#versatile solo show

[jjyubi]

SANGYEON LeeMujin Service

[jung-koook]

230518 - halsey on instagram: Guested at the forum the other night with @/agustd and we performed “suga’s interlude” for the first time ever live! I’ve shared a stage with my friend many times, but never alone and never like this. When the song ended all we could do was laugh because it was just a feeling of “woah that just happened?!” after knowing each other for 7 years. I call Suga ‘twin’ for a lot of reasons. We have the same smile, we have a lot of shared interests, sometimes we even have the same haircut. But I mostly say it because we seem strangely (and sometimes wordlessly) connected on a creative wavelength. Watching him perform his solo concert was an incredible experience. He is a true artist, which I’ve always known. But seeing the energy, versatility, creativity, and courageous darkness of the show blew me away. Moments like these remind me why we are so fortunate to have this way of expressing ourselves. I am so grateful! Thanks to twin for having me and thank you ARMY for, as always, singing your hearts out and making me feel right at home.

[threewaysdivided]

compared to the other hero's in YJ how do you think Phantom stands up power wise. like Future Danny ripped the world apart and i know in some fanfiction that it is used as an indicator that he is high up there, but i'm interested in your thoughts.

This is an interesting question nonnie!

I generally agree with the idea that Phantom is in the upper-tier of crossover superhero powers, but I do have more specific thoughts so let’s break it down:

Danny’s power level

Just looking at the variety and strength of ghost-powers that Phantom displays in his show, I would put him in the higher rankings of most heroes when it comes to raw ability.  I alluded to this in my main DP x YJ Deathly Weapons fanfic, but to me Phantom shows signs of a pretty common power-scaling differential that happens when a solo-protagonist hero gets transplanted into an ensemble setting.  Within his own setting, Phantom had to be (or become) powerful enough to solve most problems/ fights all by himself – and some of those ghosts he ended up facing towards the end of his canon were impressively strong.  By comparison ensemble heroes are generally less-powerful because working as a collective means they don’t have the same need for aggressive self-sufficiency and also so that no one character upstages or outmodes the rest of the group from a writing perspective.

There’s also the nature of ghost powers.  Phantom needed to develop the raw strength to fill the role of solo combat heavy-hitter, but his base powers are versatile to the point of unsettling.  He has to physically fight against other ghosts because they have (and to some extent are immune to) the same abilities as him, but in a fight against other species he could potentially avoid, manipulate or exhaust an opponent with strategic use of invisibility/ intangibility/ overshadowing.

The back of Dinah’s neck prickled.  With flight to mask footsteps and intangibility rendering them undetectable by touch…  Nonthreatening as Phantom generally appeared, she was starting to understand why his kind had developed such an unsettling reputation.  The idea that a ghost could be present at any time - eavesdropping, spying, interfering - without any of them being the wiser was… disquieting to say the least. - Deathly Weapons, Chapter 17: Assessment

On top of that, he seems to be in a similar boat to Superman when it comes to physical weaknesses – he doesn’t have that many, and they’re often quite specific or hard-to-find.   The most easily-exploitable one is that Danny can run out of power, be slowly starved of ectoplasm or be knocked unconscious; all of which would forcibly revert him back to his weaker human state.  After that, he’s vulnerable to certain magics and ghostly-artefacts, which are more likely to be accessible to various DC/ Marvel heroes (although they might not know exactly which spells/items will be most effective or why).  Beyond those two, most of his weaknesses need to be specifically known about and actively sought out – anti-ecto-technology is obtainable but not mainstream, blood blossoms naturally repel/hurt ghosts but they seem to be rare in nature (or even extinct in the modern day) and then assuming you acknowledge Phantom Planet there’s ectoranium which is basically ghost-Kryptonite in rarity (and possibly even the same mineral in DP x DC settings depending on the crossover).  Much like with Superman, the most reliable ways to take down Phantom require actively knowing what he is and having prepared accordingly.

Based on those metrics, I want to place Phantom in the same power-band as Superman or the Martian Manhunter.  I’d consider their powers to be equivalent incomparibles – it’s hard to stack their abilities side-by-side and say one is objectively better than the others.  A no-holds-barred, knock-down drag-out fight between those three could get very nasty but it would be hard to confidently call a winner without knowing more about the external factors around them.

That said, I think the thing holding Danny back from being fully at that level is his experience: or rather his lack thereof.   Danny hasn’t had much formal training (except maybe some basic self-defence instruction from Maddie/Jack) and he doesn’t have a proper mentor either.  His personal experience mostly fits the narrow niche of direct open combat with other ghosts, mostly throughout Amity Park and surrounds (although occasionally in the Ghost Zone or further from town). 

Phantom has enough raw power and innate talent as a strategic lateral-thinker to get by, but I think that hyperspecialisation and lack of guidance would leave him with a lot of blind-spots.  His hand-to-hand is self-taught and probably missing a lot of best-practice basic techniques.  He’s also never had an experienced third party to observe him in the field and offer suggestions on alternative approaches to using his powers/ keep him from developing bad habits.  This is something Danny actually comments on in canon; he can take a long time to identify solutions (even obvious ones) that deviate too far from his default throw hands approach to fighting.  His powers could be more effectively deployed as a precision-instrument but a lack of coaching means he tends to falls back on using them as a blunt hammer because that was the pattern that came naturally when he was first starting out, and no-one was around to keep that habit from ingraining.

The place where you can see this lack of experience hurting him the most is in his lack of soft-skills.  Phantom didn’t have anyone to advise him on de-escalation, damage control, comforting civilians, interacting with authorities etc.  Add in the naturally-frightening nature of many ghosts and it was easy for him to fall into a public perception of being “the town menace”.  Danny is pretty decent at rallying both humans and ghosts (even erstwhile enemies) to his side in crisis situations but no-one has taught him how manage public relations outside of that.  He says it himself: he needs a PR agent.

On the other hand, Phantom’s heroics have inadvertently earned him a decent amount of potential political pull in the Ghost Zone.  He has enough positive rapport that some regular rogues will take his side or even actively seek him out for help in the right circumstances, and other more antagonistic ones have at least developed a degree of grudging respect.  There are several powerful ghosts that either have direct debts of gratitude to him/his team (Princess Dorothea, Pandora) or who hold him in high esteem for re-sealing Pariah Dark (The Far Frozen).  It’s possible that defeating Pariah might even have granted him a potential candidature/claim to an official position, and judging by the way the Observants and Clockwork pay attention to him, it seems that Phantom’s slow accumulation of power/influence isn’t going completely unnoticed.  However, again, Danny doesn’t have the awareness, experience or training needed to leverage that effectively – heck, he’s not even doing it on purpose.

With all that taken into account, I think Phantom would rank very highly in terms of overall potential, but at his current level he’d be in the lower ranks of the A-tier.  He could become a much more powerful figure with the right guidance but in his canonical state he’s underutilising or outright overlooking a lot of his most effective tools.

TUE Future/ “Dark Phantom”

The “Dark Phantom” presented in the TUE Bad-Future is interesting to me because while he’s a very powerful figure within that story, I don't think he’s a very good reflection of canon-Danny’s potential to do harm.

Gonna complain about The Ultimate Enemy for a bit: I’ve tag-muttered about this before but I’m one of the Phandom members who finds The Ultimate Enemy to be a frustratingly weak episode.  It has a potentially fascinating core premise (the “evil future/alternate self”) but the execution is so convoluted and driven by improbable contrivances that the whole ends up being far less than the sum of its parts.   

One of the biggest problems is that, rather than being a straight future/alternate version of Danny, “Dark Phantom” is actually a hybrid of Phantom and Plasmius’ worse sides.  He’s a distinct, separate entity which means he can’t work as an effective dark mirror to either of them.  (Compare and contrast the Justice League episode A Better World in which the Justice Lords acted as a dark mirror of what the actual Justice League members could become if they chose to abandon their morals and compassion in favour of seizing control and instating a totalitarian system of draconian crime prevention.)

The episode also tried to graft on a really mismatched moral of “don’t be a cheat”.  Rather than being a lesson on choices/ values/ power/ responsibility, Dark Phantom almost ends up being an offhand biproduct of Danny getting caught cheating on a freshman/sophomore-year career-aptitude test.  Instead of learning a lesson about himself/ his ideals/ his personal faults, Danny comes away from the episode with a cool new superpower after deciding not to cheat on the test after all.  Not exactly satisfying.

That mismatch and the convoluted levels of moon-logic required to make it fit severely undermine the idea that this version of Dark Phantom is “inevitable”.  There are too many steps that are too highly-specific and too easily-avoidable for the threat to feel real: Danny has to care enough about an early-highschool CAT to want to cheat, he has to somehow get the answers which he wasn’t intending to do in the canon timelineand only does as a result of Clockwork’s meddling, making it a self-fulfilling situation, he has to get caught using them, Mister Lancer has to hold the resulting parent-teacher meeting at Nasty Burger rather than a school office for some reason, the Nasty Burger Sauce has to 1. be dangerously explosive and 2. coincidentally explode while not only Danny’s parents but his friends and sister are inside, Danny has to be placed in Vlad’s custody rather than with his Aunt Alicia or closer family-friends, Danny has to ask Vlad to remove his Phantom-half and finally, Vlad himself has to agree to do it.  Take away any of those steps and this version of Dark Phantom doesn’t happen.  That’s not inevitable, it’s contrived.

But anyway, let’s look at Dark Phantom as his own entity:

One of the things that makes Dark Phantom much more potentially dangerous is that he combines Phantom’s raw power with Plasmius’ experience.  Like I was saying before, one of Danny’s biggest handicaps is that he lacks training/guidance and tends to underutilise his most effective abilities.  Vlad meanwhile has had years of relative freedom to practice and finesse a lower raw-power level; he’s much more skilled at advanced techniques like duplication and overshadowing (which he canonically used to force through his fortune-making business deals), as well as ecto-constructs.  Plasmius is also a lot more tactical and manipulative in how he applies their common powers.  Plus, the TUE version of Dark Phantom is a full-ghost, which means he doesn’t have a vulnerable mortal state that can be exploited as a weakness.

This is why I think it would be possible for TUE!Dark Phantom to successfully decimate other heroes in shared-universe crossover situations where ghosts aren’t common knowledge.  He’d be an unexpected, unknown enemy that the heroes have no effective way to fight (outside of a few magic users).  Combine that with many of the most powerful heroes being visible as public figures, and Dark Phantom having inherited Plasmius’ strategic/manipulative traits and it could be very easy for Dark Phantom to basically launch a premeditated paranormal blitzkrieg attack, using Plasmius’ skill with duplicates and overshadowing to subjugate any hero he couldn’t overwhelm with Phantom’s raw power level.  It would also make sense that Amity Park would become one of the remaining bastions in any TUE-style future, since having advanced knowledge of ghostly abilities and access to anti-ecto technology would tilt the balance more evenly and allow them to at least keep the danger out.

Mentally, it’s also worth noting that Dark Phantom is a lot more dangerous than either Phantom or Plasmius.  He’s basically the most toxic traits from both of them, removed from their more moderating/ compassionate instincts.  Based on the canonical explanation given, TUE!Danny had Phantom forcibly removed in attempt to remove the pain/ rage/ grief he was feeling over the death of his family.  This isn’t a model-hero-persona conceptualisation of Phantom a la Splitting Images; the TUE-version of his ghost half is a big ball of churning negative emotion.  And what are some of Danny’s toxic traits when it comes to negative emotions: he lashes out, falls into self-blame and self-destructs.  Then we add in Vlad’s toxic traits: he’s egocentric to the point of narcissism, he projects negative feelings/ blame onto others rather than accept responsibility for his own actions and he has a controlling/ sadistic streak.   

TUE’s Dark Phantom is the worst possible combination of an emotionally devastated teenager and an emotionally immature adult.  He’s a ball of pain and rage that blames the world for that pain, lashes out at it, feels worse for doing so and then blames the world for making him feel worse because he doesn’t have the emotional capacity to accept that he’s the one causing it.  Grief is love persevering but the feelings of love, connection and guilt that contextualise his pain were left in the human shells that remained of Danny and Vlad.  It’s possible that the Dark Phantom presented in TUE might not have the capacity to feel positive emotions or compassion.  He was never meant to exist as his own entity – he was an attempt to destroy Daniel Fenton’s negative emotions which went horribly wrong.  In some ways it seems like his reign of terror could be an angrier version of Dracula’s scheme from Netflix’s Castlevania or Haliax’s goal from the Kingkiller Chronicles – a drawn-out suicide note from an undead being who’s been dead inside for much longer, destroying whatever peace/happiness he encounters in revenge for being denied it himself, until such time as he either attains catharsis or finally ends the pain by destroying reality and himself along with it.  That’s the final thing that makes TUE’s Dark Phantom more dangerous than either Phantom or Plasmius – he has nothing to lose and no “better nature” or personal dreams that other heroes could try to appeal to.

So yeah, the TUE version of Dark Phantom could absolutely rip the world and other heroes apart, but I don’t think he’s a particularly good reflection of Danny’s capabilities in terms of either powers or personality.  There’s too much Vlad in the mix, and even then he represents such a narrow and extreme edge-case for each of their personalities that it’s barely representative at all.  At best he’s a warning for what these kinds of powers could be capable of in the wrong hands.

Meta-question: What is “power” in narrative?

Alright, now that I’ve (hopefully) answered the question, let’s finish with a self-indulgent thought exercise for extra credit.

There’s an anecdote which I’ve heard attributed to the Stan Lee, in which a fan apparently asked him “who would win in a fight between Superman and the Hulk?”  To which Stan apparently replied, “whoever the writer wants.”

While it can be fun to make tier-lists and try to rank how strong different heroes/villains/creatures are based on the rules of their respective universes, I think it can also be helpful to consider that– like all things in storytelling – power is a narrative device.  It’s a tool that the character(s) and storyteller(s) can use to create and solve problems.

A character can be extremely physically strong/ skilled/ knowledgeable/ influential in a specific area but how much narrative power they have depends on how well their abilities allow them to influence or resolve story problems.   And, as the omnipotent god(s) of the narrative, the storyteller(s) can choose whether to confront them with challenges that play to their existing strengths, or that force them to find other solutions.  What’s the best way to kill a vampire?

This is actually part of what makes Lex Luthor such an effective Superman villain.  Objectively most versions of Lex are just A Guy™ – on a physical level he doesn’t have anything close to Kal El’s Kryptonian strength or superpowers.  But he feels like a serious threat because he often comes after Superman in ways that Clark can’t easily steamroll with that brute strength.  Lex uses manipulation, money, influence, connections, politics, public opinion; Superman can’t physically fight him without playing into Luthor’s plans, and trying to face him in those other fields requires tools that Clark wasn’t handed as part of his Kryptonian heritage.  An invading alien army is objectively a bigger physical threat to Earth, but a competent Lex Luthor scheme feels more dangerous because – while we feel confident that Superman can beat down a legion of monsters – when it comes to the question of whether he can outwit Luthor, the outcome is a lot less certain.

Situational disempowerment is another of the ways a narrative can reign in an otherwise “overpowered” character: placing them in circumstances where they either aren’t given many opportunities to showcase their best strengths, or are kept from using them because the drawbacks/ risks/ consequences of using their abilities makes their power(s) a liability.  I’ve mentioned it before, but this is actually one of the tricks I’m personally using to keep Phantom’s massive powerset balanced against the other proteges in Deathly Weapons.  It’s also something I’ve been struggling with when it comes to Conner’s place in that story since the stealth-mission plot structure doesn’t allow as much room to highlight his core powers and personal strengths.   

Stories can create additional stakes for powerful characters by giving them emotional arcs which their powers can’t resolve.   For a published example, consider the series One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100.  Despite how high-ranked Saitama and Mob are within the power-scaling of their respective stories, those powers don’t kill the emotional stakes because the things they actually want/ need can only be gained through self-improvement or making connections in ways separate from their powers (and in some regards their power level actively gets in the way of that).  This is also something I’m doing with Danny’s main grief arc in DW.   

Final Conclusion time

In terms of physical strength and range of abilities, I think Phantom would be pretty near the top of the power-scale in most superhero crossovers.  While the Dark Phantom presented in TUE might not be a particularly good reflection of Danny’s specific potential, a crossover version of the TUE timeline offers a pretty good litmus-test for how dangerous a strong ghost could be in a given universe: the combination of power level, ability range and highly-specific/ inaccessible weak-points poses a strong strategic threat.

On the other hand, physical strength isn’t the only strength.  Phantom has a decent level of potential political sway as well, but he also lacks a lot of the soft skills and experience needed to make use of his toolset to its full ability.

Stepping back further, the answer to how powerful Danny is in a narrative sense is really just “however much the writer wants”.  Phantom’s narrative power depends on the kind of story he’s in and the challenges placed around him – there are as many ways to situationally nerf our ghost-boy as make him OP, all without needing to alter his on-paper powers.

[trolagygirl2022]

The big 3 of Stage Presence in Astrology

🥇Gemini/ Chung Ha

Ruled by the Greek God Hermes. In Greek Mythology, Hermes was known as a trickster. Gemini Risings are known for their many facial expressions. This is a major part of what makes them good performers as they are able to "trick" the audience with their skills. They can come across as shy yet sly and have many forms. Chung Ha is a great example of this, she used to be in IOI with a cutesy concept before becoming a solo artist. Many people tend to be surprised when they find out she was in IOI (myself included). This shows their versatility and how they can easily catch people's eye. Their eyes are a focal point when it comes to their performances and it's what sets them apart from other performers.

🥈Leo/ Yeji

Ruled by the Greek God Apollo. Apollo is known as the Sun God, he also rules over music and dance. Yeji is known as one of ITZY's strongest dancers. Leo's tend to posses this strong aura that is hard to explain. They can be very eye-catching. Another thing to note is that Leo rules over the hair and Yeji tends to stand out a lot with her hairstyles. I was watching a video talking about ITZY's facial analysis and the person said that Yeji can rock almost everything. She also possesses a dramatic face with striking features (monolid eyes, sharp chin, etc). I would argue Yeji's best era was Untouchable, her red hair was the cherry on top.

🥉Libra/ Jihyo

The Goddess assigned to Venusians is no other than Aphrodite! The Goddess of love, beauty and sensuality. I've noticed that though Jihyo can pull off cute concepts, she has this sensuality and very feminine charm to her. This is seen a lot during her solo debut. Venusians are beautiful, but their beauty traps you and brings you in. According to @ jihyo'sdefenceattourney on tiktok, her stage presence is not only animated but elegant. Aphrodite is known for these pleasant things but she's also a Goddess of war, which shows that Libra Risings can easily contrast as well.

[akookminsupporter]

JIMIN’ VERSATILITY

We always talk about Jimin's duality, but I think we should also discuss his versatility in everything he does. Consider this for a moment. All of Jimin's songs, both within the group and as a solo artist, are different from one another. Yes, some may seem related, but they are genuinely distinct. The choreographies are different. The expressions are different, and the messages are often different. And that is versatility. In my humble opinion, that is what makes a true artist. I believe that's why BTS is so good and so loved, because their discography is so versatile. Jimin's solo career is following the same path, and that is impressive.

This versatility showcases his talent and artistry, making him a multifaceted performer capable of continually surprising and impressing the world.

Perhaps Jimin is experimenting with various sounds because he is searching for his own, but honestly? I would love for him to continue exploring different sounds. For each album to be different. For us never to know what to expect. For him to be free to try everything, to show us everything, rather than confining himself to something specific.

Something else I love about Jimin, and others may hate, is that Jimin's songs and choreographies are so uniquely his. I have not seen a cover or a dance challenge of Jimin's songs that is remotely as good, not even close, but as good as the originals. And that's because everything Jimin does is uniquely his. Now that I think about it, this also applies to him within the group. Jimin's parts are so uniquely his. He makes the choreographies his own, which I believe is also because he understands the music differently, as I explained in a previous post. Jimin doesn't just dance; he tells a story with his dance. With his body language while dancing.

Jimin is an incredible artist, and each release he makes confirms this even more.

[kpopcreators]

KPOP CREATORS EVENT 04: 30 DAYS OF KPOP

join us for event #4: 30 days of k-pop, where we celebrate our favorite groups, idols, and moments through a month-long gif-making challenge! each day, create and share a gif set based on the daily prompt. it’s a great way to show off your creativity, connect with fellow kpop fans, and relive iconic moments together!

how to participate:

reblog this post to spread the word!

join our discord server to share your creations, connect with other participants, and get updates throughout the event.

daily prompts:

9/14: day 1: introduction to the group - start with an introductory gif set that showcases the group’s members, concept, etc. 9/15: day 2: pre-debut - highlight a pre-debut performance, practice, or moment. 9/16: day 3: debut stage - gif your favorite group or idol’s debut stage. 9/17: day 4: leader - focus on the group’s leader, showcasing their leadership qualities 9/18: day 5: bias - highlight your bias with a gif set that captures their essence. 9/19: day 6: bias wrecker - gif the member who often challenges your bias spot. 9/20: day 7: favorite friendships - showcase a gif set of your favorite friendships within the group or with other idols.

9/21: day 8: best hair color - show the best hair color on your bias or another member. 9/22: day 9: best mv - gif what you consider the best music video in terms of aesthetics, concept, or execution. 9/23: day 10: first win - celebrate the group’s first music show win with a gif set. 9/24: day 11: favorite performance - showcase your favorite performance by the group, whether it’s a live stage, award show, or concert. 9/25: day 12: favorite fancam - gif an iconic fancam that you love, highlighting the idol’s stage presence or unique performance style. 9/26: day 13: funniest moments - gif some of the funniest or most memorable moments. 9/27: day 14: legendary comeback - focus on a comeback that you consider legendary, either for its impact, concept, or success.

9/28: day 15: best era - highlight what you believe to be the best era of the group, showcasing performances, mvs, or photoshoots from that time. 9/29: day 16: subunit/solo - gif a subunit or solo project from one of the members, showing their versatility and talent. 9/30: day 17: best outfits - highlight a stage or mv with the best outfits that the group or member has worn. 10/01: day 18: favorite choreography - gif your favorite choreography or dance move from a performance or mv. 10/02: day 19: photoshoot - showcase a favorite photoshoot or magazine spread featuring the group or a member. 10/03: day 20: maknae line - focus on the youngest members of the group, highlighting their charm and growth. 10/04: day 21: most underrated - gif a member, performance, or song you think is underrated and deserves more recognition.

10/05: day 22: underrated mv - highlight an underrated mv by the group that you think deserves more attention. 10/06: day 23: group dynamics - show the dynamic between the members in a fun or touching moment. 10/07: day 24: special stage/collab - highlight a special stage or collaboration between idols from different groups. 10/08: day 25: pets - showcase cute moments of idols with their pets. 10/09: day 26: rap line - showcase your favorite rap line. 10/10: day 27: casual/behind-the-scenes - gif a casual or behind-the-scenes moment that shows a different side of the idols. 10/11: day 28: concert - highlight a moment from a live concert that captures the energy of the event.

10/12: day 29: ending fairies - capture the perfect "ending fairy" moment from a performance. 10/13: day 30: free choice - choose any moment, performance, or aspect of the group to create a gif set.

happy giffing! ✨

[venusvity]

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫     SWEET LIKE CANDY ... SENA'S DEBUT MINI ALBUM !

Sweet Like Candy is Sena's debut mini-album, making her the fourth and final member of VENUS to debut solo. With a track list of eight songs, Sena performed the title tracks "Exes" and "Get Him Back" for a total of six weeks across various music shows and concert appearances. Exes would go on to win three music show awards, and Get Him Back would earn two.

With a star-studded all-female producing team, Sena's debut mini album will feature tracks produced by the acclaimed producing duo SODA, one of Japan's most popular idols, Kaori, Evangeline's leader Namra AKA angeleyes, the producing trio of Venus' sister group SNS Mika AKA M.ka, Yuki, and Piper, MORNINGSTAR member Eris, Kaleina from KRUSH, Hiro from LUCKY, Love AKA lovelies from REJECTS, and her always supportive groupmates Chloee Lee, Baebi, and Klara Blix.

TITLE TRACK ... TRACK OO1. EXES

TRACK OO2. TASTE IT

TITLE TRACK ... TRACK OO3. GET HIM BACK

TRACK OO4. HIGH VALUE WOMAN

TRACK OO5. MY KINK IS KARMA

TRACK OO6. WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS

TRACK OO7. WAITING ROOM

TRACK OO8. CASUAL

Despite its divisive reception, Sweet Like Candy made a notable splash in the music scene. On its first release day, It sold over 1.8 million copies, showcasing Sena's shockingly strong fan base and the anticipation surrounding her solo debut. The album continued to perform well, reaching a total of 4 million copies sold.

The album's title tracks, "EXES" and "Get Him Back," quickly became fan favorites. "EXES" shot to the top of the Gaon chart, holding the number one spot for an impressive 20 days before "Get Him Back" entered the top ten and subsequently took over the number one position for 25 days. However, the album's overall chart performance was fleeting, with its presence dwindling from the charts after only a few weeks.

Sweet Like Candy sparked debate among fans and critics. Fans loved the album's personal, raw nature, speculating that several songs were about her past relationships, including rumored ties to a member of ArmCandy and Yeojun of Pushing Daisies. However, critics were less enthusiastic about the album's overall composition and thematic cohesion, saying she fell flat compared to her members' solo debuts.

Sena's vocal performance throughout the album was a standout. Her expressive delivery amplified the emotional depth of the songs. Her ability to seamlessly transition between high-energy pop anthems and introspective indie ballads underscored her versatility as an artist.

Critics had mixed opinions about the album's overall coherence and some of its production choices, but they all agreed on Sena's potential and the strong foundation she has laid for her solo career. Her debut album, "Sweet Like Candy," proved that she is more than just a member of Venus; it showcased her as a unique and talented artist in her own right.

YOU CAN GET YOUR SWEET LIKE CANDY PHOTOCARDS HERE!

OO1. Let's start off with the fact Sena's debut showcase SOLD OUT! All 15,000 seats were filled with constellations, her closest friends, and some other idols. You already know all of Venus was there cheering her on. They all made little signs to show their support. Klara wore a cute little headband with Sena's face on it that she and Elliot of Pushing Daisies; it was all very cute and a much-needed moment for Constellations.

Shockingly, Bliss was there to show her support alongside HautePink members Misun and Fame, which caused a lot of heated debate on constellation Twitter and some fan wars between them and Coutures, but what's new there? Not only were the Venus girls there but a whole bunch of idols came to support their favorite fake maknae! SEE WHO WAS AT SENA'S SHOWCASE IN HER INSTA DUMP!

OO2. Sena did a lot of interviews for her debut! She was on PSICK SHOW, The Kstar Next Door, Buzzfeed UK, and Hong Seokcheon's Jewel Box! This girl was everywhere and capturing the hearts of literally everyone she interacted with. She also got her own variety show, "Sweet Like Sena," where she'd basically try to make candy from scratch every episode and fail miserably. She'd have some guests on the show, which caused some really fun and iconic moments, like when Klara joined her to make rock candy. They literally made the candy so hard it was like a rock, resulting in the girls losing their minds as they tried to see who could break the candy first. This was the first time Sena really got to show her variety skills and she did not disappoint!

OO3. While on PSICK SHOW, they repeatedly tried to get her to spill who the album was about, and she would not give it up! Either she'd laugh it off or answer with, "I think it's obvious. Listen to the songs." with a smirk on her face. There were a lot of speculations from fans, but most concluded that the album is either about Yeojun of Pushing Daisies; they did major detective work to come to this conclusion, like, building timelines based on posts, deleted posts, and when Sena and Yeojun were seen together or a member of Arm Candy due to the on the nose title of the album.

"I don't think it matters who it's about. It just matters that it's good," Sena would say during her PSICK interview as she played with the ends of her hair and puckered her lips at the camera, "but some of you guys are riiight!" She'd teased, laughing at herself and covering her mouth.

OO4. Every encore stage, she did something special like pulling her Venus members on stage with her, a tradition for Venus solos at this point, inhaling helium from some balloons to pitch her voice during a stage, dressing like a cat for one of them, and most famously letting her backup dancers sing while she danced which was a hit with fans. Her live vocals were praised for her stability, though she was trashed for an encore performance of "Get Him Back" where she was a bit pitchy and out of breath, but in her defense she was tired so!

OO5. Not many scandals! The only real notable ones were her outfits being "too revealing" or "try hard" which...wasn't a big deal. It stayed in the stan twitter bubble relatively so Sena never saw any of it despite being very active on social media.

"They're getting you on Twitter...Okay, but are they streaming?" - Sena via Instagram Live, 2024.

The other scandal involved none other than our favorite DeepDive boy, Finn Lee! The pair were spotted out and about together A LOT, like if Sena was spotted by fans, Finn was right there behind her. Though they would consistently say they were just friends, they were also seen hugging and hanging onto each other outside of a club, which caused a bit of a stir. Still, they never cleared it up with fans, and Mydol never released a statement. This just wasn't at the top of the priorities list lol!

OO5. OVERALL! SENA HAS A GREAT TIME! She was always glowing when she was on stage or at fansigns and giving it her all every performance. It was a breath of fresh air for constellations fighting for their lives just a few months ago. It was really a good time, genuinely. Everyone was pretty happy and supportive of their girl, and she was so happy with how everything turned out! Despite not having much creative control over her music videos and outfits, she was super proud of how the songs turned out and how it all went about. Pretty smooth and overall happy era!

EXES PROMOTIONAL OUTFITS !

GET HIM BACK PROMOTIONAL OUTFITS !

OCS MENTIONED : @d3caynluv + @pinkscaped + @bluwavez + @hearthr0b + @alwaysvivid + @snspice + @lvcky0ne + @mcurningstar + @sug4rsweet

[devildom-moss]

Ideal threesomes headcanon (the others)

Who pairs best with each character in a threesome? Who brings the best out of them or shows them the most enjoyable time? (none of the brothers are paired with each other - or with Simeon)

(NSFW)

Diavolo

Diavolo is incredibly versatile, and he’ll adapt to anyone he wants to bring into his bed (library, office, garden, kitchen – much to Barbatos’s disappointment and annoyance). A threesome with Simeon brings something otherworldly out of Diavolo.

It isn’t the first time Diavolo has taken interest in an especially beautiful angel, and he still isn’t over his first angel. Maybe he has a corruption kink, or maybe – at least in the case of Simeon – Diavolo just wants to use sex to deepen his understanding of another person. Diavolo finds Simeon confusing, and his desire to unravel his mystery extends to physical intimacy.

For all the effort it takes to get Simeon to agree to join the two of you, Diavolo brings twice the effort into pleasing you both. The fact that the experience is an exemplification of his goals – the three worlds cumming coming together in unity – and an opportunity to bring some small aspect of his dreams to fruition is not overlooked. As such, he is determined to perform to the best of his ability. If Diavolo seems giving in normal conditions, his hospitality is almost saintly in the presence of you and Simeon. He wants to show you what the Devildom has to offer through his body.

Diavolo can get extremely frustrated by Simeon in his day-to-day when he can’t seem to read Simeon’s expressions or intentions – in part because he wants to know everyone he cares for inside and out but also because it makes him doubt his worldview. If he can’t read Simeon, maybe angels are so fundamentally different that they can never see eye-to-eye perfectly. Diavolo holds that worry and frustration deep and hushed in his heart. Instead of voicing it, he takes out his frustration on you both sexually (in his own way), which often takes the form of making you both cum over and over until you’re too immersed in pleasure to think of anything. He gets drunk on the feeling of pride that swells in his chest when you and Simeon are moaning his name desperately.

Barbatos

As much as Barbatos can get annoyed by Solomon’s antics, he is still bound to him. Overall, he’s fond of Solomon, though – enough so that he probably would have sex with him without you (although, typically, that would be just so either of them can blow off a bit of steam).

The appeal of a threesome with Solomon is two-fold in that it depends on whether Barbatos is feeling more dominant or submissive.

If Barbatos is feeling dominant, he gets joy out of watching the man who tamed him crumble and submit to you both. The sadistic pleasure of watching Solomon the Wise reduced to a moaning, senseless mess at the hands of his apprentice and a demon under his control delights Barbatos. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Barbatos adores watching you take control of Solomon, and he finds himself increasingly attracted to you every time he watches you handle the great sorcerer with ease.

Furthermore, it gives Barbatos the opportunity to showcase his sadism and dominance for you to some extent. He usually hides these sides of himself – often opting to submit to you. While any threesome might bring that out of Barbatos, Solomon encourages the most extreme reactions out of him (he would torture Solomon for a few days if he could).

If Barbatos is feeling submissive, he essentially switches positions with Solomon. He adores being used by you two. Between his pretty face and his eagerness to serve and please, you and Solomon have the perfect little doll to toy with. Even without forming a pact, Barbatos occasionally thinks of you as his master in a way. Submissive Barbatos threesomes elate him; the very idea of serving every sexual need of two people he is indebted to – especially two humans – clouds his head with lust. He does such a good job that Solomon can’t resist showering him with praise.

Simeon

Initially, having sex with a demon is daunting for Simeon. How far is he willing to fall for you? Far enough to lie with a demon? Apparently so. The first demon who comes to mind is Barbatos, and his intuition is perfect.

Simeon gets so flustered over how quickly he considered Barbatos that he tries to justify it. If Barbatos hadn’t placed his hand on the small of Simeon’s back the other day when he needed to pass behind him, if he hadn’t held his hand so he wouldn’t get lost at the market when it was busy or offered to help carry part of Simeon’s groceries when Barbatos already had a few bags, if Simeon hadn’t seen how gently Barbatos pat Luke’s head as he congratulated him on how delicious the new cake he made turned out – maybe if Barbatos hadn’t proved himself to be so caring and sweet, Simeon wouldn’t have been so receptive to sharing you or himself with the demon.

The main appeal of Barbatos and Simeon is that they adore doting on you (and others), and they get along better than most. Even in moments of silent interaction, they’re in tune, relying on their intuition and inherent understanding of one another to navigate. Their awareness and caring nature make for intimate and mind-blowingly fulfilling sex.

They’ll take care of anything you want – no matter what demands you make. Similar to the Beel and Diavolo threesome, Simeon and Barbatos primarily focus on your needs and pleasure (sans some of the playful goofiness or unintentional overstimulation due to an eagerness to keep going).

If you want to dominate them, they compound the other’s obedience and submission. Separately, they may show signs of brattiness and tease you back, but when they’re in each other’s presence, they are both quietly competing to prove how good they can be.

Barbatos mindlessly initiated physical intimacy between him and Simeon in your presence. For a brief second, Simeon’s moaning suggested shock before quickly adjusting to the pleasure of Barbatos’s mouth on him. After the initial shock, Simeon relished the opportunity to touch and be touched by both you and Barbatos – a sentiment that Barbatos shares.

Solomon

Solomon may not be able to secure a pact with him, but he relishes in the opportunity to at least get intimate with Lucifer, especially if he’s able to fuck that powerful demon senseless or watch you do it – anything to watch Lucifer get taken down a peg.

Solomon and Lucifer are extremely competitive, and when you’re involved, they start to get aggressive. Even the suggestion that you and Solomon are being affectionate is enough to trigger Lucifer’s possessiveness. There are even times that your involvement with Solomon makes Lucifer start to hate Solomon to some degree. Solomon knows this and loves it. Lucifer must respect him to get so obviously jealous, right? Similarly, though, Solomon starts to get aggressive when you spend too much time with Lucifer. At the very least, he will cover your body in love bites. This competition follows them into the bedroom.

Getting caught up in their sex-fueled feud is intoxicating and electric. Both of them are torn between a desire to please you and a need for one-upmanship. The tension in the room hangs thick and heavy – almost suffocating everyone, and you are the only one with the power to diffuse it.

Initially, it was embarrassing for them both to have to acknowledge how weak they are for you. However, they find comfort in the fact that the other is just a susceptible to your will. The first time Solomon realized this was the case in a sexual setting, he started to laugh, which was a complete turn-off for Lucifer (or so he claimed with his cheeks still flushed pink and his dick still hard in his pants).

You or Solomon will have to bring up the threesome, and even then, Solomon probably only brings it up as a joke to tease Lucifer.

Thirteen

Thirteen and Asmodeus make for such a fun and carefree threesome. In addition to being pretty, both Thirteen and Asmo tend to focus on exploring sensual pleasure. Thirteen does as she pleases, and although she can find it troublesome that Asmo is the same way, she respects him for how he prioritizes himself. Asmo has mutual respect for her for the same reason. Their personalities and that respect add to their sexual compatibility.

Neither of them is subtle about how much they care about themselves, and their confidence calls for (sometimes excessive amounts of) flirting. When you’re alone or in front of a few people that Thirteen wants to make jealous (all of the romanceable characters – but especially Solomon and the demon brothers), she will openly admit how much she wants you. If she’s feeling wicked, she’ll tell you exactly what she wants to do to you – which is how the Thirteen/Asmo/MC threesome came to be.

“You should come home with me tonight, MC. I’d like to test the acoustics of my bedroom, and I’m not loud enough without you.” / “Um, absolutely not, Thirteen. If you think you’re getting MC alone, you’re out of your mind. However, the three of us might be able to test the acoustics.” Thirteen casually agreed, feeling as if she received a free upgrade.

Where jealousy could arise in both Thirteen or Asmo, they drop it in favor of being open and easygoing. Instead of trying to reign you in and keep you to themselves, they ask to join in when they feel jealous. Using you as a focal point in the relationship, especially given that they already enjoy each other’s company, can blossom into more intimate feelings between Thirteen and Asmo. This is one of the few threesome pairings that could become a healthy polyamorous relationship where all members are involved with each other.

Just because they both prioritize themselves doesn’t mean that they aren’t gentle and caring with you. Getting those two together will have you drowning in sweetness: whispered words of admiration, loving caresses, stares overflowing with adoration. No one will leave that interaction without feeling worshiped and desired.

Raphael

Raphael feels a lot of sexual guilt – much worse than Simeon does. He can’t avoid feeling dirty and wrong for desiring you in that way; every perverse thought he has weighs heavy on his chest. As odd as it may seem (since a threesome might be considered more deviant), having Simeon there can ease his anxiety and unburden him to a degree.

Simeon is a calming presence for Raphael; he’s carefree and gentle, which can balance Raph’s uptight, rigid, and violent personality. Simeon has a way of smoothing those edges out that even you have trouble with. Although Raphael does his best to show you his softer side, he never showcases it more than he does when you’ve got both of those angels in your bed.

An “if we fall, we fall together” mentality is a savior for Raphael’s guilt – it even eases some of Simeon’s. Neither one wants to be alone in damnation – if, indeed, loving you in every way would damn them. As long as they have you and each other, both of them (especially Raphael) feel more prepared to handle whatever will happen as a consequence. Simeon was prepared to fall for you alone, but knowing Raphael would be by his side helps.

Furthermore, Simeon is pretty, so it’s not like Raphael minds. In fact, he’s stunned at how gorgeous Simeon truly is the first time he sees him arch his back and moan your name. Raphael almost gets overwhelmed when he realizes he’s going to be pleasured by two of the most beautiful creatures he had ever laid eyes on. Simeon, likewise, finds Raphael handsome. Moreover (although he’d never admit it), Simeon gets turned on knowing he can contribute to the pleasure of someone who has historically been so cruel to him. The idea that just a bit of touching could make Raphael so sweet and pliable brings Simeon a wicked joy. As such, he has a tendency to tease Raph excessively. It’s an additional perk for Simeon on top of getting to be with you.

Raphael is grateful to Simeon for granting him the opportunity to experience so much pleasure with you both without such crushing guilt – although he can occasionally stomach the guilt if it means he gets you to himself. Still, when he’s with you and Simeon, Raphael will come unraveled, messily switching between your lips and Simeon’s and moaning sweetly as if each sound he made was simultaneously and offering and a plea for mercy.

Mephistopheles

Mephisto and Mammon are the only two who are most compatible with each other. Mephisto’s personality can be a bit too abrasive to meld well with other characters. Satan and Diavolo would be decent matches, and if you don’t mind feeling like you’re being caught up in the middle of a hate-fucking, Mephisto and Lucifer have some appeal. However, Mephisto and Mammon in a threesome have the most to offer each other.

While Mephisto offers a good match to Mammon’s high energy, Mammon pulls the fun, playful side out of Mephisto more. The way Mammon thoughtlessly smiles and leans into your touch when he’s praised encourages Mephisto to relax and indulge in his own neediness. Additionally, Mammon’s submissive nature can affect Mephisto’s own role more than he wants to admit. Mephisto’s ego makes him want to prove himself as the better sub for you some days. Other days, it drives him to showcase what a good dom he can be, tending to you and Mammon so sweetly that most would never believe that was the same demon.

Initially, Mephisto gets a sick, twisted pleasure from fucking (or getting fucked by) Lucifer’s favorite human and his favorite brother. He strives to make you both call out his name. The way Mephisto gets such a sexual kick out of harming or irritating Lucifer, you’d think he wanted to fuck Lucifer (and he sort of does, somewhere deep and repressed). Nevertheless, Mephisto never expected to find himself thinking Mammon was so adorable, which makes him enjoy the threesome more and begins to overshadow his initial intentions.

He enjoys the challenge of simultaneously focusing on the pleasure of two other people. Mephisto is too embarrassed to admit it, but once, he likened the sex to an interview panel with conflicting personalities, and he was the reporter who was going to deliver the interview of the week. He’s such a nerd, send help.

(demon brother version)

A/N: I don't know how these came out even longer because I like the other characters a bit more probably and also the angels have me acting a fool probably. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this two-part headcanon. Also, since I got them all up, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this idea.

[svt-luna]

* ˚ ✦ LUNA

﹟STAGE NAME ‣ Luna ❨ 루나 ❩

﹟BIRTH NAME ‣ Bae Ji-Yeon ❨ 배지연 ❩

﹟ENGLISH NAME ‣ Luna Bae

﹟POSITION ‣ Lead Vocalist, Visual

﹟BIRTHPLACE ‣ Kensington, London, United Kingdom

﹟BIRTHDATE ‣ January 30, 1997

﹟ZODIAC SIGN ‣ Aquarius

﹟CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN ‣ Ox

﹟HEIGHT ‣ 169cm ❨ 5’6" ❩

﹟WEIGHT ‣ 43kg ❨ 94 lbs ❩

﹟BLOOD TYPE ‣ O+

﹟MBTI ‣ INTJ

﹟NATIONALITY ‣ Korean-English

﹟REPRESENTATIVE EMOJI ‣ 🌙

﹟SUB-GROUP ‣ Vocal Team

﹟INSTAGRAM ‣ @/lunabae

﹟SOLO FANDOM NAME ‣ Moonlights

﹟MIC COLOR ‣ Periwinkle

﹟LUNA FACTS ‣

She was born in Kensington, London, United Kingdom

She is an only child

She comes from a wealthy family

Training Period: 3 years and 4 months

She moved back to Seoul, South Korea in 2011 at the age of 14 years old and started training as an idol when she was just 15 years old back in 2012

She was a trainee at YG Entertainment for a year and was constantly offered to train at PLEDIS Entertainment which she accepted hesitantly a year later

She started training in ballet at the age of 3 years old

Her mother is a retired ballerina while her father is an anthropologist

Education: Southbank Internation School Kensington, School of Performing Arts Seoul

She can speak in English, Korean, and Japanese

Her nicknames are ‘Lulu’, ‘Nana’, ‘Ace’, and ‘Elsa’ (because she can be cold according to the members), ‘It Girl’, ‘Siren’, and ‘Bunny’

She was dubbed the ‘Ace’ by fellow trainees because she was an all-rounder who could adapt and do anything asked of her, and also because she would always get high scores during monthly evaluations

She ranked 1st on TC Chandler’s Most Beautiful Faces of 2020

She is very smart and was always top of her classes

She has a talent for manipulating situations and the rest of the members during their Going Seventeen games making her one of the scariest players

When asked what made her want to be an idol, Luna said, “I was performing on a big stage as a ballerina and there was just a voice in my head that made me want to start singing at the same time.”

Out of all the members, she's the cleanest and has an obsession with cleaning her surroundings

She has mentioned a lot of times that she dislikes doing aegyo but strangely enough, can do it naturally and unknowingly

All the members have confessed that they found her intimidating upon meeting her for the first time, idols and people who meet her for the first time have the same impression (because she has a resting bitch face)

Charming Point: Visuals, siren eyes, charisma, presence/aura, dimple, flirty personality, smirk smile, rbf

Specialty: Facial expressions, stage presence, versatility, flexibility, vocal prowess, trendsetter

Likes: Performing, dressing up, shopping, eating, baking, listening to music, sleeping, working out, reading, legos, classical music, ballet, bunnies

Dislikes: People who walk slowly, when the door gets left open, unorganized plans and surroundings, aegyo, spiders, darkness, tightly closed spaces

Motto: “I believed that I could and I did.”

Show more Luna facts. . .

Related: SEVENTEEN Discography | SEVENTEEN Members Profiles | SEVENTEEN Vocal Team Members | SEVENTEEN Hip Hop Team Members | SEVENTEEN Performance Team Members

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

ೃ⁀➷ comment or message me to be added to the tag list :)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SUBMIT A REQUEST AND ASK ME ANYTHING!

: ̗̀➛ requests are always open ♡ - lunaఌ

Taglist: @yeoberryx @minminghao @angie-x3

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I'm still here ngl..

*

Listen, I see this and feel so much happiness. Jimin dancing, showing who he is, showing the versatility of his style and giving us just a glimpse into the extensive, vast range of his talent.

There's been some revisionism happening regarding BTS that's ratcheted up in the last three years or so. I can't be the only person who's noticed it. People more forcefully asserting things about the members that are just plain absurd, like saying this or that member isn't that talented, or that xyz member has this massive character failing that's only just apparent now for some reason, or that things they've said and done aren't actually the case. After FACE, I noticed people saying shit like Jimin can't sing and can't dance...

That reminds me, I went to a cup-sleeve event in June for another group and someone told me to my face Jimin can't dance and I almost uppercut that bitch. It ticked me off but I didn't actually assault her. What I did instead was ask her to explain what she meant, told her I disagreed, and showed her why by playing Jimin's Black Swan solo DP. She took back her initial claim and said she'd just been in a k-pop group online and all those people were saying is how none of the BTS members are that talented especially Jimin who apparently can't sing to save his life and whatever dancing he can do is limited to a few moves from 6 years ago.

Plain insanity.

Jimin, out of the kindness of his sweet, magnanimous heart, is giving the amnesia patients a crash course in who he is. He's reminding people he is Park Jimin of BTS. The dancer who joined a nearly bankrupt agency, had the shortest training period in that agency's history, and with the least resources, and debuted as the main dancer and lead singer of what is now the biggest group in the world. The man who critics from all over the world laud as a virtuoso, in voice, dance, and performance. His voice has brought men to their knees, calmed babies, enchanted concert halls, made stadiums full of people cry out in pure joy. There's nobody alive or dead like Park Jimin, and the fact we all get to exist in the same time as him is a blessing too many people (for my liking) take for granted.

ThisIsJimin is a gift I'm thankful to Jimin for giving us again.

*

Anyway, I was watching that clip again with a friend and she pointed out how cool the dance practice room was. Noted how it's a massive improvement from the old BigHit halls that had mold growing on the walls and water dripping on live wires in the back. It's taken years, hard work by the members, good business sense from BigHit/HYBE, and a lot of my own hard-earned money as well as the resources (time, money, otherwise) from ARMYs over the years to get to this point - and I just want to say, speaking for myself, even though I still see massive room for improvement, I feel very happy with the state of things.

HYBE is cultivating a solid roster of talent built on BTS's hard work. The world-class facilities in the building is the first good sign, as well as the talent now being fostered there. I love the quality of the army of dancers Jimin had access to for his SMF Pt2 performances, I love that NewJeans is doing so well that Riot Games sought them to feature on their new World's anthem, I love that a whole new generation of incredible groups are growing in the environment created by BTS's own trials and success.

BOYNEXTDOOR is a group that continues to have my attention because all six boys are just that good. They posted their dance practice for Crying today (my favourite song from a rookie group in 2023), and I noticed they did it in a similar dark coloured dance practice room Jimin filmed his #ThisIsJimin choreo in. And that really just put a very silly smile on my face for a reason I can't pinpoint yet.

*

Maybe it's aftereffects from the Jimin Effect after streaming his reel as hard as I'm streaming Indigo lately.

I see the asks you send, about Golden, JK in general, jokers, this or that thing happening in fandom, and I'll get to them at some point but I don't want to talk about them right now. Because I'm still stuck on Jimin showcasing himself in that air conditioned, world class dance practice room that's only possible because of his hard work, tenacity, talent, and love for his group.

I'm still stuck on Jimin and legit cannot move on. He's such a beast. Such a calculating, proud, stubborn, and kind beast of a man.

I'm not sure what's going on with me.

We're in Jimtober so maybe his juju is just extra strong and I can't escape his grip no matter what I try. Anyway, it's a good idea to stream FACE, allow yourself to re-experience his album, check out his other solos as well (played Christmas Love over the weekend and realized it sounds even better on low frequency speakers), and eat a lot of spicy food followed by warm/hot drinks because Jimin is curious about such things (and it really does work).

[alt-wannabe]

MCSR Marching Band AU

back at it again with wildly specific au's based on the shit i do irl. i've been in band for 10 years (jesus) and marching band for 7- being the tenor sax section leader both my senior year of high school and now my senior year of college.

i had some help with this one from @s3er :3

more under the cut! warning there's a LOT

Nerdi is the drum major! He's in charge of conducting the whole band and specifically helping the center snare keep a steady tempo. He's reliable to a fault and is able to keep his conducting at the proper pace pretty much no matter what (or no matter how hard some of the band members try to distract him). He can also march pretty well on the odd occasion he's not conducting (usually during pregame) and he can do some pretty cool mace tricks. His backbend with the mace is practically all the way to the ground.

Fein is the center snare. He works directly with Nerdi to keep a steady tempo. Drum major and center snare are the structural support of the entire band- without either of them tempo tends to fall apart and the show follows quickly after. He's drumline captain as well and can competently play any drumline instrument (and a good fair few wind instruments as well). One of the band members who does DCI (crazy intense travel drum corps) in the summer.

Guard Section Courtesy of @s3er !

Cube's main equipment would be rifle but he'd also be extremely good at flag, sabre, and dance. he just happens to be the best at rifle out of all of those. during marching band season he would probably be at the front a lot of the times. his consistency, versatility, and experience would make him a very good captain and during practices he would probably often get stuck teaching freshman flagline because he already mastered his own choreo+movement and he'd probably be very good at that as well even if he found it frustrating

Fruit likes flag the most because it's big and colorful and fun :] but since he's so good at weapon that's usually the line he gets placed in during marching season. winterguard has more leeway, since everything is smaller he's more able to do his own thing. for guard, marching season can be very "we know what we want the guard to do this season, just do that" while winterguard is more like, if fruit comes up with some wacky trick they can absolutely find a way to fit that in the show. if there's a dance/gymnastics solo though that would go to him

Zye is a sabre demon and probably a captain just because of how much experience he has but he would do the least amount of captain shit. except that he would be very good at instantly spotting how someone is doing choreo wrong and or why they can't get something and helping them. he makes sabre look easy, like that shit is made of plastic and not cold hard death metal that wants to break all your toes and i hate him for that. he picks up on everything extremely quickly and can make anything looks fluid and effortless

everyone say tysm to s3er for these blurbs! the guard insight was def needed and also super interesting to hear about!

Fulham is a clarinet player- specifically bass clarinet if the band decides to march them and section leader (bass clarinet is the birch tree of instruments just look at it). Absolute GOD at drill- both teaching and marching himself. Everyone in the clarinet section is never an inch off of their dot (assigned spot on the field) and they always take the exact correct path w/ the exact step size between positions. He also helps the directors write the show drill on occasion.

Couri plays mellophone! Mello's have a reputation in some bands for not being heard- Couri is NOT one of those mellos. Not only does he play loud, but he plays WELL and if a show has a mello solo it's going to him. He practices the most out of the whole band and if you're looking for him before or after school you'll either find him on the field or in a practice room. Does DCI with Fein- they go out for the same corps.

Silverr plays baritone. Also a DCI participant but he's usually in an opposing corps to Fein and Couri. Basically all of the baritones I know are super chill (I share a section with them in my marching band). Silverr can play a couple of instruments so his marching choice can vary from year to year- baritone is the usual pick though. He's one of the stronger bassline players in the band and the directors try to have him towards the center of the field so he's easily heard by not only the audience but also the other band members. Always has his music memorized early enough that his section can listen to him play for a solid guide.

Reign plays alto and tenor sax. He prefers alto but if the band is lacking in tenors he can switch over. He can also play trumpet and that's his instrument in his drum corps with Silverr (because they don't take woodwinds). Altos have a reputation for being outgoing and he enables the stereotype. His section finds him easier to talk to than the "official" alto section leaders so he ends up fielding a lot of the underclassmen's questions. He pretty frequently gets solos if the altos are ever given any. (side bar for a cool alto part listen to the Miya Twins theme from haikyuu. The bassline underneath is supposed to represent the consistent and collected twin while the alto part represents the more experimental and wild twin. Sound familiar?)

Dylqn plays trombone. Has hit someone with his slide on a move before, will hit someone with his slide on a move again. The type to make a joke during an attention pose and get the people around him in trouble for laughing. That being said he's an extremely talented musician and marcher. The directors can almost never get mad at him for goofing around because when he locks in he's absolutely a pillar of the entire band. The thing about him being good though is it means it was absolutely on purpose when he hit Fein with his slide.

Mime plays tenor sax (WOOOOOO BEST INSTRUMENT) and is a section leader. His main skill is choregraphing out complex moves and he helps the directors/fulham with drill. When I say complex moves I mean like this shit where everyones walking through each other and one wrong step equals a collision (5:18 in this video. note this is DCI and not a regular marching band so this whole show is a lot more than the average band is gonna do). Not only is Mime good at running through them himself, he can explain the moves well enough that everyone is able to make the move safely. He plays bassoon outside of marching band.

Poundy plays sousaphone. Loves to brag about playing the biggest instrument on the field which is lowkey fair because sousi is HARD. That being said he has full bowled Couri over at least once. No instruments or people were hurt amazingly but the argument that happened afterwards was generational. Poundy is one of the people that has no trouble making friends outside of his section as he's super easy to talk to. Some people tend to stay in their section at band but he is very much so not one of these people. He also plays LOUD which is important for a bassline player.

that's all ive thought through for now but ill likely have some more thoughts on this in the future. my ass is STRUGGLING with fulham's d&d mini right now but trust it's in the works (his hair and glasses are not really in heroforge so im having to improvise to make it not look weird). hope yall enjoyed me yapping for the length of a feinberg post event essay

[purecommemasolitude]

There’ve been criticisms about Darry being too mean or too cruel in the musical, and I get where those people are coming from, but — and speaking as someone who hasn’t seen or listened to it but has listened to the soundtrack and follows the information account like the paper — I think this phenomenon stems from two things

First, on the side of the discussers, a lack of exposure to the musical as an actual piece of material instead of (occasionally very out of context) lines or screenshots. Obviously seeing the musical, even if one lived in New York, would be expensive as all get out, and even audios and boots are pretty hard to find for this show, but there are many details and contexts that change how lines on the page should be interpreted that simply cannot be gleaned through, well, lines on the page. As someone who has dabbled in acting & directing, and has spent time analyzing play texts in depth, delivery and direction can change everything. The entire sentiment of a line can be the opposite of what you’d expect if you took the line at face value, and unless that’s explicit in the stage directions, it can go unrealized if one is merely reading the script (which, as an aside, is exactly why I find analyzing play excerpts tricky — because without a performance or direction, scripts are often so ambiguous and versatile that they could go any way). And honestly, despite also being someone who unfortunately does not benefit from first hand knowledge of the musical, I feel like this is very evident in discussion of Darry in the show. For example, none of his lines in, say, Runs in the Family (Reprise) should be taken at face value, because if you’ve even listened to the song you can tell he’s completely spiralling and hitting a breaking point. This is a state that, historically, causes people to say things they’d never believe in real life. We’re not meant to believe Darry would ever walk out on his brothers, we’re meant to hear him talk about it and understand how deep of a breakdown he is having. As a less obvious example, from what people online have said, Darry spends the last twenty or so minutes of the musical in tears. Again, the things he says here aren’t necessarily the things he believes, or things that he’s expressing coolly or off-handedly because they line up 1:1 with his worldview, they’re things he says when he’s desperate and struggling and has no idea what the correct path is when his brother & responsibility has effectively been comatose since the deaths

Which brings me to my next point!

One of the most known things about the musical, even to people who aren’t very familiar with it, is that it goes more in-depth on Darry’s trials and tribulations, so to speak. He gets one solo at status quo, another (mostly) solo when he gets his breakdown, and a (mostly) duet in his own self-described darkest hour during Pony’s absence. All three of these songs go into detail about what his life is like and how much he’s been struggling, and even songs that aren’t about him emphasize this feature of his more than in the book: his description by Ponyboy in Tulsa ’67 & Great Expectations reminding the audience of his life’s path, his verse in GGAH making it clear that his life is a very different one with arguably more severe burdens compared to the other boys. Other than the three most important characters of the original narrative, he is now undoubtedly the most important and developed character — which makes sense in a musical format, because with the story of The Outsiders it would’ve been pretty much impossible to do a true ensemble cast other than the main three while doing any of them justice, especially if they’d kept Steve as a principle (rip king). But I digress. In my opinion, being clearer on Darry’s hardships actually gives the musical space to show him as saying crueller things, to have him make more mistakes and mess up worse. In the book, we’re clearly meant to sympathize with him by the end, but we only get Ponyboy’s infamously flawed and unreliable narration as the lense through which to view him. As such, if we went too hard into Darry messing up, while 3/4 of the book have Ponyboy going “yeah Darry’s a rock and doesn’t love me or anyone”, he ultimately would’ve come across a lot worse and a lot harder to “redeem” in the eyes of the reader (personally I never disliked him, but I’ve seen enough accounts of people who hated him on their first go at the story to know it is not an uncommon sentiment). He already slaps his brother and argues with him all the time; it would’ve been even more legwork to make him liked if he’d also been saying harsher things and making more mistakes. In the musical, however, we get that objective perspective that’s missing in the book. Ponyboy’s not narrating to us the lyrics of Throwing in the Towel, he’s not even present for the events of Throwing in the Towel! It’s a lot easier to understand and forgive mistakes if one is familiar with the psyche behind those mistakes, and the musical delivers that psyche to us at every turn. Because the audience understands Darry Curtis and how hard it is for him to hold on, the audience also has more understanding and forgiveness for when he’s spiralling. It’s also just a more specific proof of his plight — three songs with first-hand, emotionally explicit lyrics penetrate the uninvested understanding a lot easier than a second-party description of circumstances. Due to its nature and promotion of Darry’s importance, the musical simply gets more freedom to show an arguably more realistic version of him.

Also, I do believe that Darry in the musical is just that much closer to the edge than he is in the book, which is a valid character choice in an inherently emotional and transformative medium such as the musical adaptation 🤷🏻‍♀️

[greenhappyseed]

MHA 409 Review — The Extra and the Pebble

Ch 409 is a really interesting continuation of the action in 405-406, prior to the AFO backstory in 407-408. These few panels of Yoichi and AFO in the OFA-AFO mind palace (406 on the right; 409 on the left) tell us a LOT about AFO and how he’s been affected by Katsuki.

I’m not even sure what’s left of AFO. Is he fully baby-fied now? Is he down on the ground like Toya and Himiko? Throughout the chapter, it looked like AFO was gaining a pupil in his right eye, which is the one Katsuki doesn’t have at the moment. Is this just clever art mirroring or hinting at AFO’s next move????

Unlike 407-408, this chapter focuses on Katsuki. I don’t think it tells us something we didn’t already know — Katsuki was born to a couple with a happy, functional marriage who loved and wanted him. He has a strong and versatile quirk. He’s powerful, smart, and strategic. And yet, at the start of the story all those advantages combined made him more of a brat than a hero. But it’s different now. The final page really shows how Katsuki has connected it all. See how the lines of his explosion frame the rest of the page? How the left line points directly to his dialogue about not being alone? And below Katsuki are all the influences that have supported him — All Might, his parents, and Yoichi/OFA (via Izuku).

Katsuki is going all out at the end, breaking his right arm (again) but able to pull off one last huge blast due to the brace All Might gave him (like Izuku using Melissa’s gauntlets in Two Heroes). If his gambit of dropping sweat beads in AFO’s mouth didn’t pay off, he would have delivered the blast sooner, but luckily his ploy worked.

FWIW, Katsuki dropped the beads in AFO’s mouth right when AFO was shouting about Kudou and Katsuki said his name was Kacchan, because Kacchan is a clever kid.

Katsuki is also acknowledging directly that he could not have soloed AFO. Even though he’s awesome, there’s a limit to what he (or ANY one person, including All Might) could do alone. Seeing as Yoichi’s message to Izuku has always been, “You are not alone,” it further emphasizes how Katsuki has grown to adopt the spirit of OFA. The kid who thought needing help was a sign of weakness, and who thought Izuku holding out a hand was mocking him, now understands the importance of accepting that hand. Standing on the shoulders of giants helps one see further. :)

Moreover, Katsuki is now motivated by helping Izuku and getting out of Izuku’s way. Izuku isnt the pebble in Katsuki’s path — Katsuki is the one in the way of Izuku. Back when 362 dropped, I wrote about how Katsuki’s death was very Buddhist in that he had to lose all his physical attachments (including his body and quirk) to achieve a spiritual awakening. It seems like that worked, and now Katsuki is genuinely, truly appreciating all the gifts he has, as well as his role as a piece of something bigger. He’s no longer demanding that others get out of his way, but rather thinking about when HE has to move for someone else. The kid who pathologically couldn’t walk behind someone else is now able to get out of his own way AND clear the path for others.

This fits the pattern we’ve seen numerous times in the final arc with a hero accepting a villain’s taunt in order to defeat them. Of course Katsuki takes a different tactic than, say, Shoto (“A half-baked dummy, that’s me”). Katsuki yells he’s the final boss, he’s not a filler character, etc. But the point is the same. Katsuki is accepting he has one quirk; he’s NOT physically bound to the OFA-AFO quirk; he IS a pebble compared to AFO. His role IS to support Izuku….and it takes absolutely nothing away from him whatsoever. Katsuki has his stupid awesome quirk, his intelligence, his strength, his commitment, and people who care about him. He can play his part to the best of his ability and deliver a big win for the heroes.

[for-yoongi0309]

– Ig.iamhalsey

Guested at the forum the other night with @/agustd and we performed “suga’s interlude” for the first time ever live! I’ve shared a stage with my friend many times, but never alone and never like this. When the song ended all we could do was laugh because it was just a feeling of “woah that just happened?!” after knowing each other for 7 years. I call Suga ‘twin’ for a lot of reasons. We have the same smile, we have a lot of shared interests, sometimes we even have the same haircut. But I mostly say it because we seem strangely (and sometimes wordlessly) connected on a creative wavelength. Watching him perform his solo concert was an incredible experience. He is a true artist, which I’ve always known. But seeing the energy, versatility, creativity, and courageous darkness of the show blew me away. Moments like these remind me why we are so fortunate to have this way of expressing ourselves. I am so grateful! Thanks to twin for having me and thank you ARMY for, as always, singing your hearts out and making me feel right at home.

[louisupdates]

The hitmaker, 32, has made a name for himself since releasing his debut solo album Walls, in 2020. In the years following the record hitting Number 4 on the Official UK Charts and being certified Silver, Tomlinson has gone on to tour the globe and bagged two Top Ten singles.

But it appears his solo career is receiving industry recognition with the Doncaster, South Yorks, star bagging Artist of the Year, having gone up against fellow South Yorkshire-born singer, Self Esteem and Newcastle's Sam Fender. The star was awarded the gong at the Northern Music Awards, appearing via videolink to celebrate his award.

Sitting in a hotel room, the singer said: "Hi, I'm Louis Tomlinson and I'm really sorry I can't be with you tonight at the Nordoff and Robbins Northern Music Awards, I'm currently on tour. But I just want to say, it means the world to win Artist of the Year. Thank you, thank you and thanks for doing such an incredible thing for charity."

Although Tomlinson burst onto the scene singing pop songs, in recent years, he has branched out into punk rock, indie pop, soft rock and EDM, proving to be one of the most versatile artists in the industry. The musician is currently preparing for the final shows of his Faith In The Future World Tour which he kicked off on May 26, 2023, with his final show being on September 8, 2024, as part of Superbloom Festival.

The Mirror UK [23.4.2024]

[stcpidcupid]

⩩♡⃗ ⠀⠀⠀ DEAR CHERUBS ⠀:⠀ A SPECIAL FIVE-PART ALBUM ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ — layout ib. /hearthr0b + temps from /tinytowns

DEAR CHERUBS is a five-part project released between 2021 and 2023 by the girl group STUPID CUPID. each member released two songs wrapped in an ep album, with each ep being promoted for a specific number of weeks. the project showcases each member's individual talents and unique styles, highlighting their versatility and creativity. through this project, STUPID CUPID aimed to give fans a deeper insight into their personal artistry and musical influences, offering a diverse range of genres and concepts.

EVERY  ROSE  marks  the  beginning  of  the  DEAR  CHERUBS  project,  with  CHESKA  as  the  first  member  to  debut  her  solo  ep.  the  album  features  two  tracks  that  delve  into  love,  loss,  and  personal  growth  themes.  CHESKA's  soulful  vocals  and  heartfelt  lyrics  set  the  tone  for  a  reflective  and  emotional  journey.  the  album  tells  the  story  of  an  all-consuming  love  affair  that  turns  into  a  heartbreaking  and  obsessive  experience.  CHESKA,  deeply  in  love,  finds  herself  in  an  increasingly  dangerous  and  unstable  relationship.  her  passion  is  intense  and  unwavering,  but  it  is  met  with  uncertainty  and  fear  of  abandonment.

title track name : THORNS AND PETALS

promotions : six weeks

wins : three

promoted b-side : I DESERVE IT

the  album,  READY?  PLAYER.  tells  a  story  of  a  confident,  assertive  individual  who  is  unafraid  to  express  their  desires  and  attraction.  JEANNE,  as  the  protagonist,  is  keenly  aware  of  the  mutual  feelings  between  herself  and  the  person  she  is  interested  in,  acknowledging  their  magnetic  pull  towards  each  other.  this  sets  the  tone  for  flirtatious  and  bold  interactions,  emphasizing  a  playful  and  seductive  dynamic.  the  songs  were  a  shock  to  CHERUBS  due  to  how  explicit  the  lyrics  were,  and  JEANNE  had  to  cut  the  promotions  short  despite  changing  the  words  to  fit  the  music  show  criteria.

title track name : GOT THAT, PLAYER

promotions : three weeks

wins : n/a

promoted b-side : GAME ON ( ft. KRUSH's KALEINA )

THE  MURDER  OF  THE  WHITE  SWAN  narrates  the  intense,  unspoken  attraction  between  two  individuals.  VIVA  is  tormented  by  the  thought  of  her  love  interest  being  with  someone  else,  and  her  feelings  are  further  heightened  by  this  person's  physical  presence  and  allure.  the  lyrics  convey  longing  and  frustration,  as  both  parties  are  aware  of  their  mutual  desire  but  have  yet  to  act  on  it.  the  lyrics  highlight  the  internal  conflict  between  maintaining  the  fantasy  of  this  perfect  connection  and  the  desire  to  turn  it  into  reality.  VIVA  dreams  of  being  with  the  love  interest  but  is  tired  of  the  unfulfilled  fantasies  and  wants  to  make  them  real.  this  tension  between  dreaming  and  actualising  her  desires  is  a  central  theme  throughout  the  album.  just  like  JEANNE,  VIVA  shocked  everyone  by  releasing  such  a  mature  ep,  but  the  fandom  praised  the  company  for  waiting  until  VIVA  was of  legal  age  before  letting  her  release  this.

title track name : DREAM OF YOU

promotions : seven weeks

wins : three

promoted b-side : BLOOD RED MOON

the  main  story  of  CALLBACK?  is about an  emotional  struggle  and  the  desire  for  clarity  in  a  relationship  filled  with  mixed  signals.  the  album  explores  yearning,  frustration,  and  vulnerability  as  AIMEE  navigates  the  complexities  of  dealing  with  an  indecisive  love  interest.  the  narrative  captures  the  tension  of  wanting  someone  deeply  while  grappling  with  the  uncertainty  and  confusion  of  their  inconsistent  behaviour.  the  ep  was  released  after  the  group’s  second  english  track,  B.O.Y.,  and  it  seemed  like  it  came  at  the  right  time  due  to  the  CHERUBS’  strike  against  the  english  single.  many  came  to  support  AIMEE’s  solo,  yet  no  matter  what,  they  still  called  it  THE  WORST  SOLO  DEBUT  because  of  their  dislike  towards  the  song's  repetitiveness.  during  a  live  session,  AIMEE  revealed  that  she  was  heartbroken  after  finding  out  the  fans  disliked  the  music  because  it  was  the  first  time  she  had  no  help  producing  it.

title track name : I WANT U!

promotions : six weeks

wins : n/a

promoted b-side : ENCORE

90S  BABY  is  TOMIE's  story  of  someone  who  has  been  confined  by  societal  norms  and  expectations,  always  trying  to  fit  into  a  certain  mold.  the  lyrics  "always  the  same  old  recipe,  like  a  good  kid"  and  "the  image  of  me  that  you  judged  arbitrarily"  highlight  the  pressure  to  conform  and  the  struggle  to  meet  others'  expectations.  TOMIE  decided  to  cast  off  these  expectations  and  embrace  her  true  self.  lines  like  "sugarcoat,  i  cast  off"  and  "just  move,  as  i  want,  dancing  for  myself"  signify  a  bold  decision  to  live  authentically  and  pursue  personal  happiness,  regardless  of  others'  opinions.  this  marks  a  significant  shift  from  seeking  external  validation  to  finding  self-worth  within.  after  releasing  this  ep  at  the  end  of  2023,  the  group's  fandom  decided  to  make  a  poll,  and  vote  for  their  favourite  DEAR  CHERUBS  ep.  TOMIE's  ep  won  by  a  landslide,  and  VIVA  received  second  place  in  the  votes.

title track name : DON'T SUGARCOAT ME

promotions : five weeks

wins : four

promoted b-side : THE GIRL I AM

after  all  five  ep  albums  had  been  released,  fans  conducted  a  poll  to  determine  their  favourite  DEAR  CHERUBS.  the  results,  ranked  from  highest  to  lowest  in  terms  of  popularity,  are  as  follows:  TOMIE,  VIVA,  CHESKA,  JEANNE,  and  AIMEE.  given  the  group's  global  popularity,  the  percentage  of  fans  who  favoured  each  album  is:

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ — note : kaleina can be found at @urmykrushhh <3 tysm for letting me "borrow" kalenia for a quick second, i appreciate it!