#My goal is at least 10 but 20 is the real feat

[vynnyal]

context: turns out, i have more freetime than i thought i did. in the rw server theres a bunch of extra challenges you can do, and the "spearfishing" one requires you to kill a leviathan using extremely unusual tactics. it was admittedly very fun to do 🤣

You can watch the video under the readmore if you wanna hear me have a heart attack

[solarune]

flowers in your hair

part of @neo-cult-ure​‘s colours collab! | masterlist + prologue

pairing: lee taeyong x fem!reader (feat. a nosy lee donghyuck, childhood best friend quian kun, and college best friend/co-worker johnny seo)

genre: fluff, soulmate au, florist au, coffee shop au, idiots (literally) to lovers

warnings: taeyong being too cute to be real, florist!taeyong, coffee shop owner!reader, donghyuck is annoying, reader has a nightmare, switches to taeyong’s pov for one part

word count: 10,577

summary: what you know about your soulmate taeyong in the 6 years that you’ve known him: he has 6 tattoos but is already planning on getting 4 more, he loves his dog ruby very much, he has only ever shared his banana bread recipe with one person (you), his mom makes the best kimchi jjigae in the entire world, his favorite color is pink, and he is the man of your dreams. literally.

what you don’t know about taeyong: what he looks like.

what you know about the owner of the new flower shop across the street: he has light brown hair, he’s a caffeine addict (if his cousin donghyuck picking up coffee 5 days a week says anything about it), and he is your enemy by association (according to kun). 

what you don’t know about the florist: his name.

a/n: i’ve wanted to write a florist!taeyong fic for the longest time and i finally got to!! thank you so much to @neo-cult-ure​ for reaching out to me to be part of this collab and please please please check out the rest of the fics because they were all written by some really talented writers!! thank you to @jungwoohoos​ for checking this fic over as she’s done with my others ily. hope you enjoy and feedback is always appreciated :-)

When you open your eyes, you can’t help but feel like something is off. You can’t quite put a finger on it but something feels strange. But perhaps it was that strange dream that you had last night. Something about picking a color and finding your soulmate? The details of the dream were already escaping you but it doesn’t matter because you have to start getting ready for school-

Wait. School?

You sit up in bed and realize that you’re back in your childhood bedroom. You can even hear your dad singing in the shower judging by the terrible vocals that you can hear through your closed door. But why are you at your parents’ house? You look at your bedside table and see your phone and a letter with your name on it beside it. Picking up your phone, you check the time and realize that it’s 7am but it’s the date that throws you off; it’s 8 years behind. You pick up the envelope and slide your finger under the flap, hoping that whatever was inside would help you figure out just what exactly was going on.

Dear Y/N,

You’re probably wondering what’s going on. Your memories from our reality are mixing with your memories from the reality that you’re in so life is going to be a bit confusing. Good thing I wrote this letter to explain, huh? My name is Cyan. I’m the woman you ran into and told you to pick a color to find your soulmate. Yes, that was real, it wasn’t a dream. You’re currently in an alternate universe and your goal is to find your soulmate. Once you do that, you will return back to our reality and you and your soulmate will have the memories from the alternate reality. It’s your job to not only find them in the alternate reality but in our reality as well. This sounds difficult but don’t worry. Fortunately, you and your soulmate are able to meet in your dreams. However, I don’t know the exact details about that so you’ll have to figure them out yourself. Good luck and hopefully we’ll see each other soon!

All the best,

Cyan xoxo

You sit in bed for the next 5 minutes, trying to process everything in the short letter. You have a soulmate? You’re in an alternate reality? And not only that but you’re a teenager again so now you have to go back to high school? And what about your reality? How does time work here? Is this like a Narnia thing where you’re gone for years but return at the exact moment that you left? Or are you there for a week but 10 years have passed when you go back? And what the hell did “Cyan” mean about meeting your soulmate in your-

“Y/N! Are you awake? You’re supposed to leave in 20 minutes!”

Everywhere you turned, people were always talking about soulmates. Was there ever a time that we didn’t ever know who our soulmate is? How are we able to communicate with each other in our dreams? What about the people who don’t actually end up with their soulmate in the end? But you didn’t care about that. Especially in this very moment. Soulmates, in fact, aren’t real at all.

At least, you wish they weren’t real right now.

Because then Doyoung wouldn’t have broken up with you just because he finally dreamt about his soulmate last night. You’d probably be with him right now, watching whatever cult classic movie he thinks you just have to see because you made a comment once about never watching Fight Club during 8th grade. If he hadn’t had that dumb dream, your 2 year relationship wouldn’t be a flaming pile of garbage right now and you wouldn’t have the new drugstore eyeliner that Yejin had recommended to you running down your face.

“Wanna see this video that Xiaojun sent me of his dog?” Kun asks you, effectively breaking the hour of silence that the two of you have been sitting in, the only noise coming from your spontaneous bouts of crying and the videos on Kun’s phone as he scrolls through TikTok. After seeing that state that you were in at school when Doyoung broke up with you that morning, Kun knew that he wasn’t going to leave you alone today. You turn over to face him with a sigh, your head propped up on your hand as you watch Kun’s cousin’s dog run around their living room. But even an overexcited puppy isn’t enough to lift your spirits, something that Kun notices immediately and he frowns. “Listen, Doyoung didn’t deserve you and you know that and if given permission, I wouldn’t hesitate to dropkick him for you. You’ll find your soulmate eventually, and I’m sure they’ll be everything you actually need in a partner.”

You wrinkle your nose at his words; you and Kun have been best friends since you were 5 so it’s weird to hear him saying this cheesy stuff to you sometimes. “That was really nice and I really appreciate that, Kun, but please don’t tell me that you’re about to confess your feelings to me.” You laugh loudly when your best friend shoves you, returning his glare with a smirk as you attempt to smother him in a hug. “I’ll always love you but-”

“Y/N, I’m just trying to be a good best friend,” Kun rolls his eyes as he goes back to looking at his phone. “Your life isn’t one of those fanfictions you used to read when you were 15.”

“Yeah because if it were, the universe wouldn’t have made my boyfriend of 2 years dump me the day before my birthday!”

That night, you roll over in your bed for what feels like the millionth time. You check the time on your phone again and groan at the late hour, mentally preparing yourself for the exhaustion that you’re bound to feel tomorrow. You wonder if turning 18 will feel any different. Will you dream about your soulmate tonight? Not like you’re too eager to talk to any guy in a non-platonic way but it would still be cool. You wonder what they’re like; what’s their favorite color, what’s their favorite place to go to clear their head, do they like to look at the stars just as much as you do? You feel yourself grow tired as you think about your soulmate and force yourself to not think about Doyoung, your eyes finally closing as you wonder if your soulmate likes flowers.

“Thanks for coming tonight. Want some cake?”

Someone places a slice of cake into your hands and when you look up to thank the person, all you can see are deep brown eyes. Both literally and figuratively; their eyes are very nice but they’re also blurry. You blink a couple of times and squint to get a better look at them but even when they’re standing so close to you, you can’t seem to make out any distinct features at all. You look around at all of the other partygoers and find that you can see them all just fine, so why can’t you see this person?

“My name’s Taeyong. And judging by the fact that you’re the only person in here that I can’t see, I’m going to guess that you’re my soulmate and you also can’t see me. Am I right?” they say to you, and even though you can’t see him, you can tell that there’s a smile on his face. 

You stick your hand out and, even though he can’t see you, you smile at Taeyong. “My name is Y/N.”

Taeyong shakes your hand but rather than letting go, his grip tightens ever so slightly and his hand slides across yours to grip it as he leads you away from the spot you were standing in. He takes you outside, the cool night air refreshing on your skin and the moonlight making everything glow ethereally. He sits on the grass in the middle of the yard and gestures for you to do the same, laughing quietly to himself when he sees you looking up at the night sky in awe. You take a seat next time, your eyes never leaving in the sky as you whisper, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars before.”

“Do you like looking at the stars?” Taeyong asks.

You nod, your gaze finally leaving the sky above you to look at the boy next to you. “They’re pretty. And they make me feel… seen. The light from those stars, which are most definitely dead by now, travelled millions of light years just for us to see them, and they see us too. I don’t really know how to explain it but looking at the stars just makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.”

“Whenever I visited my grandparents, my grandpa would take me outside and show me all of these constellations using his telescope. Everything I know about the stars and the planets are because of him.” Taeyong goes quiet and you wait. From the way he’s looking down and pulling up blades of grass, you can tell that what he’s going to say next is important. “He died when I was 16. Some drunk driver who couldn’t tell the difference between the road and the sidewalk. I was so sad after he died.” You place your hand on his knee as a sign of comfort, not wanting to push him since you two just met. He lets out a mirthless laugh and you can’t help but smile sympathetically. “I stayed with my grandma for that entire summer after it happened. One night I was using his telescope and I couldn’t get it to focus properly and I just got so mad that I broke it. I cried after that and my grandma found me the next morning, sleeping out in the yard next to the broken telescope. She yelled at me, not because I broke his telescope, but because I could’ve gotten sick.”

“He sounds like a great man,” you murmur. “I’m sure he’s proud of you and that he misses you just as much as you miss him.”

Taeyong hums beside you, the two of you continuing to look up at the stars in silence. “So,” he says loudly to break the silence. “Any sad childhood stories you want to tell me? Since apparently I’ve decided that that’s what we’re going to do the first time that we meet.”

You burst out laughing at that, and even though you just got your heartbroken, you think that having a soulmate won’t be that bad after all. “I think we’re going to have to at least be friends before I tell you all about my traumas.”

The boy beside you gets up and offers a hand down to you, helping you stand up. “Friends?” he asks incredulously. “We’re soulmates!”

“All I know about you is that your name is Taeyong and that you broke your dead grandpa’s telescope while stargazing,” you point out. 

You turn to look at him and your breath hitches, finally noticing that Taeyong is completely facing you and is standing very close to you. He takes both his hands in yours and you look up at him, and even though you couldn’t make out his facial features, you could feel his hands in yours and the warmth radiating off of him and that was enough. There’s this inexplicable pull in your stomach that makes you want to move even closer to him and just as you can feel yourself lift your foot up to take that first step, you panic and take a giant step back instead, letting Taeyong’s hands fall to his side.

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong? Did I say something to offend you?” your soulmate asks, taking a step towards you but stopping when you put your hands up.

“You didn’t do anything, Taeyong, don’t worry,” you reassure him. “It’s just that…” You bite your lower lip in worry, wondering if talking about your personal life was appropriate in this situation. But he did just tell you something personal about him- “My boyfriend of 2 years broke up with me today so I’m not looking to rush into anything any time soon. I know that we’re soulmates but I need time to heal and be my own person.”

Taeyong doesn’t say anything for a bit and you wonder if you’ve told him too much. Just as you begin to think of ways to stop yourself from sleeping ever again so you don’t have to see him, he surprises you. “Out of all the people the universe could have put me together with, it just had to be you. I think we’re going to be great friends in no time!”

He holds his hand out for you and you take it, allowing him to lead you back to the party.

When you wake up, the first thing you see are the glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling. Even though they’re nothing like the ones you saw in your dream, you can’t help but think of your soulmate’s grandfather. After a few minutes, you realize that you don’t remember your soulmate’s name or the story he told you about his grandfather.

“Great, so all I know about him is that he likes to stargaze with his grandpa-”

“Y/N, who are you talking to? Are you getting ready for school?”

Your meetings with Taeyong usually consist of you trying to remember at least one thing about the other, hoping that the repetition will be enough to get something to stick when you wake up that morning. The two of you are in Taeyong’s dream tonight (as you usually are since you rarely dream and if you do, usually it’s about someone trying to kill you), walking through a park full of cherry blossom trees with your arms linked together. He leads you over to a bench where you both sit in silence for a bit, the two of you lost in your own separate thoughts.

“So,” Taeyong says to break the silence. “We both leave for university tomorrow.”

You look over at him to find him already looking at you, and even though you can’t see him, you know that you share the same feelings he’s experiencing right now. “I know, it’ll be weird, right? One step closer to being in the adult world and all that. What higher power decided that I’m capable of being an adult?”

Taeyong’s hand brushes over yours and hovers hesitantly before taking it in his own. You let it happen because you know that he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s just as scared as you are, so why not find comfort in the person that’s supposed to be in your life forever? You squeeze his hand and rest your head on his shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms before sighing deeply. Everything is about to change.

Your soulmate hums in consideration, shifting his body closer to you to make you more comfortable. “Well I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to college so I can be an adult,” he confesses. “I’m going because I want to get drunk off my ass with my friends.”

You roll your eyes at his joke, sitting up straight so you could playfully shove him. “Oh shut up, Taeyong, you know you’re gonna be the best astronomer out there.”

He shrugs in response, fiddling with your hand in his lap as he looks out at the trees in front of you. “We’ll see. Life is crazy; we might end up somewhere we weren’t even expecting.”

And Taeyong was right. Life is crazy. Yours and Taeyong’s first year at university was hard. You were pursuing a major in economics while Taeyong was pursuing a major in physics with a concentration in astronomy. The two of you were so stressed your first year that you barely got to meet in your dreams because neither of you had any; you just slept. Your lives were: wake up, go to class, do work for the rest of the day, find some time to eat in between all of that, and then sleep just enough to keep you alive. 

But you knew that you couldn’t do this for another 3 years. You ended up switching to a major in food science and nutrition with a minor in business while Taeyong switched to a major in plant science. During your time at university, the two of you tried as best as you could to remember where the other went to school so you could try to meet somewhere in the middle but the most you could remember by the end of your third year was that you both go to school in Seoul.

(“You remember that we’re both in Seoul, so that’s good!” Taeyong reassures you one night as you whine about still not being able to meet each other. “We’re one step closer!”

“Yong, Seoul is huge and there’s so many universities here. How are we supposed to narrow it down?” you pout as you lean forward to rest your forehead against his chest.

Taeyong sighs and pats your head, not knowing what else to say because he knows you’re right. But he won’t give up hope; he knows he’ll see you soon. Just as he’s about to answer, the room around you goes dark and you hear the creaking of floorboards above you. He can see the fear in your eyes when he meets your gaze and his heart begins to pound. There’s a loud bang from upstairs and you immediately run out of the building you were in. 

“You know, I’m really starting to hate your dreams. Maybe this is why we can’t remember anything, because we’re too busy running for our lives like we’re in a horror movie!”

When you woke up that morning, all you could remember was that he hates being in your dreams.)

By the beginning of your last year, the two of you agreed to stop trying so hard to meet each other. You assume that the universe just isn’t ready for the two of you to meet yet so you might as well enjoy just spending time with each other. Taeyong agrees and surprisingly, it works. You start to remember more and more about him—small things like his dog’s name and that the scar next to his eye resembles a rose—so you start to write them down. You even make a list of things that happen every day that you would want to tell him just in case you see each other that night.

Last night, you finally remembered the recipe for his banana bread, something that took you nearly an entire year to learn. You grab your journal from your desk and write down the recipe, humming in satisfaction when you write down the last ingredient. You read over the other things you’ve learned about Taeyong over the years—his favorite color is pink, he has a dog named Ruby and she is one of the 4 most important women in his life (“Who are the others?” “You, my mom, and my sister obviously!”), he has 4 tattoos—and hear his voice in the back of your head from your first year reassuring you.

We’re one step closer.

You place the finished drink on the counter just as the bell above the door jingles, alerting you to your first customer of the day. “One medium iced caramel macchiato with almond milk,” you announce, holding out a straw and napkin for Kun to take as he walks up to you with half-closed eyes. “Busy night last night?” you tease him as he takes his first sip, laughing when you see his body relax at the first taste of caffeine. “That one’s on me since you look like you need it.”

“Xiaojun had his friends over last night,” Kun complains as he takes a seat at the counter to be near you, tracing the letters of the coffee shop's name that’s on the cup sleeve as he talks. “It’s nice living with him since we’re cousins and all but him and his friends are such enablers. But I beat all of them at Mario Kart last night, so it was worth it I guess.”

You hum in understanding and pick up a towel to clean off the counters, knowing that the usual morning rush would come in soon and you wouldn’t get a chance to clean when it did. “So what I’m hearing is that it’s actually your fault, is that right?”

“They’re enablers, Y/N, I’m telling you!” your best friend protests, his words a bit muffled due to the straw in his mouth as he takes another sip. “They know that I can’t resist playing Mario Kart when I’m drunk!”

“They got you drunk?” you repeat. “I’m starting to think that I don’t even know who you are anymore, Kun. Getting drunk on a Sunday night knowing you have work the next morning? Doesn’t sound like my best friend if you ask me.”

Kun rolls his eyes at you but just as he’s about to respond, the bell above the door jingles (quite violently) and another customer walks in with a “Good morning, Busy Bean!” You look up to find Donghyuck walking towards you, a wide smile on his face and his right hand hidden behind his back.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Kun grumbles, gathering up his stuff as soon as he hears the younger boy’s voice. 

You laugh at that, knowing that the only reason Kun dislikes Donghyuck is because he works for the new florist across the street. But Kun’s just funny like that sometimes. He had been the only florist in town and everybody knew about his shop, A Thousand Petals. The place was beautiful and Kun was good at what he did. But then a couple of months ago, the competition rolled in. At least, that’s what it was for him. To you, the new flower shop across the street from you meant nothing other than the fact that they had replaced the burger joint that nobody went to. And let’s just say that Kun didn’t appreciate being surprised with competition on a Monday morning while being handed his daily macchiato. You gave him free coffee for a week to make up for it.

“Bye Kun!” Donghyuck shouts happily, waving to him energetically even though your best friend only grunts in response. He walks up to the counter and reveals what he was hiding behind his back: a bundle of daisies. “Some pretty flowers for a pretty girl,” he says as he hands them over to you.

You accept them with a smile, thanking him as you put them in a mason jar in front of the register. “What’ll it be today, sunshine? The usual?” you ask, even though you’re already punching in the order for 2 iced Americanos.

Donghyuck blushes at your nickname for him and his lovestruck eyes staring at you doesn’t escape your notice. You’ve grown used to the boy’s antics and know that his flirting is meaningless. “Nope,” he replies, popping the ‘p’ as he leans against the counter. “Just a muffin please. And can I get it warm?”

You nod and put in his order, taking his cash and then smiling when you see him put the change in the tip jar. “So why no coffee today?” you ask as you put his muffin in the oven. “You guys find a place better than mine?”

The boy’s jaw drops at this, his posture straightening as he looks at you in shock. “Y/N, how dare you even suggest that. You know that there’s no coffee place better than yours!” He takes one of the flowers from the jar and starts fiddling with it, his smile widening when Johnny, one of your employees, comes out from the back. “Johnny!”

Johnny’s eyes widen at the sight of him and he freezes, his cup of coffee only midway to his mouth. “Damn, I thought you’d be gone already,” he mumbles, the two of you laughing as the boy starts fake crying. Johnny takes out the muffin from the oven and hands it to Hyuck after putting it in a bag. “Thanks for coming to The Busy Bean, we hope to never see you again.”

You push Johnny on to the floor, throwing a towel at his face as you chuckle. “Johnny, stop being mean to Hyuck and go clean the tables before Mrs. Choi complains again about them being dirty.” You ignore his noise of complaint in favor of turning back to the boy still in front of you who’s already started eating.

“His Majesty doesn’t want coffee yet,” he shrugs, crumbs falling from his mouth as he answers your question. “But you know he’s a caffeine addict so he’ll probably send me over during my lunch break.” He throws out the bag and puts the flower that he left lying on the counter back into the jar. “Speaking of which, I should probably head back. See you in a few hours!”

You wave goodbye to him and watch as he crosses the street to the flower shop. Donghyuck is an interesting kid. When you first look at him, you wouldn’t think that he works at a flower shop but you found out he’s only working there for the summer because he starts university in the fall. And his cousin’s the one that owns the place so it was a guaranteed job (“My mom and his mom actually had to convince him to let me work there but you know, I basically already had it.”). Ever since he first walked into your store, he’s been trying to set you up with his cousin, swearing up and down that the two of you would be great together. You’ve always laughed it off though since you weren’t particularly looking for anything and you weren’t about to take advice from an 18 year old.

“Here they come,” Johnny announces, running back to stand behind the counter with you as the morning rush comes in. You notice that the crowd seems to be bigger than usual and you feel nervous; The Busy Bean had just recently gone through some construction and had expanded but your new employees haven’t finished training so they can’t start working until next week. Johnny can tell that you’re nervous and places a hand on your shoulder, and when you look up at him, you see him smiling down at you. “Don’t be nervous, we’ll be fine! We always are.”

When you were in college, Johnny was the first friend that you made. Being without Kun was weird and scary even though he was only a 30 minute subway ride away from you but luckily, the boy living across the hall from you was there to provide you with company. The two of you did everything together—when you weren’t busy with labs and presentations and he wasn’t busy with his research and papers, that is. You even applied for jobs at the Starbucks on campus at the beginning of your junior year, and you were pretty sure the manager would have fired the both of you for always goofing off if you weren’t his best employees.

But the day that you knew he was going to be in your life for a long time was when you finally told him your dream of opening your own coffee shop. It was something that only Kun knew, too embarrassed to tell anyone else after your parents had told you that it would never happen. Johnny had surprised you that day, promising to be your first employee once it happened. You watch him from your place behind the coffee machine, watching him talk to Mr. Park from the restaurant that the two of you always go to with a smile on his face. Aside from Kun and your store, Johnny is all you have and when he notices you staring at him and makes a face at you, you thank the universe for putting him in your life.

“I have returned!” Donghyuck announces when he walks into the cafe, true to his word about returning during his lunch break. Behind him is a man who looks to be only a few years older than him with hair the exact same color as coffee foam. You’ve never seen him before but Hyuck apparently knows him as you watch him drag the older boy up to the counter. “2 medium iced Americanos please,” he says to Johnny in a cute voice, pouting when the man behind the register denies him his order with no emotion in his voice.

“Where’s your manager? I need to tell her you’re being mean to me,” Hyuck says as he sticks his tongue out at Johnny. You walk over with their coffee and place it down on the counter with a laugh, bumping Johnny with your hip to get him away from the register.

“Maybe Johnny wouldn’t be mean to you if you didn’t try to annoy him every time you’re here, sunshine,” you tease him as you take his money. Johnny hands them straws and napkins, making sure to stick his tongue out at the teenager in retaliation. You shake your head at him when he sees that you notice. You’re surrounded by children.

“Oh, this is the owner of The Busy Bean by the way,” Hyuck says to his cousin, smirking when he notices a blush beginning to form on his cheeks. “You know, the girl that you said you think is cute when you first saw h-”

“Hi, nice to meet you,” the older boy greets you very loudly as he cuts off Donghyuck, reaching out to shake your hand with blazing cheeks. “I’m- Uh- I-I’m TY.”

You shake his hand as you stifle a giggle, finding the blush on his face cute. Donghyuck on the other hand does nothing to hide his laugh, just narrowly avoiding an elbow in his side from his cousin. “Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I wasn’t aware that I would be in the presence of royalty today otherwise I would have rolled out the red carpet.”

“I wasn’t aware that, uh, you have such a nice smile,” the florist compliments you, making you smile as you thank him. “Your teeth are pretty,” he blurts out and you feel your smile falter as you process the compliment. Your teeth are… pretty? Johnny and Hyuck attempt to stifle their laughter at the man’s outburst, the man in question turning red as a tomato when he realizes what he said to you. He slowly starts to back away, pulling Donghyuck by the back his shirt towards the exit as he stutters out, “U-Uh I mean- S-Sorry that was weird- You uh-”

“Watch out!” you warn him, noticing a customer looking down at their phone pushing open the door right into his back. 

TY lets out an ‘oof!’ as the door hits him, stumbling forward and tripping over his own feet to regain his balance. The coffee in his hand wasn’t so lucky however, spilling all over the floor and some of it even getting on Hyuck’s white shoes. The two of them quickly rush over to get napkins, TY sputtering out apology after apology as he cleans up the mess on the floor while his cousin whines about the coffee on his new shoes. You quickly get to work on making him a new coffee while Johnny deals with the new customer. 

The pair quickly exit after you give TY his coffee, and you’re able to hear Hyuck saying, “I’m telling your mom that you spilled coffee on my new shoes. Also who the fuck calls you ‘TY’, why didn’t you just tell your name like a normal person? I can’t believe I’m related to-” before the door closes.

“Do you think that guy’s ever gonna come back?” Johnny asks you after the customer had left, gesturing towards the flower shop. 

You can see Hyuck dancing in the middle of the store while the owner laughs and you can’t help but smile. You wonder what his laugh sounds like. “I hope so.”

As you’re getting ready for bed that night, you open up the notes app on your phone to read over what you wanted to tell Taeyong about in case you saw him tonight. Even on slow days, you usually have at least one or two things to tell him, but tonight you find it empty. You hadn’t thought about him all day.

Taeyong surprises both himself and Hyuck when he decides to go back to The Busy Bean only a week after what his cousin likes to call The Incident™ (he even says “trademark” out loud, what a weirdo). The man usually isn’t one to be this brave but he can’t deny the pull that he feels towards you. You’re cute, you have a nice laugh, and he wants to make you smile again. And your iced Americanos are unmatched. Starbucks who?

Walking into the cafe, he immediately feels his hands start to sweat at the sight of you. Your hair looks extra shiny today and you’re dancing along to the song that’s playing with Johnny (kind of badly, but it’s pretty cute). Taking a deep breath, he repeats the simple order in his head one more time. One medium iced Americano, one medium iced caramel coffee, and 2 cake pops. (“If I don’t get to go, then you have to make it up to me somehow!” Hyuck protested when Taeyong told him to watch the store while he went to get coffee. So cake pops it is.) When you see Taeyong walking towards the counter, you give him the biggest smile and he swears his heart skips a beat. He knows he’s going to end up with Y/N eventually but wow, this girl sure knows how to take his breath away. 

“Welcome back, Your Majesty,” you greet him, your cheeks still slightly pink from your laughing and dancing. Taeyong notices a daisy tucked behind your ear and he realizes that it’s one of the daisies that he had shoved into Hyuck’s hands and told him to bring when he went to the store just last week. The man feels his heart skip a beat at that; you look like a goddess. “Didn’t think we would see you back here so soon. Our red carpet is at the dry cleaner’s unfortunately.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Taeyong shrugs, playing along with your teasing. “I get treated better here than I do at my own shop anyways. Hyuck won’t stop bringing up last week to literally everyone we know.” He blushes when he brings up the events of last week but he feels immensely better when you laugh. “Thank you for replacing my coffee by the way. I can pay for it now since I left so quickly last time.”

“That one was on the house,” you say, waving your hand in the air. “Anyways, what can I get for you today?”

Taeyong makes sure to come back at least twice a week after that, much to Donghyuck’s dismay. Each time he comes, he has to force himself to go back to his own store rather than staying and talking with you and Johnny. He finds himself growing more and more comfortable with your presence, his words coming more easily to him the more he’s around you. The conversation even turns flirty at some point, something that he didn’t even think he was capable of since graduating college. Sure he’s had a few lay it on pretty thick with him when they come into the store but middle aged women aren’t exactly his type. You are more his type, if he’s being honest. You and his soulmate, Y-

“Your name is Y/N?!” Taeyong all but squeaks out, his voice cracking as he drags his eyes from Johnny to you. Could you be…?

Both you and Johnny blink at him, not understanding where this sudden outburst came from. “Uh yeah, why? Is there something wrong with that?” you joke as you continue to make his drink. 

Taeyong mentally shakes it off, subtly rolling his shoulders to rid himself of the unnecessary excitement he just felt. It’s probably just a coincidence. The universe seems to like mocking him, apparently. There’s no way he would just randomly find his soulmate like this. He couldn’t even remember where she ended up living after graduating college. “It’s nothing,” he says while shaking his head, giving Johnny a small smile as he hands over his cash. He notices the withering daisies in front of the register and makes a mental note to bring some fresh ones next time. “I’ve just always liked that name. I think it’s pretty.”

When you first created The Busy Bean, you hadn’t thought of incorporating flowers until Kun brought up that you had said you wanted to make it stand out from other cafes. That and the fact that the store’s name is based off of “a busy bee” and that, in the words of Kun, “your best friend just so happens to be the owner of the best flower shop in the city.” Unfortunately for you, your best friend and the owner of the best flower shop in the city won’t be around for an entire week because of a family emergency. And because of the store’s recent expansion and being so busy with training all of your new hires, it had completely slipped your mind to order new flowers for next month’s theme. When you had said all of this to Johnny during a lull in the morning rush, all he said in response was, “That’s rough, buddy.” (The two of you have been rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender together recently.) What a great best friend.

After making sure that Johnny and the new hires knew exactly what they would be doing during the closing shift, you take a deep breath and do the one thing that you know Kun will never forgive you for once he finds out. “He’ll forgive you, you have no other choice,” you whisper to yourself as you cross the street towards Bloomin’ Love. You open the door and are greeted by the fresh smell of flowers, a Yiruma song softly playing in the background and fitting the atmosphere perfectly as the setting sun shines golden light into the store. It felt like you had entered a magical world.

“Welcome to Bloomin’ Love,” Hyuck greets you, not even looking up from his phone as he leans against the front counter. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”

“I don’t think your boss would be very happy if he found out that you were using your phone while there’s a customer in the store,” you tease him as you walk up to the counter, laughing when Hyuck scrambles to hide his phone and looks up with wide eyes.

The boy’s shoulders immediately deflate when he sees that it’s just you, placing his phone in front of him as he smiles at you. “Y/N, I didn’t think I would ever see you in here. Did you and Kun get into a fight or something? Did he finally get mad that you’re ‘fraternizing with the enemy’s cousin because I’m trying to get you to fraternize with the enemy’?”

You shake your head, explaining, “Kun’s out of town, he has no idea that I’m here right now. I actually need to talk to TY, is he here? I have a big order because I need new flowers for The Busy Bean next month.”

Donghyuck nods as he points towards the back, an area that you assume is restricted to customers since it’s behind the counter. “He’s in his office right now. Let me just tell him you’re here really quickly.”

He walks away quickly before you even have a chance to nod, so you take a look at the flowers around the shop. Directly behind you are bouquets of roses but what really strikes your interest are the magnolia flowers and plum blossoms along your left. You lean down to smell them, their floral scent overwhelming your senses and making you feel even calmer than you already did.

“Plum blossoms are one of my favorite flowers,” a voice says from behind you, making you jump and bump into whoever it was. You feel hands on your waist that help steady you as you sway on your feet, your eyes coming up to meet those of the man you were looking for. “Sorry about that,” TY chuckles, the tips of his ears pink as he withdraws his hands from you. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Donghyuck said you’re looking for me?”

You nod frantically, before explaining your situation to him, his eyes never leaving you as you talk. “I usually give Kun complete creative control because I don’t know much about flowers and which ones bloom during which season.”

TY nods understandingly, humming as he thinks and scans over the various plants in the store. “Flowers that only bloom during spring…” He begins to walk around, with you following a few steps behind him, his hands hovering over the flowers and his fingers occasionally brushing over their petals as he looks at each one carefully. TY suddenly stops in his tracks, one hand resting on a peony before he suddenly turns to you with a wide grin on his face. “I think I have some ideas.”

The florist brings you back to his office, and you think you see Hyuck wink at the both of you as you follow his cousin to the back but when you get a closer look, the boy’s already assumed his previous position of scrolling on his phone. As of recently, the teenager has been teasing you more and more for what he assumes are the beginnings of feelings for his cousin. And even though you swear up and down that the two of you are just friends, you can’t help but think about the possibilities some nights. Which makes you feel guilty because what about Taeyong? Your dreams with him have felt different lately, both of you distracted at one point or another, the conversation becoming awkward at some points because the both of you know that something has changed. Is this the universe testing you? Putting a man that you feel yourself growing more and more fond of with every passing day just to see if you’ll reject him in favor of the partner that it has chosen for you?

“Y/N?” the florist calls out, his hand waving in front of your face to get your attention. You jump slightly in your seat, eyes meeting his after you’re pulled out of your thoughts. “You still with me? I asked if you could give me a floor plan or something of where you put all of your flowers.”

“Oh sorry,” you apologize, heart pounding in your chest at getting caught zoning out. You pull the floor plan that you and Kun had first made 2 years ago and hand it over to TY, your eyes tracing the veins in his hands as he smooths out the paper on his desk. His hands look like they would be really nice to hold. Wait what? No, stop, think about Taeyong.

TY shares his general thought process with you, lightly drawing circles and arrows on the paper to show you where he pictures bunches of hyacinth and jasmine would be. Names like Barberton daisy, dogwood, azalea, and peony are mentioned while you nod along enthusiastically, not really knowing what any of them look like but trusting the vision in the man’s head completely. As he’s talking, you can’t help but get lost in the sound of his voice, the passion and flow of his words making your heart swell. As guilty as it makes you feel, you couldn’t help the feelings that you could feel blooming in your heart for the florist. 

The two of you stand once TY is done sharing his ideas and you’ve run out of questions to ask. You force yourself to leave rather than think up an excuse to spend more time with him, his laughter paired with the way he looks at you dangerous for your pounding heart and overly imaginative brain. He says goodbye to you with a wave but not before handing you a business card with the store’s number should you have any more questions. As you’re walking out, you can hear Hyuck teasing his cousin, and when you turn around to spare TY one last glance, you can see a blush on his cheeks as he quickly looks away, as if he was caught staring.

Just before you get into bed that night, you take one last look at the business card that you had been given just hours ago. When you read the name on the card, you feel as if time itself has come to a stop. Your breathing turns shallow as you bring the card closer to you, squeezing your eyes shut and then opening them just in case it was some weird trick of the light. But it wasn’t. Right there on the card is the one name that you weren’t expecting at all.

Lee Taeyong.

It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a-

You feel yourself being pulled down into the water, a hand wrapped around your ankle dragging you down to the bottom of the pool. You kick with all of your strength at the invisible attacker, your lungs screaming for air as you thrash in the water. A pair of arms wrap around your waist and pull you out of the water, the person screaming at you to stand as they tug on your arm. Coughing your lungs out, you can just barely make out Taeyong’s blurry form as he runs out onto the empty street with your hand in his.

Suddenly, an SUV with its lights on appears behind you, the driver revving the engine and accelerating very quickly towards the two of you. You just barely dodge it, the vehicle only inches away from Taeyong’s body as you pull him towards a dark house. You climb over fences and run through yards, neither of you daring to say a word in fear of whoever is after you being near. Your hand stays in his the entire time, too scared of getting separated to let go. 

You see a light approaching you and duck behind some garbage cans, willing your breathing and heart rate to slow so that you could listen for any footsteps. Taeyong quivers beside you in fear, his hand squeezing yours and when you look over at him, you can only imagine how scared he must look right now. Looking at him, you realize that there was something you wanted to talk about tonight but with every single nerve being on edge since you’re, you know, running for your life, you can’t remember what it is for the life of you. Lights from the SUV pass by, gravel crunching underneath the tires as the car goes by you very slowly. You pray to every higher power out there that they don’t catch you and you release a quiet sigh of relief when you see the car turn and drive farther away from you.

“Have I ever told you how much I hate being in your dreams?” Taeyong murmurs, his grip on your hand loosening but still not letting go. “Because I really hate being here right now.”

You huff out a laugh before slowly standing up to brush the dirt off of you. Just as you’re about to respond, you feel a hand clap over your mouth, Taeyong’s eyes widening as he screams and reaches out for you. Something sharp presses against your back just as you hear a gunshot, blood quickly soaking into Taeyong’s pants from getting shot in the thigh, before everything goes black.

You have to stop yourself from looking over your shoulder every 5 minutes because of the intense nightmare that you had yesterday. The feeling of being watched lingered with you all morning, something that Johnny noticed and was concerned about at first until you told him the reason you were acting so paranoid and jumpy. Then he just ended up teasing you and even scared you in front of a customer, falling on the floor laughing when it happened. But you couldn’t help it, the dream just felt so real and it didn’t help that Taeyong, an actual person, was there with you to make it seem all the more real. You wonder how he must be handling it, you know he’s not the biggest fan of horror movies or scary things in general.

You decide to visit Bloomin’ Love during your lunch break, the questions that you wanted to ask Taeyong still unanswered. But if you’re right and Taeyong actually is TY, then you would get your answer in a few minutes. Except it turns out that you won’t be getting your answers today.

“What do you mean he’s not here?” you ask Hyuck in disbelief, even looking towards the back to check if the office light is on in case he’s just playing a joke. “He’s your boss and one of the two people that work here, why are you here and he isn’t?”

The boy shrugs before hopping up to sit on the counter, long legs swinging as he bops along to the music that’s playing from what you assume is his own playlist. “He was here when I got here this morning but then he left after an hour and told me he’s taking the rest of the day off because he’s been feeling anxious all morning. Something about having a nightmare last night? It must have been really bad for him to take a day off because you and I both know that this store is basically his baby.”

He had a nightmare?

The bell above the door jingles as a customer comes in and immediately approaches the two of you to ask for help. You back away to let Hyuck do his job, bidding him goodbye before heading back to The Busy Bean. Hyuck’s words swirl around your head, the conversation replaying over and over as you take out the business card that you put in your pocket this morning to look at the name printed on it. 

Taeyong. Lee Taeyong, the owner of Bloomin’ Love. Lee Taeyong, who introduced himself to you as TY. Lee Taeyong, your soulmate.

After that, you become distracted during work, your eyes constantly looking at the clock to see how much longer until your shift is over. Of course the one day that you find out who your soulmate is, the one day that it would be super convenient to be able to leave work early, is the day one of your new workers can’t come in because they got food poisoning the night before. You don’t even know what you’re going to do once your shift is over though. The number on the card is the store number and you already know that Taeyong isn’t there. Maybe you could just ask Hyuck to give you his number? But then what? What would you even say? “Hey TY, it’s Y/N. Hyuck told me that you had a nightmare last night so I think you might be my soulmate”?

The universe, however, seems to have your back. At the end of your shift, just as you’re saying goodbye to Johnny and Jaemin, one of your new hires, you hear a very familiar voice call out your name. And when you turn around, there stands the exact man that you’ve been hoping but not expecting to see all day. You can’t help but smile widely when you see him and nod when he asks if you want to sit.

“These are for you, by the way,” he says as he gives you a small bouquet of pink forget-me-nots. “Pink is my favorite color but they reminded me of you when I saw them in the store just now.”

You thank them as you take the flowers from his hands, inhaling deeply before placing them down on the table. “You were in the store? Hyuck told me you took the day off.”

“I stopped by just to make sure he didn’t burn the place down,” TY chuckles and he sounds… nervous? Looking at him, you notice that he’s barely making eye contact with you, taking more interest in tracing the tattoo of a lavender plant that’s on his inner forearm. You wonder if he knows what you know, or at least what you think you know. You wonder if maybe he’s even known this entire time. 

“Do you have a soulmate, TY?” you blurt out, too impatient to indulge him with more small talk. 

He looks up at you with wide eyes at your question and you watch as the tips of his ears turn red. “I-I do,” he responds while nodding simultaneously.

“What are they like?” you ask him, telling yourself to calm down and to make sure that you’re right. It would be really embarrassing if you aren’t.

“She’s the girl of my dreams,” he jokes, laughing loudly when you groan and roll your eyes at his dumb joke. “She really is though. She’s really smart and knows exactly what she wants from life. She’s extremely hard-working but she also knows when she needs to stop and relax. She really likes strawberry cake and also likes stargazing. I actually tried making a move on her when we first met because I was young and dumb but then she told me that her boyfriend of 2 years had just broken up with her, so I felt extremely stupid that night.”

You feel like your heart is about to burst out of your chest at his words and you know that you must have a funny look on your face because TY- no, Taeyong is looking at you strangely. “What about you?” he asks, his wide eyes and head that’s tilted slightly to the side reminding you of a puppy. “What’s your soulmate like?”

You laugh and take a deep breath, mustering all of the courage to pour all of the love you’ve been wanting to show Taeyong all these years into your words. “He’s the best, honestly, I’m really lucky that he’s my soulmate,” you say softly, your eyes not once leaving Taeyong’s as you speak. “He’s really goofy and not at all afraid to be who he is. He’s very supportive too; Johnny and Kun were always there for me when college got hard, especially when I switched my major, but it was his words that always kept me going. His favorite color is pink and he absolutely adores his mom, he swears up and down that her kimchi jjigae is the best in the entire world. When we first met, he-”

You stop to look at Taeyong and you see tears in his eyes, a soft smile on his face as he listens to you talk. You take a shuddering breath and lift your hand to gently take his hand in yours; he knows. “When we first met, he told me about his grandpa and how his love for the stars came from him.” You see a single tear cascade down Taeyong’s cheek and you reach out to wipe it away. With a watery laugh, you say, “He also told me that he ended up breaking his grandpa’s telescope after he died.”

Taeyong rests his forehead against your joined hands as he laughs, his eyelashes wet with tears and his eyes shining when he looks back up at you. “I finally found you,” he whispers in awe. “After all of these years, the universe finally put you right in front of me and I didn’t even know.”

“That day, when you said that you think my name is pretty,” you say, his words playing in your mind as you remember the day you’re talking about, “did you know?”

“I was suspicious but I thought it was too good to be true,” Taeyong says as he shakes his head in disbelief. “I thought that there was no way that the girl I’ve been dreaming about for 6 years just so happens to own the coffee shop across the street.” He raises your hands to his lip to kiss the back of yours and you feel so happy that it feels like you’re practically vibrating in your seat. 

You’re about to respond when you hear Johnny call out, “Hey lovebirds, keep it PG! There are kids in here!” The two of you turn your heads towards the direction of his voice to find not only Johnny behind the counter but also Kun and Hyuck standing there. 

“Did you forget about our plans, Y/N?” Kun calls out teasingly, a smirk on his face as his eyes flicker from your hand in Taeyong’s to your face.

“Oh fuck,” you whisper, head turning to look at Taeyong with wide eyes.

He smiles at you reassuringly, kissing the back of your hand once more before letting go. “I’ll call you later?”

You nod enthusiastically, the two of you exchanging numbers before you stand up. You look up at Taeyong, not yet wanting to leave his presence. You can feel the warmth radiating off of his body and there’s a familiar pull in your stomach and this time, you allow yourself to indulge in it. He leans down just as you lean up, and as cliche as it is, it really does feel like you’re the only two there when you kiss. Taeyong tugs one of the flowers from your grasp and breaks off part of the stem, tucking the forget-me-not behind your ear and rubbing your cheek with his thumb before pressing one more kiss to your forehead and murmuring a “see you tomorrow” against your skin.

Waking up the next morning, you let yourself indulge in thoughts of yesterday, the events leading up to the kiss replaying in your head and making butterflies erupt in your stomach all over again. You and Taeyong had agreed to go on your first date today after work and you wish that someone could invent a time machine so you could just skip the work day and go on your date already. 

You sit up in bed and feel every ounce of happiness drain out of you, your surroundings unfamiliar to you. The walls are still the same color but the books on your shelf are different, your floor is carpeted, and who the heck are those people you’re with in the pictures on your wall? You even look out the window to find a completely different view. Where the hell are you?

It suddenly hits you that you’re back in the real world—or your reality at least. The past 8 years have basically just been one long dream. You jump out of bed and rush to the bathroom to check to see if there were any visible signs of aging. You let out a sigh of relief when you realize that you still look the exact same and go back to your room to check the date on your phone just to confirm. There’s an envelope with your name on it beside your phone and you feel a sense of déjà vu as you rip it open.

Dear Y/N,

Welcome back! Hopefully you’re not too disoriented after returning to our reality but I wrote this letter just in case. It’s only been a day since we first met so don’t worry, everything in your old life is still the same as it was. It’ll take a few days for memories from your life here to resurface so just take it easy for now. You should still have your memories from your alternate universe and your soulmate should have them too, so all you have to do is find them! I know this sounds hard but don’t worry; as I’m sure you already know, the universe works in mysterious ways~

See you soon, Cyan xoxo

You let yourself plop back down onto your bed, giving yourself a few minutes to process everything before taking a deep breath. Taeyong. You have to find Taeyong. Getting out of bed, you decide you get dressed and get ready for the day, a memory of your friend Yuna telling you about the new cafe across town resurfacing, so you decide to go there. You feel too cooped up in your apartment, you need to do something. 

Passing by the window of the cafe, you can’t believe your eyes when you see Cyan sitting at one of the tables. She smiles at you through the window while lifting a mug in greeting and you rush to enter the coffee shop, your hands shaking at your side as you approach her. “Good to see you, Y/N,” she greets you, standing up just as you sit opposite her. You’re about to stand as well before she gently pushes you back down with a hand on your shoulder. “These are for you,” she says as she hands you a small bouquet of pink forget-me-nots. You look down at the flowers, memories of the past 8 years (yesterday?) overwhelming you but you shake it off and look up, only to find Cyan gone. You look around frantically but it’s like she disappeared, completely vanished in thin air as you look around the coffee shop and even out the window. With a huff, you put the flowers on the table and settle your chin on your hand as you wonder what to do next.

“Are you finished with this?” an employee asks you as they point at Cyan’s empty coffee mug.

You look up, about to answer, when your breath catches in your throat, your eyes meeting very familiar brown ones that widen at the same exact time as yours. Before you stands Taeyong, a brown apron with the words “Wake Up Cafe” embroidered on it in gold tied around his waist. Standing up, you reach out to grab one of the flowers and break off part of the stem before slowly reaching out and tucking it behind his ear. His hair is different, a little longer and a dark grey color with bits of silver rather than the light brown that you’re used to, but you see the rose-shaped scar beside his shining eyes and you feel like you could cry. Taeyong’s hands cup your face and his thumbs come up to brush away tears that you didn’t even notice, the distance between your lips and his slowly decreasing.

His lips brush over yours and his eyes flicker back and forth between your eyes and your lips. “Found you.”

You chuckle at his words and close the distance, and you wonder if springtime feels just as good for the blooming flowers as the love that you can feel blooming in your chest when you kiss Taeyong.

[raeynbowboi]

The Character Forge: Building an Embodiment of Insanity

I’m going to diverge from my usual routine a bit today. Normally, I pick a pop culture character and make a build for them. But today, I want to do something different. I’m going to build a character around a theme, motif, or focus area. I’ll be covering a character focused on insanity. My goal for this build is to create a character who is explicitly crafted to instill and feed paranoia, delusions, and psychological trauma in as many facets as possible, including racial traits, feats, and spells where applicable. 

Building on Insanity:

it’s easy to simply say I want to drive people crazy, but it’s another thing to actually map out the effects you want to have on people. So before we can address individual spells and features, we need to discuss what impacts we want our abilities to have.

Alter Senses: Spells such as Unearthly Chorus, Blindness/Deafness or Blur that distort what a person sees and hears is a great way to instill a dread of insanity. Spells that buff your abilities or debuff the target are great ways to effect people’s perceptions.

Hallucinations: Similar to alter senses, Hallucinations cause people to see things that aren’t really there, playing a trick on their mind. A focus on illusion magic will help with this.

Fear: While insanity is not intrinsically linked to horror, the ravings of writers like Lovecraft and Poe often feature protagonists who have lost their minds or interact with people who have, usually accompanied by horrible nightmare imagery. Frightening people is a good way to warp their mind.

Mind Control: There’s nothing scarier than realizing you don’t have full control of yourself. Through Charmed effects like Compulsion, Command, and Dominate Person, you take away free will and make their mind your plaything.

Mental Anguish: a focus on attacking the mind itself, psychic damage is the best way to actively attack the minds of your victims.

Mind Alterations: Permanent changes to someone’s mind like Modify Memory can be truly horrifying, especially when the stolen or altered memories make it so that a person’s mind no longer makes sense.

Powers, Features, and Abilities

Altered Senses Blindness Deafness (Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard, Spore Druid, Fiend Warlock, Undying Warlock) Blur (Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard, Desert Land Druid, Hexblade Warlock) Maddening Darkness (Warlock, Wizard) Mental Prison (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Pass Without Trace (Druid, Ranger, Trickery Cleric) Power Word Pain (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Unearthly Chorus (Bard)

Illusions, Delusions, and Hallucinations Alter Self (Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock: Master of Myriad Forms*) Disguise Self (Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, Trickery Cleric, Warlock: Mask of Many Faces) Dissonant Whispers (Bard, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, Great Old One Warlock) Distort Value (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Hallucinatory Terrain (Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard) Illusory Dragon (Wizard) Major Image (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Minor Illusion (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Mirage Arcane (Bard, Druid, Wizard) Mirror Image (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, Trickery Cleric, Coast Land Druid) Mislead (Bard, Wizard) Project Image (Bard, Wizard) Silent Image (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Simulacrum (Wizard) Weird (Wizard)

Psychic Barrage Mind Sliver (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Mind Spike (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Phantasmal Force (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Phantasmal Killer (Wizard, Hexblade Warlock) Psychic Scream (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Shadow Blade (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Synaptic Static (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)

Fear and Paranoia Cause Fear (Warlock, Wizard) Enemies Abound (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Eyebite (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Fear (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, Oath of Conquest) Hallow* (Cleric, Fiend Warlock, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Theurgy Wizard)

Brainwashing Command (Cleric, Paladin, Fiend Warlock, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Theurgy Wizard) Compulsion (Bard, Order Cleric, Heroism Paladin, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer Warlock: Bewitching Whispers) Dominate Person (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, Order, Trickery Cleric, Conquest, Oathbreaker, Treachery Paladin, Archfey, Great Old One Warlock) Enthrall (Bard, Sorcerer, Heroism Paladin) Incite Greed (Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Mass Suggestion (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Otto’s Irresistible Dancing (Bard, Wizard) Suggestion (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Tasha’s Hideous Laughter (Bard, Wizard, Great Old One Warlock)

Mind Altering Crown of Madness (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, Oathbreaker Paladin) Confusion (Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard, Knowledge Cleric, Oathbreaker, Treachery Paladin, Warlock: Dreadful Word) Feeblemind (Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard) Gift of Gab (Bard, Wizard) Glibness (Bard, Warlock) Mind Blank (Bard, Wizard) Modify Memory (Bard, Wizard, Trickery Cleric, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer)

Eldritch Horrors (Fear of the Unknown) Arms of Hadar (Warlock, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer) Create Homunculus (Wizard) Enervation (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Evard’s Black Tentacles (Warlock, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer) Hunger of Hadar (Warlock, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer)

Oh How the Mind Races

When setting up a race for this build, like with the spell list, we need a race whose features exacerbate the insanity features.

Changeling: Being able to shapeshift so easily is a great way to make someone feel crazy.

Eladrin Elf - Winter: Their Fey Teleportation can Frighten those they appear next to.

Gith: They have psionic features.

Kalashtar: Split between two minds, Kalashtar is a race with psychic powers.

Simic Hybrid: While not inherently mental or insane, their existence as gene spliced humans with animal features, it’s an easy way to invoke Lovecraftian Horror.

A Class in Judgement

Bard     Whispers: This subclass is hellbent on attacking the mind, unearthing people’s fears, and preying on them.

Sorcerer     Aberrant Mind: This subclass gets their power from a mental aberration, and is a Sorcerer variation on the Great Old One Warlock, and invokes Lovecraftian Horror.

Warlock     Great Old One: Invoking the twisted mind of H.P. Lovecraft, who himself was paranoid, the Old Gods similarly prey upon the minds of mortals.

Wizard     Divination: Not really a mental subclass, but you could flavor Portent as messing with perceptions, and making people misjudge their aim.     Illusion: This school of wizardry is focused on making people believe things that aren’t there.

Stats and Proficiencies

As the main classes suggested cast with Charisma, that is our main stat. You need to convince people to believe your mad ravings are true. Dexterity will make you hard to hit, all the better to convince people you aren’t real, are a figment of their imagination, or otherwise paranormal. A good Constitution ensures that even if you are hit, you can act like it’s no big deal, or like you’re supernaturally immune to pain or injury. Having high Wisdom reinforces your own perceptions and makes sure you can’t be fooled. Strength will follow, it’s not a super important stat for this build, but if you want to deal at least decent damage with your physical attacks, it’s a little important. And Intelligence gets dumped. Book Smarts won’t help you much in deceiving people or driving them insane.

Race: Changeling Background: Charlatan Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Class: College of Whispers Bard (14)             Aberrant Mind Sorcerer (6) Base Stats:    Strength: 10 (0)    Dexterity: 19 (+4)    Constitution: 14 (+2)    Intelligence: 8 (-1)    Wisdom: 12 (+1)    Charisma: 20 (+5) Saving Throws:    Strength: 0    Dexterity: +10    Constitution: +2    Intelligence: -1    Wisdom: +1    Charisma: +11 Combat Stats:     HP: 137     AC: 17     Speed: 30     Initiative: +7     Proficiency Bonus: +6     Passive Perception: 17     Dark Vision: 0 feet Proficiencies:     Deception (Charlatan)     Insight (Changeling)     Intimidation (Changeling)     Perception (Bard)     Persuasion (Bard)     Slight of Hand (Changeling)     Stealth (Bard) Skills: Acrobatics: +7                Medicine: +4 Animal Handling: +4       Nature: +2 Arcana: +2                      Perception: +7 Athletics: +3                    Performance: +8 Deception: +17               Persuasion: +17 History: +2                      Religion: +2 Insight: +13                     Sleight of Hand: +10 Intimidation: +17             Stealth: +10 Investigation: +2             Survival: +4 Damage Resistances:   Psychic Sorcerer Feature: Sorcery Points   6 Sorcery Points Sorcerer Feature: Metamagic   Extended Spell   Subtle Spell Bard Feature: Magical Secrets    Evard’s Black Tentacles    Immolation    Pass Without Trace    Phantsmal Killer

Spell Slots    1st (4)    2nd (3)    3rd (3)    4th (3)    5th (3)    6th (2)    7th (2)    8th (1)    9th (1)

Spellbook of Madness

Cantrips                                2nd Level                        4th Level    Chill Touch                             Blindness/Deafness         Compulsion    Dancing Lights                       Blur                                  Confusion    Friends                                  Calm Emotions                 Evard’s Black Tentacles    Mending                                Crown of Madness            Phantasmal Killer    Message                                Darkness                       5th Level    Mind Sliver                             Detect Thoughts               Dominate Person    Minor Illusion                          Mind Spike                       Immolation    Prestidigitation                       Mirror Image                     Mislead    Unearthly Chorus                   Pass Without Trace          Modify Memory 1st Level                                  Phantasmal Force             Synaptic Static    Arms of Hadar                       Shadow Blade                6th Level    Dissonant Whispers            3rd Level                             Eyebite    False Life                               Enemies Abound            7th Level    Tasha’s Hideous Laughter     Fear                                   Project Image                                                  Hunger of Hadar                                                  Major Image                                                  Sending 

Actions:    Countercharm: Using a Performance action grants friendly creatures within 30 feet radius advantage against charmed and frightened conditions. Bonus Actions:     Bardic Inspiration: Add 1d10 to 5 allies’ rolls per long rest.     Flexible Casting: Convert your Sorcery Points into spell slots. Features:     Change Appearance: Shapeshift as an action. You have advantage on Deception checks to cover your tracks.     Divergent Persona: You have proficiency with a tool. Create a false identity for this proficiency. While using this identity, you have doubled proficiency with the tool of your choice.     False Identity: You have created a fake identity, and can forge documents if you have seen their handwriting.     Font of Inspiration: Regain a Bardic Inspiration after a rest.     Invasive Thoughts: Create a telepathic link with a creature 30 feet away as a bonus action.     Mantle of Whispers: When someone dies, steal their shadow and wear their shadow as a disguise for an hour. You gain access to the dead person’s general information.     Psionic Defense: You resist Psychic damage.     Psionic Sorcery: You cast Aberrant Mind spells without components.     Psionic Spells: You gain additional Aberrant Mind spells     Psychic Blades: Add 5d6 Psychic damage to your melee weapon attacks.     Shadow Lore: Those who fail a Wisdom check become Charmed to believe that you know and will expose the deepest darkest secrets, and obey your commands out of fear of being found out.     Song of Rest: With a song, add 1d10 to healing effects from a rest.     Unsettling Visage: Once per rest, impose disadvantage on a creature trying to hurt you.     Warped Being: your AC is 13 + your DEX mod while without armor     Words of Terror: Your words instill fear for 1 hour.

This build was a bit unorthodox, but it was also a lot of fun to put together. Can you think of a better way to embody madness and insanity in DnD 5e? Do you think you’ll use this in a campaign? Do you have any ideas for something else I can do with DnD 5e? Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you guys next time in the Character Forge, where heroes are made.

[atinybitofau]

W O O Y O U N G ➪ childhood friends au

THE ONE WHERE HE PUTS YOU ON A STUPID LIST.

a/n: kinda halfassed not gonna lie guys I’m so sorry. but regardless I still wanted to put something out for ya’ll so I hope you like it.

• “Y/n stop your whining. Now get ready because we’re going to be late.”

• “But mother, must you always meddle in my love life?! And Wooyoung no less. That man is out to get me!”

• your mother thinks your pleas are half hearted.

• bull hearted at most.

• thinking Jung Wooyoung was the nicest thing on the planet.

• that you deserve him.

• but not only do you not deserve him,

• he’s had it in for you since grade school.

• making sure you made close to zero friends.

• every girl you’ve hung out with,

• dated him at least once.

• and you can’t stand Wooyoung.

• he’s been a pain in your ass since you two were in diapers.

• and now your buddy-buddy mothers are trying to get you two together before you hit 21.

• “I’m not going.”

• she scoffs. “Yes you are. And unless you want your privelages taken away from going to Jongho’s party next week, then you have no choice.”

• “You can’t tell me that! I’m 20 years old!”

• “And still living in my house.”

• you two normally buttheads, you and your mom.

• funny on occasion.

• but this was far from that right now.

• “Remind me never to eat dinner with you again.” you grumble at your mother who also happened to be joining you tonight. “And to never eat your croissants in the middle of the day. Either the thought of seeing Wooyoung is going to make me hurl or your cooking really does suck.”

• your mom laughs at that despite your seriousness. “Honey, I don’t know how you two managed to hate each other all these years but this’ll be good for you. Regardless if you two end up with each other or not, you might actually make amends tonight. And as parents, that is our real goal.”

• you can’t blame them.

• the relationship between you and Wooyoung was bad.

• from ruining important business conferences,

• family dinners,

• each other’s lives—

• it got so bad that other people started to suffer from it.

• so you decided to live it out just for one night.

• “Look, we both don’t like this.” Wooyoung sighs noticing your temper as soon as you two are face to face in front of the flashing lights of the venue. “But for the sake of our parents, let’s act civil for once.”

• you think he’s sometimes the nicest guy.

• but you hated that he was the nicest guy to people that weren’t you.

• he thinks your amazing.

• but hated that other people thought that too.

• your disagreements revolved around the things you envied from one another.

• probably why you hate him and why he hates you.

• “Oh my god, wouldn’t they make the cutest pair?”

• “Their kids would be beautiful.”

• “Those two were made for each other.”

• people would murmur.

• our hands interlocked.

• no feelings involved. (so you think)

• while you two walked around and greeted potential business partners.

• and no. you two weren’t arranged to marry.

• but it sure felt like you both were.

• “Y/n, hey!”

• the one time you managed to slip away from Wooyoung, another willing handsome man saw his chance.

• you smiled back. “Oh hey Jongho. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

• “Well when I heard you would, I wanted to stop by.” he hands you a drink weary about the people around. “I don’t get to see you often you know.. with Wooyoung always around. And since he’ll be at my party next week, I might not even get the chance to talk to you.”

• your eyebrows furrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

• he chuckles at you, lips curling. “You didn’t know?”

• “Didn’t know what?”

• “You’re on the OFF LIMITS list. Wooyoung signed you there.”

• oh god.

• that horrid list the boys of South Korea’s pride made years ago.

• “I’m sorry.” you chuckle nervously, eyes already burning in their sockets. “I think you’re kidding.”

• “You’ve been on there since high school. You never wondered why you couldn’t land a date?”

• you were gonna kill him.

• without knowing his intentions, you were so gonna kill him.

• and he was about to kill the man stepping over his boundaries.

• fists clenched as he approached the both of you.

• “Oh hey Wooyoung. I was just talking to—“

• “And now you’re not. Get lost.”

• you hiss pushing him away. “Would you fuck off? Ugh you’re such an asshole I hate you!”

• he’s taken aback.

• at how fast it happened—

• when you run away.

• not used to you sounding more distraught than annoyed.

• so he follows you.

• worried..

• worried that he might’ve went too far this time.

• usually stays behind the border.

• but he thinks he might’ve crossed it.

• now he’s gotta commit.

• “Y/n! Wait!”

• you look for a nearby place to hide but of course,

• though he’s got short legs.

• walks like an oompa lumpa.

• he’s always been faster than you.

• “What?”

• your glare pierces him and he’s tumbling.

• “What did I do?”

• you scoff in disbelief. “What did you do? Are you seriously asking me that after years of doing absolutely everything you shouldn’t have done?”

• shit.

• he’s thinking,

• you found out.

• about his feelings.

• “Y/n, I—“

• “I can’t believe you Wooyoung. I’ve been dateless my entire life because of a stupid list you kept me on. Because you just love to watch me suffer, single and a complete loser. How much you hate me, I still can’t comprehend.”

• now he’s thinking.

• wow you’re a goddamn idiot.

• eyes glaring back, he hisses. “That’s why you’re angry? Seriously?”

• “Yeah seriously! Why else would I be angry at you? Have anything else you’re hiding behind my back? Another list of sorts. Like the most unappealing females on the planet? List of undesirables? People who wouldn’t stand a chance with any—“

• you gasp when he slides his arms around your waist,

• tilting you like a teapot.

• lips on the spout.

• that spout being your own.

• and you can’t seem to understand.

• why this action would mean he hates you...

• cause well doesn’t he?

• he pulls away breathlessly staring from your unmoving lips back to your just as frozen eyes.

• “None. I have you on none of those lists. Those shouldn’t ever exist. However yes. Yes I did sign that stupid list years ago with your name in permenant ink but it wasn’t because I hated you. Far from that.”

• you don’t understand at all.

• how someone you hated,

• who you thought hated you,

• was suddenly confessing his love for you.

• “Everything you did had everybody in love. You think I’d be an exception? God, I hated that you’d want to share your everything with others. I had to force you to stop. Had to keep you from appealing to my competition cause god knows I already had less than a 10% chance with you.”

• you try to read him.

• his eyes and how he’s never looked at you like that before.

• being single your entire life, you’ve never seen it on someone before.

• is it bad that maybe...

• you only know what that look means because you’ve already given it to him?

• “They could do things that I couldn’t do. Things that you’d fall in love with. And that every time I did what I was capable of, you never even turned your head for me. I envied you and I envied them.”

• Wooyoung was hysterical.

• sounding untouched with his emotions.

• love lust and simple minded.

• confused and hurt.

• but relieved to finally let out his troubles.

• “Why the fuck would you envy them, Wooyoung?”

• cause you’ve always envied him.

• the things he were good at.

• when he was nicer than you.

• hotter than you, fitter than you.

• lord forbid smarter than you (all but right now),

• that everyone wanted him.

• you had no space in his life and felt no need to exert too much effort to make some.

• “I loved everything about you. From head to toe.” he mumbles not realizing he still had you in a princess hold.

• you two confessing in front of a water fountain under the stars like a freaking movie.

• “You let them. You never let me.”

• “You idiot.” you shook your head at him. “Wooyoung, you’re a damn fool, you know that?”

• he feels the way your fingers graze against his neck.

• lost in the feeling and in your eyes,

• then he speaks again.

• “I took things too far this time. And the only way I see this working out for the both of us is if I told you the truth so.. there it is.”

• you raise an eyebrow fighting a smile. “The truth.. That you love me?”

• “For someone who claims they’ve had no experience in love, you sound pretty good at this.”

• you’re never gonna get tired of teasing Wooyoung.

• he makes it too easy.

• you start to think maybe you made it too easy for him to.

• “Probably because I’ve had the experience for a long time. Just didn’t know it.”

• “What?”

• “You know, I was thinking about telling you to take me off that list. Cause you had no right to have put me there in the first place. But now I’m kind of thinking you shouldn’t take my name off.

• “H-huh?”

• “If you still don’t want another man to touch me, Jung Wooyoung, then I suggest you keep me there. Especially since I’ll be your girlfriend starting from today.”

• he’s taken aback at first.

• at how fast it happened—

• now he’s smiling like the fool he is.

• and you don’t see him smile enough, you think.

• and that maybe you’re gonna have to make a list of your own.

• a list of men you’ll never fall in love with.

• he’s gonna be the only man alive to not be on it.

• “A-are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

• you curl your face into his,

• loving the feeling of making him all flustered like this.

• it might be because you’ve gotten so used to teasing the guy.

• or that you might just have fallen in love with it instead.

• “I’m telling you I’m gonna be your girlfriend, Woo. There’s a difference.”

@atinybitofau

[nyahsaqueen]

Task 001: Character Playlist.

Death Becomes Her - a Nyah Queen playlist

Snippets of Lyrics below:

1. tipsy - Chloe x Halle

man just this entire song is her vibe, k bye

I've been crucified, darling Ghosts haunt me like New Orleans I've been charged with murder Need someone to push me further I'll hit you where it hurts, yeah If you don't put me first, yeah And I don't give no apologies If you lose a life, that's not on me, yeah

[Pre-Chorus] Better, baby, better treat me better Better than those other guys who change up like the weather, yeah It is such a shame that they went missing, they can't find 'em now Oh, I wonder how I accidentally put them in the ground, yeah

[Chorus] I might be a little tipsy on your love Makes me a little crazy, but so what? You're strumming on my heartstrings, don't be dumb If you love your little life, then don't fuck up

[Verse 2] I'll take you to the afterlife Boy, if you ain't actin' right Key your car and crash the lights Hit your head, I'm not polite Then I'll hunt down your family Let 'em know 'bout the tragedy Who did it? A mystery But you know that it, it was me, yeah

2. scream - Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson

 Tired of injustice Tired of the schemes The lies are disgusting So what does it mean, damn it? Kicking me down I got to get up As jacked as it sounds The whole system sucks, damn it

Peek in the shadow Come into the light You tell me I'm wrong Then you better prove you're right! You're selling out souls but I I care about mine I've got to get stronger And I won't give up the fight

3. girls like us - Zoe Wees

 It's hard for girls like us We don't know who we trust Not even the ones we love 'Cause they don't know

4. motive - Ariana Grande & Doja Cat

'Cause I see you tryin', subliminally tryin' To see if I'm gon' be the one that's in your arms I admit it's exciting, parts of me kinda like it But before I lead you on

Baby, tell me, what's your motive? (Motive)

You treat me like gold, baby Now you wanna spoil me Did you want a trophy or you wanna sport me, baby? Want me on your neck 'cause you wanted respect 'Cause you fightin' some war, baby Well, I had to bring the fists out, had to put a wall up But don't trust phonies, baby (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) You gotta tell me, what's your motive, baby?

5. boss bitch - Doja Cat

Yeah, ain't tryna be cool like you Wobblin' around in your high heel shoes I'm clumsy, made friends with the floor Two for one, you know a bitch buy four And two left feet, you know I always drop First thing a girl did was a bop I'm the whole damn cake and the cherry on top Shook up the bottle, made a good girl pop

I'm a bitch, I'm a boss I'm a bitch and a boss, I'ma shine like gloss

6. nightmare - Halsey

"Come on, little lady, give us a smile" No, I ain't got nothin' to smile about I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for A moment to say I don't owe you a goddamn thing

7. all the stars - Kendrick Lamar, SZA

Tell me what you gon' do to me Confrontation ain't nothin' new to me You can bring a bullet, bring a sword, bring a morgue But you can't bring the truth to me Fuck you and all your expectations I don't even want your congratulations I recognize your false confidence And calculated promises all in your conversation I hate people that feel entitled Look at me crazy 'cause I ain't invite you Oh, you important? You the moral to the story? You endorsin'? Mothafucka, I don't even like you Corrupted man's heart with a gift That's how you find out who you dealin' with A small percentage who I'm buildin' with I want the credit if I'm losin' or I'm winnin' On my momma, that's the realest shit

8. needed me - Rihanna

But baby, don't get it twisted You was just another n**** on the hit list Tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch Didn't they tell you that I was a savage? Fuck ya white horse and ya carriage Bet you never could imagine Never told you you could have it

You needed me Ooh, you needed me To feel a little more, and give a little less Know you hate to confess But baby ooh, you needed me 9. checklist - Normani, Calvin Harris feat. Wizkid

Come show me what the neck ’bout Might show you what the check ’bout Might show you what that net 'bout Give it all to you if you check out Way you moving it around me Make me feel like you wan’ drown me Make me feel like you wan' wet me Only you know how to get me up

10. truth hurts - Lizzo

You tried to break my heart? Oh, that breaks my heart That you thought you ever had it No, you ain't from the start Hey, I'm glad you're back with your bitch I mean, who would wanna hide this? I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be your side chick I put the sing in single Ain't worried 'bout a ring on my finger So you can tell your friend, "Shoot your shot" when you see him It's okay, he already in my DMs

I'ma hit you back in a minute (Yeah, yeah) I don't play tag, bitch, I been it (One time) We don't fuck with lies (Two times), we don't do goodbyes (Woo) We just keep it pushing like ay-ay-ay

11. juice - Lizzo

If I'm shinin', everybody gonna shine (Yeah, I'm goals) I was born like this, don't even gotta try (Now you know) I'm like chardonnay, get better over time (So you know) Heard you say I’m not the baddest, bitch, you lie (Haha)

It ain’t my fault that I'm out here gettin’ loose Gotta blame it on the Goose Gotta blame it on my juice, baby It ain't my fault that I'm out here makin' news I’m the pudding in the proof Gotta blame it on my juice Ya-ya-ee, ya-ya-ee, ya-ya-ee, ya-ya-ee Blame it on my juice, blame it, blame it on my juice

12. motivation - normani

 Fallin'  into the bed Why would we ever do somethin' instead of Fallin' into the bed right now? Yeah

I'ma break you off, let me be your motivation To stay and give it tonight And, baby, turn around, let me give you innovation Hey, 'cause I do it so right Think about it, ooh, I think about it Think about it, ooh, take a look at me now Hey, a little motivation, alright

13. mi gente - J Balvin, Willy William

Esquina a esquina, de ahí no' vamo' El mundo es grande, pero lo tengo en mi' manos Estoy muy duro, sí, ok, ahí vamos Y con el tiempo nos seguimos elevando

English: i’m rusty, i had to get some google help

Corner on the corner, that’s where we go The world is big, but I have it in my hands I’m very tough, yes, okay, there we go And over time we keep going up

14. sorry not sorry - Demi Lovato

Now, I'm out here lookin' like revenge Feelin' like a ten, the best I've ever been And, yeah, I know how bad it must hurt to see me like this But it gets worse (Wait a minute) Now, you're out here lookin' like regret, ain't too proud to beg Second chance, you'll never get And, yeah, I know how bad it must hurt to see me like this But it gets worse (Wait a minute)

Now, payback is a bad bitch And baby, I'm the baddest You fuckin' with a savage Can't have this, can't have this (Ah) And it'd be nice of me to take it easy on ya, but nah

Baby, I'm sorry (I'm not sorry)

15. django jane - Janelle Monáe

And hit the mute button, let the vagina have a monologue Mansplaining, I fold 'em like origami What's a wave, baby? This a tsunami For the culture, I kamikaze, I put my life on a life line If she the G.O.A.T. now, would anybody doubt it?

16. perfect illusion - Lady Gaga

Tryin' to get control Pressure's takin' its toll Stuck in the middle zone I just want you alone My guessing game is strong Way too real to be wrong Caught up in your show Yeah, at least now I know

It wasn't love, it wasn't love It was a perfect illusion (Perfect illusion) Mistaken for love, it wasn't love It was a perfect illusion (Perfect illusion) You were a perfect illusion

17. formation - Beyoncé

I see it, I want it, I stunt; yellow bone-it I dream it, I work hard, I grind 'til I own it I twirl on them haters, albino alligators El Camino with the seat low, sippin' Cuervo with no chaser Sometimes I go off (I go off), I go hard (I go hard) Get what's mine (Take what's mine), I'm a star (I'm a star) 'Cause I slay (Slay), I slay (Hey), I slay (Okay), I slay (Okay) All day (Okay), I slay (Okay), I slay (Okay), I slay (Okay) We gon' slay (Slay), gon' slay (Okay), we slay (Okay), I slay (Okay) I slay (Okay), okay (Okay), I slay (Okay), okay, okay, okay, okay Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay Prove to me you got some coordination, 'cause I slay Slay trick, or you get eliminated

18. be careful - Cardi B

Be careful with me, do you know what you doin'? Whose feelings that you're hurtin' and bruisin'? You gon' gain the whole world But is it worth the girl that you're losin'? Be careful with me Yeah, it's not a threat, it's a warnin' Be careful with me Yeah, my heart is like a package with a fragile label on it Be careful with me

19. i like that - Janelle Monáe

I remember when you called me weird We was in math class, third row, I was sitting by you Right before Mr. Ammond’s class 'Cause my mama couldn’t afford new Js Polos, thrift store, thrift clothes that was all I knew Do you remember? Uh, I remember when you laughed when I cut my perm off And you rated me a six I was like, “Damn” But even back then with the tears in my eyes I always knew I was the shit 20. W - Koffee feat. Gunna

Everything we do, we give thanks, tell dem wah we do Lowe di L, take di W (Ayy, ayy) One thing deh out deh fi you (Ayy, ayy) And it nah come if you no go

[justoneday-namjoonii]

It burns, doesn’t it? [Pt. 18] | millions burning | rough draft

Genre/au: Mafia!au, Mature, Fluff, Angst…so much angst. Violence and all that good mafia stuff. Warning: This story contains graphic imagery, mature subject matter, improper drug usage, self-medication, including but not limited to crude/unnerving behavior, intensity, bloody, v slight-gore, etc.

Members: BTS Feat. Got7

→ Pairing: Jungkook x reader x ( ? ) →Summary: Why am I hurting alone? Why am I in love alone?

author’s note: there will be a taglist for the next update! please comment on this post if u want to be tagged💜 P.s ive been sick for like the whole week so ive been power writing💖💪

Released →  Pt. 18

| Prologue | Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 5 | Pt. 6 | Pt. 7 | Pt. 8 | Pt. 9 | Pt. 10 | Pt. 11 | P. 12 | Pt. 13 | Pt. 14 | Pt. 15 | Pt. 16 | Pt. 17 | Pt. 18 | Pt. 19 | Pt. 20

The pungent smell of marijuana engulfs your nostrils as soon the person walks inside. When you hear them clear their throat, you know exactly who it is. It's Jimin. Your chest fades into a bed of butterflies and the idea of talking to him alone makes you nervous. 

You're peeking through the crack of the door as he leans against the counter.

You're still watching him and he hasn't noticed. He took out his phone and started typing. That's when you decide to crawl out of the pantry and he flinches when he sees you emerge from the tiny space.

"Y/n," He sighs, brows furrowing in confusion, "what're you doing?"

"I was- I came down here earlier to get, um-" You clamber to explain yourself. "To get a-"

"Were you spying on me?"

You swallow, "Of course not! I wouldn't do that-"

"I'm kidding," He shoots you a dull smile, calming your nerves. "where's Jungkook? I’m surprised you’re not glued to his hip.”

"Upstairs, I was a little hungry so I came down to get something but I'm not hungry anymore." 

He pushes back his brassy blonde hair, his eyes wander to the alcohol on the table and he giggles a little. You? Drinking alcohol?  

"You've been drinking?"

"A little, Jungkook and I," Along with that pungent smell on his clothes, you catch a whiff of some type of liquor on him. You smile, "smells like you had a little bit yourself."

"Hm," He nods, "a little."

He looks like he's uninterested in talking to you, but you know that can't be true. It's Jimin after all.

"Why have you been acting like, I don't know," You blurt it out without thinking. "...Like you don't want to talk to me?" 

His heart stops for a moment and he withdraws. "I don't think I have, that's how you feel?"

"Well, yeah. For a while, you were my only true friend and I thought you cared enough about me to at least t- talk to me...You haven't said a word to me since we got here." Tears well in your eyes. Naturally, you try to cover your face with your hands, in a futile attempt to stop the tears. "This situation is already difficult to adjust to and you treating me like a stranger doesn't help."

"Y/n," He leans against the counter, trying to distract himself with tapping the cool granite, rather than listening to your hitched breath. Those sounds are pure torture to him, “things are just complicated." 

He says that, but here he is, watching you ball your eyes out because he hasn't been paying you even the slightest attention. "How are they complicated?"

"Do you not realize what's happening? We're all under one roof and there's bad blood on all sides here. He doesn't trust me and you know this, Y/n," He turns from you, "You're just not thinking straight." 

What is he saying?

"I thought of you as a real friend, it sounds so stupid now but that's how I felt. You listened to me, you didn't just hear what I said, you listened and you seemed like you cared." You hiccup, biting your lip incredibly hard to resist sobbing. "It's not f- fair to do this to me."

"Fair? Y/n, how the fuck do you think I feel?" He walks up to you, no longer worried about keeping a distance, 

"Do you think this easy for me? Do you think I can just forget about you because you’re with him? You loved my attention, you were looking for it constantly and I gave it to you whenever you wanted it because I wanted to see you smile at least once a day, that was my goal. If I could do that, then I was doing something right. I was there for you when you were at your lowest, and do you know what you told me? You're not Jungkook."

You forgot you said that to him.

"I spent all of that time with you but you’ll always run to him. I kissed you and maybe deep down inside I thought you'd kiss me back or feel something for me but you didn't. And I had to accept that you love Jungkook and I'm not him. So nothing is fair in this world, sometimes you just have to suck it up."

"Jimin," Guilt consumes you and you want everything in the world to take back what you said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Look, I don't know what I'm feeling or what this is between us but it has to stop." He drags his hands down his face, regretting that this conversation had to start tonight. 

"Jimin, that doesn't mean not you're allowed to care about me." You whimper, wiping your cheek sloppily. "As a friend..."

"Y/n, it's not that simple." He combs through his hair. "God, you treat me like I'm harmless like I'm not capable of hurting you. I could hurt you, in a way that shatters the mental image of yourself, of who you were before me. I've made people so totally devoted to a persona that I've created just to get what I want, I could do that to you." His expression saddens because even though he's saying it he can't bear the thought. "Aren't you afraid of that?"

"S- stop saying things like that...You- you wouldn't do that to me. I'm sorry if I hurt you or made you feel used. I was just so lonely and broken, and you were there and when I was with you I actually wanted to live, I wanted to be happy because you reminded me that it was still possible," You sniffle, "I- I'm sorry that I held onto that so tight."

"Hey, I know," He tilts his head, looking in your glossed over eyes as if they had some type of soul-saving properties, "you don't have to cry, okay? I know you're sorry, and I am too. Y/n, it kills me to see you like this..."

But when you look up at him, nose red and glistening eyes—he can't take it anymore.

"It's okay," Jimin throws all caution to the wind and embraces you, he takes a few breaths and exhales in relief. "calm down,"

* * * * * * * 

"What's taking so long..." You said you were hungry but he assumed you weren't going to down there to make a whole meal. Curiosity gets the best of him. He hopes out of the bed and goes downstairs to see what you're doing — what he sees shocks him to the bone.

There you are, wrapped in Jimin's arms and crying. Anger bubbles in his chest, but for your sake, he keeps it at bay. Quietly, he approaches you two and Jimin open his eyes when he feels a dark presence. Oh shit.

"Somebody wanna tell me what’s happening here?"

“Jungkook?-” Without warning, you're being pulled from Jimin and squished against Jungkook like a stuffed animal to a child. "look at me," He holds you so that he can inspect your face,

"what's wrong? Why are you crying?" His brows are knitted tightly and he's alarmed, frantically trying to figure out why you're so distraught. "Tell me what happened." You push your face back into his chest and whine, you just can't say anything, he diverts his attention toward Jimin.

He switches out completely.

"What the fuck did you do?" Jungkook borderline growls, leaving you to get in Jimin's personal space.

"What do you think I did, Jungkook?" He bites back. "Why do you walk into a situation without any context and instantly start throwing blame?"

"Answer the question." He points at you. "You must have done something because she's crying and won't say anything. What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything to her." Jimin looks to you, "Y/n, tell him-"

"Don't answer him," Jungkook abruptly stands in front of you, blocking Jimin's view of you completely. He looks back at Jimin, "and don't fucking talk to her."

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Fu Manchu

(WARNING! This analysis contains DISCUSSIONS OF OUTDATED RACIST STEREOTYPES! This analysis does not support or condone such things whatsoever and merely is here to analyze the cultural impact of the character!)

"Imagine a person, tall, lean, and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources, if you will, of a wealthy government—which, however, already has denied all knowledge of his existence. Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man."

— The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu (1913)

I think it really goes without saying that the late 19th century and early 20th century were deeply, incredibly racist. One such manifestation of the racism and xenophobia of the times was the villainous archetype known as the Yellow Peril. The so-called “Yellow Peril” is a caricature of eastern cultures, portrayed in a villainous light; the characters are diabolical criminal masterminds who tend to be geniuses, know kung fu, have mystical powers, command barbarian hordes, and dress like the most stereotypical dynastic noble you could imagine. Just think of every single cringeworthy Asian stereotype you can imagine, stuff it into one villainous package, and BOOM! You have yourself a Yellow Peril villain.

You’ve most definitely seen villains that fit some semblance of this trope. Lo Pan of Big Trouble in Little China and Long Feng from Avatar: The Last Airbender are notable examples (and ones that aren’t particularly problematic, as their works don’t rely on some white guy saving the day and instead have Asian heroes). But we’re not here to talk about them, oh no – we’re here to talk about the grandaddy of them all, the villain who codified the idea of a Yellow Peril villain to such… er, for lack of a better word, “perfection,” that even though he has somewhat faded from the public consciousness he has managed to continue inspiring villains up until the present day: Fu Manchu.

While not the first Yellow Peril villain, he is pretty much the face of it. He is what comes to mind when you envision such a villain, which may be because his cultural impact runs so deep – characters such as Batman’s nemesis Ra’s al-Ghul, the Iron Man foe The Mandarin, and James Bond baddie Doctor No among many others all draw inspiration from this legendary Devil Doctor. So what exactly is his deal that has made him such a problematic icon?

Motivation/Goals: So Fu Manchu’s goals started with him being a Chinese nationalist but eventually he moved into your standard world domination, with him developing over time into becoming a sort of noble criminal, a diabolical mastermind with some level of ethics, class, and standards; the man sent his nemesis gifts on his wedding day and always stuck to his word. This doesn’t seem like much now, but you gotta remember, this guy was one of the first big literary supervillains; you’ve gotta cut him a little slack.

Performance: So it is time to discuss the elephant in the room… not once in his long and storied history in film has Fu Manchu been portrayed by an actor of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Indian descent. Fu Manchu has always, always been portrayed by the worst possible option in every single case: a white guy in yellow face. Christopher Lee is perhaps the most well-known white man to play him in a serious work, portraying him in a series of films, though Boris Karloff portrayed him as well. 

Peter Sellers portrayed Fu in his last major cinematic appearance, though unlike most other examples that film – The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu – was a parody, which does at least take away a little bit of the bad taste.

The only valid white man portrayal is, of course, from the fake trailer for Werewolf Women of the S.S. As said fake trailer is a ridiculous sendup of exploitation films and trashy cinema in general, the inclusion of a white man playing the fiendish doctor is pretty much part of the joke – but it’s who they got that’s the real treat. We’ll get to that shortly, but before that…

It is honestly really disgusting that in the long history of this character, he has never once been portrayed by an Asian actor. You’d think at some point that someone might at least just cast any sort of Asian due to the unfortunate tendency to view Asian actors as interchangeable, but they couldn’t even do that.

Final Fate: Fu Manchu is notable because he always gets away, even if his plans are foiled; in fact, he’ll sometimes have plans within plans, so even when he loses, he still wins to some degree. But enough about his in-universe fate; let’s talk about the real world fate of the character, where Fu Manchu has a very odd legal status in terms of public domain.

While the first three books are in the public domain, some characters from later books are not considered part of the public domain, which has lead to situations such as Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu not being able to be reprinted for years. On top of this, as the character’s creator Sax Rohmer died in 1959, Fu Manchu is not in the public domain in Europe; this has led to him appearing but not being directly named in Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where he is only referred to as “The Doctor” (amusingly, he goes up against Moriarty in that comic, the character he draws inspiration from).

Best Scene: In what is one of the very few non-offensive uses of the character, Fu Manchu is given a brief cameo in the trailer for Werewolf Women of the S.S. that shows up in the Rodriguez/Tarantino double feature Grindhouse, and he’s played by… well… just watch:

Final Thoughts & Score: Fu Manchu is an absolutely fascinating villain born out of incredibly problematic places.

There is absolutely no denying that Fu Manchu was created from a deeply racist place. It’s an unavoidable fact. There is no getting around it. Fu Manchu as a character was meant to demonize the Chinese, to the point where production of films based on him as well as the novels was halted in times of war when the Chinese were allies. These books, these stories, are all extremely problematic by the standards of today.

But with that being said… who, exactly, is the title character? Do you know, without looking it up, who the hero who Fu Manchu antagonizes is, the Holmes to his Moriarty? This is Fu Manchu’s series, and throughout it he projects an air of intelligence, sophistication, and even honor that you wouldn’t expect would be afforded to a character such as him. As far as racist propaganda goes, an extremely charitable person could be able to call this “progressive” in some regard. Positive discrimination is a step up from regular discrimination, right? Again, there’s really no getting around the glaring problems with the character and his origins, but the fact Fu Manchu is one of the first supercriminals in literature and manages to just be unflinchingly cool to the point where you’ll probably end up rooting for him over the bland white protagonists says something for how utterly racism fails when it manages to make the object of its derision infinitely cooler than the race it’s trying to prop up as superior.

By my own criteria, Fu Manchu could only be an 11/10. I can’t deny how much of an impact, for better or for worse, the fiendish doctor has had on pop culture, to the point where he gave his name to and subsequently killed off a variety of facial hair, a feat only matched by Hitler. But this comes with a disclaimer: I cannot stress enough that Fu Manchu is deeply and inherently problematic on a conceptual level, and that despite how genuinely cool and fascinating he is in the right hands it doesn’t and cannot erase that his original purpose was to demonize the Chinese and Asian cultures. He also managed to help perpetuate yellowface and helped to popularize cliches that have plagued Asian villains to this day. While many in his wake have still managed to be cool and engaging in their own right, it really cannot be said how this character has a very complex history. Has he done more bad than good? That’s not for a white guy like me to determine; I’m merely here to determine the overall quality of the villain and determine their impact, and Fu Manchu undeniably has impacted culture. It would be wrong and disingenuous to break my own rules to give him a lower rating due to his problematic elements, but at the same time I cannot sit here and pretend they do not exist.

I would love to see the day where Fu Manchu can be reclaimed to some extent. Look at Shang-Chi, for example; the (at this time) upcoming Marvel film is set to feature the Fu Manchu-inspired Mandarin as a major character, and he is set to be played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai, a Hong Kong actor. If one of the characters inspired by him can get portrayed by an Asian actor, perhaps someday in the future Fu Manchu can be reclaimed from his racist origins and given the respectful treatment he deserves. Fu Manchu is a character that is in many ways accidentally incredible and iconic. Born from horrendous racism, and yet the racist screeds depicting him always somehow manage to prop him up as the best character in the lot… it’s the paradox of racist thought, to go so far in demonizing their target they manage to make them more interesting and engaging than the generic protagonists. Fu Manchu is a truly great villain mired in the problems of the time he was created; in the right hands, great work could be done with him.

Bottom line is: Rob Zombie, get Nicolas Cage on the phone and start filming Werewolf Women of the S.S.

[a-sharlayan-abroad]

Music Meme: U’feynril

THE RULES:

You have to randomize, so no hand-picked theme songs! [Break the rule if you want though, because why leave this stuff to chance??]

Copy the text and post as your own! DON’T REBLOG! Give it some pizzaz! Grab a screenshot! Have fun with this~

Tag meeeee [@myymsaetayuun] [please?] so I can see the wonderful music that you all connect with your characters! I absolutely love seeing all the inspirations that everyone has out there. I also really love music!

It’s 34 prompts long. Why? I dunno, it seemed like a cool number to stop. Also, they have no rhyme or reason to the order to facilitate the shuffle effect! If you have more to add, ADD THEM! Go wild! Now then, let’s get started.

I’m grabbing these songs from playlist I made for when I write Feyn, so let’s see how this goes. We’ll find how well these songs actually fit her, I guess!

U’feynril Jamrha

1. How the world sees them

Bad Ideas - Tessa Violet

{........... alright, good start.}

2. A song to play on a good day

Live Well - Palace

3. What acquaintances and the random person thinks of them

Shelter - Porter Robinson

4. A song for those who want them [sexually]

Anxiously - No, It’s Fine

5. When they make others happy

Some Grace - Hop Along

{Oh good, I’m sad now.}

6. When they are happy

Like Real People Do - Hozier

7. A theme for a life goal

Sex - EDEN

{Okay fine this one made me laugh.}

8. Giving bad advice

Bloom - The Paper Kites

9. Giving good advice

Love is All - Tallest Man on Earth

{This is a pretty good one.}

10. What they think their theme song is

Ghosting - Mother, Mother

11. Their funeral song

Knot in my Heart - The Zolas

12. What everyone else thinks is their theme song

Safe as Houses - aKING

13. When they see someone they love

Landslide - Oh Wonder

{Oh okay, OUCH my heart.}

14. When they are having a bad day

40 Day Dream - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

15. A song about their life’s purpose

New Life - Alex Ernst

{Aw okay I don’t hate this one at all.}

16. When someone reminisces about them

Guilty Party - The National

{Cool and I’m sad again.}

17. A song that might be constantly stuck in their head

This December - Ricky Montgomery 

18. A song someone might serenade them with

Up We Go - Lights

{This could hypothetically be uplifting in acoustic.}

19. A song they would serenade to someone else

Fine, Great - Modern Baseball

{Alright maybe if she was very intoxicated.}

20. A song they might hum or sing along with

All These Things That I Have Done - The Killers

21. A song they would perform, or at least karaoke

I Keep Going - Caamp

22. A theme when they are in the general public

Carried Away - Passion Pit

{Oh I like this match! It’s not bad.}

23. A theme for them in private

A Thousand Bad Times - Post Malone

{YIKES.}

24. A theme for their deepest desires

22 (Feat. Delaney) - Abstract 

25. Thinking back on a traumatic, sad, or unpleasant memory

Devil Like Me - Rainbow Kitten Surprise

{DOUBLE YIKES}

26. A song to their best friends

Three Thirty - Eighty Ninety

27. Waking up in the morning [Or night if they are nocturnal!]

Monsters - Chaos Chaos

28. Finally being able to fall asleep

Always Alright - Alabama Shakes

29. When they fall in love/lust

Fences - Magic Bronson

30. Thinking back on a happy, serene, or pleasant memory

New Birth in New England - Phosphorescent

31. A song to their family

If Only For Memories - Streetlight Manifesto

{HOLY SHIT THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS IS PERFECT}

32.  Dissociation music

Just a Boy - Angus & Julie Stone

33. Manic music

Still Feel. - Half Alive

{I can dig it.}

34. A final theme that means everything to the character [it’s especially okay if you cheat for this one]

Sunflower - Post Malone & Swae Lee

{I did not, in fact, cheat on this one.}

Thoughts: This was fun! I got a giggle out of some of the shuffles, and am a little surprised that even a fraction of them were accurate at all. Thanks for tagging me @illia-ast :) I appreciate it!

Your turn!

Tagging: @eorzeasfrozenknight, @alluring-adornments, & @mai-takeda to try this out! Also anyone else who might want to do it!

[myymsaetayuun]

Music Meme: Myym’sae Tayuun

Look at me making a music meme. I’ve been sitting on so much music for my character themed playlists, and I thought something fun like this might be a neat way to see if all their music was on brand.

THE RULES: 

You have to randomize, so no hand picked theme songs! [Break the rule if you want though, because why leave this stuff to chance??]

Copy the text and post as your own! DON’T REBLOG! Give it some pizzaz! Grab a screenshot! Have fun with this~

Tag meeeee [@myymsaetayuun] [please?] so I can see the wonderful music that you all connect with your characters! I absolutely love seeing all the inspirations that everyone has out there. I also really love music!

It’s 34 prompts long. Why? I dunno, it seemed like a cool number to stop. Also they have no rhyme or reason to the order to facilitate the shuffle effect! If you have more to add, ADD THEM! Go wild! Now then, lets get started:

Myym’sae Tayuun

1. How the world sees them

Don’t Fear the Reaper - Phlotilla, Mon Najib [Man, off to a great start]

2. A song to play on a good day

I Don’t Give A... - Missio, Zeale

3. What acquaintances and the random person thinks of them

Because You Know - Becky Shaheen

4. A song for those who want them [sexually]

Gasoline - Halsey

5. When they make others happy

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

6. When they are happy

Wildfire - Wulf Black

7. A theme for a life goal

Lasso - Gabe Lopez

8. Giving bad advice

Lotus Flower - Alexa Melo

9. Giving good advice

STFD - TeZATalks

10. What they think their theme song is

On Fire - Once Monsters [I screeched with laughter. This is so accurate!]

11. Their funeral song

Crossing Over - Lawless, IO Echo [I think the random placement of questions is working. Chilling!]

12. What everyone else thinks is their theme song

Pretty Little Gangster - Ryder 

13. When they see someone they love

Umbrella - Invermere, Veela

14. When they are having a bad day

Villian of My Own Story - Unlike Pluto

15. A song about their life’s purpose

In Common - Anavae

16. When someone reminisces about them

Rose Colored Lenses - Eliza

17. A song that might be constantly stuck in their head

Winter Moon - Erutan

18. A song someone might serenade them with

Paper Mache - Iris Lune

19. A song they would serenade to someone else

Starboy - The Weeknd, Daft Punk

20. A song they might hum or sing along with

Forget - The Tech Thieves

21. A song they would perform, or at least karaoke

Letters - Winters Island

22. A theme when they are in the general public

Little Poor Me - Layto

23. A theme for them in private

Trouble (Feat. Nikki Williams) - Parov Stelar, Nikki Williams

24. A theme for their deepest desires

Beauty Queen - Hybrid

25. Thinking back on a traumatic, sad, or unpleasant memory

Animal Oddity - MNQN [This is chillingly appropriate]

26. A song to their best friends

Swan - Willa [Also accurate and the real reason he has so few besties]

27. Waking up in the morning [Or night if they are nocturnal!]

The Expanse - Through Juniper Vale

28. Finally being able to fall asleep

Ghost - Natasha Blume

29. When they fall in love/lust

Heaven or Hell - Digital Daggers

30. Thinking back on a happy, serene, or pleasant memory

Walk Around - Mushroom People, Alex Ramone

31. A song to their family

Let Me Love - ARCHIS 

32.  Dissociation music

Castle - Corvyx

33. Manic music

OK - 8 Graves [Man, I actually gasped at how appropriate this one is]

34. A final theme that means everything to the character [it’s especially okay if you cheat for this one]

Alive - Amarante [This was what the playlist chose, which is a really good song that absolutely fits the theme of what Myym’sae is about. HOWEVER--]

Butterfly Water - Pastelle, My City Glory [THIS is the song that really encapsulates Myym’sae as an experience, in my opinion.]

                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Thoughts: A lot of the songs fit right where they needed despite being a shuffle music meme! I’m happy and it reminds me that I’ve done my job of cultivating a really good playlist that follows a theme!

Your turn!

Tagging: @mottledscales @seeking-apricity @latikaa-renaz @fairy-friend @bardschmard @catboysimulator

[heliantyr]

ALRIGHT!

Time for questions! I’m going to put 1-9 here plain and simple, and then the rest will be under the break just so that you don’t have to scroll to oblivion if you don’t want to see this! Let’s go!

1: Name

     My name is Jude, or Coreta if you wanna use my pen name! A few of you might also know me as Virchude since that’s my main blog!

2: Age

    I won’t tell you plainly, but I am still in high school.

3: City that you live in

     I’m just gonna tell you which state! I live in the lower peninsula of Michigan!

4: What do most people not know about you?

     I’m almost certain that none of you know this, but I am the youngest of  my dad’s (kinda) six kids.

5:  What do most people know you for?

     If we’re talking just here, I hope to all get out it’s my headcanons, but in real life it’s the fact that I get offended rather easily...

6: Hobbies!

     I do a lot of pointless writing (meaning I never finish anything)... I also draw a lot of random junk, I rad a shit ton of fanfiction, I sing/write songs a lot... uuhh and do nothing.

7: What are your passions?

     I have a very large passion for helping those around me who have suffered like I have mentally and emotionally. I also really like debating (more like arguing) with people about politics!

8: When was the last time you had a significant conversation with someone you love?

     Just yesterday my mom, older sister, and I ended up accidentally sitting down in the living room and ranting about how shitty out lives are... so.......... yeah

9: have you collected anything? What is it?

     I have a small hat collection (that I hardly ever wear), and I’m beginning a plant collection! There is also a ever fluctuating collection of cups and bottles in my room T-T

10: List ten things off your bucket list (I may not remember half of these TvT)

*Take a trip back to Colorado with my friends

*Start a business

*Travel to at least 8 countries

*Go to Andorra

*Be known for some great feat

*Have one of my works (whether art or writing, etc) become famous or greatly known

*Meet one of my favorite actors/band members (doesn’t matter who)

*Learn to swim...............

*Make drastic strides towards saving the planet

*Meet more people from my dad’s side of the family

11: What was the last thing you learned?

     Seeing as I got out of world history an hour and a half ago, we learned about the Cold War and how the USSR fell apart because of silly putty

12: How many relationships have you been in?

     Counting the ones that didn’t mean shit, 4. Only counting the ones that actually meant something, 2.

13 + 14 I am not answering.

15: Favorite food

     Menudo. Fuckin love it

16: Favorite drink

     hm... either tea or ginger ale, but out of a shot glass TvT A TWO LETER OUT OF A SHOT GLASS

17: What is the best birthday gift you have ever received?

     I went to NYC over my birthday weekend this year with my school’s choir, and our tour leader on my bus got me a pastry in Little Italy! It meant so much because I didn’t even know her! 

18: Are you optimistic or pessimistic?

     I’m usually pessimistic unless my friends are also being pessimistic, cuz then I’m frigin sunshine and rainbows!

19: Do you sleep during class?

     Not very often, and only if what I’m doing isn’t actually important.

20: What is the most expensive thing you own?

     If not my actual bed, my laptop, which is $200.

21: What is the cheapest yet most useful thing you own?

     ..... I... Don’t know... uh I got a huge fukin thing of cocoa butter lotion at the dollar tree... and it’s kind of multi use?!?

22: How many time a day on average to you check your phone?

     .........don’t look at me like that.

23: Text or call?

     Text. I wanna call people, but what if they don’t pick up? Or it’s really awkward? or I can’t hear them? or vise versa? or-

24: Opinion on long distance?

     Sounds like torture. I honestly couldn’t do it.

25: What is your definition of success?

     Feeling satisfied or content with what you’ve done.

26: Favorite song?

     um. At the moment, Killer Queen by Queen.

27: Favorite artist?

     Music wise, Patrick Stump. Art wise, Van Gogh.

28: Celebrity crush/crushes?

     That’s a long list. But my main two recently have been Sebastian Stan and Tom Holland...

29: When was the last time you read for fun?

     Aside from fanfiction? Last Wednesday night I stayed up reading Shakespeare’s sonnets to myself...

30: Favorite flower?

     chrysanthemums!

31: What is the best gift you could receive right now?

     A confidence boost that lasted at least the rest of high school...

32: Any guilty pleasures?

     Day dreaming about random shit.... random weird shit about people I know...

33: What is one thing you’d like to change about yourself?

     Hm... I think I’d change my mental health. I just wanna be perfectly okay for once.

34: What do you search for in a friend?

     being able to understand me, relate to me, and be weird with me. Also mutual interests. And reasonable barriers.

35: How many times have I said “I love you” in the past month?

     You expect me you count???? A shit ton! Do you know how many times a day I have a family member leave the goddamn house????

36: Where dd you last go other than your room/home?

     School.

37: Why do good things happen to good people?

     Because that’s not how life works. Our society constantly has people suffering, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.

38: In your opinion, what hurts more? Being left out, or being stabbed in the eye?

     Seeing as I’m just about used to the pain of being left out, I’d say being stabbed in the eye. I am such a wuss T-T

39: How many green shirts do you own?

     1. It’s a St. Patty’s day shirt.

40: Do you like anime?

     noooooooooooo.......... not at allllll.... TvT I’m tired!

41: What do you invest the most time in?

     Either videogames or fanfiction.

42: What is the name of the last book you read?

     The Hobbit (even though I haven’t finished yet)

43: What’s the difference between loving and liking someone?

     No clue... Still trying to figure that out.

44: Where are you most productive?

     My art classroom

45: List three things you enjoy doing with friends:

*Complaining about life

*being gay

*Pretend to kidnap one of them my dragging them around the floor during lunch

46: List three things you like to do alone:

*Listen to music

*Think

*Read

47: Do you think that world peace will ever exist?

     As long as there are living things on it? Never.

48: Do you have any allergies?

     Absolutely none! I knew this kid in the third grade who was allergic to nuts, milk, AND gluten!

49: When was the last time you cussed at someone?

     My friend and I got into an argument about who the best actors are during english....

50: What was the last promise you made?

     .......Is it bad that I don’t remember?

51: What was your last dream about?

     I had a hedgehog (which I really frikin want), and I was taking care of them, and hen this asshole in my grade was in my living room and I had to be nice to him.

52: If you won a trip to Hawaii and could take 5 people with you, who would they be? 

*My best friend Kiara

*My friend Raph

*My other friend Molly

*My other other friend Faith

*My dog

53: How many countries have you visited?

     1, if you count the fact that I live in one!

54: What is your favorite medium of art?

     Music. It moves me so easily.

55: When was the last time someone complimented you?

     My friend Laura jokingly complimented my hair during english (we were looking at old english compliments) and she winked at me TyT

56: If you switched bodies with someone, how would you recognize yourself?

     uh... hol up, wha? 

57: Do you consider yourself mature?

     At times, yes.

58: How many days in your life do you think you’ve wasted on tumblr?

     so frigin many, but there’s more to come!!!!

59: What is your favorite quote?

     “I was so good at sports when I was in high school, that I started a band.”

                                      -Patrick Stump

60:  If you started a new religion and you had to create 3 rules or commandments for your new followers to live by, what would those 3 rules be?

*Be kind to all (see how that’s turned out???)

*Spend life learning. Try to find the lesson in your experiences.

*Mental growth is more important than anything

61: What is your greatest accomplishment?

     Being alive today.

62: Do you believe in the death penalty?

     No, not really.

63: What are your goals in life?

     To be a better person than my mother is, and to help others on a mental level.

64: What do you think your soulmate is doing right now?

     I honestly have no clue... maybe something weird?

65:  If you could live anywhere, where would you live? The place can be in an imaginary, fantasy, or the real world.

     I would have to go with.......... oo that’s hard................... the bnha universe      T-T I want powers!

66: What were you like in 2013? 

     I was an awkward, abusive, shitty little child.

67: Do you have a job?

     Nope! I’m planning on possibly finding a part-time one soon, though!

68: Tell us a story about your childhood best friend.

     His name was Parker, and he was a year older than me. He was my first friend other than my older sister, and I loved him so much. I don’t remember much, seeing as the last time I saw him I was five... It was early fall, just when the leaves start to fall. We had one of those trees in my front year that dropped the seed thingies that twirled around. Parker and I would always toss so many of those in the air until out hands got cold... I really miss him.

69: If you could change one thing in society, what would it be?

     I would get rid of corrupt governments and people in positions of power.

70: How many all-nighters have you pulled before?

     Never have I pulled one for school, but I find myself staying up til the crack of dawn the day before school starts, usually. Or on nights when I can’t but help contemplate everything to the point of not being able to sleep at all.

71: Is tumblr your favorite website? If not, then what is it?

     Tumblr is one of my favorites, but Ao3 has my ass.

72: What is the craziest thing you would do for a million dollars?

     Nothing. I tend to be very hard to bribe. But if I reaaallly needed the money, I wouldn’t be able to kill someone, I’ll tell you that.

73: Does money equal happiness?

     It can for some people, but not for all.

74: How many times have you experienced true happiness in your lifetime?

     I don’t know, a few? I’m never truly happy until my thoughts leave me alone. 

75: How many times have you experienced true sadness in your lifetime?

     More than happy, I can tell you that.

76: What’s the funniest joke you have ever been told?

     My generation is going to save the planet.

77: When was the last time you looked at the news?

     We actually watched a news clip during history today!

78: If you could say one thing to the world, what would you say?

     Stop being a dick!

79: What is your favorite animal?

     A hedgehog!! 

80: If you could earn a million dollars for pretending to be dead for three years, would you do it?

     NO! I have people who would miss my sorry ass, then murder me for coming back!

81: What is one thing everyone is bad at?

     Having a lot of friends. A lot of the time (in my personal experience), the more friends you have, the less time you can spend with them, and the less close you are, until eventually you can’t keep dividing your time!

82: What time do you normally sleep? How many hours do you usually get? 

     uuuhh... yes, and not enough!

83: Does age necessarily equal maturity?

     No, but that does not excuse digusting things like p*****ilia.

84: What is your favorite clothing store? 

     ....The Hot Topical.

85: In the winter- beanies or gloves?

     why not both?!?!?!?

86: Would you rather have wings or a fish tail?

     Wings. I can’t swim, and I panic underwater.

87: If you had the power to erase someone from the world so that nobody remembered them but you, would you do it?

     That depends, does it fuck up history? Cuz in that case, no!

88: What do you fear the most?

     Being abandoned by everyone.

89: How many digits of pi can you recite?

     3...

90: If you could travel back to one year and relive it again, what year would it be?

     2015, so I could leave a better version of my for my friends that I leave at the end of the year,

91: Describe yourself in one word.

     Invasive

92: Describe your last victory.

     I had a conversation with that asshole from my dream without arguing with him.

93: What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen?

     SO! This one time towards the end of the school day in the seventh grade. This one kid (let’s call him V) was sitting next to his friend (C). I look over as I go to shoulder my bag, and V is running his hand down C’s thigh. V catches me looking, and goes “WHAT?! he did it first!” like that made it better! (and it kinda did because that’s still one of my best stories!)

94: What is something you will never forget?

     Something traumatic

95: Would you rather forget all of the past, or remember everything in vivid detail?

     Vivid detail. Then maybe I could win arguments with my sister!

96: Have you ever broken a bone before?

     yeah... I fractured the growth plate in my foot in the sixth grade... by walking.....

97: Is it harder love someone, or hate someone?

     love is so hard....

98: Coffee or tea?

I drink both, but tea ftw!

99: What are some little things you do that have changed your life in a positive way?

     I have become more friendly with my dog, and he actually likes me now!

100: How many hours do spend on tumblr a day?

     quite a fukin few....

[somuchtowrite]

Novel Prep Tag Game

I was tagged by @things-waiting-to-be-written, thank you so much!! (sorry it’s taken me forever to get to it!!)

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

I’ll be doing this for my main WIP, Lark and Eli:)

FIRST LOOK

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

Eli Park is forced to go from human to mage to hero, and he’s not happy about it. But he’ll do anything it takes to save his family, whether it be his brother and sister or the fame he’s making in the process.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

Seeing as I’ve already finished the first draft of the first book, I already know it can’t be a standalone. I’m thinking it might end up being a trilogy, but I can’t know for sure until it’s written!! We’ll see where the story takes me:)

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Hmmm. I’m not really sure how to answer this one, but I’d say it would be very black and white?? There’s a lot of conflicting ideals and characters, and I think that represents that pretty well.

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

Funnily enough, the inspiration for it came from the Wattpad book Down Come Seven by Shayni (which I still love to this day, you should definitely look it up and check it out!!). Since then, though, the story grew and evolved so much that I can’t even see the aspects they used to share. Even the genre has changed since then!! It used to be science fiction, but ended up being fantasy.

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

(Yes, I know I’ve already used two of these pictures for character moodboards. Shhh, there’s a reason I chose them)

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

Eli Park, mage extraordinaire who doesn’t know what he’s doing and figuring it out as he goes.

7. Who is their closest ally?

All of the mages have to stick together, whether they like it or not (*cough* Andrea *cough*). Still, Eli trusts Lark more than anyone else at the castle, even though she’s part of the reason he’s stuck there.

8. Who is their enemy?

Let’s just say Kane is the one causing him the most problems at the moment.

9. What do they want more than anything?

Short-term, to find his brother and sister and get back home. Long-term, for them to love him as much as he loves them, however impossible it might seem. 

10. Why can’t they have it?

Well, short-term, the goal is to find out where they are and it’s no small feat. But his real desire, the one he can’t ignore no matter how hard he tries to repress it, is a bit more complicated. Maybe things would be easier if Naomi didn’t hate him and try to turn Matthias against him any chance she got.

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

Eli can never shake away the feeling that he’s doing something wrong, and now that feeling is shoved down his throat every day that goes by without his brother and sister. What if he fails? What if he doesn’t find them? What if he can never go home? If anyone is going to mess it up, it’s going to be him--at least, that’s what he thinks.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

He’s biracial (Vietnamese and Caucasian) and he likes to keep his dark, wavy hair short and out of the way. He has tan skin and naturally some acne, like any other teenager. He’s average height (still growing), and skinny with not much muscle.

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

He needs to balance his need to save his siblings with his undeniable urge to get to the bottom of Kane’s plan. Something isn’t adding up, but he has to learn how to juggle that with what’s important, which is saving his family and getting out of there.

14. What is the external conflict?

Doing the actual saving. Matthias and Naomi are gone, and he’s the only one who can bring them home. If only he could do that without everything falling apart.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

Matthias and Naomi die. Hands down.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

No spoilers!!

17. Do you know how it ends?

The first book, yes. The story itself? I have a vague idea, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?

Family dynamics and overcoming impossibilities? That feels so generic but those are just off the top of my head. 

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?

Hm, I don’t think there is a reoccurring symbol?? Maybe the Entity (the god-like deity who’s more of an accepted theory than a religious figure) since her name comes up pretty often and she ends up being important to the story. 

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description)

At the beginning, Georgia. But the majority of the story takes place on the Isles of Ayleth, a hidden continent with two main islands and hundreds of little ones surrounding them. The castle Eli’s taken to is on one of those islands.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Well I have the first draft done, so right now I’m working on making those images and scenes better:)

22. What excited you about this story?

I love the characters!! They make me really happy and I love learning new things about them as I keep going. I also get really excited when I figure something else that happens in the story and can integrate it into what I already have to make it better.

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

I wing it. I’m a huge pantser (as I went on, I started having more ideas as to where I was going with the story, but I still didn’t have an actual outline or anything). For me, I sit down, usually late at night) and try to write at least 2,000 words. Sometimes that just isn’t plausible, depending on the day or how I’m feeling, but that’s my usual goal:)

Tagging (if you want to!!) @molly-is-writing @whywritewhenyoucansleep, @thewoefulandwonderous and whoever else wants to do it!!

[karkkidoeswriting]

WIP Questions Tag

@thedrowningtsarevna​ tagged me, thank you! I think I’ve done this for Bear Castle, so I’m doing it now with The Shield-Maiden Saga.

1. Describe the plot in one sentence.

A young daughter of viking lord is met with a tragedy and she then dresses up as a boy to join a viking crew with a goal to avenge her family.

2. Pick one sight, smell, sound, feel and taste to describe the aesthetic for your novel.

Warm light of fire flickering from a steal sword, smell of seaweed and salt, whispers of elves, humid sea breeze with drops of splashing water, sweetness of honey mead

3. Which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

Helvegen - Vardruna feat. Aurora

 I Hope Your World Is Kind - Auri

The Longest Journey - Ensiferum

Suru on kunnia vieras (”Sorrow is a honorary guest”) - Jenni Vartiainen

Tale of Revenge - Ensiferum

Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22: II. The Swan of Tuonela - Jean Sibelius

4. What’s the time period and location in which the novel takes place?

Viking Age in Europe, about 850. The story starts in archipelago of Sweden, but most of it takes place in Finland and various places in Eastern Europe.

5. Are there any former titles you’ve considered but discarded?

It was first The Saga of a Shield-Maiden and I think I had couple of more ideas but settled with Shield-Maiden Saga :D

6. What’s the first line of your novel?

The Norns, sisters of fate, weave the destiny of every mortal from rays of sun and shimmer of moon, from twilight of dusk and shadows of night, from glitter of sea and whines of winds, from souls of fore-fathers and immortality of elves.

7. What’s a dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

I was choosing between funny and angsty dialogue and I went with angsty:

“But I deserve it!” Helgi hissed, suddenly eyes burning. “I deserve to die.”

I shook my head violently. “You are wrong. What you deserve is a change to be better than you were taught.”

8. Which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

But now I will weave my own rug. I tell my own story. Story of a shield-maiden, who struggled against the will of the Fates, but yielded in the end.

9. Who are your character faceclaims?

I do have! I don’t know who they are, but here are the pictures, because I’m lazy. If you go see, you might notice that Sigurdr and Tyrfingr doesn’t have real faceclaims and it’s because Sigurdr’s face is full of scars and something like that with correct other features is impossible to find and Tyrfingr is an elf and I don’t believe I will ever find a photo that fits him.

10. Sort your characters into Hogwarts houses.

Sváfa - Gryffindor Refil - Ravenclaw Láilá - Slytherin Helgi - Gryffindor Tyrfingr - Slytherin Vígi - Huffelpuff Sigurdr - Gryffindor Ilmatar - Ravenclaw

11. Which character’s name do you like the most?

Vígi, Láilá and Ilmatar. Don’t make me decide on one!

12. Describe each character’s daily outfit.

Refil: Red tunic made with golden embroidery, gray pants, yellow cloak (that goes over one shoulder) and his pitch black elven sword, Tyrfingr. All of his clothes are fine wool. Armor: padded armor, chain mail, a helmet with bronze details, spear and red shield with yellow knot patterns. Sigurdr: Green tunic also with blue embroidery, dark brown pants, dark green cloak and a sword. His clothes are also fine wool. Armor: padded armor, chain mail, helmet with barn owl mask as a visor, bow and arrows and half green, half blue shield. Vígi: Blue tunic with red embroidery, dark brown pants, light brown cloak and a sword. His clothes are regular wool. Armor: padded armor, leather armor, helmet, ax and blue shield with white dragon. Helgi: Natural white tunic, brownish pants and a slave’s collar and white wolf pelt. Láilá: Long leather tunic with colorful embroidery and long strings of leather and fur and also some bones hanging from it, shoes made from reindeer pelt, fox pelt, witch’s drum, bow and arrows. Ilmatar: Thin flowing gown weaved from winds and clouds (according to her), silvery diadem and golden jewelry. Tyrfingr: Black steel armor, gleaming steel gray tunic, black diadem made from shards of metal. Sváfa: At the beginning she uses wool dresses of a noble girl, then she starts using tunics of boys her age and eventually she starts using a wool dress with armor.

13. Do any characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

Sigurdr’s face is covered in scars and he is missing part of his nostril. Sváfa and Vígi both have light freckles, Refil has more obvious freckles. Láilá has a scar in the side of her neck that stretches across her cheek. Helgi has a lot of scars all over his body. (Sváfa doesn’t have scars in the beginning, but she will get her fare share of them.) Tyrfingr and Ilmatar has marking in their faces. Tyrfingr has red downward triangles on his cheeks under his eyes. His skin is also bluish black. Ilmatar has a blue circle in her forehead. Refil, Vígi and Sigurdr have all blue tattoos in their torso and arms.

14. Which character most fits a character trope?

There’s this very specific character trope of a (almost always black) sword that has a will of their own and usually speaks. Tyrfingr fits that perfectly. Though he is an elf who is cursed to be a sword and eventually will be able from time to time to appear in his humanoid form.

15. Which character is the best writer? Worst?

Most of them can’t even read :D But probably Sváfa. She’s not very practiced in the actual technical writing, but she is a avid storyteller.

16. Which character is the best liar? Worst?

Well elves are very good liar usually, so Tyrfingr and Ilmatar would be great bets, however though Láilá is not a liar, she has this chaotic energy that makes it impossible to know when she is being serious and what she is thinking.

17. Which character swears the most? Least?

Sváfa probably least, at least in the beginning. Refil most, when his father or brother are not seeing.

18. Which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

Sigurdr has definitely best. And again, most of them cannot even read.

19. Which character is most like you? Least like you?

Probably most like me is either Sváfa or Refil. Tyrfingr is least like me. 

20. Which character would you most like to be?

Yeaaaah but no. None of them. They are not the greatest people and though Viking Age is cool and all, I’m quite happy with my comforts here in 2000s.

Tagging: @cawolters @siarven @gaslightwestern @contes-de-rheio​ @lady-redshield-writes​

[junker-town]

Who’s more valuable for the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert?

Which of the two stars on the Utah Jazz is more valuable?

The Utah Jazz have two great stars. Which one is more valuable?

Since the curtain closed on Karl Malone and John Stockton’s partnership nearly two decades ago, the Utah Jazz have only sent five players to the All-Star game: Andrei Kirilenko (2004), Mehmet Okur (2007), Carlos Boozer (2007, 2008), Deron Williams (2010, 2011), and Gordon Hayward (2017).

This year Utah has Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, two strong candidates with unique qualities none of those aforementioned All-Stars ever had. Both are deserving on a second place, 28-12 steamroller that’s won 10 in a row and has led the NBA in net rating for a month. There’s easily a world where both qualify, but the field is crowded, with solid cases to be made for several non-lock hopefuls such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Brandon Ingram, and a couple others.

For the sake of conversation we’ll operate under the assumption that coaches will only vote one Jazz player in. And for reasons that go beyond surface-level frivolousness implied by this sort of thought exercise, I’ve spent way too much time wondering who it will be. The following questions don’t necessarily apply to choosing an All-Star off half-a-season’s worth of action, but allow for more important issues to be explored on the journey towards an answer: Who is more essential to Utah’s identity? Who raises their ceiling? Who stabilizes their floor? Who is better?

Before I sat down to actually do research for this piece my answer to most of these questions was split, with a slight tilt towards Mitchell. Chalk that up to offensive bias, youth, and him occupying a role that’s harder to replace, but after I dug through numbers, watched a bunch of Jazz games, and talked to a few people around the team, parsing out an advantage one way or another quickly became impossible.

Let’s start with a look at Gobert, a 27-year-old on track to win his third-straight Defensive Player of the Year award and a fourth-straight first-place finish in defensive real plus-minus. Unimpeachable dominance on half his team’s possessions isn’t the only reason Gobert stands out among his peers. The guy brings it on the other end, every night, knowing there won’t be more than three or four plays called for him to score. His usage rate has never cleared 17.5 percent. This year it’s 16.6, below Ivika Zubac, Bismack Biyombo, Mason Plumlee, and, of all people, Al Horford.

And when his number does get called it’s usually circa deception, with him cutting off a back screen, hands raised for an easy dunk.

Gobert’s effort is critical because he also happens to be at the crux of everything the Jazz want to do with the ball. They lead the league in possessions finished by a pick-and-roll ball-handler because Gobert is the best screen setter in the league, and capable of not only sucking help defenders in from the corners but also occupying his own man’s attention.

This is his third-straight season leading the league in screen assists, while averaging a full two more than he did last year. Whether he’s dancing with Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, or even a newcomer like Jordan Clarkson, when the ball-handler and Gobert read the same sheet of music there’s very little two defenders can do to stop it.

Without him the Jazz would have to change everything about how they play, from the carefully plotted dribble hand-offs to their conservatively taut approach towards getting stops. (Utah’s defense is first in location effective field goal percentage, which basically means they do a better job than anyone at forcing opponents to take shots they don’t want to take.) He seems stronger this year, committed to his role with an admirable discipline that gives the Jazz a threshold they can’t sink below when he’s on the court.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t several small drawbacks that accumulate in an unfortunate way during the playoffs. All those hard rolls that prevent his man from selling out to stop the ball go stagnant against teams that are happy to switch the screen. Gobert doesn’t post up—Aron Baynes averages twice as many per game—because he isn’t graceful doing it. Turnovers are a common occurrence, especially against smaller defenders who step up without fear.

Gobert led the league in field goal percentage last year and he’s currently making 67.6 percent of his 8.6 shots per game—something that’s never been done (non-Wilt Chamberlain division)—but he can’t score efficiently without assistance, and is a liability dribbling the ball with his face towards the basket while 20 feet from the rim. That hurts. Space creation is synonymous with effective offense in a playoff series, and for all Gobert’s activity—how he screens away, cuts at the right time, and hunts every missed shot—he still can’t make defenders who ignore him pay with a reliable jumper. In that way he’s not Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, or Towns.

Defensively, he’s still vulnerable in space, which forces the Jazz to drop him back into the paint against pick-and-rolls, regardless of how lethal the opposing ball-handler’s pull-up three might be. That lessens his flexibility in certain matchups, but it’s not powerful enough to disqualify Utah from title contention or anything like that.

It’s easier to appreciate Gobert’s awesomeness if you watch a lot of Utah Jazz basketball. If not, it’s easy to gloss over his strengths and scrutinize his weaknesses. There’s something antiquated about Gobert’s game, which is in the mold of an entire class of centers who came before him. But right now he is the A+ iteration. If you’re going to have any one big who rim runs, sets screens, protects the basket, grabs 15 rebounds a night, and can’t shoot but doesn’t wish or pretend he could, there’s no better option.

As a counter to Gobert’s subtle, steady impact stands Mitchell, an infinity-pool-tucked-inside-a-wine-cave luxury for a team that already has enough shooting and playmakers to manufacture solid offense for 3.5 quarters. Mitchell envelops the Jazz in his own panache whenever he’s on the floor, but when their system stalls in crunch time he asserts his greatest value (only Zach LaVine and Chris Paul have taken more clutch shots all season) and becomes the shot-creating privilege Utah needs if it wants to win it all.

Mitchell’s 24.2 points per game are attached to a star’s sheen that can’t be discounted and is nearly impossible to replace. He puts constant pressure on the opponent, be it with the 8.8 field goal attempts he gets from driving the ball (third most this season) or pulling up on defenders who have to respect that first step. His 51.5 effective field goal percentage on off-the-dribble shots is near the top of the league.

Every team wants a player who can make broken possessions look like they’re part of the game plan. Mitchell already does.

He’s able to inflict trauma with gymnastic feats that tug at the sleeve of his team’s patient offensive structure. (The Jazz rank dead last in transition frequency, per Cleaning the Glass.) More often than not that creates an advantage, but sometimes it’s a defect. Mitchell’s shot selection can be erratic, set to a rhythm that’s outside the game’s. To actually make his first All-Star team he will have to clear two of Booker, Ingram, and Paul. That’s not impossible, even though he’s the least efficient of the four by a decent margin.

Mitchell can get buckets in a variety of electrifying ways and he throws passes that are incomprehensible when seen live.

But his playmaking is still more sizzle than substance. For every pinpoint frozen rope that he’ll whip to a teammate who’s just barely open, Mitchell will launch three off-the-dribble jump shots that bail out the defense. Impatience is understandable for someone with whom the laws of gravity do not apply, but that’s one area where marked improvement can make him flawless.

“It takes some time to find yourself in new situations, in order to get better at them,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said. “So some things you can’t rush, and I think he’s recognizing more of those ... whether it be making a pass that’s more accurate in a situation or all kinds of little nuances that he’s recognizing and working on and taking a lot of pride in.”

As he matures, Mitchell will get a better sense of when it’s acceptable to yank the pin from a grenade and toss it into a possession, and when he just needs to flow inside Utah’s action—integral but not overwhelming.

Until that balance is discovered, it’s OK to wonder the degree to which Mitchell actually makes his teammates better—a question that does not apply to Gobert, whose sheer activity raises everybody else’s floor.

When stacking Gobert’s value beside Mitchell’s, it’s worth noting that Utah’s net rating goes from +11.4 to -3.8 points per 100 possessions when the dynamic combo guard is without his anchor. Flip them around and Utah is still +5.3 points per 100 possessions when Gobert plays without Mitchell.

That disparity is noisy but also not the world’s biggest coincidence. And even though I’d prefer having Mitchell on my team for the next five years—particularly in the playoffs—it’s impossible to deny Gobert’s centripetal impact on his team’s foundational success. He’s less glamorous than every other All-Star candidate, but it’s so hard to picture the Jazz actually getting better on one side of the ball if he missed significant time with an injury, as the Minnesota Timberwolves have since Towns went down over a month ago.

[terramythos]

Review: Riven: The Sequel to Myst by Cyan Worlds, Inc (1997)

Genre/Tags: Silent Protagonist, First-Person, Atmospheric, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Great Story, Lore Heavy, Classic, Puzzle, Parallel Worlds, Multiple Endings, Strong Worldbuilding, Gender Neutral Protagonist

Warnings: Almost identical to the first game-- lots of unpleasant stuff (murder, genocide, drug use, etc) is referenced, but relatively little is shown. This game ups the ante in violence through certain endings compared to the first title. 

Playthrough notes: Again, I played this one with my sister Katy (@mistressofmuses​) Unlike before, no remaster or modern port currently exists. You can purchase Riven on Steam, but it is functionally a copy paste of the original release, including the need for compatibility mode to run it properly. 

My Rating: 4/5 (Recommended)

**Minor Spoilers (for both Riven and Myst) and My Thoughts Follow** 

I did not create the Age of Riven; unlike my father, I have never presumed to have such power, and yet, the future of all those who live there has fallen into my hands. So far, I’ve managed to read the page before it turns; the island continues to appear stable, and I would like to believe that I have saved a dying world, but the theories of one individual cannot support the lives of real people indefinitely. I must get everyone off of Riven as soon as possible. -Atrus' Journal

My Summary: At the end of Myst, Atrus tells the player that a great threat looms that you must help overcome-- greater than the minor trials Myst presents. Riven makes good on that promise and leads directly off the famous first game. Atrus sends you to "The Fifth Age" -- a world known as Riven, where his wife Catherine is trapped; imprisoned by his father, Gehn. The Fifth Age lies on the brink of collapse, so Atrus stays behind to "patch" the world long enough for you to complete your mission. Atrus sends you to this harsh and confusing world with three goals-- rescue Catherine, trap Gehn in a prison book, and evacuate the people of Riven. 

How you're meant to accomplish these goals is anyone's guess, as Riven is jarring and strange compared to the island of Myst. People run when they see you, and strange, cryptic symbols litter the five islands. The mysteries of Riven only reveal themselves to you with enough thought and cunning. Only after plenty of both can you accomplish your goals. The rest, I'm afraid, is spoilers. 

The Good:

This game significantly expands on the lore of the first game. Characters like Catherine and Gehn-- barely mentioned plot devices in Myst-- are major players in this title. You also learn a lot of interesting things about Riven (which was referenced extensively in Myst), the now almost extinct D'Ni, and some sense of how the Ages and alternate worlds operate. 

Like Myst, Riven is extremely good at using setting details to tell a story. It is particularly notable in the repeated symbols you find throughout the islands, the reactions of what people you do encounter, the animals, and even an especially dismaying classroom. You come to a lot of conclusions on your own. 

You may recall from my Myst review that Myst does not hold your hand. Riven takes this to an extreme. Pretty much everything you need to solve is based on your own reasoning. There are some hints, but they are few and far between, and the most major sources don't appear until at least the half way point. This makes for a puzzle game that relies heavily on deductive reasoning. There are two instances where filling in the blank using unconventional ideas makes for a very satisfying solution to a puzzle. 

Like Myst, this game features multiple endings (9, to be exact) and a moral choice-esque component. It's impressive for the time, and the developer foresight in certain instances is also neat. I only encountered 3 of the endings, but there are a lot of variations based on small context details. 

The game messes with player expectations in some interesting ways. You expect Catherine to be a damsel in distress. She defies the trope impressively in ways I won't spoil. You expect the main character foils to be Atrus and his father Gehn. Nope-- it's Catherine and Gehn, and it plays it up a lot. Even the journal Atrus gives to "guide" you appears to be a victim of a glitch because too many pages turn at once. Nah-- if you figure out the mini puzzle and read it, you can deduce why it's doing that. 

Having played Myst, it’s fun to see how similar traits pop up between all the members of this messed up family. 

In terms of story, it explores some really cool themes. The big one is the nature of religion and idol worship. There's also a meta-narrative about writing a story through scientific means vs. from the heart, which was also interesting to think about. 

This game heavily reminded me of 999 in a variety of ways. Both stories keep the player in the dark, throwing them into a confusing scenario they have to puzzle through. Only about half way does some information come through-- and it explains a lot and affects your initial perceptions. You also notice a certain number everywhere in the game, and it affects many details of the plot. 

I'll just say it outright-- this game is gorgeous. Ignore the fact that this game is 20 years old. It aged extremely well. The background renders are stunning. The real-person video mo-cap is used more heavily and it really does look seamless with the game world. There are even instances where characters interact directly with objects in the game and it looks smooth and polished. I can see why this game took so long to develop and had such a massive budget at the time. Animations-- especially the roller coaster sequences, honestly look good. This game is 20 years old and it still looks good.

The Mediocre: 

This game is buggy. I didn't run into a game break, but there was an issue where a screen change brought me to a completely different location than it should have, and I did have to look up ways to bypass and progress. I know other glitches exist that I was able to miss in my playthrough. 

How did no one on the development team at any point realize that you can't load a saved game from the main menu? You have to create a new game every single time and load through the sub-menu. What the fuck. 

Not a fault of the game necessarily, but running this on Windows 10 is an adventure. There's no modern port so you have to try finding a stable compatibility mode. Even so, the game froze frequently. Instability is a bit ironic considering the theme of the story, but it gets frustrating. The saving grace is this type of game makes it difficult to really fall behind due to a crash; you remember the solution or write down the relevant information. 

Another neutral thing to note, but you will not really understand this game unless you played Myst. So, uh, do that. 

The Bad: 

Riven is regarded as the most difficult game in the series. That in and of itself is fine. What I don't consider fine is making things so hidden that it becomes frustrating. I admire this game for its no hand-holding policy, but there are quite honestly almost no hints and so much information that it is often difficult to parse what you're supposed to do. Between this and unfairly hidden passages and buttons, this game can be quite frustrating-- not challenging. It's a miracle to me that anyone beat this game without a guide. 

The final major puzzle is so intensive and has so many components to it that, again, I have no idea how people figured it out. I'm going to post the notes Katy and I took just so you can see the extent of it (spoilers, at the bottom). The final solution has something like 93 trillion possibilities. An earlier puzzle requires a great deal of intuition to understand at all. 

Final Thoughts: 

I have my complaints, but Riven is still a good damn game. The lore is very fascinating and well executed, and like its predecessor, Riven feels way ahead of its time. This game has its share of twists and still maintains enough mysteries and loose ends to keep you interested in more. The characters and general concept are intriguing. And despite the limitations of the time, it accomplishes some truly astonishing technological feats. 

You should play Myst if you haven’t. And then, if you’re hungry for more, you should play Riven, because it delivers. Just keep in mind the instability and some of the design issues, because you may need some hints to figure out what to do.

I plan to at least play the third game with Katy; not sure if I'll continue past that, as the series seems like it went in a different direction after that. 

[rposervices]

The Virtues of Retained Search

Why Retain Me? (The Hidden Benefits of Retained Search) In the World of Search, aka ‘Technical Search’, or ‘Executive Search’, which are rather synonymous terms; there exist two modalities: ‘Contingency’ and ‘Retainer’. Contingency search is where a fee is only charged when a candidate who has been hired actually starts at the company/client; whereas retained search is more similar to investing and buying the services of an attorney (for example) who will be dedicated to solving the case: It involves an initial deposit up-front, which is paid to initiate the search, defray costs of overhead, and assure that a highly-skilled recruiter with many years of expertise in the “Black Art” of hiring and finding great people is paid for their time and effort. Many clients wonder why they should bother to pay a retainer fee when there is no commitment involved in the alternate choice of contingent search, and if they are satisfied with the result of a contingent search, and hire a candidate whom the recruiter has presented, then of course the recruiter will be paid for his services. Why put down any kind of deposit when there is no real need? This is a fallacy – an illusion. Recruiters who are working on contingency basis are stacking up multiple searches and working on them in parallel or tandem. Only one-third of all contingency searches ever get filled by the recruiter who works on them… perhaps even less. The only strategy for a contingency recruiter that makes sense is to juggle as many searches as possible, simultaneously. If the recruiter is extremely deft and quick, there is a chance to make multiple placements out of 3 ‘juggled’ contingency searches, but that is clearly against the odds. This means that the recruiter devotes less time to the individual searches, and more time to the goal of maximizing the likelihood of billing. Whichever searches are more difficult will then be neglected, and most likely left unfilled. Realistically, a recruiter who gymnastically and acrobatically juggles searches is performing a very challenging feat; but it is actually the client or customer who suffers, because the recruiter is smart enough to know what he needs to do to bill (i.e. make an actual placement). For example, I would happily juggle more than three searches in order to make a placement, if I can reduce the amount of Time I waste on the searches that are least likely to pay or provide remunerative benefits of some kind. I’m sure most other recruiters would feel the same as well. This is why I prefer and recommend retained search as the superior mode or solution for hiring the best and most qualified people for the job. For instance, retained search gives me an assurance that the client actually cares about the position enough to retain me – i.e. they have ‘skin in the game’. If I lose, they lose, which means that they need to be willing to cooperate with me to the needed extent… to provide them the very best possible service. By retaining me – since I am a proven commodity at finding great employees -- the client has purchased a level of assurance that there will be a committed effort to solving the search to its completion, as opposed to the approach of juggling and catching the ‘low-hanging’ fruit which is most readily available. Rather than being distracted by aberrant assignments where the client is really only on a “fishing expedition”, or cancels the search without hiring anyone, for reasons rarely explained, the retained recruiter is enabled to continue on his quest for the best employee, the best solution, and enabled to conduct an “exhaustive search” which really investigates not merely ‘low-hanging’ and easily-accesible candidates, but most importantly, those candidates which are perhaps the hardest to find and contact. My goal, as a solution-provider, has always been to find the best candidate in the World (who fits the job description, salary requirements, availability, etc. of the job description). If a company truly wants to find the best candidate, and not just fill a position with a ‘warm body’, retained search is the superior solution. Some arguments have been made that “retained search is only for C-level positions”, like CEO, CTO, COO, CDO, CIO, CTO etc. (all of which I have accomplished, myself). This is, again, a fallacy, because, even in the very first retained placement I ever made, at the very beginning of my career, the candidate stayed with the company for 12 years, and rose to the rank of Vice-President. This was, of course, an enormous benefit to my client, a small company where I placed about 20% of the employees, which eventually was sold for about $500 million, a few years later. The value of retained search is where a search is particularly difficult to solve, yet still critical for the company. In my experience, I have seen multiple companies who have had a specific and important position open for more than two years, and as a retained recruiter, I was able to fill those positions with candidates I found in less than two weeks. One client was a $10+ Billion firm which obviously had the Capital and finances to pay recruiters, but no one actually succeeded in filling that position until a retained search. Not all recruiters are created equal. Some of us are much better at research, persuasion, empathy, sales, etc. Personally, while I love the research portion of my work, I also greatly enjoy explaining to candidates why a specific job is in their best career interests, as well as counseling client companies on why they should interview specific candidates. Full disclosure: I must admit that the largest fee I ever charged ($151,000) was a contingency search which basically involved making only one phone call to the client to determine if they had interest in the candidate. This is hardly typical, however. Despite this result, I am still convinced that retained search provides superior results to my clients. That was a very rare instance, where the company benefitted with ROI of about 10,000x. Yet, statistically speaking, and most realistically, retained search is more likely to produce best or better results. Among other reasons, contingent searches are usually not exclusive, and, as a result, with multiple recruiters contacting the same candidates, not only does it create a bad impression among those we are most hoping to impress, but it also potentially leads to multiple submissions of the same candidate by different recruiters. This is unfortunate, and can also be quite costly for the client, if both recruiters insist on being paid. Also, a candidate tends to have a lot more attention when he/she hears that a search is taken seriously enough to be 'retained'. It adds a cache' of credibility that cannot be easily dismissed. On my side, as a recruiter who spends innumerable hours researching the qualifications of candidates, I question why a client would ask me to work a search on ‘Contingent’ basis, unless they were not serious about hiring the position. What happens, mostly, in my case, is that clients who request contingent searches are merely ‘testing the waters’, ‘fishing’, etc. They are not really serious about hiring. Of course, there are exceptions. I am grateful for those exceptions, because they have made me a considerable amount of income, as well, but there is always a degree of “iffiness” about them that is distracting and counter-productive. Willingness to pay a fee in advance demonstrates being serious about the need to fill the position. This is a fundamental criterion of ‘qualifying’ the validity of the opening, for me. Take it from me, as someone who has charged $151,000 for that single phone call to a client – retained search is still a much better solution for both parties. Read the full article

[thisdaynews]

Garth Crooks' team of the week: Mane, Abraham, Longstaff, Grealish, Luiz

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/garth-crooks-team-of-the-week-mane-abraham-longstaff-grealish-luiz/

Garth Crooks' team of the week: Mane, Abraham, Longstaff, Grealish, Luiz

A fantastic weekend of Premier League action saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points following a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Leicester.

Champions Manchester City lost ground with a shock 2-0 home defeat by Wolves, while Tottenham’s week went from bad to worse with a heavy 3-0 loss at Brighton.

Newcastle moved out of the relegation zone with an impressive 1-0 win over troubled Manchester United, while there were wins for Burnley,Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

Here’s my team of the week – have a read and select your own below.

Goalkeeper – Mat Ryan (Brighton)

Ryan:As bad as Tottenham were against Brighton, this game could have finished 4-4 had it not been for the brilliance of Mathew Ryan. Two wonderful saves from Lucas Moura, one from Erik Lamela and another from Harry Kane put Spurs firmly in their place.

The longer the game went on the more confident Ryan became. This was a first-class performance from the Brighton keeper.

Did you know?Ryan made three saves against Spurs, registering a clean sheet against the Lilywhites for the first time in his Premier League career.

Defenders – Gary Cahill (Crystal Palace), David Luiz (Arsenal), Lewis Dunk (Brighton)

Cahill:It is coming to something when Crystal Palace fans start ‘insisting’ who I should put in my team of the week. Just what it has got to do with them I don’t know.

However, I did find myself bowing to the wishes of one of their followers who was mightily impressed with Gary Cahill’s performance against West Ham.

He also went on to tell me that he couldn’t understand why Chelsea had let him go when they obviously need his experience in view of who they are currently playing at the back.

He then went on to say, “how could Arsenal pay Chelsea £8m for David Luiz when Cahill went on a free transfer?”. He does have a point.

Did you know?Cahill completed 95% of his 60 passes against West Ham for Crystal Palace – the best completion rate among the Eagles’ players.

Luiz:Just when Spurs fans think the week cannot get any worse, Arsenal win at home to Bournemouth and the victory takes them up to third in the table.

Luiz, who never does things the easy way, scored his first goal for the Gunners and the only goal of the game but more importantly kept his first clean sheet in an Arsenal shirt.

I cannot believe this Arsenal team are third in the table. I know we are only eight games into the Premier League season but their defence has been so bad, how is this possible?

Did you know?10 of Luiz’s 12 Premier League goals have been scored in home matches, with this his first goal for Arsenal.

Dunk:Another performance that was agony to watch for Tottenham, only this time Lewis Dunk was to blame. The defender slammed Brighton’s back door in Tottenham’s face.

He won every header, every challenge, trampled over any Spurs player who got in his way without so much as an apology or hint of respect and that is exactly how you deal with superstars indulging in a pity party.

I don’t know what is going on at Spurs – although manager Mauricio Pochettino insists there is a bad feeling at the club – but whatever is the matter they had better sort it out, and quickly.

Spurs’ players are paid an awful lot of money and fans are entitled to a performance, not a charade.

Did you know?Dunk helped Brighton to a clean sheet against Spurs, making 10 clearances – the most of any Brighton player.

Midfielders – Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Matty Longstaff (Newcastle), James Milner (Liverpool), Adama Traore (Wolves)

Grealish:It has not been an easy journey for Jack Grealish over the years but he seems to have found his destination. To captain Aston Villa in the Premier League is no mean feat. Villa are a big club.

Grealish was outstanding away at Crystal Palace and he led his team to victory against a Norwich team that was demolished by a rampant Villa. I have not seen a Villa captain with such an appetite for the game since Dennis Mortimer, who played for the club between 1975-85 and skippered them to the 1982 European Cup.

Did you know?Grealish scored his first Premier League goal since netting against Leicester in September 2015 (1,483 days ago).

Longstaff:This was a massive win for Newcastle and Steve Bruce in particular. It was his first managerial win over Manchester United and he called on a young 19-year-old local Geordie lad to do it.

Matthew Longstaff is the kid. Remember the name. It is not often a manager takes up most of the column inches in my report but on this occasion Bruce deserves it.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage for a manager to give a young lad his debut against Manchester United when points are in desperate need. Not only did the kid deliver, he scored the winning goal.

This could have turned out very badly for Bruce, but instead it turned out extremely badly for United and their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Did you know?At 19 years and 199 days, Longstaff became the youngest player to score on his Premier League debut for Newcastle United.

Milner:James Milner is back: back in the Liverpool team and back among the goals. The ball from Milner for Sadio Mane to slot home was just glorious.

However the pressure to score a 95th-minute penalty when your team have underperformed, and knowing a victory keeps your unbeaten run alive, must have been excruciating.

It is Milner’s coolness under extreme pressure that is so impressive and should Liverpool lift the title, he is a player that can seriously be considered for the Footballer of the Year award, if only for his service to the game. Or should that be an OBE?

Did you know?Milner’s penalty in the 95th minute was the latest Liverpool have scored from the spot in the Premier League since Christian Benteke against Crystal Palace in March 2016 (96th minute).

Traore:This lad is what is commonly known in the game as a speed merchant but also as somebody who seldom delivers the killer blow.

That theory (the killer blow part) was shot down in flames against Manchester City because Traore’s two goals against the champions may have already consigned Pep Guardiola’s side to a runners-up place in the title race.

I have begged Wolves to ditch the Europa League for fear of a team with limited resources struggling in the Premier League. With results like this I need not have worried.

Did you know?Traore had not scored in his last 32 Premier League games before netting twice against Man City. His previous goal was against West Ham in September 2018.

Forwards – Aaron Connolly (Brighton), Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Connolly:I thought that Wednesday, when Spurs got battered 7-2 in the Champions League, was a bad night but at least they were facing Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich.

I had only heard of Aaron Connolly when he came on briefly as a substitute for Brighton in their mauling by Manchester City. Every Spurs fan in the country knows him now. What a performance by the 19-year-old.

He took Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, two experienced Belgium internationals, apart. If Brighton can continue to play like this at home and turn the Amex Stadium into a fortress, they won’t be talking about Premier League survival but mid-table security.

Did you know?Connolly became the first teenager from the Republic of Ireland to score a Premier League brace since Robbie Keane did so for Coventry against Derby in August 1999.

Abraham:It was the great Jimmy Greaves who said that football is a funny old game. Well, who would have thought that Chelsea fans would be chanting the name of Tammy Abraham in the same manner they used to celebrate Didier Drogba.

That is because the young striker is leading the line in a similar manner to the Ivory Coast legend. If Abraham continues to develop at this rate, manager Frank Lampard will have another problem on his hands – keeping him at Stamford Bridge.

Did you know?Abraham has scored nine goals for Chelsea across all competitions in 2019-20; the joint-most of any current Premier League player along with Raheem Sterling.

Mane:I thought the penalty awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh for the tackle on Sadio Mane was a poor decision. Do I blame Mane for going down when contact is made in the box? Of course I don’t, but it wasn’t an infringement, it was merely contact in a sport that allows an element of contact.

Regardless of that decision, Mane was back to his sparkling best and Leicester’s Marc Albrighton should have known better than to lay even a finger on the Senegal international in the box.

Did you know?Mane, making his 100th league appearance for Liverpool, scored his 50th Premier League goal for the Reds. He is the 10th player to reach the milestone for the club in the competition, more than any other side.

Now it’s your turn

You’ve seen my selections this season. But who would you go for?

Crooks of the Matter

If you are a Spurs fan then this has been a very bad week for all of us. Defeat by Bayern Munich at home was a humiliation and losing to Brighton away only added insult to injury.

However I have never laughed so much at the genuine ‘witty banter’ posted online by those fans who love to hate us.

It’s what real football fans used to be famous for. We also know who the real culprits are and it’s largely due to the fact that we always do things with an element of style. We even lose elegantly!

Football banter, when delivered properly, brings fans together like nothing else. The quip of the week was, without doubt, the shot of Tottenham’s famous Seven Sisters Tube station renamed (by some cleverclogs) Seven-Two Sisters Station after Wednesday night’s drubbing.

To make fans laugh in the midst of such anguish is quite a skill. More banter and less abuse, all.

I just hope it’s not all at Tottenham’s expense.

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