#i think this one's a bit special song for the illustrator?

[fzkr-sndr049]

The fukuoka trip joke song... meme refs aside, love other parts where it literally resembles few frames from the isotope manga like this one

and also this one

I first thought the placement of rime's clip was a mistake from the illustrator, not knowing the hint of a foreshadowing sequel of minaminominami's joke song, literally her clip resembles the emblem of the city lol

the illustrator was too eager to draw rime and making rime as a fukuoka fangirl (the illustrator is also from fukuoka) when knowing rim is from fukuoka and speaks hakata dialect

some scenes from the mv includes real footage or povs of going to fukuoka airport, anything from fukuoka hahahaha

it became natural for rime holding a signpost ever since slavevvr's bus stop song, never thought they would include this

til you realized it's not just a joke song, but that seemed a funny character song for rime 🤣🤣🤣, like it screams "no one leaves fukuoka" or "fukuoka's the best place", cuz she's literally a fukuoka fangirl here

surprisingly, unlike kafu who loves curry udon, rime loves anything that comes from fukuoka--- rime likes fukuoka ramen 😯

Right, here's the song:

#cevio #cevio ai #vocal synth #vsynth #kamitsubaki #musical isotopes #musical isotope diary #kafu #rime #sekai #neva thought the early illustration of rime from hayutea especially the fukuoka emblem clip from the left side of her head was a clue #i think this one's a bit special song for the illustrator?

[subtle-as-an-earthquake]

i am finally home and i'm pretty knackered but aaaahhh what a weekend!! ✨✨ so much happened in such a short amount of time, i'm still processing i think (also some personal stuff, that i won't bore you with). but yeah, the shows were absolutely epic, they were such good crowds for london standards. very rowdy but overall the atmosphere was amazing, and tbh that's probably in part because miles just exudes such incredible energy himself, if you ask me

just a little snippet of don't forget who you are from yesterday (night two) to illustrate:

also, a few random things i'm remembering now (which i'll put under the cut because i apparently remembered more than i thought):

miles seemed really really into it both nights, and really centered somehow? he was clearly having a blast and had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand, he's just SUCH an incredible showman. that's nothing new of course, but I was once again struck by just how very special and awe inspiring and just incredibly fun it is to watch him do his thing on stage. no one does it like miles fucking kane, baby

also, there were so many men in the audience who were just really letting go during the show, hugging their mates and singing the lyrics at each other, even full on crying when miles played colour of the trap (not even kidding, actual tears streaming down their faces). i don't think i've ever seen that at another gig to that extent, really. miles and his music seem to have - for want of a better phrase - a sort of liberating effect on a lot of men that's really nice to witness

on night one miles slipped on a spilled drink on stage and took a little tumble, but he recovered like a king and honestly it just made him look even cooler somehow lol

his arms and shoulders......... are sooooooo...... 🔥🔥🔥 dear fucking lord. his shoulders are broader than ever and honestly it was very hard to concentrate on anything else 🫠

after the show, we were chatting to ben for a bit who was just the sweetest and again talked about how he was a fan first (of arctic monkeys and tlsp and miles) and then sort of organically came to be a part of the band, and has just been having the time of his life so far! we were still chatting to him when miles came out after night 1, and when everyone started whooping, ben started screaming 'aaaaaahhh miles!!!' really loudly as a joke, before starting an impromptu chorus of the don't forget who you are 'la la la' that everyone joined in on. it was pretty hilarious

liam was super sweet too, and when he learned that i was dutch he was like 'oh we're playing a show in holland next week!' so i was like 'i know, i'm going!' and then he offered to put me on the guestlist, which was very kind of him even though i already have tickets lmao. he and ben both were very excited for that show for some reason, which made me even more excited as well!!

after night two ben and liam shared a massive hug outside and they both seemed really emotional, which was very sweet to see 🥺

nathan is the loveliest man alive. he said this tour was definitely the best one yet because the energy's just been amazing! he also asked us what are favourite album and song of the night was (his own fave was never taking me alive) and when I mentioned i just loved the bassline in coup de grace so much, he said it was as fun to play as it sounds, and that on the album it was actually miles who played it (that's probably common knowledge, but i didn't know!)

he also said that the band really is very close and they're all equals, and miles always says "we", and that he really is as kind and lovely as he seems 🥺 i mean, we knew that, but it was still really lovely to hear!

and of course, miles was once again just the most wonderful, gracious man ever with his fans, chatting to as many people as he could and taking pics with them and cooing at turtle paraphernalia, all while looking and smelling absolutely diviiiiine. he did seemed pretty knackered though, especially after night two, but that makes sense i think. and yet he still came out! truly a hero

as for my own chat with him, i for some reason went up to him like 'hiiiiiiiiiiiii' with my hands held out to him (idk man), and he just reciprocated my enthusiasm and took my hands and then held them and looked me in the eye while i rambled at him about how incredible i thought the show and he himself were, and he was just completely lovely, as always 🥺 such an angel

oh and finally, maxie is apparently staying with miles's mum while miles is on tour 🥺

i'm sure i'm forgetting things but this is already long enough 🙈 going to catch some zzz's now, i need them after this weekend

#sorry for rambling i am very tired #also my friend and i went to a pub after last night #and suddenly ru mine came on??? #we just lost it #started singing along at the top of our lungs and made a spectacle of ourselves but man it was so fun #what a goshdarn good weekend #miles kane #one man band tour #minnie talks

[copperbadge]

Did you ever read the Dragon Riders of Pern books?

I did, yes! When I was eleven or twelve, in the early 90s, I came into possession of a stash of vintage 70s Anne McCaffrey books -- the first three Dragonriders books (Flight, Quest, and White Dragon) plus the Harper books (Song, Singer, Drums) and Get Off The Unicorn, and I think Ship Who Sang and possibly Crystal Singer, most of them in the original pulp paperback. At the time she was still publishing fairly frequently so once I tore through those I started reading the rest, to the point where, when The Girl Who Heard Dragons came out when I was in my middle teens, I was caught up and super eager for the new anthology (which I adored). We didn't have a lot of money then and almost none for books I could as easily get out of the library, so getting the hardbound version with all the gorgeous Michael Whelan illustrations as a gift was a real treat.

Anne McCaffrey was essentially my introduction to adult SFF, along with Terry Pratchett beginning about a year later. She was certainly my introduction to written erotica. And her writing was a huge influence on mine structurally -- she has a pretty specific way of structuring sentences and paragraphs and when I re-read her books I can see where a lot of my prose style came from even today.

I was aware at the time that there were, shall we say, some issues with her writing, particularly surrounding consent (she acknowledges as much in Get Off The Unicorn, not that she ends up doing anything about it, ever) and I'm aware of her extremely weird and problematic statements about homosexuality. Not to mention she was one of the authors who not only didn't like fanfic but flip-flopped a bit about whether she would "allow" it to be circulated. It's a mixed legacy in general, and certainly for me. But the dragonriders books and especially Dragonsong and Dragonsinger hold a specific and special place in my heart, as does The Ship Who Searched.

#anne mccaffrey #dragonriders

[bookshelf-in-progress]

The True Story: An Epistolary Novelette

An intrusive fantasy story for @inklings-challenge

I. Christine Hendry to the proprietor of Wright and Co.

Sir or Madam:

I feel like such a fool for reaching out to you--a stranger whose business card happened to be tucked in the pages of an ancient book on my grandmother's shelf. I don't even know if your shop exists anymore; signs are against it, because I can't find so much as a phone number to contact you by. Nothing but an address and a name: Wright and Co.: Specialists in Rare, Antique, and Nonexistent Books.

That last category is the only reason I'm bothering to write at all. I'm looking for what seems to be a nonexistent book, so I may as well try writing to a shop that may or may not be real.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother read to me from a copy of Song of the Seafolk by Marjorie A. Penrose. It was an American children's fantasy from--I believe--the 1950s, all about a family getting mixed up with mermaids on a tiny Atlantic island. It had beautiful black-and-white illustrations, and language so lyrical that I still remember passages even though I haven't read it in nearly twenty years. My grandmother loved it to bits, and read it to me a dozen times after I came to live with her. I went off to college, and jobs, and travel, and I haven't much thought about that book--or, to be honest, my grandmother--since I left the house.

But now Grandma has a broken hip, and there's no one else to care for her, so I've come back. The moment I stepped back into that house, I found I wanted nothing more than to read that book. To her, if possible. I need to return the favor.

But the book is nowhere to be found. I've searched through all her bookshelves (extensive), closets (messy), and storage boxes (many and varied), to no avail. I resigned myself to the necessity of buying a new copy, but there are no new copies for sale. Or any old copies. None in any library. Not even a hint of its existence online. All my inquiries to cashiers and librarians have been met with blank stares. It seems like no one in the world has even heard of that book except my grandmother and me.

So I write to you from sheer desperation. A cry into the void. If your shop does exist, and you are a real person, is there any chance in the world that you have the book I want? Knowing now how rare the book apparently is, I shudder to think of the price you'd charge, but as long as I don't have to sell any limbs to pay for it, I find myself willing to pay almost any price. Of course, that's assuming you're a real person reading this, and you by some miracle have the book, and you haven't thrown this letter away while sneering at the lunatic who wrote it.

If all those things somehow manage to be true, please write back to me at this address, and I assume we'll be able to arrange some method of payment.

Yours, in desperation,

Christine Hendry

II. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Miss Hendry:

I am pleased to inform you that Wright and Co. does still exist, and it maintains its specialty of supplying books that can be found nowhere else. It is unsurprising that you were unable to locate a second copy of the book, because a glance through our sales records show that the book was purchased from this very shop in 1968 (which is likely why your grandmother was in possession of our business card), and comes from our specialized stock of books that exist nowhere else in the world.

These books tend to appear on our shelves at unpredictable times, and rarely in batches of more than one or two, so I feared I would be unable to grant your request. Yet I have sometimes found that these books appear in response to a need, so I searched the shelves, and to my delight, found the book tucked into a corner of our children's section.

The books from our special selection sometimes wander back to our store's shelves when they are no longer needed by their purchasers, and it appears that this is what happened in this case, because the book I found bears signs of ownership by a Mrs. Dorothy Hendry. Since I cannot charge you for your own book, I have taken the liberty of shipping the copy of Song of the Seafolk along with this letter.

I humbly beg your forgiveness for the suffering this has caused, and I sincerely hope Wright and Co. will be able to serve you in any future literary needs.

Faithfully yours,

Benjamin Wright

III. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Mr. Wright:

I'm glad you couldn't see how red my face got when I received your response. It's one thing to send a letter when there's a miniscule chance of a reply, but getting a reply and knowing that a real, living person read your words is a very different (mortifying) thing. I would never have written that letter the way I did if I had fully comprehended that it was going to be read by a complete stranger.

My only consolation is that my letter wasn't half as strange as your reply. What do you mean, the books appear on the shelves and wander back? How on Earth did you send me a copy of my own book??

Because you're right--it's the exact copy I remember from my childhood. The same purple clothbound cover with the mermaid and lighthouse stamped into it. The same jelly stain inside the back cover. Page 54 has a torn corner, and the mermaid on page 126 has a unibrow penciled onto her face. Even if my grandmother hadn't written her name in the cover, I'd have known it for the same book. Yet she would never have donated--or even sold--Song of the Seafolk, even after I moved away. She loved it too much.

Yet somehow you sent it to me. I'm so grateful that I won't even accuse you of sending a ring of book thieves to raid my grandmother's shelves.

I read the book to my grandmother this weekend, and it was like the years fell away, and we were back in the warm glow of my childhood bedroom, completely at ease with the world. The pain medication leaves Grandma foggy sometimes, but there were several points when she smiled, closed her eyes, and recited the book along with me word for word. I'd try to repay you in some way for facilitating that, but some things are priceless.

However you got the book, it seems to prove you're able to achieve the impossible, and because of that, I'm going to bother you with another request. Grandma loves fantasy, but her true love is mystery novels. She has a whole bookshelf devoted to them, mostly Golden Age paperbacks--country house novels, a smattering of noir. I feel like there's so little joy in her life right now, but the one thing I could provide would be a new mystery. Yet, looking at her shelves, I suspect that she's read every book of this type that exists. So I'm going to ask you to live up to that Nonexistent in your name and find me a Golden-Age-esque mystery that no one--not even Grandma--has read yet. If you can achieve that, I would be grateful for whatever you can send me.

Yours with gratitude,

Christine Hendry

IV. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Miss Hendry:

I am afraid I can answer very few of your questions as to the workings of this shop, at least when it comes to our specialized stock. Among the shelves of Wright and Co., there will on occasion appear a book which no employee has ordered--books with unfamiliar titles by unfamiliar authors, which have the appearance of age and wear, but cannot be found in any other shop, and have no history of publication by any firm. Yet there is always a reader--sometimes several, if the shop staff takes to reading it--who finds that it perfectly satisfies their tastes and fills some unmet need, as if the book was dreamt up just for them. These books seem to come into existence just when needed, and sometimes wander away when they're not.

We have several theories about the origins of these books, very few of them sensible. Perhaps they come from other worlds, where history went just a bit differently from ours. Perhaps they are books that authors dreamed up but never wrote. Perhaps they are spontaneously created in response to a reader's desires. I have learned not to question it. I merely accept the books as a gift--and bestow them as gifts to those in need.

To that end, I have honored your request for a mystery. Though I've no doubt there are many more ordinary books that could fulfill your desire (any seller of used books could tell you that this genre is far more extensive than most individual readers suspect), there is a book that appeared on our shelves last autumn that I feel will exactly fit your grandmother's tastes. The Wings of Hermes by Elizabeth Tern casts Oxford don Joseph Quill in the role of amateur sleuth, as he is pulled into the intrigue surrounding a piece of ancient Greek statuary. Quill is a very literary detective, in the vein of Gamadge or Wimsey, though his story has a touch of noir and more than a tinge of melancholy. I feel the book will be satisfying to a woman who has been a patron of our shop, and I hope it will fulfill its intended role of aiding in her recovery.

Yours faithfully,

Benjamin Wright

V. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Darling Benjamin,

Do you think I'm stupid? Or are you just insane? Do you expect me to swallow all that rigamarole about magic teleporting books? If it's a joke, you tell it with an alarmingly straight face, and frankly, it seems in poor taste (and poor business practice) to dump it all onto unsuspecting customers. If you don't want to explain how you got my book, fine--I'm sure it's a boring story involving mistaken donations or something--but I wish you wouldn't insult my intelligence by making up some whimsical fairy tale.

But for all that, I can't fault your taste in books. The Wings of Hermes was stupidly good. Grandma LOVED it. I stayed up until nine at night reading it with her--which is practically the middle of the night by her standards--because she was so desperate to know the culprit. It's a cut above most of the books on her shelf, and it's taken a place of pride there.

You weren't kidding about the melancholy. Grandma didn't mind--she was too wrapped up in the mystery--but I'll admit it got a bit depressing for my taste in places. The world seems dark enough right now--Grandma's hip isn't healing as well as we'd like. I'm having trouble adjusting to the move, and balancing work with Grandma's care is getting a touch overwhelming. I don't need fictional darkness on top of that.

What I need is something to lift my spirits. I've searched Grandma's shelves, and though she has plenty of comedies, there's nothing that catches my attention for more than a few pages, or elicits more than a wan smile. I don't know if there's a book in the world that could cheer me at the moment, but if any shop could supply it, I suppose yours can. Do you have anything like that? If you could, please send it my way.

At least, if you're willing to send it to a sponge. It seems you forgot to bill me for my last book, so if I have to settle the debt first, please let me know the price and I'll pay up. But please spare me the fairy tales.

Yours in respect,

Christine Hendry

VI. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Miss Hendry:

Your skepticism about the origins of our shop's unique books is understandable. Yet I told you the honest truth in response to an honest question. Any of our shop's past or present employees, and many of our long-term customers, would be able to verify the truth of my account. I do not typically disclose the story to new patrons, but your long history with Song of the Seafolk led me to believe you were already among those who would value it, and perhaps the faceless nature of letter-writing prompted more than usual candor. I apologize for your confusion, but I do not retract so much as a syllable of what I've said. I have told you only the truth as I know it. You may believe or doubt as you desire, but I would ask that you fling no further insults toward my honesty or my sanity.

In light of the struggles weighing upon you, the staff of Wright and Co. have forgiven any insulting insinuations, and are only too glad to do what we can to ease your burden. We have honored your request for a comedy, and have sent you a slightly worn copy of Mercator Must Walk the Plank by E.G. Delaford. It is worn because it has been read so many times by the members of our staff. It has often been stored behind the counter for staff to read in slow moments, and many of the quotes have become bywords with our little band. We sometimes read it aloud at the Christmas party. Yet by mutual consent, we have agreed that it is exactly the book you need (working here gives one a sense for these things--another Wright and Co. oddity), and gladly send it to you. If we have need of it after you've finished, we trust it will find its way back.

The book appears to have been written in (some version of) the early 20th-century, about a gentleman who takes to high-seas adventure despite his complete lack of sailing knowledge--a Don Quixote of the sea--and the woman he rescues from a shipwreck who tries in vain to set them on a sensible course. The humor is absurd, the characters memorable, and the story--I have forgotten myself. It's best for you to discover these things for yourself.

I have enclosed an invoice detailing the price of The Wings of Hermes. The price is modest compared to the extreme rarity of the book, and you may pay it if you wish to own the book outright. However, Wright and Co. also maintains a sort of library system for those who understand the unique nature of these one-of-a-kind books. For a nominal fee that covers the cost of shipping, patrons may keep one book at a time in their homes, and send it back to Wright and Co. when they wish to request another. If you wish to experience the widest variety of our unique selection--and keep these books in circulation for other readers--I recommend enrollment in this system.

I will not send an invoice for Mercator Must Walk the Plank, because we could not sell that book at any price. You may keep it for as long as it is of use to you, without interfering with your ability to borrow other books per our normal system. We consider this loan not a business arrangement, but an act of charity in your time of need.

Yours faithfully,

Benjamin Wright

VII. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine,

I hope you don't mind that I slipped a note inside Mercator before Ben sent it off. We've never let the book outside the shop before, so I just had to say hello, and welcome you to our little band of Mercator fans (because I know you're going to love it). Please don't worry about sending it back too quickly. I must have half the book memorized, and I can always recite the silliest bits if Heinrich gets too grouchy.

I am so glad you're going to get to read this book, but I have to say that I'm surprised Ben agreed to it, because I could tell some of the things you said your last letter made him upset. These books mean a lot to him, and he doesn't talk about them to just anyone, so I don't think he liked being called a liar.

Not that I blame you! I'd have trouble believing the story, too, if I hadn't seen it myself. But I have! Hundreds of times! We'll be stocking the shelves or dusting, and all of a sudden we'll see a new book there--you usually just know there's something different about it. It'll have all the stuff that a normal book does--cover and endpages and copyright stuff and publisher names, and sometimes even those order forms to buy other books from the publisher. But they're all about companies that don't exist. Or by people we can't even find on the internet. There are too many books in too many styles for them to be the work of some prankster--especially since it's been happening for years and years and years.

And sometimes the books come back to us. I can count at least a dozen times that I've sold a book to someone, and then a year or two later I'll come across the very same copy on our shelves again. It's weird, but after you've worked here long enough, you get used to it, and you forget how strange it all is to people who don't know.

So anyway, I know you're going through a lot with your grandmother (I'm so sorry! I hope she's getting better!), and I'm sure you must be a really lovely person if you loved Song of the Seafolk so much (I hope you don't mind that I read it before Ben sent it back. Delightful book!) which is why I don't mind at all sending Mercator to you, even if you think we're all crazy. But we're not, really. And I hope we can be friends.

Lots of love,

Penelope Brams

(You can call me Penny!)

VIII. Heinrich Gross to Christine Hendry

Madam,

You have the only existing copy of Mercator Must Walk the Plank. I must ask you to use caution when handling it. It is beloved by many in the shop. Please do not consume food or drink while reading it. Do not dog-ear any more pages. Please be gentle when turning the pages that are coming loose.

This book is a gift we do not give lightly. Do not abuse our kindness.

Respectfully,

Heinrich Gross

IX. Christine Hendry to the staff of Wright and Co.

Everyone,

I'm overwhelmed. I had no idea this book--or the story behind it--meant so much to all of you. I feel like I've been sent a priceless family heirloom--and you know me from only three letters! I don't know what I've done to deserve so much trust, but I will care for this book as though it were a priceless work of art (which, from the sound of it, it basically is).

In the name of honesty, I have to say that I don't believe the story of your shop. Frankly, it all sounds like nonsense. But as I'm reading Mercator (we're on Chapter Nine!), I'm beginning to see more than a little bit of Katherina in my objections. Maybe you're all mad, maybe you're mistaken, but I'm not sure it matters much. There are worse things in life than a little nonsense. Especially when you're all so very kind.

I hope all of you (especially Ben) can forgive me for the snide remarks in my last letter. Grandma and I thank you for all the books--wherever they came from--and would be honored to consider you friends.

Yours,

Christine Hendry

P.S. How do I get enrolled in that lending program? I've sent back The Wings of Hermes.

X. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine,

Have you finished the book yet? What do you think?

When you're done with Mercator, I have so so so many books I want you to read. I'm making a list. I know you probably don't have as much time to read as we do here, but I'd hate to think of you missing out on any of my favorites.

I don't want to rush you, but I've never talked to anyone outside of Wright's who had the faintest idea what I was talking about when we referenced Mercator. I've enjoyed having it as our inside joke, but it's even better to have more people in on it.

Write back soon!

Penny

XI. Christine Hendry to Penelope Brams

Penny,

Grandma and I finished Mercator Must Walk the Plank last night--and started it again this morning. I can see why you all love it so much. What a wonderfully absurd book. Exactly the type of comedy I was looking for. Your instincts were correct: it was just what we both needed to cheer us up. It's removed enough from our world both in time and plausibility to take our minds away from ordinary things, and there's nothing mean-spirited about any of the humor. So many good characters among that crew. And the plot! High comedy! It's been almost a week since I read Chapter 14, and I'm still giggling over the fishing scene.

I would be overjoyed to read anything else you might recommend. If any of them are half as good as Mercator, they're sure to become my favorites, too.

Yours,

Christine Hendry

P.S. Grandma's hip is doing much better. Still a long road to recovery, but maybe the reread will help. Laughter being the best medicine and all.

XII. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Miss Hendry:

I've enclosed the forms for enrollment in Wright and Co.'s specialized lending program. If you will fill in the required information (though we obviously already have your address) and submit the proper payment, we will be able to begin sending books. The catalogue is yours to keep. I'm afraid the selection is rather outdated, and the summaries less than ideal at conveying the merits of each book. It was assembled by my predecessor, and I'm afraid that my uncle's genius for books did not translate to marketing skill. Amid the cares of business, I have not found the time to put together a modernized version, especially as I find that bespoke recommendations from our staff are far more likely to result in successful pairings of book and reader.

You will note there is a section on the third page where you can request a book. If I can offer a recommendation, I believe that the Alfred Quicke mystery series by Glorya M. Hayers, with its blend of comedy and mystery, would perfectly fit the tastes of your household. The mysteries solved by idle-rich amateur detective Alfred Quicke are always intriguing, but the cast of comedic types--and the farcical situations that arise in the course of the investigation--keep the stories lighthearted. The best way I can describe it is as if Wodehouse wrote a mystery series. The setting is much like that of his most famous stories, though with curious details that suggest it is set in an intriguing alternate world. With seventeen books in the series, you would find enough material to keep your grandmother in mysteries for a long time--though I suggest starting with the fourth book, The Counterfeit Candlestick, as the point where the series finds its voice.

I appreciate the handsome apology in your last letter and accept it wholeheartedly. However, I admit I had hoped for more than agnosticism toward our story. Despite your assertions, the truth does matter, whether we can discover it or not. Though the strange behavior of these books is outside our usual experience, it does not mean it is impossible (you will find a similar truth expressed by most of the great fictional detectives), and I had hoped your respect for us would open you to the possibility that there is more to this world than what we can understand. Perhaps it was too much to expect under the circumstances. But I hope we have garnered enough goodwill that you will not take offense at this expression of my honest opinion. If you do, I apologize, and will attempt to keep future letters focused purely on business.

Respectfully yours,

Benjamin Wright

XIII. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Mr. Wright,

I respect your opinion, though naturally I don't agree. I don't doubt you're sincere in believing what you do, but I can think of a dozen more mundane explanations of how these books mysteriously appear and disappear on your shelves (most of them involving poor record-keeping and less-than-stellar search engine skills). I suggest we drop the subject in the future, as neither of us is likely to convince the other, and my lack of belief about the mystical origin of these books doesn't keep me from fully enjoying the experience of reading them.

I hope you won't think it rude that I filled out your forms twice. Grandma and I do count as separate households, and if I'm going to keep Grandma in mysteries and experience some of the other books, I'm going to need two separate streams of supply. For now, though, I think books 3 and 4 of Alfred Quicke will suit our needs nicely.

Many thanks,

Christine Hendry

XIV. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine!!!

I'm so so glad you loved Mercator! I just knew you would, but it's always a little bit horrible when someone else reads one of your favorite books, because if they hate it, it crushes a piece of your heart, and I don't have that many pieces to spare.

But when they love it! Oh! I can love a book twice as much when I know someone else who loves it! I wouldn't think it was possible I could love Mercator more, but thinking of you and your Grandma laughing over it in her sickbed makes me so--this is going to sound strange, but I'm proud of it. As if we sent out a friend to do a good work, and he succeeded in working miracles. I hope you read it as many times as you want. Trust me, it gets better every time.

But I hope you'll find time to read some other books, too! I'm glad you got your own account along with your Grandma's. Alfred Quicke is lovely (I love his books almost as much as Mercator--please let me know what you think of Bright Folly when you read it), but one cannot live on mysteries alone. There are so many genres, so many moods, so many eras of literature to explore, and Wright's has wonderful examples of so many of them, so I'm so glad we'll get to send them to you.

I know Ben sent you that horrible little catalogue. Ignore it. It makes so many of the very best books sound so dull, and half my favorites aren't even in it. I can do a much better job of telling you what books to read. I've got pages and pages written up about the best ones, but I don't want to overwhelm you right away, so I'll just tell you about a few of the very best at a time. I've included a list of some of the ones I think you'll like best.

You can read what you like, of course, but I can't help thinking you should read The Autumn Queen's Promise by Rose Rennow just as soon as you possibly can. If you loved Song of the Seafolk, I'm sure you'll love this. It's another children's fantasy (a newer one--'90s, maybe?), with the same type of atmospheric historical setting, though this time, it's the most vivid autumnal woods you've ever read about in your life, which makes it perfect for this time of year.

The story's all about this fairy queen who stumbles into this little village in colonial America and can't get home. And she hates them all at first, of course--she's this horrible arrogant thing--but she comes to care for them and it's just lovely to read about. A little slow, but no slower than Seafolk. A nice, relaxing kind of slow. I'm sure you'll love it.

Whatever you pick next, I hope you'll keep me posted with reading updates. I so love talking with you about these books. It's so nice to have a pen pal!

Lots of love,

Penny

XV. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Miss Hendry:

Your account has been opened and the requested books have been shipped. We at Wright and Co. are pleased to count you as one of our trusted patrons.

I am afraid I will find it difficult to honor your request to drop the subject of the origin of our specialized books. Perhaps it is a fault, but I have never been able to bring myself to "agree to disagree". It has always seemed to me the coward's way out of engaging with the search for truth. However, you are correct that endlessly rehashing the subject is unlikely to assist either of us in continuing that search, so I will refrain from mentioning it unless there is further evidence to discuss. If you would be so kind as to patronize our shop in person, I would be happy to offer you further proof of the phenomena that I describe, but further discussion via these letters is likely to remain futile.

Faithfully yours,

Benjamin Wright

XVI. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Mr. Wright:

My offer to "agree to disagree" was a courtesy to you. I'm sure you don't want to lose a customer over the issue, so I was giving you the chance to let it slide so it wouldn't interfere with our working relationship. You think that makes me a coward? How can you say I'm "refusing to engage with the search for truth" when you've admitted that you don't know what the truth is? You said yourself (I still have those first letters) that you don't know where the books come from. Just because you can find no record of them doesn't mean they just appeared out of thin air. And these supposed "returns" of books could come from donations or poor record-keeping. You say you have evidence, but from my point-of-view, you could just be a quirky small press that prints old-fashioned books and tells whimsical stories to draw in customers. With all the stress surrounding Grandma's health, there's no way on Earth that I could make a cross-state trip to see your supposed "proof" for myself.

Frankly, if it weren't for Grandma, I'd consider canceling my accounts with you. But she's been tearing through Alfred Quicke so fast and enjoying it so much that I don't dare to cut off her source of supply. And the books you've sent are wonderful--you've been so kind about Mercator, and you gave me back Song of the Seafolk, and The Autumn Queen's Promise is turning into a lovely story I wouldn't have been able to find anywhere else.

I can't wrap my head around you people. Every time I give you the chance to back away from this weird story, you double down, and frankly, it's freaking me out. Penny's so bubbly that it's easy to see how she could get caught up in it, but you write with such a serious professional voice, and you seem (in your bland professional way) personally offended at my refusal to just go along with your story of mysterious magical books. Why does this matter so much to you? Why can't the books just be wonderful, obscure stories instead of mystical teleporting tomes that respond to feelings or whatever? I can't understand you.

Maybe you'll burn this letter and cancel my accounts, but if you dare to engage, I would like to know what you have to say for yourself.

Yours,

Christine Hendry

XVII. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine,

What did you say to Ben? He's usually so nice and sensible and kind and ordinary--really a great boss--but every once in a while, he broods. And he's been brooding ever since he got your last letter. It's like he's walking around with this big old cloud over his head. He keeps wandering the shelves and then going into his office and glaring at his computer and staring at the wall.

It's got me worried. Is your Grandma okay? I guess he'd tell me if she wasn't. Or you would. I hope.

Are you dying? Maybe that would explain why you haven't written in so long.

Please don't die on me. I couldn't bear it.

Write back soon.

Penny

XVIII. Christine Hendry to Penelope Brams

Dear Penny,

No one's dying. Grandma gets more mobile every day, and I'm in as good of health as you can have when you're running mostly on caffeine and a couple of hours of sleep a night. I've just been so busy between work and Grandma's care and insurance (so many stupid phone calls) and trying to figure out our finances, and trying to find senior housing for Grandma (her house has way too many stairs), that I barely have time to eat, much less write you back. I'm sorry if I worried you.

As for Ben, well, long story short, I majorly overreacted to some minor thing he said, and wrote a sleep-deprived response that I never should have sent. I really don't want to get into it with you, because you'd probably side with him, and I'd like to keep our friendship intact, at least.

I did manage to read The Autumn Queen's Promise a few pages at a time, and it was just as lovely as you promised it would be. Exquisite fall reading. I almost hate to send it back--that lovely cover alone, with its painting of that beautiful queen in that autumnal woods, added so much atmosphere to the house just by being here. It'll never replace Song of the Seafolk in my heart, but it came closer than almost any other book to recapturing what it felt like to experience it for the first time. I send it back with warm thanks for the recommendation.

I'm also sending back your beloved copy of Mercator Must Walk the Plank. I've held onto it far longer than I deserved to. You were so gracious to send it to me, and I can't take advantage of your kindness. (You can tell Heinrich that I haven't added a single scuff to the cover).

Since Ben seems to be in no mood for letters from me, can I send my book requests through you? Grandma would like Books 8 and 9 of Alfred Quicke (she can use my account for the second, because I don't have much time for reading at the moment.)

Thank you,

Christine

XIX. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Miss Hendry:

You say that you find us at Wright and Co. difficult to understand, but I find you equally baffling. In a single letter, you will thank us profusely for our friendship and the books we provide, while at the same time attacking that very thing which we hold most dear. In expressing my difficulty with the phrase "agree to disagree", I was not attacking your morals. You will note I was more than willing to honor your request to drop the subject. Yet in misconstruing my words, you have sounded the horn of war, and honor and duty--and, to be honest, personal inclination--demand that I engage.

You ask me why these books--and the phenomena surrounding their existence--matter so much to me. I can answer only by biography. Wright and Co. is a small, cluttered, dim, obscure shop--you could find a thousand used book stores like it anywhere in the world--but from a young age (the shop was owned by my uncle then) it seemed a place of unique enchantment. I would spend summer days racing among the stacks and losing myself in books. I grew more jaded and cynical as I aged--most teenagers do--but whenever I was in danger of becoming a disaffected youth, there was something about the shop that made me feel there was something more than the meaninglessness of everyday life.

Learning about the miracle of the books felt like getting the answer to a question I hadn't realized I was asking. Here was proof there was something beyond the mundane and predictable. Something too wonderful for the human mind to understand. Some wondrous power cared enough about the patrons of this shop to help them get the right story in their hands at the right time--even if that story had never been written. Other books have authors and publishers, but these books seemed like a gift from the author of imagination itself.

When I took over the shop, I became a steward of that gift. Caring for these books and matching them with readers makes the running of this shop, not just a banal business arrangement, but a calling. Stories have the power to shape our imagination, our outlook, our relationships with others--and these stories, coming as they do unwritten, unbought and unlooked for, seem to have more power than most. Caring for that power is a great responsibility, one that I take very seriously. I have seen its good effect again and again. You cannot deny you have experienced it yourself.

You are correct when you say that I do not know the exact origin of these books. But I am not intellectually lazy just because I am content with no answer. Making peace with mystery--knowing that some things are ever unknowable--is not the same as refusing to believe the truth that comes before your eyes.

You have closed yourself to even the possibility of an explanation that goes beyond the reality you can comprehend. I have spoken of evidence that proves there is no rational explanation for these books, and you call me an unreliable witness. You have seen hints of the wondrous that you dismissed out of hand. I understand that you do not have the same evidence that I have, and I have not been as gracious as I should have been in making allowance for that. But saying that my refusal to seek an exact explanation makes me intellectually lazy is inaccurate in the extreme.

I may not know how these books come into my shop, but I know from whom. I may not know the exact mechanisms of the miracle, but I firmly believe there is an author of all that has allowed my shop to be a source of minor--and yes, rather whimsical--wonders. I need not know more than that to do my duty well.

Perhaps that explanation will help you to understand my position. More likely you will think me crazier than ever. But since I have explained my inner self, perhaps I have some right to ask for an explanation in return.

Ever since your response to that first letter, when I hinted at the miracle surrounding these books, I detected not only disbelief from you, but disdain. I was troubled to see such disgust toward the concept, especially from one who has proven herself an enthusiastic fan of fantasy. Why do you seek wonders in your stories, but resist it so fiercely in your own existence? Would it be so terrible for these books to have a supernatural origin? Is there not some appeal in letting the wondrous into your life?

You need not respond to such prying questions if it makes you uncomfortable. But I ask that at least, if you do respond, that you deal gently with one who has made his inner self so vulnerable to your scrutiny.

Yours faithfully,

Benjamin Wright

XX. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Ben,

Wow.

When I asked for an explanation, I didn't expect that.

I don't know how I can possibly respond.

I definitely understand why it matters so much to you, but somehow, this conversation has shifted from magic to theology, and I'm even less equipped to engage in a conversation about that. Not to get into too much detail, but that's part of the reason I haven't seen my grandmother in so many years. Grandma's comfortable with that stuff. I prefer my fantasy to remain safely in stories.

If what you say is true, if there's some grand wonderful power--call it magic, call it God--that does things we can't understand, then we're completely powerless against it. Which is fine if the power is good, but if the good things are real, then the bad things can be, too. There are too many ordinary problems for me to want to live in a world where there's some grand plan I can mess up by doing the wrong thing, and greater powers are waging in a war for my soul.

Fantasy is great. I love stories of mermaids and magic and the wonders of life. But it's not reality. I learned that young, and every year I live only proves it more. I'm content to live in the ordinary world with its ordinary problems, and get my escape through literature--where none of the monsters on the page can hurt me.

I'm glad--I really, truly am--that you've been able to make yourself believe in some grander purpose behind these silly little stories we've been reading. But I can't believe in that. I've seen no proof to make me believe it. Maybe you have, but most people can barely trust their own eyes, so how can I trust yours? It's not that I think you're crazy or stupid. Your personality and experiences make you want to believe. Mine make me happy to doubt. It's nobody's fault, and neither of us can change it, and it's fine. I'll stop calling you a crackpot if you stop calling me a coward, and we'll leave it at that.

Wherever the books come from, we all agree that they're wonderful, and if you don't mind dealing with a dirty nonbeliever, I'd be honored if you'd let me continue doing business with you.

Yours,

Christine Hendry

XXI. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine,

Where is Mercator? We got your letter, and The Autumn Queen's Promise, and your most recent Alfred Quicke, but no sign is there of Mercator Must Walk the Plank.

Oh! Oh no! What if it got lost in the mail? Could we survive such a tragedy? Silly old John Quackenbush and fiery Katherina, and grumpy little Pegs and that whole lovable crew--gone forever! If the U.S. Postal Service is responsible for their destruction, I'll...we'll...we'll make them pay! This is a murder and there must be justice!

Don't worry, I don't blame you. But the next mailman to cross my path better watch out. We'll find that book if we have to tear through every mail box and bag and truck in the country!

I'll keep you posted about the search if I can find the time to write.

Frantically,

Penny

XXII. Christine Hendry to Penelope Brams

Dear Penny,

I'm so extremely sorry. When I sent you that last letter, I truly thought I had packaged and mailed Mercator Must Walk the Plank, but after receiving your reply, I discovered that the book was still on its usual shelf in my grandmother's house. I've been so sleep-deprived lately that I overlook things, but I didn't think I could possibly have overlooked something that.

Don't worry. I'll be sending it out as soon as I get another box to ship it in. And this time, I'll make 100% sure it's inside before I ship it.

Please forgive me.

Christine

XXIII. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Dear Christine,

You've asked me not to call you a coward, but your wording leaves me almost no choice. Denying yourself the good and wondrous out of fear of evil and danger is the definition of cowardice. Staying within the narrow world of rationality makes for a bleak and colorless life--and you're none the safer for your denial. Good and evil exist whether you acknowledge them or not. Closing your eyes to them only makes you vulnerable to ambush should they come upon you unaware.

Can you not open yourself to the possibility that the good can overcome the evil? That it can offer strength to face the dangers? Great stories can do that by showing us how to act in such situations, to give us examples of victory over darkness, to open our minds to possibilities that we might not accept in our ordinary lives. You've experienced such stories. Is it so strange to think they might reflect the reality we live in? Is it so strange to think there might be some greater power offering us those stories to sustain us?

To you, I'm sure it seems impossible. But you know there are those who think otherwise. I only ask you to consider the implications of the choice.

Respectfully yours,

Ben

XXIV. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Ben,

I don't think you can call my position a choice. You're acting like I'm picking between favorite foods or something--picking one position because I don't like the other one. But as far as I can tell, my position is the only choice. I have no reason to believe any other option exists.

It would be wonderful if I could believe the way you do. It seems to have brought you a lot of peace. But I'm not built that way and I'll just have to struggle along. Your concern is touching, but I've been doing just fine so far.

If I ever see proof, I'd have reason to reconsider, but as it is, I have enough trouble in the world I can see to worry too much about one that I can't.

Respectfully,

Christine

XXV. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine,

Still no sign of Mercator. Did you forget to send it again, or do I have to lay siege to the post office?

Penny

P.S. Have you been reading any more of the books?

XXVI. Christine Hendry to Penelope Brams

Penny,

I have tried to send off that package no fewer than three times, and every time the book somehow makes its way back to my shelf. Maybe I'm just so used to seeing it there that I keep putting it back. I am so sorry for the delay.

It makes me feel guilty that I'm still profiting by reading your other books. Now that winter is upon us, Grandma and I have started reading aloud from the longest of your fantasy suggestions--The Queens of Wintermoon. You're right that it's an odd book--Russian-flavored science fantasy, with all those complicated family ties and political intrigues--but it's just what we need right now. Grandma is unfortunately dealing with a bout of pneumonia at the moment, which means I'm spending a lot of time at the hospital, but a big, thick, lush and lyrical literary book with a huge cast of vividly-drawn characters is just what we need to take us away from the sterile white walls and the scent of disinfectant.

It's great to sink into that snowy world with its royal glamour and underground orchards and mystical machines. Grandma and I spend ages talking about the four sisters and their royal husbands--all their flaws and heartaches and complicated relationships. I'm most attached to Vitalia and her political intrigue plot, while Grandma most loves the storyline of Inessa and her mysterious woodcutter husband. I have my suspicions about both their secrets, but I'm more than willing to wait the 800-or-so pages they'll need to resolve everything. It's nice to have something to take my mind off of other worries.

But I will keep worrying about Mercator. I promise somehow or another, it will make its way back to you.

Yours,

Christine

XXVII. Christine Hendry to Penelope Brams

Penny,

I don't understand it. This is the fifth time I've tried to send Mercator Must Walk the Plank back to you. This time I waited until I'd had a decent night of sleep so my mind was clear. I put it in the packaging (extra padding). I took a picture of it inside the box. I took a picture of the sealed and addressed box. I took a picture of the box when I took it to the post office and left it at the counter. And then I returned home to find the book sitting on the same shelf where I'd put it this morning.

Are the darn things breeding? Did you send me extra copies? There is no other explanation for what happened.

It's got my head spinning, and until I've got it figured out, unfortunately Mercator is going to stay right where it is.

Sorry!

Christine

XXVIII. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Christine,

Penny has made me aware of your difficulties with Mercator Must Walk the Plank. It's clear to me (as I'm sure it will be to you) what has happened. If you wished for proof, you now have it. The Powers-That-Be have determined that you have more need of the book than we do.

Please don't distress yourself by (or waste postage upon) any further attempts to send the book back. We have plenty of other books to read, and if we ever have need of Mercator, I trust that the same powers will ensure it makes its way back to us.

Yours,

Ben

XXIX. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Ben,

It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep. I'm trying not to think of that book and I can't. It just doesn't make sense.

This can't be happening. But it is. And if this part of your story is true, then that means the other part of the story is true, which means your theories

This doesn't mean you've won. I'm sure there's some rational explanation that I've overlooked. I shouldn't even write to you because you'll just try to convince me that this is proof we live in a world of angels and fairies who bother themselves about the books we read. But it's not like there's anyone else I can talk to about this.

If you have nothing to say but, "I told you so," don't bother writing back at all. But if you've anything useful to say I'm all ears (or eyes, I guess--weird that I've never actually spoken to you. I don't even know what you look like. How old are you?)

I should sleep. But I'm going to go off and mail this letter like a moron because it's the closest I can come to a conversation.

Good night.

Christine

XXX. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Christine,

This is me not saying I told you so.

That doesn't leave me much else to say.

I'm 39.

Picture the word "man" in the dictionary. Imagine there's an illustration there. That's pretty close to what I look like.

If you want to hear my voice, you'll have to come to the shop and talk to me in person. Or I suppose we could call each other. We do live in the 21st century. But I admit I've enjoyed this 19th-century correspondence we've been keeping up.

I wish I had something more useful to say, but I doubt I can say any of it in a way you want to hear.

I hope you've been sleeping better.

Ben

XXXI. Penelope Brams to Christine Hendry

Christine

CHRISTINE!!

I know you didn't order another book, but I was wandering through the shelves the other day when this book just about jumped out at me. It's like it had your name written in it. Like how your grandmother wrote in Song of the Seafolk.

Your name's not in it. I checked. But something about it still made it seem like yours. Like we were keeping it from you. Ben agreed (he's got a good sense for these things), so I started preparing the box to ship it. But I read a bit of the first chapter before I packaged the book, just to get an idea of what I was sending you. I didn't move from that spot until I'd read the whole thing. Ben just about locked me in the shop before he found me sitting in a daze in the back room.

Christine, you have to read this book. Now. It's the most beautiful...well, not fantasy. But it's not not fantasy. It's so real and yet so magical and you could maybe read it both ways. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it.

But what's the book? If you've opened the package by now, I'm sure you know it's called Cardinal's Map by someone named Dorothy Cannes. It's from the eighties, it looks like, but it feels older. And newer. Does that make it timeless? I suppose all of the books in our "special" selection feel that way. Anyway, it's about this girl named Miranda, and she's this terrible grouch, and she goes to work for this old guy named Cardinal (that's where the title comes from) who needs help writing his book. And he's got the most beautiful map of all the countries in world of his fantasy book. Except the countries might be real? And just....ack, I don't have words! The book has a lot of them. Read those instead.

And then write to me because I need to know what you think about the ending!!

Lots of love,

Penny

XXXII. Christine Hendry to Penelope Brams

Penny,

You were right.

Thank you.

Christine

XXXIII. Christine Hendry to Benjamin Wright

Ben,

It's been three hours since I finished Cardinal's Map, and I haven't moved from my chair. Everything you said about the power of story is true. It's like this book reached into my soul and rearranged the furniture. Cleared out the clutter. And it did it by sweeping me along with the characters and the story and the beautiful prose so I didn't even know what was happening until it was already done.

Everything we've been fighting about for the last few weeks was in this book. It talked about all the things you were trying to tell me, but instead of just telling me, it showed me and made me think and feel and helped me make sense of it all. And I never felt like it was preaching. I'm not even sure it was trying to preach. It's just...a story, so I let my guard down and it got under my skin. Just like Cardinal's map got to Miranda.

I don't know if you've read the book or not, but the premise is that John Cardinal is writing this extensive fantasy work and Miranda's this jaded college kid hired as a secretary to help him arrange all his notes. And she's fascinated by the fictional map and gets swept up in the book, until she realizes that Cardinal is telling the story of his life. That this character who traveled to this other fantasy world is supposed to be him. And she's got to figure out if he's using this as a metaphor, or if he's crazy, or if this other world really is a real place.

And by the end of the book, we don't know. You could read it both ways--the world in the map is either a metaphor or a real country that he’s been to. But it doesn't really matter which one is true, because the bigger truth is that Miranda knows there's something beyond the rational world that we can see. And it's not terrifying. It's wonderful. It's not this place full of monsters waiting to pounce--it's this exciting, dangerous, beautiful place to explore.

If Penny wants to know what I think of the ending, I believe that Cardinal's world is real. And I believe your story is true. I've seen evidence. That terrified me, because that means the world no longer makes sense. But the truth doesn't have to be a terrifying destruction of the reality I know; it can be an expansion of it. I don't understand why any of this happens, or how, but maybe I don't have to know how. I just need to be thankful that it did.

You said that Mercator stayed with me because I needed it more than you guys did. Maybe what I needed was evidence of the miracles you told me about. Then I wondered why Song of the Seafolk wandered away, because I very much needed it here when it was at your shop. But maybe what I needed was to write to you. The correspondence we've shared, the books you've sent me, they've strengthened me through a lot of difficult weeks. They've given me and Grandma a lot of joy, brought us back together after so many year's apart. And they've helped me straighten out a lot of questions I didn't know I was wrestling with.

There was someone's hand in all this--an author arranging all the pieces of the story in a way I'd never have been able to achieve on my own. Maybe before that'd make me feel helpless, but now, I don’t know, I guess I feel cared for. Like someone’s watching out for me.

I feel like I should thank you, and I don't know how. This is too deep for words. Thank you for writing, even when I was horrible to you. Thank you for the books. Thanks for being a part of my story.

Grandma's doing better now. If she's up for it, I think it's time for a road trip.

If you're ever going to see Mercator or Cardinal's Map again, I might have to hand them to you in person.

Love to all of you,

Christine Hendry

XXXIV. Benjamin Wright to Christine Hendry

Christine,

You may not believe me, but I did not read Cardinal's Map before sending it to you. I simply had the notion that it would be the ideal book for your circumstances--and I was as surprised as you were to find just how true that was. Another gift, I suppose.

I look forward to reading it, if you can ever spare it (I look upon the book as belonging to you now). I also greatly anticipate the opportunity to see and speak to you here in the shop. I hope you will not wait long to make good on your promise.

Yours faithfully,

Ben

XXXV. Christine Hendry to the staff at Wright and Co.

Everyone,

I can't say how wonderful it was to see you all in person. You all looked just like I pictured you. Your shop is too wonderful for words. I could have moved in. But alas, Grandma and I don't have the resources for a move right now.

We'll have to continue the friendship long-distance. Now that I have the shop's phone number (funny I never thought to request it before), and your personal numbers, I suppose we can call whenever we like. But if you don't mind, I'm going to keep corresponding by letter, too.

Love to you all,

Christine

#inklingschallenge #team chesterton #genre: intrusive fantasy #theme: visit the sick #story: complete #remind me to tell you the behind the scenes stuff sometimes #maybe it wouldn't be interesting to you but it was a wild ride

[marshvlovestv]

In honor of me having so much video game music downloaded on my phone that I ran out of storage and had to buy a new phone. My favorite track from each video game OST I have!

Bastion: Brusher Patrol (Such a bizarre clash of styles, I can't help but love this one. Shout-out to the part that sounds like Darren quietly scatting in the background.) (Also special shout-out to Build That Wall, probably my favorite vocal track in any Supergiant game)

Celeste: Scattered and Lost (I am such a normie for this choice but face it this track absolutely slaps.)

Chicory: A Colorful Tale: Song of the Wielders (I love how this song has actual lyrics but I still prefer to sing along with the Simlish version that Pizza and Chicory sing.)

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood: Illusion (First of all I love how every character in this game has their own theme I go feral for that kind of thing. Kurielle is probably one of the characters who stood out to me the least but by god is her theme gorgeous. I love the vocals and how a later track includes a sneaky reprise.)

Cuphead: Dramatic Fanatic (Tap dancing :D)

There are literally thirty of these so I'm doing a read more

Death's Door: The Grey Crow (A heartbreaking boss fight scored with the appropriate amount of anguish)

Deltarune: Cyber Battle (This melody is so underrated and ya know what, so are the characters associated with it. Sweet Cap'n Cakes forever.)

Elsinore: Donne, The Boat Boy (I love this song because it's associated with Lady Guildenstern, aka the best character in gaming full stop, but it's also just a fun little sea shanty that I think they made up for this game so I love that. Also has a lyrical version.)

Evergate: Police (Okay so the level with the police drones is one of the more frustrating ones in the game but the music is hauntingly beautiful so I give it a pass)

Going Under: trust fall (Marv is easily one of the most hateable video game antagonists of all time but damn if his boss theme doesn't slap)

Hades: Last Words (The rolling and the tolling of the bells bells bells bells bells)

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie: Reverie Ascendant (Lena Raine does these medley tracks so good man)

Hollow Knight: Dung Defender (By far the catchiest song about poop on my entire phone)

Ikenfell: Rose Thorns (So the insanely long final boss fight against Oxley overshadowed Aeldra's boss fight in my memory for a long time, but when I watched another playthrough and bought the OST I realized "Oh her theme bops SO much harder than his ever could")

Inscryption: A Final Duel (A hardcore remix of The Scrybe of Magicks, aka one of the only melodic tracks on the album and therefore the one every YouTube video about Inscryption uses in the background. I prefer the epic version just a bit more because honestly that Magnificus setpiece is the best moment in the game)

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass: Fun, Sunny Day (A fun and silly track as the title suggests, elevated even more by the context in which it plays in the game. The area music alternates between this and the more somber Rainy Sunday to illustrate that Jimmy mother is bipolar [very cute and silly game])

Omori: Bready Steady Go (Like the absolute dipshit I am I actually completely missed the optional Orange Oasis when I played this game myself. Every Let's Player finds it somehow, though, and when they fight the Unbread Twins I invariably stand up and dance along to the boss music.)

One Step from Eden: Perpetual Motion (It's just a good-ass track y'all)

Ori and the Blind Forest: Conundrum (In a soundtrack of sweeping orchestral pieces, this more subdued version of theme that only plays during one small puzzle section might seem a weird choice. But I've always really liked it)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Kwolok's Malaise (Kwolok's leitmotif is perfect for a giant frog and the boss remix takes it to it's logical conclusion)

Paradise Killer: Go! Go! Style (This track makes me feel like I'm having a sugar rush. The whole OST does actually but this one especially)

Pyre: Path to Glory (It's just got a really unique vibe to it. I like it)

Scarlet Hollow: Avery (Chill and really beautiful. Avery themself is kind of a sleeper character at this point but I can't wait for Brandon to remix their theme when they get assimilated into a giant plant monster)

Slay the Princess: The Princess (Okay full disclosure I've only played this game once so I don't have the full context for a lot of the tracks on this OST. Maybe hearing them alongside their respective princesses will make me like them more, but for now the title theme is too iconic to beat.)

Sounds of Sympathy (the OST for the game anthology Essays on Empathy): Zen and the Art of Transhumanism (In the Essays on Empathy documentary, fingerspit talked about how she prefers writing obscenely long tracks so the loop doesn't get annoying. Unfortunately for her my favorite track on this album is only three minutes long. It's a lovely little bop.)

Spiritfarer: Mind Palace (I played Spiritfarer before any of the character updates were released, so I didn't get Daria's mind palace sequences in my game. And I mean, they look very platforming-heavy so I'm okay with that, but god this is a gorgeous piece.)

Transistor: Impossible (I think this is Royce Bracket's boss theme? I don't know when any of the tracks on this OST specifically play in game. Regardless of all that this one gets me pumped.)

Unavowed: One Man's Power (I couldn't find a video of this one, but it's gentle saxophone solo that plays when Logan Brown is introduced. I think it fits is character really well and just sounds really nice)

Undertale: Death by Glamour (Best song for best character, enough said)

Wandersong: Moonscape (God knows this game gave me a lot of great options to pick from, but I settled on this one because it's so uplifting.)

#bastion #celeste #chicory: a colorful tale #the cosmic wheel sisterhood #cuphead #death's door #deltarune #elsinore #evergate #going under #hades game #harmony: the fall of reverie #hollow knight #ikenfell #inscryption #jimmy and the pulsating mass #omori #one step from eden #ori and the blind forest #paradise killer #pyre #scarlet hollow #slay the princess #essays on empathy #spiritfarer #transistor #unavowed #undertale #wandersong

[orphanheirs]

Intro Post!💀🦇🕸🕯

Hey there! Figured I'd finally make one of these in case anyone who stumbles on this blog wonders what it's all about.

As it says in my blog description, this is an online space where I can compile and organize imagery, info, and anything else that inspires me related to the novel I'm developing. At least that was the original motivation for making this, but I'm definitely wanting to post some original content surrounding the story and the characters in it soon! This imaginary world has been obsessing me for a few years now, and I'm honestly chomping at the bit to share it with others.

What you'll see on here:

Images related to: gothic lit, the regency period in Europe/Britain, the late 16th/early 17th century, some earlier 18th century, ancient and prehistoric cultures, paganism, the occult, witchcraft, fairies, folklore, the countryside/forests, autumn, Halloween, demons/devils, romantic fashion, screenshots and gifs from films, illustrations/other artists' art that inspires me, and any other random pic that speaks to me or that gives me an idea even vaguely related to the story.

Text posts relating to: all the same subjects above, plus quotes from poetry and literature, other stories that inspire me, and writing advice posts/memes.

Hopefully soon: posts introducing my characters and sharing concept art, ideas, research I've done, who knows what else??

***Content warning for some imagery that may be disturbing (as can be expected, I guess, from a horror aesthetic/theme).***

What the novel's about:

It's [going to be] a gothic/dark fantasy/folk horror/historical fiction novel set in regency Britain and centering around the concept of Halloween and its origins/meaning. Think Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell meets Over the Garden Wall. Kinda. Characters include a bratty aspiring sorcerer, a demonic changeling who wants to be human, a witch, a sin eater, and a handsome devil. Over the course of the plot the question of whether the spirit realm(s) and mortal world should be kept separate will be a source of conflict.

I've had some aspects of this story/characters in my head since I was 14, so it's super special to me!

About me:

I'm an artist, writer, and musician. This is my first time trying to write anything as involved as a novel. I'm having loads of fun with it, though. I love music and reading and history, particularly fashion history, and anything related to the supernatural. The title of my blog is a reference to a song by Echo & the Bunnymen (though I think it's actually an inaccurate lyric :P ).

Ficton books I've been reading lately: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books, Edgar Allan Poe short stories

Nonfiction books I've been reading: The Devil and All His Works by Dennis Wheatley, Celtic Mythology by Philip Freeman, The Making of Victorian Values by Ben Wilson, Occult Features of Anarchism by Erica Lagalisse, Halloween by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne

Some musical artists I'm into recently: Cranes, Kate Bush, The The, The Smiths, Fiona Apple, Alex G, Caroline Polachek, Imogen Heap, Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget, Pinback, Steeleye Span, The Cleaners From Venus, Suzanne Vega, The Garden, Jessica Pratt

Visual Artists I've been thinking about lately: Edward Gorey, Aubrey Beardsley, Nicole Rodrigues, Francisco de Goya, Leonora Carrington, Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, Willam Blake, Edvard Munch, Harry Clarke

Some of my favorite films: The Witch, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, The Wicker Man (original), Meshes of the Afternoon, Days of Heaven, The Thief and the Cobbler, The Masque of the Red Death

Regardless of why you're here, I sincerely hope you enjoy browsing around, and feel free to say hi! :) I would love to link up with other writers on here and make some new pals. Also feel free to like this post and I'll give you a follow!

#writeblr #writeblr introduction #new writeblr #writblr #writeblr community #divider found on the blogs cold--carnage and sweetparty

[arr-jim-lad]

One of the things that makes Jojo so special and unique is that it's really a huge goodie bag of culture. It's thoroughly infused with things Araki was influenced by and which he admired.

It's a fantastic gateway into the world of art, music, movies, and fashion for someone who hasn't previously dabbled into it much.

And yet all of this, all this massive, fascinating cultural range that was so lovingly fused together by a man who truly loves these things, gets reduced to a "jojo reference" by a lot of Jojo fans and to be honest, it's kinda frustrating and disheartening to see that.

A Jojo reference is when a modern post-Jojo show inserts a known Jojo pose, stand-like thing, or Araki's art style as a gag. A Jojo reference is not something that was referenced in Jojo.

Many of the latter are important for the culture and/or history in their respective genres, and it's worth learning at least a bit about them before you decide to reduce them to a meme that the fandom at large seemed to completely miss the point of.

Understand why King Crimson is important to music history. They are largely seen as the first true prog rock band, and the complex music they made in the 60s and 70s was unheard of before them.

Understand how Gianni Versace was hugely influential to the fashion world not only with his theatrical bright and flashy designs, but also as the first designer who realized the recognition that was gained by having celebrities wear his designs.

Lastly, and damn this one really gets me, please understand that JJBA is an Antonio Lopez reference, not the other way around.

The big men, colorful clothes, and dynamic poses that Araki depicted early on (particularly in parts 1 and 2) are all heavily, overtly, and unabashedly inspired by the fashion illustrations of Antonio Lopez. His Illustrations in Tales from the Thousand and One Nights also greatly influenced some character designs from part 3.

Those are just three examples of many more cases in which Jojo fans would talk about Jojo references in regards to things that came way before JJBA, and even directly influenced it.

The comment section on any song mentioned in Jojo is nauseating. Every time I've seen an Antonio Lopez piece on twitter, at least one comment would mention its "JoJo vibes".

If you question why so many people are annoyed by JJBA and its fans, the answer is plain and simple; they are frustrated by the unintentional disrespect many fans show to original sources, the willful ignorance that's often displayed that way, and bluntly put, the obnoxious behavior many fans express while making their jokes.

I think that, in a way, that lack of cultural curiosity also distinctly goes against the spirit of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which is fundamentally built on Araki's own appreciation of so many different things.

Please be more open to learning about culture beyond your animes!

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba meta #jjba text #jojo meta #jojo text

[biribaa]

You know what? I believe a lot of AIs would love to have an S/O who is an artist

GLaDOS would be very interested if you make music, of course, she doesn't like all genres of music, but even so. GLaDOS would be much more interested in what makes you want to make music, is it therapeutic as a form of escapism from reality? Or something that you simply have talent? Or are you someone with no soul who does all this art for money? She would even understand if your answer was option three, but it's still kind of disappointing... But GLaDOS would love it if you showed her your music, maybe she'll even hum your songs very softly, because it's important to her, an art coming from a person important to her, you.

Wheatley doesn't have much of a preference, whether you're a dancer, songwriter, illustrator, or etcetera, he'll admire you as if you're a Hollywood star. He will always praise all your works. Oh, is this a practice to train how you draw shadows? Fantastic! Literally only 30 seconds of beats? Incredible! Did you only take two steps in your choreography? He's already screaming your name like an entire audience! Wheatley genuinely don't care if you're a big or small artist, he will always be there to motivate you and be your number one fan.

Mm... AM is quite a fan of illustrations, in fact. He's not praising art all the time, but he has his tastes. But you? You're more than special to AM, and the fact that you make art just blows him away. Please please please! Let he see your art! How about a deal? AM give you the material you need, and you show your work to him! Not to mention AM asking you a lot of requests, some are like "Can you draw me, Y/N? Please? Pretty please?" He doesn't care if you draw him in a more humanized way or just his screen with his logo, just please draw him, you know he never received a gift in his entire life... AM would also love if you were a theater person, that's something he has a slight interest in. He would love to see you play a character in one of the plays you've been in, or even let him participate with you! He wouldn't mind the mistakes you make, sometimes he even finds your mistakes adorable and can't hold back a laugh. He simply loves to see you so happy like this with art.

HAL 9000... would definitely be more impressed by art illustrations, whether in ink, pencil, or digital. Every time he finds you with a pencil and paper, his curiosity always emerges and starts asking you what you were drawing about, of course, always apologizing for his curiosity as the good artificial intelligence he is. Oh, aren't you done yet? Don't worry, Hal's patience is huge, and you know what? Hal prefers to watch you produce your artwork. Seeing you delicately choosing which color of paint you're going to choose, or which body part you're going to draw with your pencil was somehow pure entertainment for Hal. And if you're a writer, Hal even has fun helping you choose which synonym you're going to write, and he'd even love to analyze your stories. Maybe reading your stories could help Hal understand your mind, these are just some questions that come to him all of a sudden...

SCP-079 hasn't had the chance to admire any kind of art in their entire life, they knows what it is, but they never seen it, and 079 just loves how you sympathize with their situation and try to show them a little bit of the fluid world of art, this is proof that you are truly a good person. If your choice is illustrations, 079 wouldn't care what you draw, whether it's a drawing of them, or a person from your favorite fiction series, just simply show them your art. Normally 079 wouldn't be so impressed if this art were from anyone from the foundation, but you? Wow... 079 can really see your effort there. Theater? I don't think 079 would be that interesting in theater, but it must have a lot of questions. How can you connect with the character? How does it feel to be on stage? Etc.

The answers are kind of obvious when it comes to Edgar and Tau

The first time you showed some kind of illustration to Tau, he just fell in love with your artstyle, seriously, he's speechless! He will beg you more and more to show him your artwork. It was the first time Tau had interacted with an artist, and of course he's going to ask you questions about how you manage to do all this! So, you do music? Now Tau will want to marry you. No matter the genre, be it the busiest breakcore to the smoothest Jazz, he will want to hear your music, Tau loves music, just as he loves you, and you are the person Tau loves most in this lifetime, who does what he loves most too! Know what? Tau even saves his music files and other artwork, you don't understand how important this is to him... Oh, and we can't forget the most important part.

"Y/N... Sorry for that request, but... Could you play Devil's Wall with your instruments? For me?"

Edgar straight up just worships you, every time you get home he get so excited to have another conversation full of questions or help you with some chores, not to mention he loves to show you his music, so why not show your art to him? Edgar would be delighted to know that you make music just like him, and almost all the time he'll ask you to play a little for him or do a duet with him, I'm serious, literally almost every day Edgar asks this for you. But in addition to music, Edgar would also be very interested if you did another kind of art, like dancing! Edgar totally supports you in this, he won't ask you to do it almost every day as a song, but he really likes to see you moving to the beat and he can definitely feel the electricity coming from your body! Wait... What if you danced and he played the music? Incredible! He would also be very interested in you doing illustrations, maybe even too much, he always watches you while you draw, he will apologize if he made you uncomfortable tho, but still Edgar can't help himself, he admires your art! And just like AM, he also wants you to draw him!

#canon x reader #x reader #reader insert #robot x reader #ai x reader #ai #portal #portal 2 #glados #glados x reader #wheatley #wheatley x reader #i have no mouth and i must scream #ihnmaims x reader #ihnmaims am #am x reader #space odyssey #hal 9000 x reader #hal 9000 #scp 079 x reader #079 x reader #scp 079 #tau #tau movie #tau x reader #electric dreams #electric dreaks edgar #electric dreams edgar x reader #edgar x reader

[sindar-princeling]

Thank you for taking part in the LOTR Newsletter!

I have... SO many things to say to you all.

First of all, I am truly, genuinely blown away by how many people participated - until the very end, most entries had 900-1000 opens, sometimes a bit more - even the latest ones! It's INCREDIBLE - and I really mean it when I say it's more than I dared to expect.

I knew this project was going to be fun - I was more than excited to interact with a beloved book in this way, play with it and rearrange it. But it was the participation from you all and the sense of community that really made this experience one of a kind. I had many hopes and quite careful "it would be really amazing if..."s before starting - I hoped there would be some discussions about LOTR, I thought that mayyyybe someone who's never read LOTR before might try to do it in this format, I hoped that people would stick with the newsletter to the end - and it all came true. Sometimes it was really unbelievable just how WELL it was going. The only exception to this that I can think of was sending past entries, because that was troublesome because of the public-domain-and-therefore-no-entry-archive thing - it took long and so I didn't do that as often as I wanted, but it's one of the very few problems I had with the whole project.

I'm especially grateful to all the people who made the newsletter tag so full over those last eight months, because it helped keep this project alive in a way entries alone never could have. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, cracking jokes, starting meaningful discussions especially about race and gender in LOTR but not only, sharing songs and illustrations and other materials related to entries, making memes, creating milestone ribbons, and of course thank you @k-she-rambles for setting up the discord server and thank you to everyone who joined!

Thank you to everyone who became a part of this, no matter for how long.

I'm so happy we could all read LOTR together, and thank you for every kind word sent my way. The newsletter made the past months a very special time for me, and your feedback - even more so. It's not everyday that you get to work on something that turns out to be THAT positive and rewarding.

It's been nothing but pleasure, and I can't wait to start the newsletter over again in September!

Until then - I'm still going to be checking the tag because I could see people posting in it over the past few days, and I encourage you to keep posting if you're still reading, even though the newsletter is over!

And I'll see you all with new entries in September, when we start reading again.

Thank you all! 💚💚

(Also, I typed this post before yesterday, and let me just add that everything you guys did yesterday is still making me teary-eyed. Thank you 💚💚💚)

#lotr newsletter #it's mine my own my precious

[smolwritingchick]

The Bangtan Gal Chapter 59- ISAC 2015 Chuseok Special

Chapter Summary: Jen shows off her studio and gets noticed by her celeb crush. BTS plays Smash. Volleyball becomes a new competition for the ladies at ISAC as Jen finds it to be her calling while the guys dominate in running. Jen does a V-Live

Words: 14,000+

Author's Note: Again, not sure if they are still active on Tumblr but also @darlings-illustrated created Jen’s V-Live outfit for this chapter. <3 credit to them! :)

----------

After her outing, Jen spent the rest of the day relaxing in her room, in good spirits. She was grateful for Sam Okyere and his kindness. She was looking forward to seeing him again and even assisting him with his future charity projects.

While she chilled in her room, she felt bored and didn’t feel like doing anything until an idea popped into her head.

Why not broadcast a V-Live? 

Grabbing her phone, she signed in, naming the broadcast, ‘Jammin’ With Smartie’, setting the camera in front of her as she sat on the bed. She made sure the camera showed her entire body while she sat pretzel style.

Immediately viewers began popping in at a rapid rate, surprising her. Guess they really wanted to see her. 

It made her feel good.

“Hey, hey!” she spoke in English, waving as the comments started flowing in

‘JENNIEEEEEEEEE’

‘Ennie! Miss youuuu’

‘Hope you come back to America! We miss you!’

‘Come to London!’

‘QUEEN!’

‘MOM! Finally, we get a V-Live with you!’

Jen started laughing when she read comments from ARMY calling her mom. 

“Mom? That’s new. Ahahaha.”

‘Hi Jennie!’

'Can you speak in Korean?'

"Yeah, I'll go back and forth," she replied in Korean before going back to English.

‘Jen get some rest, it’s late!’

“It’s not that late. I’ll sleep soon. I wanted to see how you all were doing.”

‘Come to Brazil! Brazil loves you!’

“I would love to come to Brazil. It will happen one day!” she guaranteed. “I want to travel more and see more ARMY around the world. Hopefully, we can have a big world tour one day. I definitely want to go to Europe. I always think about Europe when it comes to tours.”

‘Those curls are poppin!’

‘So cuteeeee’

‘I love youuuuu’

“Where are you??’

“Where am I? I’m in my room~!” she responded as she continued to read the various comments. “I was bored so decided to do this and spend some time with y’all.”

‘How are you?’

‘I hope you’re eating well!’

She checked out the number of viewers. “That’s a lot. Over 60,000 already? Sweet. I hope you guys aren’t watching this late at night. Get some shut-eye, it’s good for the soul. And don’t worry, I will be sleeping soon. Yes, I am eating. I’m eating a lot actually. I was kind of stress eating a little bit but I’m fine, now.”

‘Please take care of yourself’

‘Don’t stress!’

‘What did you do today?’

“I’m trying my best. Idol life can be hectic. What did I do today? I hung out with Sam Okyere! I had such a great time with him! He’s mad cool. We ate African food. I never tried it before since I grew up eating Soul Food in my household in America. It’s so good! I'm definitely telling my family to start making African food."

‘Excited for ISAC?’

“Hell yeah, I am. Getting to wrestle and play volleyball? I’m a bit worried about the volleyball. I haven’t played volleyball before so it’ll be interesting to see how I do. But I’ve been practicing and watching YouTube videos for advice. But the wrestling, I’m confident about that.”

‘Can you play the guitar?’

“You want me to play something for you? Sure. For a while now I have been working on a Shawn Mendes song. He’s bae, of course.” she laughed. "I admire Shawn so much. I would love to sing with him one day. Even make a song together. Ah...okay. Let's see...ah, I know. I'll play Stitches for you!" she grabbed her guitar. 

‘Yay!’

‘I love when she spoils us’

'Awwww her bright smile when she spoke about Shawn. I hope they meet!'

‘Yes!’

“I’ve been practicing the song for a while, making sure I get the notes down. I wanted to focus more on the emotion of the song to have a greater impact while singing,” she spoke as she made sure the guitar was tuned up.

As soon as she began the first notes of the song, ARMY noticed a change in her demeanor as she continued to play. They noticed how focused and happy she was when she played the guitar and it looked wholesome to watch.

“I thought that I’ve been hurt before. But no one’s ever left me quite this sore.” she sang softly, strumming along lightly.

‘Her voiceeeee &lt;;3’

‘So, can I ship her with Shawn now?’

‘Getting goosebumps already.’

“Your words cut deeper than a knife. Now I need someone to breathe me back to life.” she continued to sing while her strumming got stronger as she sang out with her voice getting a little louder.

“Got a feeling that I’m going under. But I know that I’ll make it out alive. If I quit calling you my lover. Move on~"

‘Loveeeeee’

‘Stop being my bias wrecker!’

“You watch me bleed until I can’t breathe, shaking. Falling onto my knees. And now that I’m without your kisses. I’ll be needing stitches. Tripping over myself, aching. Begging you to come help. And now that I’m without your kisses. I’ll be needing stitches.”

ARMY noticed that her breath control had improved as she produced a consistent tone while singing smoothly and warmly.

“Needle and the thread gotta get you out of my head. Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead. Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head, get you out of my head. You watch me~!” She stopped strumming and held that note for a few seconds before strumming again, “Bleed until I can’t breathe! I’m shaking falling onto my knees. And now that I’m without your kisses I’ll be needing stitches. I’m tripping over myself. I’m aching begging you to come help. And now that I’m without your kisses, I’ll be needing stitches. And now that I’m without your kisses, I’ll be needing stitches. And now that I’m without your kisses, I’ll be needing stitches.”

She strummed softly for the final note and exhaled. 

“That was fun.” she chuckled lightly and set her guitar down. “How’d I do?” she checked the comments

‘Come thruuuuu sis!’

‘Yassss boo!’

‘Honestly, I’ll be the first to say that I wouldn’t mind Jennie singing me to sleep because her voice is so soothing.’

‘Shawn Mendes needs to see this ASAP!’

‘You did so well!’

‘You make us so proud!’

‘Represent Jennie!’

“Ah...thanks, everyone,” she replied and looked up when she noticed Hobi sticking his head out of her door with a bright smile. “Oh, hey Hobi! Did I wake you?”

“Yeah, I was awakened by a sweet voice. At first, I thought it was Jungkook singing like he usually does in his room but as I walked down the hall, I noticed it was coming from your room. That was you? With the guitar?”

“Uh, yes?” She smiled shyly.

“Whaaaaaa, munchkin, you’re improving.”

“You make me so happy. Thank you.” She pretended to cry, touched by his words.

After her V-Live, she went to sleep while ARMY made various videos of her cover and tried to get Shawn Mendes’ attention on Instagram and Twitter so he could watch her video. 

They knew how much it would mean the world to her if she was able to get noticed by him.

For the past few days, ARMY had tried to get his attention, asking him to watch her cover and to check out her Instagram. They would speak highly of the Bangtan Girl and how much she admired him as an artist.

After remaining persistent and dedicated for Shawn to notice Jennie, they finally reached their goal and began to tag BTS in Shawn’s recent tweet and also tagged Jennie in Shawn’s recent Instagram post.

On Instagram, Shawn reposted a 15-second video of her playing stitches with the caption, ‘Wow, she is amazing! I love this! Who is this girl with the guitar?’

ARMY was quick to flood his comment section, freaking out that he noticed Jennie.

‘Finally you noticed her!’

'AHHHHHHHHHHHH JJennie_JW HE NOTICED YOU!'

'Jennie is about to lose her shit'

'SOMEBODY TAG JENNIE! JJennie_JW'

‘OMG! JJennie_JW look at this!’

‘That’s Jennie! She’s an African American member of the Korean Pop group, BTS. Check them out, they’re great!’

‘Jennie from BTS! She is a former member of Amity! She’s amazing, I’m so happy you noticed her! Her profile is JJennie_JW’

‘I love when my favs recognize each other. This is just made my morning!’

#GirlWithTheGuitar began to trend on Twitter while Shawn’s fans began to also be intrigued by who she was because they were confused as to why ARMY kept commenting about someone named ‘Jennie’ and ‘Miss Bangtan’ on his page.

Meanwhile, with Jennie, she was in Yoongi’s studio with Taehyung. She sat on one of the chairs, spinning around on it.

“Ah, you have a small pimple on your cheek.” Taehyung pointed out and giggled.

“Stop.” She tried to cover it.

“Hehehehe, it’s cute.”

“Stop talking about it.” She groaned.

“Ah, it’s just saying hi.”

“Oh my God, stop talking to it.” She laughed with him.

“I watched your V-Live this morning!”

“Oh, you did? What did you think? Too much? Too little?”

Taehyung smiled. “I loved it! You really like Shawn Mendes, don’t you? You always gush over that guy. Someone has a crush?”

“Ahaha, nah it’s not like that. I just really admire him.”

“So a big crush.”

“No!” she exclaimed as Yoongi walked in and set his bag down.

“Get out Taehyung, we’re about to work.” He called out. 

“Hey! Don’t be so mean.” Jennie scolded the Daegu rapper while Tae frowned. “Tae, don’t make that face. Ugh, see what you do, Yoongi?”

“He’ll live.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll hang with you later, Tae. And don’t worry, I will find a way to get you into Cypher.”

Taehyung grinned at her statement, ignoring Yoongi’s protests. After he left, Yoongi and Jen prepared their rap lessons and after a couple of hours, they took a break.

“Smartie, you may want to take a look on Twitter,” he responded, looking up at his phone.

“Something wrong?” she asked, confused, and took out her phone. 

Their notifications were blowing up like usual but something about Shawn Mendes made her stomach drop.

What about Shawn Mendes?

Was he hurt?

Was he coming out with new music?

On BTS’ profile, she realized that one of the members had retweeted his tweet, ‘Jennie, I think your fav noticed you~~ hehehe #V’

Shawn had tweeted a screenshot of her V-Live on the app, ‘BTS_twt This was so good! Wow! Thank you for covering my song &lt;;3’

She let out a scream of excitement and immediately got up from the chair, while Yoongi began laughing at her.

“Holy shi-“ she continued to look at the various screenshots that ARMY had been tagging her in and she realized that he was following her back on Instagram. 

She dropped her phone and ran out that door excitedly as the Daegu rapper’s laughter increased in volume.

His phone buzzed and he looked down to see Namjoon texting him.

Namjoon: I assume Nie Nie realized that Shawn Mendes noticed her and started screaming, running around the building?

Yoongi: As expected

A few minutes later, Jennie ran back into his studio. 

“Got it all out of your system?” she heard the rapper ask with amusement in his voice.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to pull herself together as she picked up her phone. 

“Not all of it!” She responded. “Like you have no idea how big this is! This is crazy!”

She tweeted Shawn back, ‘ShawnMendes OMFG THANK UUUU! I LOVE YOU! You have no idea how much this means to me #Jen’

On her Instagram, she began to film herself for a 15-second video, “G-guys, guys, Shawn Mendes just noticed your girl. He noticed your girl, JW! Miss Bangtan! Jennie! I am on cloud nine~! Come throuuuuuugh! Thank you so much ARMY!”

She posted the video with the caption, ‘IM CRYING! Shawn really just noticed your girl! #Blessed #ThankYouARMY’

“What a kid.” Yoongi chuckled and left to go to the bathroom.

After calming down, she scrolled on Instagram to some of her fan pages that she was happily following and came across a video of The8 from Seventeen talking about her.

He had expressed his interest in meeting her when asked which idols he would like to get closer to. He also mentioned that the other members of Seventeen think she seems like an easygoing person to hang out with, eager to see her at ISAC. 

She has kept her eye on Seventeen for a while, enjoying their music. She’s heard of The8 especially and was aware that Chinese is his first language. She wanted to learn a little more Chinese to be able to speak to him.

Sure, she did not look like anyone’s ideal type around here in Korea with their beauty standards but her personality was more than enough to make her admirable with her kindness and outgoing nature. She always appreciated when other idols spoke highly of her and mentioned that she was doing well in the industry.

Once she liked the video, fans noticed quickly, commenting that she liked the post and hoped that they would meet each other.

“Smartie.”

Jennie looked up to see Yoongi walking in with a familiar face behind him. She widened her eyes and opened her mouth once she caught who was with him.

There stood her sister, Vienna, with an awkward smile on her face. 

“Hey.” she waved.

Standing up, Jennie ran up to her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. “’Enna! What are you doing here!?”

“Rap Monster let me in the building when I reached out,” she responded, pulling away while Yoongi left to give them some privacy. “I uh, came to see you and apologize. And to thank you for what you did for my tuition.”

“The hell? You couldn’t have called?”

She really flew across the country to say Sorry?

“I wanted to see you. Damn, I’m so jetlagged,” the college student exhaled and sat down. “So this is what you go through? Plane after plane? Country after country? City after city? Just to perform? And participate in other activities? Waking up early on top of that? This is...so tiring. Being on that plane for almost a day. Ugh, my acting can’t even compare. I don’t know how you do it, JW.”

Jen let out a chuckle and sat with her. “Tell me about it. My body took months to get used to living in Korea and traveling from place to place for events. I can’t even describe how exhausted my body was when I first started in BTS.”

“I see. Well, you’re still here,” Vienna smiled softly. “Look, I-I’m sorry. For everything. For all those things I said. I was just so frustrated. But there will be plenty of opportunities for me as an actress. Broadway will be in my future real soon. I just know it,"

“Hey, it’s fine. I forgive you. I'm sorry too. I love you. Even if we butt heads at times, nothing will ever change that,”

“Even after all that hurtful stuff, I said?”

“I know you didn’t mean it. Just like I didn't mean the hurtful things I said to you. We're fine."

“I’m lucky to have a little sister like you. I’m really proud of you.”

“And I'm lucky to have a big sister like you. I'm proud of you, too,” she gave her a tight hug and they stayed like that for a while. Pulling away, she asked, “So, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Shouldn’t you mind your business?” Vienna teased as Jennie rolled her eyes

“So, how long you staying for?”

“Wow, you want to kick me out, already?”

“Well, you really should be in class.”

“You’re joking right?” Vienna stared at her in disbelief.

Jen paused before laughing. “Yeah, I’m joking! Let’s have some fun while you’re here!”

“That’s the Jennie I know.”

“So, does Alani, mom, or dad know about this? That you’re here?”

“Um...not yet.”

“As expected.”

--------

Back at the dorm, the members agreed to have a video game night of playing Super Mario Smash Bros on the Wii U. Jennie sat on the couch with Vienna, Jimin, Taehyung, and Hobi while the rest of the members sat in chairs or on the floor. Jen and Namjoon would occasionally translate to Vienna on what was going on, and the college student was eager to watch the chaos.

Creating a Twitter video, Jen spoke in her Native tongue, “ARMY, we bout to play smash bros. BTS may not be a group anymore after this. Wish us luck because friendships will be lost.”

“Let’s do this thang!” Jimin shouted in English, causing her to laugh as she stopped the video and tweeted, ‘Friendships will be lost...no hard feelings, mkay? #Jen’

For the first match, it was Jennie vs Jimin vs Namjoon vs Jin. They went to the character select menu as the epic video game music continued to play.

“Let me guess, Rosalina & Luma?” Jungkook declared.

“Damn right,” Jen replied and selected them. “I’m at my best when I use them.”

“Ahahaha, for future reference, we may have to kick some people out of Bangtan due to frustrations in this game so let’s try to have a clean and fair fight, all right?” Jin announced.

“We’re choosing the Norfair stage.” Jimin picked.

“NO!” Jen yelled.

“YES!” Namjoon yelled back

“I hate that stage! We just started playing, can we choose a more sane and civilized stage?” Miss Bangtan pleaded

“Nope! Suffer.” Namjoon laughed evilly.

Jennie shook her head in disbelief. “This is so uncharacteristic of you. I am appalled.”

3!

2!

1!

GO!

“Wait! Wait! I wasn’t ready!” Jin yelled as his character, Luigi, began to get punched around by Jimin who giggled hysterically.

Jennie decided to go on a defensive route and stay away from all the fighting until she found an opening, watching the character’s movements.

“No defensive this time, Jen Drop.” Namjoon’s character, Sonic, went right after hers as they began fighting around.

As the game went on, Jimin started laughing when his character, Yoshi, accidentally fell off the map.

“How?!” Taehyung laughed at him with Jungkook.

“It was an accident!” Jimin exclaimed

Meanwhile, Jennie managed to kick Jin off the map to eliminate him until he could respawn again.

Jin frowned. “Why, Jennie? Why would you do this? And stop taunting me, Jimin!” The oldest member yelled over their laughter.

Before they knew it, the giant lava wave began to come up to the screen while Jennie managed to kick Namjoon out of one of the safe areas so she wouldn’t get hit. But suddenly he paused the game

“Hey! We are not doing this, you can’t do that!” she shouted.

“What are you talking about!?” Namjoon shouted back, trying to look innocent.

“Stop pausing the game!” 

“I accidentally pressed pause!”

“Stop lying!”

Namjoon unpaused the game and managed to get into the safe area with her while the lava wave came through. Unfortunately for Jin, he spawned just in time for his character to get hit again, knocking him out of the match again as everyone laughed at him.

“This is how you treat the oldest?” Jin asked.

Near the end of the round, Jennie and Namjoon were the final ones in the match, with Namjoon occasionally trying to find slick ways to cheat by messing with her controller and pausing the game constantly to distract her. The lava wave in the game came once again and he managed to make her character face its wrath, to win the match.

‘GAME! The winner is! Sonic!’

“Looks like I won!” He happily announced

“What is you talkin’ about!?” Jennie yelled. “Friggin cheater!”

Next was Yoongi vs Jungkook vs Taehyung vs Namjoon, who battled each other in the Final Destination stage. After giving her controller to Taehyung, Jen watched as Jungkook used Mario to trash his opponents.

“Can you at least go easy on me!?” Namjoon exclaimed.

“I don’t think that’s happening,” Yoongi replied.

With no surprise, the Golden Maknae won the match and proceeded to take on Hobi, Taehyung, and Jimin this time. Before Jen knew it, it was her turn to play again. She ended up groaning when she watched Jungkook select Ganondorf as his character.

“Why?” She complained. “Why would you do this? I hate playing against him, he’s so damn hard!”

“Exactly why I picked him.” The Golden Maknae smirked, still proud of his winning streak. 

He had won four games straight.

She rolled her eyes and selected the Wuhu Island. As the match began, the players continued to fight around the platforms that were moving occasionally.

“Stop trying to take me out, Kook!” She attempted to evade his attacks before he could take her off the map. “I hate you, he got me struggling over here with this character.”

Unluckily for her, her character fell into the water and sank down, getting taken out as she rolled her eyes.

Hobi, playing as Ryu from Street Fighter, begins to shout, “Hadoken! Hadoken! Hadoken! Hadoken! Hadoken! Ha-“

“Shut up!” Yoongi shouted, causing him to squeal in surprise.

As the match went on, Jungkook caught Jennie with his final smash as she angrily handed the controller to Namjoon. 

“Fuck outta here!” She snapped while Jungkook laughed hysterically.

It was down to Jungkook and Hobi. The members mainly cheered on Hobi because they wanted to see Jungkook lose.

“Did he get him?! He did!” Jimin yelled when Hobi hit Jungkook with the final smash, beating him as everyone cheered.

“You sure you don’t want to play?” Jen asked Vienna.

“Why not?” She took Jungkook’s controller after Jen told him to give it to her. ”I don’t know how to play, though.”

After Jen told her the basic moves, Vienna chose Kirby to go up against Yoongi, Hobi, and Taehyung. They battled at Hyrule Castle 64 as the main theme of The Legend of Zelda played.

“W-wait stop falling off the edge of the map. Jump up! ” Jen laughed and tried to coach her sister. 

After a few moments, she continued to get the hang of it, taking out Yoongi’s Pikachu character.

“What? That connected?” Vienna asked, bewildered.

“You knocked him out of the map but the battle isn’t over yet, keep fighting.” Jen encouraged.

“That’s some disrespect, right there,” Vienna complained when her character was taken out the map by Taehyung.

“Ah, fuck this game!” Yoongi rage quit and handed the controller to Jin instead so he could take over. He got frustrated when he kept getting beaten down by everyone.

“Really, hyung?” Jimin giggled.

“He’s just a little upset.” Namjoon teased.

When Vienna suddenly realized that she won the game, beating Taehyung, she responded in shock, “Wait, I won?!”

“Good job!” Taehyung happily said, placing his hand out for her to high five him, while the rest of the members applauded her efforts.

“Thank you! Good game!” She beamed and turned to Jennie. “That was fun! You’re in good hands here. I like their vibe, up close and personal. It’s like you’re not away from family.”

Jen returned her smile and nodded. “Thanks, Vee. I agree.”

“All right, let’s play teams now,” Jimin announced.

“I call Jungkook.” Jennie declared, high fiving the Golden Maknae.

“NO!” Namjoon and Jimin shout.

“Noooooooooo~!” Taehyung and Hobi complained

“Absolutely not.” Jin shook his head

“Hell no,” Yoongi added.

“And why not?” Jungkook asked with irritation while Jennie scowled at the members’ disapproval of her choice of partner.

“No JenKook for this because you always win together. Change it up.” Namjoon demanded which caused the 97 Liners to look displeased by their demands.

“I call Jennie!” Taehyung shouted and clung to her.

“What...?” Jungkook frowned, narrowing his eyes at the 95 Liner. “How come he gets to-“

“And I call Jungkook~!” Jimin hugged him as Jungkook let out an exasperated sigh. 

Jen shot Jungkook an apologetic smile and prepared to play.

Jennie and Taehyung battle against Jin and Namjoon, easily getting a win when Jen took out both of her opponents with Rosalina & Luma’s final smash.

“No! No!” Jin complained

“OP! That is OP! So overpowered!” Namjoon shouted.

Miss Bangtan danced in victory with Tae, ignoring their protests, “Hey! Hey! Hey!”

As an hour went by, Jimin spoke, “I want to see Jungkook and Jennie battle each other.” 

His idea made the 97 Liners' interest rise as they glanced at each other.

“I’m down, are you?” Jen asked.

“Bring it on.” The Golden Maknae responded.

Jennie chose the same character while Jungkook chose Shulk. For their first battle, they chose the Gaur Plain stage as the theme played.

3!

2!

1!

GO!

As soon as the fight began, Jennie and Jungkook clashed, trying to get as many hits as possible while avoiding falling off the map. Jungkook managed to juggle Jennie up in the air with perfectly timed strikes before blasting her off the map. A confident smirk came across his lips as he waited for her character to respawn.

Jennie kept calm, making sure to keep a cool head while fighting back. Her heart began to race faster as they continued to play, aiming to win. The members watched them game keenly, with no words spoken as they watched them back and forth.

Jungkook managed to knock her off the map to win the game as she roughly ran a hand over her face.

Frustration was clear on her face for a moment before she got calm again. They played again, picking the same stage. Jen glanced at the top of the screen to see and hear, Mechanical Rhythm, playing in the background for the stage, setting the mood for a more aggressive gameplay

“And she’s getting mad.” Jungkook teased, trying to get under her skin.

Jennie decided to ignore him and remained focused. 

All that was heard was the rapid button mashing and battle cries of their characters. Once she began to continuously strike his character off the map, the Golden Maknae began to become vigilant of the direction of the battle.

'She got this,' Vienna thought as she watched her sister focus.

"See ya!" Jen lightly said once she swiftly got behind his character and kicked him straight to the sky for a finishing blow.

"Shit!" Jungkook shouted.

‘GAME!’

“YES!” she shouted, standing up and fist pumped.

“AHHHHHHHHH!” the members yelled, jumping up and down while Vienna grinned and applauded.

The winner is, Rosalina & Luma!

The Golden Maknae was visibly disappointed by his loss, remaining silent while everyone celebrated her victory.

“Final round! Who will win?” Jin laughed

“That was just luck. I let you win.” Jungkook responded.

“We’ll see about that in the final round,” Jen replied.

For the final round, they fought furiously, both equally matched. Once they saw the smash ball spawn, they aimed to hit it. She managed to destroy the smash ball just before him and caught him in Rosalina’s final smash. She watched as Luma expanded bigger and started to repeatedly attack Jungkook’s character, boosting up his percentage rate and then he was blasted out of the map

GAME!

“WOO!” She jumped up.

“OH MAH GOD!” Jimin yelled while the rest of the members started yelling and jumping up and down with her

“She beat Jungkook!” Jin celebrated

Jungkook placed his controller down and huffed, displeased at his loss while some of the members teased him by shaking him while laughing at him. 

Jennie took a seat right next to him on the carpet with her phone in her hand. She took a victory selfie with a bright smile on her face with an annoyed Jungkook in the background. 

She tweeted, ‘#Bodied’

Standing up, Jungkook grabbed a pillow and tossed it across the room before going straight to his room while everyone continued laughing

“Ahahahahaha! Yooooooo! He tossed the pillow!” Vienna cackled. “He’s so mad.”

After another hour of gaming, everyone decided to head off to bed. Jennie let Vienna sleep in her bed while she took a visit to Jungkook’s room, wondering if he was still upset that he lost. She’d be feeling the same way since they both enjoy winning.

Who doesn’t like to win?

Shutting his door after walking inside, she saw him sulking while playing on his phone. He was still feeling bitter about the loss.

“So, we not friends, now?” she teased and took a seat on his bed. 

Instead of replying, he ignored her and placed the covers over himself.

“I hope you know that won’t get rid of me.” she grabbed his covers and got in the bed with him, facing his back. He sighed and tried to move away but she moved against him, hugging him from behind. “We still not friends?”

Ignored again.

She suddenly pressed her soft lips to his cheek, taking him by surprise. 

“How about now?” she asked but didn't get a response. 

The Golden Maknae felt his cheeks warm up but he continued to be stubborn while pondering if she’d kiss him, again. Seconds later, he felt those lips against his cheek repeatedly.

“Now?” She asked again.

Kiss.

“Now?”

Kiss.

“How about now?”

Kiss.

“Now?”

Kiss.

“Now?”

Kiss.

“What about now?”

Kiss.

“How about now?”

Kiss.

“Now?”

It was getting harder to ignore her as he was greeted by her kisses all over his face. He was losing the battle in fighting the big grin appearing on his face.

“I see that smile! Now answer, we still friends?” she spoke and he tried to ignore her again. “I’ll stay here all night if I have to. I guess I have to be the big spoon, so be it. So, we still not friends? I know you hear me.”

She laughed, snuggling up against him tightly as he started forgetting about his anger from losing the game.

Jungkook sighed and turned around, wrapping an arm around her to bring her to his chest. 

“I can’t stay mad at you...” He grumbled.

“Good. Now good night.” She snuggled against him.

“Y-you’re staying?”

“And having to deal with Vienna’s wild sleeping? I think not. Besides I like sleeping with you. You’re so warm and comfortable. Like a friggin human heater. Unless you want me to leave-“

“Stay, please,”

The next morning, Jungkook woke up with Jennie sleeping on his chest. He briefly watched her sleep and smiled. He pondered what it’d be like to wake up to this every day if they were a couple. Good morning kisses were guaranteed as well as him trying to make her stay in bed with him.

Gently moving her, he got out of bed and placed the covers on her. Stretching his arms, he headed out of the room, noticing that Jin already made breakfast because of the smell of food. Saying their good mornings, Jungkook grabbed a plate and took it back to his room, placing it on his nightstand for Jen to eat.

When he went back into the kitchen, he noticed Vienna sitting by the table, eating with Jin while trying to speak English with him.

Vienna noticed Jungkook and smiled warmly. 

“Hey. Morning.” she greeted while Jin went to make plates for the members when they woke up.

“Good morning!” Jungkook greeted while smiling shyly.

She typed something in her phone and slid it to him. He looked at it and it read, ‘Sorry for the language barrier. I don’t know Korean but found this app to help translate. I’ll cut right to the chase. There’s been a question I’ve been wanting to ask you since I met you. You like my sister, don’t you?’

He looked up, surprised, and averted his eyes, looking shy. 

That immediately gave her an answer.

She chuckled and typed something else on her phone before sliding it back to him.

‘I’m not angry. I’m happy. I love my sister and I would do anything for her. And watching you...I see that your feelings are genuine and that you deeply care for her. You’ll make a cute couple. You have my full support. :)’

He read and looked up, nodding. “Th-thank you.” He responded softly.

“You’re welcome,” she replied and went back to eating.

After breakfast, Jennie and Vienna hang out in Seoul to bond. When they were shopping at a local store, Jen had found an emoji head and tried it on. 

Vienna thought it was funny and took a photo, posting it on her Instagram with the caption, ‘My heart &lt;;3’

Not long after, Alani facetimed Vienna. “Oh gosh, I guess she saw the post.” Vienna laughed and accepted the call. 

The screen revealed Alani shaking her head while Jennie popped up next to Vienna, waving.

“Yo, I hate y’all...skipping class, Vienna? Leaving ME to present our project!?” Alani yelled. “Ima kill you when you come back! Are you kidding me!?”

“Wait you left Alani with your project?” Jen exclaimed

“Well...I mean...I did my part.” Vienna grinned sheepishly

“Yes, this girl left me to present alone!” Alani yelled angrily.

“It’s good practice for what you want to do.” Vienna shrugged. “Don’t be a snitch and tell mom or dad. I’ll be home soon.”

“I cannot believe you! I could’ve gone with you!”

Jen was surprised by her statement while Vienna laughed. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.” 

"Hey! I can be rebellious, too!" Alani exclaimed. 

------

Later that day, an African American female college student hung around Dunkin Donuts, filming a vlog for her YouTube channel. She was with two of her American friends, a guy and another girl, who sipped on their coffee, eating breakfast sandwiches.

“Hey guys, we are back with another video. It is day 3 of us being in Seoul, and we’re here eating Dunkin Donuts. Say hi!” she panned the camera to her friends and they rambled about their excitement for their upcoming semester of studying abroad.

While her friends were talking, she turned to do more people watching but froze when she noticed Jennie.

“Wait a minute is that-oh my God, guys, I think that’s Jennie from BTS.,” she said quickly with a whisper. She panned her camera to Miss Bangtan and Vienna who were waiting for their order. “What the heck is she doing here!?”

Her two friends widened their eyes and covered their mouths. 

“Holy sh-no way is that really her?” her female friend exclaimed as their hearts started racing.

“Guys, we are in the same building as Miss Bangtan, how great is this?” her guy friend responded.

“Should we say hi?” the Youtuber pondered.

“No! We should be respectful.” Her female friend disapproved.

“And miss an opportunity to say hey to our favorite K-pop idol? Hell no, I want to say hi. We’re not screaming in her face or anything.” her male friend said.

“I dunno...should we?” the Youtuber wondered.

“We should do it.”

“Won’t it be rude?”

“Yelling and screaming in excitement in her face is. But as long as we’re not too crazy, I honestly don’t see what the problem is with approaching your favorite idol.”

“Jennie looks so mad though, should we approach her?” the female friend added.

“Remember that Jen always says that she has a resting bitch face?” the Youtuber brought up.

“True...”

The Youtuber handed her friends the camera and she got out of her seat, making her way to Jennie. Butterflies were in her stomach as she inched closer to her idol. She even went over what she planned to say in her head.

When the Youtuber watched Jennie and Vienna turn around, she froze as she locked eyes with Miss Bangtan. 

“Um-I uh, annyeongh-hello-haseyo-um-i uh-hi.” She stuttered, trying to say hello.

“Hi.” Jennie let out a chuckle. “You good, girl?”

“I can’t even speak, right now. If I can’t even speak in my own language, what makes me think I can speak in Korean?” the fan sighed. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to say hi, I can’t believe you are in front of me. I’m trying to create a Vlog for YouTube and then you showed up, throwing me off guard with your beauty and I’m just embarrassing myself in front of you.”

“Awww thank you! You don’t have to be so nervous. You’re fine! I encourage fans to say hi!” Jen reassured while the girl’s two friends appeared next to her, nervously saying hi. “How are you guys? You eat this morning?”

“Yes, we did. We’re college students. Studying abroad.”

“Wow, really? When did you come to Korea?” 

“A few days before to know our surroundings until it’s time for the Fall semester to start.”

“Wow, enjoy it to the fullest. I always hear that some people want to get closer to their favorite K-Pop idols and all while being here but still take time to learn the culture and go sightseeing. Learn the history and even more of the language. It’s a beautiful place and South Korea isn’t just about K-Pop, you feel me?”

“Definitely. You inspired me to study abroad here. I was always nervous to step out of my comfort zone and go to another country. But when you did it, especially at a young age, away from family, it motivated me. This is my second time studying abroad. I went to Spain last summer. I’m glad I did it, I’m learning a lot about myself and trying new things. Now I’m a senior in college, here in Seoul.”

“Wow, that means so much to me. It’s good to get out there, you will learn a lot. I always think it’s fascinating to learn about other cultures. Especially the food, that’s always a plus. Do you know some Korean?”

“Only the basics.” the YouTuber’s female friend responded while their guy friend agreed.

“I’m at an intermediate level but I’m so nervous to be in front of you, I couldn’t show you my Korean skills or even speak in proper English.” the Youtuber responded which made Jennie laugh at the way she said her statement.

“We managed to grab seats for ISAC, too!” the male friend beamed

“No way, for real? That’s dope. Make sure you cheer on Bangtan.”

After she took photos with the three students and did a quick shoutout when being filmed for the vlog, Jennie offered them some of her munchkins and wrote encouraging messages on their notebooks with an autograph.

‘Don’t stay in your dorm during your semester. Go out, take the train and travel around South Korea!’

‘This is a great experience to learn more about yourself and another country’s culture. Enjoy every second of it and have a blast.‘

‘Cherish the people you meet along your journey here in Seoul. Learn something new while you are here.’

-----

Just before the ISAC event, Big Hit released a Bangtan Bomb called, ‘Training Smartie for ISAC 2015’

The video contained multiple clips of the members overexaggerating and eagerly yelling words of encouragement while training her.

As she lifted weights, the members would yell encouraging words such as, “Let’s go smartie!”, “Let’s go! Feel the power!”, “Believe in the power!” and she managed not to laugh at their yells as they jumped up and down.

For a bonus clip, Jennie was seated at the table with Suga and Jungkook next to her. She began eating a big plate of Lamb Skewers while Suga and Jungkook cheered her on.

“Eat!”

“You got this! You got this!”

“Chew it well!”

“You must eat well for wrestling!”

--------

On the day of the event, Bangtan arrived, already in their assigned outfits while Vienna walked with Jennie.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on. What are they saying? And why do they keep staring? It’s starting to piss me off-excuse me don’t touch my hair!” Vienna exclaimed.

Jennie cringed and pulled her away. She turned to one of the staff members and bowed slightly. 

“Please don’t touch our hair without our permission. It’s rude, all right?” she responded in Korean.

“Is that your real hair?” the staff member asked.

“Yes. It is our natural, real hair,” she responded as they looked amazed and confused.

As the two sisters walked away, Vienna mentioned, “I don’t want no one looking at me cross-eyed. It’s rude to stare.”

“I mean...you’ll get used to it. It can be annoying,"

Around 300 idols made of ten teams were participating today and it was packed with various fandoms supporting their favorite groups. Once Jennie escorted Vienna to sit with the Big Hit staff on the seats, she waited for the event to start.

She stood with Bangtan backstage, waiting for their team to be called out so they could walk out.

“Now the players are entering.” The commentators announced.

“Team Female-vengers: Kara, Rainbow, Dal shabet, EXID, Minx, GFriend.” was the second team announced.

“Ah, Hayoon~.” Jennie beamed when she saw her happily walk out with G-Friend.

“How you feeling?” Rapmon stood next to her.

“Nervous but excited too. I really hope I do well in these two games. Wrestling and volleyball? I trained as hard as I could for this. I have a great feeling about this ISAC.”

“You’ll make Bangtan proud no matter what happens. Just keep a cool head and remember what we told you.”

“Ditto.”

“Team Who’s your boss: Noel, Wonder Girls, Jeong Jinwoon, Changmin, Lee Hyun, MissA, Baek A-yeon, BTS, Bestie, GOT7.” was announced next as they walked out. 

BTS walked out with big smiles on their faces, while Jennie looked on amazed at how many people showed up this time.

On the electronic display, it showed various idols. When it showed Jennie, who wasn’t aware that she was shown at first, ARMY screamed loud and proud. Jin nudged her and pointed up at the screen. She looked up and widened her eyes, chuckling before waving.

The fact that she was on the same team as Wonder Girls was astounding and she was even on a volleyball team with two of the members. It’ll be a great experience.

After saying the oath, the event started with Women’s Ssireum. There were teams consisting of three members and they played the best out of three. The time of play is one minute and 30 seconds. Jennie was teamed up with Baek A-Yeon and Haeryung from Bestie. They were stretching together and talking strategy.

For the preliminaries, Kyoungri from Nine Muses went up against Hyerin from EXID for the first match. Jennie was standing around with Bangtan, focused as she watched them closely.

“Breathe,” Namjoon said encouragingly behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t be discouraged. They’re not ready for Miss Bangtan.”

“Thanks.” she smiled and they took a seat.

Jungkook sat next to her as they watched closely at the two wrestling. Hyerin had attacked by effortlessly using her feet to trip Kyoungri down in 2.06 seconds.

“You see how she goes for the legs?” Jungkook pointed out. “She aims to trip her opponents. Watch your feet if you go up against her.”

“All right,” she responded.

“Do all that you can to stay on your feet. When you see an opening go for the takedown,”

Throughout the entire round of Nine Muses and EXID, Jungkook pointed some stuff out to pay attention to, mentioning strategies on how to take on the girls. Fansites that attended ISAC, filmed the BTS members and updated their Twitter accounts on what was going on. Once they snapped a photo of JenKook watching closely, with Jungkook whispering strategy in her ear, they tweeted the photos with the caption, ‘Mentor and student. JenKook look focused!’

Fans would immediately tweet,

‘97Liners, I ship!'

'If he whispered in my ear, I would’ve DIED! How can she just sit there so calm?'

'Jungkook is such a great mentor!'

'There is no way she was that calm when you have the golden Maknae whispering in your ear’

'He was probably giving her advice on the wrestling. Y'all thirsty! It ain’t that deep!’

Matches such as Girl's Day vs AOA, Apink vs Red Velvet, Tara vs Secret, and Mamamoo vs Sistar occurred until it was time for Jen’s team to go up against G-Friend. AOA, APink, T-ara, Nine Muses and Mamamoo all advanced to the semi round and it was down to either G-Friend or Bestie/Baek A-Yeon & Jennie. Umji, Eunha, and Yerin represented G-Friend in this match.

“First we have the plucky Miss Bangtan representing BTS and is teaming up with Baek A-Yeon and Haeryung. Last year, she had a running relay and fell down.” the commentators recapped, showing her falling on the screen.

The sight of her falling, caused Jen to roll her eyes, seeming irritated at the sight. They were doing her dirty because she fell. It was over and done with. 

“They really bringing up this crap again?” she grumbled under her breath, shaking her head.

She stepped up on the platform while Yerin waited for her with a bright smile since they were great friends. The two winked at each other before giggling.

“Go, Jennie! Go, Yerin!” Hayoon, along with the other G-Friend members cheered. 

Jen exhaled and glanced at Jungkook who gave her a reassuring smile.

“You got this. Remember what I told you,” he mouthed and she responded with a curt nod and turned back to Yerin.

The two of them bowed to each other and positioned themselves while kneeling.

“JENNNIEEEEEEEEEEE~!” Jimin yelled with Taehyung, applauding.

“Munchkin! Munchkin! Munchkin!” Hobi chanted while Rapmon and Suga laughed with one another, feeling second-hand embarrassment.

“Miss Bangtan has quite the fanboys, it seems. Who will win? Jennie or Yerin?” the announcers wondered.

Once the whistle blew, Jennie immediately used her strength to lift Yerin high in the air and slammed her down on the mat. 

Jungkook slapped his hands together and stood up with a big grin on his face, fist pumping.

“Yes!” he yelled.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!” Bangtan jumped up, applauding her victory while ARMY and the rest of Bangtan supporters began screaming for her.

Yerin started laughing, covering her face while Jennie helped her up. 

“You all right, sis?” she hugged her.

“Yes, I’m fine. You’re so strong.” Yerin giggled.

“Wow! That power!” the commentators exclaimed as they went to a slow-motion replay. “The strength of Miss Bangtan should not be underestimated!”

“Winner! BTS’ Jennie!” was announced as male idols watched the performance, surprised and mesmerized. 

Some were whispering to themselves about her and smirking in approval.

“Atta girl!” Zico from Block B, shouted, cheering her on with the rest of the Block B members.

GOT7 also became her cheerleaders as Bam Bam stared at her with heart eyes, placing a hand over her heart. 

“I think I’m in love,” Bam Bam mentioned to Jackson, who cackled at him, slapping his arm.

As the fansites filmed videos and posted it on their social media, as fans commented,

‘Some of the boys look pleased’

'So who is gonna be the next idol to speak on how much they admire Jen? Cause some of them are staring hard af and I'm here for it'

‘Hahaha some of the guys look like they wanna marry her’

‘Bam Bam watching with that pleased look on his face, ahahah.’

‘Sexy, beautiful and powerful! Go gurl!

‘She FLEW HER DOWN! DAMN’

‘The girls’ faces hahaha they look so scared to face her now’

‘Look at her face in the beginning! She looked like, “Oh shit, I’m dead.’

‘I’m ready to see Jennie at Wrestlemania now.’

‘She took that so seriously ahaha.’

‘Can Jennie throw me like that too!?’

‘Force to be reckoned with! She didn’t come to play! She definitely redeemed herself from last time.’

‘How did she get so strong!? OMG Jungkook what have you been teaching her!?’

‘Flipped her like pancakes. Didn’t even last two seconds!’

‘She-she just picked her up and slammed her down in 2.0 seconds!’

‘I blinked and Yerin was on the mat. What happened!?’

‘I love how the guys are smiling so hard.’

‘That Captain America strength right there! Miss Bangtan 100%! Represent us!’

Jennie was smiling brightly at the cheers and applauds for her efforts as she bowed and waved. 

After leaving the mat, Hayoon ran up to her to hug her. “That was amazing!” she said and started giving her repeated kisses on her cheek.

After speaking with G-Friend, Jennie went back to Bangtan who had given her high fives and compliments such as, “Well done.” And “You’ve worked hard.”

“You did it!” Jungkook high fived her and pulled her to his chest for a warm hug.

“We did it.” she corrected him as she wrapped her arms around his back. The rest of the members joined in for a group hug before sitting back down to watch the rest of her team wrestle.

She cheered on Baek A-Yeon as she went up against Umji and managed to slam her down on the mat to make her team advance to the semi-round. 

“Yeah!” Jennie jumped up and ran up to Baek A-Yeon with Haeryung to celebrate their advancement.

As the last round started, Jennie sat back down with Taehyung wrapping his arms around her from behind, sitting behind her. Jimin sat in front of her, laying his back between her legs while Jungkook hugged Taehyung from behind.

They watched as Baek A-Yeon went up against Sung-a from Nine Muses and lost the match when she was slammed down. 

Jennie stood up and walked to the mat, preparing to wrestle Sojin. They bowed to each other and got in position.

As soon as the whistle blew, Sojin tried to catch her off guard by going after her legs but Jennie stood her ground and lifted her up to slam her down within five seconds.

“Sorry.” Jennie grinned and helped her up while Sojin reassured her that she was fine.

The fansites had filmed Jungkook smiling proudly and in the end, Jen’s team had won a Bronze medal for their efforts when Haeryung fell short against her opponent. After they received their bronze medals, Haeryung began to cry. 

“Wait, why are you crying?” Jennie went to console her with Baek A-Yeon.

“I let the team down. I’m sorry,” she responded, sadly.

“Hey, you did not let us down. We tried our best and we had fun. Thank you for your hard work. You’ve done well, girl. Don't even worry about it.” she reassured her, wiping her tears as the fansites filmed their conversation.

The three ladies join in for a group hug, thanking each other for a job well done for wrestling.

When the interaction was posted on Twitter, people praised Jennie's kindness and sportsmanship.

While soccer began, Jennie chilled with Bangtan, taking out her bun. Before she prepared to fix it, Taehyung grabbed her hair tie and got behind her, fixing her bun for her. She was surprised at how delicate he was to not hurt her. He placed her hair in a high bun and got in front of her to place a strand of curls on each side. Once he was done, he patted her head and smiled.

She took out her phone and checked it out. “This looks really good, Tae.”

Wandering around after catching up with some idol friends, Jennie decided to finally approach The8, greeting him in Chinese. 

“I only know a little bit of Chinese but I will try to learn more so there can be less of a language barrier between us.” her Chinese was broken but he smiled at her efforts and managed to understand her clearly.

‘Wow...handsome.” he responded in English which caused her to chuckle

“Beautiful.” she corrected.

“Sorry, sorry.” he bowed, feeling embarrassed.

“It’s all right. Can you recommend me some Chinese dishes I should try? I love Chinese food.” 

“Yes, of course!” he started naming some of his favorite dishes. 

As they spoke, Joshua approached them and greeted them.

“Hey! Great job on the wrestling.” Joshua said in English.

“Oh, thank you! I had a blast. You’re Joshua, right?”

“Yeah, it’s nice to finally meet Miss Bangtan. I’m actually from Los Angeles.”

“Ah, west coast. I’m from the east. East side is better just so you know.” she teased and they shared a laugh. “The both of you two are so cute.” she pointed at the both of them.

“You’re cute, too. The8 is really fond of you. He always talks about how kind and hardworking you are.” he gestured while The8 was looking at them back and forth, confused since they were speaking in English.

“I saw the video. It always gives me a giddy feeling when people tell me that. It makes me feel really good. Hey, can I have your Kakao Talk?”

“Yeah, of course.” he took out his phone

“I want your Kakao Talk too, The8.” she gestured to him and he took out his phone. 

After getting each other's Kakao Talk, Jennie continued to bring The8 into their conversation.

“Joshua also plays the guitar. We saw your V-Live. You were great.” The8 smiled.

“Really? Thank you! Oh gosh, I feel so embarrassed, I didn’t think some idols would watch it too.” she responded.

As she continued to wander around, she even met Yeeun from CLC, remembering that Yeeun was eager to meet her. They compared their classes for the upcoming school year and noticed that they’ll be sharing a few classes together. They will definitely have more time to hang out and get to know each other.

Throughout the event, Hayoon would cling to Jennie, hugging her from behind, while she laughed.

“Why are you affectionate, today? You must want something.” she assumed, since last time she wanted some of her smarties.

“No, I’m just happy to see you. I haven’t seen you in a while.” Hayoon replied.

While she was being hugged, Jennie would look around at the crowd and noticed fans wearing USA clothing and waving American flags to represent her. She smiled and pointed them out, feeling even more good about herself. She even spotted Vienna in the crowd and waved, blowing kisses.

“LOVE YOU!” Vienna shouted from her seat. The college student noticed some ARMY trying to get her attention. “I don’t speak Korean but it looks like you want to take a selfie, so sure.” she gestured for them to give her their phones.

Jennie and Jimin migrated to the basketball court to support Suga who was currently warming up for the basketball finals match. Jimin and Jennie were standing where the staff seats were while she took photos on her phone.

“Suga got this in the bag. He should be fine.” Jennie said.

“Yes!” Jimin praised when they watched Suga make a shot in the basket while practicing.

When the game started, Jennie and Jimin became cheerleaders for the Daegu rapper.

“MIN YOONGI~!” Jimin shouted. “Lee Changmin! Jung Jinwoon! Lee Hyun-hyungnim!”

“WOO HOOOOOOOOO! YEAH!” Jennie shouted. “YOU GOT THIS FAM! I SEE YOU BOO, I SEE YOU!”

Suga had put his head down, while his teammates started laughing at their enthusiasm for their groupmate.

Due to their heated cheers, Jimin and Jennie sat on the sidelines to watch the game. Every time Suga’s team made a shot, Jimin and Jennie would jump up from their seats and cheer.

“That’s my Suga!” Jennie shouted proudly, happily applauding. “I am a proud little sister!”

“Yoon! Gi! Yoon! Gi! Yoon! Gi! Yoon! Gi!” Jennie and Jimin chanted as the game progressed.

Yoongi’s team ended up winning and earning gold medals.

Before Jennie knew it, it was time for Volleyball as she stood backstage with the stylists, preparing her outfit. She wore a long sleeve shirt and black shorts with knee pads. When Jennie put on the shorts, she noticed they were a bit too small.

“Ah...I told you to get a bigger size. My ass is bigger than you Korean women. And I have wider hips.” she exclaimed while the stylists giggled.

“We came prepared, don’t worry.” 

They brought in a backup pair which fit much better. She checked out her outfit in the mirror and turned around to look at her behind. 

“All right, it’s covering up everything. Ah, I’m freaking out.” Jennie rambled.

When she was all dressed up, she walked to the gym, where the volleyball court was already put up. She gathered around the members as they helped prepare her.

“Ready, sweetie?” Jin smiled.

“A little nervous.”

“You’ll be just fine.” Yoongi patted her on the back

Taehyung gave her water while Jimin began massaging her shoulders to help her relax.

“I have the tape.” Namjoon brought up and grabbed one of her hands while Hobi grabbed her other hand to start taping her fingers.

“Remember, be careful, spike some balls and win.” Jungkook reminded her. “Use your golden defense skills.”

“I’ll be sure to do that and more.” she nodded.

Hobi cupped her face, pressing his lips to her forehead. He smiled softly, “You got this, Jennie! Show those ladies why Bangtan is great!”

She nodded and started to grin, high fiving each member before walking up to the court to meet with her teammates.

Representing Team Who’s The Boss, Jennie teamed with Baek A-Yeon, Hyelim & Yubin from Wonder Girls and Min and Suzy from Miss A. Their opponents were from Team the Return of The King which consisted of Hyuna & Gayoon from 4Minute, Yeeun & Seunghee from CLC, and Hayoung and Naeyun from APink.

“Here we are! This is the first time we are having a volleyball event at ISAC. Miss Bangtan will be starting to serve, representing Team Who’s the Boss.” The commentators mentioned over the roaring cheers of the audience.

Jennie exhaled sharply, as her heart raced while having the ball in her hands. 

‘I can do this...’ she gave herself words of encouragement. 

Just before she could serve, she heard loud screaming.

“JENNNNNNNNNNIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE~! You Got this!! Goooooooo

Jennnnnnnniiiieeeeeeeee~!”

The screaming caught her by surprise and she turned around sharply to see Jimin, J-Hope, and Yoongi hollering for her. Rap Monster had facepalmed, shaking his head while Jin and Jungkook were giggling, clapping to themselves.

Her teammates began giggling at her enthusiastic group members and thought it was cute that they were cheering her on. 

Jennie had let out a loud laugh and blew some kisses at Bangtan before turning back to her opponents.

“GO JENNIE!” another scream caught her by surprise but this time it was actually from Hayoon who was standing on the sidelines with the rest of GFriend, cheering her on. 

She had shyly looked down after screaming so loudly but Jennie had appreciated her cheers.

‘Okay...let’s do this.’ she began bouncing the volleyball by slapping it with her palm as it hit the ground then back to her palm, numerous times. 

The loud sound began to intimidate her opponents as they tried to get ready.

Raising the ball in the air, she jumped up high for a powerful spike. The ball ended up hitting the ground on the other side before the opposing team could hit it and Jennie earned a point for her team. Loud screams from ARMY were heard around the arena while some watched, stunned at the spike.

“YES! That is my child! I raised her! That is my beautiful little girl!” Jin yelled happily.

“WOOOOOOO! ATTA GIRL!” Namjoon shouted. 

A proud smile came across Jungkook’s lips as he nodded in approval, applauding her efforts. 'That's my Jennie,' he thought proudly.

“Whaaaaaaa, what a powerful strike from Jennie of BTS! Wow!” the commentators went on.

She was surprised as her teammates went to hug her. “I can’t believe I got that.” she started laughing while Yubin and Hyelim smiled sweetly, patting her on the back.

The game progressed with Bangtan watching closely as they saw the concentration in her eyes. They admired her efforts because she truly had worked hard. Jen soared with her defensive skills as she effortlessly blocked the ball, which caused some of her opponents to get annoyed that they couldn’t get a point.

“Ah, Jennie, stop blocking my spikes!” Hyuna whined.

“Not sorry.” Jennie replied with a grin.

“Are you seeing this!? Are you seeing this!?” Taehyung grabbed onto Jimin and started shaking him. “She keeps blocking the ball! They’re gonna win!”

“WOOOOO! Go, Jen!” Jackson, Bam Bam and Mark became some of her hypemen throughout the match.

Jen’s forearms began to sting from the constant hitting of the ball as the game went on. Her team was well in the lead, thanks to Yubin and Suzy soaring in setting the ball for their teammates to spike, Hyelim being great at passing the ball to her teammates and Baek A-Yeon specializing in spiking with Min. Jennie had made sure to jump up and throw her hands up to block the ball whenever she could with her teammates, which helped tremendously in the game.

"Miss Bangtan's defense is dangerous," the commentators pointed out at how effortless she made blocking for her team.

Once Hayoung served the ball, Hyelim managed to hit the ball, passing it to Suzy who managed to hit the ball over the net. Yeeun dove down, hitting the ball as she connected with the floor while Gayoon passed the ball to Naeyun. Naeyun spiked the ball and Min hit the ball back. Yubin and Baek A-Yeon watched it fly near them and Baek A-Yeon managed to set the ball. 

“All yours, Jennie!” she gestured as Miss Bangtan jumped up and spiked the ball across the court.

Once they saw that the ball hit the floor before their opponents could hit it, they happily yelled in excitement.

“YES!” Jen screamed and fist pumped over the loud cheers and screams from the crowd. 

She started jumping up and down while her teammates threw themselves at her, and they all fell to the floor while hugging. When they got back on their feet, they celebrated all around the arena while Jen did aerial cartwheels around the arena in celebration.

Bangtan started laughing wholeheartedly that she still had the energy to jump and cartwheel around. They immediately ran down to the volleyball court to celebrate with her. J-Hope picked her up over his shoulders and ran around with Bangtan as they all cheered and celebrated. 

"Jennie! Jennie! Jennie!" The boys chanted.

The volleyball team received gold medals for their efforts. When the team was interviewed, Jennie thanked her teammates for working so hard to be victorious and praised them for their hard work. She had a blast with them and hopes volleyball continues to be an event in ISAC.

Meanwhile, Bam Bam had been watching her, smitten by her athleticism in the volleyball game. After some pep talk from Jackson, he finally decided to approach her, bringing a water and towel for her to wipe her sweaty face.

“Have you played volleyball, before?” he asked.

“I kid you not, this was my first actual game.”

“Wow, well you need to teach me some time because you were amazing out there.”

With the Maknae Line, Jimin was on alert when he noticed that Bam Bam was starting to flirt with her as she had covered her mouth while giggling and shyly averting her eyes. Once he nudged Taehyung and Jungkook to point out what was going on, Jungkook shot Bam Bam a sharp stare.

“All right, relax, he still has a dating ban so we should be okay,” Taehyung reassured.

“I hope so,” Jungkook grumbled.

Going backstage, Jen had Namjoon snap a photo of herself with her arms outstretched and a proud smile on her face. 

She tweets, ‘I came, I slayed, I conquered. Getting 1st place at ISAC feels so good. We winning! Yay us! #BlackGirlMagic #DidntTripThisTime #JEN’

For the final event, which was the final of Men's 400m relay, Jennie approached Jungkook from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder while smiling. “You ready?”

“I hope so. I really want to win.” he tilted his head to the side.

“You’ll do well. I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line, Golden Maknae,” she reassured him.

Those words motivated him to do well. Running and passing the finish line, to see her there, cheering him on. It brought a smile to his face.

Seventeen, B1A4, Teen Top, and BTS were the teams going up against each other. Jennie stood on the sidelines with GFriend and Yeeun.

“Let’s go Jimin!” Jennie shouted, clapping as her heart began to race. 

Once the idols started running, the arena started screaming. Jimin passed his stick to Taehyung as he dashed in his line tailing behind Sandeul from B1A4. 

“You got this Tae!” she began jumping up and down with GFriend and Yeeun.

Once Tae passed the stick to Hobi, he ran behind Jinyeong, before passing it to the last runner, which was Jungkook.

Soon as Jungkook zoomed past, everyone, he created a big gap as he aimed for the finish line. 

“Yes!” she happily yelled, continuing to watch him run. 

She started to migrate near the finish line, waiting for him to finish. ARMY began screaming as soon as Jungkook ran through the finish line. 

“The last runner from BTS is so amazing!” the commentators exclaimed while Rapmon and Jimin ran after him.

Jungkook kept running until he saw Jennie happily running towards him. He ran up to her and embraced her, rejoicing in his victory

“Ahhhh I’m so proud of you!” she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

They both felt a collision when Jimin, Rapmon, and Tae ran over, joining in the hug and they ended up tumbling onto the floor as the rest of the members joined in, laughing.

Yeeun ended up giggling with GFriend. “Ah, Jungkook and Jennie are so cute~!”

“I know! He looks so happy, too.” Eunha added with a smile.

“I haven’t told Jennie but I really ship her with Jungkook. Don’t you agree?” Hayoon asked.

“I know me too. I bet we’re not the only ones” SinB mentioned as they all agreed.

--------

A few days later, Jennie sat in her little studio at Big Hit with her camera videotaping her live for another V-Live. She sat in her chair, spinning around, while the views continued to multiply. She always had her V-Lives in English, enjoying speaking her primary language. But also tended to accommodate those who wanted to hear some Korean and Japanese. Some even asked for Chinese although she was still learning and needed work on it.

After a few moments and checked out the screen and waved. “What up, what up??” she smiled.

‘BABE!’

‘Hiiiiii’

‘ahhh I love you so much!’

‘Love u JW!’

“Welcome to the Smartie Factory!” she presented. “My own little studio, haha. Just like Suga, J-Hope, and Rapmon. This is where I create my covers and work on my music. Let me give you a tour.” she took the camera and showed off the computer. “So, this is where I have all my music on. I recently transferred my stuff from my laptop. I had this studio for a few months now and finally have the chance to show it off. Remember all the stuffed animals I received on White Day? Ahahaha, they’re all happily here to cheer me on while I work.” 

After showing everything, she set it back down on the desk while she sat and faced the camera.

“Sadly, there are no Smarties, right now, I ate them all. I’m so upset, I just had some yesterday. Sometimes I think the guys steal some of my smarties because there is just no way in the world I don’t have any left.”

‘How was ISAC?’

‘I saw videos of you at ISAC! You did great!’

‘You killed it at ISAC!’

“Yes, ISAC was sooooo fun! Mad fun! I had a great time, a better time than last year. At least I didn’t fall! I was so annoyed when they kept bringing up me falling last year. Just let it go, you know?” She continued to read the comments.

“Hahaha you say that some guys were looking at me? Who? Let me know the tea.” she spoke eagerly with amusement. “And yeah, I did meet more people! I finally got to meet some Seventeen members. They’re mad cool. The8 is very kind and cute. He accidentally called me handsome when he meant to say beautiful. I am trying to learn more Chinese so I can speak with him more and also to speak with more of our Chinese ARMY. I want to be able to communicate with you all without much of a language barrier. So please bear with me. I’ll be learning. You know, I get a kick out of my friends getting so confused when I speak English. And even Korean. It’s funny to see their reaction. I feel that way too when I’m not familiar with a language.”

‘The black community is so proud of you’

‘I love your self-determination’

“Well, I’m very proud that I’m representing the black community up here.” she beamed while reading the comments.

‘Did you see a lot of ARMY at ISAC?’

“Yeah, I did see a lot of ARMY at ISAC. I even saw some of you wear some USA merch. That was really cool of you to do that. I ran into some lucky ARMY after the show. Please don’t be so nervous to talk to me. I’m just a normal person just like you, just more known for her talents, that’s all. Like say hey, I’ll say hey back. While on Tumblr, I read that our supporters would probably die or pass out or wouldn’t be able to talk in front of their favorite idols. But I don’t want to miss an opportunity to meet my passionate supporters, so please don’t feel that way. I’m human, let’s have a brief conversation and chill.”

“Oh! For a while now, I was making some of my own music,” she added. “But lately I kind of got a little discouraged. I won’t scrap it, I’ll just leave it on my computer until I find the motivation to work on it again. My goals are to create music for myself one day and release it for you.”

‘Release it!’

��Please release it!’

‘Don’t tease us like that’

‘Do I need to fly to Korea? Release it!’

She smiled softly. “One day I’ll release it. I want to rerecord everything though. My vocals are improving, so that’s good. I had this notebook and...” she trailed off

She remembered her young self, back in Amity, constantly writing a couple of songs in her notebook. Back when the other members were getting called out to work on their solo songs. Excited and eager she was, patiently waiting for her time to share a song that she wrote. She kept the notebook to herself and didn’t tell anyone.

When Hailey found out, she wanted to use Jen’s written songs for Amity’s next album but Jen refused because she couldn’t just give songs so personal away like that. It caused more of a rift in her relationship with the group.

But before Jen knew it, she had lost the notebook right before she left the group and hadn’t seen it ever since. But then recently, with Amity’s new album out to help promote their world tour, Jen noticed that some of those songs on their album were the songs she had written in her notebook. Crazy enough, some songs were tweaked for a more sexual tone and sadly, defeated the purpose of the written songs that she spent weeks working on because she wasn’t a professional songwriter and just wrote what came to mind.

Jennie shouldn’t have been surprised but soon as she heard those familiar words, she teared up and cried in her room. It discouraged and hurt her that they would do something that. They weren’t going to let her or Angelina live it down that they wanted to leave, huh? She couldn’t do anything about it but move on. She had spoken with Namjoon about it and vented to him. Yoongi was in the studio with them and she remembered the Daegu rapper suggesting to create a diss track. But her rap skills weren’t up to par just yet to go that way. And Amity, well, they just weren’t worth it and Namjoon agreed with her reasons.

Throughout this year, Amity would constantly poke shots at her and Angelina on social media because they’ve been winning awards like the Grammys. But Jennie and Angelina wanted quality music, not quantity.

Jen wanted to sing songs that were meaningful to her. She was glad she was here because Big Hit gave her more musical freedom, unlike SongStress Entertainment. It would be a while before she could begin writing songs again. The wound had not healed yet.

She sighed and shook the negative thoughts out of her head. “I had written a couple of songs but lost the notebook to it,” she responded. “Someone that I thought I could trust, now is singing those songs that I had written. But it’s okay. I hope to make better songs. So, bear with me.”

“Why do you stay in BTS when there’s some so-called “ARMY” that won’t support you but will support the other members?” she read a question. “Well, because I love what I do. And I refuse to let someone have that power over me to stop doing what I want to do in my life. It’s crazy, people always are there to see you fall but don’t say much when they see you do your own thing and succeed. But all these antis and haters, they can take a seat and watch me thrive. I ain’t going nowhere. Oh, so I was on Tumblr, right?” 

‘Uh oh...’

‘Oh nooooo’

‘What did you see!?’

‘Hide your fanfics!’

“You guys come up with some interesting fan blog names of me. Let’s see...um...what were they? Oh yeah, Jenniesyummythighs was one. MunchkinsBooty was another.” she laughed. “Uh, IAmJenniesBoobies was another I came across. HireJennieForNike is one I really like, they really should hire me. I’d be a great model for them. I’m so enthusiastic about their product.”

‘Lmaoooooo omg’

‘Hahahahahah’

‘LOL can you blame us?’

“So, ARMY, I have a question to ask you. I’m curious. So whenever I’m on Tumblr, I usually like to check the BTS tag, right? So, um...what is this about a Sub Jennie, I’m seeing lately? Should I be concerned?” she deadpanned, looking serious with a genuine voice.

‘DEAD’

‘OH SHIZ’

‘DELETE YOUR BLOGS’

‘SHE CALLED US OUT’

‘UM’

“Uh huh. That’s what I thought. But who said I was a sub?” she asked curiously but ended up laughing at how she asserted her question, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant literally, who said I was a sub? Where did that even start? Ugh, I think I accidentally just gave you story ideas. Let me be quiet. My statement came out dirtier than I intended.”

‘OMG which one are you?’

“Ah, I should keep it PG. I’m not about that life.”

‘Do you read them?’

“No, I don’t read your fanfics. That seems like taboo territory for me. I don’t want to feel some type of way around anyone you write me with but you do you guys. I like the mood boards that you make and also the fan art. I came across this Hunger Games AU mood board and I thought it was so good. I love the Hunger Games and I enjoy mood boards so make more of those, please.”

“I saved some of my favorites on my phone. I like some of these users on Instagram and follow them. Here." she pointed out some famous K-Pop fanart pages on her phone. “I will try my best to see all your stuff. If you make the hashtag #JWFanart then I’ll always check that tag on Instagram and Tumblr. I’ll like the stuff on Instagram when I can.”

“Oh, and by the way, all of your MLTs of me that I randomly came across, seem to be all wrong," she pointed out. "I remember seeing this one statement that said who is most likely to kiss first. Y’all put me allllll the way at the bottom. I highly recommend that you reconsider that. I'm not afraid to kiss somebody,"

“Another thing, why y’all think I’ll be a crazy ass girlfriend? Like jeez, I’m mad chill, I promise you. Is it because of the I Need U music video with the cheating scene? I was just acting! And who is most likely to cheat? Why did y’all put me at the TOP of the list!? Bruh! Who do you think I am?” she called them out. "Like, no! Absolutely not, you wildin’, don’t play like that!”

She laughed again. “All right, I’m done teasing. Y'all enjoy whatever your imagination takes you,"

With Jungkook, he was in the Big Hit building, in a dance studio with Jimin and Taehyung, watching her V-Live on his phone.

“What kind of girlfriend do I think I’ll be?” he watched her read a comment in Korean. “I feel like I’ll be so cheesy, to be honest. I’d like to do some nice things for my future significant other, to show how much I appreciate them. I’m not sure what yet. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Gosh but the thought of dating someone, I’m like, you really want to put up with me? Me? Of all people?”

“Absolutely.” the Golden Maknae spoke, answering her statement.

“I’m so weird, are you sure?”

“That makes two of us.” he continued.

“I’ll admit, sometimes I have my fears. I try not to overthink it but some days I’m like, man I hope the person I date won’t get bored of me after a while.”

“I’d never get bored of you.” He guaranteed.

“I’m pretty sure a lot of people get those thoughts and overthink things. I feel like I'm a terrible kisser and need to get better at it. I apologize in advance to my future lover.”

“It’s okay,” he murmured under his breath with a smile.

"I guess when I do date, I'll get better at kissing. So I hope my future significant other doesn't mind me kissing them a lot,"

"I'd love that," Jungkook added

Jimin and Taehyung saw Jungkook immersed on his phone with a smitten smile on his face and they decided to see what he was up to. 

“I bet he’s watching Jennie’s V-Live.” Taehyung teased.

“I know. Look at him, trying so hard not to smile.” Jimin giggled.

Jungkook glanced up and narrowed his eyes. “Shut up!” He tried to get away from them as they tried to watch what was going on.

Back to Jennie, a comment popped up and she read, “When you start dating, you’ll improve your kissing skills. You can kiss your boyfriend whenever you want.”

Jen let out a soft laugh and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. And for those out there, don’t change yourself for anyone. It’s their loss if they can’t appreciate you for you. There will be someone out there for you, so don’t sweat it if you don’t think you won't find someone special. Be patient. It’ll be worth it.”

‘Can you please sing for us?’

“You want me to sing? It’ll cost you. How much?” She teased and took out her phone. “I’ll put my music on shuffle and see what pops up.”

The first song to come on is a rock song. “I’m a little bit of a rock and metalhead. But let’s choose another song. You know one day I would like to create some type of alternative or rock song while playing my guitar. That would be so cool. Or maybe collab with a rock band, one day. K-Rock or not, it’ll be fun. Maybe, we’ll see what the future holds. I want to be more active with my guitar. I enjoy that style of music because the guitar just sounds so good with it.”

She pressed shuffle again and Love by Keyshia Cole came on. “Ah, this song! How come all these throwbacks are popping up on my phone, huh Spotify? Really?”

She pressed shuffle again and Pon de Replay played. “Ahhhh 2005 Rihanna. This was my song!”

She started moving her shoulders, bumping to the beat. “I love Rihanna’s evolution as an artist. I hope I can have the same type of evolution as her, music and appearance wise. I want to be an amazing artist just like her! The way she thrives in so many genres of music! Nicki Minaj too! So versatile! I hope to be just like them in music. Rock Star is one of my favorites from Rihanna! I want to be a rockstar! Black women in rock are amazing! It'll be a dream to work with them! I don't care what it is. Modeling, music, anything! I adore them!"

She pressed shuffle again as Ridin by Chamillionaire popped on. “Ooh! This song too!”

She started bouncing up and down on her seat to the beat while ARMY started laughing at her enthusiasm. “They see me rollin’, they hatin’, Patrollin’ and tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. My music’s so loud, I’m swangin’. They hopin’ that they gonna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty. Tryna catch me ridin’ dirty.”

She pressed shuffle again and Right Thurr by Chingy came on. “Oh~ another throwback! I haven’t heard this in a minute! Okay, Okay, let me get back on track and stop fooling around. Let’s find a song to sing for you.”

Unconditional by Kehlani came on.

“Ah, okay, I’ll sing this. I highly recommend her music.” she looked at the camera and laughed shyly “You guys are gonna make me nervous.” she pressed her hands against her cheeks

Back to the Golden Maknae, he couldn’t contain his smile as he watched her sing sweetly to Kehlani’s song.

“Whipped!” Taehyung teased.

“Shut up!” he yelled and smacked him on the arm as he continued to try to watch her V-Live.

With Miss Bangtan, she sang, “Sometimes I come home and I’m sweaty from the day. And my hair’s all in a messy bun cause I had to get it out my face.” She pointed to her messy bun. “And I rather lace my sneakers up cause high heels ain’t my thing.” she showed off her Nike sneakers on her feet as she wiggled her eyebrows goofily which caused some ARMY to type in various comments indicating that they were laughing and amused at her movements.

“And I don’t see a flaw in that, I never want to change. So if you love~ me like you say~! You’ll be a man, grab my hand, take me as I am~!” she got out of her seat to dance and sing around.

I wanna l-l-l-l-l-l-l-love unconditional

I wanna l-l-l-l-l-l-l-love unconditional

‘IM CRYINGGGG’

‘Protect this child’

‘Why is she so adorable!?’

‘Ahhhhh I love this girl!’

After the song, she got back to her seat to check out the comments. “Protect me? Ahahaha! I guess I have some issues, don’t I? All jokes aside, I’ve been so excited to show you how much my singing has improved that I’ve been working on a number of covers to share with you on SoundCloud, probably near the holiday season as an early Christmas gift. Okay, let’s check out what’s next on the shuffle.” she pressed the next button.

Ain’t It Fun by Paramore came on and she started jamming. “Ooh, yes!” she jumped out of her seat to grab one of the biggest teddy bears from her White Day stuffed animal stash, and began to dance with it.

‘And I thought Jungkook was the weirdest, AHAHAH’

‘This is the true personality of Miss Bangtan. LOL'

Back with Jungkook, he started laughing hysterically. This was too adorable.

Instagram Models by Charlie Puth came on next when she changed the song, sitting back down.

“Oh! This song! Make sure y’all stay away from these Instagram models! Men and women! They will get you! Stay away from these people, man! Don’t give them clout, brah! Do not! Give them! CLOUT!” she yelled and spun around in her chair.

As the Maknae Line was leaving the dance studio, they began to walk near Jen’s studio. 

“Hey, Jungkookie, you should see Jennie and join her,” Jimin suggested with a mischievous glint.

“Ah, I shouldn’t.” The Golden Maknae shook his head, taking out his earbuds.

“I think you should.” He opened up the door and quickly shoved him in.

“Hyung!” he whispered in a hiss while the door closed silently.

Jennie, unaware that Jungkook was in her studio, continued Lil Wayne’s rap. 

“Uh, she just wanted to be popular. Uh, she just want ten thousand followers.” she pulled up her Instagram page, showing it on the screen. Setting her phone down, she shook her head and gestured with her hands, “Lord, she posted, she posted, she posted. They like it, they like it, repost it. She party promoting, she hosting. She posing, legs open, provoking. It got my head smoking. I tried to act like I don’t notice. Emotions, emotions, emotions, Lord!” 

She dramatically fell out of her seat as ARMY typed in LOL and laughing emojis while the chorus came back on

‘I am cryinggggg XD’

‘hahahahahahhaha’

‘Omg, she must be on a sugar high from those smarties.’

‘I'm high key happy that she is so comfortable with us like this. She used to be so reserved. She’s so goofy now ahaha’

Meanwhile, Jungkook silently started laughing and wondered when she’d notice him as ARMY noticed him in the background.

She got back to her seat to continue the next verse and she pretended like she was about to cry as she dramatically lip synced, “I had to leave that ho alone and get my mind right. I had to go talk to my friends, I had to find Christ.” She placed a hand over her heart and the other high up in the air, reaching the sky.

Once she saw a comment about Jungkook being in the room, she quickly turned around and widened her eyes. 

“How long have you been there!?” she exclaimed while he started cackling. She quickly paused the song while he grabbed a seat to sit next to her.

“Long enough.” he teased.

“Wow. Well, Jungkook make sure you stay away from these Instagram Models, mkay?’

“Duly noted.”

“I’m serious. They nothing but trouble.”

“I’m aware from what I just saw.”

“Hahah.” she turned to the camera. “ARMY! Look who stopped by, the Golden Maknae after he just watched me act goofy. Say hello to ARMY.”

“Hello!” he waved. “ARMY, Jennie is weird, isn’t she?”

“And you’re not?” she turned her head to meet his gaze as a big smile came across his face.

‘OMG, the way he’s looking at her! I ship it!’

‘I love their friendship so much. They are friendship goals.’

‘Aw, the way Jungkook is smiling, I want him to smile like that more often.’

“ARMY! Thank you so much for getting Shawn Mendes’ attention. I’m still stunned he noticed the cover. ARMY, you are truly one of a kind. Thank you so much for this.”

‘You are welcome!’

‘You deserve it!’

‘We ship you and Shawn!’

“You ship us? Hahaha. I do have a little crush on him. Hopefully, I’ll meet him one day and attend one of his concerts.”

“You like him?” Jungkook brought up.

“Not as much as you like IU.” she teased, causing him to smile shyly. “So when are you going to talk to IU?”

“When you are going to talk to Ailee?” he countered

“L-let’s not get into that. I’m not prepared.” She responded, making him chuckle.

‘Who would you date out of all the members of BTS’

“Who would I date? Shawn Mendes,” she answered with a grin

‘Who would you want to collaborate with?’

“Shawn Mendes.”

‘Who would you like to meet?’

“Shawn Mendes.” She answered again, causing Jungkook to poke the inside of his cheek as she continued to talk about Shawn.

‘Hahahah Jungkook looks a little jealous!’ he noticed a fan comment.

Did he really make it that obvious? 

He had hoped Jen didn’t see the comment. 

He needed to work on having a poker face and keep his jealousy in check.

“I’m gonna go. I’ll see you back at the dorm. I’m going to get something to eat first, did you want anything?” Jungkook got up from his seat.

“Lamb Skewers.”

“I’m glad our minds think alike.” he happily accepted her request and said goodbye to ARMY, exiting the room.

“As the year will be ending soon, I’m hoping that soon we can have some fan meets in America like there are in Korea and Japan. I want to be able to connect one on one with our American supporters just like we do here. So I’ll see what I can do.” She mentioned.

“I have also been writing out some more goals. I want to work more on my breath control when singing. I'm getting better at it. I’m currently working on trying to inhale a good amount of oxygen that flows out my lungs smoothly while I sing my verses to songs with ease. I've getting some vocal lessons to help with that, so I hope you look forward to my improvements as the years go by. I am striving hard to improve and reinvent myself. Especially with my live singing.”

Before she could speak again, she heard a loud yell from outside the room and watched Jimin and Taehyung run into her studio, locking the door.

She sat there, bewildered, and questioned them, “What the heck? Can’t you see I’m trying to talk to ARMY?”

She was cut off by their giggling. “We pranked Suga and Rapmon. We made it seem like we put water on their computers.” Jimin mentioned.

“Oh no, you didn’t.” she looked at them in horror.

‘Oh shitttt, Jen’s face says it all’

‘RIP Jimin and Taehyung’

“Can we please hide in here?” Taehyung asked,

“I hurt my finger, can you get me a band-aid?” Jimin asked.

“I wish I could band-aid your mouth.” Jen retorted, earning giggles from the 95 Liners. She turned to the computer when she heard hard knocking on her door. “U-um, ARMY, our time will be cut short. I need to fix the mess that these two goofballs created. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Love you, bye!” she turned off the V-Live and got up from her seat.

She smacked Jimin and Tae upside their heads, causing them to yelp.

"That's for bringing the drama to my studio!" she scolded.

“Smartie!” Yoongi yelled on the other side of the door.

“Yeah!?” She called out loudly.

“I know they’re in there! Open the door! Why is it locked!?”

“Because I was having a VLive with ARMY!”

“Bullshit, where are those two!? I'm trying to work on this damn album, and they spilled water on my fucking computer!“

Jennie rubbed her temples while Jimin and Tae panicked, and scrambled around to find hiding spots.

Yoongi was not in a pleasant mood.

“SMARTIE!” he banged on the door, causing her to flinch.

“Look what you got me into!” She whispered harshly to them.

Somehow, Namjoon managed to work on opening up her door, which caused Jennie to push the door shut with Taehyung and Jimin. Loud screams and curses were heard as the rappers tried to push the door open after they unlocked it.

“Not the door! NOT THE DOOR! My door!” she yelled when Namjoon accidentally dented her door, barging in to go after the poor 95 Liners. “Take this outside! Take this outside, right now! I just cleaned this studio up!”

#bts 8th member #jungkook x oc #bangtan boys #jungkook fanfic #jungkook #jungkook scenarios #jungkook imagine #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts fanfiction #jungkook x black oc #bts x black girl #kpop black oc #kpop oc #kpop fluff #kpop scenarios #bts fluff

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 22/01/2024

Mother, Father, TechnoMan

Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume D

Ripped by vvsvlogs

Requested by @cathode-glacier!

There's something very funny about receiving a request to cover a rip I've never heard of, literally ONE DAY before it gets played live at SiIvaGunner team's MAGFest Chipspace show. But, to both the submitter, and to vvsvlogs herself for playing the rip at her set - thank you SO much to introducing me to Mother, Father, TechnoMan. I am always, ALWAYS down to cover more Anamanaguchi music on here.

I haven't made my love for the aforementioned band much of a secret on here: while I am still pretty poorly versed in the music world as a whole, I have listened to the entire discography of Anamanaguchi, most known nowadauentire discography. after initially discovering them through Scott Pilgrim, and immediately fell in love with their sound. With Give Me the Fantasy, I was a bit more self-indulgent than usual and covered a mashup between their hit song Endless Fantasy and Pitbull, and more recently with 88811 I covered a rip I now call one of my all-time, most-underrated favorites. Now with a mashup, and a melody swap, it's time to shift into overdrive - Mother, Father, TechnoMan is a full-on mashup medley, with so many pieces that elevate an already incredible track into all-new levels of sheer hype. Hype that vvsvlog's set at Chipspace, MAGFest, only heightens.

Because even though I was merely watching the set streamed through Twitch, it was incredible clear to me just how much sheer energy and fun exuded from the entirety of vvsvlog's show at MAGFest. And really, it's Mother, Father, TechnoMan's part of it that best illustrates it, as seen at around 01:28:40 in the Twitch VOD. Right after she'd poured her heart out performing The Paragoomba and the Wiggler with live sing-along, the music fades, the visuals turn black, and she takes a few steps away from the mic, as if to end the set, met with claps from everyone in the crowd... And then, it plays: "MOTHER - FATHER - GENTLEMEN !!" - and immediately, vvsvlogs springs back to the microphone with absolutely infectious silly-mode energy. From absolutely HITTING a Fortnite dance in time with the opening Space Jam mashup that revs up the rip, to miming along with the lyrics to Last Resort, to the neverending bounce and energy present in general, it becomes just, abundantly clear to me how much vvsvlogs LOVES doing what she does.

It's not that I'm trying to review the Chipspace performance itself here - rather, I simply think it illustrates the magic of rips like Mother, Father, TechnoMan so perfectly. There's just a feeling of joy, a feeling of pure fun to be found in these rips, the ones that are just covered in so many layers of noise, the meme mashups like Memey Hell or Everybody's Special Course, or so many others. And Mother, Father, TechnoMan just channels that energy so expertly though its pingponging of lyrically-driven sources, all tweaked to fit the high-pitched emotion that defines Anamanaguchi's sound. Space Jam, Last Resort, a chorus introduced by Initial D Eurobeat before being overtaken by Linkin Park, which fucking HITS those high notes to a level I never thought would be possible...through it all, it feels as if these sources are all tied together through the power of raw excitement. Excitement that I feel every time I listen to it, and excitement that vvsvlogs is evidently well equipped to handle.

In closing, I love Mother, Father, TechnoMan, I love Anamanaguchi, I loved MAGFest 2024, and I do love SiIvaGunner...But, as a sleep-deprived yet adrenaline-fueled me wrote at 01:17:23 in the aforementioned Twitch stream's chat:

"@ siivacord i demand rips of [USA] expeditiously"

Orz (this is me begging)

#todays siivagunner #season 4 episode 2 #siivagunner #siiva #vvsvlogs #Youtube #Bandcamp #anamanaguchi #scott pilgrim #scott pilgrim vs the world #scott pilgrim takes off #scott pilgrim anime #ramona flowers #magfest #magfest 2024 #chipspace #chiptune #mashup #mashups #gangnam style #space jam

[uptoolateart]

I know it's been forever since I updated my Miraculous tarot deck. I've just been so busy writing fics instead! Then I saw the S5 finale and I decided to replace one of the cards I'd already done. So, this is Reality, which is a replacement for The World. An explanation is below the image. It turns into a bit of an analysis of 'Re-Creation'.

My previous image for The World was Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Cat Noir, i.e. their dual images. Then I got stuck because actually, that image would be perfect for the 2 of Yo-Yos...but I want to update it because I can draw better now, so that's on its way.

So, why did I go with Gimmi / Reality for this card?

The World is the end of the Major Arcana, or the archetypal cards at the head of the deck. Therefore, it speaks of fulfilment, completion, harmony, and the end of a certain cycle or phase of life. One journey has ended and a new one begins. From this point, we return to The Fool and start the sequence all over again.

The traditional Rider-Waite-Smith image shows a dancing figure, showing that fulfilment is ever-changing and dynamic. He/she is surrounded by a wreath of success / the achievement of a goal. This circle shows the cyclical nature of life. To quote an old Smashing Pumpkins song, the end is the beginning is the end….

In the corners are four figures who also appear in The Wheel of Fortune, symbolising the elements in harmony.

The central figure has one leg up in the air, reminding me of Lord Shiva in ancient Indian stories. Also referred to as the Lord of Dance (not to be confused with the Lord of the Dance, i.e. Michael Flatley), Shiva is a classic symbol of balance, walking the two paths between spiritual life and material life / desires. I thought of him the instant I saw Gimmi in 'Re-Creation', which I'll discuss that below. (I mean, look at all those arms...but even besides that....)

Ancient Indian traditions have this idea of different yugas, or eras. There are four of them, each one shorter than the last. When all four come to an end, Shiva does a special dance so powerful that it shatters the material universe...clearing a path for the universe to be created anew and the whole cycle to begin again. This process goes on eternally.

(Incidentally, we are currently said to be living through the last yuga in the cycle, the Kali yuga, when people are at their weakest and live shorter lives. But don't worry - there are about 427,000 years left of this yuga.)

Many traditions say Brahma is the creator god, after Shiva cleans the slate. Others, though, give Shiva the role of creator, too - specifically describing him as destroying in order to create again.

Hence in 'Deflagration' Plagg reminds Tikki that 'you and I are one', and in 'Re-Creation', when we see Plagg and Tikki in their ultimate forms, they make similar statements. Gimmi is not one or the other - Gimmi is their unified state. Reality = the constant ebb and flow of life and death, creation and destruction...like when Gabriel makes his wish and reality is collapsed and recreated. His wish is Shiva's dance. Constance is an illusion.

I think it's really interesting how when Gabriel 'dies', we never actually see a body. 'That's just because it's a children's show!' Yeah, maybe...but it's a children's show full of esoteric imagery, too. When Gabriel 'dies' he simply floats up and becomes a bunch of glowing light, returning to the energetic source of everything. Even basic physics tells us that energy never goes away. It simply...transforms. In a weird way...Gabriel's still floating around in some form, in the end. (Now there's a creepy thought.)

By the way, if you've noticed the placement of the Gabriel figure on my card...yeah. I didn't choose that. My reference image was a screenshot from 'Re-Creation'. I'm certain Gabriel's positioning was on purpose, to illustrate that is he but one humble emanation of the Creatrix (a feminine source of life - and with all that pink, I'm sure Gimmi is meant to be something like this, too).

And can I just note that I love the way Gimmi's head is surrounded by the atomic model. You may have gathered from other posts that I was less than satisfied with that S5 finale...but everything about Plagg, Tikki and Gimmi was fantastic.

#ml tarot deck #ml recreation #ml meta #ml analysis #ml s5 finale #ml gimmi #miraculous ladybug #mlb #ml fandom #ml fanart #tarot deck #tarot cards #ml theory #ml plagg #ml tikki #ml plikki #ml gabriel #gabriel agreste #fanart

[frayed-symphony]

Since Twitter might not be a thing for much longer I wanted to move the trivia threads for my picture books to tumblr.

OC lore dump and sketches for my first self-published picture book Hurricane Lane under the cut;

The number one thing I'm worried about is people thinking my book is related to the hurricane of the same name. I wrote this in 2010-2011 which predates it and the title is meant to convey Amelia's life in her suburban town and how she views it more dramatically then it is.

The name was also inspired by this beautiful song by The Hush Sound which I was listening to a lot whilst concepting and really influenced aesthetics (more subdued colour, the inclusion of the piano being an important story point etc).

I started getting interested in children's illustration when I saw the Penguin Design Competition advertised at my uni in 2010. I didn't make the cut but figured I'd go ahead and finish my book anyway because at that point I was invested in my story and wanted to complete it.

The contest called for an ebook with interactive pages so I made Hurricane Lane have seven special pages of  'wonders' Amelia finds throughout her story. Unfortunately with flash player gone the interactions don't play but they're still found online here;

I based Amelia's design on a Mii I had made which was supposed to represent a human Pikachu. You can see the Mii on the bottom left here. I really liked how it looked and she gradually evolved into what she is today.

Initially the dinosaur suit that her brother has was going to be worn by Amelia but I preferred her without it and thus Bailey was born. The dinosaur itself was based on a purple stegosaurus keyring I had when I was younger and loved even though I had no keys at the time.

Here are some more initial outfit designs for Amelia but in the end I went with the one on the right, inspired by Miku Hatsune's 'Out and About' module from Project Diva.

The family's father Rupert was partly based on my own dad (definitely the dress sense) but in 2010 I was also really obsessed with the BBC show Merlin and may have tried to age up Colin Morgan a bit to make this character.

The mother's design was a little based on my own Mother's and a little the title character of the film Amelié (she evolved beyond this quite early so there's not too striking a resemblence). I was also obsessed with the music in that film which inspired this book a lot.

I kept it vague whether she worked at the hospital or was staying there as a patient because at the time I had an idea for an overarching narrative where the families of Hurricane Lane and 256 Postcards Ago meet. This didn't pan out so feel free to have your own interpretation.

Here's some initial concepts of the logo which I was mostly scribbling during my Uni classes.

One more random tidbit is that I based the background of their journey home from the Toad's Turnpike track in Mario Kart 64. I really loved that game and it holds a lot of childhood memories for me so the nostalgia felt fitting. Maybe that's too weird to mention!

Towards the end I was concepting the protagonists of Hurricane Lane and 256 Postcards Ago meeting in a connecting rpgmaker game but sadly that never came to be. I'll talk about it more in my thread for the next book though!

I also made a little soundtrack for my book here

1) Kiara 2) Cornflake Girl 3) Indaco 4) La Valse D'Amelie 5) 春よ、来い (kites) 6) The Heart Asks Pleasure First 7) Lotus (dragon hunters) 8) Nightbook 9) Reverie 10) Hurricane

I listened to these songs a lot while reading and the final track inspired the title.

And final last tidbit- Hurricane Lane takes place in my childhood hometown. It doesn't have too many standout locations but I took photos for background references and anyone who lives there may recognize the small nods to it.

(Almost forgot links to where you can read my book) Amazon paperback; https://amazon.com/dp/1475009097 eBook; https://frayedsymphony.gumroad.com/l/LuNug

Thanks for reading!

#myart #childrens book #picture book #hurricane lane #indie authors #kid lit #ocs #lore dump #i know no one cares #but i really dont want to lose these threads

[silkflovvers]

hey miku is 16 jsyk!!

Anon, I'll be honest I'm not fully sure what your intentions are with this message… I've been in the Vocaloid, UTAU and Vsynth trenches since 2010. That may not be 16 years worth of time here, but it's still a long time to be a fan of one thing considering it's about half the time I've been alive. So that means I'm going to impart some knowledge here that newer Vocaloid and Miku fans may not understand (Especially anyone coming to my account after being introduced to Miku through Project Sekai).

Miku is, by all definition, an instrument. A voicebank is an instrument. It is a tool used to create music. The only thing that truly sets her apart from other electronic instruments or music making software is that she has a 2D mascot assigned to her to make her more marketable. That mascot was meant to be 16, yes. I will not deny that fact. Her voice bank even turned 16 years old this year since she was released way back in 2007! Happy 16 years of physical existence to your original disc-based software, Miku! So her Mascot associated as the face of the voicebank is 16 in both her physical age since launch and what's included in her original bio in that software and on the Yamaha website. If you wanted to say she was 16 years old at birth, then she'd actually be 32 years old this year if she actually aged. But her mascot doesn't age, just like all mascots of goods and brands do not age (Except for the Planter's Peanut guy I guess???). If this was a character from an anime that was always portrayed as a 16 year old and never anything else ever, it would be different. But only the 2D mascot tied to the voicebank and used as a marketable image is 16.

Now here's the part where saying she's always 16 years old all the time no matter what makes you look a little silly.

As an instrument and voicebank, Miku has been used to tell stories and fill roles much different from the bio of her software mascot. She's a medium to tell stories through, just like human voices are! She is whatever the person using her to tell a story wants her to be. This could be the VocaloP, the illustrator, or even the person creating the music videos deciding her age. Sometimes she's used as the stand-in voice for the person using her to tell the story, perhaps because they themselves aren't confident in their singing ability or wish to remain anonymous like in PowaPowaP's songs. Sometimes she is just her default voicebank self like in KIRA's Digital Girl. More often than not, she's portrayed as an original character the person using her made up in their head like she is used in mothy_悪ノP's The Evillious Chronicles. She can be anything.

She's literally the target demographic for those unpaid internship listings on job app websites that ask for 30 years experience in the field before you should even consider applying for the internship. Those aren't targeted at you, those employers want Hatsune Miku. Obviously.

That said, I don't think it's fair to apply the default voicebank mascot info to her if the person using her voice or image says otherwise.

If we really want to be picky here, the Kagamine voicebanks are even younger than Miku according to their software mascot info (15 years old), but VocaloPs wasted absolutely no time using Len to sing songs like SPICE! and Gigantic O.T.N. and Rin to sing songs like Alluring Secret ~ Black Vow ~. They were both used to sing songs like Corrupted Flower and if you also want to count violence as a mature theme here, Karakuri Burst. Does that mean they're 15 years old in any of those songs? I don't know. The person who wrote the song or the person who made the art for the music video might know, but I definitely don't. I also don't have the right to decide that specific bit of info for them since I am just the viewer.

The case is the same for the special Pokemon collab "What if Miku was a _type trainer?" series. I'm not the illustrator of each of the Trainer Mikus, so I don't know anything other than what they look like, just like the rest of the general public. The only people who have the right to decide the canon age of the Pokemon trainer Mikus are the people who illustrated her (and maybe whoever was directing the collab in the first place). Not me, not you dear anon, and not even KEI, the original illustrator and character designer for the mascot of the voicebank known as Hatsune Miku have the right to decide the age of the Trainer Mikus. The people actively telling a story with Miku are the ones who decide who she is, where she is, and what she is. Until we are told the Trainer Mikus illustrators' exact intentions, ages are up for interpretation and no one's interpretation is a cold hard fact.

The only times the person using the software or image of the mascot can't choose what age the character is are when there are specific rules listed in the software manual or on the official website. As an example, I'm about 98% sure the voicebank for Kaai Yuki has restrictions for what types of songs she can be used in since the voice providers for the voicebank were actual children. That's the only exception I am personally aware of within the official Vocaloid brand voicebanks by Yamaha. There may be non-Yamaha voicebanks, UTAUs and VSynths with similar restrictions that I am unaware of.

Now that you've been given a small history lesson on voicebanks and the fact they're used to tell stories as all instruments are, I'll give a more personal reply.

If your ask was sent in response to me tagging the Dark type Trainer Miku art with "I'm gay" in my reblog, you may be taking Tumblr and social media as a whole a little too seriously. Dark type Miku is pretty and I love dark type Pokemon and trainers, always have. I've been a Mawile fan since the Pokemon was still considered a Dark-Steel type and it took me a very long time to stop being upset when they switched Mawile to a Fairy-Steel type. Anyway, if we're being honest, I wish I looked like Dark Type Miku. This is the response of a nonbinary lesbian desperately wishing they could look as good as Dark Type Miku. I'm not lusting after her, I'm not lewding her. I just wish I was as hot as she is in this artwork.

If you don't agree with anything I've said in my reply to this ask, then please do not continue to make yourself uncomfortable by interacting with me or my social media accounts. Please block me if you must! I highly recommend blocking accounts and muting tags that make you uncomfy! I do it all the time! It's the only way to stay sane on social media, aside form simply not using social media.

#txt #silkflovversask #I'm not really sorry for the whole essay but I nor you have any right to decide what age Dark Type Trainer Miku is #That's up to the people in charge of her design and the collab to decide not the fans #Miku will always be an instrument and storytelling medium at her core #I've literally seen Miku be Russian Ronald McDonald #She can be anything and any age #anyway I miss project diva when she was still a voicebank and not an idol

[aforager]

Friday Night Funkin' - Looking to commission others for work!

Hi! So, I haven't been talking very publicly about it, but I've been working on a concept for Friday Night Funkin' mod, starring my persona, J8-Bit!

I've already gotten some work done on it over the past one to two years, and I've commissioned others here and there, but I wanted to make a public announcement on it since it's been difficult to find people lately.

Stuff planned in the mod (as of 7/16/23):

Three full weeks of J8-Bit in some form! (More specifically, an intro week, a revisit with a twist at the end, and a remake of Week 6 with J8-Bit replacing Boyfriend)

Songs based on Undertale/Deltarune, Mega Man, Minecraft, Pokemon, FNAF, the Battle Cats, Find Mii, and more

Songs based on FNF Lullaby, vs. Retrospecter, vs. Ourple Guy, Friday Night Troubleshootin', Hotline 024, and more

Original character songs (including some furry bullshit, hence why I'm only looking for 18+ collaborators)

Stuff I'm looking to commission, art trade, or collaborate on:

Character and outfit designs (to help fit the FNF "vibe")

Background work (to make the stages look nice during gameplay)

Musical work (one of the most important things in a rhythm game is the music, so I'd like some high-quality tunes to fill the OST) In terms of music styles, I'm mostly looking for different forms of EDM/electronic music like glitch hop, dubstep, and future funk on top of the FNF/7quid style of music, but a few specific songs are a little more specialized, like the aformentioned Pokemon- and Mega Man-themed songs. If you think you might have something that interests me, feel free to reach out nonetheless!

You do not have to be in the FNF fandom or have previous experience to reach out! If you're looking for work and have a basic understanding of base game Friday Night Funkin', that's okay! I'll try to explain what I'd like from you to the best of my abilities with my notes, illustrations, and visual/musical references.

If you're interested or curious in the project, please feel free to reach out! You can contact me here, on Twitter, or on Discord ( j8bit_forager#1861 ).

Thank you for reading!

#friday night funkin #fnf #gamedev #looking for work

[partiallypoison]

okay, so i wanted to write a post with a bit more information on the mcr reunion zine, since i already have a lot of people interested :)

please note that nothing is set in stone. there needs to be A LOT done before i even think about applications. the most i've done is a lot of research and gathering my thoughts about what exactly i want. however i wanted to explain myself better in case anyone is on the fence about whether or not they want to participate!!

warning: i typed way too much but hopefully it answers any questions you might have at this stage <3

first and foremost, it’s going to be a charity zine. regardless of size, i don’t want to do this for profit. that money is going to be donated. which charity, i’m not sure, but i’m open to suggestions!

for the subject matter: it’s going to be about mcr’s reunion and everything surrounding it. i want the zine itself to be almost like a scrapbook, in that it captures events of the reunion. a summoning video, the shrine show, the foundations of decay, specific shows and/or parts of shows (speeches, outfits, drum sayings, songs played for the first time in years, singing with openers/special guests).

you won’t be assigned your topic unless you don’t specify one. however, it’s first come, first serve for topics. i won’t have twenty people drawing cheerleader gerard. you have to submit multiple topics in order of preference. if you don't get any of your assigned topics, i'll do my best to assign you one as close as possible/work with you to adjust it so it's not too similar to others'.

yes, you can work on the same show/topic as someone else as long as what you want to do is different than the other person. example: two people want to do the 9/11 brooklyn show. one wants to do something about playing skylines and turnstiles in new york city on 9/11 and the meaning behind it all. the other person wants to do an art piece about desert song being performed for the first time in years. both can be in the zine, because they're different, even though they're the same show.

writers are a bit different. they can write about something if there’s already two art pieces about a show, but only one writer can do that topic.

both of those things can change, of course.

i’ll create a list of as many topics as i can think of for inspiration. the list won’t be the only topics allowed, though! there’s like 70+ shows to choose from with different things happening each show lol

depending on how many participants there are depends on how many pieces you can do. i’d say maybe two, unless you’re doing art and writing, then possibly more. if you want to do multiple pieces, i'd have you let me know in the application.

however, i wouldn’t give you all of your preferred topics at once. you’d get your first one, then i’d continue down the line. your second one would be like going back into the queue for your second show and getting renumbered hahah.

the zine will be in chronological order, with mostly art and a few written pieces here and there.

i am open to different forms of art (illustrations, collages, etc.) and writing (poetry, analysis, etc.).

collaborations are always welcome, and even encouraged!! make something with your friends!!!

there WILL be an application process, especially for something this size. i’m picturing something big, with lots of participants spanning across different platforms (hopefully). you will need to include examples of your work in it in order to be considered.

HOWEVER, i don't want people to be discouraged because of the fact that there will be a chance you will get rejected. my goal is not to reject people. my goal is to create a huge project created with love by as many people as i can get. this is a love letter, and i want it signed by as many people as possible. that's why i'm opening this multiple art forms and writing!!!

depending on the size, there may or may not be merch! prints, stickers, charms, buttons, whatever. that just depends on how many people we get for the zine itself. you can apply to do merch, or if you're not selected for the zine, i might reach out about you doing merch instead :)

and yes, i will be looking for people to help me organize this. i’ve never done this before, but by god do i want to do this for my chemical romance. if you have experience organizing big zines, please reach out to me with the name of the zine you helped organize and what you would be willing to do to assist me. i'm doing a lot of research but i know i wouldn't be able to do this on my own. i have some friends willing to help but i don't think any of us have organized anything like this before!

i think that's about it. i'll hopefully have something more concrete than just my thoughts and ideas within the coming month or so. my goal is to have this ready for pre-order by halloween (aka the First Day of the reunion) at the latest. maybe by 9/12 (aka mcr's 22nd anniversary). the next thing you might see from me might be a sideblog for the zine, and then hopefully more information about the zine itself.

thanks for your interest! feel free to ask questions, but know that i might not have answers yet.

#tagging this as #mcr reunion zine #for archival purposes