#november 2014 was a fever dream

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Happy Festa BPP! Is this something ppl do? Wish Festa like holiday? Ta! Happy Festa anyway!!

Don't know if you've said this before but how did you become army?

***

Hi Anon,

Honestly, no. I don't think wishing people Happy Festa is a thing within ARMY... People reminisce and all that but actually sending wishes, not really. But it's a nice gesture so I appreciate you sharing that festive energy with me.

All the Festas are sweet but something about a 10-year anniversary evokes strong memories. It's been a wild ride.

I've talked about how I became ARMY many times, but I can give an abridged version here.

I watched BTS's debut showcase No More Dream for the first time, some time in August 2013 but I don't remember which day exactly. I had heard about BTS by that point, (a lot of people had, which was unusual for a group from a small company and further shows how strong an impression they made at debut), but I didn't get around to actually watching their stuff till August.

I felt they were strong performers but had no other real opinion about them, and kinda forgot about them for a year, till their Dark & Wild comeback in August 2014.

After that album comeback, I consistently kept up with BTS but didn't really think of myself as a fan. The way I engaged with k-pop was to check out several groups I was interested in, sometimes go to their comeback shows if I was in Korea, attend KCON concerts, read Korean forums, etc. Like a fan of many groups but a stan of none, if that makes sense. So, I sort of watched BTS from the sidelines in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Throughout this time, I realized I loved every new musical output from them more than the previous one. It was clear they were improving not just their songwriting, production, exploring more genres, etc, but that they had a very distinct voice - a consistent message in their storytelling that seemed to come from their own lived experiences, for all seven members. Executed at the highest level. And that was something I had never, ever seen in k-pop or anywhere else really.

Of course, during this time, their fame, fortune, and success multiplied as well. And the latent animosity I'd observed since debut towards BTS from the wider k-pop fandom, just became more overt the more BTS became successful. That mess with EXO fans and the Blue House was particularly disgusting and soured my opinion on most fans of SM groups and the wider k-pop fandom. But by 2018, when it was clear BTS's rise was definitely stratospheric and already beyond the realm of k-pop, the gloves were off. The hostility became extremely blatant to the point k-pop stans were working with real life neo-nazis to physically assault Japanese ARMYs who were attending a concert, they were spam calling Japanese newspapers and Jewish foundations in America to put out a statement condemning BTS, and asking for the American government to blacklist BTS.

It was bonkers.

Sulli had ended her life just before the hate campaign against BTS hit a fever pitch in Fall 2018. I liked her a lot and her death shifted something in me - it made me re-evaluate my distanced, detached almost apathetic approach to k-pop beyond the music, especially regarding hate campaigns from k-pop stans that used to run completely unchecked and only escalated and became more sophisticated especially when the target was someone who broke against the norm. So, I linked up with some J-ARMY friends and we spent a weekend coordinating with local Japanese police to track down some k-pop stans working with neo nazis to assault BTS and ARMYs, and by the end of November 2018, I was calling myself an ARMY.

Nothing has really changed since then compared to how I was a fan of BTS before. Except that now, I buy their albums more consistently (it was kinda more sporadic / spontaneous before). I've never been a collector so I don't really care about PCs and what not. I educated myself on charts and fandom norms, and started watching more of their non-music content. I was already very familiar with their personalities and interpersonal quirks (jikook has stood out to me since 2015, yoonmin, namgi, namseok, and sope since 2014, and taekook since 2016 or so), but since 2018 I've found myself enjoying more of their auxiliary content though it's still not something I seek out (I still haven't watched SOOP 2 for example, lol).

Most of my friendships with fans of other k-pop groups I've maintained till now, and I still check out almost every new release in the industry when I have the time, and becoming a fan of BTS has been wonderful.

The ARMY community gets a lot of flack, like all big fandoms do, but there's a real community of genuine and smart people here that I appreciate. BTS has never disappointed me - and I had to really think before writing down that sentence. This industry is harsh, cruel. BTS had to navigate channels no k-pop group or Korean artist has had to before, they've single-handedly elevated an entire industry into the social consciousness of the wider world, and are still holding on to their relentless drive and sense of wonder.

These seven men are remarkable. They're some of the hardest workers I've ever seen. Fully dedicated to their craft and their team, artists and performers in every sense of the word. I thoroughly enjoy being a fan of the music they make, and supporting their growth as artists and people.

Happy Festa everyone! I'm treating myself to Taro ice cream topped with pistachio nuts today to celebrate. Maybe we should make this some kind of holiday lol.

#bts #bangtan #bts army #kpop #min yoongi #park jimin #jeon jungkook #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #kim taehyung #jung hoseok

[tsukishimmers]

on a non hq related sidenote, what happened to iruka

#the deep recesses of my brain were awoken during my physics cram sesh #i genuinely do not remember #november 2014 was a fever dream #well except for my bday

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Simple Man

Dean Winchester x Reader

Words: 3351

Summary: It was never what he thought he would have. But now Dean doesn’t want to let go. 

Notes: I was going to wait and make this a Thanksgiving special, but I thought today would be more fitting. I can’t believe Supernatural ends tonight! This show has been a part of my life for a while now and it will forever stay in my heart.  I had a really really good time writing this one. It might be one of my favorites I’ve written for Dean, if not my top pick. I hope you guys enjoy it and look forward to seeing more. Carry on. 

Want more Supernatural? Find it HERE

(P.S. thank you to my beta reader @suckmysupernatural​. Love you!)

-

Oh, take your time, don’t live to fast

Troubles will come and they will pass 

He had slept through an alarm he didn’t remember setting. It wasn’t until he heard the creaking of the door that he stirred, reaching under his pillow for his knife. But it wasn’t there. Dean panicked as footsteps crept towards him. They were nothing more than a small pitter-patter on the wood floor, but he still prepared himself for the attack. The small creature leapt on top of him and he rolled over so he was pinning it beneath him. It giggled. It giggled?

“Daddy, Mom said she needs you in the kitchen.” 

Dean leaned over to the night stand and turned on the lamp. A little green eyed girl squirmed out from underneath him and skipped out of the room. 

“The hell…” Dean muttered. He opened the dresser and sure enough, his clothes sat in the drawers. He put on a T-shirt and slowly walked out of the room. The smell of bacon and coffee coaxed him to the kitchen. He couldn’t believe what he saw. 

You were standing over the stove, trying to save the bacon from burning. Dean was just frozen in the doorway. Finally spotting him, you made your way over to him, which was difficult with the little boy clinging to your leg. 

“Thank God you’re up. I need you to finish making breakfast.” You lifted the boy into your arms. “Eric’s got a fever and Ellie is going to wake up any second needing to be fed.” You gently laid a hand on Eric’s forehead. “I’ll call the doctor as soon as I get him to lay down. But you know how impossible that is.” 

“But I’m not tired.” Eric whined. 

“I know, sweetie, but you don’t want to get sicker, do you?” He pouted his lip and shook his head. “Alright, so I need you to go back to bed.” You looked back at Dean. “Can you just finish the bacon? I’ll be back to make their toast.” 

Before Dean could speak, you rushed up the stairs. As if on queue, a baby started to cry from somewhere upstairs. Dean just stood in shock. What the hell was going on?

As if by second nature, he walked around the kitchen, grabbing a paper towel to let the bacon drain off the grease. It felt almost natural. He somehow knew where everything was, even though he had never been here. Or had he? His brain was fuzzy with thoughts he couldn't remember. He saw images flash in his mind. Sam graduating from Stanford. His parents celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. You… in a wedding dress. 

“Johanna Charlotte Winchester you better be ready for school or your dad’s going to come and get you!” You yelled, coming back into the kitchen, this time a wailing baby in your arms. It wasn’t until now that Dean noticed you were wearing a sheriff’s uniform. You snatched up a piece of bacon and popped it in your mouth. “Thank you.”

You bounced the baby in your arms, trying to calm her down, but she wasn’t having it. The green eyed little girl from early came bounding into the room with her backpack over one shoulder. Ellie continued to bawl. 

“Can you hold her? She always stops crying when you hold her.” You handed the squirming child to him and he tried not to panic. You noticed your husband’s awkwardness. “Rough morning?” You snickered. “Here, I’ll make you some coffee.” 

As the child in his arms slowly stopped her crying, more memories flooded Dean’s head. You telling him you were pregnant for the first time. Going to the emergency room for the birth of his son. Watching Johanna hold her new baby sister. They all felt like dreams, but then how was this all real? 

“I’m feeling a little... off this morning.” He admitted, watching you carefully as if he were waiting for horns to sprout from your forehead. Your face fell. 

“Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re sick too.” You put your hand on his forehead. “You’re picking everyone up from the airport today.” 

“Everyone?” Dean’s brows furrowed curiously. 

“I would go get them, but I’m at the station until five.” You sighed, moving your hand down to caress his cheek. “Besides, you’ve been dying to see your brother since the Fourth of July.” 

“Uncle Sam!” Jo exclaimed excitedly. 

“Sammy’s coming?” Dean asked. Finally, something familiar. Your face contorted with confusion. 

“Of course he’s coming. Jessica and the kids are too. They always help prepare for tomorrow and since your parents will still be out on their cruise, we’ll need all the help we can get.” 

“Tomorrow...” He spotted the calendar on the wall, but you answered first. 

“Thanksgiving.” You stated. Your confusion changed to concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want me to stay home?” Jo raised her hand. 

“Can I stay home too?” 

“Sweetheart, it’s just one more half-day of school before break and then you’ll get to play with your cousins for the rest of the week.” Seeing you start to get stressed, Dean put a hand on your shoulder. 

“You go to work. I’m fine.” He assured you. “I’ll hold down the fort and I’ll pick up Sam at- what time again?”

“3:00.” You pressed a kiss to his cheek and smiled. “I know you worked extra last week so you could have the garage closed for Thanksgiving, but I think the fumes might have gone to your head.” You grabbed the keys off the counter. “Oh, and I’ll be taking Baby to work since you’ll need the van to fit everyone.” His look of displeasure made you laugh. “I know, I know, but you’ll have to suck it up for today unless you think the four-year-old can babysit.” 

You kiss Ellie on the forehead before giving Dean a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips. You held out your hand for your daughter to take. 

“Alright, partner, let’s go.” 

The two of you leave and Dean looks down at the baby in his arms. Was this really happening? 

-

Boy don’t you worry, you’ll find yourself

Follow your heart and nothing else

If he was trapped by a djinn, he would have remembered fighting it. This was something else. The more time he spent in the house, the more this world felt real and his hunting life felt like dreams. Maybe… maybe this was real. 

He remembered everything now. He had met you in a bar on New Years Eve. You hit it off talking about cars and classic rock. He proposed about two years later outside that same bar during the first snow of the season. You always said the first snow was the best one. You got married and a couple months later found out you were pregnant with Jo. Johanna Charlotte Winchester was born on April 3, 2007. She was seven. Three years later, Eric Samuel was born on November 29th. He was four. Lastly, Ellen Sandra was born six months ago tomorrow on May 27, 2014. 

Sammy had a family of his own. He married Jessica right out of law school and the two had two boys; Josh, 8, and Michael, 6. Their families stayed close, even though Sam was in California and Dean in Kansas. They were happy. 

If this wasn’t real, how could he remember all that? 

3:00 rolled around and Eric’s fever had gone down. He called you to make sure it would be okay to take him along to the airport. You told him that as long as he was feeling okay, it should be fine. The doctor said it sounded like the heat in his room was too high. Dean buckled Eric into his carseat and Ellie in her carrier. While Johanna almost looked like a mini-girl version of him, Eric looked like you. His eyes were yours, along with his hair color and his nose. Ellie looked like a fair mix of both. 

Jessica was the first one to greet him since Sam was busy carrying the boys’ bags. He hugged her tight and couldn’t stop beaming. 

“It’s so good to see you guys.” He smiled and she gave him a sunny grin in return. 

“I know Sam’s been eager to see you and the family for a long time. Of course, I’m only here for the food.” She teased and he pulled her into another hug. 

“I can’t believe this.” Dean sighed happily. Sam and Jessica. Him and you. One big happy family. 

“Do I get a hug, or are just going to hog my wife?” Sam snarked, setting down the bags as Dean nearly tackled him. Sam laughed, struggling to breathe in his brother’s crushing hug. “I missed you too, Dean.” 

“Uncle Sam!” Eric cheered, clinging to Sam’s leg. 

“Hey buddy.” Sam smiled, lifting his nephew into his arms. Jessica peaked into the baby carrier Dean had set on the bench. 

“Look at how big she’s gotten.” She awed. Ellie was asleep, so she spoke quietly. Jess frowned, finally noticing the two brown haired boys fighting over one of their comics. “Josh, stop pushing your brother.” She scolded. 

“He took my comic!” The older of the two retorted. Jessica just gave him a stern look and he surrendered. 

“Michael, give it back when you’re done reading.” Sam ruffled his youngest son’s hair. Dean knelt down. 

“So are you two tough guys too cool to give your uncle a hug, or what?” He pulled his nephews into a warm embrace. “Are you both taller? You’re taller than the last time I saw you.” Dean pat Josh on the back. “You’re gonna be taller than your dad before you know it.” 

“You know, you’d see them more if you flew out to California.” Jessica noted. Dean’s eyes widened. She laughed. “I know, I know, you have a thing about flying.” 

“I want to go to California!” Eric exclaimed.

“One of these days, we can go on a roadtrip in Baby to Uncle Sam and Aunt Jessica’s, how does that sound?” Dean promised. Eric nodded, excitedly wriggling in Sam’s arms. 

Everyone loaded up into the van, Sam sliding into the passenger seat. Dean had to laugh. This was just so crazy. Here they were, driving in a van packed full of children. Their children. He thought of all of the times Sam sat beside him in the impala, the two weary from a hunt. It felt like a different lifetime. Like a different world. It felt less real. 

-

You’ll find a woman and you’ll find love

And don’t forget son, there is someone up above

Four children ran around the backyard, jumping in leaf piles and chasing each other with sticks. Jo seemed to rule the yard, keeping her older cousin at bay with her stubborn persistence. Dean smiled proudly. 

“She’s quite the pistol.” Jessica noted with a laugh, jutting her head towards Johanna. She was sitting beside you, bouncing her baby niece in her arms. 

“I wonder where she gets that from.” You gave your husband a smirk. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer, pressing a kiss to your temple. 

“I love you so much.” He whispered. The tone in his voice made you glance up at him. He was watching you with intensity in his eyes. So much love and yet… there was pain there. 

“I love you too.” You laced your fingers with his, your concern evident in your voice. “Dean, are you okay? You’ve been acting a little weird all day.” You spoke quietly so you wouldn’t worry your brother-in-law. Your husband gave your hand a gentle squeeze. 

“I’m fine, really. I’m just…”  Dean felt an overwhelming wave of emotion and choked back tears. “Really happy.” He lifted your chin up, bringing your lips to his. Everything was perfect, right down to the way your lips fit perfectly against his. He knew, without a doubt, that this was real. 

Soon it was time to put the kids to bed. Sam’s boys slept on the pull-out couch in the basement. Eric was exhausted from a day of excitement, as well as his baby sister. Dean was charged with the task of putting a rambunctious Johanna to bed. 

“I want to stay up and drink beer like a big kid.” She pouted, making the adults in the room chuckle. Dean crouched down and picked her up. 

“Alright, here’s the deal. I promise that when you’re a big kid like me and your mom, then you can stay up and have a drink with us. But until then, you’re gonna be my little deputy right?” He tapped the golden plastic badge that she never took off. Jo grinned from ear to ear and nodded. Humming a Bob Segar tune, he took her upstairs to her room and tucked her into bed. 

When he came back down stairs, his brother and the two women were smirking at him. 

“What?” You and Jessica exchanged a look and burst out laughing. “Come on, what?”

“That girl has you wrapped around her finger, Dean.” Jessica snickered. You took a sip of your beer. 

“Oh, he’s like that with Ellie, too. He dotes on them like you wouldn’t believe. One little pout from Johanna and he melts.” You couldn’t help but beam at your husband. You loved the way he was with the kids. 

“I got her in bed, didn’t I?” Dean huffed, taking his seat beside you and resting a hand on your knee. Sam shook his head. 

“It’s all in the looks, brother. You may think you’ve one this round, but I saw the look in Jo’s eyes.” Sam gave his brother a sure nod. “She knows where she stands.” 

“At least I’ve got Eric,” You sighed teasingly. “He’s a mama's boy, through and through.” 

You curled up beside Dean, comfortable in his warmth. He kissed the top of your head.

The hours passed with plenty of laughter and love. Soon, it was getting close to 11:00 and you wanted to get plenty of rest for the busy day tomorrow. Everyone would be helping prepare the massive Thanksgiving meal that the Winchesters made every year. Sam and Jessica said goodnight and headed to the guest room while you and Dean made your way upstairs. 

You reached your rooms and Dean’s hands found your waist, his lips trailing up your shoulder to your neck. You leaned back into his embrace, bringing your hand up to tangle your fingers in his golden-brown hair. His hands started to wander and you sighed mournfully. 

“Baby, we both have to be up in the morning.” You groaned, breaking away from him. When you turned around, he was pouting, his green eyes big and sad. So that’s where Johanna got it. He was just so impossible to resist, but if you didn’t go to bed now, you’d be exhausted before dinner even started. You draped your arms around his neck. “I’ll tell you what; how about we get a good night’s sleep tonight…” you pulled him close and whispered into his ear, “and I’ll give you something to be really thankful for tomorrow.” 

Dean’s eyes widened and his smirk spread into a smile. 

“Mrs. Winchester, we have a deal.” He loved the way that sounded coming from his lips. Mrs. Winchester. 

You gave him a long and passionate goodnight kiss before changing into your pajamas and climbing into bed. 

It must have been around 12:30 when the baby started crying. The baby monitor was on your nightstand, so you were awakened by the sound first. Dean moved to get up, but you stopped him. 

“I’ll get her.” You sleepily shuffled out of the bedroom. Reaching the hall, you muttered something that your half-asleep husband only half comprehended. Something about the electricity acting up again. 

The crying continued and you didn’t return. Dean yawned, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes and got out of bed. He slowly made his way down the hallway to the nursery. The door was ajar and the lamp had been turned on. You must have gone downstairs to get her a bottle. 

Dean picked up his crying daughter, rocking her soothingly in his arms. She wailed and wailed until she heard his voice. 

“Alright, sweetheart. It’s alright. Daddy’s got you.” He hushed. After a moment of rocking and soft whispers, Ellie started to settle down. As soon as her cries reduced to the occasional sniff, Dean set her back in her cradle. “That’s it. You’re going to be just fine. I’m not gonna let anything hurt you.” 

Smiling down at his beautiful baby girl, Dean felt something on the back of his neck. When he touched it, his hand came away red. He froze, and as if his body went into auto pilot, he turned around. At first he couldn’t scream. He just stared. 

Your mouth gaped at him, your eyes filled with terror and pain as the blood spread out from your stomach. Ellie started to cry again. 

“No!” Dean screamed. That’s when the fire started. 

And that’s when he woke up.

-

And be a simple kind of man

Oh, be something you love and understand

Dean sat straight up, sweat soaking through his t-shirt, his scream still on his lips. The cool air of the bunker made him shiver. He couldn’t breathe. He heaved and coughed as if the smoke really filled his lungs. A sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump out of the bed and flatten himself against the wall, holding out his fists to fight. 

“Dean?” You rose slowly, walking towards him cautiously. “It’s okay. It was just a dream. You’re okay.” 

He just stared at you, taking in every feature. You watched his eyes fill with tears and his chin tremble as he tried to speak. Nothing came out, just a strangled sounding cry. Dean fell to his knees and you rushed to hold him. Whatever it was, it wasn’t just a nightmare. 

Dean wrapped his arms around your middle and leaned his head against your stomach as you soothingly ran your fingers through his hair. He didn’t make any sound as he cried, but the tears fell endlessly down his face. He was shaking in your arms. 

“Dean, honey, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me.” You whispered. This wasn’t the first time that he’d woken suddenly from a dream, but it had never been like this. 

You told him that you were pregnant today. He seemed happy. Shocked, but happy. But now? Whatever was going through his head was breaking him. You sunk down in front of him so you could hold him fully, letting him cry into your shoulder. 

“I’m sorry.” He finally choked out. “I’m sorry that this is all I can give you. I’m sorry that we don’t have a big house full of kids. That Sam has lost any chance at happiness. That we can never have a normal life.” You pushed back. 

“Baby, what are you talking about?” 

“I’m sorry that this baby is going to grow up haunted and broken… just like me.” His voice cracked. You put a hand on his cheek. 

“Dean…” You pressed your forehead against his, feeling your own tears start to fall. “This baby is going to be loved and wanted and cherished, just like you.” You kissed him gently, reminding him of your adoration of this hero of a man. 

Dean held you closer, letting your words sink into his heart. He wanted to believe it. He wanted more than anything to believe it. Even in his beautiful dream, you ended up burned and bloody. Even in his dream, he was broken. 

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. He would try like hell to give you a life as close to perfect as he could manage. Maybe that meant hunting together until you went down guns blazing. Maybe that meant settling down, someday, somewhere. He would try. 

Baby be a simple kind of man

Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks​ Supernatural: @desimarie12; @deandreamernp; @vicmc624; @halesandy; @livshaes; @d-whinchestergirl87; @mrspeacem1nusone

#dean winchester x reader #sam winchester #jessica moore #jensen ackles #supernatural #happy thanksgiving #supernatural imagines #simple man #angst up the waz

[astronomical-bagel]

I want you to know that anytime someone talks about YHS I just remember that I watched it.

Memories of the thing itself is very much Grian (which this introduced me to him) is unloved and is very cool. Sam really could have been interesting. Tauris was one of the coolest characters and I swear he adopted a pufferfish. Oh and that it was ducked up and why did I watch it. Oh how could I forget Dom is also a cool character

I am glad that I got to watch build battles because of it.

I read fanfics for yhs but all I remember is one where he poofed into hermitcraft. That is all I remember.

This entire thing is a vague memory of a ??? year old.

When did yhs come out again. I watched it from the first episode soo.

Have a great day.

Thanks for reminding me of this things existence /lh

anon i am SO glad that my posts are do to you what @/give-grian-right's posts are doing to me. Literally every memory of yhs is like a fever dream. also i think it came out in the 2014-2016 era?? i'm not sure how long it was going on for. I was in fifth grade when i first started watching it, and 10-year-old me did NOT understand the concept of watching things in order, so uhh yeah my memory of it is probably even worse than yours tbh. Anyways, i am?? fairly certain that taurtis had a pufferfish?? it feels correct. it mightve been dead i think??

Also, basically the timeline of me gettign into myct is me in fifth grade being obsessed with multiple minecraft things like pat and jen, dantdm, yogscast, yhs (obviously), and like minecraft parodies and stuff, and then getting back into myct in 2020/2021 and going "that was YOU???" approximately 79473 times. it took me so long to connect 'minecraft parody man' to captainsparklez, tubbo's father figure. I also didn't realize until like. november/december last year that Martyn Littlewood was the guy who sang How Can I Craft This Again, which was my absolute lifeblood in fifth grade. and THEN i find grian was in yhs and i get absolutely slammed in the face with memories and. god what IS this. what the heck.

I hope you're doing swell anon, enjoy the weird memory brick ive slammed into your face.

#yhs #i went on a tangent but good GOD my mind is boggled #astronomical asks

[maulthots]

Read in November

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou Category: The author’s last name is at least 6 letters long In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work. For years, Holmes had been misleading investors, FDA officials, and her own employees. When Carreyrou, working at The Wall Street Journal, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the Journal were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company's value was zero and Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors. Here is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones Category: A book you own but haven’t read yet Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies…especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold. Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges… a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach Category: Listen to an audiobook The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: The questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis? In Gulp we meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks of - or has the courage to ask. We go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a fecal transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal. With Roach as our guide, we travel the world, meeting murderers and mad scientists, Eskimos and exorcists (who have occasionally administered holy water rectally), rabbis and terrorists - who, it turns out, for practical reasons do not conceal bombs in their digestive tracts. Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies. ⭐⭐⭐

#personal #reading list

[crdenhart]

10 Movies You Should Watch This Halloween 2020

It’s the first full week of October, so Halloween is in full swing! This year, I continue my tradition of recommending some excellent films to watch during the Halloween season but with a COVID-19 twist for many of the movies on this list. Here are the 10 movies you should check out this Halloween:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

“My family’s always been in meat.”

This movie recently got a 4K remaster making it look even more gruesome than ever! The film feels so real compared many other slasher horror films with the deaths coming out of nowhere and the killings being hyper-realistic. They even used real skeletons for the making of some of the scenes! The sound design also is something so terrifying; you’ll never want to listen to the sound of a chainsaw ever again!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

“Let’s do the Time Warp again”

One of the most fun horror movies of all time celebrates its 45th anniversary this Halloween! I like how the film satirizes the B-movie mad scientist genre and Tim Curry gives a stellar performance as Dr. Frankenfurter. Also the songs are so fun and catchy and will get stuck in your head forever! My favorite songs in the movie are “Science Fiction Double Feature” and “Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul.”

Hausu (1977)

“My fingers are gone!”

“House” is the title in English. This trippy Japanese haunted-house movie is a real treat for the eyes! The film is so mesmerizingly weird with its flashy colors and cartoon-like special effects. Definitely one worth checking out if you are looking to feel terrified and strange at the same time!

The Hunger (1983)

“Forever and ever!”

David Bowie as a vampire... yes please! The makeup and effects are really good in the movie especially in the scenes as Bowie’s vampire character ages rapidly from lack of drinking blood. The film has some creepy sequences, including some intense scenes in which it seems as though Bowie’s vampire is going to claim another victim and a scene in which Susan Sarandon’s character comes across several coffins of vampires. Definitely one of the scariest vampire movies of the last 40 years!

Ghostbusters (1984)

“Who you gonna call?”

We didn’t get the highly-anticipated Ghostbusters: Afterlife this year because of the pandemic, so to tide us over until it comes out, this Halloween would be a good time to revisit the original horror-comedy classic. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and the rest of the cast give some of their most memorable performances in this movie. Growing up I used to watch this and its sequel in the ooze-green boxset that included a couple animated episodes; highly recommend tracking a copy down if you want the best Halloween viewing experience.

The Exorcist III (1990)

“I have dreams… of a rose, and then falling down a long flight of steps.”

This movie might be one of the best horror sequels ever made! George C. Scott gives a fantastic performance in the lead role as do Jason Miller (returning as his role of Father Karris from the original Exorcist) and Brad Dourif as the Gemini Killer. I saw many of the filming locations when I visited DC back in 2015. A majority of the movie takes place in a hospital, which is usually scary enough on its own. There is an especially frightening scene involving a possessed patient and surgical scissors! This year marks its 30th anniversary, so this Halloween would be a good time to check it out if you haven’t seen it in a long time or are a fan of the original and never saw this one (you can actually skip the second one as this film makes no direct references to that movie). There is a director’s cut that was released a few years that provides some good deleted scenes and extra dialogue, though overall I prefer the theatrical cut.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

“Michael Myers is my business!”

This 6th entry in the Halloween series celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Lots of fans consider this the “worst” of the Halloween movies, but I find lots of good merits in the film, especially the producer’s cut released 2014 which features several extended and alternate scenes. I really like the Halloween (holiday) scenery of the film making it feel like it really takes place on October 31st unlike most of the series particularly in the scenes taking place at the Halloween carnival (the “red rain” scene being a highlight). The cinematography and suspense also are superior compared to many of the sequels, probably the closest the series has ever come to capture the style of the first two films. I also like how the film explores the mystery of Michael Myers more so than the other ones giving him a reason for his killing nature other than he is just “evil.” This movie is the last time Michael Myers is actually scary and not just a “killing machine” or some dummy for Busta Rhymes to kong-fu fight (ie Halloween: Resurrection). This also marked the final appearance of Donald Pleasance as Dr. Sam Loomis as he died in real life shortly after filming his scenes. Definitely check out the producer’s cut if you have never seen the film or you have only seen the theatrical cut as it makes it one of the best Halloween films.

Goosebumps: “The Haunted Mask II” (1996)

“That’s no mask! That’s your face!”

Everyone is wearing masks these days, so what a fitting episode of Goosebumps to watch this Halloween! This is one of my favorite episodes along with the first one from 1995 (which was on my 2018 Halloween watch list). The scenes set in the basement of the costume shop are so creepy; something about abandoned places, especially in the dark, have always frightfully fascinated me. I used to watch the VHS of this movie every Halloween at my grandparents’ house and always hope they would do a 3rd one. Maybe someday!

Cabin Fever (2002)

“I don’t want any of us getting sick!”

Everyone is worried about coronavirus right now, so this Halloween would be the ideal time to check out this slasher in which a deadly virus is the killer. Really creepy shots of people getting infected and dying from the virus; the movie will make you a germaphobe! Interesting note that David Lynch was originally going to produce the movie but backed out during production, however Lynch’s frequent composer Angelo Badalamenti provides some of the music for the film.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

“We’re all dying. The world’s just one big hospice with fresh air.”

This sequel to The Shining was released last November nearly 40 years after the original, but it was well worth the wait! The film visually maintains the same style and tone of Kubrick’s original film while expanding upon some of its themes but without giving too much information as to ruin the mysteries surrounding the original. Like some of the other films on this list, there is a director’s cut which fleshes out scenes and characters; highly recommend it!

As a Halloween treat, here is a shot from my new spiritual horror film Sister, which should be released sometime this coming year! Happy Halloween everyone!

#halloween #horror #bestof #movie list #2020 #october #sister #shining #doctor sleep #michael myers #david bowie #texas chain saw massacre #rocky horror picture show #hausu #hunger #vampire #exorcist #ghostbusters #movies #film #goosebumps #haunted mask #cabin fever

[eightysixed]

happier than ever

You call me again, drunk in your Benz Drivin' home under the influence You scared me to death, but I'm wastin' my breath 'Cause you only listen to your fuckin' friends I don't relate to you I don't relate to you, no 'Cause I'd never treat me this shitty You made me hate this city

words: 3.2k plot: emma and tomo’s relationship, in a nutshell. trigger warnings: abuse, assault, drugs, cheating, violence, blood, suicidal ideation, nsfw

Five years is a lifetime when you’ve just begun your twenties. It’s half a decade of years so formative and important that you don’t really realize their importance until they have flown past.

Emma spent those years with Tomo.

[ SEPTEMBER 2014 ]

A twenty-one year old goes to an Outkast concert. She gets propositioned by a guy. Rough, pushy, handsy, it’s enough to make her feel suffocated, plan paths of escape or desperately look for a face in the crowd that could intervene. Then he comes in with his buddies and they all but rescue her. How ironic Emma thinks, years later. What a Disney-ified, damsel in distress moment to have and to meet by.

They spend the rest of the concert together, follow it up with an after hours at Los Coyotes, wolfing down soft shells in between food-spitting laughter. Emma, Tomo, and his two buddies. The energy is infectious, and she doesn’t want to say goodbye at the end of the night. It’s a feeling she has never felt before; those sparks in his eyes that are in hers too, the way he grounds and floors her. They exchange numbers and Emma’s face lights up as she’s getting off her Muni owl: it’s a text from him.

It doesn’t take long for his contact name to acquire an Emoji heart next to it, the girl who ridiculed these kinds of things in high school now finding herself enamoured, head-over-heels, and not caring for the criticisms of formerly cynical self.

[ OCTOBER ] A month later and she’s packed up and moved into his place, about as happy as she has ever been of late; everything in life falls into place with him, just makes sense.

[ NOVEMBER ] He gets エマ tattooed on his collarbone; her name in katakana. She gets 23, his lucky number.

They spend thanksgiving with her mom in Cupertino. Frankie hasn’t seen Emma this animated again in a long time, composes a poem about in her head as the green beans and pumpkin pie are passed around. Later of course, she pulls out the baby photos, much to Emma’s embarrassment and Tomo’s delight. “You were such a fat baby, Jesus,”  Tomo laughs. “She looks like she ate baby Jesus,” her mother quips.

When her mom falls asleep, they sneak out and climb up Emma’s childhood treehouse armed with blankets. They gaze at a sliver of night sky through a gap in the roof as Emma tells him her childhood dreams of flying to space and inventing computers that could contact extraterrestrial life. They kiss, they make love, Emma ponders her stance on marriage being outdated and for chumps and losers next to a snoring Tomo.

[ FEBRUARY 2015 ] Their first Valentine’s day together they drop acid at Pier 39. An irate parent yells at them for making out on the merry-go-round in view of children; have they no shame.

She makes new friends, dozens, someone always at their place as Tomo plays them new tracks, smoke weed together, and watch the oil projector light show make shapes on the ceiling. They talk about the future, fame, and world domination.

They don’t discuss babies because neither of them care for that sort of shit — but they do talk about moving into a bigger place together, maybe getting a dog or two — the breed is subject of many arguments.

[ MARCH ] In peak puppy fever, Emma adopts a two year old rescue bulldog named Tito. It’s the first, tiny sign of a crack in their relationship, of dissent — she thinks she sees Tomo glare at the precious pup when he thinks she isn’t looking. But maybe she imagined it. He does shed and slobber uncontrollably after all, and her boyfriend happens to be a clean freak.

[ JULY ] That summer, Emma braves a plane once more to see Tomo play in Atlanta. His set is off the walls and for the first time, she is amazed to see just how many fans he has, how far this boyfriend of hers has come from making tracks in his living room. It’s just too bad she is fast asleep when he tiptoes out of their hotel room to meet one of said fans for a back-alley blowjob.

They roadtrip across the South to play some more venues and the pattern repeats itself in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico. She wakes up in a cold sweat one night in Vegas, confused as to why he’s gone. “Out getting food. Got hungry.” The message hits her in a weird place, but she is tired, sleepy, and in a haze; Emma accepts, does not question. He even returns with some Taco Bell for her.

Timeskip — 3 years:

[ APRIL 2018 ]

Emma is on her hands and knees in a bathroom, vomit dripping off the toilet rim. She can’t remember how or why she got here, but she’s here. Everything seems to be swimming backwards. Eventually she is able to collect herself off the floor, splash water against her face and wall-to-wall stagger back out of the bathroom. It didn’t work, she’s purged the worst of it but still feeling funny. “Oh, Emma, there you are.” A man’s hands wrap around her. He says he’s friends with Tomo. Says he’ll take her to him. Fade to black.

Waking up with strange bruises should not become a norm, but it does. Emma dismisses it, goes to work, does her best.

Things with Tomo are a violent rollercoaster; some days are great, some days nondescript; and some days downright nightmarish. They fight, throw shit, break shit, yell at each other. Things almost border on the unacceptable as words turn into threats, threats turn to action. A hand around the throat; a body pinned to the wall — her body, of course. His weed grinder he threw that hit her in the head which he swore he’d meant to only toss at the wall. It never crosses a line into the unacceptable, though. That’s what Emma tells herself. He might push her down on the bed, sure, but a bed was soft. He might squeeze her throat in the heat of an argument, but never so much that she’s passing out. He doesn’t hit, kick, or punch her. That was what abusers did, not him. 

She tells herself he can’t help it, his mother used to punish him and his father didn’t love him and now he lashes out the only way he knows how, on the only person he can. He didn’t grown up in as loving a home like she did. He had his reasons. It was okay. They were okay. And the makeup sex afterwards? The best ever.

[ MAY 2018 ]  A month later and Emma is walking in on some girl riding Tomo’s dick like the world was ending, right there on their couch. On their goddamn couch they picked out together, hauled up the stairs with the delivery men. Somehow, the worst part about it all, Emma’s fucked up brain tells her, is that Tito is there to witness it. Her innocent, furry son, witnessing his ‘dad’ for all intents and purposes, cheating on his mom. A ridiculously thought but one she has nonetheless as she’s driving away, Tito next to her in the passenger seat. She goes to sleep at a friend’s and sobs the entire night.

Despite herself, she doesn’t break up with him; but the rift is a mile wide and constantly palpable. Tomo becomes relentlessly apologetic. Not only does he beg forgiveness, he does it live on-air at a radio station, on social media, Emma bombarded by strangers she doesn’t know writing her to take him back. Then he goes and uses her personal kryptonite pulls a Lloyd Dobler outside her work with a Cocorosie song she was absolutely weak for. She hates making a public scene but the sentimental part of her is melting at the gesture, the boombox, all of it. Emma stays. He’d been a shitbag, but he was her shitbag, with all his lovable and terrible qualities wrapped into one person, and she just had to take the shit with the good. Because there was no one else she’d rather be with, ripping side-stitches from too much laughter at four in the morning, tears in her eyes for a good reason this time, from one of his horrifying jokes. 

He was hers and she was his, that’s just how it was to be. Well, as much as she could call him hers when he seemed to be everybody else’s in the process.

Emma does ridiculous, degrading, uncomfortable things in the name of love, and yet in the end she can’t hold on to the love she had for him in the beginning. Way back when they were going up on that ferris wheel at the pier and he looked at her like he had nothing but love in this world, for her. That was what hurt the most, because now the ferris wheel only went down.

There are threesomes, fivesomes, sixsomes, so many bodies in between hers and the one she loves, all in the name of exciting him, holding onto him, trying to be something for him that measured up to Enough. But none of it is enough. None of it makes him happy, nor did it make her happy. She gives him an inch and he takes a mile and then demands more, smiling with blood in his mouth.  She breaks down and becomes something she doesn’t recognize in the mirror. Whether it was an act of revenge or desperation, or finally wanting to give him a taste of his own medicine, Emma sleeps with Corey, one of his best friends. She takes pictures, sends them to him “by accident”. She hates herself through it all, every moment of it, mostly for what he made her into. And yet, underneath all the layers of attempts at hurting him she was really just crawling on all fours, begging him to love her again, need her and want he the way he did in the beginning. Craving to get that first hit back, the one she had been on a residue high off of for four years, the one that now tasted metallic and rancid in her throat.

The worst part? Tomo doesn’t care. He texts her back, telling her to have fun, to send more pictures. She’s never felt this hollow, this empty, this non-entity of a being. The day of her high school graduation flashes in her mind, her dad telling her to never lose her identity, the core of what made her, her. Emma took that core and probably threw it into the Pacific. Somewher between Japan and California, it lies at the bottom of the ocean. 

[ APRIL 2019 ]

Turns out, Emma could draw a line, and that line was becoming accessory to a drug deal. She knew Tomo sold on the side to make up for all the money going into the records, but it had always been a few pills here and there, nothing big. But this? Fentanyl, Xanax, bricks of coke and hash? It was a lot. It was too much.

He sells the drugs and her to go with it, and that’s the end right there. The package she delivers to the apartment he asks her to deliver it to turns into a hostage situation, and she leaves hours later, bruises and caked blood on her. She can’t go home, doesn’t want to. She wants to jump off the bridge she’s crossing from Oakland back to the city. Any bridge, any of them would do. She understands why people jump from the Golden Gate now, or maybe always had. She was there now, climbing the railings, she was ready. She wanted that plunge so badly, would be sad to leave one parent, but good to be reunited with the other. Maybe there she’d be happy, maybe there she’d find peace. 

She calls Ben that night. She’s dry eyed and unemotional, but as soon as she gets the right words, verbalizes her situation, she’s sobbing again. Tomo is out of the city, across the country in Philly on tour. Now was the time, if there was any time for it. She’s not even done with the call when Ben is getting in his car to drive to her. It’s 6 hours from Ojai to San Francisco; he tells her he’ll be there in five. She never deserved a friend like him and never would, Emma thinks as she packs, hastily because somehow Tomo walking through the front door as a ‘surprise’ wouldn’t be out of the question. In the end, she can’t pack everything, has to leave so much behind, her records, books, knickknacks. Five years in this apartment and she’s leaving all of it behind, making a getaway in the middle of the night like some kind of burglar.

By three in the morning he’s here, and they get to packing her suitcases in the car, stacking them as best as they fit in his trunk and backseat, all of Tito’s things and then Tito on a bed in the seat in the back. Emma is in busy mode, stacking and packing everything as fast she can, still somewhere in the back of her mind thinking Tomo would appear at the last minute, and how with Ben here, things could get ugly. She doesn’t want them to get ugly. She loved him far too much to see him have to deal with Tomo, the only person in that specific firing line should be her and no one else.

They drive off. She only feels herself unclench an hour out of Daly City, somewhere in between the Bay and Southern California, where she can exhale. She’s still looking behind them constantly, wondering if every passing car could somehow be him. The saddest, most desperate part of all this that a part of her wants him to have followed. One last ditch attempt to get her back. An all out attempt, one where he would get on both knees and apologize, swear to never be this way again and follow through with it, because he was her person, he was her only person, there was nobody else in this world for her but him, but what do you do when you had to run from your person in the dead of night?

She pulls her raincoat tighter when they stop to get gas, a cold and windy middle of nowhere gas station. She’s not sure how she ends up embracing him, but they’re in it, and feeling someone’s arms around her, somebody that actually cares, who’d never hurt her, who was family, was her mom and his sister and everybody she loved rolled into one, feels like a reprieve. She feels like dirt for making him do this, making him worry, Emma was a piece of shit for that.

She says as much. He tells her to shut up, that she’s nothing like that and this was nothing that he wouldn’t have done for her on any night, any time at all. And maybe that, that was the night she fell in love with him a little bit, or realized she had always been, all along, but God likes to play Lucifer’s games with the little lives he watches over, and it wasn’t made to be, too late anyway since she’d left her heart in somebody else’s hands where it would stay. And he doesn’t need a mess like her anyway, just thinking of the name Catarina was enough. It had been five years but she still remembered the day like yesterday. How low he had been back then. How they would get high together and feel miserable together because at least they had that. They had Weetzie too, but she hadn’t experienced loss like they had, she sympathized but she’d never know what this particular slice of hell was like. But Ben and Emma knew. She knew it in that part of her ribs that met his, and she did not know what she would do if she didn’t have that, have Ben Abrams in her life. 

[ MARCH 2021 ]

Fast forward two years, and the ex is in town. Here, in Los Angeles. That very ex you worked so hard to forget, to heal from, to act like he wasn’t there. And yet, reminders of him were constantly there, everywhere. She doesn’t tell her friends, doesn’t tell anybody he’s in town, just balks when his so called best friend turns up in her neighborhood. She nearly grabs Tito and runs the other way, but it had been too late for that and they have a forced, awkward catch-up. He’s oblivious to anything happening, had barely known about her and Tomo breaking up. Figures, Emma thought, that he would act like nothing happened at all.

He’s in town, and every day she goes to work dreading something happening. She thinks she sees him outside the tattoo parlor’s window, but it’s someone else entirely. She’s losing it again, losing sleep, falling prey to her nightmares. Has a boyfriend now but even that doesn’t help, if anything, he’s a guilty reminder of just how little progress she had made, because she couldn’t devote the time and attention somebody like that needed in her life. Not when all she could think about was him.

The worst part is that once he’s long gone again, back up north, she’s feeling that hollow feeling again. Feeling upset that he didn’t seek her out, didn’t come see her. Even though she knew what an unmitigated disaster that would’ve been, the horrible, rotten part of her wanted it. Of course it wanted it. Two years and her skin still itched for him like an addict longing to be in the throes of fullblown relapse. But he didn’t track her down, call, or text, and that was that. Her only run-in with him involves a party flyer papered on a wall, his name in big stylized letters as the headlining DJ at the club. She stares at that flyer for a little too long, it burns itself in her eye like she’d looked at the sun for too long. And then she does the worst thing she could probably do, go on instagram. Only to find he has a new girlfriend. A brunette with tattoos who looked fun and flirty and everything she had been all those years ago.

That was the last tip of the scale. She reactivates her Tinder, finds some half okay looking guy, makes plans to meet him that night. It’s terrifying, so terrifying going through with, but she gets sufficiently drunk, then high on top of that, and goes through with it. Thinking of another boy’s name the entire time, his face, his body, hands and all the rest. Twelve hours later she’s leaving his apartment, no longer the nun of two years she’d become and feeling shitty about that on top of everything else. It was probably time to go see Karen again she thinks, smoking a cigarette under the sun that melts her while waiting for her Uber home. Thanks friends, thanks family, I’ve made terrific process with all your help and am now back to square one. Thanks for everything.  

Maybe in a decade’s time. 

Maybe she’d be over it by then.  

#billie eilish and her new album sponsored this para #literally billie wrote this song for emma i die #did i have his s.para tucked away for 2 whole years because i was too lazy to finish it? yup #emma #self para #self para: emma #npc: tomo slater

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (10.28-11.3.20):

NEW MUSIC:

nothing,nowhere. released a new track and music video titled “Blood,” featuring KennyHoopla and JUDGE. The single is the latest in a series of songs he has dropped this year, including “Pretend” and “Lights 4444.”

Hayley Williams announced the release of new EP Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades. The three-track release will include acoustic versions of “Simmer” and “Why We Ever,” as well as a new track titled “Find Me Here.”

Against the Current released a brand new single titled “That Won't Save Us.” The song marks the band's first new music since their 2018 album Past Lives.

Grandson and Fever 333 covered two tracks from Linkin Park's debut album Hybrid Theory in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The former covered “One Step Closer” while the latter covered “In the End,” respectively.

Dream State dropped a brand new single titled “Monsters,” which premiered on BBC Radio 1. Additionally, the band announced the amicable departure of drummer Jamie Lee.

The Maine recorded a cover version of Harry Styles' hit song “Watermelon Sugar.” They posted the surprise cover last Thursday, tweeting it alongside the hashtag “Harryween.”

ONE OK ROCK shared a new live recording of their song “The Beginning.” The new version was recorded during their recent “Eye of the Storm” Tour.

Cane Hill released a brand new single titled “Power of the High.” The track premiered on Radio 1 recently and is their first new heavy material in two years.

VUKOVI made a triumphant return with their new single “Slo.” The band will also be releasing their debut album on vinyl for the very first time.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Download Festival announced 17 new bands for their 2021 lineup, including Boston Manor, Salem and Northlane. As previously announced, the event will be headlined by KISS, Biffy Clyro and System of a Down.

Fall Out Boy performed during a special musical livestream tribute to the classic cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Other performers included the Dresden Dolls, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, comedian Rachel Bloom and original cast member Tim Curry.

PVRIS announced a new livestream show celebrating their 2014 debut album White Noise. The band will perform the record in full during a special show on November 21.

OTHER NEWS:

My Chemical Romance’s song “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” has been certified gold in the United Kingdom. This marks the band's third biggest selling single in the UK behind “Teenagers” and “Welcome to the Black Parade,” which are both platinum.

Biffy Clyro announced a portion of earnings from their current single “Space” are going toward supporting the arts organization, Create. Create will be the beneficiary charity from digital downloads of the single, as well as providing an accompanying T-shirt.

I Don’t Know How but They Found Me announced details of a new fan art project, asking fans to submit artwork, images or video based on the lyrics to the song “Leave Me Alone.” Submissions will be selected at random to feature in a new lyric video for the track.

Ice Nine Kills announced the details of a new graphic novel titled Inked in Blood. The book is set to be released early next year and is available for pre-order now.

Twenty One Pilots' 2013 single “House of Gold” was certified silver in the United Kingdom. The track can be found on Vessel, which is currently certified gold.

After much teasing, Palaye Royale revealed that their graphic novel, The Bastards Vol.01, will be released on December 12. The band offered a glimpse into what the book looks like on social media.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

#sage haley #posi talk #nothing nowhere #Hayley Williams #fall out boy #my chemical romance #twenty one pilots #palaye royale #idkhow #against the current #pvris #grandson #fever 333 #dream state #the maine #one ok rock #cane hill #vukovi #biffy clyro #ice nine kills

[path-of-my-childhood]

Taylor Swift: ‘I was literally about to break’

By: Laura Snapes for The Guardian Date: August 24th 2019

Taylor Swift’s Nashville apartment is an Etsy fever dream, a 365-days-a-year Christmas shop, pure teenage girl id. You enter through a vestibule clad in blue velvet and covered in gilt frames bursting with fake flowers. The ceiling is painted like the night sky. Above a koi pond in the living area, a narrow staircase spirals six feet up towards a giant, pillow-lagged birdcage that probably has the best view in the city. Later, Swift will tell me she needs metaphors “to understand anything that happens to me”, and the birdcage defies you not to interpret it as a pointed comment on the contradictions of stardom.

Swift, wearing pale jeans and dip-dyed shirt, her sandy hair tied in a blue scrunchie, leads the way up the staircase to show me the view. The decor hasn’t changed since she bought this place in 2009, when she was 19. “All of these high rises are new since then,” she says, gesturing at the squat glass structures and cranes. Meanwhile her oven is still covered in stickers, more teenage diary than adult appliance.

Now 29, she has spent much of the past three years living quietly in London with her boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, making the penthouse a kind of time capsule, a monument to youthful naivety given an unlimited budget – the years when she sang about Romeo and Juliet and wore ballgowns to awards shows; before she moved to New York and honed her slick, self-mythologising pop.

It is mid-August. This is Swift’s first UK interview in more than three years, and she seems nervous: neither presidential nor goofy (her usual defaults), but quick with a tongue-out “ugh” of regret or frustration as she picks at her glittery purple nails. We climb down from the birdcage to sit by the pond, and when the conversation turns to 2016, the year the wheels came off for her, Swift stiffens as if driving over a mile of speed bumps. After a series of bruising public spats (with Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj) in 2015, there was a high-profile standoff with Kanye West. The news that she was in a relationship with actor Tom Hiddleston, which leaked soon after, was widely dismissed as a diversionary tactic. Meanwhile, Swift went to court to prosecute a sexual assault claim, and faced a furious backlash when she failed to endorse a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, allowing the alt-right to adopt her as their “Aryan princess”.

Her critics assumed she cared only about the bottom line. The reality, Swift says, is that she was totally broken. “Every domino fell,” she says bitterly. “It became really terrifying for anyone to even know where I was. And I felt completely incapable of doing or saying anything publicly, at all. Even about my music. I always said I wouldn’t talk about what was happening personally, because that was a personal time.” She won’t get into specifics. “I just need some things that are mine,” she despairs. “Just some things.”

A year later, in 2017, Swift released her album Reputation, half high-camp heel turn, drawing on hip-hop and vaudeville (the brilliantly hammy Look What You Made Me Do), half stunned appreciation that her nascent relationship with Alwyn had weathered the storm (the soft, sensual pop of songs Delicate and Dress).

Her new album, Lover, her seventh, was released yesterday. It’s much lighter than Reputation: Swift likens writing it to feeling like “I could take a full deep breath again”. Much of it is about Alwyn: the Galway Girl-ish track London Boy lists their favourite city haunts and her newfound appreciation of watching rugby in the pub with his uni mates; on the ruminative Afterglow, she asks him to forgive her anxious tendency to assume the worst.

While she has always written about relationships, they were either teenage fantasy or a postmortem on a high-profile breakup, with exes such as Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles. But she and Alwyn have seldom been pictured together, and their relationship is the only other thing she won’t talk about. “I’ve learned that if I do, people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion,” she says, laughing after I attempt a stealthy angle. “If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it – but it’s just that it goes out into the world. That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”

Instead, she has swapped personal disclosure for activism. Last August, Swift broke her political silence to endorse Democratic Tennessee candidate Phil Bredesen in the November 2018 senate race. Vote.org reported an unprecedented spike in voting registration after Swift’s Instagram post, while Donald Trump responded that he liked her music “about 25% less now”.

Meanwhile, her recent single You Need To Calm Down admonished homophobes and namechecked US LGBTQ rights organisation Glaad (which then saw increased donations). Swift filled her video with cameos from queer stars such as Ellen DeGeneres and Queen singer Adam Lambert, and capped it with a call to sign her petition in support of the Equality Act, which if passed would prohibit gender- and sexuality-based discrimination in the US. A video of Polish LGBTQ fans miming the track in defiance of their government’s homophobic agenda went viral. But Swift was accused of “queerbaiting” and bandwagon-jumping. You can see how she might find it hard to work out what, exactly, people want from her.

***

It was girlhood that made Swift a multimillionaire. When country music’s gatekeepers swore that housewives were the only women interested in the genre, she proved them wrong. Her self-titled debut marked the longest stay on the Billboard 200 by any album released in the decade. A potentially cloying image – corkscrew curls, lyrics thick on “daddy” and down-home values – were undercut by the fact she was evidently, endearingly, a bit of a freak, an unusual combination of intensity and artlessness. Also, she was really, really good at what she did, and not just for a teenager: her entirely self-written third album, 2010’s Speak Now, is unmatched in its devastatingly withering dismissals of awful men.

As a teenager, Swift was obsessed with VH1’s Behind The Music, the series devoted to the rise and fall of great musicians. She would forensically rewatch episodes, trying to pinpoint the moment a career went wrong. I ask her to imagine she’s watching the episode about herself and do the same thing: where was her misstep? “Oh my God,” she says, drawing a deep breath and letting her lips vibrate as she exhales. “I mean, that’s so depressing!” She thinks back and tries to deflect. “What I remember is that [the show] was always like, ‘Then we started fighting in the tour bus and then the drummer quit and the guitarist was like, “You’re not paying me enough.”’’’

But that’s not what she used to say. In interviews into her early 20s, Swift often observed that an artist fails when they lose their self-awareness, as if repeating the fact would work like an insurance against succumbing to the same fate. But did she make that mistake herself? She squeezes her nose and blows to clear a ringing in her ears before answering. “I definitely think that sometimes you don’t realise how you’re being perceived,” she says. “Pop music can feel like it’s The Hunger Games, and like we’re gladiators. And you can really lose focus of the fact that that’s how it feels because that’s how a lot of stan [fan] Twitter and tabloids and blogs make it seem – the overanalysing of everything makes it feel really intense.”

She describes the way she burned bridges in 2016 as a kind of obliviousness. “I didn’t realise it was like a classic overthrow of someone in power – where you didn’t realise the whispers behind your back, you didn’t realise the chain reaction of events that was going to make everything fall apart at the exact, perfect time for it to fall apart.”

Here’s that chain reaction in full. With her 2014 album 1989 (the year she was born), Swift transcended country stardom, becoming as ubiquitous as Beyoncé. For the first time she vocally embraced feminism, something she had rejected in her teens; but, after a while, it seemed to amount to not much more than a lot of pictures of her hanging out with her “squad”, a bevy of supermodels, musicians and Lena Dunham. The squad very much did not include her former friend Katy Perry, whom Swift targeted in her song Bad Blood, as part of what seemed like a painfully overblown dispute about some backing dancers. Then, when Nicki Minaj tweeted that MTV’s 2015 Video Music awards had rewarded white women at the expense of women of colour, multiple-nominee Swift took it personally, responding: “Maybe one of the men took your slot.” For someone prone to talking about the haters, she quickly became her own worst enemy.

Her old adversary Kanye West resurfaced in February 2016. In 2009, West had invaded Swift’s stage at the MTV VMAs to protest against her victory over Beyoncé in the female video of the year category. It remains the peak of interest in Swift on Google Trends, and the conflict between them has become such a cornerstone of celebrity journalism that it’s hard to remember it lay dormant for nearly seven years – until West released his song Famous. “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex,” he rapped. “Why? I made that bitch famous.” The video depicted a Swift mannequin naked in bed with men including Trump.

Swift loudly condemned both; although she had discussed the track with West, she said she had never agreed to the “bitch” lyric or the video. West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, released a heavily edited clip that showed Swift at least agreeing to the “sex” line on the phone with West, if not the “bitch” part. Swift pleaded the technicality, but it made no difference: when Kardashian went on Twitter to describe her as a snake, the comparison stuck and the singer found herself very publicly “cancelled” – the incident taken as “proof” of Swift’s insincerity. So she went away.

Swift says she stopped trying to explain herself, even though she “definitely” could have. As she worked on Reputation, she was also writing “a think-piece a day that I knew I would never publish: the stuff I would say, and the different facets of the situation that nobody knew”. If she could exonerate herself, why didn’t she? She leans forward. “Here’s why,” she says conspiratorially. “Because when people are in a hate frenzy and they find something to mutually hate together, it bonds them. And anything you say is in an echo chamber of mockery.”

She compares that year to being hit by a tidal wave. “You can either stand there and let the wave crash into you, and you can try as hard as you can to fight something that’s more powerful and bigger than you,” she says. “Or you can dive under the water, hold your breath, wait for it to pass and while you’re down there, try to learn something. Why was I in that part of the ocean? There were clearly signs that said: Rip tide! Undertow! Don’t swim! There are no lifeguards!” She’s on a roll. “Why was I there? Why was I trusting people I trusted? Why was I letting people into my life the way I was letting them in? What was I doing that caused this?”

After the incident with Minaj, her critics started pointing out a narrative of “white victimhood” in Swift’s career. Speaking slowly and carefully, she says she came to understand “a lot about how my privilege allowed me to not have to learn about white privilege. I didn’t know about it as a kid, and that is privilege itself, you know? And that’s something that I’m still trying to educate myself on every day. How can I see where people are coming from, and understand the pain that comes with the history of our world?”

She also accepts some responsibility for her overexposure, and for some of the tabloid drama. If she didn’t wish a friend happy birthday on Instagram, there would be reports about severed friendships, even if they had celebrated together. “Because we didn’t post about it, it didn’t happen – and I realised I had done that,” she says. “I created an expectation that everything in my life that happened, people would see.”

But she also says she couldn’t win. “I’m kinda used to being gaslit by now,” she drawls wearily. “And I think it happens to women so often that, as we get older and see how the world works, we’re able to see through what is gaslighting. So I’m able to look at 1989 and go – KITTIES!” She breaks off as an assistant walks in with Swift’s three beloved cats, stars of her Instagram feed, back from the vet before they fly to England this week. Benjamin, Olivia and Meredith haughtily circle our feet (they are scared of the koi) as Swift resumes her train of thought, back to the release of 1989 and the subsequent fallout. “Oh my God, they were mad at me for smiling a lot and quote-unquote acting fake. And then they were mad at me that I was upset and bitter and kicking back.” The rules kept changing.

***

Swift’s new album comes with printed excerpts from her diaries. On 29 August 2016, she wrote in her girlish, bubble writing: “This summer is the apocalypse.” As the incident with West and Kardashian unfolded, she was preparing for her court case against radio DJ David Mueller, who was fired in 2013 after Swift reported him for putting his hand up her dress at a meet-and–greet event. He sued her for defamation; she countersued for sexual assault.

“Having dealt with a few of them, narcissists basically subscribe to a belief system that they should be able to do and say whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want to,” Swift says now, talking at full pelt. “And if we – as anyone else in the world, but specifically women – react to that, well, we’re not allowed to. We’re not allowed to have a reaction to their actions.”

In summer 2016 she was in legal depositions, practising her testimony. “You’re supposed to be really polite to everyone,” she says. But by the time she got to court in August 2017, “something snapped, I think”. She laughs. Her testimony was sharp and uncompromising. She refused to allow Mueller’s lawyers to blame her or her security guards; when asked if she could see the incident, Swift said no, because “my ass is in the back of my body”. It was a brilliant, rude defence.

“You’re supposed to behave yourself in court and say ‘rear end’,” she says with mock politesse. “The other lawyer was saying, ‘When did he touch your backside?’ And I was like, ‘ASS! Call it what it is!’” She claps between each word. But despite the acclaim for her testimony and eventual victory (she asked for one symbolic dollar), she still felt belittled. It was two months prior to the beginning of the #MeToo movement. “Even this case was literally twisted so hard that people were calling it the ‘butt-grab case’. They were saying I sued him because there’s this narrative that I want to sue everyone. That was one of the reasons why the summer was the apocalypse.”

She never wanted the assault to be made public. Have there been other instances she has dealt with privately? “Actually, no,” she says soberly. “I’m really lucky that it hadn’t happened to me before. But that was one of the reasons it was so traumatising. I just didn’t know that could happen. It was really brazen, in front of seven people.” She has since had security cameras installed at every meet-and-greet she does, deliberately pointed at her lower half. “If something happens again, we can prove it with video footage from every angle,” she says.

The allegations about Harvey Weinstein came out soon after she won her case. The film producer had asked her to write a song for the romantic comedy One Chance, which earned her second Golden Globe nomination. Weinstein also got her a supporting role in the 2014 sci-fi movie The Giver, and attended the launch party for 1989. But she says they were never alone together.

“He’d call my management and be like, ‘Does she have a song for this film?’ And I’d be like, ‘Here it is,’” she says dispassionately. “And then I’d be at the Golden Globes. I absolutely never hung out. And I would get a vibe – I would never vouch for him. I believe women who come forward, I believe victims who come forward, I believe men who come forward.” Swift inhales, flustered. She says Weinstein never propositioned her. “If you listen to the stories, he picked people who were vulnerable, in his opinion. It seemed like it was a power thing. So, to me, that doesn’t say anything – that I wasn’t in that situation.”

Meanwhile, Donald Trump was more than nine months into his presidency, and still Swift had not taken a position. But the idea that a pop star could ever have impeded his path to the White House seemed increasingly naive. In hindsight, the demand that Swift speak up looks less about politics and more about her identity (white, rich, powerful) and a moralistic need for her to redeem herself – as if nobody else had ever acted on a vindictive instinct, or blundered publicly.

But she resisted what might have been an easy return to public favour. Although Reputation contained softer love songs, it was better known for its brittle, vengeful side (see This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things). She describes that side of the album now as a “bit of a persona”, and its hip-hop-influenced production as “a complete defence mechanism”. Personally, I thought she had never been more relatable, trashing the contract of pious relatability that traps young women in the public eye.

***

It was the assault trial, and watching the rights of LGBTQ friends be eroded, that finally politicised her, Swift says. “The things that happen to you in your life are what develop your political opinions. I was living in this Obama eight-year paradise of, you go, you cast your vote, the person you vote for wins, everyone’s happy!” she says. “This whole thing, the last three, four years, it completely blindsided a lot of us, me included.”

She recently said she was “dismayed” when a friend pointed out that her position on gay rights wasn’t obvious (what if she had a gay son, he asked), hence this summer’s course correction with the single You Need To Calm Down (“You’re comin’ at my friends like a missile/Why are you mad?/When you could be GLAAD?”). Didn’t she feel equally dismayed that her politics weren’t clear? “I did,” she insists, “and I hate to admit this, but I felt that I wasn’t educated enough on it. Because I hadn’t actively tried to learn about politics in a way that I felt was necessary for me, making statements that go out to hundreds of millions of people.”

She explains her inner conflict. “I come from country music. The number one thing they absolutely drill into you as a country artist, and you can ask any other country artist this, is ‘Don’t be like the Dixie Chicks!’” In 2003, the Texan country trio denounced the Iraq war, saying they were “ashamed” to share a home state with George W Bush. There was a boycott, and an event where a bulldozer crushed their CDs. “I watched country music snuff that candle out. The most amazing group we had, just because they talked about politics. And they were getting death threats. They were made such an example that basically every country artist that came after that, every label tells you, ‘Just do not get involved, no matter what.’

“And then, you know, if there was a time for me to get involved…” Swift pauses. “The worst part of the timing of what happened in 2016 was I felt completely voiceless. I just felt like, oh God, who would want me? Honestly.” She would otherwise have endorsed Hillary Clinton? “Of course,” she says sincerely. “I just felt completely, ugh, just useless. And maybe even like a hindrance.”

I suggest that, thinking selfishly, her coming out for Clinton might have made people like her. “I wasn’t thinking like that,” she stresses. “I was just trying to protect my mental health – not read the news very much, go cast my vote, tell people to vote. I just knew what I could handle and I knew what I couldn’t. I was literally about to break. For a while.” Did she seek therapy? “That stuff I just really wanna keep personal, if that’s OK,” she says.

She resists blaming anyone else for her political silence. Her emergence as a Democrat came after she left Big Machine, the label she signed to at 15. (They are now at loggerheads after label head Scott Borchetta sold the company, and the rights to Swift’s first six albums, to Kanye West’s manager, Scooter Braun.) Had Borchetta ever advised her against speaking out? She exhales. “It was just me and my life, and also doing a lot of self-reflection about how I did feel really remorseful for not saying anything. I wanted to try and help in any way that I could, the next time I got a chance. I didn’t help, I didn’t feel capable of it – and as soon as I can, I’m going to.”

Swift was once known for throwing extravagant 4 July parties at her Rhode Island mansion. The Instagram posts from these star-studded events – at which guests wore matching stars-and-stripes bikinis and onesies – probably supported a significant chunk of the celebrity news industry GDP. But in 2017, they stopped. “The horror!” wrote Cosmopolitan, citing “reasons that remain a mystery” for their disappearance. It wasn’t “squad” strife or the unavailability of matching cozzies that brought the parties to an end, but Swift’s disillusionment with her country, she says.

There is a smart song about this on the new album – the track that should have been the first single, instead of the cartoonish ME!. Miss Americana And The Heartbreak Prince is a forlorn, gothic ballad in the vein of Lana Del Rey that uses high-school imagery to dismantle American nationalism: “The whole school is rolling fake dice/You play stupid games/You win stupid prizes,” she sings with disdain. “Boys will be boys then/Where are the wise men?”

As an ambitious 11-year-old, she worked out that singing the national anthem at sports games was the quickest way to get in front of a large audience. When did she start feeling conflicted about what America stands for? She gives another emphatic ugh. “It was the fact that all the dirtiest tricks in the book were used and it worked,” she says. “The thing I can’t get over right now is gaslighting the American public into being like” – she adopts a sanctimonious tone – “‘If you hate the president, you hate America.’ We’re a democracy – at least, we’re supposed to be – where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate.” She doesn’t use Trump’s name. “I really think that he thinks this is an autocracy.”

As we speak, Tennessee lawmakers are trying to impose a near-total ban on abortion. Swift has staunchly defended her “Tennessee values” in recent months. What’s her position? “I mean, obviously, I’m pro-choice, and I just can’t believe this is happening,” she says. She looks close to tears. “I can’t believe we’re here. It’s really shocking and awful. And I just wanna do everything I can for 2020. I wanna figure out exactly how I can help, what are the most effective ways to help. ’Cause this is just…” She sighs again. “This is not it.”

***

It is easy to forget that the point of all this is that a teenage Taylor Swiftwanted to write love songs. Nemeses and negativity are now so entrenched in her public persona that it’s hard to know how she can get back to that, though she seems to want to. At the end of Daylight, the new album’s dreamy final song, there’s a spoken-word section: “I want to be defined by the things that I love,” she says as the music fades. “Not the things that I hate, not the things I’m afraid of, the things that haunt me in the middle of the night.” As well as the songs written for Alwyn, there is one for her mother, who recently experienced a cancer relapse: “You make the best of a bad deal/I just pretend it isn’t real,” Swift sings, backed by the Dixie Chicks.

How does writing about her personal life work if she’s setting clearer boundaries? “It actually made me feel more free,” she says. “I’ve always had this habit of never really going into detail about exactly what situation inspired what thing, but even more so now.” This is only half true: in the past, Swift wasn’t shy of a level of detail that invited fans to figure out specific truths about her relationships. And when I tell her that Lover feels a more emotionally guarded album, she bristles. “I know the difference between making art and living your life like a reality star,” she says. “And then even if it’s hard for other people to grasp, my definition is really clear.”

Even so, Swift begins Lover by addressing an adversary, opening with a song called I Forgot That You Existed (“it isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference”), presumably aimed at Kanye West, a track that slightly defeats its premise by existing. But it sweeps aside old dramas to confront Swift’s real nemesis, herself. “I never grew up/It’s getting so old,” she laments on The Archer.

She has had to learn not to pre-empt disaster, nor to run from it. Her life has been defined by relationships, friendships and business relationships that started and ended very publicly (though she and Perry are friends again). At the same time, the rules around celebrity engagement have evolved beyond recognition in her 15 years of fame. Rather than trying to adapt to them, she’s now asking herself: “How do you learn to maintain? How do you learn not to have these phantom disasters in your head that you play out, and how do you stop yourself from sabotage – because the panic mechanism in your brain is telling you that something must go wrong.” For her, this is what growing up is. “You can’t just make cut-and-dry decisions in life. A lot of things are a negotiation and a grey area and a dance of how to figure it out.”

And so this time, Swift is sticking around. In December she will turn 30, marking the point after which more than half her life will have been lived in public. She’ll start her new decade with a stronger self-preservationist streak, and a looser grip (as well as a cameo in Cats). “You can’t micromanage life, it turns out,” she says, drily.

When Swift finally answered my question about the moment she would choose in the VH1 Behind The Music episode about herself, the one where her career turned, she said she hoped it wouldn’t focus on her “apocalypse” summer of 2016. “Maybe this is wishful thinking,” she said, “but I’d like to think it would be in a couple of years.” It’s funny to hear her hope that the worst is still to come while sitting in her fairytale living room, the cats pacing: a pragmatist at odds with her romantic monument to teenage dreams. But it sounds something like perspective.

#taylor swift #interview #by taylor #the guardian #lover era #lover album #not sure how I feel about the interviewer's approach...there's a lot of irony in it #but a fun read for us nonetheless

[kinomiakai]

Fic Decade in Review!

I thought I’d do something a little different this year - so, instead of going over all the fics I’ve written this year, let’s talk about this decade! They’re all SNS (except for the original stuff I’ll throw in there for the sake of accuracy) and will be under the cut :)

If you want to check out the actual summaries and stuff, this is my fanfiction.net account, here is my ao3, and here’s all my original work!

2010:

August: Konoha’s Number One (a dramatic dark!naruto thing that I only keep up to show that I’ve grown as a writer oh my god please don’t read it I’m just putting it here for the sake of honesty ajkhdksa)

2011:

...whoops

2012:

August: Alcohol Induced (my first ever attempt at smut)

September: Perceptual Organization (my attempt to both study and write fic)

October: Worthless (my only ever attempt at first person)

2013:

...uh

2014:

nope

2015:

we’re getting there

2016: (we take off!!)

October: How To Break a Mask is finished after 10 years (whoops), and I get an ao3 account!!! (HtBaM, Alcohol Induced, Perceptual Organization & Worthless are moved there - in the interest of time I’m only going to put ao3 links from now on but everything is also on ff.net!)

Still October: Both Name? and Strictly Professional are posted!

November: Home and The Jutsu are posted! (what the heck I wrote so fast back then???

2016 + prior word count total: 88,285!

2017:

January: I post Sleepless and Miscommunication and Masquerade! Woooo!

September: Posted both The Bet and Can’t Stand You! Can y’all tell I was trying to get better at smut lmao

October: Speaking of smut, Stress Relief was posted this month :D

December: I pause writing Enter Naruto to write Rebuilding in like a week like some sort of fever dream, and somehow have it ready for sns month! (I think this was a big turning point ksjdhkshf)

2017 Word count total: 60,784!

2018:

January: I post the first chapter of The Birthday Chronicles! (which was originally supposed to be a oneshot, oops)

February: I immediately follow it up with the prequel, The Present

April: I post Long Enough! which is definitely long enough to not be a oneshot but is the first fic I genuinely couldn’t bring myself to break into chapters

May: I update The Birthday Chronicles with another chapter that kinda sorta maybe stands alone?

June: I post Unnoticed!! Nice to be back in canon :)

July: I post Some Nights are a Storm! The first time I’ve wildly rewritten a fic. You guys are nice enough to want to read the first draft, too :)

July (again) to August: I start posting Enter Naruto on Sasuke’s birthday! I post a chapter a day and you guys read along and it’s amazing. It’s a culmination of at least two years work and every bit was worth it, I have such fond memories of that :) (A whole bunch of firsts here - writing Sasuke’s parents, writing Kakairu, writing slowburn, writing this MUCH, writing that many smut scenes, writing consistently over a long period of time)

September: I try my hand at one of my favourite tropes in (6+1) Times :) Also the first time I’ve ever written them as kids!

October: I post the third bit of The Birthday Chronicles!

November: I write Online for one tumblr prompt and A Night of Poor Choices for another!

December: I give a christmas gift to all my readers in the form of ‘Tis the Season (and I made a hard deadline!! Woohoo!)

2018 word count total: 203,850!!!! (lmao thanks Enter Naruto)

2019:

January: uhhhhh Under Pressure just kind of happens

February: I write C’mon in a burst of speed in the hopes of cheering up a very sweet anon!

March: we’re back in canon again for a flame, a cave and a feeling!

April: I fiiinnnaaalllly get around to write that Proposal x Wedding prompt and I take lots of liberties with tradition in Reborn by Flame!

June: I finally start posting Something Good! And you guys are all so sweet, even when I make you cry. (Definitely a sadder fic then I generally post, but I’m so glad you came along with me for the ride!) - /// - I also make a patreon and start posting my original work for the first time ever - starting with Some Sort of Feeling!

July: we celebrate Sasuke’s birthday to his unending annoyance in Sasuke’s “Not a Birthday Party” Birthday Party! - /// - (July’s patreon fic is The Worst Date Ever!!)

August: I give you guys a teaser & give a lovely anon a oneshot they requested in the form of Bite Me! (it’s gotten so long now friends. there’s so much happening please help) - /// - I also finally post a wlw fic on my patron as 🍀 (the girl from the bus stop)

September: I post Waiting for an Answer, based off an idea I had yeaaarrrsss ago! - /// - (Similarly, on patreon, I post The Woodcutter and The Witch, set in the world I’ve been thinking about for absolute ages!!)

October: I spend a whole bunch of way too late hours in a haze writing A Hostage Situation until somehow a fic just kind of morphs out of it

November: I finally get to share Moments, the piece I did for @eclipsed-zine​! I also post Undeniable, linking all my fics together :) - /// - On patreon I make up for last month by posting chapter 1 & chapter 2 of my long-term project: The Forest!

December: I forgo the christmas present in favour of making your yuletide gay with The Best Best Man! I get to finally write some proper inosaku in :D - /// - I post chapter 3 of the Forest on patreon, and my patreons vote for their christmas gift to be chapter 4 :D <3

2019 word count total: 137,965 of fanfic & 40,100 words of original content!

Stats of the decade: 39 fics - 539,984 words!

I’ll try to beat it in the next ten years :) Thanks for being part of my life, guys! It’s really been awesome to be able to invest myself into writing like this. I hope I can bring you all even more happiness in the next few years!

#kinomi talks #fic year in review #fic decade in review #fics #sns #I normally post summaries and stuff #but I thought it'd be fun to make this a little more reflective #you guys like it!!! #ep3otp #mywriting #writing stuff #long post #text post

[lexthemondo]

Musical Mondays

Greetings and Salutations,

It is the first official Musical Monday! Woo-hoo! Cue the confetti and party music (Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus is acceptable). Now, my layout will be a bit odd, so I’m going to take the time to explain it this one time and that’ll be all as far as the actual posts themselves go, however, you are always welcome to message me if you’re confused about anything! 

I will first name and give a brief description (serious Lex mode) of every artist mentioned as well as their social media information in case you would like to see more of them. After that, I will talk about specific songs since a lot of you probably are not looking for complete albums. I will then go into recent album drops, or my absolute favorites, that I loved. This is when I drop the “serious Lex mode” and act a little silly while gushing about the music. I will not be doing this for individual songs, instead, I will be doing a rating system! 

The ratings will range from 1 through 5, with 1 being the most calming and 5 being more upbeat and fun. I think this will be easier when categorizing the individual songs themselves just so I don’t end up writing an essay about every song on the list. Plus, the artist summary should clue you in on their general aesthetic and groove. 

I will note, however, that some artists will either have shorter bios or none at all for the simple fact that I cannot find any information outside of their music. For example, in this post, we have a SoundCloud artist that is very small and does not have the same fanbase as the others on the list do. I just briefly stated that he does not have much information about him, but I know he is releasing an EP soon. Now with all the boring stuff out of the way, lets jam out. 

Some of these artists have completely taken over my playlist, and I have no idea how I survived without them before, while others have held a special place in my heart for years. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and please go send them some love by clicking on the links to their social media accounts.

Thanks

Lex

Artists:

Cigarettes After Sex

Cigarettes After Sex is an American Dream Pop band from El Paso, Texas. The group consists of lead singer/ songwriter, Greg Gonzalez who founded the band in 2008. Gonzalez, over the years, has also brought upon the help of keyboard player Josh Marcus, bassist Randy Miller, and drummer Jacob Tomsky. The group is known for its dream-like sound, ethereal vibe, and Gonzalez’s “androgynous” voice. The band’s first EP I. was released in 2012, with their single Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby being a huge commercial hit. In 2015, the band released their single Affection, and two years later their self-titled album dropped. In August of this year, the group then announced their new album Cry was announced as well as the released of their solo song Heavenly. The album was released on October 25, 2019.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Brent Faiyaz

Christopher Brent Wood, or better known as Brent Faiyaz, is an American singer and producer from Columbia, Maryland. However, Faiyaz moved to Charlotte, South Carolina, and then ultimately to Los Angeles, California to further his music career. January 19, 2015, he released his debut single Allure followed by the release of his song, and lead single on his EP A.M. Paradox released in 2016, Invite Me. In October of 2016, Faiyaz along with producers Dpat and Atu formed a group called Sonder, releasing their debut single Too Fast on October 25, 2016. December 16, 2016, Faiyaz was a featured artist on Goldlink’s song Crew, alongside fellow rapper Sly Grizzly. This is Faiyaz’s most known song and has gained him a lot of success.  

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Kyle Dion

Kyle Dion is an American R&B singer from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dion began making music back in 2013 with the release of his song Better. After which he released a cover of Frank Ocean’s song Thinking About You which boosted his popularity. His first EP dropped in 2014 gaining over 1.6 million plays, which ultimately gained Dion a loyal fanbase. This only furthered his passion, and in 2016 he dropped his EP Painting Sounds. All of this success has led up to the release of his debut album SUGA dropping in March of this year. According to The Fader, “The funk-infused album takes listeners on a journey of self-discovery, love and timeless nostalgia all through the eyes of Dion's alter ego, Suga, as he grapples with fame and battles his inner demons.”

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

LilBootyCall

Michael Bocanegra, or better known by his stage name, Lilbootycall, or “Call” for short, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. He is most known for his viral 2016 single Sailor Moon, but his first track Aquafina was released earlier that same year. Call’s next song Yugioh was released in January of 2017 along with Butterfly, Cigarettes, 330i, and First Date. In 2018, Honey and Oj in My Gucci Bag were dropped, and Call was featured in songs such as So Pink with Lil Weeb as well as Brokenheart with Cloud123. Earlier this year, his song with Cuco and Kwe$t, 777, dropped and amassed over 200,000 views within the first 2 months. 

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Flower Face

Flower Face is a solo project by Canadian, Ruby McKinnon. McKinnon has been writing and producing music since she was 14, and in 2013 she released her first studio album Every Part of You That’s Left in Me. McKinnon wrote and produced this in her basement within 2 months. In 2014, her next album Homesick followed by the Funeral Kid EP. April 5, 2016, McKinnon released her next album Fever Dreams dropped leading into her next album Baby Teeth dropping in 2018. Flower Face has since released two singles Ruth and Bedhead this year.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Noire

Noire is a “reverb-heavy blues” band from Brisbane, Australia comprised of Billy James, Jessica Mincher, Thom Eagleton, Tom Hogland, and Mashara Wachjudy. They released their first single Baby Blue back in 2015. A couple of years later in 2017, the group dropped their single Real Cool from their album Some Kind of Blue.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Xavier Gibson

Though I could not find a biography on out dude Xavier, here’s his Spotify biography, “Finding solace through music.” I do know, from his Instagram, however, that he has an EP in the works titled Warm Distortion. A release date has not been disclosed, but it is coming and I am so excited. I apologize for the lack of useful information for Xavier, but hopefully, we can find out more next time he pop-ups on Monday. Again, my apologies. 

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Lolo  Zouaï

Born in Paris, France Lolo Zouaï immigrated to San Francisco, California with her family as a child. She is well known for blending classical styles of French crooners with Arab influence from her father's Algerian roots She’s most known for her debut single High Highs to Low Lows released back in late 2017. She has since followed up her success with various singles and music videos. Lolo released her EP Ocean Beach in 2019, as well as her first studio album High Highs to Low Lows that same year. Her most recent work is a single titled, Money, Diamonds, Roses.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez’s claim to fame from the singing-competition television show The Voice back in 2012. She has since taken over the music industry with her alternative pop music, creative lyrics, and overall aesthetic. She released her first EP Dollhouse, which ultimately leads to her first studio album Crybaby in 2015. The album follows the life of our main protagonist Crybaby and her dysfunctional family life and emotional troubles. Her most recent album/movie K-12 furthers this storyline more, which is highlighted in the movie, by following Crybaby and her troubles in school since she does not fit in. Martinez touches on eating disorders, problems within American school systems, friendships, and first love.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Wale

Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, or Wale, is a Nigerian–American rapper from Washington D.C. He made his initial impact with his number Dig Dug and signed a contract with a local label called Studio 43. Dig Dug was featured on his first mixtape Paint a Picture, which was widely received. This was followed by his second EP Hate is the New Love. In July 2007, he released his third mixtape 100 Miles & Running, as well as his single Good Girls. His fourth EP The Mixtape About Nothing was released in 2008. Wale released his debut album Attention Deficit in November 2009. The album reached the 21st spot on the Billboard 200 list and sold over 28 thousand copies within a week. His sixth mixtape More About Nothing was released in August 2010, and his second album Ambition was released in the fall of 2011. It was followed by a promotional mixtape titled The Eleven One Eleven Theory that went viral. His third album, The Gifted, and his fourth album, The Album About Nothing, were released in 2013 and 2015. He released his fifth album Shine in April 2017. His most recent single, On Chill featuring Jeremiah, has been massively successful.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Alina Baraz

Alina Baraz is a first-generation Ukranian-American singer/ songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio. She wrote her first song titled Roses Dipped in Gold, released on April 15, 2013, in the Lounge Masters Vibes collection series.After moving to Los Angelas, Baraz discovered Danish producer Galimatias and fell in love with his sound. After posting a song she wrote called Drift in 2013 with Galimatias’ instrumentals, the two came in contact and became good friends. The duo created the EP Urban Flora by sending each other music through Facebook. Though it was originally posted on Soundcloud, it blew up after getting a commercial license through Ultra Music. Baraz's first solo single Electric featuring Khalid was released on January 20, 2017. This song will also be seen on her second EP The Color of You in 2018.  Baraz released two singles titled Lavender and Velvet and Buzzin in 2017. Her latest release is a single titled To Me which dropped in September of this year.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Samm Henshaw

Iniabasi Samuel Henshaw, or better known by Samm Henshaw, is an English singer/ songwriter from London, England.  Henshaw’s debut EP The Sound Experiment was released back in 2015 with the help of Wayne Hector and Fred Cox.  Henshaw proceeded to follow up on his debut release with his second EP, The Sound Experiment 2 released in the summer of 2016. Henshaw released music videos for Our Love and Night Calls, singles from The Sound Experiment 2.

Show ‘em some love: Instagram Twitter YouTube Spotify

Songs:

Lovely, Brent Faiyaz (1)

          “And I know you love me, cause I think you’re lovely.”

Broke, Samm Henshaw (5)

           “It’s been a week from hell, I lost my job at 5 Guys. My girl just kicked me out, she says I’m lame.”

To Me, Alina Baraz (1)

          “Here’s to good music, great sex, little time to feel alive; little time to get it right.”

777, LilBootyCall (feat. Cuco, KWE$T) (3)

          “I had other girls, but I dropped ‘em all when you kissed me and you held me; now I got it all.”

Challenge, Lolo Zouai (4)

          “When I have it, I’m dramatic, tell me what did you expect?” 

Virgin, Flower Face (1)

           “ You hold my skin so softly, press into my bones. I am the one who found you here when you were alone.”

He’s My Baby, Noire (1)

          “Don’t know if you’ll stay. It’s all good if you do.”

On Chill, Wale (feat. Jeremiah) (2)

           “We’ve been on a tragedy for months. Why can’t you agree with me for once? Maybe we can be on chill tonight. Maybe I can give you chills.”

Starstruck, Xavier Gibson (2)

          “Maybe we could watch a movie and talk about our day.”

Albums:

Cry, Cigarettes After Sex

Tracks:

Don’t Let Me Go

          “I was dumb to let you drift away, and though I guess it had to come to an end, no one else could have the love we shared.”

Heavenly

          “'Cause this is where I wanna be, where it's so sweet and heavenly.”  

You’re the Only Good Thing in My Life

            “ Shouldn't have a care left in the world. Naked, tanning by the swimming pool.”

Touch

           “ And I watched you do a line that you spread out on the table.”

Hentai

           “I told you about the night that we first made love about a girl who as soon as she made you cum would show you the future and tell you your fortune.”

Cry

          “Wish I was good, wish that I could give you my love now.”

Falling in Love

          “When I hold you close to me I could always see a house by the ocean.”

Pure

          “When you walk in the room in a white bodysuit, and I say, ‘Take it off.’”

This album. This. Fucking. Album. It’s heavenly. I always love Cigarettes After Sex, but this album definitely takes the cake. One of my favorite albums that have dropped this year. It sounds like all of their other music, but that’s what I adore about this band. The dreamy, underwater vibe that they give is perfect for when I’m painting or chilling out in my room. It’s so nice. I think my favorites are Hentai, Kiss It Off Me, and Pure. I highly recommend. Make sure to check this one out if you’re looking for something relaxing to jam out to when you’re studying or doing homework. Also really nice for car rides in the middle of the night.

SUGA, Kyle Dion

On Fire

           “Colombiana, bring my cake up by the pound. Watch the sky with you as it crumbles down.”

Hands to Yourself

           “I got fangs, I got hands, you got plans to put me on my back.”

Spend It

           “My coat white like the '70s gotta keep it clean.”

Not All the Way

          “Sneak in Heaven through the side door.”

Cherry Blossom

          “If you're a tide, I'm the moon. Everything I make's for you.”

Brown

          “Dripping chocolate all over the bedroom. Drowning in your softly spoken sounds.”

Fly Little Bird

          “If you want it, you gon' have to let me take care of everything And anything you want's with me.”

Glass House

          “If you want it, you gon' have to let me take care of everything and anything you want's with me.”

69 Camaro

          “'69 Camaro, put it into drive, got it painted red and white.”

Teach Me

          “It's like I keep a tint on my window, 'fraid what you'll see if you ever look inside.”

No Strings

          “I'm all dried out, maybe it's by design.”

White

          “Showed me how to live and love, 'cause I can't be the shy type.”

Somethings We Can’t Do

          “Kicked out my bed, left me on read; truth is I'm dead to you.”

Bella might be Edward’s “own personal brand of heroin”, but Kyle Dion is mine. This man is so fine, and his voice is gorgeous. I adore this album. Love, love, love. It’s a fresh mix of R&B with some funk influence that just blends together effortlessly. I can’t get enough of it. Honestly, I just can’t get enough of him. He’s walking art, or if I can quote Alina Baraz for a moment, “walking poetry.” SUGA is my favorite album by Kyle, but I would recommend all of his music. My favorites on the album are Brown, 69 Camaro, and White.

k-12, Melanie Martinez

Wheels on the Bus

           “And I'm trying not to look across the aisle, 'cause Maya's letting Dan put his hand up her skirt, and she’s got her hand down his pants.”

Class Fight

          “Her face was fucked up and my hands were bloody. We were in the playground, things were getting muddy.”

The Principal

          “It’s not just me, it's everybody who thinks that you're fucking ugly when you come and hurt us just so you can get your money.”

Show & Tell

          “Like I'm a product to society art don't sell unless you've fucked every authority.”

Nurse’s Office

          “I'm pale as the loose-leaf paper they grow from hollowing out all my lungs in the snow.”

Drama Club

          “I'ma take a bow so you can kiss my ass.”

Strawberry Shortcake

          “Instead of making me feel bad for the body I got, just teach him to keep it in his pants and tell him to stop.”

Lunchbox Friends

          “Come to my house, let’s die together. Friendship that will last forever.”

Orange Juice

          “I wish I could give you my set of eyes, 'cause I know your eyes ain't working.”

Detention

          “Baby, can you meet me tonight in detention? I can feel your blood pressure rise, fuck this tension.”

Teacher’s Pet

          “Caught the teacher giving his eyes to a student, pouty, pretty cute, and she bit her lip back to him. Chewing on her nails and her pens while she's dreaming of him, and he's fucking in sin.”

High School Sweetheart

         “Could you be my first time? Eat me up like apple pie. Make me not wanna die.”

Recess

          “Don't let them fuck you, honey.”

The queen has returned! I know I’m late on gushing about this masterpiece, but in my defense, I was completely radio silent when it dropped, and I wanted it to be a part of my Musical Mondays’ saga. Putting the movie aside, which is a masterpiece all on its own and if you have not watched it you should. It’s on YouTube. It’s gorgeous, and Melanie looks stunning the entire way through. The music is to die for. The aesthetic is Melanie’s usual, but there’s something about this album that I love more than Crybaby. I like the storyline, and it’s something we can all relate to. If you’ve ever been to school, you know the feelings and emotions that she conveys throughout the album. My favorites are Drama Club, Strawberry Shortcake, Detention, Orange Juice, and High School Sweetheart. All-in-all, K-12 slaps and you should 100% go and listen.

High Highs to Low Lows, Lolo Zouaï

High Highs to Low Lows

          “Fake gold in my hoops, real rips in my pants, they think it’s all Gucci, but it’s 99 cents, I swear.”

Moi

          “Hit ‘em with the bilingual.”

Chevy Impala

          “Everybody lookin’ at my ride. All the boys they wanna come inside.”

Caffeine

          “Shake it on the floor, make it explode. Wanna see that soda pop pop, overflow.”

Ride

          “Watch me fuck it up, when I ride.

Here to Stay

          “ Pulls me closer like a siren, and the lows come crashing down.”

Look at Us

          “Big talk, lip gloss; put your mouth on it.”

Desert Rose

          “Love me like a desert rose.”

Summers in Vegas

          “My lucky days were when you would take me to your pizza place in the morning. Pay me in fresh dough and Mexican Coke, or take me home.”

Out the Bottle

          “Look at me now, primadonna. Off the runway like a model.”

Blue

          “I dyed my hair blue to fit my mood.”

Beaucoup

           “Oui je t'aime beaucoup, beaucoup, beaucoup.”

Lolo Zouaï is a bad bitch and you can’t kill her. I first discovered her a few years ago when High Highs to Low Lows first dropped, and I was waiting for this to drop ever since. I can honestly say this album is in my top 10, and a few of these songs are some of my favorites. The change in tone, the different styles, the lyrics, the way each song can completely change your mood; just everything is stunning. My favorites are High Highs Low Lows, Chevy Impala, Ride, and Desert Rose. Desert Rose is one of my favorite songs of all time. She’s just phenomenal. Great album, great artist, and you need to listen to this. 

#music #monday #positivity #music reccs #reccomendation #recommended #music recommendation #music related #music rant #musical monday #cigarettes after sex #brent faiyaz #kyle dion #lilbootycall #flower face #noire #xavier gibson #lolo zouaï #melanie martinez #wale #alina baraz #samm henshaw #Cry #SUGA #K-12 #High Highs to Low Lows #lexthemondo

[fy-winner]

[Rolling Stone India] The Art of Being Mino

The South Korean hip-hop star wowed critics and fans alike with his solo album ‘XX’; but is he any closer to discovering who the ‘real’ Mino is?

Understanding Song Minho is kind of like catching lightning in a bottle; impossible to do but the idea itself is so dazzling, you need to give it a shot anyway. Tall and blonde with bleached eyebrows and sharp features, Song–better known mononymously as Mino–cuts quite the intimidating figure. He’s intelligent, polite and forthcoming on every answer and there’s an elegance to him that’s instantly appealing. There’s one little thing that proves to be more charming than any of this, however, and it comes in the form of a little note he sends on email after the interview; “Thank you for your interest!” it reads cheerfully, accompanied by a smiley emoji. “I hope we do it again when Winner’s back!” It’s simple but sweet and suddenly there’s yet another dimension to the chic, fierce rapper we’re used to seeing onscreen.

Before sitting down with Rolling Stone India for a conversation in December, the 25-year old musician’s schedule through 2018 included the release and promotion of a full LP with his band Winner, a Japan tour, a more extensive Asia tour, a series of performances across his home country South Korea, starring roles in several variety shows and a feature on YG Entertainment labelmate and his senior Seungri’s viral hit track “Where R U From.” November was busiest for him with the release of his first solo LP XX, a 12-track feast of hip-hop, tradition, emotion and culture. December finally closed with yet another single with Winner and a series of year-end performances in Korea.

While a bit of a break is warranted after the whirlwind of activity, Mino confirms he has no plans to take it easy in 2019. “Winner will release a full album this year,” he reveals cheerfully. “I cannot talk about our plan in advance, but we are preparing a surprise gift with a great musician!” The four-member K-pop band are working on their upcoming third LP and have already begun their tour schedules in full force– they’re currently on a six-city run of the United States with stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

Over the past year Mino has embraced the avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar.

As an artist, Mino is full of surprises with an evolution that’s been thrilling to map. He started his career as a rapper in South Korea’s vibrant underground hip-hop scene back in 2010 (when he was just 16) but success took a while to come along. He debuted briefly in 2011 with a group called BoM before its premature disbandment in 2013, and then finally signed with leading music label YG Entertainment as a trainee. In 2014 he got his big break after participating in TV channel Mnet’s reality-survival program Win: Who Is Next and ending up as a member of the winning Team A–which would go on to form Winner and debut that same year. He shot to fame quickly this time around, gaining attention as a solo artist after finishing as runner-up on the fourth season of South Korean hip-hop survival competition Show Me The Money in 2015. With several eyes on him, he wowed with a more bluesy, melancholic persona on Winner’s 2016 EP EXIT: E. That same year he and YG Entertainment labelmate Bobby announced a duo project titled MOBB, which showed off a completely different, swag-heavy, fun-loving attitude, but in that EP he included “Body,” a solo single that blended sex and passion with angst and regret. Winner’s discography as of late has been bright, tropical and electronic-pop and he’s able to adapt to it effortlessly as well. His career trajectory spells ‘chameleon’ and even in times of trial there’s a sense of chill around him, as though deep inside he knows everything’s going to work out.

Over the past year Mino has embraced a life of avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar. He seems more comfortable and willing to express himself in ways outside of music. He’s always had fondness for art but now seems to revel in it, regularly posting images of artwork he’s created on Instagram, participating in media projects, exhibitions and editorials. Last year, he displayed some of his own artwork at an exhibit titled ‘Burning Planet.’ The pieces were a combination of installation art with media and performance art which explored the idea of burnouts, stress and humanity’s exhausting pace of birth, work, death. It’s morbid, futuristic and almost prophetical in its warnings about the pressure society puts on young people and quickly gained critical acclaim. Mino remains modest in the wake of all the praise, saying, “I do not know if I have had any talent when I was young, but I painted as a hobby since I was a kid. So I have become interested in art naturally. It was a very good opportunity to exhibit ‘Burning Planet’ with [eye wear brand and collaborator] Gentle Monster. It was a good time to learn and experience many things.”

It’s this artistic and emotional evolution which seems to have had the biggest hand in the creation of XX. “I wanted to give a tweak to my existing image, which I guess has been heavy with hip-hop and rap. I wanted to start afresh,” he stated at a press conference in November, according to a report by the Korea Herald. XX is an extension of his performance art–dramatic, creative with an ambiguous title to boot (he’s explained he wanted his listeners to have their own interpretations of it.)  The video for the lead single “Fiancé” features imagery around birds, dreams, fantastical landscapes and more. In addition to being involved in the entire concept, Mino also contributed to the set design–there’s a giant mural of a bluebird featured in the video which he painted himself. Several fans as well as popular YouTube channels like DKDKTV have attempted to decipher the meanings behind it and he’s thrilled to see all the various discussions. “It is one of the things I enjoy the most,” he says when I ask if he ever watches these theories. “Making parts that can be interpreted in various ways… I love watching them in various interpretations.” Could he tell us which theory got closest to deciphering his work? “I will never tell which one is correct or incorrect for more diverse guesses!” he teases.

“Fiancé” has also been appreciated for its unconventional combination of trot, a form of Korean folk music, and trap. To do this, the track samples Korean veteran singer Kim Taehee’s 1969 track “Soyanggang River Maiden” and blends it with bass-heavy, rolling trap and Mino’s drawling rap. “There was no intention to use ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ from the beginning,” Mino says. “When the song was almost 80 percent complete, [YG Entertainment CEO and music producer] Yang Hyun Suk gave me an idea of putting a part of ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ as a sample source, and it fit perfectly into the message and vibe of this song.” The haunting sample had younger fans enthralled and searching through YouTube to listen to the original track while applauding Mino for putting a limelight on Korean pop culture and history. Because in addition to the retro sound, the music video for “Fiancé” is a fever-dream blend inspired by the Korean Joseon dynasty and modern-day angst. In the clip the rapper wanders between fantasy and reality, dressed as an emperor as he searches the past, present and future for his one true love.

“I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album.”

Is it possible that with younger artists like him using older genres like trot or paying homage to their history in music videos, it can help young listeners appreciate tradition a little bit more? Mino reveals that wasn’t really his intention at all. “In fact, I considered this song for older people than younger people,” he says, adding his plan was to erase misconceptions about hip-hop and ‘young’ music in the minds of older generations. “Even if the genre of hip-hop is popularized, it is still hard to catch up with higher age. So it seems like sampling of ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ was a good plan for this song.” “Fiancé” has indeed added to the buzz around rappers defying expectations and stepping into traditional musical and visual territories. Hip-hop no longer has one definition and inspiration can come from anywhere. For Mino, the ideas for “Fiance” and XX came from several fragments of art. “I have so many things inspiring me, so I do not know which one to say first,” Mino says. “Among them, some works of  (Italian painter) Piero Fornasetti, various plants–especially blue roses– and the Japanese anime Devilman were in my mind. However, it’s my inner self that affected it the most. I stayed alone in the studio every time so I could be deeply involved in my work and I looked back upon myself.”

XX as a whole has been well-received thanks to its use of complex metaphors, puns and double meanings in its lyricism, but for Mino, making this record was about finding his true self. “I got down to work in earnest in the beginning of 2018 for this album,” he says. “It contains various songs ranging from a song written two-three years ago to a song written two weeks before the album came out.” The rapper has written and composed each and every track, taking a dive into his own psyche to unleash several different sides of himself. In a video teaser right before XX‘s release, Mino explained he’d made the album by “grating [his] soul into it” and the result is an LP that is diverse, clever, saucy and undoubtedly one of the best hip-hop albums of 2018. Lyrically, he tackles everything from waiting for a lost love (“Fiancé”) to calling out obsessive fans (“Agree”) and bold eroticism (“Hope”). He gets emotional on “Alarm” and “Her,” exploring heartbreak, his relationship with his fans and self discovery. “I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album,” Mino tells me. “I got a lot of thoughts and experiences from it and I am so proud of the production process.”

It’s clear from the get-go that wordplay is key; in the vicious introductory track “Trigger,” Mino uses syllables in its Korean title to play on the curse word ‘shibal,’ blazing through verses of self-praise with swagger, while on “Rocket” he drops references to art, Korean mythology and more. It’s the realest taste of what he’s truly capable of and it surprises and delights in equal measure. The impressive roster of collaborators on the record include YG Entertainment’s biggest in-house producers Choice37 and Millennium, comedian and actor Yoo Byung-jae and up-and-coming vocalist Blue.D, among others. There was one artist, however, that Mino was particularly excited to work with. “It was all fun, but working with YDG was extremely impressive,” he says proudly of his collaboration with the Korean hip-hop veteran on “Bow Wow.” “It was one of my dreams from my childhood.”

With XX being his first massive solo effort, Mino confesses there were hurdles along the way that he hadn’t expected. “The toughest part was familiarity,” he says, adding, “When I listened to songs hundreds of times to make a song, I always got confused. That’s the hardest thing to me.” Working alone means more pressure and he says he finds it more peaceful when he’s working with the members of Winner– Hoony, Yoon and Jinu. “When I work alone… I get sensitive because I am dissatisfied with any result. When I work with Winner, it’s really a load off my mind. Each member has their own roles, and I think we fit in nicely with each other.”

Mino’s journey has been wild, difficult, rewarding and a little messy–we’ve covered a lot of it over the course of the interview, but it still feels like we’re scratching the surface. He seems to agree; there’s a lot more he wants to consume and learn and a lot more he wants to show all his fans, old and new. “I am always thankful to fans who have supported me from the beginning and everyone who has known me since yesterday,” he says. “I will try to put a little more of my own personality and style on next album, and I also want to challenge something that no one expected.” While the search for the ‘real’ Mino continues, XX is a chapter in his story that marks a significant turn; he’s found a balance between the sexy rapper we see with Winner, the exuberant hip-hop dudebro he turns into with MOBB and the expressive poet he is as a soloist. It might not be lightning in a bottle just yet, but it’s pretty damn close.

© Rolling Stone India

#yg winner #winner #mino #t:article

[bee-kathony]

Four Years | November 15th, 2014

January 2nd, 2014 - February 15th, 2014 - March 8th, 2014 - April 12th, 2014 - May 2nd, 2014 | Year One - June 13th, 2014 | July 29th, 2014 | August 9th, 2014 | October 18th, 2014

Year One - November 15th, 2014

Since the brain tumor and chemotherapy, my immune system wasn’t what it used to be. Which is why I was now laying in bed with a damp cloth covering my eyes, the fan on high and Jamie sniffling in bed next to me.

He woke this morning complaining of a headache and a runny nose. I knew to stay away from people who were ill as it would cause me to get sick but Jamie slept in my bed so there wasn’t any getting away from him.

While Jamie was running a low grade fever with a tissue box next to him, I was sweating bullets, body shaking from cold sweats and a bucket beside me to vomit in. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to see, the both of us. I wasn’t sick enough to go to the hospital however so it seemed I was confined to the bed for the time being.

“Jamie, for the love of God, please turn that down.” I begged for the second time. We’d turned on ‘The Office’ and had made it up to Season 3. But If I heard Michael Scott say “That’s what she said”, one more time…

The volume lessened and Jamie placed his hand on the side of my neck, “Still hot, Sassenach.”

“Why thank you, you’re not too bad yourself, Fraser.” I laughed, lifting up one side of the damp cloth. He grinned and replaced his hand with a piece of ice from the cup beside the bed. I gasped as the ice melted against my skin, it was the only thing that really helped keep my body temperature down.

Having a hot Scot lay next to you in bed didn’t help matters much. Jamie radiated heat, even when he wasn’t poorly.

The only good thing about lying in bed all day was the fact that Adso had come home just the week before. Geillis brought him over, along with his toys and he walked slowly into the loft at first but shot through to the bedroom and found the bed. That’s where he’d taken up residency since the moment he arrived, not that I minded.

Adso purred next to me as Jamie stroked his small grey belly. Having him here made me wish that he could’ve been with me all this time, keeping me company but I knew it would’ve been too difficult to take care of an animal when I could barely take care of myself.

“Is everyone happy that you’ve returned to work on a semi-regular schedule?” I asked, my throat still hoarse.

“Aye, Murtagh is happy to no’ have to make all the phone calls anymore and the rest of my team is happy because Murtagh is happy.” He chuckled, the vibrations shaking the bed. “’Tis nice to go back to work, more often I mean.” I felt his gaze on me, “No’ that I dinna mind spendin’ all my time wi’ ye.”

Jamie moved his hand to tap a gentle rhythm over my wrist, something he always did when we laid next to each other.

“I know you’re glad to get back to normalcy, I’ll be glad to start work again at the hospital,” I sighed, “But that won’t be for some time.” I moved the cloth back and stared at my hand, I could still see the slight tremor that hadn’t been there before the tumor. Funny how after you are “healed, the side effects often stay with you for longer than you were even sick.

Grabbing my shaking hand, Jamie pulled it to his burning lips, “One day, mo graidh, ye shall pick up a scalpel again. And all of this… will be a dream.”

“More like a nightmare, love.” I saw his eyes flash with an emotion I at first couldn’t recognize, then I realized it was insecurity… hurt.

“The sickness was a nightmare, Jamie. You,” I touched his cheek with the tips of my fingers, “are the dream. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve imagined you up to cope with the pain. A figment of my bloody imagination.”

“Aye, I often feel the same, Claire. Yer too good to be true.”

++++++

After dozing on and off throughout the rest of Season 3 and into Season 4 of ‘The Office’, Jamie got out of bed to grab a packet of crackers, the only food we both could keep down.

Adso didn’t appreciate the loud crunching sounds as crumbs fell onto the duvet so he meowed and retreated under the bed.

“Do ye miss yer parents, Sassenach?” Jamie asked and then spoke before I could, “Of course ye do, silly question.”

I looked up at him, my palm against his heart, “I do miss them, Jamie. All the time.” There wasn’t a day I didn’t think about my parents. I often thought about my mother when I had gone through chemo, drawing on her strength, willing for it to transfer to me.

“I was actually supposed to go with them, to Paris. But I wasn’t able to get the time off from the hospital so they left without me.”

“Yer parents went to Paris, Sassenach? The plane crashed on the way there?”

“No, coming back from Paris actually, why?”

Jamie shifted in the bed, “Do ye by chance remember their flight number?”

“I’ll never forget it. It was Air France flight 1743.” Jamie drew in a sharp breath, his body was shaking against me. “Jamie, what is it, you’re scaring me!”

He sat up in the bed quickly, a glossy look in his eyes. “Claire…” he looked over at me, his eyebrows pressed together, “that was the same flight I was on. From Paris to Edinburgh.”

“What day, Jamie? What day was the crash?” My heart was pounding, it couldn’t be. Of all the flights, of all the plane crashes. The next words out of Jamie’s mouth shook me to the core.

“April 16th, 2008.” He said flatly, his hand grabbing mine.

“That’s the day they died. That’s the day my mother and father died, Jamie.” I was frozen, paralyzed… nothing made sense. “I was supposed to be on that plane, I probably would’ve died along with them!”

Jamie pulled me onto his lap, “But ye didna and I feel selfish for sayin’ so but I’d like to thank God saved ye from gettin’ on that plane so I could have ye here wi’ me now.”

“God might’ve saved me then but he couldn’t save my parents. You barely made it out alive yourself. All this time…” Tears rolled down my cheeks. The thought of my parents sitting in the row ahead of Jamie was too much to bear. The idea that Jamie could’ve helped lift my mother’s bag to the overhead bin and she could have thanked him was too much. Perhaps they struck up a conversation about bad airplane food. Maybe my father even told Jamie about his daughter he was so proud of for getting into medical school in Edinburgh.

Jamie barely remembered the crash, there was no way of knowing.

“I ken yer probably thinking why them, Sassenach and why me? Why did I live and they couldna?” He held me, his voice distant.

“Jamie — I don’t blame you… for living.” I grabbed his face in my hand, gripping his cheeks with thumb and forefinger, “It was a horrible accident. Some part of me would like to think that you met my parents on that flight, maybe helped with their bags or just friendly conversation.”

Jamie pulled his arms tighter around me, a tear of his own now falling slowly, “It’s nice, to think that the two most important people in my life would have met the most important man in my life.” Making sure he was listening to me I kissed his lips and pulled back, his ocean blue eyes meeting my amber ones, “They left me that day Jamie but they also sent you to me. I believe that with all of my heart.”

“Claire — I wish I could remember.” He leaned his head against mine and sobbed. He cried for what was lost, the people he might or might not have met. The coincidences of life are often not coincidences but fate, one way or another fate has a way of bringing us to the people we need.

++++++

The revelation of Jamie’s and my parents connection was all I could think about. That was until a knock came from our front door and I heard it being opened with a set of spare keys.

Was it Jenny or Murtagh?

“Hello, it’s us! We brought some soup for the sickly.” Jenny called out and I heard the door shut behind her. I looked over at Jamie, with a stare that could kill any man.

“Did you tell your sister she could come over? I look dreadful, Jamie.” I covered my face with the cloth fully to avoid anyone seeing my puffy sick face.

“I might have told her we were both sick but I swear I didna think she would rush over,” Jamie shifted in bed so I slid off his lap and tried to clean up all the tissues on the bed.

“And we brought ye both a wee surprise!” Murtagh shouted.

I hit my hand against Jamie’s thigh, “Sorry Sassenach, truly.”

I heard both Jenny and Murtagh’s footsteps get closer and then I felt something warm and rather wet licking my fingers that were dangling off the bed.

“Adso, why are you licking my hand,” I sighed and pulled off the wet cloth. I jumped back against the headboard, my now slobbery hand pressed to my fast beating heart. “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!”

A small, very furry, multi-colored Australian Shepherd jumped onto the bed, courtesy of Murtagh who had been holding him near my hand.

“Please tell me this is your new dog, Murtagh…” Jamie glared at his godfather.

Murtagh scoffed and crossed his arms, “Och, no. ’Tis a gift for the both of ye, to cheer ye up!” He smiled and I could count that as one of the few times I had ever seen Murtagh Fraser smile.

“What on earth possessed you to gift us a dog? You could have brought some flowers or soup like Jenny!” I tried to be mad at this unwelcome gift but the little puppy was rolling around the bed as cute as anything I’d ever seen in my life.

Jenny walked in carrying a tray with two bowls of delicious smelling soup, smirking at the sight in front of her. Jamie was now cuddling the puppy, blowing air into it’s face.

“I tried to tell him that a dog wasna a suitable gift for people that were lying ill in bed but he wouldna listen… obviously.” Jenny smiled and set down the tray beside the bed. She gave a little pat to the dog and it barked — well, it yipped.

“If ye dinna want to keep her, I’ll just take her back to the shelter.” Murtagh started to reach for the dog but Jamie pulled his arms back, shielding her from Murtagh’s grasp.

“Ye’ll do no such thing!” Jamie placed a soft kiss to the dog’s fuzzy head. Then he turned to look at me, “Can we keep her, Sassenach? I ken yer still recovering and we only just got the wee cheetie back wi’ us but…” he smiled down at the dog whose tongue was hanging out of its tiny mouth and then they both stared up at me.

Could we really take on a dog? While I was no longer receiving chemotherapy treatments, I was still not back to my full health. I had talked with some of the people in my support group about pets which is why I had decided it was time for Adso to come home. Many of them said their pets were a huge help to their mental health.

I reached my hand out and rubbed the small dog’s head, “I suppose… adding a new member to the family wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. So yes,” I smiled and saw Jamie’s face light up, “We can keep her.”

Murtagh cheered — actually a loud whooping sound — and clapped his hands together. “I knew ’twas a good idea after all.” He said proudly.

“We’ll see just how good of an idea it is in a month,” the puppy made her way over to me and pawed at my lap and I pulled her up. “We need to give you a name then, hmmm.”

“Clarence?” Jamie suggested and I frowned at that one.

“No. That’s not a name for a girl puppy, Jamie. What about Annie?” I laughed and ran my fingers through Jamie’s ginger hair.

“Are ye laughin’ at me and my ginger hair?” He grinned.

“I most certainly am!” Jenny and Murtagh joined in the laughter and took seats at the end of our bed.

“Annie Fraser,” Jamie scratched Annie’s head and she started licking his fingers. “The name suits ye.”

Just like that, our small family of three became a family of four.

#four years #jamie x claire #jenny fraser murray #murtagh #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #claire fraser #mclairefras #outlander fanfic #outlander fanfiction #four years fic #november 15 2014 #revelations

[ohn1m]

The Art of Being Mino

The South Korean hip-hop star wowed critics and fans alike with his solo album ‘XX’; but is he any closer to discovering who the ‘real’ Mino is?

Mino's journey is an ongoing one and 'XX' is a chapter that marks an artistic coming-of-age on this wild ride.

Understanding Song Minho is kind of like catching lightening in a bottle; impossible to do but the idea itself is so dazzling, you need to give it a shot anyway. Tall and blonde with bleached eyebrows and sharp features, Song–better known mononymously as Mino–cuts quite the intimidating figure. He’s intelligent, polite and forthcoming on every answer and there’s an elegance to him that’s instantly appealing. There’s one little thing that proves to be more charming than any of this, however, and it comes in the form of a little note he sends on email after the interview; “Thank you for your interest!” it reads cheerfully, accompanied by a smiley emoji. “I hope we do it again when Winner’s back!” It’s simple but sweet and suddenly there’s yet another dimension to the chic, fierce rapper we’re used to seeing onscreen.

Before sitting down with Rolling Stone India for a conversation in December, the 25-year old musician’s schedule through 2018 included the release and promotion of a full LP with his band Winner, a Japan tour, a more extensive Asia tour, a series of performances across his home country South Korea, starring roles in several variety shows and a feature on YG Entertainment labelmate and his senior Seungri’s viral hit track “Where R U From.” November was busiest for him with the release of his first solo LP XX, a 12-track feast of hip-hop, tradition, emotion and culture. December finally closed with yet another single with Winner and a series of year-end performances in Korea.

While a bit of a break is warranted after the whirlwind of activity, Mino confirms he has no plans to take it easy in 2019. “Winner will release a full album this year,” he reveals cheerfully. “I cannot talk about our plan in advance, but we are preparing a surprise gift with a great musician!” The four-member K-pop band are working on their upcoming third LP and have already begun their tour schedules in full force– they’re currently on a six-city run of the United States with stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

Over the past year Mino has embraced the avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar.

As an artist, Mino is full of surprises with an evolution that’s been thrilling to map. He started his career as a rapper in South Korea’s vibrant underground hip-hop scene back in 2010 (when he was just 16) but success took a while to come along. He debuted briefly in 2011 with a group called BoM before its premature disbandment in 2013, and then finally signed with leading music label YG Entertainment as a trainee. In 2014 he got his big break after participating in TV channel Mnet’s reality-survival program Win: Who Is Next and ending up as a member of the winning Team A–which would go on to form Winner and debut that same year. He shot to fame quickly this time around, gaining attention as a solo artist after finishing as runner-up on the fourth season of South Korean hip-hop survival competition Show Me The Money in 2015. With several eyes on him, he wowed with a more bluesy, melancholic persona on Winner’s 2016 EP EXIT: E. That same year he and YG Entertainment labelmate Bobby announced a duo project titled MOBB, which showed off a completely different, swag-heavy, fun-loving attitude, but in that EP he included “Body,” a solo single that blended sex and passion with angst and regret. Winner’s discography as of late has been bright, tropical and electronic-pop and he’s able to adapt to it effortlessly as well. His career trajectory spells ‘chameleon’ and even in times of trial there’s a sense of chill around him, as though deep inside he knows everything’s going to work out.

Over the past year Mino has embraced a life of avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar. He seems more comfortable and willing to express himself in ways outside of music. He’s always had fondness for art but now seems to revel in it, regularly posting images of artwork he’s created on Instagram, participating in media projects, exhibitions and editorials. Last year, he displayed some of his own artwork at an exhibit titled ‘Burning Planet.’ The pieces were a combination of installation art with media and performance art which explored the idea of burnouts, stress and humanity’s exhausting pace of birth, work, death. It’s morbid, futuristic and almost prophetical in its warnings about the pressure society puts on young people and quickly gained critical acclaim. Mino remains modest in the wake of all the praise, saying, “I do not know if I have had any talent when I was young, but I painted as a hobby since I was a kid. So I have become interested in art naturally. It was a very good opportunity to exhibit ‘Burning Planet’ with [eye wear brand and collaborator] Gentle Monster. It was a good time to learn and experience many things.”

It’s this artistic and emotional evolution which seems to have had the biggest hand in the creation of XX. “I wanted to give a tweak to my existing image, which I guess has been heavy with hip-hop and rap. I wanted to start afresh,” he stated at a press conference in November, according to a report by the Korea Herald. XX is an extension of his performance art–dramatic, creative with an ambiguous title to boot (he’s explained he wanted his listeners to have their own interpretations of it.)  The video for the lead single “Fiancé” features imagery around birds, dreams, fantastical landscapes and more. In addition to being involved in the entire concept, Mino also contributed to the set design–there’s a giant mural of a bluebird featured in the video which he painted himself. Several fans as well as popular YouTube channels like DKDKTV have attempted to decipher the meanings behind it and he’s thrilled to see all the various discussions. “It is one of the things I enjoy the most,” he says when I ask if he ever watches these theories. “Making parts that can be interpreted in various ways… I love watching them in various interpretations.” Could he tell us which theory got closest to deciphering his work? “I will never tell which one is correct or incorrect for more diverse guesses!” he teases.

“Fiancé” has also been appreciated for its unconventional combination of trot, a form of Korean folk music, and trap. To do this, the track samples Korean veteran singer Kim Taehee’s 1969 track “Soyanggang River Maiden” and blends it with bass-heavy, rolling trap and Mino’s drawling rap. “There was no intention to use ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ from the beginning,” Mino says. “When the song was almost 80 percent complete, [YG Entertainment CEO and music producer] Yang Hyun Suk gave me an idea of putting a part of ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ as a sample source, and it fit perfectly into the message and vibe of this song.” The haunting sample had younger fans enthralled and searching through YouTube to listen to the original track while applauding Mino for putting a limelight on Korean pop culture and history. Because in addition to the retro sound, the music video for “Fiancé” is a fever-dream blend inspired by the Korean Joseon dynasty and modern-day angst. In the clip the rapper wanders between fantasy and reality, dressed as an emperor as he searches the past, present and future for his one true love.

“I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album.”

Is it possible that with younger artists like him using older genres like trot or paying homage to their history in music videos, it can help young listeners appreciate tradition a little bit more? Mino reveals that wasn’t really his intention at all. “In fact, I considered this song for older people than younger people,” he says, adding his plan was to erase misconceptions about hip-hop and ‘young’ music in the minds of older generations. “Even if the genre of hip-hop is popularized, it is still hard to catch up with higher age. So it seems like sampling of ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ was a good plan for this song.” “Fiancé” has indeed added to the buzz around rappers defying expectations and stepping into traditional musical and visual territories. Hip-hop no longer has one definition and inspiration can come from anywhere. For Mino, the ideas for “Fiance” and XX came from several fragments of art. “I have so many things inspiring me, so I do not know which one to say first,” Mino says. “Among them, some works of  (Italian painter) Piero Fornasetti, various plants–especially blue roses– and the Japanese anime Devilman were in my mind. However, it’s my inner self that affected it the most. I stayed alone in the studio every time so I could be deeply involved in my work and I looked back upon myself.”

XX as a whole has been well-received thanks to its use of complex metaphors, puns and double meanings in its lyricism, but for Mino, making this record was about finding his true self. “I got down to work in earnest in the beginning of 2018 for this album,” he says. “It contains various songs ranging from a song written two-three years ago to a song written two weeks before the album came out.” The rapper has written and composed each and every track, taking a dive into his own psyche to unleash several different sides of himself. In a video teaser right before XX‘s release, Mino explained he’d made the album by “grating [his] soul into it” and the result is an LP that is diverse, clever, saucy and undoubtedly one of the best hip-hop albums of 2018. Lyrically, he tackles everything from waiting for a lost love (“Fiancé”) to calling out obsessive fans (“Agree”) and bold eroticism (“Hope”). He gets emotional on “Alarm” and “Her,” exploring heartbreak, his relationship with his fans and self discovery. “I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album,” Mino tells me. “I got a lot of thoughts and experiences from it and I am so proud of the production process.”

It’s clear from the get-go that wordplay is key; in the vicious introductory track “Trigger,” Mino uses syllables in its Korean title to play on the curse word ‘shibal,’ blazing through verses of self-praise with swagger, while on “Rocket” he drops references to art, Korean mythology and more. It’s the realest taste of what he’s truly capable of and it surprises and delights in equal measure. The impressive roster of collaborators on the record include YG Entertainment’s biggest in-house producers Choice37 and Millennium, comedian and actor Yoo Byung-jae and up-and-coming vocalist Blue.D, among others. There was one artist, however, that Mino was particularly excited to work with. “It was all fun, but working with YDG was extremely impressive,” he says proudly of his collaboration with the Korean hip-hop veteran on “Bow Wow.” “It was one of my dreams from my childhood.”

Mino at a press event for ‘XX’ in November 2018.

With XX being his first massive solo effort, Mino confesses there were hurdles along the way that he hadn’t expected. “The toughest part was familiarity,” he says, adding, “When I listened to songs hundreds of times to make a song, I always got confused. That’s the hardest thing to me.” Working alone means more pressure and he says he finds it more peaceful when he’s working with the members of Winner– Hoony, Yoon and Jinu. “When I work alone… I get sensitive because I am dissatisfied with any result. When I work with Winner, it’s really a load off my mind. Each member has their own roles, and I think we fit in nicely with each other.”

Mino’s journey has been wild, difficult, rewarding and a little messy–we’ve covered a lot of it over the course of the interview, but it still feels like we’re scratching the surface. He seems to agree; there’s a lot more he wants to consume and learn and a lot more he wants to show all his fans, old and new. “I am always thankful to fans who have supported me from the beginning and everyone who has known me since yesterday,” he says. “I will try to put a little more of my own personality and style on next album, and I also want to challenge something that no one expected.” While the search for the ‘real’ Mino continues, XX is a chapter in his story that marks a significant turn; he’s found a balance between the sexy rapper we see with Winner, the exuberant hip-hop dudebro he turns into with MOBB and the expressive poet he is as a soloist. It might not be lightening in a bottle just yet, but it’s pretty damn close.

#⟨ ✕ « info »▕ ▏ʏ'ᴀʟʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡꜱ? ⟩ #/ it's so damn long. #a l e!!! musiałam bo to ważny wywiad.

[justlvckyviral-archive]

Hey all, so it’s Alex again this time bring you my little angry chihuahua Lucky. It’s been a hot minute since I last wrote him and I’ve made a couple of changes to make him fit the RP’s premise better so I’m still trying to work out a few of the new details. He’s kind of the worst and I hate him already but he’s also one of my all time favourite muses to write so please come love him. Also if you’re looking for angst, look no further since he’s basically a vessel for all of those plots. As always like this post if you want to plot or anything and I’ll come bother you, or just pop up in my IMs or on Discord!

「 LEE MINHYUK, CISMALE, 26, BRING ME THE HORIZON 」┈ did you read that latest viral gossip issue on JIHUN ‘LUCKY’ PARK?  he is the LEAD GUITARIST/BACKING VOCALIST in DAYBREAKER, one of my favorite ALTERNATIVE ROCK groups. they’ve been releasing music for EIGHT YEARS now, but viral gossip has only been talking about them for the last THREE YEARS. get this, i think i heard HE ANONYMOUSLY LEAKS STORIES (INCLUDING OCCASIONAL FAKES) ABOUT HIMSELF TO THE MEDIA IN ORDER TO KEEP HIS BAND RELEVANT. they’re known as the FIREBRAND of the music industry, since they have a rep for being  LOYAL but QUICK TEMPERED, but who knows. maybe that will change once they become #1. 

TW: Alcohol, Addiction, Traffic Accident, Loss of Limb

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I’ve accidentally written a small novel again, so I’m going to split it down into four key sections. Personality, Personal History, Career History and Other. I’ll also just throw a tl;dr at the top because good grief is this a lot. His plots page is here if anyone is interested, so if something catches your eye please come shout at me!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

tl;dr

Kind of antisocial guitarist in a metalcore turned alt-rock band. Raised in the UK. Punk af. Really short fuse that gets him into a lot of trouble. Sees the music industry as a game and knows how to play. Every move and response is calculated. Plays up to the media perception of him as some sort of villain. Doesn’t really trust people, especially if they’re famous. Super jaded, super bitter, super cynical. Rich parents who were never around. developed a drinking problem after being signed. Involved in a serious traffic accident shortly after third albums release that led to the loss of his left leg. parents paid to bury the story. relocated to america and checked himself into a rehab clinic. first album was a flop. second and third better. fourth blew them up. really doesn’t like where the sound is heading for five, but feels like he owes his band mates so is sticking it out. has a three piece side project that is highly political (27club VC: The Fever 333).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

PERSONALITY:

Firstly, and most importantly, Luck doesn’t like you. Lucky has never liked you, and he probably never will. He might respect you, or even be kind of neutral towards you, but never more than that.

There are very few exceptions to that rule, with the main ones being his bandmates and his siblings.

Has some serious self loathing that he’d never actually admit to.

Lucky considers himself a punk, an activist and a musician. In that order.

Has been describes as a journalist’s wet dream and a lawyers nightmare.

Values authenticity above all else. Both his and other peoples. Despises people who are fake (lol irony) and hates it eve more when other people call him fake.

Calling him a sell out or anything along those lines is probably not a good idea.

His first instinct is that people are only trying to get close to him to take advantage of his success and popularity. Probably because he does exactly the same thing to everyone else.

Loyal to a fault. If by some miracle you make it into his inner circle he’d actually take a bullet for you. He’ll always have your back.

The fact that he is so short tempered causes him so many problems? It doesn’t take much to light the fuse, and when he explodes things tend to get messy.

Which means that a lot of people are kind of scared off? And the ones that aren’t are just as volatile as him.

Absolutely no filter. Lucky will tell you exactly what he’s thinking or what he means with no regards for the consequences or your feelings.

Voted most likely to start a fistfight over something dumb five years in a row. Still holds the title.

Comes across as kind of frosty and callous even when he’s trying not to.

Has a serious problem with people taking advantage of others.

He is painted as kind of a villain type character in the media? But like, the villain you love to hate. I don’t know what the international equivalent is, but I’m thinking sort of like Trent Reznor in the 90s?  Kind of plays up to that trope, but he pretty much fits the label without trying.

Does not know what a healthy relationship looks like. Platonic, romantic, even familial: there’s always a catch.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

PERSONAL HISTORY:

Brace yourself for this because my boy has not had a smooth ride.

Jihun was born is Daegu, South Korea but moved to the UK (Specifically Sheffield) before he was old enough to start retaining memories. 

The second eldest child of two property tycoons with more time and concern for their business than their family, he was never close to his parents.

Childhood wasn’t exactly unhappy. His grades were decent enough to get by and having seven siblings meant that he was never without company. Despite hiring staff to watch over them, Lucky kind of grew up fast and felt a sort of almost parental responsibilty

As time went on and their parents became more and more distant from him and his siblings, he slowly grew to resent them.

By the time he reached his teenage years, Jihun began to see exactly how his parents did business. Shady backroom deals. Questionable partners. Bullying or bribing their way out of any trouble. 

They weren’t exactly good people.

He’d become increasingly jaded, bitter and cynical beyond his years and isolated himself from the few friends he had outside of the family.

He was convinced that they were only trying to get close to him because of his family’s money: After seeing how corrupt his parents were he’d lost a lot of faith in most people.

It was around this time that he also discovered his love of punk rock.

The scene in Sheffield was pretty small, but he instantly connected with the anti-establishment values and aesthetics. He threw himself in head first.

It didn’t take long for him to teach himself guitar (Four chords and the truth) and form the band that would go on to become Daybreaker. [See: Career History]

Though things started off well enough. They played shows, eventually got signed to a new small imprint of Universal and began releasing material.

Over the course of several years however, Lucky got himself involved in some pretty serious stuff. What started as casual drink quickly transformed into a cru to help deal with his new found fame. He developed a serious problem with alcohol.

Between the pressures of effectively raising his family, maintaining a career as a full time musician and trying to fit into a scene that was, he now realise, extremely toxic, he struggled to cope.

The sheer catharsis of punk rock had proved to be an effective coping mechanism, but for Lucky it had already reached its limits and so he sought solace elsewhere.

It reached a point where he was having his stomach pumped on a regular basis.

The turning point came one night in November 2014. Lucky was considerably over the blood-alcohol limit, and shouldn’t have been walking let alone driving.

And yet he found himself behind the wheel of their tour van with a member of their road crew in the passenger seat.

They were involved in a serious collision: a head-on crash with an oncoming truck. Frankly neither of them should have survived, but the passenger escaped with a few broken bones.

Jihun wasn’t quite so fortunate. As well as several broken ribs and a skull fracture, his left leg had to be amputated below the knee. With the aid of a prosthetic was eventually able to walk again, but it was the hardest period of his life.

He didn’t talk to anyone for the first three weeks of his recovery. Just sat there expressionless. 

When he’d first come around after the surgery and he was informed of what had happened he was told that he was lucky to be alive, let alone that he would be able to walk again. It was a them that kept resurfacing throughout the recovery process and one that has stuck with him ever since Hence why he goes by Lucky.

Once he was back in the world, something began to bother him. There had been no coverage of the accident despite him being a relatively prominent public figure.

As it turns out, that was his parents doing. They’d paid to get the story buried as well as any and all charges that could have been levelled against him. 

They would later claim that this was for the benefit of his career, but Lucky remained fairly certain it was to keep their names away from the bad press.

Since then his relationship with them has been complicated. He still doesn’t approve of their methods, but they also potentially saved his career. And could ruin it at any moment.

Needless to say it proved quite the sobering experience. Lucky knew that he needed to get clean, and so checked himself into a rehab clinic in LA. This was probably the second most difficult period of his life.

He completed the program and decided to relocate to America permanently. Hollywood was probably not the best place for him, but it was a damn sight better than Sheffield.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

CAREER HISTORY:

And now that all the trauma and angst is out of the way, lets talk about angry music.

Lucky’s first band, RedBtn, were awful. I mean truly terrible. Sure they were only 14 at the time, but the bassist could barely play and the vocalist couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

Needless to say they were not together for very long. It was long enough to spark a passion for performance in Lucky, and two years later he went on to form the group later known as Daybreaker.

They were marginally better. Gathering a small following in their hometown, their scrappy, rough around the edges take on metalcore was heavier than most other bands on the market.

Something else that set them aside was their aesthetics. It made them almost like black sheep of the scene. They looked too polished to be accepted by the hardcore kids, but sounded far too aggressive for a more mainstream audience.

This was a pattern that would continue until late into their career. 

Someone saw something in them though, and it didn’t take long before they were signed to  a small imprint of Universal.

Despite having some devoted fans, including Lucky), their first record (A proxy of Count Your Blessings) was almost universally panned. It was a Christmas miracle that they weren't immediately dropped.

By the time the second album (A proxy of Suicide Season) came around they were widely regarded as posers and dismissed by the rock community at large.

It was around this time that Lucky realized that the music industry was one big game, and in order to get anywhere they’d need to learn how to play.

From that moment on every action and potential response was calculated with a ruthless efficiency.

Every friendship, relationship, public appearance, quote, photograph. Everything was optimized to increase their presence and make them more visible.

And so Lucky decided that the best way to get more eyes on them was to cause controversy. As the defacto spokesperson he started showing a more confrontational side to the press, calling out critics and fans alike.

He would leak stories about himself anonymously.

Eventually he would take this characterization t the extreme. He has been pictured in physical altercations as well as the subject of a defamation suit all to keep their brand relevant.

The media began to paint them as villains: a band turning on their own scene with no regard for their peers or their fanbase.

He’d taken complete control of the narrative, and they were eating out of the palm of his hand.

It tended to divide people. You either loved Lucky, or you hated him.

It definitely worked though. The album received (Admittedly still muted) praise and secured their future for at least one ore album cycle.

It was during the production of their third album (A proxy  for the one with the stupidly long title) that Lucky went through his dark phase. The rest of the band remained mostly sober whilst he struggled.

He doesn’t remember much of the recording process and doesn’t really know the songs. If they ever slip one into the setlist, he has to go back and re learn it.

This was also the point in time where his relationship with the press began to sour. Whereas he had previously tried to pull attention towards him, at this point he hated the invasiveness.

They began reporting that he may have had a problem, and he furiously denied it, going so far as to issue take down notices and cease and desist orders.

Of course it only served to boost their infamy, and the album was their first to be widely lauded. They were on their way to major league success.

And then, one night in the middle of a November UK tour, the accident happened.

The tour was cancelled due to a ‘family emergency’ and the band went into a media blackout. Despite his insistence that they simply replace him and carry on, they waited until he had recovered before emerging into the spotlight once more.

After Lucky decided to permanently relocate to the US he was sure that, as much as he’d valued his time with the band, their time together was over. Imagine his shock then, when some of them decided to follow him.

Shortly after completing rehab, Lucky locked himself away in the studio, working on what would later be dubbed the crown jewel of their discography (A proxy for Sempiternal). The album detailed a lot of his struggles in a very coded way.

With lost time to make up for, Lucky returned to the character of the music industry’s cartoon super villain. He once again began leaking stories about himself to the press anonymously, fabricating many of the details.

There were certain topics that remained off limits. The accident. His addiction. His stint in rehab. Anything and everything else was fair game.

The record relaunched them into public consciousness in a bigger way than ever before.

Currently the band are at work on their fifth album (A proxy of That’s The Spirit) which is shaping up to become an even more commercial sounding album.

Lucky isn’t entirely on board. In fact he hates it, and considers it to be selling out their core values. But at the same time, he feels an obligation to see it out. 

His bandmates had risked their careers and stuck their necks on the line for him: who was he to throw that away because a guitar tone isn’t distorted enough

Because of this, Lucky decided to put together a side project. A supergroup of sorts (Although if he were to hear you call it that he’d seriously kick off.). A three piece punk rock band, 27club are a super high energy, extremely political group combining straight up hardcore with rap influences (VC: The Fever 333) [SIDEBAR: If y’all haven’t listened to letlive or The Fever 333 and you like rock music you're missing out. Jason Butler is the best singer of this generation Change my mind.]

Daybreaker will always take priority, but this gives him an outlet for angrier music, as well as a place to air his political leanings outside of interviews.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

OTHER:

Strong sense of social justice and regularly exercises that. Has a tendency of taking his activism a step too far.

Considers himself bisexual, but has never officially labelled it. Has been in public ‘relationships’ with both male and female partners

Has a boat load of tattoo, including the straight edge x’s on the backs of his hands

Vegan.

Rides a motorcycle which he loves more than he would his first born child.

Has three dogs. Two Pomeranians named Rollins and MacKaye, and a Boxer named Atticus

#viral:intro #aka alex has an editing problem and writes another small novel

[dramioneficindex]

Dramione Fic Index ~ Title G

Title: Game On Author: ELELEL & rzzmg  Rating: M/R Genre(s): Humor, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,400 Summary: Sentenced to live for a period of five years without magic by the Wizengamot, Draco expects his future’s going to badly suck—until his court-appointed probation officer, Hermione Granger, takes it upon herself to teach him about the fun world of non-contact Muggle sports. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Fest/Exchange: Dramionelove ~Love Fest~ 2014 Published: July 4, 2014 Themes: Endearments/Pet Names, Flirting, Games/Challenges/Dares, Muggle Life, Muggle Games/Sports Draco: Cunning/Sly, Redeemed, Snarky Hermione: Bossy, Feisty, Ministry Employee [MLE Officer], Silly, Snarky

Title: Games Without Frontiers Author: alexajohnson Rating: PG-13 Genre(s): General Chapters: 1 Word Count: 8,989 Summary: “No, Draco,” said Dumbledore quietly. “It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.”—HBP, pg. 592. An alternate ending to the series that  is compliant with everything until the end of HBP. Status: Complete Timeline: War Fest/Exchange: dmhgficexchange Published: November 29, 2008 Themes: Injuries [Draco], Kidnapping/Imprisonment [Draco] Draco: Snarky Locations: Hogwarts, Hogwarts Library Characters: Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Nymphadora Tonks, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Voldemort

Title: Gemini  Author: The Orange Girl  Rating: M  Genre(s): Angst  Chapters: 1  Word Count: 10,835  Summary: Gravity is on the increase as time goes by… My body returns to the earth… There is sky up in the air… My body is in your sky, and your life is in my cosmos. We never come close to each other, but here we exist as it is…  Status: Complete  Timeline: War  Fest/Exchange: Celebrate the Season with Draco and Hermione Ficexchange  Published: January 10, 2007  Themes: Imprisonment [Draco & Hermione], Stuck Together  Draco: Broody, Turncoat, Prisoner  Hermione: Order Member, Prisoner, Know-It-All  Characters: Bellatrix Lestrange, Marcus Flint  Warnings: Explicit Sexual Situations

Title: General Feelings: Old, Very Author: Marmalade Fever Rating: T Genre(s): Fluff, Humor, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 2,606 Summary: Hermione isn’t having a very good birthday, and Malfoy isn’t helping. Or is he? Written for Granger Enchanted’s birthday challenge. DMHG Oneshot 3rd place winner at the Dramione Awards for Best EWE. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Themes: Co-Workers/Office/Partners, Hermione’s Birthday Draco: Redeemed, Snarky Hermione: Feisty

Title: Getting Her to Say Yes Author: NJ Coffee Queen Rating: T Genre(s): Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,368 Summary: A fight leads Draco to ask the most important question of his life.  Status: Complete Timeline: Year 7, AU Published: September 14, 2009 Relationship: Forbidden Love/Secret Relationship, Revealing Their Relationship Locations: Great Hall, Heads’ Common Room Characters: Gregory Goyle, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Vincent Crabbe

Title: Getting Lucky Author: Glalie773 Rating: T Genre(s): Romance, Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 5,810 Summary: “You’re making that up! Give me that.” Reaching out, Blaise grasped at the paper and glowered down. “You need to be happy making this? Well, that explains why Snape never bothered to create it.” Just a normal day in the lives Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Just another normal day. Status: Complete Timeline: Year 8 Published: July 8, 2012 Themes: Potions [Felix Felicis] Draco: Redeemed Friendships: Draco & Blaise Locations: Azkaban, Slytherin Dungeons Characters: Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle, Lucius Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, Narcissa Malfoy, Theodore Nott

Title: Getting Lucky Author: slytherincrush Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 6,345 Summary: Who needs a plot when Draco and Hermione are getting it on? Not me. I don’t need one. Status: Complete Timeline: Year 7 Published: March 8, 2008 Themes: Alcohol, Games/Challenges/Dares [Drinking Games], Veritaserum [Draco and Hermione] Draco: Redeemed Hermione: Blushing Virgin, Head Girl [Head Boy: Blaise] Locations: Astronomy Tower Side Pairings: Blaise/Pansy Friendships: Draco & Blaise, Draco & Pansy, Hermione & Pansy, Hermione & Blaise Characters: Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson

Title: Ghost Town Author: mister_otter Rating: M16 Genre(s): Angst, Romance Chapters: 2 Word Count: 10,484 Summary: Love, death, meltdown, and a dark curse. Draco Malfoy desperately needs Hermione Granger’s help. Does he dare step out of the shadows and attempt to resurrect what they once shared, in order to save someone else? Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Fest/Exchange: dramione_remix Published: September 13, 2013 Relationship: Engaged/Married (at some point), Past Relationship Themes: Alcohol, Apologies [Draco], Curses/Spells, Research [Draco & Hermione], Travel [Budapest, Hungary] Draco: Emotional, Redeemed, Spy Hermione: Bar Tender, Emotional, Feisty Locations: Hermione’s Flat/House, Other Bars/Pubs/Clubs, St. Mungo’s Characters: Narcissa Malfoy, Severus Snape

Title: Ghosts Author: Rizzle Rating: MA/NC-17 Genre(s): Romance, Angst Chapters: 5 Word Count: 25,443 Summary: Five years after the end of Voldemort and Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy is out of Azkaban and is a shell of his former self. Hermione Granger is doing her best, but she has demons of her own to deal with. Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War Fest/Exchange: 3keysficxchnge Published: May 29, 2009 Relationship: Established, Engagement/Proposal Themes: Baths/Showers, Disabilities [Draco], Ghosts/Spirits, Holiday/Vacation, Injuries [Hermione], Rain Draco: Redeemed Locations: Azkaban, St. Mungo’s Side Pairings: Seamus/Lavender Characters: Blaise Zabini, Seamus Finnigan

Title: Ghosts in a Wishing Well Author: namelessamelie Rating: MA Genre(s): Angst, Drama, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 9,390 Summary: He could never stay away for very long. // “Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.” – The Iliad Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Fest/Exchange: Otter and Ferret Alternate Links:  ff.net Published: April 25, 2012 Relationship: Breakup/Together Again, Forbidden Love/Secret Relationship Themes: Co-Workers/Office/Partners, Jealousy Draco: Broody, Redeemed Locations: Ministry of Magic Side Pairings: Blaise/Daphne, Draco/Astoria, Ron/Hermione Friendships: Draco & Blaise Characters: Astoria Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Ron Weasley Warnings: Explicit Sexual Situations, Implicit Sexual Situations, Mild Profanity

Title: Gift Advice Author: Musyc Rating: T Genre(s): Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,148 Summary: She really didn’t understand her friends sometimes. It was one thing to have a wish list for birthday presents, but something else entirely to have that wish list include the sort of items found in an ‘adult entertainment boutique’. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War Published: December 22, 2011 Themes: Flirting Draco: Snarky Side Pairings: Ron/Pansy Warnings: Unresolved Sexual Tension

Title: Gingerbread Germs Author: scarlettcat Rating: M Genre(s): Humor, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 5,098 Summary: Pansy’s plan for revenge couldn’t be sweeter. Too bad she forgot about Draco’s sweet tooth. Status: Complete Timeline: Year 7 Holiday: Christmas/New Year’s Fest/Exchange: dhr_advent Published: December 7, 2013 December 16, 2013 Themes: Sweets Hermione: Head Girl Locations: Headmaster’s Office, History of Magic Class, Potions Class Characters: Albus Dumbledore, Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter, Lavender Brown, Moaning Myrtle, Pansy Parkinson, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape

Title: Give and Take Author: dracodew17 Rating: K Genre(s): Drama, General Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,038 Summary: When they return to Hogwarts after the war, Hermione starts giving Draco a hard time.  Status: Complete Timeline: Year 8 Fest/Exchange: dmhghalloween Alternate Links: LJ Published: October 31, 2009 Relationship: Friendship Draco: Broody, Death Eater, Redeemed, Snarky Hermione: Bossy, Know-It-All

Title: Give Him Hell, Peeves Author: LadyFateContemplatingDisaster Rating: K+ Genre(s): Romance, Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,455 Summary: “Give him hell from me, Peeves,” ordered George. “I don’t care how you do it, but he deserves it for cheating on Hermione.” These orders are what gave Peeves the incentive to lock Granger and Malfoy in a broom closet… Status: Complete Timeline: Year 7 Published: August 21, 2011 Themes: Adultery [Ron cheated], Trapped Together Draco: Draco’s Feelings Hermione: Head Girl Side Pairings: Blaise/Ginny Characters: Peeves

Title: Give Me An Hour Author: RZZMG Rating: M Genre(s): Romance, Drama Chapters: 1 Word Count: 3,261 Summary: As the war continues to rage on around them, Hermione Granger decides to seduce fellow Order Member, Draco Malfoy, one night while at Grimmauld Place… and everything between them changes after that. Status: Complete Timeline: War Published: May 21, 2013 Relationship: Engaged/Married (at some point), Forbidden Love/Secret Relationship Themes: Baths/Showers Draco: Order Member, Redeemed, Snarky Hermione: Bossy, Order Member Locations: Grimmauld Place

Title: Give me your pain Author: River in Egypt Rating: M Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Angst Chapters: 49 Word Count: 464,208 Summary: In my dream her voice said: “I am your equal” And turning away I snarled: “Deal with it.” Her voice went: “You are not a killer, Draco.” Nice timing, Granger, I thought when I awoke the day of Dumbledore’s death. Canon 6th/7th year, A/U, EWE, Dramione Status: Complete Timeline: Year 6, War, Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Published: September 27, 2011  Completed: October 21, 2012 Relationship: Engaged/Married (At Some Point), Forbidden Love/Secret Relationship Pregnancy/Children: Children Names [Cassiopeia Janna, Scorpius], Pregnancy/Child Birth Themes: Affection, Alcohol, Apologies [Draco & Hermione], Baths/Showers, Co-Workers/Office/Partners, Cooking/Baking [Hermione], Cuddling/Spooning, Curses/Spells, Dancing, Draco’s Dark Mark, Endearments/Pet Names, Events/Celebrations [Parties], Eye Glasses [Draco], Forced Partnership/Together, Injuries [Draco & Hermione], Jealousy [Draco & Hermione], Nightmares [Draco & Hermione], Scars [Draco], Sharing a Bed, Teaching/Tutoring [Hermione teaches Draco] Draco: Draco’s Feelings, Draco’s Patronus [Dragon], Emotional, Protective/Possessive, Redeemed, Sex God Hermione: Bossy, Emotional, Feisty, Hermione’s Patronus [Siberian Silvereye dragon], Know-It-All, Protective/Possessive Locations: Grimmauld Place, Hogwarts, Malfoy Manor, Ministry of Magic, St. Mungo’s Side Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron, Draco/Other, Theo/Astoria, Ron/Lavender, Blaise/Pansy, Draco/Astoria Friendships: Draco & Blaise, Draco & Pansy, Draco & Theo, Draco & Astoria, Hermione & Harry, Hermione & Ginny, Hermione & Luna, Hermione & Ron, Hermione & Theo Characters: Adrian Pucey, Albus Dumbledore, Alecto Carrow, Amycus Carrow, Angelina Johnson, Andromeda Tonks, Anthony Goldstein, Astoria Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Crookshanks, Dean Thomas, Dolores Umbridge, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Grangers, Gregory Goyle, Harry Potter, Katie Bell, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lavender Brown, Lee Jordan, Lucius Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Marcus Flint, Madam Pomfrey, Michael Corner, Minerva McGonagall, Narcissa Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Pansy Parkinson, Parvati Patil, Percy Weasley, Rita Skeeter, Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan, Severus Snape, Sybil Trelawney, Teddy Lupin, Terry Boot, Theodore Nott  Character Point of View/POV: Draco, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Narcissa Featured Holidays: Christmas/New Year’s Note: Uses the nickname ‘Mione’ for Hermione.

Title: Glad I Came Author: shagmedraco Rating: NC-17 Genre(s): Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 2,860 Summary: He came every year to watch her, but always left empty handed. This year though, he’d be glad he came.  Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, AU Holiday: Halloween Published: September 20, 2004 Themes: Dancing, Events/Celebrations [Masquerade] Draco: Draco’s Feelings, Redeemed Locations: Malfoy Manor

Title: Glamorous Author: Captainraychill Rating: R Genre(s): Mystery, Romance, Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 4,300 Summary: Draco owns a mysterious shop that sells high-quality, custom-made  glamours. Hermione visits one sweltering night with a secret and a special request. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Fest/Exchange: Dramionelove’s Spring-Summer Fest Published: August 1, 2013 Themes: Apologies [Draco], Curses/Spells, Hermione’s Mudblood Scar, Tattoos [Hermione], Scars, Summer Draco: Business Man, Redeemed, Shop Owner Locations: Diagon Alley, Hermione’s Flat/House Side Pairings: Ron/Lavender Friendships: Hermione & Ginny, Hermione & Luna Characters: Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood

Title: Glass Author: EllaPenny Rating: T Genre(s): Romance, Hurt and Comfort Chapters: 21 Word Count: 54,169 Summary: Hermione Granger. Worthless. Bookworm. Know-it-all. Mudblood. Stuck up. Suicidal. Saved. What if? Set during 6th year. Status: Complete Timeline: Year 6 Published: April 5, 2017 Completed: February 26, 2019 Themes: Rescue [Draco saves Hermione], Forced Partnership, Kidnapping and Imprisonment [Hermione], Injuries [Hermione], News and Gossip Draco: Death Eater, Turncoat, Snarky Hermione: Vulnerable, Hermione’s Feelings, Friendships: Hermione & Harry, Hermione & Ron, Hermione & Ginny, Draco & Blaise Characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle, Warnings: Suicide Attempt

Title: Glass Houses Author: Amadea Rating: T Genre(s): Romance Chapters: 3 Word Count: 3,888 Summary: When Draco and Hermione are trapped in Greenhouse #3 by a thunderstorm, they are forced to spend some quality time alone. Together. Post-War, back for 7th Year. Status: Complete Timeline: Year 8 Published: October 30, 2011  Themes: Draco’s Dark Mark, Trapped Together Draco: Redeemed, Snarky Hermione: Know-It-All Characters: Crookshanks, Ron Weasley

Title: Glimpse  Author: kanames_harisen Rating: M/R Genre(s): Humor, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 8,078 Summary: He’d only caught a glimpse – satin and lace in the same petal-pink as her shirt – but it had been enough. Draco Malfoy is now, quite literally, sporting a hard-on for Hermione Granger. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE  Fest/Exchange: dramionelove Adopt-A-Prompt 2015 Alternate Links: ff.net  Published: June 1, 2015  Themes: Clothing [Lingerie], Co-Workers/Office/Partners, Potions [Veritaserum] Draco: Redeemed  Warnings: explicit language, implicit sexual content

Title: Glory Days Author: sellthelie Rating: PG-13 Genre(s): Romance, Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 5,258 Summary: Hogwarts Seventh Yrs are asked to do “Video Diaries” over the course of the year.  Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, AU, Year 7 Fest/Exchange: dmhgficexchange Alternate Links: ff.net Published: June 10, 2006 Relationship: Already Married Pregnancy/Children: Children Names [Adrienne, Patrick], Pregnancy/Child Birth Themes: Head Boy/Head Girl, Reunion [Hogwarts] Locations: Heads’ Common Room Side Pairings: Ron/Hannah Characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley

Title: Go With It Author: dysfunctionaldilusion Rating: M Genre(s): Humor, Romance  Chapters: 15 Word Count: 25,130  Summary: Draco hated his job. His boss was horrible. His mother was ill. His best friend was an annoying roommate. A confused meeting at St. Mungo’s leads Draco asking the last person he wanted help from to go with it to make his mother happy. Lucky for him, his boss may be horrible but she was helpful when it counts. She’ll remember this favor. Unfortunately, so will his mother. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War Published: March 21. 2017 Completed: June 6, 2017 Relationship: Fake Relationship Pregnancy/Children: Child [Theodora Tracey] Themes: Hermione is Draco’s Boss, Co Workers Office Partners, Travel, Arguments, Matchmaking [Matchmakers: Blaise, Theo], Dates, Flying, Insecurities [Hermione] Draco: MLE Officer, Broody, Draco’s Feelings, Emotional Hermione: MLE Officer, Compassionate, Hermione’s Feelings Friendships: Draco & Theo, Draco & Blaise Characters: Narcissa Malfoy, Theo Nott, Blase Zabini, Astoria Greengrass, Cassius Warrington, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley,  Anti-Characters: Anti-Astoria Additional Notes: Fast Romance

Title: Goddess of Vengeance Author: cleotheo Rating: M Genre(s): Drama, Romance Chapters: 50 Word Count: 134,817  Summary: When Hermione Granger discovers she’s really the daughter of The Dark Lord and that The Order of the Phoenix were behind her kidnapping as a baby and her parent’s murders, she sets out to gain revenge against everyone who had wronged her. Dark Hermione!  Status: Complete Timeline: Year 7, AU Published: May 1, 2017 Completed: September 13, 2017 Relationship: Boyfriend/Girlfriend Themes: Flashbacks, Memories, Revenge, News and Gossip, Curses and Spells, Dueling, Abuse and Assault, Secret Relationship, Ministry and Politics, Arranged Marriage, Bonding, Kidnapping and Imprisonment   Draco: Protective and Possessive, Dark, Cruel, Romantic Hermione: Pureblood, Cruel, Manipulative, Dark, Riddle Side Pairings: Voldemort/OC, Arthur/Molly, Lucius/Narcissa, James/Lily, Hermione/Ron Friendships: Draco & Theo, Draco & Blaise   Characters: Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasely, Molly Weasley, Voldemort, Bill Weasley, George Weasley, Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini, Lily Evans, Grangers, James Potter Character Deaths: Dumbledore, James Potter Anti-Characters: Anti-Dumbledore, Anti-Order Warnings: Explicit Sexual Situations, Torture and Character Deaths 

Title: Goddess of Victory Author: cleotheo Rating: M Genre(s): Drama, Romance Chapters: 36 Word Count: 134,817 Summary: Sequel to Goddess of Vengeance. With her vengeance achieved and her enemies brought to their knees, Hermione is looking forward to her future with Draco. But between a surprising figure from the past returning and her old friends unable to leave recent events alone, it’s going to be quite a while before Hermione can get her desired peaceful future. Dark Hermione! Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War Published: April 30, 2018 Completed: August 31, 2018 Relationship: Boyfriend/Girlfriend Themes: Revenge, News and Gossip, Curses and Spells, Dueling, Abuse and Assault, Ministry and Politics, Kidnapping and Imprisonment [Draco], Azkaban, Bonding, Abuse and Assault, Injuries [Draco & Hermione] Draco: Protective and Possessive, Dark, Cruel, Romantic Hermione: Pureblood, Cruel, Manipulative, Dark, Riddle, Business Woman Side Pairings: Voldemort/OC, Lucius/Narcissa, Remus/Tonks Friendships: Draco & Theo, Draco & Blaise   Characters: Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasely, Molly Weasley, Voldemort, Bill Weasley, George Weasley, Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini, Lily Evans, Grangers, Fred Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Voldemort, Kingsley Shaklebolt, Character Deaths: Harry, Ron Anti-Characters: Anti-Harry, Anti-Ron, Anti-Ginny Warnings: Torture and Character Deaths

Title: Going Down Author: shagmedraco Rating: NC-17 Genre(s): Drama, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 5,811 Summary: Sharing a lift with Draco Malfoy was always eventful.  Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, AU Fest/Exchange: dmhgficexchange Alternate Links: LJ Published: May 23, 2005 Themes: Alcohol, Apologies [Draco], Elevators, Jealousy Draco: Draco’s Feelings, Snarky Hermione: Emotional, Hermione’s Feelings, Feisty Locations: Other Bar/Pub Side Pairings: Harry/Ginny Friendships: Hermione & Ginny Characters: Ginny Weasley

Title: Going For Gold Author: Imtrouble Rating: PG-13 Genre(s): Humor, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,487 Summary: Draco Malfoy doesn’t take well to Rest and Relaxation! Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Fest/Exchange: Malfoy Manor Fic War Published: August 5, 2012 Relationship: Boyfriend/Girlfriend Draco: Quidditch Player [Professional/Seeker] Characters: Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter, Oliver Wood

Title: Golden Delicious Author: Amethyst18 Rating: M Genre(s): Humor Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,990 Summary: Hermione wakes up in a strange place with the most unlikely of bedfellows. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Fest/Exchange: dramione_duet Alternate Links: LJ Published: October 19, 2011 Themes: The Morning After Draco: Snarky Hermione: Bossy Warnings: Implicit Sexual Situations

Title: Gone Author: nerdzeword Rating: G/K Genre(s): Family, Romance Chapters: 1 Word Count: 3,838 Summary: Hermione’s entire life revolves around her idiot friends. What happens when they leave her behind? Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War Published: January 13, 2015 Relationship: Engaged/Married (at some point) Pregnancy/Children: Adoption/Guardianship, Pregnancy Difficulties [Hermione is barren] Themes: Abandonment, Travel [France, Italy, Turkey], Wandless/Non-verbal Magic [Hermione] Draco: Redeemed Hermione: Emotional, Feisty Locations: The Burrow Side Pairings: Bill/Fleur, Blaise/Luna, George/Angelina, Neville/Ginny, Percy/Audrey Friendships: Draco & The Weasleys Characters: Andromeda Tonks, Angelina Johnson, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Dominique Weasley, Fleur Delacour, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, Molly Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Percy Weasley, Ron Weasley, Teddy Lupin, Victoire Weasley Featured Holidays: Christmas/New Year’s Additional Notes: Hermione’s is referred to as “Mia” twice.

Title: Gone Astray Author: AlexisRose Rating: NC-17 Genre(s): Romance Chapters: 5 Word Count: 8,172 Summary: Draco and Hermione get lost in the Forbidden Forest, and find more than snow in the endless expanse of trees. Status: Complete Timeline: Post-Hogwarts/Post-War, EWE Holiday: Christmas/New Year’s Fest/Exchange: A Granger Enchanted Christmas Wish Published: December 20, 2007  Completed: January 11, 2008 Themes: Co-Workers/Office/Partners [Business Partners], Sharing a Bed, Trapped Together Draco: Snarky Locations: Forbidden Forest Warnings: Coarse Language, Lemons(Extreme Smut), Limes(Mild Smut)