#when chan uses his higher range he has a different sound and i think its hot thank u sir !

[chrisbangs]

02.

[living-in-the-state-of-dreaming]

Can I have a jealous Yandere Deku with a very oblivious reader and Deku can barely control himself anymore?

Okay so I may have gone a little bit overboard with this ^///^;; but since this request has been sitting in my inbox for far too long I wanted to make up for the delay, plus there’s the fact that I still have not done anything for reaching 200 followers yet. I’m e x t r e m e l y sorry for the delay this however x_x but I hope you enjoy it. ^~^ Thank you for requesting.

Trigger warnings: Drug use, dark thoughts, mind break and a whole lot of angst.

What becomes of the broken-hearted.

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He knew it was wrong, so very, very, very wrong.

So many times he’d told himself that he shouldn’t think or feel such things towards y/n and each time the shameful thoughts, ones no hero should ever think up, came to his mind he would instantly push them aside, letting them rot at the very back of his mind, only to give y/n a reassuring smile when she, being the pure and kind soul that he had come to know her as; noticed and asked if he was alright.

“ Y-yeah I’m fine y/n, please don’t worry about me. “

It would be the answer that he would hear himself give every single time when in reality he wasn’t alright and that kind smile that he had come to love almost stung as he knew it was only out of concern for a friend. How he wished that there was love and affection, even if it was just the smallest amount, behind that smile. The thought of it being there was always something that would make his heart pound and race in his chest, even if it was only a fraction of the caliber of love that he felt towards y/n

Y/n and the rest of class-1A did not know this, as it was something that he wanted to keep to himself, but lately, amidst the notes and drawings of hero related content that filled the pages, there was something else that he had taken to writing down in his notebook. Perhaps it was a little obsessive of him, no it definitely was, he knew that, but information on y/n sat at the back of the notebook, separated from the intel of hero and given its own little space. The information ranged from a variety of things, from y/n’s hobbies, her quirk, her strengths, her weaknesses and her personality, each time he would discover something new about y/n he would write it down with the rest of the information when he was alone. Midoriya didn’t know when he had begun to do this, but the reason for doing so felt...Oddly justified in a sense, as the reason why he had started writing down these little notes and key points on y/n, was the thought that if he learned everything he could about her, then he had a higher chance of winning y/n’s heart.

He had never been the best when it came to confessing his feelings for someone- much less a beautiful girl that he considered to be extremely out of his league;  swooning someone with charming words of flattery was likely something more suited to someone else; for people who could easily walk up to a girl with confidence; charm a girl and make them blush while their hearts pounded; whereas he would likely only blush and stumble over his words if he even attempted to do the same thing. However, after working up enough courage to do so he had gone with the option of dropping subtle hints, from, albeit shyly, giving compliments on y/n’s hair, telling y/n how well the clothes she was wearing suited her, to simply refuting y/n any time she talked herself down due to insecurities. This also included inviting her to get ice cream, as it was summer and he knew that y/n’d likely be boiling from the heat, something that did not help the intensive training that would often occur during his and y/n’s free time if it didn’t happen during class.

However, where at first he had barely been able to contain his excitement at the thought of going for ice cream with y/n as thoughts spun around in his head, it had ended much differently from how he had wanted it to go due to how oblivious she turned out to be with things like this and instead y/n had only blinked and gave a big smile as she continued to enjoy the outing, while he wanted nothing more than to slap himself silly right there and there. He wasn’t surprised that the so-called ‘ date ‘ that he had been so excited for had turned out be something that had only been an outing between ‘ friends ‘ and as both he and y/n made their way back to the dorms, Deku could feel his heart deflate more and more with every step that he took, but as disappointment stung and tore at his heart, a frustration settled within him as well; one that came out of his inability and failure of being unable to tell y/n what he was really thinking- what he really wanted. It was something that should have been so simple but here he was stumbling at every turn and continuously running into obstacles; as if the word felt like kicking him in the chest once more for good measure.

He wanted to tell you her so badly, tell her how he truly felt, almost as badly as he wanted to win her beautiful heart but... Like most things- most dreams- there was always an obstacle as one more kick was launched at his chest in the form of this new piece of information that he had learned from Kirishima and his other friends.

Something that left him feeling completely shattered as his heart was left in broken pieces within his chest.

Y/n had a crush on Ka-chan.

Midoriya could feel nothing but numbness at hearing this, and after a brief moment, he quickly realized that he was in shock, the same kind of numbing shock that he had felt when the doctor had said that he would never develop a Quirk of his own. Shortly after he had gotten back to the dorms he had gone straight to his room while giving the reason that he wasn’t feeling very well from something that he’d eaten earlier and because of that he was turning in early. When Iida had mentioned that he could give him something to help remedy it, Izuku had been grateful that he was trying to help but he really just wanted to be alone right now and so, he had politely insisted that he’d be better after getting some rest with a reassuring smile.

The notebook lay open on his lap while his fingers held the pen, taking pen to paper he began to write down what he’d learned, but he could barely write down the words Y/N has a crush on Ka before the pen fell from his hand, landing on the floor with a brief and barely audible sound before it rolled a short distance away from his feet and stopped when it was directly in the middle of the beige carpeted floor. The usually spacious dorm room that he had come to call his home suddenly seemed tiny and the silence that settled sounded nearly deafening as he simply sat there on his bed; notebook still open on his lap, pen still in the middle of the floor; the bangs of his green hair shadowing his leaf green hues; only to widen slightly as his body gave an involuntary flinch at the sound of something suddenly cutting the silence in half if but for a second. His eyes slowly shift to where he had heard the noise, only to narrow in puzzlement at noticing the small wet spot that was now on the page, smudging the ink that made up the beginning of the sentence that he had just written down.

Was he-? Oh- Maybe that’s why his chest felt so tight and why he could feel something wet making their way down his cheeks. Tears had come to be something that he knew quite well after all, due to the hardships that he and the others had to endure, but this...There were no words to describe just how much it hurt and as he realized that he was crying; only more continued to fall as the ones that had welled up in his eyes shortly followed after; as a small sad smile came to his lips, regardless of how he felt too weak to make it genuine or happy.

“ Of course...Of course, she likes Ka-chan...He’s amazing. They both are...Why would someone as amazing as her fall for someone like me..? “

His voice came out weak as the sorrow in his eyes and expression seeped into every word as they left his lips. More tears continued to fall, each one falling on the page but he didn’t care as he raised his free hand up to clutch his chest; as if it would somehow help with the agony that he could feel at that moment and moments after the tears began to fall at a faster pace, Midoriya’s head drooped as the weak smile fell from his expression, the only sounds being his quiet sobs and the sound of tears falling onto the page of the book. However the same could not be said for the screaming that his emotions were doing inside of him as frustration, despair and heartache all blurred together, one that gave space for the resentment that he’d always felt for Kachan. Yes he’d always thought that Kachan was amazing, but he’d also resented him in a way and he’d hated him for how he treated him in school for having dreams of being a hero while being ‘ A quirkless loser ‘ but for him to have been able to win Y/N’s affections so easily while he had been struggling to just confess and show her how he truly felt was something that only added to that resentment as the hatred he’d felt back then sparked again and the anger joined the flurry of emotions inside of him as his gritted and narrowed his eyes, before scowling down to the written and now blurry Ka.

It wasn’t fair...Ever since they were kids Kachan had always been the one with everything, an awesome quirk, friends; a place that he could fit in; whereas he was thrown away, tossed to the side and picked on simply for not being like the others. Kachan- No- Katsuki Bakugo was a bully who was horrible to people, even to his friends- So why did he deserve an angel like Y/N? He was the one who was nice to her, he was the one who had told her specifically that if she ever needed anything that he would be right there for her; even if it was just a shoulder. He was the one that worshiped the very ground she walked on; who hung on every word like they were drops of gold; he was the one that was clearly the better of the two compared to that bully Katsuki Bakugo so why?! Katsuki Bakugo had always had everything! So why was he the one who got Y/N’s affection!??

Did he even know?? Of course, he didn’t- Midoriya knew that the most important thing that mattered to Bakugo was becoming the world's greatest hero, being number one, even surpassing All Might; in fact, he’d made it very clear time and time again that he would crush anyone who got in his way to do so, being number one was all that mattered to him; so, of course, he wouldn’t know that the sweetest and most beautiful person in the world had fallen for him.

Bitter jealousy, resentment, and anger towards the blonde swirled around Midoriya like an all-consuming Typhon and for just a moment, he found himself wishing that he hadn’t held back at the start, even if it was just a little, that night when he and Kachan had fought before giving the fight his all, but then, an idea came to his mind as realization made his sorrowful eyes light up with an idea. Since she liked Kachan, that just meant that he had to surpass Katsuki Bakugo and given as he had already set his mind to do just that long before he’d learned this shattering detail about his angel, it only fueled him with more motivation.

Instantly his thoughts began to work inside of his head like clockwork as ideas and ways to win Y/N’s heart and affection away from Bakugo whirled around in his head. Was it a petty thing to do? Yes, it was, but...At that moment the heartache was gasoline to the thoughts that were welling up inside of his head, and the smoke was so heady he found himself not caring whether it was, or not. He wanted his angel to return his feelings and he’d do it whatever way he had to if it meant protecting her from Kachan who he knew would likely only leave her kind and beautiful heart shattered into a thousand pieces, a feeling that he now knew quite well.

Eyes puffy from the tears that he had spent what must’ve been a few hours shedding, he stands up from his bed after placing the book aside and walks over to the pen that was still on the floor; before bending down and picking it up, standing up straight again and walking back over to his bed and sitting back down. Without looking at the page where he’d written that damnable beginning of a sentence, he tore it from the notebook and scrunched the paper into a ball before tossing it into the nearby bin.

Turning over to a new page, the pen met paper once again as his hand and mind worked in tandem, his eyes were faintly narrowed in concentration and focus as the pen feverishly ran across the page; while quiet once again settled inside of the room, the only sound this time being the movements of the pen as he wrote.

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That morning as he walked into class, he could feel determination coursing through him like electricity through an electrical switch, so much so that he couldn’t help think if this is what Denki’s quirk felt like. He knew it would likely have the others questioning it, but he only shrugged it off. He had one thing on his mind and that was the plan that he had stayed up all night to write and think up; unfortunately, this meant that he felt a little tired from the lack of sleep, but he knew it would be worth it if all went well and as the end of class came he couldn’t have been more relieved. Nervous yes, in fact very nervous but he’d been thinking about it so much that he’d barely be able to focus on anything, which unfortunately earned him a scolding from Mr. Aizawa, whom he apologized to immediately after... Still, he only continued to smile as he made his way down the halls and as optics of leaf green fell on Y/N he could feel his heart stop for just a moment in his chest; before starting once again in the same pounding rhythm that it always would whenever he was around Y/N. Or...Even when he just thought about Y/N.

For a second he found himself stopping as his footsteps came to a halt, leaving him standing there in the middle of the hall before he shook off the nervousness that had begun to settle inside of him and jogged over to her retreating form, easily catching up to her walking pace.

“ Hey Y/N, I’m sorry if this is sudden but are you free right now? “

He knew she was, but he asked anyway, all the while feeling heat rise to his cheeks at being this close to her, the beautiful smile that came to her expression only making his heart skip another beat as she responded with a brief shake of her head.

“ No, not particularly. Why? Did you want to go somewhere? “

Even when he felt his heart flutter once again at how welcoming Y/n was to the idea, he forced himself to stay cool, but at the same time, he couldn’t help the shy smile that came to him as he gave a nod. Reaching into his bag, his gaze drifted to the side for just a brief moment as his hand fished around only to bring out two tickets to the movies, the same one that he knew she’d been wanting to see for an entire month due to her mentioning it in class, even if it at times wasn’t directed at him. The way y/n’s eyes lit up with excitement, shock and joy-filled him with an unmistakable sense of joy at knowing that he had been the cause; whenever y/n got excited was always something that he’d found adorable as whenever she would it was like little fireworks were going off in her eyes as her lips would form into this near childishly innocent smile.

“ I was actually wondering if you wanted to go see this with me. “

As no words came from Y/N the beginnings of panic set into Midoriya.

Oh no. Had he been too shy with the invitation he hadn’t just ruined it had- Just before his thoughts can continue he couldn’t help but stare for just a moment as a lovely shade of pink- was that rose…?- came to y/n’s cheeks, the blush setting his heart ablaze with a hope that he knew would be visible in his eyes as she nodded, the smile still on her expression.

“ I’d love to. “

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He couldn’t believe it. In fact, he still couldn’t from when they arrived at the movie theater, to when they sat down in their seats. It felt so surreal but it also felt romantic, he hadn’t been on a date before but how they had sat down at the very back of the theater, almost as if they were separated from everyone else felt intimate in a way and as he just sat there, eyes looking to the screen, he could barely help the smile that was currently on his lips.

This...This was so...Perfect, being this close to Y/N.

The movie was the furthest from Izuku’s mind as his gaze continued to glance at Y/N every so often and for a moment, his eyes went to her hand as it rested on the armrest of the seat, it was so close to his own that he could almost touch it and at that moment he wanted to; he wanted to take her hand in his and interlock their fingers together or just place his over her own gently and intimately as he’d once seen in a movie, he knew it was likely most considered very cheesy to think of but it was still something that his thoughts were screaming at him to do. Thinking about this for a moment longer, the same thought that he’d had last night repeats in his head once more.

I will win the Y/N’s heart. No matter what.

Gently placing his hand over her own, his gaze fixed on the movie screen before he peeks a glance at Y/N at noticing her eyes on him from the corner of his eye, feeling her eyes on him and as he made out that same rosy pink blush that had earlier come to her cheeks in the dim lighting that was only offered by the movie screen as her expression was nothing short of surprise, he couldn’t help but smile at her in response. How Y/N never moved her hand away from his own only made his heart swell in his chest, he was happy...Beyond happy actually, the events of last night couldn’t be further from his mind. That was...Until the night ended and the words had left Y/N’s lips.

“ I-I’m...Deku I’m so sorry but...I like someone else. “

Happiness was a cruel and heartless mistress at times... He supposed he should’ve expected as much as he’d given the confession with the confidence that he’d felt; even if his cheeks were still dark red from blush, as his head was slightly bowed. Hearing the rumor from Kirishima and the others had felt like a knife had been plunged deep into his heart, but hearing them straight from those lovely lips of Y/N’s own mouth? He could feel his heart once again cracking all over again, just as it had last night.

“Y-You...What..? “

The guilt, remorse, and sympathy that he could hear in y/n’s voice only worsened the blow as eye/colored hues were lowered, successfully avoiding his gaze but just before she could utter out that those two words once more, the words escaped Izuku before he could make an effort to hold them back and at that moment, as he felt something else begin to crack inside of him...He felt no desire to.

“ It’s Kachan isn’t it. “

As shock came over Y/N’s face Izuku knew that she was perfectly justified to make that expression with how he’d spoken the question but instead of apologizing, his bore into her own expectantly as he waited for her to answer. In the brief silence that settled, destroying any sense of peace or romance that could’ve been there beforehand, Izuku found himself hoping that she’d refute his statement, that she’d say that she didn’t like Kachan and instead liked him but some dreams don’t last long and it was only made that much clearer to him as the beginning of her response left her lips

“ How-? “

“ I heard Kirishima and the others mention it. “

Not wanting to hear the question his response came quick. He didn’t want to hear it...He didn’t want to hear how her heart was still pining for Kachan...The mere thought was enough to make him want to scream, it made him sick as the first embers of hatred that had stirred to life from the ashes of the faint glow that had been there at middle school; began to gradually turn into a roaring flame and one that was only getting stronger the moment this moment played out; and the same pain in his chest that he’d felt last night came back to him once more

“ He doesn’t deserve an Angel like you. Y/N, can’t you see? He only cares about becoming number one, y-you don’t matter at all to him! He’ll only leave your heart in pieces. “

The passion and plea that twinged his eyes seeped into every syllable as he spoke, and although he felt guilt and remorse for the pain that flashed over y/n’s expression his lips parted again, but the smile that came to her expression caused him to freeze and all he could, was stare back into y/n’s eyes, eyes that held so much acceptance and sadness...

“ I know..But that’s okay, I don’t mind, I want him to achieve that goal. Even if he doesn’t feel the same way that I do for him, I don’t mind. I just want him to be happy. “

She didn’t mind…? He didn’t understand...Y/n was willing to let herself be left in the dust if it meant Kachan’s happiness? Of course, Izuku understood that, as he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would do the exact same thing for Y/N but now was not one of those times, not when it came to her heart possibly being left in tatters because of Katsuki Bakugo, he couldn’t allow that to happen! Yet...She wouldn’t listen, every word that was coming out of her mouth only clarified just how much she loved Kachan and each syllable gave another slice to his heart; as the tightness only increased and hot tears began to well in his eyes. His lips formed in a shaky line as his eyes narrowed in pain.

“ Why? W-Why can’t you just let me love you..? I-I care about you. N-No I love you...I love you so much..I’d do anything for you, anything you ask and I’d do it without question so why? “ his hand balled up into a fist as he bit into his bottom lip as if to distract himself from the tears he knew were mere seconds away from falling, but it was no use and as his head drooped the tears ran down his cheeks as his voice escaped in a pained cry.

“ Why does it have to be Kachan?!! I’d do anything for you! I’m the one that’s been there for you the most! So why can’t you just love me instead?!! “ each syllable was just as hysteric and pained as the tears streaming down his cheeks, the silence on y’n's end only provoking only more tears.

Why…? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn’t the plan he’d made just work out but...He supposed...That was just how things were...Right? At this thought, something in him clicks...Yeah...Yeah, it was...Maybe he should’ve just resorted to that method all along... Regardless of how it wasn’t very ‘ Hero ‘ like.

That something that he could feel cracking moments before snaps, and as it does, the numbness that he felt at that moment didn’t allow him to care...It was new...This strange feeling of detachment, but as y/n’s voice spoke out in concern it only sounded like pretty music a requiem of concern that was likely only provoked by his sudden silence.

“ D-Deku? A-Are you okay? “

Lifting his gaze to y/n’s, he only smiled

“ I’m fine Angel. I’m sorry if I startled you by raising my voice so much. “

Skepticism passed through y/n’s eyes before it changed to relief, but Deku’s smile never fades as it only remained on his expression, he could still see the guilt and remorse in her eyes as she stepped closer to him with hesitant steps that reminded him of a hesitant kitten rather than the angel he knew she was, and as she gently and softly wrapped her arms around him in a hug; a spark of happiness flashed through him, but the numbness remained even as one of his hands slipped in and out of his pockets before returning the embrace.

“ Deku- “

Any words that y/n had been about to say died in the wake of the quiet gasp that left her lips, as the needle of the syringe; the same one that he’d taken from the nurse's office was now buried in the side of her y/n’s neck. Keeping it there just long enough for the sleep-inducing drug that was inside of the syringe to be emptied into her body, before gently removing the needle and placing the syringe back inside of his pocket. His embrace around her was loving, gentle and protective yet firm as he supported her own wait with his own as the drug quickly began to take over; the ability to talk fading fast due to drowsiness as the only sounds that she could give at that moment were meek whimpers and short sentences, subsequently reducing y/n’s voice to a meek, sleepy whisper.

“ D-De...Ku..W-What…? “

Even in her hazy state, the fear that he could hear in y/n’s voice was not hard to miss as his hand softly rubbed slow circles on her back in soothing motions; his other gently running over y/n’s soft tresses as he whispered in her ear.

“ Shh, it’s okay Angel. You’re going to be okay. I’m sorry I had to do this...I didn’t want to do this... But it was the only way I could protect you. I love you, Angel...You’ll see that...Eventually. Just sleep for now. I promise I’ll be right here. “

Lifting y/n into his arms as her trembling form went limp due to unconsciousness, Deku’s gaze remained on y/n’s sleeping face, the smile still on his lips as the pure, passionate love that he felt towards Y/N; one that would be seen through every compliment and every smile that he would give her was now joined by something else, an obsession that twisted the once pure emotions into something frightening and twisted.

Yes, he knew it was wrong, but heroes protected people and the people they cared about, and in this case, he was protecting his Angel from those who sought to hurt her beautiful heart...Even if he knew that he didn’t deserve y/n’s heart or her himself. His eyes scan around the area for a brief moment, checking again to see if no one was around before looking back down to his now sleeping Angel. Lowering his lips to her forehead and placing a soft kiss, only to whisper, in a hushed but gentle voice, a gentleness that contradicted the frightening madness that had taken root after something had snapped inside of him.

“ Sleep well, My Angel. “

[straykidsupdate]

Stray Kids & Their Fans Are Growing Up Together

Adulthood has its side effects.

Strobe lights flash like firing synapses; Synths wobble and throb like a pounding headache. “머리 아프다!” — my head hurts — yell the members in Korean, pounding their fists erratically in different directions in the air. Stray Kids dance over the EDM-trance beat as a stern voice recites a string of aliments: “Common side effects include: nervousness, insomnia, nausea, agitation, anxiety, sweating, vision problems, numbness, psychosis, dizziness, headaches, weight loss.” 

From the crowd of nearly 5,600 in New York’s Hulu Theater, the refrain to “Side Effects” rang out passionately from the K-pop group’s diverse fanbase, called Stay, caught somewhere between a battle cry and a cry for help. Stray Kids know that this feeling they’re communicating with “Side Effects” — one of disorientation, fear, and confusion that goes hand-in-hand with growing up — is one they share with Stay. After all, that’s what makes Stray Kids (who range in age from 19 to 22) so beloved by their passionate fans — they write and compose straight from their own experiences, painting a vivid picture of the feelings that young people share all over the world. And now, for everyone gathered in this dark theater, singing together is a catharsis.

Since their debut with JYP Entertainment nearly two years ago, Stray Kids’ discography has weaved a narrative that serves as an allegory for the joys and pains of coming of age. They begin as prisoners in the fictional dystopia of “District 9,” but even after making their escape, they must enter a labyrinth to face internal battles as they question their identities and their goals throughout each three-part I Am…  and Clé EP series. 

“In Clé 1: Miroh, we went into the maze really confidently,” Stray Kids’ animated Austrailian-Korean leader Bang Chan tells Refinery29 in our office ahead of their New York City tour stop. Even in more serious moments, the 22-year-old rapper and one-third of Stray Kids’ producing unit, 3RACHA, holds a warmth and playfulness in his eyes. “And then after that, in Clé: Yellow Wood, we asked ourselves, ‘Was this the right decision? Do we have regrets? Did we choose the right way?’ ‘Double Knot’ [off of Clé: Levanter] was where we said, ‘We're going to keep on doing what we're doing. We'll just keep going.’ But then with [our most recent single] ‘Levanter,’ we stress how you can't always just really focus too much on one goal. Maybe you might need to take a break to see the other options.”

There’s a certain rebelliousness that seems to run through Stray Kids’ music — if they’re not fighting against a higher power, then they’re warring with themselves. But rapper Changbin, another 3RACHA member along with rapper and vocalist Han, is clear that their mentality isn’t “us against the world.” 

“There's not this big, crazy thing that we’re fighting against, right?” says Changbin, the chains on his shirt clinking together as he gesticulates. Changbin’s duality on and offstage is one of the most pronounced in the group — though he’s not the youngest, he’s known affectionately as the “baby” by his members. Catch him performing, however, and he turns into a growling menace as he spits bars.

“But just like in daily life, there are things that you're facing — issues, or roadblocks when you're on your way to a dream and things that you want to do in life. The theme of our music is that we want to overcome that together.”

Hyunjin, a striking rapper and dancer beloved by fans for his emotional intelligence, lays out what he feels people his age today feel they are most often up against: “There are two types of people. One is somebody who doesn't really know exactly what they want to do with their life. They don't really have a dream, so they're trying to find themselves and decide what they want to do. And then there are people who do have a particular goal or dream, and they're trying to wrestle with how exactly they’re going to achieve it.”

It’s not simply that Hyunjin and the seven other members of Stray Kids (a ninth, Woojin, left the company suddenly late last year for unknown reasons) are guessing what’s on Stay’s mind — they know firsthand, thanks to their uniquely close relationship that they’ve taken care to nurture over the past two years in a few ways. The first, and in many ways the most important, is by connecting through their music, which they’ve self-produced even before they officially debuted as a group. This creative license allows them to speak directly to their fans and reveal themselves  in a truly authentic way. It is also the reason why Stray Kids’ music — often a creative mix of EDM, rap, and rock —  sounds so distinctive in the K-pop landscape, and even beyond Korea’s borders. “All eight of us have different preferences and tastes in music, so we can each bring a different color to the music we make,” says Changbin. “It lets our music be more diverse and it allows us to try new things.” 

They acknowledge that there’s a tension between wanting to take risks in your music and needing to make a chart-smashing hit, which is something that despite their overall success, the group has yet to achieve. But the goal is to always try to push boundaries, and not sacrifice their integrity. 

You don’t usually see this kind of adventurous spirit in a newer group: usually, musicians start by imitating what they know and love. In Stray Kids’ case, that could’ve meant reflecting artists who Stay likely also share passion for: A bit of Ed Sheeran (courtesy of Bang Chan), Ariana Grande (Changbin), or maybe even Day6 (Seungmin). But they resisted the urge to copy, and instead created their own signature style. “Even if it might be a bit weird, I think we all really enjoy that, because it really excites us to try new things,” says Bang Chan, dimples punctuating his broad grin.

"I feel like our fans are really just close friends, to the point where they’re like family" - Stray Kids’ Bang Chan

Beyond music, they also communicate with Stay directly. The members share their thoughts in short video series such as Two Kids Room and One Kid’s Room, behind-the-scenes vlogs about their travels on tour, and often take time to talk to fans on VLive, a live-streaming app popular with K-pop idols. But they take it a step further: Bang Chan goes live once a month (it used to be once a week) in a segment he calls “Chan’s Room,” where he shares updates about his life, what’s been on his mind, and music recommendations. Hyunjin started a series called “Hyunjin’s Counseling Center,” where he addresses both his and Stay’s various inner thoughts and feelings, as well as give advice.

“I feel like our fans are really just close friends, to the point where they’re like family,” says Bang Chan. “I love spending quality time and just being like, ‘I'm doing this. I'm thinking about this these days. I want to show you guys this. I got my ukulele and am going to play something for you guys.’ I think the whole live system is really great because it makes us feel so close. It just tightens the relationship.”

“I think the best way for Stay to take care of themselves is to stay healthy and eat a lot of delicious food and listen to our music,” adds the affable and dynamic vocalist Seungmin, “so this is a way we check in and help them with that.”

It’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship. While fans certainly benefit from Stray Kids’ care, the artists readily admit that they’ve learned a lot about themselves since becoming idols and gaining fans.

“People think that it’s weird to be a celebrity if you’re an introvert,” says blonde Han, who opted for a seat in the center of the half circle, though a bit behind his bandmates. On stage and with his members, his charisma and sense of humor know no bounds, but the sole MBTI-certified introvert of the group usually takes a while to get comfortable in new environments. “I usually keep to myself, but when I’m on stage with the other Stray Kids members, I find this courage and strength that I didn’t even know I had,” he says, a smile widening on his face as he compliments the others in the room. “I get strength from my fellow members and the enthusiasm and energy of the fans, so that I can be confident and not come off as too introverted.”

“The feedback from fans has helped us grow so much,” says Australia-born dancer Felix, whose deep voice and shock of red hair counterbalance his lithe stature. His deep sincerity and good nature ratidate as he speaks. “We're always trying to show better work. So using all this direct feedback, I do try to improve as an artist and as... I guess it helps me try to be a better person in general.”

I.N., the youngest, self-proclaimed fox-faced vocalist of the group, as well as passionate dancer and cat-lover Lee Know, have both been more motivated to stick to their goals thanks to fans. I.N. explains his lack of willpower using cool slang (“작심삼일”) that stumps even the interpreter. “Basically I give up on things within three days,” he says. “I’ve been trying to overcome that.” For Lee Know, it’s a bit more simple: “I want to bulk up. So, consistency is so important. Stay are good at keeping us accountable.”

Hyunjin, ever-contemplative, sees the growth he’s gained from being an idol with fans as more introspective. “I’ve experienced a lot of feelings and emotions I didn’t have when I was a trainee,” says Hyunjin. “Being a celebrity or an idol, you're in the public eye and you're one person who is constantly interacting with and meeting many, many people. While talking to so many fans, I started realizing how much impact the words of a few people can have on a large number of people. It made me more thoughtful of what I say and I feel more responsibility for our music and performances. I want to do my best because of my fans. I feel that it’s made me grow into a more mature person.” 

And while that seems like a lot of pressure to put on a 19-year-old, he maintains that he sees it as a responsibility he’s more than happy to take on. “I don’t really see it as a burden because the way I see it, you could say just one little thing, but that could really make a person's day or really change their mind for the better.”

[kaimadeit]

The Foreigner: Review

I recently saw The Foreigner and in my opinion it’s one of the better films on Netflix.

Watching this film was a decent experience, the acting was considerably believable in most instances and Jackie Chan was excellent, not only as his grieving character but with his self-performed stunts and combat scenes (even at 63 years old he moves like he’s 30 or something, its wild). Each action set piece is positively tense, with a certain palpable brutality and weight to each physical impact. There are enough twists and turns in the plot that can easily keep you guessing and the character backstories are pretty interesting to say the least, especially Jackie Chan’s, (I’m just going to call him Jackie Chan throughout this review because his name in the film isn’t incredibly memorable to be honest.) his particular story is appropriately emotional and quite considerably heart-breaking and you absolutely believe his character and the things he’s capable of, after seeing flashbacks to what he’s had to endure and live through.

The film gets off to a good start by establishing Jackie Chan’s character (Mr. Quan) as an overprotective (but rightfully so) father when we, as the audience are introduced to him and his daughter Fan (Katie Leung). Their short rapport prior to the tragic incident that befalls them, shows his concern for her safety and in such a small period of time, we see him giving her a number of cautionary instructions for even the most trivial of tasks, such as; meeting her prom date or getting out of the car before he’s had a chance to park it appropriately.

Visually, the entire film is very well shot, however there isn’t really a standout scene that really highlights the work of the cinematographer, but the camera direction and editing is still solid for the most part. The scenes that require handheld camera work don’t feel overdone, (as is the case for a lot of films that make use of the shaky-cam technique) which in turn, brings a certain clarity to what could otherwise be kind of catastrophic. The bigger moments in this film, I believe, successfully capture the impact necessary for a story such as this. The opening explosion definitively sets the tone for the rest of the action filled scenes found throughout the rest of the story and the effect itself, is arguably aesthetically flawless in its presentation alone. The sound design in this same scene certainly deserves acknowledgment also, because of the sheer ferocity conveyed by the diegetic blast and the way in which the cataclysmic effects play out on-screen. However, though this scene is quite effective for what it is, I ca t help but be reminded of the term ‘Fridged’ in relation to the plot. The concept of someone (usually female) we haven’t spent a lot of time with but are told is important to the main character, being killed in an awful way to kickstart the main character’s goal; mainly vengeance or justice for what happened to the aforementioned female relative or love interest.

Although the initial scenario driving Jackie Chan’s scheme is kind of distasteful as character motivation, the following few scenes do their best to visualise a believable broken bond between him and his last remaining family member. Obviously, most of the heavy lifting for scenes such as this falls to Jackie Chan, and I feel in moments like this is where his range is predominant and absolutely incredibly showcased. Chan easily captures the tortured and pained expressions and mannerisms found in a grieving father, the powerful emotional moments in this film are all accredited to him and he does them absolute justice in my opinion. In all honesty this may be one of his best ever performances, and this singular role gives him the space to really exercise a different side to his acting persona that most people may not be used to. His deadpan delivery and demeanour are extremely functional for a sombre role like this and the screenplay it encompasses.in general though, regarding the performances in this film, Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan stand above the rest; their characters’ back and forth across the span of this film paired with some incredible scenes of action definitely carries an otherwise average storyline.

I personally think everyone in this film is doing an incredibly solid job in their respective roles, each actor turns in an extremely believable performance, although there is some overused and tired dialogue being used in one of the climactic sequences (you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you see it and hear it for yourself) the actors and actresses involved still deliver the lines in a credible fashion.

The plot is understandably simple yet, at the same time offers a higher complexity than most of the other productions Netflix has to offer. An appropriate amount of build-up is placed before each major plot reveal and on multiple viewings there is considerable foreshadowing regarding the identity of the specific bomber actually responsible for the blast that killed Jackie Chan’s daughter.

However, there is a somewhat unnecessary sub-plot that entails Pierce Brosnan’s nephew having an affair with his wife; this here doesn’t need to be in the film because it literally doesn’t affect anything at all. (Pierce Brosnan’s character finds out and literally doesn’t have a reaction other than mild disappointment and disgust at the fact that it’s his nephew that committed the deed.)

The end of the film does actually feel pretty satisfying though, all things considered. It successfully remains interesting without resorting to over-the-top instances of destruction, like in a lot of other films nowadays. So overall, I give it a solid 7 out of 10.

[theotomemaiden]

A Blank Number 1-10 Character Meme That I Replaced With My Top 10 Diaboys

Number 1-10

1. Carla Tsukinami

2. Shin Tsukinami

3. Azusa Mukami

4. Subaru Sakamaki

5. Shu Sakamaki

6. Kanato Sakamaki

7. Laito Sakamaki

8. Ruki Mukami

9. Ayato Sakamaki

10. Yuma Mukami

1.  9 (Ayato Sakamaki) wants to play a video game.

Ayato: “Watch as Ore-sama gets the new highest score!!!”

Me: “Yes...I mean, I thought you asked me to play with you, not just watch you win...”

2. At the market, 10 (Yuma Mukami) takes the last item you need on your shopping list.

Me: “Yuma, I need to buy some su-”

Yuma: “TCH, NO. NO SUGAR-CHAN FOR YOU.”

3. 1 (Carla Tsukinami) gives 7 (Laito Sakamaki) "classified information." You decide to investigate with 4 (Subaru Sakamaki).

Subaru: “Ha?! We have to go to that pervert's room?!”

Me: “SHH!! I saw him put the info folder in his dresser drawer..”

Subaru: “I'M NOT TOUCHING HIS DRESSER! TCH!”

Me: “Please Subaru, I can't reach it! I need to know what Carla gave him!”

*Subaru quietly opens the drawer and gets the folder out*

Subaru: “Tch, here.”

Me taking the folder and looking inside expecting something super secretive: *Gasps*

Subaru: “What?! What is it?!”

Me: “IT'S A HAM RECIPE”

*dies laughing*

Subaru: “Tch! How ridiculous!” *punches hole in wall and walks away*

Me: *still laughing*

4. 2 (Shin Tsukinami) and 9 (Ayato Sakamaki) take you out on a vacation.

Ayato: “Hey Chichinashi, can you guess where we're going?”

Shin: *Grinning evilly*

Me: “UNTIE ME THIS INSTANT!” *Muffled grumbles behind the tape they shut my mouth with*

Shin: “Don't worry, you'll be so hot and wet you won't even care...”

Me: *Eyes open widely*

Ayato: “Hahaha! Chichinashi looks so terrified!” *Laughs mockingly*

Shin: “Calm down, what are you thinking you dirty girl...?”

Ayato: “We're going to the water-park!!!”

Me: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” *Screams in terror*

5. 6 (Kanato Sakamaki) is holding 3 (Azusa Mukami) hostage.

Azusa: “Kanato-san....I...didn't take...Teddy....”

Kanato: *Holding knife to Azusa's throat*

Kanato: “You think you can fool me?! You can't fool me nor Teddy!”

Azusa: “Please....hurt me....won't you...Kanato-san...?”

Kanato in his head: Why did I think this would turn out any other way...

6. 5 (Shu Sakamaki) and 10 (Yuma Mukami) are role playing and want you to join.

Me: “So boys...anyone interested in fire play?”

Shu & Yuma: *Kills Emily with death glares*

7. You're asked by 2 (Shin Tsukinami) to go skinny dipping.

Me: “Alright, why the hell not?! *Strips naked*

Shin:  *Transforms into wolf*

Me: “HEY THAT'S NOT FAIR..!”

Carla: *Walks outside just in time to see Shin pounce on Emily into the water*

Carla: *Walks back inside like he saw nothing happen*

Me struggling underwater: “CARLA, WHY?!” ;-;

8. 9 (Ayato Sakamaki) has claimed her/himself to be more awesome than you.

Me: Big fucking surprise there...

9. 1 (Carla Tsukinami), 6 (Kanato Sakamaki) and 8 (Ruki Mukami) are locked in a closet from the inside. You go in and the door shuts behind you, meaning that you're stuck in there too.

Me: “Uh...What's going on..in here...?”

Kanato: *Crying*

Ruki: “EMILY, NO!”

Me: “Huh?!”

Carla: *Sighs heavily*

Ruki: “The door....”

Kanato: “I JUST WANT SWEETS!”

Me: *Tries turning the door handle* “Ohh...fuck.”

Ruki: “Yeah...”

Carla: *Sighs even deeper*

Me: “Carla, can't you use your magic???”

Carla: “No. Not in a confined space like this....”

Kanato: “I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!” *Continues to whine*

Me: *Puts hand on Kanato's shoulder* “No need to cry, we'll get-”

Kanato: “DON'T TOUCH ME!” *Pushes Emily backward and into Carla*

Me: *Falls back on Carla and onto the floor*

Carla: “Grrr.....”

Me: This....is not looking so good....

Me: “Okay....well, I can't see a god damn thing...”

Ruki: “Me neither...”

Kanato: *Cries*

Me: “Carla-san, can you see?”

Carla: “Of course I can. I see perfectly clear. I'm far superior to all of you.”

Ruki: “If you're so far superior why can't you do anything about this situation?”

Carla: “Care to repeat yourself, you lowly vampire?”

Ruki: “I'm sure I was clear enough...”

Me: *Stands up slowly* “Now guys, calm do-”

Carla: *Growls*

Me: Uh-oh..

Me: *Is pulled against Carla quickly* “Gahh!!”

Carla: *Raises hand and blows up the walls instantly*

Kanato: *Runs away quickly*

Carla: “Want to repeat that, vampire?” *Gives Ruki death glare*

Ruki: “Not at all. Just testing you.” *Gives Carla a mocking grin*

Me: *Is let go from Carla* “Wow Carla, that was amazing!”

Carla: *Crosses his arms proudly* “I know” he smirks.

10. 3 (Azusa Mukami) and 7 (Laito Sakamaki) are acting like 5-year-olds.

Laito: “Hey! Hey Azusa! Want to see who can jump higher over that fence?”

Azusa: “Hehe....okay...you go...first...”

Laito: “No, I dare you to go first!”

Azusa: “...I...double-dare you...to go...first...”

Laito: “Hmph. Fine! Haha!” *Jumps high over fence*

Azusa: “Haha...wow...that was....high....” *Is impressed*

Laito: “I know! Now, it's your turn!” *Giggles*

Azusa: “...okay...”

Azusa: *Runs and tries to jump over fence but fails miserably*

Laito: O_O

Azusa: …....

Laito: *Runs away*

11. You are forced into training exercises by 4 (Subaru Sakamaki) and 10 (Yuma Mukami).

Me: “Haven't...I done enough?!” *Panting and out of breath*

Yuma: “Not until you surpass that NEET's little brother! Work harder!”

Subaru: “Tch....this is ridiculous. She's never gonna lift more weight than me, stupid! She's only human!”

Me: “Yuma...please! I'm a human!” *About to pass out*

Yuma: “I don't care! I was able to lift more weights than that when I was human! She has no excuse!”

Me: *Dies*

Yuma: O_O

Subaru: “See. I told you.” *Walks away*

12. 4 (Subaru Sakamaki) and 9 (Ayato Sakamaki) took over your house.

Ayato: “This is Ore-sama's kingdom now!”

Subaru: “I'm only here to avoid the rest of them.”

Me: “Guys, what the hell?! What did you do to my house?!”

Ayato: “Since this is now Ore-sama's place, I replaced your ugly furniture with Ore-sama's things. Be thankful, Chichinashi!”

Me: “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!”

Ayato: “Blah blah blah. Make me some takoyaki!”

Me: “Subaru!”

Subaru: “........”

Me: *Leaves*

13. 5 (Shu Sakamaki) and 8 (Ruki Mukami) need your help with something.

Ruki: “Kachiku, come here.”

Me: “Huh? What...”

Shu: “....”

Ruki: “Let's settle this.”

Me: “Settle what?”

Ruki: “Shu is trying to tell me that the violin is superior to the viola, but surely it is not.”

Shu: “Of course it is, the sounds it produces are of greater range.”

Ruki: “That is irrelevant to the depth the viola has and the smoothness of its sound.”

Shu: “The violin is far superior, right Emily?”

Ruki: “Kachiku, you know the viola is greater, don't you?”

Me: O_O *Has no clue what the difference is nor finds it interesting*

14. Somehow your phone is receiving 3 (Azusa Mukami) and 4's (Subaru Sakamaki) text conversation.

Azusa: “Hi...Subaru....It's Azusa...”

Subaru:  “???”

Azusa: “I wanted....to ask..for...your silver....knife”

Subaru: “No.”

Azusa: “Please....I just...want...to...borrow it...”

Subaru: “No. Leave me alone.”

Azusa:  “...please...”

Subaru: “NO.”

15. You're at the beach with 1 (Carla Tsukinami) and 6 (Kanato Sakamaki).

Me:  *Is sitting on a black blanket over the sand with a huge black umbrella in a black sweatshirt, black sun hat and black sunglasses*

Carla: *Stole Emily's beach chair under the umbrella*

Carla: *sighs*  “How did I even end up supervising...?”

Me: “Technically I'M supervising...”

Carla: “Yeah Kisama, and I was sent to supervise you.”

Kanato: *Is building a sand castle by the ocean with Teddy*

Me: *Gives Carla a death glare*

Carla: *Gives an even scarier death glare back*

Me: “Hmph.” *Looks away*

Me: “Ugh. Would you move over some? The last thing I need is sun burn and you took my chair!”

Carla: “Listen Kisama, learn your place. If anyone is going to be sitting in the chair, it's going to be the king.��

Me: *Smirks at Carla*

Carla:  “???”

Me: *Moves to sit on Carla's lap*

Carla: “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!”

Me: “Sitting in MY chair!”

Carla: “GET OFF OF ME!”

Me: “THEN GET OUT OF MY CHAIR!”

Carla: “NO!”

Me: “YES!”

Carla: *Pushes Emily off*

Chair: *Breaks*

Carla: *Falls*

Me: “LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY CHAIR!!!”

Carla: “THIS WAS YOUR FAULT!”

Me: “That's it, I can't take this anymore.”

Me: *Stands and looks for Kanato*

Kanato: *Nowhere to be found*

Me: “Oh?! Shit! Look, you made me lose sight of him! Oh my gosh, they're gonna kill me when they find out!”

Carla: “...Not if I kill you first.” *Eye twitching angrily*

I was bored and was laughing pretty hard at myself thinking of these scenarios. 

What is my life.

[juunshua]

idk if its just me but i feel like juns moved away from a deep voice in Rock to a super high voice in recent songs. idk if hes just been singing with a falsetto but i wanna know if u think he changed his voice?

define ‘changed’ ? i think he does whatever his voice can do in the given range! in rock, it was less him singing and more a rap and because of that he could do it in a more comfortable range. if juns a baritone, hes literally the only baritone in the all of seventeen who is expected to sing (the other four are in hht) constantly in all of svts songs ? one baritone against 1903482039 tenors is kinda a tough place to be. woozi makes songs that are high for tenors at times tbh too (ahaha thanks was SO high) tenors are already struggling, therefore any baritone, like jun could be, is gonna be struggling even more. some things that could make his voice sound ‘super high’ are: a) his overall appraoch to his voice such as his nose placement, constantly introducing a lot of air into his voice, and how tight he is and b) if hes a baritone, the fact that hes a baritone! like consider a tenor and a soprano singing the same note: a b4. for sopranos, that is quite comfortable but for tenors thats a high note, and to our ears itd sound like the tenor is singing a high note whereas the soprano is just kinda singing normally? so in the same vein, when a tenor and a baritone sing the same note, perhaps an f4, itd sound like the baritone is singing ‘higher’ and their voice would just sound higher pitched. in terms of approach to voice, i tend to think jun and jeonghan are quite similar. ive almost been using jeonghan as my point of reference ahaha like to see if jun and jeonghan have the same level of comfort on the same notes bc jeonghans a tenor and im on the side that jun probably isnt one. hearing them sing the same notes ish really helps. recent example! in oh my! jun singing right before jeonghan! u can kinda hear how much more comfortable jeonghan sound compared to jun even though theyre right around the same note and jun might sound like hes singing a higher note. also theres this part in oh my! which goes mingyu –> jun –> chan in other words baritone –> ? (probably baritone) —> tenor. and more or less theyre hovering around the same notes (ignore juns transition into falsetto) but mingyu and jun sound like theyre singing higher than chan dont they? like the note jun ends on is the same note that chan starts on. also compare how comfortable chan (tenor) sounds on the line at the end of the second verse as opposed to when jun has it the first verse. it sounds like juns singing something higher when hes really not and also c) ur right anon! he has been opting to sing in a falsetto lately for higher songs! and the thing about falsetto is that its not necessarily ‘connected’ or ‘pure’ so it tends to sound kinda disconnected from ur own voice and i think gives off the illusion of being ‘higher pitched’. here for instance you can hear junhui sing one note in his falsetto and then eventually bring in his chest. it may give the illusion hes going from a higher note to a lower note but in fact all hes doing is changing how he sings that same note: either falsetto or in mix.so to answer ur question, i don’t think juns changed his voice necessarily? over the years, hes gotten more and more lines so i think we just hear more of his voice in different scenarios and not just whispers or raps and we actually hear it now continuously for more than a couple of seconds too. 

[netmaddy-blog]

Decide on the Best Postpaid Mobile Broadband Provider

New Post has been published on https://netmaddy.com/decide-on-the-best-postpaid-mobile-broadband-provider/

Decide on the Best Postpaid Mobile Broadband Provider

Today’s Mobile Broadband Provider

Nevertheless, it’s a question that pops up a lot. Mobile broadband is becoming increasing popular for a number of reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason is cost and convenience. For not much more than the cost of Cable or DSL, just about anyone could have a broadband card that sticks into their laptop. And just like that, they get broadband speeds anywhere in the country they travel. It’s excellent especially if you’re out working more than you are at your house. It just makes sense.

There’s not much that can be said about convenience. What more can you say than being able to connect anytime and anyplace? Wondering if a WiFi hotspot costs money or if its even their becomes a thing of the past. Did power go out? No problem. How about we MapQuest the nearest restaurant in this new city? The possibilities are endless. Oh, and you can check email too.

But you already knew that.

You’re here to find out who’s the best amongst the plethora of available options. You might have heard of satellite broadband, mobile broadband, and even WiMAX. I’ll help you set the record straight with some easy but detailed guidelines on how to pick the best mobile broadband provider.

Should I go Prepaid or Contract?

It all depends on on2 year.Essentially, there are two kinds of prepaid mobile broadband plans:

1. Plans designed for long-term use 2. Plans designed for intermittent short-term use

It’s important to mention the notable differences between prepaid mobile broadband and ‘contracted’ mobile broadband. While we compare prepaid to contract mobile broadband, bear in mind that we’re comparing the plans designed for long-term use (by Cricket).

Why? To cut a long story short, Cricket is the best in terms of long-term prepaid mobile broadband at the moment. For the full story on that, check out the 2009 Prepaid Mobile Broadband Comparison. To keep the length of this lesson down, we summarize the differences below:

Prepaid vs. Contract Mobile Broadband

Prepaid

No contract

No credit check

No Early Termination Fee

Limited Broadband Card Selection

Pay anywhere from $50 – $200 for equipment + setup

Plans can be cheaper ($40 – $60)

Variety of plans – Short-term & Long-term plans

A mixture of average and fast speeds. Coverage can be limited

Cont2-year

contracts normalCredit check

Early Termination Fee up to $200

Wide Range of Broadband Cards

Deeply discounted cards (free & sometimes make $100)

Plans usually ($60)

Long Term plans

Faster Speeds, Better Reliability, nd Expansive Coverage

If you’re looking to cut costs, then prepaid may be the way to go. However, they may or may not have coverage where you need it. For a more stable, faster and reliable connection, contracted mobile broadband will have your back for a higher cost.

What To Look For In A Provider

While tempting, its normally not a good idea to go with a provider just based on how much they cost. While price is important, no one wants a car that breaks down the day after they buy it.

In no particular order, there are about 5 major things to look for in a provider:

* Cost * Speed * Coverage * Reliability * Customer Service

Cost

Most mobile broadband providers have settled around $60 for 5 Gigabytes per month. While this is changing as Sprint and Clearwire roll out WiMAX, it’s still the norm. The only exception to this unwritten rule is Alltel (and a few prepaid mobile broadband carriers).

T-Mobile’s Wireless Internet is unlimited and runs about $50 per month. The catch is that their 3G network is still expanding. While this is slowly changing with the FCC clearing their first broadband card, it’s not something to lose sleep over.

AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and most recently T-Mobile, all cap their mobile broadband plans at 5 Gigabytes per month. Naturally, the next question one might ask is how much can 5 GB get me? Great question. We cover that in the next lesson. In addition to implementing caps, they’ve also got overage charges. While none of them are good, some will perform a bloody massacre on your bank account if you’re not careful.

For instance a poor kid went to Canada and didn’t get the memo. AT&T charged his family $19,370. Now you might wonder, did they ever resolve it? I don’t know. I do know this however:

Do not go over the cap.

Long story short:

Sprint = $60 | 5 GB cap | $0.05 cents per MB ($51.20/GB) overage charge.

T-Mobile = $50 | 5 GB | $0.20 cents per MB ($204.80/GB) overage charge. They also offer a 200 MB plan that has the same overage charge.

Verizon = $60 | 5 GB cap | $0.05 cents per MB ($51.20/GB) overage charge on 5GB plans. For 250 MB plans, it’s $102.40/GB ($0.10 cents/MB).

AT&T = $60 | 5 GB cap | $0.49 cents per MB ($503.31/GB) overage charge on 5 GB plans. For 200 MB plans, it’s $10 per 100MB you go over..

*These overage charges are domestic. You don’t even want to think about international overages. Remember the poor kid that went to Canada. How, you ask, did he rack up $19,370?

At $19.97 per MB in overage fees, that’s $20447.20 for 1 GB of overage fees abroad. Note that their international plan includes only 200 MB (the size of a 45 minute show from iTunes).

1 GB = 1024 MB | 1 MB = 1024 KB

Before we hop on to speed and other things to look out for, you might be asking, what about the price of WiMAX and Satellite broadband?

Unfortunately, WiMAX is only available in less than 4 cities right now and will be that way for pretty much all of 2009. Not a great option if you do any traveling. Unless you’re an early adopter that would like to test out a new network, I don’t really recommend it. I’m not knocking it, I just don’t recommend it. It’s like testing out the latest version of Windows while its still in beta. Not for the light of heart.

While Satellite Broadband has its positives, I wouldn’t recommend it unless 3G mobile broadband was not available. Considering that it is widely available, I focus there. If you feel you might be serviced by the smaller markets of either WiMAX or Satellite Broadband, here’s where you can check it out.

Speed

Now we’re getting somewhere!

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that mobile broadband speed is one of the biggest factors you want to think about. Will it be fast enough? What is the latency like? Let’s start this off with what’s possible and then we’ll get to the straight talk about what actually is.

FerrariIn the United States, there are 2 main ways to get mobile broadband:

1. Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) provided by Verizon, Sprint & Alltel 2. High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) provided by AT&T & *T-Mobile

Without getting too much into techno-talk, they both get you on the internet at 3G speeds. While the average speeds are the same, the maximum speeds you can get depend on the underlying network technology.

EVDO (Sprint, Alltel & Verizon)

Average Download Speed | 600 – 1400 Kbps Average Upload Speed | 500 – 800 Kbps Maximum Download Speed | 3.1 Mbps Maximum Upload Speed | 1.8 Mbps

HSPA (AT&T & T-Mobile)

Average Download Speed | 600 – 1400 Kbps Average Upload Speed | 500 – 800 Kbps Maximum Download Speed | 1.7 Mbps Maximum Upload Speed | 1.2 Mbps

From just the looks of it, you’d get the impression that Sprint and Verizon just pummel up on AT&T & T-Mobile when it comes to maximum speed. The interesting thing here is that HSPA technology has the capability to be upgraded to achieve speeds as 7.2 Mbps. While it’s not here yet, AT&T is working on it. In the meantime, these are the advertised numbers.

Real World Speeds

Things always sound so nice in theory:

* Gigli – Starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck * $700 Billion Dollar Wallstreet Bailout * Rush Hour 3 – Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker * The Land Before Time 14 – Animated Movie (14? Honestly? How about 2. Just end it)

Like these things that sounded good to somebody somewhere on paper, so do the advertised numbers for mobile broadband. What kinds of speeds can you really expect though? While I wrote an entire article dedicated just to making sense of the real world numbers, I’ll save you some time and give you the raw results. Sprint is clearly the winner overall and provides serious competition in every location. If put together the fact that they’re the fastest, largest mobile broadband network, you’ve got a double whammy.

I’ve personally tested it over 1001 miles of highway at 70 miles per hour (New Orleans to Jacksonville and Tampa to Atlanta). I had my connection get dropped once…for 15 minutes total. That’s solid. In addition to my personal testing, the guys over at the tech blog Gizmodo did a “Definitive Coast To Coast 3G Data Test” in Austin, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco and the Bay Area.

What was their result? Sprint had the highest national average download speed (1.4 Mbps) while AT&T (640 kbps) had the highest average upload speed. As they put it, the test proves “that Sprint is a serious contender in almost any location-and should be taken seriously as a 3G and 4G data service provider”

If speed’s your thing, go for Sprint.

Coverage

If speed is number one on your list of things to check out, coverage is surely not far behind. As a matter of fact, talking about speed without coverage would be like taking the cheese off a pizza. It’s just not the same.Laptop on Grass

So how do you answer the #1 aching question on everyone’s mind? What’s the coverage like?

While Sprint still has the largest mobile broadband network, Verizon tried to claim the title a couple months back. Their ads and statements about being the biggest quietly vanished from existence. AT&T knows their place as #3 and keeps quiet about it. However, there’s only one way to solve this coverage debacle…

You gotta check. Sure I’ve driven all over Timbuktu with my broadband card, but what’s good for me may not be good for you.

“But how do I check Marc?”

Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, AT&T and T-Mobile all have coverage maps that you can check out for mobile broadband coverage. Get ready to copy and paste your street address into each one of ’em. Keep reading till the end and I’ll show you where to find them.

Reliability

Verizon advertises itself as the nation’s ‘most reliable network’. After much bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, I found this most startling gem.

It’s true.

Not doing too bad reliability-wise (dropped connections and such) are all the other carriers. It makes me wonder, if they can get data connections so well, what’s up with those dropped cell phone calls anyway?

Sprint is also quite excellent in this department for mobile broadband. AT&T, unfortunately have had numerous I-Phone users complain about the consistency of their advertised 3G network. Definitely one to watch out for. Alltel and T-Mobile on the other hand, have few complaints.

Customer Service

T-Mobile beat out the competition in 1st quarter of 2009. Verizon definitely holds it own this time around (losing to T-Mobile by only one point). Unfortunately, Sprint and AT&T are still dragging up the rear.

So What Have We Learned?

* Sprint = $60 | 5 GB cap | $0.05 cent per MB ($51.20/GB) overage charge. * T-Mobile = $50 | 5 GB | $0.20 cents per MB ($204.80/GB) overage charge. * Verizon = $60 | 5 GB cap |$0.25 cent per MB ($256/GB) overage charge. * AT&T = $60 | 5 GB cap | $0.49 cents per MB ($503.31/GB) overage charge. * Overage charges can be a beast that will rival your mortgage if you’re not careful. * Sprint had the highest national average download speed (1.4 Mbps) while AT&T (640 kbps) had the highest average upload speed. * Sprint currently boasts the ‘largest mobile broadband network’. Not far behind is Verizon followed by AT&T. * Verizon is the most reliable network. Sprint isn’t doing too bad either. * Verizon holds the #1 spot for customer service followed by Alltel and then T-Mobile. * Prepaid mobile broadband can work as an alternative to contract mobile broadband if you have coverage where you need it.

So Who Do I Pick?

If a 5 Gigabyte cap is tolerable for you, Sprint is the go-to-carrier. They’ve got the most going for them right now. Speed, coverage, cost and reliability are on their side. Their overage charges aren’t as ridiculous as T-Mobile’s and from personal experience, customer service for broadband cards is not all that bad. The bill has never fluctuated more than $2.

Verizon is okay if you must, but do not go over the 5 GB cap. There will be hell to pay…literally. AT&T’s lower maximum speed, ridiculous overage charges and less 3G coverage leaves much to be desired for a reliable mobile broadband carrier. Potential is there but this just isn’t the time.

T-Mobile, as usual, is the budget carrier of choice. At $50 a month, it’s great if you’re in a covered area. That’ll be an extra $120 a year in savings or $240 over the course of the contract. As it currently stands, this is the only advantage they have over other carriers. When you consider their limited 3G coverage, they aren’t quite ready for primetime. Instead of paying $60 for limited 3G coverage, you might as well pay $40 with Cricket and not have a contract.

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