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fickleminder · 6 months

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seven supervillains and one (1) normie

You move in with seven normal, law-abiding housemates.

Here’s my piece for @obeymezine! Leftover sales are live till Dec 15th, so do consider supporting us since all proceeds will be going to charity :)

Lucifer looks even more handsome in person.

You find yourself paying more attention to him and the deep timbre of his voice than the tour of Serenity Manor and its rules. Only a firm call of your name snaps you back to the present.

“This will be your room,” he says, opening one last door for you to step through. It’s decently furnished with all the basic necessities and has an en suite to boot. How generous. “Is this to your satisfaction?”

“Oh absolutely, everything looks great!” You wheel your luggage into a corner and set your backpack down on the large study table. “I still can’t believe I got matched with you guys for the boarding program. Thank you so much for having me!”

“The pleasure is ours.” Lucifer gives you a polite nod. “Make yourself at home, and I will introduce you to my brothers tomorrow. We hope you’ll enjoy your stay here with us.”

“Surveillance systems are online,” Levi reports as all eyes watch you unpack on the screen. “Ugh, bugging rooms is so old school. It’s only the first day, I doubt there’ll be any suspicious activity.”

“And it better stay that way.” Satan’s already profiling you from your posters on the walls, your stuffed sheep on the bed, your clothes in the closet. No red flags yet, as far as he can discern.

“Pfft, what can one exchange student do to us?” Mammon scoffs. Your background check was clean, your documents checked out. In every practical sense, you were an ordinary postgraduate taking courses at the local university for a year. “Loosen up guys!”

Lucifer shoots him a glare indicating he has no intention of doing so. “No funny business. It’s unfortunate that we have to go undercover in our own home, but Elysium’s agents are on to us. We need to mask our activities and blend in, and we have no choice but to wait for them to leave. Until then, continue to follow Prince’s orders, but keep things low-key. Do I make myself clear?”

“—massive destruction of property at Settler’s factory premises. Witnesses say it was Gluttony in another one of his rampages, and this marks the fourth attack in…”

You glance towards a face-palming Lucifer at the breakfast table. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, perfectly fine.” He smiles through gritted teeth and switches off the TV, silencing the news.

You have a few days before classes officially start, so you decide to take some time familiarizing yourself with the town. Lucifer has graciously agreed to escort you, along with one of his brothers.

“And that’s about it, really. Is there anywhere else you wanna go?” Belphie asks after they’ve given you a cursory tour. You mention wanting to return to the confectionery shop you passed by a while back, and he smirks. “Sure, but if you’re looking for Settler products, they might not have much stock.”

“That’s alright! They used to be one of my favorite brands you know, but then I found out they engaged in a lot of questionable business practices. It’s a shame really, I liked their stuff.”

Lucifer feels his work phone vibrating in his pocket all of a sudden and curses mentally. What could Barbatos possibly want at this moment? “Apologies, I… have to use the washroom,” he excuses himself in a hurry, discreetly signaling Belphie to cover for him before running off.

Almost half an hour passes with no Lucifer in sight.

“He’s been gone for a while. Should we go and check up on him?” You ask worriedly.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Belphie sniggers. “He usually takes really long shits anyway. Let’s just go. He’ll catch up eventually.”

Lucifer meets you back in the manor at the end of the day, and you miss the dirty look he sends Belphie behind your back after you recommend some home remedies for treating diarrhea.

“Satan, I need some advice!” The blond follows your voice to the kitchen and freezes when he sees you holding his collection of hunting knives. For gutting people, not cutting meat. “I’m making lunch. Which of these are for fruits and vegetables?”

This is why Lucifer always nags us about picking up our toys, Satan realizes belatedly. Fuck, he probably left them out on the couch or something. At least he’d remembered to clean off the blood first. “Those aren’t for cooking. They’re for, uh, self-defense.” Idiot, is that the best you could come up with? There’s no way it’ll—

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have assumed.” You gasp and quickly return the knives to him. “One of my old roommates used to sleep with a dagger under their pillow, though I personally prefer to keep a baseball bat next to my bed. Besides, didn’t some rich politician get murdered in his own house just recently? The manor seems secure and you guys have Cerberus, but better safe than sorry I guess.”

Satan is still reeling from your sheer obliviousness, but he knows better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. “I completely agree,” he says with a poker face.

Mammon’s Lexura is a sight to behold, but you’re more interested in how fast she can go.

“Oi, I know you’re worried about your friend but keep your oily fingers to yourself, you hear?” He grumbles, opening the garage door for you and Beel to enter. “Which mall was it again?”

“The one with Bullseye,” you reply distractedly, furiously tapping away on your phone. “I can’t believe she and her girlfriend got harassed in public. You only read stories about this happening to other people online. What kind of fucked up organization calls themselves a charity and— Shit!”

You trip on something and drop your phone. It bounces and skids under Mammon’s car, but Beel instinctively steps forward before you can even react. With one arm, he tilts the vehicle just enough for you to duck under and retrieve it.

“Wow, thanks so much Beel!” You dust your phone off and check for cracks on the screen while Mammon sweats buckets behind you. “You gotta share your workout routine with me sometime. Hey, do you mind coming along and being our muscle for the day?”

“Okay.” Beel agrees easily, and you pump your fists.

“—worth millions. The curator declined to comment…”

“This is crazy, I was there just last week!” You exclaim while chewing on your dinner. “The museum had lots of cool stuff on display. Mostly illegally imported, if you catch my drift, but not anymore huh?”

Asmo winks at you. “What a shame. You could have seen Lust in action first-hand.”

“Aren’t heists supposed to be discreet? He is pretty good-looking though, I’ll give him that.”

“Is he prettier than me?” The entire table goes deathly silent as you squint between Asmo’s fluttering eyelashes and the masked supervillain on the TV screen. “Don’t you think he’d look better with a boob window?”

“…Nah, he doesn’t have the tiddies to pull it off.” Your gaze unconsciously flickers to Beel’s chest. “Plus the butts don’t match. Yours is flatter.”

Asmo’s jaw drops in mock outrage. “Honey, have you been checking me out? How very scandalous of you~”

“Enough, please.” Lucifer sighs amidst your spluttering.

“That’s it. We’re screwed, our cover is blown. I knew this was a bad idea…”

“Let’s just resort to good ol’ fashioned murder and then frame it as a runaway case. No one will ever know!”

“This manor is a fortress located in the safest part of town. What the fuck do you think people will presume there is to run from?”

“There were a couple of close calls, but I think we’re still in the clear.” Beel recalls you quoting your statistics professor after an extended period of time where one of them would come home late the night before a major news event: correlation does not imply causation.

“Need I remind all of you, it was our proposal to join the boarding program as a front. Prince approved it himself, and I won’t allow us to back out now.”

“Shut up, Lucifer. Don’t you have any politicians to assassinate?” Belphie sneers.

“We will see this through.” Lucifer refuses to budge, ever the prideful bastard. “We’re still safe, but keep your guards up. Understood?”

The kitchen is pitch black this time of night, but Levi’s had years to figure out a way around without alerting anyone he’s back.

“I hate on-site jobs,” he grumbles to himself. “What kind of company doesn’t have remote access to their servers nowadays? Let’s see how they like it when people steal and sell their private data instead, muahahaha— Eek!”

“Hmm? Levi?” You stifle a yawn and shuffle towards the rack of cups. “Why’re you up at this hour?”

Levi is still blinking away the spots in his vision from the sudden onslaught of light when you flipped the switch. He pales as you stare at his costume and equipment on the counter. “Wait, it’s not what it looks like—”

“Late con, huh? Must have been fun. You were still in character there. Heheh.” You pour yourself a glass of water. “Nice cosplay by the way. G’night.”

“G-goodnight!” Levi waits to hear the sound of your door closing before wheezing hysterically in relief.

You sigh blissfully under the weight of four cats lounging on various parts of your body. “I’ll admit I had my doubts at first, but this is exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Satan takes a long sip of his tea while petting the snoozing tabby on his lap. He looks like one of those criminal masterminds in the movies. “Visiting cat shelters is the best way to unwind after a long week. And don’t worry, I have it on good authority that this one actually takes proper care of our furry friends.”

“That’s reassuring to hear! I’ll never understand why anyone would want to hurt these precious babies.” A little calico wanders near your face and boops your nose with its toe beans. “If only all shelters could be as noble as this one. Remind me to stop by the donation box before we leave!”

“Gladly. Speaking of donations, remember that charity group that messed with your friends? I heard someone stole every last penny from their funds and now they’re on the verge of insolvency. Truly, this is karma at work.”

“Schadenfreude!” You cheer before the two of you clink cups and drink.

“Hey, you’ve been in there for a while now. Do you need— Oh.”

“Belphie!” You grin at him sheepishly and fidget with your rubber gloves. “I’m sorry, I’m really bad at this. My old dorm had a janitor, so I’ve never been assigned toilet duty before…”

“No wonder. You’d be dead in minutes if you kept this up,” Belphie snaps, quickly moving the unopened bottle of bleach away from you. “Mixing cleaning products is a sure-fire way to poison yourself.”

You wince at his harsh tone, and Belphie’s expression softens in sympathy.

“Here, I’ll teach you.” And then he proceeds to detail exactly what chemicals are in each product, which combinations produce different kinds of fumes with varying levels of toxicity, how to make odorless gasses that can kill a man in seconds—

“Why’d you stop?” You protest when Belphie abruptly cuts himself off. He’s probably feeling embarrassed about oversharing. “This is super informational. I’d be dead without you!”

“…Right.” He blinks, nonplussed. “You’re welcome, or whatever. Just stay away from the bleach, okay?”

Mammon shuffles the deck with deft hands and explains the rules. “You play as an Elysium agent of your choice, and your goal is to defeat the mob boss terrorizing the city: Jesús Iglesias Ken. The game can be competitive or cooperative depending on which rules we follow, but I say we do competitive mode and bet on the winner!”

“Ugh, shaddup Mammon!” Levi groans while you set up the board and pieces.

“Now, for the characters! We have Kid, a tiny chihuahua of an agent who has lots of good buffs from the sweets he eats. Director, who can move other players during his turn; but don’t get fooled by his smile. He can be super scary sometimes! Spear, man that guy packs a punch. He’s a damage dealer with shitty taste buds.”

Too busy paying attention to Mammon, you don’t see the way Levi makes throat-slitting gestures and mouths SHUT UP SHUT UP STUPIDMAMMON—

“There are also NPCs like Sorcerer, who can help or hinder you depending on your actions, shady bastard. And Aristocrat, who’s on the villain’s side and a total bootlicker, but he gives valuable intel for the right price.”

“How do you know all of this? I don’t see it in the rule book.” You scan the character description section intently. “Don’t tell me… You’re secretly a fan!”

Mammon chokes, finally catching on to Levi’s signals. Both of them exchange wide-eyed looks before forcibly grinning at you. “Yeah, totally, I’m a fan! Hahaha…”

“What a nerd, right?” Levi laughs nervously. “Anyway, this game is more fun with more players, so let’s just play something else for now, okay? Okay.”

“I’ve got reports that Elysium’s agents are finally moving out. We should be cleared to resume normal operations soon.”

“Our plan worked like a charm! Ooh, we’re so close~”

“Good job, everyone.” Lucifer nods with a satisfied smile. “This will all be over shortly. And just in time too. A year’s almost up.”

Everyone falls silent as their thoughts drift to you. It’ll be quiet without you around; you may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but you were always kind and genuine with all of them. It goes without saying that they’ll definitely miss you once you’re gone.

“We should stay in touch,” Mammon proposes suddenly, looking none of his brothers in the eye. “Y’know, to keep tabs and make sure we weren’t compromised or anything. See things through to the end and all that.”

For once, nobody objects to Mammon’s idea. “Indeed,” Lucifer murmurs in approval.

“I’ll be on campus studying for my ethics finals. See you all at dinner!”

You set up camp at your favorite corner: a little nook in the section of the library that’s perpetually empty. Just as you make yourself comfortable and open your laptop, someone pings you with an encrypted message.

Grinning to yourself, you easily bypass Levi’s embedded spyware and open up a private channel to take the call. “Barb, it’s so good to hear from you!”

“Good afternoon.” A polished voice greets you from the speakers, and you quickly plug in your headphones to prevent eavesdropping. “Apologies for the disturbance, but I have the data you requested.”

“Thanks Barbatos. You really are the best AI I’ve ever created!”

“I am the only AI you’ve ever created, but the sentiment is acknowledged. Did your side project go well?”

“Always so humble, haha! And yes, it went wonderfully! It’s so good to finally meet the brothers face-to-face. They’re such a lively bunch!”

“I concur. Back to business: the up-and-coming cosmetics company you asked me to look into? It turns out your hunch was right; I’ve found evidence that they rely heavily on animal testing for their products.”

“A job for Belphie then. He’ll know how to put those chemicals to better use.”

“Of course. On a separate note, another political party has been pushing for…”

#writing #obey me #obey me fanfic #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me barbatos #zine

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graciegoeskrazy · 3 months

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about you

george daniel + stepdaughter!reader + charli xcx

warnings: mentions of absent father, weddings lmao, bit of crying, love

a/n: the one you’ve been waiting for. read part 1 if you haven’t already :)

PART 1 (I POSTED THIS IN DEC?! IM SRY)

You Mum and George have been in a whirl of romance these past few weeks. Constantly giggling, smiling, and kissing each other. They were all in. Especially with their new free time with both their tours being over, they both had all the time in the world to live in the newly-fianced bliss and do whatever the hell they wanted. You always made jokes about them since they started dating. Even in the very early days when your hesitancy towards George was still at its peak, you said how you knew they were gonna get married one day. You felt it. And now you’re here. They wanted to get married ASAP. A part of them wanted to go to some courthouse that day and just do it then and there while another part of them wanted an actual wedding with all the bells and whistles. They opted for a nice medium. It went without saying that they wanted you to have a part in the ceremony. You knew that, but you weren't sure what they had in mind. So when you heard the footsteps, whispers, and giggles coming from the pair as they walked up the stairs and to the door of your room, you knew they were up to something, but weren't entirely sure.

You knew they were right outside, but waited till they knocked. Secretly laughing at the hushed whispers and laughs they were letting out. Finally, they both knocked.

“Yes?” You asked.

“It’s Mum and George.” She said. “Can we come in?”

“I’ll allow it.” You said. You knew George rolled his eyes at the phrase.

Once inside your room they slowly made their way to the foot of your bed together, hand in hand, never taking their eyes off of you. They looked like two little kids getting ready to ask their parents for a sleepover. They were filled with anticipation, trying to hide it with smiles. They sat down together and stayed there for a minute. Just smiling at you like two goofy little kids.

You looked at them with confusion. “Can I…help you both?”

“We have some news…”

You sat up. “Are you dying?”

“No.”

Oh shit.

“Are you pregnant?!”

“God, no!” They both said in unison.

You smiled and gave in. “What is it?”

Your mom took a deep breath and George pulled out a small box with a necklace inside that you didn't even realize he was hiding behind him. Your initial was sandwiched between a G and C on the chain. “Maid of honor?” She asked, timidly.

You laid back on your pillows.“I would’ve gotten offended if you didn’t ask.”

They both smiled.

…

You weren't entirely sure how they were gonna plan a wedding by themselves in just 4 months, but to your surprise they did!

All eyes were on you when you walked down the aisle. With you being Maid of Honor and Matty being George’s best man, you both walked down arm in arm together. All eyes were on you both as you walked down. Your mom wanted you to pick out a dress you liked. It was perfect. Very pretty, very mature. You looked like a very prim and proper young woman. So much so that George cried and couldn't take his eyes off you the entire walk down.

You started to walk back up the aisle, turning back towards the group with hesitancy. “Go on,” George whispered. You smiled and went to get your mother.

It was a simple gesture that spoke a million words - giving your mother away at her wedding. Charli brought the idea up and you immediately said yes. Once at the beginning of your trek, you opened the large doors to reveal your mother. She was a vision in white. You gave her your arm she took it. You could tell she full full of emotion, and so was George, but you tried to remain cool and collected the entire day. Even though a very large part of you wanted to jump up and down and tell them to say I do already. You shot her a look and whispered, “You alright?” She took a deep breath and set her sights on the man you were leading her to. “More than alright.” You both smiled at each other.

“Let’s go get your mamma hitched.”

You two walked arm in arm, meeting George at the end of the walk. Once your mom was in position, George went to hug you but you jokingly gave him the ‘I got my eyes on you’ fingers which made him and everyone around you laugh. You gave in though, giving him a huge hug.

You stood right next to your Mom, but George was right in your line of sight. You could only look at him the whole time. This is finally happening. He was going to be your family - your father - and it was about fucking time. The three of you had always been a family. Each one functions differently but they are all special, but you liked to think yours was extra special. The truth was that for a while you couldn't stop thinking about your dad. Your real dad, that is. It had always been a lingering voice in the back of your head, but the more the wedding got closer and closer, the more that voice got louder. He left when you were pretty young. Old enough to remember but young enough to not understand why exactly he left and did the things he did. Even now most of it was still a blur. You don't know much about him except that he is out there, somewhere, relatively close. And it makes your blood boil that he could reach out and contact you but he hasn't, and it's been nearly a decade. Your mom doesn't live an exactly private life, but that’s not what bothers you. It’s the fact that your biological father has a decent seat in your life from the online world and could know what you’re up to, but he doesn't care. Never called, texted, or emailed, not even a letter. But now, at this moment, that same voice that became so loud for such a long time became completely quiet. Not making a peep. And it was because of George.

…

“Now for the vows.”

Your mom read you at least 20 different drafts of her vows. You practically knew it word for word because she tested it out so many times. George however was a different story. You had no clue what he was going to prepare.

Your mom finished up her vows. “I love our family. It’s different, but it’s ours. I love our home and the fact that it doesn't feel the same unless you're there. I love the way you treat my daughter and the fact that you show her how a father should be. I love how you constantly continue to read my mind and make me feel whole. No one knows me as well as you Mr. Daniel.”

Once she ended her vows it was George’s turn. You had no idea what he had planned. A part of you was expecting something classic, while the other part of you expected a big joke or a Shakespeare sonnet or a dance break or something else fucking ridiculous. Whatever it was though, you knew your mom would love it.

We went to a classic list of “I love you”’s, something that would make your mom swoon 100 times over. “I love you. I love everything about you. Your smile, your laugh, I love your daughter as if she were my own.” Damn. “I love the way you talk, act, speak, sing, cook, dream, live. I love you.”

And she was in tears.

…

The reception wasn’t your typical rendezvous. If anything it felt like a nightclub or some kind of afterparty. No speeches, no ceremony, no cheesiness, just music, dancing, and an open bar. You sat at a table with some of the friends you had joined you. It seemed as if your mom never stopped dancing since she walked into the room. Meanwhile, George and all of his and your mom’s friends take turns being the DJ. Eventually, during Matty’s turn, he announced a slow song, and you noticed George whisper something into your mum's ear. Your eyebrows twitched in confusion, but before you could register what was happening your mom nodded and George walked over to you. He smiled and reached out his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

All your friends swooned and you wanted to laugh and throw up.

You took his hand and headed to the floor. Everyone continued what they were doing but a small group that consisted of your mom and your parent’s closest friends gathered around a table and watched as the pair of you. Matty and your Mum made faces but you just flipped them off and laughed as you took George’s hand on the floor.

The music played and he guided you through it all. Eventually, he noticed you zoning out, too lost in your thoughts. He’s noticed it a lot lately but never had the chance to talk to you about it. Maybe now wasn’t the best time but he wanted to make sure you were okay.

“You doing alright?”

You shot up, immediately back to your chipper self. (or at least the front you’ve been using for a while.)

“Mhm! Fine.” You smiled at him - one that he could see right through.

He moved one hand from your back to your face, his own becoming evident with concern. “What’s going on?”

You bit your lip and shook your head. “I can’t cry. People are watching.” You said, voice breaking, and buried your face in his chest.

“Oh, darling,” George said. For a second he thought something was seriously wrong, but he knew you (almost as well as your mom) and knew there was something different going on. He kissed your head and whispered to you. “What’s going on?”

You looked up, teary-eyed. “They’re happy tears. I promise.” You both chuckled.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.” He said,

You couldn’t look at him, but you also didn’t want to look at the small group surrounding your mother either so your options were very limited. After a moment you looked at him. Facing him and telling him the words he’d been wanting to hear for what felt like ages. “I just wish you were my dad.” To you, you didn’t want to scare him. You didn’t want to push him away for fear that he may never come back, so you kept all these feelings inside, not realizing he’s been wanting to hear those words for a very very long time.

He didn’t say anything at first, just smiled. Your face fell back into his chest and prayed to whatever the hell was up there that you didn’t ruin everything. “But I am your dad.”

You tilted your head while it was still on your dad's chest and saw your mom. She winked at you. You turned back and sighed. You finally had your family.

#x daughter!reader #george daniel x daughter!reader #george daniel x you #george daniel x reader #george daniel #charli xcx #the 1975

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medusapelagia · 3 months

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Other events: General, Rare Pairs, Character Centered Events - March Update

Last but not least... these are all the other events I know of!

Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang @strangerthingsreversebigbang Posting season has begun! Here is the AO3 collection where all the amazing writers will post their entries inspired by the beautiful art that the artists made!

Stobin month 2024 March 2024 This event is on Twitter and here are all the 31 prompts!

Stranger Things Big Bang (@strangerthingsbigbang) The authors sign up closes on March 15 but the Artist sign up is open till May 11! Event info

Billy Hargrove Big Bang (@billyhargrovebigbang) Sign-Ups Open: March 29 Writer Sign-Ups Close: April 29 Artist Sign-Ups Close: June 22 Event info

Rare Pair Roulette (@st-rarepair-roulette) Signs up are closed and the posting season starts on the 1st of April!

Stranger Things Sapphic Mini Bang ( @sapphicstevents) Sign Up Opens Authors: 1 April - 30 April Artists: 1 April - 14 June Here the interest form Event info

Stranger Things Femslash (@strangerthingsfemslash) 3-7 April Event info

A Stranger Summer (@astrangersummer) Get ready for some weekly prompts through the months of May, June, July, and August! Event info

Prompts list

BUCKLEWAY APPRECIATION WEEK Do you think it was a pity that Robin and Heather never got time together on screen? Here is your occasion to make it happen! Run from MAY 19 - 25 Event info

Eddie Munson Big Bang (@eddiemunsonbigbang) It’s still a bit early but get ready to sign up to the most metal Big Band ever! Sign ups open on July 1st, 2024 and close on September 9th, 2024 Event info

Corroded Coffin Fest (@corrodedcoffinfest) This even will take place from July 1st thru July 31st but there are going to be three warm up events! APRIL 15TH - TAXED MAY 15TH - GET A JOB JUNE 15TH - BAND ON THE RUN Event Info

Metal Sandwich Bingo (@metalsandwichbingo) The bingo will take place 1 Oct - 31 Dec, 2024, more info closer to the event! Event Info

Hawkins microfic (@hawkinsmicrofic) It's still a work in progress, but get ready to challenge yourself with a prompt and a defined number of words. Event info

Steve Harrington Big Bang (@steveharringtonbigbang) We will have to wait a bit because it was postponed to 2025 but I'm sure the wait will be worth it!

As always feel free to reblog and add other events!

#stranger things event #general stranger things events #rare pair stranger things event #rare pair #signal boost #general events #character centered big bang

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madrone33 · 5 months

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Right so... been going crazy trying to catch up on the explosion of stuff peeps have been doing since the EPIC: The Musical Ocean Saga release, but. Got some downtime now, and I just wanted to post my reaction to listening to the songs, 'cause it was wild bro.

Fyi, this is all taking place at around 11:30 pm 24th Dec for me, as I'm an australian, so that would make it... uh, 8:30 am 24th Dec for americans I think? Idk, timezones are weird bro. Basically, I listened to the songs and then wrote down my immediate reactions at like 1 am lol.

*ahem*

OK HOLY SHIT HOLY FUCK. OK OK. They came out for australians. They CAME OUT FOR AUSTRALIA!!!!

I was on dicord, right? And then another australian says they're out, and i'm like wait what but there's still like 16 hours till midnight in est, but i look up 'luck runs out jorgre rivera-herrans' on yt (cause it's a unique name) and scroll down and FUCK IT'S THERE!! THE STANDARD AUTO TOPIC VERSION!! IT'S NOT EVEN MIDNIGHT HERE YET?? (23:24 at the time of discovery. The vid says it was uploaded 3 hrs ago already)

The piano. I heard the first notes of piano and ohhhhh shiiiit it's actually happening!!!

i opened the door and called out to mum 'cause i was still in disbelief and she was still awake and i was like "mum... i think it's out" or SOMETHIG LIKE THAT IDK THE EXACT WORDS. She said jokingly she'd thought i had an existential crisis and GIRL IT KINDA FELT LIKE IT?? I WAS NOT PREPARED! I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE ANOTHER 16 HOURS!

I tapped on the link thingy to the album in the description and then i had the album RIGHT THERE HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS. IT'S STORM. IN THE FLESH. THERE'S A FUCKING TRUMPET-

I did my civic duty and informed (read: screamed in all caps) to everyone in the discord while mum listened to the first song 'cause she said she was interested and asked and i was so excited and gave her my headphones to listen to storm and then I took em back once I was done and now it's time to go dark. I said goodnight to mum and... pressed play.

Here's the highlights:

Storm: mixing is on another level bro. The vocals, the harmonies, the chorus, and hearing all those snippets without breaks in between, actually flowing and making sense and that ending beat is AHHH-

It went so fast. It's three min long how did it go by so fast what-

Luck Runs Out: the piano is godly. They actually changed the melody of the 'you could be caught off guard' part. My first thought after ooo? Was 'damn it no longer sounds like shut up and dance w/ me' lol.

I think this one changed the most from the snippets. Jsut the way they say lines, and stray words. I love it. The harmonies-

KYFC: the intro is that one atmospheric snippet he did with the flutes!! Aeolus sounds so sassy compared to the old snippets oof hell yes! There's a small instrumental interlude between the first chorus and the crew asking about the bag which is new.

THE PENELOPE PART. OH. MY. GOD. I LEGIT TEARED UP, I WAS CRYING, I'M CRYING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT AND TYPING THIS OUT IT WAS SO FUCKING HEARTBREAKING.

Trying to hold them in his arms? Time to be that father he always wanted to be?? His eyes and heart and soul is heavy??? I'm FUCKING CRYING-

Also wow he really just stayed up for 9 days huh? Respect. Also, fuck those crewmates man. Bet they felt real stupid when it got them killed. Oh, wait, fuck it didn't Poseidon killed everyone but them oh hell nah- And Odysseus still goes to save them from Circe?? Bro. BRO. Just let them die. It ain't worth it.

And that's how Jorge introduces the land of the giants? Cool! I was wondering about that.

Poesiedon pull up! (Is it bad that i thought he sounded like ares in the pj musical there lmao-)

RUTHLESSNESS: it's here. Oh my lord it's here. Everyone stay calm. Fuck it IT'S FUCKING HERE!!

The chanting, Ody's terrified 'Poseidon...', the electric guitar on Poseidon's verse, the fucking growl in his voice is amazing, the 'Die.' is as;ihfd HELL FUCKING YES!!

I love that the 'Captain-!'s of the drowning men is more apparent here, and the silence afterwards... ooof you can hear Ody's horrified stuttered breaths and the way the lyric's changed to '43 left under your command' is soooo fucking good.

And then Ody's sudden defiance and the fucking burning in his eyes as he defies a god and escapes death- Yes. YES! It's so good-

... No wait it's over?? That's it??? WHYYYYY-

(Side note - the fact that there weren't any ads between vids is incredible and I thank the gods for this blessing.)

Ok, but all seriousness, that was incredible. I- I couldn't stop smiling. My face actually started hurting I was smiling so much. I was shaking the whole time, and I had to keep reminding myself to breathe, and- It was amazing. This was an amazing experience, and I'm so glad I could freak out to mum, and she was excited with me, and it was such a good surprise, like an actual chrismas gift from Jorge or some shit. I love it. I love this. Genuinely. It's an amazing thing he's given us and I thank him, sincerely. Thank you, Jorge, and everyone involved in creating this for people to enjoy and love. You should all be proud.

Thanks for reading me freak out, whoever made it to the end lmao. Tagging @dootznbootz because their rambles gave me the confidence to throw my own into the void. Thx :D

#epic the musical #epic the ocean saga #ocean saga release #rambles #rants #odysseus #poseidon #storm #kyfc #luck runs out #ruthlessness #immediate reaction #timezones ftw #25 december #reaction #my posts

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absolutebl · 1 year

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This Week in BL - Ending the Year FINE & simple

Dec 2022 Wk 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) 3 of 12 - Butler Dad (v.2) is going to be a problem, I can tell. Chimon is a cute, if suspicious, flirt. Palm, on the other hand, is the gentlest flirt imaginable. He wants spoiled prince + attack dog dynamic so bad. As, indeed, do I.

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 8 of 12 - still enjoying it very much, annoyed by filler couples, WATCH ALONG HERE.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 6 of 11 - Oh, I see! The Mint storyline is to give more characters motivation to murder Dew. It’s all set up. How clumsy. Meanwhile, we got a confession right on schedule, classic romance beats.

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 7 of 12 - Whatever.

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 12 of 14 - Honestly? I’d DNF this show but its almost done and I've watched 12 already. Sunk cost fallacy in action. I’m not going to make this mistake with this production house again. JaFirst cry well, but I’m vetting and binging these in future.

My School President (Fri YT) 5 of 10 - no ep this week, resumes Jan 6

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) 2 of 8 - It’s giving me life, this one. Pining boss. Drunk lesbian bestie of awesome. Plus gay player (former college heartthrob) is a fun background for the faen fatal, not to mention rainbow rice cakes. COME ON. RAINBOW RICE CAKES!

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Thurs Viki) 1 of 20 - A cheerful kid from 1999 travels to 2022, works as a deliveryman, and meets an heir with a domineering personality. Directed by Nancy Chen (HIStory 4, Papa & Daddy). The time travel premise is interesting, the leads are giving me whipping boy vibes, but I don’t like seme’s stalker energy. It feels very HIStory franchise which means it could go any direction but sensible and I’m expecting problematic tropes. However! The sides are GREAT - they’re an office romance boss/intern relationship. And this is 20 full episodes so we will get plenty of them. Also, is that Taiwan I see giving us a femme character? I am all amazement. I think I like this show, actually. (Note; will be referring to this as H5 going forward.)

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 5-6 of 10 - Is there a not very small part of me that wishes this were a love story between the earnest assistant baby boi, and the older anxiety-riddled rockstar? Yes. Although I did not expect Korea to go there with the lipstick mark AND an actually gay idol. What alternate reality are we currently living in? Also, is every character in this show slightly insane? Yes. Is every actor in this show slightly too pretty for my emotional well-being? Also, yes. Bring it on 2023.

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) 3 of 8 - I think I just don’t like the photographer character much (although he’s very typically Japanese tsundere seme). Really quite a good kiss though, for Japan. On the flip side, it was nice to see the reporter being good at his job (competency porn is a very underused trope in BL). Then we get confession, immediate retraction, and a disbelief counter attack. Then more kisses. Huh. This isn’t progressing how I expect. And that’s kinda nice too. Oh Japan, you so cute & trixie.

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

Love Bill (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising stuff going on with them. I’ll wait and binge.

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) - same Team RL peeps we have seen before (Sunshine, Stupid)

Till the World Ends (Thai YT) 10 eps - it seems to be good but I don’t know about the ending with that kind of title, so I’m waiting.

Moonlight Chicken GMMTV’s Midnight series (Weds YT) 1 of 8 eventually - first segment has begun bit it’s not the EarthMix messy gays. Sorry all, I’m so not interested in messy hets, so I’m waiting until they grace my screen.

In Case You Missed It

Coffee Melody special feat TitNuea & Jean like it’s counterpart was rather dull, but I find this a more appealing couple than the mains so I liked it better.

Moments Of Love - featuring SmartJames AKA LeonPhob from Don't Say No) from Foremorfilm Production supposedly aired Dec 24 directed by Golf Tanwarin (609 Bedtime Story and The Eclipse). But it has no rating on MDL so I guess not?

Next Week Looks Like This:

2023 forthcoming BL master post is in the works... wait for it... I’m doing all the 2022 wrap ups first. Also waiting for the last of the studio announcements.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Mujigae-tteok (Korean rainbow rice cake) - a new item has entered my never ending food quest list.

OhmFluke do domesticity well, gotta give them that.

Quick end of year thoughts on 2022 BL & the future of these weekly posts:

Honestly? Overall it’s been a fine year for BL with some good shows & and some ho shows, and also a lot of dross. But the most notable aspect was the overwhelming quantity to keep up with. My work world is opening back up with tons of travel. This plus my recent revelation that I actually prefer binge watching (especially the lower quality stuff) means that I can’t keep up with BL if it keeps up this insane pace.

So in 2023 you can expect me to try to keep these weeklies updated with what’s airing, of course, but also pull back on how many I personally watch and summate.

In 2022, BL sort of became my 2nd job, and it doesn't pay well enough for that.

All that said I think...

2023 is going to be GOOD for BL. Happy new year!

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? I’ve been in a “beastly” mood recently so it’s Lee Gikwang’s (Beast, Highlight) Don’t Close Your Eyes. I forgot how fucking banging that opening rift is. Thank you Kpop gods for putting the 2nd gens through the ever eternal slut phase.

Now just put them all though a BL phase and we’re golden. Yes, I am thinking of Unintentional Love Story (Gongchan B1A4), why do you ask?

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letmeprocessthis · 1 year

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Top surgery recovery

Never actually post here but reading everyone elses top surgery experiences and recovery timelines has been so helpful and reassuring for me I thought I'd post mine so far. I'm 5 days in and haven't removed my medical binder yet, waiting for another couple days to pass before i remove it to wash as i still feel everythings v fresh and i dont want to pull at the wounds trying to get the binder on and off.

The day of the operation (20th dec) was mostly a blur, my op was first thing in the morning and afterwards i was on so many pain meds I was out of it most of the day. I remember waking up after the surgery and feeling a very sharp soreness across my chest. I was initially given morphine and when released from hospital told to take 400mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours and 1 to 2 codine up to 3 times a day as needed. I didnt sleep well the first night sleeping propped up and on your back is h a r d. Due to all the medication and anaesthetic i was in v minimal pain but could barely use my arms at all, i mostly just draped my shirt/ dressing gown rather than trying to get my arms through the sleeves. I haven't seen a lot of people mention how much the tube they put down your throat to help with breathing during the op fucks you up. My throat has never felt so dry and sore, trying to swallow anything was near enough impossible without drinking constant water with it.

The second day was the worse so far pain wise, the codine helped a l o t . My range of movement was still very limited i couldnt put on my seat belt or open any doors at all, even struggled picking up the kettle to make a cup of tea. My throat was still completely fucked up but it was slightly easier to eat and my appetite was significantly higher than the day before. I passed out for like 10 hours on the second night.

The third day was when the itching really started. My throat was mostly back to normal and I found i didnt need codine anymore to manage the pain (which was great that stuff makes you so bloated and woozy) my range of motion was improved and i found i could get button up shirts on by myself and open doors again. The pain was very minimal and i actually felt quite energetic this day but the itching was an absolute nightmare and i got next to no sleep.

The forth day started off well, the pain was very minimal so long as i kept up with the ibuprofen and my range of movement is still improving. However the itching was intolerable and at about midday i was hit with the most intense exhaustion I've ever felt. I ended up napping twice during the day and going to bed at 8pm and not getting up till 8am the next day 😅. I started getting very strange tingling and warmth sensations across my chest also which aren't painful but feel very weird.

Today my range of movements good enough that im having to be extra vigilant to keep my arms close to my sides and not move them as much. Im still itchy but less so than yesterday and despite all the sleep still completely exhausted. The tingling sensations and warmth are happening a lot more today which is exciting but with chest sensation returning the pains gone up a little (still manageable without the codine tho). I'm smelly af but dont dare try bathing properly till at least a weeks passed so im just gunna power through.

#ftm #top surgery #topsurgery #uk ftm #uk top surgery #trans #transgender #trans man

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4l4na444 · 6 months

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so im back at 130.5

i dont wanna talk ab it i just want to start ovr & get down to:

125 by dec 1st

120 by dec 12th

118 by dec 15th

114 by jan 1st

im going to workout every day

& eat the same planned meals every day (i think this will work for me cuz i rly like routine & hate breaking one) ty for helping me w this journey im so exciteddd

Ok so ill b sticking to a protien shake in the morning because thats when i go to the gym but ill wait until 9-10 to sip it

protien shake (250): Banana (110), Powder (110), almond milk (1 cup) (30 cal)

& low cal pasta for lunch (65): pasta (5) sauce (60)

when i feel like snacking after that ill bring a gomacro (100) bar with me out of the house somewhere

-no dinner

-if studying:ice cream (1 small bowl) (210)

-if parents make u eat smallest portion possible

Daily:415 Study heavy Days:725

my daily workout:

Abs on an incline: 10 sit ups, 20 crunches, 10 sit ups, 20 crunches, 10 sit ups, 20 crunches, 10 sit ups, 20 crunches, 10 sit ups, 20 crunches, 10 sit ups. (50 cal) (we1ght the sit ups as u see fit)

4ss machine: idk what its called sry but u start at 175 and drop set to 85 doing 10 reps at each weight, then at 85 go till failure, 3 sets of that (burns 50 cals)

Treadmill: 4 minutes walking on incline, 4 minutes running ok flat, 4 minutes walking on incline, 4 minutes running ok flat, 4 minutes walking on incline, 4 minutes running ok flat, 4 minutes walking on incline, 4 minutes running ok flat, 4 minutes walking on incline, 4 minutes running ok flat, 4 minutes walking on incline. (~350 cal)(note: u have to go until at least 315 to even out the cals u ate)

ik im crazy, i like symmetry

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medusapelagia · 25 days

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Other events: General, Rare Pairs, Character Centered Events - May Update

Stranger Things Big Bang ( @strangerthingsbigbang) The authors sign up are closed but the Artist sign up is open till May 11! Event info

Strangers Things Monsterfucker May challenge (@aidaronan) An event for the monsterfucker lovers! Event info

Hawkins microfic ( @hawkinsmicrofic) Here it is! Get ready to challenge yourself with a prompt and a defined number of words. May prompt is: Eyes - 528 words Event info

Billy Hargrove Big Bang ( @billybigbang2024) Billy Big Bang is back on under a new management! Join us! Writer Sign-Ups Close: May 15 Artist Sign-Ups Close: July 6 Event info

Stranger Things Sapphic Mini Bang ( @sapphicstevents) Writers Sign Ups are closed, but Artists Sign Ups are open till the 14th of June Event info

Corroded Coffin Fest ( @corrodedcoffinfest) This even will take place from July 1st thru July 31st but there are going to be some warm up events! MAY 15TH - GET A JOB JUNE 15TH - BAND ON THE RUN Event Info

A Stranger Summer ( @astrangersummer) A Strange Summer it's finally started! Have fun with some weekly prompts through the months of May, June, July, and August! Event info Prompts list

Summer Things Fest ( @summerthingsfest) A prompt base fest open to all ships! Prompts open on the 26th of April Claim from from the 10th of May Event info on AO3

BUCKLEWAY APPRECIATION WEEK Do you think it was a pity that Robin and Heather never got time together on screen? Here is your occasion to make it happen! Run from MAY 19 - 25 Event info

Metalsandwich Movie Mania ( @now-showing-at-the-hawk-events) Post-2000s Metalsandwich Movie Mania will take place June 9th-22nd Pre-2000s Metalsandwich Movie Mania will take place November 10th-23rd! Event Info and prompts!

Eddie Munson Big Bang ( @eddiemunsonbigbang) It’s still a bit early but get ready to sign up to the most metal Big Band ever! Sign ups open on July 1st, 2024 and close on September 9th, 2024 Event info

Stevie week ( @stevieweek) A week were all Stevies are welcome! Non-binary, genderqueer, cisgender, gender fluid etc. From the 4th of July to the 10th of July Event info

Metal Sandwich Bingo ( @metalsandwichbingo) The bingo will take place 1 Oct - 31 Dec, 2024, more info closer to the event! Event Info

Steve Harrington Big Bang ( @steveharringtonbigbang) Finally we have some info about this Big Bang that was postponed to 2025! Sign Ups Open -- January 01, 2025 Sign Ups Close -- March 21, 2025 Event info

Stommy Big Bang ( @stommybigbang) It's still a work in progress but keep an eye on their page for more info soon!

StrangerThings Reverse Big Bang ( @strangerthingsreversebigbang) This year Big Bang was such a huge success that I can't wait for the next one! Sign-ups opening September 2025!

As always feel free to reblog and add other events!

Under the cut the past events if you want something to read!

Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang @strangerthingsreversebigbang Here is the AO3 collection !

Rare Pair Roulette ( @st-rarepair-roulette) Find all the fics in the AO3 collection!

Stranger Things Femslash ( @strangerthingsfemslash) Here is the AO3 Collection

#stranger things event #general stranger things events #rare pair stranger things event #rare pair #signal boost #general events #character centered big bang

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onionchoppingninja · 3 years

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Train Bento from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train

OMG A NEW RECIPE FROM ME

Hi Everyone! I’m back for a little while after spending about 1 and a half of the past 4 years throwing up everyday, thanks to everyone who’s still here for sticking with me. ｍ(｡≧Д≦｡)ｍ

Am trying to move all the old recipes into a proper website but somehow I’m unreasonably bad at tech stuff. I open my Instagram more than Tumblr nowadays, (because of my real job). Don’t worry, I’ll still be here!

It’s been about 6 years since I started this blog, and I’ve found myself changing over the years, at least in anime tastes. Somehow I don’t find myself seriously obsessing over shonen series anymore, ever since Shokugeki and Gintama ended, probably because I’ve moved to a different phase of life and now find stuff like Gokushuufudo more relaxing. That said, I still recognize that Kimetsu no Yaiba is a masterpiece, and PSA: the movie is available FOR FREE on viu right now (in selected countries). You don’t have to be a premium subscriber! I’m glad I got to watch it, since I haven’t been to the cinemas since Dec 2019. Recipe and more pics under the cut!

The following recipe is split into the different components of the bento! It makes portions for 2-3, except for the Aji Tamago. I, being asian, will assume that the reader can cook rice or procure some cooked rice as easily as breathing (and following the instructions on the rice packet or buying a microwaveable packet). ON THE DAY BEFORE, make: Aji Tamago Ingredients

Any amount of Refrigerated Eggs (Really, you just need 1, but why go to all that trouble for just one egg)

Lots of Ice

A liquid that is made in the ratio of 3/8ths shoyu, 2/8ths mirin, and 3/8ths water. This liquid should be able to cover your eggs. You can play with the ratios if you like things saltier or sweeter.

Method:

Heat water in a pot till it boils (amount must cover eggs)

Slowly (with a spoon), lower eggs into boiling water. If you throw them, they’ll crack.

Boil small eggs for 6 mins, larger eggs for 8 mins.

Prepare an ice water bath in the meantime, and put eggs into it straight after the timer is up.

Peel eggs carefully (this was the hardest part IMO). Add more ice if it’s sticking.

Put eggs into a container and pour the shoyu-mirin-water liquid over it. Some people like to use ziplocks, but I’m trying to be more eco-friendly. Or you could use silicon bags!

Wait 1 day.

Remove and slice half to put in one bento. Note the creamy yolk!

ON THE DAY ITSELF

Before cooking anything else, please set 1.5 cups of short grain rice to cook in your rice cooker.

Grilled Leeks

Ingredients:

cooking oil

White part of one Leek, cut into cork-lengths, outermost skin removed.

(Please try to slice it with a bevelled edge! The baby was yelling, so I hurriedly chopped it up before double-checking the reference image) Would be great if you have a grill frying pan, to get the charred marks, but here is my not-very-good hack:

Brush this cheapo grill pan I got from Daiso with cooking oil

Heat in the oven at 250 C for 5 mins

Pop leeks on it and broil for 5 mins, or until it starts to char.

Flip leeks over and broil for 5 mins again or until it starts to char.

(Warning, taking a picture in the middle of the process makes your pan cool down)

Tamagoyaki

Please refer to my recipe from Koufuku Grafitti here.

The extra step is to transfer the tamagoyaki to a bamboo sheet, wrap it up, and press lightly as it cools, so that the egg will have the ridged shape. Then, proceed to slice it width-wise.

Yes, I know there are 2 egg dishes in this bento.

Gyu-don Beef

This really reminded me of the beef you can get from Yoshinoya.

Ingredients

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into wedges

200-250g beef shortplate shabu cut

3 tbsp cooking sake

3 tbsp shoyu

2 tbsp mirin

Method

Heat oil in pan.

Put in the onion, turn to low heat, and stirfry till onions become slightly translucent.

Throw in the beef, and stirfry till the beef is just slightly pink

Pour in the sake, stirfry, and let it simmer a bit.

Pour in the shoyu and mirin, mix, and let it simmer for another 1 or two minutes. Switch off the heat and don’t let it boil dry.

Okay now it’s time to assemble the avengers the bento!

An additional garnish you will need is Beni Shoga. Red Needle Ginger, which you can hopefully get from an Asian mart. Or if you’re just going for looks, you could soak some ginger needles in red vinegar, but the taste won’t be the same.

Step 1: Fill the bottom of the rectangular bento with rice. You don’t need to pack it down.

Step 2: Put the other ingredients on top. (my bento was only wide enough for one slice of tamagoyaki)

Step 2.5: Find a train that will let you eat on it ( it’s illegal in my country, lol)

Step 3: Eat a large amount of it and shout “Delicious!”

Okay! Thanks to all of you who have read till here! I’ve really missed cooking and posting recipes for all of you.

Some exciting news, the Bottomless Pit and I are finally getting our (government) home next year after waiting for 7 years, and I’ll hopefully have a bigger kitchen to cook from! The prep area in our current home is so small my mum accidentally sliced through a pair of silicon tongs while slicing vegetables. Perhaps we can even think about opening it up for you all to eat some fresh onionchoppingninja-cooked food, or even filming cooking videos.

Meanwhile, hope everyone stays safe, and get vaccinated if you can! ++++++

For more fan recipes, follow me @onionchoppingninja!

And check out my: Recipe Archive (needs to be updated lol) | Instagram | Facebook

#kimetsu no yaiba #anime food #anime recipe #kimetsu rengoku #mugen train #anime bento #bento #onionchoppingninja returns #hooray #manga food #manga recipes #anime recipes #demon slayer #demon slayer the movie: mugen train #kimetsu zenitsu

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fific7 · 3 years

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Ticket to Ride - Part 3

Billy Russo x Reader

A/N: Inspired by The Beatles song of the same name. This takes place in my S1 Punisher AU with Arrogant!Billy in attendance, in which he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including unprotected and oral, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My photo edit)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕙𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕖'𝕤 𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙

𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕔𝕖, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕖

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy slammed the door of his hotel room closed behind him. He was fuming.

Damn!!! Damn, fuck, damn, fuck, fuck, fuck! He stormed across the room and threw himself onto the bed, hands linking behind his head on the pillows, glaring up at the ceiling. Apart from anything else, his male pride was injured - he was an ex-Marine for fuck’s sake! And he’d been outsmarted by a... a.. civilian!!

Lying there for a while, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. Micro couldn’t track her phone this time, and fuck knows where she was headed. Or... had she gone somewhere else? Or just moved to another location in London?

His gut told him she’d gone somewhere else. Those apartments she’d been staying in were for longer-term lets, not just one or two-night stays. Maybe she was using that as a base of operations like he would’ve done in the military. Yeah, he liked the sound of that. He sat up suddenly, taking his phone out of his pocket and opening Google Maps. He searched for Wood Wharf and when it listed up, he moved the map around with a finger and within a couple of seconds spotted what he’d been looking for - City Airport.

Billy grinned. He was back on her trail, he just knew it.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Frank jolted awake, and after a few seconds realised that his phone was ringing. He grabbed it, screwing up his bleary eyes as he tried to read the time and who was calling. Shit, it was 1 a.m.! And it was Micro. What the hell?

He accepted the call, hearing Micro’s muffled voice saying, “Frank?” “Yeah, yeah... what’s up, Micro? And you sound like you’re underwater.” There was a slight pause and a swallowing sound, “M’eatin’ a donut. Sorry. Look, Russo’s just texted me again - this time he wants me to search for her on flights outta London City Airport. I said ok... but....” his voice trailed off.

Frank sighed. He hated this, he was stuck slap bang in the middle of all this shit between Billy, Karen and Billy’s girl.

Billy - he could kick his dumb ass for ‘messin’ around’ with Madani. Karen - he really didn’t want to upset his girl. And Billy’s girl - he felt sorry for her that she’d had to put up with Billy’s recent bad behaviour but.... he’d been so relaxed and happy since the two of them got together. So... he’d give his idiot friend a break... but only a small one.

“Yeah OK, Micro, go ahead with what he asked ya to do. Let Russo know once you got an answer for him, then you tell me. And if Karen ever asks, you didn’t call me ‘bout this till a helluva lot later this mornin’. Got it!?”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Stepping out of the lift onto the landing of the 20th floor, you were met by a view across the harbour and a symphony in red - carpets, walls, doors.

(My Photos - Dec 2014)

The W was even better than you’d imagined, and as you reached your room and opened the door, you loved the view you got all along the beach from the big picture windows.

After you’d unpacked, you dropped a quick text to Karen just letting her know where you were, then left your room to go and have a walk around the local area, called Barceloneta according to your online guide book.

There was a cooling sea breeze, the sun was shining and you turned your face up towards it.

The W Hotel was right at the far end of the beach, and you had a pleasant stroll along it until you reached a busy street called Passeig Joan de Borbó, which ran parallel to the marina known as Port Vell. You passed several restaurants and decided that you’d have an early lunch in one of them, rather than eating at the hotel. You could have dinner or even room service there later on.

Sitting at an outside table, looking at the yachts moored at the marina, watching all the people strolling by on the wide pavement, sipping at a glass of wine.... you gave a happy sigh and relaxed back in your seat.

Billy would never find you here.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Touching down in Barcelona, Billy watched the airport buildings rushing past as the air brakes were applied and the plane began to slow down. He was impressed with how short a flight it was from London; it was only a few hours since Micro had messaged him with the search results and he was here already.

He made his way through Passport Control and headed for the taxi rank, joining the queue and eventually being waved towards one of the waiting cars by the attendant.

Half an hour later, he was checking into the W. He felt excited, pleased, a thrill of anticipation - he’d caught up with her this time. Now all he had to do was dump his stuff in his room and stake out the lobby until she inevitably showed up.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d walked up the full length of Joan de Borbó until you’d reached a new area of town called El Born. There was a lovely park - it had been built over a citadel from long ago when Barcelona had been occupied by invaders - and it was full of narrow little streets and cute artisan boutiques. Stopping for a coffee next to an old market building - the Mercat del Born - which had been converted into a cultural centre, once again you just enjoyed the sunshine and watching the world go by.

You looked around at the beautiful buildings; how lovely it would be to live in an apartment in one of these like the locals did. Most of the buildings had ‘Juliet balconies’, not especially spacious but enough to be able to step out of your apartment, maybe sit and enjoy the fresh air if you had room for a little chair. Some of the balconies had lush green plants in big ceramic pots on them, and you thought that sitting out there in amongst them would be like having your own little cocoon from the outside world.

You had a leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood, taking an interest in the small stores, tapas bars and old buildings. At the far end of the Passeig del Born you admired the huge Santa Maria del Mar, a church which your guide book told you was a fine example of Catalan Gothic. This opinion you agreed with - it was a beautiful church and you ventured inside to quietly look at its impressive yet simple interior.

You came out and turned onto Carrer Montcada, where the famous Picasso Museum was located. Not that you were going to go and check it out - your guide book had given some ‘best times to queue’ and spending time in a line of tourists was not your idea of fun - but you wanted to see if El Xampanyet, a famous tapas bar, was still open so you could have a glass of cava. Unfortunately it wasn’t, it had closed a couple of hours earlier and wouldn’t reopen for another couple. Sighing, you decided to walk along Montcada which would take you to Carrer Princesa, you could walk down it and cut round past the Mercat del Born again, back to Barceloneta and the W.

You were feeling a little peckish and the thought of some chilled cava and something to eat was really appealing.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy felt his eyes slowly closing. He shook himself awake behind his newspaper, he couldn’t risk falling asleep but what with his disturbed night’s sleep and then his dash to Barcelona was making even him - an ex-Marine who could function on little or no sleep - feel really fatigued.

Sitting in one of the comfy sofas in reception for the past hour or so was not helping, the quiet hum of voices and people entering and leaving by the revolving doors was soothing him into a drowsy state. The newspaper he’d been pretending to read was in Catalan, totally impenetrable to him so he’d had to resort to just looking at the pictures, not the best at keeping his mind active.

He heard the ‘swoosh’ of the revolving door again, looked up and then froze. It was her!! He peeked round the edge of his paper.

She was heading for the lifts, looking in her bag for her keycard as she walked, she needed to swipe it so she could go up to her floor.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The lift doors opened and you stepped inside, running your keycard over the reader and hitting the button for floor 20. The doors began to close but then suddenly sprang apart again as someone hit the Call button, and you looked up with the usual polite but disengaged smile that people give each other in lifts.

Billy Russo was looking back at you, a small smile on his face as he hit the ‘Close Doors’ button.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

She’d shrank back from him as soon as she’d realised it was him. Billy was incredibly hurt by that. He wasn’t going to harm her!!! He reached a hand out towards her but she moved even further away from him, right into the corner of the lift.

He said her name, then, “Sweetheart.... please! Just hear me out. That’s all I want to do - talk to you.” She glared at him, “Talk!! You want to talk? Ha!! And why would I want to listen to you!?” Billy grabbed her, getting her in a bear hug, kissing her hard and hungrily. He could feel her struggling in his arms but then she began to relax the tiniest little bit, so he just kept on kissing her passionately.

There was a ‘ting’ as the express lift reached its requested floor, and the doors opened onto the landing. There were two elderly ladies standing there and as Billy’s lips broke away from hers, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at them as they stared. “Ladies,” he nodded, firmly taking his girl’s arm in his and pulling her along with him as he got out of the lift.

“That’s not talking!!” she hissed at Billy.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were towed along behind Billy until he stopped outside your door. So.... he even knew your room number. Why hadn’t Karen given you the heads-up this time? You were feeling very uneasy. Billy was on a mission, that was clear.

He’d grabbed your keycard while he was kissing you in the lift. Why hadn’t you struggled harder? Because you’d missed him, of course. You didn’t like it, but you couldn’t deny it.

Now he swiped the keycard against the reader on the door, opened it and bundled you inside, closing the door firmly behind him. He let go of your arm and strode into the room past the centre-located bed which faced the huge window and made his way over to it, looking out at the view it gave of the beaches and the city.

(My Photo - Dec 2015)

He sat on the window seat and turned towards you, “Please... let me explain. Have a seat.” Reluctantly you sat at the opposite end of the long seat, but then stood back up again. You needed a drink. Picking up the bottle of gin from the small table by the window, you walked over to the mini fridge and opened it, taking out a small bottle of tonic water before retrieving a glass from the cupboard above it. You walked over to the large unit under the wall-mounted TV and put it all down, then prepared a G&T for yourself and took a large gulp.

“Nothing for me?” asked Billy, with his best puppy-dog eyes and pout. Heaving a sigh, you went back over to the fridge and took out a bottle of Estrella Damm beer for him, popping the top off it for him. Picking up your G&T on the way back to the window seat, you handed him the beer and sat down.

He took a large swig of the beer, and began, “Sweetheart, I....” but you cut him off. “If you dare to say ‘it’s not what you think’, I’ll chop your balls off, Billy.” He winced, and you shot at him, “What’s her name?” Billy shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but again you beat him to it, “And don’t give me any bullshit. I’m not stupid.”

Billy sighed, taking another drink of his beer, “I know you’re not, sweetheart. But I swear I didn’t cheat on you, it was just about getting information.” “What. Is. Her. Name!?” you ground out. His head went down and he said, “Dinah Madani. She works for Homeland,” but not meeting your eyes. “Okay, Russo. Now we’re getting somewhere. What exactly did you get up to with Mizzz Madani?” “Nothing! I swear!” You stood up abruptly, and Billy - who’d been leaning in towards you - rocked back a bit. “Oh, fuck off Billy!” you yelled, “I can smell the guilt off you!”

You were getting angrier and angrier, “You say you wanna talk and then all you do is lie! Get out! Go on - just get out of my room!”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy opened his mouth to say something placatory but seeing just how furious she looked, he decided that a tactical withdrawal was probably the sensible option.

So instead he drained his beer, stood up and began walking to the door. He stopped and turned halfway across the room, gazing at her, “But I do need to properly explain all this to you, angel. Let’s talk later, okay? Please - just give me a chance.”

She nodded, “OK. Tomorrow morning.” He walked to the door, feeling defeated, and left her room. At least she was gonna give him another shot.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The door closed behind him, and you breathed a sigh of relief. Truly, you hadn’t been sure how he was going to react when you told him to leave - Billy had a temper on him. You really didn’t think he’d physically hurt you but he always had that air of danger about him. And you’d been so angry yourself, you’d kind of lost yourself in it.

He might be dangerous, but he was a cowardly little shit when it came to telling the truth. You thought back to what he’d said - ‘Nothing, I swear’ - yeah, a likely story! He must think you were so dumb!

Picking up the room service menu, you had a brief look through it then ordered a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee. While waiting for it, you got your laptop out of your bag and opened it up.

Sorry Barcelona, I haven’t seen even half of what I’d intended to and I’d been so looking forward to exploring.

But instead, I’ve got to love you and leave you.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy stepped out of the walk-in shower wearing one of the hotel’s fluffy white dressing robes, and headed to his mini-bar. He needed another beer. And some food. He flicked through all the stuff lying out on the unit, finally finding the room service menu and ordering a steak and a coffee.

He sat on the window seat while he waited, propped up against the wall with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He was feeling guilty, uneasy and really not pleased with himself. Telling her the truth was turning out to be more difficult than he’d thought. He wondered out loud, “Why is that?” but in fact he damn well knew why. The way he’d been carrying on with Madani was wrong. Even if he’d only been intent on getting information, it was just like Frank had said - cheating - and he knew it. Even if, in Billy’s book, there was Cheating Lite and Cheating For Real, and his overstepping had only been into Lite territory. Was it really that bad?

Who was he kidding? Unsurprisingly, his girl didn’t like to share.

So one thing he knew for sure was that when - if - he ever told her the complete truth, his angel was going to be very, very unhappy with him indeed.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d ordered a very early room service breakfast and after you’d eaten it while enjoying the view, your belongings were quickly stowed away and you took the lift down to the lobby. After checking out - and assuring the receptionist there was nothing wrong, you just had to leave earlier than you’d anticipated - you were on your way to the revolving door when your phone vibrated.

Karen: Billy got Micro to track you down again, sorry hon! He knows you’re in Barcelona 😳 he’ll be heading out there.

You: Yeah, he’s already here! Caught up with me yesterday evening. Agreed we’d talk this morning. But I’m in a taxi on the way to the airport 😉

Karen: 😂😂😂

Once outside, one of the guest services guys waved up a taxi from the nearby rank for you, and wished you a pleasant journey. The taxi driver asked you which terminal you were headed to, and then you were on your way.

»»———��————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Barcelona

(My Photos - Dec 2019)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @galaxyjane @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @ourloveisforthelovely @swthxrry @odetostep @supernaturalcat7 @obscurilicious @strawb3rrydr3ss @bruxa0007 @aleksanderwh0r3

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

#billy russo #ben barnes #the punisher 💀#billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfiction #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic

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stray-but-okay · 3 years

Text

Friend In The Shadows Event 👥

Pssst....do you see that, in the distance? What could it be?? Oh I know! It’s the yearly Secret Santa event! This year, we have decided to assign secret friends hiding in the shadows, talking to you from a distance and eventually revealing themselves! Here’s how it will go:

Nov 1 - Nov 18: Sign up for the event! Fill out THIS form and you will add your name into the event! If you realize you no longer wish to be part of the event, please let me know BEFORE the 18th so I can remove you and not leave someone without a shadow friend.

Nov 19 - Nov 21: You will be assigned someone to be a shadow friend for! I will be sending you a message directly telling you who you will be messaging for the next few weeks.

Nov 22 - Dec 26: Interact with your new friend! Remember to NOT reveal yourself till the final week of the event, remember, you are in the shadows!

I will have a list of topics every week for you to go through with your new friends that can help the conversations start! You can definitely drift away from the themes, but it will give you something interesting to begin with! I will post a master list of the questions pinned to my blog once the event begins so you have it handy every week.

RULES OF THE EVENT

1. Before you sign up, PLEASE make sure your anon function is turned ON. You can do this by going into the settings of your blog on desktop, click on “Edit Appearance” on the side, then scroll down to ask settings and turn on anonymous questions. If your anon function is not on, you will sadly be removed from the event as no one will be able to message you.

2. Reveal week is starts Dec 20th, do NOT say who you are until then or it ruins the fun! You can call yourself however you like as long as it doesn’t give away who you are.

3. This is a fun event, be kind! The whole point is to spread some happiness and make a new friend before the year ends so don’t treat this like an assignment, get to know each other! Do not send anything that may make the other uncomfortable, respect boundaries of those around you!

4. You must send at least one message every week. Please know that your friends are waiting for you, so let them know you care! No one is expected to message constantly as we all have our own lives outside tumblr, but don’t neglect your new friend!

See you all soon!

#friend in the shadows event #secret santa event #any questions just let me know!#personal

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jikookuntold · 3 years

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When do you think members knew abt jikook.

I don't think they told members before they were in a stable position as a group or a couple.

You can't say yeah we are gay and dating one day and cancel it next day right.

I think members knew or speculated it but there weren't given a verbal confirmation.

I think jin speculated things were different between them by 2016 , as either he observes what they are doing or get genuine mly confused coz of their dynamics. That eatjin dec vlive was a perfect example he was confused by them and several other moments.

Maybe just maybe tae and hope as they were very close to jikook especially that time also roommates of jm.

But other I don't know , as 1. I don't think namjoon or yoongi were having lot or free tym or spending tym with members off days as they are very busy with music making etc etc 2. I think by that time boys were not discussing who were dating who were not also rm told this in an interview in danger era that they don't discuss about that things now and in past they used to. 3. I dont think they are not so eager to know very personal things about members until they are ready to reveal it themselves. 4. Those tyms bts were busy af they were even shooting continuesly for 2 days during grun era without even sleeping much so dating things were not even a topic within them coz of their schedules.

I think they felt some jikook shenanigans were different but either ignored it or waited till they say it themselves. Coz even in mid 2018 namjoon asked them if they were a couple coz they were wearing matching shirts in Canada. It was not him being funny or cheesy he was genuinely asking them that too when camera was not focused on them. So why he would ask of he knew their relationship status.

Hi Anon. Sorry for answering your ask a bit too late. I agree with you. I can't imagine them going to the hyungs saying: "hey guys, we are dating, deal with it." Stating something like this is a big deal, and a bit selfish, considering the consequences, and first, they themselves had to become sure if they are a thing or not. But, I think the members had guessed something is going on between them even from their early years. Indeed, they weren't into each other's private businesses, but they were living in a small dorm, and all the members, especially the closer ones (Jin as their drinking partner, Tae as a part of maknae line, and Hobi as Jimin's roommate for a long time) had sensed different vibe in their relationship from 2015 and 2016 (a few moments are proving this theory, for example, Hobi's reaction appearing on Jimin's hotel room in 2016 Tokyo vlive, or Tae's 2015 live when he said Jimin doesn't come to his vlive because he is spending time with JK). Of course, they didn't know for sure but considering them being obvious in front of the cameras, it wouldn't hard for them to guess.

But here is something I should state. Don't take it in the wrong way, but hookups and flings (het or queer) are not uncommon between the idols, even the idols of the same group, and probably the members had thought it's not a big deal and would not turn into something serious. But it did regardless of their expectations, and that's why their reactions to Jikook moments became more awkward in early 2017 (Thinking about Hobi's reaction to Jimin's ring in vlive in February 2017 or Jin's shocked face when Jimin almost kissed Jk's neck in fansign a few weeks later). But after that, there was nothing to hide, and all the members and probably the company knew about them, and they wanted to protect them from the potential dangers and maybe make the others get used to it. This attitude became more obvious in late 2018 and 2019 when Namjoon asked them if they are a couple or something or Jin asked "are you two dating". Of course that wasn't because the didn't know, and the editors could easily cut out this moments but they didn't, and it makes more sense if we think they keep those moments because they want us to "get used to the idea of them being a real couple", than "make us think a fake couple is actually a real couple".

Anyways, this is my take on this topic, and I can be wrong.

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argumentl · 3 years

Text

The Freedom of Expression - Ep 44 'Guitar Center' preparing to file for bankruptcy & Urgent announcement.

On screen text:

Notice

27th Dec 2020 (Sun) 23:30~ The Freedom of Expression LIVE #3 Live broadcast.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe, Tasai, welcome. Well, I feel kinda attatched to the topic this week. Joe, please could you..?

J: Yes, its sad news, but.. America's largest musical instrument retail chain 'Guitar Center' is preparing to file for bankruptcy. According to the New York Times, its possible that the chain might go bankrupt due to business difficulties. The chain is the biggest musical instrument chain in America, and has around 300 stores nationwide. Taken over in 2007, the business struggled hard with the switch to online sales, but was pretty successful in two and a half years, and up until this February had been increasing sales for ten quarters in a row. However, because Guitar Center is dependent on in-store sales, the business took a huge hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Sales for the most recent financial year were declared to be $2.3 billion, but the chain has $1.3 billion in debt, and its credit rating was downgraded in April. According to the New York Times, the chain fell behind with interest payments of $45 million this month for the first time ever, and although they have been given 32 hours, there is a chance they will default on thier debts. According to specific sources, Guitar Center have been in contact with thier creditors, will file for bankruptcy within the month, and are considering a plan to withdraw at the start of 2021.

K: It says within the year, right?

J: Oh, yes, sorry, within the year.

K: The first time I went to this store was about 23 or 24 years ago, when we went to America for recording. We were taken there..me and the other members, but it was so huge!

J: It is huge, yeh.

K: It was in LA, but I never relised that type of place existed.

J: Its Hollywood, right?

K: Yeh.

T: How big was it? Like how many guitars?

K: It was as big as a Japanese supermarket.

T: Ehh?

J: Its as big as a wearhouse, isn't it?

K: Well, yeh, it looks like that from outside too.

T: Was it like the instrument shops you see in Tokyo?

K: No, no, no. They normally don't have drum kits and stuff assembled in stores here, but they do there.

T: Ehh? Thats really big.

J: It is. So Kaoru, did you go there and test out the guitars?

K: I have done. But back then, I didn't really feel any preferences as for the instruments, I just got the feel of the place. I was just like, 'Wow, Im in Guitar Center!'. It was a great feeling seeing all the different instruments.

J: The Americans try out the instruments pretty enthusiastically, don't they?

K: They were really good! haha

J: Right?

K: The people playing...I gradually just stopped trying stuff out there.

J, T: Hahha.

K: But when we go on tours and the equipment breaks or something, we have been to Guitar Center to get replacements before. So if it disappears, we could be in a bit of trouble on tours.

J: Thats right.

T: Yeah.

K: Its a bit risky ordering stuff online to arrive at the venue in time.

T: Of course.

K: If you go to the store you can just get what you need and leave.

J: With 300 stores, it seems like there are quite a lot in big cities, so if anything happened on tour, you could just drop into one of the stores..

K: Yeh yeh yeh.

J: And they would have what you wanted.

T: America is amazing. It says here they worked hard with the move to online sales, but don't you need to test-play a guitar before buying? Is it ok to buy online?

K: Nah, but people buy everything online these days.

J: Yeah.

T: I kinda imagined you would go to the store, play the instrument, and then decide you want to buy it.

K: Well, yeh. But I didn't test out my first guitar before buying it.

J: Oh, is that so?

K: It was a specific model that was sold out, so I had to reserve it..

T: I see.

K: And pay for it in advance, then wait till it arrived.

J: Ehh? But you knew what type of guitar you were getting though, right?

K: Yeh, I knew what shape it would be and stuff, but its cause that was my first guitar.

T: By the way, how old were you when you bought your first guitar?

K: Around first year of high school.

T: Ahh, I see.

J: Ahh. Eh?! First year of high school when you bought your first guitar?

K: Yeh. I started playing a bit earlier than that using borrowed guitars.

T: So, you thought, 'I want one', and bought your first one, right?

J: I bought my first electric guitar when i was in Junior High school. Everyone starts a band at that age, don't they? And I thought, if Im gonna do it, then I should be on guitar, right? With drums you really need space at home to set them up, so I couldn't buy a set. I bought a kind of cheap guitar/amp set for beginners. But I couldn't play the F chord properly, it was pretty frustrating.

T: This will make me look clueless, but Kaoru, how many guitars have you actually bought?

K: I havn't really..

T: Oh, not many?

K: No, I havn't actually bought that many...Like 10? I usually have them made through contracts with ESP.

J: But by now you have signature models and stuff, right?

K: Yeah. I mean, I will buy a guitar myself if I want to play it at home or something.

J: Ahh. Well, its kinda sad seeing these musical instrument stores disappear.

K: I've always had the impression that musical instruments don't sell in large numbers anyway.

J: But..well, i've done some interviews in relation to this, and it seems like musical instruments have been selling quite well during covid. Especially in America, it seems like there was a lot of people in the countryside playing guitar at home. But as for sales, they would probably buy online, especially during covid when you couldn't go to the store in person, I think some of the stores would have been closed. So even if online sales have increased...like with Guitar Center, if you have that many stores..there will be the burden of maintenance costs, staff wages, rent, and somehow the debt will grow and grow. But if online buying continues to develop in this way, we might see an increasing trend of people who play guitar without having tested it first.

K: Hmm, yeh, they won't be trying them out first. ???*1

J, T: Yeah, thats right.

J: What are your thoughts on this, Kaoru? About the concept of a test-run disappearing?

K: I wonder whether young people will still buy guitars. I think the people buying them will be like wealthy people etc. But I don't think young people these days are that interested in buying a guitar and starting a band. If they do become interested in musical instruments, I think it will be more and more online sales.

J: I wonder how thats gonna go, with the guitar makers and musical instrument shops struggling..

K: But even if guitars sell, I wonder if there is anyone who will still buy amps?

J: Ahh, I see.

K: Young people these days don't really buy amps, do they? There are amp simulators now, so you can buy one of these machines and input the data digitally, and then just use a regular speaker.

J: And thats just enough, right?

K: Well, you can do it like that, yeh. And you can simulate lots of different types of amp, so you can get specific sounds. People probably aren't buying the real thing these days.

J: But the subtleness of the sound is different, isn't it?

K: Its totally different.

J: Right? Its completely different. So its...Well, for peope like us, we've heard the sound coming through amps at live houses, we've been hearing that kind of sound for years, but for young people, in one sense a different sound is...

K: (*Kaoru talking about amps/simulators. I don't know enough about amps to really get what he means here, sorry!*)

J: Ah, so if they start thinking there is only one choice, rather than listening to the old types and making a reasoned decision?

K: Yes. So even now, if you go to a Japanese musical instrument shop, there used to be amps all lined up, like Marshall or Fender etc. Now, there are no amps, but many types of simulator machines. You can just buy them and take them straight home. It seems like they sell well. So if you find one guitar that is easy to play, and you have one of these simulators, you can make all sorts of sounds.

J: Yeah.

T: I see.

J: Like usally, if the neck is different, the responding sound will differ, but you will be able to compensate for that with a simulator, so..

K: I don't think many people do that.

J: Oh, right.

K: But I don't know.

Kami: Um, can I ask something? Um, I've played guitar before. But I got blisters straight away, and my wrist started to hurt. Does that happen to you too, Kaoru?

T, J: Haha

T: Thats a grest question to ask a guitarist, Kami.

K: Well, during recording...or like when recording something all in one go, it does start to hurt, haha.

T: Haha

J: If you are playing non-stop? But hey, I wonder how this situation will look in 10 or 20 years?

K: There'll be no music stores like Tower Records etc by then.

J: Yeh, yeh.

T: Hmm, yeh.

J: Old guys will be sad.

K: But even with cars and stuff, there is that kind of rental service now, isn't there?

T: Carsharing?

K: Yeah. So won't car showrooms eventually disappear?

J: I think so. And with clothes, there's a high possibility that stores will start to disappear.

K: Oh, now you mention clothes, do you remember that online thing we talked about before where they put the clothes that you like onto your photo?

J: Yeah, yeah.

K: I had thought about doing that, but the site has shut down!

J: Ah, its over?

K: Yeah, so I couldn't do it.

J: Oh, thats a shame.

T: It is.

J: So many businesses have been hit by covid, I think the view that we see before us will be a lot different by next year, or the year after. Getting aound this will have an effect on the way we live or express ourselves, I feel.

T: I lived on an island in Kagoshima when I was little. We had a Shamisen in our house, it had a kind of plastic stick to play it.

J: Can you play, Tasai?

T: No, not at all. I only ever just picked it up sometimes for fun.

J: You could show us a Kagoshima folk song to finish.

T: Haha, no no no. Why?

J: I don't know. To wrap it up?

T: No, it wouldn't wrap it up, haha.

K: In that case, Joe, you should play guitar.

J: Lets perform together sometime!

K: No way!

T: Joe!

K: No thanks, haha.

J: I'd gain prestige by playing with Kaoru from Dir en grey. There would be no merit for you though, Kaoru.

T: I'd go numb, I wouldn't be able to play at all if I were you. haha. Playing next to a pro.

J: Well, what can I say? I have big dreams. No, but if we did play together, I'd practice, I'd give it my best.

T: Of course.

K: Well, yeh.

J: If, for example, we played together on this youtube channel next year, I'd be serious about practicing.

Kami: I'll do it too.

J: Kami too?!

K: Hahaha

J: Would you, Kami?

Kami: I would.

K: But your hands would start to hurt.

T: Right.

Kami: I'd practice.

J: You'll practice? In that case, we could have Tasai on Shamisen too, and all play together.

T: Shamisen is ok? Well, I guess its a stringed instrument like guitar.

J: Lets announce something.

*...silence...*

K: Hahahaha

J: No-ones getting on board with this?

K: hahaha

J: Oh, nevermind then! haha.

K: Well, if the opportunity arises, right?

J: Yes, if the opportunity arises.

K: Ok, we'll finish here for this week. Please subscribe. Thank you very much.

On screen text:

Notice

27th Dec 2020 (Sun) 23:30~ The Freedom of Expression LIVE #3 Live broadcast.

*1,2 Couldn't catch.

* Feel free to inform if it looks like I've misinterpreted some of the amp/simulator talk.

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #tfoe #kaoru #薫

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