#there's a very cool and inspiring place where you can take cool art classes singing classes theater everything

[greppelheks]

I've got serious plans to move to a different province, which genuinely feels like moving to a different country, and I'm all busy looking for apartments and jobs

[cristallsnoww]

4*Town Headcanons

dropping these before the manga is released, still shocked by the announcement 😭

some of these not hcs they are facts tho

had this in the drafts for a while

Robaire

- 20 yo

- super chill personality, yet his charisma overflows with charm that pulls you in

- the ace of the group, the whole package: sing, rap, dance, songwrite (technically not a HC but i wanted to use the term lol)

- was scouted from a Youtube video of him covering a song

- he knew he was auditioning for being a group, but was still amazed when actually meeting the members because they were so talented

- compliments his members in French whenever (trés bien, magnifique etc.)

- he thought of the idea of unbuttoning one button on his top to show his stomach and the stylists fully supported him

- reads books to get inspiration for songs and on his free time

- his favorite flower is the red rose

- super kind to his staff and treat them like friends (wishing happy birthday or asking about their personal lives or opinions on things)

- writes the most beautiful poems, very romantic

- cares the most about his fans, very interactive and doesn’t mind a autograph or photo when he accidentally bumps into one

- there was a evaluation where each member tried to take on leader duties and at the end, they all voted Robaire, it was obvious but it was insisted to help get to know one another better and see each other’s strengths and weaknesses

- Tae Young is like a younger brother to him, his hope

- Jesse is like the cool older brother that he can depend on when things get stressful, the member he really looks up to

- Aaron T and Aaron Z are like his two twin cousins who he can have fun with

- says “i love you” a lot to his members, he’s very vocal about respect and love for them

- his favorite type of kiss is the French kiss 😳

- he has the best fashion taste of the band, second being Tae Young, then Z and Jesse, and lastly T.

Tae Young

- 18 yo

- bubbly personality, he’s the “happy virus” and mood maker of the group

- since he’s youngest, they treat him with special care, such as accepting his physical affection even if they aren’t the touchy type

- names his fostered doves after the members or magical names

- really looks up to his members and during their early days, he cried because he was afraid of pulling the group down, and they assured him he did not and had a special place in 4*town only he could fill (youngest, and the cutest charm, also his vocals)

- loves to snack, willing to accept any food or restaurant recommendations his fans recommend

- grew up with sisters and a nice household that encouraged his creativity, such as painting his nails

- his favorite colors are pastels

- most in tune with each member’s interests: he would attempt French with Robaire and help choose words for poems, joins Jesse in making ceramics and gushing about art, join in whatever fun “T” has up his sleeves (pranks) or learn acrobatics with him, and he would play basketball with “Z” and freestyle choreos with him

- works out the least, but it’s one of his goals, fans express fear because they “will miss their baby” when the time comes. usually dances or does yoga

- can tolerate spicy food really well

- is into K-pop and that was his inspiration to audition for 4*town, he honed his singing and dancing skills by himself mostly from watching videos, from all the karaoke sessions he did and dance classes his parents signed him up for too.

- his natural hair color is black

- he decorates the mirror in their tour bus with cute stickers and affirmations written on post it notes for all the members to see

- he beatboxes for the group, when he’s bored, he would make random beats and the members would do acapella around it if they wanted to

- calls the members “hyung” (meaning older brother in Korean) by habit

- loves to back hug his members to surprise them. he gets really flustered when someone else does it to him though ! 🥺

- he bought face wash headbands for each of the members for their birthdays (cat ears for Jesse, bunny ears for T, a frog eyes for Robaire, and bear ears for Z, and a bow one for himself)

Jesse

- 21 yo

- down-to-earth personality, very humble and loving

- the pillar of the group since he’s the oldest and sensible member along with Z

- he sang on his free time while he was studying in art school, his friends loved it so much they recommended him to audition

- works out the most (look at those guns man, carrying Priya in one arm in that one photo)

- best artistic sense, the members often ask his opinions on their songwriting if he can paint a picture (either just saying it aloud or actually painting) based on the song to help visualize or understand their work more or to get peer review

- his kids are often his motivation in his artwork and pretty much everything, along with his fans and members etc

- most pickiest eater, usually eating healthy, not because he’s judges, but more on what his body tolerates, though he respects all kinds of food (food is also an art to him)

- it was Jesse’s idea to get matching rings for the band, he suggested it to the staff and they awarded the boys with them after a year anniversary of training together

- does acts of service the most, getting water for his members at the studio or lending them towels when the practice dancing (his dad side really shows)

- he’s very careful about privacy and will not hesitate in calling out stalkers, handles situations professionally and it’s admirable

- the quietest laugh, different from Z’s short snickers, T’s loud bursts or Tae Young’s and Robaire’s perfect romance drama chuckles. the members find it cute and wonder if he was ever holding it in but it’s just his nature

- closest to Robaire, who understands him the most (he is the leader), Robaire usually checks up on everyone and it means a lot to Jesse when he checks up on him. they depend on each other a lot in their group, both being very responsible and caring about the band as a whole

- since he is the tallest member, the others often rest their heads on his shoulder if they are really tired, or just out of affection (most likely Tae)

- has a sketchbook that he draws whatever scenery he likes while they tour, also drawing the members (often when T is asleep, meanwhile Tae loves to pose for him, while Z and Robaire are perfect models doing whatever they are doing in the moment as they are still and calm) he practices his observational skills when drawing the members

- he played piano as a kid and got in touch with it again after being in 4*town

Aaron T

- 19 yo

- cooks the best, both Aarons cook the best, 3rd being Jesse and the okay cooks being Tae and Robaire (who are more eaters/prepares food)

- he is the member who sings the most offstage on their free time, 2nd place being Robaire and Tae Young, Jesse hums and sings a bit, while Z sings less offstage (they sing in their dance practice and studio more)

- being the bass singer, he loves to show off his range, he would make voice impressions of people and make voices for objects

- he has the most flexible body along with Z

- closest with Z and Tae the most, often sharing his feelings or joking around with them

- he’s more calmer with Robaire but still the jokester, he can confine in the leader for assurance if has doubts

- he loves to mess with Jesse and make him laugh, just because he looks quiet most times, and T loves making him smile

- can crush a whole soda can with one hand, often struggling, meanwhile Z does it in a flip

- he can play guitar (along with Robaire and Tae)

- he sings out at random times, he would make unexpected covers of songs and it would sound so good ✨

- he’s that one person who sings “happy birthday” all extra with riffs and everything

- he’s the official 4*town hype man, all the members depend on his energetic spirit, so it’s off if he gets really sad and feeling low (which all of them would go and cheer him up)

- the most ticklish member, the least being Tae and the other three have different ticklish spots (Z: his neck. Jesse: under his arms. Robaire: his sides)

- would stan K-pop with Tae, learning the moves and singing the melodies

- has the longest tongue out of the group, like a dog, so the members often see him like a puppy

- he skateboards, as a kid, he made many mistakes and it led to him keeping a first aid kit at all times

- has a whole collection of caps to wear, he flips the cap forward to hide his face when he gets embarrassed

- his hair is naturally curly

- him, Tae, and Robaire does the most vocal covers

- he would ask the members to do the riff / run challenge

- quick on his feet, does the best footwork

- has the longest eyelashes out of the group, he can balance cotton swabs on them

- he would let Tae paint his nails, often on his pinky and middle finger for style, instead of all the fingers. (it would be orange or white)

- he requires 4*townies to do the signature 4 finger hand pose in order for them to approach him if they ever see him out in public

- serenades his members for fun or to comfort them, him and Tae would duet a lot

- him and Z were childhood besties ever since they known each other, bonding over their shared names, they auditioned together

- Tae and T are the most outdoorsy type, along with Robaire, but Tae and T are more likely to go shopping and eat out together

Aaron Z

- 19 yo

- most chill member of the group, along with Robaire.

- has a RBF which can be really hard to read, which makes it hard to understand his feelings and intentions at times

- the best listener out of the group, hardly judges and gives out pretty good advice, the group agrees he could be the second leader

- he doesn’t do well with eye contact when he is embarrassed

- him and Robaire does dance/ vocal/rap battles for fun.

- him and Jesse together are the quietest pair, the members think they do telepathy in their minds, they have comfortable solitude. his feedback on Jesse’s artwork is usually meaningful to the artist

- all of the members drive, but Z drives the best and remembers different routes + roads better, he’s the group’s driver when their chauffeur or manager isn’t around

- played basketball ever since he was in grade school, he won many games through his junior and high school years

- he danced and sang on the side, music being his big inspiration and workout music

- T and Z would collab a lot during their high school years, both talented in dancing and singing

- T is actually one of his biggest inspiration and vice versa, they wouldn’t have debut in 4*town without each other

- he usually tries to confront things honestly if he sees something bothering him and doesn’t hold grudges, and is stoic. but once he gets angry enough, he can be the most scariest person

- falls asleep the easiest, at any moment of when the atmosphere is right or if he’s super tired

- T and Tae would cuddle him or lay on his shoulders if they happen to fall asleep with him too in the waiting room etc

- Tae Young’s animals like Z the most, he’s an animal magnet

- talks in basketball metaphors when he gives advice

- Z has the most sharpest glare when angry (basically don’t get him mad)

- also bilingual, speaks his Asian language (not sure of his specific race) (also the only member who isn’t bilingual is Jesse, but he picks up words from each of the members languages as much as he can)

- T would make constellations out of Z’s freckles, he caught on and they do it back and forth to each other. they would say “the photographers caught my fish on camera”

- both would allow their fans to come up with different things they see from their freckles

[therealvinelle]

Hello! Why do you think Carlisle likes Aro? (Love your meta btw!)

This blog lasted 25 days before becoming an Aro/Carlisle blog. The sanity was nice while it lasted, I suppose.

Oh well, I embrace my trash ship.

(Anon is referring to this post)

(This one is also relevant)

So, while on Aro’s end it was a case of “did the gods just give me my very own Enkidu?”, for Carlisle we must look at the circumstances. The Carlisle Cullen who walked into Volterra is not the Carlisle Cullen who works at Forks General.

Carlisle was a demon-hunting priest who brought his religion into his new life. Having no idea what he’d just become, apart from the obvious things like “I desperately want to kill people for their blood” and “I sparkle?!”, many of the things that are obvious to us would not be at all obvious to him. His only experience with other demons was the slum-dweller that killed him. It was brutal, and three other people from his parish were murdered as well. He’d been able to track the vampire down, something I can only take that to mean that the vampire used his parish for hunting grounds. He’s so horrified by what he’s become that he tries to destroy himself. This fails, and instead he finds a way out that lets him live without having to kill, and with that comes to the realization that vampires retain their souls (which is for another post).

My point being, Carlisle wakes up as a demon, and has no way of knowing how any of this works, nor of how to explain the fact that he is able to retain his soul. It’s telling that even after centuries of being a vampire he still thought something might be fundamentally different about him, as he chose to turn Edward by simulating his own transformation, even though it meant more pain for Edward. In other words, Carlisle was not guaranteed that his experience was universal. By the time we meet him in canon he’s wonderfully friendly to everybody regardless of what they eat, but I strongly doubt he got from point “Demons are monsters and I’ll rally a mob to lynch them!” to “Vampires are people who sadly eat other people.” right away.

So, you have freshly immortal Carlisle Cullen wandering around Europe with no way of knowing that other vampires are as (for lack of a better word) human as he is. How can they be, when they choose to eat people? (My personal headcanon is that he went by a Persephone theory, and figured that by resisting human blood he’d remained a man.)

It was this Carlisle who met Aro and the other Volturi. According to Edward (I unfortunately don’t have Twilight with me so I can’t quote his exact words), they were the ones who showed him that vampires can in fact be sophisticated.

Sophisticated. Not just as in Aro, Marcus, and Caius eat their virgins with some fava beans and a nice chianti, but as in they’re civilized and intelligent beings. Carlisle was no longer a one lone freak who somehow retained his soul while everyone else went full Buffy vampire, or any other such theory. I can’t even imagine the impact that must have had on a young Carlisle who would have been even lonelier than the Carlisle who found Edward in Chicago. That Carlisle at least had friends, this younger version had absolutely nobody.

Aro changed that.

More than being sophisticated, Aro turned out to be a kindred spirit, an absolutely brilliant mind and a generous host. Carlisle chose to live with him for decades, leaving only because of their dietary differences. And even if people disagree with me with all of the above, I don’t think anyone can argue that this one isn’t huge.

Of all the people Carlisle knows in canon, Aro is the only one he stayed with just for Aro’s own sake. Carlisle loves the Cullens dearly, but the cornerstone holding them together is their shared diet, and the fact that Carlisle turned four of them, the other two joined. He did not happen upon them and then like them so much that he decided to move in. As for his other friends, he cares for them all, but he didn’t share decades of his life with them.

Regardless of how we’re interpreting their relationship (as in, platonic, UST, or raging homosexual affair), I don’t think anyone can dispute that Carlisle and Aro are each other’s best friends.

But beyond proving that vampires aren’t all sewer-dwelling, priest-eating rascals, what exactly made Aro so special?

I’ll just list his qualities in no particular order.

Sophistication This guy is a lover of the arts and of knowledge. His gallery and library must have been the most extensive and diverse in the world, and it probably still is. I can’t even begin to imagine the wealth of knowledge and treasures that Aro must have collected over the years. If the Holy Grail exists within the world of Twilight, Aro has it. Where I’m headed with this, is that not only would Aro’s collection be the coolest thing ever to Carlisle, but also that this was a time when the number of books and an art collection was a sign of high class, of intellectualism, of all things fine and noble that was considered virtuous. Aro acts very much like wealthy European nobility, he even lives in Italy, the cultural epicenter of the Western world of old. He physically could not have been more impressive to Carlisle.

Kind of a continuation of the previous point: Aro is from Ancient Greece (well, he’s Myceanaean, but same difference to a “You predate Homer?!” starstruck Carlisle). Ancient Greece was the ultimate, perfect, civilization to Europe, and Carlisle got to Volterra just ahead of the Enlightenment. This alone would have made him so unbelievably cool to Carlisle.

Nerd I think this one speaks for itself. Carlisle is an unbelievable nerd, an inquisitive mind who’ll study anything and everything, and in Aro he found someone who also has an inquisitive mind and will study anything and everything. They’re both very intelligent. Carlisle went from being that sad whale that sings on a frequency no other whales can hear, to having someone who just got it.

His gift So you’re all gonna have to stay with me on this one. Aro’s gift is one most people would find very invasive, which as I touched upon in one of the posts linked above must be very isolating. And yet we know from canon that Carlisle has no problem at all with Edward reading his mind all the time, and more, if Aro reading his mind was a problem then Aro and Marcus would both have known, and I doubt their friendship would have worked out. So, I think that Carlisle not only didn’t mind having his every thought read, but that this was an actively good thing. Because what is less lonely than the company of one who knows you as intimately as you know yourself? To be friends with Aro is to be truly understood, known more deeply than anyone else can ever know you. And to someone who seeks companionship as much as Carlisle does, I imagine this is an extremely attractive feature.

Offer of friendship Carlisle would have been hopelessly lonely when he met Aro. And as no one else is mentioned as being close to him, Jane hadn’t even met him which I find pretty telling of how he interacted (or didn’t interact) with the Guard, and he wouldn’t yet have any of his other friends that he later made, he only had Aro.

He enforcers a law that keeps the known world from descending into chaos Human civilization wouldn’t last a day without the Volturi. There would be nothing stopping vampires from taking out entire villages in one go, immortal children would be everywhere, and the newborn armies would spread like wildfire. In the world of Twilight, the Volturi are a necessary evil. And Aro is their leader. The fact that he not only keeps the world together, an ungrateful task with no end in sight, but had the idea to create a law in the first place would make him all the more amazing to Carlisle.

And I’m sure there’s more that is currently slipping my mind.

Just, Aro is on every level the most impressive, awe-inspiring, and dare I say dazzling, that anyone can be to Carlisle. And he came into Carlisle’s life at the best possible moment. If he’d agreed to do the animal diet, Carlisle would have stayed. If he wanted to seduce Carlisle, I think he’d succeed. I also think that their time together was far more formative for the person Carlisle became than anyone gives Aro credit for.

(And if Carlisle had never found anyone who’d share the diet, he would eventually have returned. I imagine Aro thought the same, but that’s for another post.)

Oh, and last bit - in Breaking Dawn we get this beautiful moment where Carlisle learns that Aro robbed the British royal family, and he just goes, “yup, that’s my guy”. Even after Eclipse, he remains fond of Aro. I mean, there’s also the fact that he’s been lugging around this giant painting for centuries, even at a time when he didn’t have a house and I can only speculate as to where he was keeping it.

Of course, over the course of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn everything goes to hell, but that’s for another post.

TL;DR, Carlisle went from a priest’s son to living with an evil vampire overlord for decades because he’s just that great, in the present he keeps a giant painting of him in his office. I feel it’s safe to assume he likes the man.

(Edited on the 13th of April to fix some phrasing and add a link)

[yami-kada]

Mission 2

Recently I read a fanfic on AO3 called Interlude - Class 1-A by @itslivybear and was inspired a bit to write a fic based on that! Well really I got inspiration for a single line (you'll know it when you see it) and then had to write a whole thing to be able to share that one line, but oh well. This is my first time writing a chatfic or even any BNHA content at all, so I hope it doesn't suck! Thanks to @shadesofflame for being an awesome beta!

(Quick FYI in this AU M*neta and Bakugou are replaced with Shinsou and Monoma, sorry for any confusion. Also a name guide can be found at the bottom.)

RockSolid: Um, so.

RockSolid: Remember the missions during the Sports Festival?

PurpleGrape: Oh hell yeah.

PurpleGrape: Still cherish the look on that bastard's face.

Spoderman: jehxgjc Kiri I got it on video!!!

JazzHands: You've had video of the capture of the bounty this whole time and never showed us???

LSD: I thought we were friends Sero!

Spoderman: omg no not that I totally would have shared earlier if i did

Spoderman: im talking about That.

RockSolid: no Sero don't tell them!

RockSolid: it's embarrassing!

PikaCHU: Tell us, tell us!

NYOOM: Kaminari-kun! If Kirishima-kun wishes to keep his privacy, then it is our duty as his classmates to respect that!

Spoderman: ok but consider: he already gave them a major hint and they are about to POUNCE

BreadIsPain: As a witness as well, I must say that Kirishima was si attirant que j'ai failli m'évanouir~*

RockSolid: thanks, I think?

MOMo: To paraphrase Aoyama, he is essentially saying you were very manly, Kirishima!

RockSolid: aw thanks bro!! Don't believe you but thanks!

Spoderman: you take that lack of confidence back I have evidence right here that says you are super fucking manly!

LSD: ok please now we have to know so that we can show Kiri how great he is!!!

MOMo: I must admit that the commentary seen thus far has me rather curious as well.

RockSolid: You guys…

RockSolid: alright then, I'll tell you!

Spoderman: sweet ill pull it up!

RockSolid: bro don't you dare! my story, I get to tell it!

Spoderman: oh yeah of course bro!!

Spoderman: but if after you wanna show it then i am READY.

JazzHands: This is very sweet and all but I am very thirsty for this TEA.

RockSolid: on it!

Kirby: Kiri you've been typing for so long that I'm getting Izuku vibes here.

GreenGrape: Hey!

RockSolid: sorry! this is harder than I thought!

Spoderman: want me to start it off?

RockSolid: you know what, sure.

Spoderman: aight so,

Spoderman: Council, what qualifies as capturing the bounty?

GreenGrape: Guys no the bounty is over please no more bounty-hunting Kacchan.

MOMo: Your objection is noted and overruled, Izuku.

MOMo: For your question, Sero, I do not believe we ever set specific limitations on what qualified, but I was under the impression that it was limited to the Sports Festival. Why do you ask?

Spoderman: just double checking

Spoderman: because my bro here just totally shot both missions out of the park!!!

LSD: gaSP!!!

JazzHands: bOTH?!

RockSolid: no not both!! we have no confirmation for either, technically!

Kirby: Technically? What do you mean by that?

RockSolid: ahhhh ok so Sero and I were eating lunch in the courtyard because it was nice out, right?!

RockSolid: and we were chillin, being bros, birds were singing, all was good.

RockSolid: and then we heard a small explosion before the bounty walked in at the other end of the courtyard and started kicking at the wall.

PikaCHU: omg so angy.

RockSolid: and like fine, we can tune him out, just try to act like he's not there, you know?

RockSolid: But then he started yelling at random people in the courtyard, just acting pissed as hell.

PikaCHU: oMG so ANGY.

RockSolid: and that's just not manly at all, you know? going off on people like that just because you're in a bad mood.

GreenGrape: Yeah… that's Kacchan for you.

RockSolid: so he's making his way around the courtyard now, like everyone needs their daily dose of asshole for him to be happy, and the closer he got the more annoyed I got.

Spoderman: here it comes!

RockSolid: and eventually I get up, because I have had just about enough, and walk right up to him.

RockSolid: he doesn't see me coming, because he was too busy yelling at some girl, and I get right up behind him.

RockSolid: and then I just called out to get his attention, and spun him to face me while making sure I end up between him and the girl.

RockSolid: and well I told him off a little bit and got him to back off then left in a hurry.

RockSolid: and that's it!

Spoderman: oh no you don't

BreadIsPain: Oui! Monsieur Kirishima, you must tell the climax with just as much zest as the build-up!

Spoderman: what he said! no skipping out on the best part!

RockSolid: but!!!

Jacked: No buts, mister. We're all way too invested now for you to back down.

RockSolid: :(

RockSolid: fine! you win!

RockSolid: so uh when I got his attention, I also got my hand onto his shoulder, and used his surprise to knock his feet a bit off balance and pulled him back, but then I ended up with him in my arms and could tell he was about to start yelling so I just…

RockSolid: you know…

RockSolid: flirted?

LSD: oh my GoD this is great!!!

PikaCHU: Hell yeah Kiri! Go get yourself a manz!

RockSolid: I'm not getting a man! He's probably going to kill me the next time he sees me!

Spoderman: i dunno, it took him a good long while to reboot after what you said there

Spoderman: you might have a shot

PurpleGrape: Well if you're not going to get a man out of this, mind telling us what you said so I can bait him next time he tries to be an ass?

RockSolid: uhhh…

RockSolid: I'm nervous.

BreadIsPain: If you will allow me, I shall finish your tale off dazzlingly!

RockSolid: Thanks Aoyama.

BreadIsPain: Bien entendu!

BreadIsPain: While holding him in his arms tightly in a dip, faces inches apart, Monsieur Kirishima leaned impossibly closer to emphasize his point.

RockSolid: oh god I regret everything.

LSD: Hush, it's getting good!

BreadIsPain: With a growl to his voice and his eyes burning above a smirk, he said "You know, you're damn cute when you're angry, but you'd be downright sexy if you shut the fuck up." Then he straightened up to fling the lost soul to the side, and saunter off like the devil was guarding his back, leaving the bounty terribly confused in his wake.

PurpleGrape: Whoa.

PikaCHU: Holy shit?!

RockSolid: what is that description?!?!?!

JazzHands: Kiri that was PERFECT oh my god?!

LSD: It's ART is what it is!

Spoderman: don't forget how red the guy was! Kiri was cool as a cucumber but the other guy couldn't stop blushing after seeing his face!!!

MOMo pinned a message

RockSolid: Yaomomo!!!

MOMo: My apologies, Kirishima, but I felt it only right to ensure easy access to your most manly moment.

LSD: Yeah Kiri! Then one day we can all look back on this and celebrate how everything started!!

RockSolid: How what started???

LSD: E v e r y t h i n g

RockSolid: @Spoderman bro hide me I’m scared.

Spoderman: hey guys, wanna see a GREAT video?

Spoderman: the stars are our main man, Kiri, and the bounty!

PikaCHU: hell yeah!!!

Jacked: Lay it on me.

PurpleGrape: Sure.

JazzHands: Do you really have to ask????

RockSolid: but I already told you what happened!

RockSolid: why do you want to see me being so embarrassing?

PikaCHU: bro we all appreciate you so much of course we want to see you being manly!

LSD: Just from what you all said there is no way you don’t look great in that vid, Kiri!

PikaCHU: gotta give support where support is due!!

PurpleGrape: They’ll all bully Sero into showing them one way or another anyways, might as well give in now.

RockSolid: but...

BreadIsPain: Nous devons vous montrer à quel point vous brillez et dissiper ces pensées douteuses!**

MOMo: I could not have said it better myself, Aoyama!

RockSolid: I don’t even know what he said though?!?!?!?!?!?!

Spoderman: Kiri.

Spoderman: Bro.

Jacked: Well shoot he’s using proper grammar and everything.

Spoderman: Rude.

Spoderman: Anyways Bro.

RockSolid: yeah?

Spoderman: You are epic. This video shows you being epic. And putting an asshole in their place.

Spoderman: You have nothing to be ashamed of, and every reason to be proud. So please let me show the video so that everyone can appreciate you like you deserve bro.

RockSolid: bro…

Spoderman: Bro.

RockSolid: bro -

Spoderman: Bro?

RockSolid: bro!

Spoderman: aight everyone down to the common room its up on the big screen

Spoderman: i have popcorn too

Jacked: Not even gonna question that.

LSD: Finally!!!

JazzHands: Yuss!!!

BreadIsPain: Je vais regarder avec enthousiasme!***

MOMo: As will all of us I’m sure, Aoyama!

RockSolid: Thanks guys!

RockSolid: Now get down here and watch me maybe get a man!

Translations:

*so attractive that I almost swooned.

**We must show you how much you shine, and dispel those self-doubting thoughts!

***I shall excitedly watch!

Guide to names:

GreenGrape - Izuku

PurpleGrape - Hitoshi

CopyCat - Monoma Neito

MOMo - Yaoyorozu Momo

datBoi - Asui Tsuyu

JazzHands - Hagakure Toru

NYOOM - Iida Tenya

SnowWhite - Kouda Kouji

LifeIsPain - Tokoyami Fumikage

BreadIsPain - Aoyama Yuga

Kirby - Uraraka Ochaco

LSD - Ashido Mina

PikaCHU - Kaminari Denki

RockSolid - Kirishima Eijiro

RipHarambe - Ojiro Mashirao

IcyHot - Todoroki Shoto

MuffinMan - Sato Rikido

Octodad - Shouji Mezou

Jacked - Jirou Kyoka

Spoderman - Sero Hanta

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

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

Mai’s POV

Mai had never liked singing. 

Ever. 

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

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

Your POV

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

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

So her name was Mai? 

You smiled, it suited her.

Mai’s POV

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

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

1 day later

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

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

__

Man I love Mai!

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

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

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

[restlessmaknae]

chasing love (chasing you)

All it takes is one masquerade, one dance and one lost high heel, and Kim Byeongkwan already finds himself chasing after you, but life always seems to get in the way.

➳ Characters: choreographer!Byeongkwan x contemporary dancer!reader/you

➳ Genre: fluff, comedy, modern cinderella au (yeah, has the ‘another cinderella story’ movie vibes, too)

➳ Words: 8.2k

➳ A/N: Dedicated to @dat-town​ 💖 I can’t believe you guessed the song based on just one hint, but I hope that the story itself will have some surprises for you nevertheless. *-* Wishing you the best birthday ever, and here’s to many more fun roleplay games, kdrama nights, intellectual (or not so intellectual) conversations, dissing and cooking sessions! Hope you can achieve everything you wish to achieve in this year! Love you so much that my love wouldn’t fit into potato boy’s pocket! 💖💖💖

➳ Click here to be added to the TAGLIST and to let me know about your fic preferences.

“Dude, we HAVE to go!”

Kang Yuchan’s excitement can be heard in his voice, seen on his face and read from his body language. He is the human embodiment of joy, but his best friend... Not so much. He doesn’t really appreciate his words, instead, he raises an eyebrow.

“There are so many places I would rather be than a masquerade, thank you so much,” says Kim Byeongkwan, also known as Jason, a bit edgy. His friend either doesn’t notice or doesn’t want to acknowledge Byeongkwan’s frustration.

“But you can meet cute girls, and you can also dance! How fun is that?”

“Do I have to remind you that I’m at the arts academy in the first place because I don’t have the inspiration to dance anymore? Why would I go to a party of all places?” Byeongkwan asks, very much annoyed, reminding his best friend why he’s actually studying at the same arts academy as him.

Here’s the thing: Kim Byeongkwan is a famous dancer and choreographer known by his stage name Jason. He started at 5, made it big at 15, barely finished high school afterwards, but still, he worked with and worked for big names, and he thought that his life was all set. He was doing well, he was good at what he was doing, and he was known for his talent. He didn’t get stuck at the underappreciated level, he made it big as he was making choreographies for kpop bands and soloists, and he was dancing in CFs and other promotional films for big companies like Samsung, Hyundai and Lotte.

Yet, ever since his mother died, he didn’t find his great escape in dancing. It was as if even the one thing that always provided solace for him seemed distant, almost uncomfortable. Thus, since his whole life revolved around dancing and dancing only, he really didn’t know what else to do. He felt lost and helpless, he even contemplated giving up altogether. That was until Yuchan suggested checking out the arts academy he also attended as an acting major. Byeongkwan’s agency gave in, telling him to try and find inspiration from other students and the classes he would attend there and in exchange for attending any class of his choice and not having any special application to enter, his agency would hold a talent show at the end of the semester for the students of the academy, granting two winners (one in singing and one in dancing) a place at the company and a deal for two years.

So far, the only thing that came out of this whole thing was the ruckus with him being a student with others and girls swooning over him and trying to get his number. Sure, it was cool that he made choreographies for BTS and EXO as well, but he didn’t think that so many girls would be following his every step as if he was the celebrity himself. It was surreal, he didn’t know what to do with this sudden attention.

So nope, he definitely doesn’t feel like going to a party where he can meet those so-called cute girls even though the arts academy is huge, so he’s sure that there are nice girls out there. He merely wasn’t so lucky so far.

“But dude, you might find your muse there,” Yuchan keeps on going with his prompting agenda, a grin on full display, and Byeongkwan is sure that his friend would make a great salesman. Not that acting doesn’t suit him, but he’s sure someone who can be fully convincing if he wants to. “Besides, you can wear a costume and a mask, chances are people won’t even recognize you. I can also help you dye your hair if you want to,” he suggests casually, shrugging his shoulders as if it would mean nothing to him, and it would be an everyday thing to dye his bro’s hair (hint: it’s not).

Byeongkwan rolls his eyes, not very fond of the idea of attending a party organised by the arts academy even though his friend is right; it would be a masquerade, so less chances for having crazy fangirls around.

But still, is this really where his life is going?

“Girl, we HAVE to go!”

Your best friend’s - Jinhee’s - whining doesn’t help the state of your heart, not when your hopes of going to the masquerade have been crushed. Her all too enthusiastic self only makes things worse.

“But I’ve told you, my aunt gave me so many chores, it’s impossible that I’ll finish in time. Plus, since my cousins are going to the party, it would be suspicious if I also left the house,” you point out, your reasoning shaking her a bit. You know your cousins will go and your aunt will attend a wedding, but she will be back by midnight because she needs her “8 hours of beauty sleep”, and you have to be ready with all the chores by that time. So basically, it’s a mission impossible to finish in time and to go to the masquerade tomorrow at the same time which leaves you with no choice but to leave your best friend hanging.

“But I’ve already made our clothes, and you’ve wanted to go so bad!”

This is what hurts the most; that the few things you would want to have in life are things that you can’t have because you’re still stuck with your aunt - the one who became your legal guardian when your mother died - and your evil cousins. Always having to run errands for them and taking care of all the household chores instead of them doesn’t leave you with too much time to earn money to be able to afford moving. So you’re stuck with them even though you’re already an adult, and the only reason you can attend the arts academy is because your cousins are there, so they can monitor you any time.

Needless to say, they got in because your aunt bribed the head of the academy, and you got in fair and square through an audition. You don’t know why your aunt thinks that they would make great singers because their voices are terrible, and their performance tests are always rather poor, but maybe it’s for the prestige; so that they can say they attend the famous Bang Arts Academy, previously a home to some pretty big names in the entertainment industry.

“Maybe next time.” You just shrug your shoulders, not wanting to break down in front of your best friend because it’s really not the end of the world that you can’t go. It’s just disappointing; having to say no to something you would really want to experience for yourself.

So you just sit in silence for some excruciatingly long moments, your best friend mopping over the missed opportunity to see you in the dress she made (because she’s a fashion designer, and a really good one on top of that), and to get to know that you can’t make it only a day before the big event. That’s life though, it’s really not sunshine and rainbows for you, but you’re over the point of crying over every single thing that goes wrong.

Jinhee then clicks her fingers and turns to you with her whole body. You can already tell that she has something in mind because that determined look on her face is there whenever she gets hit by inspiration for a new design or she connects the dots while reading some stories.

“Wait a minute! I might know someone who can help,” she remarks rather confidently, and violently starts typing on her phone. If it weren’t for the circumstances, you would think that she’s angry, and that’s why she’s typing so aggressively, but it warms your heart that she tries so hard to make it work.

A few seconds pass by, and you can only hear her typing before she looks up at you, all smiley.

“It’s settled. You’re coming. We’ll be back by midnight, and your aunt wouldn’t know a single thing!”

“How?” You can’t help but furrow your eyebrows in question. You’re eternally grateful for your best friend’s help, but how can she make this work? Does she know a cleaning company?

“I have my connections,” she reassures you, adding a cheeky wink to her words, and you know better than to question her. Once Jinhee puts her mind to something, she pushes through with it, so whatever that connection is, you know you can be there at the party tomorrow.

It turns out that Jinhee’s brother’s girlfriend’s cousin has a cleaning company, and they were persuaded to help you out on the day of the masquerade, and since Jinhee says they are very efficient, you believe her that they will finish in time while you can still attend the masquerade. Which is just great! You were so ready to give up on this party, but now you have every reason to be happy because the dress your best friend made is beautiful and elegant, yet it’s comfortable enough not to feel like a fish out of water, and you can spend this time with your best friend. Finally, a night you can enjoy without having to worry about having more to-dos with each passing hour, and without having to run away from your evil cousins because it’s a masquerade, so you have your pretty dress, a mask that covers your whole face and a very nice hairstyle, and your cousins probably won’t be able to recognize you.

Jinhee is bubbly, too, chatting away her excitement, and telling you about the special technique she used for the skirt part of her own dress while you two are standing by the food stall, sipping on your fruit punches. Maybe some people need alcohol to feel good, but you two are the complete opposite: you feel better without alcohol because you’re both lightweights, not to mention that Jinhee’s stomach can’t handle alcohol, so basically, she never drinks it.

You listen to her chattering with a fond smile, so thankful that you can be here because of her assistance, and it seems like such a perfect moment that you wish to capture it and store it in your heart.

That is until someone spills his drink on your best friend’s dress.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so, so, so very sorry! Are you okay?” The stranger dressed as Cupid asks your best friend who’s fuming, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it could be.

“Yeah, sure. Just be sure to be more careful next time!” She reprimands the guy whose eyes widen in fear, and even though you can’t see his face because of the mask, you’re sure his facial expressions would be equally as scared as his eyes. “I’ll go and try to clean it,” Jinhee adds as she looks at you, and you give a brief nod.

So she leaves for the bathroom, and you would think that the Cupid guy would evaporate, but he actually starts following her, asking if she’s really okay, and if he can do anything to help her. No matter how much Jinhee tries to wave him off, he keeps trailing behind her, and you shake your head with a smile, amused at the sight.

As you look back, you realise that just like your best friend left you, the Cupid guy left his (probably) friend too by the food stall, awkwardly standing there with his glass of (probably) fruit juice.

“I’m actually not surprised he did that. He’s just so clumsy,” he speaks up unashamedly, and his words seem more like a friendly call-out than anything else, but still, you let out a little giggle.

“And he seems adamant, too.”

“He is. God, he is!” The guy who’s dressed as a goblin agrees, and he joins you in laughter. His laughter is a soft and carefree one, and you find it a nice sound, especially in the hustle-bustle of the party and the all too loud background music. “He really wanted me to come, and even offered to dye my hair.”

“Maybe he just wanted to spend time with you. My best friend was the same. She even made this dress for me, so that I would have one more reason to come,” you tell him with a smile, and maybe it’s because of the masks and the fact that you can’t tell fully how he’s reacting, but you find it easy to talk to him, and to tell him such things.

“It’s cool that you have a tailor-made costume. We basically got ours at a second-hand shop because my best friend isn’t the man of deadlines, and I’ve given in to come only yesterday,” he lets you know, and you can feel his warmth despite the edge to his words, and you can tell that he’s not really angry at his friend. He seems used to that so-called best friend’s antics, too.

So you smile at him because you can imagine his friend being all over the place after witnessing for yourself how he could spill that drink over your best friend’s dress. You can’t tell how the goblin guy is feeling, but you don’t think it’s that awkward when silence falls over you. Or well, to be precise, momentary silence in your conversation, not complete silence because the DJ puts on another song, and it’s being played all too loud for your ears. But at least it’s a slower song, not one that you can imagine people twerking to.

Though you’re not too sure about that awkwardness when you’re literally pushed towards each other by a group of friends who come to the food stall to grab something to eat, and your face is inches away from his face. Despite not seeing his face, you can tell from the abyss in his eyes that he’s a warm-hearted person, and the way he takes a step back almost immediately makes you assume that he’s a considerate one, too.

“Do you want to dance?”

You find yourself saying, and you can see how his eyes widen. Sure, it might not be an everyday thing that a girl asks a guy to dance, but you’re a dance major (contemporary dance), and one of the reasons you wanted to come today was for the dance. Dancing without a routine or a fixed set of moves. Just dancing.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” you clarify before he could think that you’re pushy, but he just shakes his head.

“It’s okay. Let’s dance!”

There’s something uncertain in his voice that makes you question whether he’s actually comfortable with the idea of dancing, but you would never make fun of him even if he was a terrible dancer. So you make your way to the dancefloor, stepping closer to him (this time on purpose), and putting your hands on his shoulders while he’s placing his hands on your hips. His touch is gentle yet firm, and once you start moving, you can tell he’s not anyone new to dancing.

The way your moves follow each other without even discussing anything seems like a well-structured routine though. It’s as if your bodies are connected, and you can feel how the other will move, and you react to it almost immediately. It’s pleasant this way, and once you’re confident enough about his skills, you dare to lean on him more, and use his strength to keep you steady. He sure is a dancer, you notice quite quickly, but you can’t tell what kind of a dancer. His moves are not ones of a ballerino or a contemporary dancer like yourself, but they aren’t entirely loose either.

No matter what the case might be, it’s nice dancing with him, you feel almost weightless, and while trust is a big thing when you dance with someone else, it’s not even a question that you trust him and he trusts you back. You both dance to the soft and slow melody of the song as if it was something you actually practiced, and you don’t even notice that you’ve been dancing for some time when a more upbeat song comes on, and you’re brought back to reality.

Your steps become uncertain, and soon enough, he halts his steps as well, so you look at each other and head back to the food stall without a word where your friends are already talking, and once you arrive, they can’t stop gushing about how you two were such perfect dance partners. Your friends continue to chat most of the time, but you also get to speak up sometimes, and you get to know that the guy is taking mostly hip-hop classes while the Cupid guy is an acting major. The latter can’t stop telling funny stories, and you laugh and smile a lot beside them, enjoying yourself in their company until the clock strikes midnight.

“Oh my gosh, I need to go!” You exclaim frantically as you grab your best friend’s arm.

“Oh my gosh, we need to go!” Jinhee repeats after you, and without further ado, you two leave the two boys behind as if your life depended on it (maybe it did), and you’re already in your best friend’s car, heading towards your aunt’s house when you realise that you didn’t even ask for the Goblin guy’s name, and in that big hurry of yours, you accidentally leave one of your high heels behind.

Thankfully, that’s the worst thing that happens that night since you just manage to arrive before your aunt does, and you hop into bed, pretending to sleep while your aunt is going around the (hopefully) clean house. Seeing the way she doesn’t start yelling at you to clean up again, Jinhee’s brother’s girlfriend’s cousin’s cleaning company probably did a very good job, so you’re relieved, falling into a dreamy dream about that goblin guy and the way he held you in his arms so securely.

Byeongkwan is confused. Big time. Yuchan is confused, too. Big time.

All they know is that they danced and had fun with two lovely girls, and all they have is the picture of their costumes in their heads and Byeongkwan’s mysterious girl’s high heel. That’s it. No name or department or whatsoever because even though they shared the same about themselves, the girls didn’t mention such things. In short: they are doomed. In more detail: they are very hopeless, very clueless and very much doomed.

Even though Byeongkwan would be ready to give up because what are the chances of meeting you again, Yuchan isn’t the same. He keeps on talking about his mysterious girl from the night, and how much he felt the vibe, and how much he wishes he said or asked anything that would help find her, but they didn’t get into small talks about who they were or what they did at the academy, they talked about more fun stuff, and well, now that’s a big problem. How are you just supposed to search for someone who lost their shoe? Sure, they could print out leaflets or maybe even use the speakers from the administration office, but wouldn’t that be weird?

“Dude, just ask girls to dance with you! Who cares if they get to know that they danced with Jason? I’m pretty sure they would be happy,” Yuchan suggests one afternoon after all their brancells were fixated on finding a way to find their mysterious girls from the night. Not that the girls could find them either. They didn’t even have a lost shoe to begin with, and they didn’t even seem to search for one.

“I don’t want the unwanted attention. I might make her uncomfortable, and she might feel scared showing up to me if she knows that the whole academy would know that we were the ones dancing together,” Byeongkwan reasons, letting out a heavy sigh afterwards.

Gosh, he knew he shouldn’t have signed up for that masquerade, but the truth is… He doesn’t mind the fact that night happened because you awakened something in him. You made him remember why he started dancing, and with you, he didn’t worry about messing up, and he didn’t feel like he couldn’t dance either. He just did, and concentrated on you and you only, and it was just something truly magical. For that reason, he definitely doesn’t mind going, but now for not knowing how to meet up with you again, he sure does.

Yuchan shakes his head, then aggressively starts sipping from his banana milk. He nearly chokes on it in the next second, and even though his best friend is ready to pat his back, Yuchan holds his hands up high, stopping him.

“I’ve got an idea!”

“That made you choke already, starts good,” Byeongkwan hums, not too impressed, but as pumped up as his friend is whenever he’s hit by something, he doesn’t care about his slightly savage response.

“Attend different classes to find her! I mean, you can do so, you have the right because you’re here to find inspiration, and we could both see that she’s no ordinary girl, she’s actually a dancer. Also, you’ve said that if your hunch is right, she’s probably more on the elegant side, so maybe try visiting ballet lessons first? Then, you can go onto others. I mean, you’re the dancer, you know this better than me,” he runs his mouth excitedly, his eyes wide in enthusiasm. He keeps on his hopeful smile, and this time, Byeongkwan doesn’t tell him to shut up. Instead, he bites down on his lower lip.

“You do have a point, but that might take a while.”

“Well, worst things worse, maybe she will show up at the talent show, but that’s at the end of the semester, so still two months from now on,” Yuchan points out, shrugging his shoulders a bit sulkily because he doesn’t want to admit that Byeongkwan is right, and his plan might take some time to actually work out, but who knows? It still might bring her mysterious girl back to him.

“Oh, and wait! Your mysterious girl made the costume for my mysterious girl, so she might do something like that at uni, too!” Byeongkwan mentions as he tries to remember the details from that night, but instead of a content grin, he only gets a nudge in his side.

“Why are you telling me this only now? Are you really my best friend?” The other boy huffs, clearly hurt. “I could have already started looking for that girl! Gosh, I gotta go and use all my connections to find her now that I know she might be… uhm… maybe in the design department?” Yuchan already starts standing up from the desk, but falters when he tries to connect the dots. He’s like that meme in which one guy tells the other that he didn’t connect shit. Maybe she just likes making dresses in her free time.

Anyways, both Yuchan and Byeongkwan start looking for their mysterious girls afterwards, and as much as it’s tiring, it actually gives Byeongkwan a sense of adrenaline. He was so hopeless, just wandering in the big world of his dreams and crushed hopes after his mother died, but now he has a reason to look forward to each and every day, and no matter how silly that reason is, he’s actually curious who you are, what kind of dance you do, why you like dancing… And he could go on and on, but one thing is for sure: no matter with whom he dances in the next weeks, it wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t you.

He’s not ready to give up, but he loses more and more hope as time goes by, and Yuchan’s search doesn’t seem fruitful either even though he tries to contact everyone on SNS who might be under the design department. As for Byeongkwan, after ballet classes, he goes onto jazz and ballroom dance classes, and he tries his best not to look weird trying to fit in yet still trying to check out how girls around him dance, but it’s a bit ridiculous still.

So next up, a contemporary class it is, and even though it’s another one that’s very different from his hip-hop background and sexier choreographies, he sees the beauty in it, and he sees the beauty and familiarity in your movements which makes him feel like a fire has ignited inside of him. He knows that it’s you, it has to be you, but he doesn’t want to jump at you in the middle of the class or stare at you inappropriately, so he waits until the end of the class to go up to you.

While you’re taking sips from your water bottle, he gathers the courage to actually turn to you and speak up:

“Can I dance with you?”

At the sight of your widened eyes, he realises how stupid and ridiculous it sounds coming from him - Jason -, a mere intruder at your usual contemporary dance class, but the words have already slipped from his mouth, so what can he do?

“Why?” You furrow your eyebrow in question, putting the lid back on your water bottle and putting it back into your bag. You seem nonchalant, almost neutral, but there’s no judgement in your eyes that would keep him back from asking the question.

Though when it comes to the actual execution, he finds himself stumbling upon his words and blurting out something along the lines:

“Well, why not?”

Now, you definitely narrow your eyes, alarmed, checking him out - probably to test his intentions -, and he swears there’s no inappropriate intention behind his question, he’s just not very experienced talking to girls who have bewitched him with their dance. Read: it has never happened before, so he has no clue what to do, and the way you’re ready to leave, not impressed by his question, he knows he has messed it up.

In sheer panic, the right words finally come out:

“It’s you, isn’t it? The girl from the masquerade,” he says a bit tentatively, but his question is enough for you to turn on your heels and face him. Luckily, the others have already left the practice room, so there are no witnesses to his attempt to get the truth out of you, but it doesn’t mean that there’s no burden on his shoulders.

You let out a sigh, confused, but you stay in one place, not intending to leave again.

“There were a lot of girls at the masquerade,” you point out very much reasonably, and even though you don’t seem like you would run away like that night, Byeongkwan has this immense urge in him to drop his confession onto you, so he does exactly the same.

“But not everyone danced like you; as if they didn’t have anything more to lose, and they were so passionate that it was eye-catching. I was speechless, and dancing with you to that slow song made me realise yet again why dancing is something I enjoy doing,” he says in one-go, but seeing how you’re still not convinced, he adds that he was dressed as a goblin and his friend was dressed as Cupid, and now, he can see the twinkles in your eyes.

There are so many emotions going through his body at the sight of your realisation, and the way you’re speechless for a moment that it makes him wonder whether you have good memories of that night, or you’re just not sure how to reject him. Because dancing and talking one night doesn’t mean that you should feel obligated to continue getting to know you, and if you didn’t want to do so, he would respect your decision for sure.

The seconds that pass by seem excruciating, and it doesn’t help either that your facial expression is literally frozen, so he begins preparing himself for the worst. Thankfully, your features soften as you speak up.

“Dance is the great escape from my life ever since my mom died,” you confess bitterly, and when he catches your eyes, he can see the same kind of burning passion as he used to have. You’re desperate to hold onto something, you want something to keep you grounded and sane, and it’s dancing for you. He should have known since there are great dancers who use their bodies to dance, but there are exceptional dancers who use their heart and soul to dance. You, without a doubt, belong to the latter category.

Maybe it’s the mutual understanding or the bittersweet atmosphere covering both of you, but he finds himself opening up, something that was never easy for him, especially since he lost a loved one.

“I thought the same until my mom died. Then, I didn’t know how to dance anymore. I didn’t feel like dancing. I was lost…” Byeongkwan breathes the words out, melancholic. You give him a weak smile, one that prompts him to go on, and he’s eternally grateful for your trust; that you trust him even after just one encounter. Or maybe it’s the way your bodies and hearts connected that night that you feel so at ease beside each other.

“I was so afraid of losing everything so suddenly that’s precious to me that I couldn’t do what I loved the most. It was as if my fears had become reality, and I proved my own point, but it was a vicious cycle. I made myself believe that I was no longer able to dance well, and so I wasn’t.”

The words that were so difficult to say out loud seem almost weightless now, and as he tells you more and more, he realises how much this confession shouldn’t have been weighing down on him. Instead, he should have just said them out loud, screamed into the void. Yuchan was understanding, of course, but it wasn’t the same with him as it is with you; talking about dancing with someone who cherishes dancing as much as he does.

You, on the other hand, seem to understand him even without more details, and the empathy in your eyes makes his heart flutter. Is it really possible to feel this way when it’s the first time he met you personally? To be precise, he met you face-to-face. Sure, he doesn’t have anything against being behind a mask because dancing with you and talking with you in your costumes was enough for him to be interested in you, but now that he sees every twitch of your lips, every freckle dotting your pale skin, every shade in your dark orbs, every emotion being mirrored in your body language, it’s different. More personal. Better.

“That must have been hard. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t been able to dance,” you admit after a few seconds of silence, and your sincerity tugs on his heartstrings. He might not have thought how similar you two are on the dancefloor, but he feels strangely understood by an almost stranger.

“I didn’t either. Not until I met you.”

The words are out before Byeongkwan could think twice about them, and as much as he’s honest, he also thinks that he’s a fool because he may seem pushy or cringey or outright rude, and he would never want to make you feel this way. Instead of panic or doubt though, all he can see is that you’re clearly touched, but the moment just has to be interrupted by the sound of your phone ringing. Even Byeongkwan can hear how the woman on the other side of the phone yells at you:

“Where the hell are you? I’ve told you we have an important guest coming over. I can’t blow my chances with him, or else, I might go down the drain of underappreciated models even at the age of 45!”

The boy is confused big time (Who’s that woman? Is she really a model? Why is she using such a language towards you?), but you don’t even flinch, and that surprises and saddens him at the same time. When you hung up and put your phone back into your pocket, he’s not taken aback that you announce:

“I gotta go.”

“But...” He wants to hold you up, saying that he doesn’t even know your name or any other contact information of yours, but before the words could roll off his tongue, you’re already out of sight.

Dear gosh, it really feels like chasing after you, but now, he has one more clue, and he can come back to this class next week, no need to worry about attending any other class to run into you. Or well, to purposely run into you again.

You definitely don’t expect the goblin guy to reveal himself as Jason, the famous dancer and choreographer, who caused quite a ruckus when it turned out that he would come here to attend some classes. People were wondering about the intention behind his sudden presence at an arts academy when he already made it big, and girls were swooning over how cool and handsome he was from up-close. Which isn’t far from the truth, you have to admit, but you just can’t believe it.

Sure, you know who he is even if you two don’t do the same kind of dance, and you’ve also heard about him attending Bang Arts Academy, even more so because you are planning to take part in that competition his agency holds at the end of the semester in hopes of getting away from your evil cousins and your evil aunt. If you manage to win in the dance category, you’ll be given a two-year deal and also a dormitory, so no need to wipe floors for the rest of your life and worry about the nonexistent time you could have to yourself to actually make money.

But still… what were the chances of meeting Kim Byeongkwan through the masquerade and having him confess to you that you made him feel something that he has thought he has lost? You feel sorry for him, of course you do, you can’t even imagine how devastating it must have been for him to lose his mother recently because you were fairly young when you lost yours. On the other hand, you can’t imagine that you, a mere dancer, can make him want to dance again. That’s both fluttering and scary at the same time. You don’t want to disappoint him again if you manage to dance together in the future.

Though it seems like life is just not on your side because the class he attended with you wasn’t a weekly one, it was just a workshop, so a one-time thing, and even if he would come back to the same practice room at the same time, he wouldn’t find you there because you have your usual class at a different practice room. So again, no way of contacting each other, and despite the fact that at least you know who he is (unlike him), you can’t just DM him on social media, saying that you wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, and go around searching for Kim Byeongkwan when he’s known for not attending regular classes.

So you would be doomed yet again if it weren’t for your friends who actually manage to connect the dots and make things work. Yuchan - the Cupid guy - finds your best friend on social media thanks to Byeongkwan telling him that Jinhee must be under the design department, and Jinhee responds all too enthusiastically that they should meet. When they meet, they realise that you and Byeongkwan still haven't contacted each other, so they set up a meeting, and that’s how the four of you end up around a bench on campus.

“I’m telling you, Byeongkwan is seriously the worst at these kinds of things, so don’t worry if he’s not the man of words. He tries to say what’s on his mind, but his words come out pretty savage, so it feels like being reprimanded by your mother whenever he tries to compliment you,” Yuchan blabbers as if you were lifelong friends, and while Jinhee lets out a laughter, you only smile to yourself, exchanging a glance with the said boy who feels just a tiny bit uncomfortable.

“He didn’t seem to struggle with his words around me,” you mention casually, and even if it’s meant to save him from further embarrassment, Yuchan doesn’t want to change the topic. Instead, he becomes a full-on touched, surprised and proud best friend.

“Oh my gosh, dude! That’s great! You can finally open up to people! Even though I could feel hurt by it since you don’t like to open up to me, I’m just so proud of you for overcoming-”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Byeongkwan shuts him up by covering his friend’s mouth with his hands, and even though Yuchan keeps on talking, he doesn’t let go of him until he decides to be quiet for a moment.

You giggle at the sight, finding the two friends’ bickering funny, and the atmosphere is light and cosy, so you really feel as if you’ve known each other for years. Maybe that’s why Jinhee is prompted to let her mouth loose.

“Y/n was the same. She’s usually not one to talk about boys, but she kept wondering who this goblin guy might be, and it was just sooooo cute,” your best friend coos, and never have you felt so attacked in your life. Jinhee really did decide to throw you under the bus in front of Kim Byeongkwan, huh?

“Cuuuute,” Yuchan remarks all too enthusiastically, and you don’t dare to turn your head towards Byeongkwan for a few seconds, but instead of surprise or shame, he’s actually more amused by what he has heard. Which is fine, if you think about it, since you already know that he felt the same way about your dance from the masquerade.

“Well then, don’t get me started on Jinhee…”

“Oh, no, no! I know something better! Cookies anyone?” Jinhee tries to save herself the moment you try to tell the guys the truth about how she has been thinking of setting up a search to find her mysterious Cupid guy. A literal, physical search with leaflets and all that.

“Come on! I want to hear it!”

“Eat your cookies instead!” Your best friend retorts when Yuchan gets whiny, and shoves a piece of chocolate chip cookie into the boy’s mouth whose mood is immediately lifted. You exchange a glance with Byeongkwan, breaking into a smile when you meet each others’ eyes, and it’s so easy to forget about the fact that you have duties and classes and Byeongkwan also has a meeting with his agency that you feel weightless, happy and carefree, something that you haven’t felt for a long time.

All thanks to him.

The thing is, Kim Byeongkwan is a great guy, which makes it hard not to fall for him.

You have never really let yourself develop feelings for boys before because you know how complicated your life is, and you don’t want someone else to worry about your cousins or aunt. It’s enough that Jinhee is usually worried sick when you don’t reach out to her out of the blue while it’s really just you having to fulfill yet another long list of household chores, or when you get humiliated by your cousins for no absolute reason. It’s like she’s upset for the two of you because you’ve already gotten too used to how things are. Not to mention that you barely have time to yourself, so how could you go on dates with guys?

However, even though things are the same, Byeongkwan makes it work. Since he doesn’t have a fixed schedule at the academy and his career has been put on hold due to his lack of inspiration, he can work around your classes (because he doesn’t want to be a creep and attend every class of yours) and duties at home which just makes it easy and comfortable to spend time with him, and to look forward to each and every day, wondering what you might get to know about him that day.

He’s funny, and sometimes he doesn’t even try to, it’s just in the way he reacts so expressively. He’s considerate, always making sure that you feel comfortable beside him, and he’s looking for ways to make things easier for you even if it’s just by buying you your favourite brand of iced coffee or sending you an encouraging song when he knows you most need it. He’s playful, adamant in the smallest of things and teasing you when you least expect him to, but you enjoy it, the way he’s a bit unpredictable. And he’s a great dancer, so you find it difficult to believe that he has actually lost all inspiration some time ago (though you can understand him) because now, when’s dancing with you… He’s a piece of art. His moves are fluid, his body is a continuation of a story he tries to convey, and his heartbeat is the same as the rhythm of the song played in the background, the two matching each other like ad-libs to the main vocal line in a ballad.

Coming from two very different backgrounds when it comes to dance, you learn a lot from him and vice versa. You learn how to loosen up a bit more and find beauty in the quicker, more complex moves while you teach him how to appear a bit more stiff and make longer movements seem smoother and more natural. While hip-hop and contemporary dance aren’t complete opposites, it’s still a lot of fun and quite a challenge to dive yourself into even just the basics of the other’s dance style. You laugh a lot nevertheless, and slowly but surely, you can feel yourself falling for him: for his windshield laughter, for his gentle actions, for his mahogany orbs, for his little teasing remarks and for the way he holds you so securely when you are dancing together. Sure, it helps that your best friends become a couple in the meantime, but you also feel yourself getting closer and closer to him, you just don’t want to make a move, at least not until the day of the competition because you don’t want others to think that you were favoured. Even though Byeongkwan isn’t a part of the judges’ panel, you know how people are: always quick to jump to conclusions, to see more into things than they are.

So you prepare diligently, working on adjusting your choreography for the big day, and even though you get some tips from Byeongkwan himself, he doesn’t put the routine together for you, you do it for yourself. He’s more like a hype man, and it’s heartwarming how supportive he is, even on the day of the performance when he wishes you good luck before he gets lost in the mass of people including the contestants, the audience and the organisers. Jinhee and Yuchan cheer for you in the audience, and despite knowing that your aunt will be there because your cousins will compete, you’re not afraid to be up on the stage.

“Let us begin the big competition! Today, the judges will choose two winners: one in the dancing and one in the singing category. The two lucky contestants will have the chance to join Jason’s agency, sign a contract for two years and receive specialised training to make their hot debut happen. Lessons from professionals and a dorm room will be guaranteed. What more could you want? So let’s begin, shall we?”

The presenter’s, Park Junhee’s, voice is light and excited, but it can’t be compared to the excitement of the audience. Everyone is literally buzzing, and the more contestants show what they have, the more hyped up they are. Of course, there are some rather poor performances (yes, you mean your cousins’ performances), but overall, it turns out to be a fun night, and since you’re by the end, you have the time to get used to the atmosphere by the time you are called onto the stage.

“And now, competing in the dance category with a contemporary dance performance mixed with some hip-hop elements… please, welcome Y/N!” Park Junhee shouts into the mic beamingly, and he gives you an encouraging nod of his head when you run up to the stage and he goes back into the waiting area while you perform.

Truth to be told, your mind shuts off the outside noises when the performance begins, and you concentrate only on the beats of the song you have chosen. You become one with it, let it whisper to you, let it lead you, and you lose track of time and space while you’re presenting the well-practiced moves. Maybe you’re not perfect, but you don’t mind because you forget about who’s watching and what has led up to this moment as you stand there, and it’s such a deliberating feeling that it can’t be compared to anything else.

No wonder your performance comes to an end in no time, and the competition is reaching the final stages by the time you can wrap your head around the fact that you have just performed in front of thousands of people, and based on Jinhee’s and Byeongkwan’s excited messages, you did really well.

“And now, the time everyone has been waiting for…” Park Junhee riles up the audience as he jogs onto the stage with two envelopes in his hand. “The judges have made their decision, and even though everyone did well, there can be only one winner in each category, so let me announce them!”

They start with the singing category, announcing Sohn Jeonghyuck (also known by his stage name Demian) as the winner, and even though you have never heard of him before, his voice was so good, you were literally speechless while you were watching his performance, so you clap genuinely when he shyly gets the trophy from the grinning Junhee.

“Now, onto the winner of the dance category,” the young man continues as he opens the second envelope, and you can feel your heart beating twice as fast when you wait out those seconds that pass by. Even though the world wouldn’t end if you didn’t win, you wish that you could have a new chance in life, and this would be a good start. A really good one. It’s just that nothing has really worked out in your life before as you wanted, so you don’t dare to hope.

“Congratulations, Y/N! You’re the winner in the dance category!”

You are so dumbfounded by the news that you don’t even know what’s going on until Park Junhee comes to grab you by the arm and drags you onto the stage, giving you the trophy and asking you to give a speech. You just jumble out a few words that seem right, but you have no idea how collected they are because you’re just so happy, bathing in the newfound hope and joy, receiving congratulatory words and hugs from your best friend afterwards. It all feels too good, too much like a miracle.

“Aww, I’m so happy for you! You deserved it so much!” Jinhee says, half crying, and Yuchan has to give her a few tissues to dry her tears, but he also gives you his congratulations in the meantime.

Byeongkwan comes up to you a bit later, but you don’t mind because the moment he crushes you into a hug, nothing else matters. He has seen how hard you have worked to prepare for your performance, and he has listened to all your ramblings about how you wish your life could change for the better, and now… Maybe you can finally dare to hope for it to happen.

“Now you can’t run away from me because we’ll be at the same agency,” he remarks cheekily as you pull away from each other, and even though he’s just being playful, you know there’s truth to his words. You kept missing each other in the beginning, and it took you three encounters to actually get each other’s contacts, so you practically chased each other until you could start getting to know each other. But not anymore. Gosh, you’ll work under the same agency as Kim Byeongkwan himself!

“I don’t intend to run away,” you let him know with a smile, and he reciprocates it with his own proud, touched one.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

And you’re glad, too, for your life really takes a turn for the better afterwards. You move out of your aunt’s house to move into the dorms of the agency, and you can cut all ties with your aunt and your cousins (something that you should have done so a long time ago), pursuing your dream and going on all those dates you have missed out on with the boy who makes your heart flutter. So no matter how thorny the road was, you have your own happy ending with Kim Byeongkwan, and it’s really the best you could have wished for.

[masqueradeball]

How about number 3? Like, tell us all about it if you want :)

Oh my gosh 🥺 thank you so much for giving me my first ask! 💖 I'm eternally grateful I get to spill all my pheels out.

3. What is my favorite Phantom tv/film adaptation?

My absolute favorite Phantom is the 1925 Lon Chaney silent film. He just embodies everything that I like about Gaston Leroux's Erik for me and he is both horrifying and pitiable. I dislike the ending but I can live with it given it's what test audiences wanted at the time. I truly love his Red Death costume. You can find it on Youtube and the Tubi app for free.

My first runner up would be Claude Raines in the 1943 because his Erique so soft and tragic in that film I cannot help but love him. This was one was my grandma's favorite 'classic monster' movies that she loved, so I have a special place in my heart for this one. I love his hair and appreciate that he was one fine silver fox before the revenge and jealousy issues set in. The opera parts are a little boring, but the costumes and the sassy diva rival to Christine are worth the watch. We get 2 handsome Raouls who end up going to dinner together at the end of the movie and a Christine who gets to bask in the limelight of her career while not choosing any suitor, which is the best possible outcome for her. Double play for the win in my book! You can watch it for free on the Peacock app.

My next runner up is a 3 way tie between Robert Englund, Gerard Butler, and Charles Dance.

I honestly enjoy all their performances because they each bring something unique to the role.

I cannot stress enough how violent the Robert Englund version is if you want to give it a go, but Erik Destler is insane, twisted, and fabulously murdertastic in this. I love the creepy, evil vibes the man gives off. Think of this film as a time travel AU of the original novel. I feel like he nailed Leroux Erik's darker, snarky personality that some people tend to forget he had and the gothic horror parts of the original novel are there. Bonus: they keep the Faust parallels like in the novel!

I'm gonna say it: I love the Charles Dance miniseries. I know it's not the best, but damn, he is so dry and sarcastic I cannot help but enjoy his performance. I want to pinch his cheeks and smother Cherik with the love his father never gave him everytime I see him. Again, this one focuses on the operas a lot, and for me it's a bit boring. But the backgrounds, settings, and props in this thing are fantastic and the costumes are wonderful too.

That leaves Gerard Butler in the 2004 movie. No he is not the world's greatest singing Phantom, but I don't care. I absolutely love his facial expressions and body language. The Phantom is an emotional, expressive dude and the Red Death costume scene is pretty good. I love how kind and sincere Emmy feels in this film and I appreciate she's not overracting and doesn't feel fake compared to some other Christines *coughSierracough* Being the film version of the ALW musical, this Phantom story focuses on the romance and Gerard excels at that. When he and Christine are singing Past the Point of no Return, I FEEL THEIR PASSION! And that's what counts more so than hitting the same notes we've all heard a million times before.

Now for the versions in the 'I will eternally like this' category 😊 :

The Phantom of the Paradise from 1974. This is also a very violent and dark film so fair warning if you haven't seen it. It's a bizarre rock musical, but if you're weird like me and enjoy Rock & Rule or the Rocky Horror Picture Show, this might be a film you'd like too. I don't want to spoil it too much but the Faust/devil parallels are here too, as is various pop culture references. His teeth and mask are terrifyingly cool, and so is the electronic voice box he uses. It makes sense Daft Punk was inspired by this film. Maybe G1 Soundwave was inspired by this film too, but that's a debate for another day 😉

Next is the animated 1988 film. This one features animation on par with other 80s tv cartoons of the time. I love that they kept the Persian and the torture chamber from the novel. The Phantom's death scene is pretty damn epic. Christine is kind of a flake, but animated Leroux Erik is hilariously insane and terribly charming, especially when he calls himself a Don Juan. It's worth watching just for his antics and his dialouge.

You might not expect a Goosebumps episode to do a Phantom story any justice, but here we are: 1995, The Phantom of the Auditorium is a spooky fun take on the story and honestly, I'd like to see the full play the kids at that school are putting on cause it looks better than some of the live Phantom stage scenes I've seen. Both young boys playing the Phantom are fantastic actors and the plot twist at the end is great.

I absolutely have to give a shout out to Wishbone's Pantin at the Opera. He is the best, cutest, most adorable Raoul de Chagney ever and I will fight you if you dare talk smack about this version. I'm not even a Raoul stan by any means but like, this dog is precious and I enjoy this episode so much.

Also in the animated category and cute dog category is Scooby Doo Stage Fright made back in 2013. This movie is one of my fave Scooby Doo films (yes I own almost all of them on dvd) and there are multiple Phantoms, a reality tv show contest, and Fred and Daphne finally kiss each other! Lots and lots of hidden Phantom references in the background and lots of voice acting talent for those of us who appreciate that.

Now for the versions I intensely dislike 😏

The 1962 Herbert Lom version. UGH where to start. The sets are so small and everything looks dirty and of the wrong time period. The color in the film looks washed out. The clothes look too modern somehow (maybe it's their hairstyles?) and it bothers me. It feels low budget in a bad way and it shows. This phantom is not likeable or pitiable even though his backstory is similar to the Claude Raines version. He has no romantic interest in Christine, so it feels off. This guy is such an old a$$ piece of sh*t, he literally slaps Christine as she's singing for him for no damn reason. His paper mache mask looks like a Kindergartener's botched art class project. His personality is like somebody locked up cranky grandpa in the basement and he's PMS-ing because y'all forgot to give him his daily prune juice. This squatter's lair lacks creepiness, and his bizarre sidekick is annoying and yet somehow more interesting than the Phantom. The pervert manager trying to bang Christine aggravated me and simultaneously made me want to vomit. Raoul is the only likeable character in the whole damn movie. The Joan of Arc opera scene makes up for some of the film, but it's still terrible.

Next on my meh list is the 1983 made for tv movie starring Micheal York and Jane Seymour. Now, this one has some likeable and applaudable scenes: the various murders and general creepiness of the Phantom, and the lair scene when she wakes up in his bed and the Phantom gets all up in her face is so intense and so Leroux I absolutely love it. The rest of the film is a jumbled hot mess at best, but Jane Seymour is 🔥 and she gets some damn good sex, so hell yeah to that!

And lastly, I do not like the Royal Albert Hall 25th anniversary recording. I should preface this by saying it is Sierra I don't like. I like Ramin, I love Hadley, everyone else is wonderful but I cannot stand Sierra. She tries too hard to make Christine a Disney Princess- and that doesn't fly with me. It comes off as insincere or mocking the source material at best, and at worst it makes Christine look like an airheaded ditz. Apparently Sierra played Ariel at one point which is hilarious because of all the Disney princesses, I dislike her the most. But that's a different rant for another day.

And finally, the one I hate most of all:

The 1998 Argento film. This is the worst Phantom adaptation I've ever seen. It is a whole lotta nope for me. Between the rats, the unecessary and pointless telepathy, the r*pe scene, and the unfunny weird vibe from the murder going on in this film it's a disaster from start to finish. Honestly, it's the rats and his hair that bother me from a visual standpoint alone and it's beyond disgusting the way this a$$🤡 treats Christine. I don't like any of the characters in here and for good reason. It's not worth watching and if you do, be ready to bleach your brain afterwards.

💖 Sorry if this was a long read! Thanks again for giving me an ask and I will cherish it forver!!!! 💖

[palimpsessed]

Writerly Ephemera

I was tagged by @amywaterwings @mostlymaudlin @tea-brigade @effing-numpties @captain-aralias @bloodiedpixie . This is so cool, so thanks for sharing yours! ❤️

Per Amy: We add little bits of ourselves to our writing, scattering memories and places and phrases and things into our stories. The game is to find five examples of this, of YOU, in your writing and show everyone.

I don’t really feel like I put much of my own experiences into my fic, probably because I don’t feel like I have a lot of experiences to pull from. (That’s not me being self-deprecating; that’s me never going anywhere or doing anything.) So, let’s see what we come up with!

Going to tag here. I feel like I’ve gotten to this late so I’m not sure who has been tagged. Anyway. No pressure, loves. Just saying hi. 🥰 @theflyingpeach @bazzybelle @otherworldsivelivedin @unseelieseelie @wetheformidables @caitybug @nightimedreamersworld @foolofabookwyrm @stillmadaboutpetra

1. I have put the most of myself into A Man of Letters. I have my degree in English Lit and when I was in college, I was at the height of my Jane Austen obsession. So I sort of built my degree around the development of the English novel. My senior thesis was on a book called Evelina by Frances Burney, who was one of Austen’s greatest literary influences. Evelina is an epistolary novel—told entirely in letters. I love the epistolary form, for the same reason I love dialogue and texting fics. It’s such a fun narrative technique and can reveal so much about individual characters. It’s actually a bit like the way Rainbow Rowell uses multi POV in her books. Anyway, my love of the epistle was on full display in this fic, which is ofc told in letters. —Do I share a passage? That’s like...the whole fic 😅 So, idk. Here’s Simon being a disaster as he meditates on letter writing:

Dear Penny,

As I start this letter, I already know I'm not going to post it. I know I won't be able to bring myself to do it, because of what I have to say to you. I do feel bad. It's not that I don't want to tell you. And you know I'm so much better at writing things down than saying them out loud. It's only that I feel like this would all sound better coming from me in person. I just don't think I'll be able to make you understand in a letter. I'm still trying to understand myself. And writing all of this down helps me with that. Even if I'm only pretending to write to you, it makes me feel better, to think of you on the other end. I promise I really will tell you everything as soon as we're together again.

2. Also for A Man of Letters, my fascination with Regency fashions, in particular the dandy, was a major factor. I did an art book about this, comparing how fashion has changed over time, especially in regard to gender. (I also did an art book based on Evelina, since I’m on the subject. I minored in book art. 😁) I always fancied the look of a Regency dandy, so that was my gift to Baz.

Whoever has been working their magic on Salisbury should in fact be the person to whom I offer my eternal devotion. Alas, I am left to flounder under the burden of lusting after a man who is incapable of dressing himself.

The utter and unmitigated shame.

Salisbury wore a forest green wool frock coat that set off the golden highlights in his brown locks. This was accented with a green and aubergine striped silk waistcoat that was trimmed in white piping and felt much too daring a pattern for the man. (I don't care if he was a soldier; it takes a hardier man than him by half to choose a stripe like that.) His charcoal trousers were enticingly snug, but not so much to prove lethal. His cravat and points left much to be desired, though that likely reflected poorly on his ability to keep himself in order, rather than the ability of his valet. (Good God, maybe the man doesn't even have a valet!)

3. When it came to my countdown fic, To the Manor Borne, I had Shep make a reference to Cluedo, because Pitch Manor would be perfect for a real life game. Behind that, is the fact that my family played a lot of Clue and I watched the movie a whole bunch growing up, to the point where my sister and I used to quote it to each other. This was a way to pay homage to that. He also talks about playing the game Murder in the Dark, which was one I played at Halloween as a kid. One of my cousins was dressed as a ghoul with glow in the dark face paint and we were in my grandma’s creepy upstairs. Perfect vibes.

I’ve seen the kitchen and the dining room and the library and the study and the parlor. Walking through this house is like playing Clue. (They call it Cluedo on this side of the pond, because they like to be difficult.) (That was a whole thing. Do not get me started.)

I keep thinking Colonel Mustard’s going to pop up out of nowhere and brain me with a lead pipe.

And:

What kind of games do you play with magickal friends who don't have magic? Twister? Not with the wings and tail. Cards? Baz and Penny would cheat. Or accuse everyone else of cheating if they didn't win. Murder in the dark? With these people, in this house, I knew it would turn literal fast, and also it was like ten in the morning. Hide and seek? Simon and I would hide and everyone else would ditch. Snowball fight? World War III.

4. I’ve referenced Mozart in my fics a couple of times because when I was first getting into classical music, I was listening to a lot of Mozart. My sister had a CD of some of his early symphonies, and my local classical station does “Mozart in the Mornings” which happened to fit in the exact time slot between two morning classes I had my first year in college. I’d go sit in my car with a cup of tea, and just vibe with Mozart as my soundtrack. I’ve name dropped him in both A Man of Letters and To the Manor Borne. Also, Mozart wrote 12 variations on the melody shared by Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, which is a lovely tie in. (I also had the gang sing/cast The Holly and the Ivy, which is one of my favorite Christmas carols, and by strange coincidence was playing on the radio at the same time I wrote that scene. 🥰)

"It's a songbook," I tell him, like he can't figure that out for himself. "Did you know that Mozart wrote twelve different versions of the same song?"

He's laughing. "Mozart did not write Twinkle, twinkle, little star, Simon."

"You know what I mean."

"He composed twelve variations for solo piano on the French folk melody Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman."

"Sure. Anyway, this is for the violin. For you to play."

He's still laughing, and I'm trying to figure out what's so funny, but then he kisses me again, on the lips this time, so I figure maybe I'm still doing okay.

Only one more to go! What will it be? 👀

5. Therapy! Eheheh...😅 Look, it’s no secret the gang needs it. And tbh, so do I. Haven’t actually managed to get myself to go yet, and I think that’s where a lot of my “send them to therapy” happy endings come from. I did it in Use Your Words and To the Manor Borne. I started Chamber by Chamber with SnowBaz already in therapy, and then structured the whole thing around therapy that they give to each other and to themselves. It didn’t really fit in A Man of Letters, but if it had, I absolutely would have done it. I’ve only shared from two fics so far, and since it could kind of spoil the ending to Use Your Words (tho saying this may be spoiler anyway...), here are two snippets from It’s a Kind of Magic, Part I of Chamber by Chamber.

I've been working on articulating my needs. We both have. Ordinarily, I'd be afraid of pushing him away by making demands when he's on the verge of a spiral, but my therapist insists that I can't go on treating Simon with kid gloves. If I never ask him for anything, he'll think he doesn't have anything to give.

And

When I told that to my therapist, she said that I needed to talk it out of me and she'd help me find ways to work through it all. She said I needed to talk it out with Baz, too, so that he'd know how to help me when things got bad again—that was something else she said, that things would get bad again, and that I'd need to be prepared for that. That I couldn't expect things to be easy, and just go away.

6. BONUS! I think the biggest way I include bits of myself is in the AUs I’ve chosen to write. I have three I’m planning that say a lot about me, so I’m going to talk a bit about them here. There is ofc my Scooby Doo AU, inspired in large part by the fact that I watched it all the time growing up and also, my sister continues to be obsessed with it. When we were young, my parents were doing a lot of work on their house and we’d take family trips to the hardware store. My sister and I hated it, so we’d wait in the car with my mom and she would entertain us with “Scooby Doo stories”. Other AUs I’m planning? Troop Beverly Hills—please tell me someone else out there loved this movie the way I did when I was 5. It was very influential to baby me and I remember wishing for nothing more than being able to dress like Shelley Long. So, I’m going to let Baz do it, because I think he deserves it. 🥰 Lastly, tho it will probably be the first I write, is my Cupid and Psyche AU, from when I was heavy into mythology and religion. Since these are all forthcoming projects, I don’t really have a snippet. Instead, here’s Baz comparing Simon to Eros, which is what started my brain on that particular AU.

I am lost. I barely know anything about Salisbury, but I can't help being drawn in. At one time, I could have comforted myself that I was only so smitten with him because he looks like he was sculpted by Praxiteles. That excuse grows weaker with every encounter. He's the furthest thing from a lifeless tribute to beauty in marble as one can be. There is something deep and dark and feral inside of him and I want to claw it out. I want to see it, to let it free. To taste his wildness and his pain.

[sweetsubharry]

hey ! sorry to bother you but could you reccomend me some fics of footballer louis?? thank you !! love your acc

Hiya!!  💖you can never bother me!! ^-^ ohmgosh I’m so glad you like my blog! I love footballer louis djskasdhjag tysm(sorry it took soooo long!)

please make sure you read the tags and stay safe everyone!💖

Also these are not in any particular order, however I will say the first two are probably my favourites ;) I have to read them again right after this!

freeze this moment in a frame and stay like this by rosesau

Harry (not so) secretly crushes on the cute footie player and fills pages with sketches of him.

Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by 1Diamondinthesun

Harry spends most of his time in an empty house or a lonely darkroom, dreaming of leaving his small town for art school. He's invisible to most people. And then Louis Tomlinson sees him. Life will never be the same.

Or, the American high school AU loosely inspired by She's All That.

Definition of Beauty by zanni_scaramouche

“Your book is upside down.” Harry nods at Louis’ book, his history text now that he sees it too.

“I’d rather study you.”

They both blink, startled by the slip.

“With you. Study with you,” Louis rushes to say. “Liam says I’m shite at history, can you help?”

Louis’ caught off guard by an omega he nearly takes out with an errant footie ball. It’s not that Louis’ never seen Harry before, it’s that he can’t stop looking, and he’s desperate to figure him out.

Coffee Cups and Football Boots by kimtaedumb

Harry’s stood behind the counter again, but this time he’s painting his nails. Louis strolls up to the counter and, thanks to his no brain-to-mouth filter, blurts out, “Isn’t that a little girlish, Haz?” leaning closer to inspect.

Harry lets out a little huff as his hand slips, “Oh, damn, now I’ve messed it up,” he pouts and turns to Louis, “Why should making myself feel pretty be girly?”

Louis holds up his hands in surrender, “’M not judging, jus’ curious is all.”

(The entirely cheesy and cliché Christmas AU, in which Harry doesn’t give a damn what people think about him – mostly – and Louis may be a little bit in love.

Alternatively, the one in which Harry owns a café that’s barely scraping by and Louis is a footballer and he takes Harry away for Christmas.

Featuring Zayn as a cocky little shit that most definitely needs to be put back in his place, Niall as the loveable Irish dude who drinks too much and flirts with Zayn more than the average girl, and Liam who loves everyone but hates them all at the same time.)

Way in the World by flowsque

When Louis Tomlinson enters the waiting room, Harry can distinctly feel his heart sinking to his stomach. The man's hair is ruffled and dishevelled and his red jersey, damp with sweat from training, clings to his perfect and chiseled body. He stands there, almost unreal, against the glass door, peering inside the office. Harry knew this would’ve happened, sooner or later. That he would have bumped into him. They play for the same club after all, even if they’re in different leagues. It’s not weird. It is not. Except it totally is. - Or, the one where Harry has a knee injury and an embarrassing crush on Manchester United's pretty number ten.

I Long For You by AnotherAnonymousWriter

Thirty minutes later, he's sat on a bench in Hyde Park with a book in his lap and a travel mug with hot tea in his hand. Not far from where he's sat, a group of boys are playing football and a bunch of children are chasing each other. Life is good.

Or at least, life is good until he hears a familiar “LOOK OUT!” and sees a football flying in the direction of his face.

And then everything is black.

(Harry gets hit in the head by various objects and falls for a boy with blue eyes.)

ease the quiet and talk me down by cabinbythesea

Harry's a model and Louis' a footie player.

(Louis teaches Harry some football and Harry is insanely good at giving a lapdance).

Baby, It's You by Bearandleonardwrite

"Oh, yeah. Um..” Harry lets his hands fall to his sides. His brows furrow, face full of concern, and he asks, “You’re not, like, stalking me, are you?”

Louis can’t help the loud cackle that escapes his lips and immediately slaps one of his hands over his mouth to muffle the sound. “Oh my god, Harry, no!” Louis tells him, a little breathlessly, giggles still bubbling out of his chest. “Lottie’s one of the makeup artists here today and she somehow got me to agree to come. I had no idea you modeled for, uh.. this brand until I saw you walk.”

“Oh,” Harry says dumbly, eyebrows still pinched. He lets what Louis just said sink in before a bright grin takes over his face and he goes back to doing up the buttons on his shirt. “Well, that’s alright, then. I’m glad you could make it.

(Basically, Louis' a footie player for Man U and Harry's a YSL model. They meet at a masquerade.)

Touch by kotabear24

Harry's shy and virginal with a past, new on the football team; Louis' the (experienced) popular star of the team and Harry's new mentor.

Come In and Change My Life by lightswoodmagic (sarah_writes)

He’d had the same neighbours since he’d moved into the building, a lovely, wealthy couple in their late sixties who had always invited him around for tea on Sundays. Martha had dropped off homemade biscuits the day he’d moved in, so Harry figured he may as well repeat the sentiment. He could hear someone getting closer to the door just as a flush ran through his body; oh fuck. His heat was close, too close to be knocking on a potentially unknown alpha’s door, but it was too late. The door swung open, and Harry’s mouth dropped. He’d never been overly interested in football, couldn’t find the fascination in watching men run around after a ball for hours aside from their uniforms, but he knew who this was. Louis Tomlinson, alpha, captain of Manchester United, star in a number of Harry’s heat addled fantasies, was his new next-door neighbour.

Or, Harry and Louis become friends when Harry looks after Louis' cat during away games, until one night at a party changes everything between them. It's just a shame Louis' going to be away for the FIFA World Cup for three months.

see the truth (it's me for you) by orphan_account

If you asked Louis the first day of his French Literature class what he’d be doing on the last, he’d probably never have guessed it would involve helping a poorly Harry Styles study for the final exam. Good thing he’s not a betting man.

(Or the one where Louis and Harry spend an entire semester ignoring each other after a one-night stand, only to come face to face when Harry manages to catch the stomach flu during finals week. Sometimes fate is funny like that.)

Use Your Words by zedi

based off this prompt: collage au where jock!harry always serenades flowercrown!louis with love songs in their music class. what nobody knows is that harry actually kinda means the words he sings.

But instead it's Louis as the jock and Harry as the flowerchild because I do what I want.

Stop The World (I Wanna Get Off With You) by ilikepianos

"You like this, don't you?", he asks breathlessly.

What? Sucking cock? Being dominated? Yes, all of that. A big fat yes.

Harry nods, lips still wrapped around Louis' throbbing dick.

Louis' lips curl into a smirk. "Keep going then. You're doing amazing, love."

OR: The uni-football AU where Harry may or may not have a minor crush on the captain of the team and suddenly discovers that the feeling is very much mutual.

Picture Perfect by LittleBubbleStyles

an AU where Louis Tomlinson is a misunderstood football player, and Harry Styles is a misunderstood photographer. Somehow, they're understood together.

I just think about my baby; I'm so full of love I could barely eat by mercutionotromeo

Harry and Louis are six hundred miles apart, but they have the same solutions to the same problem.

Or: a masturbation drabble featuring pillow humping, locker rooms, and copious amounts of dirty talk.

into another (another) serotonin overflow by mercutionotromeo

Harry wants this year to be different - wants it to be the year that he finally gets over this stupid crush. He’s going to uni, he needs to decide what he wants to do with his life.

Instead, he’s deciding what he wants to do to Louis Tomlinson.

Or: Sweet first time sex wherein Harry's adorably awkward, Louis is achingly cool, and Harry rides Louis wearing his jersey.

note: it says it in the tag but this is the edited version written in 2019, rather than the 2017 original- so there’s two put I put the link for the newest one :)

need a little sweetness in my life by mercutionotromeo

Harry's always liked feeling desperate and small when Louis touches him, but when he sucks Harry off...it’s fucking otherworldly. Desperate’s not really the word at that point - it’s helpless. Like… like the fucking world could stop spinning and Harry wouldn’t be able to do anything about it until Louis finished him off with his lips and his tongue.

Or, Harry and Louis go to university together. Harry really likes it when Louis sucks him off, and Louis really likes it when Harry calls him Daddy.

(Sequel to "into another serotonin overflow")

I made a map of your stars by brightbluelou

Harry does not have a crush on Louis Tomlinson. Yes, Louis is very pretty and funny, and Harry may have had more than a few inappropriate thoughts about him, but he certainly doesn’t like him. (Except for the fact that he totally does.) or, Harry is the shy boy in the back of the class that no one really notices. Louis is the loud, outgoing football player that everybody likes.

We Made These Memories for Ourselves by supernope

Breath held, Harry squints his eyes open and focuses on the first stick. A blue line. Harry breathes out an unsteady breath. He’s pretty sure he read that one blue line is a negative, but he fishes the box from the bottom of the pile just to make sure.

“Negative,” he confirms, voice echoing around the small room. “Next.”

Now that he’s feeling a little less shaky, he scans the rest of the tests at once, is met with a headache-inducing mixture of pink plus signs and blue double lines. His heart rate picks up until it’s pounding triple-time in the base of his throat and the pit of his stomach, thundering in his ears and throbbing in his temples. He flips over the rest of the boxes slowly, but he knows what they’re going to say before he even looks.

[or, Louis is a footballer, Harry owns a bakery, and they're having a baby.]

Kiss Me on the Mouth and Set Me Free by ls2k14   

Louis has his head thrown back in a laugh, his wet fringe hanging in front of his eyes, and a beautiful flush to his cheeks. From this angle, the sun hits his face just right to where the beams of light are shining in between the spaces of each individual clump of watered down eyelashes. His chest is showing through the soaked material of his white jersey and it seems that his biceps are attempting to break free from the sleeves that are clinging to his skin.

And Harry can do nothing except take it all in. He doesn’t even think he’s breathing at this point. He is literally stuck in place, admiring the true beauty of Louis Tomlinson, while being surrounded by fit footballers and generally attractive people. He doesn’t think he’s ever been in love before, but if Louis let him, he’s pretty damn sure he could change that in the matter of a few nanoseconds.

[revengerevisited]

So I’ve been kinda dancing around my original story idea for a little while, and I got this idea in my head of ‘what if I release chapter 1 and then get feedback without telling anyone what the story is about first so it’s more of a surprise?’ But honestly? I’m realizing since I already released a preview-of-a-preview for chapter 1, and it might be a little while until I finish chapter 1, plus I honestly kinda feel like I’d rather work on sketches of my character designs than write at the moment, I might as well go ahead and tell you guys. X’3

So! I watched a couple anime recently both centered around the premise of... monster girls! These being Monster Musume and Monster Girl Doctor, but then I noticed there’s also Interviews with Monster Girls, A Centaur’s Life, and the infamous Interspecies Reviewers, and I asked myself... Monster girls are pretty popular right now, yeah? But where’s all the monster boys?! And that’s how I got the idea! I re-watched some of my favorite anime based on Otome Games, Kamigami no Asobi and Uta no Prince Sama for inspiration as well, and a few ones I hadn’t seen before like Dance with Devils and Magic-kyun Renaissance for inspiration as well.

So now I’ve got my premise that I shared earlier: This is the story of Millie, a young woman down on her luck who happens to live in a world where monsters aren’t just real, but commonplace. She started working as a maid in a mansion-turned-art-school whose students are a group of very attractive monster boys. The twist is that these aren’t just any monster boys; they belong to various rare and exotic species with deadly reputations...

Note that character and place names are technically place-holders for now and may change if I come up with better ones. Now, I don’t wanna spoil anything story-wise, but I think I can introduce my setting and some of the characters that you’re gonna meet. The story is set in a modern setting, though it’s vague if it’s actually Earth or just some generic world similar to it, as I try to avoid referencing real-world places or events. This is a world where humans and monsters live together after a Great Interspecies War happened in the past, but tensions have mostly relaxed by the time the story takes place. The war could be thought of as the equivalent of our own World War One, one in which there was a truce decided after many years of stalemate fighting.

The city everything takes place in is tentatively named Dullahan, and was built directly after the war to commemorate peace between human and monster kind. It’s considered an artistic cultural center, and it���s got a lot of interesting entertainment places to go to, arcades, theaters, aquariums, etc, that the characters can have a lot of different shenanigans in. The other main setting is the Beaufort Academy of the Arts, which was actually a mansion that was converted into a small private school. This is where all the characters live, and our main character Millie works as a maid there.

Before I go into the characters, I should start with the various monster species. There are 12 species, divided into 2 groups: common monsters and exotic monsters. The common monsters are centaurs, harpies, lamias (snake people), kobolds (dog people), ogres, and merrows (mermaids). These species are all pretty standard, and will be mostly background characters and npcs. The main characters, and love interests for Millie, will be of the exotic variety: arachnes (spider people), sirens (deep-sea mermaids), mandrakes (plant people), dragons, manticores (with a liontaur body-type), and scyllas (octopus people).

So what differentiates a common monster from an exotic one? Well, while the Interspecies War was between humans and monsters in general, some monsters were already at least partially integrated into human society, and the rest followed soon after the war ended. These monsters were almost as common as humans, and either herbivorous or omnivorous, with the exception of the carnivorous lamias who prefer to eat eggs over anything else. On the other hand, the so-called ‘exotic’ species were not only much more rare, but they had a very different food preference... one which earned them the now derogatory nickname... man-eaters.

Naturally, most ‘man-eaters’ weren’t exactly welcomed into human --nor common monster-- society with open arms, not that most of them wanted to. For the most part, species as powerful and dangerous as them didn’t want to play nice with those they had once --and in some cases still do-- regard as prey, and so hid away into the furthest reaches of the world. Which of course makes them perfect material for all our leading men and Millie’s various love-interests!! Oh yes, while all of these monster boys are perfectly civilized --well, for the most part-- they still belong to species that many both human and monster alike continue to fear to this day. While they aren’t exactly fish out of water (well, except for the siren) there’s still plenty of awkward misunderstandings and interesting scenarios that can be played out.

So! Let’s have a quick run-down of the characters, keep in mind that none of these names are final and could change later on. First there’s Millie, a hardworking young woman who’s had a recent streak of bad luck. Through a misunderstanding she gets hired as a maid in a mansion-turned-art-school. She’s very sweet and tries her best to help others, but she’s not as innocent as she appears; she’ll understand your innuendos just fine, even if she doesn’t really say any herself! Next is Richard and Lara Beaufort, a husband and wife who run the school. Richard is rather laid-back, yet he’s also a master of all kinds of art, painting, sculpture, photography, dancing, singing, you name it! Lara is his arachne wife, a rather boisterous woman who owns a high-class fashion company. The secret to her clothing’s success?? Arachne silk, of course! The school was her idea, a way to help better integrate exotic species into society. Will her mission succeed? Only time can tell.

Richard and Lara have a son named Simon, our first love interest and a human-arachne hybrid who takes almost entirely after his mother in the looks-department (hybrids tend to look like one species or the other, rather than a mix of both). He’s a bit withdrawn due to dealing with bullying as a kid; most people --human and monster alike-- are afraid of his spider-like appearance, so he doesn’t get out much-- to the point his parents worry about him being a shut-in for life! He’s also a gamer boy, and has a secret soft side for gothic poetry, although he doesn’t want to join his parents’ art classes. He actually disapproves of his mother’s exotic species integration plan, as from what he’s experienced he feels it’s a waste of time.

Simon’s best friend and Millie’s second love interest is Louis, a mandrake who lives in the woods behind the manor. Louis is extremely shy and more than a bit lonely, even more so than Simon, and he doesn’t speak very often out of fear that the sound of his voice will hurt others around him. Mandrake screams can induce insanity or even kill those that hear them, hence his fear. Being part plant, Louis has mild shape-shifting abilities and is able to transform between child and young adult forms at will, although he’s actually the oldest of the group. He also isn’t a student at the art school, although he has an interest in floristry.

Now for our actual students! Forrest is a manticore, which in this world means he has a body similar to that of a centaur, but with the lower half of a lion instead of a horse, and a scorpion-like tail tipped with a deadly venomous stinger. Despite his species’s name literally meaning ‘man-eater’, Forrest is extremely friendly and cheerful, and is very sporty too. His passion is photography, and he also loves eating food-- any sort of meat dish is fine by him! He’s also a fan of fantasy tabletop roleplaying games, and will often make references comparing them to everyday life; he always plays the knight who saves the princess!

Anthony is a childhood ‘friend’ of Forrest’s, though he’s loathe to admit it. Highly intelligent and highly snobbish, Anthony fancies himself an intellectual-- and he’s not exactly wrong. Being a dragon, he likes to hoard things-- in his case, knowledge. Anthony loves to read, and is most often found in the library. His skill is in drawing and painting, and all his paintings’ invariably morose subject matter worry Millie. Still, this haughty dragon could definitely learn to loosen up a little, and be a little more kind; perhaps his stay at the academy --and his interactions with Millie-- will open his mind to appreciating the feelings of others. He does, at the very least, greatly respect Master Beaufort as a master of the arts.

The other two students are denizens of the sea, and have been friends for a very long time. Emil is a scylla, and like all scyllas he’s a little eccentric, and just can’t seem to keep his tentacles to himself! While Forrest is obsessed with eating, Emil’s true calling is cooking, and he loves making all kinds of dishes, especially anything seafood and/or foreign. Emil also is highly appreciative of women’s fashion, and absolutely adores everything to come from Madam Beaufort’s clothing brand-- so much so that he actually wears them himself! His pretty-boy looks and penchant for wearing women’s clothing actually has Millie mistake him for a girl at first, though he’s very much unafraid to show her his romantic side, or at least what he interprets as romantic... 

Keeping Emil’s pervy antics in check is our sixth and final monster boy, Oswald! As a siren, Oswald spent most of his life in the sea, and still has a lot to learn about humanity. He’s a pretty cool guy but gets a bit embarrassed about his species’s troublesome past as the cause of many shipwrecks at sea, and would prefer to not discuss it. His passion is rock music, and his main instrument is the guitar. He also loves to sing, but refrains from doing so due to the hypnotic effect it has on other species. His lack of legs, tentacles, or a snake-like tail means that like other merrows and sirens he requires a wheelchair to move around on land, and often feels frustrated that he can’t show off how adept he is at traversing water. He’s also easy to embarrass and obsessed with not allowing anything to ‘ruin’ his manly image, including allowing Millie (a girl!) to help carry him around.

So there you have it, all my monster boys! I left out a few things, as those would be major spoilers, but those are my ideas for the characters for now! I’ll try to draw and post some sketches of their designs later. Hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything, but this won’t be the last time I talk about monster boys. Any questions or comments would be very much appreciated! Nsfw questions are allowed (all the boys wear pants for a reason, after all), though I’m currently not sure if this series will be 16+ or 18+, if you catch my meaning. Lemme know how interested you are in this story, or if you’re not interested please let me know that too! 

[crabsxdragons]

Seventeen High School Love Story

ps. this is another imagine from the depths of my drafts, also the seventeen family au will resume shortly because my neurology exam is coming up, i will keep you updated on when i will continue posting it, thank you for understanding

Seungcheol

You were helping a student who were being bullied, the kid was drenched from head to toe so you gave them your jacket. You have no idea that he was watching the scene unfold from afar. Then a couple days later, the bullies messed with you too, throwing water over you just after school. Seungcheol being the savior he is, came just in time to help you by giving you his jacket. He told the bullies not to mess with his girl. Which lead to a very long conversation and a confession as he walked you home that day.

Jeonghan

You were a new transfer student, and was assigned to sit next to him. Since you barely know each other, you were too shy to speak to him. He also seemed pretty reserved, so you never pushed him to talk to you. You actually thought that he hates you. Until he fell asleep in class one day, and you saved him by waking him up when the teacher calls out his name, also giving him the answer to the question that he was being asked. Then you both started becoming closer. Probably a bit too close to be considered “just friends”.

Joshua

He was the popular guy at school for having a really nice voice and being able to play the guitar. Everyone loved to watch him sing during lunch or free time. He’s also so kind and gentle to everyone, making him everyone’s crush. One day he overheard you singing alone in your empty classroom with your headphones on. He caught you by surprise when he suddenly clapped, complimenting your voice. Then, using his magic tricks, he whipped out his guitar of nowhere, asking you to sing with him.

Jun

You first became friends with Jun because he mistook you for someone else. Your friendship with him literally is the best. No days are spent without laughter, mainly because you both have a very specific sense of humor. You got so close to the point where when he’s too busy playing games on his phone during lunch, you’d shove food into his mouth, so he wouldn’t skip lunch. Or when you’re tired afterschool, he’d carry you on his back on the way home. But not without teasing you. Jun realizes that he likes you as more than just a friend, when someone else asked you out for a date, and it made him upset.

Soonyoung

You were in the same class with him for so long, but never really spoke to each other. Until one day, being the hyperactive guy he is, he accidentally ran into you in the hallways, making you drop a stack of books that you needed to bring to the teacher’s office. He apologized a million times and helped you carry them, finally getting the chance to talk to you. The short interaction was enough to have him interested in getting to know you. So he would invite you to have lunch with him and his friends because there’s just something that makes him want to spend more time with you.

Wonwoo

The first time you every talked to him was for a science project. You were absent when the project was announced and the teacher paired you with Wonwoo, who didn’t really mind. He was more on the quiet side, so it was a bit awkward at first. But during the two weeks that you worked on your project, you managed fo warm up with each other. Which is how you get to know him a bit more, especially on his love for books, and your shared love on games. Save to say that the two of you kept hanging out even after the project was finished.

Jihoon

You were a transfer student, and on the first week you found the piano room. You came there during lunch time because you love to play the piano and there’s no one around so you wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. Jihoon likes to go there alone too, and finds you taking over his “secret” place. He started leaning outside the door to listen to you play in secret, until one day you caught him peeking from the door. Leading to piano duets, and lots of conversations about each other’s passion.

Seokmin

He actually has a crush on you, but you’re not that close cause you both have your own group of friends. Sometimes when he throws a joke in class, his eyes would dart to you, to check if you’re laughing too. He’s pretty popular with the girls cause he’s nice and funny, but when it comes to you, he gets easily flustered. Which is why he’s afraid of striking up a conversation cause he doesn’t want to embarrass himself. That is until he gathered up the courage to ask you out, with a group of friends watching his every move just around the corner, ready to tease him.

Mingyu

No one in school does not know of him, Mingyu, the seemingly perfect student who somehow aced in all fields there is. From academics, to arts, and even sports. But he was mostly known for sports since he’s a part of the soccer team. Students would cheer for him during games and tournaments, some even watched him during practice. You had a few encounters with him before, mainly because you were a part of the health team responsible for the soccer team whenever they get minor injuries. And well if there is one thing that you knew best, is how clumsy he is. There is no game where he did not come to you for help. Which you soon find out was just an excuse to get close to you.

Minghao

When lunch time came around, you prefer spending it with a book you’re currently reading. You love poetry collections and sometimes wrote too. One day you accidentally left your poem book at the library, the ones that has little doodles and poems you wrote which was inspired by everything you see at school. One is about this guy you secretly had a crush for, you even sketched his face. Minghao, your crush, finds the book when he was the last one to leave the library. He learned who the owner of the book is and returned it to you, but making you promise that you’ll read the poems for him one day, on a date.

Seungkwan

You always have a crush on him, you think he’s so cool when he plays volleyball and win these competitions. You would watch every game, supporting your school’s team, although you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off him. On one match, he accidentally hit the ball in the wrong way and it went towards you, who was sitting on the bleachers. So he apologized a million times, and approached you again at the end of the game. Asking you if he can make it up to you with ice cream. You could say that getting hit by a volley ball landed you a boyfriend.

Hansol

You were best friends even before you could spell the word best friends. So you know him better than you know the back of your hand. Both of you are pretty chill, always on the sidelines of every scene, watching and laughing at your friends. You even sit together in class, doodling on each other’s notes when you’re bored, sharing headphones during free time, copying each other’s homework. Everyone thought you were dating, and even complimented how good you look together. Both of you would laugh at them in response. You never realized you liked him too, until you overheard him talk to Seungkwan that he likes you. But he’s afraid of making things awkward and possibly ruining his friendship.

Chan

He was a transfer student who became the school’s talk because of his visuals and kindness. Everyone was talking about him. His name seemed familiar to you, but you can’t put the face to the name. Until you ran to him in the hallways when school is over and he immediately recognized you. You were the one who lent him crayons back in elementary school when he forgot his. He hasn’t forgotten about you after all these years. Imagine everyone’s surprise when he came looking for you in your class during lunch the next day.

[sailor-muno]

Hi and welcome to my new series called: Mixing D&D with the Black Clover Universe

In this series I will be taking elements, mechanics, and other random things that I like from D&D and figure out how these things could work/be implemented into the Black Clover world. With that being said please add on your own thoughts and ideas to this topic because I want more stuff to think about. Also do not be afraid to suggest a D&D concept to me because it’s all valid here. With that being said let’s get started!

The topic: Classes - The Bard

“Words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own....They say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos.” - D&D Players Handbook

Section 1: What is a bard?

Typically, we think of bards as magical musicians, but that’s only a narrow wedge of what a bard can be. Bards are experts, performers, and craftsmen, worldly travelers who can win the day with a smile and a careful selection of words where bladed steel cannot. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. With a wide-range of knowledge in many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well, Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting, from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.

However, not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard's life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge, a level of musical skill, and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows.

Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries beyond the horizon—makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.

Cassiea - OlchaS

The Bard class takes inspiration from the Norse skald, the warrior-poets and historians of Scandinavia; the Celtic bard, honored storytellers who reportedly followed heroes into battle to retell their deeds and also acted as neutral diplomats; and the southern European minstrel, musicians who entertained royalty.

In medieval Ireland, the bard was a highly respected profession of poets, storytellers and historians. Bards trained for many years, and held the important role of learning and retelling history in memorable poetic form, in a time before reading and writing were commonplace. By some reports, the bards held the highest social caste in society, and it was taboo to refuse them any request; one even asked for the king's brooch, who was forced to comply, though the brooch was later returned.

When it comes to Bards in Black Clover I would see them as pretty much the same thing. Historians who have a passion for stories and knowledge. They’re the documenters of all knowledge that isn’t related to spellcasting (think grimoires, making magic items, anything Julius would be interested in, etc.). This means that they are in charge of taking care of documenting things like the history of the kingdom, popular folktales and songs, news articles and basically anything else that one would consider to be a historical resource. They are the lore keepers of the kingdom and as such they often have a large presence all about the Clover Kingdom and can be found in all social class districts.

“Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it.” - Oscar Wilde

Section 2: Magic and the Bard’s College

When it comes to black clover and it’s magic system, we all know that the only way to cast spells of significant power is with a grimoire. This will never change and I will not change it within the context of adding classes to the world. However, with that being said I still believe that while we can’t change the core foundation of how a spell is learned and stored, we can change what the caster uses their magic for. When we think about classes in this context all of a sudden we no longer see them as a different way of casting magic but instead we see it more like a school. How we use our magic in this world is dependent upon our education, like fine-tuning a weapon a class takes your sword and sharpens it m into a fine point.

To go along those lines I now must address The issue of bards only being able to cast their magic with music. In the world of black clover instead believe that bards can cast magic in any way they see fit, as long as they are using their magic in an artistic way. This could be painting, cooking, singing, dancing, or any other artistic medium.  when we put the class under these definitions there are actually quite a few characters in the show that could be considered Bards. Some of these characters include but are not limited to:

Kahono

Kiato

Puli Angel

Rill Boismortier

Marx Francois

Charmy Pappitson

Vanessa Enoteca

Kirsche Vermillion

Catherine

Samantha Kravitz

Elvira Aguirre

Damnatio Kira

David Swallow

Langris Vaude

Dorothy Unsworth

Dominante Code

 these are just a few of the characters that I believe are bards. something interesting to know about this list though is that a lot of the characters on this list or female, more specifically they’re witches. well I cannot give a solid explanation for why this is I can give my own theory on it.

Witches have an innate ability forecasting artistic spells. Based off of what we’ve seen from most of the witches in the show a lot of their magic is based around the idea of Creation or illusion magic. With Elvira and Samantha both having a form of illusion magic that manipulates sound and sight. I like to think of their magic being like the Minor Illusion spell in D&D. Vanessa having threat magic and using it to make dolls and sew clothes is another bard like trait that helps fit this theory.

When it comes to bards in this world and their magic we often find that their magic in it of itself is very showy and performance like. While any magic can be interesting to see some mages are just gifted or taught how to use their magic in a way that is particularly showy or dramatic. For those who are not gifted with artistic magic, and struggle to teach themselves how to use their magic in a creative way there has to be a place where they can go to learn how. This is why we have the Bard’s College.

“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul” - Joseph Addison

Section 3: The Bard’s College

The way of the bard is a gregarious one. Collecting songs and stories and sharing them with each other in an effort to spread knowledge. It is for this reason that the bards college was made, it is a place for bards to come together and share their finding and store them somewhere they can be taught to future generations. It also serves as a place of learning, teaching its students various mediums of art along with how to properly preserve and document history and record the world around them. While they may not be magical scholars, they certainly are the clover kingdoms finest anthropologists and non-magical historians to date. The college is also home to the biggest Historical Archives in the Clover Kingdom. These archives are treated very much like the Vatican Library and will be explored in the next section.

Now in D&D there are 8 different colleges a bard can attend (including the new Unearthed Arcana college because it’s cool): The College of Creation, The College of Eloquence, The College of Glamour, The College of Lore, The Collage of Spirits (UA), The College of Swords, The College of Valor, and The College of Whispers. Rather than putting all 7 college into the Black Clover Universe I have decided to take these 8 colleges and merge them together to make one college with 8 different “degree plans” one can take. This section will provide you with a generalized overviewed of each of the eight schools. If you wish to look more in depth at either of the colleges from a more mechanical viewpoint rather than a lore point I have provided links to each of the different colleges above.

Bard of Creation

Bards believe the cosmos is a work of art - the creation of the first dragons and gods. That creative work included harmonies that continue to resound through existence today, a power known as the Song of Creation. The Bards of Creation draw on that primeval song through their art as they try to spread the Song of Creation and its meaning to all life on the planet. Usually Bards in this Path either have a love for their art or an already artistic magic such as voice or painting magic. This path is one of the most difficult routes for a non-artistic mage to take on, but it isn’t impossible.

While studying under this practice most mages learn how to take non-magical items and infuse them with Mana to serve as a arcane focus for their spells. Taking their magic and concentrating it into a fine point that is easier to control and direct (think like Noelle and her wand.) along with this the Bards of Creation also put a heavy focus on Creation spells, helping their casters hone and fine tune their spells to perfection. Most Bards of Creation go on to either work in the noble realm as scribes for the nobility or become performers in small towns, collecting villagers stories and immortalizing them through their craft.

Some Characters that I believe are Bards of Craation would be:

Rill Boismortier

Dominante Code

Telian Springbreeze - College of Creation

Bard of Eloquence

Bards of Eloquence master the art of oratory. Persuasion is regarded as a high art, and a well-reasoned, well-spoken argument often proves more persuasive than facts. These bards wield a blend of logic and theatrical wordplay, winning over skeptics and detractors with logical arguments and plucking at heartstrings to appeal to the emotions of audiences.

Bards of the Spoken word most people in this group tend to be Debaters. Always looking to be the winner of an argument these bards are almost unparalleled when it comes to knowing what to say and when. Spending their time studying vocabulary and reading they learn to retain lots of memory and also learn how to regurgitate it properly for any situation. Most bards of this type often go on to become politicians or work for the Magic Parliament as a lawmaker and negotiator. They also end up becoming Royal Advisors in order to help with lawmaking.

Some Characters that I believe are Bards of Eloquence are:

Damnatio Kira

Marx Francois

Valorant Rose - College of Eloquence

Bard of Glamour

The Bards of Glamour are regarded with a mixture of awe and fear. Their performances are the stuff of legend. These bards are so eloquent that a speech or dance that one of them performs can cause captors to release the bard unharmed and can lull a furious dragon into complacency. The same magic that allows them to quell beasts can also bend minds. Bards of this college instead use this power to gladden the downtrodden and undermine oppressors. The can also use their magic to inspire their allies and keep them going through the worst of times.

Often times bards in this school are taught how to use their magic to captivate people and serve as support characters in a battle. Being able to draw on their mana as a source to take their art and use it as a method of passing their spell buffs to their allies these bards often times are found as support roles in their communities. A majority of them finish their training and then apply to join the magic knights, they’re often highly sought after to serve as combat support and occasionally as healers (though this is less common) .

Some Characters that I believe are Bards of Glamour are:

Kirsche Vermillion

Charmy Pappitson

Antigone LaRue - College of Glamour

Bard of Lore

Bards of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or collecting the stories of people at the old folks home, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held to be true, from their faith in the priesthood of the local temple to their loyalty to the king.

The loyalty of these bards lies in the pursuit of beauty and truth, not in fealty to a monarch or following the tenets of a deity. The Bards of Lore are the protectors of the archives, serving as it’s curators and guardians. As this is such, a majority of the Bards of Lore prefer to stay with the archives and study rather than leave out for adventure. However some bards do go out and these aren’t the ones that spend their time looking for stories to add to the vast collection of tales in the archive already.

Some characters that I believe to be Bards of Lore are:

Samantha Kravitz

Elvira Aguirre

Bonezo the Undead - College of Lore

Bard of Spirits

Stories of the past are powerful; they hold lessons of history, philosophy, and magic. Bards of Spirits seek the stories of those from beyond the material plane. Using seances and rituals, they reach out to hear their stories, but the bards have no control over what story they find. These bards are closely tied to otherworldly powers often being able to tap into the astral plane (dream dimension) and the threads of fate themselves. Some speak to the dead while others become oracles and masters of fate.

Bards in this school often end up training themselves to use their magic see into the other planes of reality. All bards in this college need to have a gift for the sight in order to join because their magic needs to be tied to the planes. Here they learn how to use their magic safely and correctly so as to avoid any dangers that come from speaking with things outside of the material plane. Most of these bards go on to become oracles or fates. Traveling the countryside easing the pain of lost souls and misguided individuals.

Some characters that I believe to be Bards of Spirits are:

Dorothy Unsworth

Vanessa Enoteca

Tristan - College of Spirits

Bard of Swords

Bards of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Their talent with weapons inspires many blades to lead double lives. One blade might use a circus troupe as cover for nefarious deeds such as assassination, robbery, and blackmail. Other blades strike at the wicked, bringing justice to bear against the cruel and powerful.

Blades who abandon their lives as entertainers have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A blade caught engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes. With their weapon skills and magic, these blades either take up work as performers or will join the magic knights in order to take their two lives and finally merge them together. Seen as skilled combatants and magic users these bards are not a force to be reckoned with.

Some characters that I believe to be Bards of Swords are:

Kiato

David Swallow

Sierra - College of Swords

Bard of Valor

Bards of Valor are daring skalds whose tales keep alive the memory of the great heroes of the past, and thereby inspire a new generation of heroes. These bards gather in mead halls or around great bonfires to sing the deeds of the mighty, both past and present. They travel the land to witness great events firsthand and to ensure that the memory of those events doesn't pass from the world. With their songs, they inspire others to reach the same heights of accomplishment as the heroes of old.

These bards are taught the stories of dead heroes and in turn a lot of them end up going on to write music about them or use their stories as inspiration for their magic. Often using their knowledge to help inspire their friends in combat and bring hope in bleak battlefields. A majority of the Bards of Valor go on to join the magic knights in hopes of finding their own hero to write and tell stories about. Seeing this as their shot at becoming Chaucer or Geoffrey of the world (Chaucer wrote A Knights Tale and Geoffrey wrote the stories of King Arthur)

Some characters that I believe to be Bards of Valor are:

Kahono

Puli Angel

Hype - College of Valor

Bard of Whispers

Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like any other bard, sharing news, singing songs, and telling tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover secrets and turn them against others through extortion and threats in order to seek out justice.

Many other bards hate the Bards of Whispers, viewing it as a parasite that uses the bards’ reputation to acquire wealth and power. For this reason, these bards rarely reveal their true nature unless they must. They typically claim to follow some other school, or keep their true nature secret in order to better infiltrate and exploit royal courts and other settings of power. However they can also use their powers for good, often times bards of this school can use their power to help bring justice and equality to a flawed system or to bring justice to those the law cannot touch.

Some characters that I believe to be Bards of Whisper are:

Catherine

Langris Vaude

Ichiro - College of Whispers

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.” - Sue Monk Kidd

Section 4: The Archives

Miles upon Miles of shelves full of nothing but books and thousands of feet dedicated to this one library located deep below the college. Centuries worth of national history folklore legends no one‘s heard hundreds of years live buried beneath the dirt and cobwebs of this dank and mystic labyrinth of books. These are in the royal Archives. most people don’t even know this place exist however, the bards and nobles of the kingdom are very aware of its existence... and of it’s secrecy.

Now you may be thinking “Hey this sounds just like the Vatican library“ but unlike the Vatican library, the archives are open to anyone wishing to seek knowledge. The only reason a lot of people don’t know about it is because no one really cares to ask. If we’re being real here, a majority of the books in that archive are really just diaries written by old people that are really hard to read because they’re either in a different language or they just have poor spelling because people back then were illiterate. However some of the stuff within the walls of the archive it’s rather interesting. Ancient maps leading to long-lost treasures, legends that have faded and been forgotten with time, stories of war love and loss.

It is within these walls that we find that only the country‘s history but it’s very soul. We find the story of our people hidden deep within these tombs of books. Well it is very rare for somebody that isn’t a barred to visit the archives if one is really out seeking knowledge the archive is open to them. I would like to believe that Gauche and Gordon have both visited the library at least once right after the seabed temple arc. 

The grounds of the archives are guarded heavily by the bards of the college. Not only are they guarded but they are also highly protective of the knowledge there. One of the worst things that could possibly happen is the destruction of the archives. It would be on the same level as the burning of the library of Alexandria. It is for this reason that anyone wishing to enter the archives must first pass a test of character. If you are perceived as a threat you will be turned away from the archives but not banned, nobody should ever be denied access to knowledge.

“A society that has no respect, no regard for its bards, its historians, its storytellers, is a society in steep decline, a society that has lost its very soul and my never find its way.” - Laurence Overmire

Section 5: Conclusion

I’ll keep this section short and sweet because it’s been a long read and I just wanna give my thoughts. Honestly I thought that Rill and Kahono had such a unique style of magic that it almost felt like a crime to give us a taste of bard magic without making it something that was common. Plus I felt the clover kingdom needed historians to archive their history so I felt that this was a fun thing to put together to solve both problems!! I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to add your own thoughts and contributions to this post because I really wanna hear them!

[itsyounggaga]

Gaga was interviewd by HX Magazine in 8th August, 2008. The magazine is based in NY.

Photoshoot by Pieter Henket.

“Just Dance” singer Lady Gaga gives back to the gays

By Brandon Voss Not quite sure what to make of electro-pop diva Lady Gaga’s theatrical fashion-forward fierceness? Follow the advice of her international hit single: “Just dance. It’ll be okay.” Still hot off a history-making performance on the Miss Universe Pageant in Vietnam and with her glittery debut album The Fame out in October, the 22-year-old NYC native discusses booze, bisexuality and even Britney before she makes all the boys gag at Daniel Nardicio’s birthday celebration on Friday, August 8, at The Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. HX: Did you always know that the gays were going to go gaga over your music? Lady Gaga: I have a lot of gay friends, so it was more like, I wonder if my friends will like it. I’m a dancer and grew up in a theater community in New York, so I feel like my music is a product of that environment. I find something really beautiful about the spirit of the gay community. I feel a part of it. I was the girl in high school who never really had a lot of popular friends, so I found my place with my gay friends in acting school and dance class. It’s a really inspiring community, and I feel very privileged to be around it. Who’s your best gay friend? I couldn’t say—I have too many! I would upset a lot of people. You surely earned even more gay fans with the recent announcement that you wrote a track for Britney’s upcoming album. Was that a dream come true? Yeah. I was working with Rodney Jerkins on Pussycat Dolls, and we wrote this song—I almost slipped and told you the name. Thank God I caught myself; I respect her a lot, so I was to give her control over that. When we were done with the song, I was like, “Oh, I want to sing it,” but my album was already closed. It never even crossed my mind that she was doing a new record. Then Rodney played it for [Britney’s manager] Larry Rudolph, who was in the studio. Rodney called me later and was like, “Britney’s people are freaking out about this song.” Ultimately, she makes the decisions, so when I found out that she loved it and was going to record it, it was amazing. I actually heard it yesterday with her on it for the first time, and I really had chills. Shouldn’t you start being more selfish with hits that you write? My record is really great, and it has a lot of hits on there that I can run with for a while. I’m not an egomaniac; I don’t need to sing every great song that I write. If anything, it’s more of an achievement for me as a writer to get to write for a superstar. You did a mini-promo tour of the NYC gay club scene a couple of months ago. What was that experience like? It was awesome, and it made me want to work harder. When I was at Splash, I was mad that I was performing, because I wanted to be on E, sweating my pants off in the crowd. When I play at gay clubs, it’s like playing for my friends: They get it and understand what I’m trying to say, and they have a very open mind about art, pop and commercial music. When I did Miss Universe, all of the gays on my site were like, “Man, you looked so cool. We loved your outfit.” But every now and then you’ll see a comment that’s like, “I love her, but she’s a little weird.” I’m always thinking to myself, Oh, they just don’t know fashion. [Laughs] Performing for years in downtown clubs, your life could’ve taken a darker turn. How’d you avoid temptation? Well, I really didn’t for a little while. I was for sure not focused, but I was making great work. I don’t want to encourage people to do drugs for music or anything, but I did it because I wanted to understand what inspired the artistic life of the ’70s and how Andy Warhol functioned. It was sort of a creative journey for myself, and at some point it just got out of hand. I was having trouble sleeping, and I would have a panic attack after one glass of wine just because my body was so afraid of substance. I was too afraid to lose everything. Was there a night in particular that inspired “Just Dance”? Yeah, for sure. If you’ve ever been so high that it’s, like, scary, the only way you can deal with it is not deal with it, so you just kind of dance through the intoxication. I wrote the song the day after I had just flew in from New York to L.A., so I was taken very quickly out of my party lifestyle. I wrote it instantly—like it flew out of my body. I’d been working on this album for two-and-a-half years, and I was at a crossroads with my songwriting. I was trying to be so cool with my own music, but I would get better responses when I would write for other artists because I was not trying to be cool. So when I did “Just Dance,” that was my way of being like, “just fuckin’ write a good song. Stop worrying about what’s going to fly in the underground. Worry about writing a great record.” Actually, that record ended up being more powerful than any of the songs that I racked my brain writing, and after that, it was an influx of record after record. It was almost like a switch went off in my brain, and I figured out how to write a good pop song. Are you really as boy-crazy as your lyrics suggest? Yeah. Well, I’m girl-crazy too. I really depends on where I am. I love men, I love women and I love sex, but I’m actually pretty introverted right now because I’m so enveloped in my work, and it’s hard to let anybody near that. People fuck with your energy, and it’s very hard to find people that are supportive of your art and don’t want to take time away from it. A lot of times, boyfriends and girlfriends get jealous and want all your attention, and I really don’t have time for that. Do you consider yourself bisexual? Sure. I mean, I don’t really consider sexual orientation in general. It’s like, people are born the way they are. If a drag queen wanted to do Lady Gaga, what would be your best advice? If you’re wearing a blonde wig or extensions, you have to wash it with purple shampoo. Because I don’t have any yellow in my hair and I’m very insane about that. What’s been your most mind-blowing appearance thus far?Probably Gay Pride in San Francisco. To be asked to play the main stage and close the whole weekend was—I don’t know. I got very choked up on stage. Right before I did “Just Dance,” I said, “I just want to tell all of you that being here makes me so fucking proud.” Everybody looked very emotional. It was kind of this beautiful moment, because I can put out a lot of records, write for other people, sell and get famous, but it’s not the same as really connecting with and inspiring a community of people. If I can be that for anyone, especially the gay community, that’s incredible.

Source: https://ladygaga.fandom.com/wiki/HX_(magazine)

[sinceileftyoublog]

Georgia Anne Muldrow Interview: Rhythm Is A Form of Gravity

Photo by Antoinette A. Brock

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“The people keep you fresh. They keep you on your toes,” Georgia Anne Muldrow told me over the phone last month. The prolific L.A. musician, whose output ranges from experimental hip-hop to neo soul to jazz and everything in between, is releasing her fifth record in four years on Friday, and the third overall in her beats series. VWETO III (FORESEEN + Epistrophik Peach Sound) follows last year’s Mama, You Can Bet! (released under the name Jyoti), 2019′s collaboration with Dudley Perkins and VWETO II, and 2018′s acclaimed, Grammy-nominated Overload. Unlike any of the previous albums, it was put together with some “calls to action” in mind.

Thought some of the songs were around for longer, VWETO III as an entity was made last year, “over a course of time where things were changing in terms of different recording techniques I was trying,” said Muldrow, harking back to techniques and inspirations from her early years of music making. The record was also, obviously, formed during a global pandemic that caused folks to lock down, and Muldrow is conscious to giving listeners opportunities to reach out on her very active Instagram account. Each of the album’s singles have been paired with those aforementioned calls to action. “Unforgettable”, which combines 80′s-sounding synths with 90′s G-funk, calls for vocalists to submit performances to go along with Muldrow’s vocals on the song. “Mufaro’s Garden”, inspired by an illustrated folktale book called Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, asks for visual artist submissions. On the day of the album’s release, Muldrow will ask for dance submissions to “Slow Drag”, a throwback Hammond-guitar-piano ditty named after the juke joint dance of the same name. Next month, it’ll be “Action Groove”, with calls for turntable scratch ‘n’ sampling remixes from DJs. And it’s not just the singles that exemplify Muldrow’s desire to connect with listeners on a granular level. Many of the songs on VWETO III refer to or are inspired by specific eras, from the Afrofuturist jazz of “Afro AF” to the genre tribute “Boom Bap Is My Homegirl”. That the titles are clearly referential, too, like “Old Jack Swing” or “Synthmania Rock”, shows that Muldrow’s not winking and nodding or trying to fool us, earnestly inviting us to dive in.

Moreover, VWETO III is coinciding with what Muldrow’s calling the Teacherie, classes she’s trying to develop to spread knowledge of what she’s learned throughout her own career, everything from philosophy to instrumental-specific classes. Right now, from her saved Instagram story called “Teacherie!,” you can take an assessment to fill out what you’re interested in. “It helps me to see what skill levels people have and what they want to learn in the class,” Muldrow said. “I seek to continue to stay open enough to make relevant music and have relevant things to share with people.” Overall, Muldrow is the type of artist that uses online platforms the way they’d be used in an ideal world. Her use of NFTs, too, is noble; the album art by Cape Town-based Breeze Yoko is being auctioned off, with 50% of proceeds going to prison abolitionist organization Critical Resistance. Even when the offline world returns--Muldrow’s slated to play Pitchfork Music Festival on Saturday, September 11th--Muldrow’s created a blueprint for navigating an increasingly isolating digital world, by seeking out real connections.

Below, read my conversation with Muldrow, edited for length and clarity, as she discusses making the record, being inspired by African rhythms, the influence of Digital Underground, and why her work logically extends into prison abolition. You can also catch her tomorrow on Bandcamp Live at 8 PM CST.

Since I Left You: Why did you decide this was a good time to revisit your beats album series?

Georgia Anne Muldrow: The people love it, you know? I always like to post beats on Instagram and share my poetry or state of mind of what’s going on in the world according to my people, and provide a place of joy and uplift. The voice of the people kind of determined what songs were on there. There are some songs that nobody’s ever heard. Different ideas, something a little bit more energized.

Something for the people. It’s really great that I have direct contact with them. Some of the songs are things I like to try based on the vibes I get from their feedback. It’s great; it’s a beautiful thing for me. I’ve gone through phases where critics love me, but the voice of the people that really support your work is really cool to hear. It’s like a little focus group. I just like sharing my music with folks because it’s my way of contributing love energy to the world in a direct, immediate way.

SILY: A lot of folks are still staying home and needing that connection. You’re connecting with them but also providing a platform for them to connect with each other.

GAM: Yes. I’m way into that and seek to be expanding that in an even more literal sense with my classroom project [Teacherie], like a live webinar sort of thing, that enables folks to speak amongst themselves. A more extended form of what I do on social media. An intimate look at what’s really going on in music. They can see where my emotions end and the music begins and try to make things seamless within their own music. Teach what I’ve picked up along the way, because I won’t be here forever. Spreading the love but the knowledge, too, with the music that I share. There’s a certain quality that you can achieve if you have patience.

SILY: Did you always know you wanted to do these calls for action, like for vocalists on “Unforgettable”? And how did you decide which tracks you wanted to do them for?

GAM: It’s definitely my way of trying to promote some sort of hip hop jam in lieu of the isolation that folks are weathering...I’m really inspired by the early age of hip hop where everyone had different dances. They brought their art books to the hip hop jams. The jackets with the art on it, the MCs rapping. The breakdancing, the DJs. All of the different things in place for it to be complete. That’s part of what got me hooked on production. One night years ago, [when I first played] my stuff, and folks started to dance, it got me hooked--to make somebody move. Somebody can rap over this, somebody can dance to this or draw to this. That’s the reason for the calls to action. Opening up a hip hop jam all over the world. I hope it gains some momentum. That would be nice, for more people to put themselves out there. But I do understand we live in different times right now and people are trying to get by. I still have to post some of the artists from “Mufaro’s Garden” and these rap videos from “Unforgettable”.

SILY: You’re giving people an opportunity, even if they’re just trying to get through the day, to take a break or have a beneficial creative exercise.

GAM: Yeah. Being creative together, and togetherness. The thinking that the songs aren’t complete without dance. Lyrics are a certain kind of fulfillment of music. But the movement of the body is another one. [It] goes back to gravity. Drummers harness the power of gravity and manipulate it so things can fall at a certain time. Same thing with dance--[dancers] don’t manipulate gravity, but interact with it and create an interdependence with it. When somebody’s dancing, they come back down to the ground, and you could let that go and let gravity guide what your dance looks like. Rhythm is a form of gravity--a form of gravity engaging with life. I feel like movement is the fulfillment of all the arts. I just seek to do my part.

SILY: You mentioned being inspired by a specific early era in hip hop, and there’s a lot on here inspired by genre or era-specific trends, like the G-funk in “Unforgettable” and “Boom Bap Is My Homegirl”.

GAM: [Boom bap] is one of the things that I specialize in. It’s a home base for me. In my experience, it’s a very African point of access. A lot of the boom bap rhythms are straight from Africa. Most of them are. Off the shores of West Africa. I heard so many of them, from The Gambia, Senegal, Mali. Over there, you hear so much of it. I want to be part of that. At the same time, I might wake up and make a free jazz record. I don’t feel like a traditionalist; I just want to preserve the culture of Black music from this hemisphere. I love traditional ideas, but it’s not like I’m gonna do this one idea for the sake of staying in a lane. There’s no place that Black music hasn’t influenced, molded, shaped, nurtured.

SILY: When was the last time you were able to perform in Africa?

GAM: I believe it might have been 2017. These years have started to run together. I don’t mind it, though. Keeps me young. [laughs]

VWETO III cover art by Breeze Yoko

SILY: How did the songs on here with vocals come together, whether the ones with your singing or the ones with featured artists? Did the words or beats/melodies come first?

GAM: The beats came first except for “Shana’s Back”. Shana Jensen is my sister; she’s the mother of my niece. Every time she’d come over and I had an idea to compose songs around her, they’d end up being huge songs. She’d be like, “Bye!” [laughs] I guess she wanted something a little more understated. I’d always end up doing big Motown sounds. There’s a song on The Blackhouse called “Shana’s Groove”. It’s a like a reoccurring situation and character. It’s kind of funny at this point.

The other ones, like “Unforgettable”, I’m very much matching the vibe, the punk-funk aesthetic. Sometimes a little hook just pushes it over the edge and gets them into the mindset I was in when thinking about it. Other songs like “Love Call” I just wanted to sound like it was in an arena. Arena rock, funk, Digital Underground-inspired, all the way.

SILY: Are you a big Digital Underground fan?

GAM: I think it shows in a lot of the music I make. I don’t think I can hide it. This record has so many examples of that. I love Shock G so much. He was so bad, as a thinker, a philosopher, a community builder, artist, pianist, maestro. The “Love Call” groove, “Unforgettable”, “[Old] Jack Swing”, you can hear it. I was raised with that kind of music in my head as a child. Unashamed to be funky and make a groove have extra grease on it. That’s what distinguished our sound from other region’s sounds. Getting greasy. While still doing the boom bap and all that other stuff. For me, it was always a goal to represent where I’m from in my music in a non-traditional way. Bringing what I love about the West Coast to whatever I was working on.

Shock G lives in all of us. He brought so many different vibes. A rhythmic pocket that breathes. Somewhat right under "Atomic Dog”. It keeps you moving. It has a breath of life in it. I’m so thankful to have lived in an era where I could hear and experience his work.

SILY: How did “Ayun Vegas” come together?

GAM: Ayun is my little brother. I think I’ve known him since 2014 or ‘15. He’s quite a talent. I love his style. He’s from [New] Jersey. I love his sense of rhythmic dynamic. His use of metaphor, double entendre. I feel like he’s really a gifted poet. He can do all types of different things. He’s an amazing MC--he just released a project with Jacob Rochester called Slaps & Hugs. I’m gonna lean towards people who are creative themselves and insert themselves into everything they do. 

Ayun is very secure in being different. He came out to Vegas, and I had this song. Usually, when I play leftfield stuff, MCs want that beat they can crush and not feel challenged by. This song is really old. I feel like it was made in 2016. I feel like that was the first time when somebody was willing to rap on an idea that was out of the ordinary. It’s not just in your face. It’s something different, but I want you to rap for your life on this. Something more like a movie score, where you find your character. He did it! He didn’t leave one beat behind. 

He’s rhythmically gifted and quite the poet. He almost went into pro football but he chose music. He’s a very enterprising brother, doing all types of apparel. He was working in the visual artist community, in the videographer community. Any time I can showcase what it is that he got to share, I’m there. He’s not afraid to speak the truth. This verse is impressionistic. It’s like somebody is taking a really big brush and making a beautiful image, strong-arming it. It’s dope. I love it.

We did another song together on the Overload album, but it didn’t make the cut. The Japanese version of Overload has a song called “What Can We Do Now”, and it has Ambrose Akinmusire, Ayun, and me. I’d love for that to be heard stateside, because it’s definitely about what’s happening over here.

SILY: Why did you choose to have the proceeds for this record go to Critical Resistance?

GAM: I’ve always wanted my music to be a tool for the motion of people. It doesn’t stop with dance and rapping and singing and drawing. It begins with that. Where it ends up, the movement of people coming into their powers, truths that in order to have a more humane society, we are going to have to throw some of this bullshit away. The spoils of enslavement. We’ve got to get rid of those spoils so we can get to a more realistic place of folks being cognizant of the activities that they take a part in. Jails ain’t gonna help people feel like they’re part of the community. They cage people and endanger their lives and run the risk of ruining somebody’s mental, emotional, and spiritual state even if they did commit the crime they’re in there for.

There’s a sense that all crime is committed from a place of fear. Many crimes people are locked up for is just folks trying to find a way. I don’t see how more fear is going to rehabilitate. The idea that punishment leads to enlightenment. People in the public school system are taught about some of the baddest people that ever lived--mass murders. But they’re not the type of people held accountable. They’re who brought over the imprisonment systems from their failed nations.

I don’t believe in reform at all. Critical Resistance seeks to abolish prisons as we know them. I love that their resolve is so sure and bold.

Photo by Antoinette A. Brock

[flirting-with-psychology]

[zombiebandido]

Can you recommend any Neil Gaiman to me, aside from Stardust or Good Omens? I cannot

What’s the best concert you’ve been to, if you’ve been? Idk, I think I’m just not huge on concerts

What’s the funniest screenname you’ve ever seen? i-run-with-scissors-to-feel-dangerous

Is there an animal you like that most people don’t? Don’t think so

Is there an animal that you think is overrated in terms of how it’s liked? Goats or cows, maybe

Is there a time period you think is underrated? Not really

What about music? Showtunes

Do you find yourself listening to music that’s a bit more esoteric? No

What are your three favorite books and why? Harry Potter because of the worldbuilding, Mistborn because of the worldbuilding and characters, A Confusion of Princes because it is a fun standalone book

What about authors? Idk, I mostly like specific books  Do you have any likes you wouldn’t tell someone until you got to know them? Nah probably not

Do you have a favorite language? Not really

What about a place you’ve always wanted to visit? Ireland

What’s something someone does or says that just makes you laugh? Idk, it’s usually situational

Do goldfish crackers ever make you sick, or is that just me? No?

Do you have a favorite art style? Probably realistic

Do you have a favorite myth/fairy-tale? No, sorry I’m being boring with this quiz

Who is your favorite person aside from family? Probably my bff

Do any of your pets (if you have them) have weird quirks? My cat was just very emphatic

Do you listen to music from anywhere besides America? Not really

Have you ever “quit” a site and came back to it more than once? No

Do you have an “odd” fascination with anything? Dice

What is the thing you want most at this moment? An interesting job and a return to normal from the pandemic

What was the last book you read and what was it about? I’m currently reading The Martian about an astronaut stranded on mars

What was the worst book you’ve ever read & why? Walk Two Moons because the twist ending fucked me up

Do you have a favorite breed of dog or cat? Which? Golden retrievers

If you like any anime/manga, what are some titles you recommend? I don’t really like it

What do you think about school in general? I thought it was interesting and I wish I could go back

What’s the hardest thing you’ve been through, & what did you learn from it? Maybe the braces. Dk what I learned from it

What are three “unrealistic” things you want most? An interesting creative job with steady and high pay lol, the lottery, the good place experience from The Good Place

What are some of your favorite foods? Pasta, chocolate, cereal. I am a simple girl

Where do you like to buy your clothes? Kohl’s, Macy’s, and thrift shops

Do you take any daily vitamins? When I remember

Who are three of your favorite fictional characters of all time? Kelsier from Mistborn, Sirius Black from Harry Potter, Raydan Lykel from The Crown and the Flame

If you had to give the world a pre-existing mythological/fictional being, what would it be? Idfk

When buying Slurpees, if you do, do you get only one flavor or mix them? Mixing is fun

Do you have a favorite 7Eleven food? No

Do you have any desire to learn (a) foreign language(s)? Which? Not strongly

If you could have any career, “realistic”-ness aside, what would it be? Something in film maybe

What are three memorable movies from your childhood? The Little Mermaid, Harry Potter, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper

Do you, personally, put a space after ellipses, or not? Let me check... do I? I guess I do

What do some of the things that inspire you have in common? Making things

Micky D’s sweet tea, y/n/other? No

What are three of your best (non-physical) qualities? Creativity, honesty, smarts

What are three of your worst (again; non-physical) qualities? Stubbornness, anxiety, lack of empathy

What is one of your firmest beliefs? I don’t really have firm beliefs

Do you ever question things until you’re unsure of even the silliest thing? Yes

Do you have anything that keeps you from doing something you’d truly enjoy? Anxiety and procrastination, and money

What are your three biggest pet peeves (personality-wise) in others? Holier-than-thou people, acting like you’re too cool for fun, being unsafe

Do you work to fix your faults? Or at least, admit to them? I admit to most of them but I’m not so great at working on them

What are three of your best physical qualities? (NOT EYES!) Why not eyes? Other than that, I guess hair color, boobs, singing voice (at least I’d like to think so)

What are some of your greatest aspirations? Do something fun, have a good social life, see what I would look like in my prime

How do you hope the world will change, if at all? Get done with the pandemic, stop having capitalism be so shitty

Who are three (fairly known) people you find very intriguing? Taylor Swift, Voldemort, F. Scott Fitzgerald

What are three things that make you the happiest? hanging out with friends, crafts, cuddling with my boyfriend

What is/are your view(s) on god, religion, spirituality, or relations to? I don’t believe in them

Are you arachnophobic or scared of spiders in the least? YES

Do you play WoW? What do you think of it either way? No, I am just not that into video games

What kind of computer do you have? Windows 7/Vista/XP/Other? Macbook Pro

What are you good at? Crafts and school

What career do you hope to have? Something creative

Are you taking any interesting classes in school/do you not attend? I’m finished with school but I wish I could go back

If you don’t attend, are you taking any “lessons” for anything? No

A book/piece that has had an exceptional impact on your life? Harry Potter

If you know of pandora.com, what is your favorite station? I haven’t listened to pandora in ages

Have you ever “lost” a friend in any way? How did you deal? Some just faded away but some actively ditched me and I tried to find out why

Any music recommendations? Showtunes

What are at least three of your biggest fears? Spiders, living a mundane life, covid right now

Most recently read book that you liked? A Confusion of Princes

Do you have a piece of jewelry you don’t like to take off? No, I have so many that I like to alternate them

Do you have a favorite quote? Why is it your favorite? Carpe Diem. Haven’t lived it much lately though Any odd pastimes you have? Making lists and charts

Are you quirky in any way? (Name them please). My fashion sense especially in high school, the nerdy things I do

Have any practices you aren’t opposed to but wouldn’t do yourself? Probably a lot, I’m generally of the live and let live mindset

Political standing?

Left

Do you have any piercings/what do you think about piercings? I just have my ears pierced

Do you have a favorite material? I’m a fan of soft materials like suede or velvet, also metals like copper and silver

What are three names you’d name a pet if you HAD to get a pet right now? It depends on the pet

Do you like to listen to dorky/amusing music? Idk

Coffee vs. Tea vs. Energy Drinks: Order from favorite to least favorite. Tea, energy drinks, coffee

Do you like more “fruity” sweets or “savory” sweets? Fruity unless it’s chocolate

What do you hate the most? Spiders

What genres of music are your favorite? Showtunes

Do you believe in true love? Idk

Do you believe in love at first sight? If yes, why? No

What are some of your favorite clothing accessories? Jewelry

If reincarnation exists, what sort of person would you want to be next?

One of those outgoing guys that always has adventures with his friends What are some things you believe strongly in? Idk

Where’s your favorite place you’ve been? London was pretty cool, also Italy

What sort of books and movies do you like? For books: sci-fi, fantasy, dystopia. For movies: rom-com, sci-fi, musical

What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday? Idk, just stay in

Is there a book you’ve read that really touched you? The Great Gatsby just because I related to Gatsby a lot

Do you have a favorite artist? Taylor Swift

PC or MAC? Mac

What do you love doing? Crafts, shopping, board games

If you could create the perfect world for yourself, what would it be? Basically just the good place from The Good Place. Unlimited time and resources to learn and try things without pressure to make money off it

Do you think that fate plays a part in people’s lives? Not really

Are you religious, spiritual, atheist…? Atheist

What are your opinions on the media? The media is a very broad range of things

Do you think that people throw the words “love” and “hate” around too much? Idk

What is your favorite piece of technology that you own? My laptop

What’s a piece of technology you’d like to own? I have what I want at the moment.

Are you afraid of technology developing to where we’re too reliant on it? A little bit of getting to the point where a lot of jobs get replaced with AI, because instead of making lives easier like they could be, there will just be a huge unempolyment problem that our stupid capitalist society won’t solve

Does it bother you when people do things to fit in with a certain crowd? If it’s not what they want to do

Hot or cold? Cold Do you think that Bzoink should extent the character amount for questions? I don’t use Bzoink

Do you have a favorite combination of complimentary colors? Maybe green and pink

Do you know why all the young people who have nice cars always look grumpy? I don’t think I’ve noticed that

What’s your favorite odd ice cream flavor? Lemon Sorbet or Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch

Where do you like to get your ice cream? Haagen Dasz or Ben and Jerry’s

What’s your opinion on stereotypes/labels? Idk

Do you ever use random word generators for Bzoinkoids?

What?

Do you believe that history repeats itself? It sure seems like it is

Would you rather learn from your mistakes or just undo them? Learn from them

What was the most interesting class you had in school? My words and music class in college Do you write? If so, what? I used to write poetry, I sometimes come up with stories but I don’t really write them

Do you have a favorite website? Tumblr and Etsy

Do you think that the quality of TV shows is going down? No, there are usually good ones to discover

Do you have a favorite culture? Maybe Celtic. I just like the art patterns What was a story you heard as a child that really affected you? The Headless Horseman scared me a lot

Who was your favorite grade-school teacher and why? My third grade teacher and my 6th grade math teacher

Do you think that the world will end? How? Probably in a few billion years when the sun turns into a red giant

Do you believe in Global Warming? Have you researched it? Yes but I haven’t researched it

Do you prefer piercings or tattoos? Tattoos

Do you remember your dreams? Sometimes

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Rock and roll the night away!

What better way to escape than getting lost in music? Headphones on, thoughts off - nothing like some good bops to help get you through the day.

KK Slider's been looking into expanding his musical repertoire so he's been playing around with different genres in hopes of creating a brand new sound. And that's how rock and roll night came to be!

Joining us on this musical adventure are Sonja, with her siblings Robbie and Tiffy, and cousin Bubba. It's been ages since Daisy Jane and I have last hung out with Sonja so it's nice that she and her fam dropped by for a visit. I've hung out with Robbie and Bubba a handful of times while this is the first time I've met Tiffy.

Sonja's been meaning to stop by the camp for a while but life has gotten busy. She also wanted her dad and stepmom to come along too but then something came up so they were unable to make it at the last minute. Same thing for her grandma, though to be honest, camping isn't really her thing so it's probably for the best that she didn't come.

Old Thelma Lou may come across as a cantankerous old lady but she really is a nice person once you get to know her. Underneath that rough exterior is a protective, dedicated, and tough mother figure who wants what's best for you, even if she kinda has a hard time showing how much she cares about you. We video chatted with her before the concert and she's still the same old Thelma Lou, keeping an eye on her children, grandchildren, and their friends in her own unconventional ways.

We also chatted with Buzz and Skeeter, both who are doing well. The reason why they weren't able to join us at the camp is because Skeeter's pregnant again. She and Buzz were going to have a boy last fall but there were complications and the baby was stillborn. So far things are moving along smoothly, but to be safe, Skeeter's on strict bed rest. In about four months, Sonja, Robbie, and Tiffy will have a little sister!

Sonja has been busy working on her graphic novel, which she plans to release in the fall. She's a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, known for posting relatable and funny comics online. I love her art - it's got a sketchy and loose style that's sorta minimal yet super expressive. When I got into digital art, I took some inspiration from Sonja's work by using pencil brushes for line art and the gouache brush for coloring.

After working in the studio for hours on the book over the past several weeks, Sonja felt she could use a change of scenery - which was the main reason why she wanted to come to the camp. She also wants to get back into using traditional mediums like painting so she brought along some canvases and paints. The great outdoors is perfect for finding inspiration when you're in a rut!

Robbie runs a fix-it shop in Elmstown with two of his friends. His specialties are clocks and anything that has a lock thanks to his grandma and dad - Thelma Lou likes collecting clocks and Buzz's a locksmith. He's the reason why the family saves so much on repairs - Robbie and his friends can pretty much fix anything! Elmstown is pretty far but I'm keeping his business card in case I need something fixed like my computer since that'll be more cost effective than sending it to the store where I'll probably get overcharged.

It's a good thing we have Robbie here to help KK Slider with the equipment. He had some old amps and guitars that he'd been meaning to get fixed but since they were custom made, it's hard to find parts that need replacement. Thankfully, Robbie never leaves home without his toolbox and with his magic, we were able to improve the stage setup.

Bubba's still living with Thelma Lou, though he's in the process of moving out to his own place. He's not leaving Rayetown though, just moving to the other side of town so he can be closer to the post office. Along with delivering packages for the citizens of Rayetown, Bubba's also a drummer and occasional lead singer for The Cogwheels, a local band that regularly performs at the Chili Bowl.

Thelma Lou and Bubba have a sweet relationship. He's the oldest of the Harp grandchildren through Thelma Lou's daughter. His parents pretty dumped him on Thelma Lou's doorstep when they moved halfway across the country, which wasn't very nice of them. His mom and grandma have a stormy relationship so that explains why Thelma Lou's kinda overprotective of him, and in return he respects her a lot. Recently though, Bubba and his mom have been keeping in touch sporadically - thanks to Uncle Buzz and Aunt Skeeter. As for his dad though, since he walked out on his mom, he hasn't heard from him in years, which he feels is probably for the best.

And there's Tiffy, the youngest (so far) of the grandchildren. She's seven and a half years old and likes to sing and dance. This is her first time being away from home for a couple days so she's pretty excited about it. Plus, she gets to spend time with her siblings, something she always looks forward to since they live far from home. By the time she was born, Sonja and Robbie had already long moved out of Rayetown. Up until Tiffy came along, Sonja and Robbie rarely visited home, a deliberate choice that they both kinda regretted but at the same time felt it was necessary.

Tiffy's looking forward to the new baby - and she's absolutely certain that things will work out this time. She was really bummed about what happened with her brother, especially since she always wanted a little sibling. Buzz and Skeeter had been trying for years to have another kid - they didn't have Tiffy until about six years into their marriage - and that was after being told many times that they missed the boat. It's a good thing they didn't give up or else Tiffy wouldn't be here today!

While helping KK Slider set up for the concert, we also went sightseeing outside the camp. Now that the weather's warming up and the sun's staying out longer, we can venture further out. The first place we went was the mountains, where Sonja was inspired to pull out her canvases and paints. She's been working on landscapes and backgrounds so it was the perfect opportunity. Since she had a lot of fun doing that, I figured we could do the same in other places outside the camp like the woods or the meadows.

As they were testing out the equipment, KK and Bubba were jamming out while Tiffy danced. She definitely inherited Buzz and Skeeter's dance skills! Tap dancing and ballet are her favorites and she definitely wants to branch out to other forms of dance. Her parents are looking into more dance classes for Tiffy, which she's excited for. One of the reasons why she's looking forward to having another sibling is so she can have a dance partner in the future. Imagine, Tiffy and her little sister, dancing together!

Later, Robbie joined in on the jam session, playing the bass. Apollo, Static, and Cherry joined in as well, and before we knew it, all of them were writing new songs that eventually became the setlist for the concert! Sonja later got into the jam session after Daisy Jane showed her around the cabin and her studio. I sense a collaboration between the two in the near future...

Around 5 we finished setting up for the concert and began preparing for a barbecue dinner. By the time all the food was set up, it was time to rock and roll! I have to say, KK and the campers really outdid themselves with the stage setup. It was a mix of performances by KK Slider and jam sessions by us. The concert was an awesome experience!

In the span of one hour, Bubba and KK wrote Road Ode. KK came up with the intricate melody that's a perfect fusion of his signature sound along with elements of classic rock. Bubba came up with the lyrics, taking inspiration from his relationships with his mother and grandma. Easily one of the highlights of the night.

Apollo sang lead on a number he co-authored with KK Slider titled Old Man Blues. It's a bluesy rock and roll tune with a catchy guitar riff that's stuck in my head as I write this. The light show visuals really add to the vibe of this song, elevating it to another level.

Static and Cherry performed Heavy Metal Ballad as a trio with KK Slider - another song that was just finished today. The song was actually three different compositions that merged into one. Cherry has been playing around with a cool heavy metal beat for a while. She had a good thing going on but had trouble turning it into something, so she put it aside in hopes of finding the right spark to kick it off. Static came up with lyrics for the chorus, originally through a little ditty he called Lightning Muses. And like Cherry, he had something but couldn't figure out what direction he wanted to take it. Then along comes KK Slider, who saw the potential in these two wildly different compositions. Somehow, with his verses and additional melodies, he created an instant hit!

In an unexpected surprise, KK Slider got Daisy Jane and I on to perform a new KK original as well as a couple songs from Lilac and the Cadillacs. The new song, Sky Blue Twilight, is a collaboration between me, Daisy Jane, and KK Slider. It was something we came up with a while back, and I had almost forgotten about it until today. I'm pretty rusty from songwriting but working on this piece was pretty fun! I really should get back into writing music...

Sonja, Robbie, and Tiffy also joined Bubba on stage for another new song, titled All That Rock 'n' Roll. Tiffy sang lead vocals with Sonja on the keys and Robbie on bass. Along with being a fantastic dancer, Tiffy's a great singer! I filmed the whole thing for Bubba so he can send it to Thelma Lou, Buzz, and Skeeter. I have to say, KK Slider and Bubba make a great songwriting team!

Another fun song is Violet Blaze, an upbeat rock and roll tune by KK Slider, Candi, Kabuki, and Spike. KK Slider really outdid himself on that guitar solo! With riffs like that, there's no other song fitting to be titled Violet Blaze. What one can't put into words, music expresses it - one just has to listen and feel.

And of course, in between the new songs were KK Slider classics, but remixed. It's amazing how changing up the genre can give well known songs a fresh makeover! That's what I love about KK Slider's music - the versatility. In terms of reinventing his sound while staying true to himself, I'd say KK Slider succeeded with flying colors!

Aside from Tiffy and the early risers, the rest of us have been rocking and rolling way past midnight. I'm still a bit buzzed from the concert, which just ended less than an hour ago, so I'm gonna unwind for a bit before going to bed.