#hm. next update might take me a bit tbh

[vaugarde]

*fucking changes up plot points for my ask blog like moments before they become relevant*

[heniareth]

I was really curious about what your opinions on the DAO companions are :) I know we have talked about some, but I'd love to hear more and about the others as well :D I hope it's ok to pose this as an ask :)

Sure! That sounds like a ton of fun. This might be a long one tho. Mind you, this is not the finished version of the answer. I'd like to link stuff and add a cut, but rn that's not possible. I'll update it when I can.

Edit: I have updated it ^^

Let's go alphabetically bc why not.

Alistair:

Sweet guy. So sweet. There was a moment when I was hard pressed chosing between him and Zevran (alas, Zevran won). Also, he's weirdly tall according to the wiki? How did I not notice that before?

Let's get a bit more serious now, Alistair is a great guy. The only reason he's not the hero of the story is because he doesn't want to. He has all the qualities of a leader: he's good at dealing with conflict (as evident with the conversation with the mage at the beginning. He gets where he wants to get without antagonizing the mage, but without allowing him to trample all over him). He's a solid tactitian and knows how to make allies (he suggests to use the Grey Warden treaties, after all). I bet if he was in the leadership position, he'd even not bicker with Morrigan. His moral code is pretty tight; some might say too tight, but I think it's less about the moral code and more about learning to judge people by their actions, not by the labels they fit into (Morrigan is a proud apostate and therefore bad. Wynne is a humble circle mage and therefore good). He also has a bit of a black-and-white way of seeing the world. I empathize a lot with Alistair, especially with his experience with the Chantry and his subsequent reluctance to deal with it. I really wish I had gotten to know more about concrete experiences he had during his training as templar, but he seems reluctant to talk about it (gee, I wonder why).

Since I've only played the game once, I haven't really picked up on Arl Eamon's abuse towards him, which apparently exists (Isolde, however... I mean, even if he were Eamon's illegitimate son, he's a kid, ma'am, he didn't exactly get to chose his parents. So that's so not okay). Alistair's way of speaking about them both, however, is either sign that he has not come within a hundred miles of acknowledging how much it hurt him, or that he's already gone through the whole process and has decided to forgive them. The latter shows a very strong character; yes, he relies on the approval and leadership of others, he has his issues, but he's already started working on them.

That being said, irl Alistair would be like a little brother to me. I'd tease him relentlessly (all in good fun and I promise to stop if it makes him uncomfortable, but he's just so teasable). I still wish the videogame gave him the chance to take important decisions for himself. But that, of course, would somewhat defeat the point of the game.

Leliana:

Another sweet, sweet person. Her singing voice is amazing. Her belief in the Maker inspires me (I'm a religious person and seeing religious characters represented in a positive light is Very Cool. It's also sometimes a source of discomfort, because the Church has done a lot of very messed up stuff and positive representation can sometimes veer into apologetics for things that should not be excused, but that's a whole other can of worms. The bottom line is that religious characters sometimes work for me and other times don't and Leliana works for me very much bc she's an outsider inside the Chantry).

Leliana is best friend material, tbh. I'd love to get to know her irl, discuss theology and philosophy and maybe even politics? She makes mistakes and has prejudices, but, tbh, so do I. And I do get the feeling that she tries her best to learn. From the times she intervenes in a conversation between the Warden and an NPC, she shows herself to be compassionate and open to the needs of others. What I get from her character is that she genuinely wants to help, which is something that I adore of her. I suspect that she sometimes has a hard time deciding wether she's a good person or not. She has killed and seduced and worked for a morally dubious person, and she doesn't show the same nonchalance about it as Zevran (though they both do discuss their line of work in very... professional terms). This is, however, more of a headcanon than actual factual canon.

I also very much enjoy her girly side, like her interest in shoes and dresses. She's one badass woman who also looses her cool about the latest fashions in Val Royeaux. I like that. Between her and Alistair, a non human noble Warden has as good a help to navigate the Fereldan court as they're going to get. Leliana is also, I can't forget that, clever and insightful. It'd be easy to write her off as the innocent chantry girl, but she's so much more than that. Her kindness is paired with foresight, I think. She knows that taking on the trouble to help now can go a long way in the future. I just have a lot of respect for her.

Loghain:

This one's gonna be short bc I didn't recruit him. He's an amazing villain and would probably be a great Warden as well. He reminds me of Denerhor from LOTR; once a hero/stewart of his people, ambition and desperation have driven them both down a terrible path. I have also only little idea about his past. People say he lost a lot, and I believe it wholeheartedly; it doesn't excuse the fact that he plunged the country into a civil war in the middle of a Blight. I don't have a lot of sympathy for short-sighted politicians. I wish he hadn't made himself regent. That's what I take away from his character.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention that really impressed me was his death. I had Alistair duel him (that was a rough duel), and then it kinda just jumped to a cutscene of my Warden nodding and Alistair executing him. That didn't sit well with me. I didn't want to kill Loghain, and less so in front of Anora. But what impressed me was that Loghain just accepted it. That takes a whole lot of guts. Compare that to Howe's death, and how he screams out that he deserved (more, probably, or anything but death) and it's crystal clear who the more noble of the two is. Loghain strikes me as very lawful neutral, and any neutral alignment has the particularity that it can be dragged towards good or bad, sometimes without the characters noticing it (which is interesting from a DnD perspective; neutral is often concieved of as just as stable as good or evil, but that may not be true. But that's a different post). Anyway, Loghain's death was impactful.

Morrigan:

I could kick myself for not maxing out her approval in the first play-through. I got to enjoy a bit of her friendship by the end of it and boy was even that little bit worth it. Friendship with Morrigan is something that is hard-won. It's all the more precious because of that.

Morrigan is full of paradoxes, I think. She's incredibly wise in some ways, yet also very short-sighted (”just kill them, don't solve their problems”. Morrigan, dear, I'm not going to gain a lot of allies if I kill everybody who poses a problem to me). She is so intelligent, but emotionally... not so. She knows so much about some things, and very little about the next. She's incredibly wilful and knows what she wants, but follows Flemeth's orders all the time through. She hungers for power and independence, yet craves closeness, but won't allow herself to have it. She asks you to prove yourself to her and is extremely critical of your actions, I think, because she's afraid. She bites the hand that feeds her because it might hit her next.

Like with Eamon, I haven't managed to catch the undercurrent of abuse that seems to permeate Flemeth's relationship with Morrigan. Except there are signs, because there must be something Morrigan is scared of and who has instilled all that rage in her, and that's Flemeth. Also, she clearly hates/does not care about her and wants her dead (unless killing Flemeth was part of Flemeth's plan as well? Hm.)

Morrigan is that one person who you are nice to, continuously, because nobody else is. And suddenly she becomes less cold. And then friendly. And suddenly you're asking yourself why everybody hates her, because she's a really good friend! I just wish the other companions came to a similar conclusion, especially Alistair and Wynne.

Oghren:

They did this man dirty. He has such great lines and I'm convinced he was a great person before Branka disappeared. He has that dwarven warrior spirit, and while he looks like Gimli, some of his most impactful lines remind me of Dwalin or even Thorin Oakenshield himself. He could be so noble had he gotten some character development, damnit!

Oghren as he is written is somewhat disgusting. I hate the lechering comments and the drunkenness. And still, I don't hate him because of those amazing lines he has when he's actually sober. It's frustrating and I'll give him that character development myself if the game won't. I strongly associate the song Whiskey Lullaby with him, bc that's how he would have ended up if the Warden hadn't taken him along (warning: the song talks about suicide and alcoholism). Like I said, they could have done such cool things with his character. As he is written now... it's just sad. Moments of lucidity drowned in alcohol and creepy jokes. As you can see, I don't blame the character for either. The alcoholism happens all too often irl. The creepy jokes... I put that one on the writers' tab.

I actually think Oghren could have been a great mentor figure (I know, I shock myself as well sometimes). Next to the Grey Wardens, the ones who know most about fighting darkspawn are the dwarves because they have to deal with them constantly. Especially a warrior caste dwarf like Oghren could have brought a lot of that invaluable knowledge to the team, especially since there are no Grey Wardens in Ferelden but two extremely green recruits. Next, you get the chance to give Oghren the command of the teammates you leave behind in the battle of Denerim with the reason that he has lead men into battle before. Where did that suddenly come from? Oghren should have been right up there telling my Warden that they were doing this wrong, that they needed more food (and booze) and a confident leader to keep the armies they've called together going. Oghren should have been able to tell my civilian city elf who got recruited into the Grey Wardens a six months ago how one leads an army. How one presents oneself to inspire confidence, how one doesn't crack under the pressure, how one gets the leaders of said armies (some who hate each others guts i.e. Dalish elves and humans) to work together. And, last but not least, Oghren could have had a great story about grief. This is a man who has lost most of what made him (and what he hasn't lost he's spilling down the drain with every mug of ale). This is a man who, if you take him into the Deep Roads, has to see what his wife did to his family, how his wife got absolutely obsessed, and can be forced to kill said wife or watch her die. All Wardens loose their home and families at the start of the story. It would really have rounded the whole narrative out if the Warden and Oghren could have recognised their grief in each other and hashed it out somehow. Such as it is, Oghren is a depressed drunkard and there is nothing we can do about that. I find that frustrating.

Rascal (a.k.a. Dog):

Best boy. 100/10. I wish we had gotten to see the reaction of the different origins to the mabari (because elves probably have a whole different experience with them from mages or humans. And dwarves just... I think they straight up have none? XD). Other than that, no complaints. The name Rascal was the one I gave my dog because you have to be a right rascal to survive what he did and play the pranks he plays. Smartest breed in the world indeed.

Shale:

Shale is one of those characters that I recruited rather late in the game, so I haven't had the chance to explore their personality and worldview, really. I didn't even get to take them to the Deep Roads (this will be ammended in playthrough nr. 2). As such, I don't have particularly strong opinions on them (or her? The wiki refers to Shale as 'it', but that sounds weird). But, because I know so little about Shale, I have a lot of questions. First, what were they like before they were a golem? Shayle, as she was called then, was the best warrior of her time if I remember correctly. Why did she become a golem? Was it to be able to eternally protect her people? Was the sarcasm the golem Shale exhibits also part of the dwarven warrior Shayle or did that come later (if for thirty years you have nobody to talk to but yourself, you better be entertaining. And I can imagine how it could make somebody terribly jaded as well).

Next, how attached is Shale to their golem form, exactly? According to the banter, they infinitely prefer it to a squishy fleshy form. If that is the case, however, why go to Tevinter to try and become a squishy dwarf again? It's not like that process could be reversed if they wanted to become a golem again; if Shale survives to the end of the game, the Anvil of the Void is destroyed and Caridin is dead. Was the whole spiel about their indestructible form a façade? It might have been, but not because Shale actually disliked their form. I think it would have more to do with the loss of their memories and with the very invasive experiments and alterations of Shale's body made by the mage Wilhelm. The loss of memories means that Shale is unable to remember life as a fleshy creature. They might be deflecting by pretending that they didn't care for that experience anyway because of the superiority of their golem form. The modifications made to their form by Wilhelm would have alienated them from their body. In light of this, it's significant that Shale asks the Warden to decorate their form with crystals.

All of this is, of course, pure speculation. I may have easily missed or forgotten details that would disprove the above thoughts. All in all, I like Shale and I hope we meet them again in DA4 (given that it's mostly set in Tevinter). It's a liking from a respectful distance, because Shale is tall and made out of rock and also way more experienced than I will ever be (they are literally the oldest member of the Warden's little Blight fighting squad).

Sten:

Sten is another person I'd keep a respectful distance from physically. That seems to be the what he would prefer, at least. I've enjoyed his character a lot, especially because he seems pretty clear-cut at first, but slowly lets the nuance of his person show (gruff and stoic, but then he has an eye for art, a sweet tooth and he likes cute animals). It's also very interesting that there's no moment when you learn "the truth" about him the way you do with Zevran or Leliana. There's no big reveal about his life under the Qun before coming to Ferelden. He says he was sent to monitor the Blight, but honestly? If neither Ferelden nor Orlais knew there was a Blight, how could the Qunari know? I think he's lying, and he takes his secrets back with him when he leaves Ferelden. And yet I think I know him enough to say that a Warden who has become friends with him has nothing to fear from Sten.

One thing I find very interesting about Sten is how he thinks. His conversation about how women can't be soldiers has been analysed a lot on this page I think. He seems to be arguing based on a different paradigma than the one the Warden has. He also seems to have a very clear-cut view of the world. What is fascinating to me is that, when arguing with the Warden and learning about their culture, he is not necessarily becoming more lax about his worldview. I think it's more likely that he is expanding his paradigma, the structure of thought through which he understands the world. I don't think that he is now convinced that women can be warriors as well. I think he rather understands that, in Ferelden, the relationship between occupation and gender is different than under the Qun. Which of the two he thinks is more right or more agreeable, I have no idea. I'm also not very interested in that. But I find it fascinating how he always seems to be looking on quietly, gathering data, classifying it and trying to fit it into his understanding of how the world works. I wouldn't be surprised at all if his original party was a scouting party to see how vulnerable Ferelden was at that moment to outside forces. One thing I don't understand with all of this is why he urges the Warden to meet the Blight head on. No smart soldier would suggest that, except if they are foolishly proud (and Sten doesn't seem like that kind of guy tbh). I get that the Warden takes way longer to gather allies than expected because they first have to solve all of their allies' problems. But surely Sten sees the need to have allies? Is he just that impatient? Does he have a death wish (à la, I lost my sword and am without honour, better to die sooner than later and in glorious battle)? Was he his group's previous commander and is he now having trouble following somebody else's orders? Or maybe it's his way to make sure the Warden knows what they are doing? To push them into becoming the self-assured commander their allies will need once they're all gathered? I really don't know. I like the last option best, however.

For me, Sten is my fellow, more experienced soldier. Like Alistair, he can potentially be the Warden's brother in arms, but he's definitely the older brother here. He probably doesn't take kindly to tearful confessions of how hard everything is, but I feel like he's otherwise a solid rock to lean on. I feel like the Warden can trust him to do what is necessary and count on him no matter what, especially after they get his sword back. His devotion from that point on is honestly so powerful.

Wynne:

Wynne was such a support for my Warden (except with the whole conversation about love vs. duty and that she may have to choose between Zevran and ending the Blight and that she should therefore break up with him. Wynne had a point. Astala was so not willing to sacrifice her relationship with Zevran. But the whole conversation came at a point where she was already so disillusioned that she blew up in Wynne's face (”can i please just have one (1) nice thing????”)). But all in all, Wynne is great.

She has a lot of flaws. She was very marked by her life in the Cricle and, for all her age, she has little experience living outside of it. She is also a conformist despite her strong moral core. In a way, her ability to find peace with her lot in life impresses me deeply because it speaks to a lot of strength of character. Sadly, however, strength can be ill applied and used to suppress. I think she has convinced herself that the Chantry is right under (almost) all circumstances to be able to rationalize the life that mages live. She's had her son taken away from her as a baby and an apprentice killed. Her reaction seems to have been to convince herself that this was right, or for the greater good (and now I'm thinking about the Guardian's question at the temple of Andraste's Ashes; are you wise or do you just repeat what others have told you? The answer is not as clear-cut as it might be). This is why she is so irritated by Zevran and Morrigan. By aligning herself with the Chantry, she is, in her eyes, good. Zevran and Morrigan are not; they do not conform to Chantry morality and they defend themselves tooth and nails against somebody who would try and convert them. This is something Wynne never allowed herself to do; she always did the "right" thing and it has cost her so much. I'm not saying she was right (it would probably have done her some good to rebel from time to time, and to trust her own gut instinct more), but in light of this, it hardly surprises me that she's so judgamental. She has to be, or she would be forced to confront all the evil she has not fought against all those years and all the hurt that has been caused to her by the very institution she protects (and thank God she only tries to argue and can appreciate it when people have found a good life outside of her comfort zone. If she tried to convince by force or, for example, drag her former apprentice back to the Circle... boy oh boy that would get ugly). If you think about it, Wynne really is a good example for what happens if you live by a philosophy of always choosing the lesser evil.

Something that I keep forgetting over her grandmotherly and dignified character is how damn powerful she is. She has escaped the carnage at Ostagar; HOW!? She protected those mage apprentices in the Circle tower for God knows how long. In the battle of Denerim, she wades through an army and comes out alive on the other side. The wiki lists her age at 40, I think, but that doesn't make a lick of sense unless 75 years of age are the Fereldan equivalent to 100. This lady, about whom people make grandmother jokes, did all that. It's impressive.

Zevran:

You know, I would really love to know what Wynne thinks about the events at Kirkwall in DA2. It might be a disaster for her, or it might pave the way for one last bit of character development. She certainly didn't want to return to the Circle after fighting the Blight. That may be an indicator of some change in her stance on the Circle of Magi.

Edit: I forgot that she is what the Circle considers a literal abomination! Holy cow, how could I forget that?? Anyway, her conversation about what being an abomination means is so... heartbreaking, actually. It's so tentative. So careful. "Am I an abomination? Am I the same thing that has killed my students? The same thing as Uldred? Am I lost and damned? Did I invite this spirit in? Is this my fault?" Like wow, Wynne is going through something huge right there. I love it. I have to continue playing the game to see what it ends up as, but it's fascinating and such a huge thing that she allows the Warden in on that.

Ah, Zevran, my beloved (he has stolen my heart so much it's not even funny anymore). He's funny, he's charming, he's so so loyal and it breaks my heart. Zevran is the one about whom I've read most meta: these three wonderful posts for instance, as well as this one about his possible lack of scars, and this one about his lack of freedom. All of these have influenced my opinion of him and they are great reads.

I have talked about Zevran with you before, so I'll just skip to the new stuff. I have come to conclusion that Zevran is an artist at heart. This is totally not biased by the fact that I also do art, but hear me out. One of his preferred gifts are bars of silver and gold. While those have the obvious utility of basically functioning as money (they can be sold to any silversmith or goldsmith and their value is pretty stable through time and in different countries), there's also this from his codex: "Zevran shows an affinity for the finer things in life—hardly surprising for an Antivan Crow—but his appreciation can be more poetic than he lets on. A simple bar of refined silver or gold, uncomplicated by a craftsman's hammer, is elegantly valuable." Tell me that is not an artist's eye that sees that gold and sees the beauty in it. Then, there's also the meta about Zevran the Seducer which I linked above and link here again. It talks specifically about how he lets himself enjoy the target and be seen in his enjoyment. Tell me that is not an artist's eye that beholds the beauty of something he is set out to destroy. Even his talk about his assassinations show this. He talks about it as an art, the way somebody would talk about the brutal intervention in stone that produces a sculpture. Yes, it's a rationalization of the act of killing and yes killing is still wrong. But he doesn't go on about it on a moral tangent the way Alistair or Wynne would (”this person was bad, killing them was necessary”) or even through the argument of survival like Morrigan would (”it was either them or me and it sure as Hell wasn't going to be me”). He talks about the pleasure of a job well done, of the satisfaction of striking the precise point and executing a plan to the perfection so as to minimize chances of discovery and to make a clean death possible. And pleasure in seeing and in doing, this I firmly believe, is absolutely fundamental for an artist.

My favourite part about my Warden and Zevran as a pairing is that Zevran precisely brings out that ability to take your pleasures as they come and to really savour them. Fighting the Blight is tough; it's so important to find good things amidst the chaos to stay sane. If Astala saves Zevran from himself by offering him a place to stay and a purpose, Zevran saves Astala from herself by keeping her from running herself into the ground trying to save the world.

There are some things I don't like about Zev. The incessant flirting, for example, sometimes makes me uncomfortable (it becomes enjoyable for me once the Warden and him are in a relationship, but before that? Nah, no thanks). I wish he would also leave the other female characters alone (and there's so many more shameless comments of his aimed at Morrigan, Leliana or Wynne than at Alistair or maybe even Sten).

---

And that's my take on the Origins companions (this was rather long. Whew ^^' I hope it was still readable and that you enjoyed it!!) Thank you so much for the ask!! It's been a joy thinking about this. I was worrying at first that the less prominent companions like Sten or Shale wouldn't get as much content but... well XD

[yehet-about-it]

I Like Me Better | 24b - A Night to Remember

~ A Wayv Social Media AU Series ~

< Prev || Series Masterlist || Next >

Synopsis: You’ve just moved into a new apartment with your best friend Yangyang, but you’re immediately faced with a problem: your incredibly noisy upstairs neighbour Xiao Dejun, or to friends, Xiaojun. You spend the first few weeks of your acquaintance hating his guts, but after a sincere apology and a fascinating revelation about his passions and motivations you slowly begin to see past his cold exterior to discover the real him. What will happen as you get closer to this troubled boy and how will those closest to you react?

Pairing: Reader x Xiao Jun

Themes and Warnings: Explicit language, mild sexual content, mild violence and references to drinking/alcohol. Deals with themes of toxic masculinity, insecurity, gaslighting (sort of), and jealousy…

Start Date: 5th Nov 2020

~ Updates now every Monday, Wednesday & Friday @ 9pm GMT/3pm CST

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Word Count: 1.6k (i swear i did not mean for it to be this long lmao) Warnings: Tbh this is just a whole load of fluff. I may or may not have gotten a bit carried away...

You arrived back at your apartment in high spirits, laughing with yangyang as he tripped up the steps, falling onto your landing with a thud. “Agh that never happened!” Yangyang cackled, dragging himself up off the floor and brushing off his pants. “You moron,” you joked, sidling past him towards your door, fishing the key out of your coat pocket.

You sighed, chuckling to yourself as you slid the key in the lock, swinging the door open and standing against it to allow Yangyang in. “Go get some water and get yourself to bed, you mess” you called after Yangyang as he wandered into your apartment and down the hall to your kitchen, yapping on to himself about something or other. “I’m just going to go get Bella!” Letting Yangyang sort himself out, you shut the door behind you after dropping your bag in the hall and ambled up the stairs with a smile plastered on your face.

“Hey,” Xiaojun greeted, grinning at you as he answered the door. “Hey!” You grinned back at him, shuffling into his apartment as he let you in, shutting the door behind you. “Looks like you had a good day,” Xiaojun stated as he led you through into the living room. “Yeah, honestly it was amazing! Everything went so well, and well, I just feel super happy right now,” you babbled, still high from the day’s excitement, the adrenaline and the buzz of the two cocktails not yet having worn off. “How was your day? Did Bella behave?” You came to a stop by the dining table. “Yeah, she’s been perfect! We went for a couple of walks like you said, and she’s eaten plenty. She’s sleeping again now,” Xiaojun answered, nodding to the sofa where bella was curled up on another blanket. You cooed at the sight, uwu-ing over you and Yangyang’s little baby and how well she seemed to get on with Xiaojun. “Thanks for this Dejun, it means a lot” you said quietly, stepping closer to him so you could wrap your arms around his neck and press a small kiss to his lips. Xiaojun’s arms baring his rolled up hoodie sleeves, looped around your waist in response, settling your body against his in a warm embrace. “No problem, I’m glad you had a good day”.

You didn’t know whether it was just the adrenaline still in your system or the fact that you were now undeniably romantically attracted to Xiaojun, but unable to fight the urge, you pressed your lips to his again, this time with more passion, your body pressing against him as your lips danced with his. Thankfully, Xiaojun returned the kiss with just as much passion, his hands sliding up your waist as you opened your mouth, letting his tongue slide in, moving perfecty against yours.

As your hands gripped feverishly at Xiaojun’s collar, he moved you so you were pressed up against the table, and moving his hands to the back of your thighs he hoisted you up to sit on it, slotting nicely into the space between your legs. Soon, every part of your body was on fire with want, and you knew this was it. You wanted him.

Pulling away from the kiss, you looked up into his deep brown eyes with a newfound determination. “I think I’m ready” you whispered breathlessly, unable to deny the throbbing in your core. “You’re sure?” Xiaojun voiced, just as your jacket began slipping down your shoulders, and you shrugged it off, showing you were ready to be his for the night. “Yes.” You nodded, and with that you were in the air, being carried towards the bedroom for a night to remember.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, you were awoken by the familiar feeling of something moving across your torso, and opened your eyes to see Bella had made her way into the bedroom and was clambering over you towards your face, wanting attention. “Hey girl!” you whispered, giggling as you picked her up off your stomach to cuddle her closer to your chest. “Thank you for being such a good girl yesterday, we’ll go home soon and get you some breakfast, don’t you worry” you cooed at her, petting her small, soft head. Looking around, you realised Xiaojun was still asleep, his chest steadily rising and falling with his breath, his expression looking unusually peaceful. A smirk emerged on your face as an idea popped into your head. “Hey Bella,” you whispered. “Why don’t we wake up Dejun huh?” Wiggling yourself to sit up slightly, you picked Bella up again and set her down right by Xiaojun’s face, and as you suspected, she began nuzzling against him, licking his face as she often did to you or Yangyang in the morning.

Xiaojun’s face twitched and his eyes flickered open as he responded to Bella’s attacks. “Wha-?!“ he started, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the light and he realised what was going on. “Oh, hey Bella.” Xiaojun chuckled, raising his hands in an attempt to pick Bella up and stop her from slobbering all over his face. You giggled and your heart swelled as you watched your new beau play with your doggo, not even mad she’d woken him up and witnessing this, you felt a sense of joy. You realised that giving Xiaojun a chance to show you his true self may have been one of the bet decisions you’d ever made, because right now, you were falling head over heels for him.

“Morning,” you laughed as Bella finally ceased her attacks, opting to curl up under the covers between the two of you while Xiaojun turned to you, realising you were awake already. “Heh, morning,” he said rolling over properly to look at you, reaching out to pet Bella. “Sorry about that,” you chuckled, absolutely not sorry at all. “She came in here and I couldn’t resist”. Xiaojun smiled. “Well there’s worse ways to wake up…” he uttered, gazing at you softly, his attention now all on you instead of Bella.

You stared back at him temporarily dazed by the romanticness of the moment and Xiaojun reached out, brushing a few stray hairs out of your face. “True…” you breathed, mentally scolding your heart for pounding so damn loud. It was a small gesture compared to the activities of last night, but nevertheless it sent your head spinning. With Bella snuggled between you and Xiaojun looking at you with such adoring eyes, you couldn’t help but imagine that this was exactly how life might be everyday if Xiaojun asked you to be his girlfriend, and you definitely didn’t dislike that idea, but there were certainly a few hurdles you needed to get over before that could happen. One being to tell Kun about your newfound relationship with the boy he despised and hope he didn’t try to throttle him or get him evicted.

“How are you feeling?” Xiaojun questioned as you sat up, pulling yourself out of your thoughts. Thankfully you needn’t feel self conscious as the comforter fell away, since Xiaojun had lent you one of his grey shirts to sleep in, wanting to make sure you were warm and comfortable. “Hm pretty good”, you hummed, not hiding the knowing smile that adorned your face. You knew exactly what he meant by that. Xiaojun mirrored your actions, sitting up as he spoke. “Well, I think that was a pretty good way to celebrate…” You giggled, “yeah, it was.”

Feeling Bella pawing at you again you sighed, realising you needed to get her home for food and take her out so she didn’t end up pooping in Xiaojun’s apartment. “I hate to leave, but this one needs feeding, and walking” you said, scooping Bella up in your arms. “Sure” Xiaojun replied lifting the covers to reveal his toned, tank-top clad torso, before climbing out of bed and slipping into his sliders. You followed suit, putting Bella back on the floor and proceeding to gather your belongings as Xiaojun helped, handing you your coat and pants. You didn’t bother changing, because it was only a flight of stairs back to yours and you knew Yangyang would be out, so you’d be able to slip back and into the shower without arousing suspicion.

Walking out into the living room you stuffed your clothes into the bag of toys and essentials you’d left for xiaojun to bring up for Bella which he’d already packed neatly away last night. “You got everything baby?” Xiaojun called from the kitchen island where he was filling up his water bottle. ‘Baby?’ You thought. You could get used to that. He’d said it a number of times last night, but hearing him call you that in such a relaxed context felt especially nice.

“I think so!” you replied cheerfully, slinging the bag over your shoulder. “If not you can come get it later” Xiaojun iterated, having gulped down some water, sauntering back over to you and stopping just in front of you, followed by a chipper looking Bella. “Yeah sure. Thanks again for looking after her” you said, pressing a small kiss to Xiaojun’s lips, before bending down to scoop Bella up so she didn’t have to negotiate the stairs on your way back down to your place. “No problem,” xiaojun replied modestly, walking with you to the door. “I’ll see you later then?” “Yeah, I have a couple days off, so just text me if you wanna hang out.” You replied, before Xiaojun gave you another kiss, Bella sandwiched between the two of you. “Sure” he said pulling away and opening the door for you. “Bye then!” you cheered, before heading back down the stairs to your apartment.

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

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[kenkamishiro]

Jack Jeanne Playthrough Part 3 (April 5)

1 month later. April 5th in the VN. Kisa is at Univeil and excited she passed the entrance exam. She runs into her childhood friend Yonaga who's also been accepted. He's shocked that Kisa is attending too, but before she can explain Suzu joins them, introduces one each other.

Quartz's theme is "transparency" where many inexperienced performers who haven't specialized yet tend to go.

Onyx = Jacks whose forte is in dance.

Rhodonite = Jeannes who specialize in song.

Amber is where talented and unique students gather.

Suzu theorizes Kisa would be in Rhodonite because of her appearance, himself in Onyx because his physical abilities make him more suitable for dancing than singing or acting. Yonaga would like to be in Quartz.

Yonaga: Quartz...would be nice.

Suzu: I get what you mean!

Yonaga: Huh?

Suzu: Tbh I enrolled in Univeil cause I really admire Tachibana Tsuki, the legendary Jackace of Quartz!

Kisa: ...!

Suzu: That's why I wanna be in the same class as Tachibana Tsuki...come to think of it, your last names are the same.

Kisa: (If people find out I'm related to Tsuki-nii, it might make it even easier for them to discover my identity...! But it might be better than lying poorly...)

Kisa: It's true. It's the same (nonchalantly)

Yonaga: ......

Suzu: Maybe you guys are distant relatives!

Kisa: *nervous laughter*

Yonaga cuts in and says they should go check which class they're in. Kisa thanks Yonaga for the save. Their year is the 78th class of Univeil. All 3 are in Quartz.

Kisa gets called to the headmaster's office.

Chuuza congratulates her and informs her about her admission. The only ones who know that Kisa is a girl is him, Quartz's homeroom teacher Enishi Rokurou, and now Yonaga, Kisa's childhood friend. Chuuza is surprised that someone who knew about Kisa enrolled in the school.

But if anyone else finds out that she's a girl, expulsion. But since a lot of students are feminine, she won't have to go out of her way to act and dress like a boy. He reminds her to build trust with the rest of the students, and aim to become a lead and aim for the top.

Kisa arrives to Quartz's homeroom late.

??: Yes, yes, come right in.

Kisa: (The teacher...? But he's in a student uniform.)

??: You were called in quite loudly during the school announcements. Did you run into any issues on the first day? Theft, robbery, manslaughter, extortion, coercion, or a bank robbery, perhaps...?

(Please watch the clip of this scene. Can you tell he and Furuta share the same VA? 😄)

Fumi: No one like that would be in our school, Kuro.

??: But wouldn't be great to have such a plucky 1st year around, Fuumin! All the world's a stage!

Fumi: And, if the cops came?

??: I concede! Law is what keeps society together.

Kai: ...you two are bothering the 1st years.

Kisa finds a seat by Suzu and Yonaga.

Neji Kokuto (3rd year, 76th class of Univeil) welcomes the 1st year students to Univeil and Quartz. Class leader-slash-scriptwriter-slash-director-slash...all kinds of other things! He provides an info-dump about Univeil for us.

5 performances in total: Rookie, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Univeil Exhibitions. The Rookie Exhibition is where the 1st years take the lead roles, which is going to be held May 30th. Today is April 5th, so less than 2 months remain. Most viewers will watch over them warmly,  but others will be more strict, like journal reporters, critics and avid Univeil fans. Neji will write a script to allow even novices like them to shine on stage. Casting will be announced mid-April. Upper years are also participating and support the 1st years.

Neji: If you have any questions, all you need is to ask. I'm sure all our seniors here will be more than happy to help you.

??: What, no way.

Neji: With some exceptions of course! Mwahaha. Mikki's a 2nd year now, you can be a little nice to your juniors, hm?

??: ...

Kisa notes he looks cute like a doll. Shirota Mitsuki, noted for his singing. He catches Kisa staring at him, and she apologizes.

Neji asks if anyone has any questions. You're given 3 options: 1) How casting is determined, 2) Type of training to be done, 3) No questions.

Casting is based on Neji's subjective judgment. Everything from how they're doing in lessons, campus life, the way they walk, talk, physique, voice, facial expressions. Essentially based on his intuition, which he uses to find gemstones in the rough.

Training I'll explain later, there's gameplay related to it.

Neji finishes his spiel and passes it on to Quartz's homeroom teacher, Enishi. Pretty low energy. Lessons start tomorrow. Class is dismissed.

Suzu meets Kisa outside the Quartz dorms and asks if she's ready to introduce herself to the other students. He notes it's hard to find people since Univeil is so large. They chat for a bit, Suzu asks Kisa to call him by his first name, so Suzu-kun it is.

Inside Yonaga's dorm. He's finished unpacking, though he's still yet to put away his books (on theatre). He asks how Kisa got into Univeil, and she explains what happened. Yonaga says he'll help Kisa to make sure she stays at Univeil. He's glad that Kisa is here with him.

Yonaga: Kisa-chan, about Tsuki-kun...

Kisa: I can't get in touch with Tsuki-nii, but I'm sure he's doing fine wherever he is. 

Yonaga: I see. Yeah, I'm sure he is.

(Isn't that sketchy? Maybe he turned into that weasel with the moon on its belly lol)

Kisa begins her search for the Quartz students. At the Univeil courtyard, Kisa hears Mitsuki singing.

"Within this chest of mine I dance, the rhythm of possibilities"

Kisa: (I'd heard he was lauded for his singing, but he really has a beautiful voice...the lyrics paint the scene in my head.)

Mitsuki: ...could you not stare at me like that? It's uncomfortable.

Kisa: Oh, I'm sorry!

Mitsuki: Oh, you again. The 1st year who came in late.

Kisa: Yes. My name is Tachibana Kisa. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Mitsuki: Huh...you've got a face like a girl.

Kisa: Eh? Y-yes, I suppose so.

Mitsuki: A high-pitch voice. A delicate figure. And a Jeanne at that. At least be aware of your own features.

Kisa: I-I'm sorry.

He sighs and introduces himself. 2nd year, 77th class of Univeil. A Jeanne and a tresor (songstress/diva) of Quartz. VA is Kajiwara Gakuto (Asta). Kisa compliments him on his singing.

Mitsuki: So you were eavesdropping.

Kisa: I-I'm sorry.

Mitsuki: Well, not like I care either way. Later.

Kisa: He left...I guess he doesn't really like interacting with people. But his voice really was beautiful.

(If I had to describe Mitsuki's tone, it would be similar to Kenma, but a bit more antisocial lol)

Kisa finds Kai in the forest, seemingly concentrating on something. She decides to come back later, but Kai notices her.

Kai: ...? Quartz's 1st year?

Kisa: Yes! I'm Tachibana Kisa.

Kai: I see, you're...

Kisa: Yes!

(awkward silence between the two)

Kai: Mutsumi Kai, 76th class of Univeil. I'm a 3rd year.

Kisa: So I should call you Mutsumi-senpai!

Kai: Kai is fine. You can call me that around other people too.

Kisa: But...

Kai: ...

Kisa: ...(agrees)

Kai: ...

Kisa: T-then, I'll call you Kai-san!

Kai: Okay.

Kisa notes Kai is the Jackace of Quartz. And since Tsuki was also the Jackace, that means he must be talented too.

Kai: I'm a vessel meant to garnish the Aljeanne. Nothing more, nothing less.

Kisa is confused by his statement. Convo ends.

Kisa runs into Neji next in the hallways. He enters a room then promptly comes back out.

Neji: Welcome!

Kisa: Ah!

Neji: What're you doing in a place like this?

Kisa: I'm going around introducing myself to everyone in Quartz.

Neji invites her into his workroom where he writes his scripts and plans his staging. But he also performs on stage, any male or female role, from a shining prince/princess to old grannies/gramps.

He's currently working on the script for Quartz, but he won't reveal it just yet. Kisa asks if the other class leaders write the scripts like he does, but Neji is a special case, who screenwrites, directs and performs.

Neji: Once you get carried away, you can't see what's going on around you. What we do has no end to it. Acting, dancing, singing, they're fields that you can pursue for a lifetime. You could reach the stars, or merely end up as a master of none. No matter how much time,  it will never be enough. It's a terrifying world out there. That's why it's so engrossing. The stage is a colossal device. The Jacks and Jeannes make up the gears, and I am the craftsman who pieces them together. Let's create a fantastic stage together, Tachibana-kun!

Neji must continue writing, and wishes Kisa the best for the Rookie Exhibition. (Neji definitely talks the most out of the main cast lol. And fast too, talks a mile a minute and tone varies hugely)

Kisa finds Fumi standing languidly in the middle of the dance room, taking deep breaths before beginning to dance. A Japanese-style dance where his movements are gentle, beautiful and brilliant. He comments on Kisa staring intently at him, just like during the entrance exam.

Kisa is surprised that Fumi remembered, despite the number of applicants.

Fumi: I remember you and the red-haired guy well cause you two danced so terribly.

Kisa: Oh...

Fumi: I'm just kidding. Though the red-haired guy really did suck.

Kisa introduces herself, and Fumi pauses at hearing the name Tachibana. 3rd year Takashina Sarafumi, 76th class of Univeil, but he prefers being called Fumi, no senpai honorific attached. Kisa ends up calling him Fumi-san.

Fumi: Let's have fun, Kisa. (leaves)

Kisa: It's overwhelming seeing him up close. So that's the power of an Aljeanne.

Kisa goes to her room excited for her new life at Univeil and retires for the night for her 1st day of classes tomorrow.

＊＊＊

previous || next (to be updated)

[bladekindeyewear]

Bloggin’ thru new Homestuck^2 bonus, The Influencers part 2.  Kinda got my gears ground during part 1, but that largely wasn’t this sideplot’s fault, so I should still be able to enjoy it.

Reminder, bonus update blogging is always light on detail because I don’t wanna spoil all the paid content, but I’ll give the gist of my reactions and go into anything plot or character related that helps understand the main story, as well as giving you a real top-down view of “what happens” so you know what it’s about and whether or not to invest in looking yourself.  (And I don’t necessarily have to give you anything that isn’t main-plot-relevant.)

So where are they going to follow the main party?  They shouldn’t need to record the funeral I’d assume, because that already would have been televised (and awful for Jane’s PR)...  *click*

9/28/2020 - The Influencers, Part 2

TEACHER: Time’s a-ticking. TEACHER: The next plot point is yours to change, if you want it. Don’t you feel it calling to you?

Yeah, just hanging a lampshade on this whole parallel sideplot I guess.

> (==>)

Whatever it is, Imode feels it. A tiny string of relevance spooling out from their belly. They want to follow it.

That’s pretty Lighty and/or Seery.  I’ve used that terminology to describe the pull of Light and its “relevance” connotations even since the only fanfic I’ve ever written, back in 2011 during Homestuck’s run, and it’s obvious enough terminology that I think Rose later mentioned it somewhere like in the Epilogues.  Are these three kids perhaps going to get a fourth, and become their own session by the end of this like Harry, Vrissy, Tavros and Yiffy might?

They can’t stop picturing their friend, Harry Anderson, arrested or tortured or worse. They’re not sure what there is to be done to stop this chain of events, but they’re sure as shit gonna find out.

(”They” is almost certainly referring to Imode here, not all three, since Imode uses they/them.)

Alright, self-aggrandizing used for good.  Show off the sort of thing that Vriska could have accomplished if she actually used her talents for her team for once.  (Besides, like, the similar thing she did just recently by making a scene.)

> (==>)

Imode is the first to choose pursuing this path over bootlicking, and the others are sure to follow.

> (==>)

Yup, Avril and Silas follow.  (Had to be reminded of ALL of their names, it’s been months since their single named appearance.)

> (==>)

Crockercopters overhead but none taking note yet, just ominous setdressing

> (==>)

IMODE: lemme take a ⏱️ to 😮‍💨 before we figure out where to go next. AVRIL: wait don't you know? IMODE: Huh? AVRIL: we were following YOU this whole time.

Oh, that answers the first question I asked.  They have NO clue where they’re going.  Let’s see if they luck out and find the clock tower.

IMODE: You 👂 what he said about the next step 📞 to us, same as i did. Don't you feel it pulling at you?

Literal pull? Powers? Future player?  --All baseless speculation of course.

SILAS: Woah are you seein’ this.

Vriska’s probably putting on her very public display now.  (This is a bonus so I’m skipping lots of banter and arguing.)

> (==>)

Oh, they just saw John flying up to the clock tower in his outfit.  And catching sight of him fly is rare celebrity gossip stuff so of course it’d stand out to them, apparently.  (Only one of them is athletic apparently, the other two are groaning at the prospect of more running.)

> (==>)

Avril always enjoys running, but there’s something else thumping along to the rhythm of the thuds of his feet and beat of his heart. He’d thought Imode was nuts for feeling it just a minute prior, but now he’s realized he isn’t deadweight, that he hasn’t fucked up someone’s life irrevocably, and it pushes him faster and faster as he tears ass toward the belltower.

(Did we know Avril was he/him before this?  Probably but if so I forgot.)

Okay, since we’re getting glimpses into each of their headspaces narratively that BOTH have had some oblique aspect references, I have to at least OPERATE on a guessy assumption that there’s a sort of classpect-for-each-of-them thing going here.

I’ve quoted both those whole paragraphs here... so what do I see?  This is going to be a bit tougher because I don’t care as much to remember these characters...

Imode had some Lighty-or-Seery language, and then could not stop picturing bad things happening to Harry, wanting to avert that chain of events.  So something of a Seer or Mage would make sense.  But given how easily Lighty stuff and the Understanding classes (or at least what we think those are) can be conflated, Mage of Light seems a bit of a premature jump.  Heck, I’m only saying Mage because a Seer of Light already occupies a starring role, and because her first act on that feeling was to jump after it herself and tell the others:

IMODE: Stay here and 👢👅 your way into fame if that's what you really want. IMODE: I’m ✈️. Follow me if you’re not 🐔💩.

--leading by example rather than directing the others into battle.  Only half-caring if they followed, willing to pursue it herself if necessary.  So, potentially more “Active”.

As for Avril... the word “heart” is mentioned there, sure, but the full context is “there’s something else thumping along to the rhythm of the thuds of his feet and beat of his heart”.  I’m inclined to think that the rhythm/beat references, especially the even footsteps and heartbeats hitting like a metronome, might be more tied to Time?  But if so, I don’t see anything class-related.  (Could also be Blood, and him thinking of what he owes in the last sentences could be reinforcing that?  Big question marks for now.)

> (==>)

Door to the belltower’s locked.  The kids figure John’s forgotten that his son can’t fly.

AVRIL: this is it, this is the thing we can help with! #feelinit #vibes IMODE: OK I'm excited that you believe me now, but what are you gonna even do? IMODE: use your big all-star 💪 to break down the 🚪?

--so they think they can “resolve a missing plot point” by getting the way into the clock tower open?  Is this going to be a theme or running joke of the Influencers sideplot, showing plotholes resolved in bonus content like how we finally saw how Gamzee’s body was relocated last time?  When I was explicitly mad about that?  (This seems like a much smaller one though.)

Apparently in HS^2 proper they remarked that the door SHOULD be locked, but Vriska just opened it anyway and wasn’t surprised it was unlocked, which she would’ve ascribed to her luck -- how the universe just makes way for her.  (And we’re literally seeing HOW the “universe” “made way” for her this way, through these Influencer kids.  Even though Vriska could have broken down the door in a second and it’s practically meaningless.)

> (==>)

Avril just has the key!

AVRIL: so like my photoshoots are like, #modernfashion #myworkout #urbexp IMODE: Yea, your 📸 are why we’re all in this mess. We know. Get to it. AVRIL: fair. ok well this is the urban exploration part. AVRIL: a lot of the public infrastructure buildings in the kingdom have the same weird, shitty deadbolts on them. AVRIL: its like they were mass-produced for ease of access or something. AVRIL: none of the deep crockergov stuff, but a lot of the kingdom maintenance buildings. AVRIL: so once you swipe one key, you got access to it all. AVRIL: that’s how i get a lot of my hard-to-get shots #tradesecrets #tellnoone

Hhhmmmmm.  So what does this tell us about his potential role?  Getting places you’re not supposed to is associated with the Thief, Rogue, Bard, and sometimes Knight classes... as well as the Time/Space aspects, or the Void and Breath aspects.  A Thief or Rogue of Time could do the trick, and fit with the rhythm paragraph earlier... whereas Space doesn’t have the same rhythm associations even if it is “places” he’s getting into for these shots.  And photography, snapshots still in time, is something Dave was also explicitly into.  Plus, this exploit he’s showcasing is specifically for older buildings, playing into history/archaeology from an urban perspective.

So, Time is looking like a safer and safer bet for him.

> (==>)

lock click

> (==>)

long-hair swoop, cheer

SILAS: Yeah, I’m tickled a near-disproportionate amount by the unlockin’ of a door, so I’m inclined to believe you were onto somethin’.

Still no real hints about Silas, yet.

AVRIL: ok so. we did it, right? #missioncomplete AVRIL: feels a little anticlimactic #tbh IMODE: idk, I think so? whatever I was feeling doesn't seem so immediate anymore. IMODE: I wonder if-

Okay, that’s some near-confirmation that Imode was LITERALLY FEELING the plot or some such.  We’ll probably end the Influencers sidestory eventually with at least solid GUESSES blatantly obvious for their potential Hero Roles or the like.

> (==>)

Ah, Vriska and the kids are coming-- and we get the Silas paragraph(s)!  Silas is green-themed with green text, and a session with a Time player has a good chance of having a Space player too, so let’s see if...

Silas doesn’t know what being spotted by the other kids might mean, metaphysically or logistically or legally. She’s not particularly pressed by that sort of thing. But this is a day that’s come with more introspecting than she’s used to having to endure in a year, so she's ready to get moving before it becomes an issue.

As Harry Anderson, Vrissy, Vriska, and Tavros proceed to have this conversation, Silas pushes to catch up with Avril’s pace. She’s not sure where they’re headed, and has no clue what all this means for her. She knows the step she’s taken isn’t one she’ll be able to backtrack from, but she’ll figure that out tomorrow. For now, one foot in front of the other.

That...

I mean there’s a lot of talk of time-FRAMES, from a lazy perspective, but just-pushing-forward-in-the-here-and-now is reasonably Spacey? ...hm.  I was excited for the Silas paragraph(s) but I don’t see any immediately-apparent pattern meant for us to discern classpect info here.  Maybe a female Page example (since we could use one), propelled along by events without knowing what’s going on at first, too early in her journey to have taken more than her first step up the gradual incline of her long-term potential?

I really don’t know I guess.

Anyway, that’s the end of the bonus upd8!  See ya in a while.

[tslasvegas]

Episode 3: “UGH just rename Luxor to Loser” - Xavier

Well... that takes care of the Timmy problem... Love Timmy... Just didn’t know how our dynamic would be cus he was runner-up to the last survivor game I played which I won. Hm... Well...

That went well. There's nothing like a live video tribal to get people together. and stephen didn't react too badly. but i know now he won't work with me moving forward

I’m sorry I’m terrible at confessionals... So things are going well, I think we have a decent tribe but it is too soon to tell. I’m not a huge fan of creative challenges, at least from my previous game, I guess we will see how that goes. Most of the guys seem nice, still trying to feel everyone out.`

A 4-2 vote off is interesting. Someone is on the bottom for sure. Also, this next challenge is a creative challenge and when I do these solo I usually do really well. Hopefully I can channel that energy into a win for us here because two tribes are going to tribal. We’ll be down to 17 after this, so I’m not sure if we’d go into a tribe swap yet? Maybe 2 tribes of 8 with one person sitting out? 

Oh hot dang, two tribes are going to tribal next time. Probably going to be us :( now it is time to make alliance chats!

....five seconds later

I suspect that after this double vote out that there will be a tribe swap. I hope I end up with Mo and Jaiden at least.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17NPxKO_TKgqjNqsaWlbmlL0jgU36Aygi/view?usp=drivesdk

I really like this challenge. I feel confident about it but at the same time nervous that 2 tribes will be going to tribal. I really hope my tribe wins this one since I still don't know how the tribe feels about me. Wish me luck guys!

My tribe is not going to win this immunity challenge. Our nightclub is due just hours away and we have little nothing done. I am going to have to scramble soon.....I did nothing to help my tribe with the challenge, so if it is me that goes, I would understand 

....five seconds later

Honestly, I want to keep Jaiden and Mo around because I feel closer with them than anyone else. I want to keep Kailyn around because she seems to make time for challenges. Everyone else I am okay with going home, Ben hasn't really done anything soooooo maybe him? Oof

If we lose, then it's 2/3rds my fault and 1/3 Stephen. We better not be on the chopping block if we do lose. This is a two person Tribe as of now. Bobby Jon and Stephenie.

...five seconds later

UGH just rename Luxor to Loser

Second we lose Ben finally responded to my pm’s..... hm..... alright....

Y’all rlly won with a PowerPoint SKDJDJSKLALALL

Some of these guys have an excuse for not giving input into the challenge. Some do not. If I go home because some americans could be bothered doing some base level discussion, ill be annoyed. If I go home because a tribe threw a challenge because they thought id be an easy vote, ill be pissed.

All that hard work that went into this challenge really paid off! We scored the best and don’t have to attend tribal!! Which is absolutely exciting! Andrew told me he wanted to work together which is rad. Livingston and I want to work together which is radder. And Joey and i want to work together which is raddest. I haven’t spoken too much with Jeff lately even though we talked quite a bit early on. Pat and I speak occasionally. Stephanie and I didn’t really speak at all until recently but we’ve gotten into a good groove the last few days. I’m feeling pretty good about this game so far. I hope there’s no tribal swap or anything right away.

So when I get my chip total I'm gonna update Keegan. He is currently at a soap making class but I want him to know I am serious about working with him in this game and I think this is a good gesture. - keegan has let me know he has 4 chips and is willing to pool them over to me when we have enough so that we can unlock the store. I let him know I am okay with doing the same thing to him, whichever. But yes this is looking HOT for me. - "what's in the store?" | all i can really assume is advantages. we need 10 chips to unlock it. This is very similar to the Unnamed Season but the betting cap gives us more control. At this point, I don't think anyone can mathematically unlock without pooling chips. Keegan and I just need 1 more chip between us. Let's just hope we aren't separated by a swap or some shit. I am hoping for a bit more time on this amazing tribe to get that set up so I have a good idea of what the store holds.

Some of these guys have an excuse for not giving input into the challenge. Some do not. If I go home because some americans could be bothered doing some base level discussion, ill be annoyed. If I go home because a tribe threw a challenge because they thought id be an easy vote, ill be pissed.

We lost again!?!?!?!?!??! I am so surprised? Nah I'm kidding, but I don't care. I don't blame our team for losing because 3/5 of us were panicking because our president could be a cheetoh. I'm voting Stephen tonight, I hope the others follow suit. It SHOULD be simple, but 9 hours is a long time for Survivor; and if he knows it's him then might run around and create some chaos - which would be funny.

Rachael (love her she’s probably who I’m closest with along with DeNara and Kailyn) is not being subtle about the fact that she either has a pre-existing friendship with Ben or is currently aligned with Ben. Because Ben, from my knowledge has not been social with anyone, nor has he been super active and in our alliance chat with Kailyn, Rachael seems uncomfortable with the fact that Ben is said to be the vote and is saying she would prefer someone else to go. But like c’mon you can’t deny he hasn’t been social, and even if I had a friendship with somebody before a game, if they aren’t active I’m voting them out. Also I lied to my tribe a couple times this round because I’m lazy.

UGH. We LOST the challenge!!! And it wasn't even close *grumbles angrily* But it's okay. I'm gonna have to work my pussy out to this entire tribe to make them keep me around! I feel pretty good about this, I believe the target is leaning towards Ben but we'll have to wait and see. I don't think it's possible rn but I'm hoping for a swap soon so I can feel a little more re-energized in this game because my tribe has been super quiet lately... I think people will try to move the vote around so I'm going to use my current lack of employment as an opportunity to make myself stay alive on this tribe lmao

These guys are being super boring and either Jake is dumber than i thought, or shadier than i gave him credit for. Xavier might be trying to play me but regardless its doubtful ill stay. John seems to have the most chance of winning out of these four as hes not overplaying. Kevin hasnt spoken to me since the colin vote and it pisses me off that I might be going home after being one of two people that worked on the challenge when kevin was taken off the chopping block immediately for playing jeopardy. i hate this tribe.

....five seconds later

Johns out, Jake too by the sound of it. Time for plan B, which never works but might as well try. Fake idol time.

Oof well the uhh, “obvious friend group” has picked their target and it just so happens to be the only person I’ve made an actual alliance with :/ Poor DeNara. I really didn’t want to have to vote her off this early if I didn’t have to and then the worst part is she didn’t even hear it from me. Nobody is even mentioning game right now and Rachael is acting legitimately surprised to me when I came to her saying “okay this is an easier vote than I thought”.. even tho Ben claimed he had already talked to her..?? Idk man I must’ve done something wrong along the way but these people LEGITIMATELY don’t talk to me. My instant reaction is leaning towards being bitter but bitterness doesn’t really get me anywhere :/ I feel kinda.. out of it rn emotionally just because of everything else I have going on so if I seem more reserved tonight at tribal than usual, that’s why. I just hope that I’m not still stuck on that damn mountain rolling my dumbass rock back up only to get knocked back down again. I’m remaining optimistic for the future.. let’s keep winning some challenges mmkay

Okay good news, I shouldn't be leaving. But that being said DeNara, you have goT TO PULL. YOURSELF. TOGETHER. She's packing her bags and from my knowledge she's going to be fine tonight. Hopefully it'll be Ben who's going but DeNara giving up like this isn't helPING. 

....five seconds later

Also I am in two alliances which is cool I guess.

Oops....... and now I'm controlling this vote I think :) It feels good. I don't know what my plan is !! I'm lying to everyone. I basically put myself in a position to be the 4th person in both votes and I love it so much. I keep telling ppl I'm an emotional mess and I think I'll milk that because SOMEONE is going to get betrayed tonight... love that for me. Rachael, Nik, and Ben want to vote out DeNara Mo, Kailyn, and DeNara want to vote out Ben And tbh I would prefer Rachael or Nik!! Since neither of those things are happening I guess it's up to me to decide which way I wanna swing... I hate/love myself for this. I think there are good cases for both people to leave, because I think that getting rid of DeNara strengthens bonds I never had with Rachael and co. while getting rid of Ben just makes me their enemy. Honestly I am starting to lean towards getting rid of DeNara for that sole purpose alone. It'll be messy for sure. Ben provides NOTHING to the game right now and I hate the fact that he announced in his intro that he's just here to backstab people... but villains don't win unless they're sitting next to another villain. He's the goat to me and Rachael right now, but pretty homos like me always win xx I might regret this decision down the road but HOPEFULLY whichever side I take will pay me back in protection down the line. I think I have the charm to smooth shit over w Kailyn and Mo but its up for determination. I think that I have the finesse to beat Rachael in a vote, too, but I don't want to put her back up against the wall just yet..... ;) Anyways... I hope this isn't my last confessional. I wasn't having fun until I found my place. Let's get it on.

It is me or Ben tonight. Guess we will find out who...

[quackspot]

i started thinking about that gay bastard oc of yours. platano. can u tell me about him

omg u wer thinkgin about platano..... mr banana man... mr 4011. i am obsessed with the banana code srry i just got back from work (it was good :-D)

any way. um. im going below the cut. he kidnaps people and he murders people and i hate him because he’s also a massive weeb so. hm

HISTORY OF PLATANO... yea his name is spanish for banana

his father, pablo, will probably get a name change someday but i literally never think of his father since the only thing he did in platano’s backstory was disappear 

since platano’s world has characters based off like. fruits and vegetables (there aren’t really any limit to what the characters are based off of. it was in my lazy google translate name phase so we have like... a gay character named arcenciel who becomes dadlike through my powerful canon-changing touch. also arcenciel wears the colors of the rainbow as often as he can i haven’t figured out a good design for him since i’m not used to using more than 5 colors. he also owns a hat factory)

i think arcenciel and platano are friends they met when platano was like. 17 probably and arcenciel would be around uhhhhh ummmmmmm 21??? idk man but in canon he’s probably around 30 . yes i m saying “in canon” because i wrote a really dumb and horrible story back in 2018 arcenciel used to have HUGE internalized homophobia and i turned that into a running joke and i dislike that so that’s a reason why i’m not sharing the fun little story i wrote for my friends

(the best part of that story is when arcenciel threw his light-up rainbow heelies at platano, thus starting the boss fight which the main cast LOST.)

ok back to the topic at hand. platano.

i have a whole doc named platano where i just wrote drabbles about him so i’m going to summarize them

the first one was his friend, percisi (my only cishet oc he’s very short and very aggressive while also dressing in a soft-colored turtleneck since he’s based off of peaches) using a misunderstood form of satanism to summon satan. guess what percisi and platano summoned satan for. it was a manga update! wow

i won’t say the mangas name it was an inside joke

so platano was like “hey satan can i have this manga now please please” and satan went “sure just kill people for me” 

that determined platanos job for the next 7 or so years <3 wonderful. 

(it was basically me writing a backstory for a scene to happen in the main writing i wrote for my friends. he killed someone because someone else in the building was trying to summon satan. very confusing but okay i guess.)

i think right after that i wrote about platano meeting his boyfriend, sage, for the first time. i have horribly mixed feelings about their relationship since it’s very. Hm.

so platano kidnaps people to watch anime with him because all his friends left him and his best friend, mangue, is too busy being a dictator over the Land of the Fruits. i shit you not fruits oppressed the vegetables. i wrote that dynamic between the two because i was learning about the revolutionary war in US History. something like that at least

(the Land of the Fruits is not the official name)

on the topic of kidnapping people. guess who his favorite person was. sage. it was sage. so he tried to take sage often but they probably discussed Proper boundaries since everyone else tried to run away. hmm i am now going to write a bit right now 

“Platano,” Sage started. “Why do you keep kidnapping me? It’s rude and I hate it.”

“What else am I supposed to do?” The yellow-haired fool leaned on his sword, digging the tip deeper into the ground. 

“ASK ME IF I WANT TO HANG OUT??” 

“I can do that?”

“You keep making my dads worried.” Sage looked around the area, fidgeting with his hands. 

“Oh. Okay. Want to hang out? Watch some anime?” Platano paused for a moment, but managed to say “Maybe kiss?” before Sage got to answer.

“I- KISS??? We can watch anime together. We can go now.” 

Sage ushered Platano through a portal as fast as he could. 

His dads were never worried.

hmmm maybe that’s alright idk i’m a little tired so it’s probably a little out of character. sage probably isn’t that loud but i think it was trying to be the dynamic of “oh, we’re not dating” when they kiss every sunday at 5 pm by a romantic river scene 

he’s a character who is, at his very core, horrible and bad. he is portrayed in a way i DESPISE but i’m too lazy to correct it. his interest in sage actually started with me going “hmm i think platano would draw sage like this” then sauce giving me fun facts about his oc, sage, yea sage is sauce’s oc <3 epic win . so sauce gave me fun facts about sage and i was like “time to doodle these in platanos ‘art style’” when in reality it’s just the mockery of people just getting into an anime art style, with the chin so pointy it could cut a cake 

i might reread my old writing from 2018. i gotta agree with the judges for that year i did not write very well

it mightve actually been made in 2017 which would be FUCKIN CRAZY im gonna check rn 

yea it was started in 2018. february 14th... huh . finished it completely in june of that year it was 41 pages total and it’s not even double spaced how did i write something without double spacing it

OH MY GOD BOB IS GOING TO HIJACK THIS RANT JUST FOR A LITTLE

so bob is a fluffy little anthro cloud with a grey top hat and bowtie. he is amazing. i love bob. bob is another one of sauce’s character and mangue (mentioned earlier) was made by my friend jamie 

(you can always ask for their tumblrs but i’d ask them if its okay to share their tumblrs. i might just look at them and reblog their stuff cuz i like their art!!! maybe jamie posted a drawing she made recently on her blog but tbh i don’t think she would she’s more of a twitter user)

ok so im skimming thru UMG which is the story it stands for “Universe of Magic Gardens” and it was originally made for a prank on ponytown so people would go “what’s UMG” and my friends and i would be like “ur mom gay xDDDDDD” or something like that . horrible but i’m glad i’ve changed from . that.

here’s a bit i actually like AKLJFISJFIO

“What the actual FUCK, Ilkie?!” Arcenciel cringed in fear. “Put it back- it’s too ugly.” He pointed at Platano, whose arms were crossed. 

why is it bolded. anyway.

i just saw a part where eau used y’all... water cowboy moments <333 i really need to make refs for all of those old characters. all of my umg-related characters have to be my oldest-living ocs. 

i cant believe this is making me genuinely reread my old writing just to go “WJHFSIDAJKSFIOJ WTF????” 

some of the lines on it sound like something you would hear on like. a school bus or somethin 

looking at umg like “wtf how did i add so much Meat to this writing” bc most of my writing now is mostly quotations to progress the story (like the quickie i wrote earlier. i could add meat to it but im  tired lol)

OK THIS IS MORE GENERAL BUT MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS WAS WRITING HAIKUS FOR PORTALS. after you visit a place enough times it’s kind of just an instinct to open a portal there so you don’t have to recite a haiku 

uhh ok here’s another bit becuase im feeling like living la vida loca.  ur biggest regret should be “can you tell me about him” by this point bc i’ve written too much to go back now

He landed on his face once he was outside of the hat. Meko quickly walked over to the guest room, opened the Portals for Dummies book, and flipped to a page. It looked devious.

“Banana, mango,

Each tasting amazingly.

A taste of evil.” 

Meko did the dance on the page, it consisted of something that looks like it’s from an anime. A portal opened, the familiar scent of bananas and mangoes coming from it. With some hesitation, Meko stepped in. He quickly made it so only his head peeked in.

it wasnt bolded this time but i like it bolded. ok i understand how i added meat it was just shitty expired meat ALKFSJSHDAIUJKFEIODSJAK . it wasnt even that much meat DAMN. it just looked like more.

actually that’s all i will write. i could  do more w platano but yea at his base he is a blonde twink who kills people because he wanted a manga but now he’s friends with a dictator. woo! wow. amazing character writing. i cant wait to get motivation to rewrite everything and make platano a good villain (he will still be very interested in anime sadly. idk why around that time i liked making characters who were obsessed with anime i didn’t even watch it much myself. i think it was because i wanted to put capes on them)

[survivormanhattanbeach]

Episode 3: “She hates girls”- Dani

I AM PISSED. I AM SO MAD AT BRANDAN RIGHT NOW. WHAT THE HECK. I WAS TOTALLY TRANSPARENT WITH HIM. HONESTLY??? I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUtT FLIPPING WITH HIM AND JULIAN IFFFFF THEY WOULD HAVE ASKED ME. AND JULIAN?? I TOLD HIM I HEARD HIS NAME, I TOLD HIM. WHY IS HE ATTACKING ME FOR BEING HONEST??? I'm so glad I have Lucy and Andreas but Brandan better waTCH OUT BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT HONEST WITH HIM. WHAT THE HECK i'm sorry, i'm just so MAD right now

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO all my alliance members are on different tribes, I am so sad. ALso I'm with Brandan. -___________- I don't know who else is even on my tribe. I like Kevin and the others are all okay but UGH WHY BRANDAN WHEN I AM SO IRRITATED WITH HIM STILL?? bring me back lucy and andreas :( 

Okay so yay for a tribe swap but uhm it's kinda homophobic that not only am I not on a tribe with Dani or Ryan, but that I can't even speak to them now!! I'm still drinking with Dani on Saturday though so suck it hosts. This tribe is alright, like I said not my favorite set up but I don't feel completely screwed. I'm with Joey which is good because he's loyal to me, but people are going to assume we're working together since he picked me, also he isn't good at talking to new people so idk if that's gonna end up bad for us lolol. But yay for being on a tribe with Sarah! Idk she's iconic and I'd like to work with her. I talked to Andreas for a bit and he was nice, I'd hope we could work together. I started talking to Junior again before the swap so I don't feel completely off on him. Billy is the only one I've barely talked to, but he was on Sarah's old tribe so I think they're gonna stick together??? I just hope that we can win some challenges so that I don't have to worry.

when trace and johnny give you lemons.... (ie- brandan) you make lemonade. I am currently kissing brandan's ASS right now. i told him that if he and julian asked me to flip i would have and all kinds of other lies just because i don't need any drama with him on this tribe going forward, I NEED numbers so whatever i'm going to be his new best friend and pretend to forget about tribal but I'm still PISSED. 

This tribe swap is fucking disgusting. Why do i have to be on a tribe with junior. Im just glad jake is here and maybe him, billy and i can work together and grab someone else to work with us if we go to tribal 

Okay so last night I was on call with Joey and he was like "someone told me you wanted to vote me out round 1" and I was like yeah it's true but you didn't have to say it. And big surprise it was Keaton that told him this. So now it's a new day and lo and behold I'm on a tribe with Keaton's snake ass and as much as I don't trust him I have to play nice because the boy knows WAY too much about my game and my personal life for me to risk crossing him so basically I just go from one migraine to another bouncing between my exes. If I get swap fucked I will be showing up in Johnny's PMs with virtual pitchforks. xoxo Madison

https://youtu.be/5oLRQqS00UU

VL Confessional Cause you tried to play both sides You got caught up in your lies And now you're runnin' You're runnin' out of time Try again, cause the game is over https://imgflip.com/gif/2vicz3

Wtf! Why did we switch tribes right as I felt so good????? Now I’m in a tribe where I feel like I can’t connect to anyone except dan and sometimes Tom. I made an alliance with Tom, Madison, and Dan. I’m trying to ensure our safety Incase we do go to tribal. Keaton came to me and said he wants to target Madison and honestly I’m really down for that. So I think I can use this as an advantage. I can either tell Madison Keaton is after him and we get him. Or I can team up with Keaton and Lucy and get one other person to flip and we get Madison. Tbh only down for Madison because she doesn’t seem to like me at all. I’ve also heard she hates girls. Which is a little obvious :p. I hate that. GIRLS GOTTA PROTECT GIRLS. But nooooo she loves attention. Ok ranting done.

VL CONFESSIONAL I feel like Jake is my #1, but Dani is visiting him today(lucky girl.) I feel like I would do a disservice to a majority of straight men in this game if I didn’t hum the intro to “Ether” at least once. Also, fuck Jay-Z.

Heya, time for a little update! As of now, I am getting a little frustrated with my tribe (love Jake though). But before I get carried away, let's see how well we do in the immunity challenge. I am not sold on the song choice, but I appreciate that a few people give active input. I'll do my part as best as I can and hope that it'll be enough for at least 2nd place... Should we lose, I'll try to get a solid group with Jake and Junior, and add a player, who one of the other three wanna vote for. At this point, none of Joey, Sarah or Billy play a major role for my future plans in this game. Billy could become a close ally as he seems to be very underrated in this game. Sarah could become a close ally because she's a cool cat. Joey idk about. We're not bonding that well rn. 

I have no faith in my tribe at all I somehow feel like this video is about to be 3 minutes of just me and a cameo of mark and his adorable kids x_x Time to make my cousins make some videos with me so I have a lot to edit in because I SURE can’t rap in time with this song 

Okay Isaac is sending weird clips of himself from challenges I’m not sure if that will cut it but I’ll take whatever I can edit together at this point DJSJS

Me seeing the other videos and prepping to go to tribal... also a picture of Tom booty poppin should be on the dvd cover

VL CONFESSIONAL THANK YOU JUDGESSSSSSSSSS! YOU GUYS ROCK! JESS LET ME BUY YOU A BUNCH OF TIM HORTONS. Alyssa, fried chicken at Red Rooster on me when I visit😃?

I know I haven’t been around much. But I hate this swap. I hate this tribe. I know NO ONE who I feel will be willing to keep me safe with them. So I actually have to work hard to talk to people. Music videos are not my forte. But I have to contribute because if we lose then I’ll be someone on the chopping block for sure. And I can’t have that. I’m just hopping we can slam challenges and then we can make it to the next swap. But I hope Sarah and Jake stay close with me. I really like them both. Jake is really cool to talk to and he’s not bad to look at either. Sarah is my soul sister. Then there’s Joey, who has this plan to get rid of Andreas and honestly I’m kinda ok with it. Anyone but me is how I’m feeling. I just gonna find somewhere to sink my teeth into this game and take a bite. I don’t want to be a background day player with no story line and shitty gameplay.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=zfISjcq23KU

Okay so I think I'm gonna go for Billy this round. I didn't want to lose because I think I have good connections with everyone on our tribe, but someone's gotta go. Billy makes me worried now because he said in our tribe chat that Tom told him we lost, so bitch you cross tribaling??? Andreas and Junior both told me they like me and each other so I think they're trying to form a group of 3 there? Sarah also said she liked me and Billy and I like Sarah but it might be hard trying to get her to vote Billy out. Joey originally said he wanted Andreas out and that he likes Billy, but Billy told me and Junior that Joey was spreading Andreas name, so I let Joey know that Billy's doing that, and I think Joey trusts him less now. We'll see what happens. I just don't my name going around like last time. I just need another tribe swap ASAP.

So now were going to tribal bc johnny announced the results wrong. Johnny is a pissy player and cant stand when other hosts mess up but wants us to understand when he does..hm TEA Anyways ill see what i can do to make sure I do not go home. I think i have junior, and jake and billy but we shall see

Literally fuck off. HOW IS IT FAIR THAT THE HOSTS fucked up and they wont give us an extension??? INTERESTING????????? Why does one tribe get over a day and we get less than 12 hours..lol ok what ever maybe get your fucking shit together before fucking over ppls games 

Well look at it, we lost again. Great! Just great! And people seem to be thrilled to go to Tribal Council! They're so excited that they throw the challenges! So me being a straight shooter, I immediately target Billy, who has slacked the most on this new tribe and would be a fair call (on paper). But it's only natural that people have their own agenda and I am being targeted by Joey and Billy at least. Sure, Joey might still be up in the air, but either way, I NEED to believe in Jake and Junior here to vote for for Billy, or I am toast. And if Billy doesn't step up next round, so are Jake and Junior. I have nothing against Billy, but this season we don't really get along too well. We had a fun chat today, but it felt like it was too little to late for me in this season. Let's see what happens in this mess of a round :D Love Johnny though, I don't blame him. I really wanna stay and fight for all the people on my tribe to stay in this game!

Ok, so as per usual in premerge, my fate rests within other peoples hands. That's just how I play and that's totally okay with me. The scenarios I can see are: 4-2 Billy/Me (which is what's being sold to me sort of with Billy and Sarah voting for me) 4-2 Me/Billy (if Jake sticks to Joey and they decide to ride the tide and vote out Billy over Junior if they lose another TC) 5-1 Me/Billy (if they all wanna be safe lmao, but Junior seems really sincere, so I doubt this happens!) I can't scramble too hard at this vote, because I really feel that Jake wants to keep me around and me reaching out to others will make me appear like a bigger name to write down. I 50:50 Hate/Love each tribe I'm on and I hate that I am such a sulky old man in this season, but that's just a new facette of good old me.

https://youtu.be/i6ZY0hrvDaM

I am SO glad that we won! the judges were HARSH, huh? But it's okay, we still won! I really hope that andreas is going to be okay tonight, I'm just a little worried but I think maybe Billy will be the one to go?? Maybe. 

I fucking wrote out a long ass confessional and then it refreshed and I wanna die, so here are the highlights: I love how Johnny has progressed enough in life to recruit 5 iconic female judges in the name of feminism, but has not progressed enough to perform basic arithmetic I want the f5 to be original Robinsons and I trust them as follows: Mark > Dani = Ryan > Junior I want a f3 with Mark and Junior because Dani is a big social threat and I would always vote for a woman over a man because fuck men, and it’s like the laws of feminism I’m really happy I haven’t had to go to tribal yet, let’s keep it moving and NO DOUBLE OR TRIPLE TRIBALS PLSSSS

It looks like this is a wrap y’all. Unless sarah actually pulled some miracle out of her ass and convinced them all to vote Andreas then it’s time to blow my flame out. I’ve been on the outs ever since I was picked last. So I guess this shouldn’t be a surprise. 

[justkpopjokes]

Oops || Tattoo Artist AU

Ft. Tattoo Artist!Mingyu

Anon: “OKAY, THIS IDEA JUST CAME TO MIND AND I THINK IT’S FREAKING COOL AND ALL, OMGGG LOL. tattoo artist!mingyu GOD BLESS ME”

A/N: Mini mini collab with @justsomekpopstuff!! I asked JJ if we could connect our AUs together because we both have tattoo artist AUs lol. God bless this anon for this idea anD SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT

Tattoo Artist!Joshua

So Mingyu is really good at drawing APPRECIATE THE TOL BEAN

His good drawing skills make him a really good tattoo artist, and to make it even better he’s friendly!!

A real gentle clumsy giant

He does a great job at balancing his gentle personality and his skill while working

People know him for his “creativity”, but to his co-workers, he’s only creative because he needs to cover up his mess-ups

He’s a good artist but like,,, he’ll get distracted while talking and accidentally colour smth wrong

So he’ll draw smth else to cover it up

To the customers, he’s just improvising

But his co-workers just know he messed up

At least all of his works are “unique” lmao

Since he’s really kind, he often is tasked to work on people who are getting tattoos for the first time or need something to distract them from the pain

Despite people being scared bc he’s like the tallest guy in the shop, Mingyu always makes sure people feel comfortable with having a needle on their skin & understand what’s happening so they don’t feel scared

I can barely write this though because let’s be honest Gyu shouldn’t be let near needles much less holding one BUT ANYWAYS

I mentioned Gyu is tasked with people who haven’t had a tattoo done before

You’re one of those people.

You and your friend went into this store to get matching tattoos

She’s one of your best friends, but contrasting to you, she has a lot of tattoos

She managed to drag you to the shop to get one and “live a little”

Once you walked in, your friend was immediately recognized and she took a seat at one of the empty stations

Mingyu came over and was about to ask what she wanted when she called you over to look at a collection of designs

Cue him freezing up and staring at you

Honestly, he’s a bit shaken because you look really anxious but cute whAT

He tries to focus more on the anxious part and comfort you by asking “is this your first time here? It’s ok if you’re nervous, just don’t think about it too much. It’ll be alright!”

Tbh just seeing this tall guy act so sweet makes you calmer already

You both make eye contact for a couple seconds until your friend tugs at your shirt to look at a design she wants you to get while rolling her eyes

It’s an arrow made with the word “forever” to show you’ll “forever be friends…because let’s be honest, if we weren’t meant to be friends for life I wouldn’t have been able to drag you into this in the first place” (as said by your friend)

My friend says this sounds like a stereotypical cringey tattoo but hey

“I’m here because you promised me coffee”

“And I promised coffee because you’d still be asleep otherwise”

Mingyu is cracking up at your friend’s teasing and starts to gather what he needs to start

After your friend has her tattoo done, she steps out to buy your coffee

Leaving you alone,,, with this dude,,,,

You’re not really scared of needles but for some reason, the whirring noises are making you nervous and shaky, so Mingyu has to stop before he’s even started

You apologize, but the shaking and that giddy feeling don’t disappear

He notices you getting embarrassed, so he sets down the needle-pen and  looks at you for a little bit

“Are you scared of needles?”

“No…I’m just…I dunno, nervous?”

“Yeah, almost everyone’s like that their first time. Nothing to be embarrassed about you know. I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt so much”

hoW CAN SOMEONE BE SO CHEESY ADORABLE WHEN TALKING ABOUT TATTOOS

He proceeds to place his hand over your shaking one and looks into your eyes mK THEN

It’s weird but you just do the same

Thankfully his co-worker Joshua managed to help snap him out of his trance

By literally shouting across the shop “HEY MINGYU”

And then screaming playing some overused romantic songs through the speakers

Once you hear the lyrics, you both turn red

Gyu just turns around and glares at a snickering Joshua

“Sorry about my co-worker…”

You just giggle and say “Oh it’s fine…you do look really red though”

That just makes him turn redder and mess up badly

“Oh goD IM SORRY”

You look at the mess up; the arrowhead looked like the feather side (↟)

He usually would improvise immediately, but as this was part of a match, he didn’t know what to do

Luckily you were really calm and had something to say

“Hm…how about you tattoo that into a heart?”

Mingyu goes with your idea, grinning like a dork

When it was done, you smiled and looked at your new tattoo fondly as Gyu looked at you fondly

That’s when your friend returned and saw that there was a difference

However, she was content with it, though she said she might return to change hers once it healed

You quietly thank Mingyu and take your ice coffee from your friend

Mingyu goes off to clean up but looks to the door right as you’re about to leave, where you shyly wave and leave Gyu with a helpless grin on his face

Now oBViously Gyu’s gonna get teased for acting so smitten which is exactly what Josh does :’)

So now Mingyu desperately wants revenge

Which he tries to do when Josh finds himself in a similar smitten situation

But it was just too cute and awkward that Gyu couldn’t bring himself to do it

Thankfully manager Seungcheol took matters into his own hands and set them up on a date LOL (trust me this is relevant)

And that kinda makes Gyu realize how soft he is

A couple weeks later, Mingyu’s taking a short break when your friend comes back in to get her tattoo updated to be like yours

He fixes her tattoo as normal, but right before she leaves she asks what his favourite coffee is(???)

He just answers green tea latte or smth idk what coffee he likes ok

“Oh ok, I need to talk to you abt something, so can you come to the coffee shop next door in a few minutes? I’ll order your latte before you get there”

Mingyu’s really confused because…why

But he goes next door anyway after cleaning up and leans on the wall on his phone, waiting for his drink

When the barista finally calls his name, he gets his drink

…which is not a green tea latte

He’s about to ask the barista if there was a mix-up

But then he realizes that right next to him is you

“oH HI fancy seeing you…here…with my drink?”

Turns out you were also wondering why your order is wrong too

And when you look up to meet Gyu’s eyes, you flush and step away from the counter to talk

“So uh…are you taking a break from the shop?”

“Yeah. Actually, your friend invited me here, she said she needed to talk to me about something.”

“She did? She told me she’d meet me here after she got her tattoo done”

“Where is she?”

“She’s been in the bathroom since she ordered my drink…”

Then everything falls into place

Mingyu just says “Hmm…I think I know why you have my drink now…I’ll take that,” while swapping the cup in your hand for the one in his

When you look out the window, there’s your friend, smiling cheekily and waving

You don’t say anything to Gyu

So you chat for a while until Mingyu needs to go back to the shop

He doesn’t leave without your number though ;)

You can bet Joshua notices the smile on his face and forces persuades Mingyu to gush about what happened

One day, you arrive at the shop

And when you sit in front of a distracted Gyu he jumps 15 feet into the air

To everyone’s surprise, you actually want another tattoo

Just a small one on your wrist

He gets to choose which one ;)

So Gyu starts drawing a tiny design

When suddenly there’s this chorus of screaming from across the room

Because Joshua and the girl he went on a date with have started blasting Careless Whisper over the speakers

“i’M nEVer GoNnA dANcE AgAIN,,,GUiLTY feET hAVe gOT nO RHYtHm”

Cue you both getting really flustered

“godDAMIT JOSHUA I MESSED UP AGAIN”

“HOW ABOUT YOU TRY NOT TO MESS UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND GIVE THEM A KISS”

[riskeith]

hi <3

tbh best hp is fic hp fuck jkr <3 if you do check it out just be prepared that it’s super filthy sjdkdhdk. i’m gonna check out running on air and to hurt and to heal, absolutely! both sound super angsty which is yummy imo.

you don’t read fics of the parings/fandoms you like? may i ask why not? also yeah i’d love some kagehina/iwaoi fics, whatever you have is fine <3

omg where should we take razor.... i feel like he’s enjoy mountain views and all the animals in liyue so maybe jueyun karst 🥺 that area is so pretty..

i do know some couples hehe, some didn’t stick but my friend started dating her husband when she was twelve and they’re married now. i think it’s super adorable i’m a sucker for the childhood friends to lovers trope. do you like it? also what’s your favorite “to friends” trope if you had to rank them?

omg... yeah thankfully they’re still updating the game i mean we only have two of the seven worlds unlocked right? the anemo and geo worlds? i imagine the updates will keep on coming for a long, long time. also i’ve been meaning to ask you: have you finished the main story yet? i’ve been curious about when it finishes and if it ever does.

more than 8... so you’re telling me there’s so much cluna content out there that i’m not experiencing? feeling distraught. feeling like an unfinished puzzle piece.

fairy floss sounds so adorable.... 🥺 why is aus the best place ever? and it’s a bit too sweet but i can’t get over the nostalgia so i do kind of like it? it makes me feel like a child eating it hehe. omg bleaching it? do you plan on going blonde? 😳

iwaoi has ^ those childhood friends to lovers except it’s angsty vibes that just hit different. i’m just a sucker for mutual angsty pining dude it’s crazy. have you heard the song driver’s license? i really wanna write something iwaoi based on that song bc i feel like it fits them so well.... with a happy ending ofc i can’t leave my babies feeling sad. thank you, i hope you find the motivation to start working on something soon too!! you never know when motivation strikes babe.. in the meanwhile i’m just gonna be https://archiveofourown.org/users/czqy shsjshsjdj. dude it’s because it’s oikawa and he wants the best for himself. it was probably him that possessed you if we’re being honest. 👑

YOU DO? i can’t come up with anything so it’s gonna be a surprise for me. and tbh i don’t wanna figure it out either so it can be a cute surprise. now this will definitely motivate me to rise up the ranks asap. also i need to spin for the boy as well... hopefully i’ll get him haha. thinking about me before falling asleep, are you? 😏

hope your weekend has been going great for far, you deserve the world babe. ♥️

hi hi!!

FUCK JKR!!!!!!!!!! 🗣🗣🗣 fhsksd note taken! omggg pls lmk what you think when you do!! they’re my top 2 fave drarry fics <33333

honestly i wish i could tell you 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i think it’s bc im so involved in it that i just.... don’t have any desire to read anything? like “i could just write x pairing/fandom, why should i go seek out content” but idkkkkk my friend has a theory that it’s bc i have a clear cut idea of who these characters are and what they’re like so it’s weird to read someone else’s interpretation? it’s something im trynna work on tho... lmao

okieee kagehina:  where the night goes // well, maybe i’m a crook // room to grow (not really angst but the vibes are so mellow and nice) // hum (not a lot of angst but this is one of my faves. also esselle is the kagehina/hq queen!!! all her stuff is so so so good.)

iwaoi: things that change, things that stay the same // In April //  the yellow room

also if i could offer your this oikage fic....  the more things change (i cry reading this every time....) 

i don’t bookmark fics so it’s hard for me to find stuff again fhskdjfshd but hopefully those are alright!!

yesss let’s take him to liyue <3333 omg do you think he would like to play in the water 😩😩

omgggggggg they started dating when they were TWELVE?? that’s so cute 😭😭 i wish them all the happiness!! im only in touch with like 1 person i’ve known since i was 12 AHAHAH. i love childhood friends to lovers!! there’s just so much history there you know? such like a strong iron-clad bond... and to you mean “to lovers” trope? either way, hm. i think i might like enemies to lovers the most? (are we surprised) like that tension... coming together when no one expects it, not even them.... but yet their love is so strong.. .FSDJFHKSDF is childhood friends to lovers your fave?

yep!! only 2 ikr like how long am i gonna have to continue playing this game how many new characters will we get FHDKFSHDFS. people think inazuma (electro) is next!! it’s based on japan which is exciting.. omg wait what if it’s kinda like cyberpunk futuristic vibes.. ahaha. and i have finished all the main story quests that are out rn! i think the last one happens ~AR 35? 

fhsdkfhsdfs HAHAHA nah dw all my blogs are now inactive so you’re not missing anything 🤪 you got all my focus and attention here bb

oooo yes the nostalgia... wow now that we’re talking about it i haven’t had fairy floss in so long jfhsdjksd. and yes i want to go blonde so bad 😭😭😭😭 i wanted to do kenma hair but i shaved my head last year and i want to shave it again and dye it blonde........ 😩

yeah actually i feel like so many people interpret iwaoi childhood friends to lovers angsty for some reason? like i’ve never really seen any that was just them happily and naturally going into a relationship there’s always like miscommunication and pain fhdskfskjfsd. not that i’m complaining! lol. and i actually heard driver’s licence for the first time a few days ago!! i remember it clearly bc i thought the title was funny FHDSKJFHSKDFSD. but omg the angst....... whose POV would you have it be from? oikawa’s? i feel like people make him Hurt a lot... which is big mood hfsdfkjs. (semi related... do you have your licence? LMAO) also do you know memo by years & years? i have an iwaoi wip based on that song!! 

wait what does “in the meanwhile i’m just gonna be https://archiveofourown.org/users/czqy shsjshsjdj.” mean sorry i dont get it 😭😭 (also it took me a moment to register that url went to me AHHAHA i was like 😳)

I FREAKING HOPE OIKAWA POSSESSED ME!!! FEEL FREE TO COME BACK ANYTIME SIR 🙇‍♀️🙏

hehhe trust me it’s like THE best possible spot <33333 im extremely excited to take you there 😉😏 xingqiu come home for m.a. again!!! and what can i say, i’m looking forward to the date ;p

thank u! it’s made better by you 😍💘 hope your day is going well!! xx

[nash-bby118]

BATIM Fanfic: A Different Tune AU - Chapter 1

Back again with another BATIM fic! Here's hoping i'll actually update this one! 

Note: This AU takes place in present day. Everything went down in the 50s at the very latest. So it's roughly 60 years later. All OCS are minor and will never be seen again except the main one. Thought Sammy needed some love and thought it'll be interesting to see his reaction to things like cellphones, MP3s, etc. Maybe Boris will learn about them too. No Henry since he would likely be very old or very dead by this point. But his recordings will probably still be added.

Full Summary:

It’s 2017 and Dani had gone to the studio with three of her friends. Unfortunately while they escaped, she fell through the floor and that was only the beginning.

Now she’s trying to find her way out, fighting ink monsters, and just struggling to stay alive. All the while, praying that she would suddenly get service and call for help since her friends obviously wasn’t going to.The deeper she goes, the more she learns about it’s dark secrets and past. Even befriending the wolf himself and maybe even the corrupted man that tried to kill her.

Dani only has two goals in mind: Save Boris and get the Hell out of the studio. However, things get tougher when Sammy decides he wants to keep his new friend forever and going as far as to hurt her. But at the same time, asking questions about life in 2017 to get her attention off of Boris, whom Alice had kidnapped. Then there was steering clear of the ink demon too. He was still wandering around.

CHARACTERS: Dani (OC), Bendy, Sammy Lawrence, Boris the Wolf, Alice Angel, Butcher Gang, Projectionist, and all the recordings.

RATED: T For swearing and anything else I’ll likely add as a warning in the beginning of the chapter (Though I doubt it’ll be anything more than that tbh) 

WARNINGS: None. 

Enjoy!

A Different Tune AU

Chapter 1 -

Dani stepped out of the impala with three others. They had heard about an old, abandoned studio that was said to be cursed or haunted. Of course, being the dumb young adults and college kids that they were, they decided to check it out. And when is better than Halloween?

"Shit." The other female in the group cursed.

"What?" James asked, turning towards her.

"There's no service here! And I doubt this place has wifi!" Bella whined.

"Of course it wouldn't." Dani rolled her eyes. "It's an old building that's been abandoned for like 50 years or something."

"Are we even sure that it's safe?" Bella asked.

"Doubt it but it'll make things all the more fun!" Dani giggled, heading up the stairs and to the door.

"We'll just go in, check the place out, then leave." Mark said, trying the door and being genuinely surprised that it was unlocked.

"Huh. Thought we would've had to break in." James laughed. "Well, our lives just got easier."

"This is so creepy…" Bella muttered as they walked down the short hall, looking at the posters and the projector pointed towards the wall. "And why is that thing on? Are you sure we're alone?"

"Who else would be here?" James asked, a bit unsure himself. "Though it is odd that the place seems to have power. I honestly thought we'd have to use our phones."

"Good question." Dani said, "Let's hope we don't meet them. And hey, at least our phones' battery is safe." She then turned off the projector.

"Nothing down this way." Mark said coming from the left. "Just a old desk and some stairs but it doesn't look like there's much up there."

"Then let's go down there." Dani said, pointing to the other hall.

"You first." Bella said, motioning her to go forward.

Dani looked down that way, back to Bella, then back to the hall before shrugging. Trying to keep her cool and not further freak her friend out by being freaked out herself. Though she'd being lying if she said she wasn't very scared.

DREAMS COME TRUE

"W-What is that?" Bella asked, pointing to the wall.

Slowly, Dani walked up to it and put her finger on one of the letters.

"Looks to be some old fashioned ink." She replied. "It's not wet though."

"So it's been here for a while." James added.

"That's a relief." Mark said and already headed down the dark hallway.

As they walked down the hall, they looked up and saw the Ink Machine sign. Curious, they stepped into the room.

"Looks like it needs to be turned on somehow." Mark said, walking up to it.

"Please tell me we aren't going to…" Bella trailed off and Dani gave her a small nod. "What- WHY!?"

"Why not?" She shrugged, heading down the other hallway. "Geez this place is big."

"Why don't we, and I know this might be stupid, but split up? We'll get out of here a lot faster." James suggested.

"Fine." Mark said. "Dani and I will go to the right and you two to the left."

"Deal." James nodded and headed down that right with Bella.

"So… are we going to turn it on?" Dani asked once they were out of earshot.

"Sure. I'm really interested in seeing how it works." Mark said, looking at the cardboard cut out as they walked passed it.

"Oh…my…." Dani couldn't get the last word out as she looked down towards the left and saw a figure on a operating table of sorts.

Without her permission, her feet led her down towards it, mouth open from pure shock and fear. Strangely, she was also a bit curious. Looking at the closest poster, she could tell that the figure was Boris the Wolf.

"That's…odd…" Mark said, unable to find words to describe the situation in front of them.

"Let's… not bring Bella down here. She'll probably scream so loud that the whole city will hear." Dani said and Mark nodded next to her.

"Poor guy though. Who could've done this? Hell, how is he real?" Mark said, trying to figure out how this is possible.

"I don't think I want to know. Let's just turn on the machine and get the Hell out of here." Dani said, knowing that not even a dead cartoon wolf would get Mark out since he is dead set on turning the machine on.

"Agreed." Mark said, quickly heading down the other direction. "Ah this must be how we do it."

"Looks like we need some items maybe?" Dani said, looking at the pictures in the room behind the pedestals.

Once Mark typed the different objects down in his phone, they decided to hurry back to the other two before they could see Boris.

"Hey. We figured out how to turn on the machine." Dani said, meeting them half way."

"We think we did too. We found a flow machine that probably needs to be turned on and this old recording of some guy named Wally Franks." James said. "He mentioned these pedestals and having to donate a object for it."

"How do you know that's his name?" Mark asked.

"His name was on the back." James replied.

"Ah. Well, we found the pedestals and have a list of objects we need to find for them." Mark continued. "Why don't you guys look for the plushie, a book, and a cogwheel?"

"I think I saw that wench we need down that way." Dani said, pointing behind them. "We'll grab that, something music related, and the inkwell."

"Okay." Bella said, wanting to get out of there soon. Kind of like the Wally guy from the recording.

About 20 minutes later, everything was on it's pedestals and unfortunately Bella did see Boris. And she did scream. James was surprised that she didn't wake up all the possible ghosts in the building with how loud she screamed and cried.

"There now-" Mark was cut off.

"I'll run down and tell them that we need to start the flow. I tried texting them but it didn't go through. No service and all." Dani said.

"Okay. Come back once it's started." Mark nodded as she walked away.

A minute later, Dani was standing outside of the room.

"Let's start this ink flow." Dani said as she stood in the doorway, seeing Bella still scared. "You still freaked out?"

"That cardboard thing moved on our way back down!" Bella said, pointing her direction, making Dani turn to her right. "Seriously, these characters are so creepy! Who could've liked them!?"

"Excluding the dead wolf, I personally think they are adorable. I mean, it's not like Boris was dead and had his insides ripped out in the old cartoons, right? Besides, this place is supposedly haunted." Dani said. "Come on, we'll turn the ink machine on and then leave."

"You guys check it out! I'm waiting outside!" Bella said, pushing past her.

James pressed the button and both jumped back when ink started pouring out and flooded the room. Once he was out, he told Dani he'll wait outside too and so Dani went back to Mark alone.

Mark then pulled the pump once he saw her and the duo headed to the Ink Machine, surprised to see it boarded up.

"It wasn't like that before… and the other two couldn't of done it…" Dani said, staying back as Mark slowly crept forwards.

"That's so-" Mark screamed and fell backwards as a gloved hand reached out and a black and white face smiled with a huge grin at them before sinking back down into the ink.

"Okay! We really need to go!" Dani said, noticing the whole floor was flooding with ink now.

Mark didn't argue as the two turned to run out of the building. Fortunately they remembered how to get out but Mark was a few feet ahead of her and ran out of the door, accidentally shutting it behind him.

As Dani ran down the short hall, sliding in ink as she did, she was just a few feet from the door before she realized she didn't feel anything below her feet anymore.

"Huh?" Dani then let out a startled yelp as she fell through the floor and down a few levels. "Ow!" She whined once she hit the floor and quickly tried to move so the ink wouldn't completely rain down on her.

Hustling over to a corner, she turned the valve and watched the ink drain. She then looked at herself and cursed, hoping she could get the ink out of her hair.

With her legs still wobbly, she looked up and saw that… thing. Wasn't jumping down after her. Getting her phone out, she tried to tell the others what happened and to get help but all she got was error messages.

"Dammit." She muttered and saw a tape recording. "Hm?"

Slowly, she walked over to it, trying to calm herself down. Picking it up and turning it over, she saw the name Thomas Conner on the back.

"What do you have to say?" She mumbled before pressing play.

"It's dark and it's cold and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this godforsaken ink is clear up to my knees! Who ever thought that these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot. But the real worst part about all this.. are them noises the system makes. Like a dying dog on its last legs. Make no mistake, this place... this... machine... heck, this whole darn thing... it just isn't natural. You can bet, I won't be doing any more repair jobs for Mister Joey Drew."

"Ha…" Dani laughed sarcastically. "So the ink was causing all sorts of problems back in the day?"

She set the recording down and decided to head through the door since she wasn't going to get back up the way she came.

As she walked down the stairs, she continued to turn the valves in the corners and drain the ink, grimacing from being covered in it.

She walked through the next door and saw the following one was boarded up so we grabbed the nearby ax and started chopping her way through, feeling lucky to have a burst of energy after whatever she encountered upstairs.

By the door on the wall, was another writing in ink.

THE CREATOR LIED TO US

"What the Hell? What did you do, Joey Drew? And what even was that thing? …Bendy? It looked like him… a demented version that is…" She muttered as she walked through the door and down the hall.

She did the same thing and opened the door, surprised to see a pentagram on the floor, candles, and coffins.

"Okay…" She muttered, slowly stepping inside. "What the- urg!"

Dani collapsed to the ground, dropping the ax after getting hit on the head with something. She barely had the strength to get up, whatever energy she had completely disappearing. Slowly, she closed her eyes as everything went black. However, she did feel someone pick her up and set her down not even a foot away.

Meanwhile, Mark yelled for James to start the car as he quickly got in and told him to drive.

"Where's Dani?" James asked.

"Shit! The monster must of got her!" Mark said, "We have to go to the police about this!"

"Monster!?" Bella sobbed.

"What? No! We'd be in a lot of trouble. Plus, do you think they'll believe you about a monster?" James said, "Maybe….maybe she is okay. Let's give her a day to come back."

"…Alright…" Mark huffed, knowing the police wouldn't consider her missing for 24 hours anyway and knew they wouldn't be believed about that monster either. "I just hope she's okay."

Quickly, the three pulled away. Once they had service again, they tried to text and call but unfortunately, she didn't receive anything. Even if she did, she wouldn't be able to respond without getting error messages.

First three or four chapters will kind of be like the game with some stuff possibly added in btw.

[bucketofchum]

So I had this kind of strange, elaborate underwater torture experiment testing mind control dream. It was through my perspective, so I was…consciously me? But I was supposed to be Atumu. Like it might have been his body, but it was me in there. Idk. [Dream under cut]

I don’t remember how we got there, but it was the three of us brothers, me, Atemu, and Yumi. I remember Atemu entering with us, going through the beginning of the process, but by the middle of the dream, I don’t know where he went. Yumi was with me until the .. actual torture scenes.

There was a large pool – like a swim tank. By this point, we were already more of less under their control. But it was a loose sort of control. Like our will was under their control but our thoughts were relatively free? All I could recall regarding that was that we were allowed to roam free around the premises – when we came to this place, we thought that was strange. That there were so many people just walking around, freely being experimented on. I think we got caught snooping and that’s how this all started.

Anyhow, it seems that all the subjects are free to walk around, without shackles or guards, because they don’t have the will to escape. They have only the will to be compliant and to help continue the steps of the experiment, and so they continue about their path like clockwork. Numbly going from one station to the next, completing tasks as they should, and getting checkups.

I think it started with an initial health screening. We laid on a cold metal slab of a platform and they took our fluids to assess the levels of…idk. A lot of things? These were values they would check up on and update after every round of testing. Possibly to see what effects their experiment had on the human body – for various endpoints.

The task at hand was timed. We were to go underwater – had a minute to swim down to the other end of the pool – at the bottom, there was a sign – an image. Usually a series of images. We could bring down a notebook to sketch out or take notes on the image. And when we got back up above water, we had one minute to recount in explicit detail all the things on the image/series of images. There was also a component before the underwater part. There was an above water set of images that primed us for what we’d see at the bottom of the pool (the pool was some 25-30 feet deep [~10 meters], so it wasn’t a shallow pool at all – and standard length).

I can only recall the first image I did – it was some images in a 4 panel comic format; 3 of them had content (image and text), and the 3rd was explanatory (it also had image and text, but was in a different format). The text was scratchy block letters in yellow with green accents, and the background was black. The picture was of a disturbingly veiny cat – just the lineart of it. The text read something explaining the experiment and the three other panels (which were just kind of lineart). I had to essentially recall enough of this poster to describe it with enough detail to recreate it completely when I was above water.

I remember when I first hit the water, I was struggling to get a solid breath. Because apparently we don’t have control over when our bodies are dragged under water – it happens automatically with incredible speed (because tbh to be able to swim the length of a full Olympic sized swimming pool AND swim down 10 meters, that would take up… the entire minute and then some).

I’m almost certain I spent a lot more than 1 minute under there. And by almost certain I mean absolutely certain. I was underwater for probably close to 2.5 minutes if not more.

Somehow, I had a little bit of air still trapped in one of my nostrils – I could “breathe” underwater with this little bit of air, but if I inhaled too much, I’d inhale water and get water in my lungs and…die. Still, I knew I was running out of air – and fast. I hadn’t even gotten to the image by the time I thought I’d run out of air twice.

Maybe being physiologically Atumu took over once I got to the image because I stopped thinking about air. Just the task at hand. It was incredibly stressful. I had to draw and write down with incredible detail the many aspects of the set of images I was seeing and there was… so much. I ended up completely reproducing the first image on my notepad before I realised I had used up a lot of time doing that. I hadn’t even begun to look at the other 3 panels. I was getting light headed as I scrawled out some words in terrible handwriting for the other three, as well as some hard-to-decipher shapes and scratches that were supposed to represent the position of the parts depicted in the image. Like a storyboard. It felt like I was down there for close to 5-6 minutes, idk.

When I surfaced, I gave my account as prompted, and proceeded to another room for a physical examination/another health checkup. It was this room that I had vaguely recalled from earlier – this was the room we had seen and contemplated why the subjects were not leaving. I realised now. We were those subjects. We weren’t leaving. Hm.

This is a bit of a tangent but… I had… kind of like sheets of glass/ice coming off of my body? Idk why or how. But like attached to my foot was a decently thick sheet of glass/ice that I broke off and tried to sort of file down to make it smooth again where the surface of my skin was. Yumi walked over to remark that he had seen me crying? And I made a sheet of glass/ice from crying? Earlier, that is. Around the time of the above water task. I can barely recall it but I guess it must be true. I’m feeling alright now – a bit numb maybe. I remember cutting off a pretty big chunk of the glass/ice and remarking how clear it was to look through. Idk. Irrelevant.

Yumi and I compared notes (our underwater notebooks) and he was amazed at the amount of detail with which I replicated the first image. Yes, but that was why I ran out of time and I should have planned my time better.

It seemed okay.

But then the “flashforwards” started happening. Incoherent scenes, snippets, just flashing. It wasn’t a narrative set up like the previous portion of the dream.

The tests get significantly harder. Instead of a series of images, they become videos. The videos become increasingly long and complex. It is very difficult to recall with tremendous accuracy every aspect of the videos. The colours, the characters, the moving figures in the background, the text.. it’s just a lot. And there are repercussions now too. As I am unable to come up with all the details required, I am punished with shock treatment. This too progressively worsens. As far as I can tell, Yumi is not facing similar treatment, and I am grateful for that I guess.

But anyhow, it’s around this point that I wake up.

Mm, like I said, I tend to be able to feel physical pain in my dreams and often times the pain is enough to wake me up. So there’s that.

[sage-nebula]

Mystic Messenger - Entry Eight

And after a one day absence, here we are once again with another Mystic Messenger update. I was honestly shocked by how many people seemed interested, but shocked in a very good way, so! Now it’s time for another long update. To be honest I’ve played a lot and have hundreds of screenshots, so there are a lot more entries on the way (as I don’t want to put hundreds of screenshots in one post, since that would be ridiculous and break everyone’s computers / mobile devices). Prepare yourselves. 

Now, since it has been a day, I imagine that some might need a reminder of where we left off. Here’s Entry Seven, if you want to scan it again, but the basic gist is that Seven realized that the special security system on the apartment I’m staying in had been compromised, which meant that I was in danger from the hacker. He, despite the fact that Vanderwood wants to kill him for bailing on his agency work, rushed to the apartment to save me. He got there just in time to save me from Weirdo, who ended up actually being Saeran, Seven’s twin brother, whom he hasn’t seen in a decade for (legitimate) backstory reasons. Because the security in the apartment is compromised, Seven is now staying with me, but instead of this being a joyous first meeting, Seven is being extremely closed off and cold and has told me in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t want any sort of relationship with me whatsoever. Instead, he’s sitting in a corner, hacking computer systems by himself. So, that’s where we’re at right now.

Oh, and Jumin called Yoosung’s mom to tattle on him, so now Yoosung’s mother is staying with him. That said? YES. FIGHT HIM, YOOSUNG. FIGHT HIM!!

This was actually rather shocking to me, because the arrogant person Yoosung was talking about was Jumin, and yet Zen . . . Zen said that he didn’t know if Jumin was being arrogant by tattling on Yoosung to his mom, like ??? Of all people, you’d think Zen would jump on any chance to trash talk Jumin. Then again, he is rather eager for Yoosung to confront Jumin, and it’s possible that he doesn’t want Jumin to be able to accuse him of poisoning Yoosung’s mind or something. Hm.

Anyway, after this subject had passed, Yoosung ended up turning the conversation to the fact that Seven is staying in the apartment with me. And that’s well and good, and we can talk about that, but I want to bring up a couple of things. Because I was given several answer choices throughout this segment, and when you look at the choices given:

In the first set we have one about “staying in Seven’s arms”, and in the second we have one about going on a date with Seven. Now, these are obviously the Gross Embarrassing Answers™ that lead to Bad Endings because they’re way too pushy and don’t respect how Seven feels at all, so obviously I didn’t pick them. But I bring this up not to show off the Gross Embarrassing Answers (and honestly, these aren’t even as bad as it gets; there are some that are much worse), but rather to point out the fact that . . .

Well . . . they’re complete lies.

Like, the idea here is that you can pick those to be super pushy on Seven, if you’re that desperate for him to be your behalf. But even if you choose to give these answers, they’re lies. The actual truth of the situation is that Seven is literally sitting in a corner, working on his computer, refusing to talk to the MC. They are sitting in silence, apart from each other. So if MC said that she was sitting in Seven’s arms, or going on a date with him (which is especially ridiculous when you consider they can’t currently leave the apartment) . . . the MC would be lying, creating an illusion of a happy relationship with Seven that could not be farther from the truth. That’s not only desperate and gross, it’s sad, goddamn.

But anyway, those aren’t the answers I chose, obviously. Instead:

Zen, even if Yoosung was invited, you would not be. You are not invited. You cannot come over. End of discussion. =|

Same, Yoosung. Same. And Zen, seriously, you just said last night you could trust Seven, what the fuck. Stop trying to tarnish his name, he is an angel.

Anyway, there wasn’t too much more to this particular chat, although Zen did ask about the special security system protecting the apartment, and I just:

If you’ll remember from the last entry, there actually is a bomb in the apartment. Literally. It’s a literal bomb. It explodes when it detects an intruder if the intruder doesn’t leave in enough time. (Which honestly begs the question of how it differentiates, because although Saeran was the only one to enter through the window, how did it know that it was him specifically? Why didn’t continue to count down to detonation until all of us left? Like . . . sometimes the plot holes in this game are really glaring.) But of course, Zen doesn’t believe me . . . though it probably doesn’t help that I made it sound kind of trollish, haha.

Anyway, that chat led into a new VNM, and oh my god, you guys.

THE. BABIES. 

So this was, obviously, a flashback from many years ago, back when they were still in junior high. The one in the white shirt is Saeran, while the one in the black hoodie is---

---Saeyoung, otherwise known as Luciel, otherwise known as Seven. Baby.

So, as you can surmise, Saeran had asked Seven (and I’m going to keep calling him that just to make it easier to differentiate the names when reading quickly) about the book he was reading, which (as you can see) Seven said was a book about computers that he got from someone at church. (Seven is Catholic, remember.) Saeran asked how that was possible (at which point Seven told him to not tell their mother about the book), and then went on to say that they weren’t allowed to make money. Their father makes money, which he then gives to their mother, who says they aren’t allowed to touch it. They can’t have money.

So their mother, as you can tell, is abusive. Really abusive. Really, really abusive:

And this isn’t even the worst of it, trust me. We actually get to hear their mother later on, and it’s . . . it’s . . . really horrible. T__T

Anyway, Seven had some bread with him that Rika gave him at the church (I don’t think he actually names her in this scene, but it’s pretty obvious it’s her), and so he gives that to Saeran so that he won’t have to be hungry anymore. Seven also goes on to explain that “the lady at the church” (Rika) is the one who gave him the book about computers and told him that he can make a lot of money if he gets into the tech industry. So it’s his plan to memorize the entire book, learn everything he can about computers, and use that knowledge to make enough money to rescue both his brother and himself from their abusive mother (and terrible father---more on him later) so that they can go live somewhere and be safe, happy, and free. Saeran had his doubts, particularly since he’s always sick and feels weaker, physically, than Seven, but Seven assured him that he was going to everything he could to get them out, “and then we can do anything you want.”

Honestly? Mfw:

Particularly when you remember that Seven and Saeran went a decade without seeing each other, and when you remember that Saeran became the hacker . . . oh, babies. :( That said, the fact that Rika is the one who first got Seven into computer hacking is important, and you might be able to guess why, but even if not, I’ll come back to that later.

Anyway, that VNM ended, and the next chat was between Seven, Jumin, and myself.

Jumin be calling us out on our shit like. Although, that said?

“For now”? What do you mean “for now”? Tf. Anyway . . .

I’m not entirely sure what he’s trying to say with that last line. My guess is that it’s either a typo (and that he meant to say “when I decide that it’s [not] dangerous”), or that he’s trying to say that when he decides it’s too dangerous for the two of us to be there even with the special security system, he’ll reveal the address so that Jumin can send bodyguards like he wanted to (and keep in mind that, at this moment, Jumin is unaware that the special security system is a bomb). Either way, this is why I wish this game had better QA. There are typos and the like everywhere, and it can be really distracting when the typos aren’t intentional to convey how the characters are typing.

There are times when Jumin can be really sweet though, aww. Though, that said . . . do you remember how I said that he didn’t know that the special security system = bomb? Well . . .

He’s about to find out.

This actually threw me a bit, because I felt like the “that’s funny, Seven” would be treated like an attempt to joke around, play it off. Because I know it’s a bomb. My character knows it’s a bomb. We were then when Saeran almost detonated it on accident, and we even joked about that to Zen in the previous chat. That said, I’m choosing to take this as MC deliberately trying to play it off as a joke (particularly if she wasn’t sure whether or not Seven really wanted to reveal that information), only for Seven to (for once) not pick up on the joke and Remain Serious™. (The other dialogue option was just “. . .” which led to a Bad End.) I’m choosing to take it that way, anyway, because the only other option is that I’m really stupid, and while I may be stupid, I’m not that stupid, thanks.

I love Jumin’s flat “are you serious.” No question mark. Just a flat “are you serious” in the same tone as “are you fucking kidding me right now.” I love.

JUMIN CALLING RIKA OUT ON HER SHIT LIKE. Of course, he’s also frustrated as all hell with Seven (and I also feel like a little with me, since I’m just trusting Seven to take care of this---but tbh, I’ve been living with a bomb this whole time, so what’s a little longer?), but I just love how he flat out calls Rika an idiot lolololol. Considering how detestable I find Rika, I’m all for that.

Literally nothing is going to happen to you. I will make sure of that.

Nice save, Seven, lololol. Though he wasn’t lying, the guy to fix the window really was there, as it turns out. And speaking of that . . .

VNM time! Jumin Han does not give up, lol. 

We never see the window repair guy, but he repairs the window, Seven pays him in cash (remember, Seven never uses cards---it’s always cash, because he has no bank account, because he’s a secret agent), and tells us not to throw things at the window regardless of how angry we get. Look, guy, it wasn’t like that. You don’t know the whole story. We have a lot going on right now and would appreciate it if you don’t judge us, thanks.

Anyway, once he left, I made some comment about how the window was fixed now, or how Seven was doing, or something like that. I don’t remember the exact dialogue choice (though it was something innocuous), but it led to this:

I would actually like to disagree here, because in a chat yesterday I specifically said that I was going to read a book to avoid bothering him. I don’t think I’ve been “chatting him up” at all; if anything, it might be a comment here or there, when the opportunity strikes, but for the most part I think that we’ve done a pretty good job at sitting here in silence like a pair of goobers. That’s just my interpretation, though. That said, do you want to see the answer choices I was given for this little bit here?

GOOD LORD, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THAT SECOND ONE. Like??? The fuck, seriously. Who would choose that? Who---that doesn’t even sound human. That does not sound like something any normal human being would say, ffs. The right choice was really easy to pick here.

I mean, firstly, the reason why you came to help me out doesn’t really matter. The fact of the matter is that you helped me out, and you’ve dedicated yourself to making sure I’m safe. Whether you came here because you were guilt-ridden, lovesick, or were paid to, the fact of the matter is that you’re here to protect me, and so I am protected. So my point stands regardless.

Second, I would disagree with this, too. Justice can mean many different things; it means something different to each person. But I would say that feeling as if it’s your responsibility to keep me safe because you feel guilty that I’m in danger in the first place is a sense of justice. In your mind, it would be wrong to let me die when you could do something to prevent it. Thus, you stepped in. You were acting from a sense of morality, which is in its own way a sense of justice. Therefore, yeah, you were acting from a sense of justice, even if you’re still convinced you’re not a good person.

And oh, are you convinced of that.

No you’re not.

You shouldn’t be.

It’s not your fault.

That’s what I would have said, anyway, if I was given the option to. What I actually said (based on the two answer choices I was given) was that if it wasn’t for Seven I would have been kidnapped, but since he was there, I was saved. I mean, sure, yeah . . . but also if I was allowed to actually fight back, that would have helped. Instead I had to act like a damsel in distress for most of it, so . . . [/sigh]

I mean, I get it. The whole “be rescued by your bf” Is no doubt a very popular trope in dating sim games, but still. I’m too much of a shounen protagonist for this. I fail utterly at being a shoujo one (or at the very least, I’m far more of a Fujioka Haruhi than I am a Honda Tohru, as is probably obvious by the avatar I chose versus the full body portrait they give me in all the illustrations).

Anyway, Seven disregards that and says that it doesn’t matter that he saved me, because my life was at risk as a result of everything else. I mean, true, but my life could easily be at risk from any other number of things. It’s not as if the rest of the world is a safe bubble. You don’t know me. You don’t know the life I led before I came here. Don’t pretend to. (Though I have created backstory in my head for this character because . . . well, that’s what I do, and there has to be some reason why she was completely fine at dropping everything in her life to stay in this apartment and plan The Party™, so I gave her one. Don’t judge me.) Then, however, because Seven is Seven, he couldn’t just leave it at that, so:

Um, ouch. That’s just another way of saying you wish we had never met. Ouch. I mean, I know that it’s less “I wish I had never met you” and more “I wish you weren’t in danger right now” but still. Rude. And it’s not as if he gets less rude, either, because he then goes on to say (after telling me not to download weird apps on my phone---like, look, I know, okay? I know what I’m doing, I’m not an idiot, I’ve got this):

I can empathize with this because I am very much the same way (I often use my headphones to block out external noise when working), but the “don’t bother me” makes it rude. Rude!! I had to have MC ask him if he was trying to avoid her by using his headphones (which, duh, obviously, but the only other choice was an obnoxious one, so), at which point he just started talking to himself, rattling off things about whatever project he was working on, so. That’s where we’re at right now. More cold shoulder, more silence. IT’S NOT PARADISE, BUT WE’VE GOT A WORLD OF TROUBLES RN.

At least some of the other members are having a good time, though:

. . . Well, some of them, anyway.

As you can see, Yoosung is pretty upset by the news that Rika had a bomb implanted in the apartment. And, as could be expected, he refuses to believe it:

Well, I hate to break it to you, Yoosung, but the Rika you knew is nothing more than a fabrication and, yes, this was all her fault.

So just in case anyone has forgotten, Rika was Yoosung’s cousin. The entire reason (or at least part of the reason) why Yoosung has such beef with V is because he feels like V moved on too quickly after Rika’s (apparent) suicide, despite the fact that V had locked himself away for a year, hadn’t hosted another Party™, et cetera. Apparently, his grief just wasn’t as apparent for Yoosung’s tastes, so Yoosung took that to mean that V didn’t really care about Rika. (There are also times when it seem as if Yoosung was jealous over Rika, particularly given how desperate he is for a gf in the Casual Story, but . . . well. Hopefully incest wasn’t the intention here.) So even though Rika is very obviously a contemptible person, you can expect Yoosung to continue defending her to his dying breath. In his defense, the other members are pretty adamant about wanting to believe in her sainthood as well . . . but Yoosung’s ardent defense gets on my nerves more than the other members, even if I still end up staring at the camera a lot as they go on about “oh noes how could Rika ever do this” because . . . guys, seriously . . . I’ve been here like seven days and I can already tell she’s awful, ffs.

Anyway. That ended and we got another VNM, and . . . oh no.

Oh no.

So Vanderwood, if you’ll recall, was left at Seven’s house when Seven rushed off to save me. If you’ll also recall, the agency that Vanderwood and Seven work for is currently working for a very dangerous client, who will kill them if the work is completed. I had previously thought that Vanderwood was incapable of doing the work, hence why they were so insistent on Seven getting it done---but as we learn during a call Vanderwood has with their boss in this VNM, that’s not entirely the case:

They then go on to start talking more about Seven (and where he has run off to), and---

Fuck.

Fuck.

The hell you will, bitch I will cut you, don’t test me!

Anyway, that’s probably a good place to leave off on this entry. Believe me, there is a lot more to come . . . I still have 298 screenshots on my computer, not to mention all the ones on my phone, and so much has happened, so . . . Stay Tuned™.