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allthingsfern · 3 years

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In order, my responses to comments in Reply of my COVID19 era post that was my answer to my question “My answer to my questions: Has the era of COVID19 changed your photography? How? And perhaps also, why?“ I am so confused now...

adventuresofalgy

Algy thinks you are lucky and - certainly if compared with Europeans - perhaps quite unusual in not having experienced a more profound effect on your creative outlets and expression. Many of Algy's creative friends have experienced wide-ranging and often severe impacts on their creativity and associated motivation - and therefore on their mental health as well.

themazette

As @adventuresofalgy Jenny said.... you are lucky...

I am indeed very lucky, or as I think of it, blessed. However, it is no way a US thing, nor even a California thing. I add California, because I know many in the US and around the world think of the Golden State as a haven, a progressive, hippie filled state that is all about peace and love and marijuana. However, that is far from the truth. California is like Germany in the 1920s and 30s. There was Berlin, where there was a wildness in the city that was not shared, and was often looked-down on, by those in the majority of the country, who lived in more conservative areas and who, often, economically could not afford the grand life of partying Berliners. In California it is the same. Except for a few urban areas, the state is full of very conservative folks, and for them, like for those in the cities (and in the rest of the world) this COVID19 era has been devastating. Well, and the fires for Californians have been too.

Even in this cool college town where I live, which is lovely and quiet and inspiring, the painfully empty streets, movie theaters, restaurants, shops (think of all those unemployed people) is (still) staggering. In mid-March last year, right after lockdown, I took several phone videos of the deserted street in our town and the campus, but I could not bring myself to share them, since I knew that so many others here on Tumblr were experiencing the same desolation in many different ways. (I figured: “Why add to the sorrow we are living, almost globally?”) I was overwhelmed by the emptiness of the major (well, major for a small town of around 65,000 people) street where I live and the empty bicycle trails and street on campus. And by empty, I mean that even now, I see maybe 3 cyclists per hour, and very little car traffic. Remember, this is a bicycle town; I do not own a car, doing most all my errands on my bike with its 2 fordable baskets in the rear.

And now, over a year later, that same heavy, oppressive emptiness persists. And no, I am not used to it. And yes, I traveled over the last year, but I found the same suffocating blanket of emptiness in each city I visited, even in Las Vegas. It was unnerving. As a matter of fact, last year when I drove to San Francisco 2 months after lockdown for my birthday, I wound up getting depressed and disoriented, in a city where I lived for almost 7 years. Driving back home across the Golden Gate Bridge with tears of sadness in my eyes on my birthday was not what I expected. However, I did get some solid photos of the malaise that hung thick in the air, a malaise that physically took up the space that once was taken up by crowds of people.

Now, I am also very aware that my situation is unique. (Not a fan of the word exceptional, since it can mean both unique and special, and I do not see my situation as special.) My life situation is very unique in that I have a job I love and I work with a great team of characters. We get work done and we have fun, share about our lives. My job is often, especially since COVID19 first got noticed in early 2020, stressful and demands my colleagues and I learn (and sometimes then teach) lots of new technology and that we adapt to the vagaries of the technology gods, which are sometimes unfriendly and unresponsive. And a big part of my job is trying to figure out how to get the technology gods to like us again and grace us with their gifts. (I never realized, until now, with this discussion, that the troubleshooting that is a big part of my job is creative and probably fuels my photographic creativity. Who knew?) Yet, as a group, my colleagues and I support each other. And I am fortunate to count my closest colleague, Steve, as a friend. We have been a great emotional support to each other over the years and now through this COVID19 era. And I recently was reminded (as if I needed reminding) just how unique my work situation is because I participated in a committee that was going over responses to a UC Davis-wide survey exploring levels of employee satisfaction. My 2 colleagues who were also on that committee and I did not have the complaints that others from other departments shared. We work well together, have supportive management that share what is going on and include us (as mush as possible) in the decision making process. And as a department, we get stuff done.

Possibly the best example of how blessedly unique my situation is is what happened this morning when I was talking (yes, on ZOOM) with my immediate supervisor. We discussed the work related stuff, including how at around 10:30 pm the night before I figured something out about an online tool integration I had never done before that I knew was easy but I did not see as easy until I reread the overly complicated instructions a couple of times and just figured out how and where to cut and paste the lines of code (it was that easy, just fucking cut and paste some lines of JSON code) that got the fucking thing to work. Then we talked about his dealing with his young children returning to school and how “normal” now is not “normal” from before and how disruptive the whole thing has been, yet since we work in a supportive atmosphere (and are both salaried), he was able to deal and keep living.

Then, and you are gonna love this, I shared about my original COVID19 question post and the responses and pretty much said to him what I am sharing here.

We talked for a little over an hour. That kind of rapport is rare, for any job, anywhere.

And then there is another way my situation is unique. In some ways, previous “bad things” were actually a preparation for this era of physical distance and uncertainty. In mid-2019, from July to August, first because of my work related bowling concussion and then an antibiotic resistant infection, I was bedridden for about 5 weeks and then had several absences because of concussion issues, like sudden and extreme anger flare ups, nausea, headaches. But however bad I thought that concussion and infection were, the concussion induced forgetfulness and my desire to sharpen my mind and nurture and nourish it have lead me to become, in my old age, organized. I now often take notes of important stuff, add work and personal dates and notes to my Outlook calendar, and even know what day it is, which bugs my colleagues who often find they have no idea what day and/or date it is. Yep, unique, but the bad concussion shit got me to be organized in ways that I was never able to be before, no matter what I tried. This time, I just fucking get organized, without thinking about it too much. And if I fuck up with my being organized, like I did the other day for work, I admit it, fix it, and move on.

Preparation for isolation (and unexpected natural threats) came by way of the 2018 Northern California (the region where I live) fires that year, which caused the campus to shut down for about a week. (As my friend Steve called it, the smoking break.) And for work, my colleagues and I faced a couple of long term, emergency technical outages that impacted all of the UC Davis faculty, one of them for over a month. Pretty much on a professional and personal level, I was, if not ready, at least getting used to the WTF of whatever life decides to surprise me with. (And lets not forget the really bad fire last September, seen in this video I posted of ash “snow” falling. We did not have to shut down the campus because there was no one there anyway.)

Another aspect of this last year, and one that has been present in my life for a few years now, is the BLM movement and the brutal police violence against Black people in this country. As someone who was a teaching assistant and taught in African American Studies and worked closely with students of color on campus in a student run organization, I was and am still devastated, in part because I know, from hearing so many personal accounts, the pain many of my friends, former colleagues, and former students, are still facing and how overwhelmed they felt and still feel. I understand, if as an outsider, their emotional exhaustion. This has been going on for a while, plus add the years of anti-immigrant hate against the Latinx in the US and the rising tide of violent hate against Asians, and yes, it has been sorrowful. Heartbreaking. And I have, in several ways, including my photography, tried to capture the sorrow and resilience of US people of color. It hurts, almost physically, that many people of color are just tired of talking and dealing with the hate.

So, yes, my situation is unique, but with its own emotionally draining weight. And yes, I am extremely grateful. This leads to the other 2 comments in Reply:

kkomppa

Thank you for sharing, Fern. Very interesting. Like you, I would say my output hasn’t changed much. However, I have sought locations deeper in the wilderness. This has been fulfilling.

schwarzkaeppchen

Really interesting thoughts. We live in strange times, but creativity and motivation comes and goes for so many different reasons. My photography has changed a lot. I used to work as a photographer at events and took portraits for fun... Now I'm officially a portrait photographer.

Both of these comments point to another unique aspect of my life situation: For some of us, our photography and how we do it, has not changed much, and if it has, that has been a part of our overall experience with this art form we love so much.

For me, because of my depressive tendencies, the Zen of photography, at least the way I do it, is therapeutic. And I do not use the term “Zen” lightly here, because my spiritual life has helped me come to terms with the WTF surprises that are pretty much life, if at times the WTF of it is more impactful, as it is during this COVID19 era. And that is part of what I was trying to share with my original post: Before this period of isolation and disorientation, I was already coming to grips with the gospel truth that “creativity and motivation comes and goes for so many different reasons.” as @schwarzkaeppchen said. In no way do I diminish the anguish flared up by these bleak times that impact so many around the world. And really, when you think about it, bleak times have been a norm, at least here in the US, since late 2016, though, of course, lockdowns and physical distance make it all worse. But, at least for me, I try to learn from the bleak times, even if I abhor going through them. And when dealing with the highs and lows of creative energy, at least for me, I have a calm certainty that photography is part of my life and I do not have to worry, since I only love it more each day. And the other side to my certainty is that if someday my love of photography fades, some other treasure of creativity will replace it.

Let’s be real, because of photography. I think about stuff like this and get to have discussions with so many great Tumblr original photographers.

And I am grateful for it, and no, this is not unique to my life situation. I know many of us love being here and sharing the good, the bad, the confounding.

Please think about joining @tvoom and me for InConverversation this month. It has been a long time since we talked, and this COVID19 era will be our topic.

I am grateful for all y’all.

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lunarrwolf · 3 years

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mini series coming soon!!

since you guys got me over 300 followers, i held up my end of my own deal and was finally able to think up the first of a 100% written series (social media included only when needed to build the story).

there will only be two for now but i want to get the sykkuno series a good ways in before bringing in new content like this! i’ve been a writer since middle school and have major writer’s block for a book i’m working on rn so i’m really excited about writing an actual story for lunarrwolf! these are the banners, very tiny synopses, and sneak peek excerpts for DAYWALKER!s and Siren Woods

s.h warning: siren woods will not be for the faint of heart as it will be put in the category of a psychological thriller. it will contain suspense, fear(s), anxiety and/or mentions of depression, isolation and swearing

d.w!s warning: this is an apocalyptic world w/o zombies. it will contain violence, anxiety, entrapment, fear(s) and swearing

disclaimer: i will do my absolutely best not to treat either of these as if they were actual novels. i plan on putting in comedic lines and scenes to lower any thriller/horror vibes from the stories, and not too go too far to avoid truly triggering myself or anyone else. warnings will only be issued in chapters that are going to actually include one or more of above the above. but if anyone who reads them in the future have issues do not feel like you need to keep reading.

DAYWALKER!s

a variety youtuber mini series

summary

ten creators find themselves amidst a city with an oddly familiar vibe, a weird yet intimidating apocalyptic appearance, and hundreds of strangers that feel the need to do nothing but fight their way through the city. even if that means to the death.

excerpt

“You’re all going to die, you know.. so you might as well give up now and let it take over.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

You blinked at the growl woven in with your friend’s deep voice, knowing for sure that if you were in an animation a sweat drop would be making its way down the side of your head. He hated confrontation more than anyone here but when it came to his friends, and being trapped in a place like this? Who knew what damage he would do to keep them safe.

The man ahead of the group did nothing but stand there with a mocking grin on his face. It was unnerving, and dare say almost bloodthirsty. There was no amount of sanity or free will from where you all stood just a couple of yards away, and just that thought alone chilled you to the core.

“Corpse.. maybe you shouldn’t.” You stated, stepping closer to him to lower the risk of the strange man hearing the second part. “I don’t like the looks of that guy even from over here. We’ve already had to deal with a ton of crazy shit since finding each other. We can’t risk losing our only real muscle of the group.”

Ignoring the offended voices of Sean and Ludwig, the man with the torn mask looked at you only when you put a hand on his shoulder. It took sharing glances and seeing head shakes from most of the others to have him loosen the fist his hand was already in. Standing up straight, you watched as he rolled his shoulders, jaw still clenched from the tension. Rae was taking advantage of the off putting interaction and explored the small area, so capturing everyone’s attention when Corpse relaxed a bit wasn’t hard. “It’s gonna be a tight fit but I think we can make it work.”

“Whoa.”

“Where did you learn how to hotwire a car?” Ethan questioned, being the first to make his way toward the beaten vehicle.

“Video games?” The brunette answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She hit the side of the driver door twice, motioning to the group. “Now get your asses in here before that guy decides to pull a Resident Evil zombie sprint on us.”

“Yes ma’am.” Sykkuno saluted, earning chuckles that were a rare sight since ending up here. The two of you didn’t waste time in calling the front seats beside Rae and Ethan, forcing everyone else to get in the back of the truck and make it work. No one could complain, though, seeing the circumstances you were all in.

It took a few seconds of revving the seemingly old engine before the machine began making its way. You could actually hear the ones in the back shift around to get in more comfortable positions for however long a ride it would be. The girl behind the wheel didn’t pay any mind to the stranger that watched her drive you all away, but you did. And even when he continued to shrink in distance and eventually disappeared, you knew his words would stay with you.

“You’re wasting your time! No one gets out of Mirror City!!”

Siren Woods

a variety youtuber mini series

summary

seven internet personalities find themselves in the middle of an old town myth as they take a break from their careers and head up towards a rural mountain area. among every spooky or jumpy experience with a horror game here and there, never did any of them think they’d end up in this situation.

excerpt

The fire crackled with a sense of release, almost as if this large flame represented the time everyone needed away from their jobs. After how crazy the media has become the past few weeks, you and your friends agreed that a trip towards a much lesser known area would do you all well. It was a teenagers on summer break scene where everyone was gathered around a campfire in the backyard of a lake house, telling stories to either amuse or scare each other. Seán and Ethan were the first to do so, tag teaming in a very dramatic reenactment of the first time they met in person, which of course had to be followed by your own scene with Y/F/N.

Time flew by and before you knew it, the sun was completely set and the darkest shade of navy possible was barely lit with a crescent moon and a few stars. The only real source of light was the fire, illuminating the six faces in an orange glow. Any laughter died down minutes ago, leaving a silence that was comfortable for everyone. “You guys want to hear a funny story?”

Squinting at the man sitting in the log across from you, you leaned forward, hands folded in your lap. “Funny haha or funny we might want to kill you after we hear it?”

“Uh..” Corpse met your gaze immediately, his mask somehow looking more eerie with the natural lighting. “Funny kind of hoping you won’t kill me, if I’m being honest.” He confirmed, leaning forward himself to warm up his hands while the rest of you debated on whether to let him tell it.

After a few minutes, and three overtaking two, he was allowed to do so. It was an old myth of the town you all resided in for the week; a Slenderman type of entity of the forest that the locals from dozens of years before chose to call Siren Head. The name stuck once old photos were found and set up in the small museum in the Common. He stood at forty feet tall, with two megaphones for heads and tangled wires for a torso. He had the ability to perfectly mimic broadcasts, conversations, sirens and screams, and had been said to only emit white noise if ever asleep. Speed nearly matched that of a cheetah and his strength was unbelievably high due to his size. Every sighting of said species had only been released by victims, and it was an urban tale that stood alive to this very day.

Rae was on the grass now, legs crossed one over the other as she tried to look at everyone at once. “Why the hell did we all come to a place called Siren Woods, then?!”

“Well.. the town looked really nice online, and it’s living up to that. And I thought siren meant more mermaid than a freaky Creepypasta-type thing.” Sykkuno could do nothing but respond with nerves showing through his face and every subtle movement of his body as he explained why he ended up agreeing with the destination.

“Yeah, I did too.” Y/F/N piped in, shrugging her innocence as you all began telling your sides. “Who doesn’t think of a mermaid when you hear the word siren?! That’s basically what they are.”

“I, for one, think we should find another place to stay.” Ethan spoke up.

Seán gaped at his longest friend in the group, “You don’t actually believe in that.”

“I’m not taking any chances, dude. Those people believe in that thing enough to build a whole section of the museum for it.”

You watched your friends go back and forth, some freaked out by the story but not believing it was real while the rest wanted to find a new vacation spot. “What do you think, Y/N?”

You turned to Corpse, blinking as the simple question processed in your mind. “I’m with Ethan on this.. even if that thing isn’t an actual being the belief here is hardcore.” Three faces lit up in relief while the roommate, Irishman, and faceless internet persona felt differently. “Let me finish..” you sighed, “Let’s stay another night but keep an extra cautious eye on Spencer and Luna. Animals have a sort of sixth sense, so if anything weird happens they’ll warn us. Deal?”

Y/F/N shared a glance with you, letting out a sigh of her own. “Suddenly I’m feeling a lot better that we brought our dogs instead of getting sitters.” She bent down to pet the canines laying between the logs, hoping if they did bark it would just be from a resident knocking on the door.

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elleharperbcu · 3 years

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Task 1: Concept Mind Maps

In pairs we produced a mind map of each others concept, for our final project, planning and considering how we can explore the following factors:

Research

Experimentation

Sampling

Development

Production

Personal Reflection/ Evaluation

Project/ Time Management

We was asked to write down our narrative on a piece of paper and swap with our partner so we had each others narrative. We then wrote down our ideas that came to mind related to their narrative, in order to help them with new ideas they may not have thought of or knew about. I really enjoyed this task as it helped me learn new facts about the petite world and I was able to complete lots of research. I always loved hearing about my peers narratives and their stories as to why they are focusing on a certain topic.

My completed research from this task:

Petite models -

After researching about types of work available for petite models I found out that other than Moss, most petite models do commercial and catalogue work. Models who work in fashion generally work with high street brands specialising in petite clothing. It is very rare for a petite model to find high-fashion work on the catwalk or for designer labels. This is something that I find unfair as your height should not matter. However, petite models are not restricted when finding work. This is due to an increase in brands catering for men and women with smaller frames and shorter legs, petite models are now employed to keep up with this fashion industry demand.

Successful petite models -

Models who have refused to obey the stereotypical image associated with top designers, catwalks and campaigns are creating a path for petite models. These inspiring successful models have completely ignored the height restriction demonstrating that a smaller stature is required in the fashion industry. “Successful petite models are making an impact in a tall girls stomping ground, ignoring the confinements set upon them.”

Twiggy -

A british icon in the sixties and only 5″4. She revolutionised the stereotypical look of the era, starting a new breed of supermodels. Her height is rarely mentioned due to her confident persona that demands attention. She is still the shortest model with such a supermodel status.

Beautiful dreams - Twiggy records her first single

Anja Konstantinova -

Russian-Australian model, her impressive range of work includes, Vogue, Marie Claire, Urban Outfitters and French Connection. At 5″4 her height is not an issue with each shot demanding attention with her striking features, blonde hairs and natural posing instincts. The successful model discovered in a melbourne hair salon has received lots of rejection in her career, but she continues to break boundaries in a predominantly tall industry.

She explains: “People in Australia don’t accept shorter girls because they are a bit harder to work with, you have to photograph them in a certain way.”

How to make the most of your petite frame -

Don’t draw attention to your shorter height when interacting with clients and via body language. You will have to work extra hard to get noticed, which means standing tall and learning to highlight your height in photos. Never be caught slouching and be sure to work on poses that lengthen your lines. Good posture and strong stature goes a long way when presenting yourself to an agency meeting and photoshoot.

Petite models who changed the fashion industry -

Lily-Rose Depp

Lily-Rose made her runway debut with chanel in 2016. She is just 5″3, but that did not stop her from becoming the muse of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld.

Amina Blu

This German/ Pakistani beauty is 5″1 and no stranger to New York Fashion Week. Amina has walked for Kanye West more than 5 times. With her unforgettable looks and signature looks, Amina will keep making headlines.

The ‘Size 0′ movement

Sizes range from 0-2 which is extra small to 14-16 which is larger. Smaller sizes are usually petites, and larger sizes usually found in womens or plus size departments.

The size-zero ban is proof fashion industry on finally listening to customers. The use of size zero models has been a fashion industry scandal for many years. France’s top fashion house have committed to stop underage and size zero models from featuring in catwalk shows and advertising campaigns. Owners of brands such as Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton say they want to persuade others in the industry to follow suit. The industry has long been accused of promoting unhealthy body images of women and ignoring well-documented health problems experienced by models. In 2017, the French government voted through a law requiring models must have a medical certificate confirming they were not dangerously underweight.

“No model under 16 years will be recruited to take part in fashion shows or photographic sessions representing adults.” Models between 16-18 years will no longer be allowed to work between 11pm and 6am and must be accompanied by a parent or chaperone if required to stay away from home.

“The wellbeing of our models is a fundamental subject” the statement from LVMH read.

Mallory Schlossberg - “I’m part of a huge demographic that retailers largely ignore - here’s why it’s so frustrating”

When reading this article I very much related myself to it, she mentions being reminded of her height near enough everyday, she is 4″11 like me. “There are only a few times when I'm reminded how short I am: when I'm riding the subway and someone pushes right into me because I'm not in his peripheral vision, when I can't reach my kitchen cabinets and hop onto the counter, and when I'm shopping.”

When she was in high school and college she frequently shopped in the kids section. She mentioned it being impressive to see the selection that’s available for wealthy, stylish kids these days. She is able to wear a lot of designer apparel that are much cheaper than adult prices as kids clothes takes less fabric to make. However, it comes to a point in an adult woman's life where you do not want to shop in kids section anymore, she wanted to wear apparel for women because she is a woman. Adult size small dresses zip up just fine, but they hug in all the wrong places and drag on the ground or are longer fit on her than they’re supposed to be.

“It's frustrating. How do you shop for clothes and not look like a child in children's clothing — or a child playing dress up in her mother's closet?”

There are retailers that do cater to petite women although the ranges are very limited.

“Walk into Ann Taylor, Loft (where I buy my jeans), J. Crew, Banana Republic, or a department store, and you'll see selections of petite clothing, often relegated to a small corner with an odd amalgam of apparel, as though the merchandise team is wondering, "who is this petite woman? Is she a mother? Is she frumpy? Is she a decaying 90-year-old? Is she youthful and feisty? Is she too young to show off her curves? Is she a virgin?" The answer — from a petite woman — is that she is none of the above, and she is all of the above. The petite woman is just like the regular-sized customer...only shorter.”

Retailers seem very confused with how to deal with short women. Topshop and Anthropologie are starting to recognise that short women like to look fashionable too, but the lack of options and concern for petite shoppers is noticeable. The reason as to why there are fewer petite options and not all stores offer apparel for smaller-framed women is because it requires a different design pattern.

As blogger TanyaTheAnonymousModel wrote on Jezebel:

"For a dress to look the same on a petite woman, a standard size woman and a plus woman — for the hem to hit at the same place on each woman's leg, for the waist to sit at the appropriate height, for the neckline to flatter but not overexpose, for the pockets to be useful, easily reached, and neither too small nor too big — requires, in effect, three totally different paper patterns, each with a separate, and expensive, development process."

The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City offers a continuing education course in image consulting, combining petite and plus size bodies together as "special size" customers — noting that they make up about a tremendous amount of the population. The course description reads as follows:

"Over 70 million U.S. women fall into the special size category, that 50 % of the population is actually under 5'4", and 65 million women are considered plus size. Designers, patternmakers, retailers, stylists, and image consultants, and wardrobe technicians can all benefit from this in-depth workshop that demystifies the special size business potential. Learn the facts behind the figures with practical information for fulfilling the expectations of the special size customer with proper fit, fashion, and service. Highly recommended for anyone looking to increase sales and services. Interact with our two industry experts as they each tackle the dilemmas facing both the petite and plus-size customer and give concrete directions for satisfying their shopping needs and fashion passions."

An undergraduate course "sketching for fashion designers" mentions that "Large, half-size, petite, and junior-size figures are featured to study proportions used in the industry". Showing petites aren't entirely ignored in design school, they just aren't given equal attention. They're generally not on runways; runways are about aspiration, and who aspires to be 5'2''?

“Petite women have not been celebrated loudly as equals. They have not been given body-positive model icons to speak on their behalf, although we do have Kelly Ripa, Snooki, and Kim Kardashian in our corner. There has not been a call to action. There hasn't been any real vocal repugnance, but instead, there's been a silence and a void, which is too telling. Petite women have been pushed aside, not permitted to speak — much like the children for which many try not to be mistaken.”

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funknrolll · 4 years

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FOCUSING ON JANET JACKSON: THE STORY OF THE ICONIC LEGEND, THE HIGHLIGHTS OF HER SUCCESSFUL CAREER, THE FIERCE AND INSIPIRING MESSAGE DELIVERED THROUGH HER TIMELESS ART

Hi music lovers, today I’m focusing on Janet Jackson, I tried to cover as much as I could with this article. Just know that I will write other articles about her, therefore if you do not find some particulars in this essay, just know that they will be in another future article!! I hope you enjoy this article💜

For 54 years the music icon “Miss Jackson” has and still is paving the path for many artists and inspiring us all with her legacy, talent, grace, and beauty, being the role model everyone should look up to. Today I am focusing on the highlights of Janet Jacksons extraordinary career.

Born Janet Damita Jo Jackson on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana, the artist, was the youngest of ten children, but undoubtedly not the least talented. Indeed, at the young age of 10, she got the part of Penny Gordon on the tv show Good Times and her acting skills were already showing. The young child prodigy also made a few memorable appearances on the tv show Diff’rent Strokes as Charlene Dupree and soon got her role on the renown show Fame as Cleo Hewitt. Though the show business was not all flowers and roses for young Janet, who, even at the age of 10, was already showing her iron will to achieve the very much desired success. Indeed, as the artist recalled, “‘I would set my alarm clock for 5.30am, get myself dressed, and get myself out of the door for work five days a week,’ she says. ‘And for a 10-year-old to have that kind of discipline – there’s a lot to be said for that.’.

Then Janet decided to pursue the music career in the 80s, establishing herself as a singing star of the first order. At the age of 16, she dropped her first self-titled album. The pop, funk-influenced, fresh, and danceable record was the beginning of a glorious and remarkable career. Young Love even reached number six on Billboard’s R&B chart. The following year the artist issued Dream Street. The exquisitely pop album was entirely in the fashion of good 80s tunes. Not to mention the surprise guest artist who lent his signature voice in Don’t Stand Another Chance and All My Love To You.

However, in 1986 came Janet’s commercial, and most importantly, creative breakthrough. The artist teamed up with none other than Minneapolis-based producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to create Control, the game-changing, legendary R&B-pop masterpiece that paved the way for the new emerging sounds of the late 80s. Through the empowering lyrics, the artist declared her independence with passion and grace as she affirmed in the title track, “this time, I’m gonna do it my way,” and she really did it. Moreover, the pure brilliance of this work lies in the extremely self-assured vocals and sleek slamming beat combo that presented Janet as a confident tough-minded artist who is in charge of her life and her choices. In support of her brand-new persona, Jam and Lewis crafted a set of gleamy, computerized hip-hop-nuanced funk and urban R&B backing tracks. The album eventually sold over 5 million copies, establishing Janet as a new influential pop star and role model. With this album, the artist was already showing her immense talent.

In 1989 the artist teamed up again with producers Jam and Lewis and released the hotly anticipated follow-up concept album: Rhythm Nation 1814. With this work, the artist became more overtly political, exploring socially conscious themes and issues, which were the whole fulcrum of the album. The singer took some risks with this Rhythm Nation as protest songs were quite uncommon in R&B, but making those risks paid off as the masterpiece not only assured Janet an even higher artist plateau, but it also had wildly successful results. As the artist sang in the title track “Join voices in protest to social injustice” or “A generation full of courage, come forth with me,” in this work, Janet explores themes such as racism, sexism, and feminism and flourishing as a person and artist in an environment ruled by both issues. However, some nonpolitical songs could not miss, ranging from smooth and silky ballads such as Someday Is Tonight, Alone and Come Back to Me to the pop rock influenced Black Cat, to the funk-influenced Miss You Much and Alright to the bright and romantically-themed Love Will Never Do (Without You) and Escapade. The album was a triumph and was accepted enthusiastically by the audience. In support of this masterpiece, Janet undertook her first tour, and it was a smashing success.

In 1992 the artist, along with rapper Tupac Shakur starred in John Singleton’s all-time classic, Poetic Justice. Janet gave proof one more time of her extraordinary acting skills taking up the role of Justice, a hairdresser, grieving over her boyfriend’s death, who writes poems to get through the sorrow of her bereavement.

Subsequently, 1993 saw the artist fully embracing her sexuality, which was crowned with her breakthrough homonymous album: Janet. The new image was trumpeted with a strikingly iconic Rolling Stone cover picture: an uncropped photo with the artist topless covered by two hands. The picture was then used as the album cover. One more time, Janet teamed up with the iconic duo Jam-Lewis and the outcome churned out did not leave the audience disappointed at all. The powerful trio left the synthesized funk in favor of warm, gently, inviting undulating grooves. The 28 tracked album is the product of the artist’s groundbreaking eclecticism. This masterpiece is a perfect mix of whooping cuts sprawling a sonic extravaganza where only 12 were proper songs, and the rest short interludes. The new quirky sounds were aligned perfectly with the brand-new public persona the artist created. The album shifts from the old school shuffle-beat-pop of Whoops Now to the New Jack Swing of You Want This. The leading guitar of What’ll I Do is a 60s flavored old school-rock hit with a bit of Janet’s signature sound. The danceable grooves of Funky Big Band are spiced up with old-jazz samples, while the erotic moans in Throb are a clear nod to Donna Summer’s Love to love you, baby, with some electro-trance influences I must say. A major sociopolitical hit could not miss on this masterpiece. The pop song New Agenda featuring a noteworthy cameo from rap Public Enemy’s head MC. Chuck D is indeed touching some relevant themes such as gendered racism and sexism, which issues were and still are much present in today’s society. The album is also featuring some enjoyable ballads such as the major hit and R&B Again, which appeared at the end of the movie mentioned Poetic Justice. With The Body that Loves you, Janet shifts to some jazzier, smooth, and silky sounds, while the slow R&B-nuanced Any Time Any Place is a groovy erotic jam. The angry This Time is a successful experiment in mixing rocky inflections with lyrical singing. The centerpiece was the album’s first single, the groovy alluring infectious ballad That’s The Way Love Goes. Not only is the collection a groundbreaking masterpiece sprinkled with revolutionary sounds, but what is striking most about this work is the intention with which it was produced. Indeed, Janet is a clear statement and frank celebration of female sexual liberation, which was and still is considered a taboo topic. Through this album, Janet explores black sexuality and lust, which is something black women have always been stereotyped about. Hence, with the explicit lyrics, the mellow and groovy sounds, the artist unveils these relevant topics making a monument to black lust, ultimately taking the power of her own sexuality back, which is portrayed as a beautiful, liberating act. With this masterpiece, Janet was baptized as one of the first real trailblazers and role models who paved the path for multiple African American female artists in addressing and embracing their sexuality fully. Additionally, the video of If was praised for being a beautiful, uplifting celebration and portrait of interracial lust.

Furthermore, how can we forget when Janet introduced her legendary brother Michael at the 35th Grammy Legend Awards on February 24, 1993? The artist wearing a gorgeous total white look and matching high heels matched Michael’s nestled pearls jacket. Not to mention her iconic, memorable hairstyle: beautiful box braids slicked-back into a high ponytail topped off with a had-band turned ponytail-holder matching the whole outfit. The jewelry was also in harmony with the outfit, as the artist opted for silver medium hoops (which went gorgeously with the hairstyle), a classy silver chained necklace, and of course, a couple of silver rings. Janet stepped on stage with the biggest, brightest, and most gorgeous smile to introduce her brother with one of the most touching speeches ever, beginning with “Before he won 12 Grammy Awards before he dazzled millions of fans around the world with his amazing talent as a performer. Before, he impacted millions of lives with his ongoing humanitarian efforts. Before all of that, he was one other thing, he was my brother”. Then she presented the audience an enlightening book of the instructions on how to become a legend choosing Michael as a guide. But the best part was yet to come. Indeed, Janet expressed her love and gratitude for her brother, and honestly, she had us crying the ugliest tears ever and Michael too “I just want to say one thing, seriously. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you and how much you’ve inspired me and how proud I am to be your sister. And how much I love you, I do”. It was lovely seeing Janet and Michael sharing a beautiful moment on stage and joking with each other. It was indeed a beautiful, heartwarming moment to witness.

In 1995 Janet’s came in support of her brother Michael in Scream, the lead single contained on the album HIStory. The duet between the younger sister and Michael finds the pair spitting out tightly wound lines railing against tabloids. The industrial beats and clattering percussions encased an incredible one of the most mind-blowing vocal performances ever. The sense of frustration and rage makes it one of the most vivid and enduring songs. Not to mention the iconic video directed by Mark Romanek housing the siblings in their own hyper-modern spaceship complete with an indoor zen garden, remote-controlled art gallery, and futuristic squash court. The iconic video came in black and white, with the spacecraft flying over the earth and Michael standing in his distress capsule. Then the tv screen flickers and Janet closes her eyes in the distress capsule. A deafening noise reverberates through their headphones, and the siblings scream in pain. An anime comes on tv, and Michael breaks the glass of the capsule. With this intro, the legendary duo begins a mesmerizing and extremely arduous choreography in unbelievable perfect sync with each other. Not to mention the iconic outfits consisting of black and silver PVC pants, silver bikini for Janet, and black or grey spiked shibori crop-tops styled by David Bradshaw.

In 1997 came Janet’s follow-up album, The Velvet Rope, representing the product of her artistic revolution. With this album, the artist is summarizing the essence of the three previous works: the self-empowering messages from Control, the skin-deep social consciousness of Rhythm Nation, and the sexual liberation of Janet. Through the mature and experimental new sounds, the artist takes the listeners on a journey through the exploration of her psyche and sexuality: the outcome leads us to a darker path than the previous works released. Indeed, the singer sought to combine the sensuality of the last record to some more socially conscious parts such as domestic abuse, AIDS, and homophobia. Indeed, Vanessa-Mae’s prog-rock violin solo on the title track is setting the tone for profoundly spiritual work. The bass-heavy house track Together Again was an elegy for AIDS victims, which showcased a poignant vocal and lyric. Furthermore, from the raw and extremely vivid words of What About “What about the times you hit my face?../What about the times you said you didn’t fuck her; she only gave you head?” it is quite clear what the song is dealing with. And the anti-homophobia song par-excellence Free Xone shifts the moods and tempos segueing from a Prince’s Love Symbol (if you know what album I am talking about) like jam to an intriguing masterful sample from Archie Bell and the Drells’: Tighten Up. Extremely popular on the radio was Got ‘Til It’s Gone featuring the rapper Q-Tip and a reggae-crafted beat of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi. I Get Lonely featuring Blackstreet was another tremendous hit that traversed the dark side of desire. Then Every Time is a melancholic piano-based touching ballad (not going to lie this song had me crying ugly tears!!). The edgy rhythms and he drum-and-and-bass lite in Empty are enhanced by Janet’s delivery racing in a staccato. Then the smooth groovy slippery Go Deep is worthy of some of the best Michael Jackson’s jams (can you notice the resemblance with some of Michael’s songs?). Special is another fabulous piano-based ballad drenched in meaningful lyrics, a true anthem of self-worth-discovery delivering an essential lesson “You see? You can’t run away from your pain. Because wherever you’ll run, there you will be. You have to learn to water your spiritual garden. Then you will be free.”. The idyllic song is abruptly stopped halfway by Janet saying “work in progress,” because after all, we are all a work in progress in our journeys through self-discovery and self-love, right? In the second part of the song, the hidden track “Can’t Be Stopped” is a monumental celebration of being Black where the artist is encouraging other African-Americans to have the same pride “You were born with blood of Kings and Queens and can’t be stopped.” Furthermore, through interludes such as Sad and Memory, the artist explores her deepest emotions and grief. For instance with the few words of the album opener Twisted Elegance “It is my belief that we have the need to feel special/And its this need that can bring out the best in us/Yet the worst in us/This need created the velvet rope” Janet is putting into a small number of words the whole purpose and meaning of this monumental masterpiece. The Velvet Rope is, in fact, a metaphor for a place deep inside. We all strive to protect where all our feelings and thoughts lay. Janet, with this album, is courageously unveiling her Velvet Rope, letting herself firstly and the listener beyond it directly into her sacred “spiritual garden.” Indeed, it is not a mystery that the singer chose the symbol of the Sankofa ( which is also the symbol of the Adinkra tribe in West Africa) to represent the album. Indeed, its paraphrase means “You must learn from your past to move forward,” and this is again the whole concept of The Velvet Rope.

In 2000 the artist appeared in Eddie Murphy’s comedy The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps as professor Denise Gaines.

The next year, on March 12, 2001, the artist was honored with the MTV Icon Award, where the glittery talent roster included Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, Stevie Wonder, Aaliyah, ‘Nsync and Macy Gray, to pay their tribute to the legendary icon. To keep the hype of her new upcoming album release, Janet performed All For You the title track of her next album due on April 24, 2001. The singer ascended the stage in a gorgeous stylish all-white outfit and blew the audience away with her enchanting voice and impeccable choreography. After the performance was over, the artist thanked her dancers and her fans, saying, “It’s such a special night in my Life. An amazing night. Thank you so much. Because of you guys, I’m here. Thank you. I love you.”. Needless to say that we love our beautiful, humble queen more.

Moreover, after the super-personal and provocative Velvet Rope, Janet teamed up again with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to produce the sparkling danceable 70s/80s-influenced All For You. Come On Get Up (one of my favorite tracks in the album) breaks into a frenzy dance upbeat tempo and synth followed by some joyous and impeccable vocals. When We Oooo is an R&B downtempo percussive-based groovy alluring ballad that takes us to another dimension. The R&B ballad China Love is characterized by an extremely neat yet unique instrumental. The sounds of traditional Oriental chimes delve into the past love connections and other new age ambiguities. The glossy, silky slow ballad Love Scene is a sensual jam, perhaps one of Janet’s sexiest song in the album. Trust A Try is the product of a collaboration with hip-hop producer Rockwilder. The monumentally theatrical vocals are accompanied by a reinvention of the opera-genre rearranged into the rock key with electric guitars and cinematic strings. You Ain’t Right is a brutal attack on a gossipy friend characterized by a groovy upbeat tempo and some prominent vocals. The optimistic and hopeful ballad Better Days is entirely in harmony with the whole theme of the album (such an uplifting gem). The complete instrumentation with the guitar solo and striking strings are having us daydreaming of beautiful and distant places. The album is featuring singer Carly Simon in Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You), which is mashed-up with Carly Simon’s song You’re So Vain. Another track containing a sample from America’s Ventura Highway is the upbeat synth-based ballad Someone to Call My Lover, such a well-crafted reinvention of the original song. The extra-slow groovy Truth is a typical Janet’s ballad in the fashion of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On. Feels So Right is another sparkling glossy R&B lo-fi track characterized by a prominent beat and some almost whispered sensual, charming vocals. Lastly, the title track, All For You, is a clear nod to the most memorable 70s funk masterpieces. The alluring upbeat and funk-influenced sound is having the listener daydreaming of the dancefloor at the Studio 54.

In 2004 Janet released her 8th album: Damita Jo again produced by the iconic duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The highly anticipated work is another groovy, sensual, erotic, and unapologetic masterpiece, where the artist explores the crucial role of sex in a new relationship. The preponderance to slow-tempo, sensual grooves, sexual imageries, and spoken interludes are now Janet’s trademark. It’s Janet, and she’s unapologetically sexy. The R&B ping-pong rhythms of the title track accompany the sampled bells, the rap inflected scratches, and the mellow vocals perfectly. Sexhibition is alluring the listener with its infectious stuttering beats and the sampled groovy electro R&B chug, along with Janet’s intermittent vocal bubbles. The sensual vocals in Strawberry Bounce are mixed into an effervescent loop over which, if you listen attentively, you can hear elements of Jay-Z’s Can I Get A and Deon Jackson’s Love’s Make the World Go Round. The next track, My Baby, featuring Kanye West, is a regular R&B laidback slow-jam with on-point beats. Spending Time With You is yet another slow R&B groovy jam that sounds exceptionally familiar (of course, if you are familiar with Michael Jackson’s music). Indeed, the prominent beats, the sampled bells, and the mellow and sensual-almost whispered vocals are clearly drawing inspiration from Janet’s older brother Michael. Segueing the slow-tunes mentioned above, All Nite (Don’t Stop) is a pumping electro-funk whose infectious beats allure the listeners to the dancefloor. Yet R&B Junkie keeps the retro 70s funk vibe high with some well-crafted catchy upbeat synths and characteristic inflected vinyl scratching having us daydreaming of the 70s dancefloors. The album shifts into ’60s retro dazzle with I Want You. The squeaky-clean sugary puff sounds in the verve of the best ’60s classics are a clear homage to the glory of Berry Gordy’s Motown Records. With Like You Don’t Love Me, we are taken back to modern R&B, nodding to new soul stylings with its catchy production, the infectious beats, subtle guitars, and keyboard accompanied by the sensual girly crooning. Thinkin’ Bout My Ex is another slow downtempo jam where the artist explores the emotional consequences of heartbreaks. Following Thinkin’ Bout My Ex, the extra-slow Warmth is a swirling erotic jam. Moist is the sequel of Warmth, another down-tempo piano-based track. The next track, Truly, is leaning towards a new soul genre. With its luscious harmonies and silky vocals, the song is such a sublime masterpiece. Slolove is another in-the-verve-of 70s up-tempo jam characterized by meticulous funk beats. Closing the album Just A Little While is an apparent salute to Prince’s Dirty Mind (precisely When You Were Mine) combining effervescent elements of 80s Prince’ inspired guitars and keyboards. The wide variety of music genres and 60’, 70’, and 80s influences on the album are the product of Janet’s revolutionary and eclectic vision showing the artist flexing her musicology muscle.

In 2006 Janet was a 40 years old woman feeling half her age. Her 40th birthday also conveys with her breakthrough as a music icon and legend 1986. Hence, she released her new album, 20 Y.O. The collection is one more time featuring 5 interludes, all of them titled 20. The first interlude is, however, the most relevant one as the singer gives a clear explanation of the purpose and the meaning of this work: “Well, there’s something to... Are you recording?/ There’s something to be said for not saying anything/I’ve talked about racism, spousal abuse, empowering women, children/I’ve talked about a lot of things/What do I talk about this time?/ I’ve covered a lot in my 20 years/, And I’ve uncovered a lot in my 20 years/, But I wanna keep it light/I don’t wanna be serious/I wanna have fun/I know/I don’t know/That’s what I do know”. The first track opening the album boasts a collaboration with rapper Khia. If you listen attentively, you’d also realize that the song is a masterful sample of Rockit by Herbie Hancock. The outcome is an urban R&B synth-based with prominent on-point-beats. The next three songs present some other masterful samples, such as Show Me complemented with Kraftwerk’s Boing Boom Tschak, Get It Out Me with Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock and Do It 2 Me with Brenda Russell’s If Only for One Night. The threads that relate to all these tracks are the playful prominent danceable and sharp beats and grooves. Segueing the steamy rocky-R&B erotic This Body in which the artist adds some sensual vocals that match perfectly the whole theme of the track: the reversal of female objectification. Therefore, the music and the vocals match the intensity of the narrative, and the manic electric guitar replete with steel drum rimshots. After the second interlude, the artist is back again to a classic R&B string-based downtempo mellow jam. Next track Call On Me, boasts another collaboration with rapper Nelly. The song is yet another well-crafted sample with S.O.S Band’s 1983 major hit Tell Me If You Still Care. The sparkle of the sampled bells in Daybreak glides like Escapade and Runaway. The next track, the neo-soul with a touch of retro vibes Enjoy, is a total breath of positivity and fresh air. The ambiance-neo-soul Take Care is a classic silky dazzling ballad in the verve of Come Back To Me. Love 2 Love is yet another sensual slow jam. In the 5th interlude closing the album, the artist states the fugacity of the 20 years, and ultimately she thanks God for the sense of humor. Then she starts joking with one of her old friends “Twenty years/Time flashes by like lightning in the sky/Twenty years of questions come down to ‘Who am I?’/Thank you God for giving us all a sense of humor”… “All right, it’s ten to six/You’ve gotta go, ’cause I’ve gotta go/Oh, now she’s throwin’ me out now that she had her little say/We have some lovely parting gifts for you, Lynette/Thanks for coming down/Haha, oh, she tryin’ to shut me up/ Do do duh do do do..”

The next year we find Janet in Tyler Perry’s movie Why Did I Get Married? The film set in a Rocky Mountain resort follows four couples who meet each year for a therapeutic vacation. The 8 friends converge to discuss their relationships and address their issues. In the movie, we see Janet play the role of Patricia, a well-meaning psychiatrist and writer who helps her friends to solve their marital problems. The sequel of the movie, Why Did I Get Married Too?, came in 2010, but this time it includes a lengthy section set at the Bahamas. The film is one more time an amid portrait of four couples dealing with marital crises. With these movies, Janet is showing one more time her never-ending acting talents, especially in the second one, when she had to bring to Life Patricia’s painful past. It is indeed, that hurtful past with the broad range of emotions that Janet managed to bring to life amazingly well, making the movie even more credible and touching.

In 2011 Janet released her book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself, in which she recounters her struggle with weight and confidence. The book is as well featuring letters from her fans. True You topped the new York time’s bestseller list in the following month. The same year Janet was the first female artist to ever perform at the I.M. Pei glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum, raising contributions for the restoration of artworks.

Nine years later, Janet is back with Unbreakable, a profound and insightful masterpiece. In this album, we find a brand-new Janet with brand new sounds more new-soul oriented. The themes of the collection are as well different from the previous ones. In the title track is the artist expresses her gratitude over a relaxed and longing groove. The intensity increases with the dance uptempo song BURNITUP featuring hip-hop icon Missy Elliot. The mood changes with the probing synths and booming bass in Dammn Baby. The next two tracks, The Great Forever, and Broken Hearts Heal, are a tribute to her brother Michael who passed in June 2009. What is mesmerizing about The Great Forever is that Janet sounds almost like Michael. While Broken Hearts Heal is a poignant uptempo ballad with a retro touch that brings us back to the glorious Michael’s 1978 Off The Wall. The subtle crystal beat is exactly giving the vibe of Workin’ Day and Night. The lyrics as well are giving hints that the song is dedicated to Michael “It was a long, long time ago/But I remember it like yesterday/Amazing times while we were growing/’Round all the brightest stars the world had seen/ We made-up songs to do our chores to/And harmonized while we all did our part/Danced and sang our way through most anything/Always felt safe in each others’ love/It was in summer that you left me/The fall and winter never felt so cold/, And Lord knows words can never express it/Life feels so empty I miss you much/Painful tears like never before/We can’t laugh together till we cry/But our love’s ain’t no material thing/ Inshaallah, see you in the next life”. The social-message-song Shoulda Known Better rides on an electro-dance sound and synths to reach euphoria, which is perfectly aligned with the hopeful message of revolution and social change. With After You Fall, Janet lets the listener into her deep thoughts, showing her fragility. The neat and simple arrangement and the gorgeous vocals are flawlessly completing the whole theme and purpose of the song, putting the vulnerability and the grief into sound. The sparkling infectious electro-disco Night is a clear nod to sturdy Minneapolis funk, more precisely Prince’s Sexy Dance (Prince self-titled album 1978). Segueing the effervescent rhythms of Night, No Sleeep is a more relaxed hypnotic downtempo jam. Then Dream Maker/Euphoria kicks in with a Michael-like cry hitting high notes, then settling into a luscious psychedelic groove. 2 Be Loved and Take Me Away are two classic fresh danceable pop songs. The dark nuanced Promise sets the tone for the touching performance of Lessons Learned, where one more time, the singer lets the listener into her deepest fragilities. The dark-tinged new soul Black Eagle keeps the moods sober, unraveling a poignant, beautiful message. The gospel-flavored Gon B’ Alright, is a prominent link to the past in the verve of Sly and The Family Stone and Larry Graham Central Station with a touch of Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Starting Something.

After the release of Unbreakable, Janet began The State Of The World Tour, which was launched in 2017. The title of the tour set the record straight on the themes addressed during the shows. Indeed, some testimonies from some lucky fans who attended the concerts recall the opening video making perfectly clear the message Janet wanted to deliver. A blood-red clip that flashed the names of unarmed black men shot and killed by police, denouncing white supremacy and ending in a chant of “We Want Justice.” Subsequentially, a giant portrait of the singer filled the screen, her image covered by the slogans “We will not be silent. LGBTQ rights. Black Lives Matter. Immigrants are welcome. Liberty and Justice for all”. Through the concert, the artist highlighted the importance of information with the lyrics from Rhythm Nation “information keeps us strong” and “if you want to be in control you gotta get yourself in the know.” The show featured as well lighter topics, and Janet did not spare herself some slick choreographers.

And how can we possibly forget Janet’s ICONIC performance and INSPIRING speech while accepting the Billboard Icon Award in 2018? The artist took the stage, offering the audience one of the fiercest and most impeccable performances ever of Nasty meshed up with When We Ooo (at the end of the song) and Throb. The singer also sought inclusivity not just with words; indeed, the performance featured a collective of dancers of all sizes, colors, and shapes. Eventually, Janet, introduced by Bruno Mars, graced the audience with an incredibly inspiring and beautiful acceptance speech: “I am deeply humbled and grateful for this award. I believe that for all the challenges, for all our challenges, we live at a glorious moment in history. It’s a moment when at long last, women have made it clear that we will no longer be controlled, manipulated, or abused. I stand with those women and with those men equally outraged by discrimination who support us in heart and mind. This is also a moment when our public discourse is loud and harsh.”. What a beautiful, stunning, inspiring queen!!

Furthermore, this summer 2020, the artist was supposed to start her Black Diamond world tour, but unfortunately, it has been postponed.

With this said, through her extraordinary career, Janet has proved so much and has achieved so much. Her unbelievable work ethic and talent have brought her to become one of the best artists on earth, and this is a fact. Her inspiring music celebrating women, especially African American women, impeccable choreographies, the iconic music videos celebrating, and uplifting black people have paved the path for many artists. With her vast contribution not just in the music business, Janet has become a legendary icon to many women and men. All hail to the queen.

Thank you for your attention💜 G.✨

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romancandlemagazine · 3 years

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An Interview with Alexander Wolfe, the man behind Pedestrian Magazine

Pedestrian is a magazine about the humble art of walking. In this interview, I talked with the man with the plan, Alexander Wolfe, about his love for this much maligned form of transport, his recent expedition from New York to Philadelphia, and the art of conversation.

First off, you recently walked from New York City to Philadelphia over nine days. What made you want to do that?

The initial desire to walk to Philadelphia came out living in New York City during the pandemic. I was bound to my apartment for a few months with little to do but walk around my neighborhood. I've always had a habit of walking around the city, but the pandemic only made these walks longer and longer, which eventually led to a 23 mile journey from my apartment in Brooklyn, to the Bronx, and back.

Around that time I was reading The Roads to Sata by Alan Booth and started contemplating longer, multi-day walks. I needed a change of scenery and found the idea of traveling by foot and living out of a bag very appealing. I felt like I'd developed a process here in the city (go on a walk, take photos, write a newsletter about the walk, repeat) and needed to give myself a challenge. I wanted to lean further into this practice that I've been developing for the last three years.

I'd never considered my walks to be hikes, so it made sense that I'd keep it in an urban setting. Walking to Philadelphia seemed like a no-brainer. What most people don't initially realize is that most of my time was spent walking through New Jersey. I liked the idea of walking in a place that is commonly misrepresented as the "armpit of America" and typically deemed unwalkable. New Jersey is actually a very underrated state. It might be the densest state population-wise, but it's called the Garden State for a reason. Oh yeah, I'd never been to Philadelphia and just really wanted to visit.

How did the walk go? Quite often trips or excursions can be a fair bit different to how you first imagine them… how did the reality of the walk differ from how you thought it was going to be?

I was presented with a new challenge every day. Don't get me wrong, the walk turned out better than I could have ever imagined, but you can never anticipate everything in advance. This was the first time I'd ever walked with a 25 pound bag on my back, let alone the first time I'd walked 9 days in a row. Originally I set out to average 17.75 miles per day, but thanks to my own curiosity, ended up waking 20 miles a day on average. I mapped the entire route a month or two before leaving, but would always deviate from the path in favor of exploring some neighborhood, road, or park that looked appealing. The first day alone ballooned into 27 miles because I got cocky and thought I didn't need to use my map while walking in Manhattan. I learned my lesson and kept my eyes on the map for the rest of the trip.

Another thing I didn't expect was the sensitivity one develops after walking 6-8 hours for days in a row. The smell of exhaust and gasoline becomes more potent. You realize how violently we've shaped the land to build huge highways and abysmal business parks. So much of our infrastructure is built in favor of the car, which makes being a pedestrian incredibly difficult at times. If the built environment didn't present a challenge, it was always the weather, the gnarly blisters on my feet, or my gear malfunctioning. I quickly learned to accept these challenges. It was just another component of the walk.

A lot of times people go for ‘a walk’, they’re seeking out beauty spots or nice scenery—maybe in nature reserves or the countryside, but your walk was cutting through some fairly overlooked places… industrial estates and small towns. Do people miss out by not seeing the whole picture of somewhere? Is just driving through these places to get to the destination sort of cheating?

I wouldn't consider driving to be cheating – it's just another way we alienate ourselves from the world around us. When we drive, we experience the world at a speed that makes it nearly impossible to pay attention to the fine details. Our relationship to place is abstracted, especially thanks to the rise of GPS. We no longer have to have a physical relationship to these towns. We don't even have to remember how to get to them. Driving around in a car reduces these places to nothing more than a label on a map or a convenient place to stop for gas.

It's important to have relationships with the places surrounding you. The walk has given me an intimate experience with the space between New York City and Philadelphia. I know what it looks like, I know how it feels to be there. I can tell you where residents stop hanging New York Yankees flags in favor of Philadelphia Phillies flags. If I'm watching the Soprano's and Tony references Metuchen, NJ then I know exactly what he's talking about. I think to understand a place, such as New York City, it's just as important to understand the places around it. There are generations of people who once called the Big Apple home, but decided to plant their roots in Jersey for one reason or another.

I suppose you could have read about some of these places on Wikipedia, but being there is a completely different thing. Is experiencing stuff first hand important?

It's very important if you actually want to understand a place. It's too easy to create our own narratives without ever visiting a place. I still tried to do my share of research before heading out. I have friends from North Jersey or the Philadelphia Metro and tried to take their opinions with a grain of salt. I spent some time reading about certain towns along the way on Wikipedia or scanned Reddit to get a vibe. I even previewed chunks of the walk on Google Street View to mentally prepare and know if it was actually safe to walk near some of these roads. I could have spent months preparing, but it never would actually replace walking in these small towns and cities. It's so much different when you're on the ground.

I suppose the main reason we’re talking is that you make a magazine based around the idea of walking. How long have you been making Pedestrian? What started it off?

I released the first issue of Pedestrian back in March of 2018. I was living in Ridgewood, Queens at the time and made friends with a guy named Curtis Merkel (I actually met him while out on a walk). He ran a moving business for a few decades and retired. At 84 years old he opened up a tiny little bookshop to keep himself busy. I'd visit him every weekend to check out his books and eventually we'd just get to talking. He'd lived in Ridgewood his entire life and loved to talk about the neighborhood's history. Moving to NYC also introduced me to a thriving community of zine makers. I wanted to share these conversations I'd had with Curtis in print form, so I decided to start a magazine. I invited a few friends to contribute and the rest was history.

Since then, the identity of Pedestrian has become quite fluid. While it started as a magazine, I would now describe Pedestrian as my own practice. It's a platform that allows me to collaborate with others, produce magazines, write newsletters, go on these long multi-day walks, and produce t-shirts. I have found this configuration gives me the most creative freedom.

A lot of your magazine is about meeting people and striking up conversations. Is this a lost art these days?

I don't know if it's a lost art per se, but there's less incentive to reach out and talk with strangers these days. Thanks to the rise of social media it's just getting easier and easier to stay within our own "bubbles." Starting Pedestrian, in a way, was an excuse for me to speak with those I typically wouldn't reach. It's amazing how having a publication kind of takes the fear out of speaking with strangers. You can do anything when you have intention.

Although walking is something most people do, is it overlooked as an activity? It seems it’s mostly seen as an inconvenience, rather than a hobby in itself.

It depends where you live. In New York City, for example, walking is a part of the culture. The city is built in such a way that makes walking a viable means of transportation. And if you can't walk to your destination, you're likely walking to a subway or a bus. Where I'm from in Iowa, walking is very inconvenient. Everything is spaced out, which makes walking anywhere very difficult. It’s not that people don’t want to walk, it’s just the way we’ve built certain communities has made it very hard to enjoy. It makes people think walking is very inconvenient.

I’m here in Iowa until August and it’s been interesting to walk a place that is so reliant on cars. The other day I did a 13.5 walk around the city. There’s nothing here stopping you from walking (unless the heat gets you. Technically we’re in the middle of a drought. It’s been incredibly hot as of late), and there’s plenty of sidewalk. I think it’s mostly just a mindset people have to develop. It doesn’t matter how many miles you walk, it’s just about getting out there. Your mental health will thank you and you might even learn something new about your surroundings along the way.

Walking is maybe the antithesis to the internet, but Pedestrian also has a decent presence on the World Wide Web, and you regularly send newsletters and... er... partake in the digital world. How do you balance the real world with the matrix?

It’s a relationship I’m constantly reevaluating. I’m not a master of balancing the two yet, but I’m slowly building habits that will protect my time. I often daydream of abandoning social media altogether and picking up a flip phone. I obviously haven’t done that yet, so in the meantime, I’m investing a lot of time in my newsletter. Sending out a newsletter is a much more thoughtful, intimate, and slow experience...kind of like the way I approach my walks out in the world. I understand that the web is a tool and I’m not sure the Philly walk would have gotten the same amount of attention had I not had an Instagram account. It’s cliche, but everything in moderation, right? I try not to take it so seriously.

What next for Pedestrian?

The Philly walk was such a great success and I’d like to keep that momentum going. Later in September I have another big, big walk planned, but I have yet to announce the route. Look for an announcement sometime next month. This one will be a bit longer and involve 3 different cities. I can’t wait.

Once winter hits I’m going to buckle down and produce a proper book for the Philly walk that will include all my writing and photos I took along the journey. I’m already excited to share the finished product with the world. Stay tuned.

Final question, what are your walking shoes of choice? And what's your soundtrack? Are earphones advised for long walks, or do you prefer the ambient sounds of the streets?

I’m a big fan of Hoka Clifton’s. I wore them throughout the entire Philly walk and have two pairs in my closet. At this point, Hoka should probably pay me for how much business I send their way. I’m always recommending them.

I prefer not to wear headphones and just listen to the ambient sounds of the street. More often than not, I find wearing headphones to be a bit distracting and it takes me out of the present moment. Although, I’ll admit I have been trying to introduce music into my walking once again, but few tracks make the cut. Lately Andrew Wasylyk’s Last Sunbeams of Childhood has been on repeat. There’s something about that track...

Find out more about Pedestrian here. Pedestrian is available in the UK courtesy of Central Library.

#Interviews

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lucidimage2jordantane · 3 years

Photo

Dagmar Keller / Martin Wittwer

Whilst looking for inspiration for the type of images I wanted to take in everyday life, I came across a series of photographs Passengers by Dagmar Keller and Martin Wittwer who were drawn to passengers on an old bus at a bus station as they passed through Poland.

The passengers were behind stained windows that were covered in ice. It gave the appearance of a painting. What I like about these images was that they were unplanned and not staged. What I also liked was how they explored not just the people on the bus, but the surroundings as well. This was the quality in photography that I was looking for. The playfulness and exploration.

Image Reference

Keller, Dagmar./Wittwer, Martin. Passengers, #21. https://www.kellerwittwer.de/selected-works/passengers/

Passengers, #21 – This image to me makes me wonder what he is thinking, what emotions he is feeling and where he is going on this cold night. The black of the night makes the viewer focus on the subject directly and because there is ice on the window and the subject cannot be seen clearly, it makes the viewer use their imagination.

Image Reference

Keller, Dagmar./Wittwer, Martin. Passengers, #94. https://www.kellerwittwer.de/selected-works/passengers/

Passengers, # 94 – The photographers explored the surroundings of the bus stop. It appears to be a curtain but who knows where it is. I like the way the light hits the curtain and it may seem random in the context of all the other images, but it shows me the playful quality I am after as an influence to my own work.

Image Reference

Keller, Dagmar./Wittwer, Martin. Passengers, #8. https://www.kellerwittwer.de/selected-works/passengers/

Passengers, #8 – This image is a bit clearer and looks like a painting. There is a look of pain in her eyes. Has she just left someone and catching a bus to get away? Is she regretful? Again it is in the imagination of the viewer.

Dagmar Keller and Martin Wittwer have collaborated since 1997 and their work includes photography, film and video. Their inspiration comes from urban social stories and the hopes and dreams of the people that live there.

References

Keller/Wittwer. “Selected works.” kellerwittwer. https://www.kellerwittwer.de/selected-works/passengers/

u-jazdowski. “Dagmar Keller & Martin Wittwer (Germany).” https://u-jazdowski.pl/en/programme/residencies/residents/archiwum-rezydentow/dagmar-keller-martin-wittwer

Rinko Kawauchi

Rinko Kawauchi was born in the early 1970’s in Japan and became interested in photography while studying graphic design. She has a very soft style of photography which she emphasises with soft colours. Her work and aesthetic is to have an almost dream like quality and will mostly shoot ordinary things.

Why her work is of interest to me is that she does not second guess herself and runs by instinct. If she feels compelled to photograph something, she will and not ask herself why. She rarely will include people in her images and is interested in images that move her rather than just look good.

She puts a lot of thought into her compositions and one of her main conventions is juxtaposition. She wants the viewer to imagine what is going on. She also commonly makes use of cropping and prefers to use natural light.

What I found interesting about Rinko is that she does not like to take multiple images and then select the best one later. She will purposely take her time and get the shot she had in mind.

References

Andia, Lucy. “ 10 Things You Should Know About Rinko Kawauchi.” Culture trip. 10 Things You Should Know About Rinko Kawauchi (theculturetrip.com)

Artsy. “Rinko Kawauchi.” https://www.artsy.net/artist/rinko-kawauchi

Ibasho. “rinko kawauchi.” Rinko Kawauchi - Overview | IBASHO (ibashogallery.com)

Image Reference

Kawauchi, Rinko. Halo. 2017. http://rinkokawauchi.com/works/172/

This image follows Rinko Kawauchi’s conventions of cropping and natural light. What I like about it is that it is off centre and the lighting gives it a dream like quality. I like the rule of thirds quality and the juxtaposition quality of the light shining from below where you would think it would come from the moon itself.

Image Reference

Kawauchi, Rinko. Halo. 2017. http://rinkokawauchi.com/works/172/

I like this image as you would expect there ordinarily to have some other feature to concentrate on but in this case it is just the birds. It feels very serene and makes me imagine what it must be like to be one of those birds. Me imagining this just highlights one of her aims which is to make people use their imaginations.

Image Reference

Kawauchi, Rinko. Illuminance. 2011. http://rinkokawauchi.com/works/194/

The use of depth of fielld and the overexposed lighting add a strange quality of beauty to this image.

Lieko Shiga

Born in Japan in 1980, Lieko Shiga has become a rising star in Japanese photography mainly due to her going against the grain of what other Japanese photographers do and being so expressive. What I find fascinating about her work is that she has no one particular style. She will integrate her own personal experiences and encounters into something surreal and she will do this by any conventions she can find including lighting tricks or double exposure of her images.

She is best known for her Spiral Coast project which was inspired when she was invited to become the towns photographer when she moved to a small community (Kitakama) in Japan. Her community was hit by a tsunami in 2011 and the town was flattened and over half the residents died.

Through her imagery, Shiga managed to capture not only the history of the village from before the tsunami, but also the spirit of the village. She cleverly did this by mainly shooting at night which gave the desired uncertainness. The images had a certain vagueness like it is a memory and she managed this by using a flash that does not reach the whole frame.

The deepest part of her work I find is her concept of photography itself. Shiga feels that photography is more than capturing a moment in time, Photography to her is not the past, present or future, but instead there is just space. There is no time. Shiga views herself as the camera as she bases most of her work on personal experiences. Photography therefore takes on a physical form. This is the sort of aesthetic I want to incorporate into my work. I want my camera to capture the qualities of what I see.

Image Reference

Shiga, Lieko. Blind Folded Pilot. 2012. https://www.liekoshiga.com/works/rasen-kaigan/

I love the texture of this image. You can almost image cars running up and down this beach and doing wheelies. What fun they must have had. After all, the beach is about fun. This is capture here. This would be my interpretation of this image but when you see the title Blind Folded Pilot it takes on another meaning. Now you can see someone lost and trying to find their way. Ironically this setting was staged by the photographer and she used a stick to make her patterns and lines.

Image Reference

Shiga, Lieko. Portrait of Cultivation. 2012. https://www.liekoshiga.com/works/rasen-kaigan/

One of Lieko Shiga’s conventions is to place random items next to people she is photographing and this is an example of this. This image is of the chief to her village. Behind the subjects is a massive tree root and she Lieko would never admit how she did it but it appears as though the tree root passes through the body of the chief. the red colouring of the root and over the chief is of significance as well as it would symbolise the blood.

Image Reference

Shiga, Lieko. (Installation view). n.d. Photo credit Daegan Wells

How Lieko’s work has been exhibited in shows. I prefer the bottom image as this has visual diversity.

References

Artsy. “Lieko Shiga.” Lieko Shiga - 36 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy

Badger, Gerry. “Lieko Shiga-RASEN KAIGAN/album (SPIRAL COAST/album).” 1000 words. https://www.1000wordsmag.com/lieko-shiga/

Maddox, Amanda. “A Japanese Photographer’s Encounters with Natural Disasters.” Aperture. https://aperture.org/editorial/lieko-shiga-amanda-maddox/

The Physics Room. “RASEN KAIGAN: THE SPIRAL SHORE.” http://www.physicsroom.org.nz/exhibitions/rasen-kaigan-the-spiral-shore

Irina Rozovsky

Irina was born in Russia in 1981 has exhibited work in galleries worldwide and now resides in Georgia, US. Her belief is that the camera is a third eye and believes a photograph can be taken anywhere and anytime. A lot of her work has been based around rootlessness, migration, diaspora and personal versus political freedom this was inspired mainly though her migrating from Russia to America when se was seven years old.

Ten years ago Irina was invited to a friend’s birthday party on the lake in Prospect park in Brooklyn. Irina had been to this park many times, but it was the first time on the lake. Looking back at the park from the boat she was on changed her perspective of the park and the people that visited it. It was as if the world stood still for her and she was compelled to begin a ten-year journey of photographing the people that frequented the park as the park covered many different areas of Brooklyn such as the wealthier side to the poor areas. There were people from all different cultures, religions, and ethnicities in different areas of the park and Irina spent the next 10 years visiting the park and taking photographs and she felt like she got something new and exciting every time she returned.

She spent her time discussing what she was doing with the people she was photographing, and subjects seemed to fully embrace her vision. She named her project In Plain Air and this has been an inspiration to my latest work. I have always tended to stage my photographs but what I want to do during this assessment is shoot my images in their natural form. The subjects do not need to be glamorous or use props that are in theme. I will find objects that are of interest to me and look for interesting ways to photograph them and in such a way that an otherwise dull and everyday object, can become interesting and a become a piece of art.

Irina Rozovsky I have noticed shoots from different angles which can change people’s perspective on issues. Her projects can run for varying times from a few weeks to several years and she will not move on until she feels she has captured the true essence of what she is there for. This to me shows the connection she has with the project and how she can run on instinct.

Image Reference

Rozovsky, Irina. Untitled, (from Mountain Black Heart). 2015-2016. https://www.irinar.com/mountain-black-heart

There are so many things I like about this image. I like the angle she has captured this from. I like how the reflection on the sand looks like glass. I like the irony of the flowers (as a living thing) are in plastic bottles which kill so many creatures in the sea. This is a statement that I’m sure she wants to get across.

Image Reference

Rozovsky, Irina. Untitled, (from Mountain Black Heart). 2015-2016. https://www.irinar.com/mountain-black-heart

The innocence of a child sleeping, oblivious to all the mess and turmoil going on around them. Whether this image was staged or not, the message is clear.

Image Reference

Rozovsky, Irina. Untitled, (from a rock that floats). 2014. https://www.irinar.com/a-rock-that-floats

Photographs made in the US, 2014 – present. Chromogenic color prints of various sizes.

I love the way the light reflects on the water and how it leads your eye to the buildings in the distance.

Image References

Rozovsky, Irina. Untitled (from In Plain Air). 2011-2016. https://www.irinar.com/in-plain-air

Capturing everyday life in Prospect park in Brooklyn where all walks of life occupy. Rozovsky liked to capture all people who visited the park which ranged from wealthy to the not so wealthy.

References

Feinstein, Jon. “PLACELESSNESS.” Daylight. Irina Rozovsky: The Politics of Placelessness | Daylight

Rozovsky, Irina. “The world in one park: Irina Rozovsky's best photograph.” The Guardian. The world in one park: Irina Rozovsky's best photograph | Photography | The Guardian

Syracuse University. “Irina Rozovsky.” https://calendar.syracuse.edu/events/2020-oct-20/irina-rozovsky/

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hanjizung · 4 years

Text

The mansion. [PAR T I]

✞༒The Mansion.༒✞

[PART I]

SKZ x Reader.

Word count: 2.8k

♡ Warnings ♡: None. (for now...)

A/n: here’s the first part of this new series im so excited to post! all of this is based in a dream i had. hope you enjoy it! ♡

You checked everything in your backpack for the last time before reuniting with the rest of your friends.

"You have everything?" Chan asked, closing his own backpack and smiling when you nodded at him.

"Let's get going then, the night is just starting." Minho announced, keys in hand. The rest of the guys followed him, talking among themselves.

Where were you going? Exploring. You've always been a curious soul, always wondering if abandoned places held something hidden to the human eye. That curiosity guided you here, with these guys that you grew very close to in a short time.

You called yourselves 'urban explorers' and as the name indicated, you visited empty and sometimes scary buildings just because you thought it was fun. At first, you started alone.

But one day, you happened to coincide with them in an old house by a lake. The first impression was… something else. They confused you with a ghost, you confused them with a dangerous gang and that provoked a lot of screaming. But after that death scare, Chan explained who they were.

They called themselves ‘stray kids.’ And you found it fitting to the hobby that they all did together. At the end, you asked Bang Chan if you could join them, since exploring by yourself had its dangers, and sometimes the loneliness was too much for you to handle. Chan happily accepted, and that's how you ended up here.

Today you were going to explore a mansion that Minho found by the outsides of the city, it seemed very appealing, especially because Seungmin had gotten a new recording camera and was excited to film the upcoming events.

Everyone was super excited to visit said mansion. Everyone, except Changbin.

Frowning, you waited for the guys to walk ahead of you, walking slowly with the shortest of your friends, a smile on your face corresponding to his own when he saw your worried face.

"Changbin, we've done this a lot of times, there's nothing to worry about, you know? Even Jisung and Jeongin don't feel scared anymore. Besides, we're just going to explore, not summon a demon" you joked, taking his hand with your smaller ones to try and reassure him that everything would go smoothly.

"I know, Y/N. I kinda had gotten used to it but… I can't help but feel like this one is going to be different" he replied, shrugging.

You could understand that. Not all the places you visited had the same energy, it was normal to be more scared of one or more excited to visit the others. All of the buildings had their own distinctive aura.

"I'm sure everything will be okay as long as we stay together" you hugged his arm, walking to Minho's car. You had divided yourself in two teams, one would be going with Chan, and the other with Minho.

Each team had the same supplies for filming. In your team (by team you really mean who you're in the car with) was Minho, the driver; Jisung, in charge of carrying snacks; Seungmin, the best camera man of the gang, and finally, Changbin and you. He was in charge of the heavy stuff, like extra water bottles and such, meanwhile you were responsible for the team's flashlights, walkie talkies and batteries.

Of course, Chan assigned you as the most responsible one since you explored by yourself and never got lost or injured, and just like Chan, you were also in charge of carrying bandages, rubbing alcohol and enough materials to clean a bad injury. You also made sure to always remind the guys to carry their bottle of water and portable chargers for your phone just in case that your flashlights died on you and you lost the batteries.

Better be prepared than sorry, you always said.

Minho started the engine, telling you that he found out about the mansion because of a story that one of his neighbors told him about an old woman who died there and cursed the mansion decades ago before her death.

You couldn't help but laugh at the story, getting an arched eyebrow from Jisung who told you to 'be skeptical' because as far as you knew, magic could be real and you were disrespecting that old woman's curse by laughing at it.

Seungmin proceeded to laugh at him and ask him if he ever listened to the things he said, Jisung tried to hit him from the front seat for making fun of him. It was all fun and laugh in the car thanks to Jisung, but next to you a quiet Changbin distracted himself by looking out the window.

You were worried about him, he was being more serious than usual, so you decided to stick with him the whole time, only to make sure he felt okay with going on with the exploration.

Two hours later, a huge building could be seen from afar, the roof of the old mansion being what made the mansion really stand out from the forest surrounding it. Upon finally seeing the place that you were going to explore, Changbin audibly gulped to your left. Jisung and you left out a surprised wow. Seungmin, who was sitting on your other side, took out his phone to take a photo of it,while Minho smirked, his eyes never parting from the road in front of him as he parked in front of the old place.

Jisung was the first one to leave the car, slamming the door shut gaining an angry shout from Minho, who got out the car after his friend to scold him from closing the door like that, meanwhile you waited for either Changbin or Seungmin to get off the car to finally be able to breathe the clean air and stretch your legs.

Apparently, Changbin still wasn’t as excited to explore the mansion as your other friends were. You watched the rest of the guys taking their own backpacks and talking from the window after Seungmin left you and Changbin alone.

You closed the door after Seungmin left and looked at Changbin, placing your hand on his shoulder gently to make him look at you instead of the mansion behind you.

You could tell something was troubling him, but opted to not say anything. Changbin inhaled and exhaled, his eyes closed and then he returned your smile, opening the door next to him and finally getting out of the car. He waited for you to get out too and Minho, waiting on the back of the car, handed you both your backpacks, closing the trunk of his car.

You reunited with the rest of the guys who were just getting out of the car and took out your phone. Chan shouted for them to come close to him and make the usual check of having everything.

"Do all of you have your walkie-talkies?" he counted the nodding head with a smile. You had yours on the pocket of your hoodie. It was almost always there.

You counted the flashlights in your bag and handed them to the guys, they thanked you and waited for Chan's next question.

"We're going to test the walkie-talkies and then we're gonna choose a number to see who we're going to be paired with" while Chan talked, Felix and Jeongin tested if the walkies worked, but it seemed like they didn't because Felix looked troubled.

"Chan, the walkies don't work. We only hear static when trying to receive, it's not clear. Are we going to proceed without them?" the rest of the guys looked at Chan, waiting for his answer. He shrugged.

"it would be better if we had them, but if you say they don't work we'll just leave them in the car. We can scream if something happens or if we find anything interesting" he said.

"it's kind of scary going without the walkie, though " Hyunjin said, giving his device to Jeongin who took the most he could back to Chan's car.

"Nothing bad is going to happen if we go without them, Jinnie. Y/N explored alone, with no walkie for months and she's here with us now. If something had happened maybe she would have quitted urbex" Felix pointed. You laughed at him, the boys loved to pull the 'Y/N used to do urbex without us' card when someone chickened out before an exploration.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes and sighed, taking the container with everyone's name.

That's how the pairing system worked. Every time different people had to choose who they were going randomly assigned with, but since you joined that system had to be readjusted, so the person whose name wasn't chosen had to pick a number from 1 to 4 and join them, the groups made from playing rock, scissors, paper and the one who lost had to pick first, their companion and them becoming the number one for the next draw.

The first round of rock, paper scissors began and after a few minutes, Jeongin was the loser.

Hyunjin picked Jeongin's name and shook the container for Jeongin to pull a name out. He did and unfolded the little paper.

"It seems like I'm going with… Seungmin" he said, showing the name of the second youngest to everyone.

The second round began, Hyunjin lost and he picked his companion; Chan. The next pair was Felix and Jisung, and the last pair was Changbin and you.

"That means Minho has to pick a number to see what team he's going to join" Chan said, mixing the papers with the numbers on his hand and letting Minho choose one.

He opened the little piece of paper, everyone holding their breath in anticipation of his words. A little smile creeped on his face, his head turning to look at Jisung and Felix who were resting against Chan's car. Apparently, his number had been three.

"Alright, now that everyone has their companion we're going to explore. But first, do you all agree on filming the whole exploration or just take photos of the place?" Chan asked. You had a little go pro camera, the one you used when you explored alone to check if anything happened or moved and you weren't aware of it.

Seungmin loved filming things, so he had gotten a better camera that he was very excited to use that day, giving his old one to Jeongin who seemed kind of interested in capturing paranormal things on tape.

Meanwhile, Jisung had a modern voice recorder but he only used it when he heard noises and wanted to record anything that he thought was suspicious. It was kind of hard for him to catch up on noises that you didn't make, but he was always the first one to hear steps that didn't belong to any of you, asking to the void if anyone was there, his hand extended trying to record any possible answer.

Chan, unlike you, didn't have his own camera. Instead he had some gadgets he bought to make contact with possible ghosts.

Because yes, Chan believed in ghosts, and that was the reason he started exploring abandoned places, to try and communicate with spirits from the other side.

Hyunjin did have a camera of his own, but unlike Seungmin's, his only worked with night mode during explorations, that annoyed him because he preferred to see everything like the first time he was in the explored place in person, not all black and green.

"I'll start filming everything once we get inside like always, so if you guys don't want to film we at least will have my recordings" you said, pointing to the camera resting in your chest.

"I'm going to film everything for sure, I'm super excited to try this beauty" Seungmin said, holding up his camera with a proud smile making all of you laugh.

"I'll bring my camera just to film if Chan manages to make contact with some ghost” Hyunjin said, guarding his device in his backpack.

Jeongin didn't say anything, but since his partner was Seungmin there was no need for him to film anything, so he walked to Felix and gave him his camera to use if they happened to find something exciting.

"Alright, then I guess we can get inside now. You know how it goes, we go wherever we want to and in this particular case with no direct communication we'll have to scream if anything happens. Jisung, give me the spray can please" Chan made sure to remind you. Everyone listened to him, he had this image of leader and a reputation of always helping you with anything you were struggling with. He was an excellent friend, and an even better leader.

Jisung stopped looking into his backpack, tossing the oldest a black spray can. Chan caught it and that was when all of you followed him to the enormous front doors of the mansion.

"It's a beautiful door to be vandalized like this…" you sighed. Chan looked at you with understanding eyes, but that didn't stop him to do what you all knew was coming next.

In the middle of the wooden doors, Chan's hand hovered, his finger about to press the spray to draw the logo you got so used to seeing when you explored a new place.

The initials, SKZ were used to mark places that you visited. They first started using it around the abandoned building near the city where you live, some rumors of a new gang were heard here and there, every time you overheard people talking about that mystic gang that didn't do anything except leave their logo you almost wanted to laugh.

Almost, because the things people said weren't good things, so you always had to resist the urge of snapping at them and explaining what exactly did the logo mean.

But you never did, because you had insane self control and tried to focus your energy thinking on what your mother could do for dinner, deciding to be hungry the rest of the day instead of angry.

To your surprise, Chan moved his hand. You heard him sigh, and he walked to the wall on the right side, marking that place instead of the beautiful door. When he was finished he looked at you with one of his beautiful dimpled smiles.

"She's right, the door was too beautiful to ruin with our logo. Let's get in now, the place is big enough for us to investigate separately" he said, trying to open the doors.

He grunted, then he pushed both doors with all the strength in his body to be able to finally open them. Bang Chan succeeded and everyone clapped, he moved and allowed everyone else to get inside before him, like the amazing leader he was, always looking out for all of you.

You stepped inside, turning on your flashlight and looking around, taking in your surroundings. The light coming from your friends and illuminating the place more, giving you the ability to see more clearly in the darkness.

On your left, Minho and Jisung were looking closely to the framed pictures on the wall. You glanced at the framed photos and paintings, they looked incredibly old and gave you a sense of fright, your back felt cold and something in your head told you to get out of there.

Walking away from Changbin who hadn’t left your side, you pulled the door and tried to open it. But it didn’t. And you started to panic, a nervous laugh leaving your lips, grabbing the attention of the guys who were mesmerized with the gigantic mansion. You stared at all the boys, looking if anyone was missing and blocking the door from outside as a cruel joke. But you couldn’t concentrate and count who was inside and who wasn’t. Much to your panicked state, the guys weren’t saying anything when you tried to pull the door open again, they opted to look at you as if you were crazy.

“Haha, you’re very funny, guys. Who’s blocking the door?” you asked, voice trembling. Hyunjin walked slowly to you, as if to not alarm you even more. He moved your shaky hand from the doorknob and tried to pull the door open himself.

“Y/N, there’s nobody outside. We’re all here, together. Look, here’s Jeongin, Felix, Minho, Seungmin, Jisung, Changbin, Hyunjin, you and me” Chan said, taking your hand when he was close enough to you. You looked at each of your friends that Chan pointed while saying their names to you and you felt a chill run through your back.

Felix took your hand from Chan’s and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, but you pushed him gently, indicating to him that you didn’t want a hug in that instant. Instead, you turned to look at Chan, squeezing the blond’s hand to let him know you weren’t feeling okay at all.

Chan and Hyunjin tried to open the door together, but after some tries under your anxious gaze, there was no success. Sighing and finally giving up, Chan turned to face all of you who hadn’t moved and said:

“Guys… we’re trapped.”

【ＮＥＸＴ　ＰＡＲＴ】

#skz x reader #stray kids x reader #skz fanfic #skz series #stray kids fanfic #stray kids series #self insert #skz x you #skz x y/n #stray kids x you #One day I'll know how to properly tag #hhhhh yes #part 1

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theparanormalperiodical · 4 years

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The Real Story Behind The Slender Man: EVERYTHING You Need To Know

It started in May 2014.

Three teenage girls were enjoying a Wisconsin summer evening when they decided to go for a walk in their local forest.

Only two of them would return.

The third would be stabbed 19 times by her friends.

She survived, pulling herself out of the forest and to safety. Her classmates were promptly arrested, and confessed their crime, later going on to plead insanity.

Yet despite the shocking nature of this crime, a stabbing doesn’t necessarily make worldwide news. But it wasn’t the circumstance of the attack that hit the headlines. It was the motive.

They claimed they did it to appease the Slender Man.

And they were not the only ones that committed such a crime in his name.

To a majority of the population, these claims can be written off as the ‘insanity’ stamped on the official court documents. But the thing is, these atrocities aren’t the only times Slender Man has been sighted outside of his pixelated world.

In fact, Slender Man made his name many years before we began our search for the 8 pages.

Does he really only exist within the World Wide Web?

What Is The Slender Man?

Our story starts 5 years before Wisconsin hit the headlines.

In 2009, comedy website Something Awful launched a paranormal images competition. Users of the website were to mock up supernatural-inspired or horror-themed pictures, and leave them to be judged by the internet.

Eric Knudsen’s entry forged together the mystery of an urban legend and the dark reality of pedophilia.

Knudsen used pictures of children playing in playgrounds, or hanging out in friendship groups, or any other innocent gathering of youngsters, and photo-shopped a figure among them. This figure was an 8 foot tall, thin man, with a faceless, pale profile draped in a formal suit.

Emerging from his back was a set of dark, twisting tentacles.

He called him the Slender Man.

It was only when 4chan users picked up on these pictures that his urban legend infamy was set in stone.

Both the forum site and Creepypasta.com moulded his backstory, infusing the simple tales of kidnapped children with the concept of proxies - that is, children which were used to do his bidding. And it’s this premise that would alter the landscape of teenage crime - and suicides - in America.

From here the urban legend extended its tentacles, haunting the darker corners of the internet. But it was his debut in video games that drew him out into the mainstream.

In 2012, the first video game first entered our downloads folder.

The free game followed a simple principle: you wander through dark woods in the dead of the night armed with a torch and surrounded by pixelation only an early Buffy demon could muster up, and you look for 8 ‘pages’.

These pages are poorly pencilled drawings that have been left by children taken by the Slender Man - but the terror only starts here. Throughout your search you are followed by the entity titling the game.

Slender Man: The Arrival hit the shelves only two years later and followed the same concept as the original. But this time we are joined by some sense of a plot, and a few other characters, too.

Nevertheless, the undying premise remains: he follows kids, and then he takes ‘em for himself.

Why?

This remains unknown.

But it’s this premise which fuelled the urban legend haunting the teenagers, fitting the real life cases that have scarred America.

This was confirmed in his film debut in 2018: Slender Man preyed upon the wave of crime inspired by the creepy pasta, merging the reality of the recent stabbings with the video games that put him on the map.

But this premise has scored a stab wound on our society before, fitting historic folklore far too accurately.

Crime In The Name Of The Slender Man

Wisconsin was not the only American state to witness a shocking crime inspired by this indie horror icon. In fact, a variety of other attacks pinned on the Slender Man followed a similar pattern:

One 14 year old burnt their house down, a tragedy linked to their history of reading creepypastas exploring the legend, whilst another young teen stabbed her own mother in order to please the Slender Man.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Alongside the spike in violent crime was a sharp rise in teenage suicides at the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation.

The suicide rate among the Native American population in America is already far more prevalent than any other ethnic group, but the sudden spike of 9 suicides of those aged between 12 to 24 sparked concern. And when the motives were drawn back to the Slender Man, these concerns only grew further.

The authorities even made mention to this urban legend in their official investigation, determining that the Slender Man was considered by the teenagers in the community to be a suicide spirit, a dark entity within Native American folklore. But to them, the Slender Man went by a slightly different name.

They called him the Tall Man spirit.

“He’s appearing to these kids and telling them to kill themselves.” - a local minister who supported youths in the community

Suicide spirits follow a similar line of thought to Catholic views of demons or evil spirits: they are negative spirits that feed off our energy. This entity in particular, however, spends its free time targeting and possessing individuals that are undergoing a spiritual crisis.

Alcoholics, addicts, the depressed - they are all worthy contenders for being the personal buffets of suicide spirits.

With a cluster of Facebook videos alluding to local folklore combined with viscous cyber-bullying encouraging the victims take their own lives, the notion of the Tall Man gathered strength, tying together the folklore of the suicide spirit and the urban legend of the Slender Man.

But this wasn’t the only time the Tall Man has been sighted in Native American communities.

In 1890, the Wounded Knee Massacre occurred.

20,000 Latoka Native Americans were left for dead by US troops. To this day it is considered one of the most atrocious acts committed against the Native American population.

And it was here that the Big Man was first seen.

Many claimed an entity taking the form of a tall man sporting a top hat would wander the reservation after the massacre, and made the younger generation take their own lives.

Whilst negative spirits donning the top hat are common outside of Native American folklore, the similarities between the Big Man and the Tall Man create an uncomfortable link between the tragedies scarring the past and present Native American population.

But this community’s folklore isn’t the only place the Slender Man has been referenced outside of the video game.

Nearly every other culture has their very own Tall Man.

Could the Slender Man have existed before the original video game even entered beta testing?

The Slender Man In Historic Folklore

When I began researching the entity’s existence - aside from being overwhelmed by the array of tragic stories - I encountered many dead ends.

One of these dead ends sticks out.

Out of all of the rumours circulating following the Wisconsin stabbings was that Slender Man originated from Romanian folklore, and was based on some similar entity possibly bearing his size, demeanour, and pastime of abducting and/or traumatising children.

This was proven to be untrue.

But upon realising the Slender Man didn’t first make his name in Romania, I discovered he had made his name in a lot of other countries.

Like a lot.

Like way too many.

From motive to dress sense, the Slender Man’s first sighting starts a couple millennia before his internet debut.

Fear Dubh from Irish folklore is the most popular contender for being the OG Slender Man, his name literally translating to ‘Black Man’. It is claimed that this entity would scare children snooping round the woods, and his title confirms his attire matches his more modern formal suit.

Germany’s Eriking too bears a resemblance to the Slender Man’s irish counterpart - with a focus on both his height and dark clothing, this internet icon might have travelled further than we think. This mythical beast prides himself on dwelling in the woods and kidnapping children, confirming he has potential for the official historic Slender Man.

However: the plot thickens when we consider another German entity known only as the Tall Man.

With the same name as the Native American suicide spirit, and the guiding principle of kidnapping kids who wander the woods, the potential for an international entity once again emerges from the darkness.

Historic legends from the American South also contain a similarity that should have you sleeping with the light on: a treelike man who kidnaps children was often spotted throughout history.

Regardless, it’s easy to decode these vague mythical creatures as warnings to their children of the dangers of wandering near uncharted territory alone and at night.

But it’s the details of the Slender Man that click together when we trace the folklore back to the oldest recorded sighting of the urban legend.

And this takes us to 9000 BC.

Both Eypgtian hieroglyphics and Aztec paintings often portray the same distinct tall, thin, menacing figure, but it’s Brazilian cave paintings that house the oldest attributes.

In these paintings you can clearly see a tall man lead a child by the hand, his unnaturally large limbs dominating the scene.

Yet aside from the Slender Man’s basic features - that of his height and incessant stalking of children - his facelessness (#new-word) is a feature we have yet to discuss. Fortunately, many cultures have already discussed it. And the greatest conversation takes place in Japan.

Japanese faceless ghosts have haunted the small island for centuries. The Noppera-bo prides itself on frightening humans, often taking the face of someone the victim knows before their features dissipate into nothingness.

All you can see is a blank, smooth, flat layer of skin, a sight only witnessed when the Slender Man finally catches up with you in his video game debut.

Whether you believe in the Slender Man or not, there is no doubt that the concept harnessed by Eric Knudsen did not begin in 2009.

We might not know when the Slender Man began hunting children, and we might not know why he does, but there is one thing for certain:

He has not finished just yet.

If you liked this post, chances are you’ll like my other posts, too! You will have to come out from beyond your quilt, though.

Make sure you hit follow if you want to see more stuff like this - and, you know, less traumatising posts about the paranormal every week.

Don’t forget to join my ghost hunt, too, where I post a new real ghost story everyday!

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mendesficsxbombay · 5 years

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i never knew, just what it was | s.m

Inspired by Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop

A chilled whistle of wind blows past him making him bury his nose further into the muffler he wrapped around his neck. He should’ve known better than to walk to the café on impulse, even if it was just ten minutes from his apartment. Their apartment. He couldn’t stop the smile that grew on his face, feeling his cheeks burn brighter. Maybe it wasn’t just the harsh sting of winter anymore, and maybe he didn’t really care of what someone would think after seeing him grinning like an idiot. The streets were mostly empty anyway, not everyone just up and walked out their house during such weather.

Seeing the familiar redwood door come into sight he silently thanked the gods above for not freezing him alive on his way here. Quickly stepping in, he did what he always did, moved straight to the electric fireplace in the far right of the room and settled himself on the table right next to it. He had moved past the status of a usual at this point, the staff knew who he was, the usuals knew who he was, maybe the boutique owners next door knew who he was, too. Safe to say he loved this place. If he had the option of living there and basking in the aroma of cocoa and vanilla beans forever, he knew what he would choose.

His eyes moved over the cafe, finally having gained some warmth to focus on his surroundings. He leaned over a little, trying to glance over the cash counter in the middle of the room to know if the pretty girl with the kindest eyes he’d ever known was still behind the counter. She wasn’t. In her place was a boy in the coffee shop’s familiar apron quietly thumbing through a book he knew was their record of accounts. It’s okay. Pretty girl must be around, somewhere. He found himself leaning towards the fireplace again, a subconscious way of restraining himself from marching over to the counter and asking for the one person who kept him coming back here.

It’s been a few years since he moved into his condo, and soon after he visited this coffee shop for the first time ever. The memory was burned in the back of his mind and it was his favourite to rehash. Walking here when he did was a chance thing of sorts, just like everything else that followed it.

He had his usual coffee place figured out within just days of moving everything into his new place, the tiny urban café was just round the corner from his building and he’d never known a pleasure as simple as picking up a coffee for himself every time he walked out of the house. That one time before he left for tour, though, the café was closed. There was a notice stuck to the door, he remembers. Hi! Sorry for not being available to you, our owners are having the place remodelled, we may remain closed for a few days till we fix the new plugs for our coffee machines! We apologise again for the inconvenience, we’ll be up and brewing again in no time!

He was thrown off kilter for a few moments, he never bothered exploring his options around here, he never had to. Quickly pulling out his phone and checking for surrounding coffee shops on the map, his next best option was somewhere 10 minutes away. It was a warm looking place, at least that’s what the photos looked like. It was further into the neighbouring commercial area, though. The chances of him being recognised were high. But he needed coffee. And he couldn’t make coffee. He was a man on a mission with very limited choices. Little did he know it would end up being his best decision, too.

He checked the route once again before locking his phone and setting it in his pockets, quickly setting off in the direction of the coffee he was convinced he’d be dysfunctional without. When he grew closer to the place, he could see why it was one of the top rated in the area. The café had bay windows, sprawling vines over the glass separating the inside from the outside, from what he could see the place was just as beautiful inside, a beautiful redwood door stood between him and his goal. He pushed the door open, the bell above letting out a chime and he winced slightly, so much for not grabbing attention. Anyone who may have seen him got right back to their work though, there’s a life beyond a pop star standing in a café’s doorway. He quickly looked around and made his way to the counter to place his order. His steps faltered as the person, the girl, behind the counter turned around to spot him. There were two large books - textbooks? - face up on the empty space beside the till, a colourful collection of highlighters to go along with. When her eyes landed on him, she inhaled sharply - this isn’t what her dad prepared her for when he said she should start spending more time looking after the family business.

Yes she was wearing the café’s apron, yes the colourful sleeves of her jumper were very much visible. Colourful sleeves of her jumper from his merchandise.

He’s real, she thought. A real human, fully functional, standing in her dad’s café. He chose her dad’s café for coffee? He drinks regular people coffee?

A snorting laugh came out of his mouth before he could stop himself - “Yeah, I do drink regular people coffee.”

Oh. Her thoughts weren’t just thoughts after all if she can’t stop herself from saying them out loud.

“I’m.. so sorry,” her eyes widened and she started pressing buttons on the till quickly pulling up a space to punch in a new order, “What can I help you with, sir?”

“Sir?” If he kept smiling at her like that she was sure she would not be standing upright for too long, was the room getting hot or was it just her? “You don’t have to call me that”

“It’s uh, café policy…,” she winced.

“Alright, ma’am, you can get me a tall Americano…,” he trailed off, still smiling while he read from the large chalk written menu on the wall above the counter, “with an extra shot of espresso.”

“That’s a lot of caffeine,” she muttered out before she could stop herself her hands quickly working the till. Her eyes widened at the sound of him chuckling again, “I didn’t - I’m sorry is the coffee to-go?” She busied herself with writing his name on the little sticky notes her dad taught her to use, physically refraining from writing “s.m.” like she usually did for everything related to him.

I WANNA STAY, his mind screamed, the words came out of his mouth before he realised. Guess he’s staying then. She nodded, moving fast to get his order ready. She was the only one behind the counter, there was a door in the brick wall behind her, a kitchen, he assumed. She worked the machine swiftly, a soft whirring sound being heard before the dark liquid poured out. She put his coffee in a clear glass looking to her left as a man walked out of the kitchen to join her behind the counter. He was wearing a pristine white apron, and moved to reassemble cookie jars on the far right after setting a fresh batch down.

He was old, grey hair and grey beard, washing his hands before patting her on the shoulder, “Sab theek chal raha hai na?” Her eyes moved to the prettiest man on the other side of the counter before telling her dad that yes, things were going fine. Her dad brought her another tiny glass to serve his shot of espresso in, before bringing it over to Shawn. “Hello, Sir, here’s your order.”

Yep. Definitely her dad. He thanked both of them before moving around to find a place for himself. There were pretty marble tops everywhere, high chairs by the side of the counter he was leaning against just moments ago, two seater tables along the bay windows he walked past, big cushioned sofas, and - an electric fireplace? He walked over to the tables surrounding it, a little ways from the counter but he could still see her so it was all good, no matter how creepy he thought he was being.

Behind the counter, her dad was pulling her to the side - “is this the guitar boy you like? He’s very handsome” and she nudged him away because “shut UP, papa, vo humein sunn sakta hai, you know?” She reminds him he can probably hear the two of them before making work of cleaning up an already pristine work space just to have something to do with her hands. She kept stealing glances at him over the course of the hour he sat there, occasionally writing something on his phone, but otherwise just looking at her.

The next few times he came over were all the same until he walked in looking like a “baby squish that she’d want to fit in her pocket and give all the kisses,” her words, not his, and wrote her number on his bill that he threw without seeing the digits. The next time she slipped her number on a tissue that, again, he used without really seeing, in his defence he was busy looking at her. By the third time she wrote her number on a tissue and left is on his table while walking past and he didn’t stop looking at her face, she spun around and sat in the chair opposite him.

“I have been trying to give you my number for two weeks now and you haven’t paid attention so can you please give me your phone so I can save it?”

He was shocked to say the least, handing his phone over without a word and taking it back as she was done. He waited till she got back to her usual place behind the counter before texting her.

Am I allowed to ask a barista out for coffee? Asking for a friend. It’s me. I’m the friend.

He blinks and he finds himself at the very same table. Some 10 minutes later she walks out of the kitchen, 2 fresh trays of muffins stacked on top of each other and ready to be put on display. She pauses right before pushing the trays onto the display shelves, she senses him because she sees him. Rolling her eyes, she adjusts the muffins the way they’re supposed to be before turning around to make a tall Americano with an extra shot of espresso, a little “s.m. <3” written on the side.

He sees her go through the process, he says it’s basically intoxicating seeing her do what she does best. He grins lazily, sauntering over and leaning on the counter when she turns to face him again.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she quirks, eyes raking over his tight fitting shirt and hair pasted into a quiff she quickly learned to love, “Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, actually…” his smile grows wider, cocky almost, “got a hot date. This pretty barista down the road who makes the greatest chocolate chip muffins.”

She pretends she’s not affected by him standing there looking like a wet dream come to life, “Doesn’t sound like she has too much character, you know? Anyone can make muffins,” she murmurs.

“She has a fancy business degree, too,” he nods quickly, “she’s way smarter than me.”

“That’s not very smart,” she deadpans.

He’s about to start whining before her dad walks out and it all feels too familiar. Except 3 years have passed, her dad’s hair is a lot greyer, she’s now running the café and wears diamonds on both her ring fingers. Her dad comes around to pull him into a hug and talk to him about the promo trip he just got back from and asks her not to trouble him so much. She whines about the two of them ganging up on her again before a loud beepbeepbeep goes off - the muffins she re - heated for him are ready. Her dad says goodbye to the both of them before heading home for the day, along with the new boy he saw earlier.

He makes sure the cafe is empty when he goes behind the counter crowding her space and pulling her closer as she playfully pushed him away in vain.

“Customers aren’t allowed behind the counter, sir,” she giggles as he resorts to pressing loud smooches all over her face, holding both her hands between them.

He quickly pulls back feigning offence, “So I’m gone for two weeks and suddenly I’m just a customer now? What about all that sickness and health? Was that a lie?”

“Oh no, how did you figure out, I’m so sorry honey but you’ve been punked.”

She feels him whine in protest as burrows himself in her neck, “I woke up and you weren’t there do you know how much that sucked.”

“I told you I would only come home for lunch, it’s not my fault your jet lagged ass dozed off right after - and for the record I did actually wake you up before leaving and gave you kisses. And then you passed out again.”

“Okay but I’m super awake now and you haven’t given me kisses,” and then he gets the kisses he asked for, lots of them. When she pulls away, his eyes are glazed over and he has half a mind to ditch the plans he made for the two of them and drive her car right back home. But she looked so pretty and she deserves to be well fed and well fucked so the driving back home part would have to wait.

“I thought you wanted to take me out?” She speaks into his skin before pulling his bottom lip between both of hers and suckling sweetly, he doesn’t think their bed back home could be more tempting if he tried. They’re both horndogs when it comes to each other, maybe that’s why they fit so well.

“You? Who said anything about taking you - oh? You thought I was talking about you?” He teased running his hands up and down her back before settling on the curve of her ass, “sorry, love, tough luck, can’t have you thinking I like you too much, have to keep my options open.”

She narrows her eyes at him, a dangerous glint shining through and making him weak in the knees just like she always did, “What makes you think I like you at all, hmm?” She snipes, biting down on his lip to hear him moan delicately.

“I don’t know, Mrs. Mendes, you did choose to marry me after all, it was a very pretty wedding you wore a pink dress and your hair was curled up and you had highlights back then and then I took you in the bathroom outside the ha-“

“Shut the fuck up, jeez, Shawn do you have a filter at all?”

“We are literally the only ones here, babe,” he says motioning around to the café, before he lowers his voice and moves his head to nibble on her jaw, “Wanna go to the backroom? Pizza can wait.”

She pulls his head back, “Pizza?” He hums, “Backroom, then pizza,” still dazed, leaning back in to love on her a bit more.

“Baby, you shouldn’t have said that, we have to leave now.” He whines as she slips out of his arms, gathering her things and fixing her hair, “I love you but pizza is pizza.”

“But the backroom-“

“We have a whole bed with your Egyptian cotton bedsheets, babe, I’m sure that’s much more comf- wait. Bed reminds me why are you here?” She looks out and as she assumed it’s snowing, “Why’d you come here? Please tell me you didn’t walk here.” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, eyes to the floor, “It’s almost a storm outside, honey, why’d you come here? I would’ve come home just fine, you know that.”

“But I missed you,” he said it like it was the most obvious thing ever, “And then I decided that I should take you out to the pizza place you like, the one with Georgian pizza?” Because Italian pizza has nothing on Georgian Pizza, she’d said. She sighs before kissing him again, running her hands up his arms, squeezing one last time before letting go. “You’re such a loser,” she says kissing the corner of his mouth, “Let me grab my things, I’ll just be a minute.”

He picks up the last cup she used for him, drying it and putting it away. Walking around, he can’t help the butterflies he has existing in a place that’s so her, such an accurate representation of her. Any nerves he had on the way here seep away, he realises there’s no time as perfect as now.

As he waits by the front door, twisting his platinum band around his finger, he pulls his phone out.

Do baristas like buns in the oven? Asking for a friend.

———-

HELLO I LOVE CAFÉS AND I LOVE SHAWN I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS ♥️

#shawn mendes x reader #boyfriend shawn #shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagines #shawn x desi reader #shawn mendes x desi reader #ahawn mendes one shot #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes fluff #i never knew #my writing

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apexart-journal · 3 years

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Ann Quintano in NYC, Day 12

eJust ended today’s events but before I write on that wanted to share some pictures from yesterday at Governor’s Island. (Sorry for always the one day delay for photos but I have some ongoing camera to computer problems and thank heavens Abbie at apexart enables me to have my photos up at all! And thanks to my sister, Francesca and my brother in law Ron who gave me my phone and tablet or where would I be in this day and age!

This is just a small area of Earth Matters where we did intros and information but,as I mentioned, stashed bag with phone/camera there so don’t have other pics of their wonderful urban farm and compost center.

All over Governors island one can easily spot these colorful chairs (or the red hammocks) and in this one I did the soul searching for my reflection on my experience of being a fellow with apexart.

So that brightens the day! It overlooks the water. Next is an old rundown building on the island which, if you look hard, you can see was a library.

Onto the ferry and while waiting for it to leave enjoyed a sea gull relaxing and then the view from the ferry.

Onto today...I had a two hour Improv Comedy Class with Jessica Zambrotta. That was a lot of fun and revealing. Just five of us so that was a comfortable size. We did a number of ‘games’ that helped with being really present, not judging, connecting with each other, listening skills, being able to get out of our head and into connection and emotion. It was interesting how we could each build on each other’s stories in the game and how using certain responses helped or hindered the flow. The classes are for everyone, not just actors or comedians and develop skills that are useable in everyday life.

I then went to the next two stops in continuation of Fighting the Dark which began in Manhattan and end here in Brooklyn. Grand Army Plaza where the sculpture includes a Black man. Grand Army Plaza was erected to celebrate the Union victory of the civil War and the tour speaks about the all Black 20th Regiment. It continues with the effect on the drafting of Black soldiers who were originally not allowed to serve, and the terrible resistance to that by many whites. Many Blacks sought refuge in Weeksville named for Black landowner and established as a free Black community in what is now Crown Heights.

The creator of this Audio Tour puts things for us New Yorkers in a frightening reality:...”many of these lynching took place in the south but the blueprint for multiple day mass lynchings of free Black people was formed in the streets of New York in 1863″. The Weeksville Heritage Center is closed to tours because of Covid but you can visit the grounds and the itinerary suggested sitting on the lawn and reading a book. But to me it felt like sacred ground and not a place to be relaxing and so after I read the transcript of the audio tour (I had 8 pages of transcript with me today), I moved on. I took the C train to West 4th just to explore the West Village a little. No many how many times I’m down there I always get turned around by the zig zagging streets. I cut through Washington Square part to walk home (apex home) and it was absolutely mobbed. I think it was NYU graduation.

Once again during the day I had to deal with my reoccurring fear of getting lost without a map (what a metaphor too I guess!) I lived through the era of the Crown Heights riots so on the bus to Crown Heights...and the driver telling me its the next to last stop...and we’re going and going...I was remembering my first day at Pratt in the 70′s when the city was high crime and that was way before Pratt area was gentrified. I asked a police officer the direction and he said to me “I can tell you how to get there but you’ll never get there alive!” He and his partner found it somewhat amusing, of course I was scared to death. I need to know where I’m going and have a visual: a map, even if its hand drawn by me. So for me apex gets it right on about moving one out of their comfort zone and anything familiar. I must say a woman caught up to me when I got off the bus and said she heard me asking for directions to the train back and she proceeded to tell me exactly how to get to the C train. A young woman at the Brooklyn Navy Yards practically walked me to the ferry when I was leaving...’I have a Mama and a Grandma and I would want them to be safe too ‘ she said. Having to rely on (and hope for) the kindness of strangers is always a good learning and a happy occasion. As challenging (and fun) as this experience is...I hate for it to end. I want to keep the unfamiliar alive!

Bye for now...

#Ann Quintano Local NYC #Ann Quintano

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forgottenlivesobverse · 4 years

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Philip Purser-Hallard Q&A

Our final Q&A is with Forgotten Lives’ editor Philip Purser-Hallard. His story for the book, ‘House of Images’, features the Robert Banks Stewart Doctor, and opens like this:

‘The usual dreadful creaking and bellowing from the rooms above the dusty office informed me that the Doctor would soon be coming down to check on my progress. I really don’t know what he does up there to make that racket. If you asked me, I’d have to guess that he’s trying to invent a mechanical walrus, and enjoying some success.

‘Honestly, Auntie, I wouldn’t put it past him. My employer is a strange man, with obsessive interests and a deeply peculiar sense of humour.’

FL: Tell us a little about yourself.

PPH: I’m a middle-aged writer, editor and Doctor Who fan; also a husband, father, vegetarian, cat-lover, beer-drinker and board games geek.

A couple of decades ago I wrote stories for some of the earliest Doctor Who charity ‘fanthologies’, Perfect Timing 2 and Walking in Eternity (whose co-editor, Jay Eales, has contributed to Forgotten Lives). These led directly to my published work in multiple Doctor Who spinoff and tie-in series, starting with Faction Paradox.

Since then, among other things, I’ve written a trilogy of urban fantasy political thrillers for Snowbooks, and two Sherlock Holmes novels for Titan Books. I’ve also edited six volumes of fiction for Obverse Books, in the City of the Saved and Iris Wildthyme series. And I founded, coedit, and have written two-and-a-half books for, The Black Archive, Obverse’s series of critical monographs on individual Doctor Who stories. (Mine are on Battlefield, Human Nature / The Family of Blood and Dark Water / Death in Heaven.)

But those two anthologies are where it all started.

FL: How did you conceive this project?

PPH: I’m fascinated by unconventional approaches to Doctor Who, an interest fostered by three decades spent reading the Virgin New Adventures, the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures and such experimental spinoffs as Faction Paradox and Iris Wildthyme. (Again, I’m glad to have worked with alumni of those series, including Simon Bucher-Jones and Lance Parkin, on Forgotten Lives.) I love the Doctor Who extended universe when it’s at its most radical, questioning, deconstructive and subversive. The Morbius Doctors, standing outside the canon with a foot in the door, are a great vehicle for exploring that.

Once I had the idea for the anthology, the charitable cause followed naturally. These are the lives that the later Doctors have forgotten, and that loss of identity and memory could only put me in mind of the experience of my grandmother, who lived with Alzheimer’s for many years before her death. Gran was a shrewd, intelligent woman, and it was deeply upsetting to see her faculties steadily deserting her. All charities are going through straitened times at the moment, of course, and all of them are in need of extra support, but I felt Alzheimer’s Research UK was particularly worth my time and effort.

FL: Each story in the book features a different incarnation of the Doctor. Tell us about yours.

PPH: As I’ve written him, the Robert Banks Stewart Doctor is a grumpy, ebullient name-dropper with quietly brilliant detective skills and a penchant for deniable meddling. So far, so quintessentially Doctorish, but this incarnation also has an unusual interest in magic and alchemy, a long-term mission on Earth, and an old nemesis demanding his attention.

FL: These Doctors only exist in a couple of photos. How did you approach the characterisation of your incarnation?

PPH: The photo of scriptwriter Robert Banks Stewart that appears onscreen in The Brain of Morbius has a grim look on his face, but there’s another where he seems to be having a lot more fun in the costume. I played with that contrast by making his Doctor a man of excessive, rather theatrical moods, curmudgeonly and charming by turns. With his fur collar, there’s something rather bearlike about him, which made me envisage as quite physically large.

I also love Paul Hanley’s artwork for the character, where he elaborates on the costume to portray this Doctor as a kind of renaissance alchemist – Paul says ‘I like the idea that this is the Doctor who was most interested in “magic”, psychic phenomena, etc.,’ and I certainly leaned into that.

Banks Stewart’s own persona comes through in the Doctor’s Scottish accent and in some of the story choices. Both the Doctor Who scripts he wrote are set in contemporary Britain, so this Doctor’s story is a ‘contemporary’ one – though the timeframe I was envisaging for these forgotten Doctors means that works out as the 1940s. Banks Stewart created the TV detective series Bergerac and Shoestring, and so this Doctor fancies himself as a detective. And he also wrote for The Avengers (and for the Doctor and Sarah rather as if they were appearing in The Avengers), so there’s a flavour of that in the action, the whimsy, and the relationship between the Doctor and his secretary, Miss Weston.

FL: What's your story about?

PPH: The Doctor is in early-1940s London, observing the geopolitical progress of World War II on behalf of the mysterious power he represents, when he’s distracted by a burglary carried out by men bearing a close resemblance to the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. This brings him into conflict with a figure from his past, a sorcerer known as ‘the Magus’, who represents another cosmic faction with its own agenda.

FL: The stories are intended to represent a ‘prehistory’ of Doctor Who before 1963. How did that affect your approach?

PPH: Since the eight forgotten Doctors are supposedly the incarnations preceding Hartnell, it was part of the concept from the first that these stories would reconstruct – thematically and narratively, though not in terms of TV production values – Doctor Who as it ‘would have been’ in the 1940s, 50s and early 60s. In one sense that’s a very conservative approach, but it also highlights the ways in which Doctor Who in reality has been a product of its various times.

For my own story I drew on two mid-20th-century influences – Charles Williams, a friend of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, who before his death in 1945 wrote occult thrillers infused with his own very eccentric brand of Christianity; and the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films set during World War II. Between them they led me to this story of a magicianly Doctor doing detective work and getting involved with affairs of state during the Blitz, and to provide him with his very own sorcerous Moriarty.

FL: Who would be your ideal casting for a pre-Hartnell Doctor?

PPH: The other authors have given most of the good answers already – Margaret Rutherford, Alec Guinness, Waris Hussein or Verity Lambert, Peter Cushing – so I’ll say either Boris Karloff or a young Mary Morris, depending on taste.

FL: What other projects are you working on at present?

PPH: I’ve got a short story and a novel for Sherlock Holmes in the works; plus another Holmes novel partly written, with a more unusual premise, that I’m trying to persuade someone to publish. I’m editing the next batch of Black Archives, of course, and writing our book on the Jodie Whittaker story The Haunting of Villa Diodati, which is due out in December 2021. And I have further ideas for original novels that I really need to devote more of my time to. One of them’s got vampires in.

#philip purser-hallard #forgotten lives #obverse books #robert banks stewart #the banks stewart doctor #morbius doctors #the brain of morbius #doctor who #dr who #doctorwho #drwho #fanthologies #paul hanley

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

Text

🎃 Frightful October Act V, #13 ~ Urbex (Haechan / Donghyuck Lee)

📑 Table of Contents

Genre: Supernatural, AU, Fluff, Friendship, Halloween

Word Count: 3,259

Pairing: Reader x Haechan

World: NCT

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It was the night of Halloween and you had resolved yourself to spending the night reading as many horror books as you could while munching on your favorite snacks. You had been invited to a party to ring in the holiday, but partying wasn’t really something that interested you.

You stepped out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in hand when the doorbell rang. Confused, you glanced at the clock above the fireplace. It was eight-thirty. ‘Who could that be?’ you wondered, setting the bowl down on the coffee table next to your book. You checked the peephole before pulling the door open. “Haechan? What are you doing here?”

Your best friend smiled, his hands behind his back.

“I thought you went to the party,” you shifted, crossing your arms over your chest as the cool October air hit your skin.

“Nah, it wouldn’t be fun without my bestie!”

You raised a brow, knowing something was up. Normally, he would have pushed himself inside already, plus he had no problems going to the party without you last year. “What is it, Haechan?”

“Ah, well…” he gave you a sheepish smile. “Mark hyung and the others didn’t want to go, either. Chenle thought it would be fun to do some urban exploring – he’s been watching a lot of those videos online lately.”

“Okay… and what does that have to do with me?” You were getting a bad feeling.

“I may or may not have promised them that you would be willing to come with us?”

“I’m sorry, you what?”

“I’m sorry!” he bowed, holding his hands together above his head. “You’re skilled in martial arts, so you being around makes everyone feel safer! It was the only way the others would agree to come.”

“Haechan – ”

“Please!”

You frowned, glancing over your shoulder at your horror book waiting to be read and the popcorn that was now probably cold. You looked back at Haechan’s pleading face, and back again to your snack. With a heavy, defeated sigh, you turned back to your best friend, who took the sound as a sign of compliance.

He grabbed your wrist, pulling you out the door. You barely had enough time to pull the door closed behind you. The cold air nipped at your skin and you whined, ‘He didn’t even give me time to grab my jacket!’

The rest of the group was waiting down the street at Jaemin’s house, loitering around Mark’s car. After playing a quick rock-paper-scissors tournament to determine who would sit where, everyone piled into the car. Jeno won but allowed you to sit upfront in his place. Jaemin, Jeno, and Jisung sat in the back, with Chenle, Renjun, and Haechan sitting across their laps. Not the safest thing to do, but everyone trusted Mark’s safe driving.

The destination Chenle had chosen was Oakmeadow Estates, an abandoned gated community on the outskirts of town. No one knew why, but the place had been completely abandoned five years ago and the city hadn’t made any moves to do anything with it.

Mark pulled up to the metal gate and you stepped out of the car, Haechan following close behind. The gate was rusted, vines curled around the bars like a snake constricting its prey. It was on a track and had been previously opened enough to allow a person to slip through.

Your fingers wrapped around one of the bars at the front of the gate. Haechan squeezed into the opening and the two of you started to push it. It creaked and moaned, and it took some effort to unstick before it finally started to slide along the track. Mark pulled the car through and you pushed it back to its original position. That way, if anyone drove by they wouldn’t notice anything amiss.

Haechan held the passenger side door open for you and you thanked him, climbing back into the car. He grinned, plopping onto your lap before closing the door. You huffed but said nothing. Mark followed the road to the back of the estates, which was surrounded by towering spruce trees. There was no power there anymore, the streets illuminated only by the full moon that hung above and headlights of the car.

He parked in a cul-de-sac and everyone hesitantly shuffled out of the car.

A gust of wind ruffled the trees, making you shiver as you folded your arms tightly, hands in the warmth of your armpits. ‘I think it’s getting colder. And man is this place cree-py,’

Haechan frowned, shrugging his jacket off before holding it out to you. “Here, wear this. Sorry I didn’t give you a chance to grab yours.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, taking it from his hands.

He nodded. “This sweater is thick, so don’t worry!”

With a smile, you slipped your arms into the jacket, sighing in content at the warmth it provided. It smelled like him, which was a plus in your eyes.

Mark unlocked the trunk and everyone gathered around as he handed out flashlights and walkie talkies.

You whistled. “You really came prepared, huh?”

“You can never be too prepared,” he smiled.

“Are we splitting up, then?” You asked, clipping the walkie talkie to the pocket of your pants.

Mark hesitated before nodding. “We’re going to split up into two groups.” He shuffled around in the black bag before pulling out a handful of thin sticks. “Long sticks on one team, and short sticks on the other.”

The group took turns taking a stick and hiding them. On the count of three, everyone revealed their stick, everyone’s eyes immediately snapping to your long stick before checking theirs.

“Yes!” Haechan cheered, throwing his arms around you. Jisung and Jeno high-fived before doing the same. The other team didn’t look pleased.

Mark made everyone test their walkie talkie and flashlight. “Okay, we’re all set. Don’t stray too far from the car, and don’t wander off on your own. Stay alert and on your guard.”

You headed toward the two-story house in the middle, your shoes crunching as they followed the gravel path. The grass was overgrown, reaching your knees as it tilted over the path like hungry hands. Jeno took the lead, slowly pushing the door open and shining his flashlight inside.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” he called, pausing to listen for a response. “We’re just exploring, we mean no harm.” The house remained silent so he stepped inside.

Everything was covered in dust an inch thick, kicked up into the air as everyone entered the house. On the left was an archway leading into the living room. You shined your flashlight, the beam ghosting over the pictures hanging on the walls. They all seemed like normal photographs except for one, sitting in the middle of the wall above the fireplace. It was hanging lopsided, like many of its brethren, the glass broken in a single line from the top corner to the bottom.

The photograph itself was faded and old, a rustic orange in color. A woman sat straight in a wooden chair, her hair pulled taut into a bun that sat on top of her head. In her lap was a young child, maybe five years old, wearing a white dress. She looked terrified.

Something about the photo made you feel uneasy as a chill slid down your spine. It seemed like the girl’s face was moving, and you leaned closer, squinting in the darkness. Her face flashed before turning into a swirling void of black like someone had taken a ballpoint pen and circled it a dozen times. You blinked rapidly, brow furrowed. The girl’s face was normal again. ‘I guess the darkness is playing tricks on my mind…’

Shaking your head, you stepped back into the entryway, following Jisung up the rickety stairs. They creaked under your weight and the railing was loose, shifting when you put your hand on it. He pushed open the door directly across from the stairs – it was a small bathroom. You stepped past him, pushing open the next door.

It was a bedroom, stripped down and nearly bare. The wallpaper was faded, the flower pattern barely visible as it peeled and yellowed in various places. The queen-sized bedframe was missing one of its legs and the dressed had been stripped of all its drawers. The wood was splintered as if the drawers had been removed with force.

Jisung stepped inside and you headed to the next room. It was also a bedroom but looked more worn down than the first. The springs on the single bedframe were sticking up like a bed of bloodthirsty nails. The carpet was stained a sickly shade of yellow-green and the wallpaper had been ripped from the walls. It looked like one of those stickers stores put on their product, and then you try to peel it off, half of it gets stuck on.

You stepped farther into the room, glancing at the dresser across from the bedframe. The bottom drawer was pulled out a bit, so your finger wrapped around the handle and you tugged, pulling it open all the way. The bottom of the drawer had been removed. You pushed it closed again, the handle rattling as you did so. Against the back wall was a long mirror, pieces of the glass missing. You stepped closer, inspecting the glass. Words had been etched into it, but it was too dark to see. When you pointed the light at it, it became too bright to make out the words.

A dark shadow moved behind you, reflected in the bottom of the mirror, followed by a soft bang, as if something had been knocked over. You whirled around, training the light where you thought the sound had come from. Your heart picked up speed as you slowly approached the closet door, reaching your hand up. You hesitated, fingers brushing against the metal. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves before wrapping your fingers around the handle.

A scream ripped through the air, sending a chill through your body. You abandoned the closet and rushed down the stairs, trying not to trip. Haechan was at the bottom of the stairs, breathing heavy with his eyes wide open. Jeno was kneeling beside him, flashlight aimed at the ceiling, the light shining off the chandelier.

“What happened?” you demanded, kneeling on his other side and gently grasping his shoulder. His eyes met yours, a mixture of embarrassment and fear swirling in their depths.

He offered you a sheepish smile. “Something landed on my head. I thought something grabbed me…”

A squeaking pulled your attention to the ceiling where a small bat was flying in and out of the beam of light as it tried to escape. You sighed in relief, standing up and offering him your hand. He gladly accepted, sliding his hand into your own. Once he was on his feet, he kept a tight grip on your hand.

You gave it a tug as you turned toward the stairs. “Come on, I wanna finish exploring upstairs,” he followed close behind, lacing his fingers with your own. You headed straight for the second bedroom but stopped short when your light fell on the closet door, which was now open.

Haechan walked into you, not expecting the sudden stop. “What’s wrong?”

Your brow furrowed. Had you opened it in your haste to leave the room? Your hand had been around the handle, but you never turned it. Or maybe you did and just didn’t realize it. Cautiously, you walked around the bed, scanning the area with the flashlight. You pushed the door shut, testing to see if it would spring open on its own. It didn’t.

Haechan frowned at you. “Did you find anything?”

“I heard a sound in this closet,” you explained. “You screamed before I could open it…”

He seemed to realize what you were getting at and swallowed. “Who opened it, then?”

“Maybe… it was Jisung?” you questioned, glancing at him. “He was up here with me.”

“Let’s get out of here, I don’t like this.” He tugged you back toward the door and you followed him down the stairs, but you couldn’t help but look behind you at the open door. Something about that closet really unnerved you. “Jisung!”

The youngest of the group was nowhere to be found.

Jeno stepped out of the kitchen, looking at the two of you curiously. “Something wrong?”

“Where’s Jisung?”

“He went over to the other group.”

“Before or after Haechan screamed?” you asked.

“Before,” he frowned, looking between the two of you. “What’s going on?”

You and Haechan exchanged a look. If he had left before the scream, then there’s no way he could have messed with the closet. Was there someone hiding in the house and they were trying to scare you? Or was it something else, something sinister that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye? Your hair was beginning to stand on end and dread was pooling in your stomach.

“Let’s get ou – ” your words were cut short when you saw the look of terror on Jeno’s face. You followed his wide eyes and nearly dropped the flashlight. Standing at the top of the stairs was a shadowy figure, short in stature. It was too dark to make out any features – the only thing you could see were two bloodshot eyes staring directly at you. The three of you were frozen.

“Wh-What is that?!” Haechan whispered, gripping your arm.

Shakingly, you lifted the flashlight. The weak beam lit up its dark, sunken face. Blood dripped from where its hairline should be. Its mouth opened, showing off rotting teeth. A high-pitched scream ripped from its throat, threatening to pierce your eardrum.

“Run!” you ordered, shoving Haechan to get him moving. You brought up the rear, keeping your eyes on the creature so it wouldn’t be able to sneak up on you, slamming the door shut. The others came running over, asking what was happening and what the scream was. “No time to explain, get in the car!”

Mark fumbled to pull the keys from his pocket and everyone jumped in, slamming and locking the doors. As he pulled away, you glanced back at the house, seeing a dark figure standing in the upstairs window. “Crap, the gate!”

With your heart hammering against your ribcage, you jumped out of the car, jogging over to the gate. Jeno joined you and together, you tried to push the gate open. It started to move but then came to a dead stop with a loud groan.

“I think something’s blocking it,” Jeno breathed loudly, following the length of the gate as it sunk into the tall bushes. You followed close behind, keeping your eyes peeled and body alert. You held the bushes apart for him with some difficulty.

A chunk of broken brick had been shoved inside the track, blocking the gate from opening any farther. Jeno wrapped his fingers around it, trying to pry it free but it wouldn’t give an inch.

“I can’t get it.”

“Let me try,” you switched places, your fingers digging at the brick. Even with your monstrous strength, you couldn’t get it to budge. You glanced around, finding a thick stick lying on the ground. It wasn’t as thick as a branch, but you hoped it would hold up without breaking. “Let’s try this,” you said, doing your best to wedge the end of the stick under the brick.

The walkie talkie crackled before Mark’s voice came through, full of worry. “Are you guys okay? What’s going on?”

Jeno unclipped the walkie talkie from my waist as you wiggled the stick back and forth. “Yeah, the gate got stuck but we’ve almost got it.”

The stick snapped just as the brick rolled free of the track. You heaved a sigh of relief, exchanging a look with Jeno. Worry lingered in the back of your mind, though. It was obvious that the brick had been deliberately put there to stop the gate from opening, but by who? And why?

The two of you stepped back through the bushes and you glanced at the car. Everyone was watching the two of you, a mixture of relief and fear present on their faces. The gate moved easily now, sliding along the track with a whine.

The bushes rustled on the other side of the road and you tensed up.

“What was that?” Jeno whispered, stepping closer to you as his eyes scanned the darkness.

“It was probably just a squirrel or something,” you shakily breathed out, not entirely convinced by your own words.

A twig snapped behind you, right where the two of you had been just a few moments before. Red eyes shined through the inky blackness. You stared back. It felt like your body was paralyzed. Your legs wouldn’t move and your mind became hazy like a fog was entering your brain. The eyes seemed to speak to you, beckoning you forward.

Jeno grabbed your arm and tugged you roughly toward the car, breaking whatever trance you had been under. Before the door was even closed, he was yelling at Mark to floor the gas. The car ride back was silent as everyone reflected on their own personal experiences that night. No one wanted to talk about what they had seen and heard, scared that admitting it would make it real.

You and Haechan were the last ones to get dropped off and the two of you headed toward your house in silence. You stuck the key into the lock, pushing the door open and plopping onto the couch. You felt completely exhausted and just wanted to drink some hot chocolate and go to bed.

The clock read eleven-fifty-five. Had you really been gone that long? In some ways, it felt like you had only been there for an hour at most, but at the same time, it felt as if you had spent an eternity in that house.

Haechan fell beside you, his head falling onto your shoulder as his hand found yours, tugging it onto his lap. “Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s never talk about this night again.”

“Agreed.”

The walkie talkie in Haechan’s pocket crackled with static and he pulled it out with a furrowed brow, waiting for a voice to come through. You took it from his hand, pressing down the button. “Mark? Is that you?”

More static.

“Maybe the channel got changed,” Haechan suggested, taking it from your hand. He played with the knob until the static stopped. “There. See?” he held down the button. “Testing, testing, one two three. Markie hyung, can you hear me?”

The grandfather clock started to chime loudly, signaling the arrival of midnight.

The walkie talkie clicked as if someone was pressing the button and heavy breathing came through, following by a distorted voice, “Y̸̥͘ó̸̜ü̸̘ ̶̨̕w̷͚̒o̶̦͌n̵̢͝’̸̘̒t̸̞͂ ̸͔̀g̷̦͠e̴̗̾t̴̰͌ ̵̲̎ả̴̗w̴͕͋a̸̺͐y̸̛ͅ ̷͙̑n̸͎̕ḛ̷̎x̷͍̓t̸̼͊ ̵͍̚t̷̗͊ȋ̸̫m̸̝̏ë̸̦́.̷̠̍.”

Both of you froze as an icy chill settled over the room. With a gulp, you took the walkie talkie into the kitchen and dropped it in the sink. Haechan hung in the doorway, watching you curiously as you searched around the kitchen drawers until you found a meat mallet. You brought it down on the walkie talkie with a satisfying crunch before turning to Haechan.

“I say we spend the rest of the night hiding under the comforter and pretending this never happened.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he nodded.

And that’s exactly what the two of you did until the sun filtered through the window the next morning.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

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