#inspired by queens-of-my-life being on the same wavelength
Photo
Carson Shaw + the very hot backwards baseball cap
A League of Their Own (2022-)
#a league of their own#carson shaw#abbi jacobson#tvedit#aloto#inspired by queens-of-my-life being on the same wavelength#came out of retirement to make these#was on my knees making these like literally i have no desk chair rn#if ur new here i cant colour for my life or gif#alotoedit#abbijacobsonedit#carsonshawedit#aleagueoftheirownedit#i did ... things to make these so i have all the eps if anyone wants anything#my gifs#my edit
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THE SWANS : MY MUTUALS
a post where i treasure and love my darling moots, they're the light of my life here ♡
@astonishment / @aastonishment | my honey, my darling! mal is such an incredible person and is a very talented writer! she inspires me to write better but also inspires me to be a better person, she's so sweet and deserves all the love in the world! she writes like an angel with gold ink and i still get giddy and shy whenever i interact with her. she's the type of person who makes you feel warm and you would want to run up to and hug every time you see her. i truly hope she continues receiving all the love and appreciation she deserves and more! she's truly perfect, i wouldn't be surprised if she's hiding wings and a halo
@tiensmamains/@sageskisses444-deactivated20230 / @never-fair | my darling sage, even though she's not on tumblr anymore, i won't forget her - she always made me smile and laugh and happy just by being her. her taste in memes were impeccable and she was so easy to talk to. my friendship with her, although early and brief is one that i will treasure forever! i appreciate her and miss her so much, i hope we cross paths again soon ⏤ quick edit: she's back! hehehe~
@futurecorps3 | lola is the most supportive and sweetest person i have had the pleasure of being friends with. she's also so talented in writing and deserves so so soo much more recognition and love. she makes me feel at ease and appreciated, she truly has a heart of gold and is a friend and fellow writer that i will treat as preciously as she treats me so naturally. true kindness embodied in a person, that's lola!
@loving-and-dreaming | such a sweetheart, i love her so much! her excitement for my writing just rejuvenates me (o´〰`o)♡*✲ﾟ*｡ she's so supportive and kind and so lovely to talk to. she's a great friend and her friendship is precious to me. she is someone i feel like i would do anything for because she's that precious of a person. a cinnamon roll embodied, that's the best description of her, adorable and sweet but also with the biggest heart!
@prongsio | lola! darling! she deserves so much, she supported me from the very beginning and another writer i look up to, though i also look up to her for aesthetic goals - she is the queen of aesthetics! i don't know how often she changes her blog's 'looks' but i anticipate each one without even knowing it's coming. lowkey, she gives me cool older sister vibes even though she's younger than me so i still get shy around her (i've always wanted an older sister ｡(*^▽^*)ゞ)
@its-sappho-biotch | bibi is so supportive, ugh! i'm so grateful, words can't even describe how much i adore her (┳Д┳) every comment, not matter how small means so much to me, coming from her. every writer would be blessed to have a reader like her indulging in their works and i'm one of those lucky writers! i will treasure her always! she's the type of reader i aspire to be because she lets them know how much she likes their writing but i get shy and i over complicate my words! i want to be more like bibi!
@wicked-sprite-66 | another reader that im so lucky to have in my life, at this point, my darling has become a life line to me, without her, i wouldn't be writing! she's so sweet and appreciative of my work that now i'm conditioned to smile every time i see her hearting or commenting on my writing. i adore her so much, such a precious sweetheart that i'm so lucky to have in my life, supporting me! no words can describe how much i adore her (┳Д┳)
@diputy | eryn! my kindred spirit! we are on the same wavelength when it comes to fanfiction tropes and i love it! it makes me so happy every time i get to fangirl in the comments with her, she has me kicking my feet and rolling around in my bed acting like a teenage girl chatting with her bestie about her crush! ahhhh! i love it so much! it makes me so so sooo happy, she makes me happy! ₍₍ (ง ˙ω˙)ว ⁾⁾
@neeezza101 / @cassandra-nerezza-black | my darling that i want to protect from all bad things in the world! she's another sweetheart that has won my heart and won't give it back! she's supportive and sweet and such a lovely person to talk to! she is a very precious person and having her support means the world to me! if anyone hurts her or makes her sad, i will do everything in my power to make them pay! no one hurts her or they will get everything that's coming to them!
@somewereinthegalaxi / @thebestofoneshots | rose! omg...where do i even begin?! ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º· she's such a friendly person and so easy to talk to, she's incredibly kind and such a sweetheart as well. anybody would be lucky to have a friend like her, she's just so bright and warm and is definitely someone who can get along with anybody. there's something very magnetic about her that i could talk to her forever if i could! she's been so supportive of my writing too! she and her friendship are truly a blessing in my life! i have yet to read her writing but i'm such she writes as beautiful as she is as a person and a friend ٩( ^ᴗ^ )۶
STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION ... MORE MOOTS TO COME + PRAISE FOR BEING A DARLING
#❏ : the swans#my moots#i adore them so much#they deserve so much love#i hope they feel love and appreciated through this#it's what they all deserve!
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Xmas Appreciation Post for my moots<33
To everyone: Merry Christmas I love you guys so so much and I’m forever grateful for the happiness I’ve been given simply by being in this platform. I hope to continue thriving with you all in 2021 and im future years as well
@kenmaki : hello stupid sister, my best friend, my heart. You’ve been nothing but a blessing all year and I can’t believe we’ve only known each other for so little time when it feels like many lifetimes. You’re my soul sister. When the time comes for us to meet, I will welcome you with open arms and a happy heart. I love you forever <33
@mrs-kuroojinguji : angelasia supremacy forever. Thank you for being there through the ups and downs and supporting me despite your busy schedule. I love you so much. I just know someone as talented as you will take 2021 by the horns and come out of it more badass than you already are. Merry Christmas queen !!
@animatedarchives : my other half. I can’t believe how little time has passed when I’ve already bonded with you so much. Please never stop being an amazing presence in the world because I don’t think I can live without it anymore. I love you from the depths of my heart to the tips of my fingers. I can’t wait for our later calls where we blast Xmas music and sip hot cocoa while we talk about the inequities that is the world.
@kuroolongtea : oh my gawd separation anxiety is definitely a thing for us. I love you so so so much because of how wonderful you are for simply existing. I can’t say this enough but without you here, I might not have had the motivation to come back. We talk about a life where we could be irls and hang out while raving about anime a lot and I hope to one day make that a reality mwah mwah!
@haiikyuuns : stop my dumb beef, hoe (heaven on earth — your brain was big for coming up with this one), the world I orbit, and my forever. You’re so sweet and kind yet chill and laid back. I’m so grateful to have met you and gotten to know you. Our chats are chaotic and meaningless especially at night but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love youuu<33
@millie-mint : hello Millie bear. I hope you doing wonderfully on your break and the move to your new blog. I have so much love for you and it’s amazing to think we met through a matchup you did for you. You never cease to surprise me with your caring/nurturing words yet stern and headstrong actions. I hope you continue to rule the world with a force as strong as the storm in your mind!!
@avis-writeshq : hello sweet Avis. You are pure and kind, soft and giving. Just being in your presence brings a light to the conversation. I’m glad that you’ve allowed me to be a part of your life and continued to support me when I’m tired and burnt out. I hope I can do the same for you in the following years mwah mwah
@katsushimaa : hello you talented writer you!! I don’t think you understand the way you’ve inspired me throughout my time on this platform. You’ve grown exponentially and will only continue to grow at faster rates than most of us and that is 1000% well deserved. I’m excited to know that I’m lucky enough to be going into this year as your friend and I hope you never forget you have my support, always.
@star-puff : errr so do I start this with a compliment or with your love for wash— ANYWAYZ ily and I’m so glad I got to know you this year. Our interactions have been limited but they’ve never failed to make me laugh. To a closer friendship in 2021!!!!
@cowbeboppy : I don’t think you even know the impact you’ve made on my tumblr life. Thank you for always being there and always offering the kindest words. I love you and your presence because it always gives me good vibes. I hope 2021 allows us to talk more and become close because we’re always on the same wavelength. Sending you all the best vibes as always MWAH MWAH
@applepienation @shoyosun @deephasoceanmagic @savvamuras @sunseteyes @h4nabi @icejins @todorokiakina1 : grrr I love you guys so much and I’m always glad to see you guys in my notifs<33 thank you for existing and being amazing people all around MWAH MWAH
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Mik’s Follow Forever
↳ Resource Credits: Seokjin | Floral PNG
Hi and hello everyone! Wow. Can we just take a moment to appreciate that we survived the shit storm that is 2020? Ranging from the pandemic to politics to social injustice happening around the world, we manage to stay resilience to the say the least. With that said, I wanted to finally acknowledged that I hit a big milestone as of November (?) or was it September (?) [I don’t even know anymore LOL😂]! Before I get into my letters underneath this cut, I wanted to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for following me! Even though, I post once in a blue moon, and my blog is run on queue 24/7, you still hit that follow button! For that, thank you so much for giving my blog a chance, whether it’s for the multi-fandom content I reblog or my very own creations, something made you stay 💙 Alright let’s get to the personal letters 💌
To Jey @softjeon :
Jey. Honestly, where do I begin with you? The End. Just kidding! Damn. I can’t believe you’re one of my oldest friend on this website. We have had our ups and downs, but our friendship always manages to come out strong in the end. You and I always manage to be on the same wavelength in terms of story telling, talking about everything and anything, or just shooting some random ass, extreme ideas that manage to go to the WIP pile in our brains. While, we do not talk as frequently as we used to (I blame school + internship on that part), I just know that I can always go to your DMs whenever I need someone to talk to or if I want to randomly bug you. You my hardworking queen is a force to reckon with, and I am forever in awe of your work ethics. Like who can simultaneously run 20+ blogs? You. That’s who. Granted, knowing you, there’s some tears and sweat (mainly tears with that), but the finished product is worth it in the end. I honestly can’t wait for the day when we have our own apartment, and we can just sit in silence in our living room couch with our fur babies. Can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store for you and know that I’m cheering you on every step of the way (whether it is in silence or vocally). Love you, Queen Jey!
Signed,
Your first wife, Kimi
p.s. thank you for giving/helping me with the idea of creating KWW and creating our seasonal themed headers (all while promoting girl groups)! Seriously, thank you for being and staying in my life. T-T
To my fellow BHQ Admin/Mod Team [ @chillingkoo @/guktro @mygsii @dee-ehn @nightowls388 @yoonqiful @taerseok @btsxdoll @minloop @namluve ]:
What can I say except this is an amazing team to be part of in terms of Networks? The Head Admins Vivi, Gray, & Renae are like the board of directors that help make sure that the operation runs smoothly. Then, us Admins (Danica, myself, & Daria) are like the VP’s followed by the amazing Mods (Beezy, Penelope, Daija, & Dani) are the Supervisors/Managers of each division. What I am going with this business analogy is that BHQ is nothing without the amazing team members that make up the network, and I am grateful to be part of a cohesive team where I truly felt like I was with Gray since the beginning of the network establishment. It is thanks to this network (BHQ) that I learned how to run my own network more smoothly and professionally. I can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store for BHQ. Thank you for being amazing and wonderful people and just being a rock for the members during the major events that occurred throughout this year. You’re the best!
- Mik
To my fellow KWW Admin/Mod Team [ @queen-of-himbos @atiny-piratequeen @sugarcookiesandsins @meraki-mark @samuelkimz ]:
First, can I say to the fellow admins, thank you for keeping me sane and helping me run this network while I was swamped with school + internship. Forever grateful of both you (Kes) and Fie for being a driving force and keeping the network afloat while I focused on my school work. It is no secret that I had confrontation, so I’m thankful that either Kes or Fie agrees to being the enforcer and messages someone for me T-T Also, Kes, thank you so much for taking over the coding/member page for me all while still doing the queue. I can never say this enough, but thank you for doing that. Fie, thank you for lightly slapping me and keeping me sane whenever I feel quick to jump the gun. You are there to help me see reason and point out things that I overlook a lot. (This is why I have Jey too lol) To my wonderful Queue-tie Pies! Thank you so much for dedicating a few hours out of your day to add content to the queue and keeping our blog alive! KWW is nothing without you amazing mods. I hope you all know that! Let’s kick butt together in 2021!
- Admin Mik
To my fellow supportive and loving SIMPS [ @ppersonna @jinned @sunkissedjk @hongism @monotape @wintertae @dreamyhan @koophoriia @j-sope ]:
First of all, how are you doing on this lovely Wednesday (well it’s Wednesday when I wrote & posted this lol)? I hope each and every one of you are doing fine! I feel bad that I haven’t been in touch lately uwu but I do silently stalk/lurk on the Bangtan University discord server or on your personal blogs (totally not weird whatsoever). I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Now, simply put, I want to say that I’m thankful that you all came into my life this year. In some shape or form, you made my 2020 incredibly bright and filled with so much inspiration and passion for writing that I honestly believed that I would not get back. Whether it is by joining a collab with you all, simply talking about ideas or just in general, or even screaming about potential AUs, you made me want to write again. For that, I am extremely appreciative of it and know that I will forever be a silent cheerleader for you all! 2021 will be the year I invade your ask box a lot more and just scream how much I love you all! You are all rays of sunshine on this website!
- Owner of Mikdonalds, home of the famous Mikimchi
To Kat @yeoldontknow & Sarah @yehet-me-up:
First, long time and no talk! How are my resident EXO wives doing? Are Chanyeol and Junmyeon treating you ladies well? I hope so! Anyway, I honestly can’t not include you two ladies in my Holiday thank you post because how can I not include the two authors I look up to the most on this website. With how you write your characters, the scenery, background information on the reader/OC, you just leave me completely speech less whenever I finish reading your works. Ah, I might start tearing up as I write this section because I just can’t thank God or fate enough for allowing me to meet two of the most beautiful souls on this website. While we do not talk as frequently as we used to, I wanted to let you both know that I hope you had a wonderful Holiday! Whatever 2021 has in store for you both, just know that you have a silent cheerleader in good old CA!
- Mrs. Kim Kim
To every single one of my followers (mutuals or not):
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, again, for following me and just staying with me. For my newly established mutuals, I can’t wait to talk and get to know you all in 2021! Granted, I suck at talking and keeping the conversation going, so I apologize for that. I promise I will be better!! I want more friends, okay! T-T
Anywho...
TLDR: Let’s kick butt together in 2021! Also, I’m establishing my New Year Goal of that I will become more consistent of writing + posting content. Instead of once every blue moon, it will be once every full moon. See? That’s doable, right? Right?!
- Mik
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Hello my peaches~🍑
I have reached another milestone, and there are no enough words to describe how grateful I am to all of you. Thank you for showering my blog with love and support, and I promise to give back by sharing more of my works with you. Also, I am currently preparing for an event, so please stay tuned 💕
@gabbywubby
My Gabby! My sister in my past life, my other half!! My BOKUTO to my AKAASHI and my KENMA to my KUROO!!! Meeting you was one of the best things that happened to me! I found someone who clicked so much with myself and my personality (making Kenma and Akaashi jealous most of the time 🙈🤣), having the same wavelength as you, I could pour all my thoughts to you, my crazy ideas and scenarios, even my rants! Thank you for being there! You always make me smile with the doodles you sent me and I will never get tired of them, so send some more pleaseeeee 👉🏻👈🏻 Also, our late night talks will forever be memorable and this friendship? I WILL TREASURE IT AS LONG AS I LIVE. Pleaseeeee let’s meet up someday with Mar Mar as weeeeeelllll!!!! Malapit lang ang Iloilo sa Cebu 😭
@toorusquill
My dear Vera, you were my very first friend in this app! I am so thankful that I didn’t hesitate on approaching you that day. Because of that I gained my first friend who was the one to pushed me on pursuing writing again. Thank you Vera! I hope you keep on inspiring others thru your wonderful works!
@edensxgarden
Eden!! My sweetcakes! My first friend from across the globe 😭 I am so happy to have met someone who shares the same interests as me... Like I said before, meeting you was like breathing fresh air, you calm me at some point. Which is why I find talking to you relaxing. Thank you so much for befriending me 💕
@akasuns
Mar Mar! You know I love you right???? You were like a little sister to me. Which makes me wanna protect you at all cost. Thank you for your support always! Your little messages never fail to put a smile on my face! Palangga ta jud ka Mar, ganahan ko lagi sa atong convo 💕 Amping lagi Mar Mar ko 💕💕💕💕 Also, if ever mapadpad ako sa Cebu please let’s meet up with Gabby!!!!
@madskaay
Mads, you are a good artist! And just like Gabby, I love your art and they always make me smile 💕💕💕💕 continue to share your passion with others and make them smile the way you make me smile 😊
@kenmakodzu
Gab!! We haven’t been interacting until recently, and I blame my shy ass for that. 😭Thank you for considering me as your friend and for treating me as one. You are one of the first people I met here and one of my inspirations bcs of your works 💕💕💕💕💕. Keep on inspiring other ppl with your talent just like how you did to me 😊
And to my other peaches who constantly slide through my inbox or tagging me with fun stuffs,
@kouffee-ink @heyheyitsmel @therainroguefanfiction @cotton-hashira @keijiskitten @tsukeijii @applepienation @strawberriimilkshake @nishinoyawn @churochuu @millie-mint and to many others that I couldn’t remember and tag (sorry😭) we may not talk constantly, but I know you’re there, thank you for being part of my blog, for talking to me and sharing fun stuffs! I love you all~ I hope you stay with me as this blog grows 💕
Also special mention to these wonderful writers a.k.a “MY QUEENS”
@keiyoomi @seita @agaassi @a-kaashi @watermelonsugawara @tsukishimaenthusiast @starboybokuto @yusemis @haikyuudreaming @dokifluffs @akaashisbabygirl @qkuroos you inspire me with your wonderful writings! Reading your works makes me wanna share my wild thoughts thru writing as well. Thank you so much and keep sharing your wonderful masterpieces to the world! 💕💕💕💕💕💕
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Im so glad you liked my art! But I had very little material to work out their exact form of relationship. At first I had imagined Selene to be the dignified one, aka the 'One who keeps others in Line' but a rereading of the crypt scene with Selene goading Arion on showed that clearly wasnt the case🤣. Arion, the clown can't take that role so I was sure it had to be our Ayden. I drew Ayden with a prim and proper attire (with no wrinkles in sight), the disciplined one of the group.
But what kind of relationship did Ayden and Selene exactly have (Is Aylene a good couple name🤔)? That was something I kept pondering on. Selene wouldn't have taking Ayden's constant hogging of all her work and she has quite a strong personality. But I cant imagine these people not constantly clashing. Selene would have been the free one with the children whereas Ayden the responsible parent. And what kind of mom was Selene to the twins?
Arion and Persephone seem pretty cool compared to the clashing couple above!
[P.S- Can I know more abt Aylene's wedding ceremony? I wanna draw them! (If you don't mind that is)]
"At first I had imagined Selene to be the dignified one" I snorted at this because Selene most definitely was *not* the dignified one of the group. None of them were quite "dignified" until adulthood, but I'd say the best match for that description would've been Ayden. A summary of their dynamic is:
Selene wants to do something wild and crazy
Arion supports her, the two of them cackling as they plan their latest scheme
Depending on the scheme, Ayden will either cautiously join in (while keeping an eye out for trouble) or will be like "nooo stop".
If Ayden says no, Selene and Arion will do it anyway and Ayden will get them out of trouble once they get caught 🤣
An example is from when they were in their mid-teens in Briar. Lady Fiona isn't a big fan of animals, but Selene found and secretly kept a cat in Briarlight. Selene and Arion would take turns hiding it in their rooms and feeding it so that Fiona wouldn't find it. Ayden also fed it, but he was a lot less enthused and was stressed every time it was his "turn" to dodge Fiona.
But then the cat would purr and he'd forgive Selene and Arion for dragging him into the mess
Aylene is such a pretty couple name! Honestly even as a proper name it's really lovely
I might jot it down and give it to a character one day...
Now I'm wondering what Quill and Ayden would be. Qayden? Aydill?? Quillden?? Not as pretty as Aylene, that's for sure
But what kind of relationship did Ayden and Selene exactly have (Is Aylene a good couple name🤔)? That was something I kept pondering on. Selene wouldn't have taking Ayden's constant hogging of all her work and she has quite a strong personality. But I cant imagine these people not constantly clashing.
You're on the right track with your analysis! They had a great relationship overall, and loved each other very much. They were on the same wavelength politically, since they grew up around each other. When Selene was first crowned, however, she was not a fan of the more ... tedious parts of ruling. That left Ayden free to hog her share while Selene contributed to the war effort.
“Selene was the fighter between us, the one better at inspiring the troops. She always said that,” Ayden’s voice rose, “a ruler is needed on the battlefield, and it should be me. The queen has more freedom than the king does on a chessboard.” He returned to his normal tones. “I know for a fact that she simply did not want to do paperwork.” (From the chapter West of West)
This arrangement works out great for both of them, because Ayden is free to be the micromanaging workaholic that he is and Selene isn't weighed down by things she dislikes. Periodically they'd switch - with Ayden being on the battlefield and Selene sitting the throne - but for the most part they kept to their niches. Selene didn't ignore her duties - she just wasn't at her happiest when dealing with them. So Selene wouldn't have complained if Ayden took over a boring meeting or two.
Towards the last years of her life, Selene takes a more active interest in the throne. This immediately causes her to clash with Ayden, who has repeatedly demonstrated that he doesn't share power very well. Plus, Selene started favoring a less aggressive approach to the war, putting her in opposition to Ayden. Thus they clash, Selene leaves to end the war herself, and ... yeah :(
Selene would have been the free one with the children whereas Ayden the responsible parent. And what kind of mom was Selene to the twins?
It's like you're reading my mind because the next chapter of AWAS will focus on that exact question!
Selene was the more relaxed parent between her and Ayden. Ayden isn't particularly strict himself, but being Sovereign didn't allow him to be as close to them as he would've liked just because he would've been so busy when they were young. While Ayden would be stuck in meetings all week, Selene would hang out with the twins, build a swing for Esme, play piano with Lucien, take them out on the river, etc.
I also feel like Selene might've had a slightly deeper bond with Lucien. Being Crown Prince isn't a role that Lucien is fond of, and sometimes wishes he wasn't. Selene would've understand that reluctance a lot better than Ayden, so she'd put a lot of energy into helping Lucien grow at his own pace and finding his feet with all the expectations people put on him. Whereas Esme is a bit of a social prodigy and so would've preferred to be with Ayden. Esme is also pretty adventurous and mischievous, so for sure Selene would've encouraged that aspect of her daughter.
Arion and Persephone seem pretty cool compared to the clashing couple above!
Arion and Persephone are a fun couple to write whenever they're in a scene together! It makes me happy just how much Arion loves his wife 🤣 It's also part of the reason why Arion wants to take a step back from being Suzerain and focus more on Briar~
[P.S- Can I know more abt Aylene's wedding ceremony? I wanna draw them! (If you don't mind that is)]
Sure! If someone is willing to use their time to create art based on my content, I’ll always be thrilled ♥️♥️
Ayden and Selene's wedding was fairly simple, as far as royal weddings can go. Ayden's father would have died not long beforehand, so the mood was generally somber. The war was at an all-time high, so it wouldn't have been a good look to be spending lavish amounts of money when the crown loyalists were technically losing. On top of that, Ayden's advisors would've cared more about Ayden having heirs and the wedding was just a step they had to take so the whole thing would've been organized quickly.
That being said, the style of the wedding would've been overall Eurydicean, not Briarean. Ayden and Selene spent more time outside of Ancient, so the Ironhillers would've partially viewed them as foreign. In order to settle into life in the capital must faster, they would've followed Ancienti customs. So the wedding would've been more Western in its inspiration, with a bit of Briarean influence as a nod to their former home.
The left image is a colorized picture of Tsarina Alexandra of Russia from 1908, to give you an idea of what Selene might’ve worn. The right is Tsar Nicholas II, her husband. Ayden and Selene got married in the equivalent of the 1900s, so you can play around with any particular designs from around that era!
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THE TOO GOOD TEN with Brandon Gorman of Wild Love
With a mission to bring the attitude back to pop music, meet your new favorite band Wild Love. The international band combines singer and songwriter Brandon Gorman from Ireland, guitarist Michael Crecca from New York in America and bassist Saygīn Geçener from Turkey as the three enter a new era of Wild Love. Evolving their sound into a hook-driven pop sound that looks to incorporate their previous sound of lively driven rock without “dropping the guitar” the groups returns with the energetic indie-pop-rock song “I Hate That I Need You.” As the group looks to step “out of the filter” with “no bullshit anymore in their lyrics, sonics or how they present themselves” Too Good Music got the opportunity to ask frontman Brandon about the new era of music, how a chance bus stop encounter led to the band’s formation, their craziest fan encounter and so much more. Check out the full Too Good Ten interview below.
The Too Good Ten. Ten Questions. One Artist. Too Good.
1. Starting from the beginning – you guys all met during a “chance high school bus encounter in Virginia” despite being from all over the world (Ireland, Turkey, New York). What’s the full story there? Did you all know right away you guys would be become a band?
WILD LOVE: The full story is I met out former drummer at a bus stop, but it also stretched out over a few day period. I had just moved to America, and I was invited to a party where I met our bass player Si, but we didn’t talk the whole night. Next day we just happened to be heading to DC for the day with a mutual friend and we just hit it off about music. I told him I was starting a band and needed him to play bass and that was it. We played our first gig two weeks later. I think we did know, because we could sense the passion and there is nothing more attractive than that.
2. Congrats on the release of “I Hate That I Need You.” What’s the story behind this one? How did you decide to release this one as the introduction to the new era of Wild Love?
WL: Thank you, yeah the title kind of says it all like. I was having some issues in a relationship and my internal monologue just slipped out. There isn’t much to it other than what’s there. I’m a fairly frank person and you can tell how I'm feeling by just looking at me, so I definitely have been trying to just channel that into my songs. The song also took about 5 minutes to write, which is slightly annoying because I pour hours of time in songs and half of the time, they are rubbish. Yeah, this one just felt right you know. I think it is a great introduction for what’s about to come from us as a band.
3. For you – what’s one thing you need but hate that you do?
WL: Target honestly and I just can’t stop going, I look for any excuse to go there. I don’t even buy anything, but yeah, I need help.
4. Speaking of the new era – this new music is going to be more pop leaning than the more rock sound Wild Love has focused on. What went into the decision to make this transition? What is it about pop music that made you want to explore it more?
WL: I don’t really think there was much of a decision, it has been the natural progression over the last few years in my writing. I have always been such a huge admirer of Pop music old and new. From ABBA to One Direction to Dua Lipa, it's something that is so undeniably brilliant. I found myself listening less to lyrics and more melodies and I think I wanted to chase those myself. I also felt on the more deliberate side of things that pop music has been lacking an attitude for a while and people also don’t give a shit about rock music anymore because everyone sounds like The 1975. So we found ourselves wanting to go after these sounds and hopefully fill a void that I think is there -- give pop the attitude and frankness that it needs.
5. On September 10th you’ll be playing your first full band, in-person live show with The Foxies in Nashville. What are you most looking forward to for that show? What can fans expect from a Wild Love concert?
WL: Just getting in front of people again. Live shows have been this band’s bread and butter for years, it’s the things that gets us the most excited. So getting into a room with people who are all on the same wavelength and just have this moment with everyone is something we’re clamoring for. You can expect a high energy show. Real instruments being played loud by guys who have watched too many videos of Iggy Pop and Sex Pistols.
FOR TICKET INFORMATION CLICK HERE.
6. What was the biggest thing you learned about yourselves (as a band or individually) from going through the past year and a half in quarantine/pandemic?
WL: I learned that you have to have happiness outside of what you love. Once live shows were taken away, I found myself in a space of really lacking purpose. Writing music was definitely a huge help and something I feel very lucky to have had the time to hone in on, but I needed to find something outside of music that makes me happy. So I hiked more, started going to the gym, and being a more present person in my life and my relationships. So yeah, I learned that I was very much in the music and not in much else.
7. What’s the most memorable (funniest/ craziest/inspiring/etc.) fan encounter you’ve ever had?
WL: A girl we know got our band name tattooed on the inside of her mouth which I think is pretty fucking wild.
8. If you had the ability to headline any music festival or musical event – which would be a dream for you to perform at? What would be your closing song for the event?
WL: Either Glasto or Slane Castle in Ireland. Glastonbury is just so iconic, and it has the best crowd in the world. Then Slane Castle is just a few miles down the road from my hometown. I have been and will be dreaming about both my whole life, so here’s to hoping one day I don’t have to dream. I’d say we would end with “I Hate That I Need You” right? It’s just one of those tunes that you can let loose to.
9. For each member, if you could only listen to (5) artists for the rest of your life who would they be?
WL: For me, it’d have to be ABBA, The Vaccines, Arctic Monkeys, Kelsea Ballerini, and Blur.
For Mike, it’s probably Frank Ocean, Bruce Springsteen, Queens of the Stone Age, Bleachers and Arctic Monkeys.
And for Saygīn, I’d say it’s Dayglow, Tame Impala, Hippo Campus, Jacob Collier and Omar Apollo.
10. What’s the rest of 2021 and early 2022 look like for Wild Love?
WL: Push “I Hate That I Need You,” play some more shows, release new music, and hopefully get out on the road and over to Ireland and the UK. Just excited to get out there and show everyone the new stuff we’ve been working on.
A huge shout-out to Wild Love for the time and congrats on the release of the new single, “I Hate That I Need You.” To keep updated with the group and that upcoming music and shows be sure to follow along by checking out the links below:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
#music#song#pop#interview#interviews#wildlove#singer#songwriter#ihatethatineedyou#irish#ireland#abba#onedirection#dualipa#the1975#glastonbury#toogoodten#thetoogoodten#slanecastle#love
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Why I think Jaskier is queer-coded and also bi/pan: An Essay
Earlier today I made a post [x] asking for opinions on Jaskier being queer-coded and now I’m presenting you my 1.5k word long essay on why I think that’s the case and why I also think that Jaskier is bi/pan (even though the character most definitely wasn’t planned that way).
I used lots of gifsets and Tumblr posts as inspiration and sources and humbly thank everyone who has made my life much easier with those.
Okay, so, let me start this off by saying that the showrunners don‘t and most probably won‘t want to make Jaskier queer in any way. But there‘s a bit of a problem there because there‘s a good chance that the actor (Joey Batey) is going to go against that with his personal choices in acting the character out.
It doesn‘t help that there‘s an interview in which he actively goes against calling Jaskier a womaniser and says that he is just „falling in love with everyone“ as soon as he sees „them“, he spots „someone“ and is obsessed with „whoever“ is in front of him. You can see it in this post (https://heydrichmuller.tumblr.com/post/189946596054/my-brother-played-the-pronoun-game-wound-up) in which what the actor does is called „playing the pronoun game“. That‘s what lots of queer people do when talking about their love life/sexuality/partners/etc. I say it doesn‘t help because it actively paints the character he‘s playing as bi/pan, especially with the „he just loves everyone“ comment.
Then there‘s another thing, now something that we can see in the show - movement.
Queer-coding hugely depends on clichés, I know that, but that doesn‘t mean that those clichés aren‘t true sometimes. So when I look at Jaskier‘s movements and he‘s moving his hands a certain way, cocking his hips and holding his hands there, cocking his head, I can‘t help seeing a queer person there. (https://gayregis.tumblr.com/post/189807338329/its-all-about-the-hand-gestures-joey-batey-as)
That also brings me to the next point:
He‘s a Drama Queen. He gasps! And argues! And cannot believe the way he’s treated! He deserves better!
Now, one could say that He‘s a bard! That‘s what he does! It‘s to entertain people! But. Jaskier doesn‘t entertain people when he‘s being a drama queen. Instead, he‘s greatly annoying them with it and, at the most, only entertaining himself. This is mostly visible in the „You need a nap!“ scene, which also shows his exaggerated movements pretty well. (https://captainpoe.tumblr.com/post/189836119464/the-witcher-1x05-bottled-appetites)
Then there are some other scenes that (to any queer person, I‘d say) just scream „this can‘t be straight, can it?“, simply bc it‘d be So Fucking Weird if it‘s actually meant to be straight...
One of those is the bathtub scene. Like, what, it‘s normal to rub your friend-not-friend‘s „lovely bottom“ with camomile? In what world??? And there‘s no reason Jaskier needs to do any of that, Geralt could have just bathed himself. (https://mrcavill.tumblr.com/post/189812738178)
From that we can go on to another part of the bathtub scene: „And yet, here we are“ (https://catness-tchalla.tumblr.com/post/his-189817475480), implying that Jaskier wants/needs Geralt.
Jaskier‘s basically running after a fruitless friendship for over 10 years. He‘s showing real perseverance in befriending someone, while also employing excuses to do so (using the fact of being a bard and /having/ to sing about him/sharing his legacy as an excuse to stick close to him for so long). And he does try to have a kind of intimacy with a man who‘s generally seen as someone who‘s intimidating and driving everyone away. (https://thewitchersdaily.tumblr.com/post/189937577863/no-lord-in-his-right-mind-will-come-close-if)
Still, Jaskier‘s desperate to have his company and wants to continue travelling together to prove that he can be a good partner. (https://meldvnsk.tumblr.com/post/189961512351/me-when-i-see-how-desperately-jaskier-want-to-be)
I do also want to make a point about Jaskier‘s outfits, although most of it can really be condensed into Well, He Is A Bard, So.
But I just want to state that there is no reason for him to still dress so extravagantly when he‘s just walking through the woods for days and weeks with Geralt. At first he has no other choice but, with the years, surely he can learn to have something more.... practical.... in his bag with him? But no, he chooses to keep his style and always look out of place. And, well, queer people are kinda known for the special care they take of their clothing (https://meldvnsk.tumblr.com/post/189960250906/jaskiers-outfits)
Then I want to shine some light on the way Jaskier talks about him on their first day of meeting: https://thewitchersdaily.tumblr.com/post/189776322313/same-geralt-of-rivia-and-jaskier-in-the-witcher and https://skywalkrluke.tumblr.com/post/189956240667/the-witcher-2019. He is basically trying to please this, well, Manly Man™, with his (very awkward) compliments, akin to another scene we know - the „sexy goose“ fiasco, in which Jaskier totally fails in Flirting 101. (https://thewitcherdaily.tumblr.com/post/189811062630/the-witcher-1x06-rare-species)
In episode 6, there‘s a scene that a lot of queer people can identify with (or at least I think so and I actually do). Jaskier is trying to comfort Geralt in a way, but also himself. He suggests leaving together, to „get away for a while“, to run away from all their problems while still sharing each other’s company. And what hits the most is the bard saying that No, he is not thinking about a new song right now, this is just about them, this is just about him trying to figure out what he himself wants. (https://skyvalker.tumblr.com/post/189947455079/the-witcher-2019-s01e06-rare-species)
And now we come to the point where I can seriously not think anything else but „Oh boy, that guy is love with another man“: Her Sweet Kiss (https://youtu.be/NyZvWBFbIRw).
First off, the song is a reaction to Geralt‘s rejection of him and states how hurt he is by that rejection (https://captnswilson.tumblr.com/post/189886399796/if-life-could-give-me-one-blessing-it-would-be-to).
But I will go into a bit more detail, starting with the changes in the song that happened between the first time we hear it (start of episode 6) and the time we finally hear the finished song at the end of the episode.
Firstly, „I‘m weak, love“ changed to „I‘m weak, my love“, underlining with the use of the possessive pronoun that whoever is the „I“ sings about their personal loved one.
Secondly, there‘s the line „garroter, jury and judge“.
We know that Geralt is the mentioned garroter (remember Marilka saying Geralt sounds like garroter in the first ep?). Now, what does it say that Jaskier is debating whether to use „gorgeous garroter“ or „lovely garroter“ in the song and then ends up using neither? My take on this is that the finished song focuses more on the pain he experiences than being a hymn on the heroic actions of the handsome Witcher. The idea of a gorgeous garroter has actually become, as Jaskier calls it, „too cerebral“.
I‘ve talked quite a bit about the song now without having explained what I think it actually means, so let‘s come to that.
Her Sweet Kiss has three sets of personal pronouns - I, you, and she. I believe that those stand for Jaskier, Geralt and Yennefer respectively. Going with this choice of characters, it‘s fairly easy to see what the lyrics want to tell us.
In the first verse, Jaskier is basically just complaining about Yennefer. He paints her as the evil one, the one causing him heartache and pain.
I do not think that this verse, as I have read quite often, is written from Geralt‘s perspective. It doesn‘t make much sense regarding the use of pronouns and the meaning of the verse.
Why would Geralt complain about her and then call her his love? Why would he talk about her (using „she“ and „her“) and then switch to talking to her („Tell me, love“)?
It makes much more sense to say that this is Jaskier talking about „her“ (Yennefer) to his „love“ (Geralt), especially when one thinks about the line „How is that just?“.
That last line of the verse shows Jaskier criticising Geralt‘s actions. It directly accuses him of being unjust towards Jaskier, something that was previously unheard of because the Witcher always does the thing that does the world justice. But in this case, the bard was left hurt by him without a good reason.
When it comes to the chorus, there is nothing much to interpret. The lyrics plainly state that Geralt‘s relationship with Yennefer is destroying something. Looking at the context of Geralt and Yennefer „breaking up“, followed by Geralt forcing Jaskier to leave, this must clearly mean the destruction of Geralt‘s and Jaskier‘s friendship.
The second verse starts with Jaskier warning Geralt of Yennefer, who is depicted as a dangerous current, pulling him closer into her clutches.
The verse then ends with the part we already know from the beginning of the episode.
„I’m weak my love, and I am wanting
If this is the path I must trudge
I welcome my sentence
Give to you my penance
Garrotter, jury and judge“
If you think this is Jaskier giving up and leaving Geralt alone after having accompanied him for more than a decade, having finally been judged and sentenced to a life without him by the famous garroter, then yes, we are exactly on the same wavelength there.
(Of course I don‘t think that that‘s what the producers thought while making it but hey, that‘s exactly where the accidental queer-coding comes in again!
So, anyway, this is exactly why I see Jaskier as bi/pan but of course that‘s only my personal perspective.)
Tagging the people who helped me by making gifsets and sharing their thoughts on Jaskier:
@lola1b @pocketlibrary @heydrichmuller @gayregis @captainpoe @mrcavill @his-catness-tchalla @thewitchersdaily @meldvnsk @skywalkrluke @skyvalker @captnswilson
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[1/3]🍁Hello! I'd love a [ 𑁍 ] and [ ♫︎ ] matchup for Hetalia! I'm a Virgo, INFJ, she/her, and if you'd like you may call me Lilly! I'm very shy, reserved, and awkward when approaching new people, frankly judgemental with them. First impressions are sort of everything to me. So if I have an idea about someone, it sticks. It'll take a bit to convince me otherwise. I don't trust easily, I'm very stubborn. I have anxiety, and tend to fidget when in uncomfortable situations.
[2/3]🍁Once I've found someone I can trust or I even feel is worth of my time as a friend or otherwise, I cherish completely. I'm very protective over the people I care about, I do anything in my power to accommodate them if I can and do my best to provide advice whenever they need it. I'm the 'mom' friend. Once someone truly gets to know me I break more so out of my shell, I'm much more bold and open. Intense some may say. I can get pretty chaotic when I'm 100% in my element.
[3/3]🍁I'm pretty affectionate with those I let into my life.I hate PDA, I hate being touched in public,or without permission.I most definitely hate pet names like 'babe' or 'baby' it makes me very uncomfortable,though 'darling' or 'dear' is much more acceptable to me.I love to joke with people,though I have a very strange sense of humor.I am a little needy with those I love,I have a some abandonment issues.I'm quite the control freak,with some minor anger issues.I love to write, read, and bake!
♡︎ matchup for @lunar-calliope
hello, dear! aah i'm also a virgo and an infj btw, what a coincidence c: i hope you enjoy your matchup!
hetalia: i match you with . . .
arthur kirkland !!
• Arthur is in love with your bold actions and choice of words! getting into a relationship with him means having to deal with honest and sharp-tongued comments. in other words, he needs someone who can keep up with him, aka you.
• you both prefer being reserved, looking for deeper connections with people instead of many half-baked friendships. you also understand each other very well, considering you both play the role of the responsible one in the group when you have the potential to be the most chaotic of them all in the right circumstances.
• you're also oddballs when it comes to your sense of humor. when you're joking around everyone just gives you confused looks while y'all are laughing your heads off. sarcasm, witty inside jokes etc. σ`∀´)σ
• it just seems to me you'd be on the same wavelength from personality to interests. you're the type of couple that gives the other one glance and the latter will immediately know what it means.
• i would love to think you met Arthur in a very elegant manner, where he was at his best gentlemanly behaviour. but we know the truth is that you caught him in the middle of one of his gremlin moments and swearing bloody hell at Francis (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
• not the best first impression, no, so you decided to have as little interaction with him as possible. but i think he was one of the few people who managed to change their image of them in your head. underneath that rough exterior he truly wanted to get closer to you.
• despite being quite distant, once Arthur opens up and lets you in he will cherish you for the rest of time! he has already lost so many important people in his life, he refuses to lose you too. . .
• this means that although you're rather stubborn, a bit temperamental and might get into heated arguments sometimes, you know the other well enough to acknowledge that's just how you are. give it a few hours or a day at max and Arthur is silently paying you'd accept his apology.
• Arthur himself is more into subtle but sweet displays of affection rather than showing off. he prefers going the traditional way and get you get you flowers, for example. also acts of service such as helping you clean the house or brush your hair are some things he highly values ♡︎
• when you show your affection to him, on the other hand, he might get huffy because he's not used to being treated with such open affection. he loves it and never wants you to stop.
• i am begging, please teach him how to bake. after your baking sessions together i imagine you two sitting in the garden and drinking tea. on the tray there would be a set of beautiful scones and muffins (yours) right next to the burnt bundles of unidentified matter (his).
• introduces you to his fantasy friends (though you can't really see them oof) and teaches you magic. now there's some writing inspiration for you! plus, he's very much into literature so he happily reads your works and gives you encouragement ♡︎
• a very assuring and supportive lover overall! though not always the best with words he never fails to make you feel loved. you can trust him to be there when anxiety gets particularly bad although it's the little things he does that make it easier to get through the days.
• your dates include afternoon tea times, reading sessions while comfortably leaning against one other and music playing in the background, museum dates, strolls through cities and countrysides, and concerts ♡︎
𑁍 jewellery box
— favourite memory with you:
that one summer evening when you were walking back from a date. you had insisted you'd go on foot instead of taking a cab because of the crisp air and beautiful sky. Arthur was still a little nervous because it was one of your first dates so you generously switched the topic from classic literature to light banter. the atmosphere became lighter, so much even that you ended up playfully shoving each other until you both ended up in the nearby pond. you were soaking wet but laughing nevertheless. for Arthur, that expensive suit was definitely worth it.
— favourite activity to do together:
i love the idea that you're both always teaching each other something so i have to say that's what he enjoys best as well. you teach him how to make perfect cake batter, he teaches you embroidery. you teach him how to write your favourite genre, he tells you about the world of rock and punk music. it's fulfilling and a way to spend quality time with you ♡︎
— favourite place to kiss you:
ack this man loves nothing more than kissing your fingers and knuckles. there is just something so enchanting about them even as he watches you flip a page of a book or decorate muffins. although it's a common gesture of courtesy it has grown to have a very special meaning for the two of you.
— favourite nicknames for you:
darling, dear, love, sweetheart. these come as no surprise but Arthur does really find them fitting for you, sweet and classy. he sometimes adds my and your name to the beginning to emphasise the deep meaning they hold. "Lilly, my dear, won't you put down the pen and take a break with me? The weather is lovely, how about a stroll?"
— favourite thing about you:
how reserved but fun you are. how do i explain this? Arthur is someone whose personality has many layers and so are you. you are a complex person who can appreciate that trait in him as well instead of getting turned off when he displays the rougher side of himself. so your understanding, trust, commitment? i think you catch my drift (◕ᴗ◕✿)
♫︎ music box
— I Hear a Symphony by Cody Fry
— Help! by The Beatles
— I'd Die For You by Bon Jovi
— Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen
— Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran
♡︎ runner up: Toris Lorinaitis
that is all! thank you so much for requesting and being patient with my slow butt! please remember to take time off to relax and drink water ♡︎
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HermitCraft Headcanons: Creeper Anatomy and Biology (Part 2!)
*slams this post on the table and gives you crazy eyes* I'M BACK WITH MORE
Anyway, rabidness aside, welcome everyone! Some of you might already know, but awhile ago I made a post for creepers and their anatomy (linked here). And today, my fellow peeps, I've decided to build onto my original post with more headcanons! But before we start, I want to say something that I feel is important;
I AM NOT A SCIENTIST.
I'm not qualified in any stretch of the imagination to confirm that these headcanons are 100% accurate. Please keep that in mind when you read this. I'm not a professional at all; I'm literally just a big HermitCraft nerd that will go on Internet splurges to quench my thirst for knowledge xD
Anyway, announcement over! Put on your labcoats and grab those calculators and clipboards, people, cuz we're about to dive into some nerdy friggin science! And feel absolutely free to debate about these or add onto them! I'd love to see people get involved with this kind of thing! :D Also, if you have any questions about these headcanons, or have any ideas for future headcanons to dive into, leave me an ask! :)
___________________________________
They still have the potential to explode
Although they cannot do it voluntary, like their monstrous ancestors, creepers still have the ability to detonate. They still have gunpowder in their bodies, but the amount is much less than what it used to be in hostile creepers (let's say about 10% of what it originally was, to keep it simple). I know there's not exactly any evidence proving that but just trust me, I'm going somewhere with this. Get your hands off of that keyboard! xD
Anyway, lemme tell you what I'm getting at. I bet a lot of you are familiar with what appendicitis is, but for people who don't know, here's the gist; appendicitis is when your appendix (an organ in the human body that's pretty much useless... nobody really knows what it does lol) becomes infected and inflamed, and if not given immediate medical attention, can possibly burst and become life-threatening. So, if there were an organ in a hostile creeper's body that stores gunpowder for self-detonation, that organ could carry onto the non-threatening generations (and possibly become smaller, due to its lack of use). If it were to become infected, inflamed, or receive some sort of trauma, it could possibly ignite all of the gunpowder and cause an explosion powerful enough to kill the creeper it resides in.
They shed their skin
All creatures with scales shed (or molt) their skin and scales periodically. I stated in my last post that creepers most likely have scales (due to their ability to conduct electricity [Like being struck by lightning]; if they had fur or humanlike skin, they'd most likely combust and explode... and nobody wants that to happen to them lol xD), so it would only be logical to have creepers shed their skin every now and then (I also got inspired by this one post by @goopyshell , so check them out! [btw, if you're reading this, I LOVE your Python design. Best snek boi!]). Lizards molt about 2 to 4 times a year, give or take some key factors (such as how much they're growing), but since that's a baseline, we're going to stick with that for simplicity's sake as to how often a full grown creeper would shed their scales. It'd also most likely come off in patches, instead of the whole skin at once, due to creepers having humanoid figures.
They see colors much differently than humans
Since creepers are very reptile like, especially with their scales, it would make sense that they have many other reptilian characteristics, including their vision. In my last post, I mentioned creepers having night vision due to their nocturnal ancestors, but then after I saw this awesome drawing by @bedrock-to-buildheight with how different Hermits see things, I decided to do some digging into how a reptile actually sees the world. Turns out in addition to having night vision, many of those scaly little critters have the ability to see not just the entire visible spectrum of light that a human can see, but also ultraviolet light (a wavelength of light that a human CAN'T see) due to a special type of cone photoreceptor in their eyes (just so you're not confused, a 'cone' is a type of photoreceptor [aka: light detector] in an eye that detects color). As a result, a creeper could (theoretically) be able to see a MUCH wider range of colors than a human can.
They're much shorter than humans
I've seen lots of designs of humanoid creepers (*cough* PYTHON IS A GREMLIN *cough cough*), and quite a few of have them being quite short. So I thought that I'd explore around the Minecraft Wiki a bit to see if there was anything to support that. And wouldn't you know it, there is! According to the game files, creepers are 1.7 blocks tall (or 1.7 meters, since 1 block in the game is equal to 1 cubic meter) compared to a player, who is 1.8 blocks tall.
Now, at first I thought that I was done, but then I realized that it wouldn't exactly make sense for every single human to be the same height, as well as creepers. Cuz if that were the case, how could we have a tall German cyborg or a smol ice queen in HermitCraft fandom lore and headcanons? xD So did two things; 1, I decided to have the creeper/player height be a ratio (in other words, I'll have the average height of creepers be about 95% of the average height of humans, since 1.7 meters [a creeper's height in the game] divided by 1.8 meters [a player's in-game height] would equal that percent. Maths people xD). And 2, I dove back into the depths of the Interbubs and did tons of research on human height, and eventually found the global average for male and female heights. For humans, males average out at about 171 centimeters tall (a little over 5 feet 7 inches), and females 159.5 centimeters (almost 5 feet 3 inches). If we apply our 95% to those numbers, we can get our average creeper heights! And those numbers calculate to have males be about 161.5 centimeters tall (about 5 feet 4 inches), and females at 150.6 centimeters (4 feet 11 inches).
#hermitcraft#hermitcraft headcanon#hermitcraft headcanons#science#python#pythonmc#pythongb#docm77#doc#creepers#creeper#minecraft
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Read on AO3
Zoro is an immovable object. Unwavering and solid; set in his determination and unable to be swayed. Unable to be led astray once he has pledged himself whole heartedly—mind, body, soul, and indomitable spirit—to something.
Luffy is an unstoppable force. Chaotic and unrelenting; as unapologetic as a typhon and as fierce as a wildfire. He moves forward with the uncaring ease of a man who has never—who can never—doubt himself. Anything in his path either clashes with, and is subsequently torn apart by his insurmountable will, or is swept up and carried along with him on his journey.
Two opposing forces of nature working parallel to one another. And when they meet—collide—it’s like the whole world holds its breath for a second. Seeing whether these two will tear each down, or build one another up.
(Pure nonsense under the cut dude)
There’s been 10 thousand and one stories about Luffy and Zoro and LuffyandZoro and ZoLu and all that. (Not that this is ZoLu but you do you).
All kinds about Zoro’s loyalty and faith and all so there isn’t much for me to say that y’all haven’t already heard and read and seen and thought about before but.
I keep thinking about why they work so well together. Sure they’re both muscle headed idiots that just get each other and will always have unwavering faith in one another, but why.
This, I submit, is why. They’re both two forces of nature not only on track to the impossible, but also unable to be swayed from the impossible.
Everyone on the crew is after something that’s ‘objectively’ or subjectively impossible. Sanji is after the fantasy All Blue. Brook wants to reunite with the last of his crew despite it being 50 years later and (at the time) being trapped in the Florian Triangle. Robin is trying to uncover the True History. Etc.
However, they can be led astray or end up pushing away their dreams. Robin gave up on her dreams twice (Alabasta and Enies Lobby), Nami stopped thinking about hers after Arlong, Franky refused to build another ship after Tom, Sanji had to be dragged kicking and screaming into leaving the Baratie, and Brook put reuniting with Laboon on hold to help Luffy. Etc.
The point is, Luffy and Zoro never once shy away from chasing after the impossible like others in the crew have done before.
(Yes I know everyone in the crew had their reasons and I’m not faulting them for it. I love them all and no one @ me).
(No I’m not saying that Brook threw away his dream for Luffy. Everyone on the crew swore life and ambition to Luffy and all I’m saying is that Brook didn’t fufill his dream of reuniting with Laboon immediately because he wanted to help Luffy—the man who saved him and Laboon—before then. Plus he knew Luffy would go to see Laboon again so it’s more like he decided to wait a bit before meeting up. That being said, he decided to put helping Luffy before his dream of reuniting. No one @ me).
And yes we all already know that. Luffy and Zoro are maniacs that are more than willing to lay down their lives to whatever catches their determination. The same can be said for everyone on the crew. That’s their thing. They’re all impossible people after impossible goals who would die for each other and their friends.
But.
Luffy and Zoro want a different kind of impossible. Zoro wants to be strongest. For himself, for Kuina, for Luffy.
Luffy wants to be Pirate King. But he also wants to the strongest he can be. To protect everyone. So no one ever dies again or is taken away from him.
They’re the only ones that are actually trying to get stronger as part of their goals.
No one on the crew necessarily needs to be chasing after power-up after power-up to achieve their goals. They all need to be stronger but they don’t need to be the strongest.
Not like Luffy and Zoro.
The very foundations of their relationship begun, yes, with Luffy seeing that Zoro is a good guy, but also with them both acknowledging each other’s strength and desire to be stronger and better. To be more.
They saw that in each other and they both knew that nothing, not even death itself to could stand in the way of that.
And yes, the rest of the crew would die for their and each other’s dreams and ambitions, but Luffy and Zoro can never be pulled away from it.
Luffy and Zoro are their ambition. They are their strength and unwavering wills and determination to be more. Luffy and Zoro exist on the same wavelength because they can not be themselves without their dreams.
And while everyone’s dreams help to make them who they are, especially for the Strawhats, Luffy and Zoro just can’t exist outside of theirs. Yes there’s more to them outside of that but, who are they if they are not relentlessly chasing their goals?
That’s why their relationship is different than the others. Everyone can, and has, lived life outside of and separate from their dreams. But Luffy and Zoro can’t—won’t.
Before they met Luffy, no one on the crew was following their dreams. It’s only after Luffy has come along and inspired them or unburdened them do they truly start to chase after what they really want.
Except for Zoro. He was already doing that when Luffy showed up. They just decided to join forces.
(No one @ me about Jinbe. As said in the actual show by actual characters who were close with him, Jinbe was living his life trying to do what Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime wanted. Was trying to pay them homage while keeping his crew safe. He didn’t want to be Captain. He was content but I wouldn’t say he was happy. The first time we hear him express desire he’s saying that he wants to help Luffy. Aladine even says that Jinbe should go and join Luffy since this is something that Jinbe actually wants to do. Also no I did not add an ‘i’ at the end of his name because jinbei is a type of Japanese style clothing and I don’t like the spelling ‘Jimbei’ either. That’s my preferences and I don’t care what you do. No one @ me).
Their relationship is so special because they both know that the other has nothing without their dream. Nothing to dedicate themselves to, or fall back on. Not like everyone else on the crew has.
They both exist on a level of ‘Do it or Die’. Everyone else has a ‘or Go Home’ option. Albeit one they’d never use but they have it. Luffy and Zoro can’t go home. They can’t back out. They either accomplish their goals or there’s nothing left of them. Everyone else on the crew don’t have to. But they want to.
The only times, as far as I can recall, that either of them truly put their dreams on hold was at Thriller Bark (Zoro), and to rescue Ace (Luffy). Zoro was willing to give up his life and dream to save Luffy and Luffy actively pursuing something other than his dream for the first time in the entire series. (He’d switched gears from ‘All things Pirate King’ to ‘Gotta save my bro’ so to speak).
None of this makes sense and there’s so much more to their relationship that I’m not going into but I’ve fixating on this so I need to talk/type it out. The posting it part is just me screeching into the void and hoping to get an echo.
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My Hero Academia / Monster Hunter World / How to Train Your Dragon
*rubs hands together*
Going based off of what I think when I first see the character, whether this be through personality, looks, vibes, etc. Also on mobile and I should get to sleep so I apologise if I miss anyone.
Midoriya: Rathian
A powerful queen. Protective of her family. Familiar to all. Midoriya's Rathian has adapted to his curiosity about the world and to his kindness. She is very protective of him, and she thinks of Midoriya as one of her young.
They met after she was gravely injured by none other than Midoriya himself. He shot her down from the sky and tracked her down himself, wanting to be a great hunter like his idol, All Might. She gave up and stretched her neck out for easier reach, the net taught around her body. Midoriya breathed and put his dagger to her jugular vein. Sweat began to run down his face and he tried to force his hands to stop shaking. All it would take would be one thrust, and the monster before him would bleed out.
A sudden snap of a stick broke his concentration. He threw himself away from the monster and tried to take several deep breaths in. He overheard some hunters talking about a nest nearby. They were going for the Rathian's eggs!
Midoriya groaned. The Rathian's eyes flew open as she heard the 'shk shk shk shk' sound of a knife cutting rope. Midoriya freed her from her restraints. He watched as the monster rose to her full size. "They're going for your nest. Go protect your family." he said. Before hobbling away, she roared viciously in his face. Midoriya watched her leave in both shame and frustration, but with hints of some strange connection pulling at his heart.
Midoriya snuck out and found her lying in his nest. He tried to be stealthy, but his attempt was futile. She stared at him with amber eyes that were laced in anger and sadness. She had been too late. When she finally got to her nest, her eggs were gone. Hurt from the fall, she didn't even attempt to chase after the thieves.
Midoriya wouldn't stop apologising. The monster didn't understand this human boy. He wasn't like the other hunters that came around. No... this human was too kind.
Midoriya hadn't even noticed in his rant that he had gotten closer to the monster. His eyes went wide and the Rathian bared her teeth as him. He yelped and jumped back. A rumble sounded in the Rathian's throat. Was she... laughing at him?
Over the next few weeks, Midoriya brought her meat and fish as she rested from her injuries. Even though she couldn't talk back, Midoriya told her about himself, about his mom, about his friends, and about human life in general. He thought it would be best to leave out information about All Might, as killer as that was for him.
They continued to bond until Rathian was fully recovered. Midoriya was sad to part ways and he even prepared a speech. Rathian had other ideas, though. In the middle of his speech, she picked him up by the collar of his jacket and took to the skies. She flung him up onto her back and flew with him for the rest of the day.
They have an unbreakable bond to this day.
A bit too HTTYD-ish? I like the idea. Midoriya will probably be the the only in-depth story-ish character.
All Might: Rathalos. The king himself. The greatest warrior needs an equally 'mighty' partner. So why not with his good ol' monster rival, Rathalos?
Bakugou: Bazelgeuse. The explodey Bagel in the scale. The dive bombing had never met a human who actually *challenged* it before. Of course, leave it to Bakugou to try to square up with a monster.
Todoroki: Teostra/Lunastra. A young man of higher blood got the attention of two certain equally royal feline monsters. He's the star child of the number two hunter and his renounced researcher wife. He's the combination of brawns and brains. His father has high expectations for this young man.
Bakugou: *points at Todoroki* "Haaaaaaah?????" *thrusts his finger continuously at him* "Why does he get to have TWO dragons?"
Uraraka: Paolomu. Flying balloon squirrel? Yes. It was love at first sight for Uraraka. She loves her rat monster. Paolomu and Uraraka have a trick where Paolomu takes a big breath in and then pushes the air out while underneath her. The air pressure makes Uraraka look like she's floating!
Iida: Legania. Swift and regal. Iida takes pride in his monster. It is his pride and joy as both a hunter and as a rider. Coming from a line of hunters, Iida had a hard time switching over to the idea of not hunting monsters. Legania was his family crest so it was only natural he would seek out one to ultimately befriend.
Kirishima: Lets face it. He has a monster friend in basically every locale. His buddy is a Barroth that has an equally (surprising) friendly disposition as its trainer. Kirishima is also friends with a Radobaan and an Odogaron. His laugh and smile is contagious.
Denki: Tobi-Kadachi. Lighting flying squirrel. Doctors can't explain why Denki is immune to thunderblight. It works out, though, because Tobi-Kadachi loves rubbing its trainer up and down. In its excitement, Tobi often forgets that the contact releases his stores up electric shocks...
Mina: Pukei-Pukei. Mina loves her googly-eyed poison bird. She takes personal offence to anyone who calls her partner ugly, and more times than not, the offender usually ends up with a black eye or two.
Tokoyami: Nargacuga. They were practically meant to be together. Both are masters at hiding in the shadows. They're also both mostly active at night. Not many other creature are active during this time, so they keep each other company.
Tsuyu: Jyuratogas. Tsuyu loves fresh-water swimming, so what better partner to have than a fresh-water monster? Because of its slimey texture, it often throws others off. Tsuyu doesn't mind, though!
Sero: Tigrex. Sero is fairly gangly. Tigrex is also fairly gangly. Sero created his own special bridle to ride Tigrex. He took inspiration from grabbing hooks and clutch claws.
Sato: Uragaan. Uragaan found its way to Sato by following the aroma of his baking. Now Sato has something that loves baked goods as equally as he does!
Jirou: Black Diablos. Both are weak to loud noises. They both stay in their own lane for the most part, but both are known for sometimes being hot headed. Despite their weakness to loud sounds, both find great joy in music.
Koda: Dodogama. Both are very good boys. Dodo's calm disposition is on the same wavelength as Koda's. They made a great team together.
Aoyama: Tzitzi-Ya-Ku. Aoyama loves showing off and loves being in the spotlight. Tzitzi can provide that spotlight. They were literally made for each other.
Shoji: Diablo. Both are strong, and both are just sort of there. Shoji acts as the eyes that Diablo doesn't really have. They have a solid wavelength with one another. Shoji is the only one able to keep a grip on Diablo when it charges.
Hagakure: Kushala-Daora. Hagakure is a master of the illusions. She's able to mask her presence from those around her. Similarly, Kushala is able to hide itself in the wind. The only thing that gives Hagakure away is the mantle that she always has on that protects her from the razer sharp gusts Kushala can create.
Mineta: Kulu-Ya-Ku. Both of them are just kind of there. Kulu loves its shiny objects like Mineta likes his playboy magazines. Its kind of hand in hand. Or talon in talon... Hand in talon?
Momo: Vaal Hazak. Upon first glance, one would assume Momo would be accompanied by a more... lively monster. Nobody really expected her to bond with the queen of the Rotten Vale. A powerful monster with an equally powerful trainer. Momo's inventor brain and her quick thinking allows her to create objects from what she is given in a pinch. This also means patenting her own face mask to be used when entering her monster friend's home. Vaal's back is more boney than fleshy.
Ojirou: Deviljo. Ojirou doesn't look like the type to be partnered with a toothy pickle. But wow, can that tail pack a punch! Once you get past the initial phases, Pickle isn't too bad. Except don't call it Pickle to its face. You might get launched a solid 50 meters away if you do.
#my hero academia#monster hunter world#monster hunter#boku no hero academia#how to train your dragon#httyd#bnha#mha#mhw
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1. Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?
I’m holding off on book 2 of my series, because I wanted to let the first one rest for a while, and now I’ve started a re write...
2. What work of yours, if any, are you embarrassed about existing?
I’m not embarrassed by its existence, but I’ve hidden my fist Stargate SG-1 fanfic somewhere and I won’t let anyone read it ever xD
3. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favorite scenes first? Something else?
It usually starts with a scene, a dialogue, a stream of consciousness. Then, it’s chronological, apart from some scenes that get moved from one chapter to another
4. Favorite character you’ve written?
I was going to be cliché and say I love all of them. BUT Sedna is my precious.
5. Character you were most surprised to end up writing?
Aiden Crey. Honest, hard working military man? I mean what was I thinking. Something is bound to happen to him.
6. Something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now?
I am currently changing something in the first book because of the rewrite. I thought it would be too complicated because it’s really woven into the story, but I just sat down and got through the book again and I’m almost there. I’ made the story far too complicated and added unnecessary and lenghty explanations, I’m glad I found the courage to get rid of it.
7. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?
Very enthusiastic, and if they don’t make me stop I’ll just talk people’s heads off with it
8. Favorite genre to write
Science fiction, with a bit of magic
9. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?
Watch good shows and films, read read read and read, and listen to film or classical music
10. Write in silence or with background music? Alone or with others?
Silence, or music with no lyrics, preferrably alone or with my cats or my SO who knows not to talk to me when I’m writing (I bite)
11. What aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?
Pace. When I reread my early works and even my fist draft for my series, it was awfully paced. I still have room for improvement. There always is
12. Your weaknesses as an author?
Battle scenes. I’m terrible at this. I don’t like reading them, I don’t like writing them, and it shows.
13. Your strengths as an author?
Inner monologues. I think. I hope haha
14. Do you make playlists for your work?
I have character or couples/friends playlists for my main characters. I also have mood playlists, and one called “Epicness (for writing)”
15. Why did you start writing?
As far as I remember I made up stories. I also tried illustrating them when I was a kid but thankfully stopped that after a while. I just love telling stories. I started actually building a proper book-length story when i was about 15 and couldn’t find a book I liked and decided to write my own.
16. Are there any characters who haunt you?
Ranea, my queen of the Underground. She’s scarier than I let the reader know in the first series and I can’t help thinking about her and what she’s doing in the shadows.
17. If you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?
Stop planning and outlining and making lists and start writing at once
18. Were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? What were they?
I’m not sure. I try not to read when i’m writing to keep my mind focused on my story, but I read many different authors and styles. Of course my style got influenced but i’m not sure I’d be able to recognize it, being so close to the work
19. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?
I have a family tree for all the characters in my book. I have a system for my notebooks : I put little patches of colour on the side according to an elaborate code I designed where purple is everything about Sedna and so on. Since I write by hand before typing into the computer, I also have a lot of hand written material that I go through with the same colour code
20. Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?
It really depends on the time I have. I usually write a little before going to work in the morning, but when I have a day off I tend to sit down for hours and get a lot of words on the page
21. What do you think when you read over your older work?
I see things I’d do differently, but mostly I like it, and I do that to boost my confidence when for some reason I imagine I can’t write
22. Are there subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?
Not really. There’s close to no nsfw scenes in my work, not because I’m uncomfortable with writing them but because they’re really not essential to my story.
23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?
I haven’t had anything really obscure happen to me. My life is as messy as anyone else’s I suppose. Repressed anger surely shows in my work but it’s not that obscure
24. Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?
Not really. I’ve done research to not write complete nonsense on some things (like how does scar tissue appear after a burn, brain wavelengths and stuff)
25. Copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of.
I don’t want to spoil the story, so I’ll paste something from the very first chapter of the series!
Wesley got up and went on the balcony for some air; it was so hot it seemed too thick to breathe. The suns were still high in the sky, baking the walls of the Mansion, but he shuddered despite the heat. This place had always unnerved him, leaving him an aftertaste of danger, of exposure. The whole world seemed to hurt, but not because of its past heavy with death and destruction; from above, the blood-red globe reminded him of a stilled heart, torn away from its rightful seat in a rib cage. To him, Edin was a long and intense cry of pain, the Ocean carrying to his ears the sighs of a planet mourning its own aridity, and under his eyes the flayed beach was empty but for the ghosts of drums and dances. Every detail made his senses delightfully sore; the suns, the dry sand, the howls of unknown creatures in the desert... And above all, Sedna.
I was tagged by @rosecorcoranwrites a month ago and am only doing this now, shame on me. I love those things, thank you for tagging me!
I’m new to writblr, so I don’t have many people to tag... If anyone wants to play, they can ! :)
#writing#tagged#questions#about me#about the writer#writblr#science fiction#my work#writers on tumblr#writers on writing#writers write#stories#pen paper writer
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Episode 22/20 | Natz | Podcast Mixes
One half of South West DJ duo, we have a Podcast Mix courtesy of Natz which promises full volume Techno. Natz says her mix stands against negative vibes and says people take things far too seriously. You can listen to her mix and read the full interview below.
Artist Interview
Lately my fans have been calling me a ‘Techno Princess’, but let me get this straight, I’m no princess.
Hi Natz, please introduce yourself to those unfamiliar with your DJ life.
Hi, I’m Natz, and thank you so much for inviting me to share some music with you and I hope you enjoy my offering. Lately my fans have been calling me a ‘Techno Princess’, but let me get this straight, I’m no princess.
Talk us through how you filled your time during the lockdown.
The start of full lockdown was all about the Live Streaming for me. Being stuck at home the live streams gave me a sense of connection to the outside world, and of course dancing around and playing music really loud is good for the soul anyway. It gave me an opportunity to experiment with my sound, and with views of up 10k it was obvious that it was going down well.
When the lock down started to ease up I started getting bookings for underground parties. Firstly in the South West and then further around the country. During lockdown its evident we’ve all been deprived of human connection, and the vibe at those first raves were insane. If you are a raver you’ll be familiar with the sense of unity you get from dancing in front of a massive sound system with a group of other people on the same wavelength, and it was just the medicine we all needed.
I know some people who have been in quite extreme circumstances during lockdown and have struggled with mental health. At a rave there is no thoughts of Covid, no worries about the money coming in, no worries about work; you are fully attuned to the present moment.
Apart from DJing I’ve also been playing with music production. I’m a physicist by trade which is helping me get my head around things quite quickly, and also helped by the fact I play musical instruments. I was lucky enough to have some time in the studio with two of my favourite acid techno producers; Darc Marc and Chris Liberator. It was such a privilege to see them working on their latest Stay Up Forever release, totally inspirational!
I see many of these 2020 festivals being rebooked for 2021 but I personally think people are dreaming.
What events should you have played at this year?
Ah I don’t want to talk about it! I know I’m in the same boat as lots of Dj’s and artists but I had bookings for festivals all over the country including international enquiries. In addition, locally, I had launched my own night alongside Danae B, called Dead Disco. The first event was a sell out just before Big C hit, and its such a shame to loose that momentum. Everyone was buzzing about it, we had gone all out with the production including drag queens, dancers and confetti canons. It certainly shook up the local scene which was starting to get quite stale.
What’s planned for 2021?
Not a lot in terms of public DJ gigs. I know it’s important to stay positive. I see many of these 2020 festivals being rebooked for 2021 but I personally think people are dreaming. It’s going to be all about the underground rave scene for the best part of the next year. It sort of suits me down to the ground as the techno I’m playing sits very comfortably here and been welcomed with open arms. I’m excited to see what emerges out of this new scene!
Describe your current DJ sound.
Flat out techno. In particular ghetto/electro vibes are right up my street, along with fat 303 acid rippers. Also totally feeling the boppy, quick almost breaky beats coming from the likes of Partiboi69 at the moment, the bpm is quick and the words are pure filth, proper cheeky. I’ve also been totally immersing myself in acid techno, which makes up most of the mixes on my YouTube channel so please check it out if that’s your cuppa tea.
Talk us through your podcast episode and track selection.
This is a mix that needs turning up all the way to 11. The opening track is a cheeky ‘middle finger up’ to people who’ve been directing negativity my way. It’s tongue in cheek, no hard feelings, but there are a lot of people who take things very seriously and could probably do with lightening up. The main part of the mix is pretty heavy techno peppered with some ghetto sleaziness, culminating with Daje midway; an epic track which cuts right through. Towards the end we are welcomed into the loving arms of Aceeeeed Techno where the bpm and energy is raised to boiling point. I finish on a sassy remix of One Night in Hackney called Saturday Night in Shoreditch and I hope you love it as much as I do, its a corker.
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Philosophy Forum
Pairing: Namjoon x reader
Rating: PG?
Type: I thought it would be fluffier when I imagined it but I guess it’s angst?
Inspiration: A number of things-the NYC concert, someone being rude to others in ch+ re: physical appearance (they got flagged so fast, don’t you worry); general philosophy stuff; (third-wave) feminism.
Let’s play a game: guess my major in undergrad lol
Also: this is my first fic EVARR (not counting the weird Draco shit I co-wrote with friends in middle school, may it never see the light of day again), so kindly let me know what you think/feedback/ways to improve. Please don’t attack me personally as I will be v. sad. If you think of a snazzier name, let me know.
You, October 2016
Can you be in love with someone you’ve never met?
This is the question that loops through my head. Logically, I don’t believe you can. You need to know if you have chemistry with that person, see them at their spontaneous best and worse, and to know if you feel that “spark” that everyone talks about endlessly. Emotionally, though, I want to believe otherwise. We are also told from the time we are young, that there is more than meets the eye, and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t want to objectify or be objectified. Can you love someone you’ve never met? Can beauty be in the mind of the beholder?
I sigh and flip open my computer, and quickly log into the philosophy forum that has started to take up almost all of my free time. What started out as a way to finish a term paper quickly turned into a place where I felt truly present, even if it didn’t exist physically. The other members of the forum were intelligent, interesting, and helped me to challenge the perspectives that I took for granted.
There was one person in particular I hoped would be online, and sure enough, he was. His handle was @godofdestruction. When we first chatted, I thought that he would be an asshat with an ego problem with a name like that, but it turned out that he was self-deprecating and extremely witty. The name came from the fact that he apparently broke everything in his vicinity, and his six brothers gave it to him as a joke. I wondered what kind of family he came from, with so many siblings, but I knew so little about his personal life. I knew he would be on at random times, and I could never quite pin down what time zone he was in despite my best internet sleuthing (hello, future career in the NSA). All I really know about him is that he speaks English (duh) and has six brothers. I know he’s smart, loves coffee/coffee shops, and is interested in aesthetics. This whole debate of beauty also scares me, because if I’m being honest with myself, I already rely way too much on these conversations with a stranger halfway around the globe, but if we met would he reject me? I am only able to wallow in self-despair and existential angst for a few seconds, before our rapid-fire conversations begin, and my fingers are flying across the keyboard. We somehow get into a discussion of Arendt’s “banality of evil” and I forget my personal problems for societal ones.
Namjoon, January 2017
My smartphone screen flips to black, with the dreaded white swirl that means the battery has died. I roll to my side and chuck the phone across the bed. I guess my conversation with @kantdealwithmarx is over. This is a dangerous move for me, but for once in my life, the phone hits the Ryan plushy and falls unharmed to the carpeted floor. I sigh and run to the kitchen for a glass of water. In the hallway of the dorm, I see myself in the mirror. My lavender hair is sticking everywhere, and my lips are chapped as they always are. It’s ironic that I discuss philosophy and beauty for hours on the internet but look like a cartoon character. Tae and JK are in the living room playing (what else?) Overwatch, and for a second I enviously wish the game held the same appeal for me. It would certainly be easier.
It scares me how reliant I am on my conversations with @kantdealwithmarx. They’re god knows where, and I’m a K-pop star. Though we meet almost every day in the philosophy forum, we might as well be on different planets. It’s completely crazy, but the most rewarding experience that I have made a friend who knows nothing about my life or who I am. I definitely still have friends from my time in school and when I was Runch Randa (lol, I cringe so much looking back on those days, but who doesn’t when they see things from their past?), but it’s hard to meet people who aren’t also in the industry or who have some weird delusions about what our relationship will be or what I can do for them.
@kantdealwithmarx is the first new friend I’ve made in ages. I want to meet them in person, and wander Seoul’s myriad bookstores, then go for coffee, and spend an afternoon in the park, just walking and talking. It’s a nice daydream, but I’m endlessly worried that if I reveal more about myself then it will ruin the comfortable and open dynamic we have. Producing music and leading BTS are my number one priorities, and will be for the foreseeable future, but I’ve been distracted wondering what this friendship would or could be. Maybe if I could see this person in real life, and know that they exist outside of a 6-inch screen, I could better understand this ambiguous relationship.
You, March 2017
I swallow as my ears pop as the L descends further under Brooklyn, rushing away from Queens, where I live. Ridgewood is lovely, but it is FAR from almost everything people associate with New York City. I commute into Manhattan every day for school and my part-time job, which is with a private catering company. Today, my commute will be even longer as I have to cover some event in Newark. A concert of some kind? I hadn’t heard from @godofdestruction recently, and was irked. But I was still up super late discussing Butler’s theory of gender as performance on the forum. I have no idea how we got on the topic of gender, but it was definitely very involved, as many of the best conversations are. What that meant for today though, was that I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Class flew by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was on my way to Newark with enough food to feed an ARMY. Seriously, how many people were going to be at this event?
I soon found out that it was seven boys (men?) with various shades of pastel hair and bedazzled clothes. I set up the food, and then stood in the corner quietly, while awaiting further instruction. They were all getting their makeup and hair done, so no one was really looking at the food. To be honest, they were all staring at their smartphones, most of which were in cases that cost more than the actual phones. The boy with lavender hair was looking at his phone particularly intently.
While it wasn’t very professional (do not attempt at home), I snuck a glance at my phone and opened the philosophy forum. Since I hadn’t heard from @godofdestruction in a few days, I had an irrational fear that something had happened or I had said something that hadn’t translated well to the internet and that maybe I inadvertently offended him. As if we were on the same wavelength, my phone dinged and his name popped up on my screen.
@godofdestruction: Hey! Hope you’re well! Sorry I’ve been neglectful- I’ve been super busy with work.
I quickly typed back:
@kantdealwithmarx: Whoa, stranger danger. Glad you’re okay. Where does your work have you these days?
He replied almost instantly.
@godofdestruction: Us, strangers? Never. I’m in NYC. Wish I had more time for touristy things though… 🤢
I swear the room stopped moving, and I stared at my phone. We were in the same city? Should I ask him to meet? Right as the wave of anxiety and indecision hit me, a brown-haired boy with the broadest shoulders I’d ever seen came up to the table. I quickly flung my phone to the side. If my boss knew, she would be livid. The boy winked though, and I knew my secret was safe.
“Annyeonghaseo. Hello. Can you tell me about the different food options? I’m thinking of filming a mukbang later…you know? EatJin?”
I honestly did not know EatJin, but I explained the different dishes as clearly as I could, and his smile made me feel like he understood what I was saying. We exchanged a bit of limited small talk, with him laughing and acting like my weird uncle. But for some reason (maybe the shoulders?) I found it less annoying and more endearing. He glanced over my shoulder, and said something I couldn’t understand in rapid fire Korean. I slowly turned around, and then froze.
The purple haired boy was staring at my phone, which I had accidentally left unlocked and on the philosophy chat screen. I quickly grabbed my phone out of his hand as politely as I could and shoved it into my back pocket. I could only hope that he didn’t speak English and had just been acting out of curiosity rather than reading through my personal chats. I apologized profusely, but when I looked up, he was staring at me as though he had seen a ghost. I was frozen to the spot, my face redder than the lasagna on the table. He slowly backed away never taking his eyes off of me, and grabbed his phone. His hands were shaking as he unlocked the phone and slowly turned it around, so that I could see the screen. There were all of our previous messages, and I knew that from this point on things would never be the same for us. I also knew, without a doubt, than you CAN in fact love someone without seeing their face. But it sure doesn’t hurt.
#bts#namjoon#rapmon#namjoon x you#namjoon x reader#bts fluff#bts angst#feminism#non-gendered reader#philosophy
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Give Much Respect Due: How Female Rappers Inspire Black Queer Boys
MARCH 02, 2017
By Devyn Springer
It’s 2001. My mother opens the bathroom door and I am in my underwear, breathing heavily like a backup dancer. I have a smile on my face and sweat on my shoulders. My little ribs under my brown skin are sore because I’ve been shaking my hips from left to right for an entire verse and chorus. I’m looking at myself in the mirror and seeing myself as what resembles a Keith Haring painting; vibrant colors, bold lines creating motion. My mother lets out a small laugh, reminding me she is still there watching, and then she joins me in singing the chorus and moving her hips, “Chumpy, I break up with him before he dumps me/ To have me, yes you’re lucky.”
I have an obsession with flipping through my mother’s book of CDs and looking at all of the album art with awe until I find my selection, and I always seem to gravitate towards Missy Elliott, Da Brat or Queen Latifah; not that I am familiar with who those people are at 5 years-old, but because the album art has a curious way of making me feel something that resembles confidence.
It’s 2008. The Keith Haring painting the mirror had grown familiar with has turned into a small medium brown boy who looks more like a Basquiat painting, or a question walking around waiting for someone to answer it. My body feels awkward like my limbs and shoulders are a bit too big for my middle school being, and I am no longer the best dressed in class. I got headphones for Christmas and haven’t stopped playing Trina’s “Glamorest Life” in my ears since Christmas morning because when her loud and braggadocious voice comes crashing onto the treble-fueled beats, I feel like I fit in a bit more. I feel a strange confidence become me when I hear her rap “who you lovin’ who you wanna be huggin/ I seen her in your six hundred and you claim it's your cousin,” and I am proud of myself for understanding the first half of that line as a Lil Kim reference.
It’s 2011. The Basquiat painting feels like a Marina Abramović piece at this point, as I’ve begun to master the performance art of my own sexuality. I am driving the first car I own at night with the windows down, and Lil Kim tells me, “I used to be scared of the dick/ now I throw lips to the shit, handle it/ like a real bitch/ Heather Hunter, Janet Jacme.” I grip my hand on the passenger’s thigh, we kiss at a red light, and I say “Yo, you’ve gotta Google who Heather Hunter and Janet Jacme are real quick. Kim always comes through with the crazy references!” We laugh and pontificate on that line for a second before kissing again. I used to be scared of the dick lingers in the air, with Kim’s voice heavy and thick and a certain kind of honesty that is uncomfortably interesting, as I sit in the car with the first person to ever have sex with me.
They tell me all I ever do is listen to female rappers. They assure me they don’t think that’s a bad thing. They ask me why that is, and I explain how much I admire not only their lyrical delivery and dramatized personas, but I also love their performances of gender. I adore the way they help me, in some strange and almost inexplicable way, navigate my own relationship to the gender I was socialized into. I enjoy the way their gender within hip-hop, within their songs and lyrics, within their aesthetics, is politicized -- because it is something I am familiar with, and didn’t know how to express until I found them. My relationality to gender has always been one of having identities and labels ascribed to me, with terms and assumptions projected onto my body, and I saw pieces of that in the Black women who inspired me through their music.
Female rappers have narrated more moments of my life than I know how to explain, and have projected feelings on me I either forgot I needed to feel or couldn’t explain that I felt. When Nicki says “you was sleepin’ on me, thinking it was sumber time/ Now I’m a trending topic, lil mama, number signs” there is a breath of relatable energy that exists between us. It is in the way she openly refers to being slept on and openly discusses her struggles being a Black woman in a male-dominated industry that I am able to vibrate in a similar wavelength to her. The way that she is referred to as “difficult” for simply being about her business is a sentiment that resonates deeply with me as well because queer Black boys aren’t allowed to be outspoken without being “sassy” or seen as a queen. And if Nicki Minaj is slept on, her bravado simplified, her demands demeaned, then I can relate to her on a deeper level. And it is in the way she snaps back, reminding her ‘haters’ that she’s now a trending topic, that makes the inner scared and awkward queer boy in me go back to swinging his hips like a Keith Haring painting.
To be Black and queer is to have a strange relationship with space, or the lack thereof, and to have an even stranger relationship with confidence. The space that we are able to carve into this world looks a little different than other people’s. Our space looks nocturnal; night clubs, ballrooms, and dancing in our underwear with our friends to the newest Remy Ma song, grabbing pieces of her confidence and wearing it like an invisible cloak that hides us from the world. Women who rap, much like queer Black boys, manage to be both hypervisible and invisible at the same time; our bodies are sexualized before we have the choice to do it ourselves, and when we do own our own overt sexuality we are called conceited.
We can also look at the queer aesthetic often found in female rappers presentation to fully understand the massive appeal they are able to have to the Black queer community. I heard a friend say one time, “Nicki Minaj is one of the world’s greatest drag queens.” At the time, I was offended. What I assumed to be a transphobic remark likening Ms. Minaj’s appearance to that of a masculine figure was really a sly and subverted critique on the queerness of her aesthetic.
In reality, she is one of the world’s best drag queens, as are Lil Kim, Eve, Missy Elliott, and Left Eye, and several others. Drag and ball culture are such large parts of our Black queer community that you can’t help but notice the aestheticism seeping into the music video of Missy Elliott’s new single “I’m Better,” or the outlandishly early-2000s era fashion that Foxy Brown often adorned. The only one who switches a wig as much as a drag queen is Nicki Minaj, with the extravagance of a couture outfit and high-contoured cheekbones to match.
I am reminded of the artist and philosopher Adrian Piper’s “dear friend, I am black...” calling cards she would give to people who said racist or problematic things to her, and it feels that in this similar sentiment exists female rappers’ performance of gender and sexuality. As if through lyrics and aesthetic they are reminding you, “dear friend, I am a sexual being, I Black woman…” It is as if they understand the need to subvert femininity and sexuality into a performance, one that at times is even exaggerated, for the sake of the artistic statement. And because so much of the vitality surrounding modern interpretations of gender and sexuality is performance, the female rapper has the transcendent ability to do what only an artist can do: blue the line between sociopolitical commentary, art, and expression.
Whether through intentional subversion or simple fashion-forward styling, several female rappers have played with the traditions of gendered clothing and presented themselves as something far more interesting than a gender binary could ever allow them to be. I am reminded of Left Eye in the music video for “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” wearing baggie jeans and t-shirts, holding her crotch while she raps her sex-positive lyrics alongside the feminine presentation of Chilli and T-Boz. I think of Lady of Rage in the “Afro Puffs” music video, dressed almost like a biker chick, with her broad shoulders, dark and oversized leather draped from her body, and it makes me think of almost every Da Brat, Queen Latifah, and Yo-Yo music video I’ve watched where they wore traditionally masculine suits and clothing.
Plenty of the visual specificities in fashion and art between the early 90s and now have been influenced by this presentation, with women and other queer people drawing inspiration from this aestheticism. So, when we arrive at a Nicki Minaj, or an Angel Haze, or an Azealia Banks, or a Princess Nokia, or a Lola Monroe, or a Young MA, it is no surprise that they continue to transform and uphold the legacy that was established for them through generations of foremothers. They continue to be the fire-spitting drag queens at the front of a battle for inclusivity and acceptance in a cis-hetero patriarchal industry, one that often reflects the values of the Black community.
As a Black queer boy, female rappers embody much of the confidence we often aspire to and achieve. When Trina taught me to be the baddest bitch, I didn’t know that Queen Latifah had already told me I need to be addressed as “your highness.” When Foxy asked why “all the sudden all these rap bitches got accents too?” Nicki Minaj was ready to ask where the fuck is her curry chicken and her rice and peas? You see, it is in the way they demand to be referred to as a queen and the Queen Bitch, to be given what they deserve, to be adorned with the highest fashion and pop bottles right next to the male rappers, that a confidence so bold and unique exists and flourishes. They are able to embody a powerful, magical feminine strength that reads like confidence but feels like life being handed over in a syringe.
When I was the small boy who was still carefree and still had space in his chest for joy, Missy Elliott, and Left Eye were there to help me shake my hips; their music would bring me the movement and vibrations like in the Keith Haring paintings. When I was an awkwardly small child in a world that felt too big, Trina, Remy Ma, and Foxy Brown gave me the confidence I didn’t know I deserved but definitely needed. I heard Foxy tell me she has these rap bitches in a chokehold at least once a week. And when I became intimate for the first time and love tasted like sex, I had many Lil Kim lyrics that lent themselves to me.
Today as a Black queer activist and artist navigating the world through an intersectional lens, I’m able to see just how monumental the role of a woman rapping on the radio can be for a Black queer boy. I now have the language, voice, and ears to realize that it has been female rappers playing in the background of my life for decades. They’ve always been the ones that have given me life time and time again when the world hands little queer boys nothing but death, and they’ve always been the ones to be doin’ things that you won’t regret.
https://www.philadelphiaprintworks.com/blogs/news/give-much-respect-due-how-female-rappers-inspire-black-queer-boys
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