#balloons and cats are very common

[sisyphus-prime]

fun fact i'm on door rotation for costco and i always ask the kids what they want drawn and it's usually one of these and it makes them SO happy.

The poop isn't common actually. that was just notable from today. She was hype.

[headphonegrl]

“Do you feel old?” You ask Jude, your voice hoarse from performing multiple songs back to back on the garish karaoke machine his mum had rented out for the occasion. There are now at least a dozen badly shot videos of you singing in Jude’s camera roll, including a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ sung by you and his brother where half his index finger is covering the lens. 

“What’d you mean?” After hours of displaying nothing but rash energy, Jude finally feels himself getting sluggish while trying to endure the unbearable gnawing feeling of pins and needles rising up his legs; a big plush sofa sits untouched on the other side of the living room but you’ve both decided to drunkenly cram yourselves onto the armchair in a mess of tangled limbs. 

“Just a silly question.” As you flutter your eyes shut, Jude tries to get a proper look at the glitter eyeshadow you had meticulously applied earlier that evening. In the wake of a large round of tequila shots, some of his friends had insisted on having their own ‘sparkle stuff’ and began queuing at the bathroom door like kids waiting to get their face painted like a tiger at the zoo. “Do you feel any older yet?”

“I’m not sure.” It’s the kind of question he’d once been asked in the primary school playground, with a blue birthday badge pinned proudly onto the fabric of his uniform. Back then it seemed very easy and obvious to answer plainly with a ‘no’, though now he’s finding himself stumped for a reply entirely. “Do you ever feel like that?”

“I think the last age I felt was seventeen.” You say definitively as if you've thought about it at great length before. Jude hadn’t known you at that age, but his home screen for almost a year was a photo your mum had shown him of you pulling a horrific face while blowing out the candles of your seventeenth birthday cake. 

“That’s probably the same for me.” Embarrassingly, Jude had once referred to himself as a ‘seventeen-year-old’ during a frenzied post-match interview and then had to sheepishly correct himself by clarifying that he had just turned nineteen. Sometimes he feels like the years are slipping through his fingers like sand and there’s no sufficient way to stop them.

“Then before that it was twelve.” You continue as you do a little cat-like stretch with your free arm which Jude finds incredibly endearing along with everything else you do; he supposes it’s a very common side-effect when it comes to being in love.

“I found being twelve proper boring.”  It was something he remembers expressing even at that age. Just as if he had been dropped off somewhere by his childhood and was painstakingly waiting for his teenage years to finally pick him up and take him somewhere exciting. “It’s such an in-between age.”

“That’s true.” The sky in the open window behind you is that awkward shade of grey that appears just before sunrise, like a page when a printer begins to suddenly run out of ink.

“I wish we’d known each other as kids.” Jude feels as though he goes through life with your name humming inside his chest like a second heart and yet this sentence seems so intimate that he can’t even look at you as speaks. Instead, he takes extra care and attention towards staring at the ceiling and inspecting all the sparse helium balloons that have floated up towards it.

“So do I.” Your words come out as a dozy whisper and Jude finds himself smiling up at a star-shaped foil balloon. He’s not twelve or seventeen, but he’s just turned twenty and loves you so much that he doesn’t even care that both of his legs have gone completely numb from sitting with you on this unbearably uncomfortable armchair.

[jenscx]

FACE TO FACE — bang jeemin x f!reader

being stuck in a hello kitty mascot costume isn’t one of jeemin’s proudest moments.

TAGS — fluff, zero angst, jeemin!centric, crackfic, very silly and cute, strangers to lovers, mentions of other izna members

WORDCOUNT — 3.9k

jeemin doesn’t really know how she got here. well, she does, but she doesn’t understand what spiritual being from above deluded her into agreeing to such a situation. the situation being— trapped under the scorching sun, in a humid and dark costume. and not just any costume! a hello kitty mascot costume.

you could blame it on jeemin, say that it was her choice, but it’s all because of koko asking her at three in the morning. she was groggy from waking up in the middle of the night and even more weary when the japanese girl begged for her help. and maybe it was her fault for not clarifying with koko what help she needed. but still!

it’s painful being in the costume. jeemin can feel her clothes sticking to her body grossly, sweat dripping down her skin, and her bangs stuck against her forehead. not to mention she has to hand out balloons and act like the happiest cat alive. honestly, everything made sense now; how koko had the money to constantly treat her to food. she knows it’s because the girl had spent hours in this cat costume. jeemin wants to rip off the bright red bow attached to hello kitty.

(but that would be unsightly. especially when children are around. jeemin thinks she’ll do it in the changing rooms.)

the only thing saving her from insanity is the fact that the kids around her are very cute. the way their eyes light up and they tug on her huge arm to ask for a balloon… it pulls jeemin away from the thoughts of homicide.

also, koko had a good reason to ditch her. she had a dance recital at the end of the month, and she was swarmed with practices to attend and jeemin would always support her friend. hence, jeemin’s stuck spending her weekends as hello kitty. not to mention all the snacks koko has bought for jeemin, so can she really complain?

wrong. she can. being stuck in a ‘friendly’ cat costume apparently meant that she was unable to fight back against angry parents and screaming children. not that she was going to anyway, but she would like the choice. she would just stare at them as they yelled at her for not giving their child a red balloon— which jeemin doesn’t even understand! it’s a balloon, their child won’t suddenly die because she gave them a yellow one!

anyway, jeemin much prefers the blue balloon. its sky blue, her favourite colour. and even through the hazy eyes of hello kitty, jeemin finds the time to admire the colour. it’s wonderful! and maybe it’s crazy, but it’s just a balloon. she wants to use hello kitty’s massive paws to slap the parents who yell at her— okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch. but jeemin was sweaty, hot and frustrated. maybe if she was in a pochacco costume, she would like it more.

“unnie— it’s hello kitty! hurry up!” jeemin hears a distant squeal and immediately groans. she appreciates the thick costume, knowing that anything she says or any sound she emits can’t be heard from the outside. the moment she turns around in the stupid fat costume, she spots a kid, probably around five to six years old, barreling at her. jeemin braces herself in case the kid crashes into her body.

“ah! kyujin, slow down!”

it’s a rather common scene; children being too excited, forcing their caretaker to sprint after them. but the uncommon part is that this kid’s unnie looks like a freaking angel that descended from the heavens.

jeemin takes back everything she said. this is the best day of her life. she loves this job. maybe everyone should just be a hello kitty mascot.

“unnie!” the girl, kyujin, whines and stomps her feet as her older sister catches up to her. jeemin can’t physically breathe. she’s about to crash out. oh no—

“what did i say about running like that?”

“it’s hello kitty!” kyujin straight up ignores her and heads towards jeemin. she awkwardly lifts up her nub of an arm to wave, but the sight of the pretty girl knocks the wind out of her lungs and she almost topples over.

jeemin tries her best to stabilise herself as kyujin waves back cutely.

the pretty girl stands behind kyujin, her hands resting on the kid’s shoulders and she inches closer to jeemin, who only resists the urge to back away.

“wow, must be hot in there,” the pretty girl frowns.

jeemin nods, or at least, tries her best to.

“can i have a balloon, hello kitty? oh, and a picture too!” kyujin asks. jeemin tries to gesture at the balloons all tied together that’s strapped to the costume. her breath hitches when the pretty girl reaches over and pulls one out, pink coloured, handing it to her sister. jeemin nearly faints.

as kyujin poses next to jeemin, the pretty girl snaps a bunch of photos. some sort of feeling akin to pride bubbles in jeemin’s stomach, knowing that the pretty girl would forever have a photo of her.

(that’s how you know she’s gone crazy.)

when kyujin gushes over the cute overalls of the costume, the pretty girl leans over, almost touching jeemin.

“can i have a balloon? i like hello kitty too,” she says in a hushed whisper. jeemin feels goosebumps rise along her skin just from her voice. and even through the shady eyes of hello kitty, jeemin can evidently tell that the girl was sculpted by the gods themselves. clearly they took their time with her. and when she pulls a balloon out for herself, jeemin gasps.

“the blue balloon’s cute, isn’t it?”

oh my god, jeemin might be falling in love right now.

she has to get married this instant— regardless of the hello kitty costume. hell, if the pretty girl likes hello kitty, jeemin would forever work in this dastardly amusement park. the girl looks so gorgeous and sweet in her cute ralph polo lauren shirt and denim shorts. she looked like she came from heaven. if someone told jeemin that the clouds parted for your arrival, she would believe it wholeheartedly.

“y/n unnie! i’m hungry!”

the pretty girl, who jeemin now knows is called y/n, turns to her sister and smiles adorably at her. jeemin doesn’t know what she would do if that smile was directed at her. it was like a ray of sunlight, shooting into her heart and lighting it on fire.

“okay sweetie, we can go get food,” you say, but before you leave, you hand your phone to kyujin and stand right next to jeemin. “help unnie take some pictures please.”

as kyujin lifts up the phone, jeemin feels your arms wrap around the neck (does hello kitty have a neck?) of her costume. jeemin only stands still, rooted to the ground and staring blankly at the camera. she can feel her heart racing, and she’s grateful for the thick suit that covers her, preventing you from feeling her pulse.

“one, two, three!” kyujin yells.

jeemin thinks she can die happy right now.

“thanks hello kitty,” you smile at her, “see you next time!”

despite the stuffy suit, perspiration dripping down her whole body, her limbs sore, jeemin still feels like the luckiest girl alive.

it’s one in the afternoon. jiyoon watches as jeemin loses her mind. she only wanted to head to the cafe to study. being friends with the employees get her discounts on drinks. and coincidentally her friends were also there. she’s just a bystander, one that accidentally walked in on her friend’s suffering. jeemin’s slumped over the table, incessantly mumbling about an angel, hello kitty and malatang. sarang and koko are right next to her, both frowning.

“are you okay?” jiyoon decides to ask cautiously.

jeemin slowly turns to look at her, “i think i’m in love.”

“uhm,” koko mutters, “i think this is my fault.”

what? was jeemin in love with koko? jiyoon blinks.

“well, you know how i have that performance coming up?” jiyoon nods, recalling koko talking about it previously. “i have a part-time job at this amusement park and i asked jeemin to take over for me just for a while! and i guess…”

jiyoon guffaws, “you fell in love there?!” she’s shocked, because this is bang jeemin. bang jeemin who’s antisocial and introverted, one of the reasons jiyoon likes her company. bang jeemin who has never gotten a crush before, deeming dating as her lowest priority. and that same bang jeemin is admitting that she’s fallen in love.

jeemin straightens up instantly, “love at first sight!”

the japanese girl fails to hide her smile as she confirms jiyoon’s suspicion, “she fell in love while wearing a hello kitty costume.”

“you’re out of your mind, bang jeemin. that’s actually insane.”

this tops anything jeemin has ever done. from falling over while doing a burpee, her voice cracking while giving a presentation, this beats everything. jeemin’s so stupid. jiyoon is so happy she can witness her downfall. it’s downright hilarious.

jeemin was truly the epitome of an oxymoron (place more emphasis on the moron part), a juxtaposition of a charming and beautiful girl, yet still so stupid and silly. jiyoon is usually in awe of how her mind works.

“she was like an angel! a true angel!” jeemin proclaims, “you guys don’t get it.”

sarang pats her back sympathetically, “it’s okay, we understand.”

jiyoon sure as hell doesn’t. but she wishes all the best for jeemin.

she’s in a similar situation like before— trapped under a heavy layer of fabric and her arms heavy. yet, she couldn’t be more excited. she was basically bouncing on feet while waiting around. if anyone saw jeemin, they would think she’s anticipating the queen’s arrival. well, you are a queen to jeemin. ugh, she kind of wishes she didn’t have to be in this stupid suit. then maybe you would see her face and fall in love with her!

jeemin thinks she’s pretty attractive herself. tall, fair skin, big round eyes. but no one has really approached her because of her quiet nature. today will be different though! jeemin will take the initiative in starting a conversation! it’ll be a little weird talking to you in the hello kitty costume but whatever. you said you like hello kitty anyway. that’s a win for jeemin. whatever she previously said about the character, throw it all out the window. only your opinion matters!

she watches eagerly as different people walk by, some stopping to take a photo with her and others just cooing at the mascot’s cuteness. jeemin tries to spot you out of the crowd of people, but it’s a little difficult to see past the netting of hello kitty’s eyes. jeemin’s head bumps uncomfortably against the top of the mascot. she wonders how koko has managed to fit herself in such a tight space while being taller than her. jeemin would proclaim to be quite flexible. she’s weak, but her limbs are really flexible. yet, the costume makes her neck crane unbearably.

just as a crowd of middle schoolers pass by, jeemin hears thundering footsteps again. her head perks up, knocking against the top of the mascot again, and she nearly falls over. both at the momentum and at the sight of kyujin running towards her.

“hello kitty!”

jeemin sports a wide smile, even if kyujin can’t see her. she tries her best to reach down, patting kyujin on her head.

“jang kyujin!” jeemin’s smile grows even bigger when she hears your voice, “what did i say about running?”

she watches as you jog up, panting and sweaty.

“sorry unnie— but it’s hello kitty!”

you have a lopsided grin on your face, clearly amused by your sister’s hyperactive behaviour. “we just saw hello kitty last week.”

“that’s too long!” kyujin whines. jeemin coos internally at the sight of the girl. she was just too cute! cuteness really does run in the family, evident from the silly smile on your face.

jeemin’s grateful for her face being covered. she wouldn’t know what expression’s on her right now.

like before, kyujin takes a balloon, white this time, and you whip out your phone to photograph her again.

when there’s a distant ringing of bells, kyujin perks up and instantly turns to you, eyes pleading.

“that’s the ice cream truck coming— unnie, can we please go?” kyujin begs. you hesitate, a speculating look on your face. your younger sister’s watery eyes and pouty lips always manage to sway your decisions. damnit. jeemin watches, humoured by kyujin’s plea.

“how about we wait here for the truck to come?” you ask, bending down to match kyujin’s height, “unnie’s feeling really hot right now.” jeemin watches the trickle of sweat glide down your neck. she feels seen.

kyujin frowns, “but i want ice cream now. and it’ll cool you up! just wait here, unnie. i can go get it myself!”

you’re a little shocked at her independence. when did your little sister grow up so quickly? and her insistent attitude only worked wonders to your reluctance.

“okay, jinnie. but be careful.” kyujin brightens up and immediately sprints to the ice cream truck. you sigh, keeping a close eye on her as she queues up.

turning your head, you make eye contact with the hello kitty mascot, who’s hellbent on staring at you.

“oh,” you giggle, jeemin thinks she’s ascended to heaven, “they grow up so fast, don’t they?”

jeemin tries her best to nod.

“anyway, isn’t it hot in there?” you ask, “i’m sweating just from looking at you.”

jeemin’s throat drys up as she thinks of a suitable reply. she had hyped herself up in the mirror before coming, claiming to be the one to start the conversation.

“uh, y-yes.” of course her voice cracks.

god, jeemin wishes the ground underneath her would just open up and swallow her whole. your eyes curve and twinkle with amusement.

“you’re a girl?”

“yes.”

you smile, “not fond of talking then?”

jeemin doesn’t mind if it’s you. she doesn’t say that though. it would just mortify her.

“i’m just tired.”

“aw, must be hard,” you coo. if it were anyone else, jeemin would think that those words were meant to mock her. but your sweet tone makes her gulp.

“yeah… i’m just doing this for a friend…”

“like a favour?”

“kind of.”

you redirect your gaze back to kyujin, who’s ordering now. jeemin feels a little saddened that your time with her is ending soon. she wishes kyujin would take a little longer at the counter.

“so is that friend going to come back? you’re not going to work here anymore?” you ask curiously. some deluded part of jeemin thinks you’re asking because you want to see her.

“yeah, she’s coming back.”

you nod, “well, it was nice chatting with you, hello kitty.” jeemin suddenly feels stupid in this suit. “i have to go now. bye!”

“uh, bye!”

jeemin watches as you hold kyujin’s small hand, thanking her for the ice cream. her dreamy gaze lingers on your back as you walk away, mentally patting herself on the shoulder for managing to carry a conversation with you. an awkward one, yes, but still a conversation. she can’t wait to brag to her friends.

which sane person would go to their job on their day-off, jeemin doesn’t know. but that was what koko had proposed. she gawked as koko brought her and their whole friend group to the amusement park. the girl had professed that she missed the place and it would be a good way to spend time with each other before everyone got swarmed with their own extracurriculars.

but before she could even disagree to come, koko had mentioned offhandedly, “maybe your girl will be there.”

and jeemin had gone in a flash, picking out an outfit and doing her makeup. it was kind of comedic and endearing to see her so eager.

“uhm— unnie,” jungeun says, wide-eyed, “you look pretty today.” jeemin grins brightly, patting the younger girl’s head. her chest flared with pride and anticipation. hope had filled her veins, and she was desperate to see you today, bare without the hello kitty costume.

as their group headed into the park, koko and jeemin, as well-seasoned employees, brought them to the various roller coasters and rides. jeemin was pretty sure she lost most of her hearing sitting next to saebi.

“guys,” sarang whines, “i’m hungry.” jeemin instantly perks up, dragging her friends to the stalls that lined the park, full of snacks and beverages. koko just glances at her knowingly. the sanrio attraction was situated nearby, and jeemin could been seen craning her head to catch a glimpse of anyone that resembled you. like a true mastermind, jeemin forces everyone to sit down at the bench closest to the hello kitty booth, where the familiar mascot was.

as her friends gorge themselves with waffle cones, churros and corndogs, jeemin stays attentive. she doesn’t even indulge in their mindless conversation and instead keeps a watchful eye on the people passing by.

it’s only when her friends are finished and getting ready to leave, she hears a voice.

“—you’re a guy? what happened to the other girl?”

jeemin abruptly stands up, swerving her head. she sees you, awkwardly rubbing your neck as you talk to the hello kitty mascot. kyujin’s by your side, a balloon in her hand.

“go talk to her!” jiyoon shouts quietly, pushing jeemin towards you. collecting all the bravery in her bones, she inhales sharply and strides. she can feel the eyes of all her friends on her back.

“today’s her day-off?” she hears you say, “ah, seriously? okay, sorry for the trouble.” the hello kitty mascot just shakes their hands and walks away to another group of children.

just as you’re about to leave, jeemin feels a surge of desperation, and her hand reaches out to clasp your wrist. her heart races as you turn, an eyebrow raising at her.

“sorry— i’m…” she blurts out, “i’m sorry.”

she can feel her whole face turning red, and a sense of mortification blooms at your stunned expression.

“i’m the… i’m hello kitty,” jeemin says and it’s definitely not the best way to introduce herself. she watches as your face lights up in recognition of her voice.

“oh? hello kitty?”

“y-yeah, like… uhm, the person inside the hello kitty mascot? sorry, i’m bang jeemin.” she feels a little self-conscious the way kyujin is staring at her. damn, these kids always find a way to humiliate her further.

“do you want to sit down and talk? kyujin’s a little restless.”

she glances back at her table of friends, all who look suspiciously joyful. yeah, she’d much rather talk to you somewhere else. that way her friends couldn’t eavesdrop. jeemin thinks you look even prettier today. your face was glowing and bright. and she could admire your smile more closely without the film of plastic in between.

“y/n-ah,” jeemin’s never heard this voice before— feminine and comforting, her eyes land on a girl, shorter than her, approaching.

jeemin’s first thought is that this girl is incredibly pretty. her cat-like visuals next to you only accentuates your beauty even more. her second thought is that this girl is definitely your girlfriend, from the way her hand wraps around your waist so casually.

“mai unnie!” kyujin squeals.

suddenly, she feels way too out of place. her confidence dwindles and she can register the sympathy from her friends. jeemin tries to hide her obvious shock, but she’s certain it fails when kyujin frowns at her.

“hey, silly,” you greet, “do you mind if you take kyujin for a while?”

mai removes her hand from your waist (jeemin sighs, relieved), and takes kyujin’s hand.

as the two walk away, you lead jeemin to a nearby cafe. jeemin’s not even sure she wants to be here now. the dreadful thought of you already being taken looms over her, and it’s strange how she’s never visited that idea before. of course you would have a partner, who wouldn’t want to date you? now she just feels silly. silly, like what you called mai.

you find an empty table facing out the window. jeemin can feel her phone vibrating in her pocket, probably the group chat blowing up with messages. there was no doubt that they had witnessed that interaction.

“so,” you lean over the table, grinning, “hello kitty.”

jeemin nods bashfully.

“yeah, uhm… i wasn’t stalking you or anything… just recognised you.”

a complete lie.

“what a coincidence. i didn’t expect you to be so cute.”

what. pause. are you flirting with her?

jeemin’s heart constricts, both of glee and pain, knowing that you already had someone. she smiles faintly. she doesn’t want your pity flirtatious comments. it feels stifling.

“i thought you’d be working today,” you say when the silence stretches on, “you came here with friends?”

“uh, yeah. what about you?” she asks, trying to camouflage the itching need of knowing who that girl was.

you laugh, “it’s just kyujin, i mean, you know her. and mai, that girl just now.”

“mai?” jeemin repeats, edging you on.

“yeah, kyujin was telling her how fun the park is and she wanted to come too. it’s better having her around. she keeps kyujin in check, making it less stressful for me.”

jeemin feels a sense of hopelessness. mai seemed like a great person, she wouldn’t be able to compete with that. she already had kyujin’s favour!

“uhm…” she had to get out of here now. before she could embarrass herself, “i think my friends are calling me.”

you blink.

“you’re leaving now?”

“yeah,” she croaks out, an onslaught of tears ready to bawl out as she thinks about you and mai together again.

you pout, “can i get your number then? or instagram?”

jeemin wants to shake her head and say no, but denying your pleading eyes, akin to kyujin’s, can only be compared to ripping her heart out.

she shakily inputs her username in your search engine— only to find that it’s been in your history. her lips part slightly, a little appalled. bbangmin. right there. holy shit.

you glance at her unmoving figure. worried, you peek over the screen and gasp.

“oh my god— wait, okay,” you babble, “it’s not what it looks like.”

jeemin swallows harshly.

“i… okay just hear me out.”

“o-okay.”

“after our conversation i asked mai if she had a friend who works here and she said she knew someone,” you explain sheepishly, ”someone called koko? and then mai asked koko about it and we kind of connected the dots that the friend you were talking about was her.”

jeemin can’t believe what she’s hearing.

“and like, god, this is weird to say,” you grimace, “but koko told mai that her friend, jeemin, was helping her out and then i kind of stalked you— i’m sorry! but that’s why your username popped up…”

“you already knew what i looked like?”

you nod, “i’m so sorry…”

“no— it’s, it’s okay,” jeemin says, her heart racing a mile. you looked way too cute right now, blushing and nervous. her hands were trembling as you explained, and your interest could only mean one thing, right?

“i kind of lied just now,” she whispers, “i came here today to see you, like without the costume.”

your own eyes widen.

“oh. well.”

“yeah.”

you suddenly laugh, full of joy, “i can’t believe this.” jeemin feels the same. it’s so unbelievable that you also orchestrated a plan to find her.

“so, can i have your number?” you ask slyly.

jeemin has never typed faster in her life.

(“mai’s really just a friend by the way.”

“i didn’t say anything…!”

“c’mon, jeemin. i saw the way you were glaring at her just now. she’s really just a friend.”

“but kyujin likes her more than me…”

“does it matter when i like you the most?”)

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Good day!! Can we have some HCs of Mochi? Thank you! 🌽 I really think he's got a cute design but now i just feel sad because i just realized that he's often not included or recognized 😭

Mochi should be included more! Here are my hc's for him

Refuses to fight girls and actively tried to avoid Senju during fights they were both in.

When he's grocery shopping he normally gets asked by people to reach things on the higher shelves, he always gets them what they need.

Has an arm wrestling club with Draken and Pah in the good timeline

Corn is actually a comfort food for him, he ate it a lot growing up

Would love to have a dog (also has a fondness for cats)

He frequently steps into fights that he feels are unfair like a group teaming up on one person (as long as they're not a target for his gang).

When he gets bored he looks for someone to fight

Loves festivals, especially the games at them

As a partner he's incredibly gentle, carefully holding your hand and placing soft kisses on you. He's very aware of his strength and careful with it.

Similarly to Pah and Mikey, Izana once fell asleep on Mochi

Doesn't like that he isn't a fast runner (mainly because Shion and the Haitani brother's sometimes tease him over it)

He didn't like his life in bonten much, it wasn't what he thought it would be like

In the good timeline, after he joined toman and realised Angry was scared of him, he tried to be friendlier towards him (usually by bringing him a drink to meetings)

He's very good with the kids in the future timeline, they love climbing all over him and how happy he is to play with them.

Very good at ball sports 

Growing up, his father was a police officer who often wasn't home and worked overtime. His mother was always kind to him and they were very close but she died when he was a kid, he ran away after that. 

One time he managed to catch a balloon a kid accidentally let go off before it got too high, he felt like a hero that day.

Likes cooking and will often share recipes with Kakucho 

Is very bad at keeping surprises from his partner, he just gets so excited to share gifts with them or tell them about his plans. 

Frequently carries his friends home on nights out when they get too drunk (Rindou is the most common)

[lu-community-write-a-thon]

February LU Write-a-Thon Round Up: 223,383 Words in One Day!

This February, 68 writers came together on the first of the month to power their way through an entire 24 hours of writing. Congrats to everyone that participated and thank you all for coming!

This month’s event spreadsheet, as always, was made by the lovely @zarvasace. Superlatives were chosen by anonymous survey, and clubs were self assigned for friendly competition. Below the cut is the Winner’s Circle, Clubs, and Everyone Else who received a superlative in alphabetical order.

Winner’s Circle (Top 5 Most Wordiest)

At 15,433 words, “Writer of all Time” goes to @glowingmin. You’re always at the top of our leaderboards with an insane word count and speed. Amazing job!

At 14,899 words, “Not Another Kidfic” goes to @straight-outta-hobbiton. You know what you did, apparently. 

At 12,529 words, “Doppleganged” goes to @hotcheetohatredwastaken for meeting the OG @hotcheetohatred the wilds of Tumblr. (Help – Cheeto)

At 10,364 words, “Mind Reader” goes to @hytiaa. 

At 9,007 words, “Club Combiner” goes to @tashacee for trying to get Cozy Club and The Fierce Deity Club to join their houses.

Clubs

Clubs! As every month, participants came together around a common theme to have some friendly competition. These clubs were completely public, so anyone could join the fun and combine their word counts for some friendly competition. Thank you all for playing, check out your stats below!

Spirit Stans’ Club

For those that love Spirit Tracks!

@a-manicured-lawn is “Apparently American” much to Luna’s dismay.

@cinis0 is a “Future ExHusband” the poor lad.

@labyrinthdancer was our own “Wordsmith” as decided by an anonymous admirer.

Additionally: @hyrulescarlet @hytiaa (from the winners circle!) @Maddrumsticks2 and @rosettaforgetta 

Cozy Club

For anyone who loves comfy blankets, warm fires, and a nice, cosy evening.

“Giver of Cookies” was @nancyheart11 who got to find out what happens when you give a chat a cookie. 

@nopenototdaysatan was assigned “Poet” for their lovely poetry snippets.

“Hyrule's Water Balloon Fight Champion” was @Respheal

And our beloved @weavingstarlight entered “Sicko Mode” as it tackled feveruary!

Additionally: @anonymity @blueveractyl @hotcheetohatredwastaken (from the winner's circle!) @sunny-porridge @tashacee (from the winner's circle!) and @toyouhellohowareyou

Plural Army

For participating plurals and supportive singlets!

@playingforward was the “Self Care Wizard!”

“The Plural General” was @whatvioletdoes-blog for rallying the troops!

Additionally: @gurlgallade, @winterfen, @lerikwrites, @chordatabent

The Fierce Deity Club

Here to dance and destroy the moon.

@cat-at-a-wrtiting-desk is the “6K Writing Queen!”

@imperialkatwala was assigned “Pom Pom Wielder”

@musical-chan someone just said “hi mom!” so you have been assigned mom, congratulations.

Additionally: @sksninja

The February Disaster Club

Where the mega chaos thrives

@vivalaplutothedachshund was “Most Likely to Hug the Mods.” We love you too!

@thatbluepencilcrayon was our very own “Pancake Chef.”

Additionally: @amayis-bigtower @glowingmin (from the winners circle!) @lennsart @life-in-winter @Scoutwolf @sketchy-potato and @starlight-eclipsed

Stardew Lesbians Club

Lesbians not required

@anime-obsessed and @druidbottles

Ravo Fancult

“Hyrule Enthusiast” goes to @not-freyja for defending Rulie’s honor as the cutest Link.

@baileyboo2016 was assigned “Fruit Snack Demon” at Chaos Chat 1.

Shovel hD’s Club

Where we agree that Malon is the best and deserves a shovel

“Spreadsheet Goddess” is, with unanimous consent, @zarvasace

Additionally: Demonine, Ven, and @satanfish

New Blood

For the new participants

@Galenfea welcome aboard!

The Quiet Ones

Shhh! They’re too busy writing to chat

@pelicanpig and @silvrash-797 always a pleasure!

Everyone else

@1-renegade was the “Team as Family Champion” and we thank you for your service.

@admiralbuttcheek was assigned “Skyward Sword enjoyer” which is such a valid thing to be.

@aurora-boreas-borealis was the “Chaos Enthusiast” and yeah… that’s accurate. (Love you.)

@chordatabent “Tried Something New!” Good job!

An anonymous admirer says that they are going to eat your poetry, @I-deep-fried-a-horse so look out!

The “Sickfic Queen” was declared to be @kilgoreontralfamadore

@lunaopus is an “Honorary Frenchian” for almost speaking French correctly.

A genuine “Write-a-thon Bootlegger” was our very own @needfantasticstories

“The Real Sorcerer of the Wilds” was @OrcusNoir go you!

@shadedheart138 is “Most likely to Marry a Nancy,” both online for the bit and IRL.

Ending Notes

Thank you to every single writer who participated this month! Even if you didn’t get a superlative, you were a star, and we couldn’t have done this without you. If you find any typos or mistakes in this post—please feel free to contact @hotcheetohatredwastaken or @not-freyja with your concerns here on tumblr or on discord!

Huge shoutout to the mod team (@not-freyja @hotcheetohatredwastaken @a-manicured-lawn @tashacee @winterfen @weavingstarlight @gia-d @zarvasace @lunaopus @hytiaa @shadedheart138 and @whatvioletdoes-blog ) for making this event possible!

(This post is late, so look out for the march roundup for info on the next event!)

[suratan-zir]

first three photos - Syrnyk when I first got him 4 months ago, very sick and malnourished (likely due to illness, not because he was starved) VS. now

He actually looks younger now somehow.

a boring story about Syrnyk's ear under the cut

After a couple of months of Syrnyk living with Skritch (and Baton), I noticed one day that his ear was swelling up. It wasn't infected, just had a "balloon" of liquid inside. I'd never seen anything like it, but a quick search told me it was an ear hematoma. It's common in cats and dogs, but rare in rats. I figured the vet would probably tell me to drain it until it went away, but I took him to the clinic anyway. And, as expected, that's exactly what the vet said to do.

The pocket was filled with clear liquid, like you'd get from a blister caused by uncomfortable shoes. Skritch loves to pull on ears during play, not aggressively, he doesn't bite through the ear, but he twists and pulls. That's probably what happened to Syrnyk. It took over a week of draining his hematoma with a syringe, which didn't help with the bonding process at all, especially since Syrnyk was already very skittish and not used to being handled. But I think we're friends now.

The vet also told me that once healed, his ear would look "chewed up and ugly," and, well, yeah, that's accurate, lol. The hematoma got replaced with cartilaginous tissue, so it's no longer the thin, transparent rat ear. It also sits much closer to his head than his unaffected ear. But it doesn't bother him, and that's all that matters.

Just throwing it out there, if you ever notice something strange with his ear, that's why.

[ageingfangirl2]

Hazbin Hotel x Child Reader Series

PART 21 - VALENTINE'S PT 1

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-THREE TWENTY-FOUR TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-SIX TWENTY-SEVEN TWENTY-EIGHT TWENTY-NINE THIRTY THIRTY-ONE

It wasn’t very common to celebrate holidays in hell, but the residents of Hazbin Hotel decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day. They all agreed that they were doing it for the kid, not their own interests or because they wanted to.

Before the kid even leaves for school, the hotel residents secretly prepare a little surprise for them, thinking they won’t get anything at school. Each resident leaves a small Valentine’s Day card or gift at their door, trying not to be obvious about it.

Charlie and Vaggie unintentionally go into full parent mode, wanting to make sure you got at least two Valentine’s in case you didn’t get any at school. 

Charlie writes you a thoughtful card. No matter how many Valentines you get today, just know that you’ll always have our love, every day of the year! Love, Mom & Mom #2

Vaggie’s card is simpler. You’re a tough kid. Have fun today. And she also leaves you a small demon plushie you’d had your eyes on while out shopping.

Alastor was more old-fashioned and assumed the kid wouldn’t get anything - despite them being pretty popular - so makes them something ‘classic’ a box of handmade chocolates that tasted sweet but also the main ingredient being blood. 

Alastor’s card read In my day, suitors sent love letters through radio waves! Sadly, I don’t have a station for you, so this will have to do. Don’t eat all the chocolates at once—unless you want to gamble with fate! Ha ha!

Husk acted like he didn’t care; he didn’t care about the day, and he didn’t care about you. But he still leaves a rather cute-looking candy box outside your door and a simple card. Kid, don’t get your hopes up about love—it’s a scam. But chocolate’s pretty good. Eat up.

If anyone was to ask him about it, he’d deny any involvement.

Sir Pentious went really simple with the card. Happy Valentine’s Day, my little scientist! But the gift he left you filled you with joy; he had finished the robotic egg boi the two of you had been working on.

Angel knew other residents would go down the sappy route, so he went the complete opposite way and decided that funnier was better. He got you a big gaudy balloon that said ‘Hot Stuff!’ and whatever it was filled with would make it nearly impossible to pop. Angel’s card reflected his humour. Listen, short stack, if you don’t get at least five love confessions today, I’ll be personally offended. But just in case, here’s a balloon, so everyone knows you’re fabulous. XOXO, your besti, Angel.

Niffty probably had the most enthusiastic and thoughtful gift. She’d spent a couple of days and nights knitting a handmake pink and red jumper, which had more than a few loose stitches and questionable heart designs, but it was the thought that counted.

Over the time living in the hote,l you had come to understand Niffty’s horrible handwriting. OH MY GOSH HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! I made this just for you!!! I hope you get lots of Valentines today, but if not, it’s okay because WE LOVE YOU!!

When you wake up and open your bedroom door, you’re overwhelmed by all the gifts and cards left for you by the other residents, so much so that you could easily cry. You decide to wear Niffty’s jumper to school, tie Angel’s balloon around your backpack handle so everyone can see it. You put Vaggie’s plushie on your bed next to the cat Husk had given you and put Sir Pentious's robotic egg boi on your dresser to play with later. You put Alastor’s blood chocolates in a special place, knowing they were a luxury, and you’d thank him for helping you balance your cannibal and non cannibal side. And as for Husk’s candy, you decide to have that for breakfast instead of real food, which makes him proud.

[gutspoil]

Destroying the Corrupted Gaze: An Analysis of Momose Amane’s Second Trial

In case you don't know, MILGRAM is a Japanese interactive music project by DECO*27 and Takuya Yamanaka, established in April 2020, where 10 prisoners are put into three rounds of trial to gradually express their guilt and sins into a song. The viewers, representing an ungendered guard named Es, vote if the prisoner should be “innocent” (forgivable) or “guilty” (unforgivable). Each prisoner has a different experience and style of music and visuals, but have a single thing in common: they all have committed murder.

This will focus on one of the 10 prisoners, a 12-year-old girl named Momose Amane who has known to have been brainwashed into a cult’s practices, and will analyze four aspects of her music video: the visuals, lyrics, song title, and the convention defied (hopefully, once I submit this to my professor, I too will also be forgiven for the length of this analysis since I am very fond of this series; I apologize in advance).

Visual and Lyric Analysis

The music video starts with an army of countless Amane’s, all poise and flawlessly in position. Each row waves four flags of different colors, representing the cult’s “commandments”. The following are the official English translations of the lyrics, with the original Japanese beside it:

Thou shall follow thine destiny. / 人は運命を生きよ

Thou shall discard vulgarity. / 人は卑しきを捨てよ

Thou shall deliver unto those thou believest in. / 信じたものに納めよ

Thou shall stay thine course, then perish. / 道を外れずに果てよ

The way these were written were imperative, and were enumerated with the word “ひとつ” (hitotsu, which means firstly or one) before it. This shows that there is no order to their commandments—all of them were of utter priority. Additionally, these lyrics were made to look like actual commandments, but the following are the actual meanings of the lyrics:

People must live out their fate.

People must abandon the lowly.

People must submit to their beliefs.

People must meet their end without straying [from their path].

Moving on, one of the Amane’s is holding a blue flag, which represents the second commandment, fails to deliver the correct pattern in the march. The leading Amane catches her mistake, summoning clouds that caused rain to sink her down the “snow” as a punishment. After an uncomfortable sequence of her struggling, she is then pulled back to reality, where she is soaked and kneeling on her bathroom floor, gasping for breath. A hand is in front of her, holding a showerhead, showing that she had been waterboarded by her own mother. Another detail to notice as she was sinking is that she still reaches out to the flag. It is common one to turn to their beliefs in desperate times, and since Amane was still at such a young age and didn’t have much to rely on, she relies on the same beliefs that hurt her. As she sinks, the “snow” covers her drowning body, a sign that no one saw (or ignored) abuse she was going through.

At the next scene, Amane is seen administering first aid to a wounded cat, and is spotted by two figures, no doubt members of the cult. They then tell this to Amane’s mother, and the poor girl gets tased as soon as she arrives at home. This was a punishment because she interfered with fate, thus violating the first commandment. It is possible that Amane receives different punishments depending on the commandment violated. The balloon that moves away from Amane’s apartment has a symbol with all four colors, encapsulating the commandments.

Amane returns to the spot where she took care of the cat, and only a torn collar and her bloodied handkerchief is found. She eventually realizes that her disobeying these commandments, intentional or not, will only bring her misfortune. Her face is covered in bruises, as she looks up and smiles. The army of Amane’s runs with the same eerie smile, with the flag and mascots symbolizing the four commandments in hand, showing that the brainwashing has been effective. She does the usual pattern with her baton, but in the third sequence, it is stained with blood.

In the scene of the crime, Amane stands over her mother’s dead body, wearing her same outfit from the march. This symbolizes that it was the beliefs taught to her that pushed her to that extent. Additionally, her voice as the song prolongs becomes more aggressive, compared to when she started the song, where she was more soft-spoken.

The lyrics of the song is Amane implying the things taught to her and the punishments she endured for violating them. On the second verse, she can be heard constantly muttering the commandments over and over again in the background, and the following lyrics are one of the phrases that are sung over and over again: “After you cry, repent, and kneel, it’s now your turn to say that hopeless ‘I’m sorry’!” That sentence of apology can often be heard from children who promise they won’t act up ever again.

Title Analysis

The Purge March’s title is written as 粛清マーチ in Japanese and pronounced as Shukusei Māchi. It can be broken down into two parts: the Chinese characters “粛清” and “マーチ”. 

Shukusei is usually written where, when the characters are combined, it would literally mean solemn justice. But in this case, it is written differently (although pronounced the same). The first character stays the same as solemn but the second character “清” means pure, cleanse, or even exorcise. This implies that the beliefs brought upon Amane can be viewed as unjust to some.

Conventions and Conclusion

Songs with an upbeat tempo are often associated or assumed to have wholesome lyrics. Not only does this case defy that stereotype, but The Purge March also mixes in a haunting sense of reality in both the lyrics and the song in the fictional case of Momose Amane. She sings with threats that attack both believers and non-believers alike, because she only knows about the incoming punishment if she doesn’t obey. 

To think that there really are people out there—children, specifically—who experience this lingering fear with their beliefs is incredibly concerning, and even more so with the possibilities that might happen once they are pushed to their limits. I speak from pure experience, and I have chosen this piece of media not only because it is dear to my heart, but because it also reminds us of the reality we are in. It is better to be educated and afraid than to be blissfully ignorant.

[EDIT] Additionally, Amane mentioned in her voice drama that those who run away from trials are the worst kind of people, and in the last scene depicting her murder, droplets of water are trailing outside of the bathroom, showing attempts of escape. The trail ends in the living room, where Amane hovers over the dead body. She really is just trying to live the way she was taught.

[ii-neg-confessions-2]

gonna piggyback off of that confession about animal ears and tails and fur and paws on objects for a bit. this is a bigger thing i notice beyond ii fanart and it's certainly a pattern courtesy of the whole internet, but i just don't think there would be as many cats/dogs/foxes/wolves as all the artists make them out to be

this is a non-issue against shit that matters but i'm honestly kind of burnt out on seeing the same old animal looks on everyone. like i get that it's easy to draw and it brings in all the furries but i don't even think this cast is a quarter felines and canines and the other common fursona species

like paintbrush has hooves. suitcase has an exoskeleton. cabby has a pouch. lightbulb has a shell. balloon bloats like a frog. knife has talons. fan has wings. tea kettle has a trunk. tissues has wool. i saw art of bot, the most obviously butterfly-themed character of the entire show, drawn as a mouse and i spat out my drink. there's so many of you ii artists and you're all bejng beat in the creative biodiversity department by one cast drawing of animated inanimate battle

like. i'm not gonna stop any of you but i swear some of you need to watch national geographic more often

REALLL THO,,, funny how you mention fan having wings because i always draw him having them (yk,,, a parrot because they are loud) but into the topic i really wish there was more both biodiversity and symbolism when choosing those tbh,,,,,, ex on symbolism would be suitcase having hooves/being a deer (deer in a headlight) or balloon being likeee a vulture or smth (being a vulture is like taking advantage from other people ((although its only when the victim is in a bad situation it kinda fits ngl) or what you just mentioned (which is actually super smart!!! /pos) but then we just get cat/dog/fox/bunny slop and its honestly annoying (also saying this as someone who used to do this very everytime i didnt really have any idea what animal an object would be)

[stabknives]

me going gay crazy about a new V song under the cut

"Under the Fremont bridge I saw a pigeon fly / Fly in fear from the raptor come to take its life"

This one is a gimmie. Could be a metaphor, someone taking the role of the pigeon in this case. A pedestrian perhaps, common civilian. Uninteresting in the way pigeons are perceived as common and uninteresting. But not to V. He thinks every life is uniquely beautiful and worth pursuing.

That said, if we're talking about a literal pigeon, it's intriguing to consider whether ot not animals like V, or if they can on some level sense he's a predator. This isn't me doing the whole OOOOH ANIMALS CAN SENSE HIS EVIL thing I mean quite literally he is a carnivore I'm wondering if prey animals mistakenly ping him as a threat on their radar lmao. He'd have complicated feelings about that because he's an animal person. Anyway.

"And as it closed in for the capture / I funneled the fear through my ancient eyes / To see in flight, what I know are the bitter mechanics of life."

GRANDPA!!!! OLD MAN. Ancient eyes indeed give pops his reading glasses. Anyway V is a follower. Not in the way of like, he isn't a leader. I mean literally he follows people and things he's a stalker in the way a jungle cat is a stalker. Always closing in. If he's in the distance now, it won't stay that way forever. This is natural, the so called bitter mechanics of life. But bitter doesn't always mean bad, now, does it?

"Under my hat it reads 'The lines are all imagined' / I know my place amongst the bugs and all the animals"

V is very much a creature of harmonious contradiction. He knows how much of society is all bullshit nonsense but he enjoys the pomp and circumstance, whether it be going with the grain or against. Humans are animals, yes, and he's a beast too. But every creature alive under the sun has intricate rituals. V is very much at peace with the idea man is an animal too, an extremely complex animal.

"Let him look at your hands, get the angles right / Ace of spades, port of morrow, life is death is life"

GET THOSE ANGLES RIGHT!!! the cinnamon topography… the drama the theatre. look forward with excitement, look back to reminisce fondly. Life and death are all one cohesive whole you should appreciate entirely because one is without point if the other isn't fondly expected.

"But now I recognize, dear listeners / That you were there and so was I"

'dear listeners' is such a V phrase lord. petname pete over here. but also he just appreciates what fans he does have, even if above all he prefers a captive audience. Is god not also you and me and everything? in this moment between you and i, as i treat your favorite cousin like a balloon animal i can twist into funny shapes, as you cry into a puddle of your own blood and vomit- are we not as close as two people can be. dear listener. precious watcher. darling fan.

"I know my place amongst the creatures in the pageant / And there are flowers in the garbage, and a skull under your curls"

finding beauty in the grotesque is what it's all about, baby! there ARE flowers in the garbage (he put them there) and a skull beneath pretty curls (he'll pull it out and show you). the idea of the world as a pageant, a performance you have to opt into and participate in, play a menagerie of roles. variety is the spice of life. V knows his place, he's a director, but sometimes you have to meet the actors on their level to make them understand the scene...

[callmeend]

Talking about my dreams for a bit, the reoccur so theres parts

Sorry this might have typos and I’m not getting grammarly again

Very very beginning.

I’ll copy and paste what I said to my friend

“Seeing a holy figure in my dreams have always made me sad. Angels had wings in places that hurt them and had no mouth. I saw a god when I fell asleep while with Covid. I asked them “How much longer should i suffer for”, like it was my fault I struggled. This was one time, It’s an undescribable look, They had hands growing from their head, Their eyes were yellow and white, They were sitting on something, It seemed like they were in pain. They leaned forward. And shed a single tear, that fell on my body. And then I woke up.”

Okay, got ur attention on how I probably saw god?

First part

Okay so it started out with pyramid shaped earth.

this boy that had balloon heads.. he sorta looked like this. I don’t remember his name.

Also there was a girl named Ëzu but it’s was pronounced “Ick-sue”, very odd. She was sick and everything was infected with her sickness

That’s all the characters for part one..

Part two, Angels and the demons

In a dream, I thought I was awake and I was walking back to my house and I see a beautiful woman that was flying and was the size of a cat, I started to run. Demons (where the dimension this is set) would try to trick the wandering with beauty and music.

This will also be my first encounter with a comedy and tragedy duo, I’ll get more into them later but they came in

Same dream, First Angel execution.

This annoying bratty guy took me to execute an angel, this angel looked like a 2d version of me in the dream. She had no mouth (which was common for the angels in my dreams), and had wings all over her body as if it was punishment. She cried normal tears before the execution. Many of the angels did. The friend had a demons horn as a knife, stabbed repeatedly where a mouth would be and she had around all 27 of her wings cut off… photo of the angel.

Part3, Marble maze.

More copy and paste. “Oh I had another dream where I was in pain” “But I wasn't really,, Yk when you're in a dream and you know something is supposed to hurt?And it doesn't?Yea that was it was like I had not mouth. And it was white and foggy. I was in a marble maze. Clear blue water covering the floor, up to my ankles. i had vines growing on me and some dead flowers. I was laying in a broken potted plant. There was a counter. I heard it stop when I woke up in the dream. "6:34.28" Guess this is a good time to mention that I had a small wing growing in my left ankle. I had holes in my skin as if I had other wings before. They looked like i had space flesh. I walked in the marble maze. I was pulling myself through the water, there was a point where I was almost going to drown myself because I couldn't get up. I took a break at a broken bit of wall that you could sit on. No one interacted with me in that dream. I couldn't even ask for help. It was cold and I saw someone there. It was a dead end and they weren't there prior. they stared down at me.”

Part 4, second execution.

About the house part, a shadow version of Ted showed up in my kitchen, he went under the fridge and I cracked a purple egg by the door and smeared it, I’m guessing to stop him from coming out?

Also the second coming of the masked DUO. Like the image says, they tried to convince me to go on a date with them. Here’s some more images yay

Part 5? It’s more on the duo. And it was a nap at school

Their names are Glam(comedy) and Snap(tragedy), when I told their names didn’t match, they asked me if I wanted to change it(so they r definitely diehard fans.) Snap doesn’t act sad most the time, he sorta explained it was like a persona, he actually seemed more offended on the stereotype (sos.) so here’s more them that’s a bit more accurate to their outfits now

I definitely summed it down way more and i know your aren’t that interested but @zuxxle was so.. not important

Someone else is gonna see this.. also I might have missed some dreams idk

Also also I’m not dating Glam and Snap but my friend seems to be mad I didn’t so.. frick

I wanna give more notes.. The angels with no mouths and main wings show up alot. They didn’t always look like this. They weren’t always this scared or in pain.

This place doesn’t have many humans.

I’ve drawn god in my dream.. it’s still not describable.

Glam and Snap rock and I need them.

[lilacs-stash]

I made Nickloon a cat cuz I feel like they'd have a cat.

Random stuff about her:

-Nickel wasn't allowed to name her (On account of his record of terrible names for stuff).

-She is very sweet and silly but also not very smart and easily spooked.

-She has be friended Mic.

-Was originally some random stray cat that wandered into hotel OJ (this is a somewhat common occurrence) and Balloon and Nickel adopted her.

-She's scared of Baxter and no one knows why

[rom-e-o]

Liable to Fall - Chapter 2 (Scrooge/OC) (Post-Canon)

Chapter 2 is here! Let the romantic tension and ghost banter continue!

Scrooge and Constance set about the awkward journey of relearning how to interact as husband and wife while his memories remain lost.

Read now on AO3

In an instant, the house had turned from an orchestra of scorched cats into a brick and catacomb of uncomfortable silence. Even the ghostly wails of the wind outside proved no distraction.

Magda and Errol tended to Ebenezer, asking question after question to the befuddled man, trying to get a gauge of where holes in his memory had been ripped. Meanwhile, the attending physician had opted to pull Constance aside to speak with her more privately.

“Temporary amnesia is quite common in cases of head trauma,” he said. The man’s hand found purchase on Constance’s shoulder, his thumb working the protrusion of her collarbone with repetitive swipes. “Why, I venture he’ll be back to his normal self before you can say ‘lickety-split’!”

“What’s the longest you’ve ever seen it last?” Constance asked, her hands grasping at her peignoir to nervously hug it tightly about her shoulders and stomach. Something about the swaddling of fabric, even with its lightness, provided a small bit of comfort. It also masked the nervous jitter of her hands.

His smile faltered for a moment. “Well, while it is extremely unlikely in this case to see prolonged symptoms, I’ve seen some cases last a few days, and on much rarer occasions, they can span weeks.”

“But … it’s always temporary?”

“For this level of trauma, yes, that period is a typical diagnosis. The only exception would be…”

“Exception?” Her voice cracked loud enough that Magda glanced over at her in concern, but this raised flag of concern was not noticed.

“Well, the exception would be – and this is a slim chance, I’ll remind you – if there is additional trauma to the brain that isn’t being indicated by external damage to the skin,” he offered, a nervous tic highlighting traces of his Polish accent. “That could complicate matters.”

“Oh.”

“But that is very unlikely!” he said again, tapping the tip of her pert nose to calm her. “The fact that he’s awake and lucid is proof of that.”

She hummed, slightly assuaged. Her lips pursed into a semi-fine line and her eyes bore holes into the buttery walnut floors, as if she was trying to manifest a more desirable answer to slip between the floorboards.

“However, I do ask that you keep an eye on him,” the physician added, glancing over his shoulder at Ebenezer, who was currently seated in one of the more cushioned visitors’ chairs that rested before his work desk. “Should any other symptoms arise, you’ll want to send for me promptly. If his forgetfulness continues, or if he experienced numbness, immediate medical attention will be necessary.”

The nervous tremble spread to her knees. Suddenly, her craving for her pain medication, which she had mostly been able to ween off since coming to London, began to flare. A telltale tightness pulled at the skin of her face, while her chest felt as if it was ballooning.

“I have a bell in my office and home with a sign proclaiming my residency, and encourage any of my clients to give it a ring if peril arises. You are no exception to that, loved one.”

With a sobering swallow, she steadied herself with a light sway. Her eyes fell shut as her chin rested upon the slope of her chest.

Concerned by her reaction, the doctor gave her shoulder a firmer grasp, in the same way one might try to awaken someone out of a deep slumber.

“I’m fine,” Constance said, offering the physician a crooked grin, “Truly, I’m fine. J-Just a bit in shock.”

“A perfectly normal reaction, given present circumstances.”

With another deep, lung-sealing breath, she felt herself touch Earth again.

“Thank you, Dr. Adamczyk,” she muttered. A hand drifted to her shoulder to take his calloused one in hers, cradling it in her hands. “I appreciate you very much for tending to us at such an unusual time of the day.”

The older man beamed, his smile lines perfectly chiseled to cradle his wide grin. “Oh, ‘tis my job, love. Pay it no mind.”

Constance thanked him and went to pay him for his services. The kind doctor attempted to talk him down from the ludicrous sum she offered, but as far as she was concerned, it was more than worth it. After all, he’d come running to help her husband, and has consoled her and even offered to revisit and tend to him in the future outside of normal shift hours. No bill was too large to pay back that act of kindness.

While she made sure he was compensated and made sure he had a carriage to help get him home, Magda was before Ebenezer, eyes boring into him as if he was a suspect and she was the interrogator.

“What is the last thing you remember, dear?” she asked, her fingers tapping his shoulder vigorously, as if she could drum up those missing memories herself. “Spare no details. If you remember anything, please speak it into the universe for us.”

“Magda, I’ve never seen you so frazzled,” Ebenezer teased lightly, hands covering hers to push them off him and gently cradle them. “I think you’re even more wound up than the time you first came here and saw that I did have pepper in my kitchen.”

“Oh, I haven’t pardoned you for that sin, dear,” she replied, her smile wry, “But please, this is not joking matter.”

A silver brow lofted. “Is it…regarding …”

His eyes flickered to the redheaded woman (a beautiful woman, he couldn’t help but notice) escorting the doctor who has aided him earlier out of the house. Second to her appearance, which alone made him blush like a schoolboy, he noticed some … interesting elements about her. First and foremost, her dress. Or, more frankly, her lack thereof – as she was dressed only in a peignoir and matching robe overtop, velveteen and boasting a gold belt fastened at the waist. She wore little to no cosmetics, and her hair was done casually. She looked more like a resident in his home than another visitor.

“You really don’t remember her?” Magda inquired. “At all?”

“I-I’m afraid not, no…” Ebenezer replied. “W-Who is she?”

“Your wife.”

Silence, then a chuckle. A nervous chuckle, accompanied by a concerned furrow of the brows. “That’s … that’s absurd. I’m fifty years old, not some young buck attending balls and galas. I’m not even looking to marry.”

“Well, you weren’t before you met her.”

Another slow blink, as if he was a slowly suffocating fish. He looked over his shoulder to steal one last glance at her before she exited the study completely. He peered at her hands, and sure enough, saw a wedding ring shining brightly on her finger.

The speed at which he looked down his at own hand mirrored that of a panicked songbird hearing the caw of a hawk in the distance. Sure enough, a match gold band glimmered back at him. A shocked laugh tumbled from his lips with the grace of falling river rocks.

“Bloody hell, y-you’re not joking.”

Magda batted him upside the head. “Of course, I’m not, you daft tit!”

While Errol rushed to take his wife’s hand, speaking in flawed but compassionate Hungarian, Ebenezer stared ahead into the middle-distance. His fingertips grazed his reddened cheek as he mulled over the heavy realization that had been loaded upon his still-sore body.

“I’m married?” he mumbled, more so to himself than anyone else, “I-I … I’m married? After Isabel, I…?”

The sound of the study door reopening startled him out of his daze, and he lofted his head to watch the woman from before reenter the room. Not just any woman, he reminded himself. His …wife.

He found himself staring at her, his mind riffling through any memory with ardent desperation. Gods, she looked so kind. So lovely. She didn’t look deserving of having her husband, or any loved one, forget her.

Then, of course, he registered again that she was beautiful. Uncannily beautiful, in all honesty, but he’d never dream of voicing that opinion. She looked out of place in a home belonging to him, some bloke who had wasted decades of his life penny-pinching. Also, her accent … was she American as well? How the hell had they even met?

“I saw the physician out,” the copper-haired woman reported as she came to a stop before them. “He told me ring him if any symptoms worsened, or if any new numbness or pain were to manifest in the coming days. Speaking of which…”

She turned to look at Ebenezer, her gaze tender and soft. Her irises were as blue as oceans from storybooks. Maker, she had freckles too!

“How are you feeling, de—Ebenezer?”

Fuck, his heart practically writhed through his chest. She looked bloody devastated, and he hated that he was the one causing a woman who he obviously loved such torment.

“I-I’m feeling much less dizzy than before,” he said honestly, tipping his head to her. “Much obliged.”

Love. Right. If they had married, then it stood to reason that they loved each other. At least, he knew that he would never marry a woman for any reason other than if he felt an undying devotion to her. The Spirits from that fateful Christmas Eve had warned him aplenty about denying the good intentions in his heart – and in the hearts of others – ever again. He was to be honorable and honest, and he’d embraced that. After so many years of denying himself happiness and joy, he’d found himself again … now, he felt oddly vacant. As if, when he looked at her, something was missing. As if she had something he yearned for, but he couldn’t place exactly what.

She smiled at the chivalrous gesture. There was a definite touch of sadness to her expression. “You’re welcome.”

After another tense moment, Magda was the one to break the metaphorical ice with a student clap of her hands.

“It’s been a long day, and I think we could use a little pick-me-up. I’ll make some pörkölt for supper,” the woman said. “Connie, dear, can you help me with preparing the gray cattle meat? I'll grind the paprika.”

“Y-Yes, of course,” she said, slightly caught off guard by the chance in topic, but not stopping it. It was clear the poor woman was in need of quite a distraction.

Connie? Ah, a nickname. So, her real name would have been…

“Constance?”

The way the woman flashed her gaze to him, it poignancy nearly stunning him to stone. Guilt jabbed at his heart for getting her hopes up, but he had to ask. “T-That’s your name, yes?” 

“Oh.” The disappointment was clear on her face, but she did try to hide it as quickly as possible as to not cause him any guilt. “Y-Yes, you’re correct. T-That’s my name.”

“And…you’re really my wife?”

The questions left his lips before he could stop it. Blazes, he could feel Magda’s gaze boring holes into his body.

“Yes,” Constance answered. Mirroring his gesture from before, she inclined her head to him in formal greeting. “I’m your wife.”

“Constance…Scrooge?”

“Constance DoGoode-Scrooge,” she said, lifting her nightgown and curtseying. “It’s…nice to meet you.”

“Smooth, old boy."

“I cannot bear to hear your insufferable comments right now, Jacob."

As if the scenario alone wasn’t enough to scald his nerves, watching himself blunder every step of way in speaking to her was painful. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t bear to leave her twice in the same day.

“Infinitely more awkward than your first meeting with her,” Marley commented, chains rattling harshly with even the softest of movements. “When she showed up in that butcher shop, hair unwashed and shivering? Panicked as a mouse in a razed field?”

“She’d just survived thirty days in the basement of some horrid boat,” Scrooge snapped.

“Yet, she caught your eye.”

“Of course, she did,” he started, rage simmering down into something more timid. That day … it was crystal clear to him. He remembered stopping in to speak with the owner about getting a treat for Prudence (her favorites were the stuffed bones), and remembering her calm, yet obviously exhausted, voice inquiring about finding work.

The moment he had gazed upon her, he knew he had to help her. There was something ethereally trustworthy in her eyes, and in the way she carried herself with such grace even after looking like she’d crawled through the trenches and gutters. In a way, she’d done exactly that.

Then, to learn she’d also survived the trip without the opium-based pain medication that her ex-husband had all but gotten her addicted to … the paleness of her cheeks and hollowness of her eyes had made even more sense.

Had it tarnished his view of her? Not in the slightest. If anything, he respected her more.

“Well, you always did have a type,” the elder ghost said, bringing a transparent hand up to examine his nails. ���Curls. Blue Eyes. Freckles.”

“It wasn’t just that,” he objected, resenting the insinuation that his interest was purely because of her physical attributes (though, they certainly didn’t harm matters). “Jacob. Tell me. You watch over this house, yes?”

“I do.”

“Then you must see,” Scrooge said, “She’s a hard worker! Why, her mind is sharper than some of those old codgers at Lloyds – she could run their numbers into the ground and tally their receipts with her eyes closed.”

“All while being clumsier than a newborn fawn. Or a loose doorknob.”

Ebenezer turned with a clenched fist to clobber his partner but was halted by the sound of Marley’s loud laughter. It caught him off guard, and in one moment, he realized just how much he’d missed the man. Why, they’d spent decades together, and had been friends. Companions through and through.

“I must confess, I’d forgotten what this felt like, old boy…” Marley revealed, the gold obols on his eyes seeming to shine extra bright. “You always were sterling company. Though, I must say, you’re more of a spitfire than you used to be.”

Scrooge frowned, glaring at his partner impatiently. “More of a spitfire to you, you mean.”

“Ah, I suppose that is what I mean,” he laughed. “With me, you were always a bit of a pushover. I supposed you were just more fond of me than others, yes?”

“Well, you did mentor me in many ways,” he mumbled, “Including the habit of holding you in the highest esteem.”

Marley laughed even harder at that, and the tiniest of smirks graced Ebenezer’s face. It was a moment of respite in an otherwise hopeless scenario.

As Marley’s laughter came to a natural end, their attention was called away from conversing with each other as they observed Constance bowing to him again and making her way out of the room.

“I-I’m going to help Magda with the stew meat,” she explained somewhat bashfully as she gripped the study doorknob. “I suppose I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Y-Yes,” Ebenezer said. “I-I’ll be there.”

Smiling gently, she tipped her head to him and slid out. Perhaps it was him imagination, but she moved with an uneasy quickness.

As the door fell shut, Scrooge allowed a tense sigh to leave him.

“Ye, gods, what have I done?” he mumbled to himself, a hand smoothing the deep creases in his forehead as he slinked back to his desk chair. Completely ignorant of the ghosts moving away from the desk to make way for the mortal man, he slinked into the chair and practically collapsed.

For a moment, he laid there, silent and still; simply resting his body and mind from the event that had just transpired. After just a moment to rally himself, he shot upright and left the desk. With long-legged strides, he paced around his desk, scanning the documents that were scattered about, including the paperwork he’d been working on before his fall.

None of the names or accounts on the banknotes looked familiar to him; they must have been new clients.

Another cursory examination revealed a familiar name as a key signature on some of the final documents. He recognized his signature, as well as Bob’s, but above their side-by-side names, there was a smaller name written in loopy, meticulous script:

Constance Albany DoGoode-Scrooge, Bank Clerk & Accounts Specialist

She was his wife … and his clerk?

Thinking fast, the man bent down and opened the bottom drawer of his desk. It was the space where he kept records of all his previous employees and coworkers (all two of them). He knew he had Jacob’s files, including all the legal documents from his passing, but he also had documents items such as Bob Cratchit’s initial application, as well as identification documents that were renewed annually. As expected, his file had grown sizably following his promotion.

He ventured that, if he had documents about them, he had to have …

“There!”

Sorted alphabetically in the drawer by her surname, he stumbled across her dossier. He opened it and was immediately greeted with the materials he’d used to apply for her job with. A copy of her diploma from Bradford University in Massachusetts, the results of her bank clerk pre-exams (top marks, of course) as well as other documents. Accreditation, test scores, etcetera.

Also included were her age, her upbringing, her family and personal address, and … the name of a spouse. A New York investor with their hand in many national and international businesses.

She’d been…married before him.

Beyond intrigued, he hauled the file to the top of his desk. Turning to the first document, he started at the top and began to read.

If he couldn’t remember her, then for now, the least he could do was relearn about her.

Tag List: @quill-pen, @crimson-phantom-designs, @thedivinelights, @purgratoriat, @bluestarliight, @alolaamii, @vixx-ari

Thank you all for the support! <3

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

I feel like we don’t give enough love to my corn loving boy Mochi. I feel like he’s a great friend, little tough, but great nevertheless. Do you have any hc for him?

Sure, here are my hc's for Mochi!

Refuses to fight girls and actively tried to avoid Senju during fights they were both in.

When he's grocery shopping he normally gets asked by people to reach things on the higher shelves, he always gets them what they need.

Has an arm wrestling club with Draken and Pah in the good timeline

Corn is actually a comfort food for him, he ate it a lot growing up

Would love to have a dog (also has a fondness for cats)

He frequently steps into fights that he feels are unfair like a group teaming up on one person (as long as they're not a target for his gang).

When he gets bored he looks for someone to fight

Loves festivals, especially the games at them

As a partner he's incredibly gentle, carefully holding your hand and placing soft kisses on you. He's very aware of his strength and careful with it.

Similarly to Pah and Mikey, Izana once fell asleep on Mochi

Doesn't like that he isn't a fast runner (mainly because Shion and the Haitani brother's sometimes tease him over it)

He didn't like his life in bonten much, it wasn't what he thought it would be like

In the good timeline, after he joined toman and realised Angry was scared of him, he tried to be friendlier towards him (usually by bringing him a drink to meetings)

He's very good with the kids in the future timeline, they love climbing all over him and how happy he is to play with them.

Very good at ball sports 

Growing up, his father was a police officer who often wasn't home and worked overtime. His mother was always kind to him and they were very close but she died when he was a kid, he ran away after that. 

One time he managed to catch a balloon a kid accidentally let go off before it got too high, he felt like a hero that day.

Likes cooking and will often share recipes with Kakucho 

Is very bad at keeping surprises from his partner, he just gets so excited to share gifts with them or tell them about his plans. 

Frequently carries his friends home on nights out when they get too drunk (Rindou is the most common)

[maryentes-multiverse]

The Ignis Vita Misconception and the Realms

So, in my universe, the realms are like layers of a painting. Each one are all on the same canvas and are vital to its completion, but are all still separate if you know how or where to look.

Now, there are four Realms: Living, Spirit, Void, and Lost. There is Ignis Vita as well, which is common knowledge that it is a hell-like place, full of monsters and blue fires and will torment the truly evil spirits. Living and Spirit are the most obvious ones; Living is where the, well, living reside and the Spirits are where the dead reside. That is putting it simply, though.

Your spirit has always been in the Spirit Realm, it has merely been tethered to your body. Once dead or temporarily separated, your soul is finally free and can do as it pleases, while your body rots. Do not think you are not in control of yourself, however, you are still you and you retain your memories of your life after separation from your body. If you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view), you are a reincarnated spirit, and regain the memories of your past life or lives.

You are capable of seeing spirits when alive though, but only if they have a will to be seen. Through the reflections of water, rain, or even mist and fog, you may see them, the refractions from water one of few things able to still transfer their light to ours.

For the Void Realm, it is a little more complicated, and very dark. It is an almost exact copy to the Living, but only soulless things exist there. If there was a room with 5 things and a cat in it in the Living, and 2 of those things had a soul inside it, in the Void, only the 3 things without a soul will be present in that room. There are creatures that live inside this Realm who adapted to see in this Realm, but they did not originate from it. If you are not one of these creatures or a deity, you will only see darkness and be constantly bumping or falling into things, thus the name Void.

The Lost is a strange place, where wherever you go you seem to never go somewhere familiar, even if you know the directions, and are unable to return to places once visited when you leave. Everything lacks color, as if it has been taken from it. There are no native beings in this Realm, only those who made the mistake of entering without knowing how to leave, living and spirit alike. This is the only Realm that spirits and living can naturally see and interact with one another without aid. It is a good place to banish those who cannot be controlled and are causing havoc in other Realms, as long as they themselves don't know how to leave either.

Ignis Vita, however, is not a Realm. Many consider it to be so but it is untrue. Ignis Vita is a planet, its whereabouts and how it exists is still unknown. They think it is so because the only way in or out is through portals or summoning, much like other Realms' subjects and gateways. This is, again, not true at all.

The planet on the outside seems like any other uninhabitable planet, though frankly large at face value. Inside though is a planet-wide cave, kind of like those balloons inside balloons to make a whole new balloon situation. Some hypothesize that it is a rouge planet and that is why they've never found it because it it constantly moving aimlessly at an unknown speed throughout the universe. Others claim it is because it is in a solar system so far away from the other sentient species that they've never been able to spot it.

The myths about monsters and sulfur fires are true in some sections of the planet, but torturing souls is not. Thats just propaganda to get the mass populace to behave out of fear of being in eternal pain after separation. No spirit goes there unwillingly, and there are many, if not more, amicable and intelligent species there.

[thedaytheworldburned]

'Deja Vu' First Reactions

Well, um... I was right. Much more LOVESONG and Run Away than LOSER=LOVER of GBGB. Another notch on my mastery of TXT's concept. But not my mastery of their storyline.

Also, why does this song sound to be like a nice blend between something ENHYPEN would make and something SHINee would make? Odd.

So yeah, fun song, I like it. The story is confusing me immensely, since colours for each member are back - something from Chasing that Feeling - but they aren't the same colours per member. Is this on purpose? Are they trying to change the symbolism? Was Chasing that Feeling just incredibly lacking in preparation and thought? I feel it's the latter, because Chasing that Feeling has like NOTHING, but still, confusing, and forces us to basically make this MV a story devoid of the rest of TXT's storyline, which is weird and annoying. I'm sure Laina will have many things to say about it though :)

Full thoughts below the line.

I was watching Girl's Planet for my podcast episode on it when I opened this, and this orb confused me so much. Tell me this doesn't look like the openings of Girls Planet and Boy's Planet.

Especially with the two colours circling each other and the cosmic swish sounds.

Here we get the fox from the trailer - and also from the Little Prince. It's glowing and colourful - it's clearly from a different planet, and this shot of it descending into darkness mirrors TXT (in the form of a multicoloured cloud of energy - see the similarities) falling from the sky in Chasing that Feeling.

Also, the shape it moves towards id kind of like an eye, but also kind of like the drains from Chasing that Feeling. Some other important instances of eyes in TXT's story? The cat with heterochromia, Kai and his eyepatch, and the massive eye shape behind them in GBGB.

This segment has the subtitles that some things are precious, but invisible, and we pass them by. The eye is crying this pinkish liquid - which will come back later.

Basically, some precious things are either invisible or passed by. What things? TXT, the fox, and friendship would be my best guesses. The fox especially was left behind in the concept trailer.

The tears obviously show regret, and since the fox disappears into a star-like twinkle in the eye, it suggests that, despite being passed over, the important things will be with us forever.

Whose eye is it? Taehyun's. How do I know that? I'll get back to that later.

Here we get our main character - constantly dead Yeonjun. He's in this field with.... giant balloon animal things? Which I assume are supposed to represent the magic in the world, since they disappear when the colour (magic/power from CTF) also disappears.

Now I will point out that Yeonjun is running, the world is red, and he has holes in his shirt. Aka, Yeonjun is likely in pain. A very common motif/story element in the TXT story. Story Yeonjun is going to need billions of years of therapy after everything he's been through.

But this is also where my annoyance shows up - because in CTF, red was Soobin's colour, not Yeonjun's. Is this supposed to tie him to Soobin? Or did they just choose red since he's in pain? I'll let you choose.

This shot suggests to us that, like the fox, Yeonjun is incorporeal, and this is either his soul or consciousness floating around without his body. Everything in the red shot is an entire world that exists within this red orb in the grey 'real world'. Keep in mind - the grey, or dark, real world which contrasts Magic Island is something that's been around since the very first TXT song ever - Blue Orangeade. It's very well established in their story.

Here he is, the man himself, and thankfully he was probably just dreaming, With his horn/fang earrings (ahem, animal imagery, ahem, the fox which Yeonjun is tied to above all the other members, ahem).

My big question is why is Beomgyu glowing? Is it because he murdered Taehyun and may or may not have claimed his power? Is he the most powerful since he got his power first in CTF? But his power was green, not yellow. Has he DIED???? Lol. Goodness knows. But it is very evocative imagery, the only problem is I don't know what it's trying to evoke.

Here we are again in the grey world, and since Soobin is definitely not driving and probably not being driven, I imagine the shadows are changing over his face quickly to show the passage of time - TXT are out of the timestream - I mean, time and not following it correctly have also been a concept of theirs since almost the beginning.

Ahem, dead Kai, ahem???!?!?!!

Probably more like 'living on the edge, being risky, being a TEENAGER!' Giving himself up to feeling, you know?

And yeah, I understand that water IS blue, but blue is Yeonjun's colour in CTF, not Kai's?!?!

That said, we can still apply the same principles - blue for relaxation, which he clearly feels in comparison to Yeonjun. Colour also = magic and a different world - and Kai is literally separated from the otherworldly, magical space that is the ocean, by the grey boat he is in. He's almost reaching out to the magic that he grew up with on the island.

And this shows us how out of the world they actually are - dissociated to the highest level on the side of the path.

But also - these sports uniforms are really odd looking - they're old fashioned, they look like they're from the 1930s or something, and considering it's a group of boys running in a field with what looks like a stereotypical European boarding house behind them - I think Yeonjun may or may not have time traveled himself to 20s England or something.

This can be applied to the other members too - Soobin's car looks like a model from the 60s or something, and the boat Kai is on has these nuts that are far more common on ships from the 20s-50s than anything more modern.

I mean these nuts, fyi.

They all have masks - they are all brainwashed boring denizens of the grey world, not Magic Island. Or at least, that's my interpretation.

Yo wtf where did Kai come from? Also, Yeonjun goes right back to his dissociated sleep as soon as Kai shows up - is this supposed to show how their magic keeps them connected despite the distance? Don't forget that Yeonjun and Kai are one of our best-associated pairings in the storyline.

Well I don't think I need to tell you that people holding hands and losing grip of each other is a symbol of desperation and loss, do I?

Henceforth, Beomgyu will be known as 'glowing Gyu.'

Still not sure WHY he's glowing - and in Kai's colour, too. He is singing about stars here, so that does make sense. Has he returned to the world of magic to the extent that he's basically BECOME it?

Ahem bias alert.

The shots before this show us that 1) Taehyun is still the only member with no colour (while glowing Gyu who murdered him in CYSM is the only one with no black and white/darkness), and 2) that he looked up, just in time to see both glowing Gyu, and dark Soobin (whose colour is a mix of Yeonjun's blue and Beomgyu's green). Are they going to fight?!?! Is Beomgyu Taehyun's saviour, or is he looking at him in anger for being murdered?

Am I too hung up on the murder scene from CYSM? Yes, but it's still kind of insane that one of the members of this boy group just... murdered another. In their SECOND COMEBACK, no less!!!!

Anyway, Soobin - he's in this weird space with this scaffolding which also kind of creates watery mirror shapes. If that isn't either hallucinations or magic, I don't know what is. It's also - duh - dark and stormy - a likely reflection of his mindstate. If it's not, well, that would be bad visual storytelling.

He could also be evil, while Gyu is good - a reversal of their previous roles. That said, Taehyun and Soobin were the liars in CYSM, and Taehyun was kind of muted in the concept trailer, so maybe they're teaming up against Gyu....?

This is the problem with making your members good for some comebacks and evil for others - the story can get confused. It doesn't even really work to make them well rounded characters here either, since we're unsure on the motivations. The only characters this works for here is Kai and Yeonjun - since they are both tortured souls with two curses each - Yeonjun is traumatised and made a deal with the devil, and Kai has the angel wings, but also a lost heart, so of course he also needs to be a devil.

Not entirely sure why Kai is in Soobin's realm with the glowing globs - is he checking in on people - Yeonjun and now Soobin? Also why does he have this shocked expression on his face lol. Is he shocked that Soobin was secretly a liar?

On a quest to find his leader?

Also may I say - Kai has brought all the extra colour. Because he may have an evil alter ego, but at the end of the day he's their cute innocent maknae.

And instead of finding Soobin, he finds glowing Gyu. Has Soobin entrapped glowing Gyu?

And I'm guessing this is some psychic/magical defense Soobin has on Gyu?

HE'S GETTING AWAYYYYYYYYY. Or, getting FURTHER away. And being pulled into that eye. Whose eye? Taehyun's. Why Taehyun's? I'll get to it eventually I swear.

I mean, I imagine this is supposed to look like an eye, but because it moves so quickly in the actual MV and is kind of like soap suds or something, I'm not ENTIRELY sure. If it wasn't meant to be, the editors have some issues.

Poor dude has been left all to his lonesome.

Now the fact that 1) we were in some dream world, and 2) Soobin is sleeping suggest to be that this was all subconscious on his part. Interesting...

One eye is covered - a representation of Kai's curse, and also of having lost sight of one's purpose - in this case, friendship and being the group's leader. Because, you know, he was a liar.

Who is holding him? Based on the shirt, I'm going to say Taehyun - which would mark the first time Taehyun is given colour in this MV. Interestingly, it's as part of Soobin's story/in connection with Soobin, and both of them are costumed in yellow - which shows comraderie, but is also Kai's colour? Unsure about Kai here - I would have expected them to be in green to show their revenge on Gyu. Then again, Gyu IS yellow in this MV, so....

IT'S NAP OF A STAR, IT'S ETERNALLY, IT'S A CONNECTION WITH YEONJUN, IT'S A REPRESENTATION OF BEAUTY IN DEATH AND SELF SACRIFICE, IT'S THE EYE FROM THE OPENING OF THE VIDEO, IT'S TAEHYUNNNNNNN.

(um bias alert, I am indeed very biased, you've got to remember that after Soobin this dude is my bias in TXT)

So, Taehyun was the one who witnesses Yeonjun's death in Eternally, and now he too is covered in flowers, probably dead, and producing purplish liquid. This liquid is the same colour as the fox (which he was associated with in some of our concept pictures), and the orb from the beginning of the video - the representation of otherworldlyness and magic. Not only is he crying literal, pure magic, but also likely regret at the things that have been lost - possibly included among them, his life which was, I'll say it again, taken from him by glowing Gyu.

Also, the tears themselves are purple, but purple is made of red and blue - colours associated with Yeonjun and Soobin in both this MV and CTF. Yeonjun because he is dead. Soobin because he too is a liar.

The stop-motion style of this shot, and the use of flowers and nature imagery, ties it to Nap of a Star, while the colour purple is both 1) Eternally 2) Yeonjun's blood in Eternally, and 3) the colour associated with Taehyun in CTF.

It's the first time we've seen Taehyun explicitly with a colour in this MV - and the second time overall.

It seems to bring him out of the grey and into the colour, since afterwards we see him in colour.

This is Yeonjun, yeah? I'm not quite good enough to know the members by the backs of their heads, but this IS the shirt Yeonjun was wearing, and that's his hairstyle and ears, so yeah. Looks like he has joined Kai in searching for glowing Gyu.

Taehyun in full colour woohoo.

I like this shot, which is of their dancing feet, upside down, in the dream-Soobin world, which is then mirrored/contrasted by their feet, dancing in colour in this training studio thing?

This is such an unflattering screenshot I'm so sorry TXT. But, the room does have purple (Taehyun's colour) opposed with green (Gyu's colour). Fun fact. But it also changes, so there's not much we can take from it. Sad fact.

And I have hit my image limit, so I'll see you for the rest in Part 2!