didn't matter. There would always be more than one pair of eyes lurking around him.

Therefore, he took Savin's words very naturally.

"Haha - so that's what it meant. It's okay, Savin, I'm not disturbed."

The casual form of address made Savin stunned for a moment, and his eyes softened. "You must know that we Northeasterners can easily take away people's accents. You should learn less, don't be afraid of using your usual Californian accent..."

Savin paused and handed the key in his hand to Kiro.

"Also... I know you've just returned to China, and you must be uncomfortable with everything."

"Food, accent, residence... including the people. But all of this is temporary. I believe you'll find your own rhythm here soon."

Under Savin's sincere gaze, Kiro also nodded solemnly.

"Okay, how about this for today? I'll leave first. You have a good rest. I'll see you at the company tomorrow."

Savin walked out as he spoke. The moment he closed the door, another sentence was hurriedly squeezed in, "If you need anything, please call me at any time!"

Bang - the door was shut.

Kiro finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to walk to the suitcase he brought back from California - one which was filled with souvenirs he'd collected over the years.

He touched the box and smiled, then walked around again before finally opening an inconspicuous low cabinet and putting it inside.

This was the "treasure" he hid, and the keyhole could only be accessed by one person.

"Hey, I'm back with the treasure box. I hope I can find you soon."

[Chapter 2: Tiny Light]

--8:30 a.m.

A sharp ringing sounded throughout the bedroom.

"Mm..."

Accompanied by a vague voice, a slender arm stretched out from under the quilt. It followed it's owner's will and groped around the bed, but as it fumbled, it grew impatient. It kept swatting at the bedside like a gopher until the world became quiet, and an unknown amount of time had passed.

The man who had been dreaming suddenly opened his eyes, looking around in panic and confusion. However, in his misty vision, there was only a tiny cluster of light huddled pitifully in the corner, secretly confusing time, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

Kiro had no choice but to pick up his phone and take a look -- 8:38 a.m.

"......"

He helplessly rubbed his messy blond hair, walked to the window with bare feet, and pulled the already open curtains wider to both sides. However, the light only spread a little symbolically, illuminating half of the floor.

--It seemed a little disturbing.

He frowned and inadvertently stepped into the sunlight.

The thin light could only illuminate half of his body, but the corners that were illuminated were dazzling enough. He subconsciously squinted his eyes and followed the trajectory, all the way out of the dilapidated building next door. After that, he saw the endless flow of vehicles and the small crows of people going back and forth.

At this moment, Kiro's heart seemed to open up.

There was nice whether today.

-

--9:30 a.m. B.S. Entertainment Conference Room

"Kiro, although you've just returned to China, you should rest for a while to adjust yourself."

"But there haven't been many domestic entertainment resources recently, and everyone has be rushing to grab them, so we should seize this opportunity."

Savin picked up a stack of papers and handed them to Kiro, "If you continue to focus on your music, your development will become more rigid, so the company has secured some film and television audition opportunities for you."

"We can't just be singers, we need to become famous superstars."

Upon hearing that, Kiro knew that this had been the decision taken up by B.S. After all, only by expanding his influence in all directions would it be easier to do things for them. But he wasn't put-off. He knew very well that only by constantly broadening his own path, would he be able to take the initiative into his own hands sooner.

"Alright, Savin. I just have one question." He flipped through the audition details in the file. "When will the auditions start and how much time do I have to prepare?"

Kiro's calmness made Savin laugh and adjust the watch on his wrist slightly.

"Two o'clock in the afternoon. There's an audition for a sports commercial."

"Okay, I'll get ready now."

[Chapter 3: Good at Joy and Happiness]

In just a month, Kiro's success rate in auditions was nearly 75%. But when Savin reviewed the results, he frowned, "Strange... why did the auditions for movies and TV series fail?"

A trace of frustration flashed in Kiro's eyes, "I'll continue working hard. Please give me some time."

After a moment, Savin spoke in a deep voice, "Don't worry, this isn't something you have to work hard on alone. I'll find you a professional acting teacher. It's okay. There's no need to rush for success. We still have time and opportunities."

With that said, he took out his cell phone and walked out, until a polite greeting came from the corridor.

-

The next day, Kiro was already in the garden of the lecturer's home--

"Hello, Mr. Chen. My name's Kiro."

He nodded slightly and looked at the man sitting on the wooden chair.

It was easy to tell from the drooping wrinkles on the other person's face that he was already a bit old, but his sharp eyes made him appear to be in high spirits.

"Mm, Savin told me everything."

"But before we start with the class, tell me, what do you think acting is?"

Kiro stayed silent for a while before considering his answer.

"Acting to me... is about interpreting different lives."

"That's half right, but it's more accurate to continue living these different lives." The teacher raised his eyebrows, "Although the characters in the scripts are fictitious, and the plot is also fictitious, most of them come from real life."

"In the corners you can't see, and to the people you can't see, ever-changing things happen every day. Actors are there to live these lives again."

Hearing this, Kiro seemed to vaguely understand what the teacher meant - "deduction" and "experience" seemed to be two different things.

But before he could continue to digest it, the teacher undid the folds on his pants and said, "That's all. Let's do some imagination and sensitivity training."

"Now, close your eyes and imagine that you're walking in a forest. The grass is soft and the sound of the stream is in your ears. But you also hear the rustling sounds coming from the grass in the distance. What do you think is there?"

"A rabbit..." Kiro closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

"Then, what do you want to do?"

Kiro couldn't help but hold his breath, and stepped forward more slowly. He groped his way to the grass and squatted down, "Hey... would you like to come into my arms and play for a while?"

As he spoke, he opened his arms and waited quietly. It wasn't until his body suddenly froze that he carefully retracted his arms, as if he were really picking up a rabbit... Then, he tilted his head and raised his right hand gently.

Caressing down.

"Hello, I'm Kiro."

Unconsciously, the teacher's voice also became much softer, "After playing with you for a while, the rabbit suddenly ran into the bushes."

"....!"

A hint of panic appeared on Kiro's face. He placed his palms on the ground and leaned down to search.

"You've been looking for it for a long time, but you haven't found any trace of it..."

He was silent for a while, then curled his lips in relief, "It's okay, we'll definitely meet again next time."

"Very good, remember this feeling now." The teacher's voice could not hide his excitement, "You did not follow the public's logic to express your loss, but followed your true feelings. Those are the feelings you want, remember?"

Before he finished speaking, a sharp cry passed through the sky--

Kiro subconsciously closed his eyes and raised his head. At the same time, the teacher also spoke vigorously, "There's a Swift flying across the sky right now!"

"Swift..?"

"Yes, it's a bird that flies all its life."

"Because of their body structure, it's difficult for them to take off once they stop, so they only stop on branches to rest."

"Do you want to keep flying?"

The teacher smiled lightly, "Since we're curious about it, let's go and see its life."

"Now imagine that you are it. Your body is very light, and countless sceneries pass your feet. You just watch them from winter to spring, from dry to blooming, never stopping."

Kiro gently opened his arms. Under the guidance of the teacher, his arms gradually became sore, as if there were thousands of pounds of stones pressing on them.

"You'll also grow tired during this period. Looking at every corner of the city, there is no resting place for you to take off again."

Kiro suddenly felt uncomfortable. He found that he and the Swift were very similar.

They have always been on the road. Although there had been very beautiful places to sing and see along the way, when they said goodbye again, they would be greeted by an endless flight.

But--

"It doesn't matter, I can persist."

Kiro said in his heart.

"I'll keep flying until I find a place where I can rest peacefully and then stop."

[Chapter 4: First Show of Strength]

After repeated training, Kiro became more empathetic.

Even with the scorching sun above his head, he could be so cold that he would tremble all over, huddled in a corner waiting for the snow mountaineering team; or he could stand on flat ground, but there could be an abyss beneath his feet, making him feel dizzy, struggling hard on the edge of the cliff.

His heart was now able to deceive his eyes and brain with ease.

"Kiro, Kiro!"

Kiro, who had just finished training, saw Savin running towards him in a hurry, holding a suit of armor and carrying a red tassel gun.

"What is this, Savin?"

"The actor playing the young Sun Ce in "Three Kingdoms", temporarily broke the contract due to scheduling issues, so we're going to audition now."

"Three Kingdoms?"

"You must know that this is a production worth hundreds of millions. If you can get this role, it would be better than acting in ten other unknown works."

Savin shook the armor as he spoke, causing the fine dust covering it to sway. "Ahem! This is a costume taken from the company's warehouse. Let's make do with it for now."

"If your mixed-race looks go directly for the auditions, you'll definitely suffer a big loss, so let's take care of your hair first before going over." He took out a black wig from the helmet and quickly combed it with his fingers, "We can't miss out on the wig and contact lenses..."

Savin's rare rushed appearance made Kiro confused, so when he saw that the wig was about to cover him, he subconsciously tilted his head to avoid it.

"Savin, what is the Three Kingdoms? Why do I have to wear these? Do I need to act in a costume film?

"You kid..! Have you heard of the Four Great Classics? Do you know the romance of the Three Kingdoms? That's the story in it."

"I've heard of it, but I haven't even read the scripts, so can I just go directly to the auditions?" Before he finished speaking, the hairband was placed on Kiro's head with lightning speed.

"You can't control that much. Just try it."

After getting his hair done, Savin picked up the armor and put it on for him, one by one. At that moment, the teacher who had been sitting on the wooden chair also slowly said, "I remember you said that your dream when you were a child was to be a superhero. Now I tell you, Sun Ce is also a hero. So it doesn't matter if you don't know his life, just remember that he is a a hero who is not afraid of anything."

These words began to play in Kiro's mind over and over again, until he arrived at the shooting scene with Savin. The director improvised an audition topic--

"You are now fighting a battle with less to win more, but because you have no escape, you are fearless."

Along with his words, flags were flying on the distant city wall, and wolf smoke was also billowing. Kiro looked at all of it this, and his heart remained very calm. Although he didn't know what the Three Kingdoms was about, he knew what a hero was.

The next second, he walked to a white horse, holding a red tassed gun in his hand, and jumped on it.

The workers around him were hurriedly moving their filming equipment, but in Kiro's ears, he could hear the sound of horns roaring, and the sound of thousands of horse hooves trampling behind him.

At that moment, Kiro was convinced that he was on the battlefield.

Amidst a horse's cry that pierced the sky, he loosened his reins and galloped forward, riding into the wolf smoke that was about to engulf the world. There were only a bunch of red tassels, as bright as a torch. Even the beacon of fire in the sky couldn't annihilate it, as if it were soaring into the sky.

--"All officers and men, listen to my order and join me on the battlefield."

[Chapter 5: Forgotten Birthday]

He got the role of Sun Ce. In addition to receiving congratulations from all around, he also heard some nasty remarks--

"A mixed-race guy with blond hair and blue eyes wants to play a famous historical figure. Isn't there something fishy about this?"

It would be a lie to say he didn't care, but Kiro also knew the distance between himself and Sun Ce. He began to frequent the library and borrowed one history book after another, but found that the words were concise and difficult to understand. He ran to ask Savin and found that they were classical Chinese texts, written articles in ancient Chinese.

He had no choice but to borrow another classical Chinese dictionary and compare it word by word. After a long time, in his dreams, he would be wearing a robe and looking at a bottle of Coke that was as tall as a human being, shaking its head and saying something.

"Ran, ran."

But due to the language barrier, coke was sprayed all over him, which made him wake up.

There were many such interesting things, which made him enjoy the learning. But the more he got to know Sun Ce, the more Kiro discovered that in his eyes, this man could not completely be called a hero. He was just forced to be involved in the mud of history, especially since the death of his father. How many decisions had he made, and how many goals did he really want to achieve?

With that mentality, the filming of the scene about the young Sun Ce began--

"Kiro, isn't the helmet a little tight? But it's too late to customize it. Please bear with me."

"It's okay, director. This is nothing to me."

"Kiro, there are some risks in this fight scene. If you can't adapt, we can find a substitute."

"...I think if I do it myself, the effect will be better."

In addition to constant contact with the filming scene, the director would also patiently point how people in ancient times spoke, behaved, and pronounced.

It's just that there were so many things to learn. So whenever the filming ended, he would sit in a corner alone and watch and learn.

Days like this went on and on. Then one day, a small change occurred--

"Happy Birthday, Kiro! I got this on the internet."

At that moment, the director who had been looking at the storyboard also heard the sound and put down what he was holding, "Kiro, happy birthday."

"....."

"Why are you just blinking and not talking? Is it because you were so lost during filming that you don't even remember your birthday?" The director teased, then raised his hand to look at the time and called for the makeup artist to come over.

"Time is tight. Take him to put on his makeup first."

Kiro didn't say anything more and left with the makeup artist.

But on the way, he took out his mobile phone as if to confirm--

April 9th. He was so busy that he had forgotten about it.

[Chapter 6: Stopped Swift]

"Okay, cut! This fight scene was great!"

"Would you like to do it again? There were a few movements I could've done better..."

The director smiled and waved his hand, "No, I liked the energy you had just now. Not ruthless, just high-spirited. And isn't it your birthday today? Go back quickly."

"It's okay, director. I want to stay for a while to observe and learn."

Kiro shook his head quickly. There was a highlight today and he didn't want to miss the confrontation between "Zhuge Liang" and "Sima Yi".

"It's okay. Don't think about it, your friends and family are all waiting to surprise you." The director deliberately frowned, half-pushed Kiro, and asked him to leave the set.

After taking off his armor, Kiro walked lightly on the crowded streets. At that moment, he suddenly felt as though he were back in California. At that time, he had no place he wanted to go and walked one road after another. What had changed today? He obviously wanted to stay on set to study today, but why did he still have to "wander" outside?

Was celebrating a birthday really necessary?

Why couldn't he just spend the day sitting in a corner of the set and watching?

Do we have to buy a cake and sing happy birthday to make this day not go by in vain?

A series of self-questions made him stop and sit on a bench, feeling discouraged.

Let's get over this day quickly... When it's over, you can stay at the filming site with confidence.

While he was convincing himself, a girl carrying a schoolbag and her mother walked past, hand in hand. The mother was wearing a floral skirt, carrying a shopping bag in her right hand. The scallions sticking out of her bag swayed with her footsteps.

What was more beautiful than the sunset were the ordinary human fireworks.

Then, he laughed and rubbed his head.

Kiro, what are you being pretentious about? You have two choices now: First, go buy a cake for your birthday; second, go back and do some weight-training, and then fall asleep from exhaustion.

Just as he was making a decision in his mind, a white nanny car stopped in front of him.

"What are you doing here, kid? Get in the car."

He looked at Savin who rolled down the window in surprise. His mind went blank for a moment, so much so that he didn't even remember how he got in the car. When he regained consciousness, he already had a gift box in his arms.

"Happy birthday," Savin said with a smile. "I originally wanted to give it to you in the morning, but the company's kept me busy with work. I finally finished it and was about to send you home..."

"The director told me you had left, but why were you still sitting here?"

"...I was sitting here to observe life."

Kiro tried explaining things, but what he got in return was Savin's blank stare.

"That's not important. I'm here to tell you some good news. It might be your best gift today."

With that said, Savin took out a document from the side and handed it to Kiro, "The director recognizes you very much and has recommended you to senior directors everywhere. This is an audition invitation sent by them. Basically, you're the protagonist."

"From my professional point of view, starting from the young Sun Ce this time," Savin became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. Because he was speaking too fast, his face turned red.

"It won't be too long before you become a superstar, because you were born to be one!"

Faced with such powerful acknowledgment, Kiro didn't know what to say for a while.

Music and performing have always been his dreams, but he didn't know how many people would like his abilities.

Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? One million?

He didn't know.

He just opened the folder in silence, looking at the audition requirements, thinking quickly about how to feel so that he could express those characters more realistically.

But what was certain now was that in the face of those demands, he was no longer as overwhelmed as he was two months ago.

Maybe he had gradually adapted to this city. Just like France and California... he would find his own place in this huge city.

Suddenly, a swift black shadow passed through his peripheral vision, and Kiro subconsciously raised his head and looked out the window.

A bird was sitting on a high branch.

--It was a Swift.

Translation Masterlist: here

Kiro's Habitat Date: HERE

[cherrylng]

Muse Disc Guide - Showbiz [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

IN MUSIC

In the UK in 1999, dance and idol music dominated the scene. This trio emerged in the midst of such a rock slump and brought new life and hope to the scene with their rich creativity and solid musicianship, which were not typical of newcomers.

At the time of making this album, their average age was just over 20. However, for the three, who had been playing together in a band since junior high school, this was their first album. Most of the songs on the album were written over the span of several years. Seven of the songs (2/ Muscle Museum, 5/ Cave, 7/ Unintended, 8/ Uno, 9/ Sober, 11/ Escape, 12/ Overdue) have already been released on rare EPs from their former label, Dangerous (although the recording times and versions were different).

The growth they have achieved since their formation is in direct proportion to the variety of music they have absorbed during that time. From classical to boogie-woogie, Matthew's musical origins lie in the piano, Dom started playing drums after jazz, and Chris has played guitar, keyboards, drums and a variety of other instruments. They started playing in bands around 1992, just as the grunge wave was blowing, but they also digested melodic punk, grebo, goth, alternative metal and more.

What ultimately defined their uniqueness was Matthew's insatiable inquisitiveness and omnivorous tastes. At the age of 17, Matthew wandered around Europe, getting to know the folk music of different regions and later learning to play the Spanish guitar. In his late teens, he returned to classical piano, including Chopin and Rachmaninoff, while the influence of Jeff Buckley became evident in his melancholic melodies and emotional singing style with a deft use of falsetto. This album, which has all of this in its blood, is a debut that is still in its infancy compared to their second and later albums, which fully developed their unique personalities, but it is diverse and accomplished enough to show their potential. The coexistence of the dramatic contrasts of movement and stillness, as well as the coexistence of the intense emotion and elegant romanticism represented by (3/ Fillip), can be said to be the cornerstone of the ‘Muse’ style. —Imai Sumi

-

1999 Hit Albums

The year 1999, when Showbiz was released, was actually a bad year for UK bands. The year was dominated by idol/pop acts. This was epitomised by the debut album (A/ …Baby One More Time) by Britney Spears, the biggest pop icon of the following decade. The video for ‘Baby One More Time’, featuring a high-school girl in a super-mini, navel-baring look, is still burned into people's brains as a powerful impression. It was also the year Christina Aguilera made her album debut. Other so-called boy band albums such as Backstreet Boys, Westlife, and Boyzone topped the charts across the board, while S Club 7 and Steps also became regulars in the UK charts.

In the US, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' (B/ Californication), which Muse also opened for, proved overwhelmingly strong, while Limp Bizkit, who debuted with (C/ Significant Other), raised the signal for the rise of Nu Metal. Eminem, who debuted with (D/ The Slim Shady LP), later became a major force on the chopping block of Limp and the aforementioned Britney. Among these, the few successful albums by young UK guitar bands were Travis‘ (E/ The Man Who), which replaced the loud Rock'n'Roll of their debut with a more melancholic sound, and Stereophonics’ (F/ Performance and Cocktails), which was a straight-up rock hit. Although Muse were initially compared to the likes of Radiohead, they were quite unique in the scene. That hasn't changed even now, though.

-

IN LYRICS

As a debut album, the lyrics are very much Matthew in his local Teignmouth days. A prime example is (4/ Falling Down), which even gives the population/household numbers: ‘15,000 people scream’ and ‘5,000 houses burning down’. The city's status as a holiday destination for Londoners, a city that makes its living by serving tourists, combined with its recent desolation, made adolescent Matthew feel like a core of losers in a society of inequality. It was self-evident to Matthew that ‘no one can save this city’, and not only in this song, but also in the protagonists of the lyrics, there is a tendency to try to escape or hide somewhere.

(1/ Sunburn) is also attributed to a local story, and here too we can see the composition of a disparate society: ‘the winners who spend a lot of money on a tourist attraction that seems to be a kind of women's dance show’. The image of the ‘Sunburn’ = tanning is also associated with ugly adults for Matthew, but it could also be interpreted as a form of the money-grubbing music business. Although wrapped in a thinly veiled mask, there is no way to hide the nervous state of mind before the debut, and the world is formed by ‘me’ who restrains himself and clowns around, and ‘you’ who indulges his desires. Track (6/ Showbiz), exudes the blue anxiety of the night before stepping into the real showbiz.

In an interview during his first visit to Japan, Matthew said, ‘There were alcoholics roaming around in my hometown’, and (9/ Sober), in which several brands of whisky are interwoven, does not deny such drunks, but rather describes the effects of alcohol on the mind and body in a rock-like manner. The casual love for one's hometown can also be read into this, and the half-love-hate feelings towards one's hometown overlap with the split state of what is known in Japan as ‘chuunibyou/middle-school second year syndrome’. The British national band was very young at the time of their debut. —Kaoru Abe

-

YEAR 1999 January - The Euro was introduced as a currency in 11 EU member states. - The children's song ‘Dango San Kyoudai’, which is currently ranked third in (terms of overall sales in) the Oricon singles chart, was released. February - The first brain-dead organ transplant under the Organ Transplantation Act made headlines. March - A Swiss and an Englishman made the first non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a hot-air balloon. - Stanley Kubrick, film director known for films such as A Clockwork Orange, died. - The J2 League, Japan's professional football league, was started. April - Shintaro Ishihara [T/N: RIP to this xenophobic ultranationalist asshole] was elected Governor of Tokyo. - NATO forces bombed Yugoslavia in order to sanction the Kosovo War, which had been raging since 1998. May - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was released in the USA. This was the first film to be made in 16 years. - The Treaty of Amsterdam enters into force. - Opening of Safeco Field (later renamed to T-Mobile Park in 2018) in the US. June - Sony launched AIBO, a puppy-shaped pet robot. The price was 250,000 yen. July - Muse's North American tour started. - The All Nippon Airways Flight 61 hijacking incident occurred, in which the captain was stabbed to death and the perpetrator took control of the aircraft. August - Muse's Germany tour started. September - A M7.7 (7.3 in Richter scale) earthquake occured in central Taiwan, with a death toll of over 2,000 (1999 Jiji earthquake). October - Muse's European tour starts. First album Showbiz released with John Leckie. - The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks won the Japan Series. November - First parliamentary party leadership debate (in Japan). [aka Japan’s first time in trying out the British-style Question Time] December - Macau returned from Portugal to China and the Panama Canal from the USA to Panama.

Translator's Notes: This has way more research required to know what happened in a single year of 1999. The next few albums to cover are going to be quite the effort to cover through.

[planetofsnarfs]

The second season of Rebecca Ferguson's hit sci-fi series Silo just received high praise from a very important person; the author of its source material. 

Hugh Howey, who penned the three-book series Wool, has had a peak at the Apple TV show's second installment and it sounds as though he approves, as he posted on Instagram Threads recently: "I've seen season two and it's one of the best things I've ever seen." 

The author has also given us some hope on season 2's release date, which is yet to be confirmed. Despite previous reports giving it a 2025 window, it looks like we may be getting Silo season 2 a little earlier as one Instagram user said: "That cuts deep for those of us who have to wait until, oh I don't know, 2025," to which the author replied, "Maybe not that long..." Color us intrigued...

Set in a dystopian toxic world, the first season follows Ferguson's character Juliette Nichols, who's living in an underground silo alongside the supposedly last people on Earth. But there's a twist: no one knows why the silo was built and hasn't seen what is outside, prompting Juliette to go searching for answers.

Although we don't have an official synopsis for season 2, we expect it to pick up where season 1 left off with Juliette finding restricted footage of the real vibrant world outside the silo's walls, which contradicts all she and her fellow dwellers have been told. This cliffhanger left audiences on the edge of their seats, setting itself up for an exciting season 2 premiere. But the story won't end there, as seasons 3 and 4 of Silo have already been announced, with Ferguson confirming that the next two seasons will be filmed together.

Alongside Dune 2's Ferguson, the cast includes Common, Succession's Harriet Walter, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, The Shawshank Redemption's Tim Robbins, and more. The show is created by Graham Yost and directed by Morten Tyldum, best known for helming Passengers and The Imitation Game.

Silo season 1 is available to watch on Apple TV Plus right now.

[pearl484-blog]

My issue with Senti-Adrien

One of the reasons I don't like the senti-adrien theory is because I feel it takes away an important element of the environment he's grown up in: that pervasive feeling that it's wrong to not be okay with something, that it's wrong to disobey.

In the culture I've grown up in, Doublespeak is used A LOT. You are NEVER supposed to insult someone or have an impolite conversation with them. You can't express discomfort, and I always seem to find myself in disgreements where if I leave to cool down, that's not the right option.

Everyone -especially the women who face more social stigma- is likely going to get into a situation that they CAN'T leave. They don't know how, and they may not even have the tools to recognize that they WANT TO. That it's not healthy. After all, if someone hasn't done something OBVIOUSLY WRONG, you can't be impolite. Even if you're uncomfortable.

Of course, then it becomes a slow boil, the things you have to not react to (and sometimes even pretend you enjoy) become worse and worse, but never so much worse than the last time you didn't react.

In the end, a lot of people don't understand why you would be near people who make you feel uncomfortable. Why you can't stand up for yourself. Why you treat people who treat you like shit kindly.

Adrien could've been a girl and depicted this. A high class girl constantly under the spotlight for her father's fame could easily be pressured to be a sweetheart, a good girl, and everyone could see "oh, well, she's a girl. Of course she'd be taken advantage of eventually. An abusive father? Well, I'm not surprised."

But Adrien’s a guy who is under the same social pressures as a girl in a believable way. He's not expected to be abused in that way. He's a guy. Guys "can't be emotionally abused/not know this is wrong". Except, yes, they can. Anyone of any gender can be abused by anyone of any other gender, and a guy may show traditionally female signs of abuse and grooming as abused to the traditionally masculine agression and acting out.

First off, Adrien is a model. He's used to being constantly objectified. His body is literally posed for everyone to stare at as his job. He's also a teen model, and almost certainly has had to release private details of his life for strangers to obsess over in an environment that says this is normal. This is good.

He can't complain because much like girls here, it would ruin his reputation as a nice guy, so he's defaulted to a very normal coping skill in these parts. Rationalization. See, it's easier to keep your temper if you can excuse others behavoirs as perfectly reasonable to yourself. And with enough practice, ANYTHING can be reasonable. Combine that with the classic downplay, a classic of everyone in these parts -for the sake of politeness of course, and your reality is normal, bearable, not worth complaining about.

But it obfuscates mistreatment to outsiders. Outsiders who haven't internalized "this is okay. This is normal. This is expected". As Adrien interacts more and more with these outsiders, and they realize what Adrien does not, what he cannot, they become concerned.

And Chat? Chat Noir offers hope. Chat is proof that Adrien, without those social pressures, CAN stand up for himself, and he can do it while still being kind and empathetic and considerate. Chat is proof that deep down, Adrien would thrive outside of those pressures.

Yet, without Plagg, without his ring or an escape, he cant. He can't think of a way to do that since his reputation is on the line. It's enormous, that desire to make people think you're good, that you're not a trouble maker, that you're useful to them. Adrien, I feel, portrays that well.

It is a completely invisible, omnipresent force that outsiders cannot understand. You dont even understand how much of an effect it has on you until you're away from it.

The senti-monster theory makes that force one you LITERALLY cannot disobey. Now, some may argue that makes it work as a metaphor, but no. I think the fact that you CLEARLY have no choice, as seen by an outsider is to its detriment. Yes, being in that situation makes you feel like you have no choice, but to an outsider?

It looks like you do, you're just not taking it. It looks like you're too weak, or indecisive, or stupid to do the obvious thing and realize you're in an abusive situation and leave. There’s nothing an outsider can blame your "flaws" on, no excuse, and under the amount of pressure, nothing that you can say that would justify you be so weak/stupid/indecisive. Because unless you've been outside that culture in a way that let you realize what it did to you, all you can think is that it was just you.

[servants-hall]

The Call the Midwife Christmas special has become a staple of the seasonal TV schedule – and it looks like this year's episode is going to be another exciting but emotional one for fans of the beloved BBC One drama.

Stephen McGann has already teased that "dangerous snow" will lead to "high drama" in the special, and now Sister Julienne star Jenny Agutter has revealed that the episode will also explore some fears held by Judy Parfitt's popular character Sister Monica Joan.

"One should recognise there are a lot of people in the population who are older and just feel that they’re never going to make it through [the winter]," she explained of the episode.

"And this to an extreme extent [means she] feels she's not going to make it through, so it's a matter of everybody pulling together and getting around that."

McGann added that these fears lead to a "rather lovely community spirit" developing – something which he believes is especially important to portray during the festive period.

"It is hard in winter," he said. "My mum is elderly now - 88, 89 - and we were talking about Christmas. And she’s up in Liverpool and she can't get around so much anymore.

"And at that age, you can be up and down. You can look at your life. And it's one of those times of the year when, although she has a wonderful community there and one of my brothers lives up there, it's still one of those times where she reflects and it's hard."

He added: "It's a difficult time of year. And so when we have a character like brilliant Judy Parfitt, you have the unique opportunity to express Christmas also through elders and through reflections of [how] life has been for people.

"And all these ordinary families who will be watching at Christmas look at a community that in some way resembles their own hopes and fears."

Fans were given an emotional first look at the special when the BBC released a preview clip at the end of November, which showed Sister Julienne comforting a tearful Shelagh Turner (Laura Main).

In the clip, Shelagh reveals she has received a package from Hong Kong from her adopted daughter Mae's biological mother and hasn't even told her husband, Dr Patrick Turner (Stephen McGann), about it – with the ever reliable Julienne then providing her with some wise advice.

The official synopsis for the episode reads: "Call the Midwife’s Christmas Special begins two weeks before Christmas, with Apollo 8 poised to circle the moon.

"Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) is convinced this could be her last yuletide, and decides she’ll not live to see man walk on the moon.

"The Nonnatus Family, including Trixie (Helen George)’s brother Geoffrey (Christopher Harper), decide something must be done to try and lighten her state of mind.

"Nancy (Megan Cusack) has recommitted to staying at Nonnatus House and Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) has offered her and Colette (Francesca Fullilove) a room for the foreseeable future.

"Trixie and Matthew (Olly Rix), fresh from their honeymoon, are preparing for their first Christmas together as husband and wife when Geoffrey pays them an unexpected visit days before Christmas."

It continues: "Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) gently intervenes when he discovers a lost soul living alone in a dilapidated basement flat. For this man, Christmas is a reminder of all he’s lost and all he’s never had.

"Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett), away on her refresher course, makes it home in time for Christmas festivities despite a treacherously heavy snowfall."

[1004sface]

1996.04.04 TV Times Magazine - Kang Wonrae, Koo Junyup (≈CLON) article

Scans credit: yours truly!

Kang Wonrae & Koo Junyup

We were born with the mission to revitalize dance music

[Tomorrow's star] Tak2Jun2's Koo Junyup and Park Mikyung's partner Kang Wonrae have come together, but their group name hasn't been decided. The two are well-known dance machines who hope to hear the words "you were born to do dance music." Coverage: Lee Gyeong-hui

"I can't say that we're a new group—it'd be more accurate to say we've been apart."

Just as the rumors said, Koo Junyeop and Kang Wonrae, who are so in sync it's like they're one singer, have formed a group and are preparing an album. Koo Junyup, all too known from Tak2Jun2, and Kang Wonrae, who brought fun to Park Mikyung's "Eve's Warning" performances as her partner, are already well-known dance machines. No, now it would be right to call them rappers.

"Solo singers can adapt easily to stages on TV shows, but it's hard for groups to coordinate. We can say we're sure we've overcome that difficulty. We're especially proud of our skill in improvised performances."

The two, whose goal is to hear that "they were born with the mission to revitalize dance music," are highly confident in their music.

Proud of their skill of improvised performances

Their group name hasn't been set yet. They plan to release their album in early May. The reason they're being revealed to the world so early is to publicize themselves after they've gotten all the fame they can get.

Koo and Kang's team-up can't be ignored. Their characters can't be something the music industry wouldn't worry about. Furthermore, with their album releasing under Line Production, they've become part of the "royal family" alongside Shin Seunghun, Noise, and Park Mikyung. Fans already know that Kang Wonrae was in Line, but Koo Junyup first came in about 1 year ago. An art school alum, Koo also designed the album covers of his peers. The covers he's designed include Park Mikyung's 2nd album, Kim Gunmo's 3rd album, DJ DOC's 2nd album, and Kim Jungmin's 2nd album. These were all hit albums, but they also drew attention for their unique designs. Kang Wonrae choreographed for all of the "Line family", including Kim Gunmo. Their chronicle of star-related stories is never ending.

The two first met in high school, both attending Gyeonggi High. Although they only became classmates in senior year, they both majored art in college.

While Koo Junyup never loses when it comes to dance, Kang Wonrae has a longer history with the art. To borrow Koo Junyup's words, he's "amazing." Kang first decided he would become a dancer in 6th grade. He picked dance up while his older brother researched through watching TV, and made his brother, who now works as an interior designer, quit dance.

Let's tell an interesting story about Kang Wonrae's family. This story also appeared on a TV quiz show last year.

"Kang Wonrae's older brother is named Kang Wondo. What is his younger sister's name?" (Someone answered "Kang Wonsoong"[1] and got suspected of having an IQ lower than 50. It definitely wasn't a TV Times reporter.)

The answer is Kang Wonmi. Kang Wonrae's father, who recently retired from his position as director of a car company, really loved music. Kang Wondo, Kang Wonrae, Kang Wonmi. The answer clears itself up if you take "Won" out from their names. Doremi. But because he couldn't find a Chinese character with the sound "re", he changed it to "rae". Surprisingly, not many get the answer right.

Want to be received as "cool dance music"

The new style that Koo and Kang profess is dance music that incorporates Miami rap. They're thinking of taking a casual approach without too many bells and whistles. As for their outfits, they're planning to go for a free style. Definitely no uniforms. The group's lyrics are close to "wholesome music,"[2] and their music has an exciting, cumbia-style rhythm.

There is a song in their album, though not the title track, that starts with "the frog can't remember when he was a tadpole, the loach muddies the clear water." It was made to show off Kang and Koo's individual colors. Kim Chang-hwan, known as a hit-maker, directed the whole album. Kang Wonrae and Koo Junyup explained their music with one sentence:

"I think rather than just being good songs, it will be received as 'cool dance music'."

–––––––––

Translator's notes (marked with small-script numbers in the text)

Wonsoong = short for "wonsoongi (원숭이)", the Korean word for "monkey".

"Wholesome music" refers to songs that had to be put on the end of Korean LPs from the 70s to 80s, which Urimalsaem describes as "songs that can be sung by anyone, regardless of age or gender." As the name implies, these songs usually have wholesome lyrics that promote "enlightening" ideals.

[aihoshiino]

Bit of an odd question but do you think Ai's death immortalised her image to the point that it is now immune to all scandals? I'm thinking about everyone's reaction during 15YL when Ruby chose to display the sadness Ai hides in her. It's already a known fact that Ai had kids (which would've been a massive scandal for any other idols) yet people still sees her as a perfect idol who simply doesn't have any human (personal) emotions...?

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Just that Ruby was so mad for Ai when Aqua released their identity to the news... Yet it didn't seem to affect how people see Ai after all.

I think this is definitely a factor, yup! Though I also think there's a degree of the scandal feeling way less impactful because it was breezed over in the space of like, one chapter and there hasn't been any focus on the ongoing repercussions...? So I'm not suuuuper sure how much is the scandal not being as bad or Akasaka going tehepero and doing the thing where he doesn't show the interesting parts on screen lol

BUT!! I do think you have a good point in that the circumstances of Ai's death contributed to the scandal not being as explosive as it could have been. Ai was already a hugely beloved public figure by and large for her pure and tidy image and the tragedy of her death absolutely would've cemented that - her career was essentially cut off just as it was starting to really bloom. Those two factors would have really come together to let people mythologize the 'what if' of the celeb she would've grown into without the messy reality of her actually being around to be a real human being for any of it.

Aqua and Ruby also both really capitalized on things and did some fantastic damage control, I think. Both of them presented themselves extremely sympathetically and they already had good reputations that could take a hit - but given that the whole incident basically gave them a prebaked tragic backstory, so…

I hope the release of 15YL once it's complete will give us another peek at all this stuff but… my hopes aren't super high.

[supertrainstationh]

My Nintendo Direct 6/24 Results

Mario & Luigi: Brothership - I've dreamed of Mario and Luigi being presented like this with polygonal 3d and a dynamic camera since the GameCube era, so its great to see it finally come true. First game in the series since the first one in 2003 not to have some obvious gimmick in terms of how the Mario Brothers are controlled in and out of battle, VERY happy to see that.

Super Mario Party Jamboree - Mario Party Superstars in 2021 was the first Mario Party game I purchased since Mario Party 4, (not counting Mario Party Advance) and this looks like an excellent and fun game. I find the inclusion of two retro maps odd since there isn't a focus on old material like in SuperStars.

Dragon Quest 1 + 2 2D HD Remaster - I never played and DQ games before, and I've been interested in featuring DQ1's NES version on stream so as to explore the earliest era of home console RPGs, so I'm torn as to if I'll play the NES version, or this modern remake.

Stray - It may end up being the least impressive version of the game, but Stray's hyper dense gritty high tech city setting got my attention and I was praying for a Switch version. In any game I play town and city exploration is one of my favorite aspects when towns are featured, so I'll be excited to play this one.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - The idea of Zelda exploring Hyrule from a top down perspective hasn't been explored since the CDI game "Zelda's Adventure", so It's great to see Nintendo take a swing at the concept, and do so in a way that is true to the nature of Zelda's depiction as a wise protector of Hyrule, but not a soldier or fighter in the way Link is. It feels like the "echo" system is a developer tool from the development of Link's Awakening's Switch remake that the expanded into something that defines the actual gameplay experience when fleshed out into a game mechanic. As an aside, there was a small amount of backlash against Aonuma accusing him of being sexist for not having the option for a female hero in Breath of the Wild, which was absurd, and I'm glad this proves those people wrong.

Metroid Prime 4 - SEVEN YEARS after it was first announced, we finally have screenshots and gameplay of this title. The announcement of Prime 4 should go down in history as one of the most severely mishandled strategic moves Nintendo ever executed, but the game looks great. I have a copy of Prime Remaster for Switch I've yet to play on stream, we'll see if I get to it before Prime 4 comes out.

Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection - I think this is the first re-release of these titles since Disney purchased Marvel, and it's amazing to see this happen, as I genuinely doubted if it would be possible. I don't care about these games but I'm glad they're being made available.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - I will totally buy this. I love high score attack runs of Vs. Pinball and I've had the NES Remix games on my list for years. Actual speedrunning and skill challenged condensed into curated mini-game like format is fun, and I'm certainly going to get my hands on this one

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD - Doesn't look graphically impressive even for Switch, but this was one I hoped would come over, and it still looks great. I hope the forced motion controls that made me fall off the Wii version have been revamped. But from my perspective, I haven't even played and covered the first DKC on my show yet, so I'm not likely picking this one up soon.

Only game I specifically hoped for that wasn't featured was the remake/remaster of Beyond Good and Evil, which got an ESRB rating late last year, but has yet to be officially announced for whatever reason.

10/10 show for me. If for the rest of my life I could only play games on Switch, I would never ever be bored, ever.

But I'd still rather play RCA Studio II than most modern stuff anyway.

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[ratstuckinamarble]

Recently saw someone talk about how they hope the show doesn't introduce too many new characters. Unfortunately, I can't remember who it was, but I have some thoughts.

First of all, I agree. Some shows introduce so many characters, that the main cast doesn't end up getting the amount of development and focus they deserve. And I don't want the same thing to happen for Monster High. I mean, yes, we should get to see a good amount of characters reimagined, but let's not overdo it.

All the characters we've gotten so far are already so interesting. I wanna know what their relationships with their parents are like, their backstories, their interests and worries. And if they don't focus on the main cast, the show won't have enough time to include those things to a satisfying extent.

That being said, I think they've handled it fairly well so far, for the episodes that do introduce new characters, since it's still mostly about a main cast member. I just hope they don't bring in someone new every time. The show is already rather fast paced, just so they can cram in everything they want to include.

I think shows that promote toy lines tend to suffer the most from having too many characters. And I get it, they want to include all the characters they're selling. But the show shouldn't just be a big ad. It has to be able to stand on its own, be more than just a bunch of glorified character introduction videos.

I think that should be doable. I mean, talking about Monster High specifically, we probably won't be getting that many new doll releases in rapid succession, now that g3 is pretty much fully launched. The different doll lines tend to include mostly the main characters anyway, with a couple of new ones sprinkled in now and again.

There are already so many monsters shown that I expect will be made as dolls. Spectra, Manny, Howleen, Abby, Clawd, Iris. Heck, we already got Twyla, and she hasn't even shown up in the show yet. Then there are characters we can expect to be seeing, like Meowlody and Purrsephone, as well as Nefera.

That's so many potential dolls! We don't really need to see more new ones for now. Have mercy on our wallets, please. Also, it'd be great to see these characters get more than like, two releases. Adult characters like Bloodgood and Dracula getting dolls would also be lovely.

That's already so much potential, adding more than that to the first season would be too much in my opinion. After all, volks like Lagoona and especially Ghoulia have barely had a time to shine. And now I remembered I didn't even mention every new character that has been confirmed. There's also Gil. I could really live without Gil.

That was a lot, but I think you get my point. And don't take this the wrong way, I absolutely love the show so far, and seeing new characters is fun! But let's do this in moderation. You can have too much of a good thing. I mean, will we even get another episode focused on just the dynamic between Clawdeen, Frankie and Draculaura? It feels like we won't have the time.

Don't answer that question, I'm very much intentionally avoiding the leaked episode summaries.

Anyways, what do you think? I'd love to know everyone's thoughts on this.

[piracytheorist]

Okay thoughts about the musical! I will go into a bit of a detail so if you prefer being surprised by how things appear in the musical, then skip this post.

It's about 2 hours and 40 minutes long, not counting a 30-minute-long break in the middle and the last ten or so minutes of bows and the cast saying goodbye. It's a big thing, though it doesn't show anything that hasn't been shown in the anime already - although from what I noticed, the lyrics and dialogue are based on the manga dialogues. It even adapts scenes from "Fullmetal Lady", which was adapted by a manga chapter further down the line.

First thing you hear after the orchestra tunes up is sounds of guns firing and bombs falling. The music starts and it's soon joined by a young Twilight crying.

Yeah :)

It's framed as Twilight looking at his past. After this very intense and dark intro, it starts adapting from the very first page of the manga. Some stuff are shown as "action" on a projected screen. The Handler appears from the very beginning, acting like a sorta narrator and also the one who introduces Operation Strix to Twilight.

It skims through details, but main scenes are kept and half the time the dialogue is spoken, the other half sung. I did not particularly like that they took the manga dialogues as they were and simply turned them into lyrics, there are lots of instances where the rhythm and lack of rhyming sounded awkward, but it's not too distracting from the entertainment.

I'm not an expert in musicals, but it looked like a well-standing production. I can't lie that I did notice some weak spots in the main actors' singing, but I give a pass because it was a very long production and they might have been tired from constant rehearsals and performances. Around 2/3 of the first part Twilight's poor actor was sweating buckets and didn't even have the time to wipe it off. But he still acted, sang and danced without showing any signs of tiredness or stress. In fact he was pretty funny in his acting! Yor's actress did some cool moves, too, she looks so badass as the Thorn Princess. The Anya actress from the performance I watched was very good, especially for her age! Good singing and great "placement" on stage.

Franky was fun! He seemed to really enjoy it, or simply really really get into the role. The Handler had some awesome dance moves and a strong voice, they knew what they were doing with her actress - also she has a very swaggy song right after the break, that accompanies the "Fullmetal Lady" part. I hope they release the songs from official recording off live performances, cause some of them are pretty cool!

And I swear, Yuri is far from my favourite character in the show, but just like the English dub, in the musical he just serves. He's so fucking enjoyable, and looked super professional in his dance and sing combo - I might need to rewatch, but he might have been the best at singing and dancing at the same time from all the cast. Paired with his overdramatic acting he was so much fun to watch!

By the way, the choruses were damn near impeccable. While I noticed a few flats and weak high notes from the main cast, I don't think I noticed a single mistake from any of the chorus parts. I was even taken aback by one; when Anya has a flashback of the lab scientists, said scientists sing in a chorus about how she has to study and has no time to cry and play. And it's awesome! Though you also feel sad because halfway through it Anya (the character, not the actress) bursts into tears and you're just like :( stop hurting her :(

The design changes are cool and smooth. Some back dancers/singers help with the changes sometimes but they feel very part of the whole thing. It doesn't take you away from the action. Fight choreographies are pretty good, too. I mean, they are theatrical ones, it's obvious they're fake, but they're faked well and professionally. You don't expect cutting and montage on a theatrical performance, after all!

You might have noticed from the video I posted, but Henderson's actor did a good job being a meme playing.

In general the whole presentation has a feeling of... not taking itself very seriously. Like, they have an entire movement just for Bondman! It's still very professional but they also take it a little lighter - aside from scenes where gravity is needed, like when Anya or Twilight have their flashbacks, when Yor kills her target, when Yuri interrogates that guy they arrested, etc. I think there's a good balance overall.

After Yuri's visit ends, Twilight has his moment of thinking how he felt jealous of Yor and Yuri, and though the acting was a little subtle, I really liked it! I like it as a moment in general so I'm glad it was added there and done justice!

I'm not sure whether Fiona really had time to be a part of the musical. She only appears a little before the end, in an adaptation of the "Nightfall" episode/chapter, and though it's done well (and the singer has a great finish line) it feels a little shoehorned in, lol. She was still enjoyable and I understand why they added her, but still. She was fun to see her fangirl about Twilight and Twilight being none the wiser - I feel that was even more accentuated there since it was live action, lol.

Near the end is also the Loidman part, with a choreographed fight between Loid and Yor! I missed some action though because some cameraman decided to film Anya's reaction from up close instead. Cute, but not the center of attention, dude!

Anyway, it then ends with a bit of a "summary" of how Anya has to become an Imperial Scholar (we get to see her in her school uniform!), and a full-cast and chorus reprise of the beginning song, which is certainly not an earworm for me right now SUBETE WA YORI YOKI SEKAI NO TAME NI I mean what

Overall, it's quite entertaining, and I'm not a big fan of musicals myself! Again, it's a long watch, and you have to be mindful that you're watching a filmed theatrical performance, but I would recommend it for its humor.