#usually when i bring this shit up im met with 'well art doesnt really need to be an accurate rep of reality!'
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
garygoldenbignaturals · 2 months ago
Text
why do most indonesian vtubers have like #FFFF00 color skin
0 notes
oriigirii · 4 years ago
Text
Streamer MC headcannons with the brothers 💞
"You were quite a known face on social media back in the human realm, playing games, doing unboxings, just vibin in general, fans around the globe looked forward to your streams a lot! However, considering the sudden (unannounced) invitation to the exchange program, you had to leave all of that behind out of the blue. It wasn't as bad at first, but you have to admit you do miss the feeling of being able to do goofy shit online. Luckily for you, with the advance technology of Devildom and some spicy magic, the internet had synced with the human realm, and thats when you decided to finally re-enter the streaming scene. How will the brothers react upon seeing your peculiar past time?"
Head empty, No thoughts aside from the brothers just bothering the MC while they stream so here you go haha
Warnings: None, just crackhead energy and a lotta mispellings
Gender: Neutral!
Hotel: Trivago
* [ ಠ╭╮ಠ ] Lucifer *
{How did he know about your career?}
I honestly don't see him as someone who goes on the internet a lot
(He screams boomer to me, change my mind)
He doesn't have the time either, he's too focused on work!
So him finding out is gonna take a while
But! He did find out the hard way when shrilled screaming was heard from your room when he was passing by with some paper stacks in his arms (courtesy of Diavolo)
This man felt his instincts kick in, he ran as fast as he could, papers forgotten, and he immediately slammed your door open. Splinters scattering around, your door definitely damaged, as his eyes held a glare and his demon form was out, wings spread in a threatening display.
He was ready to beat someone's ass as he had thought someone had hurt you in here.
But all hes met with is you, infront of your chair and PC, and a game over on the screen...
To say he was unamused was an understatement cause you just lost your internet priviliges for giving him a heart attack (He said it was because you were being rowdy and noisy but with what you saw you knew that wasn't the case)
Good luck tryna puppy-eye your way to his heart to let you continue streaming lol.
If by some miracle you managed to wriggle your rights back from his hands, he'd warn you not to be so loud next time.
You already learnt your lesson though~ (Hopefully)
{How does he feel about your streams?}
Not everyone's the same, so if you were the shy soft streamer who does more art streams or something akin to a podcast, you can bet that Lucifer will be putting you on while he works, he kinda knows your streaming schedule at this point and if you were running late, he'd force one of his brothers to take over your dish washing duties or any chores you were stuck with
If you were the loud obnoxious meme type, hed still try to watch out of curiosity, and as much as he appreciates that you were getting comfortable here in Devildom with how you laugh and joke around, he still can't approve of it. Its too loud, its much like his brothers energy and he has enough of that already, so he probably doesn't watch as much.
He has countlessly came to your room to shush you and at this point your fans had made a compilation of each time Lucifer had barged in to tell you off
Look he likes it when you scream, but not when hes in the middle of work okay--
At this point, chat has deemed Lucifer as dad and you as their mom/dad.
If he ever catches wind of this he'd definitely be teasing you in private for centuries to come.
Overall fine with it, as long as don't do something stupid on stream.
* ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Mammon*
{How did he know about your career?}
I would say he found out by him crashing into your streams midway but that's too predictable, hence why you've Mammon-proofed your bedroom during streaming hours!
Thanks to our wizard daddy, you have managed to cast a simple lock spell on your door and as well as a sound proofing
You love your broke idiot, but you did wanna keep the tone of your stream today a bit more chill, you wanted to have a proper Q&A with your fans to hopefully clear any bad vibes around your 3 month disappearance.
When Mammon has learnt your door was locked he definitely was a bit pissy, he knocked on your door loudly even and was calling out for you to let him in, but to no avail.
Bro he's scared.
He usually was allowed to enter, and you usually answered if you did need to be left alone for a bit, so just leaving him hanging got his mind racing and he had to press up his ear on the wooden door to try and hear if you were okay
When this continues on he finally resorts to getting help, but the only one in the house ws Levi, so he kicks down HIS door.
Levi boutta summon Lotan for interrupting him honestly
But as Mammon exclaim you weren't answering and he worried for your wellbeing, Levi rolls his eyes and scoffs,
"Idiot Mammon, they're streaming don't bother them…"
Streaming? why didn't you tell him???
Rude much.
He did huff and now was forcing his way to use Levi's PC for a moment
Can Levi stop him?
Nah.
He was busy on his console, and if he stood up now hed be breaking his world record so he was at a terrible state so he just resorts to threats of him drowning the Avatar of Greed if he does anything stupid on his PC.
He immediately logs in to your streaming platform and he watches for a bit,
You were more dolled up now just to look decent on stream, and he felt this jealousy rise as you interact with your chat, especially to those saying I love you's and stuff, and you even said it back? the audacity! You were his werent you? Were you replacing him with these nobodies?
He huffs as he realized that those who paid got their message highlighted, and thus, he starts donating. (Mind you this was Levi's account...)
"Mcccccc Open the dooorrr"
"Ill behave i promiseeeee"
"Cmon pleaseeee?"
Chat is c o n f u s i o n
NGL, they thought Mammon was a creepy stalker and red flags were being waved everywhere
but as chat was pondering who the hell he was, you can only sigh and look at the camera with that unamused expression, but ugh! you just KNOW hes doing that kicked puppy expression of his, and maybe it really wont be so bad
So you snap your fingers and say, "Okay MonMon, its open, Im giving you 3 seconds"
Mammon wasnt deemed to be the fastest out of his brothers for nothing
As soon as you got to '2', you were already tackled by the white haired male and chat went wild.
Now that you've shown your life in Devildom, maybe its time to introduce chat to your boyfriend no?
{How does he feel about your streams?}
You get paid to sit infront of a camera, do I have to say anything else?
But really though, as much as he enjoys the thought of getting so much cash from something so simple, he prefers the joy of being able to proudly exclaim that he was your first man!
ohhhh he thrives on the salt of your overly attached stans
but for those who fully support you, he always feels so mushy and shy when they say the ship you guys so hard
The fanarts has him WEAK (he may or may not have saved a few)
You usually do streams alone, but now you've allowed the door to be left open to let Mammon join whenever
Chat pogs when he enters with so much confidence, only for it to crumble when you kiss his cheek on stream.
Overall finds it fun to spend time with you, but just dont play scary games cause Lucifer might hang him upside down on stream.
* ▘▂▝ Leviathan*
{How did he know about your career?}
He is honestly the most attached to his D.D.D and he catches wind of almost anything going down in the internet, so your 'revival' being hyped up was something he definitely saw and he was just s wo o o ned
His Henry 2.0? a famous streamer?
Were you truly a blessing gifted upon him or was he dreaming?
He definitely didn't bring it up at first as he didn't wanna make it a big deal, but you notice hes been more in his head lately, and you have tried asking him what it was but to no avail.
You have to corner this little snake if you want answers and he eventually admits that he knew of your persona online and was incredibly shy to ask you to stream with him
He's a streamer himself afterall but maybe he doesnt stream as much as you do nor does he have as large of a following, so his intrusive thoughts attacked him and made him think that maybe since he wasnt as famous he didnt deserve to be in the same stream as you
Please tell him to join you and gib him kiss U3U
He'll absolutely m e l t
But now, as you make the announcement to your viewers and Levi to his, the internet explodes as a special collab stream was hapening between the expert gamer and avatar of envy of Devildom along with the beloved exchange student and streamer of the human realm
Your usual viewers reach between 10-15k, but as you start stream, that number boosts higher and beyond
Before streaming though, Levi was incredibly nervous, he'd picked the games for you to play that he knew you would enjoy with him, but his mind kept racing about whatthe fans thought, he didnt wanna disappoint them
But you had to remind him that whatever they say will not matter in the end as this was merely for fun, this was YOUR stream and you guys were gonna do what you want and nobody can have a say on it. (Maybe except Lucifer)
You usually talk for him with your bubbly personality, and to calm his nerves, he hs your pinky wraped around his where the camera can't see it.
Regardless, his thoughts subsided as you two delve into your stream that lasted a solid 7 hours, you definitely promised your chat that you and Levi will be doing more streams together from now on.
Once the cameras cut and yall are left alone, Both of you collapse on bed, and despite you being asleep already, Levi was just far too giddy as everything dwells on him.
Having a player 2 by his side now had never felt so intoxicating and he as just so lucky to have you.
{How does he feel about your streams?}
He obviously adores it, although some streams he wouldnt join just so he can play games on his own
He's still an introvert afterall, he needs his alone time
But he prefers that alone time with you, his Henry.
So when youre about to go stream, he kinda becomes a bit pouty, but with a simple promise of kisses (and maybe even more if youd like) he would let you go, but his attention would disappear from his game altogether.
He might just end up watching you instead
May or may not, at some point, just chat you and ask if its too late to join you
You do allow him to join you and play from the comforts of his room as both of you can simply play via internet, you give him the comfort to not turn on his mic or webcam either and you have no idea how he appreciates that.
Will definitely fight someone online when they start claiming you as theirs (-cough- stans) Please make sure it doesnt escalate to him summoning Lotan
Although the comments would often get to him, and as much as he can fight them online, he still does find himself pondering if they were true, so you need to give him a lotta lovin and reminder that he is your player 1 and no one else can ever fill that place.
------
Wow 3 brothers this time, what an improvement, anyways hope yall enjoy! I think its pretty clear who I simp for depending o nthe length of each lol, but do let me know if you guys want a part 2 for the rest of the brothers, or even the undateables!
349 notes · View notes
chimcharstar · 5 years ago
Note
1-100 TELL ME ALL
Get To Know Me Uncomfortably Well
1. What is you middle name?
Jesse
2. How old are you?
22
3. When is your birthday?
dec 9
4. What is your zodiac sign?
sagittarius
5. What is your favorite color?
purples
6. What’s your lucky number?
9
7. Do you have any pets?
no
8. Where are you from?
bc canada. my great grandparents are from russia
9. How tall are you?
5 something
10. What shoe size are you?
7?
11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
3 that i actually use
12. What was your last dream about?
i dont remember my most recent one but i had a banger of a dream i described in another post
13. What talents do you have?
i think expressing myself, or music, i have some talent that needs discipline
14. Are you psychic in any way?
well i am a spiritual person, in a way. and growing up in a toxic drama filled family, i have Developed the Skill of guessing how people are feeling and what they are gonna do. and i analyze dreams. so not psychic but i am really interested and intuitive whats goin on in there
15. Favorite song?
for some reason https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oilVq8-F4_Q colours by roosevelt ive been obsessed with lately i just loop that shit. loop loop loop. blaringit into my ears and speedwalking down thestreet. the beat.!!!! i feel like I  took all the colours
16. Favorite movie?
spiderverse. i really enjoyed always be my maybe.
17. Who would be your ideal partner?
someone who doesnt make me feel like im Too Much
18. Do you want children?
not RIGHT NOW
19. Do you want a church wedding?
i have no idea actually. id want a special wedding definitely.
20. Are you religious?
yes, i honestly feel like i just come like this, i dont go by any books and i dont want to be associated with christians. if i be too religious i start getting the Bad Feelings
21. Have you ever been to the hospital?
yes visiting sick relatives. and one in a psyche ward.
22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?
i got a parking ticket
23. Have you ever met any celebrities?
no. maybe i did and i had no idea who they were because id never heard of them
24. Baths or showers?
showers.
25. What color socks are you wearing?
alien socks that are green and black
26. Have you ever been famous?
no. what does that even mean !!!!
27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?
yes because money but noooooo. its hard when one person definitely doesnt like me. if im famous some people just wont like me and theres going to be more of them
28. What type of music do you like?
stuff with electric guitars in it. funk. bops. i cant get enough lately
29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?
no
30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
one. and sometimes NONE. i dont fucking know why its just more comfortable. id lie down on a floor and pass out
31. What position do you usually sleep in?
i usually cant fall asleep unless im on my face with my arms tucked under me for warmpth and general log shape. after that though its chaos. dreamin
32. How big is your house?
BIG!!!!!! so many rooms. so many people. 
33. What do you typically have for breakfast?
on a Functional day, cereal. not because its my favourite thing but it doesnt require a lot of attention and its easiest to tolerate. my appetite is just. like this
34. Have you ever fired a gun?
HELL no.
35. Have you ever tried archery?
in my child days i shot my hair elastics around and pretended i was fighting aliens. this is definitely archery.
36. Favorite clean word?
i dont really think about words like that. pizza is a nice word.
37. Favorite swear word?
bitch. its really fun to say.
38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?
not all that long. if i was up the entire night i am usually sleeping in midday no matter where i am. ive disappointed many teachers. its called not caring.
39. Do you have any scars?
yes, but theres no dramatic stories to them, just me not leaving scratches and bites alone as a kid. they look kind of cool though. and theyre so mysterious. youd think id have scars from self harm but no.
40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?
i believe so...
41. Are you a good liar?
yes, when i am 100% like morally committed to lying.
42. Are you a good judge of character?
NO. my thought process is: its rude to assume someone is going to behave badly, and they will be offended and have hurt feelings if you anticipate that. i have to like. treat everyone with exactly the same respect unless theyre a dick. otherwise its being judgmental. and it ends up as naïveté. but im okay with that . the price of being a good person
43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?
i could do a british one once i guess LOL and it looks like now ive Absorbed a mexican accent but i never really try to talk in other accents
44. Do you have a strong accent?
i dont know how to answer this
45. What is your favorite accent?
idk i like new things i havent heard before. and thinking about how other languages work. theres a lot of different accents at my work and i honestly enjoy listening to them
46. What is your personality type?
that.... INFJ. see. psychic
47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?
one of the gay jackets
48. Can you curl your tongue?
dont think so
49. Are you an innie or an outie?
innie
50. Left or right handed?
left
51. Are you scared of spiders?
depends. i had these big house spiders in my dungeon at my parents house, and id just be “hi” and set them free. but if i see one where im not expecting it i might yell a lot and tell everyone and run around and then set it free
52. Favorite food?
tacos from my old work. i was indeed. screaming, lost in the sauce. i waited until i was away from the restaurant because i knew all my dignity would vanish
53. Favorite foreign food?
idk... i need to eat more curry. i need more curryin my life. bring it on.
54. Are you a clean or messy person?
clean
55. Most used phrased?
“this slaps” i feel like ive been saying that a lot
56. Most used word?
I
57. How long does it take for you to get ready?
a whole entire fucking hour (when i wake up) otherwise 5min
58. Do you have much of an ego?
i do, but i hide it. 
59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?
chomp chomp. i am not a patient man.
60. Do you talk to yourself?
yes, when i know no ones around, or when im not worried about seeming like a crazy person at work
61. Do you sing to yourself?
nah
62. Are you a good singer?
no. i can sing and it sound okay.  nice even. but good??? like beautiful?????? no.
63. Biggest Fear?
someone dying, natural disaster, new illness
64. Are you a gossip?
maybe. i feel like i have the Tendencies and then im like “am i being a bad person right now”. i want to know the deets though.
65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?
i Simply Dont Have the Attention for Those
66. Do you like long or short hair?
BOTH . long hair is more fun to draw. short hair is hot
67. Can you name all 50 states of America?
fuck no. why would i. fuck off. i dont care about your states.
68. Favorite school subject?
ART ART AR T
69. Extrovert or Introvert?
introerverte
70. Have you ever been scuba diving?
no
71. What makes you nervous?
people who are not Definitely Cheerful
72. Are you scared of the dark?
no. unless i think about things to scare myself on purpose
73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?
no unless they need to know. because im not a fucking ANIMAL
74. Are you ticklish?
depends. i can be not ticklish if im determined.
75. Have you ever started a rumor?
i dont think so... i started a rumor i was from mars
76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?
maybe i was supposed to train some girls and then i probably didnt do a great job and they didnt listen. they say my job now is somewhat authority and im like...... ok...... 
77. Have you ever drank underage?
no
78. Have you ever done drugs?
no
79. Who was your first real crush?
someone whos OUTTA MY LIFE
80. How many piercings do you have?
two? i got them pierecd at claires lmao and i didnt get an infection because im  so salty. then i took them out because they were from claries
81. Can you roll your Rs?“
hell yes
82. How fast can you type?
so fucking fast. faster than my work finder helper. im fast im very fast
83. How fast can you run?
IM VERY FAST
84. What color is your hair?
orange
85. What color is your eyes?
green
86. What are you allergic to?
im still trying to figure that out. whatever it is gives me hives
87. Do you keep a journal?
yes. so i can get better at handwriting and just talking in general and hear what my voice sounds like. and to have a space away from other peoples needs and pressures
88. What do your parents do?
my mom is a stay at home mom and my dad shoots pop bottles into the sky
89. Do you like your age?
sure
90. What makes you angry?
everything. cabbage. i swore about cabbage for a long time the other day. i am just full of anger. 
91. Do you like your own name?
YES. i mean i chose it i better. honestly my first name ......... i feel self conscious about it sometimes. i think it was the only name for me though. it wasnt the ideal most wonderful namei could find because those didnt fit, it was MY name.
92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?
im going to have two sons and im naming them brick and rusty.
93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?
yeah, i want a boy a girl
94. What are you strengths?
my strengths doing all 100 questions, this is serious muscles
95. What are your weaknesses?
the exhaustion of jumping from one question to the next especially when they are vague. im not complaining this was my idea
96. How did you get your name?
i pfound it in the baby name book and i was lie  “hey yyy, i saw that name in black beauty, lets use it for my gay coded villain what the hell!”
97. Were your ancestors royalty?
no but i did have some ancestors who lives i a mansions andhad fucking SERVANTS. before you call me problematic my other part of family was like sewing things and not going to school 
98. Do you have any scars?
weve been over this. when im older im going to get a cool scar fighting a dragon
99. Color of your bedspread?
pink, white, blue
100. Color of your room?
white
1 note · View note
dreammutual-remade · 7 years ago
Text
high school!mark
Tumblr media
request: highschool!mark if u love me plspls
 word count: 5.5k
a/n: lucky that I love u anon hehehehe !!!!! also wOW I didnt mean to make this so god damn long itS REALLY JUST THESE GOD DAMN HIGH SCHOOL AUS IM WEAK FOR THEM OKAY. look at this cutie hOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO RESIST
mark, renjun, jeno, donghyuck, jaemin, chenle, jisung
warnings: the usual intermittent cussing and probably an inappropriate joke or two
this au is my Ultimate Weakness it makes me soft as hell alright
………………….
LETS DIVE IN
okay so your mom has a job that forces your family to move around….. A LOT
and while you’ve gotten used to it for the most part it still sucks having to leave people behind and make completely new friends once every couple of years
this time you’re moving to a new school for your SENIOR YEAR and you’re livid
bc like ??? it’s senior year and you have exactly zero (0) friends since you’re new,,, yet again
you Threw A Fit when you found out but your mom was like shut up you ingrate soon you’ll be in college and won’t even have to worry about it
so you, an ingrate, shut up :/
you move in a month before school starts and the house is nice and your room is cute so that’s a plus !!!!!
you hang up some pictures and organize all your cute little trinkets you’ve collected over the years aw
you’ve even got a lil succulent garden growing on your windowsill
ITS CUTE AS HELL OKAY
alright so you’re gonna go explore around town because you , don’t know where anything is and you wanna find some good spots to hang
you take the bus into the middle of town because who tf is tryna drive themselves amirite ladies
support ur local bus driver
anywhom this isn’t a HUGE town but it’s one of those cute towns where you can pretty much walk anywhere you need to go
(god i wish that were me)
so you spend all day just, walkin
you find a library and pick up some books …….
both for decoration and reading okay
and you find a couple of restaurants and write them down to try later along with some coffee shops and whatnot
eventually you’re tired and prolly a lil sweaty bc it’s summer and you’re outside and ugh
so you find a nice big park and a tree and sit down at the base of it to read and mindlessly sketch things in the margins of your book
whEN OUT OF NOWHERE
someone shouts
“HEY WATCH OUT”
and you look up just in time to dodge a sOCCER BALL HURTLING TOWARDS YOUR FACE
it bounces off the tree and rolls a couple feet away
“uhhhh holy shit” - you
you just kind of sit there astonished for 5 seconds before you get up to get the ball and look around for who saved your LIFE
and there’s boy jogging toward you looking extremely embarrassed
you meet him halfway to hand him the ball and he’s like
“oh mY GOD i’m so sorry i told them to settle down but they never listen to me and jisung just ??? doesn’t know how to not take everything seriously and he lost and got pissed and kicked it and we didn’t even kNOW you were over here and also i’m so sorry”
you smile and tell him it’s fine and hand him the ball
you go to get back to your tree and he’s like hey uh you there uh wait up
god he’s awkward
and you turn around to face him with an expectant look
“so um, what’s your name? i haven’t seen you around here before and like in case i ever gotta make this up to you you know ??”
cute
you tell him your name and stick out your hand to shake and he grabs it very hesitantly and tells you his name is mark
he has , very warm hands and they’re only slightly bigger than yours but that’s still cUTE
MARK HAS BABY HANDS I DARE U TO SAY HE DOESNT
he says he hopes you enjoy your book and he’ll make sure the boys don’t disturb you anymore than they already have
you wave as he goes and he gives you a smile over his shoulder and his cheeks are tinged pink and wOw this boy is a cutie patootie
you go back to your reading but now instead of doodling you’re just writing his name or drawing his big doe eyes or his smooth hands
(((((let’s pretend we’re all good at drawing okay god knows i can’t do much more than a stick figure)))))
the boys leave after an hour or two and you leave pretty soon after then because the sun is setting and you gotta be home for dinner
basically your mom wants to make sure you aren’t kidnapped and/or lost in a new town
which, to be fair, is not that unlikely
you have your headphones in and you’re leaned against the bus window half asleep as you go
bitch wake up youRE GONNA MISS YOUR STOP
it’s the same bus driver who saw you get on and honestly there aren’t a lot of people on the bus so he makes sure you get off
“hey you, girl back there, hEY! this is your stop girly”
you thank him profusely and tip him because uhhhh u gotta get home and like Not Lost
you skip home with your bag of books and miscellaneous items you found at the thrift store!!!
you bought a little figurine of a dragon and she’s beautiful her name is saraphina because why not
that’s completely irrelevant i’m so sorry
i have ADHD
anywhom
you walk in and you’re all like hey momma !!! how goes it !!:3
and your mom is Sus™️ because why are you in such a good mood
and you’re like !!! cause i had a good day okay love u bye i’m going to my rOOM
don’t let her question anymore or else she’ll dig out that you met a Cute Boy
you go to your room and get out all your purchases and organize them while you still have the motivation to do so
and yeah
you use one of the blank notes to start like a lil drawing diary of sorts ???? like just to draw stuff in whenever you’re inspired or you see something pretty
and you definitely saw smth pretty today ;))))))))
hint: ITS MARK
you try to draw him from memory but it doesn’t look quite right and like :(((((( how sad is that what if you don’t even see him again
the rest of the month passes pretty quickly in the same fashion
by now you’ve befriended the bus driver and he tells you all the cool secret nooks and crannies of town for you to go find
he’s also your bff pretty much he always tells you about his daughter and all the cute things she does and you just talk about your life in general and he gives you advice
congrats you’ve unlocked Wise Uncle
he gives you directions to this teeny TINY flower shop where you befriend the old lady who works there by bringing a muffin everytime you go by
she trades you for a seasonal flower and makes a big deal out of tucking it behind your ear herself
basically you find all the cute old people in town and make them your friend because.
THATS CUTE
ADDED BONUS OF LIKE 17 PARENT FIGURES TO GIVE YOU ADVICE
this is accidentally straying into art hoe territory i hope y’all are okay w/ that
school is starting really soon and you’re nervous but also used to this so it doesn’t affect you as bad as normally
also you did meet some people so you aren’t going in with no friends but like, pretty close to no friends
on the first day of school you ride the bus and you see ???? mark ????? on your bus ????????
so you get on and do your daily greeting of the bus driver
his daughter lost her first tooth AW
you fake cry and he says “mood” and you lose it because you’re pushing internet culture onto this unsuspecting middle aged man skdkdkkd
you pat him on the shoulder as you walk back to find a seat but there are none because for some reason the bus is busy this early in the morning ????
you wouldn’t know lmao summer sleep schedule had you up at 10 at the earliest
so you go to stand and hold onto one of the poles in the center
(nearby our boy mark LEE)
mark looks up from his phone
these god damn millennials always on that damn phone
and he sees you and he’s like wHOA what’s up uhhh Soccer Ball Girl
and nice you remembered his name bUT HE DIDNT REMEMBER YOURS
but then he’s like nahhhh just kidding i remember ur name hey y/n !!!
you talk otw to school and find out you’re both seniors at the same school and how you’re excited for sports games and like, GRADUATING
mark keeps trying to offer you his seat but you refuse and he pouts everytime you say no :((((
good god just take the seat look at the sad baby boy :((((((((((((
there is an, occurrence
at one point the bus goes over a bump and you stumble a little and mark reaches up to catch you before you literally fall on him
his hands fly out and grab you by the hips to steady you since he’s sitting and you’re standing and he can’t exactly reach your shoulders sO YEA
or at least that’s his explanation in his head huehuehuehe
his hands linger for MAYBE 10 seconds before he whips them back into his pockets and blushes while you thank him
you: are also blushing
the bus driver: completely did that on purpose
when you get off the bus your Second Dad tells you good luck and pats you on the head and mark is like ???? do you know him
and you’re like yeah that’s my man maurice we’re buds
and he’s like ???? i’ve rode that bus all my life to school and i’m not buds with him wtf :/
“srry you’re not as lovable as me!! jealousy is a disease <3”
and he laughs his dorky laugh
you highkey are smiling so big because this boy is so cute and he’s walking close enough that your shoulders brush every once in a while and he has a silly laugh and AW
as you walk into the school marks group of Boys starts waving him over excitedly and he turns in their direction but then stops when he sees you aren’t following
“hey whatcha doin???”
“well uhhh those are Your Boys you know and i’m, i don’t, really, uh they don’t know me”
“aw cmon they’ll love you!!! look ill just introduce you and if they’re terrible and annoying you can leave”
“........ i gue-“
but he’s already grabbed your hand and is pulling you over to them
“sup fellas this is y/n and she just moved here this year so don’t be too overwhelming.”
the smaller one with the highish voice chimes in
“aww but overwhelming is my only setting”
“then just don’t be yourself, chenle”
“heYYY it’s that girl i almost killed in the park !!! so sorry about that by the way”
he introduces them to you one by one and they all shake your hand
jisung is the one with the big ass yaoi hands and also the one who almost ended your young life
jaemin is the one with pretty smile
jeno is the one with the squishy eyes
renjun is the Art Hoe of the group you can just tell
he’s wearing some got damn overalls you gotta befriend him immediately
donghyuck is the one with beautiful skin and a v high voice you’re highkey like hey but can you dROP THE SKINCARE ROUTINE and he’s like “i just wash my face every day xoxo :*”
you quickly learn who is a piece of shit and who isn’t
you figure out who has classes with you and then set off for the day !!
mark has gym and economics with you but those are after lunch :(((
he squeezes your shoulder before he leaves and says good luck though so you’ll survive
you have art with renjun first and this boy is your bestie already
he’s such a sarcastic shit and he too likes drawing random things and vandalizing school textbooks with artistically correct memes
he also has the AUDACITY
“so, you and mark already ;););)(;);)))”
“i uh don’t know what you mean by that”
“you SO do!!!!! you guys walked into school together everyone probably already thinks you’re a thing”
“oh shit really??? ah i feel so bad”
“is that a bad thing???”
“i mean yeah i’m not tryna Tarnish mark’s reputation”
“that is some self hatred bs he would be lucky to have you !!!!”
“renjun you don’t even know me that well yet”
“i know enOUGH”
you just uhh change the subject which renjun def notices but like
who cares
renjun apparently also goes to the same flower shop as you !!!
you find out because you see him drawing the front of it and you’re like heY i’ve been there my girl edna works there !!!!! she insist i call her grandma tho
and he’s all oh sHIT that’s my girl too !!!!!!
long story short edna is now your shared grandmother
now THAT is some uwu shit
you go about your day and it’s lunchtime and yOU uh don’t know where to sit :(
you see a girl that you met who works at the little coffee shop you like so you set off in her direction and you’re almost there when jeno and jaemin walk up and sling an arm around your shoulder from either side
“hEY BUDDY” -jeno
“SUP SQUIRT” -jaemin
and they start steering you in another direction towards their own table
“god of all nicknames you had to give me sQUIRT”
“yes it’s because you’re cute and small like squirtle”
“that’s a god damn reach if i’ve ever seen one but okay”
you get there and they practically TOSS you into the seat next to mark
he winces and gives you and apologetic pat on the back before starting the conversation
“alright so who actually did the summer reading”
as the table bursts into Absolute Ruckus you just kind of sit back and watch
mark notices you being quiet and while renjun and chenle are arm wrestling he leans over to quietly be like
“hey you doin okay over there? are they too much”
“oh not at all i’m just takin it in lmao”
“yeah that’s understandable. they’re easily the most entertaining group of people you’ll ever meet but also i’ve wanted to strangle every single one of them at least once”
“what are you 30??? you talk about them like you’re their mom”
“i mean someone’s gotta do it”
you and mark talk all throughout lunch and head to gym together since that’s next
exercising right after eating ??? sounds like a GREAT plan thanks so much public school system !!!!
you go to pull out your bag of gym clothes but ??? all you’ve got is shorts ?????
S H I T
you start whining because you’re like aWW i’m gonna get in trouble :(((((
and he’s like here i have like 12 shirts in here because i always bring too many and then leave some when i got soccer practice i gotchu
(he gives you the clean shirt that hasn’t been sitting in his locker <3333 what a guy)
you thank him proFUSELY and then go to the girls locker room to change
the shirt is too big and you don’t wanna look like a Bag so you tie a lil knot in it in the front
you don’t look like a thot tho you just look Cute As Fuck
some girl in the locker room lets you borrow a hair tie and off we go !!!
it’s the first day so everyone literally just stretches and sits around talking
you’ve hashtag LOST mark and you don’t have any friends yet so you’re just chillin talking to the girl who gave you a hair tie because she seems nice and you got nothin better to do
you’re explaining to her how to take care of a succulent /properly/ when mark catches a basketball that was headed right for you yelling a watch it !!!! over his shoulder
he turns to you and giggles a little, nudging your foot with his
“you’re just a danger magnet aren’t you”
“i mean danger is my middle name so”
“uGH get your ass over here away from all those freshman hoodlums who think they can play”
you wave bye to your friend because there’s literal fear in her eyes at the sight of mark ??
you ask her what’s wrong later and she’s like oh it’s not him i just have a crippling fear of boys
(that’s a mood)
you and mark pass a volleyball back and forth and fuck around pretty much all period
this is actually the one (1) sport he isn’t good at thank GOD you were worried he had no flaws
at the end of the class you ask him if he wants his shirt back and he says, and i quote,
“nah you and your thot knot can keep it, looks cuter on you anyways”
you smack his arm for calling you a thot but then thank him anyways for the shirt and for calling you cute :))))))))
econ passes the same way except normal clothing and no sports
although mark does throw a wadded up piece of paper on you that says u want 2 hang w the boys n me after school ? if yes then breathe if no do a backflip
this headass boy
you throw it back so it bounces off his forehead and then nod to confirm you will
you don’t have any of the boys in your last class and you don’t where to meet up so you just kind of loiter by your locker since jeno’s is pretty close to yours and maybe they’ll meet here ????
luckily jisung spots you and is like hey what r u doin here aren’t u hanging with us after school??? cmon
you follow him out to the parking lot where they’re all gathered around jeno and jaemins vehicles because apparently they’re the only ones with actual cars
rip
they start waving too excitedly when they see you and mark smiles all big
wooOOO baby boy already has a crush on you :3
they’ve apparently already decided to go to chenles house because apparently he’s fuckin loaded
you don’t believe that for a sECOND because he’s wearing crocs and an old ass polo shirt but
we’ll see
you mark and renjun ride with jaemin while the Babies ride with jeno since he is able to ignore them being crackheads in the backseat and drive his vehicle without crashing
apparently they’ve cause multiple vehicular accidents ??? possibly the reason renjun doesn’t have a car ???????
who knows
y’all have a blast in jaemins car tho playing tokyo drift from the third fast and furious movie if u haven’t heard that shit plEASE GO LISTEN WHAT A SONG HEHEHHEHHEHE
you pull into this BIG ASS house and you’re like no fucking way dude
and everyone else in the car simultaneously says
“i know right ???”
y’all pull in and go inside and it’s real nice holy SHIT
chenle comes in cackling followed closely be jisung and more sedately by jeno who looks ready to fckin die
you pat him on the shoulder and go you did well, soldier
he salutes solemnly before breaking out into the smile
y’all know the one
you UWU right there on the spot but hold yourself back from poking his cheek and cooing
chenle then SCREECHES and yells
“WHO IS TRYNA PLAY JUST DANCE”
and everyone crowds into his living room
somehow the couch is big enough to fit all of you comfortably that’s fckin impressive
you play just dance for 3 whole ass hours and now you’re Tired and Ready To Go Home
there’s a bus stop nearby and you insist upon walking since jaemin already have you a ride here and you didn’t even have gas money to give him :(((
mark goes to since you have to catch the same bus
you hum as you skip around the sidewalk and he walks behind you smiling fondly while you twirl around
he recognizes the song and whistles along and wow !!!!
Harmony™️
when you get to the stop you’re like 5 mins early
so to entertain yourselves you play rock paper scissors and each time the winner gets to flick the loser on the forehead
mark is a sweet boy so he flicks softly but you go all out
wouldn’t be surprised if he had a bruise tmrw girly u need to chill
you sit on the bus together when it arrives since there’s actually room now and he slumps down low until his head is pretty much rested on your shoulder
(our man maurice sees and is like GET IT GIRL but only so you notice and you make threatening hand motions at him)
you’re not sure if he’s asleep so you stay extra still just in case
and no one needs to know you rested your cheek on top of his head
but when it gets to your stop you’re like mark? mark lee??? mork ???? wake up ??? and you nudge him a little with your shoulder and he sits up and rubs his eyes aW
he slow blinks at you and goes
“hm?”
and you’re like i uh gotta go now
and he’s like :/// okay i’ll see you tomorrow and stands up and gives you a half hug before you go
maurice is DYING in the front you’re going to kill him
you walk home with a smile on your face and again your mom is suspicious of your good mood but you’re like aw it’s nothin just had a good day at school made lots of friends !!!!!!
as summer turns into fall you make more friends but you mostly hang out with the boys because they’re funny and nice to you and also Mark is there and we love our boy
you guys all attend football games together and go absolutely ALL OUT for whatever the theme is
for example: the theme was halloween and you all dressed as god damn SMURFS
it was legendary there was not one bit of you all that wasn’t covered in blue paint
jisung almost fought some girl who thought he was from the movie Avatar until everyone was like jisung cHILL OUT ITS NOT HER FAULT YOURE VERY TALL AND COMPLETELY BLUE
and well
can’t argue with that
it gets chillier though so you all bring blankets and cuddle most of the games
all of the boys suspiciously aren’t cold at first until you and mark share a blanket
they’re so obvious GOD
with each time y’all share you get more relaxed around each other until eventually mark has one arm slung around you and your legs are hooked over one of his thighs while y’all Snuggle
renjun waggles his eyebrows at you every five minutes and you discreetly give him the finger every time
little ASSHOLE
college applications are due like. right now
you all apply to a nice university close by as a backup/safe place and then apply to more brazy places just to see if you can get in
everyone’s been real stressed lately so you’re like !!!!! hey imma throw a friendsgiving party !!! yeehaw !!!!!!!!!
and you invite all of them over
“everyone bring smth and i’ll bake a ham or smth,,, i swear to GOD if all of you show up with store-bought pumpkin pie. i will kill you and then myself”
“what’s with you and pumpkin pie?”
“jUST. don’t”
((((srry i’m projecting my hatred of pumpkin pie onto u reader heheehehheh))))
everyone comes over and it’s really chilly so you have a fire in the fireplace and you have a couple of your gal pals over too
your mom is nice enough to leave y’all alone for the night and she’s not hurt since it’s not real thanksgiving
we stan moms
you bring out the ham and someone has brought green beans and mark ,,,, tHAT ANGEL he brought cornbread stuffing do y’all know what i’m talking abt
OOO THAT STUFF IS GOOD
and there’s sweet potatoes and apple pie and all the Thanksgiving Essentials
jisung wanted to be a dick so he brought cranberry jelly
“why don’t you have some:) cranberry preserves:) , jisung” -you, every 30 seconds
everyone sits down to eat and it’s LOUD so you’re like shut UP !!!!!!!!!!
“every1 say smth ur thankful for :3333”
“my family !!!!”
“you guys <3”
“awW BOOO” - everyone, while throwing things at jaemin
“my life !!”
“that i’m happy”
“gay” -chenle
“minecraft”
anyways no one took it seriously until it got to mark
“i’m grateful y/n moved here :))))))”
everyone goes KSKDDIDI and you blush and you’re like okay ily mark JSKKD
everyone EATS A LOT and then you go sit in a pile in the living room
you go to make hot chocolate for everyone and when you come back it’s , interesting how there’s only room for you next to mark . hm
you pass out the hot chocolate and everyone reaches Maximum Sleepytime
at this point you’re too tired to give a fuck and you just flop onto the couch next to mark and curl up into his side
he puts his arm around you to pull you close and this mf presses a tiny barely there kiss to your temple
you look up and like talk with your eyes
did u just
i did
oh
yeah
and then you just settle back down
it’s too crowded in here for any Moves to be Made
bUT YALL BEST BELIEVE WHEN ALL THESE YOUNGINS GET OUT UR HOUSE
you’ve got the karate kid on bc ??? who doesn’t love the karate kid and all of your cutie friends are asleep in various places
but once it gets super late you start waking people up and going hey i love you but your mom called mine like 8 times you gotta gO
you make sure everyone is awake fully if they’re driving and to text you when they got home safe
at long last
you’re alone
in your house
with mark
actually where is mark
mark has disappeared ?????
you start looking around for him and find him in your room ???
“you snoopin thru my things ??!?!??”
he jumps and is like uHH but you’re like nah you’re fine idc
so he continues and he was really just lookin at what kind of books you have and the little drawings and paintings and knick knacks everywhere
you just sit on your bed and observe him
let’s be real he’s nice to look at and you’d be perfectly fine doing this for uhhh the rest of your life
he pulls a book off your shelf and starts flipping through it until he pauses at a page
and his face blooms into this big smile and he looks hella giddy
and you’re like uhh hey whatcha lookin at there bud
and he just keep smiling and it’s a little smug now wtf
“when were you reading this?”
“oh uh i don’t know i got it this summer at that cute little bookshop”
“was it, by chance, the day we met?”
“i mean maybe??? why ????”
and he shows you the page and it’s tHAT oNE WHERE YOU WERE DOODLING BITS OF HIM AND WRITING HIS NAME ALL OVER IT
FUCK !!!!!!!
you immediately turn tomato red and snatch the book in to hold it tightly to your chest
“uhhh i do that with uhhhh eVerYONE I MEET”
“aw i thought i was special:((((”
he’s creeping closer to you this whole time until he’s INCHES AWAY
he gently pulls the book out of your hands and places it aside before grabbing your wrists and uncrossing your arms
“personally, i think it’s really cute”
you blush even more this man knows what he’s doing
you mumble a thanks with your eyes trained on his fuzzy socks what a dork
he releases one of your wrists to push your chin up so he can look you in the eyes
“do you really do that with everyone you meet?”
“,,,,,,, no it’s just you”
“alright cool”
and then he wraps his arms around your waist to pull you close til you’re pressed together chest to chest AW
he nudges his nose against yours and you close your eyes because your god daMN HEART IS POUNDING AND YOU CANT LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THOSE BIG PUPPY EYES
he presses the sweetest and gentlest of kisses to each cheek and then to the top of your nose
he presses one last lingering kiss on your forehead before he tilts his chin down to press your lips together
it’s so soft and innocent wow i’m going to SHED TEARS WRITING THIS
and he pulls away and you press your face into his neck in embarrassment
he chuckles a lil and rubs your back, leaning his cheek against your head
“hey, you down there”
you say “yeah?” but your voice is muffled by his neck and it’s more like eh ???
“my girlfriend y/n will you be ???”
what the fuck
you pull your head back so you can look at his face which is turning steadily redder
“uh what”
“shIT uh i meant will you uh bemygirlfriend”
your confused expression turns into a shit eating grin and you’re like
“what was that :)))) i didn’t hear you :)))))”
he groans and rests his forehead on your shoulder and pitifully whines out
“please be my girlfriend :(((((“
you pick his face up and hold it between your palms and he pouts playfully
“well how could i say no to that face”
and you smooch him right on those lil pouted lips
“yes i’ll be your girlfriend”
he smiles real big and smooshes you against him aw
wow so now you’re mark lee’s gf
LUCKY BITCH
lowkey you get a few threats but as soon as mark catches wind of that he stands on the statue in front of the school and announces that if anyone has a problem with you they’ve got a problem with him !!!!
and he looks like: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
you drag him down while apologizing to everyone in the general vicinity
mark is. veRY CLINGY NOW
i mean no complaints here it’s just
wow
you’ll be standing at your locker when BAM mark is wrapped around you from behind and you get a hey baby how’s ur day right in your ear
in gym class he restrains himself since the coaches are always like LEE KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF
but he always whines after and is like
:((((( but you look so cute in my shirt i wanna squish you
whenever mark comes over you force him to let you draw him at least once
each time it gets easier since you’ve started to memorize the details of his face and the knuckles of his hands and the shape of his shoulders
a lot of times he just comes over to watch movies and talk
he’s not an eloquent guy
(“you all look like pretty grass :)))” - mark lee)
but he gets what he needs to say out and he enjoys listening to you talk about whatever’s on your mind
you’ve started a glow in the dark star sticker collection to put on your ceiling and each time he comes over you put a constellation up there
so you’ll lay in bed and turn off the lights and just stare at the ceiling and try to name them all
soon you’ll just get sleepy though and press your face into his chest
he uwu’s every time :((((
after he’s done being astonished by his Baby™️ he’ll wrap his arms around you and stroke a hand up and down your spine wow
Real Relaxation Hours
your mom will come home and find y’all asleep and then SHE uwu’s and it’s just one big cute MESS
he loves to kiss you right as he’s leaving like he’ll lay one on you then RUN to the bus stop
p.s. maurice is on y’all every day saying he called it AY
his other favorite kisses are when he catches you off guard and just turns you around and kisses you and you’re like
I’m Confused But I Like This
lots of sweet pecks throughout the day and then longer slower stuff when you’re home and alone and relaxing
leaves hickeys on your neck literally just to be annoying
it’s oKAY THO DONT TELL HIM YOU LIKE IT
months pass and youve said your first “i love you’s” to each other and renjun is always like so when y’all gettin married huh
you both SMACK him simultaneously
but lowkey you would marry mark he’s the best and you love him so wHY NOT
but it’s early and you know that and you’re happy with what you have now :))))))
pls love and support our hardworking baby mark lee he is doing his best and i love him goodnight
763 notes · View notes
trendingnewsb · 7 years ago
Text
MIA: This is a white country, you dont have to spell it out to me
Maya Arulpragasam is bringing dancehall, hip-hop and grime to this years Meltdown. Is the outspoken British Sri Lankan the best argument for positive cultural appropriation?
The Guardian said that you couldnt shag to my record. As conversational openers go, MIAs beats the banal niceties of, say, Hello, how are you doing?. Its no surprise that she charges straight into a chat about why her last album was considered too confrontational for the bedroom by this paper. Its an icebreaker moulded to MIAs very own design: abrasive, compelling, underpinned by sex. Yeah, she finally concedes with a grin when I suggest we move past it, you cant have it all, can you?
Its a theme she warms up to when we talk about her edition of Meltdown at the Southbank Centre, which were ostensibly here to discuss. Usually, I wouldnt do something like this, she says, slouched under an oversized khaki coat dress. [But the organisers] were like: Hey, you can do whatever you want. Still, putting on the South Banks annual festival, curated in previous years by the likes of David Bowie, David Byrne and Patti Smith, has turned out to be a fairly arduous affair for MIA who says she doesnt do computers at the moment.
They didnt tell me it was nine days long. I thought it was a weekend. And then all my lists were, like, Well, this person wont be in London and that person is doing Glastonbury. Organising festivals is actually really complicated, she stresses. It wasnt just about dreaming something and then it appeared. Programming literally means, like, programming.
For all that Maya Arulpragasam didnt quite know what she was letting herself in for, one suspects the Southbank Centre didnt either; logistics aside, the mornings photoshoot has already been met with some flapping from the press officer made nervous by MIA climbing on the roof without safety clearance. Still, her lineup dancehall, Brooklyn hip-hop, depressive Swedish rap and Nigerian grime is perhaps the most underground the festival has seen in its 24 years. How much is she expecting to shake up its comfortable concert halls, cafe bars and conference-room spaces?
youtube
Click here to watch the video for last years Go Off.
When I was a teenager in London, I would just get a Travelcard and go somewhere, explore the city and go to weird places, she says. I would never judge the place, like, This is middle class and white. This is a white country, you dont have to spell it out to me, but there wasnt ever a limit on where I could go or what I could do.
A long, elliptical digression on London then and now follows, which takes in the optimistic multiculturalism of the 90s, Tamil house parties, empire and British identity. Its the bento box of an MIA interview: individually contained ideas that dont obviously bleed into one another and yet, overall, make a collective sense if youre prepared to go with it. Thats the key thing about MIA: you have to be willing to go with her to properly get her. Given that she still looks and sounds like a beautiful, bratty, art-school upstart and is prone to labyrinthine tangents, its easy to portray her as inarticulate or unhinged. But MIAs intelligence is instinctive rather than intellectual, and fuelled by the political.
The Mehrabian maxim that reckons that only 7% of communication is verbal is one that might best be proven by the transcript of a chat with MIA removed of all tone, attitude, context and body language. Take, for instance, her explanation of why only the future remains relevant:
As humans, we dont use our past and our history to work out the importance of what our role is in the present, she says. And if you cant use the past to define your present, then it should not be an element that holds back the future. Greece is a perfect example. More than Britain, they were brought to their knees, and not a single white country thought about saving them. And it was part of their heritage. Its where their mythology comes from or their concept of capitalism and democracy comes from. Nobody cared, everybody cared about the modern. Right?
Kim Kardashian is actually more powerful than Greece. She has more money than the whole of Greece, she continues. Therefore, thats where the power lies. If you then define it that way, then you kind of just have to live with that. And maybe whats happening in modern society: that if youre going to judge it by that, then other countries are gonna come in and define the future.
In print, its a statement that seems lacking in logic and coherence. In the moment, Im fairly sure Im able to follow her and we go on to consider how and where this future is being defined (for the record: You cant ignore the fact that China is going to be doing their thing in the next 50 years) and how Arulpragasam believes the immigration issue has become a red herring covering up a truth that can explain the American and British swing to conservative populism.
With Brexit, the idea was to get away from Europe and reinvent our identity, she says. And really, that identity was going to be American, but then they gave us Trump! So, everyone now is like, Oh shit, what is Britain? Are we going to rewind back to the 1800s? We cant. Its too late for that. So, going forward, we need a charismatic leader who then va va vooms the British identity. And we dont have that either.
People thinking that Im a bitch is totally unwarranted … MIA. Photograph: Stephanie Sian Smith/The Guide
The prime minister has called a snap election on the day we meet. Does MIA have any faith in our political system? Or in the left?
Everyone keeps going, Corbyn cant do this, but its, like, well, who else is there? she says. If people just left him alone to actually do the job and actually gave him some support, maybe hed be different. Treating him with so much contempt fighting that takes all his energy. How the fuck do you expect him to do interesting things? In any case insists the estranged daughter of a Tamil revolutionary, politicians are people who couldnt get jobs somewhere else.
MIAs politics, unwieldy and unslick though they may be, have often made her an easy target for tedious sneering in the press; the most insistent narrative is that, like Banksy, shes big on arch, subversive statement but lacks substance. Or that she is a hypocrite for making herself the poster girl for the worlds most marginalised people. And yet, shes one of the best pop stars Britain has ever produced. For all the ear-clanging experimentation of her five albums, MIA has always kept a sleeve full of pop bangers Bucky Done Gun, Paper Planes, Bad Girls, Finally that have sounded like little that came before or since her. Even if she didnt have the tunes, here is an art-school refugee Sri Lankan single mother with a visual aesthetic co-opted by everyone from Vetements to Versace who was born into political rebellion and revels in controversy. Gleefully gauche and carefree, MIA is the best argument for when cultural appropriation works. Bland singer-songstress beloved of Radio 2 playlists she isnt. So how much has the criticism bothered her?
People thinking that Im a bitch is totally unwarranted because Im not, she ays. I just had to fight for shit, and I still do. I just dont care any more. I dont know. She stops and starts. What I deal with as an artist, the media, the public persona, its a walk in the fucking park, compared to how confusing the universe really fucking is. Theres so much beauty in it and theres so much mystery, theres so much confusing shit in it. That is way more interesting to think about than why, like, Patricia hates me. You know what I mean? I laugh. Its like, Who the fuck is Patricia? and How can Patricia say this shit about me?. It just does not matter to me at all.As it is, she says shes most preoccupied with how to be a functioning grown up, an adult and a mother to an eight-year-old son (whose father Benjamin Bronfman is son to the billionaire heir of the Seagram fortune) born into immense privilege.
When the war came to an end in Sri Lanka in 2009, it actually did affect me, she explains. Everyone was, like, What the fuck does she know? Shes, like, a pop star, but that was my life. It was 50% of who I was, it was my identity. I didnt know what to do with myself. So I had a kid. Its the year the cause died, but the year my personal cause my son was born. And then, OK, I have to figure out what to do in very small parameters: I have a son, how is he going to see his grandma, am I going to make it there on Saturday? Can I make sure that I dont mess up his head by being depressed about certain things?
She struggles to reconcile her upbringing poor and living in Sri Lanka for her childhood to poor and living on a council estate in Mitcham, south London, in her adolescence with her sons. Im not very straightforward as an immigrant. That whole My kids would never see the pain that I saw; Im not like that. Im totally up for reintroducing him to the pain. I dont have any qualms about that. Her problems havent changed, she says, because of money or better circumstances. Whether Im in a mansion or a council flat, I would feel the same anxiety waking up going: I need to write this thing in a scrapbook, wheres my notepad? I would still have all those problems. I might still overcook the fish fingers. Those things are not going to magically transform because your house has changed. At the beginning I thought that money couldve saved my family. Very quickly I realised that money is not the thing.
Her conflict in wanting to being huge and commercial versus credible and ahead of the curve has been a persistent tension threaded through MIAs career. When I got into the music game, it was never an option to shut up and make lots of money. she says. To be a huge pop star, I would have to be, like, Yes, I think bombing Afghanistan was a great idea, I love our democracy and what it has achieved. I love the American flag and Im going to make a jumpsuit out of it. I just think it was important to have all of those Arab Springs, and its great and lets drink Coca-Cola. I had to do that, and do it all in a thong. Could I have done that if it meant that my mum had the nicest house in Chiswick by the river?
youtube
Click here to se the video for MIAs Bad Girls.
Does she worry about money now? If youre preaching living within your means, you have to, to some extent. But I also know that if youre someone in society that speaks out about injustice or political issues, one of the things that happens is that you get economically punished, 100%. I take that hit all the time.
The most recent, obvious example was MIA being forced to quit her headline slot at Afropunk last year, following a contentious quote in which she asked in an interview why Beyonc and Kendrick Lamar might not discuss why Muslim lives matter or Syrian lives matter. I dont regret [raising the issue], she says, with triumphant chutzpah. You saw how bad it was. And the Muslim ban didnt happen just with Trump, it was already happening under Obama. But you couldnt say that about him, you couldnt say that he introduced the Muslim ban, or banned seven different countries, or was already monitoring people, or dropped more bombs than Trump has. In truth, Obamas administration did identify the seven countries on Trumps list for additional screening measures, but it didnt bar their nationals. Shes already skipped ahead. The quantity of damage cant be quantified right now, she insists. Well have to wait the four years. After eight years of Obama, we kind of knew [his failings], but we just werent allowed to say them because he was so great. He was better than any person in Hollywood that I wouldve watched. He was really likable and just had loads of swag. That doesnt mean that you have to deny the truth, though.
This (and much more) comes moments after she tells me she has no time for opinions these days. She claims she doesnt read the news any more and that her primary sources for information are customers at the local kebab shop, taxi drivers and then sort of figuring it out. What about the state of the world? MIAs moment as an agitprop pop activist has never seemed more potent. Politics? I have no time for these things because Im so stuck in the zone. Ive become a hermit. [Meltdown] is actually giving me the chance to actually go out and meet people again. Ive gone for weeks without talking to a person, I do that happily. I tell her I dont believe her, as I suspect it would be a recipe for her to go fully barmy.
Im actually quite an extreme person, so I dont see that as madness. I see that as, like, solitude, doing a phase of solitude is not that bad. After declaring her fifth album AIM to be her final one, shes also trying to find new ways to channel her creativity. Im trying to write a film. I havent stepped into it yet because I want it to be good. Once you hit the start button you cant really stop it. She has, she tells me, the added complication of ADD to contend with. When was that diagnosed? I just have it. Dont even need diagnosis, its a waste of time, its a waste of the NHS. In truly blithe MIA style, she adds: Its just when you have too many ideas and not enough ways to get them out.
MIAs Meltdown is at the Southbank Centre, SE1, 9-18 June
Read more: http://ift.tt/2rBtxTD
from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2rbYbGf via Viral News HQ
0 notes
trendingnewsb · 7 years ago
Text
MIA: This is a white country, you dont have to spell it out to me
Maya Arulpragasam is bringing dancehall, hip-hop and grime to this years Meltdown. Is the outspoken British Sri Lankan the best argument for positive cultural appropriation?
The Guardian said that you couldnt shag to my record. As conversational openers go, MIAs beats the banal niceties of, say, Hello, how are you doing?. Its no surprise that she charges straight into a chat about why her last album was considered too confrontational for the bedroom by this paper. Its an icebreaker moulded to MIAs very own design: abrasive, compelling, underpinned by sex. Yeah, she finally concedes with a grin when I suggest we move past it, you cant have it all, can you?
Its a theme she warms up to when we talk about her edition of Meltdown at the Southbank Centre, which were ostensibly here to discuss. Usually, I wouldnt do something like this, she says, slouched under an oversized khaki coat dress. [But the organisers] were like: Hey, you can do whatever you want. Still, putting on the South Banks annual festival, curated in previous years by the likes of David Bowie, David Byrne and Patti Smith, has turned out to be a fairly arduous affair for MIA who says she doesnt do computers at the moment.
They didnt tell me it was nine days long. I thought it was a weekend. And then all my lists were, like, Well, this person wont be in London and that person is doing Glastonbury. Organising festivals is actually really complicated, she stresses. It wasnt just about dreaming something and then it appeared. Programming literally means, like, programming.
For all that Maya Arulpragasam didnt quite know what she was letting herself in for, one suspects the Southbank Centre didnt either; logistics aside, the mornings photoshoot has already been met with some flapping from the press officer made nervous by MIA climbing on the roof without safety clearance. Still, her lineup dancehall, Brooklyn hip-hop, depressive Swedish rap and Nigerian grime is perhaps the most underground the festival has seen in its 24 years. How much is she expecting to shake up its comfortable concert halls, cafe bars and conference-room spaces?
youtube
Click here to watch the video for last years Go Off.
When I was a teenager in London, I would just get a Travelcard and go somewhere, explore the city and go to weird places, she says. I would never judge the place, like, This is middle class and white. This is a white country, you dont have to spell it out to me, but there wasnt ever a limit on where I could go or what I could do.
A long, elliptical digression on London then and now follows, which takes in the optimistic multiculturalism of the 90s, Tamil house parties, empire and British identity. Its the bento box of an MIA interview: individually contained ideas that dont obviously bleed into one another and yet, overall, make a collective sense if youre prepared to go with it. Thats the key thing about MIA: you have to be willing to go with her to properly get her. Given that she still looks and sounds like a beautiful, bratty, art-school upstart and is prone to labyrinthine tangents, its easy to portray her as inarticulate or unhinged. But MIAs intelligence is instinctive rather than intellectual, and fuelled by the political.
The Mehrabian maxim that reckons that only 7% of communication is verbal is one that might best be proven by the transcript of a chat with MIA removed of all tone, attitude, context and body language. Take, for instance, her explanation of why only the future remains relevant:
As humans, we dont use our past and our history to work out the importance of what our role is in the present, she says. And if you cant use the past to define your present, then it should not be an element that holds back the future. Greece is a perfect example. More than Britain, they were brought to their knees, and not a single white country thought about saving them. And it was part of their heritage. Its where their mythology comes from or their concept of capitalism and democracy comes from. Nobody cared, everybody cared about the modern. Right?
Kim Kardashian is actually more powerful than Greece. She has more money than the whole of Greece, she continues. Therefore, thats where the power lies. If you then define it that way, then you kind of just have to live with that. And maybe whats happening in modern society: that if youre going to judge it by that, then other countries are gonna come in and define the future.
In print, its a statement that seems lacking in logic and coherence. In the moment, Im fairly sure Im able to follow her and we go on to consider how and where this future is being defined (for the record: You cant ignore the fact that China is going to be doing their thing in the next 50 years) and how Arulpragasam believes the immigration issue has become a red herring covering up a truth that can explain the American and British swing to conservative populism.
With Brexit, the idea was to get away from Europe and reinvent our identity, she says. And really, that identity was going to be American, but then they gave us Trump! So, everyone now is like, Oh shit, what is Britain? Are we going to rewind back to the 1800s? We cant. Its too late for that. So, going forward, we need a charismatic leader who then va va vooms the British identity. And we dont have that either.
People thinking that Im a bitch is totally unwarranted … MIA. Photograph: Stephanie Sian Smith/The Guide
The prime minister has called a snap election on the day we meet. Does MIA have any faith in our political system? Or in the left?
Everyone keeps going, Corbyn cant do this, but its, like, well, who else is there? she says. If people just left him alone to actually do the job and actually gave him some support, maybe hed be different. Treating him with so much contempt fighting that takes all his energy. How the fuck do you expect him to do interesting things? In any case insists the estranged daughter of a Tamil revolutionary, politicians are people who couldnt get jobs somewhere else.
MIAs politics, unwieldy and unslick though they may be, have often made her an easy target for tedious sneering in the press; the most insistent narrative is that, like Banksy, shes big on arch, subversive statement but lacks substance. Or that she is a hypocrite for making herself the poster girl for the worlds most marginalised people. And yet, shes one of the best pop stars Britain has ever produced. For all the ear-clanging experimentation of her five albums, MIA has always kept a sleeve full of pop bangers Bucky Done Gun, Paper Planes, Bad Girls, Finally that have sounded like little that came before or since her. Even if she didnt have the tunes, here is an art-school refugee Sri Lankan single mother with a visual aesthetic co-opted by everyone from Vetements to Versace who was born into political rebellion and revels in controversy. Gleefully gauche and carefree, MIA is the best argument for when cultural appropriation works. Bland singer-songstress beloved of Radio 2 playlists she isnt. So how much has the criticism bothered her?
People thinking that Im a bitch is totally unwarranted because Im not, she ays. I just had to fight for shit, and I still do. I just dont care any more. I dont know. She stops and starts. What I deal with as an artist, the media, the public persona, its a walk in the fucking park, compared to how confusing the universe really fucking is. Theres so much beauty in it and theres so much mystery, theres so much confusing shit in it. That is way more interesting to think about than why, like, Patricia hates me. You know what I mean? I laugh. Its like, Who the fuck is Patricia? and How can Patricia say this shit about me?. It just does not matter to me at all.As it is, she says shes most preoccupied with how to be a functioning grown up, an adult and a mother to an eight-year-old son (whose father Benjamin Bronfman is son to the billionaire heir of the Seagram fortune) born into immense privilege.
When the war came to an end in Sri Lanka in 2009, it actually did affect me, she explains. Everyone was, like, What the fuck does she know? Shes, like, a pop star, but that was my life. It was 50% of who I was, it was my identity. I didnt know what to do with myself. So I had a kid. Its the year the cause died, but the year my personal cause my son was born. And then, OK, I have to figure out what to do in very small parameters: I have a son, how is he going to see his grandma, am I going to make it there on Saturday? Can I make sure that I dont mess up his head by being depressed about certain things?
She struggles to reconcile her upbringing poor and living in Sri Lanka for her childhood to poor and living on a council estate in Mitcham, south London, in her adolescence with her sons. Im not very straightforward as an immigrant. That whole My kids would never see the pain that I saw; Im not like that. Im totally up for reintroducing him to the pain. I dont have any qualms about that. Her problems havent changed, she says, because of money or better circumstances. Whether Im in a mansion or a council flat, I would feel the same anxiety waking up going: I need to write this thing in a scrapbook, wheres my notepad? I would still have all those problems. I might still overcook the fish fingers. Those things are not going to magically transform because your house has changed. At the beginning I thought that money couldve saved my family. Very quickly I realised that money is not the thing.
Her conflict in wanting to being huge and commercial versus credible and ahead of the curve has been a persistent tension threaded through MIAs career. When I got into the music game, it was never an option to shut up and make lots of money. she says. To be a huge pop star, I would have to be, like, Yes, I think bombing Afghanistan was a great idea, I love our democracy and what it has achieved. I love the American flag and Im going to make a jumpsuit out of it. I just think it was important to have all of those Arab Springs, and its great and lets drink Coca-Cola. I had to do that, and do it all in a thong. Could I have done that if it meant that my mum had the nicest house in Chiswick by the river?
youtube
Click here to se the video for MIAs Bad Girls.
Does she worry about money now? If youre preaching living within your means, you have to, to some extent. But I also know that if youre someone in society that speaks out about injustice or political issues, one of the things that happens is that you get economically punished, 100%. I take that hit all the time.
The most recent, obvious example was MIA being forced to quit her headline slot at Afropunk last year, following a contentious quote in which she asked in an interview why Beyonc and Kendrick Lamar might not discuss why Muslim lives matter or Syrian lives matter. I dont regret [raising the issue], she says, with triumphant chutzpah. You saw how bad it was. And the Muslim ban didnt happen just with Trump, it was already happening under Obama. But you couldnt say that about him, you couldnt say that he introduced the Muslim ban, or banned seven different countries, or was already monitoring people, or dropped more bombs than Trump has. In truth, Obamas administration did identify the seven countries on Trumps list for additional screening measures, but it didnt bar their nationals. Shes already skipped ahead. The quantity of damage cant be quantified right now, she insists. Well have to wait the four years. After eight years of Obama, we kind of knew [his failings], but we just werent allowed to say them because he was so great. He was better than any person in Hollywood that I wouldve watched. He was really likable and just had loads of swag. That doesnt mean that you have to deny the truth, though.
This (and much more) comes moments after she tells me she has no time for opinions these days. She claims she doesnt read the news any more and that her primary sources for information are customers at the local kebab shop, taxi drivers and then sort of figuring it out. What about the state of the world? MIAs moment as an agitprop pop activist has never seemed more potent. Politics? I have no time for these things because Im so stuck in the zone. Ive become a hermit. [Meltdown] is actually giving me the chance to actually go out and meet people again. Ive gone for weeks without talking to a person, I do that happily. I tell her I dont believe her, as I suspect it would be a recipe for her to go fully barmy.
Im actually quite an extreme person, so I dont see that as madness. I see that as, like, solitude, doing a phase of solitude is not that bad. After declaring her fifth album AIM to be her final one, shes also trying to find new ways to channel her creativity. Im trying to write a film. I havent stepped into it yet because I want it to be good. Once you hit the start button you cant really stop it. She has, she tells me, the added complication of ADD to contend with. When was that diagnosed? I just have it. Dont even need diagnosis, its a waste of time, its a waste of the NHS. In truly blithe MIA style, she adds: Its just when you have too many ideas and not enough ways to get them out.
MIAs Meltdown is at the Southbank Centre, SE1, 9-18 June
Read more: http://ift.tt/2rBtxTD
from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2rbYbGf via Viral News HQ
0 notes