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zeroeightzeroone · 1 month

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Hiyaa,

I have a request?

Producer!Bang chan x reader

Established relationship

Angst/comfort

Bang chan is in a bad mood so when he's at the studio he shouts at a co-worker he's close to/ 3racha member.

The co-worker/3racha member leaves and bumps into reader (who was already on the way to the studio? Because they haven't spent time together in a while?) and like hints at chan's bad mood.

Reader enters studio and chan starts to get mad but like reader is like "can I sit on your lap?" and he's like ❔ and she's like "you can continue working, can I sit on your lap?" and he's like "... Yeah?". Then it's fluff fluff fluff because fluff is the best 💯💯🚫🧢. Like a lot of fluff.

Oh also can you work in the reader saying something along the lines of "I get your frustrated but can you please not speak to me like that?" 🥺

And like chan gets more at peace/ relaxed/ less frustrated and apologies to coworker/ member and yeah and they all live happily ever after

creative differences - bang chan

genre: hurt/comfort, fluff/soft (eventually)

pairings: idol/producer!bang chan x fem!reader

warnings: chan is snappy, use of profanity

notes: thank you so much for your request <3 i hope i did it justice. this may also be the longest fic i've posted on this account with a little over 4.3k words

wc ~4.3 | moodboard

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ｡｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:

since their debut, the company had already set expectations that the boys would have at least two comebacks a year–one in the first half of the year and another in the latter half. if they wanted to have more than two, they could, but two was the absolute least. the first comeback of this year for the boys went off without a hitch, resulting in topping multiple charts and receiving a handful of music show wins. however, the process for this second comeback of the year was already off to a rocky start, and the road ahead only looks winding and increasingly difficult.

the boys of 3racha have been in the studio every day for the past couple of weeks brainstorming and trying to put things together for the upcoming release. but they all seem to be hitting walls, or the ideas clash due to the amount of stress and pressures looming over their heads. so many people are counting on them–the members, producers, choreographers, and the jyp entertainment team, stay. and as the days in the studio pass, with the boys not agreeing on songs, arrangements, mixing, and more, the weight on their shoulders increases as well.

bang chan, the leader of stray kids and 3racha, felt the pressures even more so than changbin and han did.

currently, the three boys find themselves in chan's room inside the jyp entertainment building; chan is seated on the rolling chair in front of the multiple screens and mixing boards, while changbin and han are seated on either end of the couch. the three of them with their phones, laptops and notebooks opened up as they continue to brainstorm and discuss. but much like weeks prior, the progress isn't progressing, the progress is lacking or non-existent.

letting a deep sigh slip past his lips, han's eyebrows furrow in frustration as he scratches over old bullet points and writes new ones in his notebook, looking for ideas that could work. changbin is scrolling through his notes app and audio recording app, intermittently bringing the speakers at the bottom of his phone closer to his ear to hear the audio better as it's turned down to not disturb the other two, changbin tapping his fingers on his knee as he listens with his lip pursed in a tight line. chan is doing a mix of what the two are doing; writing and scratching out old and new ideas in his notebook, scrolling through his notes and audio recording apps to find something that they could work with, as well as filing through the production hardware on the system to find any drafts that could also be used to at the least, spark some inspiration.

at one point, chan feels like he's going to tug his hair out by the roots as he runs his fingers through his locks haphazardly. he's reaching the end of his patience; they've been working for weeks, and they can't even find a starting place for the comeback–he feels as if all the old material he finds in the apps aren't good enough, that they won't exceed the expectations or hype of the last comeback, that it won't even reach those expectations. it's frustrating chan to no end as he feels like he's reaching a dead end.

with a sigh, chan turns in his chair to discuss with han and changbin who are on the couch. when changbin notices this, he glances at han from the corner of his eye, surveys the atmosphere, and runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"we need to figure something out," chan splutters out, his mind quite frantic, "we have to have some ideas–at least something?"

he looks between changbin and han on the couch, their faces look just as discontented and their minds are frantic but blank at the same time–mirroring chan's own face and mind. chan shuts his eyes in an attempt to calm down his bubbling emotions as he leans back into his chair.

"we could look through the demos again?" han throws a suggestion onto the table.

"which ones?" changbin questions.

han shrugs while at the same time he says, "all of them?"

"why would we look through demos we already vetoed?" chan scoffs, "that would be a complete waste of time."

"it's just a suggestion," han restates, this time his tone laced with hints of irritation, "maybe one of those vetoed demos could actually work; we just need to rework it."

"this isn't the first time we've gone through the demos in the past couple of weeks," chan reminds, "if one of those demos could actually work, we would've found it on the first or second round of looking."

"what demos are you thinking of specifically?" changbin asks han, who shrugs.

"i don't know, but what harm is there to look again?"

chan groans in agitation, not understanding why han is so adamant about looking through the demos again: "this would probably be the fourth time–why waste our time with a fifth? we want to make progress, looking for a fifth time is a complete waste of time."

the older boy's tone is sharp, prompting an eye roll from the youngest in the room, his arms going up in protest: " hey. it was just a suggestion–at least something to get the ball rolling." he reiterates chan's words from the beginning of the conversation.

"how is doing something that hasn't worked the past four times for a fifth going to work? if it didn't work a majority, if not, all the past times–it's not going to work," the tension in the room continues to build.

"wouldn't it be better to start from scratch instead of looking through ideas that we already decided weren't working?" changbin chimes in.

at this, han starts to feel like the two older boys are ganging up against him, and he defends himself quickly, "once again, it was just a suggestion. i don't see either of you suggesting anything."

changbin scoffs, "did I not just suggest starting from scratch instead of looking through rejected ideas?"

han turns his head to face changbin on the other end of the couch, "haven't we also been trying to start from scratch these past couple of weeks? that also hasn't been working–if it did, we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"how are we supposed to start from scratch if we have no ideas?" chan asks in a matter-of-fact tone.

"if we look through the old demos, put some together or play around, then maybe we can find ideas," han speaks slowly as if he's trying to enunciate his point to drill it into the other two's heads, "it's better than sitting at our notebooks and laptops and writing down, absolutely nothing."

han's method of slowing down and enunciating seems to have gone through changbin's head as he begins to see han's point. if they can't conjure something up from nothing, they might as well try to conjure something up from their old demos or many recordings of melodies that have come to mind in the past. putting things together could trigger some inspiration.

"no, i think han has a point here," changbin states, "if we have no foundation or starting point, we can't build anything on top of it. at least with the old demos, we can continue to build off of what we have."

a deep breath expels from chan's lips as he listens to both han and changbin bounce words of agreement off each other for this working with old demos plan.

"again," chan says slowly, "if it didn't work the past four times, why would it work now? the odds are not in your favour."

"but there's still a chance it could work," han argues, "if there's a chance, why not take it?"

chan tongues at his cheek, "because we have a deadline. we can't keep grasping at straws that are obviously not working."

"starting from scratch and coming up with absolutely nothing is also not going to help us meet the deadline."

"so you want to create an album of demos we've rejected? you want to release a subpar album?" chan taunts.

"that's not what i'm saying," han shakes his head.

"that's what i'm hearing!"

"look, hyung," changbin steps in, "just listen to us for a second."

"i'm listening," chan snaps, "and i disagree. we have a standard to reach, one to exceed. i'll be damned if we release something below that."

"why the hell would we release something below standard?" changbin scoffs, running his hands through his hair and over his face in exasperation. letting his hands linger on his face as he leans forward, elbows on his knees.

the youngest in the room snaps at chan, "the fuck? is this you saying you lack faith in our producing skills? that we can't rework old demos to produce something that not only hits that standard but exceeds it?"

the sharp change in han's tone and volume alerts changbin, who realizes this conversation–well now it's an argument–is getting out of hand. chan and han are practically at each others throats and they're both too headstrong but stubborn at the same time, neither of them will back down. obviously, avoiding conversation wasn't going to get them anywhere, but at this point, where emotions are high, and egos are even higher, no meaningful or productive conversation regarding the album will be shared. changbin realizes he needs to jump into action to diffuse the situation before it becomes a screaming match between the two heated bandmates.

"i'm saying we have a standard, we have expectations to uphold," chan speaks slowly, his voice deeper as he's practically sneering at han, "one that the company has for us, stay, everyone."

han snarls back, eyes throwing daggers in chan's direction, "i know that. i know that damn fucking well. i'm out here trying to innovate some sort of progress toward this album, progress that we have been severely lacking for the past couple of weeks. other than rejecting our ideas, what the hell have you been doing?" he raises his chin at the older boy in a provoking manner.

"han–" changbin starts but is quickly cut off by chan.

"what the hell have i been doing?" chan spits out the question, han nods, "i've been making sure all our releases since debut continue to surpass these standards–this upcoming album is no different. don't come into my studio questioning what the fuck i've been doing."

"hyung–" changbin tries again to no avail.

"maybe you should leave," chan hisses, and changbin's eyes widen, darting between the two other boys in the studio with fires in their eyes, "and come back when you have suggestions that aren't going to waste my fucking time."

"look, guys. hannie, channie hyung–" changbin is cut off again when han rises to his feet, jaw clenched as he stares down chan in front of him, eyes narrowed.

"fine. i'll leave," he declares, "this is a waste of my time. i'll come back when you've got your head out of your fucking ass and you're open to listening to anyone other than yourself."

chan spins back around in his chair, eyes rolling back in anger as he clenches his fists on the table. behind him, han is quickly packing up his laptop and notebook as changbin gulps, wracking his brain to think of who to attend to right now. when han stomps to the studio door, swinging it open and stomping out into the hall of the company building. changbin is quick to follow after him, leaving everything but his phone, keys and wallet in his pocket the whole time as he follows after han, shutting the door behind them, leaving chan to his own thoughts alone. he chooses to follow the younger boy to try to calm him down and ensure he's safe wherever he plans to run off to.

meanwhile, you're a couple moments away from the elevator reaching the same floor the three boys are on. your hands clasped in front of you as you keep an eye on the digital sign that changes with each floor, rocking back and forth on your heels to pass the time. you haven't seen your boyfriend in quite a while due to your conflicting schedules, work and life getting in the way of a relationship, but you were grateful for those moments in between the chaos where it was just steady love and happiness. you learned to cherish those small moments instead of grovelling over how much time you can't spend with your boyfriend–obviously you get sad once in a while when you're away from him but choose not to dwell on it. thankfully, tonight is one of those nights where you can spend your time in the comfort of your boyfriend's presence. but he has no idea that you were even planning on coming to the company building, he has no idea of this little surprise you've organized.

when the elevator dings, stopping at your floor, you exit quickly but you make your way down the hallway slowly. your head moving from left to right as you read the numbers on each door, ensuring you landed on the correct floor and were going in the right direction. when you hear footsteps and your eyes dart to changbin and han walking down the hall in your direction, a wave of relief washes over you until you catch a glimpse of the concern on changbin's face and the anger on han's. they notice you walking towards them belatedly, almost running into you, but you catch their attention before any collision.

"hey guys," you greet softly, concern written on your features at the sight of the two boys. eyes looking between changbin whose eyes are drooped with worry and han, who you can feel the anger radiating off of, "what's going on?"

they both exchange small greetings with you. given han's current state, his greetings are shorter and more reserved. his mouth shut and jaw clenched again once he's greeted you.

"creative differences," changbin says to which han scoffs, rolling his eyes, "ok well, that's how it started, but long story short, we got into an argument, and hannie walked out."

"we?"

changbin nods, "yeah, hannie, chan hyung and i."

your lips purse in a tight line when the second name rolls off changbin's tongue: "if you don't mind, could you explain what happened?"

not wanting to get into too much detail as changbin doesn't want further rile up the already upset han, he gives you a quick run down of the main points of the argument between the 3racha boys–mainly chan and han. you keep your mouth shut the whole time and nod, listening intently to changbin explain while han stands with his arms crossed over his chest, a prominent pout on his lips and his eyebrows knit together.

"you're on your way to see, channie hyung?" changbin asks for clarification and you nod, "okay, obviously after what i told you, he's in a really bad mood right now so proceed with caution. angry chan is scary chan."

you thank changbin for letting you know what happened from their perspective, bidding short goodbyes to both the boys as han and changbin decide to make their way back to the dorms. han needs some time to unwind and collect his thoughts after the spat with chan. you continue to walk down the hall, turning a corner and finding the room number that felix sent you earlier–103.

you knock on the door softly but hear nothing from the inside; you knock once again and hear nothing. you sigh and decide to turn the knob, letting yourself in.

chan heard the knocks; the first one sparked his annoyance, and the second continued to heighten it. the sound of the door being opened caused him to bark at whoever decided to come in when, through his silence, he clearly didn't grant the permission to.

"what the hell?" he mutters to himself before he barks out, turning in his chair, "complete silence after knocking is not an invitation to come in, fuckin–"

when chan fully turns in his chair to face the direction of the door, the words get caught in his throat at the sight of you. he assumed it might have been changbin, han or a staff member, but seeing you standing there took him by complete shock. you shut the door behind you and give chan a small wave that he reciprocates hesitantly, still trying to let it sink in that you're actually in the room with him and that he isn't hallucinating due to how long it's been since the last time he's seen his girlfriend in person. you move to sit on the couch that was once occupied by the two other 3racha members; now, one side is occupied by changbin's laptop and notebook while you sit on the opposite end. chan turns his chair, following your every move.

when you sit down, take the pillow and place it on your lap, you smile up at chan again, "hi."

"hey baby," chan speaks slowly, "what are you doing here?"

you hum before answering, "well, we haven't been able to see each other in a while cos of our schedules but some time opened up for me today, so i wanted to pay you a surprise visit."

chan feels his heart warm at the gesture, but he's still quite irritated and agitated from the argument with han and changbin. the lack of progress for the upcoming album, along with the plethora of expectations looming over his head and his patience begins to dwindle again.

"that's nice, but i don't really have time for this right now," chan's tone is stern, his voice deep in warning, "i've got so much shit to do for this upcoming album, and nothing is fucking–"

"can I sit on your lap?" you ask, cutting chan off and causing him to furrow his eyebrows together in a mix of confusion and irritation–irritated that you had cut him off but confused about whether he had heard you right.

"what?" he deadpans, blinking at you.

"can I sit on your lap?" you repeat, and now he knows he definitely didn't hear things.

"did you not hear what i said?" chan holds back from snarling at you in frustration. "nothing is done for the album, and i don't have time to take a break."

you nod, hearing his words but adding, "you can continue working. i just want to sit on your lap while you do."

chan opens his mouth to refuse, but his eyes lock with yours–your shiny, beautiful eyes with a perfect array of colours decorating the irises, gazing up at him with a splash of hope in the depths of love in your eyes. that's when his mouth snaps shut again, probably looking like a fish when it opens again, but this time he says:

"yeah? sure."

the bright smile that stretches on your face feels like a reward to chan. you make your way over, placing yourself on his lap while facing him; thankfully, chan's chair is big enough for you to practically straddle him in a comfortable position. you wrap your arms around his shoulders and nuzzle yourself into his neck.

"you can go back to work now," you say, your voice muffled from the pressure of your lips against his skin.

chan can't help the lopsided smile that makes its way to his lips. he also can't help the way his whole body seems to relax with your touch; the longer he feels the warmth radiating off your body onto his, the more he feels the tension in his muscles deteriorating slowly. the feeling of your body pressed against his, his arms outstretched to continue typing or writing in his notebook, feels comforting.

moments pass when chan's room is quiet, and the occasional noise of chan typing on the keyboard, picking up or placing his pencil down to scratch down who knows what in his notebook. at the same time, you're still perched on his lap, your arms comfortably draped around him, and your face nuzzled in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

chan isn't sure if the arguing with han and changbin or if the feeling of you in his arms sparked some ideas to come out of him and onto paper, but he would like to say both. despite the heated atmosphere and half-hearted words thrown around, he doesn't want to feel like that argument was completely unnecessary and a waste of time; instead, he wants to see it as a bump in the road that shows him how he can continue to improve as a friend, producer, bandmate and a person as a whole.

meanwhile, you're thinking about how comfortable you feel in the position your in right now, and how you could probably fall asleep at this moment. sure, maybe your back will hurt when you wake up, but right now, you feel your whole body relax in your boyfriend's arms. a couple moments later, your eyes are half open and you felt yourself falling asleep, but you jump a little in shock when you feel both of chan's hands sprawled on your back. his hands rub your back gently and comfortingly before he circles his arms around your body and pulls you closer. a deep sigh escaping his lips as he holds you, his eyes falling shut for a few seconds. chan turns his head, kissing the side of your head on your hair.

"thank you," he whispers, placing another gentle kiss as his hands rub circles on your back again.

you respond in a small, quiet and slightly sleepy voice, "for what?"

chan shrugs, "for this. being here."

you nod, pausing for a moment before you say, "i ran into changbin and han in the hall."

you feel your boyfriend tense up in your arms. you begin to reciprocate his comforting action as you trace circles on his back with the pads of your thumbs, his muscles relaxing under your gentle caresses. you continue to speak in a soft, timid manner that only chan can hear since your lips are so close to his ear.

"i know you're under a lot of stress and pressure preparing for the album," you begin, "i get that you're frustrated, but can you please not speak to me like that?"

the man feels his heart drop listening to your words. his mind rewinds back to when he heard the door opening, and how his first instinct was to bark and scold whoever came into the studio uninvited. chan remembers how you blinked and gave him a small smile, trying to hide your surprise, but it was evident in how your eyes widened the slightest bit for a split second before returning to normal.

you and chan sit in silence; he's dwelling on your words while you're still tracing circles into his back with your thumbs. chan wants to say that he didn't know you were the one coming into the studio, to use that as a defence, but he knows how weak that is–that regardless of who came into the room, he shouldn't have let his frustrations blow over, flipping out and greeting them by raising his voice. sure, his emotions were high, which is a factor in how he acted earlier, but he can't use that as an excuse to get away with snapping at people who have nothing to do with what he's emotional about.

you feel chan nod, and he says softly, "i'm sorry." you go to say that it's okay, but chan interrupts, "it's not, though. even if i didn't mean to speak to you that way, i still need to figure out how to regulate and control my emotions."

"you're human," you say, "when emotions are high, it's hard to find a way to keep them under control all the time. but the fact that you recognize your mistake–that's a lot more than many people can say."

chan pulls you even closer against him, if it's even possible, "i'll try my best though. i'll speak to you at a normal volume, respectfully and saying sweet things. that's what my girl deserves."

your cheeks heat up at the way chan calls you 'his girl'.

"thank you," chan repeats.

this time, you pull away, sitting up straight to look at chan's face, your eyes meeting his soft ones. his hands rub up and down your sides slowly, a slight smile on his lips. you cock your head in confusion, "for what?"

"you always know the right thing to say," chan moves one of his hands up to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, keeping his hand on your cheek gently and the pad of his thumb swiping over the skin, "i love you."

you're blushing even harder now, "i love you too."

chan uses the hand on your cheek to guide your face so your lips meet his halfway for a sweet kiss. after quite a while, a smile breaks out on your face at the feeling of his soft pink and plump lips against yours. your hands move to hold either side of his neck, and the two of you spend the next couple of moments sharing tender kisses and giggles in between.

in the midst of all of the kisses, you and chan are gazing down at each other when he brushes your hair away again. this time, he opens his mouth to speak with flushed cheeks, "i'm starting to think han and his suggestions were right; it'll be better to build on something we already have and improve on it than to force ourselves to start from scratch and continue to hit a dead end."

you brush chan's hair out of his forehead, and he continues.

"my head was too far up my ass to consider his suggestion," chan purses his lips together, and his eyes flash with regret as he recalls the words thrown around between him and the younger producer earlier. chan lets himself linger in his head again before voicing his concerns, "do you think they'll forgive me?"

you nod.

"really? you're not just saying that?"

you nod again, and this time, you explain, "as long as you can identify and acknowledge where you went wrong and what you did wrong, and sincerely and genuinely apologize–which i know you feel sincerely and genuinely apologetic for–i believe they'll forgive you."

chan's eyelids flutter quickly as he thinks, nodding as he fully processes your words. still, a wave of nervousness washes over him at the possibility that han and changbin won't forgive him.

"they're your brothers," you snap him out of his thoughts, "brothers fight, but at the end of the day, they still love each other."

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kmgkmg · 1 year

Text

GOOD RIDDANCE, A NEW TIME - JOSHUA HONG

word count: 4.7k... (my longest fic yet!!)

pairing: joshua x gn!reader x jihoon (for the first half)

synopsis: it’s the start of the new year and you’re spending it with a wildly attractive stranger in a leather jacket.

genre/s: angst (for the first half), fluff, non-idol!au

warnings: alcohol mention, cheating mention, angst

rating: pg-13

a/n: my first joshua fic! i hope y’all enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it :D!! this is another submission for k-vanity’s season’s greetings event! theme: formal, accessories/extras: new years eve, holiday party, resolutions, transition. the title comes from the song good riddance, a new time by laica!

“You have got to be kidding me, Y/N.” Jihoon sighs, his irritation quickly becoming evident.

“Aren’t we supposed to get off two stops from now?” You ask your boyfriend, confusingly looking at your phone and the maps app that was open.

“No! We should’ve gotten off at the stop the driver just drove past.” He slid back into his seat, beginning to tap his foot impatiently.

Who would’ve thought that your navigation app would misguide you, but you could tell that your boyfriend’s anger was growing by the second and nearly going to burst. The other occupants of the bus were looking at both of you, causing you to nervously look down at your phone and the incorrect directions once again. You wished that you could explain that his loud voice towards you wasn’t a regular thing to the people watching, but you knew that would only upset him more. Jihoon was always pretty understanding when it came to you, but lately he became snappy. You figured he had been more susceptible to emotional outbursts since he was rushing to meet the deadline for producing a new singer’s album, so you could only look at him apologetically and press the button to alert the bus driver that you wanted to get off at the next stop.

You had persuaded him with much effort to attend the New Years Eve party your mutual friend, Soonyoung, was throwing, hoping it would be the most opportune time for him to destress. It’s understandable to be upset, you thought to yourself. Especially when you were the cause of the two of you to be running late. You had recently bought a washer and dryer, sick of needing to visit the laundromat when the nearest one was a forty minute bus ride away. The problem with these new appliances is that the outfit you planned to wear for the party was still damp when Jihoon informed you that he was waiting in your apartment complex’s lobby. You still find it comical how you found anything and everything that matched Soonyoung’s party theme of ‘New Beginnings’, before haphazardly selecting articles of clothing.

The bus takes a slight turn to the right and abruptly stops, indicating that it was your stop to get off. You’re torn from your thoughts of earlier and look beside you, only to see Jihoon’s spot was vacant. He was already at the bus’ door and asking the driver to open the exit. You frown, unused to him ignoring you, but regardless get up from your seat and leave the bus. Promptly putting on a smile, you hurriedly try to catch up to Jihoon, who was walking at an overwhelmingly fast pace. He was busy on his phone, probably texting Soonyoung to inform him that you would be late.

“How good do you think the music will be this year? Last year’s music was awful, but I feel like that was because Chan ordered a random local DJ to perform. At least Hansol is going to be in control today.” You try to start conversation, cautiously glancing at his expression and attempting to read the mood between the two of you.

Silence fills the air as he continues to walk at his hasty pace, before he finally looks up from his screen, exciting you for the potential interest you sparked.

“Why would I care about music when I’m not working? God Y/N, you are so dense.” His tired expression and monotonous tone leave you flustered, resulting in another apology, yet this time it was quietly muttered. Silence suddenly fell onto the two of you again and the rest of the walk was finished with the complete absence of words.

The music can be heard nearly a block away, but the familiar tunes of popular songs amongst your friend group causes you to feel a bit more at ease with yourself and the night. The queue to get into the club was snaking around the corner and you felt extremely grateful that your friends had rented out a section of the venue. Jihoon gives the bouncer your names and the worker checks their list before nodding and letting you both enter. Walking in Jihoon makes a beeline for the bar, leaving you alone once again. Sighing, you start to search for Soonyoung’s reserved table by yourself and prepare yourself for a stressful night.

You hear a voice that you’re accustomed to before you feel an arm sling around your shoulders. “Y/N, the one and only! My favorite fellow moodmaker is finally here, and with Producer Woozi!” Seungkwan slurringly shouts to express his joy at your arrival, before grabbing your shoulders with each of his hands to look you straight in the eyes. His face turns serious and you prepare for what he’s going to say before he hiccups, “You know we love you, right?”

You laugh at his drunken antics and hug him, before nearly jumping out of your skin at the sound of another familiar voice behind the two of you.

“Jihoon finally decided to take a break from his work and we have you to thank for that.” Breaking from your hug with the intoxicated Seungkwan, you turn around and see Seungcheol waving at you with a smirk grin. He told the group chat that he wasn’t going to be able to attend since he would be abroad when the party was going to happen, so his appearance was entirely unexpected. But he loved surprising you guys and he had successfully done just that. You enthusiastically wave back at your friend, having your mood drastically improve from earlier when you were alone with Jihoon.

“Where is he by the way?” Seungcheol asks and Seungkwan’s arched eyebrows prove that he was equally as curious to know where their other friend was. You point to the bar, expecting him to be there, and he was sitting near the end, already having three empty glasses in front of him.

His presence was intimidating enough to make you all aware that you should leave him alone for the time being. Sensing your regained sadness, Seungkwan looks to Seungcheol and points with his head to the dancefloor.

Noticing Seungkwan’s hint, Seungcheol begins to ask if you’d wanna dance together but is discouraged to finish his sentence when you sit back on one of the club’s sofas. Wonwoo, who has been keeping you company, gives the guys an urgent look to lift your spirits. The three of them look at each other and shrug, unsure of what to do with the awkward tension between their friend group’s favorite couple, you and Jihoon. As if on cue, Hansol turns on one of your favorite songs and your ears perk up and eyes sparkle as if you were a kid who just got gifted their favorite candy.

“No way, did one of you tell Hansol to play this? I love you guys!” You were easy to satisfy and your three friends thanked Hansol and fate for playing the song at the right time. You run to the dance floor, making sure to motion for your friends to follow you and soon enough the four of you were dancing and enjoying yourselves to the beat of the song.

The party ended up being more fun than you originally thought it would be and although you arrived at 8:30, three hours had passed in the blink of an eye. The clock was ticking, time was dwindling, and in thirty minutes it would officially be a new year. A while ago you stopped dancing and you noticed that Jihoon was still sitting at the bar with one more empty glass. Making your way over to the bar, you gently placed your hand on top of his as he maintained a blank expression on his face.

“Babe, did you say hi to Seungcheol yet? He fooled all of us and actually showed up tonight!” You inform your boyfriend, laughing at how surprised you were.

“Yeah, he came over some time ago.” He replied simply.

“Oh nice!” You smile at him, taking a seat and ordering a mocktail since you didn’t really want to drink when Jihoon had already drank multiple drinks.

“3…2…1… Happy New Year!” The whole club erupted into cheers as people began to kiss whoever was next to them, a tradition that you always found to be one of the cutest.

“Happy New Year!” You exclaim, leaning towards Jihoon to kiss him, only for him to turn away from you. Confused, but blaming it on the alcohol in his system you put a hand on his cheek, you then tried to go in for a more lighthearted kiss on the cheek, but he still dodged your affection.

“Stop, Y/N. Let’s break up.”

His words hit you like arrows piercing through your heart and the music felt deafening now. “You’re drunk, I’ll take you back to your place and we can talk in the morning when you’re sober.” You reason, struggling to conceal the hurt that he had caused you to feel throughout the night.

He turns back towards you, with an alarmingly scary expression. “You know my tolerance is high. I’m serious, Y/N, I don’t want to be with you anymore. I’ve been seeing someone else for about two months, we really aren’t compatible.”

“You’ve been cheating on me?” Tears begin to well up in your eyes and you find yourself standing up from the seat you were positioned in next to him.

“Don’t act like you aren’t all over our friends, instead of being with me this whole time you’ve been hanging out with them.”

His reply leaves you speechless, dumbfounded even. “How is hugging my friends who I’ve known for years, able to be compared to you cheating on me? I wouldn’t have needed to spend time with them if I had an attentive boyfriend. I never expected you to be fully energized going to this event, but I surely didn’t anticipate that you would give me the cold-shoulder for the entirety of the night either. You didn’t even wait for me to get off the bus together, Jihoon.”

“Well, I’ve made this decision a long time ago. We aren’t together anymore.” He shakes his head, irritated at your futile attempts to salvage your relationship.

“You really think relationships can be ended unilaterally?” You whimper, turning into a mess because of his damaging words.

“So you’re going to force me to stay with you? What type of relationship is that, Y/N? Relationships do end unilaterally all the time, it’s called getting dumped.” He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated that you weren’t giving up as easily as he predicted. Almost as if he had timed it, a girl walks to him and interlocks her arm with his and whispers something in his ear, arousing a laugh from him. “Are you starting to comprehend the situation better, Y/N?” He triumphantly asks you, making it the final nail in the coffin. Your sadness is now mixed with anger, and he walks off with the unidentified girl, once again leaving you alone.

You stand by yourself, reflecting on all that had happened and it all transpired when it was still less than fifteen minutes into the new year. “Wow, alright.”

You can sense that your friends were watching the whole scene play out and you couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the thought of being soothed by them. You know that this break up wouldn’t break up your friendship with the other guys, especially since you had introduced some of them to Jihoon, but knowing that didn’t make the fresh heartbreak hurt any less. You needed to get away from this club, away from Jihoon. Granted he wasn’t in your eyes’ sight, but you weren’t about to risk the chance of seeing his tongue down some girl’s throat.

You walk out of the club, having friends call out for you to come back inside. You knew it wasn’t smart to go out by yourself, especially since it was cold and late at night, but being in the club was too painful. How could Jihoon be so cruel? Thoughts racing in your head, you find yourself experiencing intense dizziness. Swiftly, you sit on the outside steps of a nearby building, putting your head in your hands to calm down. Panting can be heard from two people and you know they’re your friends. Sitting on the steps near you, you prepare yourself for whatever pep talk they thought of.

“Y/N, please come back inside.” Seungkwan begs as Wonwoo puts your coat over your shoulders and begins to rub your back.

“I don’t want to go back and see him.” You state, defeated.

Wonwoo and Seungkwan exchange looks, unable to figure out how to make you feel better. “At least let one of us drive you back to your place. Or we can take the bus with you back?” Wonwoo proposes, causing you to feel slightly warmer at the extent to which your friends cared for you.

“I’ll be better, I just need some time to myself. I have a pretty full battery for my phone and I can keep in contact with y’all throughout the night to ensure I’m safe. I had no drinks tonight, you know I’m responsible. Go, have fun at the party Hansol is DJing at.” You manage to lift your head from your hands and smile softly at the two friends in your view.

They sympathetically looked at you, understanding you wanted to be alone. “Okay, we’ll respect what you want, but if anything happens don’t hesitate to call any of us. We are all on your side, I can’t believe he would do that, and today of all days. The fucking audacity he has.” Seungkwan accepts your plans for the night and huffs in exasperation at Jihoon’s actions.

“Sounds good, thank you guys. Really.” You say before watching as they walked back in the direction of the club’s loud music.

Hearing three guys chat with each other, you continue staring at the pavement of the stairs. “Dude, we know your birthday is always overshadowed by New Years but we should still go have fun! It’s only a little past two, the night is ours.”

You overhear their conversation, not meaning to eavesdrop, but they were right in front of you and definitely weren’t whispering. You stayed quiet, hoping they would eventually walk away until noticing one of them wearing converse with small four leaf clovers painted on the white front part. “Oh, is it my lucky day then?” You chuckle to yourself, fed up with the irony of seeing such a sign, unaware of how loud your rhetorical question came out of your mouth.

Amused at the comment on his shoes, Joshua motions for his friends to stop talking for a minute, taking in the image of you on his apartment’s stairs, looking about as rough of a condition that he felt. He figured asking if you felt alright was a question doomed for failure, anyone could tell how dejected you are. Instead, he decided to be straightforward.

“What happened?”

You’re surprised that four leaf clover shoes is talking to you, and even more surprised when you look up and see three insanely unrealistic attractive men in front of you. The one in the center being four leaf clover shoes, wearing a leather jacket that only added to his hotness factor. But then again, it’s late at night and stranger danger is always a good code to live by.

“Who, who are you?” You countered instead of answering his question. The three guys look at each other before grasping the situation and realizing they must’ve looked intimidating to you.

“Sorry,” the four leaf clover shoes apologizes, “this is Jeonghan,” he introduces the guy on his right, “this is Mingyu,” he introduces the guy on his left, and finishes with himself, “and I’m Joshua. I live in the building that you’re currently sitting on the steps of.” His explanation of why he was on the steps with you instantly makes you jump up onto your feet, before stumbling at the dizziness that hadn’t diminished since you left the club.

Joshua’s amusement quickly becomes worry as he catches you from nearly tripping down the stairs. Tonight was truly not your night, he thinks to himself.

Mingyu tries to stifle his laugh before carelessly commenting, “Woah, someone must’ve had a lot of drinks tonight.” He didn’t mean for his sloppy judgment of you to be said out loud, but he had a few drinks already and was way beyond the tipsy state. Still, he knew well enough to recognize when he messed up and covered his mouth with his hands, clearly remorseful at his inner thoughts coming out. His clumsiness wasn’t anything new, but it still earned him mean looks from Joshua and Jeonghan, never failing to be shocked at their younger friend.

“I actually didn’t have any drinks.” You defend yourself while regaining your composure and leaning on the handrail next to you.

“Well, do you want to be left alone or taken to a nearby hospital to get checked out? Or would you rather go out with us?” Joshua inquires, not realizing that you thought he offered a health checkup and getting drunk in the same breath.

You laugh at the absurdity of the questions being asked, but drinking with them didn’t seem like the worst thing right now. “Sure, I could use a drink.”

Joshua blinks at Jeonghan and Mingyu and they respond with knowing looks, both aware that when Joshua meant go out he meant eat with them at their favorite 24-hour restaurant down the street. Since his birthday was so close to New Years, he never was a huge fan of partying all night. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to casually deny you from drinking, especially when you were feeling the way you were. Their plans were to catch up on the latest season of one of the series on Netflix that everyone had been talking about on social media for the past week, but Netflix can wait. He could sense that you needed companionship right now above everything else.

“Um, what type of drinks are you looking to have?” He starts to ask, before a phone suddenly rings.

Jeonghan pulls his phone out of his jeans pocket and picks up the call, unable to hear his friend past the blaring music of what he assumed to be a club. “Seungcheol? What are you saying, I can’t hear a single word you’re trying to tell me.”

Your eyes darted to the man who stood farther from you to accept his call, not expecting to hear the mention of your friend’s name. “You’re friends with Seungcheol? Choi Seungcheol?”

Now it was Jeonghan’s turn to be surprised as he removed his phone from his ear, “How do you know Seungcheol?”

“He’s my friend! Could you tell him I’m still safe?” You request, happy to know that you had mutual friends with these three strangers.

“Sure,” Jeonghan replies, returning to his phone call with his friend before noticing they never asked what your name was. “What’s your name by the way?”

“Y/N L/N!” You respond, waiting for him to be done with his conversation so you could drink with them.

“Seungcheol, Y/N L/N is with us right now and they’re still safe. They wanted you to know that, I really can’t hear you though. If you need me, or them, just text us.” Jeonghan practically yells into his phone, before ending the call. Exhausted from the unexpected use of his energy, Jeonghan looks at the three of you with a more haggard expression on his face. “I should go pick him up. Whenever he calls me, 99.99% of the time it means that he got hammered and needs me to take care of him.” He groans and the fact that Jeonghan knew Seungcheol’s drunk habits made you feel even more comfortable with the guys in front of you.

“Him and Soonyoung really are the clingiest when they drink, huh?” You agree, nodding to yourself at the thought of your drunk friends.

“How do you know them by the way?” Mingyu asks, confused since he never ran into you at parties or other events.

“I’ve known some of them since high school, others in the friend group I met through Jihoon. It’s easy to get acquainted with your boyfriend’s friends– or should I say ex-boyfriend now, ha.” You explain, turning uncomfortable at the mention of your freshly established ex.

Mingyu makes an ‘O’ shape with his mouth, “You were Jihoon’s partner? They talked about you all the time, when did you change your hair from the ruby color he always talked about?”

Your face twists in confusion, letting the truth of Jihoon cheating on you finally set in. “Oh, that must be the person he was cheating on me with. I’ve had this hair color for the past year.” You grab a strand of your hair while looking at it seemingly unbothered, as the three men in front of you are left flustered by your nonchalant energy.

“Sorry, we should really go pick up Seungcheol, Y/N. Also Jihoon is absolute trash for cheating on you, we’ve only met you tonight but you seem way too good for him.” Jeonghan glares at Mingyu again for speaking before thinking, that was one of his resolutions to fix for the new year. Jeonghan pulled Mingyu down the stairs and waved goodbye to you, leaving the disoriented Joshua alone with you.

A silence fills the air, a limitless amount more comfortable than the silence you experienced with Jihoon earlier in the night. You both begin to speak at the same time, causing an overlap and making both of you laugh at your impeccable timing. “You first.” He offers, but you shake your head and motion for him to speak first.

“Well, where would you wanna go?” He asks.

“Somewhere that you feel at peace.” You stated, hoping your night would get better.

The first place he brought you was a diner about three blocks from the building he lived in. Even though it was New Years Eve weekend and everyone was outside partying, the diner seemed to function in a completely separate dimension. Its interior was a bit barren, making it seem like a prime example of a stock photo when someone would search liminal spaces on the internet. However, being with Joshua the diner still gave off welcoming energy. The heater was also on, warming you up on this cold winter night.

He took the initiative to choose a booth and greeted a waiter that he seemed to know. So he was a regular here, good to know. Giving a menu to you first, he pointed out his favorite items off the menu, asking what your preferences were and altering his recommendations to fit what he thinks you’d like. You wanted to pay attention to what he was saying, but something about him made it impossible for you to look away from his face. Not realizing how long you were staring, Joshua had looked up to see you in what he assumed to be a zoned out state.

“Y/N?” Your name being said makes you stop staring at him and quickly look down at the menu, trying to play it off that you were shamelessly checking him out.

He smirks, trying to lighten the mood. “Do I have something on my face?”

Before you can reply, the waiter comes to your table asking if you were ready to order. You internally sigh to yourself, relieved that you didn’t have to answer him. Joshua looked at you, expecting you to order what you wanted to eat, but you hadn’t paid attention to the menu since you were too focused on his face. “I’ll get the same as whatever you’re getting.” You mumble as your embarrassment only continues to grow by the minute.

He nods, placing the order before handing his friend the menus and leaning back. “Do you want to talk about what happened tonight?” He carefully asks, not sure how serious the events that occurred were.

You normally wouldn’t talk about your feelings, especially to a stranger, but something about him was different. He had the kindest eyes you’ve seen, eyes that look as if they would understand you even if you shared your deepest and darkest secret. “Well, it started with my dryer not working…”

Hours passed and multiple glasses had been emptied between the two of you. Neither of you were drunk, although you had been with him for a long time all of the empty glasses were from smoothies. The diner was also known for its smoothie flavors, a dessert that you loved to consume. Your food had long since been devoured, with the only remains being cold fries. You learned he had grown up in LA and only moved to this city a couple of years ago so he wasn’t as well acquainted with your other friends like Jeonghan and Mingyu were. He continued to go on about his life and the recent happenings, even revealing that his last heartbreak was about four months ago when his ex confessed they cheated on him. His similar experiences only bonded the two of you quicker, and you found yourself sharing even the most cringeworthy stories with him. You liked how free he made you feel, you could say anything and still not have to worry about how he perceived you.

Joshua holds up his final smoothie of the night and begins to toast, "Good riddance to Jihoon, and here's to a new time, a better year!” He smiles at you, downing the remnants of his drink and paying the waiter for your food. You offered to pay half, considering you spent way more than you expected, but he adamantly refused.

“I was the one who invited you out, wasn’t I?” He concludes, holding the door as you both walk out of the diner with the sun starting to rise. The approaching sunrise made the city look anew once again and although you got your heart broken earlier, you felt refreshed. You had been through hell and back for the last day of the past year, but you were grateful that you could begin the new year with your newfound friend. A clean slate, with a sincerely caring person was what you needed and words could not articulate how thankful you were for Joshua’s presence.

“Let me take you home, only if you’re comfortable with me doing so.” As you were about to walk to the nearest bus stop that offered your route, Joshua’s voice interrupted your thoughts.

“You would do that?” Once again, you’re touched by his attentiveness to you. He only nods in response, smiling at you again.

The bus ride back to your apartment was more relaxing than any other bus ride you’ve had before. Somehow, the fifty minute commute was satisfying to experience today. Knowing that you had today off, seeing the city before everyone was fully awake was a consoling way to start the new year. It was an added bonus that you got to spend more time with Joshua. Soon enough, you were near your apartment complex and you hit the button to get off. Joshua trailed behind you, stopping at the bus stop to wait for the next bus back to his place. Seeing how he didn’t expect anything and genuinely wanted to make sure you were safe made your heart beat faster, and you decided that if it was the new year, you weren’t going to live with regrets. Although you had been walking to your building, you turned on your heels to walk back to him. He was patiently waiting at the stop, clearly tired from the night, but that sight of him only made you more certain that you were interested in him. Tapping his shoulder and making him jump slightly made you giggle, but his face soon softened upon seeing you. Anytime he smiled at you, it made your heart beat even faster.

“Did you forget something?” He innocently wondered, standing up in your presence.

“Yeah…you actually. Do you want to stay over for breakfast?” You boldly suggested, pleased with his reaction when his face lit up and he shook his head in agreement.

Maybe it was your lucky day after all. The new year was going to be memorable, you could tell.

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d-criss-news · 4 months

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Suddenly Seymour! See an exclusive first look at Darren Criss and Evan Rachel Wood in Little Shop of Horrors

The "Glee" and "Westworld" alums star in the Westside Theatre's off-Broadway production through March 31.

After her biting performance on True Blood and violent Westworld adventures, Evan Rachel Wood is no stranger to a bloody good time — but now she's the one in danger of being bitten.

The Emmy-nominated actress just made her debut as Audrey in the Westside Theater's ongoing production of Little Shop of Horrors alongside Emmy-winning Glee and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story star Darren Criss as Seymour, and EW has an exclusive first look at the new costars in action.

The Westside's award-winning off-Broadway production kicked off in October 2019 with Jonathan Groff as Seymour and Tammy Blanchard as Audrey, and has since seen a cavalcade of stars step into the roles. Recent Seymours have been Gideon Glick, Jeremy Jordan, Conrad Ricamora, Skylar Astin, Rob McClure, Matt Doyle, and Corbin Bleu. The roster of Audreys include Lena Hall, Maude Apatow, Joy Woods, and Constance Wu.

“The casting of this show has become one of the greatest joys of our lives,” Little Shop producers Tom Kirdahy, Hunter Arnold, and Rob Ahrens, said in a statement in December when Wood and Criss were announced as joining the cast alongside Bryce Pinkham as Orin the dentist and Stephen DeRosa as Mr. Mushnik.

“The fact that in year five, we continue to attract talent like Evan Rachel Wood and Darren Criss is a testament to Howard Ashman’s and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors being one of the finest achievements in musical theater — and to Michael Mayer’s perfectly and joyously staged production," the statement continued. "As two of the most daring, enticing, and dynamic stars of their generation, we cannot wait to see the magic that real-life friends Evan & Darren bring to their roles.”

Loosely based on the 1960 black comedy movie The Little Shop of Horrors (starring Jack Nicholson as Orin!), Ashman and Menken's Little Shop of Horrors follows the bloody misadventures of a well-meaning florist named Seymour as he attempts to raise a snappy, tough-talking, man-eating plant named Audrey II. Their musical premiered off-off-Broadway in 1982 before eventually hitting Broadway proper, then then became a movie starring Rick Moranis and Ellen Green in 1986.

#darren criss #entertainment weekly #evan rachel wood #little shop of horrors #little shop of horrors bway #press #feb 2024

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ask-thelyricist · 10 days

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Hello Jack! Gotta question! What’s your opinion on Sammy?

“Sammy’s a great guy! We’ve been friends for a while; a few years before we started working at the studio. He gets a little snappy at times often, but I think it’s worth it for the music he produces. I mean, have you seen him on the piano? It’s incredible.”

“Though, uh, he’s been actin’ a little odd recently… I haven’t seen him much…”

#jack fain #batim #bendy and the ink machine #bendy au #sammy lawrence #I hope I don’t sound like a school girl #ranting about her crush

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svt-chanel · 2 months

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🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐

General information

Name: Nishimura Shinigami

Nicknames:

𓇼 CheChe (pronounced ChiChi)

𓇼 Chanellie

𓇼 Nel / Nellie

𓇼 Ellie

𓇼 Cho

𓇼 Charli

𓇼 Amour

𓇼 more....

Birthdate: October 31st, 1997

Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: The Bronx, New York

Nationality: Japanese

Sexuality: Pansexual / Bisexual

Representative animal: 🦢

Representative emoji: 👑/🛍/💋

🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐

Career Information

Stage Name: Chanel

Company: Pledis Entertainment

Group(s): SEVENTEEN, TWC (Tomorrow Won't Come), FNM (Fear No More), Mixxtopia, I.DOLL, K/DA.

Sub-Unit(s): Performance Unit, Hip-Hop unit, TWC, FNM, Mixxtopia, I.DOLL.

Position: Leader (of all her other groups excluding SEVENTEEN), Lead rapper, Center, Visual, Face of the group, Main Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Ranking:

⟿ vocal: 7/10

⟿ dance: 9/10

⟿ rap: 10/10

⟿ visual: 10/10

⟿ songwriting: 9.5/10

⟿ producing: 10/10

⟿ public speaking: 3/10

⟿ stage presence: 8/10

🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐

Personal Information

Family:

𖧷 Mom, Nishimura (Hayashi) Aiko, 52 years old, retired

𖧷 Dad, Nishimura Neji, 57 years old, retired

𖧷 Sister, Nishimura Konon, 19 years old, Tiktok star + Choreographer/Dancer

𖧷 Brother, Nishimura Riki, 18 years old, Kpop Idol

𖧷 Sister, Nishimura Sola, 14 years old, Dancer/Unemployed

MBTI: INFJ

Habits: stuffing the whole thing in her mouth; biting nails (she now wears acrylics); sleeping in weird positions (splits, etc); sticking out tongue; checking pulse when nervous; Winking back and forth when happy; biting her nails (omg just like me fr twin); staying to herself when things get hard; snarking and tsking when she's annoyed; laughing silently; staring at people; cracking her knuckles and neck; swinging her legs when sitting; humming; sleeping hugging a stuffed animal; cracking her knuckles when she's nervous;

Hobbies: working out; shopping; sleeping; dancing; Producing; Composing; Song/Lyric writing; Choreographing; taking strolls; going to art galleries; reading gossip magazines; researching about plants; taking pictures and/or selfies; reading and writing; listening to music; collecting dragon figurines; gossiping; talking about folklore.

Health conditions: Anxiety.

Phobias:

PHOBOPHOBIA :: Chanel has the fear of fear. Chanel has this fear because she was always told to be the best and doesn't want to let anyone down, hence why she is so confident in everything she does.

ENTOMOPHOBIA :: Chanel has the fear of insects. Because insects are genuinely gross. She quickly developed the fear after seeing all the bugs in Korea.

ATELOPHOBIA :: Chanel has the fear of failure because she's a perfectionist and because of the environment she grew up in.

GLOSSOPHOBIA :: Due to having anxiety and being an Introvert Chanel has Glossophobia or the fear of public speaking. She has this fear because of anxiety but it has gone away a little bit because she's an idol.

🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐

Extra

┈─ … She is a huge fan of GFriend. Chanel went to multiple of their concerts and to some fan meetings, she has all of their albums, some of them signed and used to collect and trade photocards in those fandoms before she became an idol. Her bias is Yuju. She supports all members' new activities now that GFriend has disbanded, and has even showed off her Viviz lightstick on live once.

┈─ … She is fluent in Japanese, Korean, and English, and can keep a conversation in Vietnamese, Spanish, and French. Her parents valued education a lot, especially when it came to other languages and cultures.

┈─ … Chanel is absolutely terrified of birds and all other animals with feathers, especially chickens. Back in Japan her grandparents had a farm and she was attacked by a chicken once, and that made her terrified of all birds, even nightingales.

┈─ … Chanel is not good at managing her anger, so she gets snappy and sometimes explosive when people piss her off (by, for example, using her things without her permission), she will go on long sermons about how they need to show more respect for other people. The other members, especially those younger than her, find her scary at these moments.

┈─ … She was a model when she was younger, but mostly while she was in Japan. Once she got to Korea her sights were set on becoming an idol and becoming an idol only. But now she's a model / ambassador for Chanel and Miu Miu.

┈─ … She is what can only be described as a social media addict. She is always posting updates on SEVENTEEN's socials and will always be the one who talks the most in the group chat.

┈─ … She is an absolute karaoke legend, she can make everyone sing along with her.

┈─ … Chanel is very fond of little plants, and loves to take care of the ones she has scattered around the dorm and the ones in her room. She buys one whenever she can and often puts names on them for fun. Her room is full of flowers and small plants, a green paradise.

┈─ … Her members often say that she smells like cake frosting, thanks to her vanilla perfume, of course Chanel doesn't miss the chance to joke that she bathes in frosting every morning.

┈─ … She is a collector, she usually collects things that her acquaintances say are frivolous, but she loves it, some of her collections being: earrings, band shirts (even if she doesn't know them or is a fan), lipsticks and gloss, bookmarks and mugs.

┈─ … Her natural hair is really curly, and she hates having to straighten it for certain hairstyles.

┈─ … She is known for spending the night in her producer booth making music.

┈─ … She has one “Pink Tape” by f(x) album that her family got her when it was still in print. She got a Sulli photocard and it’s her most prized possession. (Esp ever since...yk)

┈─ … Because she is a huge music lover and producer, Chanel knows how to play the bass, guitar, keyboard and drums. She is self taught in all except the keyboard.

┈─ … She is one of the few in her family that cannot be described as clumsy.

┈─ … She loves body art and even has a few tattoos + piercings.

┈─ … She doesn’t have an ideal type and is very open about that and about not wanting to date ever.

┈─ … Her colleagues in school would often basically harass her because she was an idol. After a pretty strongly worded message on VLIVE, they “mysteriously” stopped. (During 2NE1 / Red Velvet era)

┈─ … She really likes animals and has 5 pets.

┈─ … She has watched the entirety of GoT just for the dragons, she cannot tell you one single plot point of the show.

┈─ … Chanel was known as "HYBE's diamond", "SM's Siren Leader", and "YG's best thing" when she was a trainee + Idol

┈─ … Chanel got into a scandal that she was dating the soloist SOMI and cheating on her with KARINA of the group AESPA.

┈─ … Chanel composes, produces, and Writes all of SEVENTEEN's songs. (Alongside Woozi)

┈─ … Chanel is named "Mother of Kpop" because she takes care of almost all kpop idols 3rd gen, 4th Gen, and 5th gen. And older people than her.

┈─ … Chanel has Anorexia.

┈─ … Chanel was a child actor and is still an actress.

┈─ … Celine, Chanel, Calvin Kelin, Dior, Prada, and Miu Miu were all fighting for Chanel but she decided to be the avassador for each brand for 2 years and then switch.

┈─ … Chanel does stalk kpop fans and her fans on tiktok and stuff so she knows all the latest trends when they come out

┈─ … Other then Chanel’s public Wattpad account that people dont know its her she used to have a Wattpad account from 2009-2013

┈─ … Chanel has a clear phone case and depending on the first photocard she gets from that promotion time she puts it in her phone case but the photocard changes every comeback and when there's no comeback she just puts a polaroid of her and the members or of herself.

┈─ … Chanel owns a LOT of pets in her own dorm she has 3 snakes and 2 cats 5 pets overall.

┈─ … Chanel has the nickname “Variety Show Queen'' (or VSQ for short) because she's really good at variety shows. Even with her low charisma people seem to like her alot on Variety shows and if there's a game she usually wins them.

┈─ … Chanel was known as “East Asia’s most influential teenager” until she grew up but some people still remember her by that title

┈─ … The company had originally wanted her stage name to be just “Cheon” or even “Charli” once again but just because of that reason she chose not to do either of those and did her birth name Chanel, she decided to do the exact opposite of that and instead rebel against the company (later getting scolded for it)

┈─ … Chanel is the oldest in her family and the only one who isn't born in the 2000s.

┈─ … Chanel often visits ENHYPEN as she always wants to make sure her brother is okay and the same goes for her brother.

┈─ … Chanel has credits to 263 songs

┈─ … despite being an Introvert Chanel has alot of Idol friends

┈─ … Chanel is an all-rounder

┈─ … Chanel has composed for different groups such as Newjeans, ITZY, ENHYPEN, and more

┈─ … Chanel is a good mafia player

┈─ … Chanel gets good treatment from HYBE because she is their first female to debut.

┈─ … When SM kicked Chanel out of Red Velvet and replaced her with Yeri knetz had made scandals of Yeri being a replacement for Chanel (which she was) but SM had lied and told everyone that Chanel had quit but then Chanel had come out herself and said that SM kicked her out and replaced her with Yeri but she has no hard feelings nor a grudge towards Yeri and only has one towards the Company she had even mentioned that she and Yeri were very close friends.

┈─ … When Chanel was in Red Velvet she went under the stage name “Charli”

┈─ … Chanel is supposedly in a group chat with all of the Japanese line

┈─ … Chanel is in a group chat with the 97 liners

┈─ … Chanel was born in The Bronx, New York but both of her parents are Japanese and she was born there due to her father being there for work. She left The Bronx, New York when her mother was pregnant with Ni-Ki. (8 years old)

#14th member of seventeen #chanel svt #fictional kpop community #kpop female addition #kpop female member #femaleidol #idol oc #🦢: chanel solo #woo verse ִֶָ ࣪៹ chanel #info post #information #helpful #informative #psa #useful #🦢.svt #Chanel Svt

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penroseparticle · 4 months

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📚 📣

A song or album you could write a term paper on

Caravan Palace's debut album (Self Titled) came out in 2008. A refreshing, large ensemble album that included some truly talented producers, writers, and talent (did you know Delaporte is a credited writer?). Caravan Palace has had mostly niche success in the United States, as they've developed into one of the more well known Electro Swing bands out there, with their crossover US hit being Lone Digger, from Robot Face (I can't be assed to look up how to type it so take a copy: <|°_°|>, although Robot Face is an accepted title of the album as well) a song made famous not just for how fucking much it slaps, but also for its distinctive music video of anthro people in a club where everyone gets fucking killed in a bar brawl. The songs are snappy, catchy, and clearly evoking the genre and decade they're from, while still bringing something fresh and new. Caravan Palace is known for their dedication to music videos as a direct dialogue with their music- while the live music is great (I've seen them live 3 times now), and the songs stand alone on the album proper, you're really missing out if you don't watch the videos. For instance- you would have no idea that Moonshine from their 2019 album Chronologic intentionally riffs on Lone Digger 2/3 of the way through the song or why, and the music video (About a flat earth truther) looping around to the iconic music video all over again really drives home how even setting out and avoiding your rut can end you up in the same place- something of a Cassandra style warning despite the lyrics being much more open ended.

The band seems utterly massive at times, at it's largest it had... 9 members I believe? And the sound variety that they can produce is unbelievable for a group that size- I feel like everyone is doing 3 different jobs.

Also, their cover of Black Betty is my favorite cover of that song. Unimpeachable, and honestly might be neck and neck with the original by Ram Jam (I always liked Keep Your Hands On The Wheel way more anyways, sorry not sorry).

Anyways that's just my starting salvo for going into Robot Face, which was one of my first live shows in DC I actually chose to go to myself, and I CANNOT overstate how much it was a good choice. Caravan Palace is great give them a look.

A lyric that feels like it is specifically calling you out

Uh ok uh. Well. Let's just say that I really, really didn't understand Semi-Charmed Kinda Life by Third Eye Blind until this year, and I did not hear "Doing Crystal Meth Will Lift You Up Until You Break" a single fucking time in this song until this year either despite listening to this song on loop for fucking years, to the point where I am investigating whether this was a Mandela effect type moment for me personally and specifiically.

Anyways, the number of songs about drugs? Astronomical. Hard to avoid

#ask meme #neednothavehappenedtobetrue

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kickmag · 6 months

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Mark de Clive-Lowe Remixes Charlie Parker With Strings

Mark de Clive-Lowe takes two songs from Charlie Parker's famous Strings project and remixes them with a 21st-century feel. The bebop creator fulfilled a creative dream in 1950 when producer Norman Granz arranged for Parker to record with a string section. Charlie Parker With Strings was released as two separate recordings of standards, and those albums were Parker's most commercially successful releases. Mark de Clive-Lowe reconfigures "Temptation" with a beat that slaps and subtle piano. Parker's "Repetition" is re-tooled with a snappy broken beat and a lot of energy. The infusion of a hip-hop and dance music aesthetic into Parker's tunes is in the spirit of bebop, which was new and innovative in its time. Charlie Parker With Strings Remixed is available via Bandcamp.

#charlie parker #mark de clive lowe #jazz #Bandcamp

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btr-rewatch · 7 months

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Big Time Rush Season 1, Episode 1: “Big Time Audition” PART 4

Links to parts ONE, TWO, and THREE

Final post for this episode!

Highlights: Kendall can't stop questioning authority, the band falls apart before it can even get started, and we finally reach the end of this very long journey through episode one.

I must say that, so far, I'm finding the show to be every bit as funny as I remember it being. There are lines that are delivered in such a quick, snappy way that they sort of smack you in the face before you have a moment to process it. The woman from the marketing team saying, "Boys, we researched and electro-shocked focus groups to determine the exact look and name that will sell millions of records," is one of those lines.

I think part of what makes the BTR experience such a unique and enjoyable one is the fact that they basically live in a world that's like ours, but they also don't. It's our world cranked up a few extra notches, which I know is intentional (isn't the point of the show that it was supposed to feel like a live-action cartoon?) but it's still very funny to imagine this as being reality. Sometimes it seems like there are no rules in the BTR universe. People just do what they want. Ridiculous, off-the-wall things happen on the regular. Something is deeply wrong with the structure of their world, but it's never addressed in the slightest. Love it.

After going through a series of terrible makeovers (James thinks all of them are good), Gustavo introduces the guys to their first song, "Girl Time." And I love Kendall's expression as Gustavo goes through the whole spiel. I can't tell if this is Kendall Knight smiling mockingly at how ridiculous Gustavo is or if this is Kendall Schmidt breaking character. Either way, it's delightful.

Meanwhile, James is so serious about it. He's like, "Yep, it's Girl Time. Got it."

I'd also like to bring attention to the various ways Kendall has been addressed in this episode.

By Kelly: "Tall, blond, and eyebrows."

By Gustavo: "Mr. Make Us a Pop Group"

Also by Gustavo: "Mr. Question Everything I Do"

Biggest laugh of the episode goes to when Gustavo is reading all the girl-themed songs on the record wall and goes, "Girl Like You, Girl You Are My Girl, Hot Girl, Cold Girl, Girl to My Heart, Yard Squirrel Christmas—I forgot that one was there..."

That caught me totally off guard, and I'm glad I wasn't taking a sip of water at that moment because I would have choked on it.

Anyway, after screaming at the guys, Gustavo—who thinks he might've finally gotten the upper hand on his smart-mouthed band leader—decides it's a very good idea to do this to Kendall.

And the LOOK Kendall gives him.

This kid is seriously considering whether or not he wants to have his picture shown on the evening news tonight because he strangled famous music producer Gustavo Rocque with his bare hands.

Listen, I love Original Kendall, and I am going to hold onto him for as long as I possibly can. There was this restrained, vaguely threatening air that surrounded him. Kendall was playing this character as if he was a guy one wrong step away from snapping, and I am here for it.

Ultimately, Kendall opts to make a joke instead of doing anything that will get him thrown into juvie, and we get a funny news scene reporting on the small earthquake that struck the surrounding area as a result of Gustavo's anger.

When the time rolls around to finally get into the recording studio, Kendall continues to have his disruptive behavior on full display.

This episode really is just The Kendall Show, isn't it? I feel like the other three have hardly said more than a few lines?? They're mostly there so far just to react to things and occasionally chime in. For the most part, it's been forty minutes of "Watch Kendall Do Things." I mean, the other guys have their personalities pretty laid out, but there's no depth yet, and they feel more like sidekicks. Kendall is the one running this show. He's living his life, spewing out pep-talks as needed, causing trouble, kicking butt and taking names, etc.

Naturally, things only escalate from there, and Gustavo ends up resigned to his new boyband project being a lost cause.

I had to screenshot the exchanging of looks while Gustavo announces their failure via song because it's just so indicative of the way the guys will "divide" up over the course of the show. That, I remember very clearly. While they were all tight-knit, there was a prevalent pairing of Kendall with Logan and James with Carlos in terms of the ways the boys gravitated toward each other, specifically with the two who need that leadership and guidance the most: Carlos and Logan. You can see it right in this scene—both in the order they're standing in and where the glances are directed.

Carlos looks to James, and Logan looks to Kendall, which explains the overall dynamic nicely, I think.

Back at the Palm Woods, James is furious that his friends (mostly Kendall) have sabotaged his chance at being famous, and you know what? He's right. They all knew James wanted this the most out of all of them. It's literally his biggest dream! But they (*cough* Kendall *cough*) made a big joke of it at every possible turn. They (KENDALL) could have tried harder.

After getting into a fight and being pushed into the pool by Katie, the guys end up sulking around the fire.

James: "I could stay here and be a model; I'm still great-looking. Or the star of a reality show."

Carlos: "Which one? Project Idiot?"

Super funny, yet uncalled for. This fiasco really isn't James's fault, Carlos. Please direct your anger at your reckless, defiant leader, Kendall Knight.

Kendall muses that after all they've gone through, they never even got to sing together, which leads them into another—and the best—rendition of the "Giant Turd" song. They get a rousing round of applause, Kendall delivers his fourth inspirational speech (with musical accompaniment!) and they all decide they should give this thing a try.

Also I have such vivid memories of the commercials Nick played in the weeks leading up to the show's premiere. Kendall's line "One, I love singing. Two, I love singing with you guys," was always featured prominently in it, and I remember seeing the commercial and thinking, "Looks like such a lame, cheesy show." I had zero intention of watching, but then my sister and I were lounging around channel surfing on that Thanksgiving weekend and happened to catch it just as it started. It was one of those, "Might as well. There's nothing better on" moments.

Cue me proceeding to never miss an episode, seeing them in concert, and meeting them three times over those next three and a half years. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Our four lovable goofballs decide to behave and pull themselves together enough to start to resemble a band.

And they do it! They become a full-fledged boyband in two days and impress the pants off of Griffin.

Gustavo is pleased, though he still does have his nitpicks. "Carlos still can't sing. Logan still can't dance. And I still can't stand James."

No critiques for Mr. Knight, I see.

This brings us to the end of the episode. Everyone celebrates! They can stay in L.A. for the next three months! And we've learned the very important lesson that if you fly into an angry rage, get security called on you, and start a physical fight at a talent search audition, you get REWARDED with fame and fortune.

Haha, I kid. The lesson is, of course...

Well, that's a wrap on episode one! This is so much fun. I am thriving, everyone.

#big time rush #btr #btr rewatch #btr season 1 #kendall knight #carlos garcia #james diamond #logan mitchell

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nayeonline · 9 months

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Why 'GLITCH' - KWON EUNBI Is The Greatest Song Ever Made

One of the most common arguments against k-pop that isn’t ‘it’s cringy’ is that it is the peak of capitalist pop culture, and the whole affair was solely designed to manufacture idols the teenage girls of South Korea (and now the wider world) will become obsessed with, and where there is obsession, there is money. Lots of money. For years there have been discussions in the online community about if k-pop has stopped being about the music; about what idols we think only debuted because they are attractive, as opposed to talented; about the companies that buy views and sell a hundred different versions of their groups’ albums to drive up sales. We say that all of this makes k-pop annoying, repetitive, and a vacuum for creativity, but then we scroll away and retweet the next twenty Wonyoung fancams we see. I’m guilty of this too, we all contribute to this system by buying the albums and liking the fancams and watching the music videos, because k-pop is fun and interesting and all encompassing. But sometimes, I get so caught up in the repetitive, standardised releases that I’ll tune into a comeback and it will absolutely floor me. K-Pop capitalism may not usually breed innovation, but this time it had. I was listening to ‘Glitch’ by Kwon Eunbi - the greatest song ever made. (Yes, I’m being hyperbolic, modality makes for a boring essay)

Let’s begin with Kwon Eunbi herself. As I am sure you are aware, Eunbi was the leader of IZ*ONE, and since the group’s fateful disbandment in 2021, she joined Woollim Entertainment as a soloist. Eunbi is of course a highly talented and skilled dancer, but for me her real star quality comes from her voice. It is so unbelievably unique in its formation. Her tone is thin and soft and delicate, but her vocal power is incredible. This dichotomy in tone and power gives Eunbi’s vocal performance an almost uncanny edge, it has an aura you can’t quite place. In some songs, like her debut title track ‘Door’ this can be a hindrance - the listener is left wanting a more fuller tone to match the power of her range and the 1920’s-esque jazz instrumentation, but since her debut, Eunbi’s songs have evolved in such a way that every element of the production highlights and celebrates this quality, instead of trying to cover it up as ‘Door’ does. ‘Glitch’ epitomises this concept.

Generally speaking, mainstream K-pop production is rarely spectacular; a catchy bass line, some trappy percussion, synth melody in the chorus with a more subtle 80’s disco feel is the go to for many a kpop producer. ‘Glitch’ definitely involves elements of this, but employs them in a far more intentional manner. The song opens with an 8-bit video game-esque melody that briefly teases the chorus, then transitions into an extremely minimalistic bass driven verse mainly led by the vocal melody. The opening melody returns with some new snappy percussion, the layers build, the vocals get more frantic and fast, and the listener realises unlike most kpop songs that begin working up to the hook in the pre chorus, ‘Glitch’ has been building its layers since the first second. The synths stack up, the percussion quickens, everything is going a mile a minute and with Eunbi’s spoken ad-lib “It’s definitely uncertain, that’s who I am” the listener holds their breath for what they assume to be the inevitable and-

The wind is utterly knocked out of you. That full to the brim chorus you were expecting is not here, instead we get this bass beat that evokes a glitchy (ha) speaker, and Eunbi’s ethereal vocals. Anti-drops have existed before this song, but I reserve that this is the peak of the sub genre.

The song continues to add layers of production, the verses and pre choruses bringing more and more urgency as they go on. The most frustrating part to your average anti-drop song is that by the end of the song you are in the same place that you started in - they are so afraid to build as the song goes on. ‘Glitch’ is not fazed by this pitfall. The bridge is ethereal and half time, and the listener is struck with the feeling that something is brewing. Eunbi whispers “disappear”, and the wire snaps. Everything explodes in a technicolour paroxysm, and what was a vibey down beat song becomes wondrously anthemic. The release we have been building since that mesmerising introductory melody is here, and before you know it, it’s gone. Replaced by a lilting, indistinct melody that fades in and out of existence, leaving the listener in pure awe.

If you were to cut a single part out of this song, it would not work. That is the genius of ‘Glitch’, to listen to only a single part of it is to misunderstand the song; it is impossible to condense. In the sea of kpop songs manufactured to be in 30 second sound bites that go viral on TikTok along with the point choreography, ‘Glitch’ uses every second of its 3:45 runtime expertly and efficiently. And yes, I am aware that there was a #Glitch_Challenge, but I like to imagine that this was a feeble attempt at marketing from Woollim Entertainment, rather than something in the forefront of the minds of the highly talented producers. (They were Corbin (NEWTYPE) and TAK.)

If it hasn’t clicked yet, I really fucking love this song. I love its construction, its instrumentation, and of course I love Eunbi. She is such a powerhouse and her discography is so amazing. My favourite release from her is the ‘Lethality’ mini album, which includes ‘Croquis’ the mesmerising sonic sequel to Glitch that is also produced by Corbin and TAK. If you have never listened to ‘Glitch’ before, or you heard it once or twice when it came out a couple years ago, I would heavily encourage a listen; it truly hasn’t aged a day. And for the initiated among you, go check out both ‘Croquis’ and Eunbi’s latest comeback, ‘The Flash’. Or go stream her whole discography because it definitely deserves a listen. Thanks for reading, and if you have any K-pop related topics you want me to cover, or albums you want me to review, let me know in either the comments/reblogs, or in the requests section of my blog.

#eunbi #kwon eunbi #izone eunbi #glitch #eunbi glitch #kpop #kpop girls #kpop gg #kpop review #kpop rant #review #music discussion #kpop essay #glitch eunbi #kpop gifs #wonyoung

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noloveforned · 13 days

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my son just finished third grade and the university just finished spring term which means it's officially summer! i'll continue producing a radio show tonight and every friday night on wlur from 8pm until midnight and we'll continue with our jim white theme through most of the summer.

for those of you that can't stream in realtime, you can check out last week's show on mixcloud and find its setlist reproduced below!

no love for ned on wlur – may 17th, 2024 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label jim white and marisa anderson // aurora // swallowtail // thrill jockey rose mercie // sweet place // ¿kieres agua? // celluloid lunch bad bangs // palace // out of character // blossom rot autocamper // blanche // blanche / budge cassette // safe suburban home ducks limited // when you're outside // when you're outside digital single // carpark phil and the tiles // not today // double happiness // legless gee tee // drag race mag // prehistoric chrome // nailbiter ramones // chain saw // the 1975 sire demos // rhino tuff bluff // do you feel it? // tuff bluff // snappy little numbers les savy fav // world got great // oui, lsf // frenchkiss old 97's featuring exene cervenka // four leaf clover // too far to care // elektra eli winter, tyler damon and sam wagster // davening in threes (live in chicago) // a day behind the deadline // three lobed rosali // rewind // bite down // merge l. eugene methe // hours // maybe tomorrow // grapefruit tilth // four corners more // rock music // round bale the messthetics and james brandon lewis // three sisters // the messthetics and james brandon lewis // impulse! peter brötzmann and paal nilssen-love // ant eater hornback lizard // chicken shit bingo // trost luke stewart silt trio // baba doo way // unknown rivers // pi sathima bea benjamin // i'm getting sentimental over you // memories and dreams // ekapa tha god fahim and oh no // art official // berserko // nature sounds yaya bey // chasing the bus // ten fold // big dada lionmilk // lagoa azul // sauna saudade cassette // (self-released) rapsody featuring bee-b // dnd (it’s not personal) // please don't cry // jamla gipson [the matelot] // elohim // rivers of babylon // forward is the mantra blu and nottz featuring versis and scienze // creme of the crop // gods in the spirit ep // coalmine system exclusive // carry on // click // mt. st. mtn. comité balnéaire // station des iles // split screen (split cassette w/ walk home drunk) // hidden bay the avocados // brandi // by the end of the night 7" // yay! parsnip // turn to love // behold // upset! the rhythm fidel // downey, california // fidel // (self-released) soft covers // every week // soft serve // little lunch nerdy girl // casa nova // twist her // no life

#wlur #radio shows

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herrlindemann · 2 years

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Metal Hammer - January 1999

Cynics that we are, let's find someone to blame right away. Rammstein, yes, they started it all. If it weren't for this sextet, we'd still be basking in snappy rock ballads of the Bon Jovi and Others brand. Harmless, nice, no corner, no edge. Until then Rammstein stabbed daggers into the white flesh, feeding us with a steady pounding rhythm and snippets of text that we could repeat. It all started modestly in 1995 — supporting act for Projekt Pitchfork, not exactly a rewarding job, but the burning Till and the pieces that came in stuck. Two months later Rammstein played their own club tour. These gigs were still equipped with sparse fireworks, but the attendees became ardent followers.

Already the first single, ‘Du riechst so gut’, was sold as a limited, fragrant digipack, so Motor Music also believed in its new child. With every gig HERZELEID climbed the charts, '96 were still considered a surprise. Their line was provocative, song lines could be interpreted, gave rise to speculation, said everything and nothing. Barely a year later they produced their second record SEHNSUCHT in Malta. But it remained under lock and key until August. In the nine months the debut album could not be gotten off the charts, and no record company in the world would have pushed the next album after that. Rather, the final breakthrough on a large scale was celebrated with the pre-single 'Engel'. In every gas station the people were exposed to it. The new songs were already heard on sold-out tours, but the fans had to wait a long time until the longing was so great that the album of the same name immediately entered the charts at number 1. With the courage of the successful, they dared to do even more critical and offensive lyrics on the successor.

'Bück dich' has become every second man's favourite, largely because it's a great song to shout out with your drunk brothers and grin meaningfully. More precarious were taboo subjects such as ‘Tier’ (incest) - and the decisive factor again was the language. Because despite the encryption, one understands a volume with German lyrics, and concludes that the named band takes a much clearer stand than others who carve euphonious English titles. And thus calls the feuilleton and reputable magazines onto the scene, which take on the Rammstein phenomenon. At times it seemed as if the rock band's intellectual explorations were based on the fact that fire is on stage and fire connotes 'hell'. In any case, the band was dragged through countless articles, so as early as '97 they were allowed to watch as they were called 'German national'.

'Watch' — that is perhaps the key word. Because Rammstein don't fight back. They turn their backs when they get the whip. Like recently when they were attacked in England for using Riefenstahl imagery in their 'Stripped' video. In a nutshell, the record company explained that it was purely about aesthetics, not about the political context. Nevertheless, one could only welcome a discussion, an examination of the topic of the Third Reich. But something like that can also backfire, as happened in the case of the band Weissglut, which actually started brilliantly. With their album ETWAS KOMMT IN DEINE WELT something came into them, namely the criticism of the news magazine 'Der Spiegel' that singer Josef Klumb was a Nazi who was known to observers of the right-wing scene. In fact, Klumb has spoken out about being an "intolerant anti-fascists" and has also criticized Zionism, which, however, does not go hand in hand with a general hostility towards Jews. Josef Klumb likes artists of the Third Reich and German culture per se, which, in turn, is not to be equated with a love of Hitler (”One can have a positive attitude towards Germany and precisely because of that don't like Hitler.”). The singer's very peculiar way of expressing himself - he often speaks of an “elite”, for example - also contributed/contributes to the irritation. Weissglut keyboardist Bernhard Klumb, Josef's brother, sees this article as "character assassination". Since then, Weissglut has been trying to get a counterstatement in Der Spiegel, and there may also be a court case.

Harsh words were also spoken within the band, after all the band is now being pushed into a corner where they don't see themselves. Bernhard isn't afraid that his fuses will blow because he sees white-hot being treated unfairly. “It's part of our job to deal with it now. We don't see it as a super promo either, I would have preferred a different one. It's not nice to have to justify yourself in front of distant acquaintances who suddenly contact you again. There's also another point: If we're a right-wing band now, that might attract fascists to our concerts, people we don't have anything to do with. And then maybe there will be trouble with them...” Being misunderstood can also be the basis of success. As has been the case with Onkelz for many years. The band hasn't heard any malicious things like "Turks out" for twelve years. But to this day, Weidner & Co. have the image of ghetto children, which annoys many people. They also remain (or especially) questionable when they go straight to number one in the charts with VIVA LOS TIOZ - and every young person identifies with that: "Whatever I do, it's wrong.” Critics do not allow Onkelz, which is expected of every prisoner, to learn from their mistakes and to rehabilitate themselves. The band tries to do that with their biography and in every interview in which they are asked about it. The fact that xenophobia is a sensitive topic in Germany (and of course not only here) goes without saying due to the past - explicitly: the Third Reich. This raises the question of whether our greatest export item Rammstein with almost 1.1 million sold SEHNSUCHT -albums abroad would do well to mix Riefenstahl images into their video and thus represent a German band in the world. The band that says “Provocation yes, political content no”, but still plays with that symbolism and brings the martial to market. Bernhard Klumb sees it this way at Rammstein: “There are mechanisms to sell records. You don't have to make more of it. Nobody denies that some visitors march at Rammstein concerts. Is it therefore justified, because of German history, to be confronted with the fact that you roll the R and sound like a German general to some ears?”

The situation is completely different with Joachim Witt, not only because he is enthusiastic about his audience on the recent tour, since it was a “more intellectual selection, thoughtful people who are a little more informed than the cut. In addition, there were of course people from the Dark Wave area. I found it pleasant that the chav and bawl faction was not predominant. However, the right-wing fringe group was by no means dominant at the Rammstein gigs that I attended. Rammstein have a wide audience. When you reach a certain dimension with your sales, you have to be prepared for anything,” Witt clarifies.

Reports that a right-wing attitude prevails “do the band wrong,” according to Witt. “Everything you accuse Rammstein of contradicts the band if you know them. Till has certain ideas that he realizes, that's all. I myself am more political than Rammstein. Maybe they should be more specific, but it's up to you whether you want to do that or not. I speak out clearly against accusations that have been made against me personally. I see myself as a radical humanist and therefore don't really fit into a grid. I am a typical non-party, but feel more attached to the left-wing trend. I think that the change of government is a step forward, but I wish those responsible had more courage and a certain willingness to take risks in order to bring things into balance in the interests of humanity and justice.” Musicians could also be people who make a difference. “A political position is certainly not for everyone. But it is a way of influencing. You can also screw up some groups of buyers, which is why many don't do it. Personally, I'm not on stage to do politics either, but I have my position.”

And Witt also applies this energetically when it comes to the attacks against the 'Stripped' video of his colleagues: "The English always have something to say. There are certainly more fascists in England than in Germany, but that's no excuse. The English should better shut up. The way they deal with German music, the arrogant insular behavior... Until the European musical idea has been liberalized, I find any comment superfluous. As far as the Riefenstahl video itself is concerned, it is about aesthetic recordings, but they are detached from the image and placed in a political environment, which of course imposes itself. There might also be a degree of flirtatiousness in playing with these things, but it's definitely a clear taste positioning - I like things like that too. Riefenstahl certainly took place in this environment (the Third Reich), but I think that art has to be seen in a different context than the political one. People who have what it takes to do something special, be it artistic or in other areas, have to come to terms with it. Otherwise the only way is to turn your back on the country.”

Rammstein did so last year, if only for career reasons. SEHNSUCHT went gold in the US in 1998 after touring with KMFDM, Korn and others. An album with German lyrics. "Americans like things that are mentally German," Witt explains. Perhaps more logical than the fact that the USA was waiting for a right-wing export article from Germany. He himself will soon be playing two showcases there as well.

“Here in Germany you are almost forced to deny your mentality. If you don't offer Anglo-American music, there's something wrong with you. Something is really wrong here. I am shaped by certain things in my environment. And that's German because I grew up here. I have no reason to work against my mentality because it suits some people better in their 'pc' thinking, but I find that the German mentality is too easily confused with what happened in the Third Reich, and one has to be very careful there. Some journalists jump into arbitration or play inquisition, and I find that presumptuous. At the moment they are working with the same means of exclusion that they denounce in the right-wing extremists, they have to be clear about that. They should do their research before spouting any garbage. There are various articles accusing me of such tendencies, but no one spoke to me. On the other hand, I recently had a very long and interesting conversation with the Taz. I give the paper credit for that, because this newspaper in particular would be an organ that could help to fill the gap in ‘Der Witt ist ein Rechtser’. But they didn't allow themselves to be influenced by other writers. And you have to give everyone you write about a chance, not spread prejudices.”

What is certain is that since Rammstein, national bands have been relatively more successful than in the past. “Is there a stronger national consciousness?” is a question that can be asked. "Possibly," says the man in his mid-forties, who was able to sell 670,000 singles with the 'flood'. “In the sense that is meant by that, I myself have no national consciousness; I am only committed to my roots. That doesn't mean I can't live in other countries. But the denser the information network is worldwide, the more people turn to regional things, there is a need for proximity and one's own culture. But that's the way it is worldwide and not specific to Germany. I would like that too, because it has been pathological and distorted so far.”

And in contrast to the "Neue Deutsche Welle", which Witt experienced with hits like "Goldener Reiter" in the 80s, he doesn't believe that German music is only temporarily popular this time. “One shouldn't underestimate the fact that German-language pop music played an important role in the former GDR. I think this has benefited the German music scene immensely.” However, he can only make fun of the term “Teutonic”: “What does that mean? I only know the Teutoburg Forest”, he pushes back the question. In the end he concludes: "It's all about freely admitting one's own mentality without putting it above another's.”

So everyone, whether in front of or on stage, will have to decide for themselves in the future where to draw the line between music and politics. Think for yourself whether he feels comfortable at an Onkelz concert, for example. And anyone who goes to a Frankfurt concert as an 18-year-old because they are, as the reasoning is often heard, “simply a great band” should not be labeled as right-wing in Germany 1998, just as little as a flat rate for the 888,000 SEHNSUCHT buyers applies. And above all, when intellectualizing a topic that still belongs in the entertainment category, care should be taken not to mix too many different German bands into one stew. Because they are mostly brown in color.

#Rammstein #Weissglut #Josef Klumb #Till Lindemann #Paul Landers #Flake #Richard Kruspe #Christoph Schneider #Oliver Riedel #translation #interview #*scans #*#1999

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