#because i like the idea of people having different colored ki

[risingsouls]

Happy birthday, Princey. Hard to believe you've survived another year without your colossal ego combusting the planet. Maybe this year, you can finally manage a day without whining about being second best to Kakarot. Enjoy your special day, if that's even possible for someone as miserable as you. 🎂 - The note card was attached to a half-eaten chocolate cake, just enough to add insult to injury. Who could have done such a dastardly thing?

He reads over the card, expression becoming more unimpressed with each word. " Like I've never heard those before....tch... "

The card burns up in a flash of red ki, a second one reserved for the cake. " For the second time today I'll say get more creative. "

[tsukiflwr]

ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁 .ᐟ THINGS ENHA DO THAT MAKES YOU SECOUND-GUESS YOUR 'FRIENDSHIP'

𝓅airing ∿ maknae line! enha x f!reader ᰔ 𝒽eadcanons ; fluff, friends to lovers 𝓌; none that I know of! 𐙚 𝓌c 852 ᝰ.ᐟ 𝓇oro's note. I’m actually obsessed with making cutesy layouts like the blue is so prettyyyy﹒ ꒰ 𝓁ibrary ꒱ + 𝒽yung ver

KIM SUNOO ∿ the compliments he gives you

sunoo was a sweetheart. he was kind, caring, and attentive; all things that made him such a wonderful friend. he’s always been like that, even when the two of you first met as kids. he gave you a certain type of reassurance you have never felt from anyone else. he was always there to notice the small things no one ever did, always complimenting you and making you feel good about yourself. but his compliments started to feel more than him being a good friend . . . 

“that looks so good on you, that's definitely your color” he would muse with a smile as he softly touched the collar of your shirt, the way his fingers would ‘accidently’ graze your skin while doing so, never failing to make you a flustered mess as you thanked him. or compliments like, “your lips look so pretty with that on” he whispered in your ear as he pressed his body up against your side as you put on your new lipgloss – a gift from him of course. 

he didn't just compliment you on physical things, he complimented you on your intelligence, your kindness, how proud he was of you etc. and those – made you flustered than any other, because he really saw you like no one else. sunoo wasn't blind, he could see the effect his words had on you, he loved making you feel loved and special, and seeing how flustered and cute you were when he did was definitely a plus 

YANG JUNGWON ∿ always wants to spend time with you

when you first met jungwon in middle school, you had no idea how clingy he was, but you were quick to figure it out. it wasn't just you he was clingy with, so you thought nothing of it for a long time. but it was clear to everyone but you, that he spent most of his time with you. and you only found out once some of your shared friends brought up the fact that he was skipping out on playing ball with them on the weekends, so he could spend time with you. 

they were not upset about it, if anything they took that as a chance to tease you about him, asking if the two of you were dating, but you were always quick to shut them down, saying that you were just friends. but once you got home and really started to think about it you realized that your friends weren't just messing with you, that they were not imagining things. 

he really did always spend time with you, he was there to cuddle up in your bed on his phone while you studied at your desk (just so he could look at you), going grocery shopping with you so he could push the cart and pick up the heavy things (he loved when people mistook you as a couple), he loved coming along with you to your family gatherings (he loved how shy you would get when one of your family members asked if the two of you were dating yet) as you looked back on the years it was hard to not to realize how jungwon was by your side for almost everything, making you start to look at him in a different light . . .

NISHIMURA NI-KI ∿ how he treats you differently than his other friends

for the longest time you refused to believe your own thoughts of him liking you more than a friend. it was scary falling in love with your best friend, and it was even scarier not knowing if he felt the same way, for all you know, he wasn't even aware about how differently he treated you than his other friends. he didn't tease you like how he did with the others; he didn't have that competitive nature with you like he did with the others, he much preferred seeing you win and how happy you would get. 

when his other friends would ask him to grab them a water he would playfully complain and tell them to get it themselves (he would always end up getting it for them) but with you, you didn't even have to open your mouth and he was bringing you one back, rolling his eyes at the teasing smirks your shared friends sent him. when your friends would tell terrible jokes, ni-ki would always tease them about how bad it was, but with you he always laughed; even if he didn't think they were funny. he always saved you a seat next to him, and while he could never remember any of his other friend's orders, he had yours memorized. 

it wasn't just the sweet actions that he shared with you, but it was also the intimate moments where the two of you would talk about your emotions, having deep conversations and listening to music. those moments that you shared always had you overthinking. but while you were worrying about him liking you are not; he was trying to think of ways to make his feelings for you more obvious . . . 

𝓇oro's note. this is so much shorter than the hyung line so so sorry about that 😭 i really hope you guys like it !! 𝓃av

which member was your favorite?

likes, reblogs, comments and feedback are heavily encouraged !

[xcherryerim]

Si tú me quisieras

(If you loved me)

Mike schmidt x Gn!reader | wc: 2.2k

“Si tú me quisieras, el amor que quisieras lo tendrías conmigo. No soy cursilera, pero si me quisieras, sería todo distinto” — Si tú me quisieras by Nia Vanie & Adrian Bello

Warning: Friends to lovers | Sappy | angst and fluff (?) | mentions of sex | fighting | a bit of aggressive Mike

notes: it seems like I love writing sappy stuff for Mike at 1-4 am. I didn’t really revise this so sorry if there is many mistakes or repeated words ✨ Also the lyrics in this story is the same as the one from the intro (and yes. Mike knows spanish here)

Summary: As time goes by, it becomes increasingly difficult for Mike not to hide the secrets that are troubling him. He has had enough and decides to reveal his feelings to you, his best friend.

You caught sight of Mike wearing the same shade of sage green shirt you were wearing. With a deep breath, you called out to him, "No, no! Change, please. That's too much of a coincidence!”

Mike sighed heavily, slamming the car door shut behind him. His eyes narrowed, frustration etched onto his face. "Can you give me a break? This is the only clean shirt I have left!"

Reluctantly, you let out a frustrated groan. It wasn't about the shirt or the coincidences; it was about how deeply it affected you every time he wore that particular color. But you knew pushing him further wouldn't solve anything. So instead, you relented, "Fine, fine."

Why does it matter anyway?" he asked, increasing the volume of the radio in an attempt to cover up his unease.

Your fingers tightened around the steering wheel as you tried to explain your concern. "Because people are going to think we're a couple,"

Mike couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. He had been hoping that today would be the day when you finally noticed him in the way he wanted you to. But here he was.

“But like, we aren’t so it doesn't matter, does it?”

“I guess.” You shrugged.

You started to suggest what movie to watch at the end of the day. A little tradition you guys did after running errands together, but Mike was staring at the street, drowning in his thoughts. Did you hate the idea of dating him that much?

“No hay nada que pueda hacer que me veas, y eso me duele tanto. Y aunque tú no me quieras como yo te quiero yo te seguiré amando.” / “There's nothing I can do to make you look at me, and that breaks me. Even if you don’t love me like I love you, I'll still adore you.”

"Isn't this the song that you like, Mike?" you asked, a small smile forming on your lips.

Mike's response was quiet and subdued. "Uh, yeah."

He didn't like the song, not really. He related to it, to every verse, word, and beat. It was a reflection of his feelings, a mirror to his unspoken thoughts and emotions. The lyrics echoed through the car, resonating with both of you in different ways.

“Dicen que de amor nadie se muere, pero si este dolor es la alternativa, prefiero la muerte” / “They say no one dies out of love, but if this pain is the alternative, I rather die.”

Mike sat silently next to you, the strum of guitar strings and the singer's melodic voice echoing throughout the car. A wave of disappointment washed over him, making the atmosphere in the vehicle almost suffocating. You could sense his discomfort, but you pressed on, trying to stay focused on the road ahead.

“Te estoy amando aunque no te diga nada. Estoy guardando este secreto para mí en el fondo de mi alma. Si tú me quisieras, no perdería ni un minuto más. Me entregaría con sinceridad, si te quedas conmigo.” / “I'm loving you even if I keep quiet. I’m keeping this secret in the depths of my soul. If you loved me, I wouldn't lose another minute more. I’ll sincerely give myself to you, if you stay with me.”

…

Feeling the need to intervene, Mike quickly stepped in to assist an elderly woman who was struggling to reach for a specific medicine. "Oh, let me help with that," he said, his voice filled with genuine kindness. As he handed her the item she needed, a warm smile spread across his lips, and you couldn't help but feel proud of his compassionate nature.

The woman thanked him graciously, her eyes twinkling with gratitude. "Thank you, sweetheart," she said, her gaze shifting between you both. "You two look like a nice couple. It reminds me of when my late husband and I used to go shopping together."

A sudden flush crept up your cheeks as the weight of her words settled upon the both of you. You knew it wasn't intentional, but the implication made your heart race faster than it should. Swallowing hard, you felt the need to clarify things.

"We're not a couple," you quickly replied, your voice tinged with slight awkwardness. The heat from your blush radiated outward, an audible confession of your true feelings.

Mike smiled gently at you, his eyes dancing with a mix of mirth and sadness. "Definitely not a couple," he affirmed, a hint of longing lurking beneath the surface.

As he turned to face you, he couldn't help but notice the defensive posture you took, your arms firmly crossed over your chest. Was there pain in your eyes? No, it couldn't be. He pushed the thought aside, choosing to focus on the present moment.

"Well, you seem pretty insulted by that," he remarked casually, attempting to shift the topic away from the elephant in the room.

You raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. “What? I’m not good enough for you?” Your words were laced with humor, but the underlying emotion was undeniable. There was a yearning, a desire for something more.

Mike sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head. "We are not having this conversation again," he stated firmly. Today, he simply couldn't muster the energy for the friendly flirtation that had become a routine between the two of you.

The innocent, fun activity of grocery shopping quickly transformed into something far more uncomfortable between the two of you. The mood had shifted dramatically, leaving behind a heavy silence that seemed to grow more oppressive with every passing second.

Mike could no longer mask his emotions – his face bore the unmistakable signs of anger, complete with furrowed eyebrows and heavy breathing. His movements became more forceful as he tossed items into the cart, each action an expression of the tumultuous emotions churning within him.

Unable to bear the tension any longer, you hesitantly asked, "Are you alright?" The question hung in the air, seemingly adding fuel to the fire. The guilt you felt for asking it gnawed at your insides, knowing that you might have only exacerbated the situation.

Mike glared at you, his dark eyes flashing with hurt and resentment. At that moment, he couldn't bring himself to answer your question.

As you tried to find a way to bridge the gap, you couldn't help but wonder if this was truly the last straw in maintaining the delicate balance of your friendship. For years, the two of you had shared laughter, tears, and dreams, but now you stood on the precipice of something unfamiliar and uncertain.

…

To lighten the mood, you attempted a weak joke, "Where else, boss?" but it fell flat in the wake of the tension between the two of you.

Mike provided a terse response, focusing on giving directions to Walmart without acknowledging your attempt at humor. "I need to get a few things for Abby, she's doing a project for school," he said, buckling his seatbelt.

Attempting to ignore the growing discord, you asked, "Oh, are there any close by?" and started the car, navigating the streets according to the directions Mike had given you. However, your nerves got the better of you, and you found yourself missing turns and getting lost.

Each error only served to fuel the fire. Mike's frustration grew with every misstep, a slow burn that threatened to consume the both of you. And then, finally, it boiled over. "Left, I said fucking left!" he shouted, his voice cracking with the strain of holding back his emotions.

"My fucking god. Can you drive?"

Stung by his harsh words, you couldn't help but retaliate. "What the hell is your problem? Why are you suddenly acting like a bitch?" Angry tears pricked at your eyes, the frustration of the day taking its toll on your composure.

His eyes locked onto yours, the transit stretching on as he struggled to find the right words. Finally, he snapped, "Because you're terrible at driving!" It was a feeble excuse, an attempt to deflect from the real issue that loomed between you.

Your heart sank as you demanded answers, pleading with him to reveal the truth. "I'm not stupid, Mike. Tell me what is it!"

Mike's jaw clenched tightly, his mind racing as he tried to find the words to articulate his thoughts. But the harder he tried, the more elusive the truth seemed to become. The weight of the question pressed down upon him, threatening to crush the fragile foundation of their friendship.

Finally, he posed the question that hung between him like a cloud. "Do you hate the idea of being with me?" His heart pounded in your chest, waiting for your response, fear and hope to battle within him.

"What? Am I disgusting to you? Is it because I don't have a set job? Why?"

The weight of those words hung heavily between you, the car falling silent except for the hum of the engine. In that moment, everything felt on the line – your friendship, your future, and the truth that had been bubbling under the surface for so long.

"I never said that," you responded, your voice shaking with hurt and confusion. You grasped for some semblance of control amidst the chaos of your emotions.

"Well, you don't have to!" Mike declared, his voice wavering. Years of unspoken feelings finally burst forth, spilling out in a torrent of raw honesty. "We've avoided this for years. We're not friends!" The accusation hung in the air.

Mike recounted memories that flooded your minds, moments shared between the two of you that transcended the boundaries of friendship. "Holding hands at IKEA? Almost kissing? Showering together and almost having shower sex?"

With a bitter laugh, Mike snarled, "Friends, my balls. We're more than that, and we've been avoiding the truth for too long. It's time to face it."

"I just didn't know you liked me..." you reply, your voice barely above a whisper. The weight of the truth bore down on you, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of relief mixed with the overwhelming emotions that threatened to consume you.

Mike's eyes softened, and for a moment, the tension between you seemed to dissipate. "I've liked you for a long time," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I was scared to say anything, scared of losing you as a friend."

The car fell silent once more, the hum of the engine the only sound that broke the heavy silence. At that moment, the two of you sat there, grappling with the new reality that had been laid bare between you. The path forward was uncertain, but one thing was clear – the friendship you had cherished for so long has now changed.

Mike sighed deeply, attempting to gather his thoughts and steady his escalating emotions. "I understand if you don't want to ever see me again," he murmured, his tone filled with a combination of regret and resignation. Despite the turmoil, he reached out and gripped your hand tightly, a silent plea for understanding.

"But, if that is the case," he continued, his voice catching in his throat, "at least let me kiss you... for the first and last time." The request hung in the air, heavy with the implication of finality.

You felt your body tremble at his words, a mix of excitement and fear coursing through you. The prospect of sharing this intimate moment with Mike, the one person you'd always cared for, both thrilled and terrified you.

"I don't want to die without knowing what it feels like to kiss you," he said, his voice filled with a mix of longing and desperation. The weight of the moment bore down on both of you, the unspoken emotions finally giving voice.

"And you won't have to," you whispered, desperation mingling with determination in your voice. Without another word, you leaned in, closing the distance between you until your lips met his in a searing kiss that echoed the years of longing that had built up between you.

Mike hesitated for only a moment before responding, his arms wrapping around you as the passion of the moment took hold. The weight of the past years melted away, replaced by the intensity of the present. For once, the uncertainty that had plagued your friendship was gone, replaced instead by the electric connection that had always been there, hiding just beneath the surface.

As the kiss lingered, you began to realize that this was not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter for you both. The path forward may be fraught with uncertainty, but you were ready to face it together, finally embracing the love that had grown between you.

Fin, Hope you enjoyed! I just wanted to write more than smut 😪

[skyler10fic]

In the Tyler Family panel, Billie recalls the 2000s fashion as a strange time in fashion history but loved Idiot's Lantern, and they agree Jackie would have shared Rose's clothes to be the Cool Mom. 🤣

Shawn says he was surprised to be asked back at first since his character died, but it made sense for him to come back in a multiverse story.

He says it was easy to come back and Camille adds it's the quality of writing makes it easy because you know who you (the character) are at that point because you can trust the writers are guiding it.

Billie says she struggles with how much she didn't understand how it was going to take over her life before s1 airs. Before social media, even though everyone hated it and the idea of her doing it, but it wasn't the constant stream of trolls the new actors have to hear about now with social media. She says with RTD, Julie, and Phil, there was so much confidence and joy, it was easy to believe it would be good.

Camille says her neighbors and friends were surprisingly fans. She didn't realize how many people she knew who loved it and knew about it.

They talk about how cold it was filming the Cybermen. Billie says her jaw locked because it was so cold!! The trick to getting through them was "youth" and she doesn't do night shoots anymore if possible because of that experience.

Camille talks about how Jackie "grew a pair" lol

Billie: "She's a boss!

Camille: "It's Russell, really."

Billie: "No, it's you!"

Love that Jackie's speech and situation in Love and Monsters got a shout-out. Especially going off on Elton for taking advantage of her: "Many people can relate to that moment, I think."

Talking about Pete not being the perfect husband:

Billie: "Why did they break up again?"

Shawn: "Because I died!"

Billie: "I forgot!!!" 🤣

They banter so well! Total family vibes between them all.

Fun moment where Shawn thought Billie was saying "old Pete" when she was saying "alt Pete!" Lol

Rose having the "rose-colored glasses" taken off: Billie says many can relate to realizing their parents are flawed people, and things are more complicated than you thought.

Camille says the Tylers spoke a language people understood, making something fantasy into a relatable story that was relevant to the audience.

Mod jokes that Rose "parent trapped them" across multiple universes!

Billie talks about how she enjoyed the overall romance and human element of their series, as opposed to the more sci fi feel in other later seasons.

Camille says Chris's intensity helped launch the reboot, but David's "Labrador" energy was different and special too to keep it going.

Billie says there was a totally different energy after they knew it was a success, allowing for more playfulness with David's Doctor and in general on set.

Billie says she always thought there was something complex about the romance with the Doctor, it's weird for a 19 year old to just take off in a box, and maybe wasn't written with Chris but it was there in spirit, and then was written in more explicitly in their relationship with David. Hard to keep that intensity of awe and adoration platonic! Camille adds the chemistry between them was a big element as well.

Billie says it was always a thrill to get the script, eager to read the script as soon as she got it to see what new world they were building with each episode. She says she didn't want to go to set when shooting Tooth and Claw because she was riveted reading the Doomsday script! Haha

Billie says the costume tricks can help body language shifts when changing character, like with Rose possessed by Cassandra, the push-up bra helped develop a unique physicality for the previously (literally) flat character!

Camille says they got in trouble for talking a lot because they got on so well!

Billie says she loves the new episodes, especially the dance numbers and theatrics now, and that's exactly where the show should go. "It's super fun again." Sitting down and watching a family show with the kids, an event for everyone to watch together.

Camille said it was good but it would be better if the Tylers were there! 😁

They love Ncuti as well. Excellent casting.

Billie praises RTD's heart and rooting for all walks of life. Everyone can feel represented. Camille says he is so good at pulling heartstrings and "that's what we want as Doctor Who fans." They also love his joy but also his power if they are being unkind. He defended the actors from stupid questions from the press and "told it like it was" when he needed to be the man in charge.

[high-mackrels-musings]

Star Crossed Lovers: How Revenge of the Sith adapts Pyramus & Thisbe

*This is another adaptation of an essay I wrote on reddit found here

Back when I was in college I took a class on myths, and for my final essay of the class I was given the assignment to find and contrast an Ovid myth with another piece of media. Now, being who I am, I immediately tried to tie it to Star Wars. And I found a sort of comparison between the tragic tales of Anakin and Padme and Pyramus and Thisbe. The tragedy in their love is similar, but there are differences. And Lucas, and by extension Stover who wrote the novel, shows the influence from Ovid’s tale and manages to at the same time change the way the love story of Padme and Anakin is told. And the parallels were interesting enough for me to share my thoughts here.

Who are Pyramus and Thisbe?

For those who have read Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the story of Pyramus and Thisbe ought to be familiar enough. Pyramus and Thisbe are two Babylonian youths whose families live next to one another and utterly despise one another. This of course puts the two at odds with their feelings. Pyramus and Thisbe both love each other. And they manage to find some refuge by speaking to one another through a small gap in the walls, “In the common wall that ran between their houses, there was a narrow cleft made by the builders and unnoticed since. Love misses nothing!” One should note the way then that the love of Pyramus and Thisbe is portrayed by Ovid. There is a sense of the purity of love.

Unlike many of his other stories within Metamorphoses, there is no focus on grotesque violence. Rather the true tragedy of “Pyramus and Thisbe” comes from the way others prevent their love. Because their parents refuse to allow them to be together Pyramus and Thisbe resolve to run away together. They both agree to meet under a mulberry tree, but unfortunately, when Thisbe arrives, she sees a lioness and flees leaving behind her veil for Pyramus to later find bloodied by the lion’s jaws. He believes that the lioness has eaten her. The misinterpretation of symbols, as Pyramus, stumbles upon the bloodied cloak. And he says, “On this one night, two lovers come to grief! For she, far more than I, deserved long life!” Lost in grief he strikes himself down plunging his sword through himself. And in doing so effectively dooms Thisbe who arrives later to see her dying lover. She too takes her own life, but not before begging the gods for their sacrifice to be heard, “And may our wretched parents, mine and yours be moved by this petition to allow joined in the same last hour by unwavering love, to lie together in a single tomb.”. And their prayers are heard, which shows Ovid’s overreaching theme of the legacy of love. Pyramus and Thisbe’s love lives on as their ashes are shared in the same urn, and the gods change the color of the mulberry berries to red.

How This Relates to Star Wars?

So, one may see in fact the parallels here between Anakin, Padme, Pyramus, and Thisbe. The idea of two lovers who desperately want to be together. Anakin and Padme are both forbidden to be together, as Jedi are prohibited from being married, Ki-Adi Mundi aside, Like Pyramus and Thisbe both have had to hide their brief moments of love. And both resolve to run away together, as seen in the Revenge of the Sith novel. So, if the bare-bones structure is there how do they differ?

One must keep in mind that both are tragedies. But the way these tragic moments manifest come in a different way. Instead of a bloody veil in a lioness’s jaws, Anakin receives visions of the impending death of his beloved. These visions haunt Anakin. The love between the pair can hardly be said to be healthy. Anakin has feared the loss of his loved ones since the death of his mother saying in Attack of the Clones, “Well, I should be! Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying!” And in the Revenge of the Sith novel Anakin’s fears are described as a sleeping dragon that haunts him, “That is the kind of fear that lives inside Anakin Skywalker: the dragon of that dead star. It is an ancient, cold dead voice within his heart that whispers all things die …” His jealousy is also present in the novel as we see how he greets Padme and believes there is another in her life, “He took her by the shoulders now, his hands hard and irresistibly powerful. ‘There’s someone else. I can feel it in the Force! There is someone coming between us-” This is a further sign of his unhealthy love, and Lucas and Stover show this love which contrasts the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe.

Anakin is resolved to not allow Padme to die. And in a desperate search for power, he turns to a false promise, and he transforms into Darth Vader. Unlike Pyramus who literally kills himself Anakin’s death is a metaphorical one. Gone is the Jedi Knight Anakin skywalker replaced by the Sith Lord Darth Vader. And this effectively kills Padme who when she learns that all the terrible things he’s done say to him, “I don’t know you anymore. Anakin you’re breaking my heart.” And of course, Padme later dies having lost her will to live. Thus, while Anakin did not kill himself directly as did Pyramus. The death of his identity as Anakin and transformation into Darth Vader does kill Padme.

So How Are They Similar?

So, while we have seen how Lucas and Stover show the difference in the love story, and the parallels of the bloody veil and Anakin’s dreams, one might be inclined to ask how then they are similar?

Thisbe herself pleads to the gods that their love is remembered, and her desire is granted as the Gods allow for the mulberry tree’s berries to forever be stained red for the blood they shed beneath the tree. Revenge of the Sith also reveals to us that there is a legacy in the love of Padme and Anakin. The film ends by showing us the scene of Luke and Leia, the children of Anakin and Padme, being split into two separate families so that one day they too will take up the mantle. And Stover’s novel ends with the words, “The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins- but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars.” And it will be so as Luke and Leia will go on to save the galaxy. And their children would go on to protect it, and their descendants would do the same. Love in both stories has a legacy that would be felt after their deaths within the Legends continuity.

Conclusion:

While I cannot say with any authority that Lucas or Stover have ever read Pyramus and Thisbe, the influence of the text is still felt in this work. And one can see how Star Wars has positioned itself into a new form of mythology that may inform us, and do its best to teach us the lessons. The simple love story changed into something more complex about the nature of love and jealousy. And that is an important lesson which can be taken away. And this entire exercise was a fun way to interact with my favorite fictional series in a more academic setting.

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: Unknown Unknowns, or Wait There’s Another Ginseng

Even when you know a subject fairly well, it can be worth your while to check a site like Science Daily or even Wikipedia to see if there’s new and useful info on it. Or, as in this case, old info that simply never came up on sources when you checked before.

There are actually two species of ginseng native to North America.

You’ve probably heard of American ginseng, Panax quinquifolius. Yet there’s an entirely different species, dwarf ginseng, Panax trifolius. Dwarf ginseng isn’t considered to be nearly as medicinal as its well-known sibling, but its small tubers are perfectly edible, and it does have some of the same adaptogenic compounds. Historically the locals used it medicinally for chest colds and the like. It might be worth further investigation even as just a woodland crop, given it is a good thing to eat.

The background to this is that I have shreds of an Idea (fantasy ninjas), and I’m trying to find out what would be a good start and end scene for it. Hopefully that would perk up my brain (something new to write!) and get the plotbunnies enthusiastic enough to also finish the Colors draft faster than a dead crawl. I have no solid images for the scenes, but I figure if I can build a little more of how the story is supposed to work, it might be easier to visualize what those scenes might be.

Long story short, one character has to go undercover. But as I was going over the situation in my head, my main ninja pointed out that the original cover story an arrogant noble came up with wouldn’t work. Go undercover in the guise of a nekomata, oni, tanuki, kitsune? Any of these who were born youkai would have to have friends and clan that would be known; and, for example, a normal fox gaining enough years and power to become a full-fledged kitsune would be noticed by other youkai before it ever took a humanoid form. People would remember. People would check. It’d be all too easy for someone with a suspicious frame of mind to blow the whole cover wide open.

But a plant gathering enough ki to cultivate a youkai form? Those happen most often when lucky plants (or unlucky, see vampire trees) touched by magic get overlooked.

A tiny medicinal plant in a forest is a very good candidate for “went overlooked”.

Honestly, I stumbled on this in part because of a thought-chain of, “trees are actually not a separate category but a specific plant lifeway in several groups, huh I wonder what a ginseng tree would look like”, and looking up the scientific classification of ginseng species. Turns out they’re in the ivy family, which tends not to be trees - or at least, not very good ones. There’s a relative that gets to small tree size and is renowned in Japanese proverbs for being useless at that stage.

And that’s where I found out there are possibly ten different species of ginseng, when before I’d only known about the Korean, American, and near-extirpated Chinese ginsengs.

None of my other books on ginseng mention dwarf ginseng. Digging through books I have on the shelf, there is a brief (about four lines) mention of it in Peterson’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, but I’d never have noticed that without the Wikipedia info.

...Now I want to read an SF story where someone colonizing an alien planet brought along all the lesser-known edible plants and woodland herbs so they could homestead in a forest even if conventional crops failed. Just in case. Anyone want to write this?

Poke around, just for fun. You never know what you don’t know!

[aes-h]

Here are my initial ideas for a band/music themed pack (preferably an expansion pack but realistically a game pack). I introduce to you:

The Sims 4: Making Music (working title)

Primary pack features overview:

The new ability to make bands. Either gether a group of your friends together to make a band, or put up listings searching for new members and review their applications. Assign specific intruments to different sims. Set up practice sessions to build skill and learn how to perform together on stage.

Put yourself out there! Perform at concert venues, bars, parks, a creepy basement, or whatever else suits your style. Invite family, friends, or perhaps someone you're looking to impress to your concerts to show off your skills.

New instruments! New guitars, drums, 4 string bass, new keyboard piano, synths, record players, real stages to perform on

New lot type: Concert Venue. Alternatively, you can place a "stage" item in other builds to make them possible venues for concerts.

Attend concerts for other bands/singers (premade townies. Your sims can talk to other townies to learn about them or research bands on a computer)

Explore a new city world full of alleyways and secret/hidden areas. Based off New York, but make it different enough from San Myshuno. (i know people want world based off places literally anywhere but the USA but i just love san myshuno so much i just want san myshuno 2.0 is that too much to ask for). MORE APARTMENTS! CRAMPED!!

One secret location is a speakeasy hidden underground through an unassuming door in an alleyway. It can be edited, but the lot type is locked to be either a bar or lounge.

The second secret location takes you to an old, unused subway station which can be turned into a venue. The door to reach it is locked up behind rusty chains and a heavy lock. To bypass this your sim must explore more of the city to find bolt cutters (or some other way to unlock the door idk) to break the lock. (Or, to incorporate skills, reach a certain level of handiness to pick the lock, a certain fitness level to break the lock, or bring your band-mates to break it together). Once inside, you can edit the lot to make it a venue, practice space, whatever you want, you just can't build full walls. There are debug bathrooms built into the subway around it so your sim isn't pissing themself.

The third secret location is a rooftop of one of the apartments (because there WILL be apartments so help me god) you get by either reaching a certain friendship level with your landlord and asking for it (LAME) or attempting to swipe the key (low chance of success and pisses off landlord, but that's what makes it fun). If you REALLY hate your landlord, you have a decent chance of getting it if you get into a fist fight with them. The rooftop is another secret lot you can edit (though the lot type remains 'generic')

Careers outside of making your own band:

"Producer" career (what do producers do? go around saying "i'm a producer" and making people sign contracts)

"Vocalist" career- start out as a backup singer and work your way up to pop star

I originally wrote out a DJ career before I realized that was a thing in get together LOL. i've been meaning to get that pack (on sale) is it worth it?

Overall Style of the Pack: Similar to city living in the sense that there are two contrasting sides; a very grunge, rocker, underground vibe to most of the pack. but there is also an upscale pop-star side to it for when your sims make it big (as they say). I want the pack to feel Dirty and Used (werewolves pack vibes), with lots of well-loved items (thinking basement treasures), with an artsy edge to it. Lots of stickers, and drawings on things, and random things that look like instruments and instruments that look like other things. For the pop-star side; still a bit of an edge with lots of neon lights and fun colors. Dressing tables/vanities, headset microphone. Accessory headphones that don't look ridiculous. Expand on the grunge style kit with more grunge and rock inspired clothing (we deserve more alternative clothing) and heavy jewelry. Layered necklaces, concert wristbands, band merch. Also performing outfits; a little bit of everything. (New outfit category for sims in bands? Or something you can customize in a separate menu, perhaps the same menu where you can track your band's progress.)

Other Thoughts: I don't want the pack to be easy. I want it to take effort to gain a following and improve as a band, and for the relationships between band members to affect their skill & performances. Starting out, you won't make much money at all for a long time, until you start growing and can make more than you spend. (ticket quotas and fees at different venues. start small and work your way up from dingy basements to bars to lounges to real venues from concert halls to stadiums. (Realistically, some, if not most, of these will have to be rabbit holes but I can dream)

Base Game Update: Make the electric guitars actually sound electric PLEASE.

[hisuian-history-makers]

Throughout my years of being a Pokémon fan (and other fandoms fan), I have come up with several ideas for stories I wanted to write. Who hasn’t humored the thought of translating their ideas to reality. Except putting yourself out there is extremely nerve-wracking. Even more so when you are a somewhat perfectionist like myself. Improper grammar/capitalization can make potential readers not want to read fanfics. And I am not nitpicking the occasional errors.

To name a few: using too many commas, repetitive word choice, improper grammar, uncapitalized words throughout the entire story, thick blocks of text when you need to break up paragraphs, etc… You get the point. The last one seriously makes me mad because I will lose my place in a chapter. I understand the first drafts won’t be perfect from the get-go, but them not improving frustrates me. What I am trying to get at is writing something you are satisfied with is harder than it sounds.

Moving onto the main point of this post. The Pokémon world’s floating timeline presents a unique problem. Whether it is the eternal summer of the Anime or games remakes making concrete events more vague. I’m not going into the darker Manga events since I barely know them. It tends to be different from our own in many ways besides super powered creatures. Here are some questions I ask myself whenever I think up any fanfic ideas.

—Do all individuals of a species look the same? {Pokémon look like mirror copies no matter how many you catch in the games. I would like to think there are other appearance traits than the bigger size. Maybe some have shaggier fur, longer claws, and different colors besides being shiny considering the genetic diversity.}

—Why do some people have Pokémon before being ten years old? {We know being ten is the minimum requirement to take on the league. Yet we see visibly younger kids have Pokémon in several other regions. I think ten is the youngest age you are allowed to be to compete in official tournaments. Ash had a trainer’s license in the Anime which might relate to this.}

—Are talented/prodigy trainers granted special privileges? {In a short answer, yes. We see very young trainers like Tate and Liza appointed to co-gym leader status. It seems talented trainers are very sought after in the Pokémon world. The youngest high-ranking trainer has to be (SPOILERS) the Paldea’s Poppy. Her attitude and visible appearance make me think she is five to six years old. Poppy is strong enough to hold an Elite Four position in the game!}

—Why are we made the new champion after beating the old one? {This is one of the few things about the games that genuinely annoys me. We are not only the strongest trainer in-region but given a high authority position. League champions appear to be people who rank first in the tournament. What would make more sense is the former champion mentors whoever beat them for a few years. Champions hold the highest authority being able to go to places too dangerous for average trainers.}

—What exactly are Legendaries/Mythicals? {Not the easiest question to answer so let’s go over the basics. All species have the strength of fully-evolved dragon types. Each has a job to do in the world, some more important than others considering what they represent. One's like the Creation Trio and Arceus are actual real gods. Giratina itself was described as eldritch. People can go their whole lives without seeing one in any continuity. A lucky few can catch them and they will actually listen to orders.}

—Is it legal to have a Legendary Pokémon considering how important they are? {When you take into account their sheer strength and abilities this is a grey area. We catch the region’s legendaries/mythical in every game. I have personally used at least one box legend on teams to beat the Elite Four. In the universe though how often does this genuinely happen? Where they bond enough to let themselves be caught by a mortal. It would be so easy for Groudon or Yveltal to just kill us if they didn’t want to listen... Are there rules for this? A limit to how many you can use on a team. Does the trainer have to let the league know they have one if they take on the Pokémon League? Look at how easily Tobias swept the gym challenge.}

—How advanced is the technology? {Another odd area so rarely addressed in the Pokemon World. Bags, a staple thing, can hold several items including Bikes in them without weighing us down. Pokemon are transported by digitizing them across the internet/electric lines. Centers can heal our pokémon with a machine in just a few seconds. Teleport tiles have existed since the first freaking generation! The Pokemon World is much more advanced than our own. I would say they focused on medicine, science, and transportation the most.}

—Is battling similar to animal fighting? {PETA has kicked up enough fuss over the years when it comes to the Pokémon franchise. The games have shown that trainers make friends with their Pokémon enough to affect battles. Some even shrug off status effects to not worry the trainer. There are cases of Pokémon abuse and abandonment in the series. Yet tend to be much rarer than our cases in our world. Besides, wild Pokémon will battle to get stronger.}

—Are there any real-world animals? {Evidence for this is present when you look at species classifications. Cats, dogs, mice, crocodiles, and others like that are found in dex entries. Fish were seen in the anime’s early episodes. Pidgeotto ate an actual worm before Ash caught it... So kinda. Smaller animals seem to inhabit the Pokémon World from what we’ve seen. Makes the food situation less grim.}

—What is pokémon training actually like? {I imagine that it’s far less glamorous than the games show. Camping for months on end without access to showers. Having to feed six super-powered creatures three times a day. Not to mention having an unstable budget to rely on. I pity those who repeatedly lose.}

Now questions I don’t have answers/ headcanons/theories on currently.

—What was the Pokémon World’s reaction to parallel dimensions being real? Ultra Space

—Why are there two different types of Rangers? One that uses poke balls and one using stylers.

—Is time travel a somewhat regular occurrence and do people watch for timeline changes? The Hisui situation is not subtle with there being Porygon in the pokédex. Time-space distortions might appear in the modern day.

—Are humans in there more durable than us? Ash gets hit by Pokémon moves and Lance hyper-beamed someone in Mahogany Town.

—How can friendship be quantified?

—What’s the yearly number of Pokémon killing humans?

—Are psychics employed as lie detectors?

—Is it wrong for a psychic to read minds?

—Do mediums need special training?

—How do non-Pokémon related careers fare in a Pokemon training-focused world?

—Does ditto breeding have any side effects?

—What requirements are there to become a gym leader? Why is it only one gym per town?

—Can a trainer be charged with murder if one of their Pokémon kills a human in self-defense?

—Are there blacklisted species against the law to be trained without licenses?

—What happens to all the less-than-ideal babies from IV breeding? Shiny breeding?

—Where do Pokémon eggs actually come from?

—How often are Pokémon actually injured to the point if bleeding?

—Why does this crazy world let ten-year-olds wander in the wilderness?

—Are the evil teams' schemes years in the making? What were they thinking messing with the God-like Legendaries?

—How much does the league tell the public about us stopping evil teams?

—Are the additional non-native encounters in remakes caused by the Legendary Pokémon raging? Mass migrations away from danger.

—Can they take away our legendary Pokemon?

—Do the legendaries have cult followings?

—Would using Mega Evolution or Z-Moves to battle trainers who can’t be considered unfair?

—How rare is the ability to talk to Pokémon?

—Do badges/ribbons expire?

—Is evolving less maturing than just growing stronger? Can evolved mons still be immature?

—Are atheists a thing in the Pokemon world?

—How many grimdark or nuzlucke stories are just dark timelines?

—What if Legendaries are classified as genderless because nobody has studied them?

—Do Pokémon have to be re-caught if the trainer wants to switch their poke ball type?

—How rare are evolution items?

—How do TMs teach Pokemon new moves?

—Are ghost types immortal?

—What happens to Orre during the time skip?

—Does Ash age or is he stuck at ten?

—When does Ingo get sucked into the past?

—How long was he there before we show up?

—How do trade evolutions occur wild?

—Do we control the player character to save the region?

—What weapons if any exist in that world?

—How old are the Champions?

---------

I ask myself these when I consider any future stories history and worldbuilding. Hope to one day write quality fanfic that avoids the cliches.

[rjalker]

Made with HeroForge.com They just (December 26th 2022) added a ton of new animals you can choose as the main character to make! I opened it planning to make centaurs and just pretend they were horses, so this was an epic surprise!

Savvar and Varri, the protagonists of the (apparently so fucking epic it became a cultural-icon for generations afterward) fantasy novel from my dream.

It was like Guardians of Ga'Hoole but with horses. They had technology including metalworking and had clothes and armour and I have no clue what the plot was or even what the title was. I'm pretty sure it was a standalone novel and had been published under a penname and then immediately made public domain, so no one knew who wrote it, but it was so popular celebrities wrote adaptions of it all the time, including Within Temptation writing and song AND making a music video for it.

Savvar for some reason didn't have a mane and only had a bit of hair on the tail, and was colored and shaped like (very stocky) a prezwalski's(??) horse.

The wings are just there to represent their armour, which for these two was blue and copper. Their shoes were also the same color blue.

Savvar's pronouns: zi/vir/ris/sika

[ID: A 3D model of a horse seen from the side facing the Right. Savvar's fur is the color of sand, with darker feet and tail, and no mane. Savvar is wearing a harness over its chest that is holding on small, blue metal and copper wings to the back. End ID.]

Varri was brown with lighter red-brown splotches, with the mane and tail dyed blue, but growing out the normal dark brown after a while.

Varri's pronouns: ki/ri/vah/sika (I think 'sika' was just a universal replacement for himself/herself/themself/ect)

[ID: A 3D model of a horse seen from the side facing the Left. Varri has dark brown fur with lighter, red-brown splotches. Varri's mane and tail are dark brown with the tips the same blue-grey as the small metal wings on the back, held on by a harness. End ID.]

There were at least four different common pronoun sets used in the novel. I have no idea what any of them conveyed. I don't know what the other two were.

I know Savvar at one point got kidnapped, and then the kidnappers had to evacuate their base, leaving Savvar behind locked in the giant underground maze of a complex all alone, hoping zi'd starve to death.

Pretty sure this was the catalyst for Savvar unlocking magical powers out of pure desperation and rage. Not sure what the powers let vir do though.

anyways. these characters are public domain just like in the dream. Obviously you can't use the Hero Forge models for anything, but tomorrow I'll attempt to draw them. Go wild. Write whatever you want.

(unfortunately, no, I do not remember the lyrics from the fake Within Temptation song)

I would love to write this epic fantasy novel but that would require me doing shit tons of research about horses because unlike some people (KA Applegate) I have fucking standards.

[catless-and-covenless]

We lost Pinky. Granted we ran to go find them after we all managed to get up. Na and Ca dragged G and I dragged Cr like a kitten. In hindsight I guess it should be funny to me that I was dragging a taller than 6 foot man around. But it wasn’t funny. I barely managed to keep it together. Something about the way G looked made me think that it might not be the best idea to let fear take the forefront of my decisions. So we shove it in the same box that the divorced parents' feelings go into.

Far away and locked down tight.

The feeling that wasn’t locked down though was Na holding my dagger. That’s MINE. Granted seeing as I’m the magpie queen I shouldn't be upset. And Yet. The feeling of relief that spread when I saw G stand firm and up and take it back…was something I can't put into words. Same as the feelings that I got when I held Cr hand and it was the warning warmth I get around her.

Maybe it’s the need to do something. The need to prove himself. The need for penance. There’s nothing an ex-catholic like myself knows better than seeking forgiveness in the lashes of the world. I saw it in me and I saw it in him. Cr jumped in front of us all again once we caught up with Pinky.

The thing was even….worse…than the previous one. It was a like HP Loveraft decided to have a baby with the entire state of Florida and birth this unholy abomination of a were….gator..?

I don’t know but I do know I will have nightmares about it. For a long time. Ir managed to run past it with Ca to go save the babes. I tried to use…my gift to make them toothless But I had used so much it hurt. Something deep inside of me. It was like a muscle broke and I felt my nose start to bleed. That…thing..came after me. It decided to target me. I think it was like a shark. Single Minded and smelled the blood.

I couldn't focus on using my ax and my gift.

So I gave the ax to Na. Who swung it like a champ. It tried to go for Na but G jumped in front of it again.

I really need to talk to G and Cr about self preservation skills. Because he got hurt.

Everything started going really fast. In movies everything slows down so you can see what everyone is doing. But I was so focused on just trying to survive. All I know is G swung again and Cr disappeared. Something happened and when I turned to see Ir was….something. Something different. And bleeding green. Green. Like the forest itself was pouring out of them.

Everyone tried to run away but only Na and G carrying Iv moved past us? I tried to bind it. Tried to make it sit. But the earth responded instead of it’s muscles. All I remember is trying to run away for what felt like hours. Everything left my mind. If you asked me I could normally tell you every single thing I carry on me. Everything I….acquire second hand…from people around me. I forgot it all at that moment. My friendships, my promises, my things. I barely managed to cling onto G’s arm and my things. I saw black. Everyone says it’s a light at the end of the tunnel. But maybe I’m already locked out of that place. Because all I saw was myself. Him. He waved his little colorful ear at me. And then I looked up to see Ki and Cr fighting those things. And Ki….

I won’t forget that in a long time. Not ever. They took it away. I don’t remember much. I followed the sounds of them running. I don’t know how but we ended up at this weird cavern. There was malachite everywhere. I was trying to catch my breath to be honest. All I know was after some arguing that happened somewhere above my pain G picked me up. I thought I heard some commotion in the back. But I was swimming in and out before we reached the outside.

The moon was so bright. So pretty. I felt so much more awake. Ixchel was always one of my favorite goddesses Mami tells me about. Mami always told me I was obsessed with her bunny. With the love, textiles, and healing energies she had. Even if people thought she was evil she’s not.

But the intersectionality of her being a fertility and love goddess who gave us medicine and her destructive side of death and floods and storms fascinate me. And of course people only see her as evil. Only focus on the destruction she causes and not the life she brings into the world. They don’t see it as punishment for the bad things. They all focus on that side of her. Maybe I’m just projecting.

But we all talked. I gave G his jacket and arm back, and he gave me my dagger back. Then immediately turned to Na and Ca. It’s fine. It gave Ir time to hug it out with Iv. They looked normal again. I took the time to mend things with my Cr. My kryptonite. The only one I’ll ever be soft for. Even after he hurt me. He’s hurt too. Realizing how much he got used. It’s not fixed. But it’s starting to be.

Cr decided to go take a dirt nap and walked off. I managed to get Ca to promise me to text me when she got home safe. Iv, Ir, and Na all went together to rest and heal. So I wasn’t as worried. I told G he could go too but he didn’t. He agreed to get patched back up by me. It was nice. To be needed. To be trusted. To be…chosen. He let me drive in silence and that was nice too.

As soon as we got in though I suddenly realized what I signed up for. Having essentially a strange..boy..man? In my apartment. Alone. I wasn’t afraid but I was something. I don’t know. Ca texted me and was finally loosening up in text so I’ll follow up with a few things tomorrow before school.

But that took the back burner to healing up G. I didn’t realize how close you had to be to another person to do that. Maybe Ixchel was there. Shining through the window. Because patching up was fairly easy. He was being weird until I finally got him to bark again. It was nice. Being just a shit talker in my living room. He patched me back up and that was..something. Even more when he kept asking me what everything felt like. It felt..weirdly intimate to explain how and why things hurt. To hear about G’s family. About hobbies G takes up when we’re not running around in mines. It was a weird experience overall. Not..bad…just new. And strange. But a normal strange experience.

I made a joke about getting princess treatment and he..did? Or started too before I realized he was still missing a finger. I didn’t get a chance to sew it back on. He was just such a little...anyways he got on his knees to jokingly ask and beg for my help so of course I had to help. By taking a photo on my phone. And making sure to stick it down my shirt and into my sports bra. I didn’t think he would actually chase after me. So when he lunged at me I jumped back and couldn’t help but play keep away. I don't know how much longer I can keep hopping but he’s not laying a finger on my phone.

[leeminkifanblr]

Because Haven’t Lived music video production

Tearliner(via kakao brunch story)

Google translate:-

'Should we try shooting a music video?'

It's been 11 years since I released our first full-length album. Even people who aren't in the music industry would find it pathetic. But that doesn't mean I've given up on being loved. I felt a strong need to do something to promote ourself. But how much can an independent musician without an agency do?

The single 'Because Haven't Lived' was released before the regular album, and it was decided to make a music video and release it together. Of course, it would cost money to make a music video, but if I made it myself using a smartphone, just like I made music and produced an album myself through home crafts, I could make it without spending much money. There were a lot of stories and ideas, but the story that suited a single song with a strong band color was narrowed down to two. One was the concept of having one person play all the band Instruments since it was a one-man band, so the main character sang and played the guitar, bass, and drums, and in the case of a full shot, the camera was fixed and each position was filmed and edited into one screen.

The other was the concept with the main character giving instruments to players who were still like robots or mannequins, and when the main character started playing their part, the players in question would start playing. The narrative was given by showing the main character suffering from various alarms such as morning alarms, microwave alarms, bicycle bells, elevator announcements, and smartphone notifications before he arrived at the practice room. After expressing my will through song, I intended to live freely according to my will while munching on ripe peaches, and thereby taste the sweet and sour fruits of life. After much thought, I decided to proceed with the second concept, but whichever one I chose, I wanted an actor other than me to play the role, and the only actor who fit the main character in terms of image, voice, and vibe was none other than Lee Min-ki.

Someone who is precious in this shabby music video?

My relationship with Min-ki goes back to 2005. I met him through the drama "Taereung Athletes Village" where he was the lead actor and I the music director. Music is a post-production part, so if an actor doesn't sing an OST, there's almost no contact between the two, but thanks to the director who directed the drama we got together with the actors to watch the original broadcast and chat, and we quickly became close. We met often. I liked Min-ki's sad smile and his youthful energy and courage, as he would laugh at even the most insignificant jokes. That side of Min-ki fit perfectly with the image of the song I was trying to make into a music video.

However, personal friendship and music video appearances were different issues. Is it possible for a famous actor who everyone knows to appear in a music video of an indie band with no appearance fee and little recognition? And on top of that, it was an amateur production that wasn't directed by a professional music video director, wasn't edited by a professional, and was even filmed with a smartphone?

I contacted Min-ki without much expectation and asked for his opinion. Since I had asked him for advice on choosing an album cover and such, Min-ki knew that I was releasing an album. Min-ki was going to go abroad soon, but thankfully he was positive, and after listening to the song overseas, he said it was good and that he would do it! (Understandably) the agency was embarrassed, but (probably thanks to Min-ki's persuasion) they actively cooperated. Didn't receive a separate appearance fee, and they even paid for hair/makeup and styling! How could you not love Min-ki when he appeared in a 'shabby music video'?

The beginning was shabby, but the ending was unimaginable.

Contrary to my initial thoughts, things just snowballed. I should have been prepared before contacting Min-ki.

Since it would be shorter per take if two people filmed instead of just me, I asked for help from Yoo Yong, an actor and YouTube drama director who I've known for 20 years, and he happily agreed to help. Not long after, Min-ki personally connected me with cinematographer Park Jong-cheol, who had filmed famous movies and dramas, which greatly improved the filming quality. Before filming, cinematographer Park Jong-cheol, whom I had met in advance, was so passionate that he made me feel endlessly embarrassed for approaching him lightly. Soon after, cinematographer Park Jong-cheol personally brought in cinematographer Ok Seong-jun.

My acquaintances cheered me on, saying that I was lucky, but I just felt sorry for not being able to properly compensate the people who helped me, and I had a hard time sleeping at night because of the burden of having to repay them with a work that I wouldn't be ashamed of.

He answered Min-ki's barrage of questions about the haphazardly written storyboard he sent, and when he said he would practice in advance, he sent him a video of himself playing the guitar, and he showed his enthusiasm by taking his guitar with him on a business trip to Jeju Island and practicing. How could you not love Min-ki like this?

Here, I just have to do well.

Finally, the day of the shoot. The main character Min-ki came into the practice room with five staff members from his agency in a cool look and costume. The performers had to get their hair and makeup done, saying that they shouldn't fall behind Min-ki (huh?). Director of Photography Park Jong-cheol personally brought his own filming equipment and lighting. Since he had less of a burden on the shoot, Yoo Yong, who decided to act as assistant director instead, coordinated the situation ahead of me and diligently helped with the process. The on-site situation was incredibly professional.

So, all I had to do here was do well.

I can't die because I haven't lived properly yet!

The song title was shortened because the word 'die���다' in it caused problems on YouTube and other sites, but 'Can't Die Because Haven't Lived I can't die because I haven't lived properly yet' is the original title and theme of the single. Like this theme, I should at least make one proper music video before I die, right?

Since we fleshed out the story, we might not have enough filming time, so we planned the schedule minute by minute, but the filming went by without any major problems or delays. Min-ki looked more like a rocker and musician than me, without having to separately direct his acting for singing or playing the guitar. What can I say about the passionate filming by a professional cinematographer? I filmed with my smartphone in between, and did my best to direct so that the desired concept could be realized, and so that no scenes were omitted or the flow was distorted.

The night after filming, I was completely drained of energy and just lay down on the sofa or the floor whenever I had a chance. The next day, my thighs were so sore that I couldn't bend my knees. I still don't know why.

tearliner - Because Haven't Lived music video behind filming scene

Editing is more of a problem than directing.

'What kind of person would invite a famous actor and watch a one-hour basic Final Cut lecture on YouTube the day before filming and then edit the music video? (Keep this a secret from the staff who helped me)' A message left on Twitter (X) before filming.

It was true. I was excited about making a music video, but I didn't know how to edit, let alone direct. Although I graduated from a broadcasting college and worked as an FD (host) and AD (assistant director) at a broadcasting station's entertainment team, it was over 20 years ago and the system was different because it was analog tape editing. For a beginner who didn't know editing skills, everything was difficult.

When I edit, I can feel the atmosphere of the scene again, and the parts that I missed because I was busy directing on the scene are also included in detail. It was simply amazing how Min-ki repeatedly showed great acting in hot and difficult situations, how the performers, despite sometimes being like a screen behind the main character, silently performed the difficult mannequin acting, how the cinematographer kept suggesting additional filming for the best shot even though I said okay, and how he passionately filmed without sparing his body, and how assistant director Yong passionately proceeded with the scene, gave opinions, and livened up the atmosphere for every take. I couldn't ruin such an amazing collaboration with my sloppy editing.

I didn't even know how to properly save the footage to an external hard drive, so I wasted a whole day, and I didn't even know the basics of editing, so I made countless mistakes. My computer was so slow that it would crash dozens of times a day, so I had to turn it off and on repeatedly. Nevertheless, I edited each frame, and in the end, in four days, I finished editing a day earlier than scheduled.

The title filled the screen with red and then faded out as the lights came on. Despite the strong opposition from those around me who said it looked like a horror movie, I pushed ahead with it. I wanted the music video to be as intense as possible, and I thought people wouldn't find the title scary given the context. In the ending credits, I intentionally didn't include any credits related to the music source, and instead, I filled in the credits related to the music video in large letters to express my gratitude to those who helped. It felt like the least I could do.

READY, STEADY, GO!

The music video is complete. We applied for broadcast review and received an ALL rating. We made two teasers to promote it in advance, and the music video was released along with the single release. I hope many people enjoy the music video. I hope that the hard work of our beloved actor Min-ki, who happily appeared, and the staff who helped us all the way will not be in vain!

tearliner THANKS to...

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who unconditionally participated in the production of a new music video for an indie musician without any agency or production costs.

Dear actor Lee Min-ki, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to plan it in the first place. I respect your passion for checking my poorly written storyboards thoroughly, asking questions about each and every one, and practicing the English lyrics and guitar playing in advance. On hot filming days, you perfectly played my awkward directing, and you seemed to be the owner of the song more than I was. A heavenly actor.

Cinematographer Park Jong-cheol (who shot 'Decibel', 'Emergency Declaration', 'Chronicle of Evil', 'Very Ordinary Couple', etc.) who brought all the filming equipment and lighting himself and was more active on set than I was, was simply an honor and amazing. I would also like to thank cinematographer Ok Sung-jun who helped us film together.

Thank you to Sangyeong Entertainment CEO Park Hyung-jun, took a day off despite the famous actor's tight schedule and even paid for hair, makeup and styling on his behalf. I would also like to thank the staff, including Team Leader Lee Eun-hye, who directly contacted me and arranged related matters.

Im Young-mi on the keyboard, Bae Han-seul on lead guitar, Lee Seong-ho on bass, and Kim Jin- woo on drums, who came dressed up in makeup and style. Our performers also worked hard acting like mannequins and repeating the performances that must not have been easy. Thank you. I hope this will be a fun experience and a memorable experience.

Lastly, if it weren't for my assistant director Yoo Yong, who is always energetic and fun to be around, a great actor, YouTuber, practice room owner, and my beloved best friend of 20 years, I would have collapsed before we even finished filming…

I put my heart and soul into the post-production work, including editing the music video, so that the efforts of those who helped me would not be in vain. Now that it has been revealed to the world, I will work hard on promotion and musician activities in the future.

Because Haven't Lived's pre-released single and music video starring actor Lee Min-ki were released and revealed on September 9th at 12 PM. We hope you show lots of interest and love.

[risingsouls]

//First part my samurai character's profile.

Nick Name: Dragon Lady (she has a birthmark in the shape of a dragon on the right side of her neck which is often mistaken for a tattoo by people)

Birth Name: Kaorus WONG

 Gender androgynous: (Partly male and partly female in physical appearance)

Age: She was 20 years of age when she became an immortal.

Actual age: A thousand.

Eye color: Hazel

Hair color: Auburn

Length: It comes down well past her shoulders. but she keeps it in a bun, with a jade phoenix hairpin.

Attire: Her attire consists of a black hanfu decorated with tiny gold flowers, an red obi belt worn around the waist, and a pair of red arm bands worn on the upper region of her arms.  

 Height:5 foot 9   

 Birthplace: Tokyo Japan.

Year of birth: 12 Century BC

Period: The Heian Period.

Species: Human (Formerly) Immortal (Currently) (she became immortal after drinking The Hourai Elixir, and unfortunately the effects of the elixir are permanent) 

Profession: She is the former Leader of The Red Dragon Clan. (she resigned and let someone else take her place as clan leader)

Status: Highest ranking member of the Qishan Wen Sect. (Wen Mao let her join because of her exceptional martial arts skills)  

Family: Her father (Huo Feng-Deceased) he was a well renown blacksmith, he crafted a variety of different weapons in addition to the dragon sword.

Her mother (Momo Feng-Deceased) she worked in a small tea house close to where they lived, although the pay was low, she enjoyed working there.

Spirit Animal: Phoenix (he is her spiritual protector) 

Preffered Weapons: Her father's dragon blade (he gave it to her as a gift for her tenth birthday) although she personally prefers using traditional crossbows and arrows. (they are more effective than swords)

Skills: She is well known for her martial arts skills and use of spiritual cultivation.

Ability: Regeneration (she can heal from wounds that would normally kill humans)

[Thank you! This is nice to know and somewhat helpful. I don't know if you saw the suggestion, but you could also just make a new blog to circumvent the shadowban, but this is at least a start.

So since you seem to want your OC to fight Vegeta, I'm going to focus on the relevant parts for that.

I'll begin by saying I'm not sure if there's anything else here that supports the idea you seemingly have that your samurai would be able to fight on part with Vegeta. Again, the key (heh) factor here for the DB world is the use of ki. Unless "spiritual cultivation" is meant to be an equivalent for that, it's still going to be a very unbalanced fight. Vegeta isn't one to hold back, especially when she insists on fighting him, but I still don't see her being able to do much.

Again. For the millionth time. This isn't me saying your OC is weak. In fact, as I've said, she probably is incredibly skilled as a fighter and strong when compared to the average DB Earthling for instance. Especially if I concede that, even though you reference real life eras for her that probably don't exist in the DB universe, she's ancient and has been training all THAT time. But we've seen characters like that in DB (like Spike the Devilman who is a literal, likely immortal demon who has probably also honed his skills throughout his life) that could be overpowered by Goku as a KID. Even if these characters continue to train and get better, I'm sure Goku would absolutely wipe the floor with them. Another good example would also be Roshi. He was Goku's master and trained the kid. Nowadays, even with how they portray him in the Tournament of Power suggesting that I guess he's been training still (though the point stands even in Goku's childhood because he was ancient THEN)? The old man doesn't have a prayer.

This is why, despite her immortality and super long lifetime of training, it still won't be enough to do much against Vegeta. The least she can hope for is that he would recognize she can fight and fight well, but that's where it ends. He's still going to see fighting her as a waste of time FOR HIM because she wouldn't offer him a challenge.]

[cadaverdolls]

Next doll will be put either on Wednesday or Thursday.

Here is a drawing of that DOL OC I made for practice a little bit ago.

I haven’t made a OC with tattoos yet so I turned the graphic from her shirt into the tattoo. Changed what she was wearing and the colors. It’s a cropped shirt with a sort of shawl/blanket attached. Wanted to give her a muffin top but I wasn’t sure how to do that. I’ll save the idea for another OC.

Her name is Lelki (Le-L-Ki, that’s how I say it).

All my OCs will progressively change so Murmur, Bowo, and Lelki aren’t in their final forms.

Story dump below (Lelki and Murmur stuff)

Lelki the opportunist - Her job is that of a full time sugar baby that picks and chooses her clients. Has her on little business were people come into her bat to buy dates with the workers. Security is strict, throwing out clients that touch employees without paying first. Lelki makes sure to ring them dry, paying to hold hands, eat with, or even look at some of her greatest employees. All this protection and money isn’t just given to anyone though. If a PC wanted to work there then they’d have to have looks, charisma, and good lip “services”.

Avery was a good client of hers but one day they stopped coming. Only a little pissed off about losing some good money but when she releases the relationship PC and Avery have she is quite excited. Basically starts bullying the PC to stop seeing Avery and to just work at her establishment (Lelki gets 25% of what her workers make each time they come in and PC is quite popular).

Basically, her place is one of the safest places to work but a PC has to have a certain level in three different things. The job would involve getting customers to buy services and things from the menu, what you get them to buy goes into your pockets (a portion of). Like a host club but more sexual in nature because DOL be like that. It be a good job for an Angel PC since the most you’d be doing is hand/mouth stuff. It’s like an end game job and would open up a lot of story, a similar idea to the job a PC could get with Murmur (although that requires different states and would involve total different characters).

Characters that would be involved (more story with these characters or stuff like that. I’ll add to this list when I think of more DOL characters that would be involved)

Murmur’s job offer - Harper, Bailey, Eden, Alex, Laundry, and Remy

Lelki - Wren, Whitney (they fucked up 😀), Winter, and Avery (Haven’t fully thought out the story yet).

[destressjournal]

What is my weight loss system?

This may be a really long post….

So the whole idea behind my system is to make realistic goals based on what I already do, and build upon those slowly overtime for, sustained, long-lasting habits. The ultimate goal is lifelong and permanent change. Which isn’t easy.

So I deliberately took weight out of the final goal. This is a change from past systems I did. And it’s honestly one of the best things I ever did. It’s not that I’m not paying attention to my weight, I’m not making a certain weight my end goal. I actually don’t really have an end goal, because I always feel like I’m going to keep improving slowly over time.

I’m just so sick of trying to lose weight quickly for a specific thing and then gaining the weight right back when that thing is over. 2019 was an exception, and while I wish I had the stamina I did back then, it’s also a little harder to accomplish now that I’m in a different living situation (aka I don’t have parents at home to make all my meals for me).

Sooooooooo all that to say I designed this system not to “work” right away, and that’s OKAY!!!

Alright, now let’s get into what this system actually is. Again, this system might only work for me, maybe it’ll work for other people, but it’s a complicated system with a lot of rules and people will probably get turned off my it, but I honestly love all the structure! And it’s actually not THAT complicated…

Anyway, let’s finally get into it shall we?

So the first thing I did was make 4 overall goals. For me, these included tracking my weight, hitting my calorie target, exercising at least 30 min a day, and drinking less alcohol. If you ever do a system like this, the goals may look different for you.

Now, I love physically writing things down. It helps me remember better and I feel like I’m more engaged in what I’m doing. So I use a physical journal with colored markers and it’s so satisfying…I think that’s part of why it’s working for me, honestly.

So in the journal I write the month at the top with the four goals right underneath it. Like this:

JANUARY

Gym Weight Calories Alcohol

1 ◻️. ◻️ ◻️. ◻️

2. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️

3. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️

4. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️

5. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️. ◻️

Etc…

Ignore the periods.

The grey boxes are meant to be filled in. Green if I met the goal that day, yellow if I completed some of it but not all of it, and red if I didn’t do anything. The most important thing in all of this is that I have to be HONEST or it doesn’t work. No one else sees this journal. I mean people can look if they really want to but I just do this for myself.

For gym/exercise, I can fill in green for that day if I did at least 30 minutes of some kind of exercise. It can just be walking! But something! Usually I shoot for my running goals which is a whole different system I’m not going to go through here. There is no yellow category for this because it’s either I do it or I don’t…pretty simple.

For weight, that’s also easy. Green if I weighed myself, red if I didn’t. No yellow for that one.

For calories, green if I tracked my calories and hit my daily target, yellow if I tracked all my calories but didn’t hit my goal, and red if I didn’t track at all.

For alcohol, my goal is not not exceed 3 drinks in a week. I tend to go a bit overboard when I do drink so I’m trying to drink less. So I fill in green if I had no alcohol that day, yellow if I drank but fell within that 1-3 range for the week, and red if I went over 3.

Now onto the rewards part of the system. This is a rewards-only system. I do not punish myself for anything. Say I only get reds for the entire month of January (which would be yikes). I don’t get punished for it, but at the same time, nothing happens. But if I hit my goals for that month, I get a reward!

There’s two different kinds of rewards: small rewards and big rewards. Small rewards are things like, getting to play my switch or painting, or painting my nails, or planning my next vacation, something fun that I personally would enjoy. Big rewards are pretty much treat-myself things, like buying a new switch game or a collectible, or taking a day off work just cuz.

I earn a small reward if I get all greens in the same day. That means I exercised for at least 30 minutes, I weighed myself, I hit my calorie goal, and I didn’t drink! Then I put a big star ⭐️ next to that day, I call these days “star days” for obvious reasons.

There’s two ways I can earn a big reward, 1- if I hit a new streak of star days, and 2, if I hit my goal for that particular month.

I have monthly goals too, to get a certain percentage of green or a combo of yellow and green boxes. I increase that percentage bit by bit every month. But it’s such a small increase that it’s hardly noticeable. Again, baby steps. In July, I got myself a switch case. Just this month I hit a new streak of star days so I got a new switch game. Once I hit my other monthly goal I’m going to get a few thumb grips for my switch. It’s all about my switch these days lol.

And that’s about it honestly. So that means I don’t play my switch, I don’t watch anything on streaming, and I don’t do any art whatsoever unless I earn these rewards. But im not a monster to myself. I still allow myself to watch all the YouTube I want, listen to anything on Spotify, and read my book of the month books, no matter what. And it’s worked for me so far!

It’s been the only system I’ve stuck with for more than a few weeks, so I’m going to keep doing it! Wish me luck!!!!!!

[yangrdn]

hidden letters | y.j

pairing ও jungwon x fem!reader

a/n ও this felt so awkward to write, just because i haven't written for so long. but on a good note- first enhypen work! i hope you guys like it <3 (i'm also working on a ni-ki smau coming out this wednesday or tuesday, so check it out :))

summary ও who would've thought that a piece of paper could betray you like this- or was it something good?

w/c ও 5.9k

warnings ও a couple cuss words

masterlist

You’re known for being a creative girl. Everybody knows you love to write stories, poems and letters. even more reading them. your room is filled with different books of any kind. books you got gifted, ones you bought, books you found in a library and got told you could take them with you for free. Everything you associate with reading and writing is self care, peace, silence and comfort. You can write sad, happy, scary stories and only get a good thing out of them- whatever ending you desire. It’s a story in your hands that you can finish however and whenever you want it to finish. Writing is an escape from the real world, too.

When writing, it feels like the world has stopped and nobody else is listening to or looking at you anymore. The things you write are secrets you can share with no one but your pencil and a piece of paper. It’s a secret nobody can hold against you or let you feel bad for. it’s a secret you’ll never have to worry about seeing the light of the day when you don’t want it to. The secrets are fears and worries you can let out without having to worry or hesitate before writing down. a piece of paper could never betray someone.

One of your love languages is writing letters to the people you adore and appreciate. It’s easier to write down the stuff you want them to know without oversharing. You don’t have to worry about stuttering or saying something you would want to erase the second it left your lips. It’s always been easier to portray feelings through paper and it made you happier, too. Experimenting with words and synonyms, getting creative in using metaphors helped you for school- it could only be seen as a win!

You'd only ever tell close people how happy you felt with writing and reading, since it could be used against you. Sharing something so beautiful and personal is not for everyone to know, and you're happy you got friends that support your love towards it.

And Jungwon, your best friend, knows about it too. Jungwon knows about the comfort you seek in the letters written across an old page in a 100 year old book. He knows that you spent your day writing stories, escaping into a world only you can understand and would love to explain. Experimenting with concepts, your ideas and getting inspired by everything you see. He knows that when you two walk to school together in the morning or are on your way to the cafe that opened three months ago, your head is drowning in clouds of new ideas you’d write down right after arriving home. He also knows that with the way you’re walking towards him in the school’s hallway, letter in your hand, you spent your night writing a letter to motivate him for the upcoming week. He knows you probably sat at your desk for hours and wrote down all the happy memories you’ve made with each other and he also knows that you’ve spent minutes searching through different shades of blue to find his favorite and write his name down in the same color. She also might have gone through her whole closet to find a white envelope and stick some stickers on it, he thinks after you hold up the envelope in front of his face, a big grin on yours.

Your eyes shine as you see the smile on his face grow, his dimples showing.

You shake your head quickly and stretch out your hands to take his in yours. His hands feel cold in yours and you prevent yourself from asking him if he put on gloves on the way to school or left without them, again. He probably left them at home and would tell you Jay took them because he lost them.

“What 's this?” He takes the letter from you and eyes it slowly, turning it around and looking back at you. His fingers start ripping it open slowly, and your eyes widen.

What you don’t notice is how his smile falters and his eyes widen at the feeling of your warm hands on his cold ones, making his heartbeat speed up as you stare into his eyes with your wide ones.

“Don’t open it now! It has that one embarrassing pic of us and I don’t want anyone to see,” you explain in a rushed whisper, letting go of his hands.

“I thought you’d never let anyone see it.” He nudges your shoulder, a smirk now on his face. You roll your eyes and start walking besides him to your next class.

“Yes, but you’re an exception,” you whisper at him as Sunoo makes his way to you two. Once again, you don’t notice the blush coating his cheeks and the raised eyebrow Sunoo shoots at him after giving you a side hug, Jungwon a high five. You can feel your own face heat up, though, and decide to cover it up with a cough.

Why is it suddenly so weird between you two? Or more like, the things you say and do. It never was like this. You two got to know each other when you were still younger kids, 13 years old. Your mutual friend, Sunoo, introduced you to each other one day. You and Sunoo are neighbors and spend most of your time at each other’s house. One day, when you decided to visit him spontaneously after his mom approved of it, you walked into his room and instead of finding him sitting at his desk painting, like he’d usually do, you found him sitting on his floor building a lego set with Jungwon laying on his stomach next to him, an instructions book set in front of the two young boys. You frowned and asked who he was, which is how Sunoo introduced you. You remember having spent the rest of the day there with him and your new friend. And years later you three are still unbreakable best friends.

Jungwon and you used to joke around like this with each other, always. Calling each other special or an exception. You were loud with each other, always laughing and talking letting everyone know you were telling jokes left and right. How is it any different from what you said now? When did you two start feeling this way?

There had to be something that shifted between the two of you. Of course, people grow up. You’re still kids, but not the same you used to be. Feelings are more relevant now. There are secrets you keep from each other now. There’s stuff you’d rather share with others or even no one. But why is it that everytime your fingers brush against each other, it’s not normal anymore. It doesn’t feel like it used to. It feels like so much more, making you stay up at night and read into it. Did his fingers brush yours because he wanted them to touch? Has Jungwon always had an arm around you when walking home, or did he just start doing it? All these questions were being asked every night before falling asleep.

The feeling is so weird. Like a firework exploding everytime he gazed into your eyes with his, it made you feel so safe. He felt like home, like someone you could trust with your whole life. He’s the type of friend you’d go to whatever it is, whatever you want to ask. But who should you go to and talk about your feelings, when it’s Jungwon you’re feeling this way about? He’s the one that makes your face heat up when he jokes about something you’re afraid of, or holding your hands when he notices yours being cold. It doesn’t really help since his is cold, too, but it definitely makes you feel loved and safe. And he knows that, which is why he continues doing that.

And maybe, he felt this way too. When your hair brushes against his nose when you’re hugging, he can smell your shampoo and it makes his face go red because he realizes how close you are. He notices all the small things about you. He’s observant, that you already know, but never would you have guessed how observant he actually is. He noticed the way your face scrunches up when you’re focusing in class. Or the angry face you make when you’re searching for your pencil case at school, knowing Ni-ki hid it somewhere in the library and is trying not to laugh. He knows that you play with your fingers when you’re nervous, or bite your lip to try to calm yourself down.

Are those platonic feelings, he asks himself. Do the others feel about you the same way? The thought makes him kinda angry, and that’s how he knows it’s probably not platonic anymore. The idea of someone else feeling and thinking about you this way makes him feel uneasy and weird. Why would Jungwon, your best friend, be angry and pissed at his best friends feeling the same way he feels about you, though. Simple, it’s more than just being friends. And he hopes, deep down, that you may feel the same way.

After your last lesson, you decide to walk home with Yuna. Sunoo and Jungwon had to stay in school longer, talking about “working on a project” when you know they’d probably just end up joking around and not getting anything done.

“So, what did you give Jungwon this morning?” Yuna asks. Your head snaps to her, staring at her through wide eyes.

“What? I didn’t give him anything,” you mumble and try to prevent your face from growing a smile at the mention of your best friend.

“Oh, come on! Everyone knows you love writing. It’s not that hard to realize you give him letters. Besides, I literally saw you two last week and today in front of his locker again!” she notes. You roll your eyes and shrug.

“What? Am I not allowed to send him letters?” Your friend gives you a look and scoffs.

“Yeah, but you look like a girlfriend and boyfriend exchanging smiles and hugs every morning.” Your eyes widen and you try to hide your lips twitching into a smile by chewing on them and turning your face away from her.

“But we’re not,” you whisper.

“Everyone can see the heart eyes you make at each other. You should see his face when you wave at him after he stared at your face in class! He always looks like a tomato,” she complains. You can feel the butterflies in your stomach when she talks.

Does he really blush when you look at him, and does he really see you as more than a friend? It’s clear, you and Jungwon have always been closer than others would like. You’re used to some of your friends teasing you, even teachers pulling the old “stop flirting,” card when they warn you in class for the third time. It’s normal for you two to be attached to the hip, always holding each other or thinking about one another. But did it really look like a couple? Maybe, every time you look at him and his friends talking and he tells them to shut up when you’re walking closer it could be because they were teasing him, just like your friends do when they see him walking to you.

"What? You're being delusional," you roll your eyes at her and scoff. She's lying. There's no way Jungwon could feel the same way about you. In the end, you two were best friends.

"Trust me if I was, I'd tell you he does not feel the same way. Now take that however you want, but when you announce you two dating I'm not gonna hesitate saying I told you so," she gives you a look with raised eyebrows.

You go straight to your room after arriving home and sit down on your desk after disregarding all your stuff. There’s a white envelope with Jungwon’s name on it sitting on one of your textbooks, and you can feel your heartbeat pick up and your eyes widen as you take a better look at it.

Isn’t this the letter you wrote for him yesterday? No, it can’t be. You usually put the letters you aren’t planning on giving anyone into a box, so this one probably got left out and you forgot to put it into the box.

Who said you couldn’t open it and read it, though? So you do just that and quickly open the envelope while silently whispering how it should not be the letter you were supposed to give Jungwon today, and actually the one you’re supposed to hide from any daylight and person that could get their fingers on it.

You open the letter and start reading through it, starting from the top. And that’s when you feel your heart drop to your stomach, eyes widen and slamming the letter in your hand on your desk. It takes a couple seconds for you to find yourself again after staring out the window with a horrific look and realize what happened- you gave Jungwon the wrong letter. So now your best friend, who you’ve had a crush (it’s more than that, but you tell yourself it’s only that in hopes it’ll go away) on since years, is walking home not expecting anything from the letter in his backpack besides you asking how he is doing today and wishing him a great and amazing week.

Turning around slowly and walking to your bed, you throw yourself facedown on it and let out a loud whine. He’s going to go home, open his backpack, then the letter. He’ll read through it and then take his phone to call or message you and tell you how he doesn’t feel the same. And that’s only if he’s nice. He’d probably tell the others and secretly laugh at how you thought you’d have a chance with him anyway-

Your phone buzzes and you turn your head to look at your desk, still laying down on your bed, to see it light up twice. You received a message. Maybe if you close your eyes and try to ignore it, the message will disappear.

The phone keeps buzzing and lighting up with messages. It takes a couple of seconds to sit up and walk to your phone and unlock it. And you were right- it’s Jungwon who messaged you. You could open the chat, read his messages and talk about it. Or, an option you liked a lot, you could ignore his texts and act as if nothing happened. Walk into school tomorrow, greet him like you always do and try to change the subject everytime he brings up the letter.

Your eyes widen again when you see your phone vibrating in your hand, your best friend’s face showing up on the screen. Now he is calling?

“No, nope and no! Call as many times as you want, I will not respond,” you whisper and turn your phone off completely.

It’s only four, so you still have time to study and do some homework. And that’s exactly what you do, trying to distract yourself from the fact that you might have just destroyed a years-long friendship just by writing a letter.

~

The next day, you walk into school not looking up from the floor once. If you ignore the students around you and the weird looks you get as you pass by some of your classmates without saying hello, this all might stop.

You walk to your locker and try to take out your book as fast as possible, knowing Jungwon might show up any second if he really wants to talk to you. He ended up calling five times yesterday and leaving a lot of messages and you know him as someone who doesn’t give up quickly. It doesn’t help that his locker is three lockers away from yours, right after Yuna’s and Sunoo’s.

Your calm state gets interrupted when you feel a tall presence behind your locker. You try to ignore it, you really do. You try to distract yourself with the textbooks in your locker and act as if you were searching through them (you already had your history textbook in your arms, which was the one you’d need for your first class), trying to look through the papers and act as if you had to read through them. But the person won’t leave you alone and you only think about closing your locker slowly to look at them when you hear them cough uncomfortably- instant regret. There he’s standing, Jungwon, your best friend, lips pulled into a tight line and your letter being held up in his left hand.

You try to search for any sign of disgust or embarrassment in his eyes, but fail. How could you search through his emotions when you couldn’t even look straight into his eyes?

“Uhm, I think you might have given me the wrong letter. I don’t know,” he starts. He’s scratching the back of his neck with his right arm and that’s when you know you fucked up.

“Mh? Wrong letter?” Maybe playing dumb will help. Or you could avoid him. Right as he opens his mouth to say something else, you see Sunoo and Yuna walk to you from behind him. Jungwon frowns at you when he sees you staring behind him and turns his head to look at your two friends waving at you with big smiles on their faces.

He realizes he shouldn’t have turned around to check, because he notices you’re gone the second his eyes are back on the spot you were just standing on. He groans and throws his head back.

“Did Y/N just run away from you without saying goodbye?” the girl alongside Sunoo asks, her finger pointing into the direction you just ran away in. Jungwon nods slowly, chewing on his lip.

“What happened? She looked pretty nervous,” Sunoo notes. Jungwon’s eyes widen as his stare focuses back on the letter in his hand. They don’t know.

“Well, uhm, look for yourself.” He gives his friends the letter and asks them to read through it, while waiting for their reaction. He can see how their confused looks turn into shocked ones the more they near the end of the letter.

“Holy shit. I knew she was gonna be the first one to confess, but I didn’t think she’d do it so soon. And in such a romantic way, too!” Sunoo exclaims, holding up the letter with a big smile.

“What are you going to do next? Are you going to confess, too?” Yuna asks with a hopeful smile.

“Now wait. Who said I was going to confess? And I’m sure she didn’t mean to give me this letter. She seemed really nervous and embarrassed when she saw it in my hand and also asked why I called it a wrong letter,” Jungwon explains. He can see Sunoo’s smiley face fade and turn into a strict look when he talks about how it’s the wrong letter and that he doesn’t plan on confessing.

“Boy, you’ve been crushing on her since we were 14. If you don’t confess, I’ll tell Beomgyu that he should ask her out.” At that, Jungwon’s face converts from unbothered to offended.

“What? Don’t tell him that or else I’ll,” he stops talking to think about his next words- he doesn’t have any. Sunoo is right. Jungwon has been crushing on you for too long to not do anything against it. And what other amazing opportunity than having you confess first? Even if it was an accident and you didn’t mean to give him that letter, it still confirms that you feel the same way about him. It hurts and panics him to think about what you must feel right now. Is it shame, embarrassment? Are you trying to find another person you can befriend so you’re not alone anymore when you try to avoid him?

“Well, then you know what to do,” Sunoo tells him with a raised brow and continues walking to class with Yuna, leaving his friend behind.

You try avoiding Jungwon for the rest of the school day. It was already embarrassing enough that he read your letter, seeing him face to face wouldn’t be any better.

But it seems like he did the exact opposite. While you tried avoiding him, he tried his best to find you. Which is why you find him waiting in front of your doorstep with Sunoo.

“Uhm, what are you guys doing here?” You clear your throat and take out your keys, trying to open your house door as fast as possible with shaking hands. Jungwon doesn’t miss how you’re trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible and focus your gaze on your hands.

“I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to study together for the math quiz next week. Right, Jungwon?” Sunoo nudges him with his elbow. The boy shakes his head and his eyes widen.

“Uh, yeah that,” he coughs. You press your lips into a thin line and nod slowly, opening your door.

“That 's great. But I don’t think I’ll have time for that today and-” Sunoo frowns and steps forward, holding his arm out between you and your door, blocking the way.

“No, no. Who said you could leave? We always study together and you already said you were free this week yesterday, remember?” He raises an eyebrow at you, nodding towards his friend awkwardly standing behind him.

“Shit…,” you curse under your breath. So Sunoo also found out about the letter, you note.

“Now, Jungwon and I are going to walk up to mine. I hope you won’t be late or I’ll come back down and carry you up,” he says before turning around and taking Jungwon with him. You wait until both boys are out of ear shot and throw your head back, groaning.

Not only would you have to face Jungwon, but also Sunoo after he found out. It doesn’t calm your nerves knowing Sunoo has always been annoying you about how you and Jungwon are “just right for eachother,” as he’d say. This means he won’t stop trying to play cupid until you and Jungwon make up.

But does he even need to play, if Jungwon already found out about your feelings you wrote him in a letter and read it?

You walk into your room and change your backpack to a smaller one, only taking your math book with you.

The door to Sunoo’s opens immediately after you ring his bell once, being greeted with a smiling Jungwon. Your eyes widen and you try to look behind him, searching for the blond boy whose idea it was to meet in his home. Jungwon’s smiley face drops as he realizes who’s standing in front of him. His hand goes up to scratch at his neck, also avoiding your gaze.

Are we just going to continue looking at the floor, or.. ,he thinks. It’s awkward, really awkward.

He makes space for you to step in and closes the door after you come in, walking behind you slowly.

“Where is Sunoo?” you ask and drop your backpack next to the green sofa in the middle of the room. The TV is on, they must’ve been waiting for you to come up before starting to study.

“Uh, he said he needed to go to the bathroom.” Jungwon responds. You nod slowly and sit down on the sofa.

This isn’t like always. The atmosphere between you two is tense, and it’s obvious. It’s obvious by the distance kept between you two, with you sitting down and Jungwon still standing in the middle of the room. Your body’s stiff and you don’t exactly know what to do with your hands, fiddling with your fingers on your lap. Jungwon notices the interest you picked on your hands and lets out a sigh.

So I’m not the only uncomfortable person here.

He starts walking towards Sunoo’s room and disappears. For a minute, you think you’re safe until Sunoo is back and let out a relieved breath, closing your eyes and leaning back on the sofa. But only for a minute, because the silence gets disturbed by wrinkling paper you hear behind you.

Your eyes snap open and you turn around quickly, catching Jungwon’s unsure eyes. He’s holding a paper, your letter, to be specific. He takes slow steps towards you and sits down next to you, leaving a distance. You can feel your cheeks heat up and your face warm, also noticing the rosy color spreading on the boy’s cheeks.

“Uhm, I think we need to talk about this,” he clears his throat and holds up your letter, staring at it. There’s a silence between you two, Tom and Jerry being the only thing heard from the TV.

“I’m sure you didn’t mean to give me this, because you looked happy before finding out what letter you gave me. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to know what you wrote here,” he explains. You gulp. You scold yourself mentally. What the fuck had you written in the letter again?

“So I just wanted to ask if you-”

“No,” you cut him off quickly. He raises his eyebrows in surprise, frowns on his lips.

“No?” You nod slowly, suddenly feeling unsure of your response. You should’ve let him talk.

“I- I was going to ask if you meant what you said in that letter.” His voice gets quieter and you feel a pang of guilt in you. He’s clearly hurt and embarrassed, and it doesn’t help that you don’t know whether it’s because he wants you to feel something for him, or because he thinks you hate him and could never see him as someone who deserves love. You hope it’s the first one.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve let you talk first,” you say. You dare looking up at him and make eye contact for the first time since entering your mutual friend’s house. For a second, everything feels like usual.

You’re back to being friends only, the letters hidden in your favorite box not seeing the daylight. His eyes take you back to summer, when you two first met years ago. They take you back to yesterday morning, when you still thought it was a normal letter and Jungwon thought it was just one of your motivational speeches to get him through the week of school. They take you back to the time you saw his dimples for the first time after telling a stupid joke to impress him after Sunoo left the room.

“Yes. I just wanted to know if you actually mean it? Because, uhm,” he stops talking and frowns, playing with the letter in his hand. You purse your lips, lost in your own thoughts. He hands you the letter and you take it with a questioning look. He nods towards the paper.

“Read it. I think you might’ve forgotten about what it actually is,” he explains. You feel your face getting hot again, wanting to be swallowed by the ground alive.

Please don’t be something embarrassing.

You unfold the piece of paper in your hand and start reading through it after sending the boy next to you one last unsure look.

Jungwon,

I’ll actually never give you this letter. I have this hidden box in my room where I put all the pieces of paper I’ve written on and don’t want anyone to know about. Like what I’m about to write next.

I’ve had a crush on you for a long, long time now. And to be honest I don’t think I can call it a crush only. It’s more like a feeling, it’d be better to say that I’ve liked you for a very long time. I like everything about you, all the stuff you do. I like that I feel so safe and secure around you and that I can talk to you about everything. I get happy when you’re around and all I want is that you feel the same way about me, too. I want to be someone you feel safe around and I want you to be happy when you’re around me. I want to be the reason for the dimples appearing on your face when you smile and laugh, I want to be the reason why you giggle when you look down at your phone in the middle of class.

I hope that you can soon tell me whether you feel the same way about me, or not. Although I think, as I’ve already mentioned, these hidden letters will stay hidden forever, or at least for as long as possible. It’d be embarrassing to me if you’d ever touch one of these and see what I write, because I’m sure you’ll never see me as anything different than your best friend :(

But still, I keep hoping someday I’ll be the reason for your smiles and giggles. Still, I hope someday to be able to call you mine.

Your eyes widen and you’re sure, for someone looking at this from a third pov, it may look like they’re about to jump out of your eye sockets and roll on the floor. You fold the paper and put it back into the envelope he placed on the empty sofa space between you two.

Your Y/N <3

Where the fuck is Sunoo?, you think. Now would be a great moment for him to appear out of nowhere and calm the tension in the room. It’s like you could cut it with a knife.

“I- I forgot I wrote this,” you whisper and place the envelope on the empty space between you and Jungwon. He nods slowly, clearing his throat.

“Yeah, I had assumed that already. It’s, uhm, a really personal thing you wrote there. I doubt you’d want me to read it,” he mutters.

There’s another silence between you two and this time, it’s you who decided to break it.

“You know, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. As I said in the letter, I’m sure you don’t see me as more than a friend and I also understand if you feel uncomfortable and awkward from now on,” you go on explaining, your gaze focusing on your fingers instead of Jungwon. His eyes are fixed on you, a small smile on his lips and any sign of embarrassment gone after listening to your small rant. He could cut you off and tell you he likes you, or stay quiet and hear you talk.

He decides to stay quiet and hear you talk.

“I also know you’re probably disgusted or weirded out because I wrote so many letters that I hid from you and I promise you it’s nothing weird. We can either act as if nothing happened between us and continue being friends. But if it makes you feel better, we can also just ignore each other. It’s going to be hard, but I’ll move on at some point,” your voice gets softer at the end and quieter, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the boy with you in the room. His smile falls slowly, realizing what pain it’d actually cause you if he decides to ignore you or act as if nothing happened between you two.

“All of this is unnecessary, Y/N,” he starts. You raise your head slowly, frowning and sending him a perplexed look.

“I mean it’s unnecessary for you to feel this way and be scared I wouldn’t want to be friends with you anymore. I could never picture my life without you,” he explains. You suck in a breath, preparing yourself for the rejection that is about to come.

But it never happens. Instead, your eyes snap down to your hand as he takes it and links his fingers with yours.

“I’ve liked you for a really long time, too. I was just too scared and shy to admit it, even though I tried sending you signals.” He pauses, breathing in and looking down at your connected hands.

“You never did anything to show me you could've liked me in that way,” you note.

“I guess you could say that. I was hoping that asking you to write me more letters and asking if you wanted to hang out every day was enough to show you,” he laughs. You’re even more confused now.

“But that’s exactly what we’ve always been doing.”

“I know. That’s the only way I could show you how interested I am in you and I don’t really know that much about showing emotions when you,” he pauses and purses his lips, “like someone like this” He motions between the two of you with his free hand, making the corners of your lips turn up into a shy smile.

“Wait so what you’re trying to say is-” He cuts you off by pulling you closer to him by your hand.

“That I like you?” he asks, and you nod slowly, staring into his eyes.

“Well, yes. Unless you don’t feel the same. Then it’s more like a friendly way-” This time it’s him getting cut off by you pressing your lips against his. You can’t really explain the feelings and fireworks exploding within you, and neither can Jungwon. He’s shocked at first, gasping and his eyes widening, but instantly closing in relief when he realizes what just happened.

He squeezes your hand and you feel your face heating up again, sighing into the kiss. His touch is different now. It makes you regret everything that made this moment come so late. It makes you regret not having confessed to him sooner, makes you think about where you two could’ve been with your relationship now, if only you had shown your attraction to each other sooner. His hand in yours mixed with his lips moving along with yours makes you drown, his scent and fingertips on your cheeks being the only thing you register.

You’re glad he’s the first one to break the kiss and pull back, else you’d stay like this forever. You open your eyes slowly, finding him already gazing back at you. His eyes are soft, shiny. You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, trying to hold down the smile creeping up your face.

“Uhm, I take that as something good?” he says, but it comes out sounding more like a question as he finishes the sentence with his voice going up.

“Yeah, I thought it was obvious after I just kissed you,” you giggle. He purses his lips.

“I’m just saying, what if I interpreted it wrong?” he defends himself, chuckling. You roll your eyes and look at him.

“Isn’t it obvious? I like you,” you say and glance down at your hands together.

“That’s good, because I really like you, too.” You frown after his confession, focusing your gaze on the bathroom door behind Jungwon.

“Wait, didn’t you say Sunoo was in the bathroom? Why’s he taking so long?” you voice your thoughts. His lips press into a thin line, avoiding your eyes. You tilt your head in question.

“Yeah, uh, I might’ve lied. He said he’d stay in his parents’ room until we confessed,” he confesses.

[digitalmidnight]

Ridiculous Kirby Headcanons

Unashamedly silly headcanons featuring the dream team with little to no basis that I can not fit into a fanfic at the time. In no particular order at all with cherry picking from various Kirby media.

Potential Bandana Dee backstories for why he is so high ranking

Adoption into position after Crystal Shards

Literally just walked up and said he's the new kings advisor one day and King Dedede said "K"

Found as child and Dad instinct says protect him, but King Dedede doesn't want to admit to having soft spot at the time so Bandee gets funky title and such.

Made King Dedede a cake and it was so tasty he made Bandana Dee the highest position he could

Just happened to be the closest Waddle Dee and kept getting more responsibilities. Ended up being good at it, it became an official job.

Things that would be funny if Meta Knight didn't know how/what to do, but Galaxia did

How to cook, however all of Galaxia's recipes and advice are ancient so it just looks like Meta is bad at this

A whole language that Meta Knight is pretending to know but it's just Galaxia translating for him the whole time

Dancing

Any weapon besides the sword, assuming Galaxia can still help him if he isn't holding her

Random and obscure facts that make Meta Knight seem well-read

Misc.

Meta Knight's favorite flavor is chocolate. He thinks it's a secret. Everyone in dreamland knows this is a fact.

Meta Knight and King Dedede, despite being highly intelligent in their respective fields, have the world's stupidest internet search history.

King Dedede has every clothing item in every color in animal crossing. He exclusively wears custom designs and the two very expensive crowns. His wand outfits are cosplays.

Meta Knight and Dark Meta Knight have equal drawing ability

Bandana Dee has eaten something, such as a leaf, to see if he could have a copy ability like Kirby.

Kirby has a random fear that pops up sometimes that if he eats a certain food he will gain a copy ability from it and become that food.

Meta Knight owns a pair of stilts. He did not buy these

Kirby has broken into his friends' bedrooms to have impromptu sleepovers

Meta Knight accidentally confuses the names of the members of his crew in much the same way a parent might say their dog's name instead of their child's. Nobody corrects him.

King Dedede is excellent at reading people because he discovered it gives him an advantage at chess and some other games he is determined to win

Waddle Dees learned their "charge at you and attempt to tackle" attack from King Dedede

Bandana Dee prints out fanfiction and binds them. He does not admit to reading fanfiction

Despite being a horrible cook, Kirby has learned to deep fry foods scarily well

King Dedede and Kirby recommend each other cooking shows. Meta Knight watches them too but will never say anything about it

Bandana Dee collects souvenirs from his adventures such as really cool rocks

Kirby has a better range of taste buds than an average human. This does not mean he has better tastes in food than an average human

King Dedede has attempted to get a pet dragon for his castle as all castles deserve a dragon. Kirby was 100% on board with this idea.

Meta Knight plays Cookie Clicker casually

Bandana Dee can not hover because he can not hold his breath. He can swim because he does not necessarily need air

Daroach sometimes sleeps on the Halberd without telling anyone, wakes up on a different planet, leaves to steal stuff, and accidentally gets abandoned on the planet leading him to have to call either his squad or Meta Knight to go pick him up.

Susie has modded video games involving robots as bad guys to make it so the robots win

Sailor Waddle Dee was the Waddle dee who stole Kirby's cake in squeak squad and has told nobody about this

Magolor makes prank DIY videos that encourage stuff like microwaving metal. Taranza falls for these posts.

Marx only texts in L33t speak

Kirby's past friends do visit him or call him at least once a month and on his birthday

Kirby owns Kirby merch. So does Bandana Dee.

Meta Knight has never gotten rid of a gift from a friend. He has many shoeboxes filled with crayon drawings from Kirby

King Dedede can draw realistically however gets too bored to finish the picture unless it's something he is really passionate about

Bandana Dee and Meta Knight are fishing buddies. Kirby and King Dedede are too technically but they keep falling asleep

Meta Knight rage quits Co-op games with the rest of the dream team.

Kirby has all of his friend's favorite foods memorized

The only person to ever beat King Dedede at chess is Kirby. Kirby has only played chess once and needed his friends to tell him how the pieces moved every time

Meta Knight can't drive and that's why he hired Captain Vul

King Dedede shows affection through gifts, mostly food related. Bandana Dee shows affection through acts of service. Kirby shows his affection in many ways, but especially physical affection. Meta Knight shows affection by rigorously training those he cares about so they can defend themselves

Marx has attacked someone else for being a food thief. He has standards and stealing food is a line one shouldn't cross. Marx has stolen food before and will do it again.

At least one of the Meta Knights' names aren't their real name, however they never corrected anyone and so it just kinda stuck

Bandana Dee has good attention to detail which allows him to find an absurd amount of 4 leaf clovers