#list of festivals in korea

[jinnie-ret]

ep.5: the honeymoons

ratings: fluff, some angst

warnings: none

running time: 1.6k words

summary: we see the first batch of couples go on their honeymoons. is love still in the air?

SKZ MAFS EPISODE LIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

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chan and rori

location: budapest

"I've always wanted to travel," Rori grinned, feeling peaceful as she gazed across the city, night lights twinkling and night life buzzing.

"You've not been around Europe before? I thought most brits would end up going around Europe because it's so convenient," Chan hummed in thought, his head resting on her shoulder as he hugged her from behind, arms wrapped around Rori's waist.

The two of them had grown close very quickly, already having taken things to the next level. Rori trusted him, and him, her.

"Well, South Korea was a chance I took and I love it. But when I had Oliver, it kind of threw a spanner in the works, so I didn't get the chance to," Rori stroked Chan's hands that involuntarily hugged her tighter as he laughed.

"A good spanner though!" Chan giggled, making the silly comment as he remembered the cute kid that had definitely surprised him on his wedding day, but made him that more excited for their new adventure together.

The day had ended perfectly, after going around and seeing the sights, Hero's Square and Fisherman's Bastion, and now taking in the beautiful city. Of course, there were drunk people in their twenties stumbling down the street together, shouting the words to a song Rori was sure she would have recognised if it had been sung soberly. A piece of her wished maybe she could have had more time in those years, to be recklessx to have fun. She was worried she'd never have that feeling again. But Chan have that to her, he made her feel alive.

"I can't believe how lucky I've gotten, Chan is just so... he gives me butterflies. I can't remember the last time I felt that way," Rori tucked some of her ginger hair behind her ear.

jeongin and dallas

location: mt. fuji

Jeongin and Dallas had finally made it to Mountain Fuji, sharing stories to each other about things they had achieved in their lives and what they wanted to do in the future. Sweetly they had held each other's hands the whole journey there, that small sense of affection and comfort whilst getting to know each other bringing them closer together already. And even as they exited the car together, they never let go of each other, until Dallas was so excited at the gorgeous colours of the flower festival in the clearing of the mountain.

"Ahhh! It's gorgeous! Wow, I just wish we had this back home! This is stunning I can't cope!" Dallas squealed, leaning over the fence and trying to comprehend all the glorious hues of purple, lavender, lilac and magenta intertwining into something she thought she could only dream of.

"You're really excited aren't you?" Jeongin laughed fondly, his wife, yes, he couldn't believe it, his wife, making him happy, her excitement spreading so easily.

"Duh! This is likely my dream, my life," Dallas grinned in astonishment, dropping his hand to run forwards along other paths to take in the sights even more.

They had a great day, and of course got some cute photos with each other, marking the day an amazing one. It was certainly one of the best days of Dallas' life, and Jeongin enjoyed himself too, content in wandering around and taking in nature. Amongst the other things they had done during their honeymoon, this certainly topped it, so it was a shame the day came to a close with a slightly bitter feeling.

"You're so cute, Dallas," Jeongin chuckled from his spot in bed, stretched with his arm around her, cosily nestled in his arms.

"Me? Nah... I think you were the one who's head was in the clouds, wearing that grin all day. That smile will be the death of me, Yang Jeongin," Dallas exclaimed, hand lightly smacking his stomach to emphasise her point.

"If my head was in the clouds then yours was all over the place, haha, you were like an excited child, you remind of the kids I teach," Jeongin chuckled once more, hand going to stroke her hair out of her face but Dallas had already sat up.

"I'm going to make us some tea," Dallas kept a smile on her face and went into the kitchen, Jeongin being none the wiser about how his words had affected her.

"I don't get why he had to say that last bit... like I get it, I can be quite energetic, like I give a lot of energy into the things I love. But I've been told before that I remind people of a child and it feels sort of... patronising? I don't know... it just felt- it didn't feel nice. He's my husband, I shouldn't feel this way..." Dallas rambled as she explained to the camera away from Jeongin, reflecting on the day they had had.

Hopefully they'd be able to squash this in the future.

jisung and valentina

location: new york

"We had such a good day yesterday and now he's all closed off, he won't come out of bed. I thought we'd be doing more with our honeymoon, but, I guess not?" Valentina sighed as she spoke to the camera.

Jisung felt overwhelmed to say the least. He was tired from the flight to New York, but tried his best to keep his energy up during their first day going sightseeing. And everything seemed fine to Valentina. Oh, Valentina. Jisung really was trying his best, he suddenly felt this big responsibility. He had never been in a relationship before, and now he was someone's husband. He had a wife. He knew what he was getting into but he still likes having time to himself, and that was why he was relaxing in bed, scrolling through his phone, having down time like he normally would. But Valentina was there, trying to encourage him to go somewhere with her and do something.

"Ji, you wanna go out for dinner at least?" Valentina sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter in their hotel suite.

"I feel bad. I feel like I'm letting her down already. She's so amazing and, I feel worried that I'm not going to be the man she really needs," Jisung stammered, having his own moment to talk on his own.

But, he took a step and agreed in having dinner. They went to a luxurious restaurant, a top rated one that served mouthwatering gourmet burgers.

"Now this, I can get into this," Valentina let out a breath in delight. Not only was the burger looking delicious, but it gave a break from the sudden awkward small talk that her and Jisung had been contending with.

"I'm sorry," Jisung suddenly said, after swallowing down a mouthful of his burger. Miraculously, they had ordered the same thing, having similar tastes in their preferred cuisine and flavours.

"Hmm?" Valentina delicately wiped her mouth before speaking, "what for?" She had an inkling, but she wanted to hear from him first.

"I know you wanted more, I just, I'm quite a homebody? And I'm really trying to get used to this lifestyle, this..."

"Married life?"

"Not even that, just being able to spend time with someone constantly," Jisung glanced away, taking a sip of his cocktail.

"I'll be real with you, I was sort of upset at first, but I didn't know that about you yet. I didn't know you needed that space to yourself so, it's ok. We'll work through it together, ok?" Valentina reassured him once again, pushing away the thoughts she had before, and putting herself in his shoes.

She was a party animal at heart. She just had to bring out that more confident and energetic side to her husband, and she was willing to do that.

hyunjin and sienna

location: rome

"This all feels like a dream," Sienna marveled at the sights of Rome, swinging her arm with Hyunjin's as they wandered around the city.

"It's not a dream, baby, it's real," Hyunjin earnestly reminded her, pulling her in a different direction as they wandered around some markets, looking for a bite to eat.

"I never thought I'd get to live this," Sienna added on, still in denial.

"Well stop thinking that, ok? Seriously, I'm going to make sure you're happy every day," Hyunjin stopped in his tracks, gazing into her eyes before kissing her on the forehead.

Soon they found somewhere to eat, a quiet restaurant being decided when they couldn't pick from the market.

"Let's get spaghetti and meatballs," Hyunjin smirked, kicking Sienna's foot lightly underneath the table.

"Why so sly about food?" Sienna rose an eyebrow, her accent coming through stronger as she stared at her husband in confusion.

"No reason, just taking inspiration from a certain film..." Hyunjin nodded smugly to himself as he ordered them their food.

And once it arrived, it all clicked.

"Why only one plate... Hyunjin..." Sienna facepalmed, Hyunjin instantly bursting into giggles.

"Have you realised, baby?" Hyunjin cooed as he leant forward.

"We are not lady and the tramping this lunch," Sienna folded her arms, but she too started laughing as she couldn't resist his loving expression.

They exited the restaurant, a blush on Sienna's face after Hyunjin whispered something in her ear.

"He's so romantic. And I'm not used to that. I love it. Just maybe not the sharing food part. I need my own food," Sienna deadpanned into the camera, before huffing out a laugh.

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viewers: @skz-streamer @kiraisastay @hannahhbahng @kpopmenace143 @sakufilms @kai-lee08 @arloo00 @dunno-wut-to-do @splat00z @cheesemonky @his-angell @turtledove824 @2minstan @royal-shinigami @yangbbokari @skzoologist @crabrangoongirl25 @jyu-037 @keen-li @strawberry31 @5starlee @thatonedemigodfromseoul @amararosesblog @noyurcapri

#skz mafs #skz #stray kids #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #skz fluff #skz angst #straykids imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids imagines #skz fic #chan x reader #bang chan x reader #chan x oc #bang chan x oc #yang jeongin x reader #jeongin x reader #yang jeongin x oc #jeongin x oc #han x oc #han x reader #jisung x oc #han jisung x reader #jisung x reader #hyunjin x oc #hwang hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x reader #bang chan fluff #chan fluff #jeongin angst

[nattaphum]

Today has been a very important day for the future of Man Suang 🙏🏻

1. Pond’s story

Translation

Schedule:

"A meeting to introduce the movie Man Suang to the Ministry of Culture 11am - 1pm”

Pond’s comment:

Thank you a lot to the Ministry of Culture's team for praising and being ready to support "Man Suang" and to be interested in a new concept that we're trying so hard to make. Seeing this, Man Suang is definitely able to go far.

2. The meeting:

3. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul’s comment on FB

(Former Thai politician who served as Minister of Tourism and Sports)

Translation:

When Khun Nakrob Moonmanas (executive producer and the person who made the movie poster) showed me the clip of the movie “Man Suang”, of which he is overseeing the arts, I knew right away that I had to help to support it. Hence, i brought the team that produces the Thai movie Man Suang to meet Khun Wannasiri Morakul (the consultant of the Ministry of Culture) and the producer in charge of the movie, to receive advice on releasing and promoting the movie at an international level because it’s a film that’s exquisitely made, with the directors and actors all talented, promoting Thai arts and the costumes of Khon (masked danced), of the “Inao” (a Thai epic story adapted from the Panji tales) that is extremely beautiful. If this movie is released internationally, from Beijing, Cannes or Tokyo Film Festival, and Busan, South Korea, I am confident that the reputation of Thai movies will become a “Soft Power” creating the love of Thailand, promote Thailand, Thai history, Thai arts and tradition, Thainess, Thai people to be known more broadly.

4. Pond’s story

Translation:

We used our own capital to do our best for all parties. We used our determination and sincerity to meet with the higher-ups and ask for support rather than ask for funding from The Thai government because what we want the Thai government to support is something money can't buy. If we could buy it, we would buy it already no hesitation hahaha. When there are higher-ups involved, we can promote the movie to go out globally too. A new thai beauty like “ Mansuang” is going to reach the hearts of people all over the world. Excitedly waiting.

Foon8176 provided a list of the current year’s dates of the most famous film festivals:

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

#SCREAMING SCREAMING SCREAMING #IT ‘S GETTING BIGGER #kinnporsche #mileapo #man suang #mileapo movie

[doyou000me]

Love In The Big City Part 3: Words and Miscellaneous Context

Spoiler-free continuation of this post, aiming to provide some help for anyone who might not be familiar with Korea and the Korean language. As before, feel free to point out anything that I might have missed and I'll add it to the list!

Thank you @profiterole-reads for the help with putting this together!

Chuseok [추석]: a mid-autumn harvest festival and 3-day holiday in Korea, it is one of the biggest holidays in Korea where many travel home to celebrate with their families.

Seol [설] or Seollal [설날]: the Korean New Year, following the lunisolar calendar, another one of the biggest Korean holidays.

Pororo [뽀로로]: a Korean children's series featuring the main character Pororo, a penguin with glasses and a helmet

Crong [크롱]: a crocodile character from the Pororo series

Jeju Accent: the accent spoken on Jeju island, which others generally find difficult to understand and which has a lot of it's own vocabulary that differs from mainland Korean.

Incheon [인천]: a city about one hour's commute from Seoul. Includes Incheon Airport, which you're most likely to fly to if you ever fly to Korea and Soul.

Ah ssi [씨]: a shortened (and very common) version of ssibal [씨발], meaning "shit" or "fuck"

Talking cutsey - aegyo [애교]: talking cutely or using baby-talk, a common way to try to charm someone into giving you something or do something for you. Usually used by someone younger towards someone older, and periodically a trendy form of idol fanservice

And now, a mystery: gaejjolahn. Gyu-ho uses this expression, "Ah ssi, gaejjolahn" when Young surprises him with a back hug. While we've already covered that Ah ssi is a swear word, both @profiterole-reads and I are stumped as to a proper translation.

The first part, gae [개] means dog, which is very commonly combined with other words to create swearwords (for example: bullshit [개소리] and bastard [개새끼] ). 개~ can also be used in a positive way, for example to express that something is really good by combining dog [개] + good [좋아] into fucking good/amazing [개좋아].

The second part of the word, ~jjolahn, well... we have no idea. Presumably, it's a Jeju-specific exclamation of some kind, but that's guesswork. If anyone knows what it means, do tell me!

Update: We have an answer from the translator himself!

Pororo and Crong

#litbc book club

[chinesehanfu]

Winter solstice

【Historical Reference Artifacts】:

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) Traditional Clothing Hanfu Based On Ming Dynasty Relics & Paintings【 冬至 数九消寒 亚岁迎祥 】

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The overall is the style of the Jiajing Emperor(1522-1566 AD) to Wanli Emperor(1573-1620 AD) period, woman fashion.

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【冬至/Winter solstice】

It is the 22nd solar term in China's 24 solar terms(二十四节气) and one of the eight astronomical solar terms. 

Solar terms originated in China, then spread to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, countries in the East Asian cultural sphere. Although each term was named based on the seasonal changes of climate in the North China Plain, peoples living in the different climates still use it without changes.

This is exhibited by the fact that traditional Chinese characters for most of the solar terms are identical.On December 1, 2016, the solar terms were listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

冬至 is also a traditional ancestor worship festival in China. It is regarded as a big festival in winter. There is a saying in ancient folk that "the winter solstice is as big(important) as the new year". The customs of the 冬至 vary in content or details due to different regions.

Traditional Custom Including:

“画九/Huajiu ”

The so-called Huajiu is actually a diagram for calculating the date of warm spring after the 冬至/winter solstice. The Ming Dynasty's "Emperor Beijing Scenery/帝京景物略" contains: "On the day of the 冬至/winter solstice, draw a plain plum with eighty-one petals,dye a petal every day, when you dye all the petals, the spring is coming." The "Nine-Nine Cold Dispelling Map/九九消寒图" has three schemas, which are characters, circles, and plum blossoms.

Making Rice Wine/酿米酒

The traditional Gusu(Now:Suzhou) family will making rice wine on the night of the 冬至/Winter solstice.The Glutinous rice or yellow rice is used for brewing wine in winter, and sweet-scented osmanthus is added for brewing

【What do people eat on 冬至(Winter solstice?】

汤圆(Tangyuan)/Glutinous rice balls

Eating Glutinous rice balls is a traditional custom of the 冬至/Winter solstice, especially in the south of the Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is a must-have food for the 冬至/Winter solstice. " 圆 Yuan" means "reunion 团圆 " and "completeness 圆满 ". There is a folk saying that "you will be one year older after eating glutinous rice balls".

Dumplings(饺子)

In many parts of northern China, there is a custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice every year. In the northern part of China, dumplings are eaten on this day because dumplings have the meaning of "eliminating the cold". There is still a folk proverb that "if you don't serve the dumpling bowl on the winter solstice, your ears will freeze and no one will care about you".

羊肉汤/Mutton Soup

Every winter solstice, people in Chengdu, Sichuan like to eat mutton soup.

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Recreation Work ：@吃货娃娃  

🔗Weibo：https://weibo.com/1868003212/MkJA10yrw

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#Chinese Hanfu #Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) #Hanfu #冬至/Winter solstice #24 solar terms(二十四节气) #画九/Huajiu #Making Rice Wine/酿米酒 #汤圆(Tangyuan)/Glutinous rice balls #Dumplings(饺子) #羊肉汤/Mutton Soup #hanfu history #hanfu accessories #Chinese Culture #chinese traditional clothing #china #chinese #Chinese Costume #chinese style #吃货娃娃 #漢服 #汉服 #chinese food #Chinese custom

[mjohnso]

The Work of Auditions

S.E.S Bada’s recruitment story is the stuff of SM legend. Personally scouted in 1996 by Lee Soo-man after he saw her perform at her school’s annual festival, she did not then dream of debuting as a pop singer, let alone being in a girl group. By most accounts, she wanted to be a musical theater actor. But she agreed to Lee’s offer because it literally paid the bills. In exchange for joining the company, Lee paid her full university tuition and expenses, where she studied theater.

I begin with Bada’s origin story, not only because it is unique among SM audition stories but because of what it says about SM. Specifically, it demonstrates the company’s recognition early on that acquiring the best performers, regardless of cost, was integral to their survival and success. They would need talent to grow their stable of new acts and replace any new acts that disbanded. Furthermore, maintaining a pool of potential replacement talent was an insurance policy. Their mere existence would apply downward pressure on their already debuted idols, discouraging them from agitating for more (or any) money or better contract terms or material conditions lest they be replaced.

But first, SM had to find trainees, which they did so using a multi-pronged strategy. Street-casting, like the kind that found Bada, was part of their approach, as was their affiliation with the for-profit training academy Starlight Academy beginning in 2003. There was also their more formalized Audition process, which they started advertising on their official website in 2000. In the early aughts, versions of this Audition section of their website listed three language options (“Korean” “English” and “Chinese”), with different options for each. In particular, the Korean version listed six options:

Mail: An applicant could send via snail mail a letter or postcard listing their name, school grade, and contact information, along with two photos, to the attention of the Entertainment Audition Manager at a Gangnam PO Box.

Email: An applicant could send an email to the casting director with all the information they would include in a letter to the casting director if they were mailing their application and two scanned photos.

Franchise Store: Instead of mailing or emailing their information and photos, an applicant could drop off a letter with their information and two photos at one of the various music or record stores around Korea that SM listed on their site. If an applicant who utilized this method was selected for an in-person audition but lived outside of Seoul, SM would pay 100% of their transportation costs.

Recommend a friend: A person could send all of the same information of a friend or family member they believe is talented in a letter or email. If that friend or family member signed a contract with SM, the person who referred them would receive a scholarship of 1 million won.

Live Auditions: Every Saturday at 3pm, SM Entertainment held in-person auditions at their headquarters.

Live Auditions: Applicants could apply for an audition via directions obtained by calling a phone number. If an applicant passed the first round of screening, they would be invited to attend the in-person auditions held on Sunday at 3pm.

Today, SM has not radically changed these options other than revamping them to reflect technological changes and expanding their in-person auditions. They eliminated the snail mail and franchise store options in favor of digital options, including applying via the SM website or direct message. In-person auditions are still held weekly at the SM Entertainment building but are supplemented by audition tours. Earlier this year, they announced their 2024 Global Audition, which consists of stops in Daegu, Busan, Daejeon, Wonju, Gwangju, and Jeju, as well as Thailand, Japan, the United States, and Canada.

Much as their audition methods have not drastically changed, only expanded, the same could be said for the motivation behind their auditions. The need for new trainees, especially as the industry has become increasingly competitive, and the necessity of maintaining that power dynamic that I discussed above all still applies, but I would also add a third reason. That is much as trainees function as a way to apply pressure to acts on an agency’s roster, so does the audition, with all its spectacle, do for trainees. Between the multiple dates and increasing amount of locations, often announced with much fanfare, there is a dual impression. The auditions are extremely competitive, with participants going up against not only those at that audition but also highly desirable and affirming, as evidenced by the turnout.

Yet even though a trainee may have made it through the gauntlet of auditions and been selected as a member of an elite club, they cannot rest. On the contrary, as a trainee, they will have to work harder than other trainees whom they are competing with to maintain their spot and for one of the scant opportunities to debut. Moreover, they cannot complain about their training or the conditions of it or even negotiate for better contract terms, lest they get replaced by any one of those other people auditioning and vying for their spot.

It is no wonder SM Entertainment has not developed a more efficient way to audition potential new trainees. The current system is the perfect tool, conveniently downplaying their role outside the selection process. If a group of trainees encourages existing acts to stay silent even in the face of poor working conditions, that is not because SM has explicitly pushed them to but as a consequence of the system. Similarly, if trainees who acutely feel the precariousness of their situation overwork themselves, that is their decision. No matter that these are the results of a system created by SM's choices, and thus are not immutable. As far as the industry cares it works, so why would they fix it?

#sm entertainment #kpop #trainees

[bethanysnow]

Golden Hour: a SKZ thanksgiving~

Writers Notes:

As I get back into K-pop and South Korean Culture. The fandoms of K-pop, and Stray Kids. I am reminded of my first holiday season having moved from Alaska. Coming from a big family it felt like the house was too empty, that I couldn't turn the tv loud enough to replace the people that weren't there. Everyone has had that at some point. A holiday, a birthday, or some event where you just wished that person or those people were there for. Even as good as that event or holiday turned out to be. You still saw an empty chair and thought it would be filled. So I write this because of that feeling. I have friends now as an adult all over the world and it's hard to convey that specific brand of isolation.

I know Thanksgiving is a very U.S.-centric holiday. But go with me here lol. I promise it's cute.

So to my fellow stays all across the world you make not only stray kids but also me, stay. So thank you. I may not speak to you directly, but if you are tagged below you have impacted me in your work, and blog, and it's been an honor to be in this space with you. I dedicate this work to you. I hope it doesn't suck!

@hyunsvngs @moonlightndaydreams @moonjxsung @ddyskz @queen-in-the-shadows @chansmanda @antoniorhinothethird @cbini @its-hannjisung @noellllslut @channieandhisgoonsquad @sweetracha @skzms @hyunjinfairy @7ndipity @forlix

Stray Kids ot8 X Platonic!Foreigner!Reader. (But honestly, it can be whatever you want ;) ) 2.7k wrds

"Vanilla! I fucking forgot Vanillia! God damnit!" Recircling it on the very long list that had been trailing behind her through the week. It was days before Thanksgiving and it was not only a herculean task to try and buy cranberry sauce in Korean, but also to find a whole turkey from meet markets and buchers who of course looked at y/n like she was insane.

It was only because Seungmin and Minho teased y/n about just how festive she was getting for the holidays she had to open her big mouth. You just had to, didn't you? Of course! Y/n was gonna show them just how amazing the holidays could be, starting with the third week of November. If she had to pull a full Martha Stewart out of her ass to prove her point she would, Y/n was already too deep into it now.

That is how she found herself in the middle of a grocery store on the outer edges of Seoul trying to buy potatoes and cursing about Vanilla. Y/n thought back on how she got into this mess while continuing shopping.

Originally Y/n worked as a remote context translator for a couple video editors based out of South Korea. That of course turned into more and more Zoom meetings and a vacation to Seoul later she had moved and worked full-time with JYP and Stray Kids. Still as a context translator, but also now as an assistant to their manager whom she grew close with. He was the big brother/father figure one needed in a country you weren't from originally. The eight boys who followed her around like lost puppies also maybe had something to do with it maybe just maybe.

Getting out of the store with her now chosen ingredients it was time to hail back to the apartment and start the process that everyone dreaded most of all. Cleaning. It wasn't the obligatory floordrobe, or the collection of maybe two mugs too many on the coffee table; but left to ones own devices the apartment was...not great for hosting what will be the greatest dinner ever?? One would love to have the ~aesthetic~ apartment you see on Pinterest, but fuck even the Idols she worked for didn't have that. So why should she? Y/n's roommate of six months was out on a bussniess trip for the next week, so she got to fight the great pile of doom on her own.

Walking in the mix of preparation and desolation that greeted her would make Marie Kando tremble in fear. But she was determined! The kitchen was stacked with dishes so strategically one would call her a master of her craft- now this artform isn't one for the faint of heart, but art nonetheless. Putting down the new groceries away in the refrigerator and cabinets it was time to start.

"CUE THE CLEANING MONTAGE!" Y/n yelled as music filled the room. Pretending to be a tavern wench as she cleared the table and did the dishes or Cinderella waiting for a Hwang Prince Charming.

As the night wore on it was becoming increasingly obvious cleaning the entire apartment wasn't going to be an option tonight. Flopping on the couch looking at her phone Y/n scrolled through social media. Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter (Authors note: Fuck you Elon). She stopped and tossed the phone down onto the cushion beside her. Her shirt was wet, cold, still sudsy from doing the dishes that needed to be handwashed. Her knees hurt from getting under the table. Hands ached with the grip of a thousand suns it felt like.

All Y/n could hear though was the quiet. The dripping of the faucet, the cars outside, the heater kicking on. But like a ringing in her ears she just heard quiet. No laughter, no joy or drinks being spilt over stories that don't see the light of day. The air was heavy and thick cold enough to cause goosebumps up her arms. Y/n had moved away from everything she knew on the hope that she would find her place in the world. That she would find her people. Maybe she had, but in the moment she exhaled all that was left was a tired body. It was for thanksgiving, it was for people she now considered friends to come over and have a good time. The emptiness in stagnation though diligently reminded her of why they were her friends in the first place. There was no support group here like back at home. She didn't have to think twice about connotation or what someone meant when they said something because they all spoke the same language at home. Found similar things funny. Understood implications of words and meanings. That was all gone. Working twice if not three times as hard just to get a foot in the door Y/n was faced with the reality and consequence of her decision. She didn't regret it. Or at least at the moment, she didn't. The gnawing in her chest would subside one day and she would find friends, family. People to kiss under the golden hour sun and dance in the kitchen as things baked in the oven. To sneak around roommates and hold hands under the table at a restaurant. She would find them, like a mantra she chanted this over and over while moving to Korea and now she sat on her couch. Looking off into the middle distance her brain coaxing her to the scenarios where she wouldn't find them. Didn't take that step. Didn't say hi.

Yet she was swimming in silence meant to choke her. Drown her hope.

It wasn't enough to be lonely.

it wasn't enough to not understand.

It was in moments like these did she allow tears to reach her eyes and fall.

Over her cheeks, down her jaw, her neck. Just silently spill into empty glasses that never could be filled in the first place.

Her heart was wretched and blue it needed a fire to stay warm and she was almost there.

She looked around the apartment and could almost see Changbin and Seungmin yell at one another about cards, or Hyunjin silently judging her decorations, Chan trying to help but being told not to, and Felix talking about the pie she made. Just like a picture book, it was so close and she blinked and it was the empty room again. Sinking her fantasy into the sea.

...soon

............its soon

~~~~

The days leading up to the fateful Thursday were one of a lot of shopping, decorating, and cooking. Lots of cooking.

Proving the bread to make the rolls, blind baking the pie crust, hell even making the pie crust to then blind bake it. Mixing stuffing to set overnight, potatoes to peel and mash, cranberries to turn into a sauce, a turkey to baste and season and cook, Arms deep in a bird stuffing it with stuffing.

And yes the fisting jokes abound.

The group chat that was made kept the phone buzzing its way off the counter with the fervency in which some of the boys texted.

Jinnie: What should I wear?

Wolf boy: Do we need to bring anything?

Cat: I googled Thanksgiving and...do you really make hand turkey art?

It made Y/n giggle seeing how excited the boys were getting. This was what she needed after the work put in.

Y/n: Wear whatever you want, be comfortable, but Idk..like nice comfortable? Stuff you wouldn't mind photos being taken in? No don't bring anything, and yes we did as kids.

Bin: ...So no girl group outfit? lol

Y/n: No no you could if you wanted to, but that's between you and Stay lol.

Wolf boy: You sure we don't need to bring anything? I can pick something up on the way.

Minnie: Oy, grandpa she said not to~ ;P

Wolf boy:

Y/n: I cannot wait to see you thursday. Don't kill each other before then. Or else no one is gonna eat the food.

~~~~

The day had arrived. At least the dress rehearsal had. The day before it was no holds bars, if it wasn't going to be done that day it wasn't going to be done. Waking up at 6 am Y/n padded out to the kitchen. Making coffee and something to eat it was the waiting before the rush. The inhale of the orchestra before placing their bow on the strings, the grabbing of a mic and feeling it in your hand, the stare into the crowd before going on stage.

The 'hold your breath and jump.'

And the race was on!

Dishes from the cabinet were taken out, the nice dishes, the ones Y/n picked up thinking her social life would be fuller than it was. Yes those dishes. Beautiful and shined like the inside of a clamshell, pearl dust and fairy tears was what the label read originally. Some rich people shit as far as she was concerned, she just liked it being pretty.

The table was set with a red tablecloth, and leaves from maybe the tree outside her apartment, (they were yellow and red, and who really would have noticed?). Crystal glasses, and tapered candles waiting to be lit. Pine cones and wreath garlands shrugged against window sills and folded oh so strategically a brass-coloured throw blanket on the couch to cover a night of drinking.

The food slowly grew from one side of the counter to taking up the entire kitchen. Even having to borrow a table from her roommate to set everything out. Drinks, games to play. The oven heated up the apartment till Y/n had to take off her hoodie and reminisce that maybe this was what it was like to put coal into a train engine. Warm light from the stove swallowed the apartment in an amber-golden glow. Sitting on the kitchen linoleum her head fell back against the cabinet under the countertop. A smile gracing her features. She could hear the timer tick by, feel the heat from the stove, she could look up to the counter top and see dishes filled with food and it was all for tomorrow. For a good day. To have a good day. It will be worth it. She was sure.

By the time Y/n had decided to fold the fabric napkins it was past 1 in the morning. Her phone lit up with a notification, and she swiped her pin to see it was a text from Chris.

"Hi"

"Hey Chan, whatsup?"

"Nothin, working on music. You uh sure you don't want me to bring anything?"

*sends a photo of the buffet that has been created* "That your answer?"

.....

..........

"You did all that for us?"

"Well yea, I want you to have a good time."

"Y/n-"

"Yes Chan?"

"Thank you. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. Thank you for doing this, I know you've been homesick. So I am looking forward to it!"

"Me too"

turning the screen black Y/n sat back against the chair and looked at the now decidedly more festive apartment. It was like a hallmark movie threw up and she wouldn't change a thing about it.

~~~~

The morning had come. Unlike Christmas or a birthday, this was about family and gathering around a table and honoring those around us. That is what it was supposed to be at least.

Taking the most deep everything shower one can achieve Y/n had it down almost to a science. Lathering body washes, scrubs, hair masks, everything! To hope she could look maybe half as good compared to who was going to walk into her place in a couple hours.

Slipping into a green dress, she put on an apron. Putting the last rolls into the oven wiping down countertops and doing last touches.

She had a hour before all hell would break loose and eight of the most talented men in their generation would be walking in through her front door. It made her nervous.

Not nervous bad, but nervous. First time she had people over to her apartment, first-time friends, but also she did work for them technically. It wasn't lost on Y/n just how amazing this situation was.

How many people would kill to have these opportunities in life. Sure things hurt, and sucked sometimes, but looking around she knew she was grateful and that's what mattered. Till the stove timer went off snapping her back to what needed to be done. Rolls out, covering them with a kitchen towel, running into the bedroom to slap on some makeup and finish her hair. It was just as she put down the last thing did the doorbell go off.

~~~

The group walked in with confidence like they owned the building but Y/n would expect nothing less. All in sweaters and hoodies, sweatpants and big hugs for the host. Standing next to the door Y/n was crushed with biceps only the kpop industry could produce. Holding her tight she kept each boy embraced till they were the first to let go. With Han, Felix, and Chan that could last the entire night though.

"This is your apartment?"

"LOOK AT THE FOOD!"

"You made bread???!"

"Do we eat now??"

"Oy! Y/n you decorated for us? Why?"

*insert Minho elbowing them*

"Its really nice!"

Her apartment was now filled with laughter. Han finding a guitar of course needed to waltz through and serenade anyone who would listen. Chris and Changbin fussing with the tv to get karaoke set up. Hyunjin indeed was judging the decorations but with the artistic eye of admiration in reality. Felix and Seugmin hovered over the food talking about it, pouring drinks. Leeknow sat on the couch scrolling on his phone ultimately being more moral support for the boys at the television. IN staying close to Y/n watching the groups chaos ensue.

It was what she needed.

What she had been missing.

Family.

"Okay everyone, dinner is served!" Taking the turkey out of the oven and the foil off the tops of serving plates "Chan would you do the honors?" Offering to have him place the turkey out on the serving table. His smile reached his eyes as his chest puffed up with pride calling the boys to have a seat. One by one they piled food on their plates high, filling their glasses full, and sitting down at the table antsy so excited to eat with everyone there. For they too felt the separation of the two apartments, they didn't get to have homecooked meals or someone to plan something this nice. But Y/n did. She saw how they ate from food delivery containers, vending machines, and out of each others plates. Her heart ached as did theirs and so tonight, today, would be spent healing that pain.

Chan cut the turkey, Minho continued to smack people's asses because he could, Changbin got up and did a girl group dance playing the song on his phone. People laughed till they cried. Pie was served and everyone commented at how much cool whip was on Felix's because "That's how you're supposed to eat it!"

The sun was setting casting the apartment in that golden hour hue. Where Y/n had normally kept busy, ignoring the pit in her stomach of another day gone by alone. She got to sit back and watch her friends, her new family enjoy time together. Eat a meal that they didn't have to stress about. The golden light filled Y/ns chest with warmth and the fuzziness of blankets at a sleep over, the stuffed animal won at a claw machine, the bed of home after being away. Time had passed, and she could let go of the pain that held her back if these boys were the ones to catch her.

And they would. Time and time again they would catch her. All she needed to do was jump. So while Han sang a disney princess song, and Seungmin and Minho admit defeat that maybe the holidays aren't as bad after all, or even Chan stopped the ever-present work load to be in the moment; Y/n finally had it. What she had been wanting all along. She found her place in the world.

In with these boys, in the laughter, in the pain of loneliness, she had found it.

Uno rounds, songs sung, pillows thrown, food ate, it was truly a Golden StrayKids Thanksgiving after all.

Where no one can be forgotten.

~~~

La fin.

#stray kids #stray kids x reader #hyunjin #lee know #seungmin #bang chan #changbin #han jisung #in #lee felix #happy holidays #and thank you for being my friend moots

[nokkiart]

I’m so glad that you had a lovely time in Tokyo!! Bring me in your suitcase next time? /j <3

What’s your advice for travelling on your own???

This is probably going to be a long one, so I apologize in advance 😅 Here's some advice that has helped me on my solo trips to Korea and Japan:

• Do research on where you're going. See what's allowed in the country (especially if you're bringing medications). Read up on other people's travel experiences in that country. Know what kind of transportation you'll need to use there and how to access it (trains, buses, taxis, rental cars). Make sure you have a bit of an idea of what to expect when you get there, so culture shock won't hit you hard.

• Have foreign currency *before* you leave. Chances are you'll need it as soon as you land at your destination.

• Make sure you have a power adapter/wall charger in case they have different outlets. A back up phone charger and pocket wifi is also a must!

• Find points of interest that you might enjoy visiting and make a private Google map with all those places marked. Then if you're in an area that happens to have a lot of your interests in it, you can tackle them all at once. This was my map for Tokyo! I made two separate lists; one for places I wanted to visit, and one for restaurants I wanted to try.

Unfortunately I didn't get to visit all of these because my trip was only 5 days. But it gave me a good idea of areas I could go to hit multiple points of interest!

• Make sure all your legal documents are valid. Passports, visas, licenses, etc. Make sure you know what documents you need to enter that country. Also bring a photocopy of those documents just in case something happens to the original.

• Get travel insurance. It's cheap and easy to get. And if something goes wrong, you'll be completely covered to be flown back home.

• Do what you can to keep yourself safe. You can buy personal safety items or read up on self defensive measures to take while traveling. I have this little siren doorstop, so if anyone tries to come into my hotel room, it not only blocks the door from opening but also emits a 120db siren to scare anyone off.

And it works *very well*. I nearly deafened myself when testing it XD

• Always be alert and aware of your surroundings. Tourists are easy targets for pickpockets because we're so distracted by everything (especially in big, tourist heavy cities).

• Never tell anyone that you're traveling alone. Book your hotel room for 2 people (its the same price as single rooms anyway). And give your hotel info to someone back home that you trust so they can know where you'll be.

• Trust your gut instinct too. If you're getting bad vibes off someone, just walk away and distance yourself from them.

• Don't be afraid to try new things! New foods, music, dancing, shows, festivals, etc. Just get out there and see things you've never seen before!

• This is kinda a personal preference one, but *avoid* tourist spots. So many people line up to take the same pics in the same tourist trap locations, waiting hours just for nothing. Instead, speak to locals and do things they recommend! Or just wander around and see what you stumble across. Touristy areas tend to have more expensive prices for everything anyway, so you'll save money going elsewhere! XD

• Allow your plans to change based on what you personally feel like doing in that moment. Don't force yourself to stick to a travel itinerary.

• Bring snacks just in case your tum craves something familiar. I usually stick to granola bars or Biscoffs since they last a while.

• If you're going somewhere that has a different language, learn the basics in that language. Knowing how to say "hello", "yes", "no", and "thank you" will help you so much! And locals tend to love seeing tourists put an effort into trying to communicate with them in their language.

• Also be patient. There will be times when there will be confusion between you and other people. That's just what happens when two different cultures meet. But don't get mad. Try calmly working thru the confusion and see if you can figure something out.

• On that same note, BE KIND. You are a guest in someone else's home. You have no right to demand things to be a specific way. Respect their rules, even if it doesn't make sense to you. Be grateful that you have this amazing opportunity that so many others may never have.

Solo traveling can be pretty intimidating. But if you plan and prepare everything well before you leave, your trip will be so much more enjoyable!

Let me know if you have any other questions about solo traveling! I want you guys to have safe and fun trips too!! ^^

#ama #nokki natter #ask #sorry for the long write up but I put a lot of effort into my solo trips XD #travel tips

[fellominaarcher]

GOT MARRIED - KARINA; YOO JIMIN

7. Months With You 1

chapters

approx. word count: 3350 words

They have been together for around 33 days, and when the programme first began, nobody really thought it would last a whole month.

The idols who starred in We Got Married had 11 months to carry themselves as a married couple.

It's difficult since these are two people who were never particularly connected to one another to begin with and who might actually be strangers.

But they had to get over it if they wanted to finish the show.

However, it is unknown if the virtual couple actually dates because it is likely against the rules of the environment they work in or their group activities. If that really does happen, it will be tragic.

2nd month

They have been filming WGM for the past two months, and they have already filmed multiple episodes and conducted a number of interviews.

However, the couple didn't fully participate in their group activities at the same time, and they both withdrew somewhat from them as a result of the show.

When there is a significant music festival in Korea, they still occasionally perform on stage together.

Currently, Karina is the subject of the camera's attention as they are filming her interview as she is sitting in the chair.

"How does Y/N sleep?" The interviewer questioned the Aespa leader.

"Ah about that part, I have no idea, but I believe she sleeps just fine," Karina said with a chuckle. "I suppose?" She also gave a confused response.

The idol thought it was a tremendously odd question, and she still couldn't believe somebody would be courageous enough to make an inquiry about someone's sleeping behaviour.

Already irritated with the interview, Karina wished to leave the interview site as quickly as possible.

Y/N stood in the far corner and observed the interview because she was interested in the girl's opinion of her. She had a thought as she waited for her time to record the interview.

I think I might like Jimin. Am I fucked?

Something like that had been possessing through her mind for quite some time.

They've been given tasks to perform and activities to participate in to make the show more enjoyable.

Toroka - Christian Kuria

They had accomplished a number of things together in the second month. They have already checked out stuff on their wish list.

The following day, after leaving Busan, they took a flight back to Seoul to carry on with their group activities and to do some filming.

Daydream and Aespa members prepared a group meal while they awaited the return of the pair from Busan.

The dinner took place the day after they returned from Busan. It was simply a typical meal at a restaurant where they grill meat and serve alcoholic beverages.

Dinner night,

The girls were talking loudly and laughing in the restaurant, and Y/N was once more sitting across from Jimin. Naturally, in the setting of the dinner, the usual awkwardness crept in.

The oldest member in the group and the in charge of DayDream is Yurim. To grab everyone's attention, she clinked the glass with the handle of a spoon.

The girl cleared her throat. "Aespa, you are currently our in-laws," the girl's voice was a little slurred.

Unsurprisingly, she doesn't have a great deal of tolerance to alcohol. She has consumed greater amounts of alcohol, but Ningning is still stable despite her larger consumption.

Hayeon made fun of Yurim. "Ehhhhhh, unni, you're wasted!" She threw a piece of ripe vegetables to the leader as a lighthearted joke on the girl.

She is the youngest member of DayDream, therefore it's not unusual to see the youngest one making fun of the eldest.

"Oi, shut that!" Yurim reprimanded the maknae, "I'm talking!"

Everyone, it wasn't a serious reprimand.

The girls broke out in laughter. "Please take care of our lead vocalist!" Yurim exclaimed, bowing to Aespa.

Aespa members motioned with their hands. "Absolutely, no, no, don't worry!" At the same time, Aeri and Jimin spoke.

Yurim had been wobbling a little and feeling feeling dizzy. "Why did you drink so much, hey?" Y/N complained to her.

"I'm still fine, Yurim-ah!" Ningning laughed and taunted her loudly.

Winter took a slow drink of her soju. "Aaa, my introverted ass would cry." She murmured to herself.

Who could stay drunk longer was a running joke between the DayDream leader and the main vocalist for Aespa.

Everyone joked around and continued to laugh and converse. It was an extremely fascinating and hectic dinner. Jimin was the person who Y/N kept turning to look at. Despite their repeated eye contact, Jimin always avoids it.

They every now and then text one other on the phone and on rare occasions they don't. It's ridiculous how much Jang Y/N always wants to catch up with this girl.

A day after the group dinner,

WGM shooting,

Decorating the house,

A loud female shouting shook up the whole unit apartment. Y/N's ears were kind of ringing from it. However, it was accompanied by laughs that made fun of the yelling. Y/N made the decision to tease her "wife" while the two women were decorating the house as they preferred.

She purposefully let the phoney, switch-operated rat run in front of Karina after buying it.

Jimin screamed "AH WHY DID YOU?!" once more while giggling. Her expression was tinged with shock and a sense of regret She dismissed it nevertheless, finding it hilarious when she reflected on her previous reaction.

Y/N apologized, "I'm sorry, it was too quiet," Y/N said, and she was laughing as well.

The 'wife' heard Y/N say, "I didn't want it to be too boring," as she carried a box that contained something and put it in a cabinet.

Jimin laid down on the couch and rested her eyes, while Y/N settled on opposite couch, on her phone.

Y/N was weary, she called, "Hey wife," and Jimin straight away rose upwards. She had a very adorable expression, which made Y/N giggle.

She could not conceal her infectious love for the stunning woman chosen to fulfil the role as her virtual spouse. It was obvious that Jang Y/N was restless as she buried the surface of her face with the palms of her hands.

"Ohhh what?" Karina spoke with confusion in her voice as she cast a quick glance in the direction of the camera.

Karina was given a tender glance as Y/N got up from her seat and said, "Let's go!" Y/N grinned and exclaimed in a kind manner.

Karina furrowed her brow. "Where to?" she enquired.

Y/N suggested, "Go to the store, buy something we can cook together." Karina found it difficult to refuse from someone who had a gentle grin on their face.

Karina nodded, "Agree but with one condition, piggyback please cos I'm really tired." she requested to the younger one.

With her undoubtedly innocent eyes, she appealed.

Y/N nodded without decision-making and proceeded into the room to get her wallet after glancing down to Jimin's eyes.

Returning to the living room, she beckoned to the eye-catching woman, "Come on, our starting point is the door." The two hurried to the door, put on their sandals, and Y/N knelt down a little.

Karina interpreted this as permission to climb onto the girl's back, which she did. Once there, she encircled her long arms around Y/N's neck and her legs around her waist.

They were already being followed by a few cameramen who were prepared to take further footage.

As she prepared to carry her, Y/N groaned under the weight that was resting on her back.

As soon as Y/N stood up, she instantly knelt down. She exclaimed, "Oh my-"

Karina yelled. "Ey yah!" she said, grabbing the girl firmly. Karina was laughing so loudly as she got off and sat down on the ground.

Do you know the tilted head laughing emoji that looks like as if you're laughing so fucking hard?

Yes, Karina is currently that.

Additionally, the film crews are also laughing uncontrollably.

The same is true for Y/N as well. "I didn't wanna tell her that I maybe couldn't carry her" She said, in between gasps for air.

If people could roll about while laughing, that is what the couple was ready to do because they are both on the ground.

Y/N stood up straight and cried out, "Damn," as she stretched her back.

Karina also stood up. "Carry me next time, okay?" she told the girl, placed a hand on her back. She hugged the girl, closing the space between their bodies to give her comfort.

Karina brushed some hair strands from her wife's face, "It's okay." she reassured.

Y/N gave the girl a bear embrace as well, saying, "Let's stay like this, I guess," and resting her chin on the girl's shoulder.

With that, the following months passed. They decorated the house and even went on a day trip with some of their group's members.

Like they took Yurim and Ningning to an arcade.

The conclusion is that it was full of high notes, shouts, and very loud ass laughs.

The two most likely watched their maknaes that day instead but couldn't pretend that they enjoyed themselves because it had been a long day. In the late hours of the day, they returned home.

For the purposes of the show's filming, they occasionally share a bed in the room of 'their' apartment. On account of matters pertaining to their group activities, however, they would return to their dorms.

On a different day in the second month, Karina took her wife to SM Entertainment, and Y/N followed suit by taking Karina on a tour of her entertainment company.

Bringing your spouse to the work day.

The visit of SM Entertainment is summarised in the following.

"Hello everyone, I'm doing my best to avoid breaking down from the uneasiness I'm feeling inside because there are so many camera people here right now," she said as she introduced the current segment of the programme.

The goofy smile that went along with it was also present.

The SM team decided to record this and submit it to their YouTube account as a result of their lack of material. This is why multiple camera crew members were on-hand at once. Karina probably hid her smile so it wouldn't be prominently displayed.

She let out a sigh and said, "Now I will introduce my wife to my company," pulling her into the picture.

Karina reached out and grabbed her by the hem of her blouse as Y/N jumped in and waved at the camera.

With a broad smile, her face was radiant.

With wonderful smiles on their cheeks, the women exchanged glances.

Everyone was in agreement that Karina had recently undergone tremendous growth since she was introduced to Jang Y/N, her working partner.

Karina spent some time talking to Y/N about SM Entertainment.

Given her love of Red Velvet, Jang Y/N was already tremendously thrilled, but when she reached Aespa's corner in the SM building, her excitement reached new heights.

That was the day her fanatical self emerged from the cage that had been holding her secret-self captive.

She danced to the music of Black Mamba like a wild horse. Karina started to wince at that point and wondered if it was really the woman she had married for the show.

4th month

They are already in the fourth month, and things are going better than expected.

Even though this pair occasionally acts strangely and awkwardly, they oddly share an antagonistic relationship. Sometimes, this couple cracks everyone up because they are just so adorable together.

Since Karina had never done many romantic things with anybody else before, she displayed the majority of the awkwardness to great effect.

Gym moment,

Y/N also started to accompany Jimin to her workout and her pilates session. She frequently watches the wife sitting in the gym working out her physique.

There was this big ass orange cat that clings a lot to Jimin. She'd hate to admit to herself that she doesn't like the cat being a baby with Jimin.

"C'mere!" The cat climbed up on Jimin's lap as she spoke to him in her baby voice.

Y/N watched how they interact with a bitter expression on her face. She had deep lines on her face. She scowled at the cat and her eyes grew wider when it responded with an ugly smirk. As wrinkles appeared on her forehead, she scoffed silently.

The cat sniffed Jimin while she was filming a video selfie with it.

Her 'wife' raised the phone to her face and said, "Hello, look at the cat!" with joy.

Y/N feigned delight, "Wow, so cute." Y/N showed a displeased expression.

Jimin was playing with the cat and expressing in an adorable voice, "Saebok, you're so fluffy," as she petted him.

When the session had finished, Jimin was the first person to leave the site. She waited in the car for Y/N.

Y/N frowned at him, Y/N said, bowing a bit, "You're a cat, I wish I was a cat," as she approached Saebok the cat.

Smirking yet again, she stated, "Tch, Jimin is such a green flag for liking cats!"

Saebok only responded with a meow, so no one will ever know if he understood what was being said. The big ass orange cat, Saebok, was probably smirking at Y/N for getting Jimin's time and attention.

5th month

Five months have passed since they started being together. They are married in the show but are not in a relationship. The two are given a mission once more.

Which is to introduce their favorite spots in Seoul.

They were instructed to introduce their favourite spots one at a time in a vlogging type of way. The first site would be Cheonggyecheon River Stream, which is where Y/N prefers to be, especially at night.

While Karina is holding a vlogging camera to film their task, the camera teams are all following.

As usual, Mr. Director reminded everyone, "Okay, everyone get ready." He coughed a little "In 1, 2, and 3!", He cued. "Action!" the filming then began.

Karina's camera is also activated and she chirpily said, "Yeayy, Y/N enlighten us more regarding Cheonggyecheon Stream please." The Aespa leader was excited.

Y/N nodded like a little child, "Okay, first of all, my wife please give them a quick view of Cheonggyecheon," she said as she motioned towards Karina.

She complied and softly replied, "Yes."

Karina briefly raised the camera to a higher position to capture a brief overview before turning back to the wife.

"The stream is about 11 km long and was restored to improve our urban environment. It is a spot that is open all the time." As she moved to show the area, Y/N spoke to the camera.

Looking at the "wife" via the camera, Karina cracked a smile to herself, "It has a good balance of culture and also a good balance of environmental." Y/N condemned herself while she was dying inside.

She hadn't recently given a presentation, and this reminded her of an unpleasant experience she had in school.

The older one was over the moon with her wife. "You're doing good!" She praised her.

Throughout the filming, Karina chuckled at Y/N's cuteness. Y/N displayed a mix of cuteness, awkwardness as usual, and a little hint of nervousness.

As they approached the stepping stones, Y/N took the first step and held out her hand.

She softly commanded, "Come on," beckoning Karina to take her hand.

A trustworthy smile was painted on Y/N's face as the beauty agreed and allowed their hands to entwine. To prevent them from tumbling into the water, Y/N firmly held Karina's hand. As Karina and Y/N crossed the flowing water holding hands, the camera documented the scene.

Throughout the entire sunset, the WGM team and the couple remained by the river stream.

After sunset, Karina presented one of her favourite locations, Dongdaemun Design Plaza. She has recorded a video about it back in her earlier days as an idol.

But for some reason, she kept this location forefront of her mind due to a recollection it provided her. She was explaining a few details about Dongdaemun Design Plaza and how a well-known architect designed it.

That particular person was Zaha Hadid. In 2004, the structure's architecture, which integrated the Metonymic Landscape concept, won the Pritzker Prize. They toured the Plaza in order to show it, and Karina summoned personnel to hold the camera for her.

She looked straight at the camera and stated, "Everyone, this place reminded me of something." They carried out her orders.

She brought her "wife" close to her while bringing her within the camera's field of view.

Karina grinned, "If you watched Vincenzo, they kissed right here in the last episode," she said to the camera, glancing briefly at Y/N.

She was beaming and excited to get things going. She was currently having irrational ideas in the back of her mind. You're taking risks, Karina?

Karina was chuckling nervously. She requested that the team record this clearly on camera. The beauty held the DayDream vocalist and spun her around so they were able to view each other.

They're gazing at each other right now, and Y/N is overcome with love for the beauty's visage. She's enchanted, and just looking at the girl renders her itch to kiss Karina at this moment.

The camera caught her lacking.

Karina placed her arms over her virtual wife's body, "What are you thinking right now?" she asked the younger girl.

She was holding Y/N with such devotion that the girl's arms were locked in the embrace.

Karina drew the girl closer. "I just realised we didn't have a proper wedding vow," Y/N stated unexpectedly.

"Are you planning a proper one right now?" Karina inquired. Her expression transformed to a softer one.

Y/N cocked her head to the left, her gaze refraining from leaving Karina's.

She smiled. "Why not?" She briefly raised her shoulders.

Karina chuckled. "What do you wish you could've said?" she asked the younger girl.

"But based on this current time" Y/N told the Aespa leader.

Y/N exhaled sharply. "Hug me," she hushed.

Karina stared at her hesitantly because it was unexpected, but she encircled her arms around Y/N's neck.

Y/N swiftly grasped the girl's waist and brought her close, making sure their bodies were in contact. The filming crew couldn't understand or record what the younger one was saying.

Y/N let out a sigh. "Yoo Jimin, you'll find out much later. I don't want to make things awkward and heavy between us right now," she began to whisper into Karina's ear.

"Right now, I want to cherish you but I already do, so all I could do is be a friend and cherish you more than I already do right now," Y/N said affectionately to Karina.

Karina was snuggled up next to Y/N as she took in the scenery, saying, "I hope you too can do the same, at least be a friend and be the water to help my tree grow." Right there, Y/N cut her remarks short.

Karina is now in awe as they continue to hug each other while gazing into each other's faces.

Karina, however, was unable to fall asleep as a result of her speech because it was incredibly touching. Luckily, the night where she couldn't sleep wasn't the night they shared a bed together.

Strangely, despite getting used to sharing a bed, she detested sleeping alone at the moment. She had the urge to sprint to DayDream's room that night since she needed Y/N so badly.

#Spotify #aespa imagines #aespa x reader #aespa fanfic #aespa karina #karina #karina aespa #karina imagines #karina x fem reader #karina x reader

[silknoise]

x. dossier. / x. wanted plots. x. pinterest. / x. thread tracker.

hi there friendos!!! i am thrilled to be joining you since i've been wanting something simple on tumblr for awhile now!! also so happy to be bringing my underappreciated queen umji to the party! the muse she's the face for is one of my faves to write; lee seonah, aka ramona lee is a new york born saxophonist with a cool demeanor and a love for cucumber melon. more info is listed below the cut, so if you're interested in any of her plots or would like me to swing by your ims to say hello or to plot something, you're invited to leave a like on this post!

trigger warnings: m*rder, robbery, implied g*n v*olence, grief

BACKSTORY

as briefly mentioned above, seonah was born in staten island, new york on august 7th, 1998.

her parents, originally from daegu, built a life stateside in the early '90s, so they were already pretty blended into the american routine by the time they had seonah.

in new york, seonah often went by her english name ramona, often shortened to mona. the name was derived from an old jazz singer and pianist her mother loved.

one of the main reasons seonah's parents even moved from south korea was so that her mother could try her luck at the new york jazz scene. she was a gifted pianist with quick hands who had always ensured seonah's life was filled with music.

those very sessions with fellow musicians she worked with were the catalyst for seonah's obsession with the saxophone. a musician seonah would always call uncle franklin would come and play the sax at their south shore townhome, while the small child watched and danced along.

he was actually the one to gift seonah her very own saxophone at age ten, by which her younger sister seoyeol had been born and was clinging to seonah's legs while she struggled to play the instrument.

the characteristics of her music were very much shaped by the staten island jazz scene, and the city's famous festival was a tradition for the whole family.

from her father did seonah inherit a love of gardening, building terrariums and making sure a healthy amount of green was present in all her decorating. she and her father would spend hours carefully placing moss, stones, grass and water in small glass containers until they resembled miniature nature scenes.

she spent a good amount of time in her dad's store as well, helping him stock and clean up throughout her childhood. the value of hard work was an early lesson for seonah and it would likely stick with her permanently.

that store, however, would come to be the site of a horrible tragedy that would uproot many lives.

TRIGGER WARNING AHEAD

her mother and father were working the late shift at the store one night when a masked gunman entered, demanding cash. her parents were both killed during the exchange, leaving seonah and her sister to grieve them at far too young an age.

as the two had no other blood relatives in the area, their parents' friends franklin and his wife delisle were named in a will to take the children in and raise them as their own.

it was an extremely tough transition, but the pair, along with another of their parents' closest friends adam made sure the sisters never went without love and encouragement. they refused to let the children's view of the world become twisted due to what they had gone through, and they were a huge part of why the two made it through that period of their lives.

END TRIGGER WARNING

now being raised by franklin, seonah was kept occupied by saxophone lessons, camping trips, walks through the city — any and everything she loved simply to keep her mind off the tragedy her family had faced.

despite her new guardians' best efforts to make her childhood fulfilling, seonah couldn't help but feel somewhat aimless after the passing of both her parents, and even a bit disconnected from them. she developed a fairly unbothered demeanor that some would even mistake for just not caring, though that was the furthest thing from the truth.

as she finished out her primary schooling and prepared to apply to the manhattan school of music, she floated the idea of possibly traveling to her parents' home city of daegu after graduating college to franklin and delisle. they met the idea with approval, thinking it was an excellent chance to reconnect with a past she'd never really gotten to discover.

after training up her musical talents to her instructors' satisfaction, it was finally time to say farewell to her family. she couldn't have said thank you to franklin, delisle and adam more times if she'd tried. seonah looked upon her now teenaged sister with slight guilt, feeling as though she were abandoning her for her own selfish reasons. seoyeol simply threw her arms around seonah and promised her she'd seek out universities in daegu so they could see each other soon.

and that was it, she was off to daegu with a graduation present of a one way flight and some won to run on until she found work. thankfully, that didn't take too long, as she found a pretty fancy restaurant looking for jazz musicians of her caliber.

seonah made a vow to herself that she would only speak in korean and only use her korean name until she felt that familiar connection to her parents once more.

she soon found a home in the confines of sueunju sharehouse, and though it's filled with strangers, it reminds her of the blended household she lived in back in staten island and even makes her oft expressionless visage falter into a smile. though she is still very much getting used to living in daegu two years on, her life is in a place of contentment for the time being. she continues to chase memories that have long since passed her by, barely conscious of all the new ones she is making in the process.

PERSONALITY

some would call her an ice queen, but she's more like a snow angel. like she's definitely composed, doesn't like to argue and sometimes comes off as though she's silently plotting your demise in a corner, but there is a warmth to seonah that is unmistakable. she can be so cold to the touch but also reach directly into your heart and make you melt. she is a mess of contradicting thoughts and feelings and words, but she could be ur mess of contradicting thoughts and feelings and words, u know???

only really loses her cool when it comes to music she's excited about, if her heart's a little bit broken or if she's lost something near and dear to her (her saxophone goes missing, one of her terrariums get broken, etc) and it's sad, but also kind of funny cmvnbvncb!

she's very inquisitive, especially about the daily routine in daegu. she desperately wants to know more about the lives her parents lived before they moved to america, and being that she's only been in south korea for two years, she isn't as in touch with things as she feels like she should be. stop her if she's asking too many questions — she just gets into a flow of seeking information and doesn't realize it sometimes!

a girl of many hobbies: gardening, camping, building terrariums, hitting up the thrift store, smoking on roofs, seeing performances at masquerade, noraebang, etc. and she loves doing these things with friends! partake in any of these activities with her, and you'll earn a special place in her heart and the slightest aura of a smile just for you.

sometimes she just??? disappears. sometimes her social energy simply runs out and she needs some time to recharge it. she's not trying to ghost, she promises! she just needs a couple days of mirror glaring and deep rumination before she's ready to have company again.

a wanted plot of mine (!!!!!!) but i also hc her as recently single with a lot of regretful and reluctant pining for her ex lol. she's in her slightly reckless era in an attempt to forget them, so pls forgive her for any messy moments 😘

#midnightintro #´ ❇ 𝐈 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 . #/don't mind me breaking the ice 🤭

[kiss-me-muchoo]

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 || 𝐉𝐚𝐲 (𝐎𝐤𝐣𝐚) 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

✿ Synopsis:Jay prefers his job over reader. After she dumps him and breaks their engagement, all the events of Okja happen, and Jay finally values what he most loves in life.

✿ Warnings: Nop, it’s only angst and fluff

✿ A/N: I love Jay, we need more about him🥺 (maybe part 2 with Jay, reader and a little baby celebrating his birthday) CRINGE GRAMMAR upsi, I don’t do proofreads (I should?Yes, I will? No)

I can’t remember who wanted to be in a tag list, my next Danonation update is Myself part 3 with Klitz 🥺, so if anyone wants to be added, let me know in the comments

✿ Masterlist

✿maybe u should listen Dusk Till Dawn from Zayn and Sia. When I hear that song I think about Jay🦋

——————————————————

There you were seating on the rooftop of the restaurant you had reserved; your boyfriend Jay was finally home, and you wanted to have a nice date with him.

But, he was late, as usual. You took a sip of your wine and sighed. Sometimes you questioned if he was devoted to your relationship, you knew he loved you, but.. he proposed to you a year and a half ago and, he always postponed the wedding.

“Hey…” getting you out of your thoughts, Jay is caressing your shoulder, softly smiling at you. You smile back and he leans to kiss your cheek.

“I’ve missed you” you confess, watching his perfect suit all tailored. His black hair all combed to the left, and his bright green eyes, you felt like a teenager in love.

“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart” finally you can order your food. It’s all nice, he smiles kindly at you when the waiter leaves your table.

“You look amazing” he praises you, making you all blush. Two weeks separated, was a lot for an engaged couple, but… unfortunately, it was normal for you.

“Thanks, love. I have a lot to tell you, work was so hard last week, the kids were amazing but it was so exhausting, I thought I sent you some pictures of the event…” your work as a kid’s art school director was brilliant, you were the youngest director of the school, maybe you lacked some experience, but it was worth it.

“I saw the pictures, it looked lovely. You’re the best, dear” there’s more, details of the end-of-year festival, your new decorations on your shared apartment, the visit of your parents, but… Jay seemed to be a little lost.

“What’s on your head, Jay? You’ve been very serious” you say, slightly nervous. The man looks at you, after letting the menu completely on the table again.

“Nothing, it’s just… some work stuff” his words sound vague, he doesn’t want to talk about it, but still, he sounds like he has something else to say.

“My parents came last week. They wanted to see you, I told them we could meet next month…” you look straight at your wine, evading your boyfriend’s eye. “They want to help us with the wedding, I told them we would talk about it”

“Yeah, we can set a date next month, so when we see them, we can start planning out,” he says, eating more of his plate, and you get confused.

“Jay, we discussed the date weeks ago… Are you postponing the wedding again?” the nervousness came back, some panic too.

“I know, it’s just… I might need to fly to Korea tomorrow, and the mission could last some days. This is gonna be the biggest thing the ALF has done, I can’t fail them” you knew how important his job was for him, you knew some of his work partners, but… he never told you anything about missions, it was like if he didn’t trust you enough to share about it.

“You’re leaving for Korea in less than 24 hours? And you decide to share it now, Jay?” you question, ignoring the fact that you raised your voice. Jay sighs, drinking some of his glass of water. “This is the third time we postpone the wedding. I… can’t do this anymore”

“Love, don’t say that… I’m just leaving a maximum of five days. Then I will be here for a long period, we will get married and have the honeymoon we talked about” it’s late, he doesn’t know it yet, but it’s too late. You won’t change your mind.

“It’s not only that!. What is marriage without trust, devotion, and confidence?… nothing.” even if you’re trying to hold it back, your voice cracks and some tears are on the verge of spilling. “ At this point, I don’t even know why we started dating. This is not love…”

“I thought you would understand it. We’ve been doing fine for five years, two years ago you were still in college and it wasn’t like this…” Jay was shocked, he never thought you would react this way, you’ve always been there to support him, all those nights waiting for him, greeting him like a lovely girlfriend.

“Yeah, two years ago you didn’t used to leave every four days, you would talk to me, you would care!” you didn’t want to continue with this conversation, you wanted to pretend it never happened, Jay would say he wasn’t leaving and you would get married in a couple of weeks, but the reality was different, and you didn’t want to interrupt his work, but you didn’t want to let him go again.

“I do care, I love you!“ some desperation filled his tone, and his panic raised when he saw you crying.

“You might love me, but you prefer your job. It’s fine, I love how dedicated you are, but, don’t expect me to sit here like a doll, waiting for you, when I don’t even know where you are, with who you are. Because you never tell me anything” some seconds of silence feel eternal for Jay, he’s sweating a little, and he’s feeling awkward. He wants to wipe your tears and tell you everything is gonna be fine, but it’s not fine.

“I can’t keep waiting for you. It’s not cool to be overthinking if you’re okay or if you’re alive. Because all the time, if I discover some of your missions, it’s because of the news. I guess you don’t have a purpose in life, nothing is holding you to value your own life” you hate goodbyes, and now you’re saying goodbye to your soulmate. “Then it’s clear that I’m not in your priorities. So you don’t love me at all, Jay. I’m sorry”

Tears can’t stop falling over your face. Your hands shake when you slide off the ring from your finger, and you feel your heart break into million pieces. Jay looks petrified, and you noticed that’s another problem, he’s very bad when it comes to emotions, he doesn’t know how to share his feelings, and he rarely said romantic things to you.

“I love you so much, and I hope you take care of yourself. Good luck, Jay” you say as you stand up and grab your bag. You put the ring on the table, then you lean to leave a short kiss on his cheek, and you leave. You indicate to the waiter you’ll pay at the entrance because there was no way you could have waited at the table with your now ex-fiancé.

Being in public helped because at that moment you couldn’t cry. But you knew what was waiting for you when you had to drive to your old apartment, not the one you used to share with him.

While Jay, was about to stand up and go after you, but he would end up ruining the super pig mission. This was his biggest effort since he joined the ALF, he couldn’t risk it, he prayed everything went right, so in a couple of days he would come back to you and talk, he loved you so much. You were the only person in his life that showed him kindness and love, you were his partner, and he wouldn’t leave you alone.

-

Of course, he didn’t come back to you, he must be taking that flight to Seoul, you thought. Even though you were devastated, your apartment felt warm, and many of your things were still in your apartment with Jay, but it didn’t stop you from sleeping there.

After showering and getting into some pajamas, you allowed yourself to eat some junk food, you stopped at the market before you arrived at your home. Some coconut cake and red velvet cupcakes would work as your console for your broken heart. It worked until you turned on the tv and Flipped was playing. You loved that movie, it was about the first love, it was a sweet and sane movie. When Bryce goes and plants a tree for Juli, you were crying so hard, burying your face into your pillow.

You preferred to believe that Jay cheated on you he could also have done that since you didn’t know a lot of his activities during his long periods of absence. But it was worse if he preferred his work over you because that meant you were… nothing. At least for him, all the love you put on everything, just for him, wasn’t enough. All the things you did for him, meant nothing.

It didn’t matter, he was a human. Just as you fell in love with him, you’ll have to forget him.

—

Some kids greeted you as you walked in the hallway of the school. The youngest were about four years old, while the oldest were around ten years old. You said hi or flattered their work, summer break was coming, and you wouldn’t see them for two months. But, you’ll have some free time, and with the money you were saving for your failed honeymoon, you’ll fly to Rome, or Spain, or the Caribbean, wherever you could have some fun and forget about your broken heart.

You hadn’t heard anything of Jay for six days, not that you were expecting him to call you or something, but you were a little afflicted for his safety. When you get to your office, one of the secretaries; Lily, who’s also your friend, calls you.

“What’s up?” you ask calmly, looking at her. She makes a gesture for you to go and walk to her desk. When you do, she’s watching the live news.

“Isn’t that your fiancé?” she questions, as you read “ALF sabotage Mirando’s company event”. You hope Lily is mistaking someone for Jay. But unfortunately, she’s right. Jay appears on the screen, he’s on the stage of the event, and there’s this giant animal and a little girl. He seems to be talking to the girl, then the footage changes to a lot of people running and causing big trouble. That must be the super pig o whatever he barely talked to you, you think.

“I don’t know. It’s a little blurry…” none of your friends knew Jay was part of the ALF, or that you weren’t engaged anymore. You preferred to lie.

You hear the reporter saying that there were some injured people, and that they were investigating the case, that some were arrested. “This is awful,” Lily says. And even after all, no one in the news was talking about the atrocities of Mirando. It seemed like the news was focusing on making the ALF look like they were some terrorists. Even though Jay never discussed his job with you, you were aware of the historical background of Mirando’s corporation.

“There’s going to be a massive traffic today” you say, trying to soothe the tension building up in your head. Lily says something, but you feel like you’re not in the room. You tell her you have to get some calls and after entering your office, you close the door and cover your mouth from crying.

Jay must have been arrested, or he’s injured, or maybe now he’s a fugitive. You walk to the big window, where a big tree is, the day is cloudy, and you can see the heart of the city from your window, where he must be. You cry in silence, fearing for him.

—

You looked at your reflection in the mirror of your vanity, you didn’t know what to do yet, it was Friday, and fall was about to start, so you put some makeup and a casual dress. Maybe you just wanted to go for a cold drink, and then visit the library.

There’s a knock on your door, and it might be the boots you ordered online. With your bare feet, you go and open the door.

A little gasp goes out after you see Jay at your door. He smiles a little, nervously. He’s wearing a jacket with a grey shirt, black jeans, and elegant shoes.

“Hi…” he says. There’s a bouquet in his hand, your favorites; pink lilies. “Uhm, this are for you”

“Thank you,” you say accepting the flowers. You don’t know what to say, you haven’t seen him in months. You knew he end up in jail. And you knew it hadn’t been much time since he was out.

“I’m sorry. You must’ve heard all that happened, and you were right. I didn’t have a priority in my life.” he says with his beautiful voice. You can see he hadn’t physically changed at all. “I put all my heart into my job, instead of you. After all, I’ve been through, I can tell that… you’re the thing I love the most in my life, and I don’t want to leave you alone ever again.”

“I want to marry you. I want to be a good husband for you, I want to make you happy. I know I can do it, I just need you to forgive me…” his pleading eyes are crystallized, and it surprises you. You hold tighter the bouquet, and you don’t know what to think or say.

“I’m begging you, please fall in love with me again.” his tone sounds pleading for forgiveness. Is it bad that you like that he had to suffer a little to discover what he really wanted? because you liked that he was feeling regretful. “Please love me again”

Don’t think about it so much, just do it.

“The thing is, I already do, Jay” you say before pushing him towards you with your free hand. Then you stand on tiptoes to kiss him, and he corresponds immediately, wrapping your waist. You can feel him smile on your lips, and you do the same.

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much. I love you” he’s rushing to give you a big hug. Stroking your hair and moving you just enough to make you feel it. “We have a lot to talk but… Do you want to go and get married?”

You smile, looking at him with a little smirk. “What about our family?”

“They don’t have to know. No one will know that we were already married” you don’t know what happened with the old Jay. Who would often meditate and think about consequences, maybe all the events of the last months changed him.

“Can we go to Barnes & Noble after that?“ Jay laughs at your petition, he nods leaning to leave a little kiss on your lips. “Okay, let me get my shoes and purse”

You could have said no, wait until you had a big talk, and decide what you wanted to do with your life and his. But, you preferred to hear all of that in your bed, at night. After a celebration in the library, then you could get food, have dinner, and so, he would tell you about everything, but you would be married already.

#danonation #paul dano x reader #jay okja #jay okja x reader #okja 2017 #paul dano #edward nashton #edward nashton x reader #eli sunday x reader #klitz x reader #klitz the girl next door

[umichenginabroad]

Stockholm Week 9: Booking the Rest of the Weekends!

This week was supposedly a stressful midterm week but thanks to the work I put in last weekend, I had an oddly relaxing week. 

I booked a bunch of flights (hopefully the last) this week too ⸜( ˙ ˘ ˙)⸝♡

My wallet is suffering but I’m brainwashing myself that this is a lifetime opportunity I need to catch. 

3/11 Mon: Ivar Los Park + Italy!

I had the mission of finding the tablecloth my mom bought in Stockholm Stadsmission during her stay. She was sad that she didn’t buy more of the same design since it fit the table size too perfectly. As a good daughter, I decided to do a scavenger hunt for it before it ran out of stock. 

Unfortunately, the ones with the same design were gone when I arrived. Although I failed my mom’s request, my own hunt was successful! I found a skirt and dress that fit perfectly. I couldn’t resist buying them since they were less than $10 each too. 

My Midterm paper for Crime Fiction class was due on Tuesday but I was close to being done due to last weekend’s grind. With light steps, I continued to spend time outside, enjoying the sun. Since I was already in Mariatorget and didn’t want to go home yet, I took a long walk around the Ivar Los Park. 

The park was smaller than I thought. I sat down on a bench for a little while until I got up to walk alongside Monteliusvägen. The clear sky amplified the beauty of the view, lightening up my mood as well. 

I tried to capture every moment in my head so that I could look back to these moments when I was exhausted. 

During my 40-minute walk, I discovered a kindergarten, church, ballet school, and Mojang studios (shoutout to Minecraft fans). I shared my happiness with my grandparents in Korea by calling them and chit-chatting for a while. 

A few snaps from my point of view 

I walked back home since the park wasn’t too far from my apartment. I noticed that our apartment also had a small garden and walking paths, so I strolled around in the little garden until I was satisfied with the amount of Vitamin D intake. 

For the longest time, something inside me had been bugging me to travel to Amsterdam and see the tulip festival. I tried scheduling times with my friends, but I couldn’t find anyone available during the weekend I was planning to go. 

It was then that I got in touch with my friend from home, who is also studying abroad in Europe. We started talking about our travel plans and scheduling availability. Going to Amsterdam failed again because of our tight schedule, but we managed to find a weekend to visit Italy!!! It didn’t take us long to book our flights and come up with Airbnb lists ( ˃ᴗ˂ ) 

3/12 Tue

In Swedish class, we were assigned random groups to do a team assignment.

There are too many ways to pronounce words

I don’t know how but dumplings kept coming up in our conversations (we were hungry), and I just had to go grab dumplings after class. 

These pork dumplings were a bit greasy but they tasted a bit like dim sum and I loved that 

I walked around the vicinity after getting re-energized. More and more flower vendors have been popping up here and there, and I walked by slowly to enjoy the sight and the scent of flowers. 

Tulips usually aren’t my favorites but the ones here are absolutely gorgeous ✿(′ᵕ′*)

For dinner, I followed a kimchi fried rice recipe with cabbage instead. It was delicious as usual :) 

I’m running out of menus though ;-; 

3/13 Wed: Productive Day 

Wednesdays without any field studies are arguably the best! 

I slept in and made a sandwich salad combo for brunch. 

Pesto is always right

I stayed home and worked on the second midterm essay of this week for Glued to the Screen TV Film course. I was more of a test girl than an essay girl but oddly, I enjoyed writing the three essays that are 2.5 pages each. I really think blogging is helping to lower the mental hurdles I have for writing essays. 

After finishing the essays early, I switched the subject and worked on two different group projects. It was a very productive day! 

3/14 Thu: Malta! 

I stayed in the DIS building after the morning class until my late afternoon core class began. I was going to go to one of these recommended study cafes but got too lazy to go out. 

A map of good places to study! 

I couldn’t get rid of the thought of going to Amsterdam, so I logged into Ryanair again. 

The Ryanair website had an option to select “Anywhere” for the destination. Out of boredom and curiosity, I set the dates to one of my available weekends and scrolled through the possible destinations. 

I found relatively cheap flight options to Hungary, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Austria, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Malta. Out of those options, Greece and Malta caught my eye. I would’ve loved to go to Santorini but that wasn’t an option. When I searched Malta on Google, I was captivated by the scenery. I LOVE the beach and it happened to be Malta’s specialty. I could feel my lingering desire for Amsterdam finally dissipating as I looked at the pictures of Malta. 

I contemplated for a while, calculating the expenses, and clicked the button to buy the flight ticket. A solo trip to Malta in April is officially confirmed! I’m becoming more and more spontaneous but I don’t hate the change. I’m working on trying out things that I wouldn’t have done before, and this is a step towards my goal. 

For dinner, I made a quick and healthy meal out of oatmeal. I’ve been into oatmeal recipes lately; they are easy and fulfilling! Since oatmeal was healthy, I ate chips to balance out. 

For the rest of the night, I read the second half of The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir for the Crime Fiction class tomorrow. 

3/15 Fri

I woke up early around 7 am to finish the book. 

After classes, my friend and I grabbed lunch at a Thai restaurant.

The pad thai was good but I couldn’t stop comparing it to No Thai

If you’re reading this in Ann Arbor, please get pad thai or drunken noodles or potato curry at No Thai for me. 

Anyway, our lunch date didn’t end there. Yes, we were full after lunch. Yes, we got boba. I have been refraining from getting boba too much because I knew my addiction would kick in again soon enough. But it was Friday and I was productive this week, so I got it as a treat for myself. 

I tried working on homework that evening, but I couldn’t get myself to focus enough to finish it. So Friday night ended up as a self-care night in my bed as well ( * ˘╰╯˘ *)

3/16 Sat: Study Date

On Saturday, I got to sleep in until 11:30 am. I was still in my bed rolling around when my friend asked me if I wanted to come with her to go do work in a cafe. It didn’t take too long to realize that I wouldn’t do any work if I stayed home, so I composed myself and got ready to go out. 

We headed to Gamla Stan but it was packed with even more people than usual. I blame the good weather. 

After failing to find a spot in three different cafes, we moved over to T-Centralen and found a good study place. 

The cafe is called the Kaferang City - I got Snapple but it was $5.50 ;-;

The music and distant conversations helped me focus and finish my assignments (+ blogging) for the week! 

On the way back home, I stopped at ICA to get groceries. I bought a pack of raw chicken breast for the first time, and it took me TWO hours to cook it + make dinner. My legs hurt by the end but once I tasted my dinner I knew it was worth it!

I was so afraid that chicken would be raw so I cut some into thirds, not even halves

When I went back home I was irresistibly drawn to stay horizontal in my bed. I made a good choice to start a new novel but a bad choice to read until 5 am.  

3/17 Sun 

Free time! 

My roommate hasn’t come back from her weekend trip so I had all the space to myself. Moreover, I didn’t have much to do because I did most of it yesterday at the cafe. 

Sooo I basically spent the whole day finishing reading the novel except doing a brief project meeting and submitting finalized homework assignments. 

This week was an opportunity for me to rest peacefully, both mentally and physically. I love traveling but felt that taking a rest was a necessary step for me. 

It has been two months already since I came to Stockholm. Thank you for reading my weekly essays and I promise you that I’ll come back with more stories to tell next week! 

Vi ses, 

Jiwoo Kim 

Chemical Engineering

DIS Study Abroad in Stockholm, Sweden

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEStockholm #JiwooKim #IPEWinter24 #Sweden

[bts-hyperfixation]

Ok, so BTS with a bookworm girlfriend. The sort of lady who wants books instead of jewelry. A woman who, if you let her into a bookstore, get comfy 'cause you ain't leaving anytime soon. What sort of bookish things do you think each would do for her? Or him. 🌹

Namjoon: while he is away in tour he has signed them both up for one of those mystery book club of the month things. It comes with a drink and snacks. They read the book together and then they spend hours discussing the book over face time while snacking together. When he returns they go to a bookstore and pick books together. Sometimes they don't see eye to eye and have to get multiple books (what a shame)

Seokjin: whenever he thinks of them he will go to their Goodreads wishlist and send them a book. Originally he'd started out with jewellery but realised that they weren't wearing it. His partner doesn't know that he has the Goodreads list to start with and is more than a little confused because he forgets to include a note, they just appear at the door bearing their name.

Yoongi: buys them book memorabilia, things all book lovers long to own like a typewriter and ornate bookends. He builds his love custom shelves, becoming more and more creative when space starts to become more of an issue.

Hoseok: Buys an apartment with space for reading. There's a nook in the living room filled with fluffy pillows and blankets. A room with beanbags and cozy rugs. Shelves upon shelves waiting for his darling's books, with unique sections and creative names written on each shelf.

Jimin: Researches the best libraries in the world and takes his partner to all of them. Finds little bookstores in all the cities and towns they visit on tour and sends special editions of well known books back to his partner in Korea. They have at least 30 1st print covers of Alice in wonderland with different dedications written on the first page

Taehyung: Befriends the author's his partner idolizes and charms his way into getting hands on unfinished manuscripts so his partner can read them before anyone else. Gets them invited to book launches and festivals where his partner can collect as many books and freebies as they both can carry.

Jungkook: knows exactly where all of the comfortable chairs are inside the comic book sections of all of his partner's favourite bookstores. He will quite happily sit there for hours with a drink and a couple comic books and wait. Sometimes he will just sit and watch them shop in awe

#bts fic #kpop fic #namjoon fic #seokjin fic #yoongi fic #hoseok fic #jimin fic #taehyung fic #jungkook fic

[dweemeister]

Best Animated Short Film Nominees for the 96th Academy Awards (2024, listed in order of appearance in the shorts package)

This blog, since 2013, has been the site of my write-ups to the Oscar-nominated short film packages – a personal tradition for myself and for this blog. This omnibus write-up goes with my thanks to the Regency South Coast Village in Santa Ana, California for providing all three Oscar-nominated short film packages.

If you are an American or Canadian resident interested in supporting the short film filmmakers in theaters (and you should, as very few of those who work in short films are as affluent as your big-name directors and actors), check your local participating theaters here.

Without further ado, here are the nominees for the Best Animated Short Film at this year’s Academy Awards. The write-ups for the Documentary Short and Live Action Short nominees are complete. Films predominantly in a language other than English are listed with their nation(s) of origin.

Yet again, this completes this year’s omnibus write-ups for the Oscar-nominated short films for the upcoming Academy Awards:

Our Uniform (2023, Iran)

Director Yegane Moghaddam used to be a primary school teacher in Iran and often “observed the students… struggling with their uniforms and headscarves all day.” These observations informed her film and narration in Our Uniform, which won Best First Film at Annecy (the largest animation-only film festival, in the French Alpine resort town of the same name) in 2023. Only the fourth ever non-Western/European and non-Japanese nominee in this 92-year-old category – following 2014’s Bear Story (Chile; that year's winner), 2020’s Opera (South Korea) and 2021’s Bestia (Chile) – Our Uniform adopts a unique style never before seen in this category. Instead of traditional cel animation with ink and paper or computers, Moghaddam nearly single-handedly painted images directly on clothing fabrics (pants, jackets, shirts, scarves – all from her personal wardrobe) to illustrate the memories her narration shares. These memories, of attending public school in Iran, invariably intersect with Iran’s theocratic politics. There are references, never pedantic, about government propaganda as part of the school curriculum, and the segregation between boys’ and girls’ education. Most vividly, Moghaddam remarks on the restricting school uniform and compulsory hijabs for girls at school, issues which enflamed protests against such laws beginning in 2017 (and spiking after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022).

Moghaddam, who cites graphic novelist/director Marjane Satrapi (2007’s Persepolis, 2011’s Chicken with Plums; the former I consider among the finest animated films of this young century) as her primary artistic inspiration, curiously does not contain as much messaging in her film as one might expect. As an Iranian citizen who currently has no plans to officially distribute the film within her home nation due to fear of retribution, how could she? But the film’s slightness cannot distract from its painstaking, loving artistry. Without relying on inventive camerawork, Moghaddam uses the natural pockets and folds of her clothes to suggest dimension and personality. To Moghaddam, all clothing has a personality and personal history to the wearer, even compulsory clothing, all of which she uses to wonderful effect. What originally began as a fun side project that Moghaddam had no expectations for gifts audiences a truly original viewing experience.

My rating: 7.5/10

Letter to a Pig (2022, Israel/France)

Qualifying for the Academy Awards after winning the Grand Prize for Best International Short Film at Anima, the Brussels Animation Film Festival, in early 2023, Nal Kantor’s Letter to a Pig sees a Holocaust survivor retelling a story of survival to a group of largely disinterested and scornful teenagers. As the elderly man recounts how he wrote a letter to a pig that inadvertently saved his life, a handful of students start insensitively snorting. Quietly, Letter to a Pig adopts the standpoint of one of the girls in class, half-listening at first. Here, Kantor seamlessly switches between the man’s memories and the reality of the classroom, through heavy rotoscoping to outline her figures, mixing it with live-action footage for the limbs or eyes, but only using a few ink scribbles to outline facial features and hair. Generally, the more movement either the schoolgirl or Holocaust survivor show, the more scribbles and live-action footage that appear. For all other figures, they remain mostly abstract.

As a young man, the Holocaust survivor recalls how filled with rage he was, long after his near-death encounter. Now, physically unable to exact retribution on those who harmed him, he tells the students “you are my revenge” – passing along his trauma to those not realizing what they have just received. The schoolgirl’s vision in the surrealistic final minutes is her absorption of the Holocaust survivor’s story. This masterfully drawn finale is the emotional apex of Letter to a Pig, fully justifying its black-and-white palette (with one exception: pink for the pigs, considered an impure animal in Judaism) in service for its profound sense of dread. Symbolizing memory, the pig appears throughout the film as a savior, a monster, or something worthy of mockery, depending on who is on screen. It is in these final moments Letter to a Pig leaves the audience with pressing questions. Can one impart painful memories without the trauma that gives such memories form? Most urgently, can we choose not to act on the trauma we inherit? May it be possible not only in dreams.

My rating: 8.5/10

Pachyderme (2022, France)

Stéphanie Clement’s Pachyderme, like Letter to a Pig, is an unsettling short film that delves deeply into the mind of a troubled character. In this film, a young woman named Louise (Christa Théret) recalls her days visiting her grandparents in Provence (southeastern France) during her childhood. The sun-bathed rural landscape is picturesque, the grandparents’ house gorgeously stylized. Beyond this, some of Louise’s recollections feel incomplete, with no apparent structure or chronology. That might read as a criticism, but Clement and screenwriter Marc Rius fully intend for Pachyderme to seem fragmented. The film strongly implies – and some viewers will pick this up earlier or later than others – that the grandfather sexually abused Louise. In reaction, Louise, while recounting her memories for the audience, has repressed her memories and is showing signs, in her narration and in her visual recollections, of disassociation. I do not recall ever seeing disassociation, a common symptom of those who have been sexually abused, portrayed as cinematically as seen in Pachyderme. It is best exemplified, metaphorically, in the scene where our protagonist disappears into the wallpaper (this scene was originally the first bit of test footage made for the film).

But perhaps there is no better visualization of all Pachyderme has to say than the moment where Louise’s grandfather notices her index finger bleeding. He grasps her hand, and his hands dwarf hers. The simultaneity of Pachyderme’s picture book visuals and its horrifying implications show the viewer a woman who has not fully processed what has happened to her. It is not helped by the defensiveness of Louise’s grandmother following the grandfather’s death. Family denial, too, is playing a role in how Louise is choosing, consciously and subconsciously, to remember the past. In its eleven minutes, Pachyderme passes in a dreamlike haze, its illusory moments enabling the viewer to more closely connect to Louise’s (both the young adult narrating the film and the child on-screen) feelings. Unlike many nominees in Best Live Action Short Film down the years that addressed childhood trauma (it's a long-running trend for that category), Pachyderme prioritizes healing in as cinematic a way as possible.

My rating: 8.5/10

Ninety-Five Senses (2023)

If the names Jared and Jerusha Hess are familiar, that is because this husband-and-wife directorial team also made Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006). Some of those same comedic sensibilities carry over to Ninety-Five Senses, which qualified for the Academy Awards by winning Best Animated Short at the Florida Film Festival in 2023. The film features an old man named Coy (Tim Blake Nelson, a Coen Brothers regular whose voice fits the narrative here) reflecting back on life – a reverie that jumps, hops, and skips across time and place. At first, Ninety-Five Senses, with its wildly shifting style changes, does not seem to have much of a point or purpose. But the film gradually reveals itself: first through the subtle shading of what appear to be prison bars and, later, the mountain of discarded food cartons sitting on the table in front of Coy. We soon realize that Coy is in the final hours or minutes of being on death row, and he is describing to the audience his internal peace before he meets his fate.

Ninety-Five Senses is not here to make a point about capital punishment, incarceration, or the terrible actions that landed Coy in prison. Foremost, this is a film that attempts to capture the last gasp of humanity of an individual before their execution. In contrast with the drab grays whenever Coy is seen in his cell, his flashbacks are intense – a fount of color, with both crude and elegant character designs, hand-drawn and computer-generated (sometimes appearing side-by-side). Not every vignette – of which there are five, one for each human sense – showcases as much aesthetic excellence as the others, such as an early instance where Coy recounts his childhood. That vignette does not evoke the respective human sense it covers as well as it thinks it does; the art style of that vignette also recalls hand-drawn television animation, but flows too smoothly to exactly replicate it. In any case, this is a promising first foray into animated film for the Hesses.

My rating: 8/10

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko (2022)

War Is Over! (you cannot make me write or say the full title ever again) has the basics of a promising animated short film. Yet its simplistic take on humanity and warfare and close association with John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” condemns the film as pure hogwash. On second thought, I retract “hogwash”. That is an insult to Letter to a Pig and to porcine animals. This is self-congratulatory treacle from director Dave Mullins and co-writer Sean Ono Lennon (the son of John and Yoko). In a supposedly alternate World War I reality, a pigeon delivers messages between an Allied and a Central Power soldier on opposite sides of No Man’s Land. The messages contain chess notation, as they, somehow, began a game of chess with each other without ever meeting. One day, at presumably Christmas, the two armies inexplicably charge toward each other and, amid gunfire and a mass mêlée that should leave many more soldiers dead than shown, our two soldiers encounter each other on the battlefield in combat shorn of its gruesomeness.

Despite the film using the Unreal Engine for its animation, I admire the film’s lighting effects, character movements, pigeon animation, sound effects, and art direction for the otherwise sanitized trenches. That may be all the positives I can offer.

The contrived scenario sinks even further when our two chess-playing soldiers discover a critical message from their pigeon messenger. Cue the second-most embarrassing needle drop among this year’s fifteen short film nominees (somehow, the closing moments of The After are worse than this). Unlike The After, War Is Over! feels as if constructed around its respective song. Is this now a glorified music video? In an instant, the film reduces the tragedy of the Great War to something akin to a soft drink commercial or that “Imagine” video (could we stop disrespecting John Lennon and his fellow Beatles?). The sanitized depiction of war and farfetched resolving actions undercut the film’s message, embarrassing itself as it lurches through its excruciating final minutes. That the first credit in the end credits read “music and message by John and Yoko” rather than director Dave Mullins leaves an even more sour taste. At the heart of War Is Over!, Mullins and Sean Ono Lennon want us to know that war is bad. I never could have guessed!

My rating: 4/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

From previous years:  85th Academy Awards (2013) 87th (2015) 88th (2016) 89th (2017) 90th (2018) 91st (2019) 92nd (2020) 93rd (2021) 94th (2022) 95th (2023)

Two other films played in this package as honorable mentions: Wild Summon (2023, dir. Karni Arieli and Saul Freed; 6/10) and I'm Hip (2023, dir. John Musker; 6/10).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Our Uniform #Letter to a Pig #מכתב לחזיר #Pachyderme #Ninety Five Senses #Ninety-Five Senses #War Is Over! #War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko #Yegane Moghaddam #Tal Kantor #Stéphanie Clément #Jared Hess #Jerusha Hess #Dave Mullins #Sean Ono Lennon #Tim Blake Nelson #96th Academy Awards #Oscars #31 Days of Oscar #My Movie Odyssey

[warningsine]

As the Cannes Film Festival kicked off its 77th edition on Tuesday, France’s film business has become engulfed in a reckoning over sexual harassment and abuse that activists say is long overdue. The #MeToo movement is hitting the country roughly seven years after it took Hollywood by storm — as the wave of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, long a fixture at Cannes, inspired women across the industry to speak out against executives, artists and movie stars who abused their positions of power.

“For reasons I can’t explain, it took much longer in France than in the U.S. for women to dare to speak out, and maybe it also took longer for women to be heard,” Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Film Festival, said in an interview with Variety. “I think that for many societal evolutions, Europe is still a little behind the United States. We’re catching up a little later, and it’s not even just a French issue.”

To be clear, in recent years, other French entertainment industry figures have faced sexual misconduct accusations, and there have been intermittent moments where the movement appeared to be gathering force, for instance, in 2019 when actor Adele Haenel spoke out against sexual assault and abuse in the biz, and when the Cesar Awards went through a complete overhaul. But the scale and intensity of the current wave of allegations is unlike that the country has experience before.

But Cannes itself has sometimes struggled to keep pace with where society was headed, failing to strike the right tone when it comes to welcoming problematic performers and filmmakers. Last year, for instance, the festival opened with “Jeanne du Barry,” a historical epic starring Johnny Depp, despite the fact that he was accused of abuse by ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp denies the charges and won a defamation trial against Heard, but the decision to highlight one of the actor’s films in such a prominent spot sparked protests. This time, Cannes is taking pains to avoid similar controversies, with festival director Thierry Frémaux telling reporters in a Monday press conference that the festival wanted to host an edition “without polemics.” Instead, Frémaux said he wanted to keep the focus on the films.

It’s an understandable objective, but one that might be impossible to pull off. After all, one French figure after another has been hit with allegations of impropriety. France’s Time’s Up era began in December when a video of Gerard Depardieu making crude and misogynistic jokes while on a trip to North Korea aired as part of a TV documentary. Two months later, “Ridicule” actress Judith Godreche filed complaints against directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, alleging sexual assault. Godreche’s short film “Moi Aussi” will kick off Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section. And the president of the National Film Board, Dominique Boutonnat, who has been accused of sexual assault charges by his godson, has been slammed by two investigative stories in French newspaper Liberation, and faces a criminal trial next month. A subsequent petition to remove him from office has garnered 2,704 signatures in just two days.

At one point, it seemed as though the festival itself might serve as a stage for the next wave of bombshell allegations to drop. In recent weeks, rumors started to swirl that the French outlet Mediapart was putting together an explosive report that it planned to publish during Cannes in which it would share accusations of abuse concerning several prominent film industry figures. But it seems like those rumors were unfounded. “For the last several days, certain [media outlets], including serious ones, suggested the existence of supposed ‘list’ of presumed authors of sexual violence which Mediapart was about to publish,” the news organization wrote on Monday. “It’s false, obviously. On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, the media spectacle is pathetic.”

France’s #MeToo moment arrives as the social justice push seems to be facing new obstacles in the U.S., where the movement originated. In April, the Supreme Court of New York overturned Weinstein’s rape conviction, ruling that the judge in the case unfairly allowed women whose allegations were not part of the case to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Weinstein remains in jail because he was separately convicted in Los Angeles, and a New York retrial seems likely. But the decision has been seen as a setback and a reminder of the legal hurdles that need to be overcome for accusers seeking justice through the court system.

But at a press conference on Tuesday, hours before Cannes’ opening night ceremony, Greta Gerwig, the “Barbie” director who is serving as jury president, made it clear that despite the recent setbacks, the #MeToo movement has led to meaningful reforms.

“I have seen substantive change in the American film community,” Gerwig said. “It’s only moving everything in the correct direction.” 

#cannes #news tag

[dragonagelesbian]

List 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people who liked/reblogged something from you. Get to know your followers and mutuals!

Hiii @ner-vod!

5 things that make me happy.... Hmm. It's kind of hard to answer this at the moment because I'm quite depressed lately, but there are definitely some things that make my days much more bearable and enjoyable.

5. Studying Japanese

I've been studying Japanese for the past 4 years, and managed to pass N3 December 2022. I started just because I found it fun and to challenge the mindset that you can't learn difficult languages as an adult, and have kept up with it since! I genuinely enjoy learning it, teasing out the small subtleties of the language, and using it to communicate with others!

Recently, I've been watching JBL without subtitles to get used to it, with some mixed results haha, but I can definitely follow along much better! I watched the Utsukushii Kare movie at Bucheon International Film Festival last year with only korean subtitles (I don't speak any Korean) and managed to understand the plot okay!

4. Discovering new queer media

I think we've been blessed with new and more mainstream forms of queer media the past few years, especially the past 5-10 years. Teenage me who only really had Junjou Romantica and Queer Eye could NOT have imagined something like Young Royals or Skam, European queer dramas, becoming so mainstream. I can't believe we got the Given and Cherry Magic animes! I still can't quite comprehend that we have such incredible openly queer musicians. Some of my favorites at the moment are Rina Sawayama, Orville Peck, Lil Nas X, Samantha Hudson (please check out this Spanish artist!!), among others. And, of course, Southeast Asian Boys Love has taken the world by storm, to my utter joy! I'm so happy that we've seen the genre evolve so much, with many more voices joining behind and in front of the cameras.

3. Eating good food

I'm a huge food lover, and I love both making and eating new dishes. When I went to Korea last summer, I was having the time of my life just discovering delicious, cheap meals that I'd never tried before. Now that I'm at university at [school] with so many international students, we often have lovely pot lucks and all share food together. I'm happy that I'm at a point of my eating disorder recovery journey where I still struggle, but I get to enjoy food more.

2. Helping people

Last year, I finally worked for the first time as a psychologist. It was only an internship, but I got to directly aid others who were struggling, and it was an incredible experience. It's just so world-changing to see and hear people, and give them all you can. I was also part of my student union at undergrad, and loved seeing my impact on students who might have otherwise struggled. I think realizing how much I love making a contribution to others has made me more aware of what I want to work in once I graduate my master's.

My loved ones

Especially my girlfriend, closest friends (hey there @oatmealcoloured) and family. I truly would not be here without them, period. They're the only things that keep me going sometimes. Thank you.

#ask #personal

[sug4rsweet]

THE SECOND COLLAB SINGLE … ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾

“CINDERELLA” is the second collaboration single by Kaori Takahashi, featuring girl group Allume (@flwrbankent !). Released on September 6th, 2013 by Avex Trax, the single was a critical and commercial success. It was a chart-topper and one of Kaori’s biggest hits, selling over 600,000 units in Japan alone and becoming the country’s 6th highest selling single, under Arashi, Exile, AKB48, and Kaori’s own singles “Black Night” and “Pop Diva.” Both Bonbons and Allume’s fanbase adored the song, and not only would it further endear Kaori to the Korean public, but it would also set the precedent for future collaborations between her and Allume.

TRACKLIST !

CINDERELLA (FT. アリューム / ALLUME) ! LEAD SINGLE

BE MY BABY ! B-SIDE

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE !

Oh, this single was slaying away!

It cracked over 200,000 sales within a week and was downloaded over 100,000 times, and it debuted atop the Oricon chart immediately. “Cinderella” was probably the most famous single from an artist in Japan because the way it was being played everywhere.

It remained on the Oricon chart well into 2014, and even when it dropped out of the Top 30 sometime in May, it was still charting! Japan loved this damn song!

It also found itself on the Gaon chart! It debuted at a very high No. 2 with over 110,000 sales, but it’s not surprising since Allume is so huge in Korea, and since Korean fans were gradually warming up to Kaori.

The biggest surprise of all, though, was how well “Cinderella” did in the states! It sold a little over 90,000 copies and debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the girls were absolutely floored at how close it got to cracking the Top 10. They were surprised that it even got into the Top 20!

Kaori had a pretty decently sized fanbase in the U.S. because J-pop was having a little Renaissance back in 2013, and her unique style and ability to speak English definitely endeared her to Western audiences! So of course “Cinderella” saw some success there!

Allume was a unfortunately niche thing to American audiences, but this got them so much exposure. A win-win!

It remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for about three weeks, and it remained on Gaon for nearly six, and it also charted in countries such as England, France, Australia, and the Philippines, and when I tell you critics were eating this single up, I mean it.

They especially loved how well Kaori and Allume’s voices went together, and they adored how “J-pop” it sounded! Like “Cinderella” really did combine the traditional idol sound with Kaori’s more mature, unconventional, Western pop style very well. By the end of the year, Billboard had listed the song as one of the best J-pop tracks of 2013!

“Cinderella” was truly a smash hit. Like everyone loved it and the collaboration was a match made in heaven!

AWARDS WON !

Best Collaboration Video at the 2013 MTV Japan Video Music Awards 2013 !

Best Hit Song at the 2013 FNS Music Festival !

Top Single Sales of the Year + Download Song of the Year at the 2014 Billboard Japan Music Awards !

Song of the Year by Download at the 2013 Japan Gold Disc Awards !

Best Collaboration + Popularity Award at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards !

Hot Trend Award at the 2013 Melon Music Awards !

STYLING !

Now you know Kaori had to kick it up a notch!

For earlier performances during the Sweet 18 era, the styling was definitely a bit more casual and leaned into 2000s pop punk aesthetics/1970s rock ‘n roll, but here it was gothic and dramatic (with a pop girl touch, of course) all around! Like of course she had to match the song’s concept!

Around this time she got really into visual-kei (bands like L’Arc-en-Ciel and Malice Mizer) and more theatrical aspects, and her stage outfits definitely reflected that.

Lots of thigh high boots, suits that made her look like she hopped straight out of The Phantom of the Opera, lots of rhinestones and sequins and shiny fabrics that emulated seventies glam rock and early 2010s futurism, lots of capes, and Kaori even had on a sequined top hat at one point!

And of course, knowing her, there was inspiration taken from Namie Amuro lol. More specifically, from stage outfits she wore during the 2010s!

Kaori’s makeup remained mostly the same, but there was a lot of matching going on! There were rhinestones used and stars painted onto her face, and her stylists did floating eyeliner on her once! Of course Kaori’s eyebrows were still dyed, and she actually thinned them out for a couple performances.

The styling for “Cinderella” was definitely a precursor to what we would see for her Chinese debut and her tour, though, and the girls ate it up!

ERA HIGHLIGHTS !

Best micro-era ever! Kaori had so much fun!

Right after the single dropped, she wanted to perform on Music Station with Allume, but due to scheduling conflicts, that unfortunately didn’t happen at the time. :( However, it did end up happening shortly before Kaori went on tour!

The choreography was so well done! Most of the time it didn’t feel like “Kaori ft. Allume” because they all danced in a line, especially during the chorus. It almost looked like Kaori was Allume’s seventh member!

The girls had a TV interview together in Japan, and they appeared on Weekly Idol in Korea! Their Weekly Idol episode was hilarious like the way Marisol had to keep translating for her… 😭

There weren’t too many promos for “Cinderella” until the end of the year, but Kaori, Marisol, and Analise were that trio this era!

They were always hanging out and taking pictures and just being cute! One time after the MAMAs they went out for dinner to celebrate, and after one of Allume’s fans spotted them together Twitter went wild!

At the start of November, Kaori teased something at the MAMAs by posting a photo of her holding a card from the ceremony on her Instagram while en route to Korea. At this point everyone knew that she was performing, so of course they were all like “why is she being so cryptic lol.”

We got a video of her and Analise together in a practice room with the rest of Allume… 👀 and then it was radio silence for like 2 days.

But that was all on purpose!

Because after Allume’s performance at the MAMAs, we got a surprise performance of “Cinderella!”

And the stage was so cute, too! It was this huge gothic castle with a bunch of platforms that the girls stood on… definitely one of the best performances in MAMAs history, mhm!

Afterwards Kaori and Allume all went out for dinner again, and we also got a video of her and Marisol being surprised that they heard “Cinderella” in a store 😭

They were all “omg we’re famous!” Like of course you are, this song was all over Asia!

But the best part of this era?

They performed at Kaori’s tour!

The styling for her Seoul concert and specifically for “Cinderella” was insane! All seven of them looked phenomenal, and this performance was arguably better than their one at the MAMAs!

During Kaori’s encore she actually brought Allume back on stage! They were just having a good time up there playing with the confetti and waving goodbye, and Marisol and Kaori gave each other the tightest hugs ever lol.

Shortly after the era ended, though, some of Jinah’s fans started acting… a little strange!

Jinah has a resting bitch face, so when she and Kaori met at the MAMAs 2012 she did look a little mean, but that was just her regular face so all was well! However, since Jinah’s fans are so detached from their own idol, they somehow came to the conclusion that Jinah hated Kaori…?

They were all down Twitter talking about the “beef” she and Jinah had and just making up shit. Like one time Jinah’s fans were like “gotcha!” because a video of her shifting her position by taking a half inch step away from Kaori started spreading… like oh brother!

They were literally in Kaori’s comment section like “Jinah hates you…” she literally responded to one of them by saying “girl shut up” (verbatim!) and Jinah liked her damn Tweet!

Gagged actually!

While Kaori was touring in America, she was asked about the drama in an interview and she went “what drama?” Like she was confused!

She laughed it off and cleared everything up and the whole thing died down shortly after. Like Jinah’s fans were bending over backwards to start something and both of them didn’t give a shit!

Allume loves Kaori, you guys. Don’t worry!

All in all, collab of the year! Aside from… whatever the hell happened with Jinah’s fans, “Cinderella” was an absolutely incredible release! The public loved it, critics loved it, the girls had a great time, and their fans couldn’t wait for more! ♡

#🍬 … KAORI ! #DISCOGRAPHY ! #COLLABS ! #CONNECTIONS ! #fictional idol community #jpop oc #jpop oc soloist #jpop solo artist #jpop idol oc #jpop soloist #fake jpop idol #koc #koc soloist #kpop oc soloist #kpop female soloist #kpop soloist #kpop solo artist #kpop oc #fake kpop idol #fake idol #idol oc soloist #idol soloist #idol oc #fictional idol #fictional idol soloist #fictional idol oc #idolverse #ficnetfairy