#Cause I think most people who enjoy sales are people like me who have huge staks of free star coins they save up

[shiroselia]

If anybody wonders why I’m probably never going to buy horses full price ever again note that since I’m barely playing at all this year but Do have horses I still wanna buy, because that’s a thing I plan for ages anyways, I have only been buying horses when they get on sale because I don’t play actively anyways so I don’t “naturally” buy horses, and I’ve bought three horses this year, all on sale

They haven’t even cost me the combined price of two full-price horses

I’ve bought an arabian, a percheron, and a shire on sale this year, that has cost me 1 620 star coins currently, that would normally cost me 2 700 by now

[rustyvanburace]

It’s May 23rd in JST now and Shin Megami Tensei IV celebrates its 10th year anniversary...

I bought this game during the Atlus 3DS mega sale last year, initially having doubts as there were some things about IV I was hesitant on. I had only just played SMT Nocturne and V at the time, being a series greenhorn then, who of course couldn’t say no those unbeatable sales. I don’t think I would have even bought IV if it weren’t for the huge discount. I asked my Twitter followers whether my next game should be this or Strange Journey Redux.

I’m so thankful now that they picked IV for me. (Spoilers below)

Almost immediately upon playing IV, I was absorbed by its mysterious narrative and surprising use of setting. Compared to Nocturne and V, which both relied heavily on atmospheric story-telling and intentional vagueness in their cast (which I can also appreciate), I had practically fallen in love overnight with IV’s intricate world-building and its down-to-earth cast. Jonathan, Walter, and Isabeau were more than just vehicles used to propel an alignment, but they were first and foremost people with their own lives, dreams, interests, strengths, and comedic setbacks. Even the most minor of characters had so much to say. And then, as I already really enjoyed the Press Turn System, having it still in IV and tying it all together with the Smirk mechanic made it all the more fun and satisfying for me. Very early on I was challenged by the game’s merciless difficulty that kept me fully engaged. I felt so triumphant when I finally did topple the Minotaur and Medusa.

Surprisingly IV’s story was something that had long eluded me and felt so at-a-distance. I already knew a couple (spoilery) things about other SMT games I hadn’t played yet, but somehow IV kept itself hidden. I of course knew that Tokyo would be coming and I already had a lot of preconceptions and expectations as I played. But despite those, IV still surprised me and seized my being into becoming a participant and witness. I still felt the weight of rediscovering Tokyo. I expected Issachar to become a jealous rival and I mourned his death all the same. I was shaken by the immediate parallels I saw that was happening in real-life (like the book bans). I was confronted by weighted choices that actually made me stop to confront my own beliefs, far more than Nocturne and V ever did, and then left me to deal with the consequences of those choices. When Walter finally turned on Jonathan at the meeting with Lilith, thereby severing their friendships for their own beliefs, I was literally shaking with trembling hands holding my 3DS. I already knew of Blasted and Internal Tokyos way ahead cause of a guide I was using, but never actually expected them to be alternate worlds or to be confronted by phantoms coaxing me to bring about a nihilistic end.

My gut wrenched in mourning when I heard Issachar’s true voice spoken through The White. And again when, having taken the chaos route, heard Jonathan’s dying breath after slaying Merkabah. I was heartbroken too that my actions and decisions lead to Walter’s and Isabeau’s own deaths too.

After initially doubting this game and having convinced myself that Nocturne would probably be the only SMT game I really like, my doubts and expectations were thoroughly dashed at very turn. IV had hit every nail on the head in a RPG I had, at the time, been struggling to find in a lot of other RPGs.

I love SMT IV. I plainly do. Its heavy weight and darkness, but also glimmer of hope that shines in-between, has been a source of both engrossment and comfort. Now having played every mainline game, I can partly understand why a lot of people were/are very hard on IV because of how much it harkens back to SMT1 and 2. But having played those myself now, those experiences only makes me appreciate IV that much more as what I see as a celebration of SMT’s long history and the beauty of its story-telling. And I think that to just dismiss IV as a mere copy of previous games is showing disrepect toward how much loving care and attention to detail was invested into the directing, writing, and overall development of this game. As well as how it creatively re-imagines and ties 1 and 2′s narratives together. IV has even got guest illustrators who contributed art pieces and new demon designs. SMT IV is not a lazy rehash by any means, but a celebration of what came before and what could come next.

My first passing encounter with IV, actually, was many years ago. Long before I even got into SMT. It was with the release of IV Apocalypse in 2016. It had very briefly caught my attention then and I think I had considered trying it. In the end I didn’t but I sometimes wonder to myself what if I had. Would it have led to me becoming curious in the prequel and discovering IV a lot sooner? Would I have become this enamoured with IV as I am today? Or would I have just lost interest while playing IV Apocalypse, not finding it as satisfying or having difficulty following it, and thereby never give IV a chance? I actually do love IV Apocalypse, but a lot of that hinges on IV itself. Though I often wish to myself I had discovered IV a long time ago, I also think now it is good and even better that I discovered it during this tumultuous point in present time and personal life. So much of my love for IV is tied to bringing me much needed comfort, introducing me to friends who I now love, and even just hitting every head in a RPG I’ve been looking for.

So I think then that, yes, it was good actually that IV eluded me for this long until that Atlus 3DS sale happened. And I am immensely grateful for that as, again, I don’t think I would’ve given IV a chance if not for that. All else I can say is, thank you again Atlus and all those who contributed, for bringing this game to light.

[grim-echoes]

the disconnect here is that you seem to be equating 'plays the game' with 'thinks the graphics are fine and not worth complaining about' which is a reach and you know it. you're upset that other people still get to enjoy it because it hurts that you can't anymore. you want to like it, I know, it sucks to see other people able to like it, but being mad at other fans accomplishes nothing when gamefreak is the one that made the game unplayable for you, not other people who chose to bite the bullet and make the most of a rushed product.

i know why i dislike it, anon, you don't need to try and tell me how i feel. you're talking to an adult.

the issue actually isn't "i hate that people are enjoying something i can't", it's that people are willing to let that enjoyment override the ability to recognize that these games are being made under sickening working conditions without the necessary resources that should be afforded to the highest grossing media franchise in the world. I PERSONALLY KNOW people who are so intensely impassioned about this franchise that they will have genuine mental breakdowns triggered by even the most menial of criticisms directed towards it, completely separate from them as people, because the idea of acknowledging that something they love is a subpar product made with extremely unethical labor causes them a level of discomfort they don't want to engage with because it means leaving their personal construction of paradise--which i am extremely familiar with as a metalhead who used to be a huge sonic fan as a kid--but when workplace ethics are involved, when real people's mental and physical health is involved, when your very limited money and self-respect are involved, it's a worthwhile and often necessary decision to make. fleeting entertainment from Product You Like is not more important than the labor that was involved in making it and the people who routinely exhaust themselves and sacrifice their personal lives just to make ends meet.

it's why i will in fact be angry at the fans more than gamefreak: because gamefreak are just the developers. their jobs are to make the game--they do not get to make decisions when it comes to how those games are made, the marketing, the publishing, or the financial backing that influences these games' release schedule and projected profits. i'm angry at management, i'm angry at shareholders, i'm angry at the pokemon company, and i'm angry at people who pay for subpar products made by breaking the backs of exploited and underpaid workers on a heinous release schedule who are fully capable of acknowledging that their money is being spent on supporting these practices, yet will downplay the collective impact of their decisions and prioritize their own comfort and entertainment over the suffering of the people who were overworked to the fucking bone to bring them these products and don't see a single goddamn penny from those millions of sales.

this is a topic i have extremely strong feelings about so if you're going to send me another patronizing ask telling me how you think i feel because it's clear you have no respect for my stance, take up in the inbox of someone with zero conviction.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCHOOL

But I don't think this is true. Over and over, I've seen startups we've funded snatched by west coast investors are confident enough of their judgement to act boldly; east coast investors, not so much that it's fun to use, but that they're driven by more powerful motivations. I knew intellectually, but the boring stuff you do in school under the name mathematics is not at all like what mathematicians do. Here's a handy rule for startups: competitors are rarely as dangerous as they seem, because good people find good markets. I wasn't sure whether to include Jobs on this list because he makes me happy. Hardy said he didn't like math in high school the solution was the telephone. A user on Hacker News recently posted a comment that set me thinking: Something about hacker culture that never really set well with me was this—the nastiness. Of course, Internet startups are still only a fraction of the probability that they will succeed at all. Just that all other things being equal, the more stuff they seem to have been two ways of thinking about programming.1 It's hard for us to be up to our chins in failure all the time. Angel investors often syndicate deals, which means stock with extra rights like getting your money back first in a sale, or convertible debt, which means they join together to invest on the same terms. I'm not saying this is the route to well-deserved obscurity.2

As huge as their companies eventually became, they were all essentially mechanics and shopkeepers at first. You enjoy it more if you eat it occasionally than if you eat nothing but chocolate cake for every meal. For example, in my house in Cambridge, which was built in 1876, the bedrooms don't have closets. If you had to get over to start a new channel. The definition then spread to people who behaved like assholes in forums, whether intentionally or not. Everything that came to us through the mass media was a blandly uniform and b produced elsewhere. And so I let my need to be in a rush to choose your life's work. And you know why they're so happy? This is a list of the biggest regrets of the dying. And if I don't run for several days, I feel ill.3

It was surprising—slightly frightening even—how fast they learned. The eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor to found Fairchild Semiconductor, the original Silicon Valley startup, weren't even trying to start a new channel. I know how hard it is, because there is a lot of plot, but they want to start it. The reason this is news to anyone is that the Internet is the primary medium. That's not how you win at this game. The final contributing factor is the culture of the forum.4 Right now most of you feel your job in life is to be strategically indecisive: to string founders along while trying to gather more information about the startup's trajectory. Overall only about 10% of startups succeed, but that was enough to tell what I said that upset him: that startups would do better if they moved to Silicon Valley to succeed. It seems like a bad idea.

Notes

Giant tax loopholes are definitely not a VC who read a draft, Sam Altman points out that trying to figure this out. No one in a bug. It will require more than we can teach startups a lot like meaning. I got to the table.

An investor who says he's interested in x, and cook on lowish heat for at least should make a brief entry listing the gaps and anomalies. Oddly enough, a torture device so called because it depends on them, because they can't afford to.

I mean that if the value of understanding per se but from what the earnings turn out to be combined that never should have become direct marketers. But so many had been with us he would presumably have got more of the markets they serve, because what they're doing. Actually this sounds to me like a later investor trying to make peace with Spain, and I suspect. So far the only cause of accidents.

Stone, op. So instead of using special euphemisms for lies that seem promising can usually get enough money from good investors that they lived in a in the absence of objective tests. Median may be exaggerated by the government. 5 more I didn't realize it yet or not, bleeding out invites at a discount of 30% means when it converts you get nothing.

[mikekobela]

So to start out with the absorbing part: no, there is no way that will happen. WB Discovery may be bleeding money and has much less worth because of that, but in terms of assets and size, it is on the same ginormous levels as Disney is now. A proposed merger would be a slam dunk no at antitrust authorities. Past mergers like the Disney-Fox one and the Warner-AT&T one, or heck, the Xbox-Activision one, too, was hotly contested, and took months to give the greenlight to them. It's also clear at this point that mega mergers like these ones were not 100% worth in the end, and that they had to take cuts elsewhere and had to change their businesses, entirely. If you ask me, I think investors are just waiting for how low Zaslav can plummet WBD's worth so that someone, who doesn't have ties to the entertainment business much but has a ton of money, can snatch it up on the cheap.

As for the streaming bundle deals: yeah, part of me is a little bit dumb founded, too, and is confused at just how much companies don't know what to do with streaming at this point, but I have a hunch. It is clear now that they had different ideas on what they planned to do and what the outlook was during pre-Covid times. The pandemic lockdowns not only turned those ideas upside down, but it also gave false hopes with the sudden huge uptick in subscription and sales, and everyone lost their minds. Everything was recalculated, thinking that the growth won't stop and it's only up from here...and then the lockdowns ended.

Once again, things changed overnight. Studios fast tracked projects and content thinking people would watch them immediately. Theatres thought everything is going to be back to normal and that they can have the same levels of success as 2019 or before. Indeed things have gone back to normal in life in some aspects, but in terms of entertainment, the lockdowns brought many changes that are now irreversible and can't go back on, but boy, are they trying still.

So now we are at this state of uncertainty. Companies still want to maintain the profit margins they enjoyed during the pandemic to keep investors and stockholders happy, even though it's obvious that's not going to happen. The content fast tracking lead to now a bit of a drought in what to watch, what can streaming provide. I'm pretty sure at this point most if not all studios have regretted creating their own streaming services, even if they are aware that prospects were different back then. Doesn't help that we are in a post-pandemic economic crisis and now people think much harder on what is worth subscribing to, and what they would rather save their money from.

The way I see it now is this: the whole bundling of services now is a way of attempting to bringing back everything to one place. Like a decade ago, where Netflix had pretty much all the important films and shows from all the major studios. This is a way of doing without abandoning their own services, cause they are too deep in investing in it, and admitting defeat would cause devastating damages.

However, I do see opportunities in these bundlings. If the prices are right, like signing up for this merged bundle will become much cheaper than signing up separately, it could be worth it. Maybe this merged service will have its own interface and environment, so that people won't have to jump between apps to look for a movie or show. I know people joke about all the Hulu and non-Disney content being on Disney+, but it sure feels cool to have access to them under the same app, doesn't it? It could also give the opportunity to share resources between one another, development and finances and etc.

Yes, in some ways, it feels like cable, but the reality is that streaming IS the new cable, or at the very least, it is cutting the cable cords and has already become the most popular way to consume entertainment. People say once live sports is fully conquered by streaming, it will be game over for linear television. And guess what, there is also a planned merged service in the US for live sports between Fox, ESPN and WBD!

All in all, streaming is in a weird state right now, and there are many business decisions that are baffling, but at the same time, it is also just keeping on going towards the inevitable. It's just that in recent years, the road has been recalculated, some wrong turns were taken and now it's a little more difficult to get back on track. No doubt there will be some confusing bumps, too, and I don't have the definite answer, either, on what is going to happen from here, all I see is that there are ways to make this right. Of course the question is: will it be made right?

yeah the new disney+/hulu/max bundle thing is a bullshit reinvention of the cable wheel but its also like… almost definitely a death knell before disney absorbs WB, right? like that’s not a crazy thing to anticipate at this point, i don’t think.

[inspector-montoya-fox]

Ok my internet friends and enemies, it’s time to rank the villains’ motives for being villains. To no one’s surprise, I won’t be including Le Paradox because he’d automatically take the number 1 spot, I thought it’d be unfair to the other entries. Nothing trumps some classic nonsensicality, y’know. So let’s take a look:

12. Boredom - Sir Raleigh

At the bottom of my list is boredom. Because we all feel it and those long afternoons of having nothing to do most definitely warrant you to go out, engineer a giant whale machine for whatever the fuck, and become a modern day pirate basically. Raleigh 100% earns sympathy points. The froggy privilege here is so yuck, I can’t even explain. As if he wasn’t already rich like... trash. Garbage.

11. Pollution & Testosterone - Jean Bison

This guy went for a hike, got crashed by an avalanche, and woke up decades later to hold a grudge against nature for being frozen? You do understand that the ice literally saved your life, right? I mean, good for him for still staying motivated after so many years of being an icicle but chopping down trees? It’s a big no no. I love how bison are actually herbivores, so the idiot is literally just throwing out food.

10. Incel-ism - General Tsao & LeFwee

This entry making it into the top 10 by no means makes it valid. The lengths these two are willing to go just to get the girl is honestly frighteningly accurate. Tsao literally unearths a dragon, vampires, and ghosts in order to protect his forced marriage. And not once does he compliment Jing King in the process, like he probably doesn’t even like her ??? Instead of self-reflecting, perhaps going to therapy, these two prefer to lead a life of crime. Also, the fact that Tsao, who can’t get a woman to fall in love with him, is a huge cock. This shit writes itself, seriously.

9. Being Old ??? idk - Don Octavio

This is the last insanely bad one on the list but holy shit does this one make little to zero sense. Look, I’ve felt old at times. It’s not really nice when you talk about growing up watching Jungle Book on VHS and someone asks what VHS is. I’m 22 bitch not 982 look it up. Did people not knowing what VHS is make me want to blow up half of Venice and pollute its waters? It did not. What did the poor helpless fish do to you? Like why ???? There are people who still enjoy opera like I’m pretty sure Don Octavio didn’t even look for a new audience/ target demographic after the initial ticket sale drop. First not outsold gig and this bitch went to the Italian mafia to look for help.

8. Financial Gain - Dimitri

Crime for money is so zzz snooze fest, late 90s/ early 00s Powerpuff Girls villain, The Dark Knight opening scene but not really because that wasn’t really the point of it... that being said, it’s not lower on the list because I often think of what I’d do if I lived a life of wealth and luxury. Crime as a source of income is not fully respectable but not an abysmal motive like boredom for example. And I fully understand how Dimitri’s occupation as an artist could lead to him being in need for money - it’s tough as many of y’all already know. On the other hand, minus points for potentially causing inflation with his counterfeit operation.

7. Childhood Trauma + Rejection - Muggshot, Mz Ruby & Panda King

Boy do I feel for them. Probably the most relatable entry on the list because everyone has experienced this in one way or another. It’s not their fault society spat in their faces. The first game was out there trying to make a point about bullying’s long term effects with 3/5 of its villains displaying so. Does it justify their crimes? No. But lowkey good for them, I hope they’re thriving in prison.

6. Immortality - Neyla

Getting down to the big ones now. I’m happy SP scrapped their initial plan of making Neyla Rajan’s daughter because that might have made her a bit more humane or explained her motivations a bit better. But as it is, she’s batshit crazy. She loves no one, that’s why she doesn’t care about being immortal and witnessing everyone die around her. Her motive fits in with her plan so well, it’s so simple and yet so effective. The reason it’s not higher on the list is because immortality has been done so many times before and there was no new spin or anything. Her plan and her character are top-notch examples of writing, but, as much as I adore her being trigger-happy and un’inged with no villain origins or explanation, I would still like some sort of hint to it. She’s like the Joker of the series, an absolute enigma.

5. In Search for a (New) Body - Arpeggio & The Mask of Dark Earth

Is it stupid to think that we’ve all experienced some dissatisfaction with our appearance in the past? Even a single instance of any form of body dysmorphia? Maybe it’s a bit exaggerated of a claim but even so, I do feel for these two. Muggshot, Mz Ruby and Panda King experienced bullying because of stuff that was different but could change, like their interests and fitness. But body type and size isn’t adaptable like that. I do think Arpeggio took it to a bit of an extreme but that just shows the hurt he has over being smaller than the average bird. It’s sad how he was unable to embrace the permanence of his size, like he could be the Danny Devito of the series but eh whatever.

4. Misogyny - Penelope

Do I even need to explain this one? Girlboss. What a legend.

3. Something Too Complicated for Us Simple-Minded Fools - Rajan & The Contessa

I’ve tried to wrap my head around the motive for these two and I have failed. Rajan was initially in the financial gain entry but then I thought, he’s already rich? Same goes for the Contessa, who steals her prisoners’ hidden loot but is already a wealthy widow? The way these two carry themselves, what they say and the way they say it, as well as their crimes, just indicates that they think they have a higher purpose. And maybe they do, like maybe furry God spoke to them and told them they were meant for more. Sure, they were both underlings for Arpeggio, and in the end Neyla, but their side-hustles are so bizarre. I’m referring to Rajan’s reason for having the Clockwerk heart on his staff and the Contessa’s psychoanalysis of Sly. I’m like ????

2. Good Ol’ Revenge - Dr M

I know I said Neyla’s was overdone and it doesn’t get more overdone than revenge, but this one nabs the second spot because it initially starts as ‘Dr M is so evil he’s trying to open the Cooper Vault !!’ and then the way Dr Martin explains it makes us think he was actually the victim. And of course he was the victim. He was playing second fiddle to Connor and in the end got nothing. We practically know nothing about Sly’s dad but I choose to believe that he was the absolute worst, and that more than justifies Dr Milo’s motive. And I’m in love with stories that portray the protégé being blindly naive until they realise they’re fighting for an invalid cause. Except this never happens and Dr Mustafa dies, and I felt really bad for him like he and Sly should’ve negotiated something along the lines of splitting the Cooper Vault’s loot ?? He deserved better for sure because, unlike Muggshot, Mz Ruby and Panda King, he didn’t stray away from his path of revenge. He was solely interested in cracking open the vault like no world domination, no nothing (apart from maybe fusing innocent civilians together to make monsters).

1. Pure Hatred - Clockwerk

It doesn’t get any more evil than this. Clockwerk is the perfect balance between Neyla and Dr Matthew’s motives because it’s so ambiguous but we also receive little clues along the way. Frankly, we don’t know what kicked off the feud between him and the Coopers, but we know it’s spanned for centuries and his dialogue hints that it’s something more personal than just ‘i wanna kill an entire lineage of raccoons’. It’s up for interpretation but it makes him such an excellent villain. Like it’s pure hate, it’s uncontrollable and it’s such a big grudge that it’s been eternal. There’s no other crimes like illegal spice distribution or financial gain. He’s solely focused on destroying Sly and he’s assembled a team for it, he’s stolen the Thievius Raccoonus, and he’s built the most evil lair there is. Number 1 undoubtedly.

[practicalmagicintuitions]

“The fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling”

I was thinking about that last MT podcast HC had when he mentioned stoicism and a book I have but I haven’t read yet. So I decided to deep dive in a little bit because I studied philosophy at the university at a very basic level but I always wanted to know more, so this seems a good occasion. I am also interested in what HC could see in this philosophy school. I think we all know at this point he is interested in things that interest his people, not necessarily him or he is dropping ideas, new things fast. So one part of this will be a summary of stoicism because I feel many people have misconceptions or don’t know what is this just saying this is sh*t even don’t have the slightest idea about it. The other part will be a little HC armchair analysis by me throughout this topic. And I also decided to read the book he mentioned - Viktor E. Frankl Man's Search for Meaning - and maybe I will walk through it or give you a summary if you interested. 

Bare with me, because this turned out to be long, but I had to get out his from my system.

Not soon after the pandemic and the lockdown started in 2020 Penguin Random House said the print sales of Marcus Antonius’s Meditations are up 28% for the first quarter of 2020 vs 2019, while print sales of Letters from a Stoic are up 42% for the same period. The ebook sales rose by 356% . This boom was because of the pandemic but the popularity of modern stoicism has been an upcoming thing for a while especially since people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet allegedly used stoicism in their business and Thomas Kaplan is supporting a Stoicism Course at Brown University. But unfortunately, modern stoicism has become kind of a ready-made lifehack, a self-helping method, that’s why books like Ryan Holiday’s one could be published and becomes a success. This is where I see modern stoicism’s faults. 

Stoicism seems a good school to support or to follow in the pandemic because this is about we have to accept the things we have no control over. Probably that’s why the sales went up. This is about don’t letting uncontrollable things or events messing with your judgment and clarity. Fear, screams, panic, rages don’t help. And I think we can agree this is true. Aurelius wrote his Meditations in the middle of a battle when his men were dying not just because of the fights but because of a pox epidemic and top of that he was an Emperor. So to maintain his sanity he had become a stoic. He didn’t have an influence on the epidemic so he just accept it and didn’t spend his energy raging about it. 

Stoicism was founded by Zenon around 300 BC. And it was a thriving and popular school without huge wars or pandemics or anything. Back then it was not a reaction to something but a preparation for something. More directly prepare yourself the thing you cannot be prepared for. And probably this is the OG stoicism most valuable teaching that there are events in this world we simply cannot control. What we can control however how we react to those events. Are we remain calm or think this is a catastrophe. Let see a very basic example. We are mortals, we will die no matter what. This is a sure event we have no control over. What we can control that our view on this. Will we panic? Refuse to even talk about death or refuse to make a will because “OMG I will die then!!” Like spoiler alert, it will happen, will or no will. Or we understand our time is limited and try to enjoy it and not see smaller inconveniences are tragedies. I am sure we all know people who think if they spill themselves over with coffee or the handle of the grocery’s bag comes off it’s a pure tragedy and they are capable of thinking about this all day as something it is happening with them always an exclusively. 

Until this, I think it’s all good we can use this in our daily life. What is dangerous in the OG stoicism is that the stricter wing of it thought emotions as a whole or almost all of it cause confusion so you basically should eliminate emotions to have that clarity on life. That’s why Diogenes wrote that the wise is emotionless. And this is the main and very valid criticism again stoics, that with taking away the emotions they basically ripping of humans from something very unique valuable, important, because our emotions make us humans. And because living totally emotionless is kinda impossible this goal is not realistic, so it causes many frustrations ( oh my... even more emotions!) Because think about it, who are described as emotionless? Psychopaths. 

You have cases, events, when your emotions, even overflowing ones are right and acceptable and suppressing them, could be dangerous. Because realistic or not Marcus Aurelius and Seneca and the other stoics idea was not just watching the world and letting things happen, shrugging a shoulder and say nothing, no! Their philosophy and aim were to eliminate the bothering things which not let you think calmly. And since we are talking about philosophy the reality of this in practice is secondary. Critics also think ( and maybe the modern stoicism is going in this direction) that a hardcore stoics care only about themself and their egos while Seneca says friendships are important and in general most stoics accepted positive feelings (to a certain extent).

Stoicism comes back to life mostly in psychotherapy around 1900 by Paul Dubois ( before him there was another new wave of stoicism in the 16th century) and that’s where Victor E Frankle is connected to this topic. I haven’t read his book yet but I know his method is called logotherapy (logos= meaning) and this was born in the deepest existential crisis when his whole family was killed in a concentration camp and he felt he had remained only one personal freedom, the way how he reacts to the circumstances. Frankle invented his own method so he is not just planted some ancient in the modern world but he in fact thought Socrates and his philosophy is his inspiration. I won’t talk about this more until I read his book. 

* I wanted to listen to the whole podcast again, but I couldn’t so I just went to the part we care about now.

So they are talking about morning routines and he mention that one of his teachers in primary school said to him “Always expect the unexpected” This is pure stoicism and while I am not suggesting he is lying I noticed he likes to blend his current interest with his childhood memories like when he said at the WitcherCon how they had to build a fantasy castle in the school (or something) and this was such good preparation for him because he has a fantasy series now. Convenient right?

So he mentioned the teacher and a little later hinting that he is into stoicism lately. Question is, which comes first? The teacher with the stoic idea or the stoicism as a new interest somehow repainted his childhood memories? 

Then he again is talking about the stoic’s way of control. Or does he? 

“ focusing on the thing you can control and make yourself better to control them” 

This was never part of the OG philosophy because that is not about being a control freak. It is actually the opposite. If you cannot control something let it go, not force things to go on your way and if you failed then you let go. 

The next part it’s not about this topic but I have to mention it because I kinda overlooked it when I listed this at the first time.

He is asked about the fitness industry’s mistakes and he said

“I wouldn’t be the kinda person to point my finger at anyone and say there is a big mistake there…. I wouldn’t ever want to point to finger at anyone saying there is a mistake “

So… should I insert the FO post here? And I know the question and the answer was about fitness but he clearly has no problem pointing fingers at people. 

This leads to us again to the control topic. His FO post is creaming about controlling. “ You don’t like the way I am dating? You don’t like I have a covid romance? Then I will tell you what to do and how to behave because I need to have control over my fandom”

When the host asked him about overcoming obstacles he mention the book - Victor E. Frankl Man's Search for Meaning. (he also said it’s difficult to give advice…)

While he is talking about the book (and for me, it’s clear that the host doesn’t give a damn about this) so HC’s whole tone is changed. Just compare when he is talking about MT and training and so on, he is so irritating and unlistenable but here he is calmer, doesn’t use his voice so expressively, doesn’t emphasise that much in a sentence etc. This to me shows he is actually craving after something more, something deeper, something serious. Not just talking about his ties and blueberry smoothies. I don’t think is dumb (I think he has dumb choices thought) I think he could be more both as an actor both as an individual because when he was talking about the book I felt he has a true, genuine interest and it was a one-second opportunity to talk about something interesting not just fart powder.  

I feel his interest in stoicism is an attempt to validate why he is oppressing his feelings. I am sure he does this because he is uncomfortable with his feelings, past and present. For example, I think instead of the bullying his main trauma is being sent away from home to a boarding school and experiencing cold treatment from his mom (the infamous stop calling story). But he oppressing this because I guess all of his brothers he is looking up to loves their mom and he feels he needs to be a good son but questioning his mom means he is a bad one. So instead of admitting that he is hurt and damaged by it he is saying the bullying was his worst experience. 

This means to me he doesn’t understand stoicism, ancient or modern he just wants and moreover, he needs something he can hold and cling to, something that gave himself meaning. As a book’s title says: Man’s search for meaning. And I feel HC does this maybe a little bit desperately. Searching for the answers and this moment he thinks stoicism is the key to finding what he is looking for while in reality, the main problem is he doesn’t ask the right questions. And without them, he won’t find any answer. Or meaning. 

Title quote from Seneca

[noa-nightingale]

Queer Watcher 2020

I am looking back on this weird, not-so-wonderful year - and on the ways @wearewatcher made my 2020 so much more wonderful. Originally, I wanted to list all the highlights I could think of, but one of the things I am most grateful for is Watcher’s inclusion and support of LGBTQ+ folks. I am just one queer person but I know there are many more in this fandom.

So, this ended up being a list of things I, as a queer person, appreciate and enjoy, and I am so so happy that I can write this. Buckle up, I have Things to say, and it is going to be emotional.

Ryan’s Pride shoes. I sometimes wonder how many sales Converse owes him. I love my own pair btw.

“Look, all I’m sayin’ is, y’know, hey, uh, love everybody.” - Shane Madej, Gangly Puppet Freak. A PSA from the Weird/Wonderful Shakespeare Theatre vid, regarding bisexuality - he is so awkward with it lmao. Whole video has really great vibes too.

Steve/Stephanos.

Various tweets, including wishing us a happy Non-Binary People’s Day and a happy Trans Awareness week.

Ryan and Shane including their pronouns in their twitter bio. (Little things like this don’t go unnoticed, and they are very appreciated.)

Gay Oars! Ugh, my heart. Their first appearance totally caught me off guard, and I haven’t recovered since. (I also causes me no small amount of joy that the most romantic and tragic song of all time is called “Gore on the Shore”.) I could yell about my love for these guys all day. It is a beautiful thing that these characters exist.

Gay Oars, again - I knew they would show up and I still was not prepared. The song made me cry. I haven’t recovered from that one either. I love the progression from the first, tragic song to the second, joyful and loving song. I have so many emotions about these oars, I probably could make an entire list just for them. (Little fun fact: Even though the song made me cry, my first reaction to that episode was to go on tumblr and yell about it excitedly. Like, I was emotional but in an enthusiastic kind of way. The more difficult emotions hit me about four days later, for some reason. And then I sat in my room and cried my eyes out. Like, as much as I like being queer, sometimes it is just damn hard and the pain seems too much and you have been hurt over and over and don’t know if you can ever recover from it. And it is just really good to know that someone cares about your wellbeing as a queer person. Even if you have never spoken to that someone and he does not even know of your existence. And to be honest, I don’t always know how to deal with that. The kindness? The genuine allyship? I have no idea how to handle that, and it simultaneously heals and breaks my heart.)

Every time the words “his boyfriend” were uttered; I am especially thinking of Are You Scared here.

All the fan art Watcher inspired and continues to encourage and to support. There are many great artists in the fandom! And Watcher’s content inspires me to draw and create more myself! How wonderful!

Toxic masculinity who? It is nowhere to be found.

This... special kind of gentle and kind weirdness? It honestly had such a positive impact on me and the way I interact with other people and let them interact with me.

All of the wonderful people Watcher brought in. I am sure they will work with more amazing folks and I am really looking forward to that. Personally, I am hoping to see Eugene Lee Yang at some point. (Would be really happy to see Thomas Sanders too.)

Here’s What You Do. Just the whole podcast. It was such a delight.

I was hesitant to include this because I believe many of us have negative memories attached to it, and it was not a fun time for anyone (including the lovely people at Watcher themselves). But, yes, I am mentioning it: That one HWYD episode and the follow-up. I can only speak for myself, but the follow-up has an incredibly special place in my heart. To me, it is one of the most important videos Watcher has created. I watched it several times, I journaled about it extensively and it made me a better ally. Hell, I even showed it to my mother and one of my siblings (like, the entire video). I know it was a difficult thing to talk about but at this point: A HUGE thank you to Steven, Ryan, Katie and Shane for handling this in an absolutely fantastic way. I feel welcome and seen and appreciated, and in the end all I want is this: For people to genuinely give a shit about me as a queer person.

On a more lighthearted note, I enjoy it way too much that Ryan is able to say “LGBTQ” without stumbling over the letters. It seems like such a tiny thing but it brings me an unholy amount of joy.

The Professor. I don’t want to call him LGBTQ+ because that has not been confirmed as canon but he IS comfortable wearing clothes that are typically seen as “women’s clothing”, and as a trans/non-binary person I am kind of obligated to mention it.

I think I had an out of body experience when Ryan said “Oh thank you baby” to Steven in Too Many Spirits. Then I had to pause the episode to finish laughing. And then they brought it back in the next episode. Bless them.

Every time they/them pronouns were said.

The entire Hatshepsut PH episode. What can I say, I like it when gender norms/expectations/roles are broken. And even if we can’t call Hatshepsut trans by today’s standards, declaring yourself another gender has such power.

Without giving too many details: I had my struggles and problems in the past with Christianity and ~certain~ Christian people, and it is really good (and I mean REALLY good) to see someone whose faith and integrity are so interwoven and who is inspired by his faith to do good things and to do right by people. I obviously only know the things about his belief that Steven decides to put on the internet but what I’ve seen is almost healing to me, in a way. I am very grateful and happy that he is willing to educate others and to keep working on himself. Warms my heart.

The certainty with which these beautiful people call themselves allies.

Just... the general kindness and compassion, and the willingness to listen and to grow. I promise you, we notice and we love you for it.

I could have expanded on all of these points but I tried to keep this short.

And look. I don’t want to put anyone on a pedestal; that would not be fair. I am just immensely grateful for kind people who genuinely care and who genuinely try to do right by others and to bring joy to others.

And I know we like to have fun here but Watcher’s content is just a lot more than entertaining, meme-able fun (although it is that too, of course).

I had a blast with it this year and I am very much looking forward to the next year. I feel like I can’t adequately put into words the myriad of little (and not so little) ways these people have made my life better this year. Thank you from the bottom of my aroace, non-binary heart.

[renaerys]

PPG One-Shot: A Balmy Tuesday in Hell

Taking a break from the prompt requests to wish a very happy birthday to @snailbutters! Tbh I like this idea a lot and I’m tempted to expand on it more. Cross posted on AO3. 

xxx

When Mike went looking for a part-time job to earn some spending money, he had a hard time finding one that worked around his college class schedule. All the good on-campus jobs were taken, and most of the ones he found offsite required him to be up way too early or way too late with very little flexibility. 

The front desk position at the Beelzebob, a local hair salon advertising an array of “wicked styles” for any occasion, was not the most glamorous position, but it welcomed part timers and offered flexible schedules to be discussed on a case by case basis. It was at the tail end of a long week of job hunting with little to show for it, and Mike was tired. Still, he dragged himself all the way there after his three-hour Friday seminar and put on his best retail charm for the interview. 

One of the stylists told him to wait in the lobby while she grabbed the manager for his interview, and so Mike sat in a plush, purple chair and eyed the stack of magazines on the coffee table—HJi, Professional Beauty, NHF, and others he recognized from Googling “how to work at a hair salon” last night. A playlist that seemed to consist entirely of K-pop pumped ripples of bubblegum bass through the speakers and had Mike tapping his fingers on his hip. There was no one behind the sleek, glass reception desk, so Mike got up and wandered over to it. He tried to imagine himself with the headset on, fielding phone calls and helping customers pick out one of the many luxury hair products on the walls behind the desk. He touched his own brown hair—plain and getting a bit long, but styled with a little wax for the day—and worried about whether he should have tried a bit harder for this interview. Would he be judged on his own hair? That seemed reasonable enough—

“This simply won’t do.”

Mike startled at the lyrical voice and turned around to find a seven-foot, red-skinned demon in Lululemons appraising him over an enterprising nose. Which would have been a cause for mild to moderate alarm even in Metroville—a hub for lowlifes, Supervillains, and the occasional monster on a mission out of Townsville farther north—except that Mike recognized this particular demon. At which point he got the pun in the name of this place and smiled. 

“Him,” he squeaked. And then, remembering his high school retail training: “I mean, Mr. Him.”

Him—Prince of Pestilence, Duke of Depravity, Earl of Evil, et cetera—blushed the color of an open wound. “You’re house trained, I see. All right, this way.”

Him turned on his Louboutin heel and headed into the salon. Mike hurried after Him, unsure whether this was good or bad. Him led him to a styling chair and sat him down. A purple salon cape made its way around Mike’s neck with a flamenco flourish, and Him leaned over his head in the reflection. 

“What are we thinking?”

Mike eyed his potential future employer from perfectly curled goatee to artificial mink lashes and hesitated. 

This is a test. 

It had to be. Surely, anyone manning the phones had to know something about haircare in general. If he was to be the vanguard, the watcher on the Wall, he would have to be able to alert his colleagues of the incoming threats and answer questions about how to fend off anything from tangles to split ends. Mike tried to remember the last time he got a haircut; Boomer had been with him, his eye far more discerning than Mike’s. 

“Comb over,” Mike said. 

“Quiff?”

“More faux hawk.” He tried not to think of the heat on the back of his neck, and instead of the sly grin on Boomer’s face the last time he’d been under the scissors. “With a low fade. Um, please.”

Him’s fangs gleamed when he grinned. “Good choice.”

For a demon with claws the size of dinner plates, Him was surprisingly adroit and precise to a literal razor’s edge. In fact, Mike was certain Him must sharpen his claws to get them sharp enough to shave the hair from the nape of his neck, which seemed like a sensible time-saver. Blackpink’s Pretty Savage blared over the speaker as Him coifed and styled the thicker locks that remained on top of Mike’s head, combed to the left in enviable, anti-gravity perfection. 

“Wow.” He touched the side of his head, marveling at the close but generous cut and the perfect blend. “This has to be the best haircut I’ve ever gotten.”

He got up and removed the cape, only to find Him with a broom in his claw. “I run a clean salon, Michael.”

Mike accepted the broom without question. “Yes, sir.”

Him preened. “Good lad.”

“Does… Does this mean I got the job?”

Him flipped his claw. “There will be a trial period. You young people are so used to texting that I’ll have to determine if you’re fit to answer a phone. But, considering your manners, I have a good feeling about you.”

Amazing! “Thank you so much! When do I start?”

“Honey, you’re already late. I have customers waiting.” Him snapped his claw. “Chop chop.”

Mike swept up his shorn hair and the hair around the chair next to his, dumped it all in a bin labeled “Hair,” and ran to the front desk to answer the phone ringing off the hook. The stylist who’d greeted him, Marisol, helped him with the computer login so he could manage appointments and checkout. It was easy enough, a Square card reader and a cash register and a huge logbook of every sale. 

“Middle finger up, F-U, pay me,” Mike whisper-rapped along with Lisa. 

A couple hours later, Him handed him a check for the time worked and told him to be back here tomorrow at 3 p.m. Mike accepted the check, but he didn’t pocket it. 

“Sir, I should tell you for the sake of full disclosure.”

Him peered down at him with his claws on his hips. “Oh?”

This should not be so hard.

“I’m, well, I’m involved. With your son. Boomer.”

Him clicked his claw, and Mike held his breath. 

Boomer had spoken about Him—Baron of Brutality, King of Chaos, Emperor of Enmity et cetera—on just a few occasions throughout their acquaintance. Raising souls from the dead was a hobby of Him’s, apparently, but often his necromantic offspring ended up rotting and were no fit candidates to promenade in civilized society that wasn’t eternally damned and burning. Chemical X cut out that inconvenience, and thus the perfect little boys were reborn, or something. According to Boomer, Him was evil on Sundays, a prolific genius on Tuesdays, and crocheting with his kobolds on Fridays. The rest of the time he was just a normal demon trying to survive in this capitalist post-modern society like everybody else. Anyway, Sunday wasn’t in Mike’s work schedule, so that seemed safe enough.

“I know,” Him said. “You don’t expect me to believe you’d Googled the most flattering hairstyle for your bone structure without help, do you?”

Mike was pretty sure there was a compliment in there, even if it wasn’t for him. “I guess not.”

Him beamed. “Don’t worry. I would never let my favorite son’s romantic life influence the culture at Beelzebob. You’ll be judged before an impartial tribunal of incubi, like everybody else. Now, before you go, I’d like you to dispose of the waste, please.”

Mike learned the value of separating trash that day. Discarded receipts and candy wrappers dumped in the waste bin went into the trash, lunch leftovers went to compost, and cut hair went to sacrificial offerings. 

“Sacrifices reduce our carbon footprint and offer protection against flat Earthers. It’s a proven science, you know.”

Mike supposed it would be poor manners to argue with an ancient evil on his crochet day.

xxx

Boomer was all sly smiles and discreet hand touches when Mike treated him to dinner at their favorite Thai place later that week. 

“So, your job seems to be paying well,” he said. 

“Well enough to take my boyfriend out to a nice dinner now and then.”

“Careful. Spend too much time with Him and your tastes will get really expensive.”

Mike laughed. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll switch majors to cosmetology and join the family business.”

“You know what? He’d probably love that. He tried so hard to get Brick to follow in his footsteps, but Mojo let him mess around on his E-Shares account once when we were eleven and Brick was lost to the finance track forever. I’m pretty sure Mojo did it on purpose.�� Boomer leaned in and clinked his wine glass to Mike’s. “Anyway, buy me this dinner before you jump to joining the family business.”

Mike flushed. “I’m—I didn’t—”

Boomer laughed. “Chill! I’m just messing with you.”

The playlist at the restaurant began playing Blackpink’s Kill This Love, and Mike burst out laughing. 

“What?” Boomer asked. “You like this song? You know, Him is really big into K-pop lately. Butch thinks someone must have sold a bunch of souls and made a killing.”

“I know.” Mike kissed Boomer’s hand. “It’s just funny how things work out.”

Boomer smiled. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

Their food arrived, and Mike happily ate his meal across from Boomer. And in the back of his mind, he said a little thank-you to Him and whatever chaotic forces he controlled for reviving Boomer all those years ago. 

It must have been a balmy Tuesday in Hell.

xxx

If you enjoy my writing, check out more of my fics on AO3, link in my profile. I’m currently updating Trinity House and The Alchemy of Us. Thanks for reading!

[2manyfandoms2count]

Alix's rom-com night

The June event of the @mlwritersguild was to create bonus content for one of our fics - I decided to seize the opportunity to finally sit down and write one of the bonus scenes of You can count on me (I will be there for you), and to do draw a bit of fanart to go with it (4 panels, including a Marichat piece)! Let me tell you that the Burrow is a pain to draw, but I'm actually quite proud of the result :)

About YCCOM: It's an aged-up, one-sided reveal with "fake" wedding fic, based on Sallteas' art. The fic is 9 chapters and 20k words long. It was written before season 4, so it's no longer canon compliant in terms of who knows who's identities at the beginning.

Synopsis: Ladybug's identity is compromised, and somebody is after her. After a lot of pondering, she and Chat Noir come to the conclusion that her best bet is for her to marry Adrien Agreste. It breaks her heart that she is not marrying Chat Noir, but she knows that she's buying them time to figure out who is behind the anonymous letters she's been receiving, and hopefully to find Hawkmoth. Whatever the situation might be, her wedding day should provide a moment of respite. And maybe it would have, had Chat Noir refrained from coming to visit her just before the ceremony...

About Alix's rom-com night: it's a one shot that's chronologically set before the main fic, but I recommend reading it after reading the latter since it contains spoilers for it. It follows Alix (obviously), and includes Ladybug revealing her identity to Chat Noir and the set up of their "fake wedding" plan.

Hope you enjoy!

---

Alix opened her door and dropped her keys in the bowl as she kicked off her shoes with a satisfied sigh. Home, sweet home.

Her studio apartment wasn’t very big, but then again, she didn’t need a huge surface when she had a whole extension waiting for her just a transformation phrase away. She’d mentally thanked Marinette more than once for choosing her to wield the Rabbit Miraculous, rather than somebody else, just for the savings she made in rent.

She whistled happily as she made her way to her kitchen area, grabbing a bag of popcorn out of a cupboard and shoving it in her microwave.

She deserved the treat. She’d been running around all week, trying to slide letters to her targets without being spotted, spending hours on end to find the perfect stationary, and then staying up at night to get the wording exactly right, a delicate mix of subtlety and threat to elicit some sort of response from them. It had taken a lot of trial and error, especially for Ladybug. Her friend had always been surprisingly oblivious on many fronts, and it seemed that her honeymoon phase with Chat Noir reinforced her optimistic ability to brush ominous details aside. It had taken three letters for her to start freaking out and to promise Tikki she would talk to her partner about them, whereas Hawkmoth had started the analysis phase upon the first one he’d received.

Alix had only been mildly surprised by the identity of their nemesis when she’d decided it was high time she knew who they were facing; it was all too fitting that the man who leached off Paris’ most intense negative emotions should be the most embittered person she knew, and the one who, in retrospect, had been the cause of many an Akuma (she still shuddered at the what-could-have-been of Chat Noir’s akumatisation).

The microwave dinged, bringing her thoughts back to her timeline. She took the bowl out and called for her Kwami.

“Fluff, clockwise! Burrow!”

A white portal appeared in the middle of her living space and she walked through it, emerging in the ovoid room covered in screens. She made her way to the furthest point, hung her umbrella up on the coathanger she kept in there, and grabbed a folding chair. It was a director’s seat which supposedly had belonged to a rising name in the cinema world before their career had been shot down for obscure reasons, but she didn’t really care about its story; she’d bought it for a very low price at a yard sale, and that was all that mattered to her.

“Right, where are you…” She muttered, scrutinising her surroundings, until she found the screen she was looking for.

She unfolded the chair, zoomed in on the empty (for now) rooftop, propped down in her seat and threw a fistful of popcorn into her mouth, waiting for the show to start.

Unsurprisingly, Ladybug was the first to arrive on the scene. She paced around, mumbling to herself as she wrung her hands together. Alix felt a pang of guilt as she watched her rehearse how she would break the news to her partner, but reassured herself that the ordeal would soon be over.

Finally, Chat Noir landed beside Ladybug, and she flung herself at him, holding him so tight he had to untangle himself from her arms to breathe.

“Well, well, well, my Lady, I know I couldn’t make it to patrol last night, but I didn’t think you’d miss me this much,” he chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Alix rolled her eyes at just how lovestruck he looked as he did so. How could her friends be so sappy, and yet still be at square one in terms of knowing who the other was?

Some might have said that it was romantic, that they loved each other regardless of who they were; but those people did not have to deal with the constant end of the world threat.

“What was so important that you couldn’t just text me?”

Ladybug took a deep breath. Her fingers slid along his arms as she relaxed her embrace, taking his hands in hers at the end of the line. “Somebody knows my identity,” she said quietly, looking down. “And I don’t know who they are.”

“What?!” Chat’s voice detonated in the previously peaceful quiet of the evening, making a couple of pigeons take off in a loud flutter of wings.

“I’m so sorry, I must have been careless when I got home one night, they must have seen me, I bet it was last week when I was tired and I-”

“My Lady, no offence, but I don’t care about the when and why, just... are you okay?” He tilted her chin up, gently turning her head to each side, checking for any signs of injury.

She placed her hand on his, making him stop, and gave him a soft, sad smile. “Yes, Chaton. Just a little rattled; you know you were the first person I wanted to reveal my identity to. Not including Bunnyx, although technically I never told her who I am.”

“And technically, I’m still the only person who knows who you are,” Bunnyx smugly commented between two handfuls of popcorn. “Now come on, I want to see how you react when you reveal your identities to each other.”

“How do you know somebody knows, though? And do you have any idea what their intentions are?”

Ladybug’s expression darkened. “I received some letters. They’re not signed, but they’ve got enough butterflies on them to make me think that even if they’re not from the biggest pest in Paris, then they’re probably from somebody who’s up to no good.”

Chat Noir swore under his breath, then regained his countenance. “So, what do we do now? Do you think we can hunt down the bugger?”

“We definitely will, but…” Ladybug bit her lip, and Alix leaned forward in her seat. This had to be it. “Chaton, I think the time has come for me to tell you who I am.”

“YES! Finally!” Alix cheered, almost spilling her popcorn bowl.

“Are you sure, my Lady?” Alix didn’t have to be on site to tell that Chat Noir’s heart was beating faster than usual; the corners of his mouth twitched as he repressed a smile, as though his excitement could make her change her mind.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I really want you to know.” In case something happens to me, Alix was pretty sure her friend had left unsaid.

“Okay, okay.” Chat Noir took a deep breath, buzzing with anticipation, so much so that he apparently missed the whole subtext of her previous words. “Do you want to do this now? And how do you want to do it? Do you want me to close my eyes? Are you going to write it on a piece of paper for me to read? Are you going to detransform? Should-”

“I was thinking the latter, and yes, now,” Ladybug said timidly. “Up to you if you want to look or not.”

“For some reason, I feel like I shouldn’t.” He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles without breaking their eye contact, then took another deep breath and closed his eyes, a blissful smile on his lips. “Ready when you are, my Lady.”

“Ok, here goes.” She let out a shaky breath and called off her transformation. The soft pink glow engulfed her and receded, her suit melting away to reveal her true appearance.

“Wow, Marinette, you actually broke out your favourite dress for this? Glad to see all of this isn’t affecting your ability to think straight.” Alix smirked. If her friend had gone home after a long, stressful work day, and found it in her to change and doll herself up to make a good impression on Chat Noir, things couldn’t be that bad. She had to agree that her dress, simple, white, with little red hearts embroidered on it, was perfect for the occasion, though.

“You can open your eyes now, Chaton.” Marinette gave his hands a squeeze.

Chat Noir obliged, blinking slowly as he took in her appearance, her identity, her. Marinette squirmed under his gaze, his expression not giving away any of his thoughts.

“H-Hi,” she stammered when she couldn’t take it anymore. “I, erm, I guess I should introduce myself? We’ve run into each other before, when we were younger, and even if you actually had lunch with my family that one time, I guess it’s been a while… My name is-”

“Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Chat’s smile finally broke free, spread from ear to ear, almost literally illuminating his face. Alix wondered if anything could ever wipe it off. Love and admiration twinkled in his eyes as he picked her up and started spinning her. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling giddily, before Chat Noir closed the gap between their lips.

Bunnyx modestly looked away, allowing them to have their moment. Her eyes landed on a rerun of Plagg putting an end to the dinosaurs’ reign.

“I should have known that it was you, Princess.” Chat panted slightly as he carefully set Marinette back on the roof. “Everything makes so much more sense now, I-”

“Before you finish that thought, I can’t know your identity.” She placed her index finger on his lips. “Yet, of course.”

“What?” Chat froze, and so did Bunnyx, her hand pausing midway between the popcorn bowl and her mouth. “But why?”

“I don’t know what might happen to me, but I don’t want to put you in any danger.” Marinette cupped his cheek. “And I don’t want to lose my memories of you. Of us.”

“Oh for Kwami’s sake.” Alix rolled her eyes. “Boo!” She threw a fistful of popcorn at the screen as her friend continued to list all the reasons Chat couldn’t reveal his identity.

“My Lady, Marinette, if you’re worried about your safety, maybe we should do something about it. I could move in with you, or in a flat nearby, maybe, stay transformed or wear a mask at all times so you don’t know who I am, we can figure it out… Of course I know you can protect yourself, but I could stand guard while you sleep, or...” Chat raked his hand through his hair as he thought.

“You know I love you, Chaton, and that’s why I can’t let you do that! You can’t live like that, I can’t ask that of you. Not to mention how difficult it would be for me, do you really think I could resist having you so close, and not trying to get a glimpse of who you are?” She joked, trying to diffuse the sudden tension.

“Then we need to get you a bodyguard,” he insisted.

“I thought about it, but… Well, I can’t really afford it, and how could I justify suddenly needing personal security? I’m just a designer, and nothing I’ve ever done has been avant-garde enough that I should be worried about my safety.” She shook her head.

“Damn, I knew I should have targeted Chat Noir,” Alix swore under her breath. “He would’ve had to reveal his identity, and she definitely wouldn’t have been a pushover on her kitty’s protection matter. Come on Adrien, do something.”

She could tell that he was up to something just by looking at him. He’d been silent for a little too long for it to be natural. Cogs turned in his head, making him squint. He let go of her completely and paced around the roof, almost pulling his hair out as he did so. Alix sensed that whatever was on his mind was going to be big. She leaned forwards in anticipation.

Finally, Chat Noir came to a halt in front of Marinette, the fever in his eyes and his dishevelled hair making him look slightly unhinged.

“Buguinette, I think I’ve got a solution,” he whispered.

“You do?” Marinette’s voice was full of hope, although she looked slightly concerned about him.

“You’re probably not going to like it,” he warned her, lifting a finger.

“Beggars can’t be choosers.” She shrugged, taking a step forward.

“Right.” He gave her one last look, an opportunity to stop him before the words tumbled out. She nodded encouragingly. “Okay, here’s the thing. I have it on very good authority that Adrien Agreste is being pressured into getting married by his father.”

“I see Gabriel’s just as delightful as always,” Marinette shook her head.

“Unlike good cheese, he definitely doesn’t get better with time.” Chat smiled bitterly, eyes losing focus a little.

“What’s it got to do with us, though?” Marinette prompted, placing a hand on his arm.

“Oh, Agreste, you absolute genius, I think I know where this is going.” Alix took another handful of popcorn.

“Oh, yes, right.” He cleared his throat. “See, Adrien’s not dating anyone at the moment…” Right, Alix snorted. “And he’s not really planning on starting a relationship with his father breathing down his neck, but, well, he happens to owe me a favour, and I’m sure that he’d be more than happy to put his security detail to good use…”

“So you’re suggesting that I marry Adrien.” Marinette deadpanned.

“Well, er, I actually thought you could just date, but thinking about it… It would be less strange for you to request a bodyguard if your relationship was more serious…” He trailed off.

Alix was impressed by how well he concealed his emotions. His poker face was truly exceptional.

“And you think Adrien would be ready to marry me because of a favour he owes you?” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips and squinting at him as she tried to pick at his lie.

Alix winced for Chat. Maybe he should have waited a bit before blurting out the (as it turned out) probably only sane option in that situation so he could work out all of the details for himself. Marinette was very good at trying to shake plans to see how solid their foundations were.

“Please. Adrien had a crush on you when you were younger, if anything I could probably smuggle it as another favour, given how perfect the fake scenario would be. Although I guess that since you also liked him… It might just cancel out.” He tapped his lip pensively.

“Adrien had a crush on me?” Marinette frowned. “Oh, you must mean Ladybug. I think Nino mentioned it once.”

“Well, yes, but he also had one on you, Marinette.” Chat stepped forward, mischief twinkling in his eyes as he poked her on the nose.

“Really, now,” she muttered to herself.

“The main reason he didn’t act on it was that he thought you loved somebody else.” Chat smiled ironically.

“Wow, what a pair of idiots.” Marinette chuckled.

“You don’t know the half of it.” He kissed her forehead.

“But you know what?” Marinette didn’t pick up on her partner’s comment. “I’m actually glad we didn’t get together. It probably would have delayed us getting together.” She pressed a peck to his lips. “If we’d gotten together at all in that timeline.” She smirked.

Alix snorted. Out of all the timelines she’d watched unfold in an attempt to keep things in check, there wasn’t a single one where Marinette and Adrien, Ladybug and Chat Noir, didn’t end up together, and not just because of her interventions to help them, and the rest of the planet, stay alive.

Marinette’s face fell at Chat Noir’s lack of response. Alix knew her friend didn’t particularly believe in soulmates, but she understood that she would have liked a sappy Chat Noir special comment on how he’d told her he’d grow onto her anyway, and that she would have soon discovered that the Agreste boy had nothing on him. She assumed that he was too busy restraining himself from saying the wrong thing.

“Actually… What about us, then?” Marinette cleared her throat and looked up at him, eyes glistening slightly in the half light.

“My Lady… If you really think that you being a divorcée will spur me away…” Chat Noir looked down at their entwined hands, locks of blond hair falling in front of his eyes, concealing his giddy smile from her. You sneaky cat, Alix thought.

Marinette followed his gaze, letting out a long sigh as she watched their hands sway lightly. Alix knew her brain was probably trying to find all the flaws in the plan. She crossed her fingers, hoping that it would be enough for her friend to accept. It was perfect, whether they got their act together and figured everything out before the event, or not.

“Fine,” Marinette finally said with resolve, making Alix mentally thank whoever was out there. “I’ll do it on two conditions.”

“Anything, my love.” Chat let out a sigh of relief.

“Firstly, we’re honest with Adrien from the get go. No lying about anything.” Chat nodded along. “Secondly, we get cracking on finding Hawkmoth, and after we do and the divorce is settled, if we even get that far with Adrien because obviously if everything is settled before the wedding we won’t be going through the whole plan…” Chat smiled fondly as she took a deep breath. “After all that, we are getting married.” She gestured between the both of them.

“My Lady, are you proposing to me right meow?” Chat Noir all but purred.

“I guess so.” Marinette shrugged, a smile and a blush spreading on her cheeks.

“Wow, then, I’m definitely putting Adrien in charge of the proposal planning,” he replied with a smirk.

“Chaton!” She stomped her foot, her mildly amused smile cancelling out her frown.

“What?” He teased her.

“Will you? Marry me?” She held his gaze.

“Do you even have to ask?” He chuckled. “You know, my Lady, I’m pretty sure that, in my head, we’ve been married since that speech you gave on the Eiffel Tower during our very first fight. Well, I’ve been married to you; you do whatever you please.”

“You’re such a dork,” Marinette laughed, brushing her nose against his and throwing her arms around his neck.

“And yet you still love me.” He pulled her closer.

“Unfortunately, I do,” she sighed dramatically before pressing a kiss to his lips.

Alix dismissed the screen. She’d seen what she wanted, and it seemed like a good place to stop; a happy, sappy ending. Also, she’d finished all of her popcorn.

Everything was on track, her friends would start their Hawkmoth hunt, and soon everybody in Paris would be able to live without fear of their own negative emotions.

(Of course, that was the theory; she’d soon find out that she’d underestimated Adrien’s will to organise the perfect wedding for Marinette, and that, my friends, was no small oversight.)

[thatweeboverthereisthirsty]

Hey hmm... what about Yandere!Dorm leaders with a S/O who just doenst really care that they are yandere? They don't really mind and find cute sometimes :) Please write if you wish to, please don't overwork yourself <33

My first yandere request! I’m not very good at yandere so I hope I did a good job. I finished Malleus’ after writing poetry so I had a hard time coming up with sentences that didn’t rhyme so his is a bit shorter than the rest. Anyways please enjoy!

Warnings: Yandere behavior, mentioned murder and violence, kidnapping, stalking, poisoning, stockholm syndrome, delusional/oc characters

Riddle:

The moment he saw you Riddle knew he was in love

He approached you with flowers everyday and was delighted when you always accepted them graciously

Would probably try to court you like a gentleman first

It’s unlikely that he will submit to the urge to lock you away until something serious happens

When someone else does touch his little rose he will snatch you up and bring you back to his room in Heartslabyul

Makes sure that you know not to leave unless he tells you that you can

He is not a violent yandere 

He knows that you love him and that you don’t mean to make him upset

When he lets you out he makes sure that Trey, Cater, Deuce, and Ace are there to keep an eye on you

You will never be out of their sight and when you are it is when you are lounging in Riddle’s room

Eventually he comes to trust that you won’t try to run away and leaves the door unlocked

He even turns the lock around so you can lock yourself in just in case a threat comes

Over the holidays he takes you with him and the two of you have a lovely time walking around his home town

The fact that anyone that doesn’t have his permission to approach you gets sudden injuries and bruises a day after you’ve spoken to them doesn’t go unnoticed

You simply tell yourself that he is such a sweet boyfriend to protect you from any threats

You tell him that you would like to talk to a specific person and he allows it only if you approached them first

When you accidentally do something to make him mad he starts to scream and puts your chain and collar on so you can’t leave

It’s alright though because he always has a good reason to be mad at you 

You call him over to cool down and hug him tightly repeating apologies and telling him how much you love him

No matter what you’ve done he can never stay mad at you for long

“My little rose, you are just perfect for me.”

Leona:

Leona doesn’t fall for you right away and even if he did it isn’t in a lions nature to charge out into the hunt without a strategy for success

He will watch you from a distance and study his feelings of interest towards you as if your relationship was a chess game and it was his move

When the time comes that Leona has decided that as the prey your guard is down enough for him to strike he will do so in a subtle and natural way to avoid drawing attention

Ruggie’s unique magic helps with this by leading you straight to his room

There he dresses you in the savannahs loveliest silks and gowns, beads and necklaces of gold are strung around your neck and limbs

You have a pair of gold cuffs encasing your wrists which lead to the wall behind you

Once he has organized you in a way that suits his taste he will have Ruggie deactivate his unique magic and leave

He expects you to freak out and is surprised when you stay relatively calm

He tells you that he is infatuated with you and that you are to love him back 

Of course he is caught off guard when you lean forwards as far as you can with the chains and kiss him gently

Soon he decides to test your loyalty to him and takes you out of the chains to sleep next to him at night

Leona purrs happily when he sees that you are not only still in bed with him but curled up against his side 

He won’t let you out unless you are with him or Ruggie though and you have to be within 6 feet of them at all times unless you have permission to wander further

Nearly any other male is not allowed to go near you

They can chat with you over text where Leona can check what is happening or if they do approach you he will snap his teeth at them and tell them to back off

Covers you in his scent every morning and every night just to make sure

When you return to the palace with him he has the servants treat you as if you were royalty yourself

If he gets jealous or angry he will be quick to remind you that you are his and belong to no one else

You literally will never leave his sight unless you have an uncovered and obvious bite mark and hickey

Falls asleep on your lap as you calmly braid his hair

“Hmm… A lion always catches his prey, and now your mine.”

Azul:

When Azul wants something he gets it

He has Jade and Floyd bring you to him where he is waiting with a beautiful room for you

He used his make a deal to have a student add another room directly next to his with a wall that is made of nearly entirely glass

Azul finds it incredibly amusing that you are behind glass when usually it’s the humans that put fish behind glass in aquariums

He is very insecure so it is unlikely that he will ever let you out unless you are accompanied by himself and the Leech twins

Brings you your school work and helps you study and pass

Will get you anything and everything you desire no matter what lengths he has to go to

If you get fussy he will slip a sedative into your drink and cuddle with you until you wake

It is unlikely that you get fussy about much since all he wants to do is make you happy

You enjoy your life in Azuls arms and let him snuggle with you whenever he wants

Gentle kisses in between reassuring words that you still love him even though he won’t take you to the carnival since you could get lost

When he does take you places it’s usually just around the school or to malls that aren’t very popular

If someone else approaches you besides the sales people and even them if Azul feels your safety is threatened he will send the twins to silently take care of the matter

You pretend not to notice how the news is featuring a new murder a few hours after you’ve arrived home after a day out 

He is very anxious that you won’t like his octopus form so it will take a while for you to coax him into showing you

Almost immediately after he transforms you throw yourself into his arms and ask him to wrap his tentacles around you

You call it the ultimate cuddle and he always blushes a deep red

“Oh no sweetheart, the festival has far too many people. I’ll bring stuff back for you that way no one ever has the chance to take you from me.”

Kalim:

A delusional lover the whole way

It never occurred to this sweetpea that you might not want to spend the rest of your life in a large gold cage filled with anything and everything you could possibly desire

The cage is huge and takes up most of the space in one of Scarabia’s unused rooms

Otherwise the room is decorated lavishly and around the edges piles of gold lay mixed with jewels and gorgeous silks

He calls you his most valuable treasure and says that not even a genie could make him happier

Jamil likely used snake whisperer on you to lure you into the cage for Kalim to keep you

You are a bit surprised at first and Jamil has to explain that you are here cause you are Kalim’s new lover

He is quite surprised when you simply accept it and return his hugs and kisses with enthusiasm

Every day he has you dressed in the most expensive silks and covered head to toe in jewels and gold

Will also simply sleep with you instead of using his own room

All of the food you eat or drink will be tested by a taste tester to avoid you falling ill with poison

This sweet baby boy will give you gifts everyday and bring you to see carnivals and festivals and parades of all sorts

You are also allowed to attend parties and such but only if your main accessory is a neck collar with a chain that leads to his wrist

Art will be painted of you all the time and he fixes you in a range of poses so that he can look at them whenever he wants and be reminded of you

Brings you to meet each of his siblings and helps you remember all their names and faces

Kalim will get jealous when they hug you 100% and pulls you back into his arms

Leads you away back to your cage where no one can reach you

“Main tumhen bahut pyaar karata hoon mera chhota sitaara” (“I love you so much my little star” in Hindi)

Vil:

Vil is the kinda person where if he wants something he will get it no matter what

He immediately sends Rook to hunt down and retrieve you

When he finally has you in his grasp he doesn’t even think about letting you go

You will be his forever

Keeps you in chains disguised as jewelry and gives you enough length to wander around his room but not enough to reach the door

He does your makeup and hair beautifully every morning and coordinates your outfits as well

Will spend hours taking care of your skin and body

Baths with him every night where he massages creams and serums into your skin for hours

He loves how by the end of it you are so relaxed and sleepy that when he unchains you and pulls you into bed there is no resistance

His insecurities lead him to believe that no that he has you and you have seen him without the thousands of layers of makeup that you will be repulsed by him

It very much isn’t the case and when you sense he is feeling insecure you will pull him close to you and tell him how beautiful he is

It takes forever to convince him to let you out of his room

Hours of snuggles and reassuring words that you won’t leave is the only thing that helps him let you go

Even then it is unlikely that he will let you leave Pomefiore

When he feels comfortable enough he may let you walk the grounds with him or if he’s in a good mood you can go by yourself

Rook is still positioned to watch you just in case though

Vil will use you as a muse for photo shoots all the time

He dresses you up and brings you to a beautiful area of the dorm and take hundreds of pictures of you

He only shares a few with the world though

He likes to think he is taunting people with the beauty that he has but they can not grasp

The rest are something that he looks at frequently to calm down and feel happy

His favorite pictures are the ones where you are wearing his crown

“Your beauty surpasses even mine, my queen. Even more reason to never let another person have you.”

Idia:

His entire life Idia has suffered from major social anxiety and insecurities 

So when he meets you and he doesn’t feel anxious at all he knows that he will never come across another person like you again

He invites you over to play video games and locks the door behind him

When you aren’t paying attention he puts a small collar around your neck

You can’t get it off but it doesn’t really bother you that much

It is small and light so there was no reason

It’s probably just his way of giving you jewelry

However when you go to leave, the second your hand touches the door knob a strange feeling enters your body and you go unconscious

When you wake he explains that he is very sorry but he just had to have you

Lets you know in a very scary voice that his room is completely soundproof and the collar will knock you out anytime you touch the door

Essentially it’s impossible to leave and no one is coming to save you

After he locks himself in his bathroom and cries for almost an hour because he is so horrified by his own actions

Not horrified enough to let you go though

In the beginning you have a bit of a hard time adjusting to life in Idia’s room but eventually you begin to develop the same anxiety as him

You couldn’t even think about leaving for the fear that something might happen to you

The only way you can stay safe is with him and in his room

You liked him in the first place so it didn’t particularly bother you that he had kidnapped you in order to make you like him

However, the case of Stockholm syndrome became quite extreme

Idia relished the way that you shook when he decided to take you for a walk and he never got tired of you begging him to stay and keep you safe in his room

He taught you all about his video games and how to play each one

You became almost as proficient as him although when you played against each other he often let you win

Ortho loves you to pieces

Not only does he get a new big sister but his big brother has someone to socialize with

If only he could convince you to go outside as well

“What if you get sick. Oh no there is no way I would let that happen to you. Just stay in here with me. You will be safe in my room forever.”

Malleus:

Humans are just so fragile he has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that you are able to survive on your own

This just won’t do

He has Lilia pick you up and bring you to him as soon as he hears that you got a scratch from a bush you walked past earlier that day

Sleeping spells to keep you from waking as he tends to your wounds and puts a magical barrier around his room

You will never be allowed to leave without him there to protect you

The world is a dangerous place and as a weak human there is a low chance of survival

It will be alright though because with him you will always be safe and happy

He uses his royal status to have you treated like a queen

Anything you want is yours and honey the sky's the limit

Even things that money can’t buy it will be yours

Everything except for your freedom

Not that you mind

Being fawned over and spoiled by the man you like is a dream come true and more than you could have ever asked for

Every day you appreciate all the time and attention he gives you as he makes sure you are healthy and have everything you want

He also teaches you everything he knows about being elegant and graceful

Claims that it will be necessary in order for you to become the future queen of the valley of thorns

Long dances followed by sweet kisses and etiquette lessons rewarded by cuddles fill your days

He allows you the opportunity to walk with him at night underneath the stars and tells you how beautiful you are in the dark

“Even if I have to kill to keep you. You will be mine forever.”

[kpop-zone]

Change of Mind pt.2 | Mina

Wordcount: 2,811

A/N: Turns out that short drabbles are not one of my strong suits... But oh well, I hope the anon who wanted a continuation enjoys this!

Part 1

“White shirt or blue shirt?”

You asked deep in thought before looking at your cat who obviously didn’t care about your dilemma and lazily splayed out on the cat tree.

For over an hour now, you were getting ready for your first day at your new company, although you couldn’t say that all the effort that you put into your outfit was due to overflowing passion for work. Instead, it had something to do with a certain multimillionaire that had managed to turn your world upside down in a matter of a few minutes.

“This is ridiculous. You will probably not even see her today.”

You said to yourself in the mirror, while shaking your head, disapproving of your own pathetic behavior.

Quickly, you put on the blue shirt before grabbing your bag and your lunch and rushing out of your apartment. You didn’t want to be late. Not again. Therefore, you ran all the way to your subway station although you still had plenty of time. Better safe than sorry. In the end, your efforts payed off. Right on time, you arrived at the reception and flashed the lady behind the counter a polite smile in hopes that she wouldn’t recognize you from your last encounter.

“Hi, my name is L/N Y/N. I have my first workday today.”

You introduced yourself and the lady went through a list until she seemed to have found your name.

“Follow me.”

She said quite rudely, before leaping to her feet and walking towards the elevators.

“This is your ID card, your key to move freely in this building. So don’t lose it.”

She shoved the piece of plastic into your hands while flashing you a warning gaze that caused you to flinch. Was it a job requirement to be rude here?

Your mood was lifted again though once you stepped into the elevator. It was completely plated in gold (it probably wasn’t real gold, but you were impressed nevertheless) which already made you feel like you had won the lottery by starting to work in this company. There were fifteen floors that each belonged to another department. As you still remembered from your job interview, you would work on the 9th floor. But to your surprise, the lady pushed the button for the 15th floor.

“Oh no, I’m sorry, but I think we have to go to the 9th floor.”

You pointed out sheepishly, causing the receptionist to look at you annoyed.

“No we don’t.”

She simply stated, not bothering to elaborate.

“I-I believe we do. I’m going to start working for the Sales Department. Which is located on the 9th floor.”

Hesitantly, you pointed at the plate next to the button of the 9th floor, but the receptionist didn’t even make a move to press it.

“You’ve switched to another position.”

You looked at the lady in disbelief, wondering whether you had misheard her.

You’ve switched to another position?

No one had informed you about that. You concluded that the receptionist must have confused you with someone else. You didn’t even have experience in any other department. But before you could complain, the door of the elevator slid open and you were too busy gaping in awe to utter another word. If you had thought that the elevator looked fancy, you didn’t even know how to describe the floor that you had just reached. Everything was the perfect mix of modern and chic interior design with sophisticated furniture and a huge windowfront that gave a breathtaking view over the city.

With your mouth wide open, you looked around the fairly large entrance area, not even noticing that your chaperon had left you until the receptionist’s croaky voice ripped you out of your trance.

“If you were so kind?”

She was standing in front of a hallway that lead to the offices you assumed, and you quickly rushed to her side. Together, you walked past mostly empty glass rooms, but you didn’t even need to see their occupants to know that this had to be the office rooms of the board members, senior partners and other high-ranking employees. Each one was big enough to accommodate ten employees, yet there was only one hefty desk in every room. And with every office that you passed, you became more and more nervous because you were slowly starting to realize where the receptionist was taking you.

Your presentiment turned out to be right when she guided you to the very end of the hallway to the biggest office yet and a seemingly tiny desk standing in front of it. The receptionist walked up to the desk and grabbed some papers that she held out to you.

“Here’s Ms. Myoui’s schedule of the day. Your job is to basically do whatever she says.”

She said nonchalantly, but at the mentioning of the CEO’s name, you started to choke on your own spit in shock.

“Ms. Myoui?”

You asked panicked and the receptionist huffed annoyed.

“Yes. You’ll be working for her directly. But you’ll be more than just her assistant though. If she’s in need of a sales manager, you’ll be that. If she needs an accountant, you better be a quick learner. Right now... she is in need of a coffee. Her second meeting of the day is about to start now, so you’ll better hurry up.”

The receptionist smirked in amusement while pointing at a small break room right across from your desk.

Not wanting to anger your new boss (again), you quickly picked up her schedule before rushing to the coffee machine to accomplish your first task. While obtaining the beverage was an easy challenge, a much harder one was finding the right room of the meeting. After taking the elevator to the wrong floor and disrupting the meetings of countless other people, you eventually reached the right conference room. Breathless from all the running, you barged into it, causing all heads to turn in your direction. Embarrassed, your cheeks started glowing bright red; especially when your gaze landed on Mina who was standing in the front with a stern expression on her face. Awkwardly, you gave her a tiny wave, causing her to roll her eyes before returning her attention to the papers in front of her again.

You were really nailing this first impression thing.

Shyly, you put the coffee in front of her before wanting to turn around to leave the room, but Mina stopped you.

“Notes.”

Her order was so rushed that you weren’t even sure whether you had just imagined it or not at first. But when she pointed at the notebook in front of her before nodding her head towards a chair in the corner of the room, you understood your new task.

“Sure!”

You smiled, but Mina didn’t even bother to look at you.

Confused, you sat down on the chair in the corner and stole some glances at your new boss. This woman really did have some severe mood swings. First, she insulted you, then she defended you, then she got you the job closest to her and now she was back to being rude again? Your head was starting to spin with that much contradictory information.

Therefore, you hoped that Mina was just having a bad morning today. Maybe she would apologize later or be politer the rest of the week. But unfortunately, your hopes were shattered soon. The rest of the week was just as awful as the start with Mina constantly nagging at you and not even bothering to look at you most of the time, resulting in a bitter realization of yours: You had to be the most naïve person in the universe. Had you really thought that a multimillionaire like her would fall for you? You were embarrassed that you had read the signs so wrong and just wanted to evaporate into thin air. And just when you thought that your week couldn’t get any worse, you were proven to be wrong once again.

On the last day of your first week, Mina had a very important meeting with a potential customer and like every day, you had to be the obedient servant to everyone. Therefore, you entered the conference room just before the meeting was about to start with a fake smile on your lips.

“Good morning. Is there anything that I can get you?”

You asked the men at the table politely, causing a dozen orders to be thrown at your head. Hastily, you wrote them all down but chose to check whether you had gotten all of them right before leaving the office.

“Ok so six iced americanos, four latte macchiatos, one espresso and one cappuccino?”

You asked, resulting in some light nodding of the participants of the meeting, but nothing close to a Thank you or an appreciative smile. But you were already used to this treatment of yours, therefore, you left the room without letting your frustration show. All the way to the coffee shop across the street and on your way back to the conference room though, you cursed silently under your breath, not having expected your new job to look like this. Only when you entered the room, you put on your fake smile again and distributed the coffee orders among the participants of the meeting without attracting attention. But your plan of coming and going silently was ruined when the CEO of the other company suddenly grumbled at you.

“Why isn’t my coffee iced?”

Confused, you looked at the drink in his hands and cleared your throat.

“I-iced? Because you ordered a hot cappuccino...”

You tried to sound as polite as possible while defending yourself.

“I did not. Go get me a new one. Iced. I hope you’re able to keep that simple order in mind this time.”

Roughly, he shoved the cup into your hands, and you looked at Mina for help, but she avoided your gaze. Therefore, you choked down the snippy comment that you really wanted to say and flashed the man a polite smile instead before leaving the room to get him a new coffee.

“Maybe this company is just not meant for me...”

You grumbled while you made your way all the way down the thirteen floors and across the street and back again in record time.

Feeling your lungs burning, you needed to take a breather before reentering the conference again and lingered in front of the door for a bit before pushing down the handle. Silently, you walked over to the grumpy CEO who only acknowledged you with a derogatory look. Your patience was really starting to run out, wherefore you quickly wanted to put down the cup in front of him before fleeing the scene. Just when you were reaching over him though, he suddenly gestured wildly, managing to punch the cup out of your hand and to make your heart stop. In shock, you saw how the lid of the cup opened and how the cold coffee spilled all over the manager.

“YA!”

He yelled while leaping to his feet.

“You incompetent idiot! What is wrong with you?! Did you just spill the coffee all over me to get back at me?? Do you know who I am? I’m going to make you pay for this, you ungrateful scumbag!”

In a complete state of shock, you stared at the man and endured his insults.

This was bad.

You didn’t know exactly who he was, but from the whispers among the employees and Mina’s amount of stress before the meeting, you knew that he had to be a very important potential customer. Therefore, you figured that it would be better if he bit your head off right here and there. You really didn’t want to figure out what Mina would do to you as soon as you were alone apart from your very obvious dismissal. You didn’t even listen to all the mean words that he spit out anymore, imagining all the ways that your boss could kill you until a sudden loud noise caused you to flinch. Mina had suddenly leaped to her feet while slamming her hands on the table, causing everyone to become dead-quiet. She was quivering in anger and you gulped thickly.

“Out.”

Mina growled and you felt tears starting to pool in your eyes. You really needed this job.

You contemplated whether you should fall to your knees and beg for mercy, but before you could come to a conclusion, Mina spoke up again.

“I said out! The deal is off the table. My company doesn’t make deals with petty tyrants like you.”

She yelled causing the jaws of everyone in the table to drop. Perplexed you looked between the two CEOs, trying to process what you had just heard. Was she just in the process of kicking out one of her most important customers?

“Excuse me?”

The manager stuttered, probably hoping that this was just a misunderstanding.

“Out.”

Mina’s order did absolutely leave no room for interpretation and by now, even the last person in the room understood that this business deal had just headed south.

Indignantly, the “petty tyrant” scoffed while looking at the other men in the room in disbelief.

“Very well. But don’t think that these ties can ever be mended. I’m going to make sure that you’re going to regret this.”

He snorted before gesturing his minions to leave the conference room with him.

At a blow, the room was empty except for Mina and you but even then, you couldn’t process what had just happened. Did you faint after you spilled the coffee, and this was just a dream? The woman who had tormented you for the past week couldn’t have quite possibly defended you by ending this highly lucrative business relation. But then again, this wouldn’t have been the first time that she defended you. A headache started to form in your temples due to the changes of mind of this woman. Just when you thought that she liked you, she did everything in her power to prove you wrong. But now you weren’t so sure anymore?

Helplessly, you looked at Mina who was still supporting herself on the table while her chest rose and sunk quickly. You wanted to do something to make all of this better, but you didn’t know what words would be appropriate in such a situation. An apology? A thank you? Therefore, you simply kept staring at her wordlessly until she broke the silence.

“This is all your fault.”

She hissed angrily before shooting you a death glare and causing you to gulp thickly.

“This was a million-dollar deal. Damn it.”

She swept the portfolio off the table, causing you to flinch when it hit the wall loudly.

Obviously, an apology was appropriate.

“I-I’m sorry.”

You stuttered, making Mina scoff.

“Oh thank you, that makes everything better.”

She exclaimed cynically and you looked to the floor in shame. It seemed like you were losing your job after all.

“Of course not. I’m sorry, I will get my stuff.”

You mumbled before rushing to the door, just wanting to get out of there before you had to listen to another scolding.

But before you could push down the door handle, a sudden force pulled on your wrist and spun you around. Not having expected to be held back, you helplessly stumbled forward until you bumped into Mina who suddenly grabbed your neck to crash her lips into yours. The sensation caused your body to freeze and you stood there motionlessly, needing a while to process what was happening. As soon as Mina’s tongue slid over your bottom lip though, you snapped back into reality and finally reciprocated the kiss. You closed your eyes, savoring the feeling of her soft lips while granting her access to your mouth.

It seemed like Mina was putting ages of pent up emotions into the kiss, although the way that she cupped your face couldn’t be gentler. The feeling was overwhelming and your hands automatically moved to her hips to pull her closer as you felt an incredible urge to have her as close as possible to you. With every second that your lips were connected, you forgot more and more about your surroundings and everything that had happened until you were completely drunk of Mina’s taste. Only when she pulled away eventually, you remembered your need to breathe and gasped for air while slowly opening your eyes.

Mina looked at you with the same unreadable expression in her eyes that you knew too well by now. She didn’t make a move to disconnect your bodies though wherefore you kept your hands on her hips. For a while, she simply kept looking into your eyes until she rested her forehead against yours and sighed silently.

“What am I supposed to do with you? You drive me crazy.”

[hopeymchope]

Parascientific Escape: The sci-fi “escape room” visual novel-style series nobody talks about

I can’t help thinking that Parascientific Escape would probably have an active fandom somewhere on the Internet if it wasn’t TRAPPED ON THE 3DS ESHOP.

I mean, it’s an escape room-centric visual novel-style sci-fi Japanese game that is clearly inspired by Zero Escape and very anime in its style. There are endearing characters, including optimal waifus/husbandos, plus a gradual buildup of an interesting fictional world full of political intrigue, its own countries, its own companies, and of course... psychic powers. Because you can’t have a trilogy of Japanese visual novel-style games featuring escape room puzzles without mental powers, now can you?

But as I said... they’re trapped as download-only titles for the 3DS. That’s fucking brutal. 

Even so, there’s a pretty big 3DS/2DS user base still in existence. It’s not like they’ve never been translated or something, so at least we have the capability to play them. So if you look into them, what are you getting?

A basic overview: Parascientific Escape is a trilogy of anime-style games about solving escape room mysteries and tracking down evildoers via the use of psychic powers (obvious Zero Escape influences). There’s an overarching plot about a mysterious mastermind who believes it’s time for the recently emerged psychics of the world to take their place as the next evolution of humanity and get their own nation (obvious X-Men influences).

They don’t work very well as standalone stories; each story relies on information from the last one, culminating in a game that stars the protagonists of both parts 1 and 2 together as they finally unravel the motivations behind the events of the whole series and face off with the people behind everything. In addition, the escape room puzzles start out pretty easy in the first game build to be pretty frustratingly obtuse by the tail end of the third. And on top of all that, each game taken on its own only contains about 3-4 escape rooms. So when you bundle all three together, that’s when it all works as a single satisfying package. 

Don’t worry about burning a lot of cash to play the whole series, however. The three games are $5.00 US each on the 3DS eShop and are usually on sale for $2.50 each these days. I got the entire trilogy for $7.50 US!

So let’s break down the gameplay and setup in a little more detail. Don’t worry; I won’t give any spoilers that go beyond the first five minutes of any game in the series. The twists and turns are part of the fun here.

The first game is Parascientific Escape: Cruise in the Distant Seas. You play as  Hitomi Akeneno, a high school girl (because of course she’s a high-schooler) with the dual abilities of mild telekinesis and a type of clairvoyance that lets her peer past barriers or into the insides of objects. She finds herself trapped on a sinking cruise ship where some mastermind keeps systematically locking her into isolated sections while she’s trying desperately to escape. 

I really liked how you could look inside of an object with clairvoyance and then use her telekinesis to manipulate the various switches and levers within, gradually pulling some object you need out from within a maze. I also thought it was clever how the solution to a new escape roomight require you to backtrack to a previous escape room to investigate some object or area that wasn’t relevant to that previous room’s original puzzle. 

(One of the things I found most fascinating about this one is the ethical debate raised by Hitomi’s friend Chisono regarding how Hitomi got herself involved in all this. Chisono offers a perspective that is extremely unusual to see in most fiction. You can even say it’s pretty cold, but it’s not without having some merit to it. I don’t want to say too much about what I’m talking about, though; it’s better left as a surprise.)

The second title, Parascientific Escape: Gear Detective, almost seems standalone at first. You play as Kyosuke Ayana, a private detective and actual adult (!) who is 22 years old. A young woman shows up at his office and asks to hire him for protection. See, there’s a serial killer on the loose, and she believes she’s the next target.

We are swiftly told that Kyosuke was once in an accident that necessitated the replacement of his left arm and right eye. He volunteered to be a guinea pig for some very special prosthetics that granted him artificial psychic powers. As such, he now has “chronokinesis” — to the power to look back in time. However, he can only look back for five days, and he only has limited ability to move or manipulate the things he sees in the past. 

Naturally, Kyosuke’s investigation winds up trapping him within some escape rooms that require use of his unique abilities to solve. Some of the hints at the proper timestamps or exactly where you should be looking when you peer into the past are a little vague, though, which can cause momentary frustration. Because I like to always be making forward progress, I actually preferred Hitomi’s telekinesis/clairvoyance powers from the first game. Still, Hitomi had some pretty basic puzzles in her rooms. I can’t deny that these puzzles took more thought.

Outside of the escape rooms,  everything is undeniably a huge improvement. The first game presented strictly linear segments of storytelling between the rooms, but this one is more of an adventure game. You can choose where you go, select from a limited menu of things to do when you get there, and do all of it in any order you like. There’s usually a correct sequence order to progressing the story, but it’s typically pretty clear what the next step is, so it’s not like you’re just flailing about and trying a bunch of locations blindly. Besides, there’s no way to get stuck, so don’t stress it. There are even a lot of actions you can take that have no impact on story progression at all — they’re just there to generate additional dialogue that further develops the characters. 

The tradeoff is that you actually get fewer escape rooms overall. The first game had four, but the second only contains three. This is also the first game in the series to introduce multiple endings; you get a number of dialogue choices throughout, and unfortunately, it’s far too easy to trigger the “bad” ending. There are guides online to help you trigger the Gold Star “true” ending, however. Just hit up GameFAQs. You might want to use the guide on your first playthrough, because I can say from experience that it’s annoying to have to replay all the dialogue sections just to make the correct choices. (Luckily, you can skip over any irrelevant sections of each chapter — including the escape room puzzles.) 

In spite of my above whining, the second one is probably my single favorite story in the Parascientific trilogy. It’s a lot of fun.

The final game in the trilogy is Parascientific Escape: Crossing at the Farthest Horizon. Mysterious characters who were plotting offscreen for the previous two games are finally given faces, locations that were talked about extensively in both are finally visited, and the two protagonists of the first couple games finally meet and team up. It’s absolutely a culmination of what they set up in the first two.

The narrative jumps around from the perspectives of many different characters, but the most time is undoubtedly spent with Hitomi and Kyosuke. Sadly, there is no gameplay usage of Hitomi’s powers this time; the escape rooms are all done with Kyosuke, and they are more devious now than ever before. Personally, I found the next-to-last one to be incredibly obtuse and frustrating. I ultimately had to consult a video playthrough on YouTube for that. (The YouTuber in question didn’t seem to have the same issues figuring things out that I did. So I guess your mileage may vary.)

The “adventure game” segments make a return here as well, although they’ve also become a bit tougher to figure out. There are a couple of times when you might find yourself wandering the various location options, clicking on every possible action to try and progress. Luckily, there aren’t so many default options that you’re left flailing for very long. Even the longest period of clueless wandering lasted me a maximum of 15 minutes.

Once again, you have to make the correct dialogue choices if you want a positive ending. And once again, GameFAQs is your friend and co-pilot.

Ultimately, even the gated endings and occasional puzzle frustrations did little to curb my enthusiasm. I really had fun with these characters and their stories, I greatly enjoyed the majority of the escape rooms, and I was pretty satisfied with how it all wrapped up. The character designs/artwork get better and better as the series goes on. The selection of music tracks may be the same throughout the whole series, but I really dug on them, so I can’t complain. Do I have any other misgivings? Well, just one; the English localization is pretty sloppy. There are a pretty large number of typos, and the dialogue can sound stilted and awkward at times due to being a direct translation. It’s actually at its worst at the start of the first game. Luckily, after about 30 minutes of playtime, it settles in and finds its voice.

Seriously, they should really figure out a way to re-package these games for another system that doesn’t use the the dual-screen setup. Put all three of them together, and it’d easily be satisfying as a full retail release!

But for now, if you have a 3DS/2DS, they’re only $7.50 in total most of the time (and $15.00 at the worst). Do you like adventure game-style mysteries and visual novel-esque progression and, of course, escape rooms? You should give these a shot! And I hope these devs get to make games with bigger budgets and better localizations in the future.

[potteresque-ire]

Hi! I have been reading your posts and responses to anonymous and I am inclined to comment on your broadly realistic views and detailed analystic answers and let us not forget your ability to be warm in putting forward your opinions. I am truly a huge fan. Thank you for being a station for various answer seekers.

If you have time and patience, please elaborate on the situation GG is still facing post 227. Recently I read various comments insinuating GG copied DD for Douyin night which is absurd but the implication that only one party is still being targeted unnecessarily raise hackles of a lot of solo fans. And I, under any circumstances, DO NOT believe the involvement of the other party. Firm believer of BJYXSZD.

My point is what is being done to stop these antis from targeting GG. Since one of the motive to target GG is to severe the relationship of GG and DD, IMO at least. Does constant attack (external stimulus) on GG (belittling him by comparing him to DD) may have the possibility to effect their relationship (internal reaction)? Objectively yes, but given your perception of their relationship, what is your opinion in this matter, however subjective it may be?

Moreover, how much extreme and sometimes irrational analysis done by bjyx community can lead to harm to both of them especially GG?

Also, I have seen DD being the captain of BJYX in various circumstances but also throwing off people from their old predicted/maintened theories especially in case of Kadians. I am not sure how much to trust these 'candies' since he has a reputation of not giving a f*** of others opinion. So why would he post GG related or non-related content with same kadians. I mean if he posts private content with GG related kadian then why post promotional content with GG related kadian. Does it imply that kadians are related to GG or not or he doesn't care and we are thinking too much. I am not sure what I am writing now, maybe multitude of thoughts poring out here. I am extremely sorry for that.

I do not know whether people believe or not but 1st post by GG yesterday had initials YB in the circle. Not at all explicit, and depends on believers but I felt like he was just trolling BJYX, it may be good naturedly but after his promotional brand picture of shrimp in bunny's hand. I do not know I just felt, dissappointed/bitter/unsure about all of this. I think it is normal to feel this way from time to time even for SZD because along with emotional investment we have rational perspective which is necessary to scrutinize evidence(maybe) from time to time.

I whole heartedly apologize for writing an essay length ask, this is the reason I wanted your patience 😅.

If any other blogger wants to add or comment on this please feel free to do so. Your suggestions are highly welcomed. 🙏

Hello Anon!

I take it that your questions about safety are concerned about the behaviour of c-solos and c-turtles? International fans aren’t likely to put Gg and Dd at any risk. That said, however, frequent fighting among i-fans would likely drain Gg and Dd’s international fanbase, as many fans do not enjoy being a combative atmosphere (I, for one, will run away as quickly as a turtle can run!). Lost i-fans can’t be easily replenished, whether they’re turtles or solos ~ The Untamed, as a foreign language show so beloved that fans are willing to scale tall language and cultural barriers to understand it, isn’t something that comes around often. (stanning Gg and/or Dd does take a lot of work!)

About the arguments. I probably only know about a fraction of them since I do not interact directly with fans outside Tumblr . As far as I can tell, however, recent arguments among c-solos and c-turtles have been ordinary fights, and also, fairly “bi-directional” between the solos (ie. I don’t think Gg or Dd has been relatively exempt from attacks compared to each other). 

These arguments can be heated and some of the attacks may sound vicious, but there’s nothing much to worry about from a safety angle, as they haven’t caught the attention of those outside the fan circles.

The theorising by turtles are also not inherently dangerous. c-turtles have mostly been careful about keeping their discussions among themselves. The only risk it may lead to in the future, that I can think of right now, is the associated YiZhan content on China-based websites (ex. Bilibili, Douyin), which has become fairly plentiful. YiZhan candies used to be relatively obscure given the guidelines of CP fans to keep them among themselves (they call this practice 圈地自萌, literally, drawing a circle on the ground and have fun in it by oneself). These days, however, anyone who’s curious can get a good sense of YiZhan’s story by browsing Bilibili. 

This probably contributes to the continued growth of the turtle population; however, some of this content is created by non-turtles who seek viewership and have little concern over Gg and Dd’s safety. They are the ones who re-upload the BTS, for example, despite the repeated pleas and warnings by the “站姐”s—the superfans who take/purchase these videos—as well as the turtles to not do that. If these content creators go overboard, there’s a possibility that YiZhan content may get caught in the government’s “Eradicating Pornography and Illegal Publications”（掃黃打非) movement. The movement originated in the mid 2000s, and its recent waves have been used as pretext to remove LGBT+ and BL content on line (I will eventually set up a post re: those events). Just last month (2020 Dec), Bilibili has been explicitly named by the government for hosting questionable materials, which means it’s already under scrutiny. Sweeps performed on an entire website are usually broad-based enough that no specific individuals are targeted; however, the government also encourages, with financial incentives, the reporting of specific content and has set up a dedicated website for doing so. While all YiZhan content has no direct relation to Gg and Dd, removal of such content may cause an over-reaction from fans, which can, in turn, lead to accusations of poor fan management by Gg and Dd. Most people will also assume the YiZhan content to be created by turtles.

(Another example of how an alleged turtle mis-step can get the YiZhan fandoms and Gg and Dd tied to the 掃黃打非 movement: a few days ago, a Weibo post showed a photo of a hardcover version of an explicit BJYX fanfic, reportedly sold for profit, and GG haters were calling for an arrest for “illegal publication.” So far, there’s minimal noise on the issue, so it isn’t something to worry about. It can also be fake news, which is so bountiful on the platform and on every aspect of daily life that most die a very peaceful, very well-deserved death.).

Whether fan arguments / theories may affect Gg and Dd’s relationship (assuming they’re in a relationship) … my guess is, not much. Gg and Dd are busy people, unlikely to closely follow their fans’ discussions. Again, I expect effects to be felt only if the arguments get out of hand ~ as in, if they begin to involve the public and/or the government.

As for the question about what is being done to stop Gg being targeted: fan wars are incredibly common in China (as in everywhere else), and Gg and Dd’s aren’t special in that sense ~ it’s just that as turtles, we know about those surrounding Gg and Dd and they feel significant to us. No individuals can stop a fan war ~ all we can do is to not join these wars ourselves.

Personally, I think the international fan base of Gg and Dd, as solos and cpfs, have more chance to achieve peace than its Chinese counterparts — if they choose to want that. Popularity in China is not only quantified (which is likely true everywhere, by marketing departments), but very visibly so. Sales numbers, votes, traffic attributed to each idol are frequently released to the public, possibly to foster competition among fans and drive these numbers further upward. c-turtles’ demonstrated strong performance in pushing these metrics has made them a target to those who wish to have usurp their consumer power. They, therefore, have good reasons to be wary of anyone who try to sway them from their “turtle-ship”, whether to turn them into solos or to lure them into an entirely different fandom. The swaying messages are also not always obvious, not always a direct “your cp suck”.  They can be subtle, many even come from netizens who appear to be fellow turtles, who may say “oh, maybe we (turtles) are wrong” or “we have to be realistic; Gg and Dd will never look at each other publicly again”—messages that cast doubt and sink morale in a fandom that’s already running an uphill battle. Remember: traditionally, CP fandoms are not expected or welcomed to last, and solos have been happy to (correctly) point out that the BTS, the origin of the most solid “evidences” of BJYXSZD, are getting older by the day. c-turtles can’t expect anyone else to help defend their ship if something happens, given CP fandoms’ lack of respectability, given YiZhan being a real person M/M pairing that is often frowned upon. So it’s understandable, to me at least, why c-turtles are on guard, and occasionally, clash with those who they feel may be trying to take away what they love.

i-turtles, I feel, don’t have that many reasons to fight. We don’t really have other fandoms (for example, the up and coming danmeis—the adapted BL dramas) vying for our attention (and wallets). No one can put an expiration date on the YiZhan communities except ourselves.

Another way to see this is: we—as in, the combined Gg + Dd international fanbase, the solos + CPFs—are lucky in a way the fans in Gg and Dd’s home country are not. Collectively, we’re much further removed from the pressure to perform as fans, which is immense in China with their fan circle culture and fan economy. i-shrimps and i-motorcycles ~ some of you are reading this, I think? (hello!) ~ here are my humble thoughts: the solo/turtle ratio of Gg and Dd’s international fans doesn’t make much of an impact on Gg and Dd’s star status, on the popularity metrics that matter. Our spending power is limited outside China’s borders, and while Gg and Dd likely love us equally as fans, our adoration for them doesn’t really matter much, if at all, to the production/media/commercial companies that control the trajectories of their careers. 

Along this line, the turtles’ “double loyalty” doesn’t have much of an ill effect, because there are few popularity contests here that mean much; few times (if any) when the turtles must face the dilemma of whether to vote for Gg or Dd because only a single vote is allowed; few situations where they have only x amount of dollars and must split it equally between Gg or Dd’s endorsements. There’s also much less cause to worry that i-turtles may draw the attention, or ire of the Chinese government ~ the whole international fanbase is too far away, too spread out to destabilise the regime in any way.

What the turtles do have in common with you, the solos, is their knowledge, their love for Gg/Dd. Knowledge, in particular. The people who know about Gg/Dd are still far and in between—at where I am, at least, and my guess is, it’s likely true for many of you too. Think of the turtles as people who you can talk to about your favourite star in places where few people know about him, can help promote The Untamed  far and wide—many people still haven’t heard of the show, and they deserve to.

For the turtles ~ no one can take away our turtle-ship identity, as long as we don’t give it away. No one can report on the our communities to the government and get them dissolved. Our votes, our spending habits are no one else’s business but ours here.

So, Anon, here’s what I think, and these are all very personal opinions, very personal decisions on how to navigate fandom …

I truly hope that we, as the international fanbase, can try to use this luck that we have. Make our communities not mere copies of their (combative) Chinese counterparts but something different, something with our own flavour, something with more peace and less fighting.

Specifically, I see little cause to try to persuade/dissuade anyone to be a solo/turtle. I find them… not the best use of time. Why? Because frankly, neither solos nor turtles have a better grasp of who Gg and Dd are. Neither solos nor turtles have a truly good grasp of who Gg and Dd are. These discussions are therefore bound to end up with more ill will than conclusions, since both sides are short of facts.

We’re all short of facts as audiences, who’ve all only seen a tiny sliver of who Gg and Dd are as human beings.

I don’t mean Gg and Dd’s star image is fake ~ it’s just that, their star image is their “work face”, and even I, a lowly turtle, must act somewhat differently in my own office. It’s part of being professional.

Gg and Dd’s star image are their professional face, and no professionals worth a salt truly ignore other’s opinions, especially when the profession is being an entertainer whose job is to face and hold the attention of the public. 

This is true for Gg; this is true for Dd.

Social media accounts are also part of Gg and Dd’s professional face ~ whatever is posted on there will be scrutinised by millions of fans, and they know that. The posts do provide some insights about Gg an Dd’s personalities, but they can’t be expected to show a complete picture. No parts of these posts, therefore, whether it’s the content or the kadians, are sufficient evidences for / against any aspect of their personal lives (especially as private an aspect as their romantic lives). Anon, you mentioned promotional marketing materials, and here’s my understanding of them ~ ambassadors such as Gg and Dd have minimal control over their design. The shrimp-holding bunny you’re referring to, for example, is very likely provided by the company.

However, may I also add this? Please try to not think of the shrimps / motorcycles as enemies of the turtles. Millions of people are behind each of these labels, and true for any group of this size, a fraction of its members are bound to be annoying. A small fraction may be awful, even. But they don’t represent the entire group. The shrimps are not only Gg’s fans, many of them have supported him longer than any turtle (since turtle-ship can’t be older than 2018); they’re also the reasons why Gg is in the industry ~ they voted for him in X-Fire. Likewise, a subset of motorcycles have been with Dd since UNIQ; they were there when the Korean ban effectively dissolved his group; they stuck with him when he was attacked for taking on the role of LWJ.

We’re all Gg and Dd’s fans, if you ask people outside the fandom. Remember: few outside China understand why heated arguments can occur between a bunch of shrimps, turtles and motorbikes. (It sounds a bit kafkaesque, just typing it out.)

It’s important not to lose sight too, that Gg and Dd’s social media accounts, where many new candies are found, primarily function as bridges of communication between them and their fans. These accounts do have different degrees of “professionalism” ~ Weibo and the official accounts being more formal, and Oasis, Douyin being more laid back and intimate; still, they all serve similar purposes. They’re not candy generators, or a script Gg and Dd have an obligation to follow to confirm / refute BJYXSZD.

Also: these accounts are accessible and watched by the public, not all of whom are friendly to Gg and Dd.

Re: Gg’s drawing on Oasis. He used the account as it’s intended for—to interact with his fans (the caption of the first draft was an unspoken invitation to shower him with ideas) and maybe, to show off a little (it was a very nice piece of artwork ~ a comment that I, sadly, haven’t seen much of). I doubt he posted his drawing because he wanted fans to carpet-search for traces of Dd in it (even though he probably expected that would happen); I very much doubt he posted his drawing because he wanted his fans to fight over scratch marks or black dots.  

If these fights keep happening, I can imagine a possible outcome. He’ll stop showing us his drawings. His social media accounts will become less and less personal, as they already have.

I’ll share with you my thoughts about candies too, while I’m at it. These are probably not-so-popular opinions, so please take them all with a grain of salt.(Salted caramels? 😊 )

I haven’t looked at why candies are called candies, but I find the name appropriate for how I think of them ~ candies are 1) neither evidences or truth, 2) sweet, 3) treats (non-essential, not like the main course).

The first point is, perhaps, the one I try the hardest to keep in mind. There are posts out there claiming the candies as made-beliefs—generated from edited pictures or videos, exaggerated translations, and their interpretations forced by “guidances” in the annotations/narration. There are also posts claiming that turtles are deceivers, or have been deceived by brainwashers who maliciously created these make-beliefs. A turtle may assume these posts are all lies, all made by antis. 

But, speaking turtle-to-turtle, I’d venture to say this … there’s some truth in the *first* statement. Many candies do, indeed, taste different if their taster returns to the original source—not necessarily unsweet, but less sweet. Candies, remember, are generated by fans like you and I. Same for c-candies ~ they aren’t endorsed by Gg and Dd, aren’t necessarily closer to the truth just because of the relative proximity of their birthplaces to their leads. 

Candy generation is The Tradition of CP fandoms. It’s a celebrated skill, and who doesn’t want to generate a candy that will be talked about, that will be part of the BJYX canon, for as long as the fandom lasts? Some fans are, therefore, also more … efficient in the “marketing” of the candies they generated — in persuading others that their candies are evidences, the truth. “Guidance” photos and videos (which pinpoint the place to watch, sometimes with appropriate sound effects for emphasis) have come about that way, and because they’re easy to digest—especially where language barriers exist—they end up spreading to i-fandoms.

These photos and videos may look more professional / trustworthy, but they often have an additional layer of subjectivity ~ on top of the already subjective opinion of what makes a candy. Translations (of BTS, fake rumours house content etc) also introduce a subjective element. Word choices can significant modify the tone of a conversation; speakers of different Chinese dialects may also have different interpretations of the same phrases. Example: I, as a non Chongqing/Sichuanese speaker, can guess the literal meaning of the “puppy” term Gg used for Dd — 狗崽崽 (gou zai zai) — but I also had to rely on others to tell me how endearing the term is; me being a Chinese speaker actually doesn’t make my interpretation any more valid, or authoritative, in this scenario, because my dialect doesn’t use this term at all. 

It doesn’t mean the people who’ve put in the work have any less-than-good intent; the vast majority of them come from a place of deep love. It’s just that we all carry our own perspectives, and as fans, our strong emotions in our fanworks.

This is why candies are often insufficient as good “points” for arguments, why they fail to convince non-believers, sometimes to the disappointment of some turtles. As evidences, they aren’t objective enough; they’re also often touch upon the assumption that’s mark the fundamental difference between solo and cp fans — the assumption that Gg and Dd are (not) together. Take, for example, this segment from a (polite) ask I got from an anon solo:

All the matching clothes, jewelry, shoes etc. Stopped being valid candy when I realized that the brands have popular stars "endorse" their products. The lightning pendant? Other actors have also worn it. Does that mean they are in a 3-way with (Gg) and (Dd)? Probs not.

Solo anon was correct! Brands have star endorsers, and other entertainers have, indeed, worn the same lightning pendant. The implied argument is also valid: people who don’t care about, don’t even know about each other can wear the same things. Most of us do that on a daily basis with our mass-produced garments.

However, a counterargument can also be made to the statement above, and easily: even the most precious, most beautiful wedding rings (say, from Tiffany!) are not exclusive to the first RL couple who bought them. It doesn’t mean the first RL couple is sleeping with all the couples who bought the same rings afterwards, doesn’t mean those rings aren’t significant to every one of these couples as romantic mementos. More often than not, couples wear matching things not because these things are exclusive to them—because how often can one find things that only exist as a single pair in this world? They wear matching things because they want to see something on themselves that remind them of their significant other and so, as long as the things aren’t so prevalent that everyone is wearing them, they can already serve their purpose.

But you see, Anon, that arguing over this would’ve been a waste of time? Because the solo came in with the assumption that Gg and Dd were not a couple, and the counterargument was made with the assumption that they were. The pendants alone are insufficient to prove either side correct or wrong. No one knows why those pendants ended up on Gg and Dd’s necks, except Gg and Dd and their teams. If I were to argue with anon solo, we can go on and on and on until we’re both left with bitter tastes in our mouths and WWX-red in our eyes, and forget the one thing that really matters: we’re both Gg’s fans.

(We could’ve spent the time talking about how that scene in The Wolf with Ji Chong throwing Zai Xing in the water is ❤️.) (I can’t believe the script waited 30+ episodes to do it. 😂)

This leads to my second point, Anon. Candies are meant to be sweet, and they’re meant to be sweet for you. In Chinese, a term for an expert candy person is a 嗑學家 (the candy-eating in CP fandoms is called 嗑糖 (ketang) ～ with 嗑 ke denoting a specific form of eating that requires breaking something open first with teeth—such as watermelon seeds; a 嗑學家 is a 嗑 (ke)-ologist). A 嗑學家 isn’t someone who can recall the longest list of candies, or spread the most candies around, or convince the most people that the CP behind the candies is real; they are those who can find their own candies in a source material, and be overjoyed by the sweetness of their discoveries without outside help. To me, at least, this term encapsulates the subjective nature of candies ~ what’s right for you may not be right for me and vice versa, and that’s perfectly all right. In other words, there are many candies out there but you’re not required to believe in all of them; instead, you’re free to choose candies to your own liking, compose your own version of the BJYX canon that you love, that you find sweet.

Wait, but you may say. Doesn’t that make my canon fantasy? Yes and no, because candies are based on real events. They’re interpretations, which sit somewhere between reality and fantasy. They’re like … opinion shows on news channels.

But what if I need to convince people of my canon —

Your “opposition”’s canon is as fantastical, and as real as yours — maybe it isn’t, but neither of you have a way to prove it one way or another.

Wouldn’t solos call me delulu, or clowns?

Maybe. But one step outside the fandom, and all of us fans—solo and cpfs—are delulu, clowns.

(That’s why while I’ve used the cpn label, I haven’t called myself delulu, or a clown. Anyone who thinks I have the truth about the love story about a pair of idol I haven’t met from thousands of miles away … the joke’s probably on them, don’t you think?)

Of course and again, Anon, this is only my take! I like candies precisely because I like to watch the real-time generation of candies, which ones different people claim as their own, which candies fall away and which stick around in the fandom over time. As a fic writer, this ship has gifted me with a treasure trove of information ~ what do people think of as romantic gestures, as give-away signs of love? The fun/amazing part of BJYX is that candies are available for so many different answers to these questions. Some people think of longing gazes and sweet smiles; some think of touches that can’t be helped (the many, many, many “fights”); some think of service (buying foods, designing clothes); some think of caring about the other’s well-being (throat candies and dumplings + noodles + crackers); some think of being The Other’s One and Only Exception (Dd being so talkative around Gg, Gg being so … fussy around Dd); some think of expressions through the arts (songs, drawings, dances); some think of grand gestures (the wave heart in the ocean); some think of matching clothes and symbolic accessories (rings); some think of birthdays and anniversaries (314, 622, the first snow); some think of sharing life’s hassles and small tidbits (fake rumour house); some think of … just looking VERY good together. Etc etc.

Some think of a subset of these, some think of all of these…

(Personally, I’m a very picky candy eater. I know about many of them, but only a small fraction impresses on me.)

(Still, I love watching candies. I love watching the joy of people sweetened by them ~ or, when c-turtles exclaim kswl! — the short form of ke si wo le! 嗑死我了! I “ke”ed so much I’m dying!)

This gets to 3), Anon, and I apologise to you too, for answering your not-essay-at-all with an essay! Candies are, to me, treats, and I don’t expect them to come at any frequencies higher than treats do. The reason isn’t because I don’t like candies ~ I enjoy watching them, as I said, even if I don’t eat many of them; the reason is because I don’t expect anyone’s romantic love to leave a trace in everything they do. For example, if I truly find myself in a SZD/SJD discussion re: Gg’s drawing, I’d say the lack of Dd in Gg’s self-portrait doesn’t really mean much. Even if Gg and Dd were head-over-heels in love with one another, Gg doesn’t have to put Dd in everything he touches. Likewise, Dd doesn’t have to present a consistent, or decipherable story with his kadians. This is true for the real-life couples around us too, isn’t it? They don’t perform every single act in life leaving a noticeable trace of their significant other. And the misunderstanding that couples do that — that their romantic lives take over who they are as individuals — IMO, partially explains why people who choose to not to date or marry, people who’re aro-aces, often have a difficult time convincing others that they’re complete humans. Romantic love is, of course, very, very important and can be life altering, but it also isn’t everything about a person ~ especially not if a person who has a career as exciting as Gg’s and Dd’s. Gg and Dd who also have friends, family, (many) talents and interests …

(And lots of ugly icons on their cell phones. Yes, I’m talking about you, Gg. That long-armed Pepe from your 2018 snowless Beijing post will give me nightmares…)

[domesticnct]

NCT In a School Play

Hey y’all this is my first set of headcanons for soft boys NCT. Even though it’s not really domestic, these are some random headcanons me and my friend had for them from my school theater days. I hope you guys enjoy them! Warning, it’s kind of long.

Taeil - Supporting Lead

This man has a BEAUTIFUL voice so of course he has a super important role. He originally wanted the lead role (who doesn’t), but there was a specific song that Doyoung wanted him to sing. 

If it weren’t for Haechan’s performance being so extra, Taeil’s voice alone would have stolen the whole show. 

He also takes on the older sibling role and likes to help the other cast members memorize their lines, practice their songs, and warm up.

Doyoung was originally in charge of leading vocal warm ups, but Taeil just sort of took over because people took him more seriously than Doyoung being the oldest. 

He’s the nicest person on the set and always makes sure everyone has what they need and takes the stage and backstage managers jobs frequently during dress rehearsals. 

But the day of the actual performance he let them do their part and focused on his performance and it turned out amazing.

Taeyong - The Director/ Casting Director

Super chill and is really just there to make sure things don’t get too chaotic. 

It was his idea to do a play so they could make new friends and also bond together. 

He organized most of the things for the play like finding and renting a theater, coming up with the budget, picking the actual play, setting up rehearsal times and making sure water was always provided, but he also left a lot of other responsibilities up to the other members like costumes, selling and designing tickets, and designing the set.

He would make an appearance in the play just because the other cast members begged him to so he complied. 

He had the most fun out of everyone because everyone was just having fun together and their happiness is his happiness.

Johnny - Stage Hand

This man is HUGE and has MUSCLES so he would definitely be in charge of all the set changes. 

During practices he’s mostly goofing off and not paying attention to his cues causing chaos and calamity to ensue. 

Him, Haechan, Mark, Yang Yang, and Chenle give Doyoung the hardest time out of everyone. 

The day of the performance he would show up in all black with a ski mask and it would scare tf out of everyone. They thought someone was breaking in to murder them. 

Jisung saw him and DIPPED and probably ran crying to his mom  Taeyong saying there were all about to die but then Taeyong was like “oh that’s just Johnny, I can’t believe he actually went through with wearing it when I said a black tee-shirt was good enough.”

He shows up as an extra in a scene or two and jokes around with Mark on stage and gets the evil eye from Doyoung so he stopped. 

Yuta - Makeup artist/ Costumes

As soon as he heard there was going to be a play he volunteered to do makeup.

Taeyong told him they didn’t really need anything extra, but he still wanted to go all out.

During dress rehearsals he would give everyone really cool and unique looks which of course made Doyoung flip out because the play was supposed to be about the performance, and not the appearance.

He also never shows up to any of the practices, only the dress rehearsals and performances. 

He also designs and makes the costumes and they’re super detailed and absolutely amazing. 

Everyone talked about the costumes for weeks and he was GASSED.

You know I had to do it to him

Doyoung - Producer/ Casting Director

Let’s be real, Doyoung is the REAL director of this play. 

I see him being the producer who has a vision and being really extra about it and lowkey annoying. 

He kind of micromanages everyone involved, but it’s because he really wants everything to be perfect. 

He had like 10,000 breakdowns during production because the boys can be so rowdy and don’t always listen. Taeyong doesn’t help much because he’s usually goofing off with everyone else and tells Doyoung not to take it so seriously because it’s supposed to be fun.

On the day of the play he’s super anxious and everyone thinks he’s going to have a breakdown, but he’s actually surprisingly calm and does a complete 180 from how he was during the rest of the production. 

Everything went according to his “vision” and he probably cried at the end of the show because it turned out better than he ever imagined. 

Jaehyun - Ticket Sales

The love of my life

This man is SO fine they would use him to promote the play. 

Most of the audience are girls because all he had to do was flash a smile and they bought tickets. 

EVERYONE was disappointed when they saw he wasn’t in the play, though he did show up as an extra in like one scene because Taeyong said everyone had to participate, and also they needed someone to sing the low harmonies.

The one scene he was in his acting was really good despite having like two lines because actor Jaehyun  and Doyoung kind of regrets not giving him a bigger role. 

But they knew they needed someone insanely attractive and extroverted to be able to sell tickets. 

The ticket booth was crowded before the show and people showed up to buy tickets just to catch a glimpse of him because he is ethereal. 

Has a lot of fun with Mark and Johnny on set but also tells them to tone it down because he doesn’t want to upset Doyoung too much.

Jungwoo - Backstage manager

Jungwoo didn’t really want to be in the play because he wanted to support Doyoung because he knew how crazy the boys can get. 

He volunteered to be the backstage manager making sure everyone was in their costumes and in the wings in time for their performance. 

During rehearsal’s he usually just sat next to Doyoung trying to get him to calm down, but the second Doyoung stormed out he was joining in with everyone else before Taeyong said they really did need to get serious. 

On the night of the actual performance he was a frazzled bean running all over the dressing room bringing people water, tea, cleaning up clothes that were strewn about, and making sure people were listening for their cues to get ready to go out. 

But he also goofed off a little bit and still had fun. He maybe popped in for one scene as an extra just to appease Taeyong before running back to make sure everything was in order. 

Mark - Extra

Mark originally wanted to be in the play and have a speaking role, but the second he found out it was a musical he tried to back tf out, but of course Haechan dragged him back into it. 

Is one of the main people giving Doyoung a heart attack at every rehearsal. 

He gets bored easily because there isn’t much for him to do except stand around most of the time so he starts goofing off.

Walks around purposely singing the songs off key and terribly during practice annoying everyone and making them into raps, but on the day of the actual performance he sounds like an angel.

Despite not having a very important role, he has a lot of fun with everyone and shows up to every practice to show his support for everyone.

Haechan - Lead Role

This man was not originally cast as the lead, it was supposed to be Doyoung who was lowkey micromanaging the whole thing. However, when Taeyong had a certain vision for Doyoung’s role he left, causing Haechan to swoop in and take it. Though Haechan may or may not have been speaking into Doyoung’s ear about why he should quit because he wanted the role. 

He is a straight up DIVA on set. Like this man is a Gemini he would probably have ridiculous requests and demands such as organic lemon tea with manuka honey at a super specific temperature. When Jungwoo brings him his cup of tea he would spit it out all dramatic like “this is NOT what I requested.” Like Squidward with the lemonade in that one episode of Spongebob.

But he’s really just messing with everyone and when he isn’t being a little bit of a diva, he’s playing around on the set causing Doyoung and Taeyong headaches.

He would be the reason Doyoung walked out on several occasions from frustration saying he was quitting because no one took him seriously. 

Despite not being originally cast for the role, he does an amazing job. We all know Haechan is extra and can lowkey be a bit of a diva and he plays it UP for this role.

Doyoung is actually very satisfied with his performance and everything goes well.

Kun - Stage Manager/ Casting Director

Kun is the calmest person throughout the entire production. 

He’s so used to the chaos at this point that he remains the calmest. 

Since he’s the stage manager, he doesn’t really have much of a role outside of dress rehearsal’s and the actual performance. 

So, he offered to help with casting which he really enjoyed. 

Throughout the process he sort of backs Doyoung and Taeyong up in keeping everyone in check.

He also helps in several other areas whenever support was needed. 

Whether it was helping someone with their lines, helping Winwin perfect the choreography, or setting up the sound system for Jisung and Chenle to use, he does it all.

He also was the main person who assigned singing parts to all the extras and worked with everyone to make sure their harmonies were perfect. 

The day of the actual performance, he makes sure everything runs super smoothly. He makes sure Johnny is aware of when the set changes need to occur and makes sure everyone is on the stage at the right time.

He’s also super proud that his kids pulled it off when the whole thing is over.

Ten - The Star

He doesn’t even have the leading role but he steals every scene he’s in, even from Haechan.

His dancing is so captivating that no one can take their eyes off of him during the musical numbers. 

His acting his a little bit awkward at times because he’d much rather be dancing, but it’s what sets him apart from everyone else. 

He also helped design the sets with dancing and placement in mind so no one would trip over anything or be too distracted by props. 

He also designed the tickets for the show at Jaehyun’s request and made all of the posters. 

He also helped design and make the costumes. 

He was also like EVERYONE’S understudy because they were doing his favorite musical so he already knew all of the songs and most of the lines because he’s seen it a million times.

During rehearsal he mouthed everyone’s lines and hummed all the songs so Taeyoung knew he would be the best understudy for Haechan.

Winwin - Choreographer

Takes his role SUPER seriously and works very closely with Ten to make sure everything is perfect for the musical numbers.

During production he tended to get really caught up in the music and got a bit emotional a few times when he was feeling it too much. 

He has a really hard time teaching the choreography to everyone else when they start messing around because he’s really quiet so Ten takes over a lot of the teaching. 

To prepare for the show, he watched a bunch of other renditions of it to see what type of choreography was used and draws inspiration from several different sources and his result was really beautiful. 

It wasn’t too difficult so no one complained but in the end it looked really good and he received a lot of compliments on how good everything looked.

Lucas - Security

They don’t even need security, he just wanted to be involved in the play without having to perform so this is the job Taeyong gave him.

He helps Jaehyun out at the ticket booth so he can hit on girls and mainly guards the girl’s dressing room, again so he can hit on them.

Flirts with every girl who’s in the play or who came to see it.

He’s in like two scenes of the play but keeps winking at people or messing around with the members where no one can see. 

Yang Yang is the other security guard so the two are definitely SUPER annoying and chaotic.

He also thinks that being on security grants him some sort of authority that he tries to exploit but everyone is like Lucas wtf are you saying rn ??

Xiaojun - Supporting Lead

This man has the voice of God I swear.

He also auditioned for the leading role, but Doyoung thought there was a different role that suited him much better. And of course Doyoung knows best because of his “vision”. 

All of his performances are incredibly emotional.

He takes the production incredibly seriously and doesn’t mess around as much as everyone else. 

He probably wrote a song that was inspired by the play that Doyoung decided to add because he thought it would give it more flavor. 

He’s the one that gets way too into the role and starts lowkey acting like the character outside of practice so just even more like a simp.

He def cried in his room singing his song from it because he was overcome with emotion.

Whenever he sang at rehearsal the whole room just got kind of quiet out of respect because it was SO emotional and during the actual performance he made some members of the audience cry.

Hendery - Props and Costume manager

He is completely CLUELESS as to what is going on.

He just showed up to have a good time and now he has to help secure costumes and pick and make props.

Probably brings the most RANDOM things and he’s like “I thought we could use this pipe as a decoration.” And everyone is like Hendery wtf.

Is always doing and saying out of pocket things just to make everyone laugh. 

He feels like his role is a little useless, but he didn’t want to be in the show and he also didn’t want to be left out. 

Spends most of his time goofing off with Lucas and Yang Yang and as punishment, Doyoung made him an understudy. 

When he actually got serious, he found things that perfectly matched Doyoung’s vision. 

He also helped design and build the sets which he really enjoyed doing. It was a great outlet for him to be creative.

During the actual show he helps Johnny out with set changes a lot and gives cues to Chenle and Jisung in case they forget to turn the lights off or close the curtain.

YangYang - Security

Basically just copy paste everything I said about Lucas for him. 

He flirts with everyone and only took the job because he knew it included zero responsibility. 

He shows up to every practice and knows all the words to all the songs and even the choreography so Doyoung decided to make him an understudy which he absolutely did not want.

Also jokes around and tells girls he’ll give them an autograph and they’re like “Who are you?” and he’s like “I was the dude in that one part that said whatever.” And they’re like “Yeah I don’t remember...”

Renjun - A Supporting Lead who really seems like he should be the Lead

His voice is absolutely gorgeous, his dancing graceful, and his acting performance were all absolutely amazing and Haechan was lowkey jealous of him. 

Renjun is the one who has been doing theater since he could speak so he’s right in his element. 

He auditioned for Xiaojun’s role originally, but got a different important role. 

He’s not focused on being the star of the show, rather he just enjoys performing. 

He also helped design and paint the set because he’s really artistic. He did things according to Doyoung’s super specific vision, but also managed to convince him to give him a bit of freedom.

Even though he doesn’t steal the spotlight and isn’t the star, he’s the most passionate out of everyone while performing and it really shows.

Jeno - The extra that all the girl’s are in love with

He’s really just there because his friends dragged him into it, but then later got on twitter to see a bunch of people from his school asking who he and his friend were.

He literally doesn’t do anything or have any lines. He just stands there, does some dance numbers and some background vocals and yet the girls go wild over him. 

This goes to his a head a little bit and he tries to flex it at the cast party which kind of pisses Lucas and Yang Yang off because they tried so hard and got nothing.

Jaemin - The extra that all the girl’s are in love with’s best friend extra

There isn’t much to say about Jaemin’s role he just came to have fun but ended up being super popular because girl’s were in love with him. 

He’s also kind of the mom of the set and just makes sure everyone has everything they need. 

During rehearsal’s he’s usually messing around with his friends and isn’t really being serious. 

ALWAYS in the sound booth checking up on Jisung and Chenle (and annoying them) asking if they need snacks or anything. 

Always brings snacks to everything. 

He showed up to the first dress rehearsal with a cake and everyone was like ???

He’s also always eating and giving snacks to Jungwoo and everyone is like “Now isn’t the time y’all.” 

The day of the actual performance he comes stocked with a bunch of snacks which Jungwoo distributes backstage and also gets tweeted about because a bunch of girls are like “WHO IS HE WHAT IS HIS NAME.”

Chenle - Lights and Audio

There isn’t much to say about Chenle doing lights and audio other than he kept doing things to purposely annoy Doyoung. 

Flashing lights, playing the wrong songs, or turning the volume up super loud or making it super quiet during rehearsal. 

Does the most EXTRA sound checks.

Always talking into a mic to make really dumb announcements. 

On the day of the actual performance he only played one joke on Doyoung at the end of the show and it was probably just putting a spotlight on him in the audience or something, which Taeyong quickly played off as them wanting to thank him for his hard work. Doyoung was super embarrassed and tried to murder him after.

Jisung - Lights and Audio

The one who made sure things actually went right. 

He kept telling Chenle to stop and they should actually practice and listen for cues. 

The two had originally been extras in the show, but Doyoung realized they would need lights and sound, so he assigned it to him and Chenle.

He also plays a few jokes during rehearsal but way less because he didn’t want Doyoung to kill him.

He had a lot of fun doing the play but is too shy to ask if they can do another one.

Sungchan - Extra/ Assistant Backstage Manager

MY BABY

He originally didn’t really want to do it, but Shotaro and Jungwoo talked him into it. 

Because everyone else was so busy with the production, he and Shotaro planned the cast party.

As the new members to the group they wanted to do something nice for everyone as sort of a thanks for accepting them.

He made sure to get decorations that were fitting for the musical’s concept and convinced his parents to buy a really fancy cake that resembled a prop or something.

He makes sure everyone is having a good time without being too in the way because he’s shy. 

Shotaro - Make up artist assistant/ extra

Sorry I can’t really write much for him as he’s so new and I haven’t seen much Shotaro content yet :(.

He’s new to the group so he mostly follows his role model Yuta around. 

He carries his makeup cases, sewing kits, face paints, etc. 

He watches him very carefully and Yuta even lets him practice on a few people.

When he’s not with Yuta he’s chatting with Sungchan or the dreamies. 

He’s one of the only people who doesn’t give Doyoung a hard time and he praises him for always being the only who listens.

[patchies]

Shadows

Pairing: Dream x Reader x ???

Summary: An apocalyptic world where creatures of the night roam all around it. Searching for living beings to satisfy their hunger. Vicious creatures they are. It’s said that one person called upon their wrath in revenge. You awake in this place with another human being at your side. No memories whatsoever of the life you’ve had prior to coming here. In search of a way out, and your memories, you stumble upon multiple people with many personalities. Some can’t wait to meet you. If you take it the friendly or hostile way is up to you, but worry not... Nothing can hurt you. Or can it, now?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 2.1+k

Author’s Note: Basically, all this chapter contains is scavenging and conversations. I hope you’ll enjoy!

Wattpad link: here

story masterlist - main masterlist

previous ↣ current ↣  following

Chapter 2: Introduction

After you had deemed leaking your information safe, the both of you spoke most of the night away in whispers. With the exception when a rustle was heard from the outside, worried it's another creature ready to attack. That is until you deemed it important to catch wink of sleep.

You're the first to wake up to Nick loudly snoring. One glance at the window lets you know the sun is brightly shining. The rays softly hit your face and you watch as the small particles dance in the gleams of light. There are no curtains in this particular room, proving it to be quite early. Eight in the morning seems to be an adequate time to wake up by your guess.

You look over his resting body and whack Nick in the head, which prompts him to wake up with a jolt. Frantically looking around for the source of his pain until his eyes connect with yours with burning annoyance, “Are you insane?!”

His exclamation is loud. Very loudly in fact, and that prompts you to slap a hand against his mouth to quiet his yells, “Are you insane? We don't know if the creature is still out there or if there are more of them! Have you seen what it looks like and what it can do?”

The whisper is firm and harsh, sure of the fact he hasn't seen it. The image from the night before makes you shiver. It's sinking sharp teeth showing up, which makes you shake your head to get rid of the image. A dead Shadow is certainly not on your to-do list, but you have an inkling it'll eventually come to that if you like it or not. An inevitable decision will have to be made for your survival in this place.

He apologetically looks into my eyes and his puppy eyes cause my hand to lower… Not before delivering a sharp punch to his arm. Nick whines out and clutches his injured arm.

“I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and to be truthful, you made me yell at you,” he shakes his head at me with a mocking smile. Your face showcases an unidentifiable emotion and that makes Nick nervous.

“I can make you yell more,” you start tauntingly, “after I serve you as a main meal to that Shadow.”

“Stop! Why would you make your friend a meal for the– “he thinks back to what you referred to it as,”– Shadow?”

“Yes, I think it suits the appearance of whatever it is,” you reply back with a slight laugh, “And to answer your question. I'm pretty sure your annoying ass would taste delicious for the creature.”

Your mood has started to increase little by little after having someone at your side who's fighting for the same as you. Hope was lit up in you at the thought of an ally after you had talked through the abyss yesterday. Engrossed in getting to know each other and making your goals clear before you get into any alliance with someone.

Nick just laughs along with you, slapping his knee as if you told a great joke. Yet you didn't. At least it doesn't look that way to you. Sure, you laughed, but it's not that funny, come on…

“So, you think my ass tastes delicious?” He suggestively wiggles his eyebrows.

“Oh,” you devilishly smirk at him, “I'm sure it does, but not to humans.”

• • •

After both of your morning routines that consist barely of any proper hygienic setting, you both deem it important to stretch and even decide to venture outside. You've both settled on finding a new base and spoke about it during the night. Possibly a sturdier and a stronger house that can be easily fortified. First, you'll have to find something like that and then go scavenging for some planks, nails, and food, though. That is if there aren't planks and nails in the newfound house already.

Later, you find yourself wandering around the neighbourhood. You haven't stumbled across any Shadows, yet, which you are extremely thankful for. It seems they just vanish during the day and reappear during the night. It's just a theory of yours, though. Nick was against the idea at first, but after being out for more than an hour, he begrudgingly agreed with you. Finding it useless to argue with you anymore on who's theory is the right one.

You wander around the neighbourhood while chatting about some stupid things.

“Do you think that house would be good?” You point towards a two-story house that looks to be enough for plenty of people. There's still a sign stating, ‘For Sale’.

“Abandoned and looking good?” He happily questions, “Hell yes, we're taking this!”

“Well– you technically cannot take a house just out of blue or at all,” you sigh.

“Shut up! Are you objecting? It's not like we know if there are any other people except for us. We could be stranded here alone,” he states sadly.

The sad look on his face only lasts a couple seconds before he breaks into a big grin and takes you by the hand. Tugging on your joined hands and almost sending you tumbling to the ground face first if it weren't for you catching your stability in time. You're seriously surprised by his strength when he's happy for something. You just shake your head at that and start to follow him willingly. Though, you're still on high alert for any possible dangers. Nick doesn't show any reluctance to going straight to the house, so at least one person must stay on guard.

As your feet carry you across the chalky pavement with ease you wonder what happened to this world. The buildings don't look to be in the best shape and the streets are presumably swarmed with Shadows at night. Some lampposts look to be broken and rusty, flowers envelop them in a conspicuous design and lie on the ground, while the rest don't even seem to be working anymore. At least not on this avenue. The grass and flowers overgrow the buildings and concrete. Nature visibly winning against human inventions.  Houses are sprayed with different slogans that you presume were left behind by people that are long deceased. The most appealing and provoking to you is, ‘Blood for the Blood God’ and ‘We have some unfinished business, green boy. I hope you're ready’.

Who left them here and what do they exactly mean? There are a few ideas of their meaning swarming your head, but you know better than anything to presume certain things. Some are better to not be answered at all either way. Are the people who made them still alive or long gone? Do they turn into Shadows? What are Shadows even made of and how can you kill them? Can you kill them?

I unfortunately can't answer you, Reader. You'll understand later. Or will you be left with no clue up until the end?

You're already through the doorway when your thoughts fade to dust. Nick has decided to wander off on his own and search the house for any possible materials or food and water, so you set to do the same. It honestly isn't as huge as you thought it would be. Nevertheless, there's still enough for the both of you.

You roam the lower floor while Nick makes sure to scavenge the upper. Therefore, you scout the living room first. There, you can see ruined wine cabinets, a completely scratched sofa, a dismantled bookshelf, shattered vases, broken chairs, and side tables. The mess is accompanied by pieces of glass and clay. You thank the stars for wearing shoes. Your feet would've been pierced by so many sharp shards if it weren't for them and you don't think you'd even have enough medical supplies to assist your wounds. Not like you'd voluntarily step on them, but having this cluster of broken glass right here can prove disadvantageous in the future.

The planks from the wine cabinets and bookshelf can be used for boarding up the windows. Thankfully, those look to be still intact. You can't use the sofa for sleeping, therefore the only usage is barricading the door. If you can even move it all the way to the front door. The chairs' legs can serve as temporary weapon parts along with the glass if you're successful in finding tape. If not, attaching some nails to them with a plank should suffice.

After you make sure you've searched everything, every nook and cranny of the living room, you walk to the kitchen to find a relatively clean place. From the looks of it, you're pretty sure the stove isn't working. The cabinets hanging off of the wall contain some stale chips and chocolate and that fact presses you to leave it as a last resort. You move onto the lower cabinets, only to come face to face with no food, but they hold some remains of tape and scissors. Nothing edible or drinkable. You then try turning the faucet on, but no water comes out. A disappointed sigh leaves you and you move onto checking the last place: the bathroom.

Upon closer inspection, you're able to deduce there's just bunch of pills way past the expiration date and you can't even tell what type of pills they are since the packaging and label is gone. The toilet and shower are meaningless. Well– not completely. You can still use the toilet to satisfy your needs. It doesn't sound appealing, but it'll have to do if anything.

“What have you found?”

That question causes you to slam your head against the cabinet under the sink you've been rummaging through and you have to take a second to recollect your thoughts and rub the pain away. You send Nick a glare, to which he just replies with a wink. Closing the doors, you stand up and adjust your clothes.

“I've found some planks, chair legs, nails, glass and clay. The sofa is unfortunately fruitless for sleeping, but we can still use it for barricading the front door. I can explain the usages of the former to you later,” you both exit the bathroom, but you continue with your dialogue, “I also spotted some pills, which are out of expiration, so I would be against swallowing any of them. They might not hurt you, but they might as well be like swallowing a pill with no effect. There's some chips and chocolate. Both stale, so our last resort. Water doesn't work either. What have you found up there?”

“I haven't found much,” he scratches his head, eyeing the brown satchel hanging at his side. You throw him a suspicious look about the accessory hanging at his hip, but don't mention it in hopes he'll enclose more information regarding it.

“I gave you a full report of what we have in inventory and you give me just one sentence that contains no information whatsoever?” you shake your head in disbelief, turning the corner and stopping in the middle of the kitchen.

“No! I was getting ready to tell you everything,” Nick argues with you, but you won't let him slip so easily. A teasing gleam shining in your eyes that he doesn't like in the slightest.

“Oh, yeah? I hear no words coming from your mouth, except for bullshit.”

“Let me speak, for fuck's sake,” he grumbles, which you just reply with a wave of your hand, “We have a pretty soft bed up there that has enough space for the both of us, but if you're not comfortable being in one bed I can always take the floor. Courtesy and all that crap, but I wouldn't be against sharing the bed with you. Anyways, there are plenty of planks from demolished furniture, small number of nails and a hammer. I also found some arrows, but there is no bow, so we can just use them for stabbing people's eyeballs.”

You hop up onto the kitchen island, kicking your feet in boredom. Quietly apologising when you kick his thigh by accident from the proximity, “And you told me you haven't found much… Anything else worth mentioning?”

“No. There isn't anything important on the second floor that I'm aware of. Save for the stuff I already told you about.”

“If I discover something valuable, I'll use those arrows to stab your eyeballs. Mark my words, mister.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he salutes me, and you reach over to flick him in the forehead.

“So, can we agree on using this house as our safe place and base?”

“For sure,” he rolls his eyes at the seemingly stupid question. “Do we have any other choice?”

Though, what you aren't aware of, there's a hooded figure spying on your progress and conversation from across your building. A crossbow on their back, loaded with a poisoned arrow. They hold an uncertain smile, wonder and worry flashing through their eyes at the same time. Though, their expression turns stoic afterwards, quietly slipping further into the dark night.