#but its immersion breaking a lil

[presiding]

daud enjoyers play like

no kills all coins all collectables. stop to listen to every conversation, even the words of my enemies. i'm a changed man. but it's too late, i'm already doomed, the narrative is closing in, but maybe, just maybe -

daud enjoyers also play like

carnage

[cozymochi]

never wrong 💃

[sweetpastillas]

pitting fob's return and p!atd's subsequent death against each other in my head like im drafting an old harry potter vs twilight essay lol

[xuchiya]

"everyday" || jung wooyoung || mini-series || chapter 4

|genre: non!idol wooyoung. advisor-unvercover! reader. fluff. a lil bit of humor(?) angst. violence |mentions: guns. knives. blood. a lil bit gore. anxiety attack

back to masterlist || chapter 5

The late hours of the night had crept in, and Hyejin found herself dozing off amidst the scattered papers on her desk. The flicker of her desk lamp cast long shadows, and the faint hum of the palace in the distance was her only companion. A sudden buzz from her phone jolted her awake. It was a call from her captain.

The news was unsettling: another letter had been sent to the prince. Not a mere correspondence, but a letter of resignation—a demand for the prince to abdicate and yield his title to the “rightful king.”

A threat, undeniably, but one that didn’t sit well with Hyejin. She couldn’t bring herself to believe that such a declaration would be delivered in this manner unless it was meant to serve a public purpose. A letter alone lacked the weight to intimidate royalty without the added spectacle of exposure.

Still, the timing and its implications gnawed at her. Hyejin recalled her earlier conversation with Senior Advisor Kang Yeosang, who mentioned the prince’s voluntary work with orphanages and his dedication to causes involving children and education. If anything, such altruism would make Wooyoung a beloved figure—a potential target for those wishing to unsettle the kingdom’s foundation.

Her instincts kicked in. She immediately pressed her captain for more details, asking not just about the letter’s contents but also its packaging and delivery method. Every element could provide a clue.

Later that night, her phone chimed again, this time with images of the letter. Hyejin’s sharp eyes scanned each detail: the ornate crest pressed into the envelope, the precise yet cold penmanship, and the faint smudge near the bottom corner that hinted at rushed handling.

She set to work, breaking down every element of the letter. Her mind raced as she considered its origins—its route through the palace’s intricate web of communication and security, its potential tampering points, and the motivations behind its creation.

The quiet of her room was broken only by the rustle of papers and the soft clicks of her pen against the notepad. With each observation, a clearer picture began to form, though questions still lingered.

Where did the letter truly come from? And why now, of all times? 

Lastly, who is sending him this letter?

Hyejin leaned back for a moment, her gaze fixed on the letter, then eyes drifted to the profile lying among the scattered papers on her desk. Her gaze settled on the image of Jung Wooyoung, the Crown Prince. His cheerful grin radiated a carefree charm that seemed almost out of place amidst the palace's tense, hierarchical atmosphere. His happy-go-lucky demeanor clashed sharply with the stress that surrounded him daily. Yet, it wasn’t all surprising. Wooyoung had a well-known preference for working beyond the palace walls, immersing himself in activities like charity work or volunteering as a part-time preschool teacher.

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she traced the details of his profile with her eyes. He wasn’t the typical image of a prince bound by formalities and protocols. Wooyoung seemed to embrace a life rooted in connection and simplicity—qualities that made him both approachable and enigmatic.

Her moment of reflection was interrupted by the sharp buzz of her phone. For the third time that night, it rang, and she instinctively reached for it, expecting another update from her captain.

Instead, the screen displayed an unknown number.

With a furrowed brow, she opened the message:

+2578915478:This is Choi San. I’ve been notified of your profile, forwarded by the HR department of Echelon Investigations. Welcome to Jung Palace. Tomorrow, you will be assisting Prince Wooyoung as his new advisor during his visit to the preschool where he volunteers. Do not worry; I will accompany you along with other guards, though we will remain on standby per the prince’s request.

Hyejin read the message twice, her grip tightening on the phone. Choi San. The name wasn’t unfamiliar. As the prince’s personal bodyguard, San’s reputation preceded him. Known for his unwavering loyalty and sharp instincts, he was one of the closest confidants to the prince—almost as trusted as Senior Advisor Kang Yeosang.

Her mind raced with questions. Why would the prince request her assistance for something as routine as a visit to a preschool? Was there a hidden layer to this seemingly simple task?

She sighed, her gaze flickering back to Wooyoung’s smiling photograph. Tomorrow promised to be anything but ordinary.

For a moment, Hyejin found herself perplexed by the sheer chaos of the preschool. The cacophony of children’s laughter, the clatter of toys, and the whirlwind of tiny feet skidding across the polished floors seemed worlds away from the composed halls of Jung Palace. Yet, in the midst of the disorder, there was Wooyoung—his laughter blending seamlessly with the children’s, a beacon of joy and energy.

Hyejin watched him with an unreadable expression, unable to decide whether his ease in such an environment was admirable or baffling. Perhaps it was both. She let out a quiet sigh, reminded of a truth she had long come to terms with: she was not particularly good with children.

As she glanced at the children around her, her thoughts darkened at the memory of her true purpose for accepting this mission. Beneath the façade of professionalism and duty lay a deeper, more personal reason—one that simmered beneath her otherwise composed exterior.

Her fist tightens beside her as clouds of thoughts blinded her present by the darkness of her past. The loss of her older sister still felt unreal. But no matter how many times the investigators had closed the case with an air of finality, she could not accept it. The pieces didn’t fit. The truth lay shrouded in shadows, and Hyejin was determined to find it, even if it meant stepping into the heart of the Jung Palace.

Her sister’s connection to the crown prince had brought Hyejin to this moment. They had been friends and now they are known to be glued to the hip since then, and close enough to warrant Wooyoung’s involvement in her sister’s life. And now, as Hyejin’s gaze lingered on the prince, laughing amidst the children, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind.

She didn’t harbor blame, only questions. All she wanted was the truth.

“Hi.” The soft voice jolted her from her reverie. She blinked a few times, startled, before her eyes dropped to the source of the question. A little girl with wide, curious doe eyes stared up at her, tilting her head in innocent expectation.

The name tag pinned to the child’s dress read Sam.

Hyejin’s usual composure faltered for a brief second before she straightened, offering the child a small, polite smile. “Hello, Sam.”

“Are you Wooyoungie’s girlfriend?” 

Taken back, Hyejien kneels before her. Shaking her head as she spoke gently, “No, I am Prince—” she hesitated, catching herself before revealing too much. Wooyoung had insisted on blending in, introducing himself with a casual name that erased all signs of his royal lineage.

“I’m his friend,” she corrected, her tone soft but firm. “Wooyoung asked me to help him today.”

Sam nodded sagely, as if satisfied with the answer, before thrusting a paper crown into Hyejin’s hands, “It is rare for Wooyoungie to bring a girl with him and it feels nice!” she announced with a bright smile. “Come on!”

Hyejin froze, momentarily dumbfounded by the proclamation and the sudden tug on her hand. She glanced toward Wooyoung, who was grinning mischievously from across the room, clearly enjoying her predicament.

Forcing a composed nod, Hyejin allowed Sam to guide her toward the circle of children gathering for storytime. The paper crown felt awkward in her hands, but she couldn’t help the faint tug of a smile at the corners of her lips.

She had come here for answers, but perhaps, she thought, even the most serious of missions could come with unexpected moments of light.

The room buzzed with excitement as the children settled into a semi-circle around Wooyoung. The older ones jostled for a closer spot while the little ones leaned forward eagerly, their small hands propping up their chins.The children sat cross-legged in a semi-circle, their excited chatter gradually fading into an expectant hush. In the center stood Wooyoung, holding a storybook in his hand. His posture was casual, one foot slightly forward, but there was an undeniable charisma in the way he commanded the room.

“What story is it this time, Mr. Woo?” one of the older boys called out, his voice filled with anticipation.

“Is it the one where the princess kisses a frog and he turns into a prince?” a girl with twin pigtails asked, her eyes sparkling. Some kids let out a disgusting sound to which Wooyoung chuckles, shaking his head.

“Or the one with the knight and the scary dragon?” another chimed in, making exaggerated claw motions that drew giggles from the group.

Wooyoung crouched down to their level, settling in a crossed seat, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “Hmm,” he mused, tapping his chin dramatically. “What if I told you it’s not about a princess or a knight? What if I told you… this story is a little different?”

The children gasped collectively, their curiosity piqued.

“Different how?” asked Sam. Hyejin, much to her quiet dismay, found herself seated among the children, her legs awkwardly folded to accommodate the small space. Sam had firmly claimed her lap, leaning back against her with the confident ease of a child who trusted without question. Despite her initial resistance, Hyejin allowed it, though her stiff demeanor betrayed her discomfort.

“You’ll just have to listen and find out,” Wooyoung teased, flipping open the book. The children immediately hushed, their faces alight with anticipation. He glanced around the room, his eyes briefly meeting Hyejin’s, and a faint smile tugged at his lips before he began.

Wooyoung began, his voice smooth and captivating. “Once upon a time, there was a prince who lived in a grand palace. He had everything he could ever want, many golds, coins, figurines and the softest pillow …” Many children chuckle at his playful tone and words. Wooyoung cast a quick glance at the crowd before turning to the book, “yet he always felt like something was missing. One day, a terrible enemy threatened his kingdom, and everyone looked to the prince to save the day.”

The children leaned in closer, their wide eyes riveted on him as he spun the tale.

A few children nodded enthusiastically, while others stayed silent, captivated by his voice.

“But this prince,” Wooyoung continued, his tone softening, “wasn’t like the ones in the other stories. He wasn’t the strongest or the bravest. He was just… him.”

“He has no weapons, no shield. He felt scared and lonely.” Children around her started to feel the sudden change of tone in Wooyoung. Hyejin felt her shoulders tense. The words struck a strange chord, resonating in a way she didn’t expect. She glanced up at Wooyoung, studying his expression. He appeared relaxed, even playful, but there was a subtle tension around his eyes, a flicker of something deeper and more troubled beneath the surface.

“And then,” Wooyoung went on, “just when it seemed all hope was lost, someone stepped forward to save him. But it wasn’t a knight in shining armor or a powerful wizard. It wasn’t even a princess.”

He paused for effect, letting the children’s curiosity hang in the air before continuing.

“It was an ordinary person, someone no one would have expected. They didn’t have a sword or magic. All they had was courage and determination. And with one simple act of bravery, they changed everything.”

“The end.” Wooyoung closes the book and looks around. As Wooyoung concluded the tale, the children broke into applause, their little hands clapping with unbridled enthusiasm. “Again, again!” a few of them cried, but Wooyoung simply laughed, shaking his head.

“Class is over for today,” he announced, ruffling the hair of a boy who tugged on his sleeve. “I’ll tell you another story next time.”

Hyejin’s gaze lingered on him, her mind whirring. The parallels to their current reality were too clear to ignore. The prince in his story, much like Wooyoung, wasn’t the typical hero. And the ordinary person—could it be her? Or someone else entirely?

Hyejin’s gaze stayed fixed on Wooyoung. His carefree demeanor remained, but she caught the subtle crease in his brow, the fleeting shadows in his eyes. This wasn’t just a story. It was a reflection—of their situation, of him.

Her gaze broke when the school bell rang and the children began to scatter, and Sam, before joining her friends, glanced at Hyejin.

“Please come by again! Bye miss!” Hyejin chuckles, ruffling her hair. “I’ll try.” She reluctantly climbed off Hyejin’s lap to join her friends. Hyejin stretched her legs, feeling both relief and a strange sense of loss as the small body left her warmth.

The children had dispersed, their laughter lingering in the air as they skipped out of the room. Hyejin stood to stretch, brushing invisible dust off her neatly pressed skirt. She was about to step towards the door for some air when Wooyoung approached, his usual playful grin tempered by something softer and almost… hesitant.

“Miss Hwang,” Wooyoung began, clearing his throat as if the words themselves had gotten lodged somewhere between his pride and nervousness. It was the first time he had approached her without his usual clumsy bravado, and the unfamiliarity of the situation made him feel as though his dignity was teetering on the edge of collapse.

Hyejin turned to face him fully, arching an elegant brow. His tone, markedly formal, caught her off guard. This wasn’t the Wooyoung she’d encountered so far—the one who could charm the sun out of the sky and leave chaos in his wake.

“Yes, Your Highness?” Hyejin replied, her voice steady, though she couldn’t deny the flicker of curiosity bubbling under her professional demeanor.

“I, uh…” Wooyoung faltered, his eyes darting briefly to the ground before returning to hers. He rubbed the back of his neck—a nervous habit she was beginning to recognize—and shifted awkwardly. “I wanted to apologize. For earlier.”

“Earlier?” Hyejin repeated, tilting her head slightly, pretending not to know exactly what he meant. She wasn’t about to make this easy for him.

“Yesterday,” he clarified, his voice pitched just high enough to betray his nervousness. He cleared his throat, his gaze locking with hers as if searching for the right words. “When I… may have seemed a little—what’s the word—brash during the lesson.”

Hyejin’s lips curved ever so slightly in amusement, though she kept her expression otherwise neutral. “Oh, you mean when you referred to Senior Advisor Kang as ‘Yeosangie’ in front of the entire class?”

Wooyoung winced, muttering under his breath, “It’s a term of endearment…” Then, louder, he added, “Which, I assure you, I won’t use again.”

“Good,” Hyejin replied, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at her lips. “Because I’m fairly certain Senior Advisor Kang looked like he was about to hurl his textbook at you.”

Wooyoung chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, Yeosang’s glare could probably wilt flowers. I wouldn’t be surprised if he practices it in the mirror.”

Hyejin let out a soft laugh before quickly covering her mouth, coughing lightly into her fist. Wooyoung caught it, though, and for a moment, his heart soared. If her laughter were a sound, it would be the music he never wanted to stop hearing.

“Well,” Hyejin said, straightening her posture and schooling her features back into a polite smile. “If that’s all, Your Highness, I accept your apology.” She inclined her head and turned on her heel, her steps measured and deliberate, even as something deep inside her urged her to linger.

Wooyoung froze. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He panicked, his eyes darting to the folded brochure he’d hidden behind his hanbok. “Wait!” he blurted, his voice a little too loud in the otherwise quiet corridor.

Hyejin stopped mid-step, her shoulders stiffening. Slowly, she turned, her gaze locking onto him with an arched brow that spoke volumes. “Yes, Your Highness?” she asked, her tone tinged with mild exasperation.

“There’s… more,” Wooyoung admitted, his voice faltering as he took a tentative step forward.

“More?” Hyejin echoed, crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” he said, his hand ruffling the back of his hair. “There’s also… the library incident.”

Hyejin’s brow furrowed slightly, though there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “Ah, yes. When you collided with me while chasing Hyungmin because he stole your… action figure, wasn’t it?”

Wooyoung groaned, his hands coming up to cover his face. “It wasn’t just any action figure—it was a limited edition!”

“And that justified barreling through the library?” she asked dryly.

“I didn’t see you!” he protested, lowering his hands. “Which, for the record, was entirely Hyungmin’s fault. He’s like a ninja when it comes to stealing things.”

“And yet,” Hyejin said, extending her arm dramatically, “you ended up flattening me. The library rules specifically state, ‘No such inelegance within the premises.’”

Wooyoung winced, vividly recalling how his mother had scolded him for nearly two hours after hearing about the incident. “Not my proudest moment,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Anything else, Your Highness?” Hyejin asked, her lips twitching upward despite herself.

“Well…” Wooyoung hesitated, his gaze flickering to hers. The weight of his words hung between them, and he felt the familiar rush of nerves that only she could invoke. He remembered that day clearly, the memory etched in his mind like a vivid painting—his heart, a stubborn bloom that refused to wither, bursting to life in his chest. It was a sensation he had never experienced before, one his best friend had once described with a kind of wistful awe: as if walking barefoot on a road covered in blossoms, each step filled with an almost unbearable joy.

He had always scoffed at such notions, content to live through the exaggerated romances of books in his library or the sweeping drama of the mangas he secretly adored. The way characters would gaze at each other with such profound intimacy seemed too fantastical, too far removed from reality.

Yet the moment he saw Hyejin, it was as if the stories had come alive, eclipsing everything he thought he knew. No book, no manga, no whispered tale of romance could compare to the extraordinary feeling that surged through him. Her presence unraveled him, leaving him both exhilarated and terrified.

"The ... The bodyslam ..."

Hyejin blinked, her mouth opening slightly before closing again as she tried—and failed—not to laugh. “Ah, yes. My training in self-defense,” she replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “A reaction to someone creeping on me during my second day, if I recall correctly?”

“It wasn’t creeping!” Wooyoung defended quickly. “I was… observing.”

“Observing?” she repeated, her tone laced with disbelief and eyebrows arched. 

“Okay, fine,” he admitted, holding up his hands in surrender. “I was trying to figure out if you were as intimidating as Yeosang said.”

Hyejin stared at him for a moment before letting out a short laugh. “And your conclusion?”

“That you’re terrifying,” he said with a grin. “Especially when you’re flipping me over your shoulder in front of Yunho. Thankfully!” He yelped, rolling his eyes to which Hyejin sighs sharply, rolling her eyes also, “You deserved it,” Hyejin said simply, though the memory of his startled yelp and the collective gasp of the royal head chief almost made her laugh again.

“I won’t argue,” he said, rubbing his shoulder as if recalling the impact. “But seriously, I’m sorry. For all of it. I’m not usually this… clumsy.”

“That’s hard to believe,” she replied dryly, though there was a hint of warmth in her voice.

Wooyoung looked at her, his usual playful grin tinged with something softer. “Then let me make it up to you. How about a walk around town? My treat.”

Hyejin’s professional instincts immediately kicked in. “My duty as your new advisor is to advise you, not to accompany you on leisurely strolls.”

“And yet, here you are,” he teased, his grin widening. “So technically, you’re already doing it.”

She sighed, crossing her arms, slowly losing a bit of her patience. “We should return to the palace. Wandering around isn’t exactly secure plus you did not discuss that with your bodyguards nor to the rest of the security unit back in the palace. So no.”

“And yet,” he countered, leaning in slightly, Hyejin leaning backwards,  “I’ve got you. And you’re terrifying, remember? Who’s going to mess with me when you’re around?”

Hyejin narrowed her eyes, though the faint blush creeping up her neck betrayed her irritation. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossible, but charming,” he said with a wink. Hyejin couldn’t hold back her laughter this time, a soft, musical sound that filled the space between them. Wooyoung’s heart soared at the sight of her amusement, her guarded expression momentarily replaced with something warm and genuine.

Wooyoung felt his entire body washed with warmth as he saw the stoic face that he usually sees crack in a most beautiful way.

“And you think taking your new advisor on a walk would compensate for everything?” she teased, though her tone had softened.

“It’s a start,” he said earnestly, taking a step closer. His usual playful demeanor had melted away, replaced with something more vulnerable, more real. “But honestly, it’s not just about the apology. I—” He faltered, swallowing hard. “I just… wanted you to know that I regret it. Not just bodyslam, but all the times I’ve been a fool in front of you.”

Hyejin’s smile faded, her gaze searching his face for the truth behind his words. For a moment, she said nothing, and the silence stretched like a taut string between them.

Wooyoung, ever the one to break the tension, gave her a sheepish grin. “So, uh… does this mean you forgive me? Or should I start preparing for a lifetime of cold glares?”

Hyejin let out a soft sigh, shaking her head. “You’re really impossible, Your Highness,” she murmured, though the corner of her lips curved upward in a faint smile. Wooyoung beamed, his heart swelling with relief and something far sweeter. For once, he didn’t feel the need to mask his feelings with jokes or bravado. In this moment, standing before her, he felt like the stories he had always loved were finally within his grasp.

The cobblestone streets were alive with the hum of vendors, the scent of roasted chestnuts mingling with fresh bread. Wooyoung led the way, weaving through the crowd with a casualness that belied his royal status. He stopped now and then to greet townsfolk, his warmth earning smiles and bows.

Hyejin, ever alert, kept her distance. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly he connected with the people, his charm transcending the boundaries of royalty.

As they reached the heart of the square, the festive energy swelled like a wave, pulling them into its embrace. Lanterns bobbed lazily in the cool evening breeze, their warm light mingling with the fading glow of the sun. The air was alive with lively tunes strummed by musicians, threading through the joyful laughter of children playing games. The aroma of sweet treats mingled with the faint scent of fresh blooms from nearby stalls. Hyejin’s sharp eyes scanned the square, catching sight of the discreet palace guards stationed nearby. Among them, Choi San’s imposing figure stood out—a silent, steady reassurance. She met his gaze, offering a subtle nod of acknowledgment, her expression unreadable but determined.

“Miss Hwang…” Wooyoung’s voice, soft yet tentative, broke through her thoughts.

She turned to find him sitting on a bench beside her, his princely demeanor softened by the stick of cotton candy in his hand, its pink fluff precariously close to melting. Her gaze wandered, drawn to the scene unfolding before them. Children darted around in a game of red light, green light, their shrieks of delight piercing the cool air. Families laughed together under the evening sky, their faces bathed in the golden glow of lantern light. For a moment, the world felt untouched by the weight of responsibility and danger.

“Yes, Your Highness?” Hyejin asked, her tone calm as she shifted her full attention to him.

Wooyoung hesitated, his words tangling in his throat. His heart thudded erratically, betraying his nervousness. A lump swelled, refusing to be swallowed, while butterflies stirred frantically in his stomach. He attempted to speak, but a sudden choke on his cotton candy turned his awkwardness into a near-disaster.

Hyejin jolted as alarm flashes in her eyes. The guards behind them, including San, sprang into action. But before anyone could intervene, Hyejin delivered a firm smack to Wooyoung’s back. The impact startled him, but it restored his breath instantly.

San and the other guards faltered, their tension dissipating into sheepish expressions as they awkwardly returned to their positions, trying to appear nonchalant.

Wooyoung coughed, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry! Sorry to ruin the moment there,” he chuckled, his voice uneven as he gulped water from a flask. He avoided her gaze, the tips of his ears burning with mortification. After a moment, he exhaled deeply and looked up at her, managing a small, grateful smile. “I was just trying to say… Thank you for accompanying me. I know I can be a bit of a handful.”

Hyejin sighed, her gaze softening ever so slightly. Her tone, however, remained measured, a quiet firmness beneath the calm. “You may appear a handful, Your Highness, but no one has dared to drop their responsibilities because of you.”

His smile wavered, replaced by a puzzled furrow of his brow. “What do you mean?”

Her response came after a long, contemplative pause. Her usual composure shifted, and for a fleeting moment, her walls lowered. A hint of vulnerability touched her expression as she spoke. “Children can be handfuls, but so can adults. Yet, those who care never abandon their duties—not because they have to, but because they see something worth staying for.”

Wooyoung stilled, her words settling into the quiet corners of his heart. He thought of the murmurs in the palace corridors—the exasperated expressions of his security detail, the way staff whispered about the chaos his presence often brought. He always brushed it off with a laugh, but deep down, the words lingered, stinging in places he rarely let himself acknowledge.

“And you, Your Highness,” Hyejin continued, her voice quieter now but no less resolute, “people stay not because you’re their responsibility but because of the kindness you’ve shown them. Don’t ever doubt the worth others see in you.”

Her words were a gentle unraveling of the armor he didn’t even know he wore. Words stripped away his defenses, leaving him bare. Wooyoung’s gaze locked on hers, his heart swelling with something unfamiliar yet intoxicatingly warm.

It wasn’t just admiration or gratitude—it was something deeper, a feeling that simultaneously terrified and comforted him. 

“Miss Hwang…” he whispered, her name carrying an unspoken emotion that lingered in the space between them. Love. The realization swept through him like the cool evening breeze, quiet yet undeniable, leaving him breathless.

BANG!

The sharp crack of gunfire tore through the festive air, ripping apart the delicate tranquility of the square.

Before Wooyoung could even comprehend the chaos, he was yanked down, his cheek meeting the cold cobalt floor. The world spun, but one thing was clear—Hyejin’s body was draped over his, shielding him like an unyielding fortress. Her form, much smaller than his, radiated a force of determination that seemed to defy physics.

Her voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the cacophony. “Choi!” she barked, galvanizing the guards into action.

Wooyoung’s thoughts raced, disjointed and frantic. The sharp tang of metal hung in the air as panic spread like wildfire. Hyejin’s grip on his arm was firm, grounding him despite the terror clawing at his chest. “Your Highness,” she said, her voice a steady anchor in the storm. “We have to move. Now.”

He nodded, swallowing the lump of fear lodged in his throat. She pulled him upright, her sharp eyes darting through the chaos to assess their surroundings. The square was no longer a picture of celebration—it was a battlefield, filled with scattered cries and the echo of fleeing footsteps.

“On my count,” she said, her voice unwavering. “One… two… three!”

They sprang into motion. Wooyoung’s hand instinctively sought hers, gripping tightly as if her strength could transfer to him. The harsh cracks of gunfire echoed like a drumbeat, chasing them as they weaved through the square. Each step felt heavy, the weight of fear and adrenaline threatening to anchor him in place.

“Keep moving,” Hyejin urged, her tone cutting through his haze. When he stumbled, she caught him, her body acting as both shield and guide. She led him through the chaos with precision, her movements decisive, her resolve unshakable.

As they reached San and the other guards, a protective perimeter quickly formed, blocking them from the square’s open expanse.

“How many?” Hyejin’s voice was sharp, her words precise and professional.

“Two armed men,” San replied, his jaw tight.

“Civilians?”

“No injuries so far.”

Hyejin’s gaze snapped toward the square, her expression hardening as she spotted a terrified child clutching his mother’s leg. The mother’s face was pale, her body frozen in a protective huddle over her child. Something in Hyejin’s posture shifted—her shoulders squared, her jaw set, and her eyes burned with fierce determination.

“Miss Hwang—” Wooyoung began, his voice trembling with both panic and pleading.

“Wait here.” Her tone was firm, her gaze steady as she met his eyes.

But he grabbed her wrist before she could move. “Are you insane?!” His voice cracked, desperation clear in every syllable. “San, stop her!”

San hesitated, his expression a mix of frustration and fear. He knew who Hyejin was—what she was capable of. She wasn’t just an advisor; she was trained, precise, and relentless. But even with all her skills, the sight of her striding into danger sent a wave of unease rippling through him.

San looks at Hyejin, a dismissive look on his face, “Miss Hwang, it is dangerous out there. There’s two of them and they were armed. You’ll be outnumbered quickly.” Hyejin scoffed, pulling away before turning to the rest of the guards and back to San and Wooyoung. 

“Police will be here in 5 minutes. Every second counts  and you don’t know what a second can do to a life.” Staring at Wooyoung, each word made his face grimmer, “Someone has to stop these people.”

Then she was off to the park.

“Hyejin!” Wooyoung’s cry was desperate as the guards restrained him, pulling him toward the waiting van. He struggled against their hold, his chest tightening with helplessness. “She’s going to get herself killed!”

“She knows what she’s doing, Your Highness,” San said, his tone firm but his eyes betraying his own apprehension.

Wooyoung felt his entire system gawking out of his throat. His mind going back just a few minutes ago, how she was able to comfort him with words that he long to hear, blew away the dark clouds. Now, he has to hear the cries of children and watch his advisor run through the field.

Through the chaos, Wooyoung caught a glimpse of her—a solitary figure cutting through the chaos with purpose. Because of the wall of bodyguards, Wooyoung wasn’t able to see Hyejin uncovering herself as the private investigator slash police right in the moment and perfectly timing when they were radioed to have Wooyoung back in the car after rounding the van.

“No no! We are not leaving her!” Wooyoung cried, trying to break free from San. He shakes his head, pulling him towards the vehicle as the guards surround them as they scurry towards the awaiting van.

The van’s door slammed shut, cutting off his view as the vehicle sped away. Sirens blared in the distance, a promise of reinforcements that felt too little, too late.

Wooyoung’s hands clenched into fists, his heart pounding with a mix of fear, guilt. “Hyejin…” he whispered, her name a prayer on his lips, as admiration and dread warred within him.

The chaos in the square dissipated as the last of the armed men was subdued. The square, once alive with festive cheer, now bore the scars of violence—overturned benches, scattered belongings, and the lingering cries of frightened children. Hyejin’s breaths came fast and shallow, her heart pounding in her chest as she knelt over one of the captives. Her grip on the coarse rope was firm, her movements efficient as she bound his hands behind his back. 

“Oh, Miss Hwang…” he drawled, his voice low and mocking. “We know your secrets.”

Her hands froze mid-motion, the world tilting ever so slightly. The man’s words hung in the air like an arrow poised to strike. Her expression remained impassive, her gaze cold as she met the man’s eyes. The shock inside surged through her like a cold wave, They know my name, crashing against her carefully built defenses. For a split second, her mask nearly slipped, her fingers twitching against the rope.

But she caught herself. Her face remained stoic, her lips pressed into a thin line as she resumed tying the knot with deliberate calm. Her silence only seemed to amuse him further.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised,” he continued, his smirk widening. “You didn’t think you could keep your little charade going forever, did you?”

Hyejin’s heart pounded, but she forced her expression to remain unreadable. They’re trying to provoke me.

The man leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “We know what you’re doing here, Miss Hwang. And we know what you’re after.”

Her thoughts spiraled, the shock mixing with a creeping dread. If they knew her name, did they also know her mission? Had they uncovered her real intentions within the palace? Had her actions drawn attention she couldn’t afford?

No. They’re baiting you. They don’t know anything—just fragments. Pieces they want you to react to.

But a whisper of doubt lingered, winding its way into her mind. If the palace had picked up even a hint of suspicion, it could spell disaster—not just for her, but for everything she’d worked to protect.

Who told them? 

Her jaw tightened imperceptibly as she finished securing the knot. Rising to her full height, she stared down at the man, her expression cold and unyielding. “If you know so much,” she said evenly, “then you should know that provoking me won’t end well for you.”

The man chuckled again, his confidence unshaken. “Oh, but we’re not here to end well, are we? We’re just here to send a message.”

Hyejin said nothing, her eyes narrowing as the sound of sirens grew louder.

Moments later, the police arrived, their vehicles casting flashing blue and red lights across the square. Captain Kleo stepped out, his presence commanding as always, his sharp eyes immediately assessing the scene.

“Hyejin,” he greeted, his voice calm but firm. “The security team of the palace calls and they will cover for you.” Hyejin nodded, stepping back as the officers moved to secure the captives. But as she turned to leave, the man’s voice stopped her.

“We’ll see you again, Miss Hwang,” he called out, his tone dripping with malice. Her spine stiffened, but she didn’t look back. Instead, she strode away, her mind a storm of thoughts.

Kleo caught up to her as she reached the edge of the square. “You alright?” he asked, his voice low enough that only she could hear.

Hyejin hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I’m fine,” she said, her tone steady. She clenched her fists, determination hardening her resolve. As she disappeared into the shadows of the city, the weight of the man’s words lingered in her mind, a haunting reminder that her enemies were closer than ever.

As soon as Hyejin stepped out of the security office, the weight of the day pressed heavily on her shoulders. The cool evening air filtered through the hallway, but it did little to soothe her frayed nerves. Tomorrow, she would have to face the royal head chief, Yunho—a confrontation that would demand every ounce of her composure.

But before she could fully gather her thoughts, a warm presence enveloped her. A hand gently cradled the back of her head, the other settling firmly yet tenderly on the small of her back. Her head, almost instinctively, found itself nestled between the curve of their shoulder and neck.

She froze, her breath catching.

The scent hit her first—clean, familiar, and unmistakably comforting. It was a scent she’d grown to recognize without effort, one that had lingered in her thoughts far more than she was willing to admit.

“God, I was worried about you…” he whispered, his voice low and strained, his words brushing softly against her hair.

Hyejin stood completely still, the fight-or-flight instinct warring with a tidal wave of emotions. Outside the office, the moonlight poured through the ceiling-to-floor windows, casting a silver glow over them. The world felt suspended in that moment, the quiet hum of the palace fading into nothingness.

She wanted to step away, to remind him of the boundaries that separated them. But her body betrayed her. For the first time in years, the exhaustion—the bone-deep mental and physical fatigue—took over.

Wooyoung’s embrace was steadfast, his touch neither overbearing nor hesitant. It was as though he was holding something fragile, afraid it might shatter if he let go.

“You didn’t need to worry,” she finally murmured, her voice low and steady, though her heart pounded relentlessly against her ribcage. “Didn’t need to?” He pulled back just enough to look at her, his dark eyes searching hers.

“How could I not? After everything that happened today…” His voice trailed off, a mix of frustration and relief. Hyejin’s gaze flickered away, landing on the floor-to-ceiling windows where the moon hung like a silent witness. She couldn’t meet his eyes—not when she felt this storm of emotions threatening to breach the walls she’d so carefully built.

“You can get hurt anytime, Hyejin,” he continued, his tone softer now. “Your safety matters.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, willing her composure to hold. He didn’t understand. Of course, he didn’t. He was the prince—untouchable, unattainable. And she was nothing more than a palace employee, bound by duty and protocol.

“You shouldn’t…” she started, but the words caught in her throat.

“Shouldn’t what?” he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and something deeper.

“Worry,” she finished, her tone more clipped than she intended. “It’s not your place to worry about me.”

Wooyoung’s brow furrowed, his grip on her loosening slightly, though he didn’t let go entirely. “You think I care about places? Titles?” He shook his head, his voice steady but laced with an emotion she couldn’t quite place. “Hyejin, you mean more to me than any of that.”

Her heart skipped a beat, her chest tightening. His words were too much—too close to the truth she’d been trying to bury. She stepped back, the loss of his warmth immediate and almost jarring. “Your Highness,” she said, her voice formal now, a shield against the vulnerability threatening to spill over. “You need to return to your chambers. It’s late.”

Wooyoung studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Hyejin…” he began, but she cut him off with a polite but firm bow.

“Goodnight, Your Highness,” she said before turning and walking away, each step feeling heavier than the last. As she disappeared down the hallway, Wooyoung stayed rooted to the spot, the moonlight catching the faint sheen of tears in his eyes.

“You fool …” Wooyoung whisper. Punching his chest lightly, blaming it for falling so quickly. For falling in love without any precaution.

And Hyejin, as she rounded the corner, pressed a hand to her chest, where her heart continued its relentless, traitorous rhythm. She whispered to herself, her voice trembling, “This can’t happen.”

But no matter how many times she told herself that, the warmth of his embrace lingered like a ghost, a reminder of the line she couldn’t cross yet desperately wished she could.

taglist: @chngbnwf

[ravenstargames]

Could you explain what lost in Limbo is?

*JAZZ HANDS* ✨ AHEM!! Glad you asked, anon! I will assume you are not familiar with visual novels (for the sake of answering the question as best as I can if anyone else stumbles upon this ask), so let's break down Lost in Limbo to its basics! If you have any more doubts, you can always send another ask! 💜

*Also friendly reminder that English is not my first language and I also suck at explaining things, so I'll do my best ; v ;

✦ Lost in Limbo is a dark-fantasy romance visual novel...

As the title says! A visual novel is a videogame genre mostly defined by its interactive nature and for heavily leaning into its narrative aspects. It's like reading a 'choose your own adventure' book but seeing 'everything' that is happening on the screen. Interactive fiction, they also call it!

You basically play through a story, reading it, having visual depictions of the characters and the places as the story happens*, and you can usually change the story's outcome or some other aspects like relationships via choices or other forms of interaction. There's usually a couple of different endings to the 'same' story!

*Not all visual novels have choices, or have all their characters / scenarios depicted, etc. There's a lot of ways to do a visual novel!

Lost in Limbo is focused on the romance / fantasy genre, and the story takes place in a fictional world you'll explore as you play. You'll be able to experience the story through seven different 'routes', meaning you'll have to choose a character to romance and find more about the story and the cast through that very same romance. This kind of visual novels are often referred to as 'otome', 'amare', or 'dating-sim'. Each term has its differences so if you are interested, I suggest doing some research on them!

To keep this short, you can learn more about LiL in our Masterpost! Which needs another update!

If you are curious about this kind of games, you can check out different 'otome' games / dating sims on itch.io, Steam, and even the Nintendo Shop! OR TUMBLR!! Here are some personal recommendations of fellow indie devs that are working / have worked very hard on their projects!

✦ Alaris and Intertwine by Crescence Studio

✦ Made Marion by Velvet Cupcake Games

✦ Trouble Comes Twice by Foxglove Games

✦ Save the Villainess by Best Laid Plans Productions

✦ 3 Seasons by Hamilton Hour

So yep! A game. Interactive fiction game. You romance some hotties. You play through a story. You can die a few times and things can go downhill in numerous ways. You solve some mysteries and hopefully immerse yourself in the story. And a few more things!

[matthyeu]

Just had a thought and now it won’t get out do my head: What do you think an arcade date with zb1 would be like? What’s their favourite game? How’s the most competitive? Who will win you something? Who tells you to win your own things?

ARCADE DATES WITH ZB1

ft. my cursed thoughts bc i didn't have the energy to flesh stuff out

can be taken romantically or platonically bc friends can have arcade dates too

(i love having funny thoughts in between studying + reliving some cute moments looking back at prom photos for inspo so thank you for this)

favorite games:

jiwoong: he's effortlessly just good at everything to the point where he casually plays all the games when you're sitting there like ?? how

hao: over there playing guitar hero or some shit i swear like proving musical talent to the core!!

hanbin: ddr 100% you can not tell me man isn't on dance dance revolution every single moment there. you can't pull him away either. he devours it too like got everyone watching like that one kid

matthew: bro loves playing claw machines to look at cute things bc me too he just sees things and is like "ooooo" and somehow ends up at it for hours but only comes back with one thing for you (it's the thought that counts)

taerae: he's always on the coin pusher but he's so bad like idk why he plays but he loves standing there BUT he will get frustrated when they won't fall and smack it so he gets the alarm rang on him

ricky: he probably likes to play skee ball. idk why but it gives the VIBES like he would probably like how he looks cool. bc it's like the closest thing to bowling and he seems like someone who would like to look cool while bowling

gyuvin: pacman. he has tried every game and found out he is bad at them. the only thing he can go back to is pacman.

gunwook: playing streetfighter but like seriously. has my man sweating over here. please bring a towel for him.

yujin: he gives me the vibes of someone who would play those like shooting simulator whether it be jurassic park or like those ones with the zombies. and he might get jumpscared lol

most competitive: hao

doesn't really try to be but the moment you're in there challenging him, he's going at 100%

would win at like every game and you're sitting their regretting ever doubting him

though he just gives you all his points afterward so you can do whatever you want for prizes

that's the real reason he just wanted some motivation to get more points for you

wins you things: matthew, jiwoong, ricky (kinda)

we've already talked about matthew spending hours to get something for you (he's super diligent about it he will get you the thing you want even if he spends all his money)

wbk jiwoong good at it all, so no surprise he comes back with whatever you wanted (doesn't matter if its 1 or 10 he shall get them all)

so now ricky

why kinda?

well he doesn't actually win you it

he tries but then finds out that it's all a scam and nearly impossible

so he tries to bribe the employee to give it to him

ends up buying it from them for you so it's the same thing right??

tells you to win your own things: yujin, taerae

OK TAERAE IS KINDA GOOFY

he wants to but then gets frustrated that he can't bc like?? who made it so damn hard

so he tries and then almost breaks the machine so ends up telling you to do it yourself

and then we have yujin who's just just like "do it yourself" bc he doesn't wanna

but then you keep bothering him about it bc you can't win

like bro getting a lil annoyed with how badly you want something

so then he plays it

wins

but then keeps it for himself

he says it's compensation for you bothering him about it LMAO

too busy to even be near a machine: hao, hanbin, gyuvin, gunwook

well technically hao is going to get points to get you prizes but he's staying away from the machines knowing they're a scam

the other three though, they're off in their own worlds

like

they take their games very seriously (especially hanbin & gunwook)

gyuvin's just having a nice time being immersed so you don't want to bother him

[stevie-petey]

hi!!! i adore your come home fic, i can’t get enough of it! i was wondering, what does your writing process look like for you? do you ever write certain scenes you want to write ahead of time? struggle with writers block? i think it’s so interesting to know what everyone’s writing process looks like!

hi dear !! first, thank you for reading <3 and secondly, i think my writing process is pretty straightforward n nothin too crazy.

i do an outline of every episode/season, which is basically the skeleton of what i actually want to write. my outline is usually just lines i think of, general flow of the episode, and anything i want to touch on. heres an example !

the outline and actual scene i wrote later on have coinciding lines and phrases, but the outline is very very bare. its basically just details i want without being expanded upon !!

and heres what my doc looks like for outlines:

i have the dates so i dont mix up timelines and i outline the entire season before i start writing. every episode is outlined, every theme is plotted and i make sure it flows nicely.

i dont necessarily write future scenes, i write chronologically, BUT i did start come home to get to the come home scene at lovers lake !!! that scene, the phone call between bug and jon, and the camera scene in season 1 were all in my head and i wanted to make a story out of these characters and their interactions/how they came to be <333

however, i didnt write those scenes first. i never want to limit myself into what i think of while writing. while i stick to my outline pretty heavily, sometimes things just dont feel right or i add a conversation to make things more clear or i even just rewrite the entire scene. so to avoid mixing things up, i just write as i go with the help of a guided outline lmao.

for writers block, it depends. i get it, but i think its more being burnt out or feeling tired of come home. while i adore the series, sometimes i just wanna write happy steve and reader. so when that happens: i do. i write cute stevie fics, answer blurb requests, plan a new series. i take mini breaks and thankfully it works for me !!

hope this was a fun insight into my lil brain. i also have playlists for come home and pinterest boards to really immerse myself, but i also have just been writing for years and can crank out 10k words in a day for funzies (i dont recommend btw)

[streamdotpng]

the military au has me sooo hooked. like I can clearly picture the scenarios you are painting and it’s delicious!!

if possible would love to know what the nightshades think of Enid & her relationship w her packmates?

i get the impression that even though her personality isn’t the same as Nevermore she’s still caring enough to where her pack love and want to defend her from everything. And they do it cuz they genuinely care for Enid and not just due to her being their alpha??

im glad people are as interested as me ;-; this is an honor

BUT YES!! enid is very much loved and adored by her school, she's just.. too busy sulking from her feelings and stressing over her schoolwork to really notice

a purposeful decision to contrast what i think happened to her in nevermore! Where enid is very much known but just like bianca, since she's everywhere (all the clubs) and just as bright, she's seen as a lil bit irritating. Her not shifting kinda nails it down too

Now Enid during her second semester was known as someone you should back away from because news of how she got her alpha status spread fast and usually? its not everyday a teacher had to break apart a fight. Like they aren't that barbaric so for someone to get it from that..

yeah, yikes

but throughout the semester, enid manages to prove them wrong because while she doesn't know what to say at times, wincing over her words. The pack knows that she listens to taylor swift while working on her essays, she's so caring with the normies whenever they have to do their work immersion-

enid's sweet, she's just built to be this kind person and while she's more withdrawn, she shows parts of herself from before. You can see it in the way the twins fuck up a sweater during class and the next time, its sewed up or even when enid grumbles, she always makes sure to come with omega whenever she wants a snack run. The next day, there's a pile on the table and a note that says "so you can stop running around"

as for the nightshades.. honestly, yoko's jelly asf. Like there's something very annoying in the way twin two easily lays his arms around enid that has her remembering the way they hung out before. The way he chatters off her ear is so reminiscent that she wants to go over and wring his neck

like she's the bestie! not that irritating ass omega and certainly not an irritating shithead that looks like a lanky fucker

[knee-stockings]

So I’ve been listening to lots of podcasts at work lately to break up the monotony of my office job. Mainly they’re horror, suspense/thriller, drama, that kind of thing. Trying to give ratings without spoilers~

(Check out updated pod recs here)

The Left Right Game (a journalist investigating an urban legend that gets increasingly more dangerous as they go): 5/5, this being one of the first ones I listened to set the bar really high tbh, it was great, immersive sound design, genuinely suspenseful and creepy moments, interesting plot, my only gripe is that I didn’t love the ending but I couldn’t dock a star just for that, highly recommend, maybe I’ll retire to Wintry Bay someday 

Alice Isn’t Dead (delivery trucker goes searching for her believed dead wife, comes across supernatural towns and creatures and a conspiracy that goes way deeper than one missing woman): 5/5, so so good, enjoyed a lot, I loved learning the truth about the Thistle men, still don’t completely understand oracles but that’s okay, some delightfully creepy moments, this will be high on my recommendation list (also it’s by the Welcome to Night Vale people, which I actually haven’t listened to lmao)

Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind (it’s a Harley Quinn origin story basically): 5/5, very enjoyable, sound design great, plot was fun, I don’t know how accurate this story is to the original Harley Quinn origin story but I liked this a lot

The Burned Photo (two women try to fight a familial curse haunting their bloodlines): 4/5, not bad at all, I thought the sound design was great and immersive but I thought the monster’s voice was a bit goofy idk, the plot wasn’t bad though ofc it was pretty bittersweet and sad in the end, tho I think it was never going to be happy for everyone involved

Blackwood (group of teens investigate the town urban legend and uncover more than they bargained for): I can’t decide…3.5 maybe? It was okay. I didn’t love it or hate it, I’m pretty neutral about it. It was interesting enough

Gaslight (girl goes missing and then reappears to her best friend years later with little explanation): 3/5, feels like there should be another season, wasn’t as dramatic/suspenseful as I thought it would be (maybe that’s my own fault tho, from the description and stuff I thought there would be more to it)

Ice-Cream (teens suspect the friendly neighborhood ice cream man of abducting little kids and uncover a dark secret): 4.5/5, interesting and a lil creepy, there’s something oddly funny about hearing someone scream “fuck you Beelzebub” even in context, sound design is pretty good and voice acting is great, finale was also pretty good but I’m docking half a star bc of that very last bit and bc I said so, overall short n’ sweet, no pun intendo (I’m kinda glad that it’s only the one season and not super long, gives the feeling of not overstaying its welcome. Also in awe that they made it within like a month, gonna go listen to their other podcast Cascadia too)

Cascadia (submarine expedition to uncharted waters, gone wrong, we almost died!?): 5/5, by the Ice-Cream people so I expected great sound design and voice acting and said expectations were met tbh, yes god love the drama, ocean depths are inherently scary to me so this is top tier horror, season one was chef’s kiss beautiful and I heard season 2 is coming so I’ll be waiting eagerly for that

Listening now:

Within the Wires (season 1 is relaxation cassette tapes from another world, season 2 is a guided museum tour I think): also by the WTNV people, interesting so far, the plot that unfolded in the first season was cool to watch as it played out, but also I am so sad. I like it so far

Rabbits (girl goes searching for her friend who disappeared because of this mysterious Rabbits game): feels like a really slow start after a few episodes, I kinda wanna get to more action soon please

Wake of Corrosion (apocalypse where characters are trying to find other survivors and also answers): mild shrug, not sure what to make of it just yet. Only like 2 episodes in so I think I need to give it a bit

Ars Paradoxica (scientist accidentally invents time travel and is thrown back to the 1940s): pretty interesting so far, science is fun 

Spoiler comment for Cascadia under the cut bc it's the one I just finished and I have Thoughts

As much as I enjoyed Cascadia, when I think about the expedition for more than 2 seconds I get confused. Not the whole alien thing, that’s fine, it’s Badger and Maria and their ulterior motives. Why in the world did Badger spend millions of dollars to make a submarine that’s faulty on purpose? And there was so much media coverage around it so the second something went wrong reporters were practically beating him over the head with microphones, so why risk so much bad press? Plus sacrificing three other talented divers who trusted him with their lives??? That’s the most confusing to me. There’s no way Badger foresaw them getting attacked underwater and losing Declan alone, so he must have been fully prepared to lose captain AND crew. Holden said that he saw Badger as a father, and yet he chose Holden to die? He said he handpicked them, so what did Holden, Alia, or Iris ever do to him to deserve being sent on a suicide mission? Doing all this just to get rid of Declan and be with Maria doesn’t feel right. Feels like there should be something more there. Tldr: surely Badger had another reason for conducting the suicide mission, right? Also since season 2 starts with Lila all grown up, a diver just like her father, I wanna know her opinions of her mother and of Badger. Did she learn about her mother’s betrayal? Is Badger still involved in funding deep sea diving or did the FBI take him out of that? Omg who’s the father of her little sibling…I’m so curious…

[moonlitringss]

Lil BATB BKDK Snippet <3

Beauty and the Beast Bakudeku but it’s the library scene and Katsuki is listening to Izuku ramble about the books. I wrote what was basically a draft on discord and decided to expand it into its own lil thing. This is also one of my favorite scenes in the movie (I prefer the animated original but love both!)

✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧-✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧-✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧ A huge stack of books the human particularly enjoyed sat elsewhere on the table. Set aside for later as Izuku got right back to the shelves, Katsuki following behind. Each book was different, the green-haired man explained. In one held the story of a lonesome prince overtaken by a terrible curse. In another was an inexperienced adventurer on a quest for a rare flower, finding more than expected in the process. Sometimes Izuku read a story because he felt he related to the protagonist, sometimes because he envied their life. The freedom, the friendship, the excitement. Little things like that. Things the human brushed off with a laugh so as to not sour the mood.

And while the beast found him extremely annoying, he couldn’t help being captivated by the human and his incessant rambling. 

There were no doubt thousands of books in the prince’s library. Sure he’d skimmed through a handful and read through even less, but by no means was he a bookworm. If he wasn’t going to take interest in the library’s catalog, someone had to. Right?

Besides, Katuski never had the patience to read on his own. The thousands of stories in his library could’ve been tackled in the many years he’d been turned, but alas. Having large claws and an explosive temper meant many of these books would be destroyed the second anything pissed him off anywho.

How interesting was it the human’s love of books seemed to triumph over any fear of Katsuki as well. 

Still was the human chatting about these books. One moment he gushed over the library’s size, comparing it to his go-to. The next he’d sift through book titles to gauge familiarity, or take out ones he knows he’ll want to read later. (Hence the pile on the table). Every time the stack proved too heavy (despite Izuku insisting he could carry it), the blond beast snatched them to carry himself. ‘So you don’t fall and break anything’ was his excuse. The human simply chuckled in amusement, as the prince’s tail’s slow wags contrasted his harsh nature.

Izuku only quieted when Katsuki deemed he’d chosen enough books (for a lifetime). That, and Izuku was more than impatient to dive into a new book. Seated at the table, a book in hand, Izuku beamed. He was ready to begin when the chair beside him scooted back in a silencing screech, seating the beastly prince. 

At first, Izuku didn’t mind. Smiling so bright as he quickly delved into the story of his book. The silence was comfortable, at least on his end. The beast’s hoarse breathing proved to be nothing but white noise.

Izuku could read among the loud and the quiet alike, although he preferred the latter. There, he wouldn’t have to worry about the peering judgy eyes of his town. Immersion in his story constantly broken by snide whispers. It got to him more than he’d like to admit. Maybe that’s another reason why he envied the lives of these characters. Why his nose was constantly buried in pages.

“Something wrong with the book? Don’t tell me the story’s shit after 2 pages.” Katsuki rumbled. Izuku jolted. “What do you-” “You stopped smiling.” The beast stated.

“Oh! I didn’t realize, sorry.” The human smiled, but it was feigned. He may have been a stranger to Katsuki, but even he knew the grin shown now couldn’t compare to the one just minutes prior. Katsuki wanted that one back.

Katsuki huffed. Hard enough to blow forward some of the book’s pages and Izuku’s curly bangs. He wouldn’t say Izuku had nothing to apologize for, because he should apologize for losing that damn smile. The prince wondered how he could get it back.

“Just get back to reading. And out loud. You being all quiet is annoying.” 

Izuku laughed. He couldn’t help but find the beast’s oddly directed anger charming. The few pages read flipped back to the first. Izuku didn’t mind restarting. Only a little of what he read was retained anyway.

As soon as he began to read, the beast’s demeanor shifted and softened. Intense red eyes softly watched the human read. The beast was paying attention to the story, yes, but not nearly as much as he was watching the man reading to him.

Occasionally did the prince’s mind wander away from the story and onto his reader. The way Izuku read wasn’t monotone by any means. His tone rose at the mention of action, and calmed at the solemn moments. Any dialogue he read felt genuine. The characters were easily distinguishable by the voices Izuku gave them. (Katsuki thought it was cheesy). If not by his voice, then Izuku’s expressions gave way to the mood of the book.

His eyes twinkled from the sparks of hope. Tears blurred twinkles when hope seems lost. Sometimes his smile would go too. As he read, Katsuki wondered if Izuku was the same way when he read to himself. Or was he playing it up to keep the beast interested.  

Izuku’s gesture was one Katsuki couldn’t fathom. The staff of the castle treated him well, they cared. They had also been there not only when the curse was cast, but for the prince’s whole life. They knew him from his earliest days and watched him grow into the man, and beast, he’s become. To Katsuki, his staff weren’t merely staff, but family. Although he’d never admit it. 

Yet this complete stranger, one he’d only yelled at and threatened, sat beside him, at ease. Katsuki made him a prisoner. He fully intended to keep the human in that barred cell with just enough food to keep him alive. Fueled by his own misery and anger. Nearly every interaction the two had was filled with such negativity. He’s scared Izuku away. Literally sent him running. Even after saving him from wolves did Katsuki roar at the one who was only trying to help. So with all of that, how could he sit here and read to Katsuki with no ounce of fear or frustration present? Why? 

Katsuki had no idea. And for that moment, he didn’t really care. 

All the beast wanted to do, all the beast did, was lay with his head in his arms, and watch the green-haired man read with the fondest eyes he’d given anything in 10 years.

✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧-✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧-✧･ﾟ-✧･ﾟ-･ﾟ✧

[rosalindwrites]

Hello! I stumbled across your blog and I love your Yugioh writings! (I haven't thought about Yugioh in years and then suddenly it dug its claws into me this year~)

If you take requests, can I request Aster or Zane in a meet-cute situation please~?

Hi!!! I'm so glad you like my stories! I, too, had not thought of Yugioh in a very long time but recently got back into it while nostalgia-watching old shows. Thanks for your request, had fun picking a lil meet-cute scenario - I decided to choose Aster since I hadn't written for him yet and he's always been a fave of mine. Hope you enjoy <3 :)

Coaster of Coincidence

Pairing- Aster Phoenix x Reader

Word count- like 700

Summary- Fate leads to you and Aster being stuck on the top of a rollercoaster together, cuteness ensues

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the sprawling Kaiba Land amusement park. You, a devoted duelist, had decided to take a break from the intense dueling scene and immerse yourself in the lighthearted atmosphere of the theme park. As you walked around, your eyes widened with excitement at the sight of the towering rollercoasters and vibrant arcade games. You had always been drawn to adrenaline-pumping rides, like a moth to a flame. Kaiba Land was known for its crazy dueling-themed rides, and you couldn’t resist the temptation to experience them all.

Aster Phoenix, the world-renowned professional duelist (that you, admittedly, were a big fan of), had also chosen that particular day to take a break from the competitive scene. As fate would have it, both of you found yourselves standing in the same line for the most formidable rollercoaster in the park— The Blue Eyes Jet Coaster.

The rollercoaster was notorious for its twists, turns, and exhilarating 350-foot drop that made it a must-try for duelists and amusement park enthusiasts alike. The line snaked its way through a maze of barriers, and you couldn't help but feel the anticipation building as you approached the ride's entrance.

Unbeknownst to both of you, fate had a plan in store. As you both approached the entrance of the rollercoaster, the attendants ushered you into the same line. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as riders chatted nervously about the twists and turns awaiting them.

The line moved steadily, and before you knew it, you found yourself seated in the cart next to Aster. The restraints clicked into place, and the ride began its ascent, slowly climbing higher and higher. The view from the top was breathtaking, with the entire amusement park spread out below like a miniature world.

As the roller coaster crested the peak, ready to plummet into a series of exhilarating loops and turns, the unexpected happened. A mechanical glitch caused the ride to come to a sudden halt, leaving you and Aster suspended at the highest point of the coaster. Nervous murmurs and uneasy laughter filled the air as the riders realized they were stuck.

You turned to Aster, who met your gaze with a calm expression. "Looks like we're in for an unexpected duel of patience," he remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

You chuckled nervously, "I hope it doesn't take too long to fix. I had my eye on that Marshmallon-themed ice cream stand."

Aster raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Marshmallon-themed ice cream, huh? Sounds like my kind of treat. What’s your favorite flavor?”

And so, amidst the suspended animation of the roller coaster, a conversation sparked. You found yourselves sharing stories of your most memorable duels and favorite decks. The initial awkwardness melted away, replaced by a growing sense of camaraderie.

Time seemed to stretch as the maintenance crew worked on resolving the issue. But rather than growing frustrated, you and Aster discovered the joy of each other's company. Laughter echoed in the air as you swapped dueling strategies and debated the merits of different card combos.

Eventually, the roller coaster started moving again, and the ride resumed its course. As the adrenaline-fueled twists and turns played out, you couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration that went beyond the ride itself. The unexpected roller coaster malfunction had become the catalyst for a connection neither of you had anticipated.

As the ride came to a smooth stop, you and Aster exited with smiles on your faces. The sun had begun to set, casting the amusement park in hues of pink and orange. Aster turned to you, his expression warm and genuine.

“So,” he said, his eyes reflecting the colors of the sunset, “Ice cream?”

You smiled and nodded, realizing that this chance encounter had transformed a regular day at the amusement park into a memorable experience. As you and Aster continued to explore the park together, the roller coaster incident became the first chapter in a story that promised more thrilling twists and turns ahead.

Unexpected adventures really do make for the best stories.

[mothwingwritings]

I hope I’m not the only one here on your blog just for the Tokyo revengers content because I never watched Baki should i thought??

I have been very Baki focused as of late, huh? ^^; You are def not the only TokRev fan though, I assure you!  My first really sizable chunk of followers came from my Taiju fic, and though I have been slacking a bit on posting anything TokRev related, I promise you much more is planned/being written currentl. A large chunk of bigger fics I am working on are actually mostly TokRev, I just wanted a lil break and so I focused on smaller stuff for a bit, and pretty much all of that happened to be Baki.

Now, as for if you should watch Baki…

Short answer: Yes!  :D

Thoughtful answer: I think Baki is a very interesting take on the fighting genre, and I do highly recommend it. The saga of the Hanma family is as engrossing as it is entertaining, and there is a colorful cast of characters that support the series that you can’t help but love, hate, or love to hate. I have been kind of waiting for a Baki renaissance for a while now-I feel like other than in Japan, it really isn’t a super popular series and that’s a bit of a shame because it truly is an entertaining watch/read. The Netflix adaptation I think has helped the series a lot (and we are all grateful for it, to see our lovely boys animated so beautifully :)) and put it on the map for newer audiences to enjoy, but I definitely recommend the manga too. It’s a pretty fast read because a large chunk of it is action, but it’s pretty cool to see how Itagaki’s art has changed over the years and also how he has grown and changed as a story teller. Earlier Baki is much different than newer Baki, and some of the characters feel a bit foreign when you go back and reread some of the earlier stuff after being immersed in the newer content.

 Baki also has some very bizarre and downright comical aspects as well that kind of put it on par with JJBA  while making it very charming. The mangaka def adds some quirky flairs to his story telling, which while sometimes I can get a little annoyed/bored/confused with them, I feel like overall they make the experience of watching/reading the series its own unique and fun experience.

And if you love delinquents, Kaoru Hanayama is like… one of the best and coolest delinquents. If you put that man in Toman he would be running the whole gang within days and 90% of the bullshit everyone had to go through in Tokrev probs would have been resolved fairly quickly, if it even happened at all. This man would grind Kisaki to paste in the blink of an eye and I would pay to see it happen. :)

THAT ALL BEING SAID: Not everyone likes Baki, and that’s fine too. I know personally a lot of people are turned off by the art/how the characters look and honestly… That’s valid lol. I remember I once showed my friend a picture of Biscuit and her direct response was “Why does he look like he’s made out of balloons, like a clown constructed him?” LOOOL and often times if my friends mention weird body proportions in comics/manga someone inevitable asks when I am gonna chime in with a Baki manga panel. ^^;  Most of the rest of my friends don’t really have any desire to partake in it though, and a few that have just really weren’t in to it. It’s very heavy on fighting and martial arts, and though the fighting is rather fantastical in a lot of cases, it (usually) doesn’t have supernatural elements or magic involved. So if that seems kind of bleh to you, you may want to avoid it.

Horny answer: Incredibly sexy men who are at least half naked a large majority of the time beating the shit out of each other is very fun, nice, and fulfilling to watch. :)

So I say give it a try if you are interested at all. At the very least, some of the fics on here may make a little more sense.

REGARDLESS THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!! Please stay tuned for more TokRev in the future, I have at least one more alphabet ask that is for a Tokrev chara so that may be the first thing I post, but bigger stuff is coming soon too~ <3

[m-ilkiee]

YOOOO I LOVE IT!! ITS JUST SO GOOD 😭😭

I love How reader don’t wanna take Bonten crap and all that, she’s just too good!

Can reader take a break from getting insulted and treated like shi? I just wanna hug her and whoop their asses!

Ngl i felt tension when she sat between Mikey and Sanzu.

Mikey a jerk 😭 and that lil after is 👌🏻

I love it! Your stories are just so amazing and you never fail to make me feel like i was in it and it felt real!

And I hope reader don’t get a bad ending please! 😭😭🙏🏻🙏🏻

First of all, thank you so much for liking it. It's been a while since I touched the draft and my creativity has been waxing and waning because of how tough school is. You saying my story is immersive really makes doing all this worth it.

Secondly, yup Reader in simple terms is a 'girl boss' at least to anyone that isn't in the inner circle. However, she's far more complex and even more assertive and flawed than many readers I've written in the past. Her relationship with each of the Bonten members is an intertwined web of deceit, betrayal and generational trauma.

As for a good ending, I know in the summary I said she will come out on top, but being on top doesn't mean she's happy.

[therecordconnection]

Ranting and Raving: "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang

Recently, I started reading The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop, a really great book by Jonathan Abrams that came out back in October last year. It’s a thorough work, taking its time to really cover the genre, from all its major landmarks (New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, the Midwest, etc.) and most of its major players are interviewed and represented in it. I really recommend it if you’re someone who doesn’t know a lot of the deep lore surrounding hip-hop’s history (like me) and you’re looking to learn more.

2023 marked the year of hip-hop’s fiftieth anniversary and it’s done a lot of well-earned celebrating throughout. There were tons of retrospectives done, the Grammys held a live concert to honor the occasion, and many Spotify playlists were made to help a new generation of hip-hop lovers go back and become immersed in the full history. It’s a good thing that the fiftieth anniversary had so much dedicated to it and people could enjoy looking back, because this year has been very strange for the genre in terms of mainstream Billboard chart success.

From August 2022 to August 2023, no rap song topped the Hot 100 chart, which hasn’t happened for twenty-three years. Rappers were still very much successful and there were still albums that hit the top of the album charts (Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape, Travis Scott’s Utopia, Drake’s For All the Dogs topped it twice) but there was no single song that topped the Hot 100. That dry spell finally ended when Doja Cat managed to break the slump with “Paint the Town Red,” which became a number one hit back in September. In a year where Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift reigned supreme with no end in sight (especially if you’re Taylor Swift), it was almost a good thing that hip-hop was able to focus on looking back and enjoying how far it's come and celebrate all that the genre has achieved in such a short time.

Anyway, as I was reading the first chapters of The Come Up, which focus on hip-hop’s birth in the Bronx and how it grew out of New York and out of the block parties DJ Kool Herc was throwing in 1973, I was captivated. As I kept going though, there was one thing I kept wondering about.

When do the Sugarhill Gang enter into the story?

When I was young, I had always been under the impression that the Sugarhill Gang were among the first rap pioneers, more or less believing they were the first MCs to spit into the mic and bring hip-hop into the world. They... kinda did, but also not really. They were responsible for playing a major part in the genre becoming the cultural juggernaut we recognize it as today, but as for pioneers? Your mileage will vary on that and I hope that’ll become clear soon as we start discussing them. 

Now, I want it to be known that being a white guy from Bumfuck Nowhere, Pennsylvania, my hip-hop history knowledge has always had giant gaps in it that I’ve only been starting to fill up in recent years. I imagine for many others like myself, they’re only just now really learning the history of hip-hop’s birth in the Bronx and what the first MCs unleashed. If you’re not much of a reader, Netflix’s Hip-Hop Evolution is a really great series that covers a ton of that early history. Charlie Ahern’s 1982 film Wild Style also serves as a historical time capsule of that history as it was being written. The Sugarhill Gang get discussed in Hip-Hop Evolution’s second episode, but they’re nowhere to be found in Wild Style.

So, as I was learning about hip-hop and rap’s origins in New York, eventually the Sugarhill Gang did make an appearance. What I ended up learning gave me an entirely new fascination with a song that up until recently I had just found enjoyable and didn’t think too much of. “Rapper’s Delight” is such a fascinating song. Let me count the ways. Why don’t we start with who the Sugarhill Gang are?

The story of the Sugarhill Gang begins with a woman named Sylvia Robinson, often dubbed the “Mother of Hip-Hop.” A shrewd businesswoman, she was the head of All Platinum Records, a label that started in and ran through the seventies (Sugarhill Records, where “Rapper’s Delight” was released, was a subsidiary of All Platinum and formed in order to focus on the emerging rap scene). Robinson was also a musician herself, being one half of the guitar duo Mickey and Sylvia, scoring a hit in 1956 with “Love is Strange” (a song you definitely know if you’ve seen Dirty Dancing). Sylvia herself also had a hit in 1973 with the song “Pillow Talk.” Robinson has lived a life that goes beyond the scope of our subject today, so we’ll stick with knowing her as a businesswoman. If you want to learn more about Robinson’s story, this Billboard piece on her from 2019 is a good place to start.

In 1979, All Platinum was facing bankruptcy and was in desperate need of a smash hit in order to save it. Robinson had agreed to attend a party at Harlem World, a popular disco club in the late seventies and early eighties at 116th & Lenox Ave, in Harlem. Abrams tells the story of how Robinson first discovered the music that could save her label in The Come Up:

“Robinson witnessed Lovebug Starski work the turntables and the crowd into a frenzy with his call-and-responses. Robinson wanted to capture the music and release it commercially. When Lovebug Starski declined the arrangement, Robinson went on a hunt for other artists.”

Robinson’s search for talent, led by her son Joey Robinson, Jr., took them to a pizza parlor in New Jersey. It still exists today. It’s Crispy Crust Pizza in Englewood, NJ (the surviving members of the Gang are interviewed there in Netflix’s Hip-Hop Evolution). The story goes like this: 

The Sugarhill Gang are made up of three guys: Michael Wright (“Wonder Mike”), Henry Jackson (*Big Bank Hank”), and Guy O’ Brien (“Master Gee”). Robinson only came to hear Big Bank spit, but Wonder Mike and Master Gee also auditioned for her. Unable to make a decision on which one to go with, she ultimately decided to say “fuck it!” and made them a trio. 

It’s the best decision she could’ve made.

They auditioned on a Friday night and by Monday they were in the studio cutting the track. The three guys just kept passing the mic to one another and eventually the full song wound up being fifteen minutes long. 

We’ll get into the rhymes a bit later, but now that we’re familiar with the gang, we should cover what “Rapper’s Delight” ended up being the first of. Hip-hop may have already existed in the Bronx and New York scene for about six years before the gang came along and scored a bonafide hit, but the song does have legitimate cred. It’s the first rap song that made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 and the first rap song to break into the Top 40. It paved the way for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to get onto Billboard with 1982’s “The Message” (peaked at #62) and led to eventual chart dominators like Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys, which would start sprouting up a few years after the Gang made their mark. The Sugarhill Gang are also some of the first rappers to film an official music video (which is linked above at the top) and be seen performing on pre-MTV television (there are so many videos out there of them performing this on TV shows. It’s nuts). 

Listening to it, it’s not hard to understand why this song still gets written into the history books. First, this shit holds the fuck up. Second, it’s probably the easiest example to use if the aliens ever visit and Captain Cleevmorp asks, “W h a t i s t h i s t h i n g y o u c a l l . . . ‘r a p m u s i c’?” It’s ripping off a disco song that was barely three months old at the time (“Good Times” was released June 4th, 1979, “Rapper’s Delight” appeared September 16th, 1979) but at its core, it’s a rap song and nobody could mistake it for anything else. Did I mention this is ripping off a disco song that was barely three months old at the time? I feel like that’s an important part of the story.

Do you like “Good Times” by Chic? If you do, then hoo boy, do I have the song for you! I don’t think I’m blowing any minds here when I say that musically, “Rapper’s Delight” is quite literally just three guys rapping over an instrumental version of “Good Times” by Chic. I feel the need to stress that it is NOT a sample of “Good Times,” though you would be forgiven for thinking it is. “Rapper’s Delight” came out during a time when the technology for rap sampling and looping didn’t exist yet, so the production team behind “Rapper’s Delight” had to bring in session guys to recreate the song from scratch. They did such a good job recreating it, Nile Rodgers (guitarist) and Bernard Edwards (bassist) from Chic threatened to sue them. They eventually settled out of court, getting co-writing credits on the song and, according to the Library of Congress, “a substantial undisclosed amount of money made off of album sales and performances.” 

Chic won, but Curtis Brown, better known as New York rapper Grandmaster Caz, didn’t. Now might be a good time to start talking about the lyrics to the song.

For brevity’s sake, we will not be going over all fifteen minutes of this thing (I’ve never made it through the entire song. It just goes on-and-and-on-and-on-on-and-on). Rather, we’re going to focus on most single/video versions of the song and just cover the most important parts. 

Wonder Mike is the first one up. Equipped with a friendly voice and a smooth delivery, he spits some of the most important opening lines in rap history.

I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie The hip hip hop and you don't stop the rockin' To the bang-bang, boogie, say up jump the boogie To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

According to Mike in Hip Hop Evolution, these are the lines he used when auditioning with Sylvia Robinson. Those four lines alone tell you everything you need to know about rap flow and delivery. It’s obviously very primitive compared to what MCs are doing now (and even what MCs were doing when this song got big) but to an unsuspecting audience outside of New York that had no idea what the hell rap was at all, those lines are an immediate attention grabber. I’ve always adored the line that comes after those initial four: “Now, what you hear is not a test I'm rappin' to the beat.” It’s a great way to present something strange and new to an audience without alienating them or scaring them away. People in 1979 had long known about disco and would’ve recognized the music immediately, but the rapping part was a new ballgame and Mike’s delivery in the opening verse lays down the framework for the rest of the song. At its core, “Rapper’s Delight” is a laid back and fun party anthem and he immediately sets that tone with his opening verse. He’s a good straight man compared to the goofy braggadocio that starts immediately once he passes it to Big Bank Hank. 

If “Rapper’s Delight” is beloved, it’s because Big Bank comes in and just kills it from the moment he steps up to the mic. The man just sells it and then some. He’s got great flow, a fun loving attitude, tons of style, and a goofy but confident swagger completely on lock. Depending on the version you’re listening to, he’s going for almost two minutes straight with barely any breaks. For one of the first rap songs ever put to vinyl, it’s an impressive feat. He’s got a lot of really great rhymes too.

It’s just a shame he didn’t write a lot of them...

Remember when I said Chic won their lawsuit threat but Grandmaster Caz didn’t end up being so lucky? That’s because a good chunk of the rhymes Big Bank is using are actually Caz’s and it wasn’t a secret to the New York rappers hearing it at the time. 

One dead giveaway is in this line: “The women fight for my delight / But I'm the grandmaster with the three MCs.” Three MCs, huh? But there’s only three of you. There would have to be four of you in order for that line to work. It worked when Caz said that as part of the group Cold Crush Brothers, because there were four of them. Another Caz line is near the beginning of Big Bank’s first verse: “Check it out, I'm the C-A-S-A-N, the O-V-A / And the rest is F-L-Y.” “Casanova” was a nickname of Caz’s. Caz reveals more stolen rhymes and where Big Bank got them from when interviewed for The Come Up:

“Sometimes I’ve been misquoted, and then sometimes I’ve made the mistake of saying I wrote all of Big Bank Hank’s lines for ‘Rapper’s Delight.’ What I meant is his verses. I meant his rhymes. But the little bridges, the hook, that’s DJ Hollywood. That, ‘Imp the Dimp, the ladies’ pimp. The women fight for my . . ., that’s Rahiem from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Those two things, I didn’t write, but the full rhymes he says, ‘I’m the C-A-S-AN, the O-V-A from the time I was only six years old’ and then the Superman and Lois Lane, I wrote all of that.” 

Whether Big Bank got to see a book of Caz’s rhymes and learn them from reading that is up for debate. Caz claims in both The Come Up and Hip-Hop Evolution that Hank didn’t have to study. He knew them all just from knowing Caz and being around him. If you want to hear Caz get bitter about it (which he has every right to be) he addressed this issue of plagiarism in 2000 with the song “MC Delight” (“the cat who bit this rhyme was my manager, pure treason I'll tell you why...”). 

It does take the wind out of the sails a bit when you learn Big Bank cribbed from other rappers for “Rapper’s Delight,” because he’s a very fun and energetic performer with a great voice and great flow, but once you learn the rhymes were stolen from guys who would never get any of the glory of “the first rap hit,” you start to feel bad and look at Big Bank as nothing more than a thief. It blows. New York DJ Grandmixer DXT voices the backlash and problematic nature of getting caught ripping somebody else off in Hip-Hop Evolution:

"Hank was saying a rhyme that we was hearing at the parties already, and he's saying somebody else's rhyme. And for us, that's a catastrophic no-no. There were people who would get beat up for saying somebody's rhyme. And here's a record where this guy bites and actually records it. Like, that was just the worst thing ever."

It goes without saying that the biggest problem with Hank ripping off rap’s founding fathers in the Bronx is that the Sugarhill Gang gets credit for being the first rap stars when one of them is pretty shamelessly ripping off lines from every rapper he heard in New York. There’s no evidence that everything in Hank’s verses are ripped off from somewhere, but there’s evidence of plagiarism all the same. Luckily, Master Gee and Wonder Mike’s parts are both authentic as well as fully written by them. Which is good because once Gee takes over from Big Bank, he takes a little time to get going, but eventually starts feeling himself and really starts delivering some Grade-A stuff. Most of his lines are either about bragging about his status as a ladies man, observations about the listener dancing to the music, and how he’s the youngest member of the three, but can still keep up with the best of them. I do like that his first brag is how he goes by the “unforgettable name” of Master Gee. Personally, I actually think all three of their names are pretty dumb and lame as far as rap names go, but they’re among some of the first rappers so it’s not like they had any way to avoid that.

Master Gee’s most impressive moment is this verse right here, written out in full:

I got a little face and a pair of brown eyes All I'm here to do, ladies, is hypnotize Singin' on-and-and-on-and-on-on-and-on The beat don't stop until the break of dawn Singin' on-and-and-on-and-on-on-and-on Like a hot buttered pop-da-pop-da-pop, dibbie dibbie Pop-da-pop-pop, you don't dare stop Come alive, y'all, gimme whatcha got

It’s stuff that’s downright corny by today’s standards, but Gee’s ability to spit all that without getting tongue-tied is more than I can say for myself. He’s got really great control; all three of them do. Mike, Big Bank, and Gee each deliver their parts like a never-ending party and when you listen to the full version of the song (that fifteen minute monster!) it has the feel of a party where you and your friends are just shooting the shit and passing around a blunt or something to each other. The three of them all seem like friends that are collectively goofballs just having a good time, which is one reason why I think the song has enjoyed the long life it’s had.

I also think the reason this song has lived so long is because white people LOVE this song. Of course they do! It’s a pretty sanitized version of the kind of music that was being made in New York at the time. There’s no message to it, no commentary about social issues, or even using old records in a creative way like the DJs of the day had been doing. Everything about this song was specifically engineered to be commercially viable, right down to completely ripping off a song that had already been a hit less than four months beforehand.

A mainstream audience (read: white) was absolutely slammed with pretty much nothing but disco for most of 1977, all of 1978, and most of 1979 before a bunch of people finally snapped and held a massive bonfire in Chicago about it. “Good Times” was something they already knew and something disco lovers still enjoyed, so you could ease them into this strange new thing called “rappin’ to the beat” and they would understand it without being confused. To most, it was probably just a different style of disco song at the time. It wouldn’t be until the mid-eighties when people would start to begin to understand a better definition for what rap is.

Obviously, the song has a wide appeal and white people really enjoying it isn’t the only reason, but that definitely plays a major factor. You’re looking at the song that inadvertently launched a thousand novelty rap songs in the eighties, all featuring white guys who should’ve never been allowed to be anywhere near a rap song. Rodney Dangerfield with “Rappin’ Rodney,” the Beach Boys with the Fat Boys on “Wipeout,” Joe Piscopo doing “Honeymooners Rap” with Eddie Murphy, and, lest we forget "The Super Bowl Shuffle" by The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew. What I’m trying to get at is this: The Sugarhill Gang made it so that if they, three dorks from New Jersey working in a pizza parlor, can rap, you probably can figure it out too. Adding to the “White People Have Propped This Song Up as a Monument” theory is how many things have referenced this song over the years. Here’s a Homer Simpson toy that raps the song and dances to it. The grandmother from The Wedding Singer famously does it (also adding to the “elderly women rapping” trope). Jimmy Fallon once had somebody cut and splice NBC anchors Brian Williams and Lester Holt rapping the song. Kid Rock’s breakout 1999 hit “Bawitdaba” references the song in its chorus (“Bawitdaba, da bang, da dang diggy diggy / Diggy, said the boogie, said up jump the boogie”). And there’s of course the famous 2002 Las Ketchup song “Asereje,” though you probably know it better as “The Ketchup Song,” which is about someone who goes to the club and asks the DJ to play "Rapper's Delight" and sings along in gibberish because he doesn't know the English lyrics. The point is that this song has been propped up by a lot of people who should NOT be considered rappers (yes, that includes Kid Rock).

I think the first time I ever started to have suspicions that the song wasn’t universally adored was when I watched In Living Color for the first time. There’s a sketch in the first season where Keenan Ivory Wayans plays Jesse Jackson and goes for the joke that everyone used to make about him: That he speaks in rhymes, almost like he’s a real life version of Gruntilda the witch from Banjo-Kazooie. Anyway, there’s a sketch where Jackson is giving his final State of the Union address (in the world of this sketch, he beat George H. W. Bush in ‘92 and has been president for eight years) and gives his address in the most basic AA BB CC rhyme scheme that wouldn’t look out of place in a children’s book. After a few of them, Wayans-as-Jackson breaks and quickly says: “Hip hop, you don't stop the rockin' / To the bang-bang, boogie, the beat,” which I took to be an insult that the rhymes in that song were just as basic as anything Jackson had ever said. The idea that “Rapper’s Delight” was wack was something I think I had already known in the back of my head but didn’t want to say because I thought that would just make me sound like a guy who hates fun. But, upon reading and hearing testimonies from the founding fathers of rap in New York, I realized that the big sin of “Rapper’s Delight” wasn’t that it was wack...

Its biggest sin was that it was made by a bunch of posers.

Sylvia Robinson didn’t know anything about the hip-hop and rap scene developing in New York, but she knew it was something that could be monetized if it was done and presented in the right way. Wonder Mike and Master Gee weren’t real rappers with any credibility, they were just guys working in a pizza parlor in New Jersey who were given the opportunity of a lifetime. Big Bank was the only one who could lay claim to having connections in the Bronx. He grew up there, worked the doors at famous Bronx nightclub The Sparkle, and also served as a manager for Grandmaster Caz (whom he would later rip off). “Rapper’s Delight” wasn’t made by starving artists who were pivotal to creating a new scene, it was made by a bunch of posers who had everything to gain from it. New York rappers interviewed in The Come Up knew this and were justifiably pissed about the song. The only testimony that was kind to them came from Kool Moe Dee, who understood the backlash as well as the song being embraced by white America.

“I understood why there was a lot of MCs at the time that didn’t like it, because I just think the social construct of oppression puts us against each other in many ways. In my opinion, many African Americans have a hard time giving other African Americans credit for achieving because so much of white America accepted that record and they started to define it from their perspective. And we’re saying we’ve already been here; it’s not new. So a backlash was on Sugar Hill that wasn’t deserved because they didn’t ask for it. ... So it was never not really hip-hop. We just had gotten more lyrically sophisticated at that time and the record was a great record. And looking back, if it wasn’t for Sugar Hill, we might not have an industry as prominent as we have because of the success of ‘Rapper’s Delight.’”

Kool Moe is right. It wasn’t their fault that “Rapper’s Delight” took off the way it did. Robinson was cashing in on what she saw as “the new thing” and wanted in. The song taking off the way it did happened the way a lot of hits happen: it was the right song with the right artists at the right place at the right time. “Rapper’s Delight” has stuck around the way it has because it captures a beautiful moment where music history is at a crossroads. The golden age of disco is going to be gone when the ball drops on January 1st, 1980, but rap music is only just getting started and by the end of the eighties it will begin its big mainstream explosion and keep going from there. 

“Rapper’s Delight” captures rap in its beautiful infancy. What it lacks in authenticity, it makes up for by being representative of what was going on at the time. It’s a time capsule. No matter which version of this song you choose, it sounds like a never ending party that everyone is invited to and a party where everyone is your friend. It’s fun, it’s infectious, and the three hosts are entertaining as hell as they pass the mic back and forth and keep the party going. Mike, Hank, and Gee created a fun rap song for beginners: it’s a very easy song to understand sonically and it’s an easy song to learn how to rap along to. The rhymes aren’t super complicated and the most you’d have to learn and work out is how to get the flow right and how to not trip over the words. If you can master Wonder Mike’s opening lines (if a Homer Simpson toy can do it, so can you!) the rest comes easy. Learning Big Bank and Master Gee’s parts aren’t complicated either and it becomes fun to recite along with them once you start getting it down. The beat of “Good Times” is very easy to keep up with and follow so that helps it as an excellent beginner song. Despite the criticisms against it, “Rapper’s Delight” still stands as a fantastic party song and it’s not hard to see why people still enjoy getting down to it even now. If you play it at the right party, you’ll hear a whole room recite the lyrics and just have fun with it. Hip-hop and Rap started life as block parties DJ Kool Herc was throwing in ‘73 and the Sugarhill Gang continued that tradition by capturing that party on vinyl. The rap world has changed in many ways since the Gang started rappin’ to the beat, but it keeps its status as a legendary rap song because it’s the party rap song that all party rap songs aspire to. Forget authenticity and leave your notions about “what rap really is about” at the door and just let loose. With the Sugarhill Gang, the party goes on-and-and-on-and-on-and-on

And the beat don't stop until the break of dawn.

[prettyboykatsuki]

i had rlly big plans to write a lil smth smth during this summer break but everytime i opened my word document i just felt stuck? or frustrated with what i was writing not immedistely being the actual finished product in my head. i know logically that it takes rounds of rewriting, editing & rereading to fix pacing or to let things flow cohesively after the fact so idk why its so hard to just Write and let whatever comes come😕 any tips or ways to reevaluate?

i know this is gonna sound counter intuitive but like. straight up dont think about it for a while. sometimes writing feels like dragging your feet through the mud and thats okay but other times and i think in the cause you feel stuck - it's better to give a hard stop and circle back to it

writing is hard and sort of grueling but i think when you're like using all of your brain power - it's easy to exhaust your creative energy. i think sometimes the hyping up takes too much of u so to speak. i would say put it to bed for a good long while first

and then like. ease back into writing. edge yourself a bit creatively. make mood boards and playlists and daydream but Don't Write. immerse yourself in the story first without actually touching and let the creativity flow back in.

[sharpth1ng]

Bruh why am I always drawn to fics with internalized homophobia in it surely that’s not normal 💀 anyways thanks for feeding my need for billy and Stu’s homosexual love ❤️

Lmao idk pal. I think for me it feels a lil more true/allows a bit more character growth. Things are a lot better now (in some places) but even in the 2010s most people just like, were not out until after high school because the homophobia was wild (don’t even get me started on the transphobia). I wasn’t out in high school and I pretty much only dated in secret for a good while, so it can feel a little immersion breaking when it’s super easy.

But also sometimes you just wanna read about a world where you could date anyone and it’s chill and no one cares and that’s good too.

I also think its compelling to see a character come around to accepting themselves, and that’s def something I’m trying to do some of with Billy. Lmao there you go, some overly long musings on internalized homophobia in fiction.

And thank you so much for reading!!