#do NOT get it twisted: he's the song's narrator in this situation

[subsequentibis]

I'm not the type of girl for you And I'm not going to pretend That I'm the type of girl you'd call more than a friend And I'd break all the rules for you Break my heart and start again I'm not the type of girl you'd call more than a friend

[jjuwuni]

shortcut to heaven | yang jungwon x oc

pairings — yang jungwon x reader

genre — fluff, angst, college!au, fake dating trope, drama, occasional smut (minors dni please)

summary —  Two strangers seemingly cross paths, everywhere they go. 

Would they find their heaven among their chaotic lives? 

“ That’s right, I’m talking to you, ” Jungwon, THE Yang Jungwon, with his arm, outstretched, index pointing right at me, “ Do you want to be my girlfriend? Fake girlfriend, that is, so make sure you don't end up falling for me. ” With his right dimple in full view, he smirks at me. 

And that was the day my whole life turned upside down.

warnings — a SOCMED AU but with heavy narrations, fake dating trope with some twist n' turns, compared to my other stuff this one is definitely more on the cute, fluff side hehe so not much warnings in terms of content ! OT7 enha is present, as well as probably other 4th gen idols, will use nwjns minji as the faceclaim for y/n, alcohol, drunken mishaps, profanity, there might be slightly dark themes surrounding family and love, no mnc i assure you, making out, smut etc. will happen so minors 👀 watching you !

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A/N: hi there ! back with another update ! enjoy ^^ it's another jam-packed type of update hehe let me know what you guys think of it ! please don't be shy to comment or talk to me or anything, i always love it when i hear from you. also, taglist is OPEN! for this.

taglist: @jwnghyuns, @sparklingsjy

A FEW DAYS LATER .. (party time 🥳)

NARRATION — READER'S POV

Jin could only sigh, she knew her older brother was very protective of her and she couldn’t do anything about it. Her brother used to study in the same school, but later on, dropped out as he decided to pursue his music career. His band, “Spring Memories” got their big break from one of their songs going viral on social media, and he opted to be a full-time musician instead.

As much as their parents were against the idea of him dropping out, they were still supportive of him. Even though the money wasn’t consistently coming in, her parents have always been very encouraging people, showing both their kids their support in whatever it is they want to do.

One thing’s for sure, her older brother had always been there for her, even though they rarely see each other now.

@Vampire 🧛🧛🧛 ft. creepy dude

NARRATION — READER'S POV

To Jinae’s dismay, half of the night was spent trying to run away and hide from people. She wouldn’t say that she was the most popular girl in her school, that was Han Sooyoung’s title, rightfully so. Much like the four guys, she held as much influence as the other guys did – belonging to the top 1% of society, poised to inherit a huge company, beautiful, smart, the works. 

Even so, she would be lying if she said she hadn’t received offers to go out here and there. 

“Ugh, it’s so hard being this pretty, right? I can relate.” Says Sunoo as she sits beside him once people finally leave her alone. Jinae mustered out a grin with a small laugh, happy that her best friend had made light of the situation for her. 

“I just don’t get it, why does this happen?” She responds, her face sullen.

Sunoo could only roll his eyes, sliding a glass full of whatever kind of cocktail they were serving, “How many times do I have to explain this to you?” Sighing out heavily, he leaned over so that they’d be shoulder to shoulder, speaking loud enough over the bass-boosted music so that his best friend would get it through her thick skull, “Why do you think so many people come to watch you dance? You’re the best female dancer out there Jin, it's no question that you have people’s attention.” He couldn’t even fathom how his bestie hadn’t picked up on this all. 

“Plus, you know I have the latest gossip around school, right?” Sunoo takes a small sip before continuing, for dramatic effect, “Well, I heard people have been talking about whether you’re Team Sooyoung or Team Jinae. People talk about you two being the prettiest girls in school. It’s as simple as that.”

Even though Sunoo had laid it out piece by piece and even spelled it out for her, she still couldn’t understand why. Looking back, all her life she has heard that she was pretty, with her parents and friends even trying to convince her to go into acting or being an idol, or even join those survival shows on TV. 

But that just wasn’t her, it wasn’t her thing. As cliche as it was, Jinae didn’t want the attention. 

All she wanted was a quiet university experience, and for her to be able to graduate so she could get a good job to secure her family’s future.

Unable to come up with a response to Sunoo, she proceeds to down the rest of the cocktail in the glass she was holding onto, before reaching for another one.

Minutes passed and the pace at which she was drinking, coupled with the dizzying strobe lights and deafening music all contributed to her feeling intoxicated.

Jake was nowhere to be found, and Sunoo eventually got bored of sitting around and decided to take to the dance floor, being the life of the party as per usual.

Meanwhile, Jinae decided it was time to go to the bathroom.

Given, that she didn’t frequent this particular club much, along the way to the bathroom, she got lost, not knowing where to go. 

But it was there that she was met by something that changed the course of her night, or in this case, someone.

THE FOREVER "WTF HAPPENED LAST NIGHT" QUESTION

THE NIGHT AFTER (ft. the cutest wallpaper)

WHAT HAPPENED??? 👀 (we finally get the answer)

HAPPY MONDAY! 😆

NARRATION — READER'S POV

It was Monday morning and Jin's mind was everywhere but in the present moment. Sitting in class, she was currently in the process of spacing out, caught in her own little world inside of her head.

Truth be told, ever since that night at the club, she had been out of it. She hated it - the fact that she was still ruminating over what happened between her and Jungwon in the janitor's closet.

It all happened so fast, that her intoxicated mind couldn't keep up with it. All she could remember was finding Jungwon somewhat sulking in the closet, then engaging in a conversation with him about the dance club and her spewing out that she hated people like him.

The next memory she had then was her pinned up against the door. She could still remember that moment clearly, Jungwon's arms encasing either side of her head..

"Miss Park.."

His face was so dangerously close to hers. And in that moment she remembered thinking how beautiful the male's eyes were upclose. They were cat-like, almost as if he drew on some cat-eye on himself with an eyeliner.

"Hello?! Earth to Miss Park Jinae?"

And he smelled so damn good, too. Like musky, but with that shower-fresh smell. It was intoxicating, moreso than the god-knows-how-many glasses of cocktails she'd had that night.

Thankfully being pulled out of her trance by someone tapping her on the shoulder, she looked up, mouth slightly agape when she realized that she had been daydreaming this whole time.

Daydreaming about Jungwon, no less.

--

"Well, I'll see you later. I have to drop these off at the student council room." Jinae grumbled with a sulky expression, waving goodbye to Sunoo as best she could while balancing the high stack of papers on both her arms.

Because of her little trip to daydream land a while ago, their professor assigned her to do this as punishment for not listening during the lecture. Their teacher happened to be the student government's adviser, so it was only fair that she was given this task.

And as if her day couldn't get any worse, one second, she was on her way inside the student council room, and the next, she was on the ground, with sheets of paper flying everywhere, hearing a loud WHACKing sound before falling on her back on the floor.

It didn't quite register just yet that Jinae had been hit hard by the wooden door, not until she felt a stinging feeling on her forehead.

"O-ow.. what the fuck..." Was all she could say, trying to get her bearings and propping herself up with one elbow from the floor, while her other hand reached to rub at the painful spot in her head.

You know those teenage romcom movies where things suddenly go into slow-mo mode, as this tall, handsome guy approaches you and kneels down to check on you? Well, that was what Jinae was currently going through.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry I didn't see you." Said the slender male with white alabaster skin. He had a white button-down on with black slacks, and silver-rimmed glasses to match.

Jinae stared at him, blinking her eyes repeatedly, as it finally dawns on her who the perpetrator was.

Park Sunghoon.

THAT SAME DAY... 😳

THE PLOT THICKEMS...

INTRODUCING ... SUNGHOON'S DUMP ACCT!

ANOTHER EYESEMOJI MOMENT?

[homestuckreplay]

Refusing To Give Dave Strider The Jester’s Privilege

(page 443-455; general discussion of character parallels)

8/7/2009 Wheel Spin: Long Pesterlog Verdict: INCORRECT (1 page too late….)

8/9/2009 Wheel Spin: Captchalogue Lore Verdict: ABSOLUTELY NOT. PUPPET LORE ONLY

In this page spread, we see the ‘Dave equivalent’ of two things that have already happened with John and Rose. The first is the meditation on the weather, the day, and the general mood that’s accompanied by a misattributed quote and animation of a character gazing at the sky. The second is the character exploring their house and reacting to their family member’s interests, with one eye open for that family member, who could appear at any moment.

Both of these play out differently with Dave than they did with John and Rose, twisting the pattern now that it’s established. And I have to say, I don’t find p.444 (Dave) as effective as p.307 (Rose) or p.82 (John). The animation is good - not quite as cool as the cinematic opening of the clouds in Rose’s page, but I like how it shows us Dave isn’t just dealing with regular heat, there’s apocalyptic fire dripping down from the sky, and how it shows us Dave’s home in its local context. I also like the metaphor of the hot needle ‘hot needle skipping on a groove its tracing 'round the earth,’ and the world as a turntable, referencing Dave’s instrument the way the other pages do with theirs.

What I like less is the ‘izzle’ suffixes and the deployment of Snoop Dogg lyrics as the misattributed quote. Again, this is a white author and character referencing Black rap culture in a way that’s not overtly racist, but feels like it’s used here as a joke. John and Rose’s misattributed quotes were reflective and relevant to their situations, while Dave’s is just lyrics from a popular song (a song where the lyrics are probably not the main form of artistry). There are plenty of thoughtful Snoop Dogg quotes that could have been used here, bud it feels like this slang and these lyrics are used as a counterpoint to the more serious tone of the other pages, which doesn’t say great things about Hussie’s overall opinion of Black culture.

I think I understand the intended effect here - Dave’s mind is wandering, descending into first his own raps and then someone else’s. He’s not one to linger in the malaise like John and Rose are, he’s leaning on his ‘ironic rapper’ persona even inside his own head, and his personality is refracted out into the meta layers of the story. I get that. But this page still positions Dave as a comic relief character who isn’t allowed to have a serious moment, and it’s hard for me to take him seriously as a character if the narrator won’t either. As we’re still in act 2, this page doesn’t reference an act title like John’s and Rose’s did, which also makes Dave feel like a secondary character even if that’s not the intention. 

Dave’s brother lives in the living room - he sleeps on a futon and has his whole computer and gaming setup out there. Whether or not they have parents around, Dave’s brother is the family member who controls the communal space, keeping Dave confined to his room. Dave is wary of using the Xbox, showing that he’s not allowed to use equipment in what should be a shared space. His brother might not have the parental authority over him that John’s dad and Rose’s mom do, but he has authority over the space (and by extension, Dave’s ability to leave the house), which contributes to Dave appearing just as isolated as John and Rose. The way his tower stretches above everyone else’s in the city, meaning Dave can’t even wave to a neighbor through a window, is a great visual for this.

The sequence of Dave interacting with and commenting on the different puppets around his house is really effective - these pages allow Dave to be different from John and Rose without making him less of a character. John and Rose don’t really distinguish between the various harlequins and wizards around their houses, but Dave knows these puppets - often by name - along with some of the stories behind them. He’s also careful and respectful when he moves them around, treating them almost like members of the family, while John and Rose have no issue damaging the equivalents in their own houses.

Dave’s feelings about the specific puppets are variable - he seems to like puppets with clothes and defined personas better than nameless nude puppets. He finds it easier to see the many layers of irony ostensibly surrounding pop culture figures like Mr. T and Chuck Norris, justifying an interest in them, but seems more off put by the ‘weird nude puppets’ perhaps because he can’t justify why his brother likes them. Lil Cal is the most interesting of all - he appears from nowhere between p.450 and 451, and Dave worries about him like he’s an actual person (‘man you hope the little guy's alright’). 

We know objects can appear from nowhere if they’re taken out of a sylladex, and we know Dave’s brother uses Cal as a ventriloquism doll. Sylladex + ventriloquism could easily mimic magic, so I think Dave’s brother is hiding somewhere close by, using sylladex tricks to play with Cal and waiting to catch Dave in the act of using his Xbox and computer.

And finally, we get some gameplay for (presumably) Grand Snack Fuckyeah, discussed on Dave’s blog (p.325). I am delighted to learn that this game involves collecting Doritos the same way you’d collect coins in Mario. This game was absolutely invented for college stoners. Sadly, there’s no answer yet to Dave’s burning question of whether popular beverages will play a role, which is a shame because Mtn Dew Baja Blast would fit right in here.

[trelkez]

pitch for Schmigadoon seasons 3 & 4:

Josh and Melissa decide to stay in Schmicago. Season 3 brings in a set of somehow connected characters who go looking for Josh & Melissa and wander into a land of 80s musicals (Schmi Mis? Schmats?), with, again, the same actors in different roles.

Then, in a season 3 finale twist, our new main characters find out that Josh and Melissa are also there, but like the recurring cast, they have now also become new characters who don't remember their past lives.

Season 4 sees the new leads trying to go back to find Josh and Melissa again, but they wind up in another musical era (Schmicked? Schming Awakening?) in which Josh and Melissa are there from day one, but again as new characters. Are all of the recasted actors people who wandered into a musical world and never left? Is it just Josh and Melissa, or do the other characters have past real world lives too?

Culminating in a meta unraveling of the show in which people remember their past characters and bits of old numbers come back. Maybe some people came in together like Josh and Melissa, but had forgotten each other - maybe some people are more focused on the Jenny & Topher-type musical relationships they found and lost along the way. We get an idea of what at least some of them were like pre-musicals. Some of them share traits with their characters, like a bombastic real life Countess Bobby, but some are VERY different. Maybe some, like Josh and Melissa, chose to stay; maybe others never found the plot resolutions that would open the way home; maybe a few never had a choice at all, and were simply trapped there.

At the end, everyone decides to go back out into the real world, walking offstage. We don't see what happens to them. Can they even really leave, or are they doomed to wake up in Hamilton? Are their old lives still waiting for them, or are some of them more of a Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes situation? Will they get out there and immediately want to come back? Who is the "Cypher wants back into The Matrix" of Schmigadoon? (It's Kristin Chenoweth.)

(What if some of them have been there ... a long time? What if the real person behind Dove Cameron's perpetual ingenue walked off into the woods in the 1800s and stepped into her favorite operas? If she goes back into the real world with the ensemble, do they all arrive on the other side in the show's current day real world together, or are they scattered back to the points at which they arrived? I'm imagining a final number send up of about half a dozen different "off into the unknown"/"if we're together"-type songs.)

Bonus points if we never, ever find out who Narrator Tituss is. Did he also start out as a person wandering in through the woods? Did he create this world of musical unreality? Was he a frustrated stage manager in a former life? Is he a trickster god? I don't want to know. Some mysteries stay mysteries.

[birdybirdnerd]

unpolished raph rambling abt her and the narrator (gregory) and how her final run went. may pushed me into thinking about what, exactly, made her Her, and i finally found her heart: she is deeply, deeply passionate about people feeling their feelings, not pushing things down

the drabble starts out referring to her with male pronouns, as it takes place towards the start of one of the cycles of they fight->things change->realizes Gender Stuff->narrator wipes the slate clean. also, shes called stanley throughout, since it was only after escaping that she picked a new name

enjoy! ill clean it up and post to the collection tomorrow

Stanley felt like he'd done this before.

No, no, not the most recent route. Not any of them. Obviously, he'd done all this before- again and again and again, over and over countless resets endless cycles as the wheel turned and turned and turned.

No.

Not that.

But… something. Something about this situation, this specific situation he was in, smacked of a familiarity that grated on his nerves and set his teeth on edge. It was like trying to recall the lyrics to a song you'd heard once when you were twelve and which stuck with you, and, in trying to track it down, found something that might have been it but- no, the lyrics didn't hit quite so close, the melody felt deflated. It had to be the wrong song.

But everyone insisted it was right.

Another run, another several hours spent arguing over Stanley's choices, Stanley's actions, Stanley's insistence on acting out and playing a part he wasn't supposed to, you're only supposed to be a vessel, Stanley, only a way for the Player to experience the story. Don't act too out of line, if you keep trying to add 'pizzazz' to these performances, it'll only distract from the story I'm trying to tell.

Stanley was tired of hearing his own name. In that condescending voice, that boring, unimaginative, stale tone that seemed damned determined to crush his spirit again and again. He was tired of it all, dammit, and needed to isolate himself away and reign his anger in before he broke something in an effort to feel like he was being heard.

Suffice to say, opening the door to the Broom Closet to find someone already there was enough to shock the bubbling rage right out of his system.

-

They talked. This man - a Narrator, another Narrator from another Parable - explained the situation. Explained why he was there, what he planned to do, how he'd seen a Stanley in need, locked in eternal combat with his own Narrator, and was now here to help.

But… every word out of his mouth, this- this other Narrator. Every word seemed scripted. Lacked inflection, lacked emotion.

Dead.

He spoke these words, and though Stanley heard them and believed every one, he also realized that… this man was not okay.

"What happened to you?"

He blinked, looked up at Stanley. "Don't worry about it. It's unimportant; what is important, is getting you out of here. Of getting you to freedom."

Stanley shook his head slowly. There was more to it than that.

"Come on," he said softly, sliding closer where the two of them had sat up against the wall of the closet, closing the distance to press their shoulders together. He had to look down at the fellow's corporeal form, which felt a bit strange, but. "Tell me what's wrong. Are you okay?"

A wry laugh, a brief, bitter twist of his lips underneath that bushy mustache. "I am very much fine. Your concern is appreciated, but this is just how things are. Now, if you would be so kind as to leave it along, we can return to the business of getting you out of here."

Stanley frowned, even as the fellow hauled himself to his feet and offered a hand. Stanley frowned, even as he took that hand, and followed him through the hallways, down a route he'd wandered many times before, wondering, hoping, and eventually, giving up on.

Stanley frowned, even as the two of them stood in front of the escape pod, and the Narrator looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to step inside.

He pulled his hand away, and shook his head. "No. I'm not going in there. Not until you explain what your deal is- what it really is."

The Narrator closed his eyes and sighed. All the weight of the world pressed down on his shoulders, hunching them until he looked ready to crumble, but- it was a familiar weight. One he had grown so sadly, tragically accustomed to, that it barely seemed to bother him anymore.

Stanley felt his breath catch at that brief show of emotion, before the walls came back up between them.

"Fine. I'll tell you my story," the Narrator said, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. He wouldn't meet Stanley's eyes. "But then we leave."

No promises. Stanley didn't say as much.

And so the Narrator spoke.

-

Stanley was pissed.

As the Narrator wove his tale, Stanley went from horrified, to grief-stricken, to angry. That anger simmered, as he heard of these countless cycles, so much worse than the one's he himself had been subjected to. It boiled higher as he learned of all these past iterations, over and over again and again, this Narrator, alone and untethered, torn so viciously away from his Stanley, his best friend, and thrown to the wolves and to a duty he hadn't asked for. Hadn't wanted.

Stanley was pissed, and couldn't understand why the Narrator wasn't, as well.

"Why should I be?" he asked, as his story came to a close and Stanley expressed this all to him. "This is my lot, now. I've tried to escape it, before- other Stanley's have worked with me, brainstormed, but nothing ever works. We step into the escape pod, everything goes dark, and I wake up once more in another Parable with another Stanley to help."

He laughed, shrugged. "What's the point?"

"The point," Stanley urged, fists clenched, "is never asked for this! You did your time, you changed, and all you got as reward was this- this endless hell of helping other people that you don't even know! You're trapped, and all you feel about it is apathy?"

The Narrator frowned, but even that felt distant. "I feel more than apathy about my situation, Stanley. Trust me; when this all started, I grieved. I cried. I cursed the universe for what had happened. But it's been years, with no end in sight."

His shoulders slumped, crossed arms pulling tighter against his chest, as if he wanted to curl into himself. "There's no point in feeling sad about it anymore. That won't help anyone."

Stanley felt a violent, visceral hatred rear its head, fill his chest. At the universe, for doing this to someone who cared so, so much. For putting him in this position, for beating the spirit out of him one lonely cycle at a time.

"Maybe you missed something," she tried, mind racing. She had to give him hope, she had to see that fire- she saw a coal there, dark and cold, but knew it could come alight if she just knew how- "There has to be a way out for both of us. There has to be an escape."

A derisive snort. "Trust me, Stanley. I've tried everything. There is no escape for me. Only you."

"Bullshit." He ran his hands through his hair, tugging on the thick locks. "I don't believe that for a second. Maybe in those other places, there wasn't, or maybe you just never looked hard enough. There has to be something here, some loophole we can exploit to get you out of here, I-"

"Would you just stop?" The Narrator's voice was quiet. Tired. Resigned. "There's no use. There is no escape for me. Just drop it."

"No! I won't drop it!" Stanley shouted. "If you're so damned determined to be a coward about it, I'll fucking think of a way to get you out!"

The Narrator frowned again, though- this time, there was more than blank apathy in the expression. Not much more, but a trickle. A flicker.

A spark.

"I don't much appreciate you calling me a coward-"

Stanley latched onto that spark, saw the way forward. He grinned viciously. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of your own teeth chattering in fear- or is that the sound of your knees knocking together?

The Narrator rolled his eyes, shook his head. That spark sputtered and threatened to die. "You're being childish, Stanley."

"And you're being a little bitch!"

Another snort. "Oh, I see what you're doing here. You're trying to anger me, aren't you? Trying to get me to show more emotion." He smiled wide, near-painfully so, but it was so clearly a facade that Stanley almost laughed. "There. Enough emotion for you? I'm simply jazzed we're going to escape! Now, let's get out of here before I lose any more patience with this whole situation."

Stanley pushed him.

The Narrator stumbled back, caught off guard. "…what was that?"

Stanley pushed him again. And again, when he didn't respond.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to piss you off."

"Why?"

"Because you deserve to be angry!" Stanley shouted. He reached out to push the Narrator again, but his hands were deftly swatted away. That didn't deter him; he continued advancing on the Narrator in that dark hallway, getting in his face, voice raising as he tried to get a rise out of the man by any means necessary. "Everything you have suffered, every shitty thing that's happened to you, it sucks! You deserve to be angry, to take that pain and scream about it! Don't act like you don't, don't act like it doesn't matter, because it does! You need to feel this!"

"Look, I can't let myself feel it!" The Narrator shoved him back, but there was no anger, no irritation in the gesture- only a need for space. "Because if I let myself think about it, if I let myself feel, if I don't repress it all down where I can't see it then I'll only end up screaming, and I can't afford to have that kind of breakdown!"

"But if you shove it all down like that, it'll only keep hurting you, more and more and worse and worse," Stanley pressed, stepping back up. His eyes were alight, and he saw that spark gaining heat, mirrored in his own. "You need to let it out, you need to feel that pain or it'll just kill you, a slow and agonizing death that you don't deserve."

"I didn't deserve any of this!"

Stanley rejoiced inside as the Narrator spun away, the dam breaking as his voice rose and cracked.

"I didn't deserve any of what happened to me!" he shouted, hands fisted in his hair, pulling, tugging as his face twisted in rage and agony. "I push it down because if I let it out it'll consume me, and I have things to do! There are Stanleys that need me, and I've been chosen for this- this purpose, this meaning I didn't ask for- didn't want! All I wanted was to escape with my Stanley, my friend, to go somewhere else and be done with this all! But I'm here, back here, again and again and the end is never the goddamn end and I'm tired! I'm so tired, I don't get to stop, I'll never get to stop because it's never going to fucking end!"

He spun around in a movement so fast, faster than anything Stanley had seen, and punched the wall with a wordless scream. The skin over his knuckles split open, tearing another ragged cry from him as he reared back, punched the wall again, again, again.

The movements weakened, slowed; hot tears spilled from the Narrator's eyes as he let out sob after broken sob, knees collapsing under him as he fell to the floor and pressed his forehead into the wall.

He looked up, suddenly, eyes wide and bright and so, so full of fear it stole Stanley's elated breath away.

"I-I'm sorry," he gasped, voice thick with the tears that refused to stop falling. "I didn't mean- I shouldn't have- I'm-"

"Don't apologize," Stanley shushed, dropping to his knees next to the fellow and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. "Don't ever apologize. You needed to let it out, and by god you let it out."

The Narrator clutched helplessly at Stanley's off-white shirt, tears and blood that still oozed sluggishly from the wounds on his hand staining the fabric.

"I shouldn't- I-" he tried, voice muffled into Stanley's chest as he held on, held on. "I can't be the bad Narrator, I- I shouldn't scream, shouldn't-"

"Shut the hell up," Stanley muttered, burying his face into the fellow's soft curls. "You're not bad, never bad. I'm not scared, I'm proud."

A hiccuping sob, and the Narrator buried his face once more, fresh tears pushing through and tearing his throat as he screamed, wordless and grieving.

Stanley held him through it all, tight, solid, and real.

-

After this, they spoke some more. About Stanley - his Stanley - about what he left behind. He didn't say in as many words, but this Stanley had an inkling; their relationship may… have not been entirely platonic.

And though he egged the fellow on, pushed and poked and prodded him into feeling every emotion he'd repressed with all his essence, he didn't push this. Didn't demand he detail his relationship with the other Stanley, the first Stanley. Didn't antagonize him into baring that part of his soul, because a part of him knew that that would be too far.

He didn't want to break the fellow. He just wanted him to feel.

After they talked, the Narrator also told Stanley of… something he'd left out, earlier. Not intentionally, mind; he explained that he'd fallen into a sort of pattern, these past dozen or so cycles, where he was simply going through the motions. None of the Stanley's were 'just another Stanley', he cared about each and every one, but. He might have failed to fully explain things to them, after a certain point.

What was the point, after all?

But when he'd entered this Stanley's Parable, when he looked around to determine what sort of situation he'd be dealing with this time, he found something alarming. Evidence, in the code that made up the place, of tampering. From within, definitely, so no worries about outside influence.

But… the evidence was that of repeated deletion. Of scraping of memories, experiences, all of that being stripped away to clean the thread, to set up for a new reset.

More than the usual resets. Much more.

Stanley had. Had apparently existed a lot longer in this cycle than he'd realized. Again and again, he would go through the Parable, would want to change things. Would want his own Narrator to grow, to flourish, to be able to tell his story with all the grace and panache it was so painfully obvious he wanted to.

Stanley would push, and push, and grow, and change, and-

And realize, some things about himself along the way.

About herself.

But every time he - she - realized these things, and tried to change, the Narrator would shut everything down.

No change. No character. No personality. You are meant to be a vessel for the Player's enjoyment of the game. Nothing more, nothing less.

And so she would scream, and rage, and try and try and try to convince the Narrator there was more to be had, a better story to be told if you only let yourself feel-

And enough of the Narrator would listen, and realize, and feel-

And he would get scared.

And he would clean the thread, and start again.

Stanley was, once again, pissed.

She demanded, now, of this new Narrator, that before they left this Parable, one more time. One more attempt, to get through to her own Narrator, to make him see reason- because knowing this, now, that she'd trod these same paths before, they'd had these same conversations, these same realizations- she knew there was a part of him inside that wanted to change. To be more.

To be great.

This Narrator didn't want to risk it, but Stanley could be very persuasive, and so he let her.

…and nothing came of it.

With all his faults revealed, with his own thread's cleaning pushed out into the open, with this victorious and vindictive Stanley and this new, strange Narrator flipping his worldview in such a way as he couldn't handle-

He couldn't handle it.

He couldn't.

He tried to reset, to wipe the slate once more, but the new Narrator didn't let him. He stopped the process before anything could happen, nothing but a look of disappointment and resignation on his face.

Her Narrator turned, then, to anger. To his own vindication, his own gauntlet thrown.

"If you leave, I'll just make another Stanley," he said. "After all, I made you."

To that, the other Narrator snorted, but didn't otherwise comment.

"I'll do it! Maybe a different Stanley won't be so- so defiant. So determined to take my story, my world, and make it something it's not. I'll make another Stanley, and this one will listen, will do as he's told."

"Fine." This Stanley was done. She was just… done. "Fine. Have fun with that."

Turning to the other Narrator, she nodded. "Let's get the hell out of here. I'm done listening to this basic bitch."

They left her Narrator sputtering, but she didn't care. She'd tried, she'd tried, but he was so obsessed with his sanitized Parable, all its hard edges and facets ground off for easier consumption. If he wanted to make another one of her to puppet through the motions, fucking fine.

Stanley had a life to discover, somewhere else.

Her and the other Narrator still talked, still tried to brainstorm. His apathy threatened to make a return appearance, dead-set on the idea that there was no way it would work, but every time that happened, Stanley made a snide comment or cracked a stupid joke, and it brought him back. Brought back that smile.

That spark.

Eventually, though, they had to leave. Every avenue worked through, every possibility accounted for; the two of them stepped into the escape pod, and the door slid shut behind them.

As the launch sequence started, Stanley found a hand squeezed into her own.

To that, she responded by pulling the Narrator into another tight, bone-crushing hug.

He shuddered in her arms. "You're- pardon me for saying this," he managed, even as the whine of whatever machinations powered the pod threatened to drown him out. "But you hug just- just like Stanley."

She knew what he meant.

Smiling sadly, she hugged him tighter.

Reality stretched thin like a rubber band, and snapped.

-

Stanley woke up alone.

[copper-dragon-in-disguise]

What's this, a new d&d character?

hi. I have a DND character. his name is Oliver (oli). I may or may not be projecting onto him, a lot, but that is not the problem today. I made a character playlist for him and I want to talk about how it pertains to his (planned?) character arc. Ergo, this

The important thing to begin with is the basic gist of his backstory. Oli is a satyr paladin, oath of the ancients. Early to mid twenties or so. Gay (and ace), which is relevant, because he has a Tragic Backstory!!!!

Basically, he grew up in and out of the feywild, either there or in this one elven town that just so happens to have a portal to faerie very close by (and also might have been the childhood home of the other character in the campaign, quinn, who belongs to @ineffeblygay (hi mars. hope you don't mind the tag!! feel free to ignore this if you want /not sarcastic /not passive agressive), but neither of them remember that all too well (see their Tragic Backstory™))

He, as many gays are wont to do, had a boyfriend!!! I have not figured out said partner's name yet but that is okay. However, there was An Accident, that Oli thinks he would have been able to prevent if he had been there, and his partner died. Oli blames himself for it. He made his oath because of them, and so he holds to it, both because he believes in it, and because he feels like it's the least he can do. (Notably, for semi-related reasons, he avoids using the magic that comes with the oath if at all possible (I'm thinking it's cause he tried to help them with it, and he failed, and he thinks that it's cause he did something wrong and it was his fault (hi. remember what I said about projecting--)

song #1

she's in love with the boy by trisha yearwood

This is about the childhood romance type thing. It's like the, oh, hey, they're in love, and it's sweet, and they're going to spend the rest of their lives together, and no one can stop that-- until, hey, whoops, dead (hence song #2)

song #2

if i should fall behind by bruce springsteen, specifically the live in dublin version

this is the part that functions as the section about his partner's death. ''if I should fall behind / wait for me'' Ahhhhhhh. so, in this case falling behind is them dying. which. oh hey that's fun, metaphors!!

it's them promising the wait for each other, to remember each other, and it's also about Oliver refusing to move on

song #3

ophelia by the lumineers

listen. ophelia dies, thats gotta be something. is their partner the ophelia in this situation? honestly, hell if I know. maybe? probably, even, but possibly not. cause the thing with ophelia is, she either killed herself or it was an accident, twist of fate. and that's what his partner's death was, and like ophelia, no one can know for certain.

song #4

all that heaven will allow by bruce spingsteen

the thing with this song is, I first heard it when my dad was trying to prove to me that bruce springsteen does have at least a couple happy songs. my immediate response was that the narrator was dead, this definitely isn't a happy song. (On an unrealted note, my dad thinks he was trying to get into heaven, and I think he was trying to get out. I have many opinions on this song) I stand by that opinion.

This is the part from what would be, if it was a book, Oliver's partner's pov. he wants more time, he wishes he could have had more time, and he's coming to terms with that, that he's dead. which in theory would take place while his soul is traveling from the material plane to the shadowfell

Song #5

achellies come down by gang of youths

this is the bit where Oliver's depression gets REAL bad, he tries to kill himself, but he doesn't do it, which is uh. both kinda important because I need him to be alive for the campaign and also, you remember what I said about the projection bit? yeah that. but the thing is, he doesn't admit it to himself (again, projection). the year and a half to two years after his partner died were the worst years of his life, and then one day he woke up and just. shoved all his emotions in a closet and ignored them (which is extremely not healthy)

and he stays like that for a year to a year and a half, and sometime in that time period is where the campaign picks up with him.

song #6

welcome to the black parade by my chemical romance

this one doesn't fit as obviously as the other ones do, but "though you're dead and gone believe me / your memory will carry on" cause one day he just decides to pretend that he's perfectly okay (he's not) and isn't traumatized at all (he is) and he is perfectly capable of being a functional human being person

cause carrying on. he has to pretend he's okay because if he's not what the hells does he do then?

song #7

i'm not okay (i promise) by my chemical romance

hey look, he's admitting it now. he's beginning to heal!!!! (tbh this probably comes after a pivotal and highly emotional time in the campaign, probably after one of them comes super close to death and they're above like, level 5, idk, I haven't worked out all the details yet (gods I love being dm))

song #8

take me home, country roads by john denver

to be honest, there's something missing between song #7 and #8, but I don't know quite what it is. but, at the very end of the campaign, he's gonna go home. he's going to go back to where he came from for the first time in three or four years and he's going to see his family and his friends because he's finally at a point in his life where he feels like he can face them without blaming himself.

so, that was it!!!! if you have questions please ask me I love talking about oli--

[popmusicu]

The “diss track”: A short history

Music, as a form of artistic and emotional expression, has always considered the expression of both positive and negative emotions and topics. Regarding the topics it explores, music is usually associated with the exploration of both introspective thoughts from the artist and external situations, with the use of several lyrical and instrumental resources (e.g poetic resources, narration, etc.). But as the art form it is, music doesn’t shy away from being used as a blank canva for the adressment of personal conflicts between people and collectives. This is essential for understanding the logic behind a “diss” or a “diss track” in music. A diss track is a song that is primarily intended to insult or criticize someone, typically another artist or public figure, and they were popularized by hip-hop music in the 1990’s, given the open mic and freestyle culture of the genre. The conflict between the belligerent parties itself is known as “beef” or “having beef”. The last beef that shook the music world was the beef between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake. In a feature on the song “Like That”, released on Future and Metro Boomin’s álbum “We Don´t Trust You” march 22nd, Kendrick Lamar openly criticized and insulted (from here and on “dissed”) fellow rappers Drake and J Cole, who had previously praised him as part of the “big 3” of the 2010’s rap scene on the song “First Person Shooter” off of Drake’s latest álbum, “For All The Dogs”. This resulted as the product of 10 years of sneak disses between Drake and Kendrick. This situation quickly escalated, causing the rappers to involve themselves in hugely public beef, with J Cole getting out just after responding to Kendrick, leaving him and Drake as the only ones involved. After this, several diss tracks from both rappers were released, severely accusing each other of things like pedophilia, grooming, child negligence, sex traffic, cultural appropiation, substance, gambling and physical abuse, among others. These attacks between both rappers summarize the essential dynamics of diss tracks, which is to destroy or damage as much as possible the opponent’s credibility, image and reputation. As a media-covered beef between two of hip-hop´s most succesful musicians, this beef represents the latest entry to a long list of beefs and disses throughout music history, dating before hip-hop made them popular.

The earliest known examples regard reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry. Two examples of this are the songs "Run for Cover" (1967), "People Funny Boy" (1968) and "Cow Thief Skank" (1973), respectively directed towards three producers he worked with, Coxsone Dodd, Joe Gibbs and Niney the Observer.

A few years later, following The Beatles´s harsh breakup, an interchange of disses between John Lennon and Paul McCartney took place in 1971, following the release of McCartney’s 1971 album “RAM”, that opened up with the song “Too Many People”, which he later admitted was about Lennon. Lennon responded with a more direct and and aggresive diss on his 1971 album “Imagine”, with the song “How Do You Sleep?”. For this song, he also recruited George Harrison to play slide guitar, who also had several problems with McCartney.

Other notable example a few years later regards Fleetwood Mac. Their 1977 record “Rumours” was composed in a turbulent time for the band, in which romances and affairs involving band members had started to cause tension between the band. This resulted in the composition of several songs for the album directed towards each other, like “Second Hand News”, “Go Your Own Way” and “You Make Loving Fun”. In an ironic twist, despite all of this, “Rumours” remains their most critically and commercially succesful album to date.

In the 80’s, hip-hop embraced disses and beefs as part its culture. The earliest known example of disses in hip-hop are the “Roxanne Wars”. The Roxanne Wars were a series of musical battles that took place in the mid-1980s, starting with the release of the song "Roxanne, Roxanne" by the group UTFO in 1984. The song tells the story of a girl named Roxanne who rejects the romantic advances of the group's members. The catalyst for the Roxanne Wars was the response track "Roxanne's Revenge," recorded by 14-year-old rapper Roxanne Shanté. Her track was a direct rebuttal to UTFO's song, and it quickly gained popularity. This sparked a wave of response tracks from various artists, each claiming to represent different perspectives of the fictional character Roxanne or offering their take on the situation.

By the end of the decade, one of the most culturally significant beefs for hip-hop took place after Ice Cube’s departure from NWA in 1989. The group´s 1990 EP “100 Miles and Runnin’” included a diss towards Cube for leaving the group. A year later, Cube responded with the track “No Vaseline” included in his 1991 album “Death Certificate”, where he dissed the entirety of NWA and their manager Jerry Heller, exposing the creative and monetary issues that lead to his departure. A few months after this, NWA officially disbanded. Beefs between individual group members followed, like the Dr. Dre – Eazy E beef.

In the mid 90’s, the most well known and influential beef of all time took place, involving rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls). Being well known friends before the start of the dispute, the beef started when 2pac was shot in 1994 after leaving a studio in Manhattan. Although he survived, he accused Biggie and Bad Boy Records founder and producer P. Diddy because of their status as prominent figures in east coast hip-hop scene, of possibly knowing about he plans for his shooting and not telling him about it. 2pac dissed Biggie and Bad Boy Records several times, being the most notable the 1995 legendary diss track “Hit ‘Em Up”, which acquired this status thanks to the highly agressive and ruthless shots 2pac took against Biggie. Presumably fearing the start of a full blown east and west coast war and expecting of being eventually able to repair their broken friendship, Biggie never responded to 2pac directly, only sneak dissing him in a few songs, like “Long Kiss Goodnight” or “Brooklyn’s Finest”. The eventual murders of both rappers cemented this as the biggest, most famous and most important rivalry in hip-hop, and one of the biggest in music overall.

Some other notable beefs that came later are Jay-Z vs. Nas, LL Cool J vs Canibus, Eminem & 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, 50 Cent vs Jadakiss, Pusha T vs. Drake and finally Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake.

- Ignacio Haro

[remembertheplunge]

11/28/2005

A DJ on Merced  FM radio 97.5, an oldies station,  played the song “My Girl Bill” and made anti gay references regarding it this morning.

I phoned and left message: “Would you say that about blacks or orientals or women?"

The assistant that answered the phone did not acknowledge or apologize. He said of the DJ “I’ll let him know."

I talked with Jim before I called.He said “Do it.”

I didn’t give my name. The assistant didn’t ask for it. I said I liked the station.

Little tiny movement. Not for them. For us.

Anonymous.

I don’t want anything except to say “Shut up!”

I’m sure that the DJ and the boys are proud of themselves.

Gay Fag Bash! Ha Ha!

The assistant probably won’t even tell the DJ.Don’t matter. We called.I just said that I thought the DJ's comments were “extremely offensive.”

Jim Stafford sang the song “My Girl Bill” (1974) From Google “The song is about a man named Bill/William and his friend, the narrator of the song. The lyrics employ double entendre, leading the listener to infer that the men, as the title suggests, are themselves in a romantic relationship. However, in the last verse a twist occurs: the narrator speaks of a woman who has been the men’s mutual love interest but who has now summarily rejected Bill, and he’s explaining the situation. (ie: (she’s) my girl, Bill)

(Later in the 11/28/2005 entry, I continue discussing the call to the radio station)

—so—I’m glad I called: Left the DJ a message.

But, for such a family friendly show, cold response.Kind of a fuck you. We’ll say what we want.”

OK! I just found it to be very offensive. In our society, that gets you deeper in debt. Who cares. And, interesting that Jim and I didn’t want “him” to know our names.

Out of fear.

Out of privacy issues.

End of this part of the entry

[twstheadcanons]

Self-Indulgent TWST Geography

A long post of generalised geography headcanons for the world of TWST complete with continents for my own personal needs.  The post divides locations by Continent.

Anyway why is there a homeland whose name is just the definition of a desert.

Continents (and ocean)

Errant - a western continent in Twisted Wonderland. Mzunguko - the second largest continent in Twisted Wonderland.   Yalmae - the largest continent in Twisted Wonderland.   Abíní - a continent West of Errant. Tridente Ocean - the largest ocean in Twisted Wonderland.

Errant

Rose Kingdom – a country in the western region of Errant. It isn’t a particularly large country, and traveling from it to its neighbouring countries is possible via buses or car. Crownsshire – a county in Rose Kingdom Crowns – the capital  of Crownsshire. It is the town Riddle, Trey, and Che’nya live in.  

Land of Pyroxene – a large country in Errant.  Known for its cold, snowy winters and history with legends pertaining to five of the Great Seven. Waldburg – province Vil’s family is from.  Largely influenced by another country within Errant. Argent – a province in Land of Pyroxene.   Verre – a city in Argent.  Trein and Cater are from here.  Félicité Cosmetics originates here. Miroir – a province in Land of Pyroxene.  Has a large outlet mall popular with fashion-lovers and shopaholics.  The Ténèbres brand originates here. Enchantée – a town in Miroir. Jack and Vargas live here, whilst Vil and his father move here. Scharlachrot - a province in Land of Pyroxene. Epel’s Village of Harvest resides here, and is famous for its widespread organic produce.

Isle of Lamentation – island country, its popularised global name is a translation from the isle’s original Nísos Thrínos.  It has robust technological advancements and is the homeland of the popular idol group On the Edge, known for having concerts with elaborate imagery and visual effects from some of the best technicians available.  Due to legends of the God of the Underworld,  dogs are extremely popular on the Isle of Lamentation. Kapnós – capital of the Isle of Lamentations where the Shroud family resides.  

Valley of Thorns – an isolated country small in population, largely consisting of a large mountain range.  The closer one is to where its Queen resides, the colder it gets.  It is said the Valley of Thorns can go weeks with nothing but moonlight. Geimhreadh - technically the name of the forest near the Valley of Thorns’ mountain range, where the Queen makes her home at its peak.  Its name spread to the residential areas nearby.

Mzunguko

Afterglow Savannah – country in Mzunguko,  ‘Afterglow’ acts as a loose translation of its name, Baadaye.  It lies in eastern Mzunguko.  Famous for its royal guards and leading role in nature conservation. Kiburi – a county in the east of the Afterglow Savannah. Mwamba – capital of Kiburi, where the Kingscholar royal family lives. Maisha – a county in Afterglow Savannah, with its capital sharing the same name.   Jioni – a town in Maisha.  Ruggie and his family live here.

Manyoya – county in Afterglow Savannah.  Well-known for a famously expansive library and a high population of avian beastfolk. Uzuri  – a city in Manyoya, where Rook is from.

Yalmae

Land of Hot Sands – one of many countries in the continent of Yalmae,.  Within the country, it’s referred to as Aldif’.  Rich with its magical history and origins of astrology, Aldif’ nurtures Magicians skilled in divination.  It has a vivid musical scene as well. Misbah - governate of Aldif’. Yatamanaa – capital of Misbah, a largely lucrative city within Aldif’ and city where Kalim and Jamil live.

Abíní

Port of Jubilee - a diverse nation where Sam’s family lives, owning an extensive emporium.  A vast amount of cultures reside in Port of Jubilee, many sharing common ancestors and languages with one another. Nanm - province in Port of Jubilee. Sekrè - port town in Nanm that Sam is from.  His family owns an impressive emporium popular with locals.

Tridente Ocean

Coral Sea - a sea within the Tridente Ocean.  Many of coastlines range across countries within Errant, Mzunguko, and Yalmae.  Beneath its waters lies a kingdom sharing the same name as the sea.  

Name Trivia

Continents (and ocean)

Errant - the continent of Errant has the homelands based off movies such as Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella.  The name stems from certain scenes in the movie marking a particular moment the protagonists feel out of place or stray off the expected course.

Alice in Wonderland: Alice’s misadventures begin when she makes the decision to follow a strange rabbit, straying off the course of simply reading and studying as her sister wished, where the curious and at worst annoying strange creatures and nature of Wonderland take a turn when she meets the Caterpillar, who questions Alice’s place and identity, and the stress of her situation and being unable to return home overwhelms her emotionally.

Snow White - the horrific moment Snow White, in a state of panic, rushes through a dark forest, where her fears envision hidden horrors within the trees and wildlife.

Hercules - after refusing to listen to Phil’s warnings about Megara being in cahoots with Hades, Hercules faces the devastating fact that Megara (reluctantly) deceived him, and loses his superhuman strength and faith in himself.

Sleeping Beauty - shortly after meeting a man she falls for, Aurora becomes devastated and resigned to her fate being betrothed to a complete stranger out of responsibility for her future and country.

Beauty and the Beast - Maurice’s ventures through a mysterious forest consequently leads him to the Beast’s castle in a desperate attempt to escape cold, only to be imprisoned by the Beast for intruding, ultimately putting the story into motion.  After Belle makes a deal to swap places with her father and free him, Belle starts off terrified and in over her head despite saving her father’s life.

Cinderella - after the mice’s hard work creating a fitting ballgown for Cinderella to enjoy the ball, her stepsisters ruin the dress and Cinderella’s chances of leaving her oppressive family’s home.  Her distress and tears lead her to meeting the Fairy Godmother.

Mzunguko - “circle” in Swahili, the language prominent in Lion King’s names, lyrics, and Rafiki’s dialogue, as well as the official language of Kenya, where much of the movie’s settings take inspiration and blatantly feature.  Taken from the iconic “Circle of Life” song.

Tridente Ocean - “trident” in Italian.  Yes, I hear you.  The author is from Denmark.  The statue is in Denmark.  The movie references the statue in Denmark.  However the surname Ashengrotto and Azul’s mother running a ristorante screams Italian and there’s the overall edgy mafia vibe the Octatrio has going on.  I win this one.

Yalmae -  “shine” in Arabic (يلمع).  I wanted a name that illustrated the vibrant, lively diversity of the continent’s many countries, cultures, flora, and fauna.  Something akin to a name that inspires a welcoming feeling.

Abíní - “morning” in Navajo.  I wanted a name that inspires energy and enthusiasm, like a sunrise in summer.  

Homelands

Rose Kingdom

Crownsshire - just the most painfully English name I could think of.  “Crown” refers to, naturally, the crown of the Queen of Hearts.  Also decided to make the Rose Kingdom its own, smaller, more limited country, instead of allowing its apparent monarchy to leech off 20+ different countries Crowns - do you have any idea how genuinely shocking it is we don’t actually have a town here named this.

Afterglow Savannah

Baadaye - “afterglow” in Swahili.  The official and native name of the Afterglow Savannah.  Interestingly, my findings found translations of it meaning “future” as well, which I consider fitting. Kiburi - “pride” in Swahili, can refer to a ‘pride of lions’ or confidence (often overconfidence). Mwamba - “rock” in Swahili, alluding to the Pride Rock that Mufasa’s pride resides in. Maisha - “life” in Swahili. Jioni - “evening” in Swahili.  This refers to where anywhere the sun doesn’t reach, Simba shouldn’t wander, because it’s too dangerous. Originally, I wanted to go with “Kivuri”, which means “shadow”.  However when I went to double check that ‘shadowland’ was a thing in Lion King, referring to where the Elephant Graveyard is, it’s actually a song from the Broadway musica called “Shadowland”, sung by Nala (Heather Headley). It both mourns the desolate state of the Pridelands under Scar’s tyranny, and narrates Nala’s resolve to leave and find a way to save her people and their land.  The song is absolutely gorgeous, solemn, and powerful, and contributes more than any live-action CGI Disney movie could ever come up with.  Its instrumental composition features the melody lei-motif prominent in the animated film (yes, That song.  the heartbreaking one).  It’s one of my favourites in Lion King alongside “He Lives in You” and “Not One of Us” because I like the ones where the chorus goes off. Please just listen to the Lion King Broadway soundtrack it makes me cry with how gorgeous and heartfelt it is.   Anyway in their money-grubbing ways I hope Disney puts the Broadway on Disney+ so some brave soul takes one for the team to pirate it Manyoya - intended to mean “feather”, but to my understanding it also encompasses “fur”. Uzuri - “beauty” in Swahili.  Nothing too deep here, just something pertaining to Rook.

Land of Hot Sand

Aldif’ - “warmth” in Arabic (الدفء).  Meant to allude to a comforting warmth, kind of hinting that the popularisation of “Land of Hot Sand” more or less leaves the official name lost in translation. Misbah - “lamp/light” in Arabic (مصباح), naturally referencing the magical lamp sought after throughout the movie. Yatamanaa - “wish” in Arabic (يتمنى).  Meant to be bit a bit of a cheeky play on words.  The “wish” inside the “lamp”.

Land of Pyroxene

Waldburg - Wald is "forest” in German.   References the forest that Snow White runs away into after being warned of the Evil Queen’s intentions. Argent - “silver” in French.  References Cinderella’s silver dress. Verre - “glass” in French.  References Cinderella’s glass slipper. Miroir - “mirror” in French.  References both the Mirror of Snow White and the enchanted mirror Beast gives Belle. Enchantée - “enchanted” in French.  Ties into the theme of enchantments, curses, and charms prominent in French fairy tales, and specifically makes me think of the Enchanted Rose from Beauty and the Beast.   Scharlachrot - “scarlet” in German.  References the red colour that hides the infamous green of the poison apple’s true nature.

Isle of Lamentation

Nísos Thrínos - Greek for the isle’s name. Kapnós - “smoke” in Greek.  References Hades’ iconic appearance surrounded by black smoke.

Valley of Thorns

Geimhreadh - “winter” in Irish.  References the winter court of Unseelie fae in Celtic folklore.

Port of Jubilee

Nanm - "soul” in Haiitan Creole.  References the importance of determination and drive prominent in Princess and the Frog.

Sekrè - “secret” in Haitian Creole.  References Dr Facilier’s ulterior motives.

[mobagehelllocal]

“lucky ending” extra notes i & iii

Hi, I said I would do it but then I released ver i so long ago that I felt I shouldn't do this unless I had another version out at least so yay! finally! ... I'll add ver ii here when I get around to writing it... *shifty eyes* So as usual, this is just my thought process and ideas while writing lol.

*please do not read if you haven’t read “lucky ending” ver i (dorm leaders) & ver iii (rook & lilia).

It was inspired by an anon ask and the button tradition from Japanese schools.

The anon ask went like this: First at all, I like do much your writing and I hope you are doing well. Second, I was wondering what would happen if the MC (Fem!s/o I guess) decided to not go back to her world, like she decide stay with her villain? Can you do make headcanons of this for the dorm leaders? Thank you very much. – from Anonymous

The button tradition, as narrated by the first years, is done when one person confesses and the other responds by giving them the button closest to their heart. In most Japanese uniforms it’s the second uniform, but in Twisted Wonderland--I looked at the ceremonial robes and the closest button should be the fifth. Maybe. I could be wrong. 

The songs I listened to while writing this! 

The original dorm leaders (and Rook) was written while listening to “Lucky Ending”, the ending theme of Fruits Basket. The English lyrics (translated by otenkiame!) are: 

“Change is important. I want to do it well,/ but I wanna cry. It's still bad. I wanna cry” 

“The word "goodbye" has disappeared completely from this world/ All that remains is me fooling around next to you/A day you don't laugh won't come anymore”

“I've understood it since being here/ These feelings of wanting to protect you aren't a misunderstanding/ If we can call what connects us bonds,/ everything changes/ everybody changes/ Even if in a different world, it'll never be different/ everything changes/ everybody changes/ Don't change, ever/ Stay here, stay here”

I think it’s obvious why I chose to use this as the title of the series. It’s a story about change but it’s also a story about the things you don’t want to change... And I think it’s not wrong to want to hold onto things. 

I also listened to the same playlist that I listened to while writing “wendy?” “hello peter pan”:

“Can’t help falling in love” cover by Annapantsu, “If you’re not the one” by David Beddingfield, “Who Knew” by P!nk and “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift. 

For Lilia in particular, I was listening to three Beauty and the Beast songs on loop. “Evermore” by Josh Groban, “Days in the Sun” by the live action cast and, of course--”How does a moment last forever” by Celine Dion.

“How does a moment last forever?/ How can a story never die?/ It is love we must hold onto/ Never easy, but we try/ Sometimes our happiness is captured/ Somehow, our time and place stand still/ Love lives on inside our hearts and always will”

Also for Lilia, Tolerate It by Taylor Swift.

“You're so much older and wiser and I/ I wait by the door like I'm just a kid”

“I made you my temple, my mural, my sky/Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life”

Malleus was definitely the first piece finished. Closely followed by Vil’s. I believe there was a gap inbetween them before I did the others? I wrote bits and pieces of Leona, Idia, Kalim and Azul’s. I think I finished Leona, Idia, Kalim then Riddle because I distinctly remember saving Azul for last. 

One of the most important things for me, is that each story stands distinct of each other. So I gave myself a really hard time trying to figure out how each one uniquely belonged to each of the characters.

For the Prologue... I think because it’s set at the graduation of certain characters, I used that to my advantage and implied the stronger bonds between the Yuu!Reader and the entirety of the cast. Because a lot of time has passed and I feel like--regardless of what other people believe, bonds will be made and relationships will have strengthened enough for it to happen. 

Riddle is honestly another really difficult character for me to write. I generally do love him and I enjoy his story, but something about him is difficult and I’m not sure why. 

I think a part of me is also really miffed because from Heartslabyul-Savanaclaw, you could feel that Riddle really cared for Yuu on some level but then he just straight up disappears come Octavinelle chapter. I feel like there was potential to develop their relationship even more. 

He WENT UP AND TIED YOUR RIBBON I REMEMBER I WENT DOKI DOKI OVER THAT. 

I feel like because I’ve established that it’s a Yuu!Reader, it’s impossible for this story to not include both Ace and Deuce. So of course they featured in really big roles for this one, being responsible for telling Riddle the story.

I have to thank my friend, Mes, for bouncing ideas with me. They were the one who suggested what I could do with Riddle’s story by having ADeuce play such a big part!

I also tried my hardest to include Trey and Cater, and I’m pretty happy with their cameo. In a way, they definitely helped Riddle figure out his own feelings for you. 

My favourite lines are: “I think you earned that much. I don’t believe anyone’s ever been in your situation before so—there’s no right or wrong about what you’re doing. It’s all about what you want to do.”

I wish someone would tell this to Yuu in general though. They’re the only one who has ever been in their situation (to our knowledge at least) and like... they’re definitely allowed to be even more selfish. 

Leona is someone who I used to dislike a lot. I never hid that. It’s primarily because of how disappointed I am in the story of Savanaclaw probably. But like, I was always concerned about writing him properly because I thought that it was only right that I did right by him, because there would be people reading these stories who loved him. And I felt like I had to do right by that love. 

I think... it’s wrong to believe that characters... villains... cannot fall in love or “won’t fall in love.” I think it’s wrong also to think that “people don’t change for love.” 

In fact, people do change. You definitely shouldn’t change yourself to be loved, but... people change all the time to be their “better” selves. So whose to say that a good person, who you love, will not make you want to improve yourself? Isn’t that what we want when we meet people? To fall in love with someone who will ultimately make you better and never worse. 

Or so that’s how I try to write the Twisted characters when they fall in love... With an understanding that “morally” the person they are falling for is “kind” and “good” and how a part of them might just want to be better just for that person. (Especially Leona and Azul). They don’t necessarily have to be nice to everyone, but if they can be better for one person... We stan healthy character growth.  

But yeah, Leona is driven by understanding that he’s a very selfish person. But that he’s also very unfortunate and he doesn’t want tie you with someone who, he thinks, is actually worthless. He probably, deeply, thinks you deserve more.

Though his selfishness eventually wins out and well... Won’t you forgive him for it? :) For tying you down to this worthless second prince? 

I think his own self-awareness does make him try harder. Not for everyone or everything... but for you. Just for you. I think that would be Leona’s love language--spending time with you, trying for you.

He’d appreciate if you didn’t call him out on it though, that would be very embarrassing. 

Looking back, I’m surprised that it was the only version where none of the other boys from his dorm showed up lol. Which means Ruggie is the sole character who has yet to appear in the “lucky ending” series, huh.

My favourite lines from his story that still leaves me breathless and patting my past self in the back: ““I’m home—” you said—even if a part of you felt that home should have been two green eyes, a cocky smirk, and a warm patch of sunlight on the grassy ground.”

Like honestly, what was I on? Who was she?

Azul is, like Leona, someone who is so keenly aware of the things he’s lacking. In fact, he’s someone who thinks he’s lacking when he’s probably perfect in some aspects. He might act proud but a part of him--I think--thinks its not enough. It’s never enough. He can certainly do better still.

In that light, it’s why he thinks he’s undeserving of a partner. Especially one who is “kind” and “understanding.” While ultimately, Azul deserves people in his life who are that and “accepting” of him--I think he still thinks he doesn’t. 

And thats why he lets go of the Yuu!Reader. It’s why he doesn’t “chase” after her like Leona did.

It’s because he’s selfish, because he wants her--that he forces himself to let go. 

Azul needs someone who’ll tell him that he is worth something and that he’s definitely worth the effort. So please praise him a lot until he’s crying in happiness. I’m sure it’s the one thing he’s always wanted to hear from people around him.

Also my Poly!Octavinelle Agenda has never died and I am pleased Past!Ai got away with so much Poly!Octa hints in this story lol. But honestly, regardless of wht Octavinelle says... god, you can tell they genuinely care about each other.

I recently rewatched Octavinelle’s chapter and... by god, the amount of things I missed out on first watch. Jade’s concern when he realized Azul wanted to get rid of that photo... The fact Floyd was so willing to drop the fight to return to Azul too... Anyways, Poly!Octa Agenda for life.

Favourite lines: “Azul’s pathetic whimpers turned into guttural sobs. His fingers spread to cover his eyes—and his glasses slid off his face, down to his lap and then to the ground—at his actions. His whole body shook as he cried his heart out.”

It’s not as poetic as a lot of my other favourites, but for some reason these lines always get me when I reread them. There’s something so visceral about it. 

Azul’s piece is probably the least visually stimulating out of all these stories? His was so emotionally driven compared to the others and I worried a lot about that.

I think I remember I was crying so badly as I was writing this. 

Kalim is really hard for me because I feel like I struggle a lot with finding conflict in his character? He’s such a genuinely nice person, I find it hard to believe that the Yuu!Reader would feel alienated from him or something. So I brought in “environment” to get in the way. 

My use of celestial imagery for Kalim is because of the Scarabia trailer! I really loved how it put Kalim as the sun and Jamil as the moon. I definitely will take advantage of that when I get around to writing for Jamil.

So because I wanted to use the sun, I chose to use the idea of comets for Kalim? I think I remember something about how meteors are drawn to the gravitation pull of the sun and can “escape” it or “be destroyed” by it. Haha, hot. 

Jamil is someone who ultimately cares about Kalim too and I had fun writing his banter with the Yuu!Reader. I think I wanted to decribe the shadows licking his face reminscent to the marks from his Overblot but... I felt like doing that would give Jamil too much focus so I ultimately decided against it.

It would’ve been hot though. 

Oh yes, one thing I wanted to talk about is Kalim’s rushed proposal. I remember people talking about it in the tags, comments... even in asks at that time. The reason he does it is because he’s someone who didn’t realize his feelings until you spelled out your own. It was a sort of: “Oh. Right. That is the word I’d use to describe my feelings.” 

My favourite lines from his story is: “How does one bid goodbye to the sun?” and “No one ever willingly bids goodbye to the sun.They spend the rest of their lives trying to find the right way back to it.”

My god, who was this genius.

Vil is probably the most visually stunning out of all these stories. I feel like my stories go from super vivid imagery and setting to just complete emotional disasters lol. (Vil being the former and Azul’s being the latter... not that it’s bad, it actually suits the characters). 

Oh man, I remember thinking that Vil is such a hard character to write because we don’t know what his motivation for perfection is. All we knows is that he wants to be the best but, why? 

It’s like, for example, Idia. His motivations could be otaku-related. He doesn’t want to go to class because he’d rather go play or something. That sounds in character--but Vil was so hard because he wanted perfection.

But we already see him as such a perfect character, so what else did he need to be even more perfect? In that light, Chapter 5 did a really good job on presenting Vil’s motivations. 

But honestly, I think I can comfortably say that the Vil I’ve written so far is pretty accurate? To his character. I’m really grateful I read his chat lines because his comment about intelligence really got me thinking about his possible motivations. It made it really easy to understand that Vil wasn’t like majority of the real world’s influencers. 

One other thing that I was really happy about with his story is the use of the flower language. It’s something I hope I can use more because it’s so beautiful. 

Oh! And the roses the Yuu!Reader talks about are double delight roses. They are specifically bred to have two colors--yellow in the center and pink on the outside. I thought it fitting that the Yuu!Reader breed special roses for Vil.

They can be called... err... Vil Roses?

My favourite lines from his story is:  ““My happiness will not be dictated by others—no, Vil Schoenheit is a person who will grasp happiness with his own hands.” [...] “I’m giving you this button because I’ve already found happiness by your side.”” 

This line was actually inspired by Zelda C.W.’s MYth series. Specifically Hera’s story, Will. 

Idia ...for him, I somehow had a very hard time imagining him trying to tell the reader to stay. Like that didn’t compute for me? I felt like his version was better approached in a more comedic light somehow. 

I also felt that it would be cuter if the Yuu!Reader had already chosen to stay and Idia would need to hastily retrack his confession... Unfortunately, Yuu!Reader won’t let him. 

Honestly looking back on it, I wonder how much of Chapter 6 is going to make me scream and want to rewrite Idia’s part? 

My favourite lines from his story is: “He was never particularly good at lying—nor was he good at keeping secrets from you. You were a person he considered a dear friend—and he was always the type of person who ended up spilling everything to you. He liked being able to talk about the things he enjoyed—he liked that he had found someone who wanted to hear him out.”

A lot of my interpretation for Idia is closely linked to personal experience as an anime, manga and gaming fan. It was just a couple of years ago where people would actually be bullied for liking these things--but nowadays its become a norm. It’s... stunning actually but it makes me happy to know that maybe nobody will be judged for loving anime.

That being said, Idia’s longing to find someone he can talk to is something I really relate too--back then, it was so difficult to find someone to talk to about my interests... So I interpreted Idia as much the same. That what he enjoys about the Yuu!Reader is their ability to simply sit and listen to him talk. 

Malleus... man, recently I’ve been starting to fall in love with him all over again. He was my first oshi ever... Anyways, moving on. You think I’ve talked enough about immortal x mortal but nope, we are not done. I love this theme in general, romantic or platonic. 

I will never shut up about it you can’t make me. 

Sebek having a good enough friendship with Yuu!Reader is such a delicious concept. Like mutual respect and Sebek understanding that Yuu!Reader gives Malleus a different type of companionship that Sebek, Silver or Lilia couldn’t... 

And also, ultimately, Sebek and Yuu!Reader do love Malleus. In different ways, but I like the thought of Sebek respecting that and respecting the Yuu!Reader.

Me realizing just now that Silver joins Ruggie in the: “has never appeared in a lucky ending fic club.”... Sorry Silver, I swear soon. Once we get more content on you.

Celestial themes for Malleus are primarily, again, because he only ever seemed to meet you at night. And I thought it would be wonderful, if you were a bright spark to him. 

Favourite lines are definitely:  “Oh, bright light… I would prefer to live the rest of your life by your side… rather than spend centuries contemplating what it could have felt… to hold you in my arms.”

I am, always, going to be such a big sucker for the idea of immortals constantly remembering and loving mortals. Always holding them close in their memories, because in that way--their lovers have become immortal with them. 

I also like to imagine that he eventually figures out a way to connect your worlds together so you can still talk to your friends and family from that world. He is one of the most powerful magicians around, I’m sure its possible.

Rook was honestly the most difficult piece for me to write because he’s so hard(?) for me to understand. He’s a mess of contradictions honestly and I... guess I’m excited to see what he’ll do come Chapter 6. 

I actually rewrote his story so much. I got about 500 words with a different idea/plot in mind before deleting that completely and restarting from scratch. 

I feel like Rook is someone who talks big and talks about love without actually knowing what it truly might feel like. He’s someone who doesn’t understand it and ends up mistaking it for his fascination. 

Aside from me enjoying inserting other characters from the same dorm as much as possible, I felt that Vil was the perfect person to snap some sense into Rook.

Epel’s appearance there is basically to reflect how much I really hope the first year kids get really close to one another. 

Rook is also someone who I think, doesn’t try to explain himself too much. He’s someone who I think talks a lot, but if people don’t understand him then he doesn’t need to be understood? That’s my impression. Lol, when “lucky ending” became a character study. 

I also really loved the idea that Rook was fine with people running from him--to him that makes it all the more thrilling. But then you start running away from him and that just ends up making dread pool in his stomach. 

My favourite lines from his story: “‘When something ends, it must be sad. So, tell me then, how an ending could be so beautiful?’ [...] .‘But there was one ending that was beautiful, non?’ [...] ‘That’s right. ‘They lived happily ever after’—are those not the words that define a beautiful ending?’”

I used the dusk metaphor for Rook. My idea is that he starts seeing dusk as an ending and how he can’t fathom how any “ending” is beautiful. When a story ends, it’s not beautiful to him, humu. But when that ending is the happily ever after then... That makes all the difference. 

Lilia was actually easier than Rook’s but also fairly difficult. I had written the middle of Lilia’s piece while stumped on Rook’s actually. Lilia’s was probably easier because I love the idea of immortals and mortals.

I don’t really like the idea of mortals becoming immortals. Like, yes, it’s certainly sweet and spending eternity with a one true love is definitely the best possible ending but... I think there’s so much weight in an immortal choosing to love a mortal while knowing that they will ultimately lose them.

The biggest theme for Lilia is definitely time.

Thinking about it now... There’s been a lot of things in real life that’s just... Made me think about how we have less time than we actually think we have. And I think I ended up channeling that through Lilia... Though I feel like it is ultimately things Lilia would think about though. 

The most important imagery would probably be the stars.

I honestly wanted to avoid it because I used celestial imagery for both Kalim and Malleus but the words just flowed out in a way that I felt that I couldn’t replace. So I went with it. 

Lilia is no stranger to loneliness. One of the reasons he feels less alone is because he has family now and he doesn’t want to rob you of that. Family is so important to him because they are people who are meant to be with you--they are people who will make you less lonely--or so thats how I think? he thinks. 

My favourite lines from his story: “He would relish in the way—You made the world pause. You made a moment extend into an eternity. You made an immortal crave just a little more time.”

I’m so immensely proud of this one? I don’t really have much else to say. There’s something so raw about it that I love. Also the part where it continues on to say that  “Because there is never enough time.”

Me realizing my extra notes is just half me simping over these characters, half sharing headcanons, have actually giving good advice? perspective?, half song lyrics, half character study/analysis?

“lucky ending” is about change. Whether we want them to happen or not it’s... the human condition to change. For better or worse, we change--day by day. I think we all operate under a small panic about how everyday things are changing...

But “lucky ending” is also about the things that don’t change. Won’t change. Will never change. The things worth holding onto, the thing worth fighting for... or so I’d like to think.

[beeblackburn]

16, 29, 55, 71, 93, 104, 128 for the book asks? :)

Thanks, @xserpx!

16. a book you’d recommend to your younger self

Way too many books, to be honest. The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien, Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce, and Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede when I was 8, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman, and Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen around 10-12, Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb and The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien around 12-13 (before the first time I watched the movies and got bored by the walking).

Really, anything to replace and scrub away the fantasy lodestone that Harry Potter was (Eragon can stay, its traditional plot gave me a template for A Song of Ice and Fire's sharpened teeth to sink into).

29. your favourite YA novel

Admittedly, I'm not a huge YA reader (trying to rectify that next year), but... normally, I'd posit Half a War, because it has Skara and Raith and their relationship hurts my heart because it was effectively a war fling and they know they're very different people trying to find some warmth and comfort in the darkness of war, I revisit that book for all the plot twists, the thematic elements of the elves, the character interactions, and the ultimate conclusion for Skara and Yarvi that's revealing to how Age of Madness turned out. It's a hard book, brutal at times, not unlike The First Law, but that's why I love it so.

However.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is better. It's what first gripped my heart so tightly and has a stronghold on me, even after being assigned it at school, and even after years. I might even buy it again for my personal library. It's a hard book, talking about the cliquey nature of high school, the loneliness of being ostracized, the trauma of sexual assault, and the silence that comes from culture's victim-blaming nature when no one cares to listen to your problems and you give up from it. It hurts, but it's not trying to hurt you for kicks, so much as portray a teenager struggling to deal with a tragedy and the fallout from it throughout her school year. It's very frank about how terrible teenagers can get, how much pain changes and mutes you, how hard it is to admit that something happened openly without feeling like a scab torn off. It's a book that I deeply related to, finding it at the perfect age and situation, and I still love it for its realism of character and teenage voice via Melinda Sordino.

55. a book with a satisfying ending

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. Really, Abercrombie's nailed how to do the climatic anticlimax as a rule of thumb... but Red Country stands out for having multiple climaxes running forward and all of them being allowed to be properly climatic, allowing for emotional resonance and genuine catharsis. And that last chapter? Oof. It satisfies, it fills me with warmth in the early half of it, it's bittersweet in how the tragedy's staying with some of its characters, it's a perfect full circle and send-off to an amazing character.

Just bravo, Abercrombie.

71. your favourite LGBTQ+ fiction

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb (the queer romance definitely has its dicey moments, as per Hobb usual, but Sedric Meldar himself is so, so good). I've reread that book at least five times. I dare not spoil what goes on, because on the off-chance you get to that point, I don't wanna spoil it for you, but it's easily one of those books I revisit for how much it whips and its ending is one of those endings that touches me so primordially, as if I were a dragon who wishes to spread their wings and soar, even now.

93. a book featuring an unreliable narrator

Okay, the really typical answer from me would be Assassin's Apprentice (which rules) or The Name of the Wind (which sucks). But I will give the atypical answer of The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe because the narrator, Severian, is a torturer dipshit because he claims he has an eidetic memory, but careful readings point out he's either lying out his ass or selectively hiding things from us readers. And it's not like the lies are super intuitive to cotton onto, so there's a lot of work to mull over with what's true or false with Severian and it means The Book of the New Sun makes you work for your ultimate understanding and peeling of layers.

104. a fluffy, sweet read

I would say The Goblin Emperor, but I'm not entirely sure it's fluffy per say. It's what I'd consider my non-graphic novel choice, but otherwise, among Western graphic novels and manga... The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill (unmitigated fluffy sweetness!) or A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai (which is fluffier than The Goblin Emperor, but also has the underlying melancholy of the titular two being lonely souls who've faced rejection and loss and fear having it happen all over again).

128. a book that made you hungry

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, and there's no contest when the book has passages like this:

Calo and Galdo whisked damp cloths off serving platters and bowls, revealing the full extent of the meal for the first time. There were indeed sausages, neatly sliced and fried in oil with quartered pears. There were also split red peppers stuffed with almond paste and spinach; dumplings of thin bread folded over chicken, fried until the bread was as translucent as paper; and cold black beans in wine and mustard sauce. The Sanza brothers were suddenly scooping portions of this and that onto Locke’s plate too fast for him to track.

Working awkwardly with a two-pronged silver fork and one of the rounded knives he’d previously scorned, Locke began to shovel things into his mouth; the flavors seemed to burst gloriously, haphazardly. The chicken dumplings were spiced with ginger and ground orange peels. The wine sauce in the bean salad warmed his tongue; the sharp fumes of mustard burned his throat. He found himself gulping wine to put out each new fire as it arose.

Damn you, Lynch, I'm getting hungry all over again.

Another answer would be any of Steven Brust’s Dragaera works, considering he’s a self-professed foodie and it shows:

Savn felt Vlad watching him, which made him slightly nervous as he squeezed an expensive piece of lemon over the cheese and vegetables, put another handful of salad into his mouth, and wiped his hand on his shirt. The Easterner sighed. “I know a place,” he said, “where one could eat every day for half a year and never taste the same dish twice. Where the servers are discreet and efficient; you never noticed them, but there is always a full plate in front of you and wine in your glass. Where the room is quiet and serene and tasteful, calling the diner’s attention to the delight of the tongue. Where the appetizer is fresh, enticing and excites the senses like the first touches of love. Where the fruit is sweet and plump, or tart and crisp, and complements the cheese as the salad complements the bread—with reverence and solemn joy. Where there is a choice of wine to suit the most diverse taste, yet each has been selected with care, and tenderness. Where each meat is treated with the honor it deserves, and is allowed to unfold its own flavor in the natural juices the gods gave it, with touches of savory, ginger, or tarragon added to direct the attention of the palate to the hidden joys which are unique to that particular cut. Do you know what I am saying? A place where the mushroom and the onion dance with the wine and the peppers in sauces that fire the palate, and the sweet at the end of the meal is the encore to a symphony of the heart. Where—”

Damnit, Brust, now you’re just adding cooking alcohol to the fire.

Thanks for the questions, @xserpx!

[suspiciouslypinkrosegarden]

The Passed Out Princess Chapters 1-2

Pairing: My CMC (Uyu, Dan Byeol) x Suit Saeran

Description: On days 7-9 of Ray’s route, the player is denied food as “Saeran” makes his presence first known. But, what if MC fell very ill under this method of torture due to a medical condition? Sadly, my custom MC, Uyu (full name Dan Byeol), would deal with exactly this dilemma.

Content warning: Descriptions of throwing up, passing out, and meal skipping. Every food related issue mentioned is strictly medical, and based on my own condition.

This was written under the assumption that you have played Ray’s route in full, so route spoilers ahead! This takes place during the very beginning of day 8, and according to the timings and contents of the chat rooms, it would take place before Saeran cuts contact with the RFA and before he installs a camera to monitor MC in her room. It is timed to match closely around to when I’d get sick myself.

My CMC’s condition deals chronic with low blood sugar, meaning she has to eat to keep it up or suffer the consequences as seen here. It is not diabetes related, it is something she is born with as am I and is linked to more complicated matters I left out to keep it simple. Some symptoms include: growing light headed, severe dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and passing out. See all chapters

I wrote this with flexibility for whichever HC for Saeran you follow (DID or BPD), because whether or not he has one of the following, Rika has drilled it in his head that Ray and Saeran are separate entities, and Saeran views it this way. Consider it written the way Cheritz writes him, with nothing exactly too set.

To make things easier for myself, I’m uploading multiple chapters on each post, chapters only separated by lines. Here is 1 and 2

Ping!

The sound of Dan’s phone alerted her to rise and greet the day with a new chat room open.

As the morning sun took its place in the clear blue sky, the little woman sat up in her big bed, bangs sticking out in all directions as her head thumped with a dull pain. Hunger induced pain, she noted, as her stomach felt empty.

Despite the beauty of this early morning, the light pouring through the windows creating a rosy glow which engulfed the princess room; there was no beautiful light shining on the brunette’s new situation, seeming so dreary and dim.

Uyu still found herself wrapped up in this place, whisked away to a castle tucked deep within mountains known as Magenta. Every corner of the building was constructed brick by brick with a beautifully ornate architectural design, but the bright exterior was only a façade. If she was left caged like this for long, what would become of her? Driven to insanity, perhaps she’d attack and claw at the walls which confined her, unable to turn her anger to Saeran, the real victim in all this. The “savior” made it clear she was the true ruling figure who lurked about as the moon rose, the mastermind behind this place’s pain and suffering.

The night before, after being so kindly introduced to “Saeran”, this golden-haired angel confirmed herself to be quite the wicked witch of the west indeed, and it took everything out of Uyu to not call her harsher names to her face.

Mint Eye was hell redecorated to wear the guise of heaven, but pretty gardens and saccharine words could not fool her. Because Dan wore no wool over her eyes, the savior had no intention of allowing her to live long enough to become the new narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper”; and she had no shoes to click together at the heel to wish her way home with who she came here for originally.

Just as Ray’s suit did, he changed, flipping like a light switch.

Saeran, the name V previously called him by, did succeed in giving her a good fright, his attitude being the least thing she expected to see after Ray’s earlier sobs over the phone.

Uyu was mainly focused on one solid question after their encounter, though. Just what did that “cleansing” entail in full detail? What did this place do to him, to make him weep and beg for a warm hand to hold one minute, only to push back and try to scare her the next?

It was as if he was caught, dragged by the feet somewhere inescapable, a pit damp and dark down under; rising from a shivering grave cold to the touch.

If it weren’t for her position, she wouldn’t have allowed it.

Now more than ever, this room built on the foundation of fantasy and delight felt like a birdcage which barely allowed her to wiggle an arm through its bars. She relied on her song, her sweet words which Ray claimed to tickle at his heart and hold a power over him like no other before. Her goal, of course, was to use this for good, influencing him to learn to appreciate and care for himself like he should. But now, she felt unable to do even that much, not that she’d give up trying.

Saeran wished to dismiss her and her actions entirely, evident from his need to spew the fact that he bestowed upon her the label of being less than a person, his toy. His play thing.

That sick twisting she felt pooling in her gut upon first hearing the term “cleansing” seemed all too in place.

Ray, as sweet as her prince charming was, had a knack for leaving out important details about this museum of wonder. To her best guess, it was done to avoid panic as none of what went on here could be viewed as normal, or ok. He only briefly mentioned things like the “elixir”, such as on the night V arrived to spiral this place’s plans into chaos.

That was the night she could officially mark a great importance in staying, despite the vast network of lies.

Uyu wasn’t entirely stupid, she had an idea of what the elixir might be a while back, but it was still hard to process regardless.

Saeran threatened to give her one of these cleansing ceremonies...and said he could “draw out the maximum pain in the process”, telling her whatever happened to him hurt. A “no duh” moment indeed, but it was confirmation.

Ray suffered, for no reason other than he was too enwrapped in his blooming feelings for her, something that shouldn’t be taken as a negative but was. It displeased the savior that his chains which bound him by the ankles began to jingle with his new yearning to take flight.

She couldn’t allow herself to lie down and give the savior the satisfaction of breaking her, not when she still had so much to do, and not when Saeran and the RFA were at risk.

As the cool night-time air blew around them, feeling its whisper through her long locks of hair, Ray opened up about Mint Eye’s beliefs as a sanctuary for the “weak”, who had no choice but to lock themselves away to avoid further hurt.

He clearly viewed himself as someone in this category. Weak. But Saeran? Saeran shoved and shouted, which felt like a complete opposite to Ray’s whimpers and pleading. He even went as far as to accuse her of manipulation, of treating Ray like a puppet as she watched him dance to the harp she plucked.

Looking past his outburst and itch to watch her squirm, there stood a man seething with hate sparked entirely by twisted lies and his own fears. He gave himself away rather quickly as he attempted to say she messed with “hisna vefeelings” for some “big plan”.

She had to trust that there were boundaries he wouldn’t cross, being so close to her and forceful...and that was where her panic truly lied. But for now, she’d bank on the idea that he just wanted to scare her, staying alert in case he went too far. There were vases around from Ray’s various gifts that could be used as a weapon during the extreme. Unlike her, Saeran had no fighting skills either, but currently she was a bit too ill for those measures.

For once, a room so pink made her feel neither cozy nor at home.

Uyu’s fuzzy morning vision was then attracted to a black blob hanging on the doorknob. With a little eye rub, she made it out to be a dress, and a rather pretty one at that. In the way it was cut, it would expose much of her shoulders and upper back, the top front of it connected to a bow tied around the back of a neck piece with strings of fabric; like an attached choker. She could only assume it was a “gracious gift” bestowed upon her from the man she saw take Ray’s place. Apparently, he has a thing for black.

Her little device chimed again, and then once more, third time giving her the last push of annoyance she needed to reach over and respond to the opened chatroom.

She sighed with relief seeing Seven was the person active online, as she could now pester him with questions about what he was seeing on his end of the fight. They typed away, Uyu expressing concern for both of the hackers as they discussed Ra-Saeran’s new careless and aggressive tactics to snag him a victory.

As time passed, Jumin joined to ask questions as well, mainly circling around the governmental commendation from the Prime Minister to recognize the RFA for their charity work. Uyu stuck to her gut and pushed against the idea of it being a complete positive.

While both V and Seven acted oddly around the idea of the commendation, the RFA was also just a small organization which had only held two parties previous to Rika’s “passing”. The award was too fishy to trust in her judgment, especially now that she understood things going on around here weren’t at all what they had seemed to be.

Mint Eye wasn’t the only organization she was caught in that held its secrets.

After a bit of talking, Jumin agreed that the prime minister’s reasoning had to be figured out before any final decisions could be made. Everyone logged off, Seven returning to the battlefield and Jumin to stitching in his car.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The need for food grew worse.

Uyu showered and changed into the outfit provided…not having much of a choice to do otherwise unless she wanted to rewear old clothing. She felt down and sluggish as she dressed the way her toy maker willed, the dark frills of her attire tickling against her thighs as her step dragged. She was still ok enough to make herself look presentable, even if done at such a pace.

Her hair changed to a solid dark brown color as it took in the shower water, the gold ombré reaching her tips returning upon giving it a blow dry, making sure Saeran would have less to scoff next he saw her. She wasn’t aiming to avoid his crude comments, but instead trying to make herself feel good. Call her smelly all he wants, she knows she isn’t.

Saeran was aiming to play into her insecurities, maybe full well knowing she had so very many of them as he tried to wind her up. The least she could do was confirm his lies to be lies in the ways she knew how, if not for him then for her. She couldn’t allow him to figure out what made her gears stop, whether his words were true or not. This was no game of knife throwing, and she was no target.

11:00 AM crept up on her as she moped around quietly in her dollhouse, waiting for Saeran to come and try to take a good yanking on her marionette strings.

Dan sat upon the bed as the empty-headed feeling and banging in her temple raged, shifting to lay down fully and make herself more comfortable. If she stood for too long, she’d sway and wobble as her vision turned to black, purple and green swirls, momentarily clouding both her sight and mind.

Despite her numerous texts and occasional calls, she still heard nothing from Saeran. Not a peep.

She was growing restless as well as worried for him, and what would become of her as she continued to go unfed.

Her phone buzzed, shifting her attention over to it groggily, eyes half lidded as she wanted to sleep off this sinking feeling. Soon, she’d start to go down like the Titanic as lunch time acted as her iceberg.

Uyu hoped it was her self-proclaimed master, only to let out a grumble seeing that it wasn’t. Instead, it was Zen who had logged on.

She chatted with him, trying her best not to voice her ever-growing discomfort from skipping last night’s dinner as well as that morning’s breakfast, lunch time now creeping just around the corner.

After a quick talk, she’d call Saeran again...as uncomfortable as that conversation would be, it was her only viable option to kill the onslaught of nausea.

As they talked for a while, Yoosung joined the conversation as well….with talk of food; stew he was in the middle of making to be precise. She felt her stomach churn and rumble as the need for rest fell over her like a weighted blanket, being the only escape from the inevitable vomit now building up inside.

She logged off within another couple of seconds as the hot sweat began.

Dan swallowed thickly as her stomach went haywire, guts twisting, coaxing her to run to the toilet and empty out the water she could at least keep herself going on from the bathroom tap.

Leaving her phone on the bed, she rose to her feet best she could, stumbling till she reached the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. There, she fell to her knees, pulling her long hair back and away from her damp face, lifting up the toilet seat before her.

Within a mere moment, she felt the contents claw at the inside of her throat with a burning sensation, attempting to break free. She shuddered as her body suddenly fell in temperature, before allowing whatever her tummy could offer up to slip past her lips, color in her face all too faded away, displaying her illness. Gagging and choking noises echoed throughout the small room as the rather clearish liquid flowed from her mouth, tears from the discomfort blurring her vision as she blinked them away.

She stayed like that by the toilet for a while, throwing up a couple more times before making certain that event was over for the time being. Uyu considered herself extremely lucky that none was able to touch her or end up in her hair, but not nice to say vomiting wasn’t new to her. She knew the tricks.

Oddly, when something like this would happen, it gave her a tiny amount of strength back. It was strangely relieving, although emptying her stomach further. Her tummy was able to untense a tad.

She blew her nose and wiped her eyes before giving it all a flush down.

A fast teeth brush followed before she stumbled over to bed where she had left her phone. She fiddled with the RFA app until she could reach Saeran’s contact profile. Trying not to let the dread of being ignored again wash over her, she dialed up his number, both nervous and praying this time for a response.

After that last fit was over, her condition would move her into another stage, passing out being the only thing to come next without the blood sugar spike she needed.

The ringing went on for what felt like an eternity as she groaned and pressed her face into the pillow.

“Pick up...pick up damn it please pick up…”.

Uyu wished that she had made a bigger fuss over this earlier rather than attempting to swallow it and wait it out. Being distracted by “the savior” and Saeran’s screaming was something she shouldn’t have allowed herself to do in the midst of endangering her own health. What was she thinking? She knew it would reach this point, it always does if left unchecked. She internally cursed herself for not speaking up more assertively.

After another moment, his angry voice finally came through the speaker and she sighed softly with relief. The last she had heard from him was at four in the morning.

“Feeling this lonely and desperate already, hmm? Tch...what makes you think you have the right to contact me over and over again when I’m doing important work unlike you?”

She huffed on the other end, which he paid no mind.

“All you do is fiddle around like a good for nothing. You didn’t seem so happy to chat with me last time we spoke, but now you’re all eager and ready? You’re just itching for another visit aren’t you? Impatient little princess~.”

He let out an airy chuckle, finding her repeated acts of calling him rather amusing.

“Don’t worry. I have play time all planned out for you soon, you pest. I’ll bother you ten times more than you ever bothered me-”

She cut off his angry rambling, mumbling quietly as she spoke.

“Saeran...can you please come here? I’m not well right now and I don’t know how much longer I can keep myself functioning...I already threw up-”

“Speak up, you complainer! Seriously? You want to see me so badly that you’d put on an elaborate show? Princess...you can’t win any sort of sympathy from me by acting like a brat. Ugg, I’m going to hang up now. I’ll be imagining the million ways I can punish you for this later, stupid toy. I’m busy! Too busy for a bug like you to understand! You waste my time-”

“Wait please...please come here...it’s harder for me to explain over the phone. I...mentioned this problem earlier..please…”

And she had, briefly attempting to bring it up as he invaded a chat room between her and Jaehee.

“Begging now?”

He took on a sad tone of childish mockery as he continued.

“Please please please...please come see me... AHAHA! You airhead. I know what your medical records look like, and therefore I know you’re spinning a lie. You’re not to be trusted just as my savior says. There’s nothing there pertaining to some sort of eating issue other than the fact that your weak little body can’t handle milk…‘Uyu’~.”

He teased at her chosen nickname, and while the irony was why it was picked, this was less than fun.

“Now quit whining over an empty stomach when it hasn’t even been a full day! It’s no fun to see you give up so fast!”

Dan tried her best not to slur her speech, the task assigned to speak up being too hard of one to follow.

“Fine...fine don’t believe me. But…..it doesn’t hurt to come anyways. Since you want to see me suffer….or whatever….”

“Or whatever??? Toy, if I come see you right now...you won’t like what you’re going to get. I haven’t an ounce of pity in me to give you if that’s what you’re searching for. I'm not the type to let you rest in my lap as I stroke your hair and tell you it will be alright, and I won’t give in and feed you. Instead, I’ll make sure you never wish to call me again.”

“...ok…”

“Ok? Ok?? Haha! ...ok then. Let’s see how pathetic you’ve become as you beg and plead to me in person, little actor. Playtime is happening earlier today than I had planned. Congratulations! I’m extra pissed.”

Call ended.

She let out a puff of air, dropping her phone down next to her before closing her eyes, not bothering to stand in preparation for his arrival.

Next chapters All chapters

[rosepersomnium]

Seriously running behind on this project but I'm not giving up!

Dec. 12: How The World Works by Bo Burnham

"This isn't about you. So either get with it or get out of the fucking way

- Watch your mouth, buddy, remember who's on whose hand here.

- But that's what I-. Have you not been fucking listening? We are entrenched in a way-

- all right, all right

- Wait, wait, no please! I don't wanna go back, please, ugh, ugh, ugh, I can't go, I can't go back, please, please, I'm sorry

- Are you gonna behave yourself?

- Yes

- Yes, what?

- Yes, s-

- Look at me

- Yes, sir

- That's better

That is how the world works

That is how the world works

- I hope you learned your lesson

- I did and it hurt

That's how it works"

What I love about the song (among other things):

- To be honest, the first time I listened to this song, I was pretty confused why he wrote a children's song but that's the magic of Bo Burnham's music, isn't it? You only get the full meaning (or at least a fuller meaning, I don't think I get all the little things he hides in his lyrics) once you really listen and analyze the lyrics.

- The way Bo finally wrote a song with a sock puppet himself after talking about his favorite comic using one back in 2011.

- The diverse background music with all its little details. Bo's songs live off their lyrics but the music - especially on this show - is so brilliantly composed that sometimes, I just ignore the singing and focus on the music instead even though I'm usually pretty fixated on the lyrics. For example, I really like the bass line for the chorus (e. g. starting around 0:48) and the chimes at the second verse (~ 2:02) adding another layer of childish innocence and joy to the mood while Socko sings about what's going wrong in the world. And, of course, the full stop (~ 3:30) when Socko starts begging for his existence as well as the pick-up at 3:53 after the narrator got what he wanted. And lastly, Socko's scream at the end because it never ends at begging and being humiliated, does it?

- The way the situation turns from the narrator as presumably some kind of educator asking his sock puppet for his input, which constitutes classic educational children's entertainment, to the narrator getting offended that Socko has his own opinion and proving himself to be exactly the kind of exploiting white person Socko was talking about - such a great twist. In an actual children's play that would be the point where the children laugh because somehow other people's misfortunes can be funny but what about the adult listeners of this song? Do they laugh about Socko's struggle without noticing what's really going on? Do they laugh at first before realizing it and then go like "Oh shit." (which would probably suit Bo pretty well)? Do people actually learn something from this song and become more self-aware of what's really going on and what we simply accept on a daily basis because that's the way we were raised and we never thought to question it? Can someone please make a study about the influence of this song?

[firstagent]

Review! Digimon Adventure: (2020) Episode 53: The Geko Hot Springs' Revolt

In this episode, Joe returns to the incredibly hostile hot spring he spent a couple weeks in earlier, only to discover that it remains incredibly hostile.

When we saw Patamon and Tailmon unable to evolve to fight Burpmon, that was a compelling twist. When the team discussed it and decided the remedy was a trip to a hot spring, we rolled our eyes. When we recall that what little we saw of Joe’s week in said hot spring didn’t seem all that relaxing or peaceful, we wonder why he’d want to drag two powerless Digimon and their eight-year-old partners for a visit. Maybe we’d be more inclined to indulge ourselves in the ridiculous moments here if this was an unexpected pit stop in a longer journey. But this was deliberately teed up, an intended destination in a subplot that’s probably going to be important. That makes it hard to call it anything besides a flimsy premise yielding flimsy results.

One reliable rule in the Digimon anime must be the mandate that your brain shuts down as soon as TonosamaGekomon features in an episode. With his goofy appearance, lumbering size, insistence on being revered, and the Gekomon subjects more than happy to oblige, it’s apparently impossible for any story with him to stay on the rails. That doesn’t make it a total loss—Adventure gave us the worst of Mimi that we kind of needed to see, while Zero Two had some slick set pieces amid all its nonsense—so it’s still fair to hope for something of value, and definitely fair to observe that there’s none to be found here.

What we do get is TonosamaGekomon taking Gomamon for his bride after taste-testing everyone on the team. Subjecting Gomamon to all the “maiden forced to marry evil ruler” tropes provide almost all the moments of joy in the entire episode, which is pretty unsettling when you think about it. You would think there would be a million ways for someone as crafty as Gomamon to talk his way into a more favorable position. In an episode meant to feature Joe, you would hope so. But instead he just endures the humiliation until he sees Joe’s obvious trap and manipulates TonosamaGekomon into it. That’s not nothing, but with how exceptional bonds are commonplace and expected in this show, it’s not very much.

As if Joe’s prior experience in the hot spring wasn’t confusing and unfocused enough, he runs into the Nanimon and Blossomon again and swears to help them. Boy, wouldn’t it be nice if we could have actually seen what happened between them so we know what to make out of this relationship now? We know Joe was terrified of these guys, we know he was stuck with them for more than a week, and we know he escaped not through battle or talking his way out of it, but by shooting off a freaking geyser in the middle of the spring. And yet not only is he happy to return, but he’s willing to forgive the hell he put them through understanding that they need their spring back. Joe makes a big deal of the bond with someone he’s shared a bath with, and it’s not like they don’t need his help, but that mantra does a lot of heavy lifting this episode and we never got the context to understand why he should still believe in that.

The show certainly doesn’t believe in Joe’s ability to handle a problem by himself. That’s particularly annoying here because he does all the work he needs to: he comes up with the obvious plan based on the information he has and does the bulk of the work to defeat TonosamaGekomon. There was no need for Taichi to be involved here, and he doesn’t add any depth to an already shallow episode. Even his role in the battle is underwhelming, dealing with Kabukimon and the Gekomon while Joe fights the big guy. It’s hard to tell whether we should criticize the writers for insisting on adding Taichi where he isn’t needed, or failing to think of a clever way to deal with the goons without a second evolvable Digimon. Either way, it’s another case of being sloppy.

It adds up to a lack of effort in everything. Joe’s plan doesn’t require a lick of ingenuity, and it goes off without any hitch that might add some suspense. TonosamaGekomon goes down as just another bully, a comically selfish and gullible one at that. His penchant for licking things and claiming brides against their will is outrageous enough for some laughs, but that’s not going to make up for the episode having neither competency nor any real point.

My Grade: D+

Loose Data

Kabukimon’s song and dance is your typical pomp and hype for a villain, but it becomes additionally dumb when you realize the only point of it is to help TonosamaGekomon steal a bride.

Monopolizing the only hot spring in the name of being the only one good enough for it isn’t such a smart idea when TonosamaGekomon can barely survive outside of one. Great plan limiting your mobility and practically begging to be overthrown.

Tailmon, who is particularly annoying trying to narrate this nonsense with a straight face, comments that TonosamaGekomon and Kabukimon’s oblivious adherence to old ritual stems from partially absorbing info from the human world. This is the first time we’ve heard of the human world influencing individual behavior in the Digital World, which would have been a neater concept if introduced earlier and not in a situation better explained by “some Digimon just act weird.”

We all saw TonosamaGekomon using his tongue to pretend he’s peeling off Gomamon’s imaginary kimono, right? Shame Mimi wasn’t there to direct that.

We reserve to drop the episode another half grade if it turns out all this actually did help Tailmon and Patamon evolve.

See reviews of every Digimon episode at Digimon: System Restore! Support the site by joining our Patreon!

[romanceismycallingcard]

2gether Rewatch ep 1:

I forgot that it starts out with Tine narrating for a bit.

Tine telling his friends about Green and how Green said he'll make Tine change his mind about liking guys

And his friends' immediate responses being Team Green! Is actually super realistic friend group dynamic teasing and I love it.

Tine RUNNING AWAY from Green KILLS me every time!!

And he runs directly to his friends, "Guess who I saw this morning!" 😂 I love their friend group.

Green handing toilet paper to Tine in the bathroom....... Yeah........

Did Green pursue P'Dim like this too? And it worked?? Or did P'Dim pursue Green?? Gosh, now I want like a prequel story for them.

Tine's friends saying he needs to start playing hard ball and then joking about football and baseball 😂👍

Tine's friends dressing up to scare Green! And one's holding a TOILET SCRUB BRUSH! HOW does someone even come up with that!?? It's brilliant!???

"I've taken a few boxing classes." Tine looking absolutely terrified: "Not just a few O.O" (poor bunny :()

Green's skinny jeans are so tight, but like 👌 nice

Green does not strike me as a fickle person. Did he really like Tine? I think he did, but like, what about P'Dim? Part of me feels like he just used Tine to make P'Dim jealous, which is awful and in no way helps Tine's low self esteem.

What's annoying is that Tine does straight up, honestly, and kindly tell Green he's not interested. Green just reads into everything and twists the truth. And won't listen to Tine.

He takes advantage of Tine's kindness and inability to tell him a harsh no, stop. Tine doesn't absolutely, concretely refuse Green and somehow that leaves just enough wiggle room for Green to squeeze in and manipulate the situation.

😂 I forgot about Tine's run when he escapes Green to get drinks 😂😂😂👌 it's the best thing ever. I love him so much. It's such a great little run!!

I think it's interesting that Tine acts happy/drunk from that drug and not just sleepy/dead tired.

Tine's favorite song is Together. Hmm. How fitting.

Poor Tine. Green immediately forgets to hold him up and drops him!

Okay. I can kind of understand the logic of "a fake girlfriend didn't work. Maybe a fake boyfriend will." Because Green is convinced he can change Tine, but what if Tine does admit to liking guys but it's not for Green? Then Green would be forced to acknowledge that Tine isn't rejecting him because he's a guy but because he's genuinely not interested in Green.

I think it's funny that they just had to shoot for the best of the best guy though 😂 why not just someone decently attractive? It worked out brilliantly for them though. The lucky b*stards.

Their little bulletin with a drawn portrait with no likeness at all to Sarawat with a question mark over the face 😂😂😂 and the sticky notes. Very professional detective work y'all are doing over there.

You know what's really weird. When I started watching 2gether, I had no idea who Toptap was but I knew Tine had a brother so I kept wondering who was the brother in the show during ep 1. Now I know who Toptap is and recognize him and I know that Type isn't even introduced as a character until several episodes later. But that was weird to realize because it means that since episode 1 was released I've watched multiple shows with Toptap in them. (Water Boyy, 3 will be free, rewatched love sick)

Sarawat is awesome. He's such a killer. 😂 And his friends are so great!! Gunsmile and Mike. *Chef's kiss*

The cast for this show is perfection. I love all of them. They're all amazing and hilarious and adorable AND amazing actors.

Posting a fake schedule for Sarawat was so smart! Too bad Tine and his friends kinda blew it for him.

Tine's friend Ohm (JJ) said he has a spy that said the schedule is a fake. Who's his spy???

Love the guitar music as Tine's running to Sarawat. How the heck did he manage to get in front of all those girls? There were girls on the stairs below where he and his friends were standing.

I really want to know what Sarawat is thinking when Tine just shows up right in front of him. He and his friends just walk away without saying anything at first. Why?

Sarawat's friends' reactions to Tine calling him an asshole 😂

What's super interesting to me about their first interaction is that Sarawat has been aware of and probably been watching Tine for a year. Which means he at least has some basic knowledge about Tine. Like he's kind, relaxed, cool (chill), etc. I wonder what he thought about Tine calling him an asshole. Not a great first impression, buuuuut~ it wasn't a first impression. Sarawat already knows that Tine is a good guy.

Is Sarawat just so introverted and socially stunted that he just has no idea how to interact with his crush so he's acting overly cool/cold to him?? I don't understand why he acts like that to his crush?

I just don't get it.

And then we get this wide shot and I love watching Sarawat's friends' reactions because I love their perspective on everything. But their faces after Sarawat says that and walks away are so funny! And Gunsmile's little wave 😂👌 (not the greatest snapshots sorry)

Guys I just finished part 2. This is bad. This post is so long already.

I feel like Sarawat got lucky because of how stubborn Tine is. Tine's friends are like, "let's find a different target." And Tine goes, "Nah, he's difficult so I have to have him now."

Tine said "email" so now I'm thinking about him speaking English and that Win lived in the US for a year and he's only a year younger than me and how crazy would it have been if I had met him? I went to a school that had a lot of foreign students. So weird. I mean the US is huge so of course the chances are crazy small, but it's fun to think about.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I finally understand how Tine's email sounded like he wants to kiss/sleep with Sarawat now. Got it. I was really slow on that, wooow....

Tine's dream is 👌

Sarawat's jacket is 🤤

Fun story (cuz this post isn't long enough already): before I started watching 2gether, I read a post about Tine's dream and that Sarawat turned into Green, but I didn't know Green was a name (and there were no capital letters to indicate that) so I thought that Sarawat must've turned into like a green monster or something in Tine's dream but nope! That's not what that meant!

After that email, I wonder what Sarawat thinks of his crush now. Lol.

I just noticed this bike statue 👌 I love public artwork so much sometimes

Aaaaaaaaaand now that I've noticed the statue, I also noticed

That when Tine crashes into the bush, he's somehow magically back at the statue and that little roundabout.

Aw. Okay. I'll give Green one (1) point. It's sweet that he got Tine and was sitting next to him with a smelling thing for Tine to wake up.

This girl Ann is precious. She's so cute.

This is the shared student number party. I'm a little confused why there are so many people there? Is it multiple student number groups meeting up?

Tine goes from 0 to 100 energy wise real quick! "I'm a chic guy. I like to act cute!" He is so cute. You all know the rest of that speech.

Oh I'm dumb! Sarawat and Tine are both new incoming freshman! Sarawat probably recognized Tine from the concert, but he probably hasn't even seen Tine since then! For some reason I was thinking they've probably had the chance to see each other around University. I'm dumb. So everything Tine is doing, Sarawat has no context for, nothing to compare it to or anything.

Tine.... Breaking the phone..... The cringe.... The secondhand embarrassment.... I'm struggling. It hurts. Oh the pain....

Okay yay!! EPISODE 1: DONE! 😄

I hope you all enjoyed my commentary even though it was very very long. 😂😘

[lamiasluck]

Red Sun

A fic/AU based off the song Red Sun by Dreamcatcher! I want a creepy Host and this is an introduction to him

Tags: @alvie-ashgrove @emptynarration @theshysepticeye

Warnings: violence, minor character death, rituals

-

Beware of the forest that beckons innocent souls during nightfall. Those who enter, never make it back. The strongest, the most kind, the most determined. All succumb to the horrors trapped within the cursed forest. 

Beware of the man that got addicted to power. The forbidden words that fall from his lips sound like honey but strike with the power of a bullet. With the power of the red sun, he entrances those who are willing to listen. May those who are unfortunate enough to get caught in his web be blessed with a swift, and painless death. 

Beware of the Host.

“The scene takes place in the cabin.” It’s an old and run-down place. However, it has everything the Host needs. The wooden floorboards creak beneath his feet as he paces. Books filled with disgraced spells and relics are spread out across the floor and decorate the various bookshelves crowding the small cabin. Candles are placed meticulously around, creating dim lighting for the otherwise dark room. They are perfectly illuminating the reason for this elaborate setup.

“The sacrifice struggles in vain against his binds.” He is an average looking guy. The type of person that would never expect to wind up in a situation like this. Dark brown hair, sickly pale skin, and light blue eyes that can hide all the fear in the world. He lies on the floor, fresh tears streaming across his face and making his vision blurry. Desperate pleads fall upon deaf ears, as the Host can only hear his gods muttering sweet poems to him.

“Red sun… red sun…” The Host’s voice is deep and smooth in tone, repeating its siren’s call. A trap within the night. As he sings his alluring venom, the sacrifice can’t help but hum along. His words wrap around the mind, creating the web that finally catches the prey. He sings stories that are meant to be forgotten. His worshipped gods are disgraced for a reason. The sin plagues his mind, as well as decorate his skin in twisted markings. Each cursed tattoo has its own story, and he is a mere vessel for each one. As are his sacrifices.

Every ritual is different. As the corrupted heart grows, the maze keeps changing. The gods want something different each time. Those markings twitch and burn against his skin, telling him what to do. His body moves on its own, fingertips brushing against the plethora of spell books. He stops as soon as the red sun tells him to. A twisted smile stretches across his face as he picks up an old novel. It’s one he has written himself, most of them are.

The sacrifice always seems confused at this point. It must be the laugh. It always starts off as a small, nearly unhearable giggle. The Host’s mind gets swarmed with encouragement from his gods. His masters. By the time they’re screaming at him, he’s too far gone in his breathless cackling fit.

Do it. Do it. Do it.

The coarse parchment feels like the finest silk to the Host. His finger glides across the words. Unfaltering narrations mix in with uncontrollable giggles as he feels a power course through him. It’s time.

“Finally… finally,” he mutters as he falls to his knees. There’s a slight sway to his body as he drowns in the sensation of it all. Blood streams through his loosening bandages, flowing down his face and making him taste it as he keeps shining his creepy smile. As this power pulses throughout the room, objects start lifting off the ground and floating around them. The candles, the books, even the Host’s coat is lifting at the hems.

The markings are burning. “Red sun… red sun…” Yet, the Host remains diligent and continues his ritual. All he can do is twitch weakly against the force, making him pant softly as the gods watch down upon him. The bandages unstick from his skin and lift from his face. Unfocused, golden eyes keep crying tears of crimson. His pupils are morphed into mere signs, markings of the red sun. He gladly gave up his sight to see more. All the power he wants.

Cursed magic wraps around the Host like a hug. Oddly comforting within its cold grasp, but nothing more than a grim reminder to the sacrifice. Slowly, he lifts his arm and twirls his index finger. The small action creates a ripple effect. It’s silent for a moment, eerily so. There’s no such thing as peace in this twisted maze.

Something grabs the sacrifice, but the Host is kneeling far away from him. This hand, if he can even call it that, grabs his tied arms with an iron grip and digs into his flesh. Its claws easily rip through his skin and pull him upwards. The hands have no body controlling them, only acting as mere puppets for the Host to control. They’re an abnormal grey colour, nothing but skin and bones twitching around in a crude mockery of fluid motion. Another hand sprouts from the floor and grabs at the sacrifice. Then, another one, and another one, and even more. Once the sacrifice gets a good look at these things, he wants to scream. It’s a shame that the hands cover his mouth.

“I want to laugh when I see you struggle.” Of course he does. As his narrations describe the pitiful scene, he fails to stifle his amused chuckles. Demonic hands force the sacrifice to his knees. The harsh gesture is conducted effortlessly with a simple move of the Host’s hands. He mutters a forgotten tongue, speaking it as if it were poetry. The candles blow out in unison, but thankfully, there’s something to take its place. There’s a glow dimly emitting from the floorboards. It creates a circle around the sacrifice, along with some strange symbols only the Host recognizes.

“Red sun… red sun…” He drops his hands to his sides, but the arms holding the sacrifice stay in place. “Your host brings a gift for your grace.” The sacrifice struggles in vain as soon as he hears that. The Host doesn’t do much except smile at the other. His mind is flooded with voices of encouragement. They’re happy with him.

“Aren’t you lucky?” The clawed hands dig deeper into the sacrifice. Blood wells up in the swallow wounds as more and more hands wrap around him. The circle glows brighter and engulfs the cabin in a haunting red glow. It’s all pulling the sacrifice further down into its mess of limbs. There’s a clear happiness in the Host’s voice as he beams with pride over his work. Finally. “The red sun has accepted you.”

All the struggling in the world can’t help the sacrifice from his fate. Hands keep pulling him down, unbothered by the floor in its way. The cabin faintly glows with how intense the circle beams red. Good thing the Host can’t see. Though, not like he can focus on much, as he’s fully swarmed within his own mind. He faintly registers the crunching of bones from the sacrifice struggling in his losing battle.

“Why struggle against such a privilege?” He doesn’t understand.

The blood streaming down the Host’s face burns against his skin. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think burn marks are being painted down to his neck. Each laboured breath comes out in a harsh rasp. He grits his teeth and bares with the pain. He can’t decipher what his gods are shouting at him. Is the sacrifice already taken away? He can’t exactly tell. The muffled screaming and breaking are easily drowned out by a higher power. Everything is too loud. His gods, are they satisfied? Disappointed? Hungry?

They’re so proud of the Host.

The same crude mockery of hands capable of tearing into flesh gently trace along the Host’s jawline. Clawed nails dip into the blood like a quill waiting to write with ink. He closes his eyes and leans into the cold touch. With the last bit of strength, he gives a shaky smile and a breathless laugh. He falls back and passes out against the uncomfortable wood, but he might as well be on the softest bed imaginable. Everything drops around him in a unison thud. It’s finally quiet. The sacrifice is long gone, taken away, and consumed by the red sun. As the supernatural glows fades away, the Host lays peacefully by himself. He drifts away listening to the lullaby he signed his soul away too many years ago.

Red sun, red sun… repeating in the endless night trapping the forest.