#but release new merch of him like every month???

[redthemarten]

I can't... get over the new Wrio plushie... in his lil' overallsies... and his lil' shark hoodie... all covered in Melusine stickers...... Hoyo has no mercy upon my soul

[skyenish]

Mr. Loverman | Scarabia animatic 🐍☀️

——

Something something happy pride month

(Ramble under the cut)

Since I���m drawing Jamil and Kalim to like every romance song in existence, of course I had to draw them to mr. Lovernan; its only natural! And this song fits them so well too… the ways that Kalim talks to Jamil are so sickenly sweet and loving, they make Jamil wish he was gone. I think it’s so perfect to have that one voiceline where Kalim says Jamil’s name, but not with his usual trust or love or kindness, but rather with disbelief, fear, and confusion. That way the song can have a double meaning for them! Kalim’s sweet words make Jamil sick, but when Jamil’s plans fell apart and Kalim called out for him, confused and refusing to believe that his closest companion would betray him, it still makes Jamil’s stomach churn. I bet that sometimes Jamil wishes Kalim could just shut up.

But Jamil still cares about Kalim, still remembers when they were friends. Their relationship is complex, and though he hates it, I think he still does love and care deeply about Kalim, but all those feelings are just in a very weird and difficult place. I absolutely adore that double meaning! The ways in which Kalim talks to Jamil makes Jamil feel a lot of things, negative, positive, and he hates it. But “wishing i were gone” and “running on and on” can apply to both his negative feelings of desperation, hatred, loathing and disgust, and also those feelings that deep inside make him wish their situations were different, that things didn’t end up like this. Jamil lies a lot, also to himself, and all his feelings are so tangled and stuck (dude is super emotionally constipated and needs therapy fr). I LOVE the character development Jamil and Kalim got in book 6 and 7, because they’re slowly making their way towards building a healthier, mutual relationship, and I’m so happy for them! I will be eagerly awaiting the day their relationship is fixed, and they’re happy with themselves, eachother, and life

As always, please remember that these are just MY interpretations of and takes on these characters! If you disagree or want to share your own interpretations, thats valid, and please do share! I love to read analysises and rambles! :)

——

Drawing has been really difficult again; im busy with school and I can’t get myself motivated to draw. Social Media has also been bumming me out. I’m really sensitive, and there’s been a lot of negativity on my fyps and timelines, which has just killed my mood. Good news also though- the twst anime finally got a release date??! I have been waiting for this for YEARS, and I can’t wait to see our boys animated and for the fandom to grow and for new merch! There’ll be so much more cool fanart, new character discussions and analysises, new people who get to experience twst for the first time!

Kalim is such a cutie, he’s so fun to draw! (Until suddenly my hands decide they don’t know how to draw him anymore).

(GUYS HAVE YOU SEEN THE UPCOMING CATER CARD??? IM NOT OKAY HE LOOKS SO GOOD AFHAGSGDHJ)

[lovecla]

IF YOU LOVE ME, LET ME KNOW | jack hughes.

chapter ten:

<last chapter> <epilogue>

➴ warnings: none :)

➴ word count: 1k

➴ author’s note: and finally, the last chapter of IYLM,LMK. this one’s a bit shorter but i wrote a longer epilogue for you guys :) i���ve been writing stories since i was ten years old but this is the first time i finish the entire thing and actually like it. don’t know how to thank each and every one of you for reading what i write and for appreciating it as much as i do. but thank you.

liked by jackhughes, tyla, nicohischier and 3,798,012 others

sophiamontenegro make me yours is officially, well, yours now!!!!

every time i release something i feel extremely lucky and grateful, no matter what. today, i'm more than happy to share this part of me with you all. we've been working on this album for a whole year now and it's insane how much things can change in such a short amount of time.

i've learned a lot about myself during this whole process and it's crazy yet so rewarding. this album is a message to everyone i love and to young sophia, specially.

hope u enjoy!!!!! 💙

View all 13,086 comments

morgan.grace Soph, i can’t tell you how PROUD i am. I’ve known you for almost six years now, and i pray every. Single. Day. That we have the rest of our lives together. I love you so much! Happy horny album day! 💙

sophiamontenegro morgan.grace i love u

user1 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

user12 Jack can u fight lol

ellievlasic woaaaaaaah

njdevils sophia MONTENEGRO 💜

_quinnhughes Congrats Soph!

sophiamontenegro _quinnhughes thanks quinny!

lhughes_06 _quinnhughes sophiamontenegro Y’all coming for dinner tonight ?

_quinnhughes lhughes_06 You could’ve just texted

sophiamontenegro _quinnhughes jack and i are coming!!!

user5 sophiamontenegro yeah i bet u are

user3 I’m so in love with this album, horny sophia is my favorite sophia

user11 thats that me espresso indeed

jackhughes I wonder who inspired you to write these songs

user67 jackhughes crazy shit to say tbh

— ♡

IN the beginning of January, you started writing your sixth album. Well, you started writing it officially, with the help of your songwriters and producers, because truthfully, you’d been writing it since you and Jack started seeing each other— just some random lines here and there in your Notes app on your phone, that quickly turned into songs.

Months passed and life got extremely busy. People seemed to be very interested in your relationship with Jack, in a weird, almost comical way. Several social media managers have already contacted your team to ask for your participation in YouTube videos, interviews and TikToks, but you refused most of them.

You didn’t mind about talking about Jack or spending time with him in studios, but you knew it wasn’t his cup of tea— even if he never said anything— so you just tried to separate your love life from your career.

The New Jersey Devils failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Jack was really upset about it, just like Luke, Nico and the rest of the team, because despite what happened back in November, they all worked really hard.

Time passed after that, and it was summer again, one year since you and Jack started seeing each other. Sometimes, sitting on the bench at his and Quinn’s summer house, you ask yourself if things weren’t moving too fast. In less than a year, your life changed in ways you never even imagined before and you didn’t know if it was scary or not.

But whenever you thought of Jack, you remembered his thick, beautiful lashes, blond hair decorating his arms and legs, blue eyes that brought the ocean to you, smile that brightened the world.

You remembered how he took care of you, how he’d listen to your songs and recommend them to people, how he’d go to your concerts whenever he had the chance, and how he was often seen wearing your merch around town whenever the two of you weren’t together. How he’d watch you perform and congratulate you every time. How he’d spontaneously post pictures of you on his Instagram account, and how he’d reply to some of your fans' comments.

You had been right all along; Jack is your forever. He’s it for you.

You feel the sweet, cold breeze hit your face and you smile, watching as Jack, Quinn and Luke played with each other inside the lake, while Hischier talked with Ellen and Jim.

“Can you believe this is our life?” You asked, quietly.

“Actually, yeah, I can,” Grace replied beside you, laughing. “The only crazy thing about this is us falling in love with hockey players. Didn’t see that coming.”

“Right,” you nodded. “I can't imagine myself with anyone else though. That’s bad,” you joked.

“I don't know if it is that bad,” she shrugged. “Jack loves you a lot. That man can’t stop staring at you even when you’re ten feet away from him.”

You laughed, turning your head back in Jack’s direction, finding those blue eyes you loved so much immediately, who was now running towards you, with his body drenched.

“No, Jack, stay away!” You yelled, getting up quickly and running away from him.

“Soph!”

You started laughing, which made you lose your pace, making it easier for Jack to wrap his wet, cold arms around your body, wetting your white dress.

“Jack, stop, you’re making me wet!”

“That’s what she said,” he whispered in your ear, picking you up and making you wrap your legs around his waist. “Hi, Soph.” He smiled.

You gave in and kissed his lips, smiling softly as he kissed you back.

“Hi, Jack Hughes.”

He put you down and turned you around, wrapping his hands around your waist and resting his chin on your head. “I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

That surprised you, and you felt yourself smiling even wider. “Not when you joined the Devils? Not when I won a VMA? Not when I gave you a blowjob just this morning—”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, kissing your cheek. “Those are all super happy moments but right now, here with you, baby… I’ll never be this happy again.”

A few years later, you’d look back at that moment and think, oh, Jack, baby, that’s just the beginning. Because he would say the same thing years later, when he kissed you at the altar, or when he held your daughter for the first time.

“I get what you mean,” you snuggled closer, ignoring the wet clothes. “I’ve been happy before. I am happy. But this… this is different.”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “So different.”

“Will I ruin the moment if I say I need to go pee?” You bit your lip.

Jack laughed out loud and picked you up again. “I love you, Sophia Montenegro.”

“I love you more, Jack Hughes,”

“Well,” he kissed your cheek. “I think that’s up for debate.”

“Well. Maybe.”

— ♡

liked by sophiamontenegro, morgan.grace, ellievlasic and 219,983 others

jackhughes lucky fella. sophiamontenegro

View all 1,990 comments

morgan.grace saurrrr cuteeeee I love you guys

user83 ADOPT ME PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

user86 imma start doing cocaine…

user1 i wanted to hate on them so bad but they lowkey fire asf :/

user7 soph when u hug him, remember you’re hugging my whole world…

nicohischier ❤️

user8 Ain’t no way he can handle all of that

trevorzegras user8 he can’t.

jackhughes trevorzegras fuck off

[kaibutsushidousha]

Every otaku producer on any at least decently-sized project is chained to very BIG MONEY merch contracts. Merch sales are one of the biggest cogs making the anime industry run and because of that, merch manufacturers expect producers not to allow anything that would make their products fail to reflect the contents of the show.

A recent example that sparked controversy about this is the new Tokyo Mew Mew reboot anime. Mew Mew is a series where pretty much everyone important has food names, but the early scanlators failed to notice how far this motif extended and rendered Quiche's name as Kisshu. This is spread in the fandom enough to make merch makers assume that was the proper way to spell his name in English and produce pins with the name Kisshu written in Roman letters. Thanks to that, over a decade later, the Mew Mew translator on Crunchyroll subs is forced to use Kisshu on her script despite knowing it's wrong.

But this is a Type-Moon post, so let's talk about Type-Moon instead. On October 29th, 2010, Nasu released Fate/complete material III, containing profiles for all Servants featured in Fate/stay Night. In his lack of English knowledge, he most likely relied on Google to learn how to romanize all those names. This generated two curious results: Arthuria was rendered as Altria, as the first search result for アルトリア would be the cigarette corporation, and Rider favored the French spelling Medousa over the English Medusa.

Flash forward to May 25th, 2016. At this year, Fate/Grand Order had already been released and proved itself a commercial success against all odds. In celebration of that, FuRyu Corporation sculpted the source of all evil.

FuRyu's figure utilized the erroneous "Altria" from Complete Material III. Here is where I want you to notice that FuRyu did not release a Medusa figure alongside it. "Altria Pendragon" is the only character in this collection.

Our next chronological stop is August 14, 2016. Merely 3 months after the FuRyu Altria figure began to spread its corruption through all we know and love. That's the day Fate/Grand Order Material I came out, containing profiles for Saber Arthuria and Medusa.

As you can see in the right corner, Medousa is no more. Due to having 6 more years to learn things and no merch contract forever chaining him to his spelling mistake, Nasu had the opportunity to correct Medusa's name, which also settled it as the name FGO NA legally had to go with.

So when I say FGO NA translators went with Tam Lin because it's literally illegal not to do so, I am talking about

[incarnadin3]

How Obey Me Brothers realized they were in love with MC: Part Three, Leviathan

A/N: Thank you so much for all the love you guys have been showing on my blog! This part was a bit harder because I don't personally interact with Leviathan's character too much in game. However, I do hope you guys enjoy, and please excuse any mistakes! Enjoy~

Leviathan: The Hard-core Otaku Thirdborn

Part of being the Avatar of Envy meant that he barely ever came out of his room, unless he needed food or wanted to go shopping for merch.

He was so much of a shut-in that at times whenever he came out of his room, Asmo and Mammon would sarcastically say "Cursed shit, you exist?!"

When him and MC first became friends, he couldn't believe someone like them would even want to be friends with him. So when they started dating? The poor demon nearly passed away.

MC wasn't necessarily into anime as much as him, but they were a great listener. When they first became friends, Leviathan would often rant to them about the latest anime, or manga that he saw. He didn't think they remembered, but little did he know that they took every single word to heart.

Tomorrow was his birthday, the first birthday he was having since they began dating. MC had been pestering him lately asking him what he wanted. Leviathan merely shrugged, he wasn't the type to ask for a specific gift, he just loved surprises. So when MC took him to a pop-up anime merch store, he tried his best not to look in their cart as they browsed the aisles, wanting to keep it a surprise.

However, he couldn't help but look as MC picked out the one book he had always hated. My Girlfriend Of 2 Years Handmade A Figurine That Was Never Released To Public Centuries Ago.

He hated that book because it reminded him of the time when centuries ago, specifically 5 centuries, 8 decades, 3 years, and 6 months ago, when he had wanted a limited addition figurine for his birthday, and he had spent a lot of Grimm to pre-order it, only to find out on the day of his birthday that the release had been cancelled, and he would not receive the figurine nor the Grimm back. When he had a mental breakdown and cried, all hid brothers told him, "it's just a figurine"

But it wasn't just a figurine, and that memory hurt him like holy water. When he told MC about this, he didn't think they cared because they merely nodded and moved on from the topic.

When he asked MC why they bought this specific manga, they just said he'd like it, and said sorry for ruining the surprise.

Of course he didn't have it in his heart to remind him that merely two days ago he had said he hated that manga.

"Of course they forgot, i'm just a yucky otaku."

So the next day, as usual, throughout the day one by one the brothers came in and gave him gifts, all of which were either figurines, manga, or a new anime. And in Beel's case, along with empty candy wrappers, because he ate the candy on the way to Levi's room.

Towards the end of his birthday, when MC walked into his room, with the manga in hand, he barely blinked, offering a soft smile as he took the gift.

"Flip to the last page, Levi"

His brows furrowed as he complied, turning to the last page of the manga. To his surprise, instead of the ending being there, there was a envelope in it. Slowly, he picked up the light blue envelope, and opened it, to find a small note inside the said, Come outside.

He looked up to see MC sporting a nervous smile as they gently lead him outside. As they stepped into the courtyard, Levi's jaw dropped in shock as a stunning 5'5 inch sculpture of Ruri-chan greeted him. But there was something different about this one. Something he couldn't quite place until it hit him like a sack of bricks. It was the same figure he had wanted all those centuries ago. The one he had wanted. The one in the manga. He smiled tearfully as MC told him they had been making it ever since he told them about it. His MC, remembered something that his brothers forgot the day after it happened? MC truly was special, and he would not let them go. Ever.

Being the Avatar of Envy meant that he barely ever talked to anyone, let alone this very own brothers. So for MC to remember something he thought they had forgotten, and then make it for him? It sparked something in him, and for the first time, that feeling wasn't envy.

Of course MC knows that their boyfriend thinks his brothers don't care, and forgot, but little does he know, that they're the reason this statue came to be in the first place. They just didn't want him to know, and that's a secret MC will happily take to their grave.

[redrandomposts]

IM SCREAMING NOT UNSHA'S WIFE DIY-ING HER OWN KPOP IDOL 😭 she's so valid for that tho i admit

unsha's wife : my little pet deserves to sing more bc hes more talented than any other pet out there but i dont want him to be killed in a singing death match bc thats just bad for business

unsha's wife : time to set up a new entertainment agency

unsha's wife accidentally causing the final downfall of alien stage the show bc aliens start to realise that it's better for business and overall entertainment to have their fave human pet idols not get killed onstage and instead are able to release new songs every few months 🧍 they learn the appeal of fanservice and fanmeets !! maybe anakt garden starts the trend of human pet idol groups by making the first survival show. 5050 on whether they kill the losers of the show however 🤷

(our levels of copium is incredible 😭)

till discovering ivan's still alive and speedruns the 5 stages of grief AGAIN. he blacks out and suddenly he has a concerning amount of illegally-acquired navi merch ? what is he DOING ?! he needs to get his shit together and find a way to get ivan out of there bc that's the least he could do ???

hyuna watching tillivan pine for each other from afar and questioning how her life has gotten to this point

— 🌦️

unsha behind his wife: so, like, how much money are we making here?

unsha's wife: what money?

*ivan raking in billions.*

unsha: ...okay, honey.

always listen to the wife, folks!

till, the #1 contributor to illegal ivan merch in the hideout. mizi is close at #2, but that's only because she's always accompanying till on his little... fibbits. I FORGOT WHAT IT WAS CALLED. till brings back so much that they have no choice to sell it... which increases their funds by, like, 270%. ivan the money totem?

for publicity, ivan wears multiple outfits and there's a poll each week to which one they make merch of... till manipulates the votes by getting hyuna to hack into the system and raise his favorite outfit's votes.

heperu sends luka to unsha's wife's company when he sees the success. ivan first meets luka on livestream, where it's like, surprise! here's your enemy from years ago! and they vibe together.

ivan will often give luka more food and then is like, "so where's the best place to disrupt the making of robots?"

guys im fixing luka too he needs to eat more (for the baby too).

the rebellion wanted to save ivan... and then luka showed up and hyuna and mizi is much more reluctant, like, ew it's the blonde twink why is he there?

sorry till your wife is being shipped with another man. what can you do.

[ashxketchum]

New collaboration with Loft & Amnibus was announced for Digimon Adventure!

Details about exact merch will follow soon, but the tweet states that the concept was decided by keeping the idea of 25th Anniversary in focus but the art itself is flower + wedding outfit themed. The collab will start in June which is considered a good month for brides in Japan and so we see many wedding themed anime illustrations get released during this time every year.

Now it is time for another certified Ayushi breakdown 🫡

Taichi and Agumon are seen holding Edelweiss, with a pattern of the flower drawn beautifully on Taichi's shirt as well. Edelweiss in Japanese Language of Flowers (Hanakotoba) is meant to symbolise 'cherished memories/大切な思い出' and 'courage/勇気', while in Western Language of Flowers it's meant to symbolise 'noble courage' and 'daring' - both of which are apt for our best leader 🧡

Yamato and Gabumon are seen holding Alstroemeria (Lily of the Incas, Peruvian Lily), and while the flower motif is not drawn onto his clothes, Yamato's coat's breast pocket is decorated with the flower as well. In Hanakotoba, Alstroemeria is meant to symbolise 'persistence/持続' or 'longing for the future/未来への憧れ', while in Western Language of Flowers it's meant to symbolise 'friendship' and 'devotion'. All meanings are apt for him imo, but especially persistence and longing for the future are very representative of his arc from the first series till Kizuna.

Sora and Piyomon are seen with Pink Carnations, with the neckline of Sora's jumpsuit lined with a bunch of the flowers. I personally love the visual of Sora in this pink jumpsuit, it plays into her slightly tomboyish yet extremely gentle personality so well! In Hanakotoba carnations symbolise 'innocent and deep love/無垢で深い愛' and pink carnations specifically symbolise 'love of a woman/女性の' 'passionate love/熱愛' and "beautiful gesture/美しいしぐさ'. In Western Language of Flowers carnations symbolise 'fascination' and love'. All meanings are pretty accurate for Sora, but red carnations are used to symbolise Mother's love in Japan so it would've been nice if they threw in a mix of red and pink to hint at her relationship with her mother!

Koushiro and Tentomon are seen holding Violet Sage, which at first glance I thought was Lavender. The flower pattern is also visible on his waistcoat and bowtie, which ties together his outfit very nicely! In Hanakotoba, Sage seems to have many symbolisations, 'respect/尊敬', 'wisdom/知恵', 'good home/良い家庭', and 'family love/家族愛'. But Blue (Violet) Sage specifically signify respect and wisdom. In Western Language of Flowers, Sage symbolises 'esteem', 'wisdom' and 'domestic virtue'. Again, a perfect choice for Koushiro, I personally would prefer to believe that they picked this not because of his crest but because of 'good home' and 'family love' since that part of Koushiro's arc in the first series was probably the most impressionable aspect of his character.

Mimi and Palmon are seen holding baby's breath, with Mimi's dress covered in a pattern of it. Even keeping my bias towards Mimi aside, this is possibly one of the prettiest outfit of hers till date, it genuinely looks like she's about to walk down the aisle as a flower girl for a very happy couple! In Hanakotoba, Baby's Breath or Kasumisou, symbolises 'pure heart/清らかな心', 'innocence/無邪気', 'kindness/親切', and 'happiness/幸福'. In Western Language of Flowers it symbolises 'everlasting love', 'purity of heart', and 'innocence'. All meanings apply to Mimi to the T, but they're also very apt for the whole wedding theme of the merch which makes this particular outfit + flower choice my favourite from the lot.

Jou and Gomamon are seen holding Violets or Sumire. I honestly struggled to figure out the flower for a while, at first glance I thought it was Periwinkle but since that was not mentioned in the Hanakotoba reference anywhere, I searched other people's interpretations and settled with Violets. His tie also has a cute pattern of the flower, and it makes me wonder if Koushiro and Jou went shopping for their outfits together! In Hanakotoba, Sumire symbolise 'modesty/謙虚', 'sincerity/誠実', and 'small happiness/小さな幸せ'. Depending on the colour, the symbolism can change in Hanakotoba, and purple Violets specifically represent 'fidelity' along with 'love'. In Western Language of Flowers it symbolises 'modesty' and 'faithfulness'. This is as Jou as a flower can get lol.

Takeru and Patamon are seen with White Gerberas. Like Yamato, Takeru's outfit doesn't have a pattern of the flower, but the Gerberas themselves are pinned to his suspenders. In Hanakotoba, Gerbera symbolises 'hope/希望' and 'always moving forward/常に前進'. White Gerbera specifically are used to symbolise 'hope' and 'honesty/律儀'. In Western Language of Flowers it is meant to symbolise 'cheerfulness' and 'beauty'. All meanings are accurate for Takeru, no comment needed!

Hikari and Tailmon are seen with Sunflowers. I personally feel that Hikari's outfit is a little too much compared to the rest, just the sunflower belt would've been enough but they added that extra line at the hem and it's kind of an overdose. In Hanakotoba, Sunflowers symbolise 'I gaze only at you/私はあなただけを見つめる', 'adoration/愛慕', and 'worship/崇拝'. In Western Language of Flowers, it symbolises 'adoration' and 'false riches'. I understand that they wanted to go with a bright or perky flower for Hikari but something like a Pink Aster which symbolises patience or Cosmos which symbolises harmony, peace etc. might suit Hikari better given the overall theme of the illustration. The only miss in the otherwise perfectly depicted theme and art!

[shou-jpeg]

-Back on the Beat-

Part 4. 06

One year later

November 19th, 9:50pm 

Kim hits a high note and the crowd goes wild. 

He’s sweaty and high on adrenaline, approaching the end of his largest show yet. 

It’s only a few hundred people, but it’s also a sold out show, and Kim still feels a little overwhelmed with that knowledge.

Porchay is in the crowd. 

He had walked into their apartment five weeks ago and announced to Kim that he was going to celebrate the end of his first year of university by devoting himself wholly to being WiK’s #1 fan; a job he then applied himself to with as much, if not more gusto than he applied himself to studying medicine. 

He looks ridiculous right now, dressed head to toe in unofficial, homemade WiK merch. He’s also holding a handmade sign above his head and Kim has to stop himself from smiling like an idiot every time he looks over at him so his fans don’t start rumours.

They'd agreed to keep their relationship on the down-low, for now. Only while Kim builds his audience, since being single sells.

He holds Chay’s gaze throughout the entirety of the song they wrote together and the people around Chay are definitely noticing. Kim isn’t doing a very good job at being subtle, he thinks.

Oh well. 

He’s exhausted, but he raises his arms over his head and makes a heart with his fingers to thank his audience as he closes the set. The crowd goes wild once more and Chay is giggling into his hand over something.

He’s so cute. 

He’s probably laughing at Kim though, Kim thinks warily. 

~~~

A few days later, Chay announces that a photo of Kim from his concert is going viral on twitter and is doing wonders to boost his popularity both nationally and internationally. Something about people thinking he’s cute?

Kim considers how much he can press and the wary way the bodyguards back at the compound look at him when he walks past. 

He’s definitely not cute.

Porchay won’t let him see his phone though, and he can't be bothered to check himself.

Whatever. So long as it’s getting him good reviews.

May 23rd, 6:05pm - a few months earlier

“I think Jimbo likes you more than me now.”

Porchay scoffs. “That’s just because I’m the one who feeds him most of the time. You’re always out these days, being all popular and in demand. What will we do when you become proper famous?”

“You don’t like having a popular boyfriend?” Kim pouts, turning to look at Porchay from where he lies on the bed, watching him play with their cat. Porchay only moved in last week, yet he’s taken on being a cat parent like nothing else. Kim has barely even cleaned the litter this past week. It’s been a weird disruption to his daily routine, but it has given him a lot less to worry about with his increasingly erratic schedule. 

He released the song they wrote together last month and it hit the national top 10. He’s had three different studios reach out, wanting to sign him. 

Kim tries not to think about it too much; it’s too overwhelming, how good he feels about it. The bars he usually performs in are starting to become too small for the crowd that he draws. 

He should probably hire a manager. 

Porchay looks up at him. “P’Kim as your biggest fan, I could not be more thrilled to be dating my idol. It’s like I’m living inside of a fanfiction.”

Kim hums, hesitant.

“Does that mean we get to live happily ever after?”

It’s way too soon, they’ve only been together six months. Kim was ready to spend his life with Chay from the moment Chay unblocked him, but he’s pretty sure there are rules around these things. 

Kim isn’t good at this. Porchay told him so himself… though he was smiling at him fondly when he did. 

He’s smiling that same smile at him again now. 

“Yeah,” Chay says, soft. “We get to live happily ever after, p’Kim.”

February 10th, 9:28am

“I want to study medicine.”

Porsche looks at him with almost comical surprise, and Porchay tries not to laugh at his expression.

They’re out at their new weekly brunch date together, and Chay has been waiting for the right moment to bring this topic up. He’s spent a lot of time over the past few months, both on his own and with Kim’s help, figuring out what he wants to do with his future. He’s feeling pretty confident in his choice, but he hasn’t even begun looking at universities yet and enrollments are coming up soon. 

“I’m not sure what field I want to specialise in yet, but I’ve thought a lot about it and medicine feels like the right direction for me. I should have at least a year of classes before I have to choose my field - I want to feel it out a little and see what feels right for me. I was hoping you could help me look at university courses?”

Porsche puts his fork down and settles back, serious but obviously trying to hold back his glee. “Of course, Chay. We can get you into any university you want.”

“No!” Chay interrupts him, “I want to get in on my own merit. I only want help finding a good course… please…”

Porsche smiles at him, big and wide and happy. “You can do it! Come around here, let’s start now!”

Chay gets up and moves around to join Porsche on his side of the table, bringing his phone with him. 

“Okay, so I’ve already been looking at a couple courses. Tell me what you think, hia…”

February 6th, 11:39pm

“What about some sort of doctor?”

Porchay looks up at Kim. 

They’ve been going through lists upon lists of career ideas and quizzes and self help guides. It’s been nearly four hours and Porchay really shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was with the seriousness and intensity at which Kim approached the task. 

Kim loves solving cases and sorting through things. It’s something Porchay discovered recently, and even though the topics themselves sometimes aren’t so cute, the way Kim gets when he has something to solve in front of him definitely is. 

He reaches over to smooth the little furrow between Kim's brows. “What kind of doctor?”

“I don’t know. You said before that you wanted to do something to help people, but didn’t put your own self at risk.” He's right, but it’s also a little left field. All the results from Porchay’s quizzes have pointed him in the direction of something creative, and they haven’t done much research outside of creative careers yet. 

Doctor. 

Porchay thinks about Porsche and his new, scary job. He thinks about Kim and his tendency to push himself too hard. 

He thinks about Khun, and Kinn and all the bodyguards.

Doctor. 

Yeah. Something about that feels right.

January 26th, 10:45am

It’s their two month anniversary and Porchay is nearly jumping on his heels as he waits in the lobby of Kim's building. Kim approaches slowly, trying to look cool and not at all as nervous as he feels inside. 

Chay has been secretive about today, only telling Kim to keep his schedule completely clear. He's been distracted every time they've seen each other over the past couple of weeks abd Kim has had to put a surprising amount of effort into not trying to suss out what Chay has been planning for them. 

An effort that proved even more challenging when Khun's crytic texts began rolling in even couple of days.

Of course it turns out Khun was on the money with everything. As usual.

“You never use it, so I stole it back the other week and made you this.”

November 28th, 10:35am 

“I’m a little nervous.” Chay is sitting across from him, boba tea in hand and a light flush to his cheeks. 

They’re at their usual boba tea spot, but it’s also their first date.

Kim is feeling the same. 

“Mmmm.”

Chay laughs at him lightly. “P’Kim! Are you nervous too? You’ve hardly said anything since we got here.”

Kim takes a moment to consider, looking up from his tea at Chay’s slowly growing smile. 

“...mmmm.” Chay laughs loudly enough that a few people around them turn in their direction. Kim smiles. 

Success.

THE END

< Prev - First - Extras >

Playlist

[impactedfates]

Yay requests are now open! So can I request a reader who is yanqing's sibling who plays sympathetic immersia (video game equivalent in Luofu) Genshin that Guinafein introduces them to it, even JY knew the game's hype and reader is immersed with the game's scenery, music and archon quests Reader also would blush every time they see genshin fanart of Wanderer or Xiao. Yanqing and JY would notice how they would look down and grin widely in their phone screen. Also the early AR shenanigans like unlocking dragonspine, trying to ice bridge to Inazuma and getting yeeted by a hilichurl and ofc the infamous dendro slime attacking when exploring Liyue. Overall, reader plays it and YQ is curious and JY is interested

★ A/N: If that were me they would hear me screaming at night when I get my various different characters (esp Kaveh and Zhongli) I hope you like this anon :>

☆ Genre/Trope: Platonic + Fluff

★ Format: Mini Scenarios (Separate)

☆ Warnings: None (I think?)

★ Extra: Reader is older then Yanqing // Readers job is whatever you want their job as // Father JY :D

Jing Yuan's heard of the game before however it wasn't until he heard you yelling in delight over a 5* you had gotten that he found out you were one of the many people that also has a delight in playing the game.

He's amused to see how much you like certain characters and how you, in your words, "simp" for others. In fact, I honestly think you probably did the "My parents rate Genshin Characters" trend with him. He ranked most of the characters very highly honestly. (He especially liked Cyno along with some of the sleepy characters like Lisa, Layla and Sayu)

Honestly he's very amused by all your reactions throughout the game, the audible gasps you may do when something surprises you, the loud cursing when you're fighting an enemy and the cries when you lose your 50/50 (maybe if you ask nice enough he'll give you his credit card)

I'd think he wishes to try out the game himself, however with the fact he's busy with General duties he doesn't get much time to really play. However he does get all the characters he wants with just a swipe of his card, however he's stuck at level 45 as a) no time to really continue and b) he honestly seems like the type to not bother with the ascension mission and in fact wants it to build up till he knows he's AR 60. THEN he'll actually do it.

Overall, he doesn't mind that you play it and enjoys it himself when he can. However don't expect him to be so willing to give you his card so you can get the Genesis Crystals to get the characters you want.

(Also I see his team consisting of off-field dps like Xiangling and Furina so he can just sit back and relax as they do the fighting and he doesn't need to lift a finger much)

I feel like Yanqing was already a player. Like he joined when it was first released but he didn't really play much. He'd log in once or twice a week then not log in for months. It's not that he isn't interested, he is. It's just he has things he enjoys more.

When he finds out you play it then he might be more inclined to try harder at it, so the two of you can do some sibling bonding time and play. Depending on AR levels between the two of you, he's either asking you to help defeat bosses when he still cannot after the nth time or you both can cry as you die to the electro hypostasis.

I feel like his luck is like, amazing as well. Like he got Keqing on the beginner banner and managed to get a good 5* weapon for her on the standard. And he's always won his 50/50s

However his luck cannot be transferred to how his artifact luck is. It takes his weeks upon weeks to get ONE decent artifact for his new 5* Ayaka.

He still doesn't play much but his game time has increased a lot more and he can understand why you like it so much...however he cannot understand why you seem to like certain characters and beg him to get you merch of them for your birthday.

He definitely struggled in DragonSpine and thought pyro and cryo characters were immune to sheer cold.

Overall, he understands a lot where you're coming from when it comes to gameplay and lore but when it comes to you simping over certain characters then he can't help but feel confused, and if he particularly dislikes a character you simp for. Perhaps disgusted (jokingly and lovingly of course)

(I'm unsure what his team would be, but he'd be a mono sword team imo)

Honestly, with my personal experiences with Genshin. I thankfully did not struggle with DragonSpine (not as much as other people did)

.

.

.

However, I will say that I probably should've started building sooner. I only started once I hit about AR 56 and finished most of the Inazuma quest (don't ask me how I survived, idk either lmao)

[boinin]

Blue Lock in Japan fandom diary

I was in Japan for my holidays, which was incredible—it's somewhere I dreamed of visiting for a long time, and it lived up to every expectation.

I'll talk a little bit about my experience from a Blue Lock fan perspective, as it's something that interested me prior to going. April 2024 was a good time to visit, thanks to the Episode Nagi film coming out. There was a lot of pop-up cafés/collabs open, and no shortage of merchandise.

In Harajuku's Takeshita Street, there were a series of banners/pendants for the new film, featuring all the main characters. There were also digital ads for Episode Nagi in a few places—I recall the trailer playing at Shibuya Crossing (which is exactly as surreal and overwhelming a place as I'd imagined).

Rambling and pics under the cut, including gacha machines, stores, general anecdotes and my merch haul.

In case anyone's uncomfortable seeing IRL pics, be warned there's couple shots of my hand below. No face reveals 😛

Gacha

So, gacha machines are EVERYWHERE in Tokyo and other cities, often randomly in the street, but also in dedicated stores. The biggest selection tended to be in arcades or shopping centres. Akihabara had a few big ones (Gigo comes to mind), but I found multiple. And Blue Lock is really well represented! There's loads of stuff to waste money on, from little acrylic keychains to small figures to... tiny cushions with characters' faces on them 👀

One minor annoyance is that the gacha merch for a fandom doesn't tend to be grouped in one place, so you spend a lot of time wandering around stacks of machines squinting at their content. Only one store I visited in Osaka had all the Blue Lock stuff grouped together.

In general, most of the machines are priced between ¥300 and ¥500 a spin (€1.80 to €3.00 at time of writing), so it's reasonably affordable unless you're a completionist set on collecting ALLL the merch.

Much of what's in the gacha machines is seasonal, so it's worth snapping up anything that you like while it's there. That said, I found a few stores selling same season or older gacha merch at a markup. The most expensive ones were older merch/limited edition, which can cost many multiples of what you'd pay originally. Other places (like Ani Ani) sell current gacha merch at a small markup. I was able to buy a Rin to finish a seasonal collection for only ¥100 more than I'd pay at a machine, which saved me whatever multiple of ¥300 I'd have paid on spins to get him in addition to the four others.

Throughout the trip I saw the same gacha content over and over again in various places. Specifically for Blue Lock, you don't generally have to worry about throwing money at the first set of machines you find or risk missing out. That said, one regret of mine was passing on some really cute gacha figs of the Bllk boys in casual clothes on a street on Akihabara, which I never saw anywhere else.

There's also heaps of claw machines in similar locations, which mostly had figures of Nagi and Reo in their Hakuho uniform.

Pop-up stores/collabs and merch stores

Blue Lock is well represented in cafés/pop ups. This is likely due to the EpiNagi film releasing this month, but with some research beforehand, you'll likely find a venue should you wish to get some Bllk themed food/venue exclusive goodies. Be warned—many of these will require a reservation, and they book out quickly. That's the case for most of the fandom cafés. If it's a must-do for your trip, research a venue before you go and try booking a slot if you can.

I only went to one myself, which was a place in Harajuku that did Blue Lock themed drinks. I chose Nagi's, which looked mysteriously black on the menu. It turned out to be tea with lemon flavoured jelly—tasty and canon inspired! I also got a free card of Bachira, which the store assistant handed to me at random. This was overpriced at ¥800 (€4.77) compared to what you'd pay normally in Japan for a drink, but that's the branding mark-up. In comparison, a bottle of soda, tea or coffee from a vending machine costs on average around ¥150 (€0.90).

Regarding stores, there was a Blue Lock pop-up in Ikebukuro in an electronics store which had SO many acrylic stands and plushes. A lot of this was bishounen/pretty boy appreciation material for each of the characters. Think stands of the boys smiling handsomely at the camera in various outfits.

At time of writing, merch tends to feature just the characters from season 1 of the anime, specifically the Egoist Four, Nagi, Reo, Rin and Sae. I saw little for the other characters, and next to nothing for manga-only charas. My favourite manga character find was a sticker of Hiori, which has subsequently gone missing amidst the chaos of unpacking 🥲 If it turns up, I'll add a picture. Found it!

In terms of spots for Blue Lock merch, Ikebukuro and Akihabara were the best and most concentrated. Akihabara gives tourist trap vibes, but if you're willing to navigate every nook and cranny plus the crowds on the hunt for blorbos, you'll almost certainly find merch to your taste.

Ani Ani in Akihabara was pretty good for BLLK, and excellent in general for its selection of fandom merch. Smaller shops have more niche content, which is great if you favour side characters.

Ikebukuro has a more chill vibe than Akihabara (less tourists) but still a decent selection of fandom merch. Hands down the best spot for Blue Lock on my trip was the Animate store there (pictured above), which had five or six shelves just for our favourite football prisoners. Lots of plushes as you can see, but also things like clear files, acrylic stands, keychains, stickers, pins and more. Again, big focus on pretty boy appreciation, but there were also cutesy things like chibi figures/stickers. There's also heaps there for other animanga fandoms.

Animate Ikebukuro had the Blue Lock fragrances! I only sniffed a couple of these—both Isagi and Kunigami's were reminiscent of blue shower gel, but with woody notes in Kunigami's case. Chigiri's fragrance was more floral and fruity. They cost somewhere between ¥7000 to ¥8000 I think (around €45ish).

In addition, Harajuko has a lot of anime stuff along Takeshita Street, but the selection can be hit or miss. I found two shops there that were reselling Blue Lock goods (things like gacha figs and limited edition merch). These could be pricey, but these were the best for cute/older Chigiri and Kunigami merch IMO.

Snacks

Again, availability may relate to the timing of anime releases etc, but I tried a bunch of BLLK snacks in Japan. The most common type were these chocolate wafers, which you could get cheaply in convenience stores for loads of different shounen fandoms (I recall seeing One Piece, JoJo and MHA). The wafers themselves were mid, but the packaging was cute and you get a free sticker or card in each. I managed to get a Kunigami card on my first try 🥹

"Slowbar" is like a protein or granola bar. Again nothing to write home about taste-wise, but I saw a few with Bllk packaging. Go figure, I bought one that had Kunigiri. No freebies, but it was a more substantial snack than the wafers.

My merch haul

Here's what came home with me! It's modest as far as fandom hauls go, particularly next to all the stuff I bought in the Pokémon centres. I didn't go as nuts as I thought I would, but the gacha machines definitely put a dent in my bank account. They're fun, but should be treated with caution by anyone who likes owning complete sets of things.

Close up of gacha figs, minus Rin + the bonus Chigiri I picked up on.

I ended up spending around ¥3000 (about €18) to get the full set of sleeping figs (including duplicates). Spent around the same to get the sleeping bag figs, then at least half that again on Chigiri's when I spotted him at a resale store (he's from a previous release).

As a result of my gacha spree, I have a bunch of duplicates 🥲 It would be a shame to bin 'em, so might do an interest check to see if anyone's interested in taking them off my hands.

These are the cards/Zantetsu sticker I got from the combini wafers, the Bachira card from the juice café, plus a random cushion of Rin from a gacha machine. It's way too small to be practical, but still cute.

I bought the two Kunigiri chibi plushes at a resale store for ¥3000 altogether. Chigiri was twice the price of Kunigami, lmao.

Kitty!giri came with a little sleepy eyemask. As soon as I saw him, I had to have him. Bought him at Ani Ani in Akihabara for ¥2500 I think? (€15 approx). They had kitty Isagis and Bachiras too.

Now for a story: there's a gacha series out now which has gold rings featuring the names of the main BLLK cast + Aryu. I swore not to buy any of these, cos it's a little self-shippy; no shame in that, but it's not really my bag. I also dislike gold jewellery.

Relatedly, partner and I just decided to get married, and half-talked about looking for a engagement ring in Japan before we travelled.

So. A few weeks later, while wandering around Harajuku, partner walks back to me after disappearing for two minutes. They hold out a gacha capsule with a shit eating grin—"Hey, got ya something!"

I shit you not: not only was it one of the stupid rings, but out of eight choices, they managed to pull Kunigami's 😭 I laughed/despaired for about five minutes. Partner was amused.

I don't have small hands (¥100 for scale); Ringsuke loosely fits my baby finger but gets stuck on my ring finger if I shove it on past the bottom knuckle. Based off my own measurements, the BLLK rings are probably around 50-53 mm in size (Japan size 12 maybe). It's surprisingly good quality for a ¥400 capsule machine prize.

So yeah: that's how this Kunigiri stan ended up with an ill-fitting engagement ring with her favourite blorbo's name on it 🙃 ...I'll get a proper one eventually, and Kitty!giri will inherit Ringsuke. Y'all are about the only people I'm ever admitting this story to.

Finally, my favourite purchase is these two acrylic stands of Chigiri and Kunigami, with pop ups of their stats. I'm not big on acrylic stands generally, but this was one of my favourite official art releases and I couldn't pass it up. They were ¥1800 (€11) apiece in a Harajuku resale store—probably more expensive than their original sale price, but I'm not complaining.

That's about it, I think! I've tried to recall as much detail as I can about places/prices here, but happy to provide more info if anyone's curious about anything—just ask!

[adancerdiestwice]

Thoughts on ARMY and Consumerism

*Disclaimer: ARMY is used to describe all fans of BTS, despite contention about who should be allowed to use the term. This is critical of ARMY and HYBE. If you are sensitive to that criticism, you are forewarned.*

K-pop itself perpetuates a high level of consumerism with non-stop releases, numerous merch drops, multiple album copies, brand deals, and ambassadorships. Where BTS has been able to break many boundaries traditional K-pop sets, ARMY’s levels of consumerism has gotten unbelievably outrageous.

Just today, Jin was named ambassador of a jewelry company, with photos debuting him wearing the jewelry. One bracelet he wore in one photo got the attention of ARMY and within a few hours it sold out. But, that bracelet was $27,000 USD. This month, teasers of Despicable ME x BTS hinted that there may possibly be a collaboration or maybe a song on the soundtrack – only for it to be a merch popup?? And two mentions of BTS in the whole movie? Yet ARMYs are selling out BTSxMinions collab merch, for what? It was all ugly anyway and the minionifed members looked ridiculous, bordering disrespectful.

There are countless other examples: meaningless FESTA and RPWP merch, fundraising money to buy more albums to boost numbers, changing Twitter layouts for the merch releases.

Like any celebrity, BTS (the logo, the slogans, the BT21, the TinyTan) has turned into a brand, and have been for many years. But, inherently, as fans, we are not a fan of a brand. There may be ideological differences here in the way people are fans, but personally, I am here because I absolutely adore BTS’ music. I find them to be compelling, talented, unique artists creating and conveying beautiful, thoughtful messages through their music.

Of course, how is a group supposed to make money? They sell merchandise, albums, tickets to events and concerts. At some point though, enough is enough. Their messaging, artistry and dedication to their craft gets so muddled when all anyone ever wants to talk about is the new shiny thing HYBE has plastered their logo and faces onto. And more than half of ARMY buys into it.

It has a unique overlap with the spread of unofficial information and photos of the members. Since HYBE has primed ARMY to always be looking forward to the next thing they can get their hands on, especially in a “drought” of a hiatus (its not at this point), ARMY turns to member’s family accounts, Dispatch, media, and military websites just to get their fix of BTS. Their marketable attachments to their brand have turned inward to the members themselves, to the highest degree it has ever been.

If you speak out against the spread of unofficial content, some ARMY will scream at you to say “You don’t know how things work here, educate yourself, grow up, go back to Twitter.” To that I say, maybe the fandom should be reevaluating itself, like many ARMY already have. If we claim to love and support the members, why are we engaging with posts that are an invasion of privacy? Why are we allowing this level of normalization? Why should we be talking about family members that in ARMY’s relationship with BTS, have absolutely no involvement? Seeing the treatment of military pictures, press releases from unofficial sources, and updates is so disheartening, knowing that multiple members wished to go quietly and return to us as soon as possible (which is showing in their actions post-enlistment). Again, whether or not this is normalized does not matter, this is their time to be civilians. They can’t even have their privacy when they are legally out of their jobs as idols.

The manifestation of a perceived love and commitment to BTS as a member of ARMY has lead fans to be disillusioned with the people behind the brand. This is amplified tenfold in solo and (some) shipper spaces. BTS have built a relationship with their fans under the pretense of trust and respect for ten years. Every fan will hold a different ‘relationship’ to BTS, but tying their success to merch sales, streaming numbers, and album sales only pushes ARMY further into the cogs of consumerism. Focusing on every little update you can scour the internet to find, which turns out to be unethically sourced, pushes a fanbase without the moral structures ARMY have prided themselves on for years.

All of this piles on top of each other to reveal a fandom willing to silence ARMY who are using their fan platforms built on the radicalization that BTS has provoked in people to speak up for justice and humanity. When this issue of monetary focus in ARMY is discussed in the name of boycotting HYBE, people cannot even fathom the idea of pausing their spending on their favorite group, possibly for fear of missing out, sacrificing their fan involvement, or simply refusing to see the mission behind a boycott.

This leaves a fandom divided, hurt, and devastated in the wake of destruction from those who cannot see the value in BTS as humans and individuals first and foremost. I hope individuals reconsider what brought them to the fandom, what makes them stay in the fandom, and why they love the members. ARMY is not and should not be characterized by aesthetics and money, despite the current state of this fandom telling us otherwise.

[ladyteldra]

Any Way the River Flows

Alternatively: Help! I've Turned the Scum Villain into a Woman!

Shen Yuan survived the attempt on his life from the expired yogurt with divine intervention called his little sister. She was even kind enough not to make fun of his obsession with PIDW and introduce him to fandom while he recovered.

He does not survive the encounter with Truck-kun.

'System! System, what the fuck?!’ [User was assigned the most suitable host!]

In which Shen Yuan is trans and just as prone to overthinking as ever. There is truly no greater champion at 5D chess, especially against himself.

Preview:

Shen Yuan adjusts his mask as he steps off the bus, fitting it more firmly over his nose. It was a pleasant, if chilly, day and the warmth of his breath quickly steams up his glasses if he’s not careful. The sun was out after several days of cloud cover, leaving crisp blue skies he knew won’t last long, the weather report called for rain in the next few days. 

There was worse weather to have to go out in.

He was returning home from a visit to his doctor. Finally recovering from a severe bout of food poisoning that had laid him out months ago. Too many long nights followed by putting off shopping until the last minute, and then getting distracted by a notification in his email.

Anger wars with shame as he remembers that forsaken ending and the resulting situation. 

Deep breath in, out. 

His doctors have been stressing the need to avoid getting worked up over small things. His sister would never let him live it down if he had another health crisis over that damn novel. 

The only thing worse than how the novel ended was knowing his sister was the one to find him on the floor. Unconscious and apparently dying after ingesting expired yogurt of all things. If she hadn’t decided to check on him that day… if she had waited another week for their planned outing… He doesn’t like to think about what the scene would have been. 

Shen Yuan will always be thankful for her intervention, but would have thought that she was too busy calling emergency services and the family to make note of his computer screen. He apparently wasn’t that lucky.

After berating him for his poor habits - his lack of food in the apartment, missing family dinners, not calling - she brought up exactly what web page happened to be in full view. 

Proud Immortal Demon Way. Popular YY Stallion Novel. Incredibly long. Frequently updated. Absolute trash. The brand new final chapter that was only just released for the paid subscribers.

And the freshly posted comment by one Peerless Cucumber.

She was kind enough to lock his computer and turn off the monitor before the ambulance arrived.

Meimei had read the novel too. Well, at least part of it. 

She had bailed shortly after the resolution of the Abyss plot line. When it moved into less cohesive storyline and plot territory and more into excuse for papapa scene territory.

That’s not to say she dropped the novel and left it all behind, never to think of it again.

No. 

She was kind enough to introduce him to all the amazing sites where dissatisfied fans had taken on the task of exploring the story more thoroughly.

She introduced him to fanfiction. Condescendingly telling him he’d have nothing better to do during his time in the hospital bed. She was right. 

Shen Yuan had, of course, known of fanfiction before. You can’t exist on the internet without having at least heard of it and he’s been to multiple conventions. Fan content is a cornerstone for many of them. He’d spent a good amount of money on unofficial merch.

He just hadn’t seen the point of exploring it before the absolute bomb of a conclusion. These were offshoots of the original, how different could it be?

The answer is very. 

Despite familiar themes and characters, it was like a whole new world.

Every complaint he had as a reader, ones he felt were being shouted into the void, were obviously things that bothered others as well. Dropped plot points were explored in depth. Interesting wives that felt forgotten were given personality and purpose. Innumerable objects of ancient power were given history and context. 

So many delved into the possible political landscapes surrounding the world, how they evolved to where they were the protagonist tore through. Focused on the numerous background characters and villains and gave them motivations and lives that were less one dimensional. Gave those supporting them their own reasons in a world that didn’t just revolve around the protagonist.

Admittedly, his favorites were still ones focused on Lou Binghe. But they gave him more meaning than a revenge driven papapa machine. 

There’s nothing like distance to gain perspective. The entire experience has felt like a gold mine in comparison to the original trash.

The community has been extremely welcoming too.

An unfortunate number of people he interacted with recognize his handle, one he really should have considered changing between platforms in retrospect. It’s one thing when it’s mostly anonymous criticism of terrible stallion novels, quite another when people he’s starting to respect are using it. He should have left it behind in middle school where it belonged, but he’d gotten used to it and so had others. It was branding. And at least not as blatant as Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky’s own dick pun. 

The fan authors on the sites are always surprised at Peerless Cucumber’s lack of vitriol when commenting on works, pleasantly so in most cases. He’s been quick to point out that he’s not paying them for their content, so he can’t judge it as if he was and most of them far outstrip the original work in every way already. And those he actually hates? He can just not interact entirely.

He’s also joined a few forums and chat rooms dedicated to the more factual side. Ones focused on helping each other find the obscure pieces of information in the behemoth of original text or getting feedback on their interpretation of passages. Trying to find lost threads that tie together hundreds of chapters apart. 

He’s starting to make a different name for himself there. One not tied to biting critique and scathing reviews, but someone to rely on for quick and accurate information on the beasts from text. He’s being tagged more and more often in posts looking for quick answers on traits and names of obscure beasts that might appear in different locations in the novel. He’s even updated the wiki.

It’s fun. 

He feels like it’s been good for him. A new way to enjoy the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way without all the stress and rage that came with reading the original every time he realized another plot point was being ignored. 

He’s even regularly talking to several others on a regular basis. In a few months, he’ll even be willing to tentatively call them friends. 

Shen Yuan might have, might have, also begun compiling all his answers into a single document for easy access. He may have also started expanding on that information with links between other creatures and what they might be based on. Some blurbs of what could be first hand accounts in the style of journal entries. 

If you want it, write it yourself. Be the change you want to see in the world and all that. The reception of the few entries he’d shared had been positive. Enough to make him want to keep going

There might also be a slowly growing assortment of artistic interpretations of what those creatures would look like.

Meimei is the only one that’s seen the drawings and she’s given her seal of approval. He’s not drawn since his burnout from school. It was good to know he hadn’t lost all his hard won skill. His mother can never be allowed to know. She’d been giving him sad eyes to pick up drawing back up for years. If she knew that all it took was a shitty novel…

He very carefully doesn’t think about the also growing assortment of figure studies as he’s reread the beginning text.

Well, she’d probably just be happy it happened at all.

Shen Yuan stops before the next crosswalk, red. He rubs some circulation back into hands before pulling out his phone to check his emails. He can’t get too engrossed, everyone else is on the other side of the street for once, so he can’t use people moving around him as a prompt. But he can at least check to see if he’s been tagged in anything recently. It’s good to start formulating a response ahead of time if he can, or at least know how much is waiting for him.

If he’s lucky, there might even be some updates to look forward to when he gets home. He follows more than a few that use his contributions.

His email hasn’t even finished loading when the screech of tires causes him to look up in alarm. 

It’s a truck.

Swerving towards him. 

‘I’m not even on the crosswalk, yet.” 

Read more here.

[neondiamond]

💚💙 Recently Read Fics - March 2023 💙💚

These are all the amazing fics I read over the past month (from shortest to longest). Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments to show the authors your appreciation if you read any of these!

💚 Even My Phone Misses Your Call by @wabadabadaba (796, G)

Slide 3 on merch NOW

Or, Nick comments on Harry's Instagram picture after not talking for one year and five months.

💙 Perfect, For Now by @parmahamlarrie (5k, T)

Moving to a new city is always difficult, being away from home, finding your new community - none of it is easy. Dealing with all of this while being touch deprived is even more difficult.

That is where omega Harry Styles finds himself a few months into his move to Brighton.

Then a mysterious alpha's scent enters his life, and he finds that he can't stay away.

💚 i wanna give it to you by @non-binharry (5k, E)

Alpha mom Harry and omega dad Louis decide to have another baby. Ironically, parenthood gets in the way.

💙 one chance (kiss him you fool) by @voulezloux (5k, M)

the five times louis tries (and fails) to ask harry out. and the one time harry finally gets the balls to ask louis out.

💚 Wanna Feel The Edges Start To Burn by @letthemusicmoveyou28 (6k, E)

The one where Louis has a meltdown in front of a stranger, but it turns out better than he ever could have dreamed

💙 Everything I need, I get from you by @lunarheslwt (6k, M)

It’s Valentine's day and Harry wakes up fatigued. Louis shows him that a change of plans is not a bad thing, and that the day can still be perfect as long as they spend it together. A quiet day full of love ensues.

💚 my heart’s against you chest, your lips pressed to my neck (i’m in love now) by @bottomhaztoplou (8k, T)

Five times Louis gives Harry a courting gift and one time Harry reciprocates.

💙 i’m torn by @track-five (8k, G)

one direction is set to perform in the live lounge the day before their fifth album is released, and a terribly ill harry will sing whether louis likes it or not

💚 Checking Them Out?: How To Use Your Library Science Degree To Get an Alpha by @insightfulinsomniac (20k, E)

When a flirty, attractive alpha patron checks out an entire shelf of literature on omega behavior and omega rights, Harry can’t help but wonder why the man is so interested — is he a really attentive partner, or is he just a creep?

It doesn’t help that this alpha visits weekly to exchange his books… and that he smells absolutely divine.

Whether he likes it or not, Harry has a crush.

💙 Every Lover’s Got A Little Dagger In Their Hand by @pocketsunshineharry (22k, E)

Harry Styles’, marriage counselor extraordinaire, has helped many couples rekindle their love and mend their relationships. Unfortunately, his own love life is in shambles. Cue one Louis Tomlinson, cutthroat divorce attorney, charming, infuriating, sarcastic and all around the bane of Harry’s existence. Too bad his office is right across from Harry’s new office, and they cross paths almost daily. Oh! Let's not forget… he is also Harry’s one-night stand from hell!

Does the attraction between two complete opposites really exist, or is it just a myth?

💚 You Can Hear It In The Silence by @imogenleefic (235k, E)

When Harry Styles received acceptance into a post-grad degree, he knew he could no longer afford his flat leaving him with three options:

1) Moving back into student halls.

2) Becoming homeless.

3) Moving in with his best (and only) friend, Niall, and three of Niall's other friends.

He ended up choosing the third option. But it was a close race.

Shame one of his new housemates reminded him why he only has one friend.

If Louis Tomlinson had to choose one thing couldn't stand, it would be pretentious tossers, having grown up around enough of them. If he had to choose something he couldn't live without, it would be his friends. So he was proper thrilled to move in with his best mates and a couple of other lads.

That was until he discovered one of them was the archetype for a pretentious tosser.

In the interest of seeing out the twelve-month lease without killing each other, they both try (debatable) to get along despite believing they were opposite in almost every conceivable way, each having the communication skills of a cucumber, and secrets that had no business be kept secret.

[abiiors]

ive been reading thru your whole master list and the matty imagine w the baby onesie made me think ab how any/all of the boys would react if you brought your baby to a show or an album release party in a onesie w the box on it😭

oh this is so so cute!! 🥹

judging by the new yorker article where matty talked about how when baby hann is backstage, the greenroom turns into a creche and how everything is a super family-friendly environment, i would say it's the exact same for when your baby's there.

she's about seven months old and quite chatty, in that she babbles and makes grabby hands and anyone who so much as even says one word to her. and you decided her first show should be the reading self-titled 10 year anniversary show, complete with her own little self-titled merch onesie that she looks absolutely adorable it. she has a little black bow on her head to match it. in short, you've got your own lil emo baby to match her dad.

matty is of course the first one to see it when you get her ready, instantly cooing at her and admiring her. he hasn't stopped cuddling her honestly and if it weren't for him having to strap her into her baby seat for the car ride, you suspect she would have been attached to him for the entirety of it. apart from matty, george is the first one to see it because he's right there outside, sneaking a quick cig before he has to go in but you've never seen this man put out a cig this fast before as he practically runs towards matty to get a proper look at her. he barely has the patience till matty gets her out of the car seat and hands her over to him. and you watch your tiny tiny baby wrap this giant of a man around her little finger while he bounces her around and compliments her every two seconds like "look at you, all ready to rock and roll aren't you?" and "the cutest member of the band ever!" she giggles when he blows a raspberry on her tummy and tries to grab a few of his shiny necklaces.

all in all, it's uncle george who carries her inside where everyone else is chilling and getting ready for the show. and you know once the rest of them see her, she's going to be passed around from one set of arms to the other like a lil parcel until everyone is done cooing over her and telling her that she's the cutest baby ever. you're also quite happy about the fact that she's wide awake and hopefully, she will be throughout the set even though you only plan on watching the show with her on one of the screens backstage since the lights and loud sounds might be too scary for her just yet. and she's too small to have a fitted pair of headphones 😭

anyway, once all her uncles and aunties are ready for the show, you take a few quick photos--one where she's sat on matty's shoulders, the box nicely visible on her torso, and surrounded by everyone also in black. absolutely adorable <3

[clubnate]

I am not the anon who followed for cobra and now will accept my fate as a tai fan, but please, please, please explain the connection between The Academy Is and Cobra Starship.

Unabridged is preferred tbh.

i got 2 anons about this and this is literally the thing i'm the most insane about omg ok warning this is gonna be long cause i'm just gonna include everything ive got on my google doc about this

TLDR; same record labels, snakes on a plane, lots of tours together, music videos, webshows and general friendship is the conncection

It starts pre-cobra with midtown. iirc, tai were just fans of midtown pre-tai and in the early days, they're from chicago and came up in the same scene as fob, mike carden (tais guitarists) old band had fob open for them and he was even asked to join fob in an early version of it, so fob, tai and midtown all eventually become friends which is when they met gabe and eventually they toured with midtown twice in 04-05.

2006- midtown dies in 05 and from the ashes rises COBRA STARSHIP. Cobras gets signed to fueled by ramen and decaydance records, which is the same 2 labels as TAI. while gabe's working on the music, tai's bassist, sisky finds out about snakes on a plane and suggested submitting their song to be on the soundtrack. Then william beckett the singer of TAI suggested to gabe that this would be perfect for cobras and he should put a song forward, which he does. Gabe makes some changes to the lyrics, adds william, travie and maja and Bring it (snakes on a plane) was born. (source) Sometime around 2006-2005 gabe briefly featured in the music video for 'the phrase that pays'

2007- things ramp up and they start touring together. Both bands are supporting acts on the honda civic 2007 tour and are featured at 3 separate Decaydance fest shows in Paris, Kohn and London. They also do a series of international festivals together like reading and leeds, pukkelpop, summer sonic, ect AND they do an australia tour just the 2 of them, this was all through summer. At the end of the year cobras jump on TAI's headliner tour, they weren't supposed to butviva la cobra came out earlier than planned so they had no tour to promote it so tai let them open for the last month or so. Both were also apart of the MTVu campus takeover this year. TAI had a webshow and cobra are featured multiple times from 2007-2008, this is actually where they got the idea for cobra cam and even stole TAI's camera man to film it. also somewhere someone released official merch that included cobra, TAI and fob that said 'gabe is not a ynonym for sisky' and they promoted it together.

2008- Both bands are part of the lineup for warped tour this year, snakes was played a lot and when suarez had to leave the tour for a couple days, sisky and the butcher (TAI's drummer) covered for him. TAI's album was released in august and featured backing vocals from Ryland, Alex and Gabe, and every member of cobra is mentioned in the thank yous. Right after warped both bands go to australia and opened for panic at the disco (bonus info: victoria, sisky and ryan went bar hopping for ryans 22nd), then right after they go and do a japan tour with the hush sound and the cab. For welcome to the new administration, suarez remixed TAI's song 'automatic eyes'

2009 onwards- Things slowed down after this. The butcher is briefly featured in the good girls go bad music video. in 2011 both band play at the 15th anniversary of fueled by ramen, this ended up being TAI's last show before they split. After they split, butcher was the drum tech for cobra from 2011-2012. When TAI had a reunion in 2015, suarez played bass for sisky with carly rae jepsen so he could play on their reunion tour. Also around 2015 Gabe and Mike started TAG music together, i think mike has left since then though.

Extras: at every TAI show since their 2022 reunion they have played snakes on a plane, with gabe or without. Gabe also always does backing vocals for the song 'classifieds' if he's there. Sisky used to do travies rap during snakes if he wasn't there, he did it a bunch on warped 2008.

Sisky commented this during cobrakkah in 2021 and i think about it a lot tbh. I think they were just best friends who got to tour the world together in their youth and are still friends and still hold a lot of love for eachother :,)

hope that wasn't too much, i'm pretty sure i covered everything that i know about. Decaydance is my favourite thing so i have a google doc of all their connections so i remember them all :D

something to add would be that TAI are opening for fob on the 3rd in LA and a few cobras live there, so i wouldn't be suprised if they show up for snakes on a plane!

EDIT: if you want photos of any of these things I mentioned I probably have some so please ask! and if you don't want to, search my tag #thepolycule and there's a bunch of photos of decaydance bands hanging out together, including TAI and cobra

[curejiraiya]

What do you guys think the King of Prism announcement is going to be? I'm coping really hard but here's the facts

The actual event is a nationwide showing of all the King of Prism media (twitter pointed out to me that they're showing best 10 before SSS which is out of order and they've also never done it in that order before)

After the first showing (March 22nd) there will be an announcement presented by the director + Shin's VA (Junta <3333). According to twitter this is the first public greeting by Hishida (the director) since 2019!

The announcement is said to be "fitting for the 8th anniversary"?

The 7th anniversary had multiple kuji/merch lines and none of them had a public announcement like this, which leads me to believe it'll be bigger than that. The vark virtual lives ALSO did not begin with a public announcement though going that far back it may have still been pandemic related, unsure.

The Prism Rush setting materials released a few months back, very very late like years after the game shut down. Could be coincidental or could be pandemic related, or could be announcement related.

Junta himself retweeted the announcement (duh) but also TWO separate former King of Prism composers and a choreographer retweeted the announcement with excitement.

None of the VAs have posted about the announcement yet (which honestly could be a sign in itself because Minato's VA (Igarashi Masashi) is known to post about KinPri every once in awhile).

Shoutan (Louis' VA) has been posting about an unrelated event called the King Super Live and it's caught me off guard more than once lmfao. Also if you really want to reach Shoutan posted a twitter photo of him with the caption "dubbing" without any other context lmao.

The Rainbow Live 10th anniversary event is happening RIGHT NOW and lots of Rainbow Live VAs and Staff have been posting about it. This is kind of unrelated to KinPri but who knows?

Last year Hishida marked March 25th as Pretty Rhythm day and promised some sort of campaign to raise money for new Pretty Rhythm content. He had no more details than more content and money however.

King of Prism was on NHK World Japan in a segment with Idolish7 (A still VERY active male idol franchise) in January, the first time Hishida and KinPri has been on the segment in years.

This is only tangentially related but I feel like it should be mentioned in the fact section, last summer the official King of Prism account searched for people to help with One Piece cheer screenings which is wild to me, but apparently because of the help the cheer screenings themselves did pretty well.

Also related to that PolPri (same production company) has been doing really well and itself has plenty of cheer screenings. There's rumors that Tatsunoko has their hands full with more PolPri and the CG for the IRIS movie, but I mean no one really knows about their inner workings lol. Regardless they DIDN'T take the new season of the Pretty Series anime AiPri, leaving them open for new projects.

Ok now that we have all the facts (that I know of lol) what do we think the announcement is?

Things the announcement could be in order of how likely they are in my opinion, and why:

Merch Kuji (if you don't know what a Kuji is (I didn't until recently) it's a merch lottery where you put in some money and are guaranteed to get a piece of merch but the character or design is random. Most modern anime merch is like this ;-;) Let's be honest, KinPri was dead for almost the entire second half of 2023. But between May and September I can count 6 different King of Prism merch lotteries (LOL?). There's also a Kuji running right now that's astrology themed that will be over by the time of the announcement. Leading me to believe that it would be the perfect time for them to open a MEGA merch lottery, one fitting of such a big announcement. Of course I would want more than this lol, but I think given the current precedent the franchise has given us this is the most likely outcome.

Regular around the country screenings. (the country is Japan btw sorry fellow Americans) I'm on the fence on whether or not this will be the announcement because why would they announce more screenings at a screening? But ever since Hiro's birthday in October the amount of King of Prism cheer screenings have shot up dramatically and they don't seem to be stopping. It would be a pretty huge announcement for them to say that the screenings are continuing at this accelerated pace for the time being. If this is the case I would also assume something bigger is coming over the summer lol because they wouldn't just increase the amount of screenings for no reason.

Ok now we get to the fun stuff

3. New Music!! I'm trying to keep my expectations low, but it feels slightly strange that the only staff talking about this are composers and choreographers, no? And the way they're wording the announcement makes me think it's supposed to be BIGGER than the two options above because those are the two things we already have, leading me here to the next step. With Prism Rush we were getting regular singles, and I think it's about time we get a new Septentrion song!!!!

4. Something like the Pretty Series VLives. The VLive format seems to be doing really well for PriChan, and King of Prism has dabbled in the format before, something more but not a ton of work would be something akin to the PriChan highschool live. where there's a shallow story but it can be rebroadcast over and over (at future cheer screenings?). Bonus that the PriChan one was crowdfunded, and there's nothing stopping them from attempting that again (though idk if they would if whatever is happening on 3/25 is also crowdfunded.) I think if we're getting any new content content this is the most likely because of it's cost to profit ratio AND the uptick of them being made for the Pretty Series, but of course I can dream about getting more, as in:

Anything past this point is not very likely but I want it anyway

5. PRISM RUSH 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok I cannot lie, I really want this one just because I want to play a mobile rhythm game and SIF2 is approaching end of service lmao. But it feels kinda weird that the Prism Rush 1 setting materials came out so late, right??? Plus maybe all the composters retweeting were hinting at new music, and what needs a bunch of new music if not a rhythm game! SynSophia has finally gotten out or announced all their backlogged projects (Idol Land though they didn't do much of that one, Fashion Dreamer, and TWO AiPri arcade games) leaving their dev team open to work on a brand new game. Yeah??? :) Plus people complained that most of the Prism Rush story wasn't in the setting materials, maybe this is their chance to re-release the event stories :) (coping!)

6. Another Super Live! Every time I watch one of the Pretty Series Lives where they bring back the VAs from now dead franchises (rip PriMagi) I wonder why they stopped doing these for King of Prism (other than like the pandemic). There's still plenty of Prism Rush songs that have never been done live, plus everyone wants to hear the SSS songs again. And I mean they're getting Junta for the announcement, it would make sense for Shin to announce something like this! I don't think this is very likely, rather it would come if there was new media with new music that was doing really well, but it is something I'd enjoy a lot.

6. A NEW ANIME!!!!!!!!! Ok we save this one for the bottom because it's the least likely, especially for an 8 year old anime and one that hasn't had a new movie in 4 years. But I mean, this is what we all want right? Director Hishida, save us all 🙏

I considered taking this entire post and making it a Youtube video lmfao but I don't think I'd get an audience who wants to listen to me ramble about King of Prism news. But uhh what do you think, I'm so so so so so so so so so so so excited! aaaaaaaaa