#and yet i keep getting rejected without even getting interviews

[thetimetravellercat]

if you're worthless and you know it clap your hands 👏👏

[kuiinncedes]

bro

[bunji-enthusiast]

Heya again!! <333 as per tradition, before I put an order, I want to say ty for feeding the PP fandom and I hope you're doing well <333 may whatever you're planning to write, original or fandom, be successful!

May I order a blast in the past, where the Hour of Joy hasn't started, Caretaker! Reader is yet again an employee at Playtime Co. and they happened to find out about the rejected isle and they were overwhelmed by the sheer cuteness and charm of the toys, they do kinda get why some of them were rejected but thought mostly they were fine.

For the sake of the plot, they got to keep the toys and bring them home with permission from the higher ups ( wow reader charisma 💯 ). As they're happily making their way back, Catnap noticed them carrying this unknown toy, giving it affection, and overall just showering it with love from the shadows and gets quite pouty about it. So much so that the rest of the smiling critters had to pry it out of him to tell them what he saw and oh boy, they too were quite pouty.

Dogday tries to reassure them that everything's alright and they agreed to " ask " more like interrogating the reader the next time they come in to work. When that happens, Reader is caught red-handed still giving that rejected toy their love and affection, Dogday sends the rest of the group off so he and Catnap could talk it out with Reader more privately. Ends with them getting the full story and the smiling critters getting their fair share of love and affection, especially Catnap who's by the way still pouting about the whole ordeal 😂

I really just wanna see this sleepy cat having someone else he could actually trust as a parent figure and him just getting worried that his place might be taken away by some rejected toy 🥹 ahhh I'm starting to love him more and more slowly,, the Smiling Critters are such babies and I love themmmm

Signs Of Love

Note || yesss insomnia kitty needs love, all of em need love 💕

WC || 1,931

Sypnosis || Misunderstandings occur, but as quickly as they come, they can also very much leave.

You were quite the lover of many things, having been assigned to be a caretaker when your superiors saw how well you integrated yourself into the role at your interview. They are quite fond of you and all their other caretakers, since they know you all (you and the rest of the caretakers) are the only ones able to keep all the toys and children in line. 

Though the children were mostly left to the Playcare Attendants as the caretakers were more or less focused on the toys themselves. It was without a hint of a doubt, you certainly had garnered the attention of many toys. Some who liked you, though it really was the Smiling Critters who liked you more than most.

Yet when you found out about the rejected toys, you thought it was really saddening that they were even rejected in the first place – though you understood why – you just wanted to simply take them home with you!

Deciding to try and convince a higher-up to take one home, that is exactly what you did.

“Ma’am, please look at this adorable potato!” You held up the rejected toy in your hands, clearly enough for your superior who shrunk back in surprise against her recliner chair. She let out an exasperated sigh, recollecting herself as she adjusted her position on the seat.

“I am well aware,” She begins, gesturing to the rejected toy. “But by no means are you allowed to take it home, rejected or not–it is still company property.”

You frown as you search your mind for conceivable reasoning to convince your superior, you sigh as the toy falls out of your hands, landing on your lap. “W-well, maybe I could keep it for a little while?” You jump up, your hands landing straightforwardly on her desk. “Like a-a security precaution!” 

A frown adorns her face in return to your earlier one, crossing her arms across the top of the desk as gently as she possibly could. Appearing to be searching your face for any lying or incompetence, her shoulders slump in defeat. “Very well, if you insist.”

“Keep it.”

You let out a yelp of success, almost falling backward as you did so. You grin, an exasperated noise leaving your throat as you cautiously upright yourself, as to not uproot or accidentally change her mind in turn. Your hands make their way to your superiors, shaking them to be polite. “Thank you thank you! You won’t regret this.” You smile at her, then let go of her hand as she is left in befuddlement by the actions that had just happened. 

Normally you weren’t much of an extroverted person, only conversing and confronting social situations when necessary. But you had simply felt joy bursting through your veins at the accomplishment you had achieved, to convince a superior to let you keep the rejected toy! (One of the rejected toys at least, you couldn’t do much else for the rest as much as you wanted too) Now you were making your way back, rejected toy in hand and you had a lot of affection to give it.

Too bad it wasn’t alive as much as the other toys you knew were, but at least it was alive in your own heart.

A familiar figure in the distance resting on a rooftop had taken notice of this quite easily, may it be quite the discovery they had found. CatNap couldn’t let this go unnoticed, a strange pang resided in the depths of his hollow yet dense chest. The giant cat couldn’t pinpoint the feeling he felt, not knowing what name to put to the feeling he felt so strongly, like a parasite it wouldn’t leave him alone.

He felt a strange guise of loneliness, noticing how much you began giving the unknown toy such a sudden bout of affection and hugging. Even nuzzling it as well to boot, CatNap was jealous?

How strange, CatNap wasn’t entirely familiar with the concept of emotions. Even with how certain ones could flare up at times, depending in response to the situation, whatever one he may be in. CatNap got up, stretching his finely tuned legs. CatNap wasn’t prepared for the others to pry the information out of him, trying to figure out what he saw and knew. He almost felt a little intimated, but he was… in the sense very emotional–even beneath his sleepy and quiet demeanor.

Then he could feel himself justified for the guilt of jealousy.

Well, CatNap certainly did expect the outcry, all at the same time he truly didn’t expect it either. The group, he felt rightly justified in their emotions as he had reported it to them, he too was quite in earnest – very jealous of the unknown toy. KickinChicken spoke externally with the whole of his heart, “This sucks! Why does that toy get more love than we do?”

“I wanted a hug!” Bobby cried, sitting on the floor as Crafty had patted her back, trying to gently soothe her. The colorful unicorn too was upset, yet she hid it very well. Picky had remained quiet, just stuffing her face with an apple to conceal her upset, she had big emotions and wasn’t sure on how to deal with them unlike the rest of the Smiling Critters.

Hoppy on the other hand was pounding the ground with her feet, hopping around so as to not completely create noise. She was woefully upset too as it appeared to CatNap, he hadn’t expected any of them to take this information the way they did. But they had pried it out of him, He didn't know what they were expecting to hear anyway.

CatNap’s voice came out short and strained as he made an attempt to comfort any of them, “It’s ok–” His voice fell on deaf ears, CatNap huffed a puff of red air. His tail lapping about, then overlaying to rest upon his left leg.

Bubba was muttering to himself, rapidly tapping his feet. As if his intellect could formulate a reason as to why this had happened, alas CatNap knew the elephant was simply just trying to find reason in coping with his emotion.

Believe it or not, CatNap pays very good attention to all the Smiling Critters. They are his friends after all.

“Guys!--” The group still went on, continuously upset. No means of comfort getting through to them. “GUYS.”

His visibly noticeable purple fur rustled about as he sat down, noticing that DogDay was finally back in leadership mode. CatNap didn’t know what to do to calm them all down anyway, he was pouty and upset as they were. DogDay spoke slowly, “I’ll ask Angel what’s up, maybe we just don’t understand it fully. Okay?”

The group notices, finally relenting in defeat. None of them questioned him as DogDay always had a way with words usually, he wasn’t one to go wrong as he was the leader of the group for a very good reason.

As the group clamored to find you, you weren’t that hard to find surprisingly. Mostly as you were hard to find other times, they could all easily see that you were still found with the rejected toy. Sitting back on your chair that you had found, and giving it all the affection that had made a few members quite pouty.

“Guys, let's take it easy. Me and CatNap will talk with Angel alone,” DogDay motions for them to take their leave, holding out his hands before he elaborated. “Let’s not take it personally, okay? I don’t think it’s that complicated.” 

KickinChicken sighs, as Bobby and the other few do. They all take their leave, showing that Hoppy was still there. She points at DogDay, then CatNap who was confused by the predicament. A silent gesture.

Nothing weird boys, you got that?

DogDay nods at Hoppy, who finally leaves as she hops away to rejoin the rest of the group. CatNap taps DogDay’s shoulder, gesturing that he should take the lead on this chat. His own paw comes up to pat CatNap’s, “I know bud, but let’s not overdo this.”

If the sunny leader were to be honest right about now, he too felt a pang of jealousy at the lack of affection and attention that he hadn’t received like his fellow critters. 

You were aimlessly cooing at the rejected toy, happily partaking in giving it all manners of affection (nothing weird, ahem). It certainly had a charm and adorableness too it that you couldn’t ignore, you have no idea as to why the designers and superiors had rejected this design or any other one in the reject aisle that you saw for that matter. 

Suddenly you felt a creeping chill crawl up your spine, traveling thoroughly all the ways to your shoulders and sides. 

Feeling two taps on your shoulder almost had you jolting, causing you to turn around to see CatNap and DogDay standing right behind you, albeit very menacingly from your perspective. “DogDay? E-eh CatNap?!” 

DogDay waved his hands, trying his best to reassure you, “Sorry we didn’t mean to frighten you like that Angel!” CatNap nodded along with DogDay’s words, doing his best to affirm that fact. You sigh in relief, hand very visibly held to your chest.

“So..” You straighten your posture as DogDay and CatNap came around you and sat down, to really level with you at most. “What’s up? Anything bothering you or the others?” You shrug, jabbing a questioning thumb as you spoke, directly in the general direction. They both knew what you meant, but they had more pressing matters.

DogDay let out a breath, before he spoke as to steel his nerves. CatNap deadpans, directed toward DogDay, emotional expression clearly evident despite the restriction of movement his own mouth has. “Well, we just… uh, wanted to know what was up with you.” DogDay pauses, then pointed at the toy which was unknown to him laying in your lap.

“And that.” He emphasized, wincing as he searched your face for any reaction. Suddenly what had surprised the two was how you began to laugh and giggle, waving your hand as the other clutched your stomach.

“Ah.. I’m sorry.” You shook your head, wiping your face. “Were you boys… perhaps jealous of this?” A small grin plasters on your face, with convoluted happiness as you held up the toy in question.

DogDay felt embarrassed, looking away as to not stutter or speak any words. CatNap sighed in reprieve, laying his head upon his front legs. Those actions alone had answered your question that effortlessly. “I see..” You couldn’t help but try and stifle the giggle, they were simply so adorable.

Them, jealous? It’s so cute. You really couldn’t resist their pouty moods, so you calm them down, proceeding to tell them the whole story so they didn’t have a misinformed perception of the situation.

You happily spread your loving and hugs to all the Smiling Critters and CatNap individually.

Albeit, CatNap was a little embarrassed that he had saw your situation with the rejected toy incorrectly. Feeling as if he might’ve been replaced.

You had reassured him individually as you had taken your time with each of the members, “I would never replace you CatNap! There’s always room for everyone..”

“Even you.”

You grin, booping CatNap’s nose. He recoiled back as he had the set revelation, CatNap slumped as he gave in to your very touchy movements. Feeling your hands thread throughout his fur, CatNap was content that he now knew.

He really had no reason to worry.

He truly was loved.

[harmonicakai]

Be Around Me

Part 1 of the "Love is Embarrassing" series

Pairing: Gyuvin x Reader, Ricky x Reader (one-sided), Haobin crumbs, Jiwoong x Reader teeny tiny crumbs 

Summary: Gyuvin is the type of guy to get flustered over everything, but little does he know that you secretly think it makes him even cuter.

Tropes: basketball star!gyuvin, journalist!reader, college AU, basketball!zb1, frat!zb1, secret admirer, fluff, slow burn, crack, unrequited love, mutual pining, gyuvin is a LOSER

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings: Ricky is annoying lol, mentions of masturbation and sex (mdni!!!)

A/N: y’all will have pry zb1 college basketball au from my cold dead hands!!!!!!!! also for once in my life, y/n is not super insecure we cheered!!

FIC INSPIRED SPOTIFY PLAYLIST <3

“It's obvious she's so out of reach And I'm finding it hard 'cause She makes me feel, makes me feel Like I try, like I try, like I'm trying too hard” —Try Hard, 5 Seconds of Summer

On the court, Kim Gyuvin is the star player of the Wakefield Roses. With his long limbs, he handles the ball with ease, capturing the hearts of everybody in the crowd every time he grins after scoring a basket.

Off the court, he’s an awkward mess. Combine that with the fact that you, the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, are usually the one covering games for the school news, and he’s a goner.

As if it isn’t hard enough for him to make eye contact with the camera, he also has to make sure he doesn’t stare too hard at your shiny hair or glossy lips. His teammates would never let him live it down if he was caught being an absolute creep on video.

What started out as a little crush has grown into a deep admiration. He reads every article that you put out into the school newspaper, sometimes even cutting out the ones you’ve written about him and his team. Everybody makes fun of him for being too scared to just ask you out.

He’s never been one to flirt with girls, but the way you make conversations so easy during interviews, even when he’s stumbling over his words, makes him feel at ease around you. Still, he wonders how much of it is just your journalist persona versus you actually liking him.

Sharing a double with Ricky means he gets exiled a lot in the name of his roommate getting laid. Sometimes, you come back from getting your morning coffee and catch him sleeping on one of the lounge’s couches.

One morning, when your arms are full of pastries that you intend to hoard in your dorm for the upcoming week, you spot him curled up yet again on your way back to your room. 

Without much thought, you stop to leave a muffin and a little note next to it on the table in front of him, conveniently forgetting to sign your name.

It began with cutesy but vague things, like “breakfast for a champion,” but quickly escalated as soon as Gyuvin started leaving notes back for you. 

After a couple exchanges, he even wrote that you didn’t need to be leaving him food at all and that he just wanted to know who you were. Truthfully, you had a really big crush on Gyuvin, but didn’t everybody?

Despite being a bit camera shy, he was always so sweet before and after your interviews, doing his best to make small talk and smiling his smile that could make anybody swoon. 

Plus, you’ve seen how much more comfortable he is with other people, even the cheerleaders, who are all super pretty. He must just be really nice.

So, you continue to leave the notes unsigned, despite each one growing in flirtation. You like the thrill of being mysterious, but you’re mostly just scared of getting rejected since he’s never given you a reason to think he likes you back.

It isn’t until Ricky catches you one morning, a sly grin on his face when he sees you leaving a whole stack of notes on the table.

When you lock eyes with Gyuvin’s roommate, you know the jig is up. Surely, he’ll tell him it’s been you all along.

“Y/N,” Ricky nods when you approach him, his arms crossed. “I have to say, I had my suspicions.”

“Listen, Ricky, I would prefer if we could keep this between us.”

“Gyuvin’s been going on and on about some secret admirer for weeks now. It’s cruel that you won’t tell him who you are.”

“He’s welcome to stop writing back if he doesn’t want to,” you shrug, although it would probably devastate you if that actually happened.

“Oh, trust me, he wants to. Especially if he found out it was you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that every time he finishes an interview with you, he might always run home and lock himself in our bathroom because you get him so riled up. If you know what I mean.”

Your eyes go wide at the revelation. Ricky is surely just messing with you. “That’s—that’s not funny, Ricky. You shouldn’t joke about those kinds of things.”

“I’m not joking,” he chuckles. “Listen, Zeta Beta Omega is throwing a party tonight and the whole team will be there. You should come.”

“I don’t do parties,” you scoff. “Why would you even want me there?”

“Because maybe after a few drinks, you and Gyuvin won’t be so scared to tell each other how you feel. Then you guys can knock off this silly game and he can stop whining about not knowing who his mystery girl is.”

“And go back to whining about how all his roommate does is kick him out every night so he can fuck whoever he lays his eyes on?”

“Exactly. See, Y/N, you get me,” he practically purrs. “So, you show up looking all pretty and talk to my poor, lovesick roomie, and I won’t spill your little secret. Deal?”

“Ugh, fine, I guess. I can’t believe you’re blackmailing me. Deal.”

“Trust me, it’s for your own good, sweetheart.”

You cringe at the pet name. “Is this how you talk to everybody?”

“Yes. Why? Is it working? Are you going to start leaving me notes too?”

“Enjoy the rest of your morning, Ricky. I’ll see you later,” you say, walking past him. Even if he’s annoying, it’s genuinely impressive how he managed to brush off every insult you threw his way.

“See you, Y/N.” You don’t even have to look back at him to know that he winked as he said that.

—————-

Gyuvin knows that staying up all night waiting around for his mystery girl would be an invasion of privacy. At least he thinks the person who keeps leaving him baked goods and notes is a girl. Or maybe he’s just being hopeful that it’s you.

He’s never seen your handwriting before, but he’s been close enough to smell your perfume and he swears he can catch hints of it wafting off the sticky notes.

In fact, he’s started looking forward to Ricky kicking him out of their shared bedroom just because he knows he’ll be waking up to the sweetest surprise when he sleeps in the lounge.

Tonight’s party should be a good distraction from all of the wondering. Maybe, if he’s drunk enough, Ricky will be more embarrassing than alluring and Gyuvin will get to sleep in his own bed. Still, he can’t get this morning’s notes off his mind. 

You’ve left him clues, little doodles of your favorite things. Your coffee order, favorite color, favorite animal, and so on. He’s hoping you’ll be at tonight’s party so he can see if you mention any of the stuff drawn out, but you never show up to these kinds of things.

That was before Ricky got involved. You stood outside the ZBO frat house wearing your worst sneakers and a baby pink minidress, as suggested by one of your suitemates.

If only you didn’t show up by yourself. There were a few familiar faces from class, and of course, the entire basketball team, but nobody you were really friends with. All you could focus on was how sticky the floor was and how much you needed a drink.

“Hi,” you say, finally making your way over to the bartender. It’s the team’s captain, Hanbin. “Just give me whatever tastes the best.”

“One rum punch it is,” he smiles, his whisker dimples making your heart flutter. Why was everybody on the team good looking? “Y/N, right?”

“Yep,” you say, taking the plastic cup from him. “You’re Hanbin. You know, I’ve been meaning to interview you, but you always seem so busy with other things at games.”

“Don’t worry about it. It wouldn’t be nearly as cute as when you interview Gyuvin,” he laughs, eyeing the line of guests waiting for their drinks. “I’ve got a job to do, but I’ll see you around, okay?”

“Thanks for the drink,” you say, holding it up in a sort of cheer before walking away. You take a sip and savor its sweetness, the liquor’s flavor blending in perfectly to the juice. Hanbin’s words stick with you. Were you and Gyuvin cute together?

Sure, he’s so tall that he practically towers over you, but he refuses to ever make eye contact and always keeps his replies so short and polite. Then again, he sure seems to write a lot in the notes that he doesn’t know are going to you.

For a second, you start to consider that you might actually have a chance with him, until you spot him with a beautiful girl touching his arm and whispering something in his ear. Before you can mope for too long, someone is tapping you on the shoulder.

“There you are,” a familiar voice calls over the music. You turn to see Ricky grinning at you, his hair looking almost white under the lights. “You look good.”

“Thanks, I guess,” you huff, crossing your arms over your chest to prevent him from checking you out any further. He glances past you at his roommate.

“Don’t worry about her,” he assures you. You don’t know whether or not to believe him. “Gyuvin has never taken a girl home from these parties, let alone kissed one.”

That’s a relief. “Don’t you have a hook-up to hunt down?” you ask Ricky. He cocks an eyebrow at you, sipping his drink.

“Oh, Y/N. I keep my girls on speed dial,” he chuckles. You cringe at his playboy persona and for once in his life, Ricky is embarrassed. He shuts his mouth, hoping you can’t see him blush.

“Wow,” you say, tilting your head at him. “Don’t tell me young and rich, tall and handsome Shen Ricky can actually feel shame. I really wish I had a cameraman with me right now.”

“Like I said, it works on most people,” he attempts to reason. “You’re just immune to my charms, I guess.”

“Guess so,” you smirk, downing the rest of your drink. You glance behind your shoulder to see Gyuvin still talking to that girl, then back at Ricky, who’s deep in thought.

“Do you want to meet the rest of the team?” he asks, surprising you. You give a slight nod, and that’s all he needs to see before grabbing your wrist and pulling you through the crowd.

At first, Ricky lingers as you make small talk with Matthew, Taerae, and Gunwook, and explains to you that Yujin is actually at home because he’s still in high school. You feel like a horrible journalist—have you been so preoccupied with Gyuvin that you didn’t notice there was a literal child on the team?

By now, Ricky’s abandoned you to go find something, or someone, more entertaining. He’s dropped you off with Jiwoong, the oldest player, who is as aloof as he is annoyingly handsome. The way he eyes you makes your stomach do cartwheels, and you’ve had enough to drink that you can’t see the harm in flirting with a cute boy.

He’s spewing some bullshit about meditating when you cut him off. “I like your hair,” you blurt out, catching him off guard. He turns and smiles at you for the first time since you started talking.

“You do?” he asks, running a hand through it. “I think it’s a little long. I might get a haircut soon.”

“Keep it like that,” you say, not taking your eyes off of him. “It looks good.”

Jiwoong is grinning now, but he remembers that you’re Gyuvin’s crush, and it would be totally wrong to kiss you no matter how badly he wants to. He eyes the crowd, searching for someone to save him from the tension. 

“Hao!” he says, grabbing a boy passing by and pulling him into the conversation. He looks familiar, but he’s certainly no basketball player. “Y/N, this is Zhang Hao. He’s our equipment manager. I’m gonna run to the bathroom.”

“Hi, Y/N,” Hao says, clearly caught off guard. “You’re the one who does the interviews, right?”

“That’s me,” you confirm. Jiwoong’s departure right when you thought he was going to kiss you was beyond bizarre. “I didn’t realize how many people knew me.”

“You’re basically a celebrity to the team,” Hao laughs. “They all think you’re pretty.”

“Makes sense,” you smile, sipping on your third drink of the night. “I am, in fact, very pretty.”

“Agreed. So, which one do you have your eye on?” he asks, leaning in to hear you better. “Or should I guess?”

“Go ahead and guess,” you say, eager to know what he thinks.

Hao takes a second to gather his thoughts. “Well, it’s clear that you’re into Gyuvin based on the way you giggle at his seriously unfunny jokes, but you were also just eye fucking Jiwoong. Then again, wasn’t Ricky dragging you around earlier by the hand?”

“By the wrist,” you correct him. “And yes, I do like Gyuvin. But he’s been talking to some other girl the whole night.”

“He only has eyes for you,” Hao says immediately. This is the second time you’ve heard this tonight, but the first where it’s coming from a trustworthy source.

“And you?” you ask in return, shifting the conversation onto him. “Which one do you have a crush on?”

Hao’s eyes widen. “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not—I don’t—”

“Hao,” you cut him off. “You’ve glanced at Hanbin at least six times since this conversation started.”

He swallows, knowing he’s been caught. “It’s that obvious, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Why don’t you go talk to him?”

“We talk all the time,” Hao mutters, looking down at his shoes. “I’m basically his personal assistant.”

“Do you talk about anything other than basketball?”

“No.”

“Do you even like basketball?”

“...No.”

“Hao,” you say, gripping him by the shoulders and turning him towards the drink station. “Go over there and get your man.”

—————-

As if it weren’t enough of a shock to Gyuvin that you actually showed up to a ZBO party, he’s had to spend all night watching you chat up the entire team except for him. 

They’ve no doubt let it slip to you that he has the biggest crush on you on campus, maybe even the entire world. But he’s way too nice to tell one of his classmates, who attends every game just to hold up a sign with his name on it, that he isn’t interested. 

That’s how he ended up nursing his drink with a tight lipped smile, listening to what’s-her-name ramble on about things that would be more interesting to probably anybody else, all while keeping an eye on you as you bounce around the party.

Your interaction with Jiwoong made him jealous beyond belief, and he makes a mental note that while he’s made his crush on you very clear to his teammates, you’re technically not his and free to flirt with whoever you want.

He watches as you grasp Hao and shake him, muttering some words of encouragement before sending him over to the bar. Finally, you’re alone again. It’s now or never.

“I have to go walk my dog,” Gyuvin lies, not even bothering to let the poor girl react before making his way over to you. You’re wearing pink, his secret admirer’s favorite color. Surely, it’s not just a coincidence. 

“Y/N,” he says a little too loud, startling you. You jump, accidentally knocking yourself into him. Both of your drinks go flying and suddenly, you’re covered in sticky red liquid. 

At this point, Gyuvin might as well just die alone. How did he manage to only spill his drink on you and not himself? He peers down at you, guilt written all over his face, as you take in what’s just happened.

“Here,” he says, reaching into his hoodie’s pocket and pulling out wadded tissues. “They’re clean, I promise. I have, uh, I’ve got allergies, so I carry around a ton.” 

He unfolds one and gently pats the liquid off of you without so much of a second thought. Your silence makes him panic even more, and he’s so focused on drying you off that he doesn’t even notice he’s basically rubbing the tissue on your cleavage.

Gyuvin freezes once he finally notices where his hand is, immediately pulling away and putting a good distance between the two of you. “I am so sorry. Holy shit, I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m not a pervert! Please don’t think I’m a pervert.”

“Gyuvin,” you finally say, your voice just as sweet as always. He’s pacing as much as he can with everybody packed in so tightly, his long legs taking tiny steps. “It’s okay. I don’t think you’re a pervert.”

He stops and looks down at you. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“Really,” you reassure him. “Although I might think you’re a klutz. Who knew Wakefield’s star basketball player was so clumsy off the court?”

“Technically, you bumped into me,” he asserts, his smile returning. “But you’re also the one who got soaked, so let’s just call things even.”

“Deal,” you agree. Sure, it’s fun when boys are obviously flirting with you, but the way Gyuvin has no clue what he’s doing is just so charming. It feels natural when you’re with him, a nice departure from the overused pickup lines and generic compliments that are usually thrown your way.

Gyuvin takes in your stained dress, the red punch seeping into the pink fabric like blood. You look straight out of a horror movie. 

“Here,” he says, shrugging off his varsity jacket and wrapping it around your shoulders before taking in the sight of you. “Wow. You look so…”

“Silly?” you answer, the expanse of material wrapped around you like a tent. 

“Cute. You look so cute.” Gyuvin meets your eyes for a split second before looking away again, his ears now feeling even hotter than when he saw you with Jiwoong. “I can get you a new shirt, if you want. My room isn’t far from here.”

“You want me to go with you to your room?” you giggle, enjoying how flustered you make him. Hearing his teammates talk about how much he likes you has taken a weight off your shoulders, and you don’t know how you ever thought he wasn’t into you before.

“No! Well, yes, but only if you want to. And I’m not using this as an excuse to bring you back to my room. I just know you like pink and I have this one pink shirt that shrunk in the wash and I think you’d look really good in it. Plus, I can start a load of laundry and get your dress all clean.”

This is the most you’ve ever heard him talk, his voice a few pitches higher than usual when he’s rambling. Plus, if he knows how much you like pink, he must be following your clues. “Let’s go to your room, then.” 

—————-

While Gyuvin’s side of the room is much neater than you expected, Ricky’s side looks weirdly perfect. Not a single thing is out of place, with every item labeled or color coordinated. You’re shocked that two basketball players can manage to keep such a small room so tidy.

“Sorry, it’s kind of a mess,” Gyuvin apologizes, moving to make his bed. “You can sit here.” 

“If this is what you think is messy, you don’t want to see my room,” you say, taking in all of the decorations. Usually, when you’re in a guy’s room, it’s all navy blue and manly movie posters, but Gyuvin’s walls are so colorful and covered in photos of his family and friends. 

One piece of paper catches your eye—the very first article you wrote about the basketball team. You scan his wall, catching more and more newspaper clippings, all penned by you. Gyuvin’s too busy putting things away and rustling through his drawers to notice you staring at them in awe.

“Here we go,” he calls out, turning and holding up a shrunken pink t-shirt and a pair of sweats. His grin fades as soon as he catches you reading one of your own articles, which have been on his wall for so long that he’s forgotten they’re even there. “Oh. Uh, please don’t think I’m a creep.”

“It’s not creepy. It’s sweet. They’re all about you, anyway,” you say, turning to take the shirt from him. It has a picture of a silly looking greyhound on the front of it.

“Right,” Gyuvin says, shrugging off the interaction. He pulls himself onto the bed next to you, sitting cross legged and making sure to leave a gap between you and him. “That’s my dog, Eumppappa.” 

“Eumppappa is an amazing name,” you muse, turning to smile at him. Your faces end up being so close that Gyuvin thinks his heart has stopped beating. In his attempt to scoot back, he ends up tumbling off of his bed.

“Fuck,” he says as he lands on the ground. You peer down from the lofted bed at his long limbs sprawled across the rug. If you didn’t think he was a complete loser before, you probably do now.

“Are you okay?” you call out, watching as he sits up and rubs his head.

“I’m good,” Gyuvin assures you, taking a breather before getting to his feet and heading towards the door. “I’m going to step out and let you change. Let me know when you’re decent.”

“Will do,” you smile, giving him a thumbs up. You strip your clothes off, throwing on the t-shirt and sweats and pulling the drawstring until you know they won’t fall off of you. “You can come back in, Gyuvin!”

He stumbles in, practically waiting with his body pressed against the door for the moment he could see you again. God, could you really not tell how much he liked you before tonight?

Gyuvin eyes you drowning in his clothes and he knows that he’d move earth and heaven if it meant that you’re who he got to wake up to for the rest of his life. 

“I’ll go throw this in the washer and then we can head back to the party,” he stammers, snapping out of his daydream and grabbing your dress. Your smile is so pretty right now, even after all of his awkwardness, that it takes everything in him not to get hard just looking at you.

By the time he gets back from the laundry room, you’ve decided you don’t want to go back to the party, especially not dressed like this.

“Oh,” Gyuvin says, disappointed that his time with you has been cut short by his clumsiness. “Do you want me to walk you back to your place?”

“I live down the hall,” you remind him. You hope he doesn’t realize you could’ve just as easily grabbed your own change of clothes.

“Right,” he grimaces. He knows that. He’s always trying to time leaving his room perfectly so that he runs into you on the way to class.

Just like whenever you interview Gyuvin, there’s an awkward silence, except this time it can’t be edited out. He’s back to looking everywhere in the room except at you.

“It’s not even midnight,” you say, glancing at your phone’s lockscreen. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Like, together?” Gyuvin asks in disbelief. You nod, an amused smirk on your face. “Duh, of course you meant together. Yeah, sure, let’s watch a movie.”

Moments later, you’re sitting in the dark with Gyuvin, your legs pulled close to your chest as you watch Amélie projected onto the wall above Ricky’s bed. 

Every once in a while, Gyuvin lets himself relax, his arm or his leg brushing against you by accident. After spending half of the film pulling away out of fear that he’s bothering you, he finally settles for having his fingers barely touching yours. 

“You know,” he starts, his eyes still locked on the movie. “I kind of have my own mystery going on right now.”

“Really?” you say, feigning shock. “About what?”

“Someone keeps leaving me notes when I sleep in the lounge. Sometimes treats, but mostly notes. They don’t sign their name, but today they left me some little doodles as clues and I’ve been trying to figure them out.”

The way you’re reacting makes his stomach turn. How could it be you when you have a look on your face that says you have no clue what he’s talking about?

“Well, I’ve been meaning to work on my investigative journalism. What if I helped you track your secret admirer down?”

If you aren’t going to fall for him, he’ll at least settle for being friends. “That’d be awesome, Y/N.” 

Suddenly, Ricky comes crashing into the dorm room, his lips attached to some girl’s face. He pulls away from her for a second, barely registering that you’re even there, before pulling out his wallet and throwing a couple hundred dollar bills at Gyuvin. “Get out. Now.”

Before you can protest, Ricky’s already unbuttoning his shirt, and you’ll gladly evacuate if it means you don’t have to watch whatever freaky shit is about to go down.

“I didn’t know he pays you to sleep in the lounge,” you laugh, your arms full of Gyuvin’s comforter as you walk down the hall. “With that kind of money, he could just buy an apartment.”

“He could,” Gyuvin starts, holding his pillow in one hand and the stack of notes—your notes—in the other. “But then he wouldn’t get the true college experience. Plus, he only throws money at me when it’s a last minute thing.”

“How much was that, anyway? Like $300?” you ask. He stops and takes out his wallet.

“$400. Pretty standard,” he shrugs, counting the bills. Your eyes widen at the total.

“Are you going to share?” you pout. “I got kicked out too.”

“You can have it,” he says, handing you the money, his brain short circuiting at the way you bat your eyelashes at him. You marvel at the crisp bills. “This is just another Friday night for me.”

“Okay, young and rich, tall and handsome Kim Gyuvin. Thanks for buying my dinner for the rest of the semester!” You don’t know this, but if you asked him to, Gyuvin would buy you whatever you wanted.

Before you can get down to helping him figure out the doodles, or throwing him off your trail, the two of you are fast asleep. Instead of the lounge’s couch, Gyuvin curls up on the oversized bean bag on your bedroom floor. It’s much too small for his frame to actually be comfortable, but he somehow feels more content just being around you.

—————-

Taglist: @orangesodafoam @theresawtf @nerezza123 @gyvnexe @xiurmy-everything @wollycobbl3-blr @cloudgyubi @yunnie-11 @wheatrice

[blueesnow]

(10/10) Chill out time ~Welcome to the Antiques~ - LE Event Story Translation (UR Reiji, SR Otoya)

Synopsis: Reiji and Otoya, who were casted to appear in a drama, had to come up with their own ideas for the settings of it, such as what kind of store will they be running for and their roles in the scenario. During that moment, Reiji suddenly remembered about the concerns he had received from his listeners on his radio program regarding their career paths…

Ch 1:

Currently on the radio program recording. Reiji: And the one we listened to just now was "SONG LETTER" by us, QUARTET NIGHT. Reiji: Now then, on to the next one… We'll be reading the letters that we received from everyone~ Reiji: This time we decided to put up "career path" as a theme for the request submission… And oh boy, there were so many that came in. Reiji: And that's why for today, we're going to just showcase a few of them and I'll try my best to reply them! Reiji: Without further ado, we're going to start with our first letter! With radio name, "Rei-chan I love you". Thank you☆ Reiji: "Rei-chan, please listen. I've been rejected by more than 30 companies on my job interviews… Just what exactly should I do?" Reiji: Uh… that's pretty heavy. On to the next one, with "Ebi Mayo-san" who's also asking about job-related concern. Reiji: ”Reiji-san, please help me! I'm the only one who can't decide whether to go get a job or go to college!". This one is also quite a difficult problem. Reiji: And for the last one…is here. With radio name "I want to be healed". Reiji: "I'm having a hard time studying for entrance exam, and I'm worried sick about what would happen if I were to fail.” Reiji: Hmm, I understand how you feel. No matter how hard we try our best, all of the “what ifs” tend to pop into our head. Reiji: Now then… For the three letters that I read just now, they actually have "one thing in common". Did everyone notice it? Reiji: Whether it's about an entrance exam or job hunting, they're both are very tough because they're a major events that affects our life. And the road to getting there is steep and difficult. Reiji: At times like these, I'd think to myself that maybe it's a good idea to take a break if things are really tough and there's just nothing that we can do. Reiji: However, when I looked at all of the letters just now… I can genuinely sense everyone's feelings from it, that they still wanted to try again and do their best. Reiji: And I think having someone supporting you during this time will give you a courage to take a step forward. Reiji: That's why I will continue to support everyone, including ones that I can't read for today too. Reiji: And someday… Once you finally managed to get a vision for the future, then I'd love if you could tell me that during our concert or event. Reiji: Until then, I'll always continue being an idol and wait for you all ♪ - Reiji: And next we'll be airing this song. Good luck, everyone! I'll always be with you!

Ch 2:

-Reiji's Car- Reiji: (There were still quite a lot of letters that I couldn't read during the radio program huh) Reiji: (I guess everyone is more or less concerned about their own career paths~) Reiji: (Hmm…. Is there anything more that I can do for them?) Reiji: (I always received a lot of powers from everyone, and I do wanted to pay them back but) Reiji: Not only just on radio, if I could also cheer them up in some other waysー Reiji: Oh no! I'm too deep in my thought that I didn't even realize it was already this time. Reiji: (Now then, after this I have a meeting for that new drama that was about to start) Reiji: (I've looked over the proposal several times but… it seems like this one might be quite a huge challenge) Reiji: (Not to mention, I'll also be co-starring with Otoyan! This might be quite a lively and fun set☆) -TV Station's Conference Room- Otoya: Oh, Rei-chan! Have you seen the proposal for the drama yet? Otoya: I've been so excited for it. I keep reading them all over and over. Reiji: Oh, that's great~! I can really feel Otoyan's enthusiasm. Otoya: Hehe. But even so, isn't the way this drama being filmed is quite unusual? Reiji: You're right. I've actually been in a lot of projects, including ones from my childhood, but… Reiji: It's my first time to encounter one with this much freedom, so I think this might be quite a good experience for us. Otoya: Yep! As long as Rei-chan's with me in this drama, I believe that we can create something amazing! Reiji: Otoyan… Rei-chan is getting more and more fired up☆ Let's both do our best to make this project successful!

Ch 3:

After the meeting for the drama. Otoya: Hey, Rei-chan. I told you this before but… Otoya: As I thought, isn't this drama just amazing!? It has too much freedom! Reiji: Well~ It was definitely a lot than I expected. And to think that for the settingー Reiji: All that we know is that "we're running a store together" and "we've been friends since teenager"! Reiji: For our roles and what kind of store will it be, we're allowed to decide it by ourselves! Reiji: In fact, they even told us that we could also come up with what kind of scenario will it be if we want to! Reiji: Seriously, this is the first time that I've seen a drama that offer this much freedom. Otoya: Yeah… But on the other hand, it might also help us show and convey our feelings into it. Otoya: When I thought about it, it made me even more motivated! We need to start brainstorming right away! Reiji: Oh, that's the spirit~! You have to be like that if you want to survive in this industry♪ Reiji: …But, although what Otoyan said is true, I think this also came with a pretty big responsibility. Reiji: Depending on the setting and the story that we need to come up, it will affect everything that everyone need to prepare, including the location, the advertisement and the content of the drama. Otoya: Oh, you're right. That means we're going to need a lot of help from everyone around more than the usual drama shooting… Otoya: …But even so, there's this a strong part of me that wants to make this drama fun and enjoyable. Otoya: I'm sure it's going to be a difficult road, but I want to try and give it my all! Reiji: As expected of my Kouhai☆ I knew that Otoyan would say that. Reiji: I also feel the same way! I mean, it'd be such a shame not to enjoy such a wonderful project that was given to us☆ Reiji: This time we'll be working on it right off from the scratch, and surely there'll be a lot of things that we need to think about together but… Once again, please take care of me Otoyan♪ Otoya: Yep! Likewise, I'm in your care too!

Ch 4:

On the way home after the meeting. Reiji: Now then… for the store that we'll be handling for the drama later, what kind of store shall it be? Otoya: Hmm… Now that we're looking around the city, it made me realized that there are actually a lot of different kind of stores. Otoya: A shaved ice shop, a lemonade stand… Oh, a shop that sells out a set menu meal is also delicious! Reiji: *nods* …Wait, all of it was just food-related things! Don't tell me, are you hungry? Reiji: But you're right~ …Maybe an electronics store, a flower shop or a toy store. Oh, a suits tailor store might be interesting too! Otoya: Wow, so stylish! Aa~h, I've never thought of opening up a store by myself until now, so I'm really confused~! Reiji: Ahaha. Don't worry, there's still a little bit of time left before the deadline for the idea submission, so let's think about it carefully together☆ Reiji: (That being said, the stores that we mentioned before weren't all bad but… somehow I feel like we're missing something) Reiji: (Maybe it's because we can't see any convincing reason or vision for why we're running a business?) Reiji: (…Eh? Talking about visionー) Reiji: …That's it. This is similar to everyone's problems! Otoya: Problem? What are you talking about? Reiji: Well, you see. I was on radio recording a while ago, and at that time we were all discussing about everyone's "career path". Reiji: Although there were a bit of minor differences, but all of the people that wrote letter to me were all worried that "they can't see a vision for their future". Reiji: …We ourselves are idols now, but I think each of us had our own reasons for wanting to pursue this career. Reiji: Similarly, there must have been a reason or connection as to why these two characters wanted to open up a store together… Reiji: Maybe it's because we can't see their vision that we can't come up with any ideas at all. What do you think, Otoyan? Otoya: The reason why they wanted to open up a store, huh? I don't think I can think of it straight away… Reiji: Right~ Although I'm the one who bring it up, I also can't come up with any ideas at all. Reiji: If I'm not wrong, our next day off were overlapped together, right? Why don't we go to the different stores at that time and try to think about it? Reiji: I'm sure both of the main characters were also at lost as well. So let's both try to think of it again and be confused together!

Ch 5:

-Downtown- Otoya: Morning, Rei-chan! I know this is early, but there's actually something that I'd like you to hear. Do you have a minute? Reiji: Oh, it looks like you've just thought of something. Come here and let Onii-san hear it? Otoya: Okay! You see, I realized something that might be a hint for us when we're going on a search for a storeー - Reiji: I see… “Think of a store that you would run based on what we both have in common”, huh. Reiji: Nice idea, Otoyan! Very good☆ That way of thinking is perfect for us this time♪ Otoya: Really!? Thank God~ Now then, what would you think will happen if we were to open a bicycle shop? Otoya: We both can ride a bicycle so… What if for the setting, the one thing they have in common is because they were both in the same bicycle club during their highschool? Reiji: Bicycle club, huh… Working up a sweat every day, and sometimes fighting in preparation for competitions… Hmmm, talk about youth☆ Reiji: Ah, wait… if that's the setting, then wouldn't it be more likely for them to aim being a road racer rather than being a bicycle shop owners? Otoya: Whoa, true! That seems even more likely!! Otoya: Looks like we only might be able to manage a store after we retire or something. Sounds like it would be difficult given our age… Reiji: Right. But I have to admit that was actually a pretty good idea. We have a lot of time for today, so let's think of it again more carefully okay☆ -Park- Otoya: We managed to find quite a few good stores, and we also discovered a lot of things that we have in common, but… Otoya: But connecting all of the ideas from there is difficult. *sigh* I'm tired from all of that walking! Reiji: My legs are sore too… Well, it's important to take a breather at times like this, so let's go and take a break somewhere. Reiji: It's just that… It looks like a lot of stores are already on their last order now. Maybe we won't be able to get into any of them. Reiji: Oh well, it can't be helped. For now, let's go find a nearby convenience store and get something to drink or something… Hm? Reiji: (Now that I think about it, isn't this place is actually near that store…) Otoya: What's wrong, Rei-chan? Did you remember something? Reiji: Yep, just a little bit. I'm sure Otoyan will be happy, so look forward to it, okay☆

Ch 6:

-Coffee Shop- Server: Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here's your cream soda and caffè latte, followed by two of our special puddings. Otoya: Wow, it looks so delicious! Oh, the cream soda one is mine. Thank you! Otoya: This combination definitely makes you feel like you're in a coffee shop! It's been a long time since I've had something like this, so I'm excited! Otoya: But Rei-chan, you sure knew a lot of this hidden store. Don't tell me you've actually been here before? Reiji: Yep. When I was at work, a staff member told me about this place and said, "They're open until late, and I highly recommend it.'' Otoya: I see! This place has a relaxing atmosphere, and I really took a liking to it! Otoya: The cream soda too… Mmm, so delicious! Somehow it makes me feel nostalgic. Reiji: Talking about nostalgic, this special pudding is tasty too so come and try it☆ Reiji: It seems to be made in an old-fashioned way, and it's a delicacy that you won't find anywhere else☆ Otoya: Oh, really? Now then, without further ado… Time to dig in! Otoya: Mmm, so yummy! It's as if I'm being healed from all of my tiredness~! Reiji: Right? That's what I thought too when I ate them for the first time♪ Otoya: Now I see why the staff and Rei-chan recommended this place. Everything is all perfect here, and they even open up 'till late too. Otoya: Whether you want to be comforted or refreshed… I'm sure this is a place where all kinds of people will want to come to. Reiji: Yep. In fact, even now, there are people who seem to be on their way home from work and customers who are consulting with the manager about their problems. Reiji: …Talking about consulting though, I also did the same thing too back then with the staff here before haha~ Reiji: You see, sometimes when we got tired of work, worried about our career path, and almost forgot about our dreams and policies. Reiji: At times like that, don't you think it's quite a relief to have a place like this to turn to for comfort? Otoya: I totally get that! Even for idols, that kind of existence is something we want to aspire to…Ah." Reiji: …Otoyan. Perhaps, are you thinking what I'm thinking? Otoya: Yep, totally! The store that we wanted to open isー Reiji & Otoya: A coffee shop!!

Ch 7:

-Cafe Antiques- Ryoji: "Thank you very much. We hope to see you again." Ryoji: "…Now then, Motoya. Once you put away the sign, can you please clean up the table? I'm going to close up the register." Motoya: "Got it! By the way, there were a lot of students here today even though it was a weekday." Ryoji: "Ohh, probably because their exam is coming up soon, I guess? I've seen quite a lot of students were studying too." Motoya: "Now that you mention it, it's already that time of the year, huh. Somehow it reminds me of our old days back then." Ryoji: "You're right… Wait, stop wasting our time and go clean them up quickly! Geez, I can't never let you off the hook." Motoya: "Ehehe, you caught me. Well then, I'm off to clean them up." Ryoji: "Seriously… That guy still hasn't changed since then" Ryoji: "Then again, even though I'm the manager now, I guess I still look the same in the eyes of our regulars." Ryoji: (But, I guess that's okay. To me, protecting this store is the most important thingー) Ryoji: (The first time I came here was when I was in my first year of high school) Ryoji: (Two years later, when my childhood friend Motoya entered high school, I told him about this place and he immediately took a liking to it…) Ryoji: (We used to discuss about our club activities and career paths in this place called "Antiques". We even fought and made up here a couple of times too.) Ryoji: (This place has been around for a long time and our memories only form a small part of it…) Ryoji: (As long as I'm entrusted with the manager's role, I don't want to lose this comfort place where everyone else can turn to. I must absolutely keep it aliveー) Motoya: "..-kun…Ryo-kun!" Ryoji: "Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought. What's wrong?" Motoya: "What do you mean what's wrong? You look like you were thinking of something very important, you didn't even respond to any of my call!" Motoya: "My work is almost done y'know? If you don't do yours soon then I'm going home first" Ryoji: "Sorry sorry. I'll go and finish it right away, so wait for me, okay!"

Ch 8:

After lunchtime is over. Motoya: "Manager! I'm done washing the dishes and cleaning the store. My mission's all complete!" Ryoji: "Thanks. It looks like things have finally settled down here too" Motoya: "By the way… Today was actually busier than I expected" Motoya: "Then again, we have this excellent staff working over here, so we were able to get through it somehow!" Ryoji: "Yeah yeah, excellent excellent. Thank you for another of your brilliant job too for today" Ryoji: "Well then, may I ask this excellent staff here to go out and do some shopping for us? We're running low on our ingredients" Motoya: "Urgh, Ryo-kun is a demon… Uh, nope! Nothing's wrong, Manager! I'll be back!" Ryoji: ”Seriously that guy… Be careful on your way, Motoya! …Now then, time for me to roast the beans I used while I'm at itー" Old Gentleman: "…May I ask one table for one person, please?" Ryoji: "Why of course. Welcome to Cafe Antiques!" Motoya: "Sheeshh~ That surprised me. It started to drizzle all of a sudden…" Ryoji: "Welcome back. What's wrong? Was it raining outside?" Motoya: "Yeah. Just a little bit, when I was on my way back after I'm done shopping. It looks like the rain will be getting stronger from now on, so I guess we probably going to have less customers for tonight" Motoya: "…Huh? Hey, about that person sitting at the back of the room. He has a totally different atmosphere and I can't see his eyes because of his hat, but isn't heー" Ryoji: "Welcome to Cafe Antiques… Hm?" Student who was a regular: "Ryoji-san, Motoya-san… I-I… *sobs*" Motoya: "W-What's wrong? Why are you crying!? …Did something bad happen?"

Ch 9:

Ryoji: (Just like what Motoya said, the rain is getting stronger) Ryoji: (The only customers we have are just a skinny old man who is a newcomer and a student who's a regular in our cafe, huh. Anyway…) Student who was a regular: "*sigh*" Ryoji: (Talk about a big sigh, he look so depressed. …No wait, rather than that, it seems like he's more worried about something) Ryoji: (I've heard that he's been working very hard lately on his studies to pursue his dream but…) Ryoji: (Maybe now he's worried whether the path he wanted to take is really the right one or not, huh) Ryoji: (…I've also been there too before.) Ryoji: (Around the time I started studying for my entrance exam here, Motoya also started working part-time at this store…) Ryoji: (This place has always been very important to us and to the regulars.) Ryoji: (However, after I went to university for a while, the owner was diagnosed with an illness…and I was told that the store would eventually be closed.) Ryoji: (I totally begged him on the spot to not do that and to let me get involved in managing the store in his place.) - Ryoji: (However, as soon as I was given the job and started to study it, I realized just how difficult it was managing a business... I often wondered and worried whether this is truly the best option or not) Ryoji: (I did manage to keep the store running until now but, thinking back of that time, I think part of my recklesness was because I was young) Ryoji: (But still… I don't think Owner knew just how much I was saved by his comfort and drink that he served me at that time depite his ilness) Ryoji: (That's right. Confronting them wholeheartedly, offering them a place of comfort and cheered them up… Those are the things that I wanted to protect the most about this store) Ryoji: (If that's the case then the thing that I can do for now is… Rather than forcing myself to act as Owner, I just have to do things and face them on my own) Ryoji: "…Okay, I've decided. I don't think there'll be any customers coming for a while, so let's do that for today." Motoya: "That? What's wrong, Ryo-kun?" Ryoji: "Motoya, I'll go and take the order from the student, so could you ask the person in the back what he'd like to drink?" Ryoji: "In times like this, I think the best thing that we can do is…providing them an opportunity for some comfort and healing." Ryoji: ”So for today, we're going to treat everyone with a our own personal service."

Ch 10:

Ryoji: "…I see. That must have been painful" Student who was a regular: "Yes… During this time of the year, to think that I got a grade like that on my mock exam. I seriously don't know what exactly should I do…" Ryoji: "I get it. When something suddenly goes wrong in the middle, it's hard to try and take a step forward after that, right" Ryoji: "But you know, there might be a lot of things that you would missed if you never try to to take a chance and walk forward. It's also the same with this store too" Ryoji: "I've told you before the story of how I got appointed as a store manager, right?" Ryoji: "At that time, while I did study in Business Management Major, I actually have zero experience of it" Ryoji: "But… When I heard that this store might be closed for real, I couldn't just stay still…" Ryoji: "I wanted to protect the feelings of Owner and our regular customers… I was convinced that this is what I wanted to do!" Ryoji: "All the people around me told me that I was reckless and told me to quit before I regret it. At first try, I encountered problems and worried a lot but…" Ryoji: "I'm really glad that I actually took a step forward on that day. And I still am even now" Ryoji: "Although it maybe different for each people… As long as you try, I'm sure there'll be an answer coming to you. This world is surprisingly like that you see" Ryoji: "Getting worried means that you're feeling lost now, right? …Just like how I was back then, don't you have something that you really wanted to do?" Ryoji: "And besides, there's more than one way to make your dreams come true. So, before you decide to take the next step and quit…please try to think about it one more time.” - Student who was a regular: "Ryoji-san, Motoya-san. Thank you so much for today. I… As I though, I'm going to continue to walk through the path that I believe in a little bit more!" Ryoji: "Yeah, we'll be here waiting for the good news." Motoya: "We look forward to see you again! Good luck, okay!" Ryoji: "…His expression look much more better now. I can't wait to see his growth" Motoya: "Yep. And besides, Ryo-kun too, you really feel like a real manager just now. Wait no, you look more like a master~!" Ryoji: "Nah, I still have a long way to go. This time I was only able to make use of my experience but, there are still a lot of things that I need to learnー" Old Gentleman: "Hahaha, there's no one who is perfect from the very start. Thank you for the wonderful show you showed me back then, it was more fulfilling than the supplementary drink" Ryoji: "Y-You saw us. My apologies for showing you such a sight" Motoya: "It's just as I thought! Hey Owner, don't you think that Ryo-kun's finally getting the hang of it as a manager?" Ryoji: "Owner? What are you saying…" Ryoji: (Eh? But wait. The hat that he's wearing… and besides that way of laughing, don't tell me!?) Owner: "Although I'm getting better now, I've lost a lot of weight because of my illness. It's only natural that you can barely recognize me" Ryoji: "I-I'm so sorry for not noticing you sooner! It's been a while, Owner…!" Owner: "Don't worry about it. In fact, I actually wanted to thank you for today. My surgery has been decided you see, and I've been feeling anxious about it…" Owner: "But knowing that my precious "Antiques" is still here really cheered me up. And maybe with this, I can finally move forward" Ryoji: "Owner…thank you very much! I'm honored to hear you say that." Ryoji: "We will continue to protect "Antiques" so that it can be a place of relaxation for everyone." Ryoji: "But, we're not only just going protect it. At the same time, we want to provide everyone a comfort drink in our very own way for them to relax… That's what I thought now" Owner: "…That's fine. I'm glad to have you as my successor, Ryoji-kun. Next time, I'll be looking forward to taste your very own personal drink" Ryoji: "Yes, gladly! …Come on, Motoya. Let's go and see our precious customer off" Ryoji & Motoya: "Thank you for coming today. We look forward to seeing you again!"

[jumpywhumpywriter]

Villain's Coffee Shop part 14

Warnings: none, really, just Villain's interview gone awry.

“My boss should arrive shortly,” she announced reassuringly.

Villain shifted uncomfortably. He felt so vulnerable, so exposed without the mask or makeup that usual hid his gruesome face scars. It made his skin crawl to know how everyone must see him – spoiled goods, a broken menace to society. He was only here in the first place because Hero had invited him; he didn't actually expect Hero's team to accept him or let him switch sides. He was mostly here to prove his point to Hero that the world would still reject him despite trying to be better. To get her to stop harassing him.

Both he and Hero had mutually agreed over the phone not to share his history as Villain to avoid complicating things – to Hero's team, he would be introduced as just another super-powered individual wishing to stop crime and save lives. It certainly helped that Villain was one of the stronger powered people in the city – it would make him more appealing to recruit.

But he wasn't prepared when Superhero entered the office room to interview him. The enemy that had nearly murdered him in their last fight.

Villain was instantly bristling, stiffening in his chair as Superhero sat in the one across from him, the desk the only thing separating them. He caught the quizzical side-eye Hero gave him, and remembered that he wasn't wearing his mask – there was no way for Superhero to know who he was. No way to tie him to his pastime as a villain.

But still, even being this close to Superhero made Villain want to lash out and rip the man's throat out for everything he'd done to him. Hero hadn't heard that her boss was the one responsible for his near-death experience yet. She was oblivious, and Villain partially wished he'd told her earlier to justify his current response.

Villain's mouth suddenly felt dry as a desert, and he watched Superhero eye Mocha, who was now stiff and tense in Villain's lap, ears subtly angled backward.

“You brought a cat. Into my office.” Superhero raised an eyebrow, prompting an explanation.

“I can't leave him home alone or he'll destroy the place,” Villain easily lied. He was always a quick thinker like that, able to make any excuse for any situation. “I have to bring him so I can keep an eye on him.”

Superhero hummed in acknowledgement, not looking pleased but choosing not to argue.

“Hero vouched for you,” he started, “said you'd like to join our hero team to fight crime. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Villain answered curtly.

“What is your superpower, and what skills could you bring to this Agency?”

Villain delicately plucked a pen from its holder on the desk, tossing it carelessly in the air. It froze an inch from hitting the table on its way back down, frozen in time.

Nothing more needed saying.

“Fascinating,” Superhero remarked, looking genuinely impressed. “Timebenders are exceedingly rare. It's a very valuable gift to have.” He opened a drawer and rummaged around in it, eventually pulling out a thick folder of papers and sliding it over to Villain.

“It's so useful, in fact, that I think you might be the key to finally taking down a criminal I've been after for a long time. You could find him and freeze him in his tracks, because the problem is he always manages to disappear somehow – but that would be hard to do if you're frozen in time. Consider it your first official mission. If you succeed, you'll get a huge promotion. Welcome to the team, Villain. I foresee you being a valuable addition to our heroes.”

Villain opened the folder, and his heart stopped. In front of him, was all the information Superhero had gathered… on Villain. Locations he'd been spotted, every fight with heroes that went down…

He was being assigned to track himself down. To literally hunt himself as the city's most dangerous villain. How was he supposed to pull this off?!! If he didn't succeed in his task, he'd be labeled as incompetent, and swiftly kicked off the team. But he couldn't exactly turn himself in either.

⏪️ Back Next ⏩️

Masterlist

@scoundrelwithboba @lumpofsand @isikedmyself878 @iamheretohurt @fleur-a-whump

@ay5ksal @otterfrost @sausages-things @togzy

@whump-till-ya-jump @cravesunconditionallove @whumpwritinglover222

@federthenotsogreat @everynameistakencarrots

[acourtofthought]

How would you feel if ACOTAR 5 is gwynriel instead of elucien? In one of SJM interviews she stated that after finishing acotar5 she will be working on the 1st book of a different series. So that means acotar6 will come out 2027.

Disappointed. I think there gets to be a point where an author drags out a particular storyline too long (the Blood and Ash series come to mind) and the writing suffers as a result.

Vassa was taken in ACOMAF, we found out by who in ACOWAR and that she as well as the other girls at the lake have been cursed / kidnapped by Koschei. In ACOFAS we're told her freedom will come to an end and reminded of that in ACOSF.

Spring was destroyed in ACOWAR and in ACOFAS, we're told Tamlin is severely depressed but that they'll still need Spring as an ally. SF shows it's been awhile and Tamlin isn't getting better, that they know they need a strong ally in Springs army.

Elucien's bond snapped in ACOMAF, Elain was turned fae and in ACOWAR she lost her father, stabbed a man, was rejected by Graysen, fought with her sister in SF and was rejected by Az yet we've not once been given her inner thoughts of all she's experienced. We don't even see any of the main characters trying to talk to her about any of those things.

And Lucien, the list is too long to include on all his unresolved plots.

Having Nesta's story told first made sense to me because there was never going to be Elucien progress until Nesta began letting go of her protectiveness over Elain, to accept the idea of Lucien (and technically, Nessian's bond was hinted at before Elucien's bond snapped).

Her healing arc was important to Feyre and Elain's stories too (along with herself of course) however it wasn't very plot heavy. But there was no moving forward for anyone until Nesta's anger wasn't destroying everything in Nesta's path. The series, since book 2, has been as much about the sisters relationship to one another as plot and romance and closing that out before moving into a new era makes sense to me.

But Az having his story before Elain and Lucien doesn't seem to fit especially when a Gwynriel romance would probably need at least 6 - 9 months (meaning that almost another year would go by before we even start getting resolution to the above).

I'm not sure that I see anything in his story that is necessary to lead us into the Koschei storyline.

He wasn't in Feyre's "Let's help one sister before helping the other" speech, he wasn't part of Feyre's "I want them all to be happy" speech in ACOFAS.

To me the Illyrians aren't a bigger concern to their entire world than Vallahan setting their sights on the humans or Beron trying to ally with Koschei or how an entire court is now being neglected by its High Lord.

Dragging out Vassa, Koschei, Lucien's father reveal, the Elucien bond, the girls who were kidnapped, Spring, Elain healing from her trauma while she continues to remain in a court she doesn't truly belong just so Az can have his story which doesn't fit in to any of those things does not make any sense to me and honestly, I think it sends a weird message.

"I think Lucien will never be good enough for her"

"I'll defeat him with little effort"

"I know, I helped rescue Elain after all"

"There is a darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to"

"She has no interest in him anyway"

Az (no offense) is kind of a dick at times outside of the priestesses.

He makes Mor so uneasy with his behavior that she feels like she needs to lie about what she's doing so he doesn't brood.

He is jealous and bitter towards Lucien and speaks for Elain without ever acknowledging her bravery and strength.

He gives off Tamlin vibes at times and to me that means he needs to be on a time out for a bit. Where he has to really sit and think on why his behaviors were wrong, why he tried to keep Mor and Elain small so he could be the hero, why he had such issues with a guy who is a very decent person.

Giving him a HEA after he treated them like that while Mor still remains unlucky in love, Lucien is struggling, Elain has no found family, it feels like jumping over an important lesson for Az to learn so he can become worthy of Gwyn. Not just in who he is when around her but who he is on his own.

I think Az seeing them happy and actually being happy for them is an important arc for his character.

But, in the end that's just my perception of the situation.

I don't know how SJM thinks, what her plan is, and if Elucien is not next than there's not much I can do but wait!

[werothegreat]

Okay my feed is starting to get filled with pro-Jedi cope and propaganda and I'm just like, did y'all not watch the same movies I did? Did you not see the disgust on Windu's face whenever he looked Anakin? Did you not see how coldly Yoda told Anakin to grow a pair when he came to him for emotional help? Did you not see Anakin being taken from his mother, the only person who ever showed him any affection, only to be told that the fact he missed her was going to turn him into an evil psychopath?

I get it, you've read George Lucas' interviews where he says he's a Buddhist and that a lot of the Jedi philosophy is inspired by his own personal beliefs. But looking at the actual text of the films, it seems like there's more to it than just that.

In the Original Trilogy, Obi-Wan tells us the Jedi were amazing, warriors for good, guardians of peace, the best things ever. And our hero, Luke, wants to become one. We follow him on his journey to do so, and cheer as he, at the end, rejects violence and declares himself a Jedi, "like my father before me."

But then we see the Prequels. We see what the Jedi were actually like. We see their rigidness. Their clinging to dogma. Their inability to change. Their firm belief that emotion and attachment can only lead to jealousy and destructive anger. But people don't work like that. Emotions are part of us, even fear and anger and hate. We can't just throw those away. We're not supposed to be cold, unfeeling Vulcans. Fear protects us from danger. Anger calls us to action. And hate is the only reasonable response to pure evil.

Anakin fell to the Dark Side because at every turn, the Jedi dismissed his concerns, dismissed his emotional responses, dismissed his yearning for his mother. They could have actually helped him. They could have talked to him with dignity and respect. They could have shown him any amount of warmth and comfort. Instead they were cold and distant to him, they resented him, and he grew to resent them.

And who did show him warmth and comfort and dignity? Palpatine. He swooped right in and took Anakin under his wing, and Anakin never looked back.

Western culture tells vulnerable young boys to buck up, to not cry, to not show emotion, to be strong and stoic and to not miss their mother. And those vulnerable young boys become hateful grown men who take their curdled hurt and hurt others in turn.

The Jedi failed Anakin just as much as Palpatine corrupted him. It was a joint effort.

I'm also seeing some talk that "the Light Side is the Force in balance" and don't make me laugh. The Force has two sides - Light and Dark. Ever heard of yin and yang? Darkness isn't "evil", and light isn't "good". They are two parts of the same whole. I love the first lesson Luke gives Rey in The Last Jedi - balance means both light and dark. Warmth and cold. Life and death. Peace and violence.

The Wheel of Time is a flawed series, but I really love the climax in the last book. Rand is tempted by The Dark One with a world of only light - no darkness, no evil, no death, no violence. And Rand finds it abhorrent because it is a world of no choice. No change. It's static and stagnant and there are no real people in it, only simulacra. Life cannot exist like that.

The Jedi thought that cleaving only to the light, to reject the emotions that could lead you to darkness, to be emblems of peace (while being most known for their iconic weapons, ironically), was what the Force wanted. And yet the Dark Side kept returning, whether through the Sith, or the Knights of Ren, or the Nightsisters. Because yin without yang is not balance.

Anyway I've run out of thoughts and that's probably long enough of a ramble. Keep watching The Acolyte, it's pretty great.

[dollsonmain]

I am getting tired of That Guy's anxiety turning into him demanding I harass people for information that doesn't exist.

He insists that teaching Son to do this will make Son's life better as an adult.

Teaching Son to annoy people to the point that those people will not want to work with him is not going to better his life. That kind of behavior has not made That Guy's life any better, either.

The interviews for the tech school are on Friday and That Guy has been hounding both Son and me (he won't do it himself, he "doesn't have time" even though he gets home more than an hour before school closes and could make all the phone calls he wants in that time) to constantly pester school staff for information that is not available and when we come back with "That information DOES NOT EXIST YET" he yells at us and insists we keep pestering.

He did that to Son for three weeks, making him ask the same question over and over every day at school (I doubt Son did, honestly) for information no one could possibly have had, yet, and he's done it twice more since then.

This past two weeks has been the same thing (find out when and where the interviews for the tech school are) and that information was dropped for all students yesterday.

Now this morning he's asked me to contact the person on that email and make sure they know to make Son go to this interview event and not let him weasel out of it.

The thing is, Son does not want to go. He doesn't want to go to the tech school at all. He has said so, but That Guy decided he WILL go whether he wants to or not.

My parents did the same to me with soccer and basketball even though I told them repeatedly I didn't want to do sports because I hate sports. Turns out I'm physically disabled in a way that exercise is an emotionally miserable and painful experience (post exertion malaise and chronic pain) instead of ooo fun and competition!!! I fucking hate sports.

Anyway.

At this point, all Son has to do is go to the interview on Friday and tell the interviewer that he doesn't want to be there and his father is forcing him against his wishes, they will quietly reject his application without explanation, and he can get on with his life though he'll have to endure That Guy throwing a tantrum over it and more likely than not demanding Son and I harass the tech school until they give some sort of reason for rejecting Son's application under the premise that demanding that information will make Son do better in future interviews.

That Guy has pushed the tech school so much that Son doesn't want it, now. He was excited at first but then That Guy pushed and pushed and did mock interviews and demands and started insinuating that Son doesn't have a choice and if he fails his life is over kind of bullshit.

That Guy sucks the fun out of life.

-

But I do as I'm demanded to do because if I don't, shit gets bad.

But I hate, hate, hate being his mouth like this because it makes ME look like the asshole. I'm just the schmuck that fell for his lies.

[motownfiction]

pastime

Charlie has an interview with Tisch today.

It’s a whole thing. The invitation to interview came in at the last minute. Originally, Tisch wasn’t interested in Charlie. Then, somebody backed out of the incoming freshman class, and his name was next on the list of hopefuls. He’s not in yet, but as his mother assures him on the plane ride to New York, he’s bound to get in.

Except Charlie’s not so sure that he wants in.

Except he can’t admit that to anyone, much less his mother.

The professor interviewing him seems nice. He’s a tall guy, a little younger than Charlie expected, and he has stage presence. Charlie flinches. Stage presence. That’s always been the thing he lacks. That’s what kept him out of Tisch the first time.

At first, the interview goes well enough. The professor asks Charlie how he’s enjoyed high school.

It’s OK, Charlie says. But I’m really looking forward to college.

The professor says he was the same way when he was seventeen. He asks Charlie why he’s interested in attend the Tisch School of the Arts.

That’s easy, Charlie says, halfway to convince himself it’s true. I want to play my music in a place that can really hear it. Detroit’s great. Motown and all that. But New York … I think here, you can hear the songs the way they ought to sound.

The professor looks pretty pleased with that one. Charlie’s not sure if that’s good or bad. All he knows is that he might vomit. Maybe it would be better if he did. Kill all his chances to get into this school, this program. That way, he’d never have to fail out. He’d just never know.

“Tell me, Charlie,” the professor says. “Do you have a favorite pastime?”

Charlie breathes an easy sigh.

“That’s easy, too,” he says. “I like playing pop songs.”

“Like listening to the radio?”

“Well, yeah, but I kinda meant … learning how to play pop songs. Like on the piano. I’m really good at it. I can never find the sheet music, but I can make it work, just by ear. The other day, my brother and sister were really impressed with what I did to ‘Take on Me.’”

The professor doesn’t seem to like that one. Charlie feels even sicker.

“Sorry,” he says. “I know you probably don’t like pop music.”

“No, that’s not it,” the professor says. “I listen to the radio all the time. I find that the best musicians are the ones who keep up with what’s new. You never want to be the person who changes the dial just because they don’t know the song.”

Charlie nods. Those words sound familiar, and he pretends not to know where he might have heard something like that before.

“Then …?” he starts, but the professor cuts him off.

“When I asked you for your favorite pastime, I thought you’d tell me something like ‘going to the movies’ or ‘watching Dynasty on TV,’” the professor says. “I thought you’d say something other than what you do at the piano.”

“But I do everything at the piano,” Charlie says. “Even my math homework. You can ask my mom. The piano … all due respect, sir, but it’s everything.”

“It should be a lot if you’re applying to school here,” the professor says. “But should it be everything?”

Charlie stops. This is one of those interview questions you’re not supposed to answer.

A few minutes later, he stands up and shakes the professor’s hand. He knows this is the last time they’ll ever meet, even without a rejection letter in his grip. He’s pretty sure this is what he wants, anyway. New York would be too big of a move.

When he meets his mother back at the hotel, she asks him how the interview went. Charlie doesn’t know why, but the urge to lie takes him over and slips out of his mouth.

“I like my chances,” he says.

(part of @nosebleedclub june challenge -- day xvi! i’m still behind, but at least it’s not woeful this time)

[moistvonlipwig]

Some other frog fandom trends I've noticed:

-You mentioned how people sand away or dismiss Anne's flaws, but even many people who do fully acknowledge Anne's flaws tend to end their acknowledgement with "which she no doubt picked up from Sasha", implying that all of Anne's flaws she has to grow out of are solely Sasha being a bad influence on her, even though the show itself never says this (and even people who speculate how Sasha's flaws come from her parents divorce don't use this to disconnect her from her flaws the same way its done with Anne, i.e. Sasha's seen as more one worthy of being regarded with complexity, even by people who hate her).

-It also seems most of the fandom takes Sasha being more muscular and stronger than Anne as an excuse to forget that Anne is an athletic jock who can keep up with Sasha in every other physical field without any issue. I note this b/c as people use this to portray Sasha as super-masculine, they at the same time portray Anne correspondingly as super-feminine in ways that seem really dismissive rather than true to her character, and these two portrayals then bleed through into a lot of Sashanne fan art I've seen. I love buff Sasha, but the way some portrayed Anne in regards to this always felt weird to me.

-Relatedly, all of Sasha's feminine traits being ignored is usually associated with Anne's feminine traits being over-emphasized, and masculine traits ignored, to provide a contrast in fan art between the two.

-When Matt did an interview going over the finale, and how Anne and Marcy represented his goal of providing a more multi-faceted depiction and rejection of stereotypes for Asian people, both in real life and in fiction, the reaction of most fans was to ignore this and focus only on a gag question asking Matt about a joke in a S1 episode, that the fandom complains about being the worst episode -"Cracking Mrs Croaker"-, to proclaim that Anne was now canonically shippable with Sasha or Marcy.

-While people complain about Marcy not being mentioned enough in S3, they tend to complain way more about it for Anne than for Sasha. The implication for the fandom for some reason seems to be that its acceptable for Sasha to not want to confront what happened to Marcy, but for Anne its inexcusable, b/c, even disregarding the fact its a kids show, trying to avoid a breakdown over traumatic events means she's being written as a sociopath, apparently.

...Okay I promise I'll get to the rest of what you wrote in a moment but I have to call a big ole pause to go get my eyes checked because they're telling me that you just wrote that Amphibia fandom thinks "Cracking Mrs. Croaker" is a bad episode but that can't actually be true...right??? Please tell me you were joking because that can't POSSIBLY be a widespread opinion that people have. That's one of the BEST S1 episodes. It's got MRS. CROAKER in it aka THE BEST FROG CHARACTER. Hello???

I'll move on to your other points now but frankly if that's true then that is the biggest strike against Amphibia fandom yet. What the hell, guys. How is your taste that bad. (And if it's not true, then that was a very cruel practical joke to play on me, anon!)

Anyway, addressing each point individually:

ANNE, SASHA, & FLAWS

Yeah, now that you mention it, I've seen people attributing Anne's flaws to Sasha that way. Perhaps most bafflingly, I recently saw someone attributing Anne's behavior in "Girl Time" to Sasha's influence, saying that clearly Sasha must have forced Anne to enjoy girly things and that's why Anne was pushing girly things on Polly. (I guess they didn't get the masc!Sasha memo the rest of the fandom did lol.) What's extra ridiculous about this is that they apparently never considered that societal forces exist beyond Sasha "The Most Evil Girl In All The World" Waybright and that maybe, just maybe, the reason Anne acts like a sexist jerk in that episode is not because her best friend controls her every thought like some sort of mind-puppet, but because she has grown up in a deeply sexist world that reinforces sexist messages at every level and she has never properly been challenged to rethink any of these ideas she's absorbed and she certainly hasn't bothered to reexamine them on her own.

So again there's a refusal to engage with Anne's complexity. She is reduced to a victim, an empty vessel for other people to pour negative traits into. But I don't know that I agree with you that people are willing to afford complexity to Sasha either. It seems to me this reading generally flattens their dynamic as a whole and simplifies them into Anne the poor put-upon good person who has been led astray by the machinations of Sasha the evil toxic bad person who just sucks. Neither are granted the space to be full people. Which is a shame because part of the magic of Amphibia is that the characters are so well-drawn and do feel like full people.

SASHANNE, MASCULINITY, & FEMININITY

Yeah, Anne is someone who strikes me as having both 'masculine' and 'feminine' aspects of her gender presentation. On the one hand you have episodes like the aforementioned "Girl Time" which shows that she does clearly enjoy 'girly' activities and outfits, but she's also been shown to be a jock like you said and sometimes she dresses more 'masculine', like her suit from "Anne of the Year". Sasha on the other hand, while muscular and skilled in combat, is pretty strictly feminine and even the sport she's into is cheerleading which is considered classically 'girly'. I think fandom often conflates 'muscular' with 'masculine' or 'butch' which is...problematic to say the least. (Throwback to the days of She-Ra fandom when people insisted on describing Scorpia of all people as 'butch'. *shudders*)

MATT'S INTERVIEW

I think I know the interview you're talking about! So I'll say a couple things about this. The first thing is that I've seen an odd trend crop up in some fandoms lately, particularly children's cartoon fandoms, of fans feeling like they need the creator(s) to validate their headcanons in interviews and other extra-textual material. Not just wanting that kind of validation, mind you, but feeling like they need it in order to keep having that headcanon. For instance -- I don't always keep up with Owl House-related interviews and BTS stuff because, well, I just don't care as much about that show lol, but I know that lately Dana gave an interview where she basically said that the only thing that's canon is what's in the show and that her headcanons are just that, headcanons, and a lot of people for some reason were, like, taken aback by that? And I just don't understand that reaction at all, like...of course only the text itself is canon! Of course the creators' opinions are just their opinions!

So in the case of Matt's interview, I reacted to his statement about Anne finding Mrs. Croaker hot with a nod and smile and then moved on. Because to me...sure it's nice to know that was his intention, but also, with all due respect to Matt, I don't really care if he intentionally made Anne sapphic or not. I don't give that kind of weight to creators' statements. She reads as a lesbian to me, so to me, she's a lesbian. And she'd be shippable with Sasha and Marcy and other female characters regardless of anything Matt did or didn't say. But I also say this as a grown adult who's been in many fandoms before, so, maybe that's the difference? Maybe if you're a lot younger -- and children's cartoon fandoms do skew younger for obvious reasons -- and Amphibia or The Owl House is your first or second fandom, that kind of creator validation is more important to you? IDK.

I think the other part of this is that, in general, white-dominated queer fandoms tend to prioritize queerness over discussions of race. (Granted I have no data on the racial makeup of Amphibia fandom but most fandoms on Tumblr are white-dominated so, forgive the assumption.) Personally, if I could ask Matt about the show, I would be more inclined to pick his brain about the other things you mentioned, like how his experiences growing up Thai-American influenced the show and its portrayal of Asian-American identities and themes of diaspora, immigration, and the experience of being othered. Oh, and I might specifically ask about the show's portrayal of mixed Asian/white friend groups that are majority-Asian because I find that aspect of the show really interesting, especially as someone whose middle/high school friend group had that racial makeup.

WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE MARCY??? :(

You're right, I do see more people complaining about Anne not mentioning Marcy vs. Sasha not mentioning her. I also see more complaints about Anne not mentioning Marcy much in 3A vs. her not mentioning Sasha much in early S2 even though S1 also ended with Anne witnessing an extremely traumatic near-death (and in fact near-suicide in Sasha's case) of one of her friends.

A big part of this is I think general Marcy-favoritism. Now I love Marcy. If hard-pressed I would probably rank her over Anne in terms of favorite characters, although it's really close and some days I might feel the opposite. But the Marcy favoritism in Amphibia fandom is...a bit extreme. I guess it's something that for once it's not the one white character who everyone is obsessed with? Lol? But it still annoys me, I think largely because it leads to a lot of poor analysis of the show. It's one thing if the fandom favors a particular character and analyzes them correctly; it's another thing if they favor that character and then get them, and the show as a whole, wrong.

But yes, there's also probably a double standard at play. Now, granted, Anne is the main character and we do spend way more time with her than with Sasha in S3, and we also have a way better sense of Anne's relationship with Marcy than we do of Sasha's relationship with her. So to be fair, I think if you're going to be mad about the characters not talking about Marcy, then I do get why you'd be more frustrated when it comes to Anne. But to accuse Anne of being a bad friend or whatever because of it without saying anything about Sasha is just silly and unfair.

But that circles back to my main problem which is that I just don't think it's a valid complaint for either character. Especially since Anne clearly does think about Marcy throughout S3 because in "The Beginning of the End" she has basically already forgiven her and come to understand why she did it. That took some serious thought on her part! (To be clear, I think Sasha also thought about Marcy, but while in 3A Anne had Marcy's journal in hand and the clarity of being safely on Earth with her parents and the Plantars to think the situation through, Sasha was trapped in a terrible situation as a consequence of Marcy's actions just as she had been for...um...the whole show. Hence why they come to different conclusions.)

But I also think that beyond this specific case, this complaint points to a general problem I see in some fandoms which is a lack of understanding that sometimes what we might want for the characters isn't good television. Anne moping around and constantly talking about a character who isn't there would not only not be in the spirit of the two seasons that came before, it just plainly would not be fun TV. Especially not for kids, who generally have much shorter attention spans than adults. Writing for kids is hard. Because if a kid isn't entertained by your show they will probably just turn it off and go hunt for bugs in the backyard or something.

You know what is fun TV? The Plantars being fish frogs out of water on Earth, Anne and the Plantars interacting with the Boonchuys, Anne making mistakes and learning from them, and Anne and both her families trying to avoid the Cloak-Bots and the FBI while trying to open a portal to Amphibia, with occasional interludes set in Amphibia showing Sasha growing as a person, Marcy being consumed by the Core, and Andrias trying to capture Anne. That's fun TV. That''s in keeping with the spirit of the show. And that's exactly what 3A did.

[whoiskt]

2022 draws to a close... it is time now... the questions...

1: What did you do in 2022 that you’d never done before?

WENT TO THE OCEAN!!! BABEY WE FINALLY MADE IT!

Also wrote a TV pilot script which has altered the course of my future in ways that are yet to be determined....

I did some other things, of course, but nothing as big as those. Like, I went to the renaissance faire, and tried hot pot, poisoned myself with mold. Just a tastes of some firsts.

2: Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I made... so many. It was too much. 

Read 10 books--- Yeah, I technically have started and failed to complete many books. This does include Dracula -_- I’m so bad at finishing things. I’m trying to finish one before New Years.

Go to an event I wouldn’t normally attend--- I mean, I did go to the ren faire... so I want to count this.

Run a mile in less than 12 minutes outdoors--- I didn’t try lmao once it was warm enough to run outdoors I had completely forgotten.

Apply for at least 4 jobs a week----

I was trying to film a second a day too and that ended in... February. 

Yeah, anyways, I don’t know. I got to be more reasonable.

3: Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nay! Least you count all the girlies at work.

4: Did anyone close to you die?

Nay!

5: What countries did you visit?

I’m still working on that ok?

6: What would you like to have in 2023 that you lacked in 2022?

Watch as KT chooses “career” for the fourth year in a row... Honestly, no. I’m going to say a feeling of community. That’s what I really want.

7: What dates from 2022 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I will probably forget everything. I still remember the queen died on the 8th of September. I don’t know why I remember that but I doubt it will last.

8: What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Writing the script. I mean, it has changed a bit, and will continue to, but it was a big step in this journey I’m on. And as you know, I rarely finish things I start, so this was a big deal. Even if it never sees the light of day.

I read it to my family at Christmas and my oldest bro-in-law told me to keep making it because he likes it.... HUGE compliment coming from him.

I have also written the outlines for several other episodes for this not-real TV show of mine. I think I’m up to 5 outlines, in addition to the script. So, yeah. Even if it never gets to TV I might make it into a webcomic. Like, I'll make a pact that if I haven't gotten it made by the time I'm 30, I'll start making it into a webcomic instead.

Plus, I’ve been working a lot on my portfolio. I need to finish that up in January and then I’ll be applying for grad school! Scary but exciting. 

9: What was your biggest failure?

My biggest failure of the year was probably whenever I applied and interviewed for that broadcasting job. I was really bummed that I didn’t get the job because of the following reasons:

1) It was “the perfect” job for me, I was perfectly qualified and it was in the perfect place, as close as I could get to my “dream job” without leaving the state.

2) There was three (3!) openings. The odds should have been in my favor

3) I knew someone who was already working there. Just embarrassing to me like, ok, so he knows I didn’t get the position. We went to school together our resumes were VERY similar ya know? How did I not get it?

But my biggest failure did lead me to self-reflect. The job search the last few years has been so hard. Getting this rejection was a very big “I can’t do this anymore” moment, so I was thinking, what has brought me satisfaction in all this? The answer was the TV show I write in my notes app.

And because I believe in that enough, I guess I’m going to go do that now instead. Either way, it’s been really fucking nice since then to have just completely given up on the job search. Just so nice.

10: Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes, first I was sick... idk some time in Spring. Then I drank mold and became poisoned that way, so that was fun. And this last week I’ve had a stomach bug so wooo! I look forward to being well again.

11: What was the best thing you bought?

I bought the new tablet. It is really nice. But it would really only be useable thanks to Will, letting me borrow his computer all the time these days. 

12: Whose behavior merited celebration?

I respect all my friends for their behavior and growth or dealing with challenges. It was tough ages 18-24 dealing with losing friends, but now the people I choose to surround myself never worry me, or shock me, or even come close to disgusting me. That’s not something I could have said when I was younger (sadly). But now all my friends are super solid and I am proud to know them.

13: Whose behavior made you appalled?

I don’t know... sometimes my coworkers do stuff but I wouldn’t call it outright appalling? At worst it’s petty drama or bootlicking. But I’m very good at leaving things at work so I don’t care.

14: Where did most of your money go?

They keep increasing the gd rent grrrrr

15: What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The ocean and the beach and the accompanying aura was really cool. I was so excited in general for summer and warm weather, which I think I’m just thinking about because I want it really bad right now. 

Chainsaw Man anime! It’s been great showing it to Will, now he knows who tf I’m talking about.

16: What song will always remind you of 2022?

I really don’t listen to pop songs anymore but on our drive to the east coast we discovered Brick + Motar which has become a staple in our home, so pretty much all their songs.

17: Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?

I’m probably in all ways about the same. This is what I talk about when I say all the last few years have been a blur because things really don’t get better or worse they just stay the same.

18: What do you wish you’d done more of?

Focusing on finishing things I started. Running theme here, I know, lmao

19: What do you wish you’d done less of?

Play stupid little games on my phone. I seriously get addicted to these things.

20: How did you spend Christmas?

Went home. It was really brief this year. I'll make sure my visit next year is an extended stay.

21: Did you fall in love in 2022?

Never stopped.

22: What was your favorite TV program?

Some things I enjoyed this year: Severance, What We Do in the Shadows, Arcane, Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, Jojo Part 6, Bee and Puppycat: Lazy in Space, Fringe, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Gravity Falls, and many docs.

23: Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nah.

24: What was the best book you read?

I have been and should be finished reading “The Song of Achilles” soon. I enjoy it because before I played Hades, and as a former greek mythology kid, I hadn’t heard of Patroclus, and I enjoy learning more about him..

25: What was your greatest musical discovery?

I did a lot of musical discovery this year. Like, more than usual, probably not a lot compared to most people. First off, I discovered Of Montreal (not from Montreal sus) TV on the Radio, and of course my Spotify top song of the year: “Heart It Races” by Architecture in Helsinki (I have yet to listen to a single other song of theirs because I just know nothing can top this).

Will discovered Brick + Mortar, and Fish in a Birdcage, which I have coveted.

I have also enjoyed That Handsome Devil and Spoon. Although there is more diving to do with them.

26: What did you want and get?

New drawing tablet. 

27: What did you want and not get?

New laptop. My tastes are just too expensive and so I ended up using the money for other things.

28: What was your favorite film of this year?

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE!

29: What one thing that made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Writing things for myself and then reading them off to Will. Oh, yeah, my TV show has a fan! Just greenlight me baby!

30: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2022?

Visions from higher powers. But mostly I don’t wear pants at home. I’m not wearing pants as I write this.

31: What kept you sane?

Socializing. Going outside. Going for walks. Music. My notes app.

32: Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I don’t care about celebrities but I do care about Aki Hayakawa.

33: What political issue stirred you the most?

I lost rights this year so..... oof.

34: Who did you miss?

My kitty cat. 

35: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022.

I learned not to compromise on quality of life? Life is filled with dreams. You gotta follow the string of satisfaction. 

It’s easy to get caught up in a stream of “well I have to do this, and then that, and then I’ll be happy.” Which is pretty much how I have lived my life up to this point. I went to college because I thought it was a step to happiness. I wasn’t happy while doing it. I should have done something else, I think. It was unhappy times. 

Like, I don’t really like my job, it’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life, or even a year more, but it’s something I can do now, while pursuing other things that DO satisfy me... and THAT’S the satisfaction I have in my life. Before, it was just a step while I waited for something better. But I realize that’s not a good way to live life.

36: Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

[thegreenfox]

This is totally something you have to get used to, and it's saddening, because it's going to happen a lot unfortunately, and just don't give yourself the expectation that an interview is coming, because it's more of a lottery than anything, and for one person to succeed, everyone else has to lose.

I've been applying to a lot of software (and related) jobs since I graduated in 2020, and, I never knew how nearly impossible it would be without someone to slip me into a company, nor senior levels of experience right off the bat. I have ~3 years of experience right now and I still rarely get interviews, 2000+ applications in. That job market plummeted since COVID, and isn't getting better yet.

Keep your mood up though, because you never know when you will get lucky, and when you do, those "vacation planning" type fantasies you've been having about how your life is going to change will become a reality!

Also, after a while, you can usually tell with 99% accuracy which emails are rejections without even opening them, because they are all the same automated emails with the formal subject line. You'll know it's a legit follow-up when you see it's from an actual person, or is something about setting up a time for a meet/zoom.

Job rejections used to wreck me, but I've worked hard to not put my self-worth in other people's hands.

[underthemoonglow]

In January of 2023, I was fired for the first time and it hit me hard,

I still don’t have a job.

For most people being fired doesn’t mean anything, they move on and start applying for jobs right away, they don’t take it personally, but I’m not most people, and I know the way I was raised has everything to do with that. Most people are well-adjusted and don’t have my awful self-esteem. Most people don’t have their self-worth tied to their jobs.

But being fired felt like I got the wind knocked out of me. The job I had before that one was awful, every day I walked to work and crossed the street without looking in hopes that I would get hit by a car and die, so when I finally found a better job I thought I had found what I had been looking for my whole life, stability, I was good at that job, I liked the job, I liked the company, I liked the people there and for some reason, it seemed that they liked me too, so when I was fired, without warning, without ever being given any feedback, after only three months, after three months of compliments about my work, it felt like something I always suspected to be true, that I don’t deserve to have happiness and every joy I find in this life will be taken from me because that’s what happened. I was never given a proper explanation either, just some bullshit corporate excuse.

Now, after a year and a half, my mental health has never been worse, but I have never had so much perspective, and unfortunately, I can’t take back this time. The first few weeks and months of being fired are the most important for getting a new job and for the first several months I was in shock, frozen, and couldn’t do anything but cry, but I can’t tell a recruiter about that, I can’t tell them that for those first months the thought of a job interview was enough to trigger an anxiety attack, that I couldn’t even open a word document to update my resume without anxiety, because I thought I had found my place, finally, I thought I would be happy and that was taken from me without a second thought. It did feel personal.

Companies do not want to hire someone with mental health issues because they might need days off or might quit right after being hired, they’re unpredictable, but they also do not want to hire someone who was fired after three months, especially without a proper reason. I can’t go to one of the few interviews I get and tell them about the fragile state of my mental health, how mentally I am holding on by the skin of my teeth and I do not handle rejection well and I’m not sure if I can deal with yet another rejection and please hire me because I am desperate and unwell.

If I quit a job, that’s bad because they don’t want someone who will quit. If I was fired, that’s bad too because they don’t want someone who was fired and is probably bad at their job.

I can’t take back the several months of being in shock, of anxiety attacks and insomnia, but I am trying to do better, apply for jobs I’m overqualified for, keep everything logged into a fucking spreadsheet, smile in interviews even though I’m dying inside, I am trying.

The problem is, nobody fucking cares, nobody fucking cares that I am trying, nobody cares because that’s not how the world works.

Cold emails, job applications, being ghosted by recruiters, companies that only cared about lowballing you, fake job postings, “remote” but you’re required to live in that city for some fucking reason, ridiculous requirements. I don’t feel hopeful. I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t see how anything is getting better anytime soon, if at all.

A year and a half. I am still trying though I’m not sure why.

[kuuhakublank00]

Updates, I guess? (Part 2)

So well, after joining the company, I started staying at my uncle's place since they wanted us on-site and not doing work from home every single day. So the routine was to go and come back with my uncle. I also didn't like the family much (except for my cousin sister) because they were extremely right-wing and that didn't exactly sit right (heh) with me. My sister is still in school so she doesn't understand this stuff yet. Plus, our interests sort of match. I also introduced her to novels and Percy Jackson, before which she didn't ever like reading. So, that feels really good, honestly.

I also had a mini existential crisis because I found out that I don't want to be a data scientist because that is a research heavy role. But since I still like machine learning (ML) I could go for Data Engineer or ML Engineer. But these require SDE experience as well. So I had an existential crisis for about 2 days where I questioned my master's plan, talked to friends and seniors about it, questioned whether I should've gone for placements (I couldn't because the deadline to sign up for that was long gone). In the end, I decided to stick with my master's plan unless I found a good opportunity to get experience for a couple of years before going for master's.

But anyway, slowly, the routine changed to: get up at like 7:30, go to the office, work till 5:30/6 pm, come back, rest for a bit, work on college essays and the application processes till 2 am or something, sometimes 4 am if I had to meet the deadline, and then sleep. Missed 2 family trips, worked my ass off. It was really bad in Dec 15-20 because I had deadlines of like 5 colleges in that period. Dec 20 was also my project submission deadline for the internship, so that definitely didn't help things.

A few other things that happened as well during this time:

Made a new friend, my ex's best friend in fact. Wasn't really trying to hit on her, we just became friends naturally. Then she freaked out and stopped talking. Later talked about it, it was a little messy, but now we're okay.

Talked to my ex, told her how she made me feel as well back then. She apologised. But even now, since we'd decided to be friends, she doesn't really say much. I also sent a voice note to everyone that was important to me in 2023 on New Year's, and she just left a like on it. Proceeded to say "Did not know how to respond but did not want to leave you on read". Decided then that I wouldn't really keep in contact with this person anymore. We've had 2 conversations after that, pretty short ones.

Went to my college's farewell. It was nice to my friends again in person. I'd really missed them. Stayed in the hostel illegally as well lol.

Saw a post for an internship in machine learning at a startup. The company looked legit so I applied. Figured what's the worst that can happen, right? If I don't want it, I can just reject them. My uncle's company had offered me an extension after all and was even offering to start paying me. But then I got a callback for an interview, aced it, had another interview, and did good in that as well! Finally had one final interview call with the tech lead, and I got selected! I couldn't believe it! I had always wanted to get something without an influence on the hiring side. No referrals or anything. And this was my first paid internship as well. And I honestly couldn't have done it without my friends and family. Even more so, these guys hired 3 interns, and they want to convert 1-2 of them. So I hope all goes well and they convert me. This could be the opportunity that helps me gain experience before going for a master's. Plus, the funding would be really nice.

So yeah, that's been going well. I'm 2 months into this 4 month internship now. I think I'm doing well? I hope I get converted. I also moved to Bangalore because the freedom is nice, my hometown is not exactly for people my age? (it's a very slow city and I cannot for the life of me deal with that. Perhaps it would be something I would crave when I get tired of the hussle, but right now, I definitely do not like it). Trying to find friends here. That's hard.

[personalpages]

I'm Drowning

I'm still living at home, been unemployed since November. I've been applying for all sorts of jobs but just keep getting rejections without even being interviewed. I'm nearly 30 but I still get treated like a young teen. I'm not allowed mates over, I'm not allowed to eat in my room, I get lectured about my room. I ask for help but I get nothing. I get told what I can and can't post on MY socials. I still get told off when I eat something that apparently was being saved even though it can easily be replaced. When food and drink are consumed, a parent complains because it's all gone even though there's 4 of us living in the same house. Yet when something doesn't get consumed, the same parent complains because it's a waste. So how do we win? All I want is to have a place I can call my own and not have to worry about upsetting or pissing off my family by doing so. Unfortunately, without a job I can't even begin to look. I'm vastly running out of my savings and I'm vastly running out of energy, patience, hope and willing. I'm drowning and I feel like I have no one to save me. I'm still on the dating scene after being ghosted by cowards so I'm very close to giving that up too. My ex is being extremely awful towards me and spreading nasty rumours to their friends about my family and myself. I found a hurtful edit they made of me after they posted it publicly and couldn't understand why I was upset. They also couldn't understand what they had done wrong and turned it all against me like they always did throughout our relationship. It's funny isn't it, when you fall for someone because they're so sweet, considerate and understanding but then they turn out to be nasty, manipulative and the worst human being you could possibly be with. Wouldn't it be great if people came with reviews like places do.