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januaryembrs · 9 months ago

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ROYALTY | Din Djarin x Kenobi/Kryze!Reader

Request: Could you do a din djarin x reader story? It would be cool if it involved reader being the daughter of Obi-wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze!

and: Hey, girl!!! For your 1k celebration could you do a din djarin and satine kryze daughter reader pairing? I saw that someone went around asking multiple people for something similar to this. I had already been thinking of this for awhile, but I understand if you don’t want to do it now because of that. Still love your writing either way, thanks!

and: Hi! I’m so happy your doing your 1k event! I know your fanfic is similar to this prompt but could you do something shorter about din djarin x former padawan reader? Sorry if that’s not enough to go off of, I’m not very creative. Thanks, girl!

description: Din meets the Princess of Mandalore, only that's not what it says on her bounty puck

word count: 1.1k

trigger warnings: fighting?

main masterlist

It was supposed to be simple. A common thief, Karga had said when he’d handed him the puck, a little urchin had slipped her hands in too many officers' pockets for them to let her off easy. Whether Mando killed her or not was up to him, but she’d ran such amuck in the streets of Canto Bight with trick cards that a higher bidder had asked for her body stuck in cryo.

He seemed indifferent to take on a thief for a little deck tricking, feeling as if he were almost better than ruining someone's life for the sake of a victimless crime. What was the worst that came of it? A gambler liquored off his head lost more than he should have wagered away in the first place? But things were slow now Karga and Dune had cleared up Nevarro, and he needed the money, the kid needed new clothes, that little potato sack he was in did nothing for him.

The picture had been classified though, he should have known something was wrong from that point. The red lights should have been blaring right from the beginning.

Because the last thing he’d expected when he’d tracked her location was the sheen of Beskar staring back at him.

You’d caught sight of him immediately, despite him being as stealthy as he usually was on these missions. He remembered freezing in his silent tracks, the way you had clocked his position within seconds of him getting close. It hadn’t been difficult, why would it? Not when you’re a trained force user as yourself, not when you hear a constant stream of voices, those from around you, hearing their every thought so clearly as if it were your own.

You used to complain to your father of how loud your head got, but now time had finely tuned your skills, they gave you peace. Calming like white noise.

You could imagine the surprise to hear thoughts nearby, a man’s you quickly deduced, your name blaring in the forefront of his mind. His heartbeat grew in volume by the second when your torso cocked in his direction, the thrumming of it stopping for a moment as you caught sight of him.

“I suggest you be smart about this, Mando, and leave the way you came. I have no interest in sending Karga another body,” You called, head tilting beneath the helm, as he stepped out of the shadows, blade in hand.

“You sound confident,” He said back, biding his time as he weighed up his chances, “You had problems with the guild before?”

He cursed Karga under his breath for leaving out the very crucial information that the bounty was in fact one of his own people, and ofcourse, a trained killer herself.

“Only the ones stupid enough to try it,” You snapped, circling him as he stepped closer, though his body followed your movements to every millimetre, “Are you stupid, or will I need to send Greef another message about tracking me?”

It was then, as you saw the way his fist enclosed tighter around the blade that you reached for your own weapon. Usually the ones dumb enough to even attempt claiming their bounty were scared off by your sabre alone, the others met their own fate not too long after. You just hoped he would fall into the first category.

The electric crackled in the air as you flicked the ignition, a cobalt blue lighting up the small alleyway he had found you in, and you saw him freeze with hesitation.

Turn around. Turn around, and walk away. You put the thoughts in his head, as if whispering like a siren in his ear, and you prayed it was enough to stop any bloodshed before it started.

But this man, whether or not he knew it, had strong mental shields. By the way he shuddered, he had heard your commands clearly, but they had no affect on him other than that.

“Your one of those- jedi,” He hissed, pointing at you with his blade, his knuckles tightening on the hilt, something more than fear in his voice. Fury, you felt it rolling off him, the taste of it sour in your mouth, “You dare wear my people’s armour when you are from an enemy race? Who did you get it from?”

“Your people?” You scoffed, tugging the helm over your face to reveal a royally pissed expression as you took in his frozen figure, “Do you have any idea who I am?”

Maker, you were beautiful. It rubbed salt in the would that you looked so ethereal when he felt the dishonor thrumming in his veins that you had disgraced his peoples armour. He wore his with pride, you paraded it around as a trophy, most likely from the Mandalorian you’d killed to get it.

He felt his lip curve into a sneer as he lunged for you, the long blade barely swiping your neck as you dodged out of the way of his advance, chucking your helmet to the side with little thought on its wear. It was Beskar, a little bump to the pavement would barely touch it.

“Jedi are sorcerers, they are our enemies. Who did you get this from?” Din seethed, his arm coming up to shield his face as you cut through the air, the lightsabre thrumming with resistance as it met his armour.

There was abit of huffing between the two of you as you pushed against one another, the blue light illuminating your furious expression as he glared at your behind his mask.

“I got this armour on my first life day on Mandalore, as a gift from my mother, the Queen,” You snapped, your hand raising towards his chest and sending a wave of force towards him. Din stumbled back, the energy tame in comparison to the pain you could have inflicted on him, falling on his ass as his expression crumpled into confusion. You stood over him with a scowl, eyes narrowing where he struggled to catch his breath, clearly never having felt the force used against him before, “I inherited my powers from my father, the Jedi sworn to protect her and my people, before my home planet was destroyed by Sith,” You snapped, waiting to see if he was ready to lunge for you again, or if he would like to be flung around like a ragdoll some more.

When he didn’t move, his chest rising and falling as he looked up at you, no ounce of lie in your tone, you flicked your sabre off and sheathed it. Then you surprised him even more, if that had even been possible. You extended your hand out to him, offering a lift up from where he was crouched, stunned, speechless as he took your domineering stature in.

“Next time I expect you to have a bit more respect for your Princess, Mando,”

authors note: hello sorry these request I'm about to bang out have been sat in my drafts for so long. They genuinely got buried under a pile of other pieces I was working on, and I am not a very organised person when it comes to Tumblr, I wish I was, but I hope you enjoy! sorry you've all waited so long if you sent in a request :))))))

#din djarin x reader #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x you #request

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arpmemething2 · 9 months ago

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Batman the Animated Series sentence starters

Send one for my muse’s reaction. Feel free to change pronouns as needed.

"All right, scum bucket, it's you, me, and thirty stories. You're gonna tell me exactly what I want to know."

"That's one way to remove a splinter."

"I have this natural immunity against poisons, toxins, the pain and suffering of others. Go figure."

"I failed you. I wish there were another way for me to say it. I cannot. I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow, someplace... someplace where a warm hand waits for mine."

"Last time we met, you tried to throw me off a building."

"If you think I've been bad news before..."

"Old and infirm as you are, I'd trade a thousand of my frozen years for your worst day."

"What kind of a saboteur uses a six-thousand dollar Metronex to set a time bomb?"

"I never counted on being happy."

"A strong mind can fuel a frail body."

"I need a new car."

"There's no way you could have escaped from that explosion! How did you get out?"

"I'm gettin' too old for this."

"I suppose what they say is true: society is to blame. High society."

"Succumb to the fear!"

"Gee, it's amazing the things you find in people's glove compartments."

"Children and guns do not mix. Ever."

"I'm having a BAD DAY! I'm sick of people trying to shoot me, run me over or blow me up!"

"They're not stupid, and it's your party."

"Aren't they just the cutest family you've ever seen?"

"It's midnight darling, time to unmask."

"It's gonna be one of those nights."

"When you look too long into the abyss, the abyss looks back through you."

"If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?"

"You've got to admit there's something between us."

"There's always time to heal."

"I didn't realize you'd taken up listening to rock and roll."

"Choosing a weekend date?"

"I don't believe in fate."

"An entire city screaming in fear. I wonder if we'll be able to hear it."

"Some thought I'd gone mad. Others thought I always had been. And so they put me where they thought I belonged."

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no tales."

"This city would fall apart without you!"

"I love that trick but I can never make it work."

"Taking up video games, are we?"

"I hate it when he does that."

"You are strong... but not strong enough!"

"They don't make straight jackets like they used to. I should know."

"He's not samurai. He's NINJA. They're spies and assassins. Their only code is to get the job done."

"A pixel is worth a thousand words."

"I am vengeance! I am the night!!"

"And who says opera has to be boring?"

"He always knew how to make an exit."

"Hey! Do I hit your kids? Oh, actually I do..."

"Now boys, didn't your mommies teach you that's not the way to get a lady's attention?"

"Not the robot theory again."

"Freeze, maggots! You're all under arrest!"

"You said you'd never let me go home!"

"What was she before she went bonkers?"

"This used to be a beautiful street. Good people lived here once."

"'Tis better to have loved and lost, and made a small profit, than never to have loved at all!"

"Chance is everything. Whether you're born or not, whether you live or die, whether you're good or bad. It's all arbitrary."

"But you've forgotten the first rule of comedy: if you have to explain the joke... THEN IT ISN'T FUNNY!"

"I told you not to speak!"

"Coming through! Hot stuff!"

"The snow is beautiful, don't you think? Clean, uncompromising..."

"When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping."

"What a pleasant surprise. Though I should warn you - breaking and entering is against the law."

"This could cause a stampede to pork."

"You really know how to put the fun in funeral."

"You ought to put your toys away."

"Would not, could not... would not, could not... oh, could not join the dance."

"Home. I never thought that could sound so good."

"Then I'll see you in your nightmares!"

"As the Bard said, "the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.""

"You know what I'd have given for a death scene like this. Too bad I won't get to read the notices."

"He's a little protective of all this. I think he likes bats better than people."

"All your power and money has bought you an empire of misery."

"Don't try this at home kids!"

"I feel ill."

"Well, that was fun! Now, who's for Chinese?"

"You're about to fall out of orbit."

"Why can't he ever stay dead?"

"They can bury me in the ground, as deep as they like. But I'll grow back. We always grow back. Don't we, baby?"

"All men have something to hide. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative."

"You thought I was just another bubble-headed blond bimbo! Well, the joke's on you, 'cause I'm not even a real blonde."

"When the wage slaves start acting like they own the place, it's time to pull the plug."

"I've been known to be foolish, but ain't nobody calls me a liar and goes to bed happy."

"Since you don't like my side-splitters, how 'bout a skull-splitter?"

"This is kidnapping, mister! Last time I checked, it was highly illegal!"

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rebelscums · 2 years ago

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Blue (Crosshair x Scientist reader)

Ratings: Fluff | Angst (I mean it’s Crosshair)

Summary: Who knew simply loving a man would be this difficult

Pt 6 of Blue

“And he said and I quote I will not be your lap dog.” I put air quotations around the sentence.

“Lap dog?” Echo trailed off…

“I mean what in Ewok territory is that supposed to mean?” I huffed as I paced around my kitchen, cooking breakfast for the two boys.

Echo and Fives sat on my kitchen stools watching as I flailed my arms about, before flipping the eggs.

“Maybe it’s because-” Echo didn’t get to finish his sentence.

I turned to the calmer domino twin with a sharp look, “I never once said I wanted him to be my lapdog or even imply it for that matter!”

“He’s a loose hinge.” Fives interviewed with a shrug, “I’ve heard stories from the other boys about how temperamental he is. You know, I can shoot him in the hand if you want? Send him back to Camino where 99 can whip some sense back into him.”

“No you don’t need to hurt him.” I chuckled, “And I won’t let poor 99 suffer the wrath of Crosshair. The poor man has already been through enough.”

“But if Crosshair hurt your feelings, it’s only right that I get to hurt him back.” Fives tried to explain his reasoning, “Besides I can get Kix, Jesse, and Hardcase and I know Fox will be in on it too. I just have to give them a call and we will-” Fives was already getting out of his seat.

I shook my head quickly, “No no. I don’t want any violence. Promise me.” I held my pinky out, “Fives.”

Fives sighed in defeat, sitting back in his chair. I was lucky that he conceded none the less as he wrapped his pinky around mine to ensure the promise.

I pulled my hand away from his and placed both of my hands on the counter. Fives was quick to pull his mug of hot chocolate closer to him, protecting it as if it was the most precious thing in the world to him and maybe it was… He did love chocolate after all.

I almost laughed though at the thought that he would somehow believe that I would try and take his drink away, but my mind was occupied over another clone.

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” I muttered in defeat, “Maybe he truly doesn’t like me? If that’s so then it might be best if I just hold off from confessing my feelings to him.”

“Whether he does or he doesn’t, I think you should because it would lift a weight off your chest.” Echo explained, “Besides…” Echo trailed off unsure if he should be saying this.

I raised an eyebrow at him, “What?”

“It’s nothing.” He decided on, “But I think it would be best if you go and talk to him. I’m being serious.”

Fives nodded, “Echoe is right and I believe if you don’t get this off your chest I think you might go mad.”

I remained quiet, thinking all my options through as I plated their breakfast.

“Crosshair is at the base today?” I asked softly as I placed the two hearty meals in front of them.

They both looked at the meals like two hungry bears.

“Pretty sure.” Echo nodded a grated full look on his face as he picked up his fork, “Thank you, this is amazing.”

“Of course.” I nodded, “You know I have to make sure my boys are fed.”

“I bet he’s at the shooting range. He’s always there.” Fives concluded, his mouth already full, “This is so freaking good! Thank you!”

I smiled at him, “There is plenty more if either of you are still hungry.”

I said before striding to the front door and grabbing my coat while I slipped my shoes on.

“You’re going then?” Echo asked, a knowing looking in his eyes and a silent prayer to the force that Crosshair won’t do anything stupid.

Even if Echo is now apart of the bad batch and knows how smart each of them can be, he also knows how cruel Crosshair is when facing something he has no control over.

“I’m going to work to work.” I confirmed causally, but they could read me like a book, “Help yourselves to anything in the fridge and like always make yourselves at home. You know where everything is, I’ll be back sometime later after work.”

“Give him hell.” Fives gave me a thumbs up.

“Love you boys.” I gave them a wave goodbye, “Have fun today!”

“Love ya too!” They both yelled and as expected went straight to my fridge.

“I’m done playing around.” I muttered to myself as I waved down a taxi.

I’m going to walk right in there and tell him how I feel… I’m going to tell him… I’m going to… I’m going… I’m…

“Wrecker couldn’t beat my score with an Armageddon on his back.” Crosshair gave his infamous grin towards his brother and leader of the group.

I couldn’t help, but admire his laid back form as he talked with his brother about the last mission that they had before the Winters day holiday.

“Hm.” Hunter chuckled, “Try telling him that.”

“Oh I will.” Crosshair smirked.

I’m going…

I turned on my heel trying to get as far away as possible. My nerves got the best of me as I tried to make a quick escape. My office will do, no one ever goes there.

Force, I can’t face him like this. Why couldn’t I be drunk? It would have made this a lot easier.

“Oof.” I said the moment I turned, bumping into a hard chest, “I’m sorry!” I rubbed my nose as I looked up to find him…

“Steven.” I muttered as I took a careful step backwards.

“Hey! It’s been a while!” He gave me a smile that left me wanting to shrivel away.

“Ah well I’ve been busy.” I chuckled nervously, “I actually have something important that I need to go take care of so if you would excuse me.” I tried to walk around him but he grabbed my wrist.

“Can I get your number now?” He pressed, “I’ve been patient.”

As if. I thought about all the times he has asked me already. If only he would take a hint.

“I’m sorry, like I said I don’t give my number out easily.” I told him trying to sound as apologetic as I could.

“Yeah? Well I asked a bunch of the other scientist under your station and they said they had your number so what’s the deal?” His eyes squinted at me with impatience as if I was the one in the wrong here.

Why couldn’t he just take the hint and move on? There are plenty others he could pursue. I’m sure someone would like him as much as he likes them. It’s just that someone is most definitely not me.

“Look,” I sighed hoping to be as gentle as possible, “I’m sorry and I don’t want to embarrass you like this at work, but I’m not interested in anything you have to offer me. I would very much like us to be respectful coworkers with one another.” I explained, “Now if you could please let go of me, I have a meeting to get to.”

“Why do you always have to lie to me huh? Why?” His hand began to squeeze harder around my wrist, “Why won’t you just give me a chance? I could treat you well!”

I hissed at the pain, “Steven let go. You’re hurting me.”

“No!” He seethed, “Tell me why!”

“I already told you! I’m not interest Steven, now let go!” I tried to yank myself free from his grasp.

“Just give me a chance dammit!” He got the attention of others as he raised his voice, “I’m the perfect gentleman! I brings you flowers, I make sure you get home safe! I even get you gifts!”

“I never asked you to and I didn’t even tell you where I live! I don’t like you and I never will! Now let me go!” I yelled trying to yank my arm away.

My breathing began to pick up as old memories began to flicker in front of my eyes… The war… The screams… Being held down… My parents…

“I don’t know anything I swear!” I screamed, thrust back into that moment… A moment I only wish to forget, “I want to go home!”

It was then that Steven raised his hand, ready to strike my face. My eyes widened in fear and I squeezed them shut waiting for the impending blow… But it never came.

“Usually I let others handle their own fights.” Crosshair’s voice rung threw my ears and I opened my eyes to see him holding Steven’s raised arm, “But you don’t know when to stop so…”

Crosshair twisted Steven’s arm with one quick movement, the scientist groaning in pain as he held onto his wrist.

“Look clone.” Steven glared up at the towering sniper, “This is between me and her so why don’t you just back off and go back to the tube you were created out of.”

That’s it.

My fist reared back before I could talk sense in my self and in just a blink of an eye my fist connected with his nose. An audible crack was heard as well as his screech of pain as he let go of my wrist to stumble back.

“Have more respect for a soldier who puts his life on the line to protect your weasel self.” I glared at him.

I couldn’t even say that I didn’t feel at least a little proud at my job well done.

“And you can have this back, I don’t want your gifts.” I stated as I went to take off the bracelet.

“Don’t.” It was Crosshair who spoke leaving me a bit confused.

“What?” Steven asked appalled, “I didn’t give you that!” He shook his head as he stumbled away to a few of his buddies.

I looked to the bracelet confused, “Who…” I trailed off before looking to Crosshair, “I’m sorry he spoke to you like that.” I apologized, turning my head to where Crosshair was standing… Or where he use to be standing.

His longs strides had him half way down one of the halls already. My force, that many is quick.

“That was one hell of a punch.” Hunter commented, stepping in beside me.

“Thanks.” I trailed off in slight defeat for he wasn’t the person I wished to hear that from.

“He’s never had anyone stick up for him.” Hunter said staring down the same hall that I was, “He doesn’t know how to process what just happened properly if you are wondering why he left so quickly.”

“Oh…” My heart melted a bit at the thought, “I see.”

“What you said back their…” Hunter trailed off and I knew what he was referring to.

“It was nothing.” I waved him off quickly, “Just some old memories.”

I turned to Hunter, one of the few people who understood the mind that was Crosshair.

“Does he like me?” I asked, one to change the subject and two… To find out how the sniper really feels about me.

Hunter looked at me with surprise, “What?”

“I like him and I want to tell him as such, but I don’t know if he feels the same way so do you know if… Well if he likes me?” I asked again.

“I think you should find that out for yourself. It’s best you be honest and tell him how you feel. It might take him some time to process that as well, but once he accepts you as part of his small circle then you are in it for life.” Hunter said before walking away.

Being apart of his close circle doesn’t seem too bad. He’s still going to get a strong word or two from me though with his self righteous attitude problem.

I can’t help, but wonder… Why did he say don’t when I tried to take this bracelet off?

I fiddled with the charm on my bracelet.

It was then that it clicked. Of course it wasn’t Steven who got me the bracelet, it was Crosshair!

“Hey!” I yelled out to Crosshair before he got too far away.

But the reaction I was hoping for didn’t happen, it only made him speed up.

“Seriously.” I mumbled as I started to jog after him, “Crosshair! Stop!”

He only glanced back at me before turning a corner.

I scoffed. At least you’re heading towards my office. You’re not getting away from me this time.

It took everything in me to break into a sprint, I practically threw myself into him as I turned around the corner.

“For the love of clankers woman!” He hissed as he grabbed onto me to keep me from knocking us both to the ground.

“My office. Now.” I panted as I slammed my hand against the panel, successfully opening the door.

He only rolled his eyes, but relented as he stepped into the room. I followed him, making sure to shut the door behind me.

“What do you want?” He crossed his arms.

“Well first I want to say thank you for what happened back there.” I said as I tried to catch my breath.

He nodded his head stiffly, “That it?”

I huffed, “No! You.” I stepped forward, “You kissed me! And I know that it meant something to you just as it means something to me.”

He shook his head before heading towards the door.

“I know you got me this bracelet!” I practically yelled… Pleaded for him to just listen.

He froze, his hand above the panel.

“I don’t know why you didn’t tell me sooner or why you kept it a secret, but I don’t care because I know you have your reasons and I know deep down in that closed off way of yours, you like me.” I spoke quickly, but I knew my point got across from how his shoulders tensed.

“I like you Crosshair.” I said a lot more gently, “I really do Cross so please don’t push me away…”

I took a breath as I waited for a response that as usual was only silence.

“Please say something.” I pleaded with him though his words however short felt like a thousand knives in my heart.

“I don’t like you.” He said barely above a whisper.

“Yes you do.” I said stubbornly.

“No I don’t!” He yelled spinning around to face me, “I don’t love you! Why can’t you get that through your thick head?”

My voice matched his in fierceness and anger, “Because I know what being in love looks like and what it doesn’t and you are! And I don’t care what you say or what you think of me because I don’t think of you as some lap dog. I think of you as a man who lives to fight for what he believes in so believe in us!” I stepped over to the sheet that covered the gift I have been working on for month, “I made this for you because I lo-”

“I don’t believe in us!” He said exasperated, “We live in a life that we could die any day! I can’t even fathom settling down with anyone, do you hear me?”

I looked up at him in shock as I felt my world crumble, but that didn’t seem to dissuade him. It seemed to fuel him.

“You think I got you that? Well you’re wrong!” He lied straight through his teeth as he refused to look me in the eyes.

I knew that he was lying, but it still cut deep because why would he have to lie if i already knew the truth.

He didn’t stop there however…

“You think I kissed you last night because I have feels for you?” He scoffed giving me a once over, “I was drunk and you were there. That’s it.”

He pressed his hand against the panel to open the door.

He barely gave me a glance as he said, “I won’t ever love someone who couldn’t even survive on a battlefield.”

I couldn’t fight the tears as I gripped on the sheet, watching him and any chance that I had with him walk out the door.

I won’t ever love someone who couldn’t even survive on a battlefield.

I scoffed at the words. What does he even know about me? He knows nothing of my life before, of why I was here on this stupid planet. He knows nothing. Nothing and he made it very clear, he never will. I thought as I wiped my tears away.

#star wars #star wars imagine #starwars #clone wars #bad batch #bad batch imagine #bad batch x reader #star wars x reader #crosshair #crosshair x reader #starwars imagines #clone trooper crosshair #bad batch crosshair #crosshair angst #crosshair imagine #bad batch angst #crosshair fluff #bad batch fluff

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massivedrickhead · 1 year ago

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Bechloe Week Day 1: Reunion

Words: 1104

Notes: Well I tried to start Bechloe week with something flirty and fun but naturally I can't help myself and it ended up getting a bit deeper than that. I also think this is a bit of a stretch for a "reunion" prompt...

I'm probably going to be doing 3 of the prompts for this week, but maybe more if I can get time to write them

Read on AO3

“Bec?” Chloe said, wrapping on the door of Beca’s office, one hand absentmindedly rubbing against her stomach. “This is your 30-minute warning, okay? The Bellas are going to be here in an hour.”

“So shouldn’t I get a 60-minute warning?” Beca replied. “They’ll be late anyway.”

“They won’t be late, Aubrey is in charge,” Chloe said, pushing the door open and stepping into her wife’s office. “And you need a 30-minute warning because you’re not greeting our friends - who we haven’t seen in over a year - in your office sweatpants.”

Beca frowned and spun around in her chair. “You love my office sweatpants.”

Chloe cocked her head. “Is that something you imagined I said?”

“I guess I just assumed, since every time I wear them you always want to grab my butt.”

“I think that’s more about your butt than the sweatpants, babe,” Chloe said. “But whether I love the sweats or not, you still need to change.”

“Fine,” Beca said, taking Chloe’s hands and tugging her into her lap. “Well, I don’t need to do any more work, so what should we do with our extra 30 minutes?”

Chloe checked her watch. “It’s more like 27 minutes now.”

“27 minutes? That doesn’t really seem like enough time,” Beca said.

“Well, we could have a little longer if we saved time by showering together,” Chloe said.

“Mrs Mitchell-Beale, I like the way you think.”

Chloe climbed off Beca’s lap and tugged her out of the chair.

“Make the most of this,” Chloe said, pulling her towards the bathroom. “Once the Bellas get here we have to behave for a full week.”

Beca groaned. “Remind me why we have that rule in place again? It seems cruel and unnecessary. It’s not like they don’t know we’re married. They were there. They even saw us kiss.”

“And they still haven’t forgiven us for that time Emily walked in on us in the laundry room,” Chloe said. “Poor girl nearly went blind.”

“In our defence, she didn’t knock first,” Beca replied.

“In her defence, who knocks on the door of a laundry room before they enter?”

“Okay,” Beca said, “fair point.”

They made short work of stripping out of their clothes and were soon stepping into the shower together. As it so often did, Beca’s hand found its way to Chloe’s stomach.

“You’re still sure you want to tell them?” Beca asked.

“Yes,” Chloe said. “When is the next time we will all be together again after this? I want to tell them in person.”

“I know,” Beca said. “I do too.”

“Then why does your face look like that?”

“Genetics?”

“Smart-ass,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. She put a finger under Beca’s chin and tilted her head up so she would look at her, and not her bump. “Why do you look worried? This is good news.”

“It’s the best news,” Beca said. “It’s just… as soon as we tell them, it stops being our little secret. It… I can’t explain it.”

“You’re scared we’re jinxing it,” Chloe said. Beca’s eyes dropped to Chloe’s stomach again, and Chloe knew she was right. “This isn’t like last time.”

“I know that,” Beca said. “Logically, I know that.”

Chloe pressed a kiss on Beca’s cheek and then pulled her into her arms, and they stayed like that for a little while. The hot water cascaded on and around them, steam rising up to obscure the rest of their bathroom.

Feeling hidden away and protected, Beca spoke again. “Announcing him to our friends, celebrating him, it feels like we’re drawing attention to him. Like we’re asking for something bad to happen. The more excited I get to meet him, the more convinced I am that something is going to take him away.”

“Baby,” Chloe said, softly, holding Beca tighter.

“I know I’m being stupid-”

“-You aren’t being stupid,” Chloe said, cutting her off.

“I know it isn’t logical,” Beca said as if there’d been no interruption. “But then the more I try to convince myself that it isn’t going to happen, the more I feel like it will. If you tell yourself over and over again that everything’s fine, that everything will be fine, then the more likely it is that the universe will want to screw you over.”

Beca’s thoughts were spiralling now, she was working herself into a panic. She took a slightly shuddering breath and opened her mouth, as if to continue before something tapped her on the palm of her hand.

She froze.

During their hug, her hand reached Chloe’s stomach again. One hand was pressed against Chloe’s back, the other resting protectively on the side of her stomach.

She had felt her son kick for the first time.

They hadn’t made it this far last time.

Beca let out a shocked laugh and tears sprang to her eyes before quickly joining the shower water spilling down her cheeks.

“He can hear you,” Chloe said, smiling as tears filled her eyes too. “He’s letting you know that he’s okay.”

Beca laughed again and bent down to press a kiss against Chloe’s stomach.

“Hi buddy,” Beca said. “I can’t wait to meet you.”

“We don’t have to tell the Bellas,” Chloe said. “I can wear my big sweaters.”

“In L.A. in July?” Beca said, straightening back up, an eyebrow raised.

“I’m always cold, they’ll believe it,” Chloe said.

“We should tell them,” Beca said. “They’re our family.”

Chloe smiled. “Good, because they would never have believed the sweater thing.”

Beca laughed and kissed her wife again. “I’m sorry I dumped all that on you. I didn’t mean to, it just came out.”

“Don’t apologise,” Chloe said. “Have you talked to your therapist about it?”

“Yeah, we’re working on it,” Beca said. “I know it’s just my anxiety working overtime. My dumb brain doesn’t like it when I’m happy, apparently.”

“Not dumb,” Chloe corrected. “Just… misguided? It thinks it’s protecting you. It thinks it’s keeping you safe.”

“Po-tay-to, po-tah-to,” Beca said. “I’m sorry I ruined the mood. I was planning on doing my best sex moves and everything.”

“I suppose when everyone’s safe in bed tonight, we could try again,” Chloe said, with a hint of a smirk. “Our door does lock, after all.”

“Do you think you can be quiet enough for that?” Beca asked, grinning as she pulled Chloe in for a kiss.

Chloe pulled away. “We don’t have time right now. I don’t even know what time it is, we’ve been in here for-”

Ding-dong!

“Crap,” Chloe said.

“So greeting them soaking wet and naked is better than my work sweats, how exactly?”

#bechloe week 2023 #bechloe week 23 #bechloe week #bechloe #bechloe fanfiction #fanfic #pitch perfect fanfiction #fanfiction #pitch perfect fanfic #beca mitchell #chloe beale #pitch perfect #beca #chloe #bechloe fanfic #bechloe fic #pitch perfect fic #no matter the timeline

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seungkwansphd · 2 years ago

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room for interpretation [preview]

pairing: lawyer!jeonghan x lawyer!reader word count: 700-ish of TBD 🤡 synopsis: as top of class, you and jeonghan had been many things to each other. enthusiastic rivals, begrudging allies, and...parties to a jokingly written (but legally binding) marriage contingency contract? this piece of paper would've been long forgotten had an unexpected merger not thrown you back into each others' lives. themes: rivals to coworkers to tentative friends to lovers, "if we're both single by X age" marriage contract, probably smut?, angst?, lots of PLOT to be determined.

a/n: i feel like i've been kinda MIA lately, so wanted to share what i've been working on! all of this is a WIP, so lmk ur thoughts

“Jeonghan! YN!” Peter grabbed your hands suddenly, “Look at you. Are you truly resigned to a life of loneliness? You both have strong potential to make partner before thirty five, but are you willing to give up your happiness to do so?”

“I-,” Jeonghan laughed.

Jeonghan thought for a moment. It was back of mind right now, but he did envision himself with a family in the future.

“I don’t plan to compromise on anything,” you laughed, glancing at Jeonghan as Peter went to go refill his beer.

“Oh no?” He raised an eyebrow in interest.

“Certainly not,” you shook your head vehemently. “I’m a catch. I’ll be married before I’m thirty and make partner before thirty-five. I will have it all.”

Jeonghan wanted to roll his eyes and smile at the same time. You had been like this for as long as he’d known you. Confident, smart, and stubborn. You were a huge pain in the ass, but that was also why he respected you. There simply wasn’t anyone else in your class that could give him a run for his money in the way that you did. As a result, you were his frequent sparring partner, even if you wouldn’t consider yourselves friends.

“Good luck with that,” he scoffed, bringing his class to his lips. “Peter has a point. The hours and demands of an associate trying to make partner are crazy. It would be stupid to try and date through all that.”

“It’s not my fault that no one’s interested in you,” you teased.

This wasn’t true at all. While quite the thorn in your side, Jeonghan was also incredibly smart, infuriatingly tenacious, and not difficult to look at by any means. He probably could successfully date while making partner if he wanted to.

Jeonghan’s eyes flicked over you, giving you a withering look.

“We both know that's not true.”

“Not sure why you're so concerned about bagging someone before thirty then,” you goaded him, taking a sassy sip from your glass.

“I prefer to be realistic.”

“It is realistic…for me.”

Jeonghan was staring you down now, eyes narrowed slightly at you in something akin to annoyance. This often happened when you two took up arms.

“Let's make it interesting,” Jeonghan suggested.

You furrowed your brows. This was not a good sign.

“If neither of us is married by the time we're thirty, we'll be each others’ contingency plans.”

“What?” you coughed.

“I mean, it shouldn't be a concern for you, since you’re more than sure you’ll be married by then. And you're so sweet to be worried about whether I'll be married by thirty, so this should put your mind at ease.”

Your eyes swiveled around in your head, trying to understand exactly how he had managed to twist the conversation into this?

“I’ve returned with more alcohol,” Peter announced as he set three more beers on the table.

You shifted away from Jeonghan and faced the beverages with an awkward grimace. You weren't even halfway done with your first beer.

…

“What's happening?” you looked up at Jeonghan with confusion.

You’d been studying tax law in the library when a hand had slapped a sheet of paper over your text. Jeonghan had a triumphant look on his face, almost as if he’d bested you in a mock trial.

“Contract.”

As if that explained anything.

“For?” you asked, rifling through your brain to see if there was some contract related assignment that you had forgotten about.

“Our marriage contingency contract.”

“What?” you made a face at him.

“Legally binding. Feel free to review.”

“I-,” your curiosity took over as you grabbed the document, scanning it over.

Jeonghan wasn’t top of class for no reason. He had really written this in language that was clear. There was little to no room for interpretation. If you signed this, you would be marrying Yoon Jeonghan if you were still single at thirty.

“Nice work,” you gave the contract a gentle pat as you slid it back towards him. “It’s good to practice our writing skills.”

“Aren’t you going to sign?” he asked, eyes glancing to your pen pointedly.

“Are you serious?” you asked, slightly exasperated at his persistence now. “What is the point of this?”

Jeonghan crossed his arms. He’d never taken you for a coward.

“I guess you aren’t that confident that you’ll be married before thirty.”

Your hackles raised. It was funny because you were often commended for sidestepping goading in practice courtroom settings. In fact you prided yourself on it, but this time when Jeonghan laid out the bait, you took it hook, line, and sinker.

#jeonghan fanfic #jeonghan smut #jeonghan x reader #jeonghan fluff #seventeen fanfic #seventeen stuff #seventeen fluff #seungkwansphd:writes #fic preview #wip stuff

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pixeldistractions · 10 months ago

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She led them both into her bedroom, flicking on a lamp that flooded the room in five-thousand combined watts of light.

“It's uncanny! He looks like you, don’t you think?”

“Who is he?”

“Some dude I made out with for two months junior year. He had this little crinkle between his eyebrows that reminds me of you. Funny though, I just had this picture on some old roll of film for so long. I only just developed it. I hardly even remembered who he was, but then I did. He had the best eyebrows—like yours—strong, moody, intense. You know, good in light and shadows.”

Charlie wasn’t listening. She didn't mean to bore him, and she certainly didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable. In fact, Ingrid wanted nothing more than to make Charlie very comfortable in so many ways. She watched that funny little crinkle between his eyebrows fold and deepen with so much worry. “What do you want, Charlie?”

It wasn’t so ridiculous a question, but he frowned at the wall like it burdened him to even think about it.

“If you didn’t have to worry about doing what was right,” she said, “or what you should do, or what people expect you to do, or whether you’d hurt someone’s feelings, what would you do? If you could do anything in the world?”

“I’d go to Florida,” he said, after barely a thought. His face flushed with surprise at so much sudden certainty, and then a tiny flicker of a smile. “I’d get in my truck and drive to Florida and do what I should have done two months ago. I should have talked her out of it.”

There was a feeling inside that Ingrid could only guess was what people called heartbreak. And ouch, that wasn't fun.

She sighed. “Go do it then. Go talk her out of it.”

“Really? Like, right now? At twelve-forty-five in the morning?”

“Sure, why not? You haven’t had that much to drink. You have gas in your truck.”

“I don’t have any time off work.”

“So what? It’s just a stupid job. Call off.”

“What if she’s not ready? What if she’s mad?”

“Then she’s mad. At least you won’t have to wonder anymore. At least you’ll know. Carpe diem, Charlie. Seize the fucking day.”

“Huh.” He thought about this. His face brightened and a funny, smart-ass smile overtook his face.

“Thanks,” he said, taking hold of her hands.

She shrugged. “For what?”

“Just thank you. For hanging out this summer, for carpe diem, for everything.”

He leaned to her cheek, pressed his lips to her skin. His breath tickled her earlobe, but that wasn’t the kind of ‘thank you’ kiss Ingrid wanted.

So she stole a better one, taking his face into her hands and his warm lips between hers. He tasted every bit as delicious as she thought he would, because he let her kiss him. He didn’t stop her. He even kissed her back, cautiously but not cold, mildly exploratory and ultimately about a thousand miles away. She let him go.

“Sneaky,” he said, stepping away from her.

“Yeah, I know.” She pushed him toward the door. “Go on. Get out of here. Go get your girl.”

When Ingrid came back out of her bedrom, Laney had stretched out on the couch again, not reading. “How’s the book?” Ingrid asked. “Is it amazing? Is it everything you hoped it would be?”

“I don’t think it’s a happy story. I’m pretty sure it’s not a happy story. I’m scared to find out how it ends.”

“Bummer. Are you gonna read it anyway?”

“Probably,” Laney said. “I need to know, right? I mean, you can’t not know how it ends.”

Endings suck, Ingrid thought. “Maybe it doesn’t matter how it ends. It’s the journey, not the destination, or some junk.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” Ingrid said. “It’s probably not true anyway. It’s just something people tell themselves when they didn’t get what they wanted.”

— from “in between days, part 5.5”

(flashback to July 2085, 3 years ago story time)

Next ->

#ts3 #sims 3 #simblr #sims story #old stories coming back around again #charlie #ingrid #laney #PFSN: a rebel yell

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banamine-bananime · 8 months ago

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preface: i was writing a list of my headcanons for funsies and got completely derailed with angsty grimmons shit that needs to be scooped out of that post because it’s stupid long. so here

grif worked in honolulu a couple years after hs graduation until kai was old enough (17) he felt he could leave. did a year at university before realizing he’s smart enough to be admitted to cornell but not to get the scholarship he realistically needs to not be in crushing debt on graduation, and also there’s not nearly enough regimentation to college life to prevent him from rotting in bed paralyzed by “oh my god i don’t have Responsibilities That Need To Be Done Right Now for the first time in forever and idk what to do now” and executive dysfunction. went through basic and stationed on the doomed outpost. That Whole Thing (a polite way of saying “sneaking off for a nap on duty, sleeping through a massacre, and waking up to find literally everyone else dead”) was the nail in the coffin that pretty much shot his last shred of motivation and hope to shit, and based on his behaviour and psych eval afterwards (best summarized as “learned helplessness that everything is shit always and he’s useless and never gonna be able to help anyone so 👍 fuck everything fuck everyone just try to eke some hedonistic joy out of life before you die”) he was reassigned to the sim soldiers.

meanwhile simmons tried to do university several times and had to drop out for mental health reasons (a very polite way of putting “rapid spiral into absolute disaster every time”. it leaves room for giving him the benefit of the doubt that this was a proactive “ah i should take care of myself and this is not working for me :) #selfcare #therapy” decision. this is not benefit of the doubt that anyone who knows him would extend.).

I go back and forth on whether to roll with the “that one throwaway line with a suspiciously specific hypothetical of being in a unit that was stranded and had to eat their dog to survive” thing or just say he was assigned straight to sim troopers. on the one hand, i really love grif and simmons having a parallel immensely traumatic first assignment that made them both Worse in kinda similar kinda opposite ways in line with the ways they were each already fucked up

(grif “life is inherently a garbage fire. i am useless. all i can do is look out for myself and save my own hide by absolute never trusting any authority, refusing to get attached to the other fuckers around here (they’d hate me anyways so just let them hate me), and obsessively hoarding any access to food and shelter and comfort because Maslow said I can’t work on health or belonging or esteem until i do :/ yeah i know, sorry, i’ve got a doctor’s note from him right here.” vs simmons “my life is a garbage fire probably because everyone around me is an idiot fucking something up but also because i’m not trying hard enough. i’m sure if i keep Performing The Maladaptive Behaviours even harder they will work and i THEN will feel respected and powerful and loved. you see you just have to keep repressing every feeling so you can suck up to anyone you detect a whiff of Authority Figure on no matter how little you actually respect them, and follow EVERY RULE and work and work and work. and you had better abandon any compunctions about things like eating a dog you loved or backstabbing a friend for brownie points from the CO who hates him or Literally Murdering your CO for a promotion. and if you ever stop desperately trying, fighting dirty looking out just for yourself, and instead just sit still for a moment and enjoy sincere zero-ulterior-motives connections with people, you will probably definitely immediately die of starvation or exposure (it is a metaphor you see. of exposure to the elements while stranded without resources. for the agonizing exposure of allowing yourself to be known.)”)

on the other hand i’m like whoa now. this boy’s got enough problems we really don’t need to be giving him any more or we’re really never gonna pry him free of the woobiefication fics.

#rvb #red vs blue #dexter grif #dick simmons #alexa send post #grif #simmons

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talenlee · 7 months ago

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Well What if I Was In Charge Of Pokemon If I'm So Bloody Smart?

No matter where you are on the internet, whatever the fandom is, someone is always going to ask about what you’d do if you were in charge of it. For example, a lot of Bible fans are very convinced that their fanfiction is actually factually true. Whether it’s fantasy Wrestlemanias or ideal outfit compositions in Pretty Little Liars, there’s always an urge to take a thing you already know and make your version of it.

Also, people who like Pokemon routinely talk about what stupid idiots the designers are and how they could do a better job of running the game. I don’t think I could, because I know there are competing factors and I think that everyone who opens their mouth to talk like that sounds like a tool.

Still, if I think those people are silly, it’s easy to say that if I don’t put myself out there, right?

Here! A bunch of opinions about what I think should be done in Pokemon as a game franchise. Nothing like ‘open world matters’, I think the game should always be a competitive 2v2 Bo3 format and the rest of the game can follow from that. I also don’t think that this would make the game better. It’s very important that I put it out there, on my sleeve, that none of these changes are based on deep insight into the game or the way that it should be. No. This is a centering of myself, as a designer, and as a player of games. This is how I want it done. Also note that none of these changes are simple or oblative, like, this isn’t all that I think should happen, there would need to be specific changes and fine tuning for all these pushes.

There, preamble done, here’s how and where I’m right.

Kill the Rock or Steel Type, Don’t Care Which

To me the Rock type feels like it exists because when they were setting up the type chart back in Red-Blue, they figured they’d need something like that, like making sure to sketch out space for a window box while designing a window. But Rock in RBY got to be Ground’s ugly cousin, with its greatest perk (a resistance to normal moves) not proving adequate to the task of dealing with that generation’s overwhelming normal type attacks, and being bolted consistently to something that gave it a quad weakness. In Generation 1, there was one rock type that wasn’t quad-weak to grass, and only three that weren’t quad weak to water as well. In its first appearance, Rock was literally never used on its own, which to me suggests that the type wasn’t actually doing a job. It was a sorta-type, a thing to keep them overwhelming grounders under control, I suppose.

In Gen 2, as if to fix Gen 1, they introduced Steel types, which were uh, like, Rock types but good? They had the ground weakness still, they shared that, but they no longer catastrophically mixed with ground, and Steel had the kind of resistances that made it fit for ‘tough’ Pokemon types. But this brought with it the new problem that now Rock’s old job – a physically tough type of elemental Pokemon type that represented being made out of something inert that wasn’t necessarily stuck to or of the ground – was displaced by something that was just better.

Rock exists in an ugly space between ground and steel, made worse. Steel exists to do Rock’s job, but better. Steel is one of the best types in the game and even brings with it an immunity to a whole wing of status conditions that you want on a tough Pokemon that wants to endure fights. One of these types sucks at doing its job and the other is too good at it and any time you get one of them you probably would be better off if it was just the other.

My druthers, Rock would be Steel, the Steel Type wouldn’t exist and the Rock type would just have the Steel associations, and if that doesn’t make sense for a Pokemon I’d just make it loose the Rock type. Graveller and Golem didn’t get anything being Rock types after all. Oh, Stab on Rock Slide, yeah, woo, that means something.

Get Rid of the Fairy Type

You can admit to your mistakes, just admit it, the Fairy type was an attempt to address the problems of making a bunch of broken dragon types. It has no coherent flavour, and it’s super strong in a way it does not justify.

The Fairy type sucks and it’s so popular and strong it’ll never be properly addressed.

‘Oh but if you got rid of the fairy type, what type would you give the fairies? there’s nothing else that fits’ yeah see what I mean about not having a coherent theme?

Buff the Ice Type

Ice got a ‘sort’ of buff in Scarlet-Violet, in that one of their moves got made worse. Oh, more usable, but it it didn’t actually help Ice. See, Ice Types in Hail get a defense buff, making them better defensively under the new ‘Snow’ condition. This means that now you can run a single Ice type and it gets tougher as long as this snow condition is going on without needing to build your whole team around them the way them. You could include teammates that were immune to Hail without building around a single type, and benefit from the defensive bonus it now grants, which is like the defensive bonus you get from Sandstorm.

Basically, you know that good weather, Sandstorm? Well, rather than Hail, the Bad Sandstorm too much like Sandstorm, it got replaced with Snow, so it’s now the Bad Sandstorm.

Anyway, the Ice type should resist water (turning water that hits it into ice and floating in ice are two good themes there), and Steel should be weak to Ice. No strong reason, just fucking hell, give Ice something to do.

Stop Making Bugs A Dumping Ground

Bug is such a weird type because it’s clearly something that the designers are fond of, something they like, but it’s also a type with almost no meanigful support in the game’s entire history. The list of good, tournament-meaningful bugs starts at Scizor, adds Volcarona and kinda stops there, and that’s a list that’s been about that long since forever. The Bug type is used in the early game to populate early routes invoking things like looking for cicadas as a kid.

But the result is that bugs aren’t treated as a sort of whole type of their own. Bug type moves are typically weak hits, and even though U-Turn is an incredibly important move, it’s never important for being Bug, it’s important because it’s a pivot – a move that lets you transfer in a Pokemon after other attacks. Its potential offensive capacity is irrelevant, and you can tell because as good as U-turn is, it’s showing up on Incineroar – quite possibly the best VGC Pokemon of all time.

There’s no legendary Bug.

There’s never been a Box bug.

There’s exactly one Mythical Bug ever, and it was Genesect.

Fully-evolved bugs have the lowest average stats, and they as a group have the lowest hit points, and special attacks of any group.

Bug as an offensive type is resisted by seven other types, and bug resists three uncommon offensive types – fighting, ground, and grass. It even has a weird thing where Fighting resists Bug and Bug resists fighting, which isn’t something that shows up in other damage types.

The Bug type is a bad type and Bug Pokemon are bad Pokemon because Bug Pokemon aren’t made to be good. The best Bug move is good because it shows up on the Best Pokemon of all time in a competitive environment.

My solution to this is not to do anything with the type per se but just, like, fix it? Stop making Bug Pokemon that are bad. Make better moves for Bug Pokemon to use. Take every fully evolved Bug Pokemon and give it better stats. By all means, keep the way that Bug Pokemon are bad at HP and Special Attack, sure – but give them something for it! This is a type with a lot of Pokemon that get to be Someone’s Special Guy, and they have made it so anyone who gets attached to Bugs early on is guaranteed to have to give up on their faves when they start playing in competitive scenes. That sucks!

There! Just some opinions about how Pokemon should be designed. These are the kinds of opinions I think are interesting to consider.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#pokemon #Games

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myreygn · 1 year ago

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helloooo!! i would like to place an order for your 500 followers event if you don’t mind!! congratz!! i hope i did this right…if i didn’t do this order right, pls lmk 😅

flowers: aloe, butterfly weed and gladiolus

decorations: pink ribbon and wooden ladybug

address: demon slayer

recipient: akaza, kokushibo & douma

things to keep in mind for the bouquet: i want you to have fun with this order and run with whatever you feel inclined to write for the drabble 😌

jesus christ this was so hard- hi anon, thank you so much for the congratulations, the request and the challenge, i'm afraid this is as fluffy as it gets and i hope you like it a little bit 😭

tw alcohol

❁✧✿✧❁

The air feels thick. These days it’s hard to come across alcohol that merely so much as makes their heads feel fuzzy, let alone make them drunk, and yet somehow Douma managed to anyway. Akaza has now idea how he did that and he honestly doesn’t want to know. For now, he downs another shot and tries to tune back into whatever his higher ups are talking about.

“And I’m telling you, it’s not about remembering the person, it’s more of a feeling, you know?” Douma points at the wall. “I see them and a little voice in my mind just goes ‘I hate you.’ I don’t need to know the reason.”

Akaza would love to give some words of approval but he really doesn’t need to give his rival that satisfaction, just because he said something true for once. Also, he’s not sure whether he could if he wanted to. His tongue feels sticky. Everything feels sticky. He downs another shot.

“Mhm.” Kokushibo swivels his drink, spills some drops on the table and stops. “Although if you choose to forget the source of your hate, forgiveness will never be an option.”

While Douma turns into a somewhat smart version of himself when drunk, Kokushibo does the complete opposite. “Bullshit.” Good job Akaza, that wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

“Now now.” Douma’s eyes were halfway into closing, now they squint at him with that stupid lazy expression. “There might be some truth to this.”

“There’s not.” Akaza does his best to glare back. “No one ever deserves forgiveness anyways.”

Kokushibo nods. “I never claimed so.”

“Ballsy statement.” Upper Two grins and refills all of their glasses. “Fair though… forgiveness is so boring. Everything should be resolved through a fight to the death.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“As long as it works for you.” Kokushibo’s slurring his words slightly and it takes everything for Akaza not to think judgy thoughts. He’s currently getting drunk on an unidentifiable liquor Douma brought, he’s not in the position to think judgy thoughts about anything.

“Does it?” Douma’s eyes gleam with curiosity. “I mean, work for you? Actually?”

Akaza wants to say Yes and then stops himself just in time to rethink his answer. Does it? Actually? “Sometimes.”

“Ah.” Douma grins at Kokushibo as if they share a secret Akaza isn’t in on, which- they’re talking about him, this is ridiculous- “The Flame Pillar.”

He doesn’t want to snap like he does, really, but no level of intoxication could ever be high enough for him to ignore that. “Mind your fucking business.”

“Oho, did you hear that, Lord Kokushibo? Someone’s being a little moody.” Douma’s grin only widens as he refills their glasses once more. “Relax. You won, didn’t you? And against a rather strong fighter too. What’s there to be moody about?”

Akaza scoffs. “Sure didn’t feel like a victory.”

“Wanna know what I think?”

Before he can say No, because no, Kokushibo softly clears his throat. “You should hear him out.”

It sounds more like youshhhoulhearhimou but Akaza isn’t so stupid to think that Kokushibo won’t remember this. He rolls his eyes in defeat. “I’m waiting.”

Douma smirks. “I think you’re just being dramatic about it to feel better about yourself after Lord Muzan got so angry at you. A victory is a victory, no matter how much you got your shit rocked.”

“Language, Douma.”

And while the other two now start to bicker about cussing, Akaza can’t do much more than cling to his glass and think to himself that Douma has no idea what he’s talking about.

❁✧✿✧❁

[send in an order for the event]

#rey writes #the flower shop #milestone event #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #upper moons #akaza #douma #kokushibo #fluff??#please bare with me i tried my best #tw alcohol #anonymous

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gaydennisreynolds · 2 years ago

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I was just gonna rb some posts about this but I am bone-chillingly nervous about it so i need to have like a whole breakdown in ur inbox. I don’t know if rcg understand how deeply invested some of us are in macdennis and that a decent amount of people see it as something deeper than a “haha mac wants to bang him” joke. I really really really hope if they do make macden canon they recognize that they’ve ALREADY DONE “this is what I thought I wanted but now I do not want it at all” (Charlie/waitress) AND “we bang once and decide we are never doing that again” (Charlie/Dee) and they’ve beaten the shit out of the “dennis hates mac and points out that even if he was queer he wouldn’t like mac” joke. Literally begging praying screaming at rcg to not be fucking idiots and let us just have this one thing please PLEASE

ok I totally forgot about the charlie/waitress AND the charlie/dee plots if i’m being honest but u guys are right, they probably won't re-do those ideas macdennis style since they don’t like to be repetitive. so we’re probably safe from that outcome!

Something notable about the writing style of Sunny (to great comedic effect) is that, unless it would be funny, they cut away before the consequence. It’s funny to see the characters get themselves in deep shit through stupidity and ego--not so funny to see them crying through their one phone call from jail or getting thrown out of a store or getting yelled at by their mom. I think that’s really important to keep in mind as we consider what they might do with the seeds of MacDennis that they’ve been planting for so long. If they give it to us, it might be in the series finale or in some other context where they can set it up, deliver, and cut away before the fallout/consequences.

To address the rest of your ask: the devil and god are raging inside me and God is like, RCG are clearly very smart! They mean everything they say! Comedy is important, but they want to tell a compelling story too! versus The Devil who is like bro RCG are only in it for the comedy of it all and the story and the meaning is secondary. I think the reality is somewhere in the middle; they oscillate between these truths depending on season and who is in the writers room.

Will we get good canon macdennis, that lives up to everything they built it to be? It all depends on if they feel like it would be funny, sustainable, or say something different than what they’ve already said. It’s hard to gloss over just how much time and effort they’ve expended into setting it up--I feel like it’s going somewhere...but whether that destination is one we would like is not known at this time. I feel like in service of our own happiness we should all try and collectively assume that macdennis found dead in Philadelphia until we see them kiss with tongue on screen.

#soe-leo #macdennis #macden #iasip #its always sunny in philadelphia #its always sunny #canon macdennis discourse #sorry it took me so long to reply to this i wanted to be coherent

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boysplanetrecaps · 2 years ago

Text

Recap of Boys Planet Episode 1, Part 2

Part 1 was here. On to part 2!

Team USA performing Rush Hour

At about 58:00 in, it’s time for USA’s own Jay and Kamden to come back out. Jay is jabbering nervously in English as they come out from backstage. The trainees in the Space Council seem excited for USA to perform. One of the dance judges calls USA “Father, mother” (either that or he’s remember the words he learned in first year English class?).

The trainees are impressed with Jay and Kam’s swag. Wait until they hear them sing.

My take:

They’re really fucking good. I don’t have to explain this, right? They’re just actually good. They sing well, and perform well, on a singing/performance competition show, ahhh what a relief. Watch the Youtube version if you want to figure out how really really good Kamden is too. I don’t know why they focus so much more on Jay -- Kam kills it just as much. Jay does have a lovely vocal color, but Kamden does too!! I will also point out that Jay’s initial acapella singing was off key, but he must have been really nervous and exhausted.

The judges give Jay 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and Kam only 3 ⭐⭐⭐, which is stupid and wrong because Kam also should get 4 stars. Whatever.

The judges notice that the American kids know to bow 90 degrees. Hey, there’s a lot that goes into successful Kpopping. Bow a lot, future foreign kpoppers. When it doubt, bow.

At 1:00:34 the judges say that it’s time for a break, so it’s time for the trainees to go adjust their makeup and talk about how handsome and talented everyone is, and whether they think K or G will win the day. Feel free to skip to 1:02:00 for the next segment:

Yuehua K versus Yuehua G.

G on the left, K on the right.

I assume that the long term plan here is for all (or most) of these eight boys to debut as one group down the road; that would be smart, because we’d know them all at least a little bit, and many of them are fairly memorable. I bet that would work -- We really have no way to know how well they know each other -- do they train together in Korea? Hard to be sure. But the impression I get is that they do know each other, and while they’re feeling competitive right now, I think they are also cheering for each other deep down. I mean, look at Brian (fourth from the left) grinning at the others.

Ji Yun Seo, fifth from the left, says that the K-members are a bit better, again suggesting that they know each other a bit. Ricky (blonde) trash talks back in a combination of Korean and English. The trainees in the Space Council are edited to seem anxious about all of this.

Kick It (G)

Zhang Hao: 22 years old, Chinese: “I’m the musical prodigy and ace leader.”

Ricky: 18 years old, Chinese (in English): I’m young and rich, tall and handsome, Ricky.”

Ollie: 16 years old, Chinese. “I’m your chocolate! Ollie is the youngest.”

Brian: 20 years old, Canadian “I’m Brian, with a soft voice.”

Hao and Ricky tell the Space Council that Ollie is nervous and get the trainees to cheer for him, which they do willingly. He’s cyoo!!

Ollie is wearing the same overalls that Yuehua’s Justin wore in Season 2 of PD101.

Everyone says that Brian is handsome, even the MNET editing team, who give him a halo.

The judges ask Hao about his “prodigy” status, and he explains that he can play a lot of instruments and in fact studied music in university. I love it when an idol has genuine musical talent. A staffer brings out his “not that expensive” 10 million won violin (about $7,500) and he plays beautifully. Everyone enjoys the moment of classiness. And then… we begin.

My take: I sort of fell in love with this song when it was performed by Seo Young Eun and Yoon Ji A in Girls Planet 999. I know, N-citizens are like, wut, but yeah. I did. Now I like it a lot, and have opinions as to how it should be performed.

If you don’t do that arms up over your head movement to “New thangs! New thangs!” with the right kind of ominous, confident energy, then why do it at all?

And for me, none of them really did it quite right. Ricky has a look like he should be able to do it, but somehow, he fell a bit flat for me on stage. I bet they were all nervous, though. Ricky did that cool flip, they all had variable facial expressions, and all of them kept up the energy. Really, they all did fine, just not superb.

Zhang Hao: He made eye contact with the camera, which a lot of other trainees were nervous to do. Obviously the best singer in the group, and he held that long note accurately -- but it didn’t exactly sound nice, if you catch me. Still, I can see why the judges give him 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐-- it’s not unearned.

Ricky: He has a strange charisma, where he looks great in still photos, but somehow falls flat when he’s moving. I think he must have been a lot more nervous than he even seemed, so I’ll kind of cut him a bit of slack and see what else he can do. I think 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ was more than fair for that -- if they had given him 2 I wouldn’t have been shocked, but maybe they bumped it up for his flippy flip.

Ollie: Rapped very clearly, with good pronunciation on the English and what I assume was good pronunciation on the Korean. I was actually wondering if he might have spent some time in the US or Canada, and all I can find is that he was a child model, so he might have traveled around a lot. Three stars ⭐⭐⭐ again seems fair.

Brian: Did a decent job dancing and was mostly on key/rhythm singing. He’s on his way, for sure. The judges give him 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐, which seems right, though I think some others with similar performances got lower scores.

Backstage, the Korean Yuehua trainees note that the G-group did the same as when they (the K group) were “monitoring them” -- again implying that they train in the same building, and maybe just split up when they were prepping for this show.

The judges hand out their stars, and the G-group members congratulate Hao (Ollie calls him Hyung, like a Korean kid would) and the other three try to be ok with their three stars. Hao vows that all four will get 4 stars next time.

Kick It (K)

Now it’s time for the K-group to come out and also perform Kick It. Let’s get it! (1:11:10)

When they come out, the G-group Yuehua teams waves to them cheerfully from their seats in the Space Council.

Yeah, they’re totally buddies.

K group introduce themselves:

Ji Yun Seo: (18) ”I’m the energetic Dragon leader!”

Yoo Seung Eon: (19) “The main vocalist with a titanium voice.”

Han Yu Jin: (15) “the lovely charismatic golden maknae”

Kim Gyu Vin: (18) “the genius you want to see every day.”

The judges tease them about their supposed rivalry with the other half of Yuehua. Apparently, the G-group Yuehuas said that “our youngest” Han Jujin was the most likely to win an allstar. Han Yujin checks their formation before they get started and then we get down to it.

They do a brief intro first, featuring what must be original choreo, and then launch into their version of Kick It.

My take:

Yoo Seung Eon really does have a fantastic voice - I think he strains a bit and could benefit from additional training, but that’s the kind of feedback someone gets when they’re actually good, like he is. He dances better than some working main vocalists, too. His mic pack seemed to come loose for him (and for most of this group) and he delt with it pretty well. For me, he was the ace of this group, but you know. MNET hates vocalists. You’ll do a great job in the Yuehua boy group that will debut in 2024, Seung Eon. I’m already a fan.

Han Yu Jin is of course really great at dancing, and his one line was sung correctly. For me, there was something, I don’t know, stiff? one note?? about his dancing that was slightly off putting, and I don’t think he did the New Thangs part correctly. But he is a tiny baby and he’s just going to keep getting better and better with more training.

Ji Yun Seo danced with power and precision, and his singing voice was pleasant enough. I don’t have a ton to say, but really, he’s very good.

Kim Gyu Vin is a really good dancer. I’d watch a fancam of his. His mic pack came loose right at the beginning and that’s such a fucking bummer because I think it inhibited him a bit. But you still see his power, his charisma, his attention to detail. He did that New Thangs move correctly, looking down into the camera the whole time, so good. He only sang one line, and his vocal color is kind of foggy, but he’s on key and on rhythm -- exactly what you want from a main dancer.

The Yuehua-G group seems proud of their chingoos, and say, basically, that they feel like they didn’t know quite how good they were until now.

MNET’s editing is hyper focused on Han Yu Jin for whatever reason, and the judges tell him he dances like one of them, so that’s big. I understand why the judges were so excited about him -- that good that young! They ask him to freestyle, and he does a freestyle popping-heavy routine that leaves the other trainees wondering how he could be that good.

The judges are about to award their stars when Gyu Vin asks to do something else for them, specifically dance to REVEAL by The Boyz. He takes off his shoes, he’s so into it. I think he does great with this performance, too, though I can’t really tell through the editing.

Ok, so I was watching his performance, and I said to myself, “Self,” I said, “there’s a boy who idolizes Kai from Exo.” I looked it up, and turns out I was right -- Kai is in fact one of his idols. So, good job, me.

All four of them are given All Star ranking⭐⭐⭐⭐, and I can’t disagree with any of that. The judges act as if Gyu Vin’s dance to REVEAL put him into 4 star territory, but for me Kick It already did that. The G-group Yuehua teammates seem sincerely happy for the other four. Zhang Hao in particular seems emotionally touched.

And, yeah, overall, I’m excited for all eight of these boys to hopefully end up in a group together. I like all eight of them and think that together they’d be better than apart.

1:23:55 Next Segment: My House

Everyone is excited when the Cube trainee comes out, and it turns out to be Bak Do Ha, in his blue satin shirt. The camera tries to zoom in on the quarter inch of exposed chest we can almost see between his lapels. Sexy sexy satin! He haltingly introduces himself by saying “With a cute face but a voice that isn’t,” which I think is a reference to his voice being deep.

He’s here to perform My House, by 2PM. This is a great song and if you’re not familiar with the original, go check it out. It’s great. The whole thing with this song is that the 2PM guys are all tall -- between 5’10 and 6’1 -- and were all fairly mature when it came out in 2015 -- they would have been between 25 and 28. It’s like, “hey pretty lady, we’re both adults, let’s go home together. Take my hand, let’s go.” The choreography is a little silly looking, so you have to deliver it with all the confidence of an ostrich doing its mating dance.

20-year old Bak Do Ha is not as confident as an ostrich, because he’s not as good a dancer as an ostrich, and he has one of those uncomfortable deep voices that are a little hard to coax into melody. Good looking guy, though, and he seems to charm Lip J into wanting to take his hand, but mostly what his dance inspires is laughter. Perhaps they’re not exactly laughing at him, though -- they’re laughing at “the other guy.”

That’s when we, the audience, find out that what actually happened, in real time, was this: red-shirt wearing 23-year-old Jung Min Gyu, from an agency I’ve never heard of called CABIN74, came out first, performed My House by 2pm, and then shortly thereafter, Bak Do Ha came out and did the same song. But for no real reason, the MNET editors were just like WHAT IS TIME? WHAT IS CHRONOLOGY? and decided to tell the story in flashback.

So now we get to see Jung Min Gyu’s attempt. It’s even worse than Doha’s version, for kind of the same reasons -- he seems embarrassed of the song, embarrassed of his sexy satin shirt, embarrassed to be singing and dancing in front of judges. He seems relieved when they laugh at him, because he had expected them to be silently angry. Poor guy. CABIN74 is a newish agency, and mostly made news for signing, and then losing, a member of T-ARA. I think they mostly have actors under their banner, and maybe this guy really wants to be an actor. I mean, I hope he does. He claims his specialty is “Changing facial expressions quickly” and that his favorite song is by Barry Manilow. So, yeah. It would make sense if he were trying to be an actor, not really an idol.

The other thing about their performances is that this choreography, like a lot of choreography, looks really silly all by itself. Perhaps because of this, the judges ask Mingyu (red) to come up and join Doha (blue) and they dance together -- Mingyu takes off his shoes because they’re “slippery” -- and it’s obvious to everyone that they look much better together than they did on their own…. but that they’re still not good.

Apparently this moment has gone viral, and I mean, sure, it was fun.

My take is that it’s not good in a genuine way -- I feel like we’re laughing at them, not with them. I think it was mean to have either of them perform alone and it was mean to give them this song. That’s my take.

Both trainees get zero stars, which is harsh but fair.

1:31:57 Team Hot

This Chinese team wearing red outfits consists of Wang Yan Hong, 24, and Yang Jun, 23. Neither appears to be signed to an agency.

My take:

Yeah, this isn’t so good. They wander from the key and rush the rhythm really badly, the high notes are too high for them, and they have not great vocal color. They aren’t synchronized in their dancing, and this choreo looks silly done by done two people instead of 13. They are committed and have decent facial expressions, and they don’t laugh or otherwise undercut themselves, but yeah, this isn’t great.

But I think the reason that people kind of like this performance in a weird way (the existence of this video argues that point) is that they’re human beings trying their best, doing something they’re maybe not that great at. There’s something charming about a real human. Yoo Seung Eon from Yuehua, the one with the “titanium voice,” seems somehow super human when he sings. Maybe we don’t always want titanium idols; we want idols who are flesh and blood. Hence the fame of William Hung, hence the win of Kim So-hye in PD101-1, hence the rise of singing groups in kpop who really can’t sing (I shall name no names because I enjoy being alive).

Oh boy, the MNET editing makes them look even worse. Anyone would look bad if you interrupt and replay 2 seconds every 5 seconds. In the full-cam Youtube version, you can hear that the Space Council cheers when Yan Hong and Jun finish, but in the MNET editing, they end to complete silence. I don’t know why MNET editing, and the judges, went so hard against these two. They weren’t that much worse than anyone else. Yes, they earned their zero stars fairly, but there was no reason to be so cruel. They were gentle with Jung Min Gyu, the red-shirted My House performer -- maybe because he’s Korean.

Criminal I

Next up is Lee Dong Gun, one of two trainees who audition with Taemin’s Criminal.

Donggun is only 17 and admires both of the male dance masters, and is clearly here in his capacity as a dancer. No mention is made of his young age, or his bravery at performing alone, or the difficulty of trying to do a cover of a song originally performed by arguably the best dancer in all of kpop. Nope, no reason to mention any of that. Instead, let’s play only his worst high notes, edit it to make it comical and insulting, and then focus on the judges saying things like he was never on key for a single moment.

You guys, check out the full cam on youtube. He’s 90% on key for the first minute or so, and yeah, after the one minute mark it goes off the rails. But watch it on mute if you have to. His dancing is good. These are intricate, strange, varied movements he’s doing, and he’s doing it with commitment and bravery. The notes are wrong, but he sings them with some lung strength. Compare his singing to that of Haruto, who the judges inexplicably gave a 4-star rating despite his horrible, terrible, no good singing. Compare Donggun’s singing to that of Taemin or Kai when they debuted, or Sehun when… now. Sehun now. (Sorry, all. I’m Exo-L, I’m allowed to say this.)

Heck, compare Donggun’s singing to that of any MR removed performance of pretty much any non-SM boy group. Enhypen springs to mind as a group whose MR removed videos don’t exactly show them in a great light. Why? Because they’re DANCERS. I like Enhypen a lot, and will delightedly watch Niki and Jay fancams. But I don’t fool myself that they’re singers. Come on, Engenes, you know it’s true.

So my point is…. I guess my point is, I don’t know why I put myself through watching these shows. The judging is so random and the editing is so awful. Why does Haruto get off scot free and they come down so hard on poor Donggun? I don’t get it.

Anyway, they give Donggun 1 star ⭐.

Then we get a montage of bad singers, none of whom are as bad as Haruto was. We see:

Jeon Woo Seok, performing Criminal

Wen Ye Chen, part of the Call Me Baby team

Jang Min Seo and Jung Se Yun Performing Damdadi by Golden Child, their Woolim sunbaes

Osuke and Yuki performing Crown by TXT

Then we get a montage of harsh judges comments about their singing, followed by a general admonition to the Space Council to be better singers, which pisses me off for a lot of reasons.

First off, there’s nothing they can do about it right now, you dumb dumbs. It’s probably 2 or 3 in the morning, and they’ve been there for 22 hours. They’re 16 or 18 or 20 years old. They’re terrified and undertrained. You yelling at them will not make them better singers, right now, in the remaining minutes or hours before they stand before you.

Also, and while I hold the opinion that Kpop singing has gotten terrible across the board and I would like to see more groups like EXO who can actually fucking sing, like is that too much to ask??, I also know, as these boys must know, that singing in Kpop is low key optional. Hell, look at how the MNET editing is already pushing Haruto at us and hiding how bad his singing is. If I were them, I’d be genuinely angry to be yelled at at this point.

Anyway. Deep breaths.

I watched all four of these performances so you don’t have to. Let me give you the dealie.

Criminal II performed by Jeon Woo Seok

He was really committed to the performance -- I mean, peep the bare feet, the binding on his hands, and expression. He had his hands tied together for the whole first half, and tore off his binding with his teeth. If you watch it on mute, it all actually looks pretty good! I bet his idol Taemin would see something to complement here. Watch the position of his hands and feet -- he really is doing the thing. He’s 19 years old and he dances some difficult choreography with maturity and grace. He doesn’t crack up or giggle at having to be sexy. He just does it. He had the same commitment that Shim Seungeun had when she did Paradise Lost in GP999.

Yep, his singing was in fact, egregious. Both off key and off rhythm. Unforgivably bad. But Haruto’s was worse. The judges were just wrong to give him 0 stars.

Call Me Baby

Krystian, 23, was also on Youth With You 3, and was regarded very well on that show. Judges gave him 2 stars ⭐⭐.

Wen Ye Chen is 22. The judges gave him 1 star⭐. His finger looks weird in the picture because he was moving.

Chen Yu Geng, 24, is also known as Crayon. The judges gave him 1 star ⭐.

Chen Jian Yu, 24, got 1 star ⭐.

My take:

As a big Exo-L, I didn’t hate their performance. I love this song -- in fact, it might be my favorite Exo title track??? -- but I’m the first to admit the choreo is really weird, and for the most part, I think these guys pulled it off. I won’t say seek it out and watch it, but it’s really not that bad.

Wen Yu Chen was the main vocalist, and he was stepping in the footsteps of vocal giants. Who among us can sing Kyungsoo’s “Hey girl”? For the majority of the time, he was totally on key and fine, you guys. His voice sounded a bit thick to me, the way people’s voices sound when they’re straining or a little sick. But he hit a lot of the notes and danced the steps. I think 2 stars would have been fairer.

Krystian was a little flat, but he actually has a nice husky vocal color, and there’s something sort of just compelling about him. I looked into him, and on Youth With You he auditioned as a rapper. I think that he stepped up to the plate to sing because someone had to, and did his best. I’m glad he got 2 stars -- it could have been worse.

Crayon and Jian Yu didn’t stand out to me in any particular way, but weren’t ear shattering or anything.

Damdadi performed by Jang Min Seo (16, left) and Jung Se Yun (15, right).

Jang Min Seo has already left the show, citing extreme knee pain, but maybe it was because the judges were so cruel to him and to Se Yun. Se Yun is the third youngest on the whole show, just a month older than Takuto and 5 months younger than Yuehua’s monster rookie Han Yu Jin. Like, hey, if you’re going to have high school sophomores on this show, can you at least not be mean to them?

I wasn’t familiar with this song, but I listened to the original and I feel like they were doing their best to emulate their sunbaenim. The song was well chosen for them, youthful and cute, and I think they brought nice energy to it. They both danced so hard their nametags fell off! I think they both had a little trouble with some of the footwork, and lost their balance a few times. But they both stayed on key as far as I could tell, and Se Yun rapped really fast. And if Min Seo was in horrible knee pain, you can’t really tell in the audition -- he keeps smiling. Poor kids.

The judges gave them both zero stars. I think 1 star would have been fair.

Crown by TXT performed by Osuke (19, darker hair) and Yuki (21, lighter hair), both from Japan

Ah, what a great song. Not a great performance.

Sometimes they sang sharp, sometimes they sang flat. They may have had trouble finding the key since it had been transposed lower. When you’re used to a song in a certain key, as they probably are used to the original version of this song, it’s hard to switch to a different key sometimes. You have to take your cue from what you’re hearing in your headset, and maybe they had trouble doing that. Or maybe they just have trouble… you know… singing.

The dancing felt kind of cursory to me, as well. If you’re going to make a heart with your hands or arms, you have to do that long enough and with enough sharpness that I can get a screenshot of it.

Osuke got 1 star⭐, and I’m not sure how he was better than Jeon Woo Seok (who performed Criminal barefoot).

Yuki got 0 stars, which seems fair.

Ok, so our “bad singers montage” is over. The judges congratulate themselves on having yelled at their young trainees.

1:38:25 Final Stretch

The sun has set (filming began in early December, so if the sun was setting it was around 5pm) and many trainees have not yet auditioned. Assuming an average of 2 trainees per song and 10 minutes per audition, it would take around 500 minutes (8 hours, 20 minutes) to see them all. Hey, here’s a thought, MNET -- film this over two days. You could make them all wear the same clothes for the two days and pretend like you filmed it all on one day, but just give it two days so you aren’t filming until 3am and making your young trainees sick.

All I Wanna Do

Next up is Seok Matthew, from Canada. Brian, the Canadian Yuehua trainee, cheers loudly, and other trainees seem very welcoming. The judges say he looks like Xiumin, validating me at a level I had not expected.

What do you all think? Does Matthew look like Xiumin?

Before Matthew can perform, we get a flashback to earlier in the day. Turns out that Sung Han Bin, who will be performing next, knows Matthew from when they trained at Cube together. (Which also suggests that they might both know Hui.) Hyung Hanbin is super supportive of Matthew, and waits back stage as Matthew performs.

My take:

Overall, I think he’s great. He sounds a bit sharp to me a lot of the time, which could be nerves -- he really did sound nervous. He has a lot of charm somehow that just makes him fun to watch. Maybe it’s the North American in me reacting to the North American in him -- I like how natural he seems on stage. He doesn’t sound out of breath even though he’s dancing pretty hard.

The editing makes him look even better. Aww, Hanbin is shedding relieved tears backstage! How sweet. The judges are weirdly in line with me on this. They say he’s a bit sharp, which, yes, and fun to watch. They give Matthew three stars ⭐⭐⭐, which disappoints the Space Council, but I think it’s fair, or at least it would have been if other people who were worse than him hadn’t gotten four stars.

Beautiful Beautiful At 1:45:45

HanBin comes out and says that he spent two years as a backup dancer, specializing in tutting and waacking. Naturally, LipJ challenges him to a waacking battle and it’s really fun to watch. The editing makes it almost impossible to tell what they’re actually doing, alas, but it’s still fun.

Then the judges ask him why he didn’t check off “vocal” on his intake form (shown below with a translation). He says that he isn’t confident about his vocals and wants to work on them here.

He also says that during the years he spent as a backup dancer, he wondered if he could ever make it as an idol. Hey, HanBin, have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?

He didn’t check off “visual” on his application form!! Just “dance” and “choreography.” Wild!! (Here is a screenshot of the part of the form they showed, with my translations below it.)

My take:

Ok, as a full on Fuse (fan of ONF), I am so psyched that their songs are being seen and heard more often. Beautiful Beautiful is such an ONF song -- it’s hard to imagine anyone else doing a song like this. If you don’t really know ONF, you might know the “smiley boy” who did a dance cover of Hype Boy at a military talent show? That’s J-US from ONF, who looks great with a shaved head.

Anyway, I love this song.

And I liked this performance! Boy was I wrong about this pretty boy -- he can dance and mostly sing! I’d give him 3.5 stars for dance, 3 stars for performance, and like 2.5 stars for singing. So I’d give him 3 stars overall, and yeah, that’s what the judges give him ⭐⭐⭐. I felt like he was a tiny bit stiff, holding back a little, and a few of his movements kind of don’t play as well as they could. But the changes he made to the choreo to include more tutting style moves actually work really well with the choreo as it stood. He has both power and control and looks great on stage. Born to be a K-idol.

That’s kind of what the judges say too -- that during his performance he seemed a tiny bit flat compared to when he was waacking with LipJ. The judges praise his singing too. So I’m like, 2-for-30 with the judges today.

Hanbin seems perfectly happy with three stars, which makes him look like a real sweet guy. Wow, he’s pretty, and humble, and skillful? Hanbin is so making the final lineup, don’t you think? (I’m saying this only having watched the first episode -- this is a prediction based on what I’m seeing, not a spoiler.)

The judges say that any agency that had both Hanbin and Matthew must have been good, and the camera cuts to Hui, with the caption “proud of Cube.” Um, I bet not. Every trainee at Cube hates Cube.

Cry Time: Shine 1:53:55

Next out are Ichika(30), Itsuki (16), and Ouju(18) all Japanese trainees. Yes, Ichika is 30 -- he’s about 10 months older than Hui. The average age of the trainees, according to my spreadsheet, is 20. But he doesn’t look out place here. Part of the joy of a song like Shine is that you’re kind of supposed to look like mismatched dorks, all different heights and styles.

But of course, they’re not really here to audition, at least not according to the MNET editors. They’re here to make Hui cry by performing Shine. Well, they’re here to make the entire Space Council cry.

So first, I'll explain why Shine would make Hui cry, for anyone who doesn’t know. Shine was a huge hit, and rightfully so. It was so beloved. For some reason, it didn’t win any music show awards, but whatever, it was a bonafide hit. And then E’Dawn got kicked out, and E’Dawn was a major sort of “face” of the group. Tons of scandal. Fans saying they’d boycott them if E’Dawn didn't get kicked out, and other fans saying they’d boycott them if E’Dawn DID get kicked out. And their next few songs just didn’t chart, despite being great. The guys must have thought they were at the start of a major break through, and then it looked like they were more like one-hit wonders.

For Hui, thinking back to Shine, back to that time when it looked like they were going to be big, when everything seemed possible, but knowing that it all crashed and burned…. Yeah, it would make me teary do. I mean, it does make me teary. I mean, I am crying.

When they’re done performing, the judges ask Hui what he thought of their performance, and he doesn’t really give any feedback. He just says, “I had a great time watching your performance, and I was grateful as the original artist. Thank you.” Then he bows like, 120 degrees to them.

My take on their actual performance:

If you watch their practice video, there were originally six of them performing together, and apparently three of them were sick or injured or something. I’m not clear on that yet. So they had to scramble and redistribute the lines and remake the choreo at the last minute. I won’t go too hard on them.

Ouju’s voice cracked several times. Ichika was off key most of the time, but he does do the heavy lifting, singing a lot of the lines. Itsuki’s vocals were also not fantastic. But they all brought that silly, “I’m a dork” energy to the choreo that you have to bring for this song, and they all kept going and didn’t give up. It’s actually kind of fun watching them, as unpleasant as it is to listen to them.

The MNET editing is kind, actually.

The judges give Ouju and little Itsuki no stars, and give tall Ichika one star⭐. That seems about right.

As of 1:57:00 it looks like Hui might be going next, but if you know MNET at all you know he won’t really perform until next time. They sure do find some clips to make it look like he does poorly and gets zero stars or something.

And that’s pretty much the end of the episode, except for the live ranking! Here’s the ranking. Trainees who I haven’t mentioned or seen before will be in italics; I’ll try to give you a reminder as to who the rest are.

Sung Han Bin - pretty tutting boy

Kim Ji Woong - we saw him in the audience often, for example wishing he could go to university in Winnie’s place

Han Yu Jin - the young phenom from the Korean Kick It team

Lee Da Eul - walked in first

Kim Gyu Vin - the very confident dancer from Korean Kick It

Lee Hoe Taek - Hui

Zhang Hao - the leader/good singer from G-group Kick It

Anthonny - the cutey from Glitch Mode

Kim Taerae

Cha Woong Ki - we haven’t met him but he debuted as Woonggi in T01

Hiroto (not Haruto!)

Ricky - the blonde tall guy from G-group Kick It

Lee Seung Hwan

Keita - debuted with Ciipher

Park Gun Wook - sexy guy from Jellyfish and GBTB

Ma Jing Xiang

Oh Sung Min - We haven’t met him, but he debuted as Jerome in T01

Seo Won -we haven’t met him but he debuted in NINE.i

Lim Jun Seo - came in first

Takuto - little boxer

Krystian - on the Call Me Baby team

Zhang Shui Bo

Ollie - in the overalls, G-group Kick It

Mun Jung Hyun- we saw him in the audience a few times

Dang Hong Hai - blonde Vietnamese guy from View

Lee Dong Yeol - we haven’t met him but he’s in Up10tion as Xiao

Bak Do Ha - blue shirt “My House”

Chen Jian Yu - on Call Me Baby team

Wang Zi Hao

Jay - excellent American singer

Kum Jun Hyeon - fought for chair 1

Seok Matthew - Canadian, went by himself toward the end

Xuan Hao - blonde member of Team God’s Menu

Park Han Bin

Lee Jeong Hyeon

Yuki - lighter haired “Crown” by TXT performer

Brian - on Kick It - G team

Lee Hwan Hee - we haven’t met him, but he’s a member of Up10tion and has an amazing voice that a lot of people agree sounds a lot like Baekyhun from Exo so of course I think he’s great

Haruto - amazing dancer, cutey pie, bad singing, All Star

Park Hyun Been - rapper on team GBTB

Choi Woo Jin

Cai Jin Xin

Lee Dong Gun - performed Criminal wearing shoes

Yoo Seung Eon - “titanium voice” singer on Kick It -K

Lee YeDam - saw him in the audience a few times

Choi Seung Hun

Park JiHoo - told Hui “I just got here”

Jung Ho Jin

Wumuti - ethnic Uyghur from China

Jung Min Gyu - red shirt My House guy

Jang Yeo Jun - on team GBTB

Jeong I Chan - we haven’t met him but he was on I-LAND (as Jaeboem)

Haru

Chen Kuan Jui - super flexible guy

Choi Ji Ho

Wen Ye Chen - main vocal on Call Me Baby team

Yutaka

Ichika - tallest member of Team Shine

Chen Ren You - my favorite in Tiger Inside

Jeon Woo Seok - barefoot Criminal performer

Park Gwan Young

Hyo

Osuke- on team Crown by TXT

Park Min Seok

Itsuki - wore the hat in Shine

Cong - brown haired Vietnamese trainee from View

Ouju - voice cracker from Shine

Jung Se Yun - the short haired member of team Damdadi

Yuto

Han Seo Bin

Nice - the shy no-eye contact Thai guy

Jang Ji Ho - we haven’t met him but he debuted in NINE.i

Yoon Jong Woo

Han Yu Seop - from team GBTB

Chen Yu Geng/Crayon - blonde member of Call Me Baby

Kei

Winnie - Thai guy who turned down university to do Kpop

Kim Min Seoung

Wang Yan Hong - on team HOT by SVT

Min - Thai member of Glitch Mode

Jeon Ho Young

Na Kamden - was partnered with Jay

Chen Liang - on God’s Menu

Yang Jun - on team HOT by SVT

Toui

Ji Yun Seo - the leader of team Kick It-K

Hong Kong Hee

Qiu Shen Yang- blonde member of team Tiger Inside

Lin Shi Yuan - red haired member of God’s Menu who rushed the rhythm so much

Kim Min Hyuk

Dong Dong - from Team Tiger Inside

Feng Jun Lan - dark haired member of God’s Menu who I thought was pretty good

Riku - we only saw him get his seat stolen

Ok, that’s it! Thanks for reading.

Here's Episode 2's recap, right here.

#boys planet #boysplanet #boysplanet999 #boys planet 999

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