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ahundredtimesover · 2 years

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The Light of Dead Stars (Prologue) | KSJ

Pairing: Seokjin x (f.) Reader; side Seokjin x (f.) OC; side Reader x Namjoon

Genre/Tags: arranged marriage, fake romance, boss/workmate aus; angst, drama, fluff, smut; slow burn

Chapter Warnings: None (18+)

Chapter Word count: 2.3k

Series Masterlist | Muse Moodboard | Setting Moodboard

Status: Complete

Series summary: Your unconventional arranged marriage with your company’s President, Kim Seokjin, is necessary, practical, and simple - both your families benefit, and he minds his own business and so do you. But when a slip-up causes his parents to believe that you and he are in love, you have no choice but to pretend you are, especially with the trip to France for his brother’s wedding coming up. When you get back to Seoul, things start to change, and Seokjin is faced with the most difficult decision he has to make.

A/N: It’s here! I know I’m always excited when something new comes out but I’m really excited about this! This first part just sets the stage but I’d still love to know what you think! 🥰 This is gonna be a long one so I hope you enjoy the ride.

If you also want to get a bit into the inspiration for the title, do check out Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez (a 1925 short story written in English and a classic in Philippine literature). And again, please forgive any business/food industry inaccuracies!

The sun’s just about to set when Seokjin enters his office and sinks in his chair, the cushion seemingly not enough to carry the weight of all his responsibilities, that despite their US and Europe sales increasing under his leadership, there’s still so much more to do and so much more to prove.

It’s been a long day, like everyday, and he wants nothing more than to lay in his bed and bury himself in her warmth.

He loosens the knot of his tie, knowing he’s got no other important meetings for the rest of the evening, and picks up his phone.

She answers after the first ring, and he knows she’s been waiting for him, too.

“Hi, we’re still on for tonight, right?” She asks sweetly on the other line, the longing unmissable in her voice. “I want to wear that pretty dress you got for me.”

“Yeah, we are, and I can’t wait to see you in it,” he hums, already thinking about how good she’d look in that red dress. “But Father asked to have dinner so I’ll have to meet you after. Is that okay?”

“Sure, no problem,” she responds.

“Same place, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll see you, Jin.”

“I’ll see you.”

He hangs up and lets the temporary bliss settle in before it fades, knowing he’s got a few more things to do before that dinner with his father that was asked for last night. It’s not usual for his old man to make a request on such a short notice, and the fact that it was made through their secretaries means it’s business related, not personal.

A few emails sent later, he hears a knock on the door. The man promptly enters as instructed.

“Mr. Kim, your father is on the way here to meet with you,” Yoongi, his secretary, says, his dark locks framing his pale and serious face.

“Now?” Seokjin asks worriedly. “I thought we were on for dinner.”

“You thought that. I said he wanted to meet you in the evening,” his secretary corrects.

“Hmm, uh, okay. Great, I can tell Seri we can meet for dinner, then.”

“Yeah, you’re gonna wanna do that,” Yoongi says, mostly to himself.

His boss doesn’t seem to have heard, too busy on his phone, completely unaware of how much his life is about to change.

The door opens and in enters the elder Mr. Kim, 3-piece suit still impeccable despite the long day.

“Father,” Seokjin greets. “I could’ve met you at your office.”

“Yeah, well, I figured you’re gonna wanna be comfortable with what I’m about to talk about,” the older man responds, taking his seat on the couch a few feet away from the desk, motioning for his son to sit across from him.

“Uh, what’s this about?”

“I’ll cut to the chase,” the elder clears his throat. “Your grandparents have spoken with your mother and me and have proposed an arrangement, a marriage arrangement.”

“A, what?” Seokjin pants. “An arranged marriage? Really, in this day and age?”

“More like a marriage of convenience. Their family needs our help and we’ve waited long enough for you to find a good enough partner to marry. I mean, it’s been years,” he huffs in disappointment. “You don’t approve of any of the ones we’ve asked you to go on dates with and you haven’t introduced anyone in the last 5 or so years that we’ve been asking you about it. You’re not getting any younger, and neither are your prospects. You’re our eldest, Seokjin, and the President of this company. It’s expected of you to have a family soon.”

Seokjin turns to Yoongi, his trusted aide, to try and find a way out, but his friend can only sigh in return, not knowing how to get out of this, too.

It’s one thing for his father, the Chairman of Kim Foods, Inc., to pressure him to marry and produce grandchildren, but it’s another for his grandfather to ask for that, one who’s always tried his best to not meddle in the younger Kims’ lives. Seokjin looks up to him more than anyone - more than his father, even, and this is one request that he’d have a hard time turning down.

“Who… who is it, the one they want me to marry?” Seokjin asks, defeated.

“Jung ___,” his father replies.

“Ju— you mean, our Director for Product Development?” Seokjin asks, surprised.

“Yes. Her family is a good friend of ours.”

“Really? I… didn’t know,” Seokjin furrows his brows, knowing he should be aware of who his family has close ties with, but your family wasn’t really on his radar. He doesn’t even think he’s ever heard of your parents, even from you.

“Not many people do, actually. And we wanted to keep it that way, until now. It’s imperative that we get on with this as soon as possible, at least with the announcement of the engagement,” his father stresses.

“Why the rush?” Seokjin crosses his arms.

Clearly, this is too much for one person to decide on, let alone to absorb. There’s a lot at stake, and definitely a lot to lose, but he thinks of you, too, and how you might be feeling.

You’re one of his best employees, having worked your way up as part of the research team and then the product development team, until ultimately being promoted as director not long ago. You have an appreciation for the art of cooking and for food in general, and he’s always admired the way you handle yourself - whether in the boardroom, the lab, or the kitchen.

Clearly you’re passionate and look out for what’s best for the company that his family built, and now you’re going to be part of that family - that is, if he agrees. Or more like, when he agrees.

“It’s a safety issue,” his father shares. “It’s a precaution, but you know how powerful our name is.”

Of course. The Kim name - a badge that Seokjin has proudly worn since he could remember. It’s more than being the representative of the global brand that serves a variety of ready-to-eat Korean food to local and international markets. There’s a long history of nobility and old money that’s become part of their identity, and anybody in any field would know that.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Seokjin looks at his father, with a last attempt at pleading through his eyes to let him get out of this, but both men, even Yoongi, know that it’s not in Seokjin’s nature to disobey.

“I’m afraid not, Son. Your sister’s married and Taehyung is engaged. You’re the only one left we could—”

“Offer?” Seokjin finishes.

“That we could present,” his father corrects. “It would mean a lot to your grandparents if you could do this for them. We could’ve found another way but like I said, you haven’t introduced anyone to us in years and they think you aren’t really interested in finding someone so… they found someone for you.”

“Unwanted but well, you all raised me and sent me to school. I’m bound to pay you back at some point, right?” Seokjin scoffs, though even he knows he doesn’t completely mean it, that’s why he still mumbles an apology right after.

Maybe he brought this upon himself. He’s never shown interest in finding a partner, and his relationship with Seri is one he’s kept a secret for years. It’s ironic that he was afraid they wouldn’t approve of her precisely because she works in their company yet now, he’ll be bound to someone he also works with. He knows this is gonna be messy, and he knows he has to do something about it now.

“Okay, then. When do I need to talk to her?” Seokjin sighs.

“Now,” his father answers. “___ is waiting for you to ask for her.”

“Unbelievable,” Seokjin shakes his head. “Fine, I guess I’ll call her over now, then.”

“Thank you, Son. I’m sorry, but this means a lot to us.”

As his father exits the room with Yoongi who’s been instructed to call for you, Seokjin feels like the walls of his well-kept secret begin to crumble. He doesn’t know how to tell Seri. And he doesn’t know how to tell you.

He just hopes that whatever it is he’s bound to lose, it wouldn’t be too much that he can’t recover from.

Yoongi’s head pops in the door and with pursed lips, he lets Seokjin know that you’re right outside, waiting to be called in.

“Let her in,” he says, barely ready to have the conversation that’s going to change everything for him. And for you.

“Hey, Jin. Uh— I mean, Mr. Kim?” You frown. “What’s the proper way to address you at a time like this?”

He chuckles to himself, though he admits not being used to seeing you a little unsure. You’ve always entered the boardroom with confidence, spoken with such passion every time, and looked like you had everything in your life under control. Tonight, you’re a little wary, cautious. And he doesn’t blame you one bit.

“Jin is fine,” he replies, motioning for you to sit on the couch. “This is as personal as it is professional anyway.”

“That’s one way to put it, I guess,” you shyly smile, something he’s not used to as well. “So, uh… I’m guessing your father has spoken to you already.”

“Yeah. How much do you know?”

“Probably more than you do. Did you get to a decision, at least?”

“Sort of. I don’t really have a choice in the matter, as you know,” he sighs.

“I know, and I’m sorry that it has come to this. But you’re free to back out, if you want,” you assure him. “It’s my family that’s gotten into this mess and I don’t wanna drag you in it.”

“Father said it’s a safety issue that’s why it’s sudden. Is that true?”

“Uh-huh. But I don’t want the details to influence your decision,” you say, not wanting to rattle him with the message your father received about paying his debts that’s now become threatening. You’re the only one of their children still in the country, and just like them, you want to protect your family in whatever means.

“Fine, then what details about the arrangement can you share with me?”

“Announcement through an article this weekend, saying we’ve been in a secret relationship for a year and got engaged a few months ago,” you say, not missing the irony of it all. “The wedding is set in 3 months.”

“Three months?!” He exclaims. “You’re shitting, right?”

“I wish I was but… they want it done before your brother gets married later in the year,” you explain. “Taehyung’s wedding with Hyun-a is going to be extravagant and your parents think that even the preparations would overshadow the less grand one we’ll have so there’s gonna be less questions. I mean, he’s marrying an actress and you’re marrying… me. If you agree, so yeah.”

“So we’re just supposed to pretend we’re in love, that’s it?”

“I mean, it goes with the story they want. But I’m me and you’re you. Everyone knows we get along but we’re not exactly affectionate people, you know? I guess that helps?”

“I guess…. But look, honestly, I’m still in shock,” Seokjin admits. “There’s so much to consider and think about… things we’ll both have to give up and figure out on our own and together.”

“Then tell me, talk to me. Maybe I can help make whatever your decision is a less bitter pill to swallow,” you offer.

“I’m a ball of mess, ___. I’m not about to dump all my problems on you, which frankly involves you.”

“I know, that’s why I’m offering to help. I know it’s not work-related, which we’re good at handling, but if there’s anything I can do to lessen the stress or the pressure, then let me know.”

“Remind me, have you always been this nice?” Seokjin laughs, trying to find humor in such a situation.

“When you’re not challenging my ideas,” you stick your tongue out. “But look, it sucks we’re in this and I’m sorry. But you’re a good man, Kim Seokjin. And I’ll help however I can.”

“Just good?” He arches an eyebrow teasingly.

“Yes,” you playfully roll your eyes. “Taehyung is the better and more handsome brother.”

Seokjin’s face falls immediately and you hold in a laugh.

“Tell me he paid you to say that,” he frowns.

“Sort of. We made a bet and I lost and now I have to say that to people,” you shrug. “And you know your brother, he takes these things seriously.”

Seokjin laughs, imagining his brother cornering you probably during a business event or a post-meeting dinner and drinks, and you, probably arguing with the younger Kim but giving in to shut him up. If there’s a silver lining to this arrangement, it’s that Seokjin at least gets along with you, and that you get along with his family, too.

“So go, shoot. Let’s go through all the biggest pros and cons and figure them out one by one,” you urge him, trying your best to comfort him with your smile.

Seokjin takes a deep breath, knowing he’s gonna have to discuss this with you at some point. It’s unfair to hide it from you, and even if this is arranged and void of love and affection unlike how marriages are supposed to be, he still respects you as a person, and the least he could do is be honest.

“Okay,” he takes a deep breath. “There’s something you need to know.”

“Hmm?”

“I have a girlfriend.”

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#seokjin fic #seokjin x reader #seokjin angst #seokjin fluff #seokjin smut #bts jin #arranged marriage #boss au #workmates au #rich seokjin #seokjin series #bts series #kim seokjin

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dailyanarchistposts · 2 months

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Chapter 2. Decisions

Anarchy is the absence of rulers. Free people do not follow orders; they make their own decisions and come to agreements within their communities, and develop shared means for putting these decisions into practice.

How will decisions be made?

There should be no doubt that human beings can make decisions in non-hierarchical, egalitarian ways. The majority of human societies have been stateless, and many stateless societies have not been governed by the dictates of some “Big Man,” but by common assemblies using some form of consensus. Numerous consensus-based societies have survived thousands of years, even through European colonialism into the present day, in Africa, Australia, Asia, the Americas, and on the peripheries of Europe.

People from societies in which decision-making power has been monopolized by the state and corporations may initially find it difficult to make decisions in an egalitarian way, but it gets easier with practice. Fortunately, we all have some experience with horizontal decision-making. Most of the decisions we make in daily life, with friends and hopefully with colleagues and family as well, we make on the basis of cooperation rather than authority. Friendship is precious because it is a space in which we interact as equals, where our opinions are valued regardless of our social status. Groups of friends typically use informal consensus to decide how to spend time together, organize activities, assist one another, and respond to challenges in their daily lives. So most of us already understand consensus intuitively; it takes more practice to learn how to come to consensus with people who are significantly different from us, especially in large groups or when it is necessary to coordinate complex activities, but it is possible.

Consensus is not the only empowering way to make decisions. In certain contingencies, groups that are truly voluntary associations can still be empowering for their members when they use majority decision-making. Or one person making her own decisions and acting alone can inspire dozens more people to take similar actions, or to support what she has started, thus avoiding the sometimes stifling weight of meetings. In creative or inspiring circumstances people often succeed in coordinating themselves spontaneously and chaotically, producing unprecedented results. The specific decision-making form is just a tool, and with consensus or individual action as with majority decision-making people can take an active part in using that tool as they see fit.

Korean anarchists won an opportunity to demonstrate people’s ability to make their own decisions in 1929. The Korean Anarchist Communist Federation (KACF) was a huge organization at that time, with enough support that it could declare an autonomous zone in the Shinmin province. Shinmin was outside of Korea, in Manchuria, but two million Korean immigrants lived there. Using assemblies and a decentralized federative structure that grew out of the KACF, they created village councils, district councils, and area councils to deal with matters of cooperative agriculture, education, and finance. They also formed an army spearheaded by the anarchist Kim Jwa-Jin, which used guerrilla tactics against Soviet and Japanese forces. KACF sections in China, Korea, and Japan organized international support efforts. Caught between the Stalinists and the Japanese imperial army, the autonomous province was ultimately crushed in 1931. But for two years, large populations had freed themselves from the authority of landlords and governors and reasserted their power to come to collective decisions, to organize their day-to-day life, pursue their dreams, and defend those dreams from invading armies.[18]

One of the most well known anarchist histories is that of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, General Franco launched a fascist coup in Spain. From the standpoint of the elite, it was a necessary act; the nation’s military officers, landowners, and religious hierarchy were terrified by growing anarchist and socialist movements. The monarchy had already been abolished, but the workers and peasants were not content with representative democracy. The coup did not go smoothly. While in many areas Spain’s Republican government rolled over easily and resigned itself to fascism, the anarchist labor union (CNT) and other anarchists working autonomously formed militias, seized arsenals, stormed barracks, and defeated trained troops. Anarchists were especially strong in Catalunya, Aragon, Asturias, and much of Andalucia. Workers also defeated the coup in Madrid and Valencia, where the socialists were strong, and in much of the Basque country. In the anarchist areas, the government effectively ceased to function.

In these stateless areas of the Spanish countryside in 1936, peasants organized themselves according to principles of communism, collectivism, or mutualism according to their preferences and local conditions. They formed thousands of collectives, especially in Aragon, Catalunya, and Valencia. Some abolished all money and private property; some organized quota systems to ensure that everyone’s needs were met. The diversity of forms they developed is a testament to the freedom they created themselves. Where once all these villages were mired in the same stifling context of feudalism and developing capitalism, within months of overthrowing government authority and coming together in village assemblies, they gave birth to hundreds of different systems, united by common values like solidarity and self-organization. And they developed these different forms by holding open assemblies and making decisions about their future in common.

The town of Magdalena de Pulpis, for example, abolished money completely. One inhabitant reported, “Everyone works and everyone has the right to what he needs free of charge. He simply goes to the store where provisions and all other necessities are supplied. Everything is distributed free with only a notation of what he took.”[19] Recording what everyone took allowed the community to distribute resources equally in times of scarcity, and generally ensured accountability.

Other collectives worked out their own systems of exchange. They issued local money in the form of vouchers, tokens, rationing booklets, certificates, and coupons which carried no interest and were not negotiable outside of the issuing collective. Communities that had suppressed money paid workers in coupons according to the size of the family — a “family wage” based on the needs of the family rather than the productivity of its working members. Abundant local goods like bread, wine, and olive oil were distributed freely, while other items “could be obtained by means of coupons at the communal depot. Surplus goods were exchanged with other anarchist towns and villages.”[20] There was much experimentation with new monetary systems. In Aragon, there were hundreds of different kinds of coupon and money systems, so the Aragon Federation of Peasant Collectives unanimously decided to replace local currencies with a standard ration booklet — though each collective retained the power to decide how goods would be distributed and the amount of coupons workers would receive.

All the collectives, once they had taken control of their villages, organized open mass assemblies to discuss problems and plan how to organize themselves. Decisions were made via voting or consensus. Village assemblies generally met between once a week and once a month; foreign observers surveying them remarked that participation was broad and enthusiastic. Many of the collectivized villages joined with other collectives in order to pool resources, aid one another, and arrange trade. The collectives in Aragon donated hundreds of tons of food to the volunteer militias who were holding back the fascists on the front, and also took in large numbers of refugees who had fled the fascists. The town of Graus, for example, with a population of 2,600, took in and supported 224 refugees, only 20 of whom could work.

At assemblies, collectives discussed problems and proposals. Many collectives elected administrative committees, generally consisting of half a dozen people, to manage affairs until the next meeting. The open assemblies:

allowed the inhabitants to know, to so understand, and to feel so mentally integrated in society, to so participate in the management of public affairs, in the responsibilities, that the recriminations, the tensions which always occur when the power of decision is entrusted to a few individuals... did not happen there. The assemblies were public, the objections, the proposals publicly discussed, everybody being free, as in the syndical assemblies, to participate in the discussions, to criticize, propose, etc. Democracy extended to the whole of social life. In most cases even the individualists [locals who had not joined the collective] could take part in the deliberations. They were given the same hearing as the collectivists.[21]

If not every village inhabitant was a member of the collective, there might be a municipal council in addition to the collective assembly, so that no one would be excluded from decision-making.

In many collectives they agreed that if a member violated a collective rule once, he was reprimanded. If it happened a second time, he was referred to the general assembly. Only the general assembly could expel a member from the collective; delegates and administrators were denied punitive power. The power of the general assembly to respond to transgressions was also used to prevent people who had been delegated tasks from being irresponsible or authoritarian; delegates or elected administrators who failed to abide by collective decisions or usurped authority were suspended or removed by a general vote. In some villages that were split between anarchists and socialists, the peasants formed two collectives side by side, to allow for different ways of making and enforcing decisions rather than imposing one method on everybody.

Gaston Leval described a general assembly in the village of Tamarite de Litera, in Huesca province, which the non-collective peasants were also allowed to attend. One problem brought up at the meeting was that several peasants who had not joined the collective left their elderly parents in the care of the collective while taking their parents’ land to farm as their own. The entire group discussed the matter, and eventually decided to adopt a specific proposal: they would not kick the elderly parents out of the collective, but they wanted to hold those peasants accountable, so they decided that the latter had to take care of their parents or else receive neither solidarity nor land from the collective. In the end, a resolution agreed to by an entire community will carry more legitimacy, and is more likely to be followed, than one handed down by a specialist or a government official.

Important decisions also took place at work in the fields every day:

The work of the collectives was conducted by teams of workers, headed by a delegate chosen by each team. The land was divided into cultivated zones. Team delegates worked like the others. There were no special privileges. After the day’s work, delegates from all the work teams met on the job and made necessary technical arrangements for the next day’s work... The assembly made final decisions on all important questions and issued instructions to both the team delegates and the administrative commission.”[22]

Many areas also had District Committees that pooled the resources of all the collectives in a district, basically acting as a clearinghouse to circulate surplus from the collectives that had it to other collectives that needed it. Hundreds of collectives joined federations organized through the CNT or UGT (the socialist labor union). The federations provided economic coordination, pooling resources to allow peasants to build their own fruit and vegetable canneries, gathering information about which items were in abundance and which were in short supply, and organizing uniform exchange systems. This collective form of decision-making proved effective for the approximately seven to eight million peasants involved in this movement. Half the land in anti-fascist Spain — three-quarters of the land in Aragon — was collectivized and self-organized.

In August 1937, just over a year after anarchist and socialist peasants started forming collectives, the Republican government, under control of the Stalinists, had consolidated enough to move against the lawless zones of Aragon. The Karl Marx Brigade, units of the International Brigades, and other units disarmed and dissolved the collectives in Aragon, crushing any resistance and spiriting off numerous anarchists and libertarian socialists to the prisons and torture chambers the Stalinists had set up to use against their revolutionary allies.

Brazil today bears a similarity with Spain in 1936, in that a tiny percentage of the population owns nearly half of all the land while millions of people are without land or sustenance. A major social movement has sprung up in response. The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST), or Landless Workers’ Movement, is made up of 1.5 million impoverished laborers who occupy unused land to set up farming collectives. Since its founding in 1984, the MST has won land titles for 350,000 families living in 2,000 different settlements. The basic unit of organization consists of a group of families living together in a settlement on occupied land. These groups retain autonomy and self-organize matters of day-to-day living. To participate in regional meetings they appoint two or three representatives, which in principle include a man and a woman though in practice this is not always the case. The MST has a federative structure; there are also State and National Coordinating Bodies. While most of the decision-making takes place at the grassroots level with land occupations, farming, and the establishment of settlements, the MST also organizes at higher levels to coordinate massive protests and highway blockades to pressure the government to give land titles to the settlements. The MST has shown a great deal of innovation and strength, organizing schools and protecting themselves against frequent police repression. They have developed practices of sustainable agriculture, including setting up seed banks for native seeds, and they have invaded and destroyed environmentally harmful eucalyptus forestry plantations and test grounds for genetically modified crops.

Within the logic of democracy, 1.5 million people is considered simply too large a group for everyone to be allowed to participate directly in decision-making; the majority should entrust that power to politicians. But the MST holds an ideal in which all possible decision-making remains on the local level. In practice, however, they often do not meet this ideal. As a massive organization that does not seek to abolish capitalism or overthrow the state but rather to pressure it, the MST has been brought into the game of politics, in which all principles are for sale. Furthermore, a huge portion of their members come from extremely poor and oppressed communities that for generations had been controlled by a combination of religion, patriotism, crime, drug addiction, and patriarchy. These dynamics do not disappear when people enter into the movement, and they cause significant problems within the MST.

Throughout the 80s and the 90s, new MST settlements were created by activists from the organization who would seek landless people in rural areas or especially in the favelas, the urban slums, who wanted to form a group and occupy land. They would go through a base-building period of two months, in which they would hold meetings and debates to try to build a sense of community, affinity, and political common ground. Then they would occupy a piece of unused land owned by a major landlord, choose representatives to federate with the larger organization, and begin farming. Activists working with the MST local would pass through periodically to see if the settlement needed help acquiring tools and materials, resolving internal disputes, or protecting themselves from police, paramilitaries, or major landlords, all of whom frequently conspired to threaten and assassinate MST members.

In part due to the autonomy of each settlement, they have met with a variety of outcomes. Leftists from other countries typically romanticize the MST while the Brazilian capitalist media portray them all as violent thugs who steal land and then sell it. In fact, the capitalist media portrayal is accurate in some cases, though by no means in a majority of cases. It is not unheard of for people in a new settlement to divide up the land and later fight over the allotments. Some might sell their allotment to a local landlord, or open a liquor store on their allotment and fuel alcoholism, or encroach on their neighbor’s allotment, and such boundary disputes are sometimes resolved with violence. The majority of settlements divide into completely individualized, separate homesteads rather than working the land collectively or communally. Another common weakness reflects the society from which these landless workers come — many of the settlements are dominated by a Christian, patriotic, and patriarchal culture.

Though its weaknesses need to be addressed, the MST has achieved a long list of victories. The movement has won land and self-sufficiency for a huge number of extremely poor people. Many of the settlements they create enjoy a much higher standard of living than the slums they left behind, and are bound by a sense of solidarity and community. By any measure their accomplishment is a triumph for direct action: by disregarding legality or petitioning the powerful for change, over a million people have won themselves land and control over their lives by going out and doing it themselves. Brazilian society has not collapsed due to this wave of anarchy; on the contrary it has become healthier, although many problems remain, in the society at large and in the settlements. It largely comes down to circumstance whether a particular settlement is empowering and liberated or competitive and oppressive.

According to an MST member who worked for several years in one of the most dangerous regions of Brazil, two months was simply not enough time in most cases to overcome people’s anti-social training and create a real sense of community, but it was much better than the prevalent pattern in the subsequent period. As the organization experienced a rush to grow, many activists began slapping together settlements by recruiting groups of strangers, promising them land, and sending them off into the regions with the poorest soil or most violent landlords, often contributing to deforestation in the process. Naturally, this emphasis on quantitative results amplified the worst characteristics of the organization and in many ways weakened it, even as its political power increased.[23]

The context for this watershed in the MST was the election of President Lula of the Workers Party (PT) in 2003. Previously, the MST had been autonomous: they did not cooperate with political parties or allow politicians into the organization, although many organizers used the MST to launch political careers. But with the unprecedented victory of the progressive, socialist Workers Party, the leadership of the MST tried to forbid anyone in the organization from publicly speaking out against the government’s new agrarian policy. At the same time, the MST began receiving huge amounts of money from the government. Lula had promised to give land to a certain number of families and the MST leadership rushed to fill this quota and engorge their own organization, abandoning their base and their principles. Many influential MST organizers and leaders, backed by the more radical settlements, criticized this collaboration with the government and pushed for a more anti-authoritarian stance, and in fact by 2005, when the PT’s agrarian program proved to be a disappointment, the MST began fiercely challenging the government again.

In the eyes of anti-authoritarians the organization had lost its credibility and proven once again the predictable results of collaboration with the government. But within the movement there are still many causes for inspiration. Many of the settlements continue to demonstrate the ability of people to overcome their capitalist and authoritarian socialization, if they take it upon themselves to do so. Perhaps the best example are the Comunas da Terra, a network of settlements that make up a minority within the MST, that farm the land communally, nurture a spirit of solidarity, challenge sexism and capitalist mindsets internally, and create working examples of anarchy. It is notable that the people in the Comunas da Terra enjoy a higher standard of life than those who live in the individualized settlements.

There are contemporary examples of non-hierarchical organizing in North America as well. Throughout the United States today, there exist dozens of anarchist projects that are run on a consensus basis. Consensus decision-making may be used on an ad hoc basis to plan an event or campaign, or more permanently to run an infoshop: an anarchist social center that can serve as a radical bookshop, library, café, meeting space, concert hall, or free store. A typical meeting might begin with volunteers filling the positions of facilitator and note-taker. Many groups also use a “vibes-watcher,” someone who volunteers to pay special attention to emotions and interactions within the group, recognizing that the personal is political and that the tradition of suppressing emotions in political spaces derives from the separation of public and private, a separation on which patriarchy and the state are based.

Next, the participants create an agenda in which they list all the topics they want to talk about. For each topic, they start by sharing information. If a decision needs to be made, they talk it over until they find a point where everyone’s needs and desires converge. Someone states a proposal that synthesizes everyone’s input, and they vote on it: approve, abstain, or block. If one person is opposed, the group looks for another solution.The decisions may not always be everyone’s first choice, but everyone must feel comfortable with every decision the group adopts. Throughout this process, the facilitator encourages full participation from everyone and makes sure no one is silenced.

Sometimes, the group is unable to solve a particular problem, but the option of not coming to any decision demonstrates that within consensus, the health of the group is more important than efficiency. Such groups form on the principle of voluntary association — anyone is free to leave if she wishes, in contrast to authoritarian structures that may deny people the right to leave or exempt themselves from an arrangement they do not agree to. According to this principle, it is better to respect the differing views of the members of a group than to enforce a decision that leaves some people excluded or silenced. This might seem impractical to those who have not participated in such a process, but consensus has served many infoshops and similar projects in the US for years. Using consensus, these groups have made the decisions necessary to organize spaces and events, reach out to the surrounding communities, bring in new participants, raise money, and resist attempts by local government and business leaders to shut them down. What’s more, it seems like the number of projects using consensus in the US is only growing. Granted, consensus works best for people who know one another and have a common interest in working together, whether they are volunteers who want to run an infoshop, neighbors who want to resist gentrification, or members of an affinity group planning attacks against the system — but it does work.

A common complaint is that consensus meetings take longer, but are they really less efficient? Authoritarian models of decision-making, including majority voting in which the minority is forced to conform to the decision of the majority, hide or externalize their true costs. Communities that use authoritarian means to make their decisions cannot exist without police or some other structure to enforce these decisions. Consensus precludes the need for enforcement and punishment by making sure that everyone is satisfied beforehand. When we take into account all the work hours a community loses maintaining a police force, which is a huge drain on resources, the hours spent in consensus meetings seem like a good usage of time after all.

The rebellion in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca offer another example of popular decision-making. In 2006, people took over Oaxaca City and much of the state. The population of Oaxaca is over half indigenous, and the struggles there against colonialism and capitalism go back five hundred years. In June 2006, 70,000 striking teachers gathered in Oaxaca de Juarez, the capital, to press their demands for a living wage and better facilities for the students. On June 14, the police attacked the teacher’s encampment, but the teachers fought back, forcing the police out of the center of the city, taking over government buildings and evicting politicians, and setting up barricades to keep them out. Oaxaca City was self-organized and autonomous for five months, until federal troops were sent in.

After they forced the police out of the capital city, the striking teachers were joined by students and other workers, and together they formed the Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca). The APPO became a coordinating body for the social movements of Oaxaca, effectively organizing social life and popular resistance for several months in the vacuum created by the collapse of state control. It brought together delegates from unions, non-governmental organizations, social organizations, and cooperatives across the state, seeking to make decisions in the spirit of indigenous practices of consensus — although most assemblies made decisions with a majority vote. APPO founders rejected electoral politics and called for people throughout the state to organize their own assemblies at every level.[24] Recognizing the role of political parties in co-opting popular movements, the APPO banned them from participating.

According to one activist who helped to found the APPO:

So the APPO was formed to address the abuses and create an alternative. It was to be a space for discussion, reflection, analysis, and action. We recognized that it shouldn’t be just one organization, but rather a blanket coordinating body for many different groups. That is, not one ideology would prevail; we would focus on finding the common ground among diverse social actors. Students, teachers, anarchists, Marxists, churchgoers — everyone was invited. The APPO was born without a formal structure, but soon developed impressive organizational capacity. Decisions in the APPO are made by consensus within the general assembly, which was privileged as a decision-making body. In the first few weeks of our existence we created the APPO State Council. The council was originally composed of 260 people — approximately ten representatives from each of Oaxaca’s seven regions and representatives from Oaxaca’s urban neighborhoods and municipalities. The Provisional Coordination was created to facilitate the operation of the APPO through different commissions. A variety of commissions were established: judicial, finance, communications, human rights, gender equity, defense of natural resources, and many more. Proposals are generated in smaller assemblies of each sector of the APPO and then brought to the general assembly where they are debated further or ratified.[25]

Time and again, spontaneous popular assemblies such as the one created in Oaxaca have proved capable of making sound decisions and coordinating the activities of an entire population. Naturally, they also attract people who want to take over social movements and people who consider themselves natural leaders. In many revolutions, what begins as a horizontal, libertarian rebellion becomes authoritarian as political parties or self-appointed leaders co-opt and shut down popular decision-making structures. Highly visible participants in popular assemblies can also be pushed towards conservatism by government repression, since they are the most visible targets.

This is one way to interpret dynamics that developed in the APPO after the federal invasion of Oaxaca in late October, 2006. As the repression intensified, some of the more vocal participants in the assembly began calling for moderation, to the dismay of the segments of the movement that were still in the streets. Many APPO members and movement participants complain that the group was taken over by Stalinists and other parasites who use popular movements as tools for their political ambitions. And though the APPO had always taken a stand against political parties, the self-appointed leadership took advantage of the difficult situation to call for participation in the upcoming elections as the only pragmatic course of action.

Many people felt betrayed. Support for collaboration was far from universal within APPO; it was controversial even within the APPO Council, the provisional decision-making group that was emerging as a leadership body. Some people within the APPO created other formations to disseminate anarchist, indigenist, or other anti-authoritarian perspectives, and many just went on with their work and ignored the calls to flock to the voting booths. In the end, the anti-authoritarian ethic that constituted the backbone of the movement and the basis of its formal structures proved stronger. The vast majority of Oaxacans boycotted the elections, and the PRI, the conservative party that already held power, dominated among the few people who came out to cast ballots. The attempt to transform the powerful, liberatory social movements of Oaxaca into a bid for political power was an absolute failure.

A smaller Oaxacan city, Zaachila (pop. 25,000), can provide a closer look at horizontal decision-making. For years, groups had been working together against local forms of exploitation; among other efforts, they had managed to defeat the plan to construct a Coca Cola plant which would have consumed much of the available drinking water. When the rebellion erupted in Oaxaca City, a majority of the residents decided to take action. They convoked Zaachila’s first popular assembly with the ringing of the bells, calling everyone together, to share the news of the police attack in Oaxaca City and to decide what to do in their own town. More meetings and actions followed:

Men, women, children, and city council members joined together to take over the municipal building. A lot of the building was locked and we only used the hallways and the offices that were open. We stayed in the municipal building night and day, taking care of everything. And that’s how the neighborhood assemblies were born. We’d say, “It’s the neighborhood of La Soledad’s turn and tomorrow it’s up to San Jacinto.” That’s how the neighborhood assemblies were first used, and then later they turned into decision-making bodies, which is where we are now. The seizing of the municipal building was totally spontaneous. The activists from before played a role and initially directed things, but the popular assembly structure was developed little by little... Neighborhood assemblies, comprised of a rotating body of five people, were also formed in each section of town and together they would form the permanent popular assembly, the People’s Council of Zaachila. The people from neighborhood assemblies may not be activists at all, but little by little, as they follow their obligation to bring information back and forth from the Council, they develop their capacity for leadership. All the agreements made in the Council are studied by these five people and then brought back to the neighborhoods for review. These assemblies are completely open; anyone can attend and have their voice heard. Decisions always go to a general vote, and all the adults present can vote. For example, if some people think a bridge needs to be built, and others think we need to focus on improving electricity, we vote on what the priority should be. The simple majority wins, fifty-percent plus one.[26]

The townsfolk kicked out the mayor while maintaining public services, and also established a community radio station. The city served as a model for dozens of other municipalities throughout the state that soon proclaimed their autonomy.

Years before these events in Zaachila, another group was organizing autonomous villages in the state of Oaxaca. As many as twenty-six rural communities affiliated with the CIPO-RFM (Council of Indigenous Peoples of Oaxaca — Ricardo Flores Magon), an organization that identifies with southern Mexico’s tradition of indigenous and anarchist resistance; the name references an indigenous anarchist influential in the Mexican Revolution. Insofar as they can, living under an oppressive regime, the CIPO communities assert their autonomy and help one another to meet their needs, ending private property and working the land communally. Typically, when a village expressed interest in joining the group, someone from the CIPO would come and explain how they worked, and let the villagers decide whether or not they wanted to join. The government frequently denied resources to CIPO villages, hoping to starve them out, but it is no surprise that many people thought they could live more richly as masters of their own lives, even if it meant greater material poverty.

#anarchism #daily posts #communism #anti capitalist #anti capitalism #late stage capitalism #anarchy #anarchists #libraries #leftism #anarchy works

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crystalsnow95z · 5 months

Text

Sickie: Jin with allergies

Caretaker: Jungkook and Taehyung mostly

Third time trying to make something I'm happy with while following the request. Sorry I strayed away from the prompt ^^, I know If I start from scratch again I'll just not want to write it anymore.

"Taehyung-sii it's your sister." Staff calls to him Taehyung quickly turning away from the monitor.

"What? My sister?" Taehyung takes his phone back. "Thank you." He quickly bows, moving to a quiet location.

"Guess we're on break until Taehyungie returns. I hope everything is okay." Hoeseok watches Taehyung pace while talking on the phone.

"Maybe she just doesn't know he was working and wanted to make plans to hang out since we just got back from Europe."

"She normally just texts him though..." Jungkook goes to go by Taehyung, by Jin grabs the back of his shirt.

"Jungkook-ah, leave him be. He'll tell us if he wants to when he comes back." Jin scolds him, keeping his eyes on Taehyung while he talks to staff. "I know you're worried, we all are."

Taehyung bows to staff, talking on the phone again before hanging up and returning to the others. "I need to get Yeotannie tonight.. my parents got into an accident and need to be in the hospital for a few days. We can get Tannie after the shoot, right?"

"Of course we can. Are mom and Dad okay?" Jin asks with concern.

"Do you want to skip practice?" Hoseok asks, looking at Namjoon for confirmation that it was okay to offer.

"Yeah, yeah, they'll be okay..they'll make a full recovery.." Taehyung says giving a weak smile. "I can continue practice, Lee-sii says he will watch Yeotan for me while I work and my siblings will take care of the rest.."

Jimin hugs Taehyung from behind, resting his head on his shoulder. "You sure you don't want to take some time off to see them?"

"I'll visit the hospital on the way to get Tannie. I can't miss any practices, we have a concert in less than a week. It's nothing major, and my siblings both said not to worry. They'll take care of it.." Taehyung acts like it's no big deal, giving them a smile, but Jimin could still feel Taehyung's heart pounding through his back, clearly feeling guilty about not being there.

"Taehyungie-" Jimin starts, but Taehyung breaks away from him.

"Let's finish up this shoot quickly so we can get Tannie, then go to the studio to practice.. Ah, sorry noona..I messed up my hair.." Taehyung gives her a shy apologetic smile when he realizes the bangs she had slicked back were over his forehead again.

"It's okay. I'll fix it Taehyung-sii. Just sit still this time, i don't want to chase you around this time." The stylist playfully scolds him, getting a comb to fix it.

"Hyung can we do something special for dinner tonight?" Yoongi whispers to Jin.

"I think that's a great idea. We'll call it a welcome home party for Yeotan." Jin goes to whisper to Hoseok, recruiting more helpers in the kitchen.

The younger members are busy trying to lighten the mood, Jungkook and Jimin dancing around Taehyung to Namjoon singing lower than necessary.

"I don't sound like that.." Taehyung pouts, making Jimin giggle only making his pout grow. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're cute. It's okay, TaeTae, when you sing it, it's beautiful." Jimin pats Taehyung's shoulder. "Namjoonie-hyungie you can't sing that low." He scolds Namjoon for Taehyung.

"Neither can you." Namjoon states.

"No, but I can hit good high notes so it makes up for it." Jimin boasts. "Taehyungie can sing both low and high so maybe he can help you."

Taehyung gives a shy smile at Jimin's praise. "I'm not that good with high notes.. not like you and Jungkook-ah."

"There, finished. You can go back to the shoot." The stylist says spraying Taehyung's hair one last time.

"Thank you." Taehyung bows, getting up from the chair.

"Alright, now that everyone's ready, let's finish up the last three scenes so we can move on." Namjoon switches back to leader mode, the members gathering to get instructions from the director. The shoot continues as if nothing happened, the only hint of something being wrong was how serious Taehyung kept during the shoot, not playing around with the other members in between shots.

Jungkook and Jin went for the ride to get Yeotan from Taehyung's parents' house. The two waited in the car for him, giving him time alone with his brother, who had volunteered to watch the pomeranian while they finished the shoot.

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell him to take some time off?" Jungkook breaks the silence in the car.

"Yeah, it's okay. He'll feel guilty either way, so it's best he keeps busy than just sitting around waiting for them to be released from the hospital. When they're home, we can ask him again if he wants to take a day or two off before the tour." Jin explains, knowing his brothers well. Each and every single one of them would put the team and army before themselves.

Jungkook goes to answer but hears the door opening, Taehyungie hugging his brother goodbye before picking up Tannie, returning to the car. "Sorry, I didn't expect to be in there that long.."

"No, it's fine Vuu. I didn't notice I got really into reading this comic on my phone." Jin reassures him with a warm smile. "I think you'd like it."

"I didn't notice either i was juet scrolling on my phone. Hyungie, do you want me to drive so you can hold Yeotan?" Jungkook offers, getting out of the car.

"Ah that'd be great. Thanks Kook-ah." Taehyung gets in the back seat, Holding his beloved pet to his chest.

"Are you feeling okay Bwi?" Jin asks, getting out of the passenger seat to sit with him in the back seat, rubbing Taehyung's knee.

"Ah, yeah. I'm fine. I just remembered how little I know about my brother..it was a bit awkward to talk to him at first." Taehyung says softly, burying his face in Yeotan's fur. "You smell different, Tannie. It must be from you when you went to the groomers yesterday." He changes the subject away from him. "Super soft, though. Want to pet him?"

Jin humors him, reaching to pet Yeotan. "Oh, he is super soft!"

"I want to pet him too!" Jungkook reaches behind him, stroking Yeotan on the top of the head. "Oh wow, he's so fluffy. I forgot how different him and Bam feel from each other." His eyes grow wide, scratching behind Yeotan's ear.

"You can pet Tannie later. We should get back to the..ag..ahitch!" Jin sneeze.

"Bless you hyungie." Jungkook tells him, thinking nothing of it."You're right, it's a long drive, we should get going. We might be able to get a few hours of practice in if we hurry."

"Let's play some music to pass the time." Jin suggests, trying to get Taehyung's mind away from his family. "Is your phone still connected to the Bluetooth Taehyungie?"

"No, I took it off because my phone was dying."

"Vuu, your phone is always dying." Jin teases.

"It's not always dying." Taehyung denies Jin's statement with a pout.

"Here, hyungie, you can use mine." Jungkook reaches in his hoodie pocket, blindly holding out the phone to keep his eyes on the road.

Taehyung takes it, putting on some music, the two youngest singing along. Jin kept his eyes on the horizon, suddenly feeling short of breath and light headed.

Why do I feel so bad all the sudden? Is it that I've been in the car so long?

It takes three songs for Taehyung to notice something was wrong with the older member, turning down the music. "Hyungie what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I might be a little car sick, I just started feeling dizzy, and it got a little harder to breathe.." Jin admits softly, sniffling. This is awful timing.. Taehyungie was finally acting like himself again.

"Do you want me to get off on the next exit?" Jungkook asks, speaking quickly. "We can go to a gas station and get medicine."

Jin shakes his head. "I don't want to cause a scene.. we hardly managed to get gas for the way here.."

"Do you want to lay on my shoulder and try to rest?" Taehyung offers. "The ride will go faster if you sleep.."

Jin unbuckles his seat belt to slide next to Taehyung, laying his head on the younger’s shoulder. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. Yeotan stretches his paws into Jin's lap, laying across both boys.

"Are you worried about me too, Tannie?" Jin smiles, gently scratching Yeotan's back. "I'm okay.. really.."

"You don't sound okay.." Jungkook frowns, hearing the difference in Jin's voice.

"Heh..heh'tichi!" Jin sniffles, keeping his hand over his face. "Ugh.. my nose.."

"Are you catching a cold?" Taehyung asks, digging in his bag to try to find the packet of tissues he shoved in there a week ago.

"I felt fine all day.. I don't know why i'm..ah..ah.." Jin prepared for a sneeze that never came, leaving his nose feeling irritated. "Ugh.."

"Here, hyung." Taehyung finds the packet of tissues, passing it to Jin. "You shouldn't catch a cold this quickly.." Taehyung frowns, perplexed.

"Thanks Taehyungie.." Jin takes it, plucking out a tissue to blow his nose.

"Is it Yeotan?" Taehyung asks, voice laced with concern, pulling his canine companion closer to him. "You got worse after petting him and that's the only change.."

"I'm not allergic to dogs.." Jin says defensively. "I was fine with the shoot last week with the..he..heh'tichi!"

"But you can get allergies out of nowhere, Hyung. Are you sure?" Taehyung asks again. "Maybe on the next stop, you can move to the front seat, so you're farther from Tannie.."

"Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry." Jin gives him a reassuring smile, ignoring the itch that was forming in the tip of his nose. He pulls up his face mask just in case it was Yeotan, but the damage was already done, sniffling to try to make it easier to breathe.

Jungkook looks back at Jin in the rear view mirror, sharing Taehyung's concern. "We should stop at a store for some allergy pills just in case Hyung.."

"Heh'heh..Heh'tichi! Heh'xcih! Ha..Heyitch!" Jin tried to answer him, but a fit of sneezes is all that comes, soiling the face mask with runny mucus, removing it.

"Hyung.." Taehyung says softly taking a tissue from the packet to try to do something to help his ailing hyung. He's not feeling well because of me..Yeotan is my dog and I'm the one who asked someone to come with me..

"Taehyung-Ah stop, it's not your fault.. I'll be fine.." Jin tried to sound normal, but it came out breathless. He knew what Taehyung was thinking without him saying a word. He could feel the pressure building in his nose. Sh*t..

"Hehitch..! Hehxxcghi! He..heh'tichi!" Jin sneezes, sniffling loudly. He tried to rubs his eyes to clear his vision, but touching them only made it worse. Tears streaked his face grabbing another tissue to dry them.

"We might have to take you to the hospital.." Jungkook says searching the roadsigns for the nearest hospital.

"No, no I'll be fine after some medi..Hehitchu!" Jin sneezes into the tissue.

"It's just one more kilometer to the nearest gas station. It'll be okay, Jaykay. We'll take care of Hyungie.. lets see if the medicine helps first. " Taehyung reassures Jungkook. "Just focus on the road okay?"

The last few minutes to the gas station was silent except for the sound of Jin sniffling and Jungkook's phone softly playing music on shuffle.

Jungkook puts on his face mask getting out of the car quickly. "Hyungie move to the front okay?"

"I don't want to move.." Jin says stifling another sneeze.

"I'll move then.. Tannie just got groomed so there shouldn't be much dog fur.." Taehyung gets out, jumping when he sees flashes of cameras and voices calling to him. "Aiish.. that scared me.." he bows politely, making a one handed cheek heart as he holds Yeotan close. I need them to focus on me.. I don't want them taking any pictures of Jinnie-hyung.

Jungkook already ran into the store, ignoring the sound of someone calling his name. He didn't have time to greet army. Not when his hyung was suffering.

The three girls go to get closer, but Yeotan barks at them. Taehyung bows in apology, stroking Yeotan. "He's very shy.. I'm sorry."

Taehyung feels relieved when they don't try to come any closer. His eyes continued to dart from the small crowd to the door where Jungkook disappeared.

"Were you spending time with your family before your tour?" One of the young women asks, noticing the sadness flashing in Taehyung's eyes before he smiles.

"I saw them for a little bit,but I really only came to get Yeotannie.." Taehyung replies honestly, not wanting to worry Army with his personal problems.

"Did you-ack!" A girl tried to ask another question, but another woman approached the group, pulling them to their car.

"I leave you to go get gas for a few minutes, and I find you harassing Taehyung-ssi during his private time." The newcomer scolds them all the way to the car.

Taehyung let's go of the breath he didn't know he was holding, quickly getting into the car before anyone else noticed him.

I'm so glad I borrowed a staffs car..

"Hyungie are you okay?" Taehyung puts Yeotan in the driver's seat so he can turn back to Jin who started laying down in the back seat, knees pulled to his chest.

Taehyung's only answer was another sneeze. "My poor hyungie.." he says sympathically, rubbing his hand across Jin's side.

Jungkook comes in the car, not even a minute later. "Tannie move over.." Jungkook gently places him onto Taehyung's seat, quickly rummaging through the shopping bag to get the water and medicine he bought. "Hyung I got a pill and a nasal spray, what would you want to try?"

"I don't know.. I just want it to stop.." Jin sniffles, feeling another sneeze coming. He slowly sits back up, a small whimper escaping when his head pounds aggressively against his skull, the sinus pressure making it painful to move.

"Hang on Jinnie-hyung I'll come back there." Jumgkook forces himself between the seats to get to back seat,wincing when his shoulder hits the head rest. Jungkook pops the blister packet to get the pill out, putting it on Jin's tongue.

''Heh..heh.." Jin starts coughing inhaling the pill.

"Hyung quick, drink some water." Jungkook opens the water bottle, gently tilting it by Jin's lips. "Slowly, slowly.."

Jin nods, drinking slowly, his coughing dying down.

"Try to sleep now hyung.. the medicine should help you sleep." Jungkook hugs Jin close to him.

"Heh..heh'itchu!" Jin sneezes into Jungkook's shoulder. 'Geh..heh..heh'tichi!"

"Hyungie.." Jungkook hugs Jin close before going back to the front seat. "I'll get us home as soon as possible." Jungkook promises,getting back in the front seat.

Jin buckles himself up again,leaving against the window. I hope it kicks in soon..It hurts to breathe..

"I'm gonna try to get some sleep.. my head hur..hey..heh'tichi!" Jin sniffles, looking for the packet of tissues Taehyung gave him.

"It's by your foot Hyungie." Taehyung tried reaching back to pick it up for him, but the seat belt digged into his stomach, his fingertips only grazing the corner.

"Ah I see it." Jin says following Taehyung's hand, picking it up. "Thanks for.. try.." he stopped feeling another sneeze, but it never came. "Trying.." he finishes his sentence, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You okay?" Taehyung asks.

"Yeah..I thought I had to..heh'tichi!" Jin found the sneeze, messily spraying into the tissue. "Ugh..I did.."

"Ah, wait, hyung. I think I have a thing of hand sanitizer in my backpack." Taehyung stretches, just barely grabbing the strap to pull it to him. "Sorry Tan.." he apologizes. "I'll sit still after I find something.." he unzips his bag, finding the travel size hand sanitizer he threw in there. "Here. This should help get the ick off.."

Jin holds out his hand, Taehyung squeezing some out into his hand, rubbing them together. "Thanks, Tete.."

"Feel better soon...I'll let you sleep.." Taehyung faces forward again, noticing Jin's eyes starting to droop closed. "Love you.."

"Love you too Vuu.." Jin murmurs, leaning against the window and drifting to sleep.

"Hyungie.. Hyung wake up we're home." Jungkook rubs Jin's chest gently, not wanting to startle him."You need to go to your bed.."

"Huh?" Jin blinks slowly, wincing from the stiffness in his neck for laying against the window oddly. "We're home already?"

"Yeah, that medicine knocked you out, I chose so quickly I didn't even read that it wasn't non-drowsy.." Jungkook admits, gently rubbing Jin's neck.

"That's okay, I would've wanted to sleep anyway.." Jin's voice comes out groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"How are you feeling Hyung? Any better?" Jungkook asks. "Your nose isn't as red.."

"I'm alright..the contant urge to sneeze went away, but my nose is still all stuffed and my head still hurts.. where did Tae-yah go?"

"To take Tannie to the bathroom, ah be careful Hyung, its raining now, put your hood up.." Jungkook frets when Jin gets out of the car. "You'll get sick."

Jin stretches his stiff limbs, pulling up his hood. "Jungkook-Ah I'm not that fragile. Stop worrying." He looks around finding Taehyung and Yeotan a bit ahead of them. "Taehyung-Ah! Put your hood on!" He yells to him, smiling when he sees Taehyung quickly turn to face him.

"Jinnie-hyung you're up!" Taehyung runs to him, hugging him close. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better now. The medicine worked." Jin tried to keep his voice sounding normal, not wanting to worry Taehyung anymore than he already did.

"I'm relieved.. let's go inside, the rain is really coming down now. Poor Tannie is soaked.." Taehyung looks down at his beloved pet at his feet. "I'll put him in my room, don't worry hyung."

"I can't believe it.. I was fine last week with the lab we had on set.. I was rubbing her belly and scratching her ears and I was fine.." Jin sighs, going to the building.

Taehyung picks up Yeotan and follows behind him. "You might have to carry around allergy pills just in case.."

"Heh'heh..heh'tichi!" Jin sneezes, relieved when it's not messy like before. "Ah, Bwi, it's okay.." he says quickly when Taehyung starts speeding up to get Yeotan farther away from Jin. "Ah, Vuu.."

"Welcome home Taehyungie." Jimin greets him. "Your hair is all wet..ah so is Tannie. I'll get him a towel."

"Thanks Jimin-ah.. I'm going to get my room set up for Tan." Taehyung takes Yeotan straight to his room, setting him on the floor."wait here Tannie. I'll go get you some food and water."

"Jungkook-ah, Seokinnie-hyung, what happened? Taehyungie seems more upset than before he left.." Yoongi asks when he sees Taehyung go straight to his room.

"Did you not read the group chat?" Jungkook asked with a puzzled expression. "For some reason Hyungie had an allergic reaction to Yeotan."

"What? No I didn't my phone died so I put it on the charger. Are you okay Hyung?" Yoongi reaches over where he had his phone plugged in, scrolling through the group chat.

"I'm feeling a lot better now.. but I feel awful for scaring him like that.." Jin says, looking towards Taehyung's room with a guilty expression.

"Jiminie and I will handle Taehyungie. You should take a hot shower to clear your sinuses." Yoongi suggests to Jin, watching Jimin enter the room. "Are you going to get tested for dog allergies?"

"I want to see something.. I was thinking about something Taehyungie said earlier.. that Tannie didn't smell like he usually does.. maybe the groomer used a soap that I'm allergic to, or a perfume that stuck to his fur." Jin says hopefully.

Yeotan wouldn't have to be locked in a room and Taehyung will relax again..

"So you think the rain might've washed it away?" Jungkook asks.

Jin nods. "I'll be fine."

"I got Tan settled in my room." Taehyung announces, entering the living room. "Hyungie what are you doing?" He asks in a panicked state when he sees Jin getting up to open the door to his room.

"I'm checking something." Jin replies, opening the door. "Yeotannie, Yeotannie come here."

"But hyung-"

"Vuu shh.. it's okay.." Jin bends down to call to Yeotan, who hesitates to go near him. "Come here..Tannie.."

Yeotan walks up to him, Jin reaching to pet his back, his heart racing with anxiety that his theory might be wrong. "Good, good boy.."

Everyone has the same fear, Taehyung bending down to be able to quickly scoop up Yeotan, Jimin going towards the bathroom to get medicine, Namjoon idling behind Jin to pull him away.

Jin takes a deep breath as he sits cross legged on the floor, patting his lap. "Come here Tan.." he calls his voice slightly shaking. "Tannie, Tannie come."

"Hyung are you sure?" Namjoon asks, getting his answer when Jin whistles for Yeotan.

Yeotan obeys, crawling into Jin's lap. Jin scratches his ears. Nothing happened. No sneezes, no sniffles, no watery eyes. "Oh Tannie, you stink now.." Jin smiles, hugging the pomeranian to his chest.

"Aiggo, that scared me.." Taehyung exhales loudly, letting go of the breath he was holding when he sees Jin loving on Yeotan without any reaction.

Yeotan was done with the attention, wiggling away from Jin's grasp.

"I'm not allergic to dogs.." Jin says with a bright smile, letting Yeotan go. "But now I smell like a wet dog.."

#bts #bts sickfic #bts boys #bts fanfic #bts sickie #bts taehyung #bts jhope #bts namjoon #bts jungkook #bts jimin #yeotan #bts jin

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leonscape · 1 year

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a rant because i feel like it lmao also spoilers because yeah

idc what y’all say, learning that the bookstore owner’s name was akatsuki was shocking to me because mfs over here really be named chevalier that shit is so french i just say it sh-eh-va-lee-er because i’ve already programmed my brain to say it like that. and other mfs be named yves. i know it’s just pronounced like eve but i still say the s because it’s a habit. more mfs be named licht and im not german or whatever so i constantly struggle to pronounce his name. leecht? lihto? lished? licht rhymes with stitch? i’ll admit that i should’ve known because jin is an asian name? but the dude’s last name is grandet and that shit sounds french too 😭 oh and also mfs be named von obsidian. bro that’s so german gilbert of obsidian

also people be sayin like it’s not out of place a japanese person in europe isn’t out of place because people settle in different countries. bro yes i know i wouldn’t even be here if my own japanese ancestors didn’t migrate to new lands. 😭😭😭 they just never gave much indication or hints (maybe they did and i missed it) that there were other kinds of people here? and i was just caught off guard it was shocking to me ok 😭😭😭😭

ohh and also i just assumed that the bookstore owner was rhodolitian and they’re not an asian country? so i just never thought he would be asian.

okay thank you have a lovely day 🥰

#a rant mostly about names i guess #ikemen prince #ikepri #ikemen series

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soft-bellied-tannies · 1 year

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The Gift of Gain

Read here or on AO3! - ⚠️ Magical Weight Gain ⚠️

Taehyung opened the door with a look of confusion, not expecting anyone when he heard a knock. He found a small basket with a pretty cloth covering its contents.

He unpacked the basket on the kitchen counter finding a blueberry pie that smelled amazing and a letter addressed to him that simply said a gift to enjoy well. Even though he was unsure who it was from, he wasn’t about to waste a delicious dessert.

Grabbing a fork, Taehyung began to eat straight from the pie pan. Not only was it a gift for him, but Jimin and Namjoon left that morning for three days away at a grand coven consultation, Jin and Yoongi were meeting a coven in Japan for a rare ingredient trade, and Hoseok and Jungkook were teaching for a week at a school in Europe.

Bite after bite went down of the incredible pie, not even realizing how much he had eaten. Taehyung moved his fork for another fill and was met with the dull sound of metal meeting the pan.

Staring at the empty pan, Taehyung sat back in the chair in surprise. His hand went to his stomach, taking into account what he felt and noticing the impressive bloat from eating a whole pie.

Deciding that he needed a nap after his indulgence, Taehyung tucked up on the couch in their sunroom and slept for a few hours. He probably would have slept longer if hadn’t started to feel uncomfortable.

Taehyung woke up to a pinching pressure against his skin, the waistband of his pants digging into him. He immediately reached down to unbutton his pants and stilled when his hand met his belly - a word he would not have used to describe his stomach prior to his nap.

Throwing the blanket off, Taehyung found that his shirt was now clinging to his rounded middle that was no longer a little bloat but a soft potbelly. His hips and thighs were fighting against the fabric of his pants, buttons holding on for dear life.

Within seconds, Taehyung was pulling himself off the couch and heading to their bedroom. He stepped in front of the full-length mirror, eyes widening and cheeks blushing with the sight he found.

His cheeks had a new rosy chubbiness to them, his ass was barely still concealed in his jeans, and the most prominent being his round belly that protruded from his middle. He dug through the bathroom closet to find the scale that he knew they had somewhere.

Once it was set out on their bathroom floor, Taehyung stepped on to find that his gift to enjoy was a pie worth sixty pounds added to his figure.

He stood in shock for a few moments before making his way as quickly as possible with his new weight to their workroom. Grabbing any book with food-related magic, Taehyung sat down to search for answers. He had three days to fix it.

Having eaten his dinner and slept through the next two nights at his work table, Taehyung finally figured it out the following afternoon. He collected everything to make the antidote, brewing a tea instead of baking a dessert.

With one more look over his body, Taehyung patted his hefty gut and started to sip on his tea. He finished off his cup and then in a similar fashion to the day before, snuggled up for another nap.

Taehyung had no idea how much time had passed by when a gentle hand in his hair was waking him up. A feather-light kiss fell on his forehead followed by the subtle smell of orange blossom letting him know that Jimin was by his side.

"Minnie?"

"Hi baby, have a good nap?" Jimin asked, his soft voice almost lulling Taehyung back to sleep until he remembered his pre-nap drink.

Without causing concern, Taehyung tried to take account of his body and realized that he did feel lighter. Sitting up, he felt that his lean figure had returned and pulled Jimin into his lap trying to keep his pride in solving his heavy burden at bay.

"Yeah, really good. I was actually hoping to be up by the time you got back, but I didn't bother with an alarm or anything," Taehyung finally answered.

Jimin smiled, leaning in for a full welcome-home kiss, and replied, "That's alright. You looked cute all cuddled up. Joonie went to change, but he'll be down in a minute."

Taehyung nodded and stole another kiss from Jimin. "How was your trip?"

Jimin then regaled him with all of the details about their three-day excursion. Taehyung loved listening to Jimin tell stories, his cadence and humor were always engaging enough to relive the moment with him. He hadn't even realized Namjoon came downstairs until he felt the couch shift with another person sitting beside him.

After greeting Namjoon, the trio spent the rest of their evening sharing stories of their time away and enjoying a light dinner. The next morning, Jimin needed to run into town to pick up an order from the tailor and Namjoon asked Taehyung to help him prepare a few orders he was behind on.

Hoseok and Jungkook returned the next, welcomed in the same manner with stories of their trip and meal together. They had more to tell considering their longer stay in another country, both good and bad.

Another two days went by before Jin and Yoongi, both surprised when Jungkook was the only one home to greet them. The youngest explained that Hoseok and Namjoon needed to deliver an urgent request and Taehyung went with Jimin to help him handle his healing clinic in town.

Once everyone returned, Jin and Yoongi asked Taehyung how his time alone was - both having expressed concern about him being home by himself. He promised them that everything was fine, but he would prefer to just tag along with someone next time.

About three weeks after his hidden mishap, Taehyung had not particularly thought about it and he had certainly not told anyone in the coven. Jin had asked a few more questions about their time away, sharing that he felt Taehyung seemed a little off but not pushing it.

He found himself alone again, just for an afternoon this time, but long enough to think about it. Taehyung stood in front of the mirror, taking account of his body which looked exactly as it had prior to the pie. Much to his surprise, he found himself missing some of the weight.

Taehyung realized that he had enjoyed the hefty feeling of his body, the warmth and softness around his middle - that he was actually missing it. He was so caught up in the sudden change when it happened that he hadn't even taken time to consider how he felt.

Going back and forth on telling his coven mates, Taehyung ultimately decided to just let it be for a little while. He might take bigger portions at dinner or snack throughout the day, see where it adds up.

For about a month, if anyone noticed, they did not say a word to Taehyung. It wasn't anything close to before, but he had gained a few pounds that brought him a satisfied feeling. The lean plane of his stomach now had a little softness to it.

Taehyung should have caught on when Yoongi would drop little snacks on his work table throughout the day or when Jin added a bit more to his servings at dinner, but somehow, he didn't. He had definitely noticed the scale going up though.

Three months after making his decision to indulge, Taehyung had sized up his pants and felt a little layer of softness all around. He gained around fifteen pounds and a whole lot of confidence.

It was nowhere close to the initial gain that hit him all at once, but Taehyung found this one more enjoyable as he got to create it over time himself. With gentle unintentional support from his partners, he couldn't find himself being concerned in the slightest.

Namjoon and Jungkook had both mentioned multiple times that he seemed happier lately - not that he had been unhappy before but relaxed and contented as of late.

Hoseok often talked about auras in general, but he especially spoke about Taehyung's being bright and satisfied lately. Jimin, ever his little tactile soulmate, held Taehyung just as appreciatively if not more.

Without acknowledgment or concern shared by any of his partners, Taehyung continued his casual indulgence and let it happen naturally. The only thing that did seem to change was the fact that Taehyung finally realized Jin and Yoongi silently encouraging him.

"Jinnie, can I ask you something?" Taehyung finally asked one day, nearly five months after the initial pie incident, and over twenty pounds heavier. Everyone was out aside from Yoongi who was going through one of their spellbooks in the sunroom.

"Of course, Tae. Come here," Jin replied as he waved Taehyung over to sit at the kitchen counter while he prepared dinner.

Taehyung was surprised that he actually felt nervous, but he knew that his question was not accusatory, just curious. "Uhh...have you...well, I have gained some weight recently."

Jin turned to him with a raised brow and turned down the heat on the burner. He stepped closer, his arms resting on the opposite side of the counter and his full attention now on Taehyung. "That's not a question."

"Oh, uh, right...um, is that why you are feeding me more?"

"I think you are feeding yourself more, baby. I just noticed your bigger appetite so I decided to start giving you more," Jin explained, sounding a little evasive in his answer.

Taehyung blushed at the implication because Jin was absolutely correct - it was his own doing, technically. "Yeah, I guess I have. It feels nice."

Jin smiled and walked around the counter to kiss Taehyung. "I'm glad, Tae. Can I ask what started this decision? You haven't said anything, but we all noticed how happy you were so we knew it wasn't a concerning behavior."

"I, uh...please don't be mad that I didn't tell you," Taehyung begged, knowing that Jin would be the most upset about him hiding the fact that someone attempted to do undisclosed magic on him.

"Why would I be mad?"

Taehyung ducked his head, trying to hide his sudden shame in keeping a secret from his coven. "I kind of lied about my time alone while all of you were gone."

Jin's eyebrows raised once again and said, "Is this about your little gift, baby?"

Taehyung's head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. "W-What?"

"Yoon! Come here!" Jin called out as he ran his hand through Taehyung's hair, a prideful smirk on his face.

Yoongi walked into the kitchen and immediately knew the conversation being had considered the two expressions he saw. "Oh, you finally told him?"

"Told me what?" Taehyung asked, desperate to be let in on the secret.

"Told you that we know where your idea for gaining a little weight came from. You think someone really could drop an unlabeled, unannounced basket full of magic on our porch through Jimin's runes and Yoongi's protection casts, Tae?" Jin replied, following his words with a gentle pat on Taehyung's cheek.

Taehyung's jaw dropped. "You made the pie?!"

Jin and Yoongi shared a smile with a wink from the elder at finally revealing their plan. "Of course we did, baby. We've seen you hold back from seconds and thirds for years, some sort of mental block on indulging. Your soul reading has always shown a gluttonous side and yet, you never allowed yourself to have it. We decided to help."

Taehyung continued to stare, still in shock at the confession but also overwhelmed with love for his supportive partners.

Before he could respond, Yoongi added, "I will say, we were a little disappointed to miss out on the results of our little project, but we were also very proud of you for figuring it out so quickly. We found the empty basket in the storage closet and Jin realized the right antidote ingredients were missing. Did you at least enjoy it while it lasted?"

"I, um, whoa...no, not really. I was so confused and surprised that I just went into overdrive. I ate and slept at my desk until I figured it out. I didn't even let myself process it," Taehyung admitted, deciding there was nothing to hold back now.

Jin gently rubbed his back, a little saddened to hear Taehyung's immediate response. "Were you worried about what we would think?"

Taehyung shook his head. "No, I literally cannot recall a single thought aside from 'figure out how to fix this because someone did this without your permission, and who knows what else could happen'. I think I was in survival mode."

"Okay, honestly, I am even more proud now. That is the perfect way to respond, Tae. I guess we should have considered that," Yoongi said with a fond smile.

"Actually, Jimin did say that twice. He thought that if you actually decided to eat it without telling us then you definitely would panic before calling us," Jin explained.

"Jimin knows?!" Taehyung cried out, eyes once again widening.

Jin and Yoongi both began to laugh at Taehyung's seemingly unconscious ignorance of the situation. "Of course, we all planned it together. We would never do something like that without a majority decision. Hobi's the only one that can soul-read you anyway."

"Well, officially. I swear Jimin has some weird Taehyung-specific senses," Yoongi quipped, finally making Taehyung laugh and come out of his surprised stupor.

"So you all know that I have been gaining weight now?"

Yoongi rolled his eyes. "Of course, Tae. First of all, we live with you and notice that you are eating more and filling out because of it. Also, we love you and we can all see that the more you indulge, the happier you are."

"Oh..."

"You really think we would have ignored those changes about you? If you weren't so genuinely happy, then we would have known something was wrong. We are a coven for a reason - support in all ways," Jin explained, wrapping his arm around Taehyung's shoulder and following his words with a kiss on the younger's forehead.

Taehyung honestly felt a little teary-eyed, the rollercoaster of emotions moving very quickly over the past few minutes. If they were all supportive of it before it even happened, then he had no reason to worry about any of it.

"I love all of you so much," Taehyung finally said.

"We love you too, Tae," both Yoongi and Jin replied.

A contemplative pause went by before Taehyung decided to switch the conversation to a lighter place. "You know, your pie worked really well."

Jin smiled at the new information. "Well, I'm glad we could be happy with our work."

"You probably are close to the size from before, right?" Yoongi asked, figuring that Taehyung had gained about twenty pounds from the pie.

"What? No way, I gained like sixty pounds."

It was Jin and Yoongi's turn to be shocked. "Sixty?!" Jin yelled.

Taehyung looked at them in confusion. "Uh, yeah, I had to dig out the scale to find out. I took a nap after I ate the pie and I woke up bursting out of my jeans. I grew a literal gut in my sleep. It was crazy."

The other two were still surprised, not understanding how their creation had worked so well. "Did you have multiple pieces or something?"

The question made Taehyung realize the confusion. Blood rushed to his cheeks when he figured out that he was meant to eat a piece, not the pie itself. "Oh...I, um...I kind of ate the whole pie..."

They stared at him with exasperated yet impressed expressions.

"Whoops," Taehyung mumbled with a little shrug of his shoulders, making both of them burst out laughing.

"I can't believe we missed that!" Jin finally cried out, genuinely upset that they didn't get to see the effects.

Taehyung smiled and thought it over. At that moment, he didn't see himself getting close to that point soon, but he also didn't hate the idea of letting it happen.

The front door opened to reveal the other four returning home, looking ready to relax from their long day. Without any introduction or even a 'hello', Taehyung stood up with his hands on his hips - full attention on Jimin.

"Some soulmate you are?"

Jimin stopped in his tracks, instantly taken aback. "What? Baby, I-"

"Don't you 'baby' me, Park Jimin? I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"Taehyung, seriously, I don't know what you mean. Whatever happened, I swear, we can fix it," Jimin replied desperately, looking on the verge of tears from the thought of Taehyung being mad at him.

The others stood behind silently and watched it unfold. It was rare for Jimin and Taehyung to fight, but when they did, it was never simple and small.

"You knew about the pie all along and you never said a word!"

Jimin stilled for a moment before rolling his eyes and dropping the tension from his shoulders. He crossed the room and smacked Taehyung's shoulder. "You jerk, I was about to cry."

Taehyung laughed loudly and pulled Jimin into a hug, soothing the lingering worry as the others made their way into the kitchen. He caught their eyes over Jimin's shoulder with a pointed look to imply that he knew of their involvement too.

"Wait until you hear the full story - we missed quite a show," Yoongi said to the others who all looked intrigued. After a brief pause, he added, "Tae ate the whole pie."

"What?!" Multiple voices yelled with various emotions and demands to hear all the details. Taehyung jumped back into his story again while Jin started to plate up dinner - Taehyung's plate being fuller than ever.

Two years later and forty pounds heavier, Taehyung finally hit that number on the scale he saw after his indulgent night with the coven's little pie plan. The journey to get there himself had been much more fun with all six of his partners love and support.

With time as a factor this time around, the sixty pounds had settled a little differently but still just as noticeable.

His cheeks still puffed out adorably according to his coven mates, often being pinched by Jin and Hoseok. His thighs had certainly softened out again, a little more so with an emphasized curve to his hips and ass - a place where Namjoon and Jungkook's hands tended to end up.

Yoongi and Jimin were his favorites to spend the night with after a particularly large meal or a long day of snacking because they both gave incredible belly rubs. Taehyung found that he had missed his stomach the most after it began to form for the second time.

It started as a soft layer of pudge across his abdomen until it started to round out below his belly button. For a while, it seemed that the weight went everywhere else. Then he hit the forty-pound milestone and it seemed that the last twenty pounds went straight to his gut.

His waistline started to fill out to that pot belly state, protruding from his middle into a round bulge. He found himself resting a hand on it while he sat in the sunroom to read and it took some time for him to adjust his spacial awareness, regularly cutting corners too sharp and bumping into his partners with the added space he took up.

The coven continued to spoil him and foster his inner desire. It also helped that they found each pound added made him even more attractive. Taehyung was easier to love when he was finally loving himself so well.

An afternoon had come that felt reminiscent of two years past when he was napping on the couch. Jimin sat beside him, gently rubbing his stomach and kissing his cheeks to wake him up.

"Minnie?"

Jimin smiled and continued his tender massage of Taehyung's middle. "Hey baby, good nap?"

"Mhmm, really good," Taehyung mumbled, turning slightly to tuck his face into Jimin's thigh. "But 'm hungry..."

"Jinnie and I made afternoon tea. We have sandwiches and some scones if you want to come sit with us," Jimin replied quietly, endeared by Taehyung's half-asleep state.

"Sounds nice, but I'm still tired," Taehyung said, deciding if he was ready to wake up.

Jimin leaned down, lips trailing across Taehyung's cheek before landing next to his ear. "Well, we did make a batch of cranberry-orange ones just for you."

Taehyung lifted his head, eyes full of interest. "Really?"

"Really, baby. We made honey lavender too, but you have to share those with me," Jimin responded with a little teasing smile.

Taehyung jokingly sighed, taking Jimin's hand for a little help sitting up. "Fine, if I have to."

Jimin laughed and pulled him up off the couch. They watched as Jin carried a full tray of scones to the sun room table which was already stacked with sandwiches and two teapots. With an encouraging pat to his ass, Jimin pulled Taehyung by the hand toward the table.

"Hungry, Tae?" Jin asked as they approached the table.

Taehyung plopped down in one of the open chairs, pulling Jimin into the one beside him. He subconsciously ran his hand up and down his stomach. "Starving."

Jin walked around the table, leaning down to kiss the top of Taehyung's head and patting his stomach. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

Taehyung just looked up at him with an appreciative smile while Jimin piled his plate with a few sandwiches and pulled the tray of cranberry-orange scones to their side of the table.

After Jin moved back to his seat, he watched as Jimin held one of the scones up to Taehyung's lips and followed the first bite with a kiss. He smiled and said, "Eat well, sweetheart."

#bts feedism #bts weight gain #chubby bts #chubby taehyung #supportive jin #supportive yoongi #supportive namjoon #supportive hoseok #supportive jimin #supportive jungkook #soft bellied tannies #bts magical weight gain

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grey-gteam · 1 year

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GreyG : group formation

2021, November:

Ijin:

I've been a Trainee at SM Entertainment for more than 1 year. Today I am preparing for the weekend assessment. Stressful, I've been afraid he'll eliminate me for 1 years, and yet I'm still here. When I was 13, I auditioned in Europe, and coincidentally, I was accepted. I didn't believe it, neither did my parents. But apparently I liked them. My parents took a while to agree to send me to Korea when I was 13 years old. I was young, yet they already knew that I wanted to become an idol, they thought it was my chance.

And thanks to their support, I am here today preparing to avoid elimination.

Jin Sol:

An hour, an hour that I wait impatiently for the start of the weekend check. Pretty much like elimination basically, if you no longer meet the requirements of the mentors, well, you say goodbye to your dream of starting out at SM. I've been a Trainee since… since when? I'm 18 today, so it's been 3 years. I was recruited in front of my school by a nice woman. She told me that she really liked me, that I had the right style. I didn't understand but I followed her and today I do my stretching and vocalizations to avoid wasting this chance that I was given.

Chenny:

I don't really know what I'm doing here, to become an idol? Maybe ? Anyway, I'm paying the price. Today is the day of eliminations, maybe the mentors will be in a good mood, letting all the girls stay, or not. Anyway, we'll know in a few minutes. I'm on the ground, almost exhausted. I feel like my 5 years of Trainee are starting to weigh on me. I'm afraid of having made all these efforts for nothing, I'm afraid of regretting having made this choice. I get up trying to be positive though badly, it's not such a horrible experience, I met nice people, like Yerin, even if she's weird. I finish my stretches the moment we are called for elimination.

Gabi:

We enter the large training room, there were more than twenty girls, we were even more numerous but over time, the number dropped considerably. I hope to stay, I want to fulfill my dream. I've been a Trainee for about 2 years and I've always given it my all. I hope they realized that.

The mentors repeat the same things to us as they have for the past 3 years: Our invaluable chance of being a Trainee at SM, although we may be pretty and know how to move a little, we have to make a difference in this industry, as we should make sacrifices in life. That's why they break some so that others succeed. We line up, as always, and carefully scrutinize the rows, passing between each girl to observe us. They said nothing, unusual. That said, for some time now, they have been making us train on group choreographies more often. There is something to do with this unusual check. One of the mentors speaks.

_ You can all be ready and return to your usual occupations, except for a few.

How so ? Would it be for a new group? Some of us will soon be debuting.

_ I call Huang Chenny, Choi Yerin, Woo Ose Lynn, Ishiwari Aymio Ishi, Min Jin Sol, KIM GABI, Akane Sato, Da Heni, Lee Seo Ara and finally Lin Ijin.

I HAVE BEEN CALLED?! Did I hear my name correctly? The other girls all leave while I remain glued to the spot, in shock. They called me.

Heni:

I stay with the rest of the girls in the practice room. They mentioned my name, it means that I will be in a group with these girls. We all know each other but I'm mostly close to Ara and Ijin, they're the same age, I'm a year older even though it's Ijin who behaves like the oldest, she and Ara are still young, not to mention me. But still, we were selected. I don't believe in it somehow, yet I'm happy, I don't show it but maybe it's the result of my efforts.

Ijin: uh…maybe we should introduce ourselves formally, since we'll surely end up together, right?

Ijin is very calm and takes things well, it's amazing.

Ijin: Hello, I'm Lin Ijin, European Korean, Trainee for 1 year, being probably the youngest here, I'm 14 years old.

The girls who were each in their thoughts just now were all very attentive to Ijin's presentations.

Ijin: By the way Ijin, it's too formal, call me Iji, it's simpler.

The one who seemed to be called Jin Sol spoke up:

Jin Sol: Are you European??? It's so cool, your Korean is impeccable, do you know how to speak other languages?

Iji: Korean, English, French, German, I'm also learning Japanese for now.

Jin Sol: That's great! By the way I introduce myself, Min Jin Sol, 17 years old, Korean and Trainee at SM since 2018. I can't wait to get to know you all.

Akane:

Jin Sol was very energetic, it was nice to see. I felt like I was lazy around her. I slept little that night to train, it's a bit understandable. But his joy of living in his words gave me a little energy.

Akane: Uh…

I clear my voice a little and all the girls turn to me.

Akane: Hello everyone, I'm Akane Sato, I'm 16 years old and I'm Japanese. I've been a trainee here since 2018 too, and usually I never speak up on my own, but oddly it's easier with you.

Jin Sol: Nice to meet you!

She smiles with both of her, this girl is an angel.

Lynn:

If it was time for introductions, I decided to take the floor.

Lynn: Ohayō! I am also Japanese, as well as Akane's friend. I am 17 years old and my name is Woo Ose Lynn. Nice to meet you, finally formally, we almost all know each other.

Chenny:

Lynn just introduced herself, she was right. We almost all knew each other, collecting all the new Trainees entering our group of girls. I'm the oldest here, I've seen so many girls come and go, it feels weird to still be here.

Chenny: Hello, you all know me normally, I'm the oldest and I saw you all come to SM, I'm Taiwanese, I'm 18, Huang Chenny.

Yerin: I'm old too Chenny-ha !!

I look in the direction of Yerin, she also arrived when I entered SM and is still there of course. Mainly to annoy me with his baby voice.

Yerin:

I intervened during Chenny's presentation, I saw too all these girls arriving, I am too old. We've been a Trainee together since the beginning and she doesn't give any recognition, me always buying her banana milk cartons, her favorite.

Yerin: Chenny-ha, please don't forget me.

Chenny: Hmm...

Yerin: Your oldest Trainee friend, though. In short, I'm Yerin, the girls, the one who brings the drinks most often, 18 years old like Chenny, Korean and a superb unnie, we're all going to have fun together.

Jin Sol: Unnie, you're funny.

Yerin: I know!

Gabi:

I think it's time for me to introduce myself too.

Gabi: Hello, I'm Kim Gabi, I'm 16 years old and I'm Korean, I can't wait to get to know you all better.

Jin Sol: We're going to start Gabi! You see, you shouldn't be desperate and cry.

Gabi: Soli, don't expose me like that!

And all the girls are laughing, the atmosphere was more relaxed than before.

AyMio:

The atmosphere between the girls began to soften, was reassuring, me who was afraid to speak.

AyMio: Hello, I'm Aymio, Japanese, I'm 17 years old. I've been a Trainee for 2 years, you can call me Mio, if you want, it's easier.

Yerin: Aren't you the one who always dances with a mask?

Mio: Uh…yes, it's a habit.

Yerin: I've seen you dance so many times to so many different styles, you're so talented.

Mio: Ah, thank you, that's very kind.

Ara:

I was so happy, I dreamed of debuting in a group for a long time, and I was selected in this group, with THESE girls. They look great, I'm already with Heni and Iji, my best friends, plus there's the girl I've admired from afar for a long time, Huang Chenny, she's too beautiful, accompanied by her friend Yerin who is great kind and benevolent. Not to mention the mask dancer, Mio, a real pro. I love them all already.

Ara: Hello! I'm Lee Seo Ara, I'm also 14, which makes me the second youngest, I admire you all, you are so beautiful and talented, I'm so happy to be with you!!

Yerin: You're super cute, a real angel.

Ara: Thank you, Unnie!

Iji: Oh Ara. You look very excited.

Ara: Are you kidding me, the three of us, the Moonz, are still together.

Heni:

Ara looked very happy that the three of us were together, she mentions our trio name.

Jin Sol: The Moonz? What is that ?

Iji: A nickname we gave to our trio, because we are two lunars, me and Heni, and an eclipse, Ara. It's a bit silly.

Ara: Not even, it's cute, and unique! Right, Heni?!

Heni: Yes, I like it. By the way, I'm Da Heni, I'm 15, I'm shy but I'm happy to be with you, really, finally…uh, yes.

Yerin: Lovely, you girls are lovely.

Gabi: We are 10, so I am also one of the youngest.

Lynn: How is the age order?

Chenny: I'm the oldest, June 9, 2003.

Yerin: I'm next: September 26, 2003.

Lynn: I was born on March 5, 2004, are others my age?

Mio & Jin Sol: Me.

They looked at each other at the same time, and burst out laughing.

Jin Sol: I was born on December 28, 2004.

Mio: I'm older than you then, May 23, 2004.

Gabi: I'm a 2005, born in November.

Akane: Am I younger than you? It's crazy, December 06, 2005.

Heni: So I'm the only 2006 here.

Iji: Me and Ara are both from 2007, but I'm the youngest of them all.

Ara: Yes, that's true.

Iji:

Introductions have been made and we get to know each other in a joyful and calm atmosphere. I like it, it's really very reassuring. I think we all got scared a few moments ago. But, this atmosphere that we have developed is the most reassuring in the world in my opinion.

Iji: I want to create a handshake.

Yerin: Why?

Gabi: Isn't it a bit early? After all…

Iji: I don't know, I'm happy to create something from the beginning with you.

The girls all look at me, afterwards to smile and approve.

Jin Sol: Come on, let's get up, it's more convenient.

Everyone stands up and we come together in a circle.

Ara: Doing something original!

Mio: We don't have a name yet, you know.

Iji: It's not a problem.

Akane: It's fine if it's original.

Gabi: A fun thing to do too.

Chenny: Let's use both hands, that's different than usual, right?

Jin Sol: Come on, let's do something like a hand game.

Lynn: Oh yeah!! As for children!

Iji: How about we all clap our hands twice, in both directions: top to bottom. Then we clap our hands.

Ara: Then we join them together, in front.

Mio: That's right!

Ara: Yeah!

Yerin: We end up lifting them together?

Chenny: Boring.

Yerin: Like you.

Akane: Shall we just lift them in style?

Gabi: Like a dance move! We get them up and turn around, then we go our separate ways.

Heni: We can try to see.

Iji: Ok, three, 1, 2,…

Jin Sol: 3!!!

They performed their handshake together.

Lynn: It's good but something is missing.

Gabi: Do we have to say something?

Iji: Why not: dont'you know !!! we !!

Iji: Where does that come from ?

Iji : My boundless creativity.

Yerin: Ok, let's try again?

TOGETHER: dont'you know !!! we !!

Gabi: Yes! It's much better !

Lynn: We keep it!!

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avatarvyakara · 1 year

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And now for something a little different:

(Yes, this is what I’ve been working on for the past while.)

For context:

The story of the Golden River—’Onochok in Kochachi, Kingawa in Nikkeijin Japanese—with its five rivers, its seven great cities, its many-buttressed buildings and sacred isles—is a complex one, as is the story of the Nikkei-jin, the Japanese settlers who became the greatest rivals of the people of the Bay. But they are not alone, in the story of this continent. Nor can what happened to them truly be divorced from events elsewhere in the known world.

The continent of HESPERIA lacks much in the way of domesticable animals, but there was one key exception—camelops celeris, which the Bay would call ’espeli (plural ’espelik) but most of the world would come to call nayoomee. Large and llama-like, the nayoomee would provide meat, wool, and perhaps most importantly a suitable mount. Camelops c. occidentalis, the variant found on the western coast of Hesperia, would come to be used by the ancient Hokan pastoral peoples, giving them an edge against the Yok-Utian agriculturalists…at least at first. It would also give the ancient Inawemaaganic [Algonquian] tribes on what another history would call the Columbia Plateau a key boost in their expansions across the continent to the west.

It is with these people—or with a descendant people, the Nnu [Mi’kmaq]—that the next stage of the story takes place. Because in the year 1000, a ship came from the northeast of the world, bearing warriors from a faraway land, a strange faith, strange new animals—and strange diseases. Smallpox in particular did a lot of damage—tore the Wóšnathípi Empire to pieces, ended the cult of the Bird-Men, nearly destroyed the power of the Turtle Cities of the Great Lakes, and left piles of burning corpses brightening the night in the Bay, among other effects. Key to all this, though, is that the people of the urban civilizations of Hesperia survived. And those who did now had a boost against the sicknesses of the Other World.

The story continues in 1251, when a group of Tau raiders—whom another history would call the Inuit—made their way across the Strait and traded with Japan and China. North China, anyway; the Mongol Conquest was still ongoing at the time. Unfortunately, the Tau brought a disease of their own with them, which English speakers would come to call alcom: a herpesvirus causing diarrhea, spots, and febrile seizures, and then, as little as four months or as much as five years later, inflammation of the body—including fatal encephalitis. It was this sickness, also called the Red Death, which among other things stopped the Yuan from getting all the way south, saved the city of Baghdad (by forcing a recall of the armies), ensured the presence of Christian kingdoms in Palestine and Muslim principates in Iberia for centuries to come, and meant that the population had already dropped by a full fifth across Eurasia when bubonic plague came along not too long later.

It would be a much more haggard, somewhat more fervent, world which was set to unite in 1485, when Kuroda Kiyoshi, frustrated at the Mongol omnipotence in trade, was granted permission by the Emperor Go-Tenji (Yamahito) to seek an alternative trade route with the faraway land of Europe. After being at sea for thirty-nine days, on the fortieth they came to a great bay, filled with sacred islands and surrounded by cities of stone and mud.

In keeping with a time-honoured tradition across the multiverse, he deemed it France.

***

Hesperia will have had three and a half thousand years of recognizable “civilization” (large-scale agriculture, cities, literacy, metallurgy, epidemic disease, war) by the time the worlds collide. The countless cultures to have risen and fallen in that time could fill a book—and in this world and ours they already have. But for simplicity’s sake, let us divide the world into six portions.

KAWIINI, the “centre-world”, marks the western coast of the continent, along the edge of the Assinotie Mountains (which another history would call the Rockies). This is where the nayoomee was first domesticated; this is where tule reed was first stamped into paper scrolls; this is where the first outbreak of alcom occurred; this is where one of the continent’s three major religions, HOYOHHA, would develop. The region of Lokloni, the “Great Valley”, contains four great powers constantly one-upping each other in trade and warfare. The KOCHACHI, whom another history would call the Miwoks, hold sway here, the Earth-King and Water-King in Hulpu-Mni (our Sacramento) controlling the massive river valley to the north and (more importantly) four of the Seven Cities around the Bay. The other powers worth mentioning are the SHUURVITAM [Tongva and nearby Takic peoples] to the south, whose great city of Iyáanga would later be described as a “Babylon in Paradise”, and the TAU, Hesperia’s first intercontinental empire.

TUUWAQATSI is slightly to the east, in the Assinoti Mountains themselves. Cliff-cities were being built here before almost anywhere else on the continent; the arrival of the nayoomee, and more importantly domesticated bighorn sheep, did wonders for the local economy, as did goosefoot and sunflowers and, later, maize, beans, and squash. Currently most of the land—and a good chunk of the plains to the east—is under the control of the TINTA IMPERIUM, whose dominant inhabitants call themselves the Nemi and are called the Shoshone in our timeline. Of mention are the DINÉ, the Navajo, who have maintained a reasonable presence despite the efforts of the Eight Mayors, and the ÂSHINI [Zuñi] and HOPI, both of whom are considered de facto independent peoples within the Tinta Imperium thanks to the prominence of their cities.

ÑÍTA is what our world would call the Mississippi River Basin, with much territory on the eastern coast and the western plains; perhaps it would be fairer to call it the home of the Mississippian Cultures instead. Here grow sunflowers and goosefoots, amaranth and squash; here a species of dwarf bison was domesticated for meat and wool, becoming immensely valuable; here rose the cult of the Bird-Men, in recent centuries overthrown. Currently the ancient city of Omašté, ruled as ever by the ancient WAPKÁTXUNGWANG (called the Lakota in our own timeline), has recovered most of its former territories after the Scabbing (smallpox epidemic). But further to the south the OKLA (Choctaw) have begun spreading their own faith, HVSHI ANOWA, along with their Horsemen, uniting the Riverlands by something other than mercantile cunning or brute strength. Ugedaliyv, homeland of the ANIYVWIYA’I [Cherokee], has broken away, seemingly for good—so long as the Ongweh’onweh (Iroquois) don’t make a move in their direction. And as always, there are the SEA COUNTRIES: Aphópkee, Hótvlee-Tv’lwv, Chitkohòki, and Kuht’hanut, caught between too many powers and just wanting a relatively quiet life.

AKIIWAN is actually a ridiculously large region, from the Atlantic to the Arctic, and almost all of it is Cree. NĒHIRAW, that is; they are perhaps the oldest continuous INAWEMAAGANIC culture, keeping to their ancestral patterns of semi-nomadic migration from buried city to buried city, all across the northern grasslands and into the taiga. But although the largest, they’re by no means considered the most influential. No, that would be the circuits of GAMEEN, the land around the five Great Lakes which would come to be known as Gameen in time. The BII’WEG, our Ojibwe or Anishinaabeg, were the first to domesticate lake rice, and the first to smelt arsenic bronze, and the second to adopt ironworking. Their main religion, NANDOWIN, has spread far across the continent; most of the Nēhiraw have synchronized to it, and even the arrival of the Vinlanders couldn’t stop the NNU from seeking the Answers they wanted. The VINLANDERS themselves have all but fully integrated into Nnu society; both their language and that of the Nnu are spoken equally at the great Althing in Kyrvik/Welta’qase’g (and most places have two names, too). Their trading (and raiding) empire stretches as far north as Nucho, Baffin Island in another time, and as far south as the Bawa Sea. And they’ve come at last to an uneasy truce with the Bii’weg, at least until the whole mess with the ONGWEH’ONWEH [Haudenosaunee] is sorted out.

The tropical BAWA SEA has long been dominated by the TAÍNO, whose ship-building has moved from dugout canoes to junk-like ships with cotton sails and mahogany hulls. The cacicazgos of the four main islands have a strict policy of peace on land. …and technically on water, too, but normally they just end up hiring Huasteca, Carib, Tupi, Okla, or Vinlandic pirates to capture each others’ ships. Captured Taíno are ransomed; captured pirates are sold, or brought back to work on plantations. For the Taíno, thanks to the Tupi, are now Hesperia’s main source of KYE, an extract of stevia rebaudiana up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. People in the north will pay a small fortune for the chance at even a taste; it is small wonder that when Malinese explorers come this way, they will name it the Digeji—the Sea of Honey.

ANAHUAC is a world of its own. The NAHUA peoples made their way south some time ago, riding nayoomee and herding peccaries through the desert and introducing steeds and sickness alike to the various civilizations to the south while pinching the secret of bronze from the Purépecha. These days, the Nahua—or more precisely the MEXICA—rule a decent chunk of the country that would in another world (and another time) be called Mexico, under three great kings on their island city of Nopalla. The only real contenders are the ZAPOTECS and MIXTECS, who remain among the few places the Mexica have not been able to bring under tributary sway, and the MAYA, disparate jungle city-states who survived the plagues and general collapse and have begun trading chocolate and jade with the Taíno to the north and the Tupi to the south. The Mexica are known historically for their logistics, nayoomee being excellent tools for message delivery, but in the past few decades the capture of human sacrifices has been getting a little too much for subject people who can’t understand why they don’t just eat their giant dogs instead. Still, it’s not all bad; perhaps it just needs some shaking up…

#alternate history #Kingawa #aboriginals #first nations #canada #california #maps #indigenous people #for want of a nail #you know how many languages I’ve been having to learn for this thing?#the answer is both so many and too few #anyone have a decent Lakota grammar they can suggest #aztecs #ojibwa #vinland saga #miwok #Tongva #lakota #more work to do

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bangtangalicious · 1 year

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DAMNN THE FINALLE OF DEATH VALLEY!

My god to tell you I was on edge the whole god damn time though, I loved every part of it but I did feel my heart drop with all the plot twists, a part of me was like "is Yoongi really dead?" Because of what happened to jin, it felt like the oc was in a constant cycle, by the end I loved how more of the truth came out but I do wonder what's happened to jungkook, namjoon, hobi.. and taehyung.. Yoongi and Jin? I work want to even imagine what happened in detail to Yoongi-

But amazing writing!

Much love!

THANK YOUUUU OMG <3 thank you for sending me this, it made my day! i love hearing what you all think!

yeah okay so originally at the very end i wanted to have the black box be the watch as to play at HMHMHM COULD IT BE YOONGI OR IS IT TAEHYUNG type thing but then i was like, kara NO we need to end this so i just did the jacket. i may still post an epilogue about what happens to everyone later in more detail someday, but for conversation sake i can tell you!

yoongi and jin are dead for good lol, namjoon goes on to be a very popular just problematic rockstar, just like he always wanted (a good heartbreak does wonders for a career sometimes), taehyung takes over death valley, rebuilds it. he becomes a cold, vicious, and deeply isolated kingpin (cant make the mistake of almost caring about someone again yk what i mean). hobi becomes the head producer at the label and leaves the gang world behind. he stays in contact with jimin and y/n and is their friend for the most part

jungkook's story is a bit more interesting. i wont say too much because i may want to come back to it. the street rat meets someone, is all ill say ;)

jimin and y/n go off to europe and live together, experience new things, and work on being less toxic as a couple (lmaooooo). she does go to see namjoon's concerts without him knowing to check up on him. she also is in contact with taehyung a little bit (discreetly - like he will continue to send her gifts and let her know he's keeping an eye on them). they're happy together and never go back to death valley. if i do ever end up writing out jungkook's love story i may have jimin or dv!oc make a cameo. (probably jimin though because we can't have two y/n's now can we hahaha ;) )

#death valley asks

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kimseokjin2024 · 1 year

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The Secretary General of KMCA talks about how Jin is a "complete idol" after analyzing the male idol releases in 2022

OK-Pop, a Youtube channel run by Circle (Gaon) chart, released a video analyzing the performance of male idols' releases in 2022. The analysis was presented by the Secretary General of KMCA (Korea Music Content Association) and Circle (Gaon) Chart, Choi Kwang-Ho.

He was demonstrating the graph of the physical sales and chart performance of male idols (soloists and groups together) in the second quarter of the past year. The Y-axis was demonstrating the physical sales in the first 4 weeks and the X-axis was showing the unique listeners on MelOn in the first 30 days. Choi Kwang-Ho paid attention to every single group and idol, talking about the possibilities of growth for each.

The mentioned groups and soloists got divided into a few categories:

Fandom-type (high physical sales due to the big fandom support): Ateez, Enhypen, Stray Kids.

Public-friendly (unique listeners on MelOn): Highlight, Zico, RM, Winner.

Unclassified: DKZ, Tempest, Ph1Harmony, SF9, Cravity, CIX, Oneus, Xiumin, Super Junior, Xiumin, J-hope, Kihyun, Key, Treasure, The Boyz.

Completed idols (strong in both - physicals and unique listeners): Jin, Seventeen, NCT 127, NCT Dream.

As you can see, Jin is the only soloist who made it into the list of "completed idols". Choi Kwang-ho said that Jin's solo debut received lots of attention and it's seen in his album sales and chart performance in Korea. He proved himself to be a soloist who has strong physical and digital results. "Jin was really successful", - Choi Kwang-ho said. The Secretary General summed up the commentary on Jin by saying that his solo music was very well-favored and the artist is definitely going to come back with even better music after his discharge from the military.

Jin sold over 700k albums in just 7 hours in South Korea and demonstrated a stable performance on the local charts; even debuted on MelOn in the first hour after the release, which is nowadays impressive for a male idol.

Choi Kwang-ho also mentioned that Jin's enlistment made him very sad.

Jin's solo performance with "The Astronaut" was indeed amazing, not only locally, but globally too. He has just debuted as a soloist, but Choi Kwang-ho already put him in the category of "completed idols." Moreover, Jin's promo period lasted for a very short time, and he didn't do any fansign events in Korea, nor did he attend any musical shows. And fans are still complaining about Hybe not making any report regarding Jin's sales in the USA and Europe. However, after releasing only one song, Jin is already owning 7% of yearly Hybe's sales.

On a global scale, Jin is the record-owner of the highest first appearance on Billboard Hot 100 in K-pop history. The artist achieved the biggest debut sales by a K-pop soloist on the Global Billboard 200 in history - 62k. Made it to the Top 5 of Digital Sales Debut Weeks in the US in 2022 (#6 in the pure sales list). "The Astronaut" was charting on the Billboard Worldwide Digital Songs Sales chart for 7 weeks. Jin is the highest-peaking K-pop soloist on the Billboard Hot 100 in Japan this decade (#4) and the first foreign artist to top the Oricon Sales chart in the past 11 years. He became the first soloist to get a gold certificate for a single album on Circle (Gaon) after becoming a million-seller there. He also received an RIA certificate in Japan after surpassing 104k sales in a single day.

You can check the analysis of your favorite idols' releases too:

youtube

Source: Allkpop

#seokjin #jin #김석진 #진 #방탄소년단 #jin news #kim seokjin #BTS

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doomxdriven · 2 years

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MUSE: JIN KARIYA

OVERVIEW

NAME: jin kariya ALIAS(s): eugen kurier. AGE: 1000+ (likely far older) BIRTH: ??? ORIGIN: europe RACE: bount EYES: blood red HAIR: white HEIGHT: 6'5" (195cm) ALIGN: neutral evil ENNEAGRAM: 7w8 MBTI: –

STORY

Eugen Kurier was born in what would come to be known as Germany over a thousand years ago and was recognized as a rarity among the Bount due to his powers awakening while he was still a child. At some point, after negotiations took place between officials in the Soul Society’s Western and Eastern Branches over the Bount, Eugen joined the rest of his tribe in a cave system on the outskirts of what would eventually become Karakura Town, Japan, where Eugen was discussed by researchers as being the hope of the Bount. After seeing these researchers promise to place the Bount under the protection of the Soul Society’s Eastern Branch, Eugen was content to help build a city in the caves with his tribe, but was horrified when Shinigami later invaded and began slaughtering the Bount under unclear pretenses.

Rescued from the massacre by an unknown researcher who happened to be touring the caves that fateful day, Eugen received from them an amulet to fully awaken his powers with, which allowed him to break through the attacking Shinigami and escape with the other surviving Bount.

Eugen then joined the latter in roaming as a nomadic group, and at some point during their travels, shortly before departing from Japan, the Bount were set upon by Hollows. Wounded by one of the attacking monsters, a frightened Eugen inadvertently activated his amulet’s true power, which summoned and bonded him to Sturmklinge, his Doll, causing his hair to turn white and his eyes to turn red. An enraged Eugen joined the Dolls of his fellow Bount in wiping out the remaining Hollows and remained with his tribe as they sailed from the shores of Japan, seeking out lands where the Shinigami would not find them.

Eugen would act as perhaps the greatest protector of his people as the years rolled on, but with the passing of time, the threats that faced his people grew stronger, requiring the younger Eugen to seek out more power, and resort to more drastic, violent measures to safeguard the Bount, especially after the loss of numerous close friends.

In a twist of cruel irony, however, the Bount Eugen was residing with, the remaining people he was trying so hard to protect, would wind up growing distant from him in light of his growing power and the increasingly violent tendencies that came with it. Eugen persisted, though, trying his best to keep his people going, and trying to convince his them to establish some sort of Civilization for the Bount, a true homeland.

However, the Bount that Eugen resided with eventually decided that they had no place in the Human World, and believed their only hope was to somehow enter the Soul Society, where they believed they could truly be free. At first, the Bount tried to contact the Soul Society’s Western Branch, and when that failed, and the Bount were expelled from the Western Branch’s jurisdiction, they foolishly traveled back across the world, setting their eyes on the Soul Society, and the Shinigami.

Naturally, upon the Bount revealing themselves once again, the Shinigami began attacking the Bount whenever they could, especially when it was learned they were trying to find a way into the Soul Society.

In desperation, the Bount would try and enlist the aid of the Quincy, and Eugen was present for many negotiations, negotiations that looked to be fruitful, however the dialogue would end up breaking down, and both sides would clash instead. The Shinigami would then go on to exploit this opportunity and slaughter more Bount (and Quincy), killing hundreds in the process, and most of Jin’s remaining comrades at the time. In the aftermath, a disillusioned Eugen swore vengeance on the Shinigami and their handlers in the Soul Society, aiming to one day tear down all they held dear.

Eventually, Eugen adopted the name Jin Kariya, and began planning his vengeance alongside a handful of loyal Bount who also shared in his dream to make their oppressors pay….

PERSONALITY

A cunning, manipulative, analytical, and feared man, Jin is someone who cares little about status and what’s seen as ‘tradition’, often judging others based on their achievements, power, and skill (unless you’re a Shinigami, then there might be a little more judging involved).

Though relentless in his quest for vengeance against those in the Soul Society responsible for the atrocious treatment of the Bounts, Jin often appears calm, seemingly affable, and most certainly self-assured, his confident demeanor rarely ever faltering even when facing powerful opposition, dealing with unexpected or unwanted developments, or knowing that he is about to die– having absolute conviction in himself, his worldview informs all of his decisions no matter how extreme, leading him to seldom change his mind once it is made up, no matter what is presented to him. Likewise, Jin can be incredibly boastful and brazen, and has a lust for power that he is always seeking to satiate.

However, Jin is no fool and is well aware the limits of his own power, and can recognize when someone clearly outstrips him (rare as it is).

Jin can also be something of a philosopher at times, when either expressing his outlook on life, ruminating on the Bount, or speaking on the nature of conflict, the latter of which he has much experience with.

Though Jin generally puts on a charismatic air of affability and geniality when speaking to others, Jin has a great deal of underlying hatred and anger that will sometimes rise to the surface in various ways, too– in short, the man is as cruel as he is 'kind'. This hatred, this anger, this wrathfulness within Jin stems from centuries of tragedy, hardship, and suffering that has drastically embittered him, making him somewhat cynical, and jaded as well, especially when it comes to dealing with Shinigami, or individuals who hold positions of power within the Soul Society.

In line with his underlying anger that is often shrouded by his affable nature, Jin displays great blood-thirst, ruthlessness, and sadistic tendencies in combat or when otherwise inflicting harm upon others; he has no qualms about consuming living Human Souls (something most other Bount abstain from), torturing his foes or those who are otherwise the target of his wrath, or endangering the lives of innocent people in general, so long as he gets his satisfaction.

When it comes to the Bount in general, Jin once cared deeply for all of his people, and endured great personal sacrifice and hardship to safeguard them, even as they pushed him away due to his power, and his extreme methods. However, in the aftermath of repeated massacres of the Bount and his people at large not heeding his advice to establish a civilization in the Human World, Jin grew bitter and spiteful toward them, eventually considering all the Bount who had died to have been too weak to stand alongside him anyway.

In the present, while he is somewhat cynical about both the potential and future of the Bount, Jin still elects himself as the leader of his people who will guide the Bount out of the shadows of history and allow them to exact their revenge upon the Shinigami, and to this end, he does care about those Bount who choose to follow him, and is loyal to them, provided they do not get in the way of his goals– any follower who fails Jin too often, betrays him, or frequently criticizes his methods are violently silenced or have their deaths orchestrated to serve his ambitions, though exceptions can be made for those who are closest to him.

That is another interesting factor about Jin, too, the man does have a more Human side; generally, those who are closest to him will know how devoted, and charitable he can be, and how willing he can be when it comes to heeding their advice (as is the case with the likes of Go Koga). To lesser extents, in terms of having a ‘Human side’, Jin also enjoys gambling, drinking, smoking, and fashion, though he has a favoritism for his regular shirt-and-coat outfit.

When facing opponents who have impressed him with their strength and tenacity, Jin is more than willing to make them offers to avoid further fighting, too, like offering such people the chance to join and follow him, provided they agree with his ideals of revenge against the Shinigami and those whole rule the Soul Society.

ABILITIES, SKILLS, TRAITS

(Reflects Jin's Main Verse)

Bount: Jin belongs to a race known as the Bount, a tribe of artificially-created beings that resulted from experiments in the Soul Society in ages past. Due to the unique circumstances of their creation, the Bount were born with the ability to maintain eternal youth by consuming either living or dead Souls; this, combined with their sometimes fatal attacks on living Humans for their Souls, led to the myth of the Vampire being created by Human society.

Soul Absorption: All Bount can consume the Souls of other beings.Though the tribe’s sole law instructs Bount to only consume the Souls of deceased Humans, they can also drain the Souls from living Humans to greatly enhance their own power. However, consuming living Souls almost always renders a Bount infertile.

Immortality: Consuming a Soul extends the lifespan of a Bount; as long as they consume Souls, a Bount can effectively live forever.

Empowerment: By consuming the Soul of a living Human, Bount’s gain a massive boost in power that further enhances their unique abilities. However, consuming too many living Souls can potentially cause a Bount’s body to age, and can render them infertile due to the ‘impurities’ within said Souls (though, with the creation of the Bitto, Jin has managed to overcome the former issue).

Immense Spiritual Power: Jin had always possessed a truly incredible degree of Reiryoku, but as a result of merging with his Doll early on in life, his long history of consuming Souls, and later consuming a specialized serum known as ‘Bitto’, Jin possesses an incredibly formidable amount of Reiryoku that outstrips most of the Gotei 13’s most seasoned Captain’s.

The color of Jin’s Reiatsu fluctuates between red and a light teal color depending on how much of it he is exerting. The level of Jin's Reiryoku can further increase depending on the release state of his Doll, but it can also be augmented by other avenues as well, such as with the Jokai Crest.

Pinpoint Reiatsu Control: A favored technique of Jin’s is to stop an opponent in their tracks by simply pressing his index finger against their forehead, inundating their body with his Reiatsu which in turn prevents them from moving. Weaker foes may simply break down on the spot.

Jōkaishō: After absorbing one of the Jōkaishō– a massively powerful Reishi and Reiryoku generating device that was involved in the creation of the Bount– during the chaos that was the Wandenreich's invasion of the Soul Society, Jin is capable of tapping into the artifact's power and using it to fuel his spiritual attacks and techniques instead of using his own Reiryoku, giving him yet another layer of power to wield on-top of his already immense Reiryoku (pushing his overall Reiryoku into 'Immeasurable' levels when the Jōkaishō is utilized). When fully matured within a Bount, a Jōkaishō can also be used to detonate those still locked away within the Soul Society, but this process of maturing can take years, if not longer. Using too much of the Jōkaishō’s energy at one time before it's fully matured can also result in Jin dying, if he isn’t careful.

Reishi Absorption: Like all Bount, Jin can absorb Reishi in his vicinity; though not as useful in the Human World due to the low concentration of Reishi in its atmosphere, this ability is immensely strengthened in Soul Society where everything is composed of Reishi. Jin, like all Bount, can empower himself by absorbing Reishi, such as using it to heal all physical damage to his body, increase his durability or physical strength, and oddly enough, restore the composition of his clothing. Absorbing Reishi in this manner breaks down the structures that the Reishi is absorbed from in the process, and the Reishi itself is broken down to its most fundamental levels before being absorbed, similar to the Quincy's Sklaverei.

Enhanced Strength: As a result of merging with his Doll and later consuming the Bitto serum, Jin possesses prodigious physical strength. He can effortlessly send full-grown men flying with simple punches, kicks, and flicks of his fingers and with enough force to crater solid rock, as well as leap to great heights and across great distances without exertion, push aside energy attacks like Getsuga Tenshō, and break off large chunks of solid stone by simply stomping his foot against it. Jin can also shove his hand completely into and through an opponent’s abdomen or chest without visible effort.

Immense Speed: As a result of merging with his Doll and later consuming Bitto serum, Jin can move at superhuman speeds and cross considerable distances in an instant, allowing him to keep pace with individuals who are master's in techniques like Sonido, or Shunpo (like Byakuya, for example), and completely outpace those who are slower.

Enhanced Durability and Endurance: As a result of merging with his Doll and later consuming Bitto serum, Jin’s body is highly durable, and his tolerance for pain is grand; Jin has endured attacks that would have otherwise incinerated or blown others apart, and has easily shrugged off pain that would stop others in their tracks. To boot, this durability and endurance of Jin's can be further boosted by certain techniques unique to the Bount (see: Reishi Absorption).

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: With centuries of combat experience, Jin is an extremely capable and dangerous close-range fighter who can easily match and overwhelm experienced sword-wielding opponents with just his bare hands, to the point of being able to effectively counter opponents who are faster than he is with skill and reflex alone.

Expert Swordsman: While generally relying on hand-to-hand combat, Jin demonstrates great skill when using the wind and lightning blades of his Doll, Sturmklinge, allowing him to fight evenly and for a prolonged period of time against those skilled in Zanjutsu or analogous techniques.

Keen Intellect: Having studied the various facets of the world for centuries for the sake of his revenge plot, Jin is very knowledgeable about Shinigami and the history of the Seireitei,as well as the circumstances of the accident that created the Bount. Jin is also an accomplished scientist: together with Ugaki, he devised a method to allow Bount to manually summon and create their own Dolls, something previously only available to those born with the innate talent to do so.

Bount Spell Master: Alongside Koga, Jin is one of the few Bount still alive who are knowledgeable and skilled enough to perform the potent spells of their tribe.

Expert Strategist: As the leader of the Bount and with centuries of combat experience, Jin is a highly resourceful, cunning, and manipulative man who frequently tricks enemies (and allies when necessary) into furthering his goals by faking weakness,mistakes, or mercy, while planning his next moves around anticipated actions taken by those around him that he is sure will come to pass and always do, due to his insightful understanding of others.

EQUIPMENT

Sturmklinge (German for “Stormblade”) is Jin’s Doll and is uniquely merged with his physical body due to being summoned with a special Bount amulet; as a result, its crest appears on the left side of Jin’s chest instead of an inanimate object, and as such does not need to be properly summoned in order for Jin to use its abilities.The fully-manifested Sturmklinge takes the form of a large, metallic pata sword hilt encasing Jin’s right hand and partially resembling the Bount emblem.

Wind Manipulation: The primary ability of Sturmklinge is the fierce, primal manipulation of the wind, or air around Jin; while partially summoned, it can, among other things, form condensed and swirling wind currents around Jin’s ’s hands and arms for both offense and defense,destabilize structures to the point of collapse with a continuous gale, and create powerful gusts of wind that can blast through stone walls and transform into miniature tornadoes. When fully summoned, the Doll's manipulation of the wind, and air in general, becomes absolute, allowing Jin control over its every aspect, from its composition, to its temperature, and more.

Wind Barrier: Jin can create a spherical wind barrier around his body to shield himself from and repel attacks, be they physical or more immaterial (such as Kido). Even attacks with incredible offensive output like the Shikai and Bankai techniques of Byakuya's Senbonzakura can be repelled while Sturmklinge is only partially summoned-- though, while the barrier is very powerful, and Jin claims it makes him untouchable, the barrier can be overwhelmed with sufficient force.

Windestanz (German for “Wind Dance”): Jin summons four medium-sized tornadoes that converge onto his opponent to create a single large tornado, lifting them high into the air with great velocity and rotation.

Wind Licht Schneide (German for “Wind Light Edge”): Jin fires a strong and slim condensed blast of wind with sufficient power and force to cancel out some Bankai-enhanced attacks.

Lightning Blade: By generating static electricity through atmospheric friction, Jin can form a powerful blade comprised entirely of lightning that can both hit opponents with lightning strikes from a distance and serve as a physical weapon durable enough to clash with Zanpakuto in their Bankai states.

Energy Barrier: Due to being fused with Sturmklinge, Jin can also project a red energy barrier in front of his hand at will that can repel certain attacks.

Other Techniques: See here, and here

The Ōin (王印, King's Seal) is an artifact of great power that once belonged to the Soul King, said to be forged from their own flesh and spirit. Jin acquired joint ownership of this artifact after an event known as the Diamond Dust Incident, and used his subordinate Maki Ichinose to unlock its full potential.

The Ōin confers great power to the hands of its user, allowing them to meld and shape all aspects of reality to their will, but it also possesses a consciousness of its own, and despite its full potential being unlocked, it can often decide against the demands of its wielder, should it believe they are asking too much or are not worthy, a problem Jin has run into more times than he prefers.

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